M.J. Rose

Have you experienced sleep paralysis? If so, imagine for a moment that you are living in ancient times, with no scientific explanation for such terror. To what or whom would you attribute the experience? Demons? Witches? Angry souls of the dead? The hallucinations are often accompanied by a distinct sense of impending doom – a dread so palpable that you are absolutely positive you are about to die.

Could it be possible that the science we have now is merely attempting to explain the more sinister or paranormal nature of these experiences?  Do scientists really know the answer?

If you’ve ever had sleep paralysis, one thing is for certain, it feels as real as real can get.

Here is one of the best articles we’ve seen on the phenomenon in terms of offering a scientific explanation:

Understanding Sleep Paralysis: A Terrifying But Unique State Of Consciousness
by Dan Denis (ifls)

“I awake in bed … In the corner of the room there are two men. I cannot see them but I know that they are there, and what they look like. I can hear them talking. They are talking about murder. I cannot move. One of the men comes and stands directly above me … He spits, and his spit lands in the socket of my closed eye. I can feel the impact, the wetness, the trail of slime.”

This may sound like a scene from the X-Files, but it is actually a personal account of a real experience – told as part of a project on sleep paralysis. This is an unusual condition where one wakes up in the night, unable to move, and often experiences a wide range of bizarre and terrifying hallucinations.

On October 9 a new documentary, The Nightmare, directed by Rodney Ascher, is being released in the UK. The film tracks eight people’s experiences of sleep paralysis, brilliantly recreating their terrifying visions on screen. However, it does not touch on the increasing amount of scientific study into the condition. This is a shame, as researchers are slowly getting closer to unravelling its mystery….”

For the rest, click here.

Click here for a very fascinating video on the subject.

Have you heard of the Lancashire Witch Trials? It’s a 400 year old tale of witch hangings. Here’s a new find related to this local history:

From BBC News,

‘Witch’s cottage’ unearthed near Pendle Hill, Lancashire

“Engineers have said they were “stunned” to unearth a 17th Century cottage, complete with a cat skeleton, during a construction project in Lancashire. The cottage was discovered near Lower Black Moss reservoir in the village of Barley, in the shadow of Pendle Hill.

Archaeologists brought in by United Utilities to survey the area found the building under a grass mound. Historians are now speculating that the well-preserved cottage could have belonged to one of the Pendle witches.

The building contained a sealed room, with the bones of a cat bricked into the wall. It is believed the cat was buried alive to protect the cottage’s inhabitants from evil spirits…”

For the rest, and a great video segment on the story, click here.

Shazam!

Happy October!

‘The Power Of The Witch’ – super rare British witchcraft documentary from 1971

“What a find! The Power Of The Witch is a documentary about witchcraft as it was practised in the late 60s and early 70s in the UK – apparently it was only screened once and there is practically no information about it on the web. From the uploader taitsitarot‘s YouTube description:

An extremely rare documentary about Witchcraft aired once in the UK in 1971. Featuring contributions from Eleanor Bone, Cecil Williamson, Alex & Maxine Sanders [above], Doreen Valiente et al. Very much of its time and with some very rare footage, also includes reference to the famously unsolved murder of Charles Walton on Meon Hill.

The Power Of The Witch is worth a watch even if you are not particularly interested in the occult – rather watch it as a document of its time, capturing as it does people’s attitudes, beliefs, fashions and plummy Brit accents. It’s a curious mixture of patriarchal stiff upper lip-ism and unerring belief in both Christianity and the forces of magic, making it feel very much as if it comes from a completely different era. Not to mention, it’s a goldmine of potential witch haus footage:…”

For the rest of the article, click here.

To watch the film, click here.