Gunpowder And Ghosts

[poliphilo]

I think bonfire night is dying out. There were very few fireworks last night- and they stopped early. I smelled bonfires around tea-time, but I didn't see any.

Two explanations. One is that it's being swamped by Halloween. The other is that our safety-first culture is killing it. I saw a news item a few days back about a police task force in Liverpool that was going round confiscating "illegal" fireworks. They'd collected over a ton. Spoilsports, I thought.

A third possibility is that I've got a skewed view of things from living in a Muslim area.

Living TV had a show in which "acclaimed spirit medium" Derek Acorah investigated sites associated with the Gunpowder Plot, picking up on residual energy and talking to ghosts.  Professor Ron Hutton, historian of Wicca, was scoring his performance. Very impressive it was too, which points- I suppose- to his having done his research- which wasn't always the case on Most Haunted.  It sounds absurd, but this was actually quite a neat little history lesson- and I learned things I hadn't known before. When Acorah enacted the last moments of the gang's leader Robert Catesby-  who died clutching an image of the Virgin after charging a line of musketeers-  it was curiously moving.  Terrorists may be wicked in all manner of ways, but don't try telling me they aren't brave.

Comments

[dakegra.livejournal.com]

our neighbour put it down to the recession - less money to splash around on things that go whizz and bang. Certainly fewer fireworks around last night in our area, though that had the advantage of letting LB get off to sleep at a reasonable hour. Poor little scrap *hates* the loud bangs and spent much of the evening cuddled up to me.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, of course- I'd forgotten the beastly recession, what with Obama and everything.

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Acorah was outed by Ciaran O'Keeffe from the Most Haunted show as a spectacular bullshitter..but do you believe any of the psychics are the real deal?

[serennos.livejournal.com]

He was wasn't he - Acorah came up with the name 'Kreed Kafer' after (I think) O'Keeffe got some blokes in a bar to talk about this (fictional) ex-person within earshot of Acorah.

'Kreed Kafer' being an anagram of 'Derek Faker'...

Mind you, I've personally seen things that I cannot explain and I don't think that this particularly disproves anything other than Acorah's believability.

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Yeah I think the sceptics are VERY dogmatic and determined to dismiss psychic tendencies.. It makes me a bit suspicious. And after reading an article about a study by Michael Persinger I'm even more interested - he has demonstrated that the ability to undergo a spiritual experience may be hard wired into the brain, and that some people just don't have it and therefore tend to dismiss it.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Acorah's credibility was totally destroyed by that episode. I believe in psychism. But I think most psychics- at least the ones who make a living at it- mix a good deal of showmanship and trickery into their acts.

I have a friend who sees spirits- and is terrified by it- and very much in denial.

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I wonder if it actually wears off if you go public with it - the gos punishing people for making a living out of it?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We used to read Tarot semi-professionally. We were quite good at it. It supported us through a brief period when we really needed the money, then when the need disappeared so did the gift.

[ibid.livejournal.com]

I know in many societies that practice Shamanism it's not something that's wanted. One of my Master's collegues did his research in Seoul and there was one guy whose guiding spirit was a female and she forbade him any relationships with women so it's pretty tough.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

If my spirit guide started bossing me around like that I think I'd sack her and get another.

[ibid.livejournal.com]

The spirit chooses you, not the other way round!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Hmm...I'm not sure I care for that arrangement

[michaleen.livejournal.com]

That has been my experience. I've known two people who could 'see' spirits, principally through their dreams. Both wished that they didn't. One drank heavily, because the alcohol interfered with remembering his dreams. The other eventually learned to banish, in order to ward off the worst of her visitations.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I do. I've knocked around with seers and psychics who don't trade on their gifts- and in some cases do their best to hide them. I liked the guy who took over from Acorah- David Wells- no-one has ever caught him cheating and he eventually resigned because- reading between the lines- he's serious about what he does and Yvette and Karl aren't.

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Yeah I always got the impression that he was a sincere person who took his vocation / work seriously. I find it hard to believe that ALL people who claim to have psychic abilities are just lying to get attention. Why would they do that?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I've got a friend who sees spirits- and really, really wishes he didn't.

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

You might want to point him to the Lesser Banishing Ritual:

http://www.angelpaths.com/lbr.htm

(but you're a druid so you might know this stuff already, apologies if I am teaching you to suck eggs :-)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Not a druid- a Wiccan (lapsed) :)

It annoys me he won't embrace his gift. I'd love to be able to see dead people.

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

I'm kinda the same. I've perfect pitch and don't compose.

[serennos.livejournal.com]

I miss David Wells (and can't stand Brian Shepperd(sp.?)). thermian told me that David Wells left because he didn't agree with the messing about with darker spirits that seems to be going on now.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I used to watch it mainly for Wells. There was a M H Live last year- at Bolsover Castle- where he got seriously angry with the way Karl Beattie was arseing around.

I think that may have been his last gig.

I note from his website that he doesn't do stage mediumship. Good for him!

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

was that the "sleep no more" thingie where Karl and Ciaran invoked a curse? Didn't seem to do them any harm though.

(btw sorry for being all over this thread like a rash, I'm fascinated by the paranormal)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's the one.

I went and visited Bolsover Castle on the strength of it. Fascinating place.

I've always been fascinated by the paranormal too- from childhood- which is why it frustrates me that I never see anything.

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

maybe try requesting a message of some sort from your nearest friendly deceased person. That seems to work for me, and I'm as psychic as a cheese sandwich.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My father (I think) has made his presence known through setting off electrical appliances. And once he sent me a message through my daughter.

[serennos.livejournal.com]

I didn't see that one. I did see the most recent MHL though, and it got me wondering... If there is an entity that answers to 'Prince of Darkness', and respects salt circles, but anyone else is fair game, am I quite safe sitting on my sofa while the TV yells for things to happen? I'm fairly sure I'm safe :)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched it since Wells left.

I don't believe the real Prince of Darkness (if he exists) would deign to turn up at one of Karl and Yvette's seances. And if he did I don't believe a circle of salt would deter him.

[serennos.livejournal.com]

Very true!

[jfs.livejournal.com]

The Guardian put up a map of immigrant communities in London, and where I am in Ilford, the road about 50 yards to the south of me marks a boundary between the largely Hindu and Sikh community to the north, and the largely Muslim community to the south.

For the last couple of years, with Diwali, Eid and Bonfire Night all coming around the same time, November has officially been renamed Pet-Scaring-Month.

(I'd also guess that there will be a lot more fireworks at the weekend.)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Asians love fireworks. It's rare that a night goes by round here without someone letting of a rocket or a few fire-crackers.

They even let them off in daylight- which seems pretty pointless to me.

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

I had a fair number of booms and bangs out in Kent last evening, but I understand a major fireworks display and bonfire in the London area was cancelled out of fear of wind blowing the fireworks over the heads of the crowd. I didn't think it was that windy, but who am I to say?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's rather pathetic. What a lily-livered society this is!

We used to have a big, yearly firework display in the park- really grand- but not any more.

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

Our Fourth of July and Pre-Christmas tree lightings or New Years Eve fireworks are mainly managed by the local governments now. Private ownership of fireworks has been banned in most communities. When I was a kid we had tremendous bonfires on July Fourth - lots of fun - bring your trash, etc. and add to the pile. No more of that - smog and safety regulations, you know. Also when I was a kid even though in Massachusetts private fireworks were against the law, many people still had them and fired them off in backyards. Occasionally now on July Fourth one can see smaller displays of aerials in surrounding areas (still illegal). Halloween also used to have certain aromas associated with it -- candy apples, burning leaves, pumpkin pie, not so much now. We cannot burn leaves any more, instead they go to compost piles (a good thing for the soil).
Wow! What wound me up just now? Nostalgia, I guess. I can smell in my imagination the scent of burning leaves...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We used to have fireworks parties when I was a child. We had a big yard and all my friends would come.

I think we're in danger of legislating fun out of existence. Children are so cocooned and protected these days.

[sovay]

The other is that our safety-first culture is killing it.

Gyah. I hope it recovers. Bonfires and fireworks are very autumnal things.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've always loved bonfires. My dad and I used to build huge ones

[richenda.livejournal.com]

A friend was travelling by coach from Chester to Bangor, and there were firework displays all the way - as the coach passed one, she could see the next in the distance.
Another passenger was trying to explain the fireworks to a young German tourist.
"House of Commons", she said.
"Cellar", she said.
Oh dear!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Heh-heh-heh.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I heard this morning at a book club meeting that Voodoo is now an official religion in Haiti.

BTW.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Well I never!

But, actually, why not? Our idea of Voodoo- which comes mainly through horror movies- is probably a caricature of the real thing.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

Kate told me an interesting story today: it seems she works with a fundamentalist Christian and a woman who loves her two cats. She mentioned cats in heaven to the man, who said flatly there were no animals in heaven--his "pastor said so."

Kate said the woman got tears in her eyes, and Kate, a gentle soul, took her aside and told her a story about a meadow where old and frail animals are young again and play all day with each other.

The point is, no one knows anything, neither the preacher or Kate or the rooster-killing Voodoo people.

I told Kate it was amazing that a forceful personality could make people believe anything.

But that's how we're wired, she said. We're storytellers, and we sit by fires and let ourselves get scared, and believe.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Kate is a very wise person.

No one has the right to pontificate about the afterlife.

Is there anything in the Bible about animals not being allowed into heaven? I don't think so.

[qatsi.livejournal.com]

I wonder whether it falling mid-week isn't another factor here. I suspect there might be more fireworks over the weekend. Certainly that's when I'd expect organised displays to take place.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That could very well be the case.

[brttvns.livejournal.com]

Personally I can't stand bonfire night (though why we use the singular when fireworks go off evenings before and afterwards is beyond me) - my main gripe may seem selfish as the fireworks frighten one of my dogs, not a little but seriously frighten her. The other reason is that I see no need in celebrating the execution of a terrorist for a failed act of terrorism. Now if the gang had succeeded in blowing up their target that may have been something to wave a sparkler at!

As for 'terrorists may be wicked in all manner of ways', we seem very sure about the definition of 'terrorist' these days, but what defines a terrorist from a rebel? The brutality of their actions? How many 'rebels' throughout history went on to be leaders, politicians, yet a majority of those who unsuccessfully rebelled against them are remembered not quite so fondly?

Cheers

Brett

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

If the Gunpowder plot had succeeded we might now regard the conspirators as national heroes- as fathers of the nation- the men who returned us to the True Faith. Catesby would be our Lenin.

Round here they let off fireworks all the year round. I've got so I hardly notice it anymore.