Encounters with the Supernatural

Angcuru · Jul 13, 2003

WayneLigon said:
No, Wait. RingXero reminded me: a friend and myself were driving to the D&D game in a beroom community about 15 miles from the city we live in. He was driving. It's about a flat 20 minute trip from my house to there; I'd driven it myself many many times. My friend even drives faster than I do. We left my house and went straight to the game. They wanted to know why we were late. It had been over an hour from the time we left my house until we got there.

Assuming there was no traffiv....

Did you have a strange aching feeling where the sun don't shine soon after that? Aliens tend to stick stuff up there when they abduct you.....

Andrew D. Gable · Jul 13, 2003

Terraism said:
a surprising number of those who have experienced paralysis while only borderline awake have reported seeing an absolutely black figure at the time or immediately after. A lesser number have reported actually being attacked by said figure.

Wow. I knew of associated hallucinations and "hagging" and stuff, but I didn't know that this particular version of the hallucination was so common. I read up on this too a few years back: as I said in my other post, I'm fascinated with how many reports of ghosts and alien abductions and such this could be responsible for. After all, if (not knowing of this phenomena) you wake up, paralyzed, with several humanoid figures possibly seeming to poke and prod at you, what are you most likely going to think it is?

Terraism · Jul 13, 2003

Andrew D. Gable said:
Wow. I knew of associated hallucinations and "hagging" and stuff, but I didn't know that this particular version of the hallucination was so common. I read up on this too a few years back: as I said in my other post, I'm fascinated with how many reports of ghosts and alien abductions and such this could be responsible for. After all, if (not knowing of this phenomena) you wake up, paralyzed, with several humanoid figures possibly seeming to poke and prod at you, what are you most likely going to think it is?

Definitely. Taking off of the number who have reported they were attacked, it seems likely that a number of myths about witches "riding one at night" may have been caused by this. Your average joe in 1650 wakes up to a shadowy figure, unable to move, and then feels a heavy weight on his chest and sees the shape leap onto him... then passes out, waking up sore the next morning as though he'd been moving all night. Explains a bit, I'd think.

Another interesting tidbit I found in the same research was that a study had been run that measured the number of reported sightings of the virgin Mary over the years, as well as the number of reported sightings of UFO's. As could be expected, the former decreased while the latter increased... but, oddly enough, the total each year stayed almost exactly the same.

Freaky coincidence?

Andrew D. Gable · Jul 13, 2003

Terraism said:
a study had been run that measured the number of reported sightings of the virgin Mary over the years, as well as the number of reported sightings of UFO's. As could be expected, the former decreased while the latter increased... but, oddly enough, the total each year stayed almost exactly the same. Freaky coincidence?

I heard about that one. Apparently, in addition to that, certain areas saw reports of the Virgin Mary (Fatima sticks out) and at the same time, other individuals in the community reported seeing not Mary, but UFOs. My theory's that what you see, what the phenomena appears to be, is dependent mostly on the psychology and perceptions of the individual. Maybe an extremely religious person sees Mary, while a not-so-religious person applies the UFO template to what they see. I wonder if the association (in some cases anyway) between Bigfoot and UFOs suggests the same type deal there.

Samnell · Jul 13, 2003

I've had occasions where I could have sworn I dreamed the events before they happened, but since these never register before the event occurs and I only have this convenient realization afterwards I assume I'm editing similar memories of dreams to fit things that actually happen after the fact. Always happens with mundane stuff you'd expect to happen anyway.

I privately (without commenting in particular on anyone's experiences above posted) suspect lots of deja vu works like this.

Samnell · Jul 13, 2003

Andrew D. Gable said:
I heard about that one. Apparently, in addition to that, certain areas saw reports of the Virgin Mary (Fatima sticks out) and at the same time, other individuals in the community reported seeing not Mary, but UFOs. My theory's that what you see, what the phenomena appears to be, is dependent mostly on the psychology and perceptions of the individual. Maybe an extremely religious person sees Mary, while a not-so-religious person applies the UFO template to what they see. I wonder if the association (in some cases anyway) between Bigfoot and UFOs suggests the same type deal there.

It would stand to reason. If you're brain's wired in such a way that it might on occasion produce visions and you happen to be very religious, what would you expect to see? Even if not personally religious, if you lived in a very religious climate the images would likely also figure prominently in your mind. Likewise people who watch lots of shows about UFOs and the paranormal would produce those sorts of visions.

In the case of mass visions, especially in the non-recent past, we should also consider the effect of peer pressure. If everyone else is seeing it, one could call a lot of potentially unwelcome, or at least uncomfortable, attention to oneself by mentioning that one doesn't see it. Especially if the people seeing things are in a very heightened emotional state.

In retrospection after such an event, one might begin to think one saw it after all even if one was just going along, thanks to the pressure and so forth. This can be a real problem in very chaotic situations too.

"Did you see that guy with a gun?"
"Well, no."
"But he was RIGHT THERE. You must've seen him!"
"You know, now that I think about it I think I might have."
Fast forward twenty years.
"I saw a man with a gun."

Tiberius · Jul 13, 2003

Andrew D. Gable said:
I heard about that one. Apparently, in addition to that, certain areas saw reports of the Virgin Mary (Fatima sticks out) and at the same time, other individuals in the community reported seeing not Mary, but UFOs. My theory's that what you see, what the phenomena appears to be, is dependent mostly on the psychology and perceptions of the individual. Maybe an extremely religious person sees Mary, while a not-so-religious person applies the UFO template to what they see. I wonder if the association (in some cases anyway) between Bigfoot and UFOs suggests the same type deal there.

Eh, I chalk it up to Vorlons visiting us periodically to make sure their conditions still works. And occasionally grab people to seed the telepath gene.

-Tiberius

Sarellion · Jul 13, 2003

Same as Samnell, but I know that I dreamed of stuff, then I often forget it and then it happens. I remember trying to remember.

I know of an iranian mystic who seems to be quite comfortable with this kind of stuff.

It is is sad that I don´t speak his language so that we can talk aout it.

Eternalknight · Jul 13, 2003

WillTheBuddhist said:
2.) This is the biggest one, and yet by all measures the smallest one. I have this weird habit of causing street lights to turn off. I know it sounds absurd, but hear me out. This happens almost EVERY SINGLE TIME I drive when street lights are on. Now, of course not every light turns off, but almost every single time I drive a light will turn off or on.

This has been going on for about 4 years or so. It happens at all times, too. 8 in the morning, 10 at night, 2 in the morning. It happens when there's a lot of traffic, when there's no traffic. Rural areas, urban areas. I've picked this apart ad naseum trying to find a pattern to it all, but I can't, and that's a big admission from someone who's mind is so pattern oriented.

My friends thought I was nuts when I told them this. But now every time I'm with them at night and a light turns off, I point it out to them. Granted, it happens to everyone, and it happens to my friends also, but this happens almost every time I go out and there's a street light on.

The only logical (?) explanation I can think of is a certain emanation or sorts that everyone has, something that I think interferes with the lights. It seems stronger in me. That's not a good or bad thing, just a thing. I know that sounds crazy, but I can't think of anything else. It's just not plausible that these are all coincidences.

I was reading about this the other day in a local magazine, as it happens to me whenever I walk down the street, though not when I drive. There is no scientific explination for it so far, and paranormal investigators are starting to treat it as a serious paranormal event.

Anyway, onto mine:

I used to wake up in the middle of the night with an urge to go outside. This would normally happen if I was stressed over something. Anyway, even if I really didn't want to, I would eventually find myself outside and staring at a large blue wolf. A sense of calm would come over me, and I'd make my way back to bed. This is even stranger due to the fact there are no wolves in Australia...

A friend saw me go outside one night and decided to follow. He said he saw something, but that it was just a shimmering image to him. But to me it was the blue wolf.

Haven't seen it in a few years now. It's strange, as I kind of miss it.

Terraism · Jul 13, 2003

You know, I don't believe in the supernatural. I never had, in any way, shape of form. I'm a hard-core skeptic, for reasons that we can't get into on these boards.

But it's funny, because I trust the people here, and I can't idly dismiss all these posted events as coincidence (some of 'em are too precise for that) or misunderstanding (too exact) or made up (r: I trust these people). [Shakes head.] Drat and bother. Thinking deep thoughts at midnight-thirty does odd things to my head.