Religious Ghosts

EXPLAINING LIFE’S MYSTERIES March 28, 2009
By Stephen Ellis

Nobody asked me, but…

One of the biggest problems in dealing with the paranormal is that a lot of people allow their religious beliefs to distort their reason and rationality. This is especially true among the more extreme followers of religion than it is of the mainstream who deem their religion to be beautiful, but not dogmatic. This is not confined to Judaism, Christianity, Islam or even Scientology. Accepting any religious dogma, without question, invariably tends to block rational thought.

Some very simple examples:

In Christianity (especially Catholicism) church members are asked to worship and show reverence to images of Jesus, Mary, St. Peter, St. Paul and several other disciples of Christ. In fact, no one has the slightest idea as to what any of these people even looked like. Artists did not even begin to paint their versions of what these people looked like until approximately 500 AD…five hundred years after their deaths. Yet newspapers are replete with people who claim to have seen images of these people in reflections, in ghosts, in apparitions, etc. Thousands of people will flock to the sites where these apparitions were seen and even worship the ground. If no one really knows what they looked like, how can anyone reasonably claim to have seen visions, ghosts or apparitions of their images?

Islam is no better: There have been thousands of claims by ultra religious Muslims that they have seen the ghost or image of the Archangel, Gabriel, and of their one Prophet, Muhammad. There have been numerous claims that their image(s) have been inscribed on rocks and stones, appeared as ghosts or in dreams, etc. Again, no one has any idea as to what these people actually looked like although a couple of artists’ impression of Muhammad were made during Muhammad’s lifetime, no two artists’ interpretation have given any consistency as to Muhammad’s appearance. Artists have painted the Archangel Gabriel, but since none of the artists had ever seen him, their artwork is pure guesswork. Speaking of images etched on stones, the foundation of Islamic beliefs is that a black stone, approximately 2 inches long by 3 inches wide, similar to millions of similar stones in the deserts of the Middle East, was a stone Ishmael (the founder of Islam) claimed was given to him by the Archangel Gabriel. The stone now rests in what is called the Kaaba, a huge black altar in Mecca (which non-Muslims are forbidden to visit). Ultra religious Muslims bow down…towards Mecca and this stone six times every day. Mecca also claims to have the original Qua’ran (Koran), written in Muhammad’s hand, preserved there. The only problem with this is that most historians have alleged that Muhammad was illiterate.

The Church of Scientology ghosts deserve a special word: The belief of religious Scientologists is that the Earth was inhabited by Alien beings from another planet somewhere in space and these same beings still exist through limitless reincarnation and are the controlling force in the minds of most people. These aliens cannot be seen or heard except through your mind. Actually, this sounds a little like the “aura” theory I have written about so often, but upon closer examination there are several basic differences to be discussed in a future blog. The Church of Scientology believes communication with these aliens is possible…if you donate all your worldly possessions to their church. Got a lot of money to give to the Church? You become a star member and can communicate with spirits of past lives. No money? You’re dog food. Did I mention that the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, was a science-fiction writer who had written and published several science-fiction books…including the cure-all for every problem in life called “Dianetics”?

Perhaps, because of all the horrors and persecution they have undergone, Jews don’t try to conjure up images of Gods or aliens. Ghosts among Jews always seem to be deceased family members with one noted exception: On the Jewish Passover, it is the tradition to open the door to your home so the Ghost of Elijah may enter the room and share in your feast.

Religious Jews, however, are extremely superstitious appear to have strong beliefs that if you violate the laws as written in their Talmud Torah, the Devil will take hold of your life. To prevent this from happening, Jews would traditionally sacrifice a goat or a lamb on an altar. The Talmud Torah is even more interesting: There were actually two Talmud Torahs written, each one quite different than the other. One was the Palestinian Talmud and one was the Babylonian Talmud. Inasmuch as Babylonia (aka: Babylon) was a much wealthier and powerful country than Palestine, the Babylonian Talmud became the accepted version. Yet Chasidic Jews will swear that if you violate one word of the Talmud you are violating the word of God. Doesn’t it seem inconsistent that God would write two completely different versions of a book, often contradicting Himself?

It’s not my position to challenge the beliefs you may have or to say that one religion is better than another. Whatever you choose to believe and whatever traditions you choose to follow, is a matter of your own choosing, your upbringing and the style of life you opt to lead.

The reason these religious paradoxes are set forth here is because they cloud what is becoming the reality of paranormal investigations: Numerous people have claimed “possession” or visitations by demons…usually with goat’s or ram’s horns sprouting from their heads who (allegedly) can only be separated from the possessed body by an exorcism. The fact is that these so-called “demons” were created in Dante’s “Divine Comedy” in 1310 AD where Dante also created images of Heaven and Hell and created a character we now call the Devil, Satan, Belzeboub or Lucifer. Although Satan or Belzeboub is mentioned briefly in some Apocryphal writings, what we now think of as the Devil and Demons and Hell was created in the mind of Dante in the fourteenth century AD.

There have been more than one hundred million claims of ghosts, spirits or hauntings throughout the world since Dante’s Divine Comedy. The type, shape and nature of these paranormal beings has changed with time. It is only within the past one hundred years that physical science and/or paranormal science has begun to document some of these claims and give them any genuine credibility. We have reached a point in time where It is now both reasonable and logical to say that there is “something” paranormal out there that science has failed to be able to explain.

Religion (when not fanatic) is a very good thing and has brought a lot of order and realistic values to a tempestuous world. But don’t let anyone convince you that you have to be Hindu in order to be reincarnated or Catholic in order to get into Heaven or Zoroastrian in order to have contact with the world “beyond”.

As I said…nobody asked me.

Contact me at Stebrel@aol.com

Visitors from ??? 3000 years ago

EXPLAINING LIFE’S MYSTERIES March 21, 2009
By Stephen Ellis

Nobody asked me, but…

There is a serious question posed by UFOlogists as to whether or not there were some space visitors to Earth in 593 BC. The Book of Ezekiel (in both the Old and New Testaments) describes “something”. Remembering that Ezekiel was a slave and uneducated, the first chapter of his book opens the doors to a lot of questions. I’ve set it out for you, word for word. I think you will agree that it is nothing less than amazing:

1 ¶ Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

2 ¶ In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

3 ¶ The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

1 – 3 - Reference to the thirtieth year was likely Ezekiel's age. The year was approximately 593 BC.

4 ¶ And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

4 - Is Ezekiel describing the cloud of dust a helicopter might make with fire coming out of its exhaust?

5 ¶ Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

5 - Ezekiel is clearly describing the landing on Earth of four men.

6 ¶ And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

6- Is Ezekiel referring to the appearance of two earphones, a man's face with a speaker mask on it. See Ezekiel's paragraph 10 and the attached drawing for a more detailed description

7 ¶ And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.

7. - Is this a primitive man's way of describing leather & metallic boots?

8 ¶ And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

8- Clearly, wahtever landed had the appearance of man.

9 ¶ Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

9- It would be difficult for a primitive man to describe a four-blade helicopter rotor than done by Ezekiel in this paragraph.

10 ¶ As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

10- Ezekiel could well be describing the appearance of two headphones and a speaker mask underneath a clear helmet. A detailed description of the helmet is in paragraph 22.

11 ¶ Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

12 ¶ And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

13 ¶ As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

14 ¶ And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

11-14 - Is Ezekiel describing how a person moving with helicopter blades might move? The blades rotated, but the bodies moved straight forward.

15 ¶ Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

15 - Ezekiel could well be describing man-like creaures with the shadowe of rotating helicopter blades beneath each one. To someone who had never even imagined anything like this, the whirling blades might appear as a wheel.

16 ¶ The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

16- If you look at whirling rotor blades, it would definitely appear as a wheel within a wheel.

17 ¶ When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.

17- That's how a personal helicopter would work: the blades rotate, but the body moves stright forward.

18 ¶ As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

18- Again, Ezekiel is describing how helicopter blades whirling above someone's head would appear.

19 ¶ And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

20 ¶ Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

21 ¶ When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

19 – 21 - Could a primitive man describe a helicopter-type “lift-off” any better than this?

22 ¶ And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

22- This description is astonishing! The ancient term "fimament" refers to a crystal-type globe which Ezekiel says was on their heads. The term "terrible" can be equated with the modern term "awesome".

23 ¶ And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

23 - It sounds like Ezekiel is referring to the reflection (unknown in those days) of the helicopter blades on the crystal helmet.

24 ¶ And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

24 - A pretty accurate description of the sound of helicopter blades increasing their speed for lift-off.

25 ¶ And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
25- Apparently who or whatever was there attempted to communicate with Ezekiel who was so frightened he simply lay prone on the ground.

26 ¶ And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

26 - Is this a primitive man's way of describing a mother-ship hovering in the sky. Could Ezekiel see someone at the controls of the mother ship?

27 ¶ And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
27 - Is Ezekiel describing the mother-ship moving off?

28 ¶ As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
28 – It is completely understandable for a man who had never seen or even imagined a space craft to believe it was a God and the people that came from it were angels.

I make no claims to being an artist, but I have drawn what Ezekiel described. If you have any comments, contact me at stebrel@aol.com

ARE GHOSTS CAMERA SHY?

EXPLAINING LIFE’S MYSTERIES March 14, 2009
By Stephen Ellis

Nobody asked me, but…

Although many people believe me to be an expert on paranormal phenomena, my explanations of what “is” and “isn’t” are subject to a myriad of opinions and opposing views. My principal drive in this blog is to provide a rational explanation for things that apparently have no explanation: Such things as ghosts, hauntings, UFOs, non-medical healing of “impossible to cure” medical situations, etc. Perhaps because I firmly believe that everything is explainable, I search and probe until a rational explanation appears. But, sometimes, things will happen that contradict the most rational explanations.

The photograph below was a picture taken in the moors of Yorkshire, England last week. When it comes to photos, I’m always suspicious of pictures that focus on a ghost or on a UFO because most ghosts and UFOs do not pose for the camera. But I can understand how someone driving through the moors of Yorkshire might want to stop and take photos of the beautiful scenery with a new, digital, camera. He would have no particular reason for having an image appear in his photo. He’s not associated with any paranormal groups…and the photo actually frightened him and his girlfriend who was with him when the photo was snapped. The image wasn’t there when he took the photo, but it appeared on his finished photo. Clearly it is a human form and the photo appears genuine.



Similarly, there have been an inordinately large number of photos taken of UFOs recently. There has been a significant upswing in the numbers of UFO reports identifying the UFOs as “lights in the sky”, “lights flying in formation” and even several “daylight” photos. Most of the photos were taken with camcorders or cell phones and are not particularly clear, but they are certainly indicative of something.



The problem with the UFO pictures is that with today’s software, it is possible to create almost any images you choose to create, and with Computer Generated Graphics, even videos can be made to show whatever the film editor wants it to show.

Notwithstanding the possibility or even probability that the above UFO photos are faked, the fact is that there has been such a spate of reports coming from around the world (UFO reports are not just from Roseville) that it seems strongly indicative that there is something out there. There have been more than two thousand UFO sightings in January and February 2009. Most of them over sparsely populated areas, but some of them over major cities.

As I said…nobody asked me.

Her Father Was Murdered

EXPLAINING LIFE’S MYSTERIES March 7, 2009
By Stephen Ellis

This time, somebody did ask me: A girl from South Africa wrote:…
Dear Stephen,

I have read your blog and thought I should e-mail you, with hope that you might be able to assist me in the dreams I've been having.

My step-father was killed in March 2008. We had a very strong father-daughter bond. I am living abroad and a week before he passed away, I just had a feeling that I should go and visit my family.

I arrived at the airport on a Tuesday, my dad was there to pick me up. We (Dad, Mom, me and my younger brother) had dinner the Wednesday evening and that Friday night, after work, my dad got shot at his home.

Three weeks later, after the funeral and trying to help my mom with everything, I returned home. The same night upon my arrival, I dreamt about my dad: He just came from no-where. He was sitting in the lounge, I walked in, THERE HE WAS! I got so excited that I called my mom and brother to come see and talk to him. We were so excited that my dad was there. We just sat there and talked to him. I actually asked him who was responsible for his death. I kept on nagging him to tell me who killed him and his words to me was this: "I cannot tell you who shot me, but I can tell you that your places are ready here with me."

The next night, I had the exact same dream....EXACTLY the same, but only when I asked my dad again who was responsible for his death, he told me: "his name is Lee". After he said that, I got quite upset with him and said: "when I wake up from this dream, I will not be able to remember this name, please give me another name", he then said: "Lee, son of Norman". Strangely enough, I remember till this day how I've repeated that sentence in my dream, over and over in my head, in my sleep.

That next morning, I woke up and the first thing I said was: "Lee, son of Norman". That really freaked me out, we don't even know someone by that name.

Anyway, so five days back at home, I just decided to go back to my family, for another 3 weeks.

My dad and a friend started a company, but in the end his friend, who also had directorship, turned out to be corrupt and my dad had to get a restraining order against him, so my dad got full ownership of the company. We believe that there were a lot of people who did not want my dad to be the successful man he was and many were jealous of what he had accomplished. The week before he got shot, he took photo's of himself with his mobile - this was really strange and not like my dad at all. That Friday morning he took 5 photo's of himself.

My mom and I talk a lot about my dad and to us both it doesn't feel like he has really passed away. We had to go and identify him at the morgue, this was really bad. But even after that, we cannot make peace that he is not here anymore.

I do dream about my dad a lot. But this dream I had last night was really freaky.
I dreamt that my dad was still alive and that he was just trying to "hide" from all the bad people. Why does it feel like he is still alive??

It's been nearly a year and nothing has been done on his case. The cops cannot give us any information and a friend of my mom tried to investigate further...she said that there were not even photo's or evidence taken on the night of my dad's murder. They haven't stolen anything, except for his laptop with all his business and personal information, his ID book and his Passport. Not even his mobile were missing....it just makes us wonder even more.

I know this might sound very confusing, but even to me it is.
I will appreciate it if you could tell me at least what my dreams in this e-mail might mean.

I believe in God and I believe God sends us messages through dreams, if we believe in it. If you don't believe some dreams have meanings or is a message, then God will not use this way to guide you.

Thank you for the blog you've posted.

Waiting on your reply.

Best Regards,
Samantha
Dear Samantha:

Thank you so much for writing. I found your letter to be very intriguing, I would like to ask your permission to publish it and respond to it in my blog.

Dreams are a window to our unconscious mind, aura or spirit. When our brain sleeps, or is at deep rest, events that take place in your dreams emanate from your aura that your conscious or waking brain will not allow. The fact that you told yourself, while asleep, to remember the words of your father, was enough to waken your brain into remembering it when it returned to a conscious state.

When a person dies in an unexpected or horrific manner, their aura, spirit or soul usually hangs around for a significantly longer period of time, such as the girl I saw in my apartment in San Francisco who had been murdered there by her boyfriend only a few weeks earlier (10/09/2008 Blog). Of course there is no way of proving this, but the number of reports I have read and studied all indicate that such auras do remain behind for longer periods of time to try and understand why their visit to life was so suddenly interrupted. Also, such auras (which can communicate with other auras) try, as much as possible, to let the auras of close loved ones know that they are at peace despite their unexpected deaths. As in the case of the girl I interviewed in New York, the aura of her father actually came back and gave her information she did not know about bank accounts, insurance, etc. that the teenage girl would need to make her life comfortable (10/19/2008 Blog).

Such “visits” immediately after death, are not uncommon and they are a sure sign of the love the deceased person had for the living person.

The fact that your father’s spirit gave you the name of “Lee, son of Norman” as his murderer needs explanation: This method of referring to someone has not been used for five hundred years. The Bible may refer to Esau, son of Abraham or Joshua, son of Joseph, but about five hundred years ago people started to use second or “family” names for identification. Your father may have given you a name by which he knew his murderer’s aura in a previous life. Another possibility is that your father’s aura may have decided to protect you by not giving you the murderer’s real name because he felt that knowledge of his/her real name would have placed you in danger.

You asked why you feel as though your father is still alive even though you know he is dead and buried. As long as any part of his aura remains near you, you will feel its presence, its comfort, and…sometimes its knowledge and support.

I have no way of knowing about the good or the bad of the police investigation. I do know that the police never close a murder investigation until they believe the killer has been identified and tried in court.

Again, thank you for writing.

Stephen Ellis

Share your dreams with me at stebrel@aol.com

UFO Sightings

EXPLAINING LIFE’S MYSTERIES Feb.28, 2009
By Stephen Ellis

Nobody asked me, but…

Have you noticed the tremendous increase in the number of UFO reports? It’s kind of hard to ignore with genuine appearing photos like the one taken at Kidder Dam, Wahpeton, North Dakota where the UFO was not the subject. It was a photo of a giant catfish statue at Kidder Dam, but in the extreme right hand corner of the photo was what clearly appeared to be a UFO.

It’s also kind of hard to ignore when the UFO Congress meeting in Laughlin, Nevada has posed their biggest question as to whether or not President Obama will be opening the secret files on UFOs to the public.

Or when Paul Hellyer, the former Minister of Defense for Canada, states publicly that he believes the existence of the UFOs is “irrefutable”. Hellyer's "irrefutable" evidence received a bit of pumping this past week. A Winnipeg group that tracks UFO sightings across Canada says 2008 produced a record number of sightings - 1,004 - a 25 per cent increase from the year before. Ontario and British Columbia were the hot spots, reporting 334 and 272, respectively, while Prince Edward Island had only two mysterious objects flying about, Nunavut one and Northwest Territories none.

The U.S. Astronomical Society got into the debate this month by claiming that they had a scientific explanation for the mysterious lights in the sky. That they were natural electrical impulses outside of our atmosphere which created flashes of light called “sprites”.

I think it’s time we all took a “reality” pill.

The most impressive thing about the photograph taken near Kidder Dam is the fact that the UFO was not the object being photographed. When people come up with close-by shots of UFOs, there’s an excellent chance that the photos are faked. UFO’s do not, normally, slow down to have their picture taken. The Kidder Dam photo could also be a fake, but the fact that the appearance of the UFO was incidental to the photo being taken gives it more credence.

I will never refute the existence of UFOs. It would take someone far more arrogant than I to call the millions of people who alleged to have seen them “liars” or “frauds”. Among the UFO sighters are some of the most prestigious political leaders in the world, including the President of Brazil.

UFO groups and fan clubs lose me when they start talking about “crashed” UFOs and/or captured or killed aliens…or about people being kidnapped by aliens. I mean no disrespect to the many people who make their living going around on lecture tours and talking about secret US bases where alien prisoners are kept…or about having killed one at a U.S. military airbase. It helps them sell their books and earns them a living.

The United States has the most inquisitive and investigative reporting system in the world. And, anything that is discoverable will be discovered by them. We couldn’t keep secret the number of “secret” CIA prisons around the world or that, under George W. Bush, the US military resorted to the use of torture as we have condemned for everyone else. Do you really believe that any government …especially one that changes every four to eight years...could keep secret the discovery of alien life? Here on Earth?

To me, it is the height of human ego to believe that we are the only intelligent life that exists among the billions of trillions of stars. Of course other intelligent life must exist even if only by chance. The problem is that the distances are so unimaginably vast that contact…no less a visit…from another galaxy will probably remain the property of Captain Kirk or Mr. Spock during our lifetimes.
One thing that bothers me, however, is why a conservative organization such as the U.S. Astronomical Society would try to pass-off UFO sightings as “sprites”…those occasional electrical sparks in outer space. Do they feel they need publicity? There are more than a million sightings that allege the lights in the sky flew in formation. There are even millions more that say the mysterious lights in the sky shot-off in different directions…and then came back into a formation. And how about the so-called invasion of UFOs in northern Brazil where the sky was flooded with them at heights of no more than two or three miles before they all, suddenly, disappeared?

Sprites? Please don’t take us for fools.

As I said, nobody asked me.