Sunday 25 September 2016

The Problem of Paranormal Obsession

When I was a teenager back in the 80s, some really weird stuff started happening to me and my friends.  The more weird it got, the more scared we were - but the more curious we became.  So when everything was normal, we would talk about it, get worked up about ghosts or demons or urban myths - and then suddenly, something unexplained would happen:  a door would close on its own, or a knock on the wall would be heard, or the doorbell would ring by itself, or the lights would go out.  Were spirits stopping by to say hello?  Was this a sign of paranormal intelligence, did it "know" we were talking about it?  I know a lot of people think this is the case.  At the time, we took it as a sign to be proof the spirits are HERE.  Can I prove this was not so? Nope.  It was exciting and fun, especially because when we wanted something to happen, it did, almost 100% of the time.
After seeing case after case of unexplained phenomena in paranormal investigations, I've noticed there is a trend - the more you pay attention to it, the more experiences you'll have.  So going with this logic, it could, in theory, be attributed to a few possible reasons:
- you are making it happen, for real, with your mind
- paranormal intelligence is responding to your will
- you are noticing something that's always been there but you never noticed before
- you want it to be real so badly you are imagining it

The fascinating nature of paranormal phenomena is the more you pay attention to it, the more is seems to come ALIVE on its own.  Could it be that, like a weird twist in a movie, it is indeed YOU that is coming alive instead?  Many say that calling spirits, playing with Ouija boards, doing rituals, ect... shouldn't be done "because it opens a portal" - maybe this is actually true, but the portal is not OUT THERE, it is INSIDE YOU?  Well, if you take this theory and run with it, it would make the 4 points mentioned above, logical.
Now is this "portal" physical? I highly doubt it.  I think the most credible way to understand is to say that our minds are capable of using our 5 senses to understand a nature that was never taught to us, or is acknowledged, by traditional means (science, education, religion, governments, ect...).  In other words, when we become curious and open our minds to the idea that there is more out there than the conventional material universe, we develop the awareness of another form of existence that does not depend on the material universe for its existence.  This is "the portal", folks.  It is a natural, human ability so misunderstood that it led to such holocaust-like events such as the great witch burnings and Cathar slayings, and maintains the fear of Ouija boards and anything else that can open you up to the idea that spirits exist - for REAL.

The reality that was taught to us is incomplete, and like a second skin, the more we pick at it, the more skin we find underneath.  Science, educations systems, governments and religions have told us not to pick at it.  Through the ages, it was even so controversial to do so, to question our reality, that it was punishable by death.  Many groups of people disagreed with this and went into hiding, forming magickal orders and writing occult documents - they were not weird, deluded or satanic, they were being natural human beings and questioning who we are, where we come from, and WHY this is being hidden from the masses.

And now, more and more people are finding the skin underneath the top layer, the PROOF that there is WAY more than meets the eye.  For many, this is absolutely fascinating because they originally were skeptics, and/or surrounded by skeptics.  Like a child making a new discovery, they want to play with it all the time, and tell everyone about it.  When we pick off the top layer of the skin of the reality we know, we find more and more confirmation of the reality of paranormal phenomena.  This is an amazing new fact for a large number of people, from all cultures and religions and locations - as it well should be.  However, it leads to one big problem - like a child with his new discovery, it's all he wants to pay attention to.  He loves this new reality so much he wants to play with it all the time and wants to be in it 24/7.  The physical existence is boring now, it's old school - the esoteric reality is the new obsession.  Two major risks come into play, suddenly:  1)  he is gullible to anyone and everything that caters to SELLING him material things relating to the esoteric, and 2) it becomes of the utmost importance that the people around him BELIEVE HIM, and even better, that they experience the same shift in consciousness.

The ancient belief systems had clear instructions:  do no expose the uninitiated to the mystery school teachings.  I think this was a big reason - if a shift in consciousness and awareness happens suddenly, the rest of the mind is unprepared and can make the person react in such a way that he can be taken advantage of, hurt himself, or others.  The enlightened path can be destructive unless you exercise emotional and behavioral maturity.  Remember, if you found the truth inside yourself, you can't expect anything or anyone on the outside to help you walk further on that path.  And that also means that you can't take anyone with you, or join another on the path - it's yours alone to walk, with strength, love and knowledge.  It's important to not be afraid to do so, but it's equally important to remember to do so in a healthy emotional and mature way - if not, the second skin reality will mirror your ignorance and fears, and become what you are afraid of instead of what you dream it can be.

  

Sunday 1 May 2016

Loooong time no blog!! Alright, so I've been busy... bit of an understatement ;)

After several paranormal investigations with the Greater Moncton Paranormal Society (what's this?  check out www.gmps.ca and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/MonctonGhostSeekers/), my obsessions are slowly merging:  art and the paranormal.
Right now, I'm working on a series of paintings called "Of the Fallen", starting with the first part, "Legendes de mon Acadie" - visual interpretations of paranormal legends of Acadia with photography and painting.  You can see my art here:  www.aerebb.com

Today, I want to tell you what my obsession REALLY is.  I've been "plagued" with paranormal experiences since I was very young, and not just seeing ghosts and getting goosebumps...  way stranger than that.  So here are some theories on the subjective experience of paranormal phenomena.

IMO, the experience of the paranormal can be categorized in 3 parts:  belief, amazement/fascination, and analysis.  Let's break this down a bit.
Many, MANY people either believe or want to believe that there is something "else".  They each have their reasons, but that's as far as their interest lies - the belief.
Then we have the amazement factor.  Usually, people that have been exposed to some sort of paranormal phenomena (or heard of it) and become fascinated by the possibility that this could be real.  They try to find proof, or experience more of it, in the hopes it will somehow "prove" the reality of unexplained events.  Paranormal investigation caters to this, attempting to rid the possibility of there being a scientific reason for the activity, thereby leaving the client with proof that a true, UNEXPLAINED event is occurring and happening to them.
Lastly, we have the analytical experience.  This is where fine lines are drawn between physical reality, spiritual beliefs, and science.  This is my experience.  It's a questioning of what has been established by science as the human existence.  Lots of conspiracists fall under this category, doubting they have been told the truth by the government, educators, and scientists.  There is way more to our reality than what we know, and an evaluative overhaul of common belief systems would be very beneficial.  Changing how we think (as opposed to what we think) is what's needed for our health - both as animals and souls here on earth.
End rant... back to the paranormal ;)

Things we can't explain, i.e. the paranormal, are not explainable because of our philosophical perspective of the phenomena - our THINKING is the problem.  If a fish tries to understand humans that walk on soil and breathe air, if he bases his analysis on the absolute fact that to be alive, all creatures must breathe water, then we are an anomaly to him.  We are paranormal.  Guess what folks - that's what we are doing. We are evaluating and judging what's real and what's not from a subjective perspective, and not considering that reality is composed of an objective one.

So basically and in a nutshell, THIS is my obsession.  To philosophize, and as a paranormal investigator, to prove that there is another way to look at reality - paranormal phenomena is nothing but a CLUE that we are not looking at it in the correct manner... i.e., there is truly, within the real reality, no paranormality to be found.