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Jake E. from Washington put in a call to HPI and spoke with Paul Dale Roberts. Paul informed me there was an interesting story here and I should give him a call. It definitely is an interesting story! Headline: Man Receives a Call From 1980.
At 3:33am Jake saw he had a missed call. It was from a private number. He looked at the time and it was “Dead Time.” (3:00am a time when the veil thins between the spirit world and ours. It’s a time when nightmares happen or a time when you are most likely to have a prophetic dream. For paranormal investigators it could be a great time to get EVPs.) This isn’t strange or unusual, but then he looks at the date. The date is Monday, March 10, 1980…last century. The call came from 32 years ago.
My first thought was a software problem at Sprint. So Jake and I hung up and he called his phone provider. The woman, he says, thought he was nuts. He asked “Is an error like this possible?” Her response, “Obviously it’s possible if it happened?” No help there. Jake decided to do some research about March 10. Maybe there was a message beyond the grave. The only story he found in relation was Dr. Herman Tarnower, who was a cardiologist and the author of a best selling diet book based out of New York. He was shot and killed March 10, 1980 by his ex-girlfriend Jean Harris for carrying on love affairs with other women during there 12 year relationship. There was a movie based on this as well as mentioned in ‘Seinfeld’ TV series.
Could this be a message from Dr. Herman himself? It could be, but I wanted more options to choice from. Jake’s mother died when he was only 3 years old. Now being a medium I would automatic assume the spirits are trying to get his attention. The date may not be as important as just simply getting his attention. Moms have a way of doing that, but then again this is only a theory, but one that feels strong to me.
Jake’s past paranormal experiences come from a place he used to work in Portland, Or. ‘Screams at the Beach’, where they scare visitors with vampires, mutants, zombies, and evil clowns. A super mall is turned into a haunted attraction and as a bonus they have a historic haunted carousel where people claim to hear the voices and see a boy and girl dressed in clothes from the 1920′s. There is a story of a boy that got killed 1940′s. A paranormal group went in to find proof. Jake took a recorder and went off alone trying to get EVPs, though he came up empty handed he felt the whole time that he wasn’t alone. He felt someone had been with him.
Nothing is 100% solid in this case, but I will say without a shadow of a doubt I believe Jake’s story. He tried to research it, debunk it or prove it’s real. I told him we don’t have much to go on and I felt the best course of action was to wait to see if it happens again, or to ask whatever spirit to do it again. If it listens we can get proof it’s an intelligent spirit doing this and not a Sprint or phone malfunction. Unless he has a hacker in his phone listening in when he ask that question, if it happens again, we can start leaning towards the supernatural. This is the first case of it’s kind for HPI, if anyone else has experienced this please call into the Hotline.
The small town of Watseka, Illinois is located about 50 miles south of Chicago and on the eastern side of the state, just a few miles from the Indiana border. The sensation that would come to be known as the “Watseka Wonder” would first make it’s appearance here in July of 1877.
‘It was at this time that a 13-year-old girl named Lurancy Vennum first fell into a strange, catatonic sleep during which she claimed to speak with spirits. The attacks occurred many times each day and sometimes lasted as long as eight hours. During her trance, Lurancy would speak in different voices although when she awoke, she would remember nothing. News of the strange girl traveled about the state and during this time of popularity for the Spiritualist movement, many visitors came to see her.
‘Finally, doctors diagnosed Lurancy as being mentally ill and they recommended that she be sent to the State Insane Asylum in Peoria, Illinois. In January of 1878, a man named Asa Roff, also from Watseka, came to visit the Vennum family. He claimed that his own daughter, Mary, had been afflicted with the same condition as Lurancy…and he was convinced that his daughter had actually spoken to spirits.
‘He was also convinced that his daughter’s spirit still existed….but little did he know, that she was right now inside the body of Lurancy Vennum!
To understand the strange and fantastic events that took place in Watseka, we must first start at the beginning of the tale and try to piece together a puzzle that has disturbed investigators for years. Is spirit possession really possible? If you explore the strange case of the “Watseka Wonder”, you just might believe that it is!
‘Mary Roff died on the afternoon of July 5, 1865 while hospitalized at the State Mental Asylum in Peoria. She had been committed there after a bizarre incident when she began slashing at her arms with a straight razor. It was the final tragedy in Mary’s descent into madness and insanity. In the beginning, it had only been the strange voices that seemed to come from nowhere; next were the long periods when she stayed in a trance-like state; then came her moments of awakening, when she spoke in other voices and seemed to be possessed by the spirits of other people; then finally, came her obsession with blood. Mary was convinced that she needed to remove the blood from her body, using pins, leeches and at last, a sharpened razor.
‘After that final incident, her parents discovered her on the floor of her room, no longer conscious and lying in a pool of blood. Broken-hearted, they took her to the asylum and here, Mary endured more tragedy as the “cures” for insanity in those days were hardly up to the standards of psychiatric hospitals of today. A favored treatment in the 1860′s was the Water Cure, where a patient would be immersed naked in a tub of icy water and then taken to a tub of scalding water.
And there was more…. female patients, like Mary, received a cold water douche, administered with a hose and then wet sheets were wrapped tightly around them to squeeze the blood vessels shut. This was followed by vigorous rubbing to restore circulation. These treatments were administered several times each week.
‘Not surprisingly, such techniques brought little success and most patients never improved. Mental hospitals at that time were merely cages to store the insane and it would be some years to come before any real progress was made in mental health care.
‘Like most others, Mary showed no improvement and soon died.
At the time of Mary Roff’s death, Lurancy Vennum was a little more than one year old…. but in just over a decade, their lives would be forever connected in a case that remains today as one of the strangest, and most authentic, cases of possession ever recorded.
Lurancy Vennum had been born on April 16, 1864 and she and her family had moved to Watseka when she was seven years old. Since they arrived long after Mary Roff’s death, the Vennum family knew nothing of her strange illness, nor did they know the Roff family, other than to speak to them on the streets of the small town.
‘Then on July 11, 1877, a series of strange events would begin.
On that morning, Lurancy complained to her mother about feeling sick and then collapsed onto the floor, passed out cold. She stayed in a deep, catatonic sleep for the next five hours but when she awoke, she seemed fine. But this was only the beginning….
‘The next day, Lurancy once again slipped off into the trance-like sleep but this time was different, as she began speaking aloud of visions and spirits. In her trance, she told her family that she was in heaven and that she could see and hear spirits, including the spirit of her brother, whom had died in 1874.
From that day on, the trances began to occur more and more frequently and would sometimes last for up to eight hours. While she was asleep, Lurancy continued to speak about her visions, which were sometimes terrifying. She claimed that spirits were chasing her through the house and shouting her name. The attacks occurred up to a dozen times each day and as they continued, Lurancy began to speak in other languages, or at least in nonsense words that no one could understand. When she awoke, she would remember nothing of her trance nor of her strange ramblings.
‘The stories and rumors about Lurancy and her visions began to circulate in Watseka. People were certainly talking and even the local newspaper printed stories about her. No one followed the case more closely than Asa Roff, the father of Mary Roff. In the early stages of Mary’s illness, she too had claimed to communicate with spirits and would fall into long trances without warning. He was sure that Lurancy Vennum was suffering from the same illness as his poor daughter. But Roff said nothing until the Vennum family exhausted every known cure for Lurancy. It was not until the local doctor and a minister suggested that the girl be sent to the State Mental Hospital that Roff got involved. He refused to see another young woman end up as his Mary did in the hands of the doctors.
On January 31, 1878, he contacted the Vennum family. They were naturally skeptical of his story but he did persuade them to let him bring a Dr. E. Winchester Stevens to the house. Stevens, like Asa Roff, was a dedicated Spiritualist and the two men had become convinced that Lurancy was not insane. They believed that Lurancy was actually a vessel through which the dead were communicating. Roff only wished that he had seen the same evidence in his own daughter years before.
‘The Vennum’s allowed Dr. Stevens to “mesmerize” the girl and try to contact the spirits through her. Within moments, Lurancy was speaking in another voice, which allegedly came from a spirit named Katrina Hogan. Then, the spirit changed and claimed to be that of Willie Canning, a young man who had committed suicide. She spoke as Willie for over an hour and then suddenly, she threw her arms into the air and fell over backward. Dr. Stevens took her hands and soon, Lurancy calmed and gained control of her body again. She was now in heaven and would allow a gentler spirit to control her.
She said the spirit’s name was Mary Roff.
‘The trance continued on into the next day and by this time, Lurancy apparently was Mary Roff. She said that she wanted to leave the Vennum house, which was unfamiliar to her, and go home to the Roff house. When Mrs. Roff heard the news, she hurried to the Vennum house in the company of her married daughter, Minerva Alter.
The two women came up the sidewalk and saw Lurancy sitting by the window. ”
‘Here comes Ma and Nervie,” she reportedly said and ran up to hug the two surprised women. No one had called Minerva by the name “Nervie” since Mary’s death in 1865.
I
‘t now seemed evident to everyone involved that Mary had taken control of Lurancy Vennum. Although she looked the same, she knew everything about the Roff family and treated them as her loved ones. The Vennum’s, on the other hand, although treated very courteously, were seen with a distant politeness. It was as if their own daughter only knew them as friendly strangers.
‘On February 11, Lurancy, or rather “Mary”, was allowed to go home with the Roff’s. Mr. and Mrs. Vennum agreed that it would be for the best, although they desperately hoped that Lurancy would regain her true identity. The Roff’s however, saw this as a miracle, as though Mary had returned from the grave.
Lurancy was taken across town and as they traveled, they passed by the former Roff home, where they had been living when Mary died. She demanded to know why they were not returning there and they had to explain that they had moved a few years back. Further evidence that Lurancy was now Mary Roff?
For the next several months, Lurancy lived as Mary and seemed to have completely forgotten her former life. She did however, tell her mother that she would only be with them until “some time in May”. As time passed, Lurancy continued to show that she knew more about the Roff family, their possessions and habits, than she could have possibly known if she had been faking the whole thing. Many of the incidents and remembrances that she referred to had taken place years before Lurancy had even been born.
‘Of course, not everyone in Watseka believed that Mary had taken possession of Lurancy’s body and ridiculed the very idea of it. Several of the doctors who had attempted to treat Lurancy started scathing rumors about Dr. Stevens and the Vennum’s pastor pleaded with them to have Lurancy committed. He predicted a time when they would wish that they had followed his advice.
In early May, Lurancy told the Roff family that it was time for her to leave. She became very sad and despondent and would spend the day going from one family member to the next, hugging them and touching them at every opportunity. She wept often at the thought of leaving her “real family” and over the next couple of weeks, a battle raged for control of Lurancy’s physical body. At one moment, Lurancy would announce that she had to leave and at the next moment, Mary would cling to her father and cry over the idea of leaving him.
Finally, on May 21, Lurancy returned home to the Vennum’s. She displayed none of the strange symptoms of her earlier illness and her parents were convinced that somehow she had been cured, thanks to intervention by the spirit of Mary Roff. She soon became a happy and healthy young woman, suffering no ill effects from her strange experience.
‘She also remained in touch with the Roff family for the rest of her life. Although she had no memories of her time as Mary, she still felt a curious closeness to them that she could never really explain. During occasional visits to their home, Lurancy would sometimes allow Mary to take control of her so that she could communicate with her family.
‘Eight years later, when Lurancy turned 18, she married a local farmer named George Binning and two years later, they moved to Rawlins County, Kansas. They bought a farm there and had 11 children. Lurancy died in the late 1940′s while she was in California visiting one of her daughters.
‘Asa Roff and his wife received hundreds of letters, from believers and skeptics alike, after the story of the possession was printed on the front page of the Watseka newspaper. After a year of constant hounding and scorn from neighbors, they left Watseka and moved to Emporia, Kansas. Seven years later, they returned to Watseka to live with Minerva and her husband. They died of old age and are buried in Watseka.
‘The Vennum’s stayed on in Watseka for many years but after the death of her husband, Lucinda Vennum moved to Kansas with Lurancy and her children.
Dr. Stevens lectured on the “Watseka Wonder” for eight years before dying in Chicago in 1886.
Mary Roff was never heard from again. http://www.prairieghosts.com/wonder.html
OMG! Hey all readers, fans, and people who freakin’ LOVE Ghost Adventures, there is a new show coming out SOON so pay attention and read this.
Zak Bagans, star of the hugely popular series “Ghost Adventures,” premieres a new show JUNE 17 at 9pm ET/PT called “PARANORMAL CHALLENGE.”
Zak has become one of Travel Channel’s tent-pole personalities and besides a major fan following, his shows have given rise not only to new believers, but also a community of people who make their living from paranormal investigations. He’s got some truly frightening ghost adventures under his belt – scary stories that put my campfire tales to shame!
“Paranormal Challenge” takes viewers around the country to some of the most haunted sites in the country, but this time, lead investigator Zak takes a mentor role to guide amateur paranormal investigators (some of his biggest fans) through a night of intense testing – two teams face off in a series of challenges to see who can bring back the best and most haunting evidence.
The show uses some awesome new hi-tech gear, and a panel of three nationally recognized paranormal experts decide the winner of the paranormal challenge – no prizes, no titles, just bragging rights and a new-found respect in the paranormal community.
Zak Bagans, Host and Lead Investigator
Being a former skeptic, Zak Bagans says that his passion for investigating the paranormal resulted from a face-to-face encounter with the spirit of a suicidal woman who haunted his old apartment building in Trenton, Michigan. This life-changing experience caused him to actively pursue capturing evidence of the afterlife. After graduating from the Motion Picture Institute in Michigan, Bagans moved to Las Vegas to pursue a career in documentary filmmaking. There, Bagans met GHOST ADVENTURES co-host Nick Groff and cameraman Aaron Goodwin. Bagans’ top three scariest experiences include being scratched by a demonic entity at Bobby Mackey’s Music World, being partially possessed by a spirit at the Preston School of Industry, and being overwhelmed by a dark energy at Poveglia Island.
Bagans’ passion for the paranormal has launched into creating and hosting a new series – PARANORMAL CHALLENGE, premiering June 17, 2011. Bagans is also the executive producer for the series. In each episode, Bagans puts two teams of amateur ghost hunters against each other during an overnight lockdown. After a night of collecting evidence, the teams present their findings to Bagans and a panel of three additional paranormal experts.
Paul is a paranormal writer. All non-fiction stories, that people have told or he has experienced for himself. We’ve done some paranormal investigations together. Paul writes stories on each and every one he goes one. I’m posting my favorites here on my blog, so keep checking back for scary, strange stories of things that go bump in the night. Reader disgression is adviced, cause’ this is some scary shit.
By Paul Dale Roberts of HPI Paranormal
THE INITIAL REPORT:
Date of Investigation: March 19, 2011 Sat Time of Investigation: 8pm Location of Investigation: Paradise, CA. Activity: A moving light has been seen going from room to room; occupant has been touched; entity either sits on the bed or lays on the bed (impressions left), footsteps heard by occupant.
Before I start talking about the Paradise investigation, let me tell you about an unusual phone call I received.
THE KNOB KERRIE PHANTOM OF SOUTH AFRICA:
This Friday, I received a call from South Africa. The lady on the other line wanted advice. I listened to her story with some constraints and doubt, because the story was incredibly odd. I tried to determine if she was relating a subjunctive story that has no validation for her claims of high strangeness. I wondered if she really experienced this phenomenon or was it her imagination? On the night of January 28 at 2400 Hours she was awakened by a phantom that was carrying a Knob Kerrie. A Knob Kerrie is a strange African weapon that can be used to beat a man senseless. She made contact with a local ghost hunting group and by using a klystron, they were able to detect audible African language in real time. The ghost hunting group conducted an investigation, without any cleansing. Three nights after the investigation, the phantom with the Knob Kerrie appeared again by her bed. The phantom stared at her intensely. When the phantom dissipated, she discovered the phantom brought pestilential upheaval in her bedroom, there were flies everywhere. Two nights later the phantom once again showed himself to her, as she came out of the shower and it was more ithyphallic in nature, she felt the phantom was trying to violate her and she screamed in terror. The phantom once again vanished. From the story she has told me, it does not appear to be a residuary type of haunting, but an intelligent haunting. The entity is definitely attached to her and from what she tells me, he is no longer carrying his Knob Kerrie. The way I see it, the entity would have been carrying the Knob Kerrie, because he felt she may be a threat. His later appearance tells me that he is now attracted to her and has gotten rid of his weapon and wishes for some type of intimacy. This lady is terrified. I provided her with a method of cleansing that she can conduct in her own home and suggested a cleansing she needs to conduct on herself. She will be contacting me again in two weeks and she will let me know if the cleansing was successful. SPECIAL NOTE: I spoke with the lady’s husband, he makes claim he also saw the phantom on the night the phantom approached his wife as she was coming out of the shower. This gave credence to her story, another witness to her strange event.
Before I hung up the phone, the husband asked me one thing. “Paul, how is it that you can do this stuff? Why do you chase the unknown?”
I simply told him: “I Like It”. And to better understand this ‘liking’, I think Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull can explain it better here with this song, yes..you can hear it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9_n8jakvWU
Linda Pieters commented on your link.
Linda wrote: “As a South African I must say I have never heard of a ghost appearing with a knobkerrie. These are the Zulu’s weapons in a fight and yes, as you say to do bodily harm to it’s opponent! It is amazing though that this ghost chooses such a weapon to haunt someone, unless he is a tribal warrior. Look forward to see if the cleansing works and the ghost’s reaction to this.”
“Actually I started following you and Shannon McCabe on here, YouTube and your site which I find extremely interesting. I’ve just posted one of your videos on Erika’s wall ha-ha (and she clicked ‘like’on Facebook). It would be very interesting to see what the outcome is because in your comment about the ghost appearing with the knobkerrie as protection is very accurate and actually, the knobkerrie is used as a normal walking stick in times of peace. Depending on when this person (ghost) died, it would not be normal for Zulu tradition to have any attraction to a white woman. The Zulu tribe are usually peaceful people and there are still many that live in their traditional huts out in the middle of nowhere with their cattle. Obviously in today’s modern age, there are a lot of Zulu’s that live in the cities like any other person. In the days of Shaka Zulu they used spears but a knobkerrie is an Afrikan’s word for knop (knot or ball) and kerrie (cane).”
Thank you Linda for your input! Your input places a new perspective on this South African case. I also look forward to the outcome of this case too! Paul
HPI Paradise Ghostchasers/Storm Chasers
Okay, now let’s move along with the investigation!
Tonight is the night of the Super Moon. Today is the first day of war for the United States against Libya and tonight is the first pre-emptive strike against entities that seem to be plaguing Paradise. There are 3 investigations scheduled for Paradise, 3 residence homes and none of the occupants know about each other. Tonight we will tackle our first residence and the other two residences are scheduled for later dates.
HPI Paranormal Investigators/Storm Chasers present: John Shue/Videographer (John, came to my home and rode up with me to Paradise); Paul Dale Roberts/HPI General Manager; Eileen Boettcher (Eileen set up tonight’s investigation); Autumn Eddy; Chantal Apodaca/Psychic; Jennifer and Steve Roland; Rhonda and Ben Hall; Deanna Bau; Brian Cunningham; Stefanie Paige-Belson/Psychic.
Things have already gotten started in this home. As I was getting this article together, there was a distinct knocking on the kitchen wall. The knocking occurred twice. The occupant says that no animals can possibly get inside the wall and the knocking happens all the time. From my group of investigators, I created two teams. Team Apodaca with Chantal Apodaca leading. Team Halls with Ben Hall leading. We have two areas to cover. The back area of the home and front area of the home. Special Note: The knocking on the kitchen wall was debunked, it was determined that the refrigerator was causing the noise. Ben has heard this sound from other refrigerators and so has Stefanie.
Equipment Being Used: Mag lights, Digital cameras, EMF Readers, Toshiba Laptop, Video cameras, laser matrix, K2 meters, night vision goggles, temperature gauges.
Denise (occupant): When Denise is the only one at home, she can hear someone walking in the house and sitting next to her on the bed. Electronic disturbances occur, such as the phone ringing and when the phones are checked, no one is on the line. Doors open and close on their own. Denise will close one door and then find the door open again. Sometimes in the middle of the night, voices are heard and Denise will get up and the TV is not on and she can’t determine where the voices are coming from.
Shayna (Denise’s daughter): Shayna experiences a white computer chair creaking on its own. Shayna has a hard time breathing when she is in certain parts of the house. Shayna’s throat actually closes up, for 5 to 10 seconds and then it will go away. When Shayna is in her room she has a feeling of being watched. Shayna will hear knocking on the walls when she is alone. Shayna feels like there is a weight on the bed and sometimes feels the bed shaking.
Isaac (Denise’s son) / Written in his own Words: “I’ve experienced many strange things in my home. I’ve heard movement and floor creaks in my hallway. Many times I have heard beds being sat on. When I am alone I hear knocking on the walls, usually only in one specific area. I feel like I am being watched or someone is near me when I am alone. When I was younger I had constant nightmares when I slept in my room. When I moved out of that room, the nightmares stopped. A few years later I moved back in the room. But, the nightmares are not constant. A few years back I was with my older brother in my room and we both had heard a knock on my window. There was nothing there. A few minutes later it happened again. I was standing in my kitchen one morning and I was alone, out of my peripherals I saw the bathroom light turn on and then off. The area by my sister’s room I feel really tense and when I leave, my body is relieved. The time I had a different bedroom, in the breezeway, I was watching TV alone. Everyone was in my mother’s room. I have an iHome for my iPod and everything was off. They were still plugged in, though. I was minding my own business and my iPod turned on and started to play music rather loud. I was freaked out so I turned it off and went into my mom’s room.”
FIRST INVESTIGATIVE SESSION EVIDENCE BRIEFING:
Possible EVP captured, woman voice saying ‘hear me’. Some investigators felt off balanced or dizzy. High EMF readings, K2 meters going off on one section of the wall. With high EMF readings, it can cause hallucinations for the occupants. John had a personal experience and says he was touched on the leg. Mag flashlights go off and on in response to questions asked. Stefanie and Jennifer felt the entity, a female entity is somehow related to the occupants. Orb pictures taken. From this investigative session, only one piece of evidence stands out, the EVP. The flashlight responses are questionable and of course orb pictures are not evidence, unless you can prove intelligent movement of the orb(s). If you can determine intelligent movement, then I would classify the orb as a spiritual containment field.
SECOND INVESTIGATIVE SESSION EVIDENCE BRIEFING:
Steve Roland captured his 2nd EVP, this one sounded like a little girl that says..”oh..oh”. Stefanie started to communicate with the entity, by using a K2 meter. She would tell the entity to move the light to yellow for a yes, to the red for a no, etc. She received some right on the money responses, while the occupants watched. EVP captured that said ‘sugar’. Isaac (occupant) was called ‘sugar’ by his deceased aunt Kittie. One of the investigators felt completely drained, when another investigator asked the entity to take his energy. So much energy was drained the male investigator almost passed out. When one occupant asked ‘do you love me?’ The occupant felt shivers and then later her body felt very hot. One of the investigators had empathic feelings and felt sad and she started crying. Rhonda picked up a male presence. Many spikes were hit on the K2 meter. Rhonda later felt there were several entities in the room and she felt layers of time unfold in front of her. Rhonda had a personal experience and felt her hair pulled. Flashlight communication indicated that there was a nut farmer entity present.
CONCLUSION:
The EVPs were our best evidence. EVPs will be analyzed further to determine there was no contamination and the EVPs would be considered authentic.
Thank you to the occupants for providing coffee. Thank you to Eileen Boettcher for setting this investigation up and providing the investigators with: brownies and Rice Krispy cakes. Stefanie Paige-Belson conducted a metaphysical cleansing.
SPECIAL NOTE – JOHN SHUE CAPTURES RED GLOBE UFO ON VIDEO:
Driving to Paradise, we fought through the pounding rain and the heavy gusts of wind. Leaving Paradise and heading back to Sacramento, again we fought the storm. On this night, we all became ‘storm chasers’. Now, here is something right out of X-Files. As I was driving home with my videographer John Shue, John spies the Super Moon peaking out from the stormy clouds, he starts filming and to his amazement, he films a red globe UFO that pops in and out of the clouds. He actually caught this on video, so make sure to check his video out when it goes on YouTube. I looked at the footage and I cannot describe it as conventional aircraft. You will be amazed at his video!
Knobkierrie, also spelled knobkerrie, knopkierie or knobkerry, are African clubs used mainly in Southern and Eastern Africa. Typically they have a large knob at one end and can be used for throwing at animals in hunting or for clubbing an enemy’s head. This knob is carved out of a treetrunk and the shaft is simply the branch that protruded from the tree at that point.
The name derives from the Afrikaans word knop, meaning knot or ball and the word kierie, meaning cane or walking stick. The name has been extended to similar weapons used by the natives of Australia, the Pacific islands and other places.
Knobkierries were an indispensable weapon of war, particularly among southern Nguni tribes such as the Zulu and the Xhosa.
During the apartheid era in South Africa they were often carried and used by protesters and sometimes by the police opposing them.[1][2]
Knobkierries are still widely carried, especially in rural areas. The weapon is employed at close quarters, or as a missile, and in time of peace may serve as a walking-stick.
The head, or knob, is often ornately carved with faces or shapes that have symbolic meaning. The knobkierie itself serves this function in the crest of the 2000 new federal coat of Arms of South Africa[3] and also features on the Order of Mendi for Bravery.[4]
As a psychic I am on a quest for understanding. A quest for the strange and unique. I want to be the psychic’s Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Here I will uncover what I find. In her own words this is a “Nurse Shaman” – the first I’ve ever heard of. I thought it was interesting for sure, but as I dug into her mind a bit more and uncovered her gifts I was down right intrigued! I don’t know much about Shamanism, but I know of one other Shaman who is amazing. She’s helped a client of mine work on a coma patient. Within one day the patient was out of the coma. Her name is Kahshanna Evans of New York. www.KahshannaEvans.com I also work with a Shamanic Hypnotherapist who has done amazing things for me personally – Kes O’connel who does phone session and resides in the UK. Now it’s time for me to EXPLORE even more the nature of the Shaman!
Christa Urban’s Interview:
In her own words:
I have been a Nurse for 30 years. Active in Metaphysics since 1988. I was ordained in 2003 and completed Shamanic initiation in 2009. My path is what I call Multicultural Shamanism. I hold degrees in Nursing, Fine Arts and Metaphysical and Religious education. I am credentialed in Healing Hands, a Reiki Master, Past Life Regression Facilitator. Senior Tarot Reader and Mentor. I also hold a Certificate in Spirit Counseling and in Education. My abilities include Medical Intuitive, Empath, Medium and I am also trained in Holistic healing modalities such as herbs and homeopathy. Many years of my life has been spent learning and studying.
Currently I teach for a private school started by two black women Nurses to teach better care givers and help those of diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic groups. I teach Nursing assistants and Practical Nurses. Basic skills and the specialty of Mental Health. Who better then a Psychic to teach Psyche.
Lots more to expand on I am also an artist and have done a small book on Futhark Runes.
Background
My parents are from Germany. I was raised in Minnesota and I’ve always had an affinity for the Native American. My guide who I call Peter has been with me since I was a child. The Paranormal always interest me and I did my first readings as a Gypsy fortune teller at a fund raising carnival at age 10. My mother often spoke of superstitions and could tell you who was on the phone before they called, but I was not lead to be a psychic. They were of the era to keep quiet about what you hear and see. They may put you in the mental hospital if you see things and talk to people that are not there.
My near death experience happened during the wild 80′s! I died and went out of my body. This set me on a path to study Yoganada and SRF, I started having visions again. I had them when I was 18, but shut them out.
In 1999 I seriously began studying Pagan and Pre-Christian Religions, but I did not receive my calling to be a Shaman until 2000 and I didn’t answer it til’ 2003. My study of Holistic Nursing and energy healing was the thread that connected me. It was Isis and Egyptian religions of the Goddess that opened my Third eye and then the flood of information started. The message was given to me that I was not only to be a High Priestess, but much more. A Shaman would be the name to use since I could now access the wisdom of many lives and cross to the other realms. I found teachers and mentors in many different areas of metaphysics and healing.
My final Shamanic initiation journey was in Sedona. I was given the final information as I journeyed with my animal guides to the underworld and to the top of the mountain.
What is a Nurse Shaman?
Nurse Shaman is a phrase that I have coined to sum up my Metaphysical and Healing Path. It combines all the knowledge of modern medical care and education provided by Nurses with the Spiritual and Holistic Knowledge of the ages. A Shaman has the gift of healing, psychic and empathic vision. Nurse Shaman is the modern Wise Woman, a community leader and healer and educator
How is this skill used? I ask because, I don’t completely understand Shamanism though I do use Shamanic Practitioners.
Using the knowledge from both these realms I am able to help people find healing of Body, Mind and Spirit. An example of this would be a client with chronic indigestion and stomach trouble that has been through all the modern medicines and continues to suffer. I use counseling techniques, energy healing to balance chakras, regression techniques to help the individual find root causes for the dis-ease; Education on nutrition and triggers, provide counseling on how to work with allopathic providers to integrate holistic modalities along with modern medical treatments. I also use my Psychic and Empathic gifts to help the client uncover hidden things and connect to spirit. Using all these things a client can learn to let go of stresses and find true health. Each client has their own path and visioning techniques can help them find it. It is an interactive process with the Shaman leading the way.
You are like a Jane of all trades. It’s amazing what you can accomplish! Who should seek you out?
Anyone looking to find Body, Mind and Spirit Health and truly want to experience Healing.
How has your Shamanism helped your clients?
My abilities as a Medical Intuitive have helped my Patients in the traditional healthcare setting. I was able to sense and see complications before they happened. I have used energy work to help reduce the need for narcotic pain medications. I have helped those with Chronic illness uncover the root causes to their pain and sickness over come the belief of Medical Diagnosis being life sentences.
How has it been effective in nursing?
My Shamanic vision and sense have helped in so many ways. As a direct care Nurse I have always used my gifts to help my patients. I have been able to calm and help patients in families in crisis, with my understanding of the Spiritual world I have been able to help even if the outcome is transition from the world. Shamanic knowledge makes dealing with death and tragedy less stressful. I have helped a client facing amputation of their leg restore arterial flow and avoid surgery, using Energy Healing and Visualization. As a Nursing Supervisor my intuition came in very handy. I could show up before I was paged and intervene before a situation became a full blown crisis. These skills help me to be a better Nursing educator I tune into to my students and show up with what they need when they need it.
Are you the world’s only Shamanic Nurse that you know of or are there more?
I am the only one using the Term that I know of, but I know there are many very spiritual nurses of all paths that are using there personal gifts matter of factly to what is needed for their patients. The Holistic Nursing Movement is well into 25+ years all these paths and modalities could be counted as Shamanic Practice.
Does being a Shaman have anything to do with being a psychic?
Shamans do have the ability to see beyond to veil and cross over to other realms. They do have the gifts of mediumship and communication with Spirits. Psychic Vision is a tool the Shaman uses in their work. Astral travel and dreamtime work are also included.
What is a Shaman by your definition?
A Shaman is a Wise one. An Educator, a Healer and Spiritual Advisor. Their path to heal the individual down to the soul level as well a improve the community as a whole. It is a calling, one that I feel can’t be ignored. A Shaman uses all resources available in the physical and metaphysical worlds.
sha·man
–noun
(especially among certain tribal peoples) a person who acts as intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds, using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, control spiritual forces, etc. Via http://dictionary.com
Who do you most want to help in this lifetime?
Not easy (laughs) I want to help everyone.
I want to provide Body, Mind and Spirit Health for all. I feel we have been sidetracked from our soul missions. Modern society has placed too much emphasis on the quick fix, take a pill. My goal to help people get off unnecessary medications and experience true health. I am currently Teaching Nurses and Paraprofessionals, by sharing my knowledge of Holistic and Metaphysical modalities I hope to change the way healthcare is looked at and provided. We must bring back compassionate care and treat others as we would like to be treated. Years ago working in the Cardiovascular ICU my nurse colleagues and I decided;The best thing you can do for a patient is to simply Hold their Hand and let them know you care. Spiritual Principles must be part of the care model for the future.
the school I teach at Casel Health Care Training Center. Melbourne FL
Wow you hit it. Two scorpions and you got the reading on with the intrique and
money aspects. You were right about the snake too. Thanks Bob
Hi Christa,
I sure like this reading. You did exellent job and you also managed to
answer her time frame question, something I always have found very hard to
do. Excellent job!
Bright Blessings,
**Genuine
Christa did a wonderful reading for me and I appreciate the guidance very
much! Mary E
ELIZA :
THANKS FOR YOUR READING it’s true about my thinking lately it has changed
i’m ready to look in to it a little bit more it might just help and as far as my wish
coming true i hope your right on that one i want to start fresh with a new life
with my children and hope it will happen soon thanks so much hope you can do
another one soon for me
Dear Christa
I want to thank you for all your advices. I’ve tried the exercise you suggested
and have thought over the situation a lot. Well, I think he is the right guy for me.
I really have deep feelings about him but mostly have found out that there is
something about my attitude that I can change and maybe this can make me
reach balance.
Thank you again for your help..it has been very useful.
Do you want to see into your future? Tarot cards are often categorized as something that only few can wield, but the truth is, anyone can learn to read tarot cards. After all, it’s the cards that are doing all of the work when it comes to predicting the future. Learn everything you need to know about the art of reading tarot cards from these top tarot card blogs.
Top Tarot Card Blogs
source : marshall-fenn.com
Check out these tarot card blogs, some penned by professionals, which will help you hone your tarot card reading skills.
1. Mary Greer This is one of the best tarot blogs on the web. The writer goes into massive depth over tarot card readings and the history of tarot cards. There’s almost all of the information you need to know at this site.
2. Discover the Meaning of Tarot At this site you’ll pick up on the basics of reading tarot cards and get a few history lessons in-between.
3. Biddy Tarot This blog thoroughly explains what each card means, making it a must-read for those who are just exploring the subject. It also gives you a list of the top 10 cards that mean love or the end of it.
4. Tarot Eon This blog no longer updates, but it’s chock full of information for those learning the basics or wanting to take their skills from beginner to advanced. There’s also a forum where you can discuss tarot readings with other members.
5. Tarot Cards At this site you’ll learn how to read tarot cards and decipher what the cards mean when a person is at a certain stage in their life. It’s a fun blog for those who just want an overview of how tarot readings work.
6. Santeria Religion 101 This blog isn’t only about tarot readings, but has a substantial amount of content over how to read cards and learn to interpret cards that can mean multiple things, depending on where a person is in their life.
My favorite deck! The Quest Tarot by Joseph Ernest Martin What’s your favorite deck?
“Using the energy of stones for readings and healing is nothing new,” explains Hayes. “In fact, stones have been used since ancient times. The famous stones at Stonehenge began to be used around 2600 BCE. The blue stones, 18 of which survive, have been linked to the prehistoric human’s search for healing. The older Greek civilizations also established healing uses for certain stone and frequently wore them for strength and protection in battle.“
Well known based psychic, medium, past life channeler, Reiki Master, healer and master of stones, Allison Hayes, “The Rock Girl”, has established an unequaled reputation both nationally and internationally for her ability to use the energy of stones in both psychic readings and healing sessions.
Studying both here and abroad, Hayes studied with “old school” stone teachers. Climbing into stone quarries and digging rocks out of the earth, she worked with each stone for months on end, until she could separate the energies out of each just by touch. Her final test was to be able to put her hands into buckets of muddy water and identify each stone solely by its vibration. Passing with flying colors, she earned the title of “Master of Stones”, also known as the “High Priestess of Stones”,
“Using the energy of stones for readings and healing is nothing new,” explains Hayes. “In fact, stones have been used since ancient times. No one can actually provide an exact date when this first started. However, history tells us that Malachite is one of the oldest healing stones and is mentioned from 3000 BC. In fact, women in ancient Egypt used malachite as eye shadow. Tutankhamen was buried with 143 gems and talismans. The famous stones at Stonehenge began to be used around 2600 BCE. The blue stones, 18 of which survive, have been linked to the prehistoric human’s search for healing. The older Greek civilizations also established healing uses for certain stone and frequently wore them for strength and protection in battle. In China, hot stones were used to re-invigorate tired muscles and to improve the function of internal organs as long ago as 2000 BC.
Today, stones are everywhere; they are found in the microchips of computers, ultrasound devices, lasers, watches and other forms of electronic equipment. Some are formed by magma or gases in the earth’s core, volcanic lava streams, the salt beds of lakes, rivers and oceans, as well as from the sedimentation process. Atoms group together to form the essential regularity that determines the shapes and qualities of crystals and stones. The particles of these atoms (protons, neutrons and electrons) are basic units of energy that emit subtle vibrations. As each stone has its own unique molecular and geometrical structure, they vibrate on different frequencies.
Stones are capable of projecting, receiving, containing, emanating and refracting light and energy, and have an electromagnetic field which surrounds them, as do human beings. Humans, each one being their own unique atomic and molecular structure, also vibrate at their own frequency. The human body is made up of salt water, and salt is a crystalline formation. When we are unwell in any way (physically, mental/emotionally, spiritually), our own vibration is lowered, and we are considered to be out of balance.
With Energy Balancing with the Frequency of Stones, stones are used to affect the liquid crystal formation of the body in order to increase its vibration and bring it back into balance.
Because stones also carry a frequency, they can be used to cleanse, balance, and align the chakras (the electromagnetic energy centers that lie along the center of the body), meridians (the electromagnetic pathways that lie close to the skin and connect to the chakras) and auric fields (the electromagnetic sheath that surrounds the human body). This type of healing work is excellent for fulfilling and healing Karmic debt and contracts, and can awaken memories/gifts in the cellular memory of DNA. Soul Purpose and Path can ultimately be revealed and profound healing can occur on the Soul level.”
A sneak peak into the Exclusive “Rock Room” in NYC with 10,000 stones!
Travel Channel’s Ghostly Lovers Premieres on Friday, February 11, 2011 at 10pm after the Ghost Adventures Valentine’s Day Special.
What is Spectrophila? It is an attraction to or sex with a spirit. Ghost are residual energies that don’t have intelligence. Spirits are intelligent beings usually humans that once had a physical body.
Being the World’s only Sex Psychic I have often dealt with many cases of Spectrophila. Sometimes my job is to figure out whom the spirit is. Is it a dead ex? A lover from another lifetime or a horny spirit? Could it be someone living who is connecting to you through energy? So many questions with many answers…
If you’ve had a sexual experience with a spirit or want to have one; maybe you just have more questions?Please leave a comment here after tuning into GHOSTLY LOVERS!
The Kennedy House Paranormal Gold
By Belinda Bentley – Celebrity Psychic and Senior Lead Investigator
Before we get started don’t forget to subscribe to my news feed and paranormal articles…I’ve been getting rave reviews, so thanks for reading!
Greg Rickords contacted HPI to tell-a-tale about a house he once lived in, but before the ghostly happenings are recounted let me give you some background on this place. In Amador County, there is a house called “Kennedy House” that is rich with history. It’s story began in the 1800′s. The Kennedy House was around when the gold rush was at its prime. The location was heavy with traffic, because people were migrating from all over in hopes of striking it rich in California – mining for gold. The Kennedy House was a stage coach stop for those stopping along the way. There were a lot of high emotions in that era. Men left their families in search of gold while others were watching men drop to their deaths in the mines and hoping that they would not have the same fate the next day. People were excited when they struck gold in the mines and became millionaires overnight and there are those desperate souls who had all their gold stolen and murdered for their goods, not to mention high emotions coming from those who were doing the robbing, stealing and killing. Around this time in history those that got caught were hung. All of these elements make the perfect ingredients for residual and intelligent haunting.
The Kennedy House at one time was also a “cat house,” or other wise known as a brothel. Then it became a hotel and now today it is residential property. That’s where Mr. Rickords, comes in. After being dismissed due to disagreements from his in-laws house, he moved alone into one of the Kennedy House apartment rooms. He lived alone while his pregnant wife stayed at her parents. One night Rickords, walked into his apartment to find a man there wearing a white shirt and then the man vanished. Within the nine months that he lived there he had one more personal incident that took his breath away. While he was sleeping in his bed one night, he felt what he described as someone lifting him off the bed as if he’d just been picked up and then he was slammed back down on the bed. He was so scared he ran outside hitting his arm on the door frame on the way out. As he stood there catching his breath and convincing himself it had to be a dream and nothing more, he turned around to see a man wearing a top hat walking, the man stopped and tipped his top hat acknowledging him and then simply disappeared! Waking up the next morning recalling this “dream” Rickord’s realized his arm was in pain. He noticed the bruise from hitting the door frame as he ran out in terror just a few hours before. It wasn’t a dream at all!
Soon after these occurrences happened, Rickords was chatting with a Native American neighbor at the Kennedy House. He asked his neighbor “have you heard of this place being haunted?” His neighbor said, “yes,” to his surprise. He then asked his neighbor about the guy in the white shirt. The Native American being a sensitive due to his shamanic background told him yes, that it was only one of the spirits and that there was also another with a top hat. Rickords hadn’t mentioned anything about a top hat to this man and here it was validated yet again, this place was in fact haunted and he’d witnessed the spirits himself. The neighbor also recounted seeing another four spirits, making the total of residential spirits 6.
After moving out Rickords heard nothing else about the haunting, but would like HPI to investigate to see what we find. Since it is a private residence we won’t be doing an investigation unless management or a resident of the historic house asks us too. If and when they come calling HPI we will be more than happy to jump on it, because it sounds like we might have just struck it rich – we may be able to hit paranormal gold with the Kennedy House!
If you know me you know I’m a lead investigator with HPI Paranormal. Sometimes I go on adventures in paranormal with them or I lead an investigation on my own investigation for them. Not to long ago they interviewed two people from the most popular and most watched paranormal series on TV. SYFY’s Ghost Hunters, Amy Bruni and Britt Griffin. Watch the video below.
Jake E. from Washington put in a call to HPI and spoke with Paul Dale Roberts. Paul informed me there was an interesting story here and I should give him a call. It definitely is an interesting story! Headline: Man Receives a Call From 1980.
Mary E
