Eyeless Sight

     This is a very interesting article on devising 'whiskers' to be worn on fingers to help blind people see. Interesting but still dependant on an external aid when the human body can miraculously adapted to an incredible amount of disability - including blindness.

      Throughout recorded history, and probably earlier, certain people without eyesight have been able to 'see' through the skin on various areas of their bodies. This, it seems to me, is a more worthy area to spend time and money researching.
· In the 17th century Irish scientist Robert Boyle recounted the case of a man who could identify colours through touch.
· In the 18th century, the first Europeans to reach Samoa reported that blind islanders were able to describe their appearance.
· In 1808, Dr. Petetin of Lyons, France documented eight cases of women whose sense had become localized in the their finger tips and the solar plexus region in his book Electricite Animale.
· In 1893 Brooklyn New York, doctors described how blind Mollie Fancher read printed material with her fingeripts. At approximately the same time in Italy, neurologist, Dr. Cesare Lombroso, treated a 14-year old blind girl; who could ‘see’ with her left earlobe and the tip of her nose.
      French scientist Jules Romains was intrigued by such reports. In 1920, after spending years in experimentation he published a long treatise on the phenomenon: Eyeless Sight. He noted that some people needed to touch the objects with their fingertips, cheeks and even their stomachs in order to 'see' them. Others could 'see' without making contact with what they were 'looking' at. Dr Romain's opion was that sight without eyes may be somehow connected to the microscopic nerve ends in the skin known as Ranvier's menisci.          

Palm Print Prophet - Cheiro the Great

Scotland yard detectives were about to leave a grisly London murder scene when a flamboyant young man appeared on the door step asking if he could be of service. The battered body of an old man lay before the fireplace, with the heavy brass murder weapon beside him. Since the corpse was being removed the investigators decided there was no harm in humouring the stranger and allowed him into the room where he asked if he might examine the bloody handprints marking the walls.

Head in hand, the visitor studied the prints then confidently announced that the murderer was a well-to-do young man; a close relative to the deceased, and , oh yes, he carried a small gold watch in his left front trouser pocket.

Reporters on hand hovered about, watching to see if the Scotland Yard boys would toss him out for impertinence. As he left the scene,  the impeccably attired palm reader handed them his lavish business cards: Cheiro the Great. His prediction was in the papers on Monday; and again on Tuesday when the killer was caught. Son of the murdered man; who carried a gold watch in his left trouser pocket. Cheiro quickly became the rage of London, banking large fees for counselling his wealthy, well known clients.

In 1893, Cheiro traveled to New York and set up offices on Park Avenue. The New York World immediately challenged him to a test of his powers. Cheiro readily agreed. He was new in town and could use the publicity.

The well-promoted event took ten minutes. Thirteen palm-prints were laid face up on a table, waiting to be read. Cheiro quickly and correctly summed up twelve of the prints. A manual labourer who went on to a career in politics, an operetta composer, a talented actress and on and on. The thirteenth print was one that Cheiro repeatedly picked up and put down without comment. Tension filled the air when it was the only paper left. He placed it face down on the table, refusing to identify it as it carried the mark of a murderer. Right again.

 “About astrology and palmistry: they are good because they make people vivid and full of possibilities. ... Everybody has a birthday and almost everybody has a palm.”
 - Kurt Vonnegut (American novelist 1922 - 2007)

Message in a Bottle

One of the longest surviving 'message in a bottle' is 150 years. In 1784, forty-four Japanese sailors were treasure hunting in the Pacific Ocean, when a storm savagely slammed their sailing ship upon a coral reef. Sails were ripped and supplies were lost as   Chunosuke Matsuyama and the other crew members waded through fierce waters and stumbled ashore. Surviving for a short time on coconuts and scuttling crabs, the lack of fresh water and a reliable food source soon took its toll. The group was slowly starving to a certain death.

One of the last acts that Matsuyama performed in his life was to peel thin pieces of wood from a toppled coconut tree and carve out the story of the expeditions final days.  Salvaging a bottle from the battered boat, he carefully inserted the engraved wood, sealed the container and tossed it into the waves. One hundred and fifty years later, in 1935, it showed up on the shore by a small village were it was picked up by a seaweed collector. The village was Hiraturemura, the birthplace of Chunosuke Matsuyama.

Now comes a story of a message in a bottle for 98 years. Too bad they didn't put the coin in the bottle with the note. Then it would have been a real find!

Pets to the Rescue

We all know animals are much smarter than we usually think but it's incredible how much smarter they actually are. It seems like many of them can access that 80% of unused brain that most of us human beings ignore.

In February, 1939, St Bernard dogs in the Swiss Alps refused, for the first time ever, to go for their morning walk with the monks. An hour later an avalanche engulfed the part of the track that they would have been on in normal circumstances.

In 1783 dogs in Messina, Italy, howled so uncontrollably before an earthquake that they could be silenced only by being shot. Bet they regretted that after the dust had settled.

Adele Holzer was driving with her normally sleeping cat in the back seat when the pet became agitated and jumped up front with her, meowing and tapping her arm. When the cat began nipping her hand on the steering wheel she finally pulled over. At the moment a huge tree fell across the road and would have crushed them had she not stopped.

Contemporary English biochemist Rupert Sheldrake has extensively investigated the subtler senses often demonstrated by pets. Some of his accounts include: A dog who stubbornly refused to enter a pedestrian walkway which collapsed seconds later with an explosion of concrete crashing down from the ceiling. One owner was prevented by his dog from boarding a boat that blew up soon after and another pet pulled its owner away from the path of an out-of-control van before the vehicle appeared in sight.

Howard Carter - In the Beginning

Life leads us to where we need to be. An excellent example of this is the life of the infamous English archeologist, Howard Carter -discoverer King Tut's tomb.

Carter was born into a family too poor to send him to school in a hamlet in Norfolk, May 9, 1873.
His father made a meagre living painting watercolour portraits of animals belonging to the local aristocracy. He taught Howard to paint. In 1890 a wealthy neighbour inadvertently introduced the young man to Egyptology when she asked him to assist a friend finish some drawings of ancient monuments discovered in Middle Egypt. Carter taught himself about antiquities as he went along, first with a three month stint at the British Museum and then as a most junior member of the staff of the Egyptian Exploration Fund.

Eventually he became assistant to one of the greatest Egyptologist who ever lived, Sir William Flinders Petrie. Unfortunately Carter's stubborn sense of protocol and insensitivity to petty politics ended the appointment. In 1903 Petrie, accompanied by his wife and three young women were recording hieroglyphs in a tomb at Saqqara when they were accosted by several drunken Frenchman. The men demanded a private tour and attempted to force their way into the women's quarters. Carter arrived with a squad of Egyptians guards to save the day and during the ensuing struggle, knocked on of the Frenchmen to the ground.

With injured pride, the fallen man complained to his consul and demanded an apology. Howard refused. He was only doing his job afterall. Unfortunately the French had the upper hand in the power structure of Egyptian archaeology, and Carter was dismissed from service. After four years of barely surviving by selling watercolours and giving guided tours, life once again moved Howard Carter to where he needed to be. He was introduced to Lord Canarvon who was looking for a Egyptologist for his treasure hunting expeditions. Howard Carter was a professional and readily and cheaply available. In 1922,after years of vicious insects, unbearable heat and unending ridicule, Carter and Carnavon discovered the Tomb of Tutankhamen. The rest is history.

Curiosity Uncovers New Clue to Missing Roanoke Colony

Curiousity is arguably, in my opinion, one of the most important qualities for an satisfying life; right up there after integrity. Curiosity leads us on bold, new explorations. Curiousity brings delight to the intellect and now, curiousity has uncovered a new clue to the Roanoke settlers who disappeared over 400 years ago.

The "Virginea Pars" map of Virginia and North Carolina was created by explorer and expedition leader  John White in the 1580s. The blue eyed British Colonists, whom he had brought to start a new life in America, were left on their own while White went back to England for further supplies. When he returned three years later everyone had mysteriously disappeared.

The map has belonged to the British Museum for nearly 150 years. Recently, First Colony Foundation board member, Brent Lane let his curiousity get the better of him, pointed to the map and asked "What's under those two patches?" Thus the first clue to the whereabouts of this seminal group in four centuries was revealed. The only other clue of note was when White returned to the uninhabited Roanoke Island and found the word CROATOAN carved into a wooden post.

One was the patches appeared to have been applied to correct a mistake in the shoreline of the Pamlico River. The other patch, however, revealed the possible location of a fort. More on this fascinating history mystery here.

Will UFOs Save Us?

Rumors have been circulating on Internet that the place to be on December 21, 2012 is Pic de Bugarach in France. It is the supposed home of powerful aliens and that on apocalypse day, the top of the mountain will open and the UFOs will emerge to rescue those gathered in the area.

But France is no stranger to alien tales.

In 1790,a UFO crashed landed in a field near Alencon, France. Surprized farmers at first thought it was a hot air balloon that caught fire. At the crash site they saw a large metal sphere had uprooted soil and plants showering them back down upon the hillside. The heat of the vessel set fire to the surrounding dry grass. Dozens of peasants began a water line to extinguish the flames and then crowded around the craft.

“All of a sudden a kind of door opened and there is the interesting thing, a person like us came out of it, but this person was dressed in a strange way, in clothes adhering completely to the body...” Apparently a hatch had slide open in the lower part of the sphere and the emerging occupant uncertainly surveyed the crowd. He began speaking in an unknown language, gesturing for everyone to move away from him and his craft. As a few people moved away, he then broke free and ran into the woods.

A sense of danger was communicated and everyone else quickly moved back from the vessel which immediately exploded with a muffled silence. A miniature mushroom-cloud formed in it place as debris from the globe hissed into the grass and turned to powder. Searches were organized to search for the weirdly dressed man. He was never found, apparently dissolving as thoroughly as his ship.

Now France and UFOs are making the news again – this time as the Armageddon destination. Read more here.

SPRING is for New Beginnings

Today is the first day of spring! The vernal equinox officially kicked off the season at 1:14 AM EDT. Until the mid 1700s, March 20th was considered the first day of the year. Although someone somewhere arbitrarily decided to change the calendar, March 20th is still the time for new beginnings.

So set yourself free, shake off the sleepiness of winter and submerse yourself in sensuous spring by spending lots of time outside - as close to the elements as you can get. The energy of Spring enhances success and freshness in new projects and brings pillow love - no you won't be sleeping. This is a good time to mix up your magic powders and cast them into the wind. Plant seeds that will bear fruit in the fall. The secret power for March 20th is sound. Whistle while you work.

"Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems." Rainer Maria Rilke

Springheel Jack is Back

It began in 1837 London, England. Out of the mist of night dashed a dark, cloaked figure with glowing red eyes and a spring in his heel. Enough of a spring to enable him to leap walls 18 feet high. Enough of a spring to leap over houses. Enough of a spring to avoid being caught for close to 200 years.

One dark night, after the terror had begun, young Jane Alsop opened the door of her home to a figure standing in the shadows, claiming to be a policeman and demanding she fetch a light to help him with the capture of Spring-heel Jack - but the policeman was Jack himself and once he had her away from the house he attacked.

Later Jane described her assailant. "He was wearing a kind of a helmet and a tight-fitting white costume like an oilskin, his face was hideous. His eyes were like balls of fire. His hands had great claws, and he vomited blue and white flames." It was a description to be repeated over and over again; the leaps, the flames, the eyes of hell.

It was commonly assumed that Jack's jumping skill was due to special shoes he wore that had been fitted with powerful springs. The German army tried to emulate this in WWII but the most common result was soldiers with broken ankles.

Spring-heel Jack's rampage continued. He was never identified. And he has never stopped being seen and reported, though intervals between reports vary widely. The latest possible sighting comes from February 2012. Read about it here.

Extreme Weather

I like to think of weather as Mother Nature's mood swings; sometimes generous, other times, not so much.
1840 - St. John, New Brunswick - during a ferocious gale, a rogue wave submerged the Beacon lighthouse. The old definition of real estate underwater.
1880 - London, Ontario - rain thawed the winter snowpack so quickly that the water level of the river was raised one metre (more than one yard) in less than an hour. The crack of ice breaking and the roar of rushing water were deafening. Trees were uprooted. Planks, rails and beer casks swirled away in the white water. Cold means beer.
1901 - Tanana region, Yukon - the snow was so deep that that moose could not run away from the hunters. Everyone ate well that winter.
1937 -Weyburn, Saskatchewan - the temperature rose to 45+ C (113+ F). An egg broken on the pavement evaporated before it could cook. In stores chocolates melted and gramophone records turned to wax. In the streets, car rubber tires also melted. Looked like a town painted by Salvador Dali.

Learn To Be Psychokinetic

It's not even a question - Can you learn to be psychokinetic? It's a decision - Learn to be Psychokinetic.
Some people are born with a talent for it like some people are born with a talent for music or management or slacklining. Joseph Nuzum of Pennsylvania was a natural psychokinetic as well as having pyrogenesis abilities. (He could set things on fire with his mind. And you thought the X-Files was fiction.) Joe could melt the insulated wires inside a nine-volt radio without being anywhere near it. (For more on Joe see March 14th of the Almanac of the Infamous). Ninel Kulagina is another natural. She could stop a frog's heart with her mind.

Desire is the main requirement to learning telekinesis. Followed closely by discipline. Very closely. With self discipline anything is possible. Easy beginner practices include:

• Hold your hands over a compass. Concentrate on focusing the energy coming out of your hands on moving the compass.
• Suspend a needle from a pencil so that it hangs inside a jar and won't be affected by your breathe or random breezes. Practice getting the needle to move with your mind; side to side of in circles.
• Light a candle and move the flame; higher and lower, side to side and in circles with your mind.

Dedication is everything.

A Secret Power in Every Day

Magic is everywhere; in nature, in you, in time itself. Every day has a secret power. You have to hunt for this power though - that's why it's called a secret power. My whole life I suspected its existence, only to be told it didn't exist. Finally I decided to decide for myself. I would gather information and come to my own conclusion.

My search began with my certainty that everyone is special. We don't have to do anything to prove it. We are born that way. This idea is gaining popularity in the collective consciousness as portrayed by Lady Gaga's Born this Way Baby. But I wanted to know more, specifically, how am I special? Admittedly this is an egotistical pursuit. So maybe it's not solely, or soul-ly about me. If I was born this way maybe it's connected to the day I was born. Maybe I don't own it. Maybe I'm just responsible for it.

Next question: what's special about the day I was born? And hundreds of people are born everyday of the year so everyday must have a power in it. Has something special happened each and every day of the year?

Thus began ten years of research. Delving into libraries, prowling through bookstores and traveling the internet I looked for unsolved mysteries and unexplained phenomena for every day of the year. And found them! After that the Secret Power was obvious.