Saturday, December 31

Looking Back At 67 Not Out In 2011

It's the last day of 2011 and I've been looking at various stats for 67 Not Out. I think that it has been a good year, and the blog is up to 723 posts.
Visitor numbers have now virtually reached 2,400,000 since the blog was launched on the 28th of December 2010 - three days under two years. Visitors have arrived from 154 different countries.  Most are from the USA, 46.98%, and the UK is second with 26.58% of the readers.

It's strange though, but I still can't forecast what posts will be popular. Some I put my heart and soul into and they get fewer hits than something I have to knock out quickly when time is short. I guess it all depends on what gets a good ranking on the Google search engine and/or gets picked up by some of the social networking sites. Or maybe it depends on the thoughts I send out when publishing the post!

The most viewed posts in 2011 were:

1.
Married Couple In The Same Photo As Children
2.
The Indians Of Haiti As Observed By Christopher Colombus
3.
Ghostly Rye: The Most Haunted Town In England
4.
The Red Balloon Coincidence
5.
The Concentration Camp Romantic Coincidence
6.
The Goats In Trees Coincidence
7.
Coincidence Photos Of Children And Their Dogs
8.
The Mysterious Skull With The Golden Wreath Of Protection
9.
The Guest House And A Girl In A Bikini Coincidence
10.
The Date Coincidence On An Old Photo


Though the statistics are interesting the important bit for me is what I have learned personally by writing the posts, and also from other bloggers I have interacted with. I have by no means sussed out fully what this life of ours is all about but, there again, I don't think anyone else has either - despite what they may claim.

The one thing I do feel certain of is that we are all immortal. Death, as we know it, is only a transition from this life to some other level. Though I have my theories about this I cannot say that I am 100% sure as to what happens next. I guess you could say that death is quite an adventure!

My thanks to all subscribers and 67 Not Out readers and also to the other bloggers I have got to know - I won't mention any names in case I miss someone out!

I wish everyone a wonderful 2012. Much has been written and theorised about the year ahead.  Things may well be on the change but change doesn't have to be negative. I feel quite optimistic about the future.

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Friday, December 30

The Ghost Photo Of The National Maritime Museum

Ghost photo at National Maritime Museum

This is one of those classic ghost photos. It was taken by a clergyman, Rev Ralph Hardy, on his visit to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London.

The Rev Hardy, was on a vacation from White Rock, British Columbia and decided to take a photo of the impressive Tulip Staircase in the Queen's House section of the museum. It was only after he returned home and had his film developed that he found the ghostly figure appearing to hold on to the staircase. Experts at Kodak have confirmed that the photo has not be altered or tampered with in any way.

The buildings that host the National Maritime Museum are over 400 years old and there have been other ghost sightings. One example is from a member of the NMM's staff, Tony Anderson. He wrote the following of his experience, again in the Queen's House:

"On Monday 20th May 02 at 9.45am, myself and two colleagues were talking about which breaks we were on, when something caught my eye. One of the doors (double) from the Bridge Room closed and I thought at first it was the girl who does the talks at weekends, then realised the woman just glided across the balcony and went through the wall, west side.

I could not believe what I saw. I went very cold and the hairs on my arms and neck were on end. We went into the Queen’s Presence Room and looked down towards the old Queen’s Bedroom, and something passed through the ante-room and out through the wall. My two colleagues did also feel cold at that time.

The lady was dressed in a white-grey colour, old-fashioned, something like a crinoline-type dress."

Visitors to the museum have also claimed to have been pinched by a ghost and have seen a maid frantically mopping blood from the bottom of the Tulip Staircase. Could this therefore be a genuine ghost photo?

Further Ghostly Reading:
The Dead And The Dying Are Trying To Contact Us
Classic Photos Of Spirits And UFOs
Is This 13th Century Cottage Haunted With Orbs

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Thursday, December 29

Our Names May Influence What Jobs We Choose

Penny Nichols banker cartoon clip art
Strange isn't it how some peoples' names suit their jobs?  A funny example is Willie Power who just happens to be the IT Leader for the Viagra manufacturers in Cork, Ireland. I also remember, at the time of the Brixton Riots in London - a predominantly black area - the government minister in charge of the police was another Willie, this time with the surname of Whitelaw.  Oh yes, and there is a female sexologist called Julia Heiman.

There are, of course, lots of such examples but are the names simply coincidences?

Perhaps there is a link between a name and our destiny.  It may have been all in the stars when Lord Judge became a judge and Alan Ball became a footballer.

Nonsense? Well Carl Jung thought there may be a significance between a name and a profession.  He called it 'the compulsion of a name.'

He reckoned that a connection between a man's name and his job, or even other peculiarities, amounted to 'gross coincidence' - something beyond the realms of mere chance.

An academic paper in the Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology came up with a conclusion that a surname connected in some way to a job or career is more likely to draw you to that profession.

It appears that we are disproportionally likely to pick careers whose labels resemble our names. An example they give is dentists called Dennis or Denise.   The reason this happens is because we feel comfortable about things associated with ourselves and therefore jobs associated with our names.

People are also more likely to move to places which are reminiscent of their names.

But back to names and jobs. I recently noticed that the managing director of the dairy company Danone is Bruno Fromage and a science paper on incontinence in the British Journal of Urology was compiled by none other than D. Weedon and J.W. Splatt.

A few other names: Wolfgang Wolf was the former manager of the German football club VFL Wolfsburg; Anna Smashnova is an Israeli tennis player; Usain Bolt is a sprinting world record holder; Amelia Earhart was the aviation pioneer - her surname is pronounced air-heart; Jules Angst is a German professor of psychiatry; William Wordsworth was a poet and so the list goes on and on.

Are they all simply bog standard coincidences or is there something more to our names than we normally imagine.

On a slightly different slant. When I was young, as my first name is Michael, I was mostly known as Mick by friends and relatives. Later, at a crossroads in my life, I moved away to a different area where I had new employment. As there was already someone called Mick in the company I became Mike and in a some respects therefore became a different person. I've been Mike ever since.

As there is a doctor and a surgeon called De'ath and Brain maybe sometimes our names influence who we are or what we will become.

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Wednesday, December 28

Ladette To Lady Grandfather Coincidences

Frederick William English his spurs and tie pins

I have written previously in my post What A Coincidence That We Are Actually Here Now that my daughter-in-law has been tracing my grandson's family tree and therefore mine as well.

One of the coincidences she has found is that both of my grandfather's had the first names of Frederick William (Perry and English surnames) and both of my great grandfather's were called by the single first name of John (again Perry and English). This is probably why my father's first name was John (although everyone called him by his second name of Arthur for some reason).

The British census for 1891 shows that when he was a young man Frederick William English (my maternal grandfather) worked as a groom at somewhere called Egglestone Hall. He also lived there as well. I knew he had a love of horses because his spurs and gold tie pins, with horseshoe designs, have been passed on to me (as per the photo at the top of this post).

But there is a further coincidence:

A neighbour gave my wife a pile of women's magazines. Karin didn't particularly want them but felt she had to accept them. On receipt the magazines were placed on one of the kitchen cupboards. Later that day I was making a pot of tea and, while waiting for the kettle to boil, I flicked through the top magazine.

One of the pages caught my eye. It was about a reality television programme called Ladette To Lady. It wasn't this that interested me - as it's not something I would normally watch - but it was the fact that the show was held at Eggleston Hall - yes, where my grandfather worked as a groom in the1890s.

Prior to seeing this I knew nothing about Egglestone Hall or even where it was.  So it looks as if the magazines from a neighbour were actually meant for me, to learn more about my grandfather. He died way before I was born and was a lot older than his wife, my grandmother Lucy, who lived until she was 103.

The photo below shows Frederick William English at Egglestone Hall. He's the man posing on his side at the front of the picture. I presume he is wearing his riding boots and gear.

Frederick William English at Egglestone Hall

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Tuesday, December 27

Near Death Experience In The Stars

a painting of life after death Heaven

I'm back on the life after death theme again today with a Near Death Experience. This is the story of a small two-and-a-half year old girl called Durdana Khan. At the time she was living in the foothills of the Himalayas, where her father was an army doctor.

Dardana had been ill for several months and was gradually deteriorating. She was becoming paralysed but what was wrong with her wasn't fully known.

One day, while working, her father received an urgent message from his wife telling him that something had happened to his small daughter.

He hurried home. On arrival Dardana was in a cot outside with his wife. He realised straight away that 'she was gone'. On hearing this her mother lifted her daughter's limp body from the cot and carried her into the house and laid her on her husband's bed.

Her father, in his capacity as a doctor, carried out routine emergency procedures but felt that it was a lost cause. But he kept saying to her, "Come back my child, come back."

As an absolute last resort a heart stimulant was given to the her by administrating nikethamide drops. The couple watched their daughter, sadly and with heavy hearts, as the drops trickled down her cheeks.  But, after being 'dead' for about 15 minutes, something amazing happened. Dardana opened her eyes and told her parents that the medicine was bitter. Gradually the little girl recovered and the parents also recovered from the trauma.

Dardana's mother asked, "Where did my little daughter go the other day?"

Remarkably the little girl replied, "Far, far away, to the stars."

"Indeed," asked her mother, "and what did you see?"

"Gardens." was the answer.

"And what did you see in the gardens?"

"Apples and grapes and pomegranates."

"And what else?"

"There were streams, a white stream, a brown stream, a blue stream and a green stream."

"And was there anyone else there?"

"Yes, my grandfather was there and his mother and another lady who looked like you.. Grandpa said he was glad to see me, and his mother took me in her lap and kissed me."

"And then?"

"Then I heard my Daddy calling, 'Come back my child, come back.' I told Grandpa that Daddy was calling me and I must go back.  He said we should have to ask God. So we went to God. He asked me, 'Do you want to go back?' I said, 'I must go back.' And down, down, down I came from the stars, on to Daddy's bed."

Durdana was asked what God was like and her reply was one word, "Blue."

Durdana went to Karachi with her mother for convalescence. At her Uncle's house she saw a photo and shouted out, "Mummy, Mummy. This is my grandpa's mother. I met her in the stars. She took me in her lap and kissed me."

Durdana and her father in 1980
This all happened in 1968. Twelve years later in 1980 the family moved to London, England where her story was featured on BBC television. The producer of the programme suggested that Durdana should try and paint what she had seen while when she was 'in the stars.' One of the pictures is at the top of this post. (Photo right shows Durdana and her father in 1980).

After the story was shown on television a Mrs Rachel Goldsmith asked if she could see Durdana and the pictures again. This was agreed and when the lady saw the paintings, which had only been shown briefly on television, she said of one of them, "My God. I've been to this place."

Mrs Goldsmith had also had a near death experience and is positive that she had been to the place painted by Durdana. The two of them discussed the scene and also what was round the bend of the river and therefore not included in the picture.

Durdana has been quoted as saying that she was happy while in this after life and only returned out of a sense of duty. She felt as if she was 'everywhere at once' and could 'reach whatever she wanted.' Physical objects appeared ethereal and had no substance. There was no source of light so everything was 'visible through it's own luminescence.'

As to what this all means is up to the individual to decide.

Further Reading:
Pam Reynolds Near Death Experience
Black Elk On Peace And At The Door Of Death
Where Is Heaven?

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Monday, December 26

The Tradition Of Today Being Boxing Day

Fox Hunting on Boxing Day

Today, the 26th of December, is known as Boxing Day in Britain and in a few other countries as well.  It is what we call a Bank Holiday (a normal working day when the banks are closed) but would be called a Public Holiday in other parts of the world.

How Boxing Day came about is not absolutely clear. The most popular thought is that this was the day when servants and tradesmen would collect their Christmas Boxes - i.e.money tips for good service - from the gentry or their employers.  These money gifts or 'boxes' were mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for December 19th 1663, so the tradition goes way back.

In days of old the churches would have a box in which to place contributions for the poor at their Christmas Day services. These boxes were then opened on the 26th for distribution to the needy.

Another explanation for Boxing Day dates back to when sailing ships set off to discover far away lands. They would take with them a sealed box full of money as a good luck talisman, to help keep them safe on their voyages. When they returned safely a church service of thanks would be held and the box was presented to the vicar or priest.

This box would be kept until Christmas when the contents would be shared with the poor.

I personally look at Boxing Day as being family time, though often sport is involved. In the UK there is a full programme of sport including the top football (soccer) clubs. I remember going to matches at the London clubs: Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, with my father when I was young.

One of the traditional events (unfortunately) in England is the Boxing Day Fox Hunting. In 2005 hunting, however, with dogs become a criminal offence but the hunts still go ahead where the scent of a fox is followed.

I have to admit that this is quite a sight with the riders in their red jackets, the sound of horns blowing, the dogs and the horses in splendid condition. It's a actually one of my very first memories.

I believe I was three years old and at Christmas we were staying in a country location with friends of my parents. The Fox Hunt started from where the cottage we were staying was situated. I remember distinctly the horses and dogs, the colour and all of the excitement. Back then I didn't, of course, realise that the idea was to kill the foxes with the dogs tearing them to pieces - something truly horrific in my eyes today.

Today I'm with my family, what could be more perfect? I hope you are having a perfect day too.

Oh yes, and now Boxing Day is when the sales start in most of the shops. The January Sales come early. Commercialism has taken over. Once it was simply family, sports and thinking about those less fortunate than ourselves, but now it's greedily shopping for supposed bargains. What skewed priorities we have.

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Sunday, December 25

Happy Christmas To All

Cornwall scenery at Christmas

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself.

Norman W. Brooks: 'Let Every Day Be Christmas'

The Picture is of a tin mine in Cornwall, England.

Happy Christmas
and
Seasons Greetings
to
everyone
Mike

Saturday, December 24

26 Year Old Dear Father Christmas Letter Found

Santa Claus clipart cartoon

A little seven year old girl called Amy sent a letter to Father Christmas. This is what she wrote, including the spelling mistakes:

Dear Father Christmas.
Please will you bring me a 
Syndy house,and some furniture 
because I have lots of Syndys
and lots of Syndy clothes but the poor
Syndys have know where to live.
So could you bring them a house
 thank you very much.
Love from
Amy xxxx

As was the tradition, 26 years ago, Amy left the letter by the fireplace chimney before going to sleep. Waking up on Christmas Day morning she was overjoyed - she received exactly what she had wanted. Her letter had done the trick. Plus she had been a very good girl as well, of course.

Amy Finlayson is now 33 and remembers writing the letter. She said, "I had very fond memories growing up and and I remember writing the letter to Father Christmas as if it was yesterday. I really wanted that Sindy house. I thought at the time the letter must have really worked but I soon forgot it because of the fun I was having with my gift."

Now comes the strange bit!

Ian Hunter, 65, now lives in the house where Amy was brought up, he moved there in 2006.  He had been doing some renovations and removed the mantelpiece, where Amy had posted her letter. As he did so out fell the crumpled letter, 26 years after it had been written. Somehow Father Christmas must have forgotten to take it with him.

Through making enquiries with neighbours Ian managed to track down Amy, who now lives in Bristol, and is a mother herself with a seven year old girl, Violet, who has also been writing to Santa.

Both Amy and Violet were delighted to get the letter back.

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Friday, December 23

The Warning Of Danger From Her Dead Sister

An emotional story I received from a 67 Not Out reader, Jennifer. It involves dreams, a possible message from the dead and how a severe accident was avoided.


"Sadly my sister, Annie, died from cancer in 2009. She was a single mum with a daughter. My husband and I were appointed as her daughter's guardians and we hope to adopt her officially in the future, though it's a lengthy process. We already have our own daughter but can't have more children.

Last year, one year after her death, I had a very strange, realistic dream where I saw Annie standing by a tree. She was saying, "You must take them with you." She repeated this same phrase over and over again. In my dream I tried to ask her what she meant by this but she only answered by saying the same words, "You must take them with you."

At breakfast next morning Annie's daughter told us of how she had also dreamt of her mother. As this was exactly one year after Annie's death we thought the dreams were because of the emotional time.

Annie's daughter said that in her dream she saw her mother crying and standing by a tree. Her mother was trying to say something but she couldn't understand what was being said.

A month later I had to go to the shops in town and as I left I shouted to the two girls that they should come with me. I knew my husband wanted to watch the football on television. They weren't over keen as they were playing something but came along any way.

While at the shopping centre it became extremely windy and a storm blew up. I wasn't looking forward to the drive home. My mobile phone rang and it was my husband. He told me how a tree had fallen on our house and warned me to drive very carefully as there could be problems with debris on the roads.

When I got home the damage was worse that I feared. The tree had fallen exactly on Annie's daughter's bedroom. This was where she and our daughter were playing before I shouted for them to come to the shops with me.

It was then that I remembered Annie's words in my dream; "Take then with you." This sent a chill through me and I burst into tears with relief that the girls were safe.

Fortunately my husband is in the building trade so had managed to get equipment to remove the tree and to secure the roof temporarily until it could be repaired properly.

In quiet moments I'm not sure what to believe. I wonder if Annie had really been in my dream and was warning me of what might happen but somehow she couldn't get the complete message across."

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Thursday, December 22

The Double Rainbow Falls Into Place Perfectly

a double rainbow

It's interesting how some days things fall into place.  Last night I was talking to someone and the subject of double rainbows was mentioned.  I said that I couldn't remember ever seeing one.

Today my wife and I had to go to the local shops, about a 15 minutes walk.  It was a rough day weather wise. The rain had been real cats and dogs stuff and the wind was doing what it does best: blowing.  We resisted the temptation to take the car and set off wearing raincoats and carrying an umbrella.

Just as I was locking our front door.  I rushed back inside to get my camera, no idea why, but felt I might need it despite the awful conditions.  My wife thought I was nuts, but nothing unusual there!

We bought what we needed and were walking home when it bucketed down but in the sky was a rainbow.  I got out my camera and snapped the photo below. Nothing very special, but at least I could say to Karin, "See, I did need the camera." It's nice to be right (occasionally!).

A rainbow over a railway bridge

We went about another twenty yards or so and there it was, the rainbow had been joined by a friend: a double rainbow.  There were houses in the way to get a good picture but I managed to stand on a wall and snap my first double rainbow pic - as at the top of the post - while Karin held the umbrella and our shopping.

When we got home Karin said that she didn't really feel like cooking and at the precise moment the phone rang.  It was our son wondering if we would like come over for dinner. Perfect.

P.S. I'm sure that everyone has seen the viral double rainbow video, it's had 31m hits, but just in case you haven't here it is.



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Wednesday, December 21

Watership Down Development Coincidence

Watership Down rabbits

There are often coincidences in literature. Many authors rely on them to spice up or make a story work. But here's a real life coincidence about the Watership Down classic novel.

Watership Down's author Richard Adams writes, in the first chapter, of how the rabbits encounter a new sign or hoarding that says: "This ideally situated estate, comprising six acres of excellent building land, is to be developed with high class modern residences by Sutch and Martin, Limited, of Newbury, Berkshire."

The track of land that was to be developed by the ficticious Sutch and Martin was at Sandleford Warren. The book Watership Down was first published in 1972.

Now author Richard Adams writes, "In a truly nasty coincidence, that self same stretch of land, at Sandleford Park, just outside Newbury, has, in real life, been earmarked for residential development by West Berkshire Council."

The area is one of natural beauty and open countryside on the edge of Newbury, England.

In Richard's opinion, "The whole of Sandleford comprises part of the beautiful area of open country that is adjacent to the south side of Newbury. To use planning jargon, it constitutes a 'green lung' for the borough of Newbury, and it is vital, in the public interest, that it should remain in its present unspoilt state, protected by Town and Country planning law."

In parts of England we have some beautiful countryside but bit by bit it is being taken over for various types of development. We can't let this continue, especially while there are many brownfield sites that could be developed instead.

The planners and profit makers will only listen if we raise our voices loud enough to be heard.

Watership Down

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Tuesday, December 20

Accompanying A Loved One To The Afterlife

accompanying a loved one to the afterlife
Today's post is on a similar theme to yesterday's The Dead And Dying Are Trying To Contact Us but what happened to Hannah from Newcastle-upon-Tyne is something I hadn't thought about before.

To set the scene, Hannah's father had lung cancer. Here's her story:

"Dad and I were very close and I was devastated when he was diagnosed with cancer. He was given a year to live and for the last few days was hospitalised.

I was an only child and Mum had died several years earlier, so our relationship was quite intense.  I barely left his side.

I knew he didn't have long. He was drifting in and out of consciousness and I don't think he even knew I was there.

I felt like I was having my own out-of-body experience. I felt like I was watching everything from above, my dad's body, the nurses. And I could see myself too.  And in the distance I saw light and my mum smiling."


The next thing Hannah remembers is, "I felt myself pulled back, as it were, and I was just in my chair with the nurses saying, 'I'm sorry he's gone.' It was an extraordinary feeling and one that, at the time, I had no real comprehension of.."

This is the part I hadn't thought about before. Hannah believes that she accompanied her father along the first part of his journey to the afterlife.  This all coincided with her father's final breaths.

I have to add that she wasn't a believer prior to her experience. Hannah says, "I was never one for believing anything like that, but this has changed me. I had never heard of shared death experiences. I only know how I felt and what I saw."

For me this is quite a remarkable story.

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Monday, December 19

The Dead And The Dying Are Trying To Contact Us


Annie Cap was raised in Oregon, USA but moved to England thirteen years ago and now lives in Canterbury with her husband. One of the problems about moving so far away from home is that parents get older and you tend to worry about them, especially if they are known to be in ill health.  This is Annie's experience.

As if without warning Annie started to cough and felt herself battling for breath. She says, "I'd never experienced anything like this before. I felt like I had a blockage in my airways and I couldn't take in air. It was a horrible sensation."

A sixth sense, or something similar, seemed to kick in and she knew she had to contact the hospital where her mother had recently been taken.  She called the number in the USA and requested that she be put through to her mother's room.

Annie continues, "My sister answered the phone and was stunned to hear my voice.  She and the rest of my family were just about to call me to tell me my mother was dying.

She had been coughing and fighting for breath for the last half-an-hour.  My sister put the telephone to my mother's ear so I was able to tell her I loved her and it was okay, she could let go. She took her last breath as the phone was being held to her head."

This immediately raises the possibility that perhaps there was some form of telepathic link between Annie and her mother.

Annie has concluded, "To me there is no doubt that Mum was deliberately reaching out to me across the miles. She wanted to say goodbye, and this was her way."

The whole incident had such an effect on her that she decided to investigate the subject and has now published her findings in a book Beyond GoodbyeBeyond Goodbye by Annie Cap.

After her mother's death Annie had some strange sensations. "I had this extraordinarily profound conviction that my mum was back with me.  In the the darkest moments of my grief, I had this distinct sensation of her stroking my hair to comfort me, just as she used to do when I was a child.

I started to find hair pins, of the kind my mother used to wear dotted around the house.  They would be at random places - by the coffee-maker, on the sofa.  My husband noticed them too.  I had very short hair and didn't use anything like that, so it was hugely odd.

My mother was a smoker and I woke up in the morning to the smell of cigarettes even though our house was totally smoke free."

Experiences such as these are often found or sensed after losing loved ones. I have written several times of how my wife and I found white feathers after the deaths of our daughter, my mother and my best friend.  There are also other such examples in the excellent book, Synchronicity and the Other Side, by my blogging friends Trish and Rob MacGregor

Many people will be sceptical about such things and to a degree this is often only believed following personal experience. In Trish and Rob's book they suggest ways to reconnect with those who have passed on to the other side.

I personally believe that our loved ones live on and are sometimes with us.  They leave us little clues or messages that we can easily write off as common or garden coincidences. I have written about how, after my dad died, I was wondering what he would be thinking of my son if he could see him now. I went to my wardrobe for something and a bag fell out which held a few of my dad's possessions. This included his watch which I noticed had stopped at 3.20. This was the exact time my son had been born (see here).

The messages are there if we look, listen and believe.

Further Reading:
The Meaning Of White Feathers As Messages From The Dead
The Bird Angel Who Comforts As Someone Dies
The Unusual Contact With Her Dead Mother

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Sunday, December 18

The Red Rose Seen In Space

A rose seen in space - a star ending its life

This is one of those photos that blows my mind - a red rose in space.

It's not a red rose, of course. It's a photo from NASA.

A star ended it's life with a powerful explosion. The shock waves heated up the dust and gas clouds surrounding the supernova causing them to glow, thus creating this beautiful red cloud- and this is the red rose.

And, to quote NASA: "Much of the material from that original star was violently thrown out into space. However, some of the material remained in an incredibly dense object called a neutron star. This particular neutron star (too faint to be seen in this image) is moving inexplicably fast: over 3 million miles per hour! Astronomers are perplexed over its absurd speed, and have nicknamed the object the Cosmic Cannonball."

Sort of puts life into perspective, doesn't it?  Here we are little specks of dust, full of self  importance, with lives on earth that are over with a blink of the Universal eye.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

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Saturday, December 17

Jessica Alba Abused By A Ghost Or Spirit

Jessica Alba ghost
I hadn't heard this story previously but it appears that film star Jessica Alba was once abused by a ghost. I have to say that to me it sounds a little like a case of sleep paralysis - which I have experienced - or even an alien encounter.

This all took place at Jessica's parents' home when she was 17.  During the night a spirit / ghost or something ripped the bed covers from her.  She said, "I had no idea what it was. I felt this pressure and I couldn't get up, I couldn't scream, I couldn't talk, I couldn't do anything."

Something definitely took the covers off me and I definitely couldn't get off the bed, and then, once I did, I screamed and ran to my parents' room and I haven't spent many nights in that house ever again."

Because of the frightening incident Jessica's parents' called in the Ghost Busters to rid their old home of whatever had freaked out their daughter so much.

Jessica added, "There was something in my parents' old house, I don't know what it was. I can't really explain it. They got the house blessed and they burned sage and stuff to get rid of whatever attacked me."

Was it sleep paralysis? On second thoughts, maybe not as this wouldn't have caused the bed covers to be ripped from her. Probably just an amorous spirit.

Further Reading:
The Night Demon Sitting On Your Chest

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Friday, December 16

The Negative Energy Cold Treatment

Energy

I've had a bit of a cold or 'MAN-flu' as we would probably describe it in England.  Well us men do get it so much worse, don't we!

It's the first cold I've had for years. I'm usually very lucky and avoid the sniffles when everyone else is sneezing away.

At five o'clock yesterday evening I had a thumping headache and my son, daughter-in-law and grandson called in to see us. I immediately started playing with 16 month old Samuel, crawling about the floor, playing hide and seek and generally having a happy time.

After about 90 minutes they went home.  It was then I realised that my headache was completely gone.

This got me thinking about energy in general. I hoped I hadn't leached any of little Samuel's supply. I certainly didn't intend to do so, and it didn't look as if I had as he left full of energy and smiles.

We always seem to be interacting with others for a supply of energy.  We only have to think of some acquaintances who seem to drain us of energy by their manner or negativity.  They really do suck the energy out of us.

But we don't need to steal energy.  We simply need a balance of positive and negative energy to achieve, what the Rosicrucian's call, harmonium.

Problems come when we become either too negative or too positive. Let's look, for example at the common cold.

Colds need a negative treatment and what follows is a simple something we can do to help ourselves.

The Negative Treatment

Sit comfortably, feet squarely on the floor and touching each other.  Hold your hands at chest level with the fingers touching each other i.e. thumb to thumb, forefinger to forefinger and so on.

Close the eyes and take a deep breath. Exhale fully and once the the lungs are as empty as possible, hold this for the count of five. Then breath easily in and out slowly for six breaths until relaxed.

Next repeat holding the breath out - as before - for the count of five.

Repeat the whole procedure for six times and then breath normally - and then put out of your mind the exercise.  Don't start wondering if it will help and so on. Do it and forget it. The result will follow.

Okay, so that is the Negative Treatment now we'll move on to the Positive Treatment - which will counteract a negative condition.

The Positive Treatment

Sit comfortably, feet squarely on the floor but with the feet separated this time. Let your hands lie on your knees or on your lap - but not touching each other.

Touch together the index finger, middle finger and the thumb of each hand - in a triangle like hold.

Once feeling fully relaxed take a deep breath and hold this for a count of seven.  On seven release it easily.

Rest, breathing normally, and then take a deep breath and holding it as before for the count of seven.

Repeat the whole process until you have completed it seven times. And then put the whole procedure out of your mind. Do it and forget it.

I've kept these exercises, based on Rosicrucian teachings,  very simplistic.  They are by no means a cure all but if they appeal they will no doubt lead to other things. Once we try to help ourselves we normally receive further assistance.

Other things also help us to accumulate a balance of energy and harmonium: proper food, moderating the lower emotions, thinking clearly and positively, laughter, contemplating beauty in all its forms and so on.

As I see it, it's up to us to help ourselves as best we can. The answers are out there.

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Thursday, December 15

The Red Balloon Coincidence Video

red balloon coincidence clipartOn the 24th of May 2010 I wrote a post called The Red Balloon Coincidence. It got quite a bit of attention at the time and had well over 60,000 visits. I also did a follow up post on the story The Red Balloon Coincidence Update.

I have now come across a YouTube video of the same story and actually featuring the people involved i.e. the two Laura Buxtons and their families. Stories like this are always knocked and the skeptics have a field day - even though they are true. One wrote: "... this solitary, lofty balloon would set in motion a chain of events so strange, it's even difficult for those involved to believe. Of course it's strange and difficult to believe ... because it's complete bullsh*t."

There are those who refuse to accept such things, but that's fine. Anyway, here's the video (less than 3 minutes long), plus please read my original posts if you haven't done so.




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Wednesday, December 14

Is This Jesus In The Tornado Clouds


The above photo was sent to me by a 67 Not Out subscriber. I'm informed that it is a picture of a tornado funnel cloud. I must admit I don't know much about funnel clouds - but this doesn't really matter.

The interesting bit is when you turn the photo sideways as below.


What we now appear to have is a picture of Jesus or someone similar. You might also be able to make out a face to the left of the picture as well.

So what does this mean? No idea!

Most will probably say that it is simply another case of pareidolia - common examples being seeing images of faces or animals in clouds, trees and so on. Common pictures being Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

Others will disagree and attach importance to such sightings.

Life is full of decisions as to what we should or should not believe. We have to make up our own minds as to what is right and wrong.

Further Posts:
The Mystery Of Jesus Visiting Cornwall In England
Why Jesus Visited Cornwall In England
The Ghost Of The Virgin Mary Seen On Cornish Cliifs

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Tuesday, December 13

Finding Myself As A Boy On The Internet


It's a funny old world. Today I did a search on Google for my old Junior school - Hillingdon Primary in west London. I clicked on the third entry down on the search results and was very surprised to see a class photo (as above) which included me!

I was surprised because:

(a) It was a website from New Zealand (Old Friends) and I live in England and ...
(b) Out of all of the years there could have been a photo - Hillingdon Primary School goes back to way before I was ever born - the only photo shown was one that included me.

The person who put the photo on the website was a Shirley Osborne whom I remember because her hair was always parted in the middle. The photo brought back lots of memories and faces. Other than for Shirley, who now lives in New Zealand, I wonder where they all are now?

With the Internet the world is getting smaller and smaller.

I'm the one in the photo with the red arrow and Shirley is in the middle row to the right of me (with the red dot).

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Monday, December 12

Would You Like A Bigger Posterior Hippocampus

hippocampus

Psst! Would you like a bigger posterior hippocampus? That may sound like one of those dodgy emails but London Taxi drivers have a bigger hippocampus, therefore, so can we.

It's no easy job to become a licensed black cab taxi driver in London.  In fact it usually takes between two to four years to learn, what is known as The Knowledge.

To acquire The Knowledge means prospective taxi drivers have to learn the complex layout of central London’s 25000 streets and thousands of places of interest. What a study has found is that this feat of learning causes structural changes in the brain and changes to memory

Professor Maguire and colleague Dr Katherine Woollett - of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at the University College, London - followed a group of 79 trainee taxi drivers and 31 controls (non-taxi drivers), taking snapshots of their brain structure over time using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and studying their performance on certain memory tasks. Only 39 of the group passed the tests and went on to qualify as taxi drivers, giving the researchers the opportunity to divide the volunteers into three groups for comparison: those that passed, those that trained but did not pass, and the controls who never trained.

The researchers examined the structure of the volunteers' brains at the start of the study, before any of the trainees had begun their training. They found no discernible differences in the structures of either the posterior hippocampus or the anterior hippocampus between the groups, and all groups performed equally well on the memory tasks.

Three to four years later - when the trainees had either passed the test or had failed to acquire The Knowledge - the researchers again looked at the brain structures of the volunteers and tested their performance on the memory tasks. This time, they found significant differences in the posterior hippocampus. Those trainees that qualified as taxi drivers had a greater volume of grey matter in the region than they had before they started their training.

This change was not apparent in those who failed to qualify or in the controls. Interestingly, there was no detectable difference in the structure of the anterior hippocampus, suggesting that these changes come later, in response to changes in the posterior hippocampus.

"The human brain remains 'plastic', even in adult life, allowing it to adapt when we learn new tasks," explains Professor Maguire. "By following the trainee taxi drivers over time as they acquired - or failed to acquire - the Knowledge, a uniquely challenging spatial memory task, we have seen directly and within individuals how the structure of the hippocampus can change with external stimulation. This offers encouragement for adults who want to learn new skills later in life."

This has shown that any intensive learning - even as adults - can trigger changes in the brain.

So, if we want a bigger posterior hippocampus we know what to do. It's never too late to improve the brain by learning something new.

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