The Magic Of Our Ancestors Can Bring Us Success

Researchers have been doing what they do best: researching. This time it's Peter Fischer from the University of Graz in Austria. The gist is that we can gain strength from our ancestors. Remembering them can even help us get a new job - but only if we actually want one, of course.

It seems that if we are - say - going for an interview or an important exam we can give our chances of success a boost by first spending a few minutes thinking about our ancestors. Perhaps of our grandad doing his bit during one of the world wars for example.

Okay, it may sound a bit daft at first but this so called 'ancestor effect' works as a reminder to the brain, or mind, that difficult hurdles can be overcome - as grandad proved during his part in the war.

There were tests undertaken on 80 volunteers. It was found that there was a definite improvement among those who, before the tasks were performed, were asked to consider what previous generations of their families had endured.

Researcher Peter Fisher told the European Journal of Social Psychology:

"Our ancestors managed to overcome a multitude of problems, such as severe illnesses, wars, loss of loved ones or severe economic declines.

When we think about them we are reminded that humans who are genetically similar to us can successfully overcome a multitude of problems."

So there we go, our ancestors can come to our aid in an indirect, or maybe even a direct way. Mind you, many old races believe(d) in the power of their ancestors. Perhaps this research isn't exactly groundbreaking after all.

Jung also had his archetypes and Plato told of mental forms, that were imprinted in the soul before it was born into this world.

In magic symbols are used to influence or to bring about a desired result.

Thinking about ancestors, archetypes, mental forms and so on is simply another form of what we like to call magic.

In magic a spell may be be cast, a talisman made or a ritual performed. This is no different to thinking about our ancestors before a job interview or exam.

We all have the power to influence our environment and achieve the things we wish. What 'extras' we use to help us along the way is our choice.

Further Reading:
The Secret Of Visualisation
Words Can Bring Us Beetles Or Treasures
A-Mail Messages From Beyond The Grave

An Unlikely Coincidence Meeting

Another interesting reader's coincidence story today, this time from Markus.

"I’m originally from a small town in central Finland called Jyväskylä. In 2005, I came to study in London, UK.

During my first week at UCL, I got talking with a girl doing the same course as I, who I’ve become friends with since. She was from Norwich, England.

She asked me where I was from, and I said, "Finland." She said, "That’s cool, my auntie is Finnish."

So I asked, "Where do they live?" She said, "Jyväskylä." I said, "Wow, that’s where I’m from."

I asked half jokingly what her auntie’s name was. She said Smith (not the real name, but will suffice here). And it kind of rang a bell, so I asked what she did for a living. She said her auntie worked at the university. I said, "Well, so does my Dad!" But that’s by no means the end of it.

I was talking with my Dad on the phone some time later and I asked him if he knows this Smith person? He said of course he does, she’s the head of his department, his boss in effect.

But the real punch-line of this coincidence is that in 1988, when my Dad went to do research in the States and our whole family moved there for a year (I was 8 at the time), Mr and Mrs Smith had rented and moved into our home for that whole year. And 18 years later I find myself doing the same course as their niece, in a city of some 13 million, in a country on the other side of Europe.

It took me a while to get over this one!"

-Markus

Other 67 Not Out Readers Coincidence Stories:
67 Not Out Readers Coincidence Stories - 8
67 Not Out Readers Coincidence Stories - 5
67 Not Out Readers Coincidence Stories - 2

67 Not Out Readers Coincidence Stories - 11

Kayla has sent me two coincidence stories which follow. Thanks Kayla.

If you have a coincidence story you would like published on 67 Not Out please use the contact button at the top of the blog.

I have two coincidences that I thought I would share with you after reading the majority of the ones on your website.

Saved in the gold mine
The first incident occurred almost 17 years ago when I was just a baby but my Mom told me about it.

My Dad works at a gold mine in the pit. In case you have never seen one it is basically a deep hole in the shape of an oval with shelf like roads stacked from top to bottom for both stability and machinery movement purposes.

My Dad was working a shovel which is used primarily to clean up the roads and moving large rocks that could be hazardous to workers. He was working on one of the shelves when my Mom called him. He told her he would call her back in five minutes - which would give him time to get to safe area where he wouldn't be in the way of other equipment.

When my Dad was safely able to call my Mom back and talk to her he heard over the radio that a shelf had just collapsed. This was the area that mere minutes ago he was just at.

Had my Dad been there for just a couple more minutes it would have been a sure death. My Mom said that she just had an overwhelming desire to talk to him and says she is so thankful she did.

My second coincidence occurred very recently, only a month or so ago.

The same message received from Grandpa
It was about a week before Thanksgiving and we received a call from my Grandma who told us that my Grandpa had passed away. I was instantly in tears and it took me a good while to calm down. When I finally did my Mom and I started talking and reminiscing. She mentioned that it was odd because when she was 19, a week before Thanksgiving, her Grandpa passed away. I was 19 as well.

I kind of thought it was odd and didn't really think anything of it, actually I kind of chuckled and said, "Well thanks for that tradition."

It really got eerie a week later. I had this dream in which I was talking to my Grandma. All of a sudden my Grandpa's ghost was standing there and I talked to him. My Grandma thought I was crazy because she couldn't see him and thought I was talking to myself. Right before I woke up my Grandpa said to me, "It will be alright."

When my Mom got home from work that night I told her about the dream and she just looked at me like I was crazy. Turns out a week after her Grandpa died she had that exact same dream, and her Grandpa told her the exact same thing.

Other 67 Not Out Readers Coincidence Stories:
A Feeling Which Led To A Meeting With Bono
67 Not Out Readers Coincidence Stories - 10
A Ride In A Taxi Coincidence

Gold photo source: Robert Lavinsky

The Journey Of Immortality

Not sure where I'm going with this post today, where it will end or even why I'm writing it. I'll just see how it pans out.

I had a strange dream last night and felt I had to write about this.

In my dream I was on a journey of some sort, which was very enjoyable. My problem, however, was that I always had another half of the distance to travel and so I knew I would never return home.

When I'd travelled half way I still had half to go. But when I had done half of this particular half, I still had another half to do and this went on ad infinitum, which meant I could never reach my destination.

When I woke up this got me remembering about how, when I was in my teens, I used to muse over various questions which were popular at the time. Such as: If a tree falls in a forest, and no one was around to hear it, does it make a sound?

But the one question that always got to me was about completing a set distance. To complete the distance I would first have to cover half the distance. Then I have to cover half of the remaining distance, but when I'd travelled half of this ... then I have to travel half the remaining distance, but when I'd travelled half of this ... and so this will go on forever.

At the time I concluded that there must therefore be a basic unit of matter from which everything is made or constructed. I remember reading about atoms and presumed this had to be the answer.

But atoms are 99.99% space. So that means I'd have to travel through this for eternity as well - providing I split the atom first, of course.

All of this got me back to my dream.

But then I got thinking about what would happen if I kept on halving time. Again there would always be a half of the time remaining ad infinitum: Half of a half of a half of a half of a half ... I would never reach the end of time.

After writing the above, I tried to look on Google quickly to see what I could find. The journey is similar to Zeno's Paradox.

But could this actually be an argument in favour of immortality - as we will never reach the end of our existence. Like Gods we will continue forever through time and space, maybe never quite reaching our final destination unless, that is, we fully merge with our creator.

So that's how this post has panned out.

Enjoy your journey!

Further Reading:
The Ancient Secret Transmitters Of Energy
The Cornish Mystery Of The Trevethy Quoit
The Cornish Mystery Of The Men-an-Tol Stones

A-Mail Messages From Beyond The Grave

In a way this post follows on from The Bird Angel Who Comforts As Someone Dies - though it isn't about angels or white feathers. It is about, however, messages from beyond the grave.

Brian Scovell was a sports journalist but six years ago his wife Audrey - Aud for short - sadly died of liver cancer. They had been together for 37 happy years and what has been comforting for Brian is that Audrey sends him, what he calls, A-mails.

As he explains, "I was never a particularly religious person before, but after Audrey died, amazing things started to happen. It's as though she has been resurrected in spirit. I believe she sends me messages all the time and they convinced me we will meet again."

The first A-Mail Brian received was following a memorial service for Aud. As he crossed the road a van coming towards him had the letters AUD. In the UK car registration plates usually have three letters plus some numbers.

Since then he has seen many, many AUD plates which arrive at significant times. He says about this, "Whatever anyone thinks, these messages are real to me."

There are also other forms of A-mails, like when Brian's son invited him to New Zealand for a cricket test match series. He arrived on Valentine's Day and in Auckland harbour, which could be seen from where he was staying, was a large liner docked called the Aurora. What shocked him was that the owners of the ship had bought over 50 etchings which Audrey had done before she had died. These were hung in cabins on the ship.

Gavin said to his father, "Mum has come to say hello."

Brian says, There were so many visitations - a plethora of little signs and coincidences that uplifted me."

Another example was when, in his hall, four oriental lilies collapsed "like cranes dipping their arms when a ship is ceremonially launched and everyone is celebrating." This was significant because many of Audrey's etchings were of lilies and on that day he had been wondering if Audrey would have approved of an article he had written. He felt that this was an A-mail saying that she had approved.

Brian has now found a new love in his life and feels that Audrey 'arranged' this from beyond the grave. He sees many parallels between Audrey and his new love Gill. They were born in the same week of the same year, they both have five sisters, Audrey was an artist as were three of the Gill's sisters and so on. He also discovered, when they first met, that Gill lived just 250 yards from Audrey's grave.

Brian has now taken to writing books and was at a signing in Suffolk with Gill. There was a profusion of lilies at the bookshop.

Gill said, as they left, "With those lilies on show, we'll probably run into an AUD now."

They drove to the hotel, where they were staying, and parked in front of the door was an estate car - a light was reflecting the number plate which was, of course, AUD.

Brian says about his present relationship, Gill and I adore each other but, of course, I'll never forget Audrey. He feels sure that Audrey led him to his new love from beyond the grave.

Further Reading:
Her Grandmother Visits Her From Beyond The Grave
The Ghost Of A Nun Was Herself In A Previous Life
The Bird Angel Who Comforts As Someone Dies

Brian Scovell's latest book:
Thank You Hermann Goering: The Life of a Sports Writer

Ezekiel: The Alien Abduction Of The Bible

The prophet Ezekiel being 'lifted up'
Yesterday, in my post The Ancient UFOs Seen On Earth, I wrote about some of the ancient sightings of UFOs. I was reminded also of the mention of such events in the Bible. The best example being in The Book Of The Prophet Ezekiel. This tells of a strange vehicle coming from the sky near the Chebar River in Chaldea (now part of Iraq) and could also be interpreted as an alien abduction.

Here a few quotes from Ezekiel Chapter 1:

v4. And I looked and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

Reference to a UFO perhaps and then followed a description of the occupants or aliens:

v5. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

v6. And every one had four faces and every one had four wings.

v8. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides.

v12. And they went every one straight forward; whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

The aliens could go wherever they wished and very fast.

v14. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

v15. Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures ...

The wheel, another description of a UFO? And the aliens were lifted up (travelled) in these wheels.

v19. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went with them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

3:v14. The spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness.

Ezekiel was abducted - and it appears that he didn't want to go with them.

v15. Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

When released, and returned, he sat 'astonished', which is very much like a classic alien abduction experience.

It's always difficult to interpret old writings, such as the Bible, because of the original language and the various translations that have followed. But if you read Ezekiel in full there are various mentions of wheels being lifted up and of other living creatures.

As Ezekiel dates back to around 592 BC the writer could only describe the happenings by comparing to things he had knowledge of: wheels may well have been UFOs and so on.

So was Ezekiel abducted by aliens or was it all the word of God as many believe?

The Ancient UFOs Seen On Earth

Aerial battle over Nuremberg April 4, 1561
When reading a while back about UFOs it always stuck in my mind that on New Year's Day in 1254 the monks at St.Albans in England sighted 'a kind of ship flying' in the sky that was 'large, elegantly shaped and of a marvellous colour.' The UFO phenomenon isn't something new.

I thought, for a change therefore, we'd look at a dozen of the UFO visits from the distance past.

1504 BC: This is probably one of the earliest written accounts of a UFO - the following description is an excerpt from an Egyptian papyrus under the reign of Thutmose III.

'In the year 22 ... sixth hour of the day ... the scribes of the House of Life found it was a circle of fire that was coming in the sky ... it had no head, the breath of its mouth had a foul odour. Its body one rod long and one rod wide. It had no voice ... Now after some days had passed, these things became more numerous in the skies than ever. They shone more in the sky than the brightness of the sun and extended to the four supports of the heavens ... Powerful was the position of the fire circles ... It was after supper. Thereupon these fire circles ascended higher in the sky towards the south ... It was ordered by the Pharaoh to be written in the annals of the House of Life ... so that it be remembered for ever.'

500 BC: In the ancient Indian text Samarangana Sartradhara there is a description of piloted flying machines called vimanas. These were powered by some unknown source and they could 'carry death' to anywhere on earth.

216 BC: Julius Obsequens wrote in his book Prodigorium liber of how 'things like ships were seen in the sky over Italy ... At Apri a round shield was seen in the sky. At Capua, the sky was on fire, and one saw figures like ships.'

214 BC: This time in Italy at Hadria 'an altar in the sky' was seen

66 AD: The historian Pliny the Elder tells of a big spark as 'big as the moon' which fell from the sky - and then returned to the heavens. He also told of how 'a burning shield scattering sparks ran across the sky at sunset from east to west.'

584: St. Gregory, the bishop of Tours in France, recorded various sightings in his Historia Francorum. 'There appeared in the sky brilliant rays of light which seemed to cross and collide with one another.' He also described 'golden globes' which flashed at speed across the skies of France.

793: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports, 'In this year terrible portents appeared in Northumbria (England) and miserably afflicted the inhabitants. These were exceptional flashing and lightning and fiery dragons seen flying through the air.'

1170: Roger Niger described 'a wonderfully large dragon' which was 'borne up from earth though the air. The air was kindled into fire by its motion and burned a house, reducing it and its outbuildings to ashes.' This was seen at Osyth, Essex, England.

1180: In Japan something similar to a flying saucer was seen, though they described this as a flying 'earthenware vessel.' The object or UFO was heading in a northeast direction from a mountain in the Kii province. This suddenly changed direction and vanished below the horizon, leaving a luminous trail.

1290: The monks at Byland Abbey in Yorkshire spotted a 'large round silver disk' passing through the skies.

1561: This time the sighting was in Nuremberg in Germany where it was said that there was 'a very frightful spectacle.' During daylight glowing tubes, globes and crosses were seen in the sky and appeared to do battle. This lasted for an hour and some then fell to the earth as 'if on fire.' The image at the top of this post refers to this.

There are many, many other UFO sightings on record from the distant past. We sometimes seem to think of such things as a modern phenomena, probably starting with the Kenneth Arnold flying saucer stories from 1947. But very little in life is actually new - much has already been seen or experienced previously by past generations.

Other UFO Posts:
The Vanishing Aircraft Swallowed By UFO
A Univerese Full Of Strange Looking Aliens
King Arthur, Excalibur And The Cornish UFOs



Happy New Year to all readers, subscribers & contributors
wherever you are!

During 2010 1090143 visits were made to 67 Not Out
from 161 different countries and 9304 cities
- thank you all so much.

Have a wonderful, happy and succesful 2011
Mike