Saturday, November 29

The Mystery Of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Message From Beyond The Grave

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1904
I was doing some research about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, most famous as being the creator of Sherlock Holmes.

He became interested in spiritualism following the deaths of his first wife, son Kingsley, his brother Innes and two brother-in-laws. As with many people who have lost loved ones he started to search for answers and the proof of existence beyond the grave.

At times Sir Arthur seems to have been led astray by such things as the Cottingley Fairies photographs (right) but nevertheless came to believe that life did continue after death.

I came across the following release from The Associated Press after Sir Arthur's memorial service in July of 1930. The mystery is, as to whether his wife received a message from him following his death. Lady Doyle claimed she did :

July 1930
The widow of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was heartened today by what she accepted as a spirit message from her husband who died last week.

A medium, Mrs Estelle Roberts, claimed to have received the message after a public memorial service at Albert Hall had ended with fifty or more of the audience of 10,000 walking out in protest at five alleged spirit messages from other persons long dead and gone.

The medium walked across the platform to Lady Doyle and said, "I have a message from Sir Arthur. Sir Arthur told me that one of you went into the hut (a building on the Doyle estate at Windlesham, Sussex, where he was buried on Friday) this morning. Is that correct?"

"Why, yes," Lady Doyle answered, "I did."

"The message," continued the medium, "is this: 'Tel Mary ...... !'" At this point the pealing of the pipe organ to overcome the noise of persons walking out, drowned out her words.

Lady Doyle declined to say what the remainder of the message was, merely explaining, "I can't. It's precious and sacred. I am perfectly convinced the message was from my husband. I am as sure that he has been here with us as I am sure that I am speaking to you. It is a happy message, one that is cheering and encouraging.

It's interesting that at the memorial service a chair was left reserved for Sir Arthur's spirit. It's reported that his eldest daughter, Mary. was seated two chairs away from the 'empty chair'.

I wonder what the cheerful and encouraging message was to Sir Arthur's wife - oh, and could it have been genuine, whatever it was?

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Friday, November 28

The Two Warning Or Precognitive Dreams

Warning when asleep

I've had a couple of dreams recently that turned out to be ... well, I suppose you'd call them warnings. As if someone was saying, "You'd better pay attention to this."

The first was on the night before we went on a holiday to Tenerife. We went to bed at the normal time, knowing that our flight wasn't until 3pm. So we had plenty of time, even though it takes virtually 3 hours to get to the airport at Bristol,

During the night, at about 2 o'clock, I woke. It was as if someone was saying I'd got the flight time wrong, "What me?" I thought, "Surely not, I'm so careful with this sort of thing."

But the feeling was strong enough to get me out of bed and look at the flight paperwork.

Yes, I had got it wrong. The flight was at 1pm not 3pm.

My rummaging about woke Karin, she said, "What on earth are you doing?" I told her the news and how we had to alter our plans.

Thanks to the dream warning we arrived in plenty of time for our flight.

The second dream was the night before last. Thinking about it perhaps it's more precognitive than a warning.

Again I woke up during the night. This time someone was saying there was a problem with my blog. "You won't be able to log into it," said ... I don't actually know if someone/thing said it or if it was just in my head. But either way it unsettled me.

First thing in the morning I had an email from Google stating:

"Your account is currently in a suspended state, meaning that you can not use the service. Log in to admin.google.com and follow the instructions to fix the suspension issues."

Suspended!!! What on earth for!!!

I was none too happy, especially when I clicked on the link (I knew it wasn't spam by the way) and couldn't get into Google admin. "What the ****!"

The email also stated:

"We believe that your account is a business account, which includes corporations, affiliates, sole traders, self-employed merchants or professionals, and partnerships."

I do earn a few pounds from Google ads on this blog, but hardly a fortune. It just helps to cover my Internet and phone connections.

Anyway, I still couldn't get into Google admin so I did a Google search. It appears that other bloggers, going back to 2012 have had this problem. To cut it short, I eventually found a (complicated) way to access the pages I needed.

That's it! Two dreams where I received messages. I must try and keep a Dream Diary, perhaps I'm missing a lot of other stuff! Who knows.

P.S. The image at the top of this post is for illustrative purposes only. I do not wear a nightcap in bed, neither do I snore or sleep with my mouth open ...

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Thursday, November 27

67 Not Out Readers White Dove Stories

White Dove

Two more stories about white doves and how the writers feel they were messengers from someone a loved one who had died. You will find more such stories on this blog.

"My mom passed away May 2014 from cancer.

While she was ill my family and I watched Touched By An Angel every day, sometimes twice daily. For those who are not familiar, its about angels that God sends to earth to help people fix their lives.

This movie always comes on with singing by Della Reese and a lady letting go of a white scarf, which turns into a white Dove.

Sometimes my mom would be sleeping, but when she heard this show coming on she would wake up singing.

My mom passed around 3 am, a day after Mothers Day and 2 days before her birthday.

Later the same day my mom passed away, all of our family were sitting outside in our garage and all over the lawn. The family was just reminiscing.

All of a sudden my daughter and I saw this all white dove flying very low in a circle around the yard. It flew around three consecutive times before it flew across the street and set on a telephone pole facing our house. We knew mom was sending us a message that she was at peace.

That was the most comforting moment of my life."

My brother had been ill for some time and wasn't expected to live very long. On Sunday I drove over to his house to be with him and to give my sister-in-law a break. As I pulled into the drive-way I saw a dove land in the front garden just over from where I was getting out of my car. The dove stayed still and looked at me.

Once out of the car the dove moved to sit on the fence, still facing me and looking at me.

Delia, my sister-in-law, opened the door and was in tears. My brother had died minutes earlier.

Once inside the house I looked out of the window and the dove was still watching us.

~ Babs

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Wednesday, November 26

Father And Daughter Re-United Through Coincidence

Salvation Army missing persons

This is the story of how Rudy Laitkep found his daughter, with the help of an amazing coincidence.

Rudy first married at Navasota, Texas and had one daughter, Debra. Sadly the marriage lasted for only two years. He separated from his wife, who then remarried and moved away taking his daughter with her.

Somehow he lost track of Debra. "Not that I didn't look," he has said, "I tried to find her but nobody seemed to know about her. It was like she had disappeared into thin air."

As time goes on, Rudy married again - to Alice - and together they raised four sons.

He still wanted to find his daughter and, by chance, read in the Victoria Advocate newspaper that the Salvation Army can assist in tracing lost kin. Alice wrote a letter to the address provided on his behalf.

She recalls, "They told me I'd have to send them either a birth, marriage certificate, or some other identification."

They then had to write to the County Clerk at Anderson in Grimes County. This is where the story becomes almost unbelievable:

The letter was opened at the County Clerk's office by none other than Rudy's daughter - who just happened to work there!

Debra felt uneasy about calling he father - it had by now been over 30 years since she had seen him - so her boss called Rudy. The next night she called her father herself and said, "Hi, pop, I heard you're looking for me."

Rudy discovered that he has a granddaughter, who he didn't know about. He and his family went to Anderson for his daughter's birthday and he saw her for the first time in 34 years.

They also found out that Aaron, Rudy's son, often drove a truck past Debra's home, not knowing his half sister lived there."

The meeting was all mean to be!

For help with reuniting families through the Salvation Army in UK please see here.

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Tuesday, November 25

The UFO Timetable And The Melting Man


41 years ago The Pittsburg Press published a factual report on UFO sightings. I wonder if it's still relevant today. Here are the highlights:

For some odd reason, UFOs follow a timetable.

In Holland, Dutch statisticians have found that Mondays produce the greatest number of UFO reports. A survey of 800 reports in Belgium has disclosed that the largest percentage of sightings in that country take place on Tuesdays.

In the United States Wednesdays generate more UFO reports than any other day.

Sightings in all countries tend to concentrate around the 10th and 21st of the month. But the two days that produce the most sightings of all are June 24 and September 24, and this 'coincidence' is true for many of the years since 1896. [The Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting of 1947 was on June 24]

Thousands of Landings

There have been thousands of UFO sightings reported all over the world. Dr. Jacques Vallee, a French statistician, has catalogued 923 landing reports between 1868 and 168.

The creatures alleged to have emerged from the objects represent a menagerie of monsters - from 20-foot giants to tiny bearded characters only a few inches tall, From hairy creatures with glowing red eyes to animated tin cans.

England's Flying Saucer Review has been following the situation since 1955, and has compiled a massive file of worldwide landings.

Aside from the incredible bug-eyed monsters, the most commonly described UFO pilot is a being with long hair dressed in a seamless silver suit. He has oriental eyes, thin lips, an olive complexion and has unusually long fingers. Entities with these characteristics have been seen at one time or another in almost every country.

In innumerable cases, hysterical witnesses have claimed they were taken aboard saucer-shaped vehicles and given some kind of medical examination.

Apparently mysterious lights the aliens used, emit ultraviolet radiation. There are many documented cases in which witnesses suffered burns, similar to sunburn, after exposure to one of the objects.

The strangest injury of all occurred in the village of Araçariguama, Brazil, in 1946. According to Dr Irineu Jose Da Silverira, Joao Prestes Filho, 40, was struck by a mysterious beam of light (definitely not lightning).

Within hours, in frnt of a clustered horrified neighbours and relatives, his body began to deteriorate and his "flesh started to look as though it had been vooked for many hours in boiling water."

The Incredible Melting Man
He did not lose consciousness and did not appear to feel any pain as lumps of flesh dropped from his body. His nose and ears fell off, the witnesses claimed. He died en route to a hospital.

There are other incidents in which witmesses have died shortly after a close encounter with one of the objects, apparently killed by radiation poisoning.

Until recently cases of this sort were rarely circulated beyond the pages of the UFO journals.

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Monday, November 24

Cornish Torch Light Parade Day

Children dancing in St.Austell square

Our local town had it's Torch Light Parade. Nothing like the real big ones in other Cornish towns, such as Truro, but it got people into the town centre in the afternoon and standing out in the rain in the evening.

St.Austell crowd

There was dancing in the square ...

Food stalls St.Austell, Cornwall

and food stalls in the Fore Street.

Market

The evening parade itself started as the rain began to fall. This must have got me flummoxed as I had my camera on the wrong setting - so most of the photos were out of focus! Such is life, but these are the better ones.

Torch Light Parade St.Austell, Cornwall

Most of the school children were out in force with their lanterns and ...

St Dennis Carnival Queen, Cornwall

... one of the local Carnival Queens from the nearby village of St.Dennis made an appearance.

Torch Light Parade, Cornwall

The floats seemed to go on for ages, something for everyone

Float at the Torch Light Parade


Torch Light Parade St.Austell

Despite the rain my little granddaughter seemed to enjoy herself as she cuddled into her gran's coat for protection and waved as the floats passed by.

Lucy


For more photos and posts on Cornwall go to Mike's Cornwall
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Saturday, November 22

She Phoned The Same Place At The Same Time As He Did

Italy postcard

It's funny how many people have a coincidence story of some sort to tell. We were out walking and met a man we often see and got into conversation. I'm not sure how we got to the subject but Karin mentioned to him that I write about coincidences. "Ah," he said, "I've got a coincidence story." This is what he went on to tell us.

About twenty years ago he had a girlfriend and for some reason she wanted to go off to Italy for several months. This was, of course, at a time when communication wasn't like it is today. There were no emails, texts etc.

She said she would keep in touch, by what we now call snail mail, plus she had his home telephone number - a land-line.

He received a few postcards from her, but as she was moving about he couldn't contact her. Out of the blue he then had the opportunity of better employment, but this meant he had to move away from his rented flat and therefore change his phone number.

It seemed to be the end of the relationship. Then he remembered that he'd also given her his previous employers phone number as well, in case of emergencies. Perhaps she would try to contact him there.

He rang his previous employer and explained to the woman on reception what had happened. The receptionist told him to hang on the line as there was another incoming call.

The incoming call just happened to be from his girlfriend trying to contact him!

So were they meant to be together, and was this the start of a lifetime romance? No, despite them making contact again and her finally returning from Italy the relationship floundered.

An interesting enough coincidence but was is synchronicity? Well it was meaningful at the time it happened so it must have been. It does seem as if there are many degrees of synchronicity.

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Friday, November 21

Nearly A Beautiful Ending As She Glimpses Heaven

Grandfather

The following experience is by Hollie Beattie and describes - well I'm not exactly sure, but it could have been a glimpse of heaven. See what you think.

"One evening in Italy, several years ago, I was visiting a friend and her boyfriend. We were chatting and drinking some wine when I got up to go to the bathroom.

I remember switching on the light then hearing a loud noise. Later, I would discover this was the sound of by body falling to the ground and hitting a metal bin under the sink. I'd fainted.

Suddenly I was aware of taking a step to the left and being in another place and, there in front of me, was my late paternal grandfather.

We weren't particularly close and I was surprised to see him - but there was a feeling of love that was quite overwhelming. He took me under his arm and started to show me around

There were fields and houses and people - so far, so ordinary - but the feeling of peace, of coming home, was indescribable. Then I heard a voice saying, 'You're not going to remember this,' and it felt like I was falling back into my body.

When I came to, I was lying on the bathroom floor, looking at my friend and her boyfriend, who were yelling frantically.

They had come into the bathroom and found me passed out and not breathing, and they'd performed mouth-to-mouth on me. They were desperate for me to go to hospital, but I was so unnerved that I refused.

I remember shaking with fear. Although that place had been peaceful while I was there, I didn't want to go back.

Now, with the passing of time, I feel more peaceful about it. While I'm not sure there is life after death, it has helped me to think there is some form of beautiful ending."

It's interesting how Hollie doesn't necessarily see her experience as being proof of an afterlife.

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Thursday, November 20

She Sees White Feathers As Being Signs From Those She Lost

White feathers as messages from the dead

Today's touching story follows on from one I published on the 6th of February, The Dog Who Knew She Was Going To Die. This was by Marian Rusby and told of how her dog, Diamond, somehow 'knew' her mother was about to die. This is what happened next.

"This spring, every time I took Diamond for a walk, a white feather would appear on the pavement - and a few weeks later Diamond fell ill with a liver problem. The vet warned me that it was going to be a terrible few months for me.

That was in May and, as Diamond's health worsened more white feathers appeared. Every time I took her for a walk, a feather would float down, often landing on Diamond. I knew it was Mum sending me a sign that diamond wouldn't live much longer. I felt more at ease knowing Mum was trying to help me.

Diamond had a heart attack and a week later, she died. She was at home, but lying beside her was a white feather. The next day was the seventh anniversary of Mum's death.

The next morning I went into the garden and there, where she liked to lie, was a white feather.

As I stood there in tears, a butterfly landed on my arm and stayed for 15 minutes. I felt that Mum and Diamond had contacted me.

Knowing Diamond was going to die, I'd had time to think whether to get another dog. I love the Samoyed breed but they are difficult to come by and there is a waiting list for puppies. I phoned a lady in the Samoyed Association, who knew I'd nursed Diamond through illnesses, and she found someone who agreed to let me have one of a litter,

The puppies had been born four hours after Diamond died.

I didn't see any more white feathers, but on the morning I went to collect my new puppy, Crystal, there was a feather on my doorstep.

I know some people will think I'm stupid, but many will understand."

~ Marian Busby

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Wednesday, November 19

Robin Hood And The Information Angel

Robin Hood

I was looking for an image to put on my Google+ page. I belong to one Vintage Community so, when I saw the above image of Robin Hood from the early 1950s, I thought this would be ideal.

Though a folklore figure, Robin Hood, was something of a hero for me as a young child: he stole from the bad to give to the poor. I used to try and make bows out of canes and arrows out of thin sticks. They weren't too successful!

Later that day I was cutting back a yew tree which we have in our front garden. It had grown too large and unwieldy. As I was cutting away an elderly gentleman walked past and started talking to me. He told me how he had a friend who used to cut back yew trees for free, as long as he could have the wood. "He wanted them for bows, you know like Robin Hood had," said the man.

This took me back to childhood again and then I remembered all of the yew trees found in English churchyards. "Any idea, why they are there?" I asked the man. "Something to do with keeping the devil away I think," he answered.

Later that day I tried to find out why churchyards often had yew trees.

The Plant-Lore web site wrote:

"The Druids regarded yew as sacred and planted it close to their temples. As early Christians often built their churches on these consecrated sites, the association of yew trees with churchyards was perpetuated.

Similarly on 19 August 1993, The Times reported that a yew tree in the churchyard at Coldwaltham, West Sussex, had been confirmed as one of the oldest trees in England … probably planted around 1,000 BC by Druids. Robert Bevan-Jones has argued that old yews in Welsh and English churchyards mark the sites of hermitages or cells of early saints."

It always amuses me how one thing can lead to another. There I am with a picture of Robin Hood and the next thing someone mentions him to me and so on. This is very similar as per my post The Weird Case Of The Volcano Which Popped Up From A Corn Field. Again I was looking for an image for Google+ and a chain of information came my way.

Thinking about Robin Hood transported me back to how my son used to follow Nottingham Forest football club - the area where Robin lived with his 'merry men'. I remember taking him to Nottingham and seeing Robin Hood's statue (right) in the town.

And then (again) I got thinking about being a child, playing Robin Hood and watching a television series at my grandmother's home - we didn't have a TV set. Oh yes, there was a song as well:

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men
Feared by the bad, loved by the good
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood

He called the greatest archers to a tavern on the green
They vowed to help the people of the king
They handled all the troubles on the English country scene
And still found plenty of time to sing

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen
Robin Hood, Robin Hood etc.

Trish and Rob of synchrosecrets would probably liken this to the 'information angel' doing his or her work. But whatever it's synchronicity and generated lots of memories of happy times.

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Tuesday, November 18

Coincidence And Synchronicity: Are They The Hand Of God?

Hand of God

Coincidence isn't chance or good fortune, say Pastors Mark & Sandy Tibey, such happenings, they claim, are the hand of God. Here's their story.

"Just this last week my wife and I were driving back from spending a few days in Bar Harbor. As we were passing a woman who was driving on the shoulder of the highway we both noticed that flames were shooting out the left rear of her car, and that within seconds the car could explode.

We raced to get in front of her and pulled over. Getting out of our car, I ran over to her to get her out of the car immediately. (I was a little concerned that she might have thought I was out to hurt her because she was totally unaware of the fire.)

She got out and I hurriedly put her into our back seat and drove down about another 150 feet, when an off duty Sheriff also pulls over and radios for a fire truck. All this happened within three minutes! By the time the fire truck arrived the car was engulfed in flames and everything appeared to be lost including her purse, pocket book with credit cards and about $500 in cash earnings.

As I am witnessing this I recognize the hand of God. How many times, when you have gotten beyond your control, do two pastors and a sheriff pop out of nowhere to console you? (Most of the time it's a stranger and even though they may not know God, God knows them). If that were not enough the purse was now charred beyond recognition but her pocket book, credit cards and cash were untouched by the flames!

Jesus is indeed risen from the dead and able to help us even when we don't call out for him."

~ Pastors Mark & Sandi Tibey

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Monday, November 17

Black Bart And The Stage Coach Robberies Which Started As A Joke

Black Bart

I've been looking at old books again. This time the John Wayne Adventure Annual from the mid 1950s. In this I read about, amongst other things, the story of Black Bart. It's a true story - and must be so, as John Wayne would never have lied, would he?

The story goes something like this:

Of all the fabulous characters of the roaring West none is more striking - and humorous too - than Black Bart, the natty desperado who left little poems in the stage-coach boxes he looted.
Here I lay me down to sleep
To wait the coming morrow,
Perhaps success, perhaps defeat,
And everlasting sorrow.
Let come what will, I'll try it on,
My condition can't be worse;
And if there's money in that box
'Tis munny in my purse.


~ Black Bart

His proper name was Charles E Boles and he was born in England but moved to the USA. He was a dapper little man with twinkling blue eyes and a grey moustache.

And the peculiar thing is that he became a hold-up man as the result of a practical joke.

He held up a Wells Fargo stage as a joke and didn't even have a gun with him. All he had was a stout stick off a manzanita bush and held it as a six shooter!

What happened next surprised Bart. There was no armed rider escorting the stage and the driver looked startled when Bart swung out on the trail with his imitation gun. Bart thought he'd just see how far he could take the joke.

"Throw out your treasure box!" he commanded.

In a panic the stage driver flung the box to the ground and made off with the coach.

Black Bart has the last laugh
The treasure-box burst open and there before Bart's astonished eyes was a couple of thousand dollars in gold bars, coins and gold dust.

"Well now," thought Bart, "If I can get as much in two minutes by a joke as I cam earn in two years maybe I'd better stick to practical joking."

Which, of course, was wrong of him ... and justice was to trap him in the end, as it always does!

But that's how Black Bart became a desperado, and went into the hold-up business.

To cut a longer story short after one hold-up he only got away by the skin of his teeth - and left behind his hat. Law officers eventually traced him to San Francisco where a Mr. C.E, Bolton was caught and unmasked as being Black Bart the stage-coach robber,

Justice was done.

After six years Bart was finally freed from San Quentin Jail.

His time in jail over, he started robbing again and Wells Fargo bullion suffered ... but the Wells Fargo sleuths recognised his hold-up methods of old.

They soon cornered Bart. he told them he would like to retire from the bandit business ... if only he had a regular income from somewhere.

Well, it seems hard to believe, but American historian G. Ezra Dane has it on record that the company gave Bart a pension of two hundred dollars a month - providing he wouldn't rob any more!

And, as the John Wayne Annual concludes; "H'm ... they sure must have had a soft spot in their hearts for Dapper Black Bart..."

To Clarify:
Charles Earl Bowles (sometimes Bolles or Boles) was known as Black Bart. He was an English-born outlaw noted for the the poetic messages he left behind after robberies. Known as Charley or Charlie to his friends, he also went under the names of Charles Bolton, C.E. Bolton and Black Bart the Poet. He was barn in 1829 and died some time after 1889.

It's interesting in life though, as to what makes us who or what we are today - unexpected things can happen which send us off in a completely different direction.

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