Publication: The Paranormal Insider
The Witching Hour and Why Things Go Bump in the Night | |
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Issue date: Saturday, October 7, 2006
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P A R A N O R M A L I N S I D E R
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Hi, Everyone!
A client asked me recently about the best time of day for
doing a certain magickal ritual and the question prompted
me to put together some information on why the darkest dark
of night is most conducive to magick, as well as to ghost-
hunting and paranormal phenomena in general.
The 'Witching Hour' is traditionally believed to be the
time when ghosts, demons and witches are the most powerful
and it is the time when spells and rituals are worked most
effectively. To be precise, the witching hour is at
midnight on a full moon. (Moon phases are crucial to magick,
with the new moon, waxing moon, waning moon and full moon
all having their own distinct properties). Many people,
though, refer to the midnight hour on any night as the
witching hour.
Looking at the field of ghost-hunting, researchers also
say that most ghostly and paranormal phenomena occur after
3 P.M., but the vast majority occur after nightfall, with
peak hours for experiencing ghostly manifestations being
between midnight and 3 A.M. which is in keeping with the
general image we have of things going 'bump' in the night.
A possible scientific explanation for the magic and
mystique of the midnight hour is that the earth's
atmosphere, which is constantly bombarded by strong solar
winds during the day, is pulled in close and dense to the
earth's surface while we are facing the sun. At nighttime,
when we are sheltered from the sun, our atmosphere becomes
much larger, stretching out into space and having much
less density. There is, therefore, less interference and
resistance to electrical and magnetic energies. This makes
it easier for electric or magnetically based entities and
phenomena to manifest, and perhaps even eases their very
entry into our atmosphere. This atmospheric phenomenon is
also the reason that in general, radio stations come in
much more clearly at night, even those far away, than they
do during the daytime.
Many experienced ghost hunters also believe that "between"
times are very conducive to ghostly manifestations.
"Between" times include dusk and dawn, eclipses, equinoxes,
and solstices. It is also said that while a clock is
chiming midnight is a "between" time. Many also point to
the end of the calendar year as a magical time, and speak-
ing of calendars, some people feel that ghosts still know
very well what day it is on the other side of the veil as
they often appear on or around the anniversary of their
passing. These changes and shifts that we mark in earth
time are perhaps felt in other planes and dimensions as
well, and because they mark a shifting energy and
conditions are in flux, this creates a portal or maybe
even rings a doorbell in the spirit world.
It seems that mysticism and science both hold possible
explanations for the eerie reputation of the witching hour
and the increase of paranormal activity people experience
at night. We also have to consider that with less back-
ground noise and distractions at night, and our lessened
ability to gauge our 3D world as clearly in the darkness,
there are obvious factors that contribute to our heightened
sensitivity at this hour, so while ghosts have an easier
time making themselves known, we also have an easier time
of perceiving them.
Are you afraid of the dark? Or do you get shivers when the
clock strikes 12? Perhaps you have a favourite relative
that visits you in spirit form each year on a certain day.
You are not alone. Washington Irving, authour of "The
Legend in Sleepy Hollow", wrote, back in the 1830's: "Two
pairs of eyes are watching me now, from the couch and the
ledge by the window. Faerieland shines in those eyes. And
I must leave you, for it's the witching hour and a full
moon is rising..."
carpe diem!
Zsuzsana Summer
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Now, here is a selection of letters from our Readers'
Mailbag.
Paranormal Encounters
I have a few experiences to share. I really enjoy reading
your newsletter. You are welcome to use any of these; all
together or separately as you see fit.
Shadow person?
Years ago, when I was around the age of 13, I woke up in
the night and saw what I now believe was a shadow person.
The head of my bed was against one wall of the room and my
bathroom doorway was directly on the opposite wall of the
room. Standing in the bathroom doorway was a tall figure
whose head almost reached to the top of the doorway. The
figure was pitch black, solid looking, and in the shape of
a man. I couldn't see any features other than the silhouette
shape. Behind this figure was a bright light that filled
up the bathroom. I know this wasn't a waking dream because
when I woke up, I was staring at him for a little while and
I was wide awake. I said my brother's name and "Is that
you?" but I didn't receive a reply and the figure didn't
move. It just stood there. That's when I realized nobody
in the house could fill up the doorway like that and how
weird it was that I couldn't even make out a face. It
literally looked the same as if you took a picture of a
person and then drew over the person with a black marker.
That's when I got a little scared, so I hid my head under
the covers and eventually fell asleep. I have yet to see
another shadow person but years later, this same room
became my mom and stepdad's room. The night my great uncle
died, my stepdad saw a shadowy figure standing at the foot
of the bed.
Aliens
This happened at my mom's house one night while I was
visiting around 1995-96. I was sleeping on the floor in
the living room and my stepsister was sleeping on the
couch. My mom has said that she's been abducted by aliens
multiple times and she remembers a lot of it. This
particular night, I woke up and saw three aliens walking
around in the room between the living room and her bedroom.
This room can be seen through a set of French doors and two
windows. The light in this room has a dimmer and it was
usually left on during the night so I was able to see these
aliens well. They were about 4 feet tall, very skinny, long
arms with no muscle tone, and the skin was a light greyish
color. They were wearing long sleeved jumpsuits of a dark
color. They had the alien heads but the eyes weren't quite
as big as in most drawings. All I could do was lift my head
up and I soon fell right back to sleep. The next day, my
mom mentioned that the aliens came, and her description,
including how many there were, was the same as what I saw.
Ghost
This happened in the middle of the day. I went and laid on
my side for a nap. After just a few minutes, I felt that
the side of the bed behind me was dipped down as if someone
was sitting on it. As soon as I was thinking about that,
the mattress popped back up, I felt a light touch on my
head, and then a whispery voice said, "Liiiiiiisaaa." I
jumped up and nobody was there! I didn't know anyone that
recently died, so I still haven't figured out who this
ghost was.
Lisa
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Hi Zsuzsana,
I find your newsletter both interesting and comforting. It
reinforces the knowledge that there is definitely something
more after this life. To know that others have had similar
experiences is so comforting to me. I have had only two
"groups" shall we say of spiritual experiences but they
have made a definite impact on my life.
The first type of experience happened when my Grandfather
died. I was only in the sixth grade when he died. His death
was my first loss of a loved one. I had a "dream" that was
more realistic than any dream I had ever had. I was in my
bedroom when the spirit of my Grandfather came through the
door. I jumped into his arms for one last hug before he
moved on. This happened again when, at the age of 23, my
father died after a two year fight with cancer. As with the
other "dream", this "dream" was very different than dreams
I had ever had. My father and I were out in our backyard
sitting at a picnic table. The sun was shining brilliantly.
He told me of how he was happier now and was going to be
OK. He told me I shouldn't worry about him and that he was
not in pain anymore. Was I dreaming or was this a way of
both of these beloved men communicating with me before they
moved on? To this day, and I am now 55 years old, no one
could convince me that these were simply dreams.
The other experience I had was with a cat. Again, this
happened when I was only in my teens. My beloved "Kitty"
(yes that was her name), had contracted feline leukemia.
At that time, the vet told me and my Dad that the only way
to determine if the ailment was indeed feline leukemia, was
to give her a blood transfusion. If she failed again, she
would have to be put to sleep. I got an advance on my
allowance and went ahead with the transfusion. Kitty was
like a new kitten. She had energy again and started to play
as if nothing had ever ailed her. However, two weeks after
the transfusion, Kitty suddenly fell off of the table she
was sleeping on. I scooped her up in a towel and my Dad
drove us to the vet's office. I know that Kitty died in my
arms before we got there. I don't remember if it was that
night or maybe even a couple of nights later, I went to
bed. I turned out the lights and started to drift off to
sleep. I was suddenly startled back into complete
consciousness because I felt something jump onto my bed. I
felt the impression of paws walking up the bed to the side
of my face. I heard purring in my ear and could feel breath
on my cheek. I sat bolt upright and turned on the light.
Nothing was there. After calming myself down and telling
myself it was my imagination, I turned off the light and
tried to get to sleep once more. Before I got into any
state of semi-sleep, the same order of events happened
again. This happened for a total of three times when I
finally got up and made my way downstairs to the kitchen.
I knew that I would not be able to get back to sleep any
time soon as the experience had actually scared me. When
I got to the kitchen, my Dad was sitting there. It was
close to midnight and he would normally be asleep by then.
When I told him why I had gotten up, he told me that was
why he was sitting there. He had had the same experience!
Sadly, I think Kitty knew I was frightened and never came
to me again. I will always regret that.
These encounters I have written about today are the only
experiences I have had in my lifetime. I suspect that
perhaps we are more open to such things when we are young.
What is your take on this? Do you find that these things
usually are more acute when we are in our youth?
Marsha in Massachusetts
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Hi,
The first "weird" experience I have encountered is the
number 13. It just seems to come up for me all the time.
If I grab a handful of something, there are 13. It started
when I was about 20. To this day, I wear 13 rings on my
fingers. I don't know what it means, but I call it my lucky
number. Most people fret about Friday the 13th. Not me, I
embrace it.
The second weird experience happened when I moved into my
house. I have an entertainment center that has several
Christmas ornaments hanging from it. I was sitting on the
couch and all of a sudden one of the ornaments took off
swinging as if someone had hit it with their hand and sent
it sailing. I looked around and there was no cat in the
area (I have two). So I just told my spirit, I won't bother
you if you don't bother me and we can live together peace-
fully.
The third weird experience has been my telephone ringing.
I will wake up to hear a phone ringing, but it is NOT my
house or cell phone. I just hear a ringing phone. Other
times my house phone will ring once, or even half a ring,
and when I wake up there is nothing there. I have
attributed it to my Grandmother. She passed away two years
before I got my house and I figured that was her way of
telling me she is around and watching over me. If it's not,
at least it feels good. It also makes me wonder if it was
her knocking my Christmas ornament loopy, as Christmas was
her favorite holiday.
Any insight to these three consistent happenings in my
life would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Lezlie
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If you have any comments for Lezlie, Marsha or Lisa, please
post them to our forum at: Paranormal Insider Forum
If you wish to send me a story for publication, please
email to: paranormal@zsuzsana.com
Take care and see you next week!
Zsuzsana Summer
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