The Renaissance Vinoy Hotel

My cousin runs the Florida Marlins blog fishstripes.com, and sent me an email recently asking about The Renaissance Vinoy hotel where the team was going to be staying for a weekend. He asked if I knew about the ghosts there, but unfortunately, I'd never heard about the haunting. A little bit of research online led me to some interesting stories about the place, though, which I thought that I'd share today:

http://www.findarticles.com
http://www.sptimes.com
http://www.spiritdaily.org
http://www.boston.com/

A ghostly influence on Lovecraft...

I recently found a ghost story by Sarah Orne Jewett, whose ghosts stories were supressed, but did influence H.P. Lovecraft. I've run across publishers who shy away from ghost stories, but given the fact that a majority of people in America believe in the supernatural, perhaps that's not a wise stand.

To read Sarah's story, though, just click over to:

http://www.violetbooks.com/jewett.html

Quaker Ghost Stories...

You mention Quakers to me, and I immediately (for right or wrong) imagine that Harrison Ford movie, "Witness". I just found a website for Quaker ghost stories, so be sure to check out:

http://www.kimopress.com/fire.html

A Real-Life Ghost Ship

I'm fascinated by tales of ghost ships that still sale the waters long after they've disappeared - one of my favorites was from San Francisco Bay, as told by the delightful gentleman on the San Francisco Ghost Walk. I ran across a story today that is about a real-life ghost ship, and although the story itself isn't supernatural in nature, it is certainly the first chapter of such a story. To read about it, go to:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1785108,00.html

Poll Results!

Our last poll question was... "Dowsing Rods (or Diving Rods) have been used since ancient times by water witchers, shamans, and ghost hunters. Dowsing Rods can BEST be used to:"

And here's how the ghost-blog.com readers answered:

Locate supernatural activity 7%
(I thought that this might be a little higher, since I know several people who regularly use dousing to pinpoint any supernatural activity that may be going on)

Find Water below the ground 29%
(Even my Southern Baptist Minister grandfather believed that this was possible!)

Find graves 7%
(I don't know about this one, but since we supposedly have some unmarked graves on our property, I'm anxious to have sombody try this for us)

Locate Ley Lines of energy 0%
(I've heard a lot about ley lines, but I don't know what to think. I've even attended a lecture where I watched someone "locate a ley line" - and it was conveniently running right through the middle of the room.)

All of the above, to some extent 36%
(This got my vote, although I am still a little fuzzy on the whole "ley line" thing)

None of the above - the rods don't work 21%
(This high number shocked me - 1 out of every 5 people said they don't work at all... not even to divine water!)

As always, it's fascinating and educational to see how everyone feels. Thanks for voting!

Goodbye, George...

George Lutz, the man who had the "Amityville Horror" experience portrayed in the movie, has died. I know that there's a lot of controversary about the story, and quite honestly, I don't know what I think about the whole thing. Nevertheless, the man who knew the truth is gone. You can read the story at:

http://www.ghoststudy.com/new8/georgelutz.htm

BTW, I have to give ghoststudy.com their props - it's a very cool site, with lots of info!

Meanwhile, down in Argentina...

This story describes a town who's frightened of a ghostly bride. Real or imagined, the city seems to be in turmoil:

http://www.onlypunjab.com/real/fullstory1004-newsID-8744.html

A Spirit Exits A Tombstone

...or so the photographer says. It is a compelling photograph, but is it a spirit rising out of a grave? You be the judge. Just go to:

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/gen/page1387.html

to take a look for yourself!

A Ghost in a Bar?

Well, maybe so. If you'd like to read a tale of a ghost named Mary, just click here:

http://www.columbian.com/lifeHome/lifeHomeNews/04052006news18623.cfm

I've been away for a few days!

I know that I haven't posted in several days, but we had a death in the family and had to travel for the funeral. I've been away from all media, including the Internet. As soon as I got the chance, though, I at least wanted to post a status as to why the blog's been dead for a couple of days.

Please return for a visit - I'm back in action!

A Horse is a Horse, of Course, of Course...

Ah, today I have a tale for you that sounds like it's directly from the campfire. A sad tale of a condemned man, a pardon delivered too late, and a spectral horse in the old city of Lincolnshire, UK. Combine that with a modern-day ghost hunter, and you have quite a story. To read all about this ghost-horse, click on:

A Ghostly Horse Story

A Scream in Ohio

In the town of Liberty, Ohio, there's a story going around about a scream... I know that we have several readers from up north, so maybe they can provide some insite on this story:

http://www.channelcincinnati.com/news/4874944/detail.html

Who ya gonna call? The Kabbalah Centre!

It seems that Gwyneth Paltrow has a ghost in her home, and she's decided to deal with it by exorcising it (not that I think it will work). To help out, she's contacting London's Kabbalah Center frequented by Madonna. Want to read the whole story? Go to...

http://www.channel4.com/news/content/news-storypage.jsp?id=324349

Poll Results!

The question of the week was, "Ghost are dangerous to humans..."

And here were the answers and percentages:

Never. 32% - almost a third of the people taking the poll felt that spirits never pose a threat.

It depends on the spirit. 55% - but over half of the crowd says that it all depends on the spirit.

It depends on the human. 5% - a small percentage thought that it depends on the human, which may mean how prepared they are for the encounter, their state of mind, etc.

I'm not sure, but probably not. 0% - no one chose this option.

I'm not sure, but possibly so. 9% - a few felt like the danger was at least a possibility in an encounter with a ghost.

All in all, most people thought that the danger depends on the spirit - not the way I lean, but that makes it all the more interesting to me!

Tomcat's house haunted???

Well, maybe so... at least, according to the former owners. Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise live in a house where they "heard noises in the house," and used words to describe the place as "creepy," "haunted" and "full of ghosts". I guess that the noise of the new baby crying may be covering up any supernatural activity there.

Want to read the Page Six story? Just go to:

http://www.nypost.com/gossip/pagesix/65048.htm

The Headless Horseman Real? Who Would've Thought!

Someone is always calling one place or another, "The Most Haunted Town in..." - I happened to find an article that caught my eye, because it was saying that about a little town named, "Sleep Hollow".

I remembered the Washington Irving story from my youth, with its tale of the "Headless Horseman". But is that famous spectre based on a real spirit? Maybe so - just click on the link below to read for yourself!

http://www.pressbox.co.uk/

NTSU Ghosts

Several years ago when I was writing the book, "Ghosts of North Texas", I found a couple of haunted places on the North Texas State University campus to investigate. Now a few years later, I ran across an article from the school newspaper on the subjects of ghosts.

To hear what NTSU has to say, just click on:

http://web2.unt.edu/news/story.cfm?story=9389

A Paranormal Plug

One thing that I love to do is to visit stores with paranormal themes. I think that the last one I mentioned was Troy Taylor's bookstore in Alton, Illinois (I have to save my $$ for my next trip there - I only saw about three dozen books that I want to add to my collection).

A new place has opened near Texarkana, TX, so it's convenient to the four-states area: Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. It's actually in the suburb of Wake Village, and the name of the store is: Synergy.

There you'll find enchanted books and metaphysical gifts offered by Tamatha Williams for spiritual growth and empowerment; Hypnotherapy by Kay Ainsworth, to empower your life and overcome problems including pain management, weight loss, smoking, and past life regressions; and Metaphysical Readings by Melba Goodwyn - communication which will encourage you to see higher consciousness.

It is also the home to the Texarkana Paranormal Investigators, led by Sharon Howe, where you can enjoy a walk on the wild side to a ghost hunt in a haunted location. They are also available for private, confidential investigations.

Their shop is:
Synergy
604 Redwater Rd
Wake Village, TX 75501
903-334-9782

Does this sound like a plug? Well, it is, because I've visited with these wonderful ladies on numerous occasions, and even attended a ghost hunt in an old, abandoned hotel with them. I hope that their shop is a success, because they deserve it. If you're in the Texarkana area, stop by and tell them, "Hi!".

Poll Results!

The last poll question was, "Automatic Writing is..."

...and here are the results:
communication from the spirit world. 50%
a demonic response. 13%
from the writer's subconscious, not a spirit. 13%
simply fake. 0%
I really don't know, but I'm interested in it. 25%
I really don't know, but I have no interest at all. 0%

So, have of the people responding believe that Automatic Writing is actual communication from the spirit world - interesting! A quarter weren't sure, and the other two answers were split between "a demonic response" and "from the writer's subconscious". The non-answers were just as curious to me; not a single person thought that it was "simply fake", nor did anyone answering have "no interest at all".

I've never seen Automatic Writing done live, so for me the jury's still out - but it's an interesting topic, nonetheless.

Be sure to weigh in on the new poll this week!