The Possessed

A Documentary by the Booth Brothers

This was a fascinating documentary of a case I would have otherwise not known about. I may have read about it before, I can’t be sure but I certainly wasn’t too familiar with the case. This is the true story of a child of 14, Lurancy or Rancy for short, who seemed to be possessed by the spirit of a young woman, Mary, who had died 12 or so years prior to the incident. I recommend that you read about this case for yourself and come up with your own conclusions. Here is a link to access the book/ pamphlet written of the incident by Dr E.W. Stevens, a doctor who attended Rancy during her “Possession”.

http://www.roffhome.com/pdfs/The_Watseka_wonder.pdf

Here is a brief summary of the incident talked about in The Possessed;
The sensation that would come to be known as the Watseka Wonder had its beginnings there in July of 1877. It involves 2 girls and 2 families. The first family is the Roffs. They had a daughter, Mary, who died mysteriously when she was 18 years old. 12 years later in 1877, Lurancy Venum, a girl who was 14 years old and lived on the other side of town and who was only 2 years old when Mary Roth died, began to have her own series of fits and seizures along the same line as Mary had experienced. At one point Lurancy told the people she was communicating with that there was a spirit who wanted to come into her body. This spirit knew someone who lived in the same town. When the spirit came into her body, within a few days, Lurancy Venum or Lurancy under the power of Mary Roth had convinced the Roth Family that she was indeed their dead daughter. After 3 months and 10 days, Mary Roff left and Lurancy took control of her own body and lived out the rest of her days without reoccurrence. Many call Mary an Angel who helped Lurancy heal from her illness that caused the seizures. It also seems to have given Mary a chance to see her family again and forgive them for placing her in an asylum.

I really enjoyed this documentary! I even had some fellow paranormal Meet-up friends over to watch it and discuss it after!

I'm not sure how to interpret the incident... if you accept it all as fact then it seems to me to be possession but when you think of possession you think of the demonic which doesn't seem to be the case here.

I do have to admit however that, this case having happened so long ago, at a time when nothing could be recorded other than on paper with a pen, it seems difficult to believe. I haven't heard of anything like that happening recently or in the years were technology would allow us to examine more closely. Until this documentary, I'd never heard of someone "possessed" by a "spirit". The facts stated in Dr E.W. Stevens' book seem so unbelievable that it brings to question the entire incident. I would like to think that this was an opportunity for a restless spirit to help a young girl, to forgive and tell her family how much she loved them-perhaps it's the part of me who loves happy endings. I can't however squelch the logical and scientific part of me from questioning the entire case. There really does seem to be psychological issues for both girls. I would love to have a psychologist or psychiatrist to review the details and give their opinion!

One thing that I did learn about and want to further study is the atrocious way psychiatric patents were treated! It all sounds more like torture than treatment!! What was the reasoning behind hot and cold bath treatments that lasted ridiculous amounts of time!?!

I would love to get feedback on this subject! What do YOU think of "The Watseka Wonder"??

From The Ashes of Angels

I haven't posted in a while, not from lack of interest but other parts of my life have been somewhat busy. I've had to put some things aside for a while. I've written many ideas and paragraphs for this blog but just haven't had the chance to post so I'll try to get some of them up on here! Anyhow, here we go...

I'd been planning a beautiful, long and full report on a book I discovered that promised an in-depth look into the race of angels and demons. This book is called; "From The Ashes of Angels: The Forbidden Legacy of A Fallen Race" by Andrew Collins. The title caught me instantly and it was just a bonus that David Rohl, a favourite Egyptologist of mine wrote a blurb about this book on the back cover!

The subject matter proves to be interesting for me but there's quite a bit of references and a lot of back and forth to understand whether it's the authors interpretation or someone else's... it gets confusing! I have to admit that almost from the very beginning, I had issues with the way this author interprets texts! Or maybe it was just my frustration from the seemingly endless back and forth to verify sources and footnotes. I do strongly believe in checking sources but so far this book seems more like a collection of sources than anything else. But I will keep reading and give a final report later on...

Now, before I move on to my next blurb... I'd like to make one thing clear...I do not consider myself a feminist. I do believe in equal rights and opportunity but I do acknowledge that we all have roles to play of equal importance. I'm not looking to start a whole debate on this subject though I realise that saying just my peice might spark much debate but so be it! I just wanted to make things a bit clearer for my next statement!

Let's be honest, whomever wrote the book of Enoch, which is a great part of this book's sources, whether it was Enoch himself (which is doubtful) doesn't change the fact that it was written by a man. An inspired man perhaps but still from a man's perspective. None of this changes the fact that every text has 3 worlds. I find it very frustrating that the author seems to not even address this at all!

Here's a bit of info on the 3 worlds of a text:

1. World Behind the text (author's perspective)
2. World Within the text (the world/ people that is/are being written about and their perspectives)
3. World in front of the text (the reader's perspective)


Now, the role and place of women in ancient societies are quite clear that they were of a sorts, second class. In some places, women- wives and daughters seem to be held of great value but then again- so are other possessions at times. Whether God actually intended to create this kind of dynamic in scriptural societies is for a future debate and I will attempt to not let my thoughts or emotions (being a woman myself) allow my paper/post to become biased.

I will post more specific points from the book in the next couple of weeks one topic at a time due to time restraints and such.

The Difference Between Demons And Ghosts

The Difference Between Demons And Ghosts

A Theory I'm Exploring!


First off- I'll probably be reviewing this often as my research goes along... I've been reading a lot about the subject of demons and spirits. Since it is the main subject of my research, that should come as no surprise. So many theories exist about who and what demons are that it seems overwhelming at times. Even some of my favourite "Paranormal" TV shows sometimes seem over the top when it comes to "demonic forces". Is it really as complicated as all that?? Scientifically speaking, could it be that "demons" and "spirits" are made of the same stuff? And could the difference between them be as simple as memory and knowledge? Let me explain this theory (which isn't only my theory, so I can't take full credit for this but I do share it!)!

Imagine a great war in Heaven. All of us were there in our pre-mortal state. Now those of you who know that I'm LDS might think this is simply "Mormon" doctrine but it actually isn't. This war is mentioned in Revelations Chapter 12 and is acknowledged by Catholics, LDS, basically all Christian religions. So...imagine a war in Heaven where we all picked sides. Lucifer on one side and Christ and Elohim on the other. We aren't told in details in the New Testament what the war was about except that Lucifer was vain and fell from favour.

Here's a link to an article that addresses some of this subject; http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1281-a-rebellion-in-heaven .

Those who chose Satan, were cast down with him. Those who fought for Christ were sent to earth to be tested and, depending on your belief system, to gain a body as well as gather experiences, be tried and/or be sorted (wheat from the chaff)... different "religions" have different ideas about this.

When we die, we return to our spirit form and we "enter the light" as so many have described it. But you always have that choice. You can choose not to go into that light.

So I propose this theory. Demons are those who, in the pre-existent state, chose to follow Satan. They remember this war and still fight it everyday in an attempt to mislead us, to defeat us in this battle. They never received bodies and they watch us every day... my guess is, they're pretty pissed about it. It also makes sense that they would try to possess people as well... they will never receive a body of their own so perhaps this is what is behind their possessions and oppressions.

Spirits or ghosts as we know them are those who did live on this earth at one time but chose for whatever reason, not to go into this light after their death. This means that they have only the memories of their earthly life-which could leave them in a state of confusion, anger and everything in between.

Both are "spirits" in the sense of what their made of...their "matter" but on one side-demons remember the war, the side they have chosen and the pre-existence (and what they lost in my opinion-such as a physical body) whereas "ghosts" are humans who have died and chosen not to "go into the light" therefore have only the knowledge and experiences they had on earth.

Paranormal “Reality” Shows

I’ve noticed in recent years, the increase in fascination with the paranormal. The age of “reality TV” has brought with it several “paranormal investigative” shows that make the paranormal seem ever present in daily life. As a student of the paranormal, I often enjoy some of these shows! In fact I would call myself a fan of several but some have done nothing more than irritate me.

One show in particular (that shall remain nameless) where the “lead” investigator is often heard saying something along the lines of; “I’ve never been so scared in my life!” is one of my least favorite. Although he’s an attractive “host”, he may want to consider a different line of investigation…especially since he seems scared out of his wits so often throughout the investigations. None the less, the show seems to be enjoyed by many since it is now beyond its first season.

My point in mentioning this show and others like it is that they often give the viewers the impression that provoking a spirit or even inviting a spirit or demon to possess you (which I did see in one of these shows…) that you are not, in a way, creating more chaos, feeding an entity and granting it powers it could not possess otherwise. Why is it that the paranormal seems to be turning into a form of entertainment?

Now, I admit to being a bit of a “Mulder” but I am also a bit of “Scully”… I believe it’s there, I just want to have scientific evidence to back it up…is that so wrong? I’ve often wondered if some of these shows present us with honest to goodness evidence or if some of it is fabricated. It’s not that I disbelieve the paranormal in any way, I just wonder about the integrity of some of these shows!

An Introduction To My Project

I have spent much of my life, even as a child, knowing that we are not alone.  I've always known that there were unseen angels and always felt that God made sure I was watched over.  Perhaps this sensitivity came to me on account of being a sickly child but whatever the reason, I have never doubted the existence of an unseen world. Through several experiences, I learned that there was good and bad in the unseen world. 
 
In recent years, I began volunteering for a paranormal investigation group in
the hopes that I could help others who are facing similar experiences.

The points I will explore for my thesis are the following;

• The spirit world is ruled by laws just as the physical world is ruled by laws.
• I will explore the theory that the spirit world occupies the same space as ours, just on a separate "plane" or "dimension".
• I will explore the "War in heaven" mentioned in scripture and how it seems to have spilled into our times.
• I will explore the theories of the difference between what we call a ghost or spirit as well as demons and angels, all referred to as "supernatural" beings.