Halloween: The Institute Of Spookological Research!

Spooky, crazy, non-twee, totally terrifying, schitzophrenic CAT PAINTINGS! Hooray!

I am going to start a Foundling Hospital for my unloved threads, possibly in Coram Fields...

I like the idea of an Institute For Spookalogical Research. It would have to be on an island. Somewhere where they have spooky mists rolling in off the sea. And everyone would have doctorates in improbable things like Theology and Parapsychology and Dead Languages (though not Latin, which is just the rockist dead language) and we would all study spooky events. And possibly go around in a big van debunking EVP.

Black Cloak! Urgent and Key. Now, in days past, Undergrads in Cambridge had to swan around in black gowns. Surely you must be able to locate one of these still! With a little modification, the standard Oxbridge gown becomes a FABULOUS cape. With a little talcum powder on the face for pallor and some artfully applied lipstick for blood, you have a cheap and effective vampire costume!

(My father's university Gown served me so well during so many Halloweens when I was a wee dot...)

(And they would have got away with it if it wasn't for those meddling Sound Artists!)

(Oh yes, and reminder. Spivey Goodness at 7.30 tonight on C5. Set yer VCR!)

Taking sides: The red-headed shouty guy vs. the weird, socially retarted glasses guy? I like the weird socially retarted glasses guy cause he totally pulled the goth chick dominatrix saucy lady!

(Watch for many moving, sensitive shots of NStheHH looking all moody and sensitive and tasteful while strolling around Belsen in a bomber jacket. This will happen!)

What about those sixth sense progs of living tv?

What do they actually do in Spiritualist churches? Do they really talk to the dead? Do they use EVP, cause if they do, then HSA is coming to debunk them.

(It is really hard for me to type Spiritualist, it always comes out Spiritualized.)

But then again, HSA has written several articles for scientific journals debunking EVP, and is in the process of pitching it as a book, so he has his bias. Mainly because lots of people within the soundart/experimental music scene were getting very into EVP. Hence the interest in auditory illusions and hallucinations.

EVP tapes are occasionally genuinely frightening and spooky, but really, the scientific explanations are much more sensible, and the involvement of the Catholic Church makes it all quite spurious.

(That said, British Intellegence did use stage magicians to help with disinformation and camoflague tactics during WWII, so it's not that unlikely...)

And he'd probably open all my coke bottles *just enough* to make them go flat 'cause he's evil like that.

(What with dalmations being proof of the existence of god, etc.)

Nooooo! That means if we murder the irritating little yappy dog next door it will haunt us in the afterlife....noooooooo!

;-)

I really don't care too much for my relatives that died. What a bastard I am! They were just cold, um, before they died, and seemed a bit unfeeling. So, I would prefer to see my first cat, CoCoa. He was so sweet that my dad and uncles teased him and said he was gay.

(Perhaps yer gay cat *was* yer power animal?)

Is a power animal the same as a spirit animal? Mine's a spider. I figured that out all by myself and didn't need any naked saggy-titted new agers squatting over a fire to tell me so. Yay me.

Dead Relatives is the new name of my band.

(OK, maybe not as cool as the Latin word for face-fucker, but still. IRUMATOR!!!)

I wish my old cat was my power animal.

Um, no reason... (*twiddling thumbs*)

"Spiritualism is a rational religion based on the proven knowledge that man's spirit survives physical death. This has led to a philosophical and scientific approach new to traditional religious faith.

Spiritualist philosophy contains neither dogma nor creed and it is discussed rather than preached. There is an increasing tendency in these times to think and act collectively and Spiritualism is a religion matching this trend.

It is a Religion of Reason for all those who see this as an Age of Reason.

At some time in their lives all men ask themselves the question "What happens to me when I die?"

Spiritualism claims to give the definite answer to this question.

It affirms that man's spirit survives physical death and enters a Spirit world which surrounds and interpenetrates our material life. It asserts that the truth of this statement can be demonstrated under the right conditions when communication can and does take place between the worlds of spirit and earthly beings. This communication is only possible through individuals who have what are known as mediumistic abilities and who are known as mediums.

Spiritualists stress that the right conditions must prevail for communication to take place and that the prime condition is that there is a spirit person there willing to communicate. It is not generally understood that communication cannot take place unless the spirit are willing to do so. One of the greatest misapprehensions about Spiritualists is that they call up the dead. Nothing could be further from the truth; if anything, it is the other way round; ample evidence exists throughout history that if and when they are willing the spirit people call us.

Spiritualist mediumship takes two forms and is used depending upon which type of phenomena is being manifested, either physical or mental.

Physical phenomena is of such a nature that it is usually demonstrated only at private seances. Any person sitting with the medium can hear or see what is happening. By means of raps, audible voices or materialised figures the spirit people convey intimate information about themselves, their recollection of their earthly lives and details of their lives in the spirit world.

Mental phenomena is demonstrated through the mind of a medium and can be by clairvoyance (the medium sees the spirit); Clairaudience (the medium hears the spirit) or Clairsentience (the medium senses the presence and the thoughts of the spirit). Mental phenomena is the type most often demonstrated in public.

Teaching and philosophy have been communicated from time to time by advanced spirit beings. These have dealt with the purpose of life and the destiny of man based on the revelation that he survives earthly death and leads an active life in spirit dimensions. The realisation that man actively lives beyond the grave so profoundly alters the, conception of life that it has given rise to an entirely new religious outlook, which is diametrically opposed to many of the fundamental ideas of traditional religion, and is known as Spiritualism.

What is known as Modern Spiritualism began in 1848 when sensational happenings in Hydesville led to rapid developments throughout America, eventually reaching Europe including Britain.

Nowadays, the largest Spiritualist organisation is the Spiritualists' National Union based in the UK, and it is recognised by H. M. Government as the legally established religious body for Spiritualism. Originally intended to work only in Britain, lately it has been receiving more and more affiliations from overseas and is becoming somewhat more internationalist in its membership. It has an extensive education and training programme and its philosophy is based on the Seven Principles, which do not lay down rules but encourage people to discuss and think about their attitude to life.

Influenced by these Principles as well as its scientific and philosophical ramifications, for many people Spiritualism has become more than just a religion; it has become a Way of Life.

Kenneth Meynell DSNU
July 1998"

http://www.greevy.btinternet.co.uk/gas/gasframe.htm

Can I just mention that I'm an occasional intrigued visitor and I'm not trying to recruit you all to a big Spooky cult, m'kay?

(But then again, founders debunking never actually stopped any religion, after all, look at Scientology and Mary Baker Eddy among others...)

PinkP I have a couple of messages but nothing that made me go "Wow, that really makes me believe!".

I'll admit the first time I went it was purely for entertainment value but then I got intrigued and went some more and now I have quite a lot of respect for them. They have their beliefs and it helps a lot of people grieve which to me isn't a bad thing. The fact that they welcome anyone, are totally non-pushy and don't try and get dosh out of you is prolly key to that though!

I don't necessarily see organised religion as an evil (though HSA does, and hence many of our arguments) but he would say that even if they are not taking money, they are still exploiting the bereaved by getting them into religion. But what else does religion exist for, if not to comfort people about the unknowable things in life and death?

Also, if I went & there was a message for me, would it only be from a relative of mine?

As far as I know it's donations,they are def not rich - their hall is always needing something done to it! They pass around a plate at the end of the service and you can give whatever you like. Some of the medums do like private sittings for cash but I don't think they take a cut of that or anything.

Pink - it depends, sometimes you get a really vivid description of this person who apparently wants to give you a message and you have no idea who it is so you tell them they got the wrong person, then you go home and somebody says "y'know, that sounds kinda like your Grans old neighbour/cousin/vague acquaintance"

Was anyone else forbidden to play with Ouiji boards growing up?

I understand why people would be able to trust someone who gave readings for free better than someone who charged an arm and a leg, but if these people really do have those powers, doesn't it make sense that they should be allowed to charge? Should everyone with a gift be forced to be so generous with it?

If it is free, if it isn't happening, there's no bother. As soon as they start charging money, that is when I start to worry that they may be supplementing their "gifts" with other means to make sure it happens on demand, every time.

(OK, before you start thinking that I am saying that athletes shouldn't be paid - I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is that when athletes are paid, there is a bigger temptation to succomb to artificial help such as steroids and drugs. Hence why there is drugs testing in professional sport! Except steroids may be easier to detect scientifically than "psychic phenomenon".)

Pink - I'm not sure if you can tape it, they're a nice bunch and dead easy going tho, so I don't see them objecting. You need to remember if you do go that's there's no guarantee that they'll even look at you nevermind give you a message, and sometimes it's a pants medium they have or it's just not a good night for speaking to dead folk....

I can't decide if I should dress up in costume for work tomorrow. It might be fun. I mean, when else can I get away with wearing something bizarre to work? But also, it's a casual day, so maybe I'd have more fun in my denim skirt. hmmm...

http://www.schizophrenia.org/cat.jpg

Thing is, people talking about Schitzophrenia often show that sequence to talk about how Louis Wain (and therefore schitzophrenics "deteriorate") but actually the paintings are really out of chronological sequence.

The best ones are actually the cartoons where he shows how cats are actually protection against Communists and Communist Waves in the atmosphere, because of their whiskers.

Siouxsie & The Banshees 'Peek-A-Boo'
Outkast 'Dracula's Wedding'
Was Not Was 'Out Come The Freaks'
Doc Scott 'The Unofficial Ghost' (DARKSTEP PRESSHHHA)
Zongamin 'Mummies'
Slacker 'Scared'
Rockwell 'Somebody's Watching Me'
Nicolette 'Nightmare'
Tricky 'Pumpkin'
Kernkraft 4000 'Zombie Nation'

I'm kind of dressed up today, but not really. I just felt like wearing some weird stuff to work.

Navy blue nail polish was such fun in high school, but it's kind of a pain today. It makes the ends of my fingers feel tight and I have scraped blue paint on a couple of papers already. (Ok, maybe I'm going crazy...)

How could I not know about him?

Actually, I have this weird pic that Nick's parents found me at an estate sale - it's from a newspaper or magazine a long time ago. There are these kitties in a classroom being taught by another kitty and it looks quite a bit like these...

I will then go to a party and get sickdrunk on homemade wine.

I am really, really, really looking forward to the opening tonight. Though I'll probably have sugar crashed and burned by then... though there's always alcohol at openings to compensate.

he is one of the few outsider artists that give me the creeps.

(Sorry, the phrase "outsider art" is one of my biggest pet peeves.)

to answer the posted question, i will be going to 'The Grand Procession of the Ghouls' at St Johns. I hope it is ok. I may just end up at the rerelease of 'ALien' somwhere.

But I agree, Wain's art is wonderfully demented.

BWAH HA HA!