The answers can be chalked up to the idea that there’s more history on the east coast than the west coast. But in order to validate that assumption, we have to account for the history and the timeline of both coasts. And of course, that would require extensive research based on demographics. However, I’m fairly certain that there is probably equal amount of paranormal activity on both sides of the country. Both sides have seen war, settlements, sickness, disasters…so what is the difference?

Since I have moved here, I’ve noticed that there is a different perception of the paranormal on the east coast. It’s more accepted and embraced out here. There are more people who acknowledge their experiences and want to get it investigated. There are more haunted locations that are being capitalized by the locals. The paranormal mindset is very different out here. I’ve met more people than I can shake a stick at who openly admit that they believe in the paranormal or they’ve had experiences that they couldn’t explain. It’s rather interesting.

There is also more accessibility to history on the east coast. It seems that no matter where I turn in Raleigh or in my travels up and down this side of the country, I can visit  historical locations that have been well preserved as opposed to a site where history happened. Of course when it comes to American history like the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, there is more on the east coast. But when it comes to the birthplace of America and culture, the west coast has the upper-hand.

I don’t want this post to be a “which coast is better” sort of thing, but I am curious to know: Do you feel that one side of North America is more haunted than the other?

It should come as a relief for many that there is actually a logical explanation for this phenomenon. It’s very important to know the difference between sleep paralysis and a paranormal occurrence in this area. Of course, there are always exceptions and variables to this, but generally, this frightening experience can be explained using some logic and science.

When we sleep, our body goes through a series of different stages of sleep that involve REM (rapid eye movement) and Non-rapid eye movement (NREM). Our body cycles in and out of REM and NREM and progress through about four stages of sleep, appropriately called Stage 1-5. Our bodies typically spend the most time in the state of NREM and a shorter time in REM, which is where our dreams occur. Studies have shown that the REM stage starts about 90 minutes into sleep.

Here are the different stages of sleep

• Stage 1: Starts about 5-10 minutes into sleep, and the eyes are closed. It’s not hard to wake up from this stage, however, you won’t feel like you got any rest. Have you ever had a dream early on in your sleeping time where you trip and fall and your body jolts you awake? That’s called hypnic myoclonia. Also at this stage, the brain begins to produce theta waves, which are slow brain waves.
• Stage 2: This is a period of light sleep while the muscles relax that help you transition into a deeper sleep. This lasts about 20 minutes.
• Stage 3: This is officially the stage between light sleep and deep sleep and deeper, slow brain waves occur.
• Stage 4: This is a deep sleep that lasts about 30 minutes, and also known as delta sleep due to the delta brain waves that are occurring.
• Stage 5: The body enters into REM sleep and this is where dreaming occurs.

Now, keep in mind that the body cycles through stages of sleep, and sometimes it is out-of-order. This is all fine and dandy, but what does this have to do with sleep paralysis?

Well, when we enter the stage of REM sleep, our brain emit a chemical that paralyzes our body. This is so that we don’t physically act out our dreams. During the REM stage, our minds are very vivid with intense dreams, and it can be dangerous for our bodies to physically act out what’s going on in our minds. This chemical paralyzes everything from legs to arms, to fingers and toes.

When our body is awakened, for whatever reason, sometimes our body is still under this paralyzing chemical. Our eyes are open and we’re awake, but our body is still asleep, which can bring on the effect of feeling like you’re being pinned down. In some cases, our brains are still dreaming, which can cause hallucinations or literally seeing our dreams before our eyes.

Of course, there are always variables and exceptions. But knowing the possible explanations for this scary occurrence is very important before immediately resorting to a paranormal explanation. If you are experiencing sleep paralysis regularly, you may want to see your doctor and look into possible being tested for a sleep disorder. For me personally, I was able to stop my own sleep paralysis incidents by stopping my consumption of caffeine by noon and not watching TV immediately before bed.

But if you’re experiencing the effect of being pinned down, and seeing things before you’re even asleep, then perhaps there’s something more going on, and it would be worth it to contact a local paranormal team to ask some questions. Most importantly, rule out logical explanation before moving on to the next step. Below are some reference links with much more in-depth information, and I encourage you all to read them with a fine-toothed comb and look into more books and websites with information if this interests you.

References:

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/sleep-101

http://www.livescience.com/21653-brain-chemicals-sleep-paralysis.html

http://psychology.about.com/od/statesofconsciousness/a/SleepStages.htm

Written by Mid-Atlantic Team Member:

Maevelin Y.

Mist and cloud and darkness veil the wintry hour,
But the sun dispels them with his rising power.
Mist and cloud and darkness often dim thy day
But a Christmas glory shines upon thy way.
May the Lord of Christmas, Counsellor and Friend,
Light thy desert pathway even to the end. – F. R. Havergal

What do you think of when you hear the word Christmas? What’s the first thing you think of? Santa? Jesus? Commercialization?  I know personally that when I think of Christmas my mind plays a bit of tug of war between warm thoughts of snuggling into my favorite spot on the couch with my hot chocolate and favorite blanket, reading in the glow of the Christmas tree lights and the harsh thoughts of pushing my way through the masses in an overly decorated department store to find things that fit my budget to give to my children who will just give all the credit to Santa anyway. So many people, myself included, rush through the holidays and very rarely slow down to think about what we are doing, much less why we are doing it. Tradition has become habit and the reasons for our holiday traditions have become cloudy.

To grasp a solid understanding of how our holiday traditions unfurled, one must first go back to the age before the holidays were considered “holy days”. A time where the mere rising and setting of the sun was a magical feat. In winter, the nights are long and the sun is low. The winter solstice is the longest night of the year and it is a pivot point from which the light of the sun will grow stronger.  Many viewed this time of year as a representation of the death and subsequent re-birth of Sun and Light. The Romans called it Dies Natalis Invicti Solis or the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. They celebrated this midwinter holiday with the festival of Saturnalia. Riotous, and somewhat promiscuous, merry making took place, for during this time no criminal was prosecuted and one could anything he or she pleased. Houses were decked with boughs of laurel and evergreen trees. Friends visited one another, bringing good-luck gifts and processions of people danced through the streets wearing masks. Sound somewhat familiar?

The continued darkness also prompted people to believe that winter solstice was a time when the spirits were able to travel and roam the earth. This led to the lighting of candles and lanterns to keep the spirits at bay and bells were also used as protection from the evil spirits. While many people believe that ghosts and ghost stories are centered on Halloween, in Victorian times, Halloween was only the beginning of the season of the dead. My thoughts can’t help but be drawn to the 1963 classical song “It’s the Most Wonderful time of the Year”… “There’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago….. It was common practice to gather around the fire on Christmas Eve and tell ghost stories. This goes hand in hand with the belief that you must wait till midnight on Christmas Eve and swing open the doors of your home to let out all the unwanted spirits.

Many of the Christmas traditions that we adhere to today took root long ago in the beliefs of Viking, Celtic, and Roman Gods. The Vikings used to burn a giant Sunwheel which, after being set on fire, was rolled down a hill to entice the Sun into returning and according to some, this can be attributed to the origin of the Christmas wreath. The Vikings decorated evergreens to entice the tree spirits to come back in the spring and they even burned the traditional Yulelog after carving runes on it to ask the God’s for protection of misfortune.  The ancient Celtics celebrated the festival of Alban Arthuan which is also known as Yule. They held to the belief that burning the Yule Log to honor the Great Mother Goddess would bring good luck. They frequently decorated pine trees with various stellar objects to represent the souls of those who had died in the previous year.

Anyone with a little curiosity can discover a whole treasure trove of Christmas lore across the ages. From the Krampus to the White Lady, Kris Kringle to Belsnickle the histories are endless. This season while amidst the holiday craziness find a minute to just stop and take it all in. Take a minute to enjoy the wonder and mystery of a holiday that is about so much more than we all know. Take a few minutes to discover for yourself, the true meaning of Christmas.

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout….not because Santa Claus will put you on the naughty list, but because you’ll get a swat from a scary incubus with claws, known as Krampus, and possibly dragged into hell in a basket.  Depending on where you live, the holidays may not be all about holiday cheer and positivity, but instead, a rather terrifying one if you weren’t a good boy or girl this year!

If you’re from Germany or Bavaria, or any Alpine region, the legend of Krampus may be a familiar one.  In fact, December 6th marks a day known as Krampusnacht (Night of Krampus), also regarded as the “night before St. Nicholas”.  To celebrate, people will have parties featuring men dressed as the holiday devil himself.  Costumes include sheepskin, claws, horns, and switches so that they can swat unsuspecting children and maybe a few ladies.   Other costumes will also include witches, devils, wild-men, and other scary get-ups while bearing torches and copious amounts of alcohol and an event called Krampuslauf (Krampus Run).  In fact, these men are encouraged to terrorize the children.  Interestingly enough, the Pennsylvania Dutch culture has a figure very similar to Krampus called, Pelsnickel or Belznickel.  So some traditions stayed after the migration from Germany to North America.

Krampus means, “claw”, and he is the darker counterpart of Saint Nicholas.  While Santa Claus will reward nice children, Krampus will swat naughty children, terrify them with his cloven hooves and monstrous tongue that would make Gene Simmons blush, and tying them to baskets with chains and taken down to hell.  If that’s not motivation to behave, I don’t know what is!

The belief and lore of Krampus is actually older than Jesus.  Krampus was born from an Alpine Pagan tradition during winter solstice that dates back to pre-Christian times.  In fact, the origin of Krampus has a performance element to it due to villagers dressing up as mythic creatures, animals, wild-men, and devils and performing in parades and plays (known as mummery).  It is believed that this was one of the early inspirations for Halloween.  And here’s another fun fact, the common figures in these rituals was Old Man Winter and a horned Goat-Man.  Sound familiar?  Santa actually has more pagan roots associated with winter solstice than our traditional Christian-themed Christmas holiday.

It’s not only the men who get to have “fun” during this season, women can also have their share as well.  Many women will wear masks and dress up as the Nordic goddess Perchta, otherwise known as Frau Perchta.

It would have been a sin to deprive you of this image of Krampus and Santa riding it SOA style.

One of my favorite parts about the Krampus tradition is the Krampus cards, holiday greeting cards with a humorous and dark twist featuring our favorite holiday devil.  These booomed in the mid-1800’s as Christmas cards became popular in Europe.  Of course there needed to be balance between the good and evil, light and dark, grim and cheerful…right?

In the last 10 years, Krampus has been featured on the series, Supernatural, and has even paid a visit to The Colbert Report.  Monte Beauchamp has played a large role in resurrecting Krampus in American culture by reintroducing the figure in his books and shedding light on the vintage art.

Here’s a video of a Krampusleuf from 2010:

If you want to learn more about Krampus, take a gander at these websites:

Krampus.com

Krampus: Devil of Christmas

10 Fun Facts About Krampus

Written by Founder and Mid Atlantic Director:

Alex Matsuo

Coming from a Christian background and working in the paranormal, I’ve learned to be much more open-minded to other religions and deities.  This has led to a fascination of other religions, and when possible, I’d like to spotlight other gods and goddesses for educational purposes, which hopefully you will all find not only enlightening, but respectful and informative.

Today marks the festival and feast of Hecate Trivia, which is a day that honors Hecate as a goddess of the crossroads, hence for the Latin term trivia, which means the place where three roads meet (tri + via). The celebration of Hecate started a few weeks back and today is one of many in terms of festivities.  In Ancient Greece, altars to Hecate were often placed at crossroads, and people who were traveling at night would often leave offerings at crossroads for safe passage in return.  She is known as a triple goddess who celebrates the phases of life including birth-life-death, full-new-dark moons, past-present-future, earth-heaven-underworld, earth-air-water, just to name a few.  This is the time of where Hecate is worshipped starting in October and throughout the winter while everything is dead and dormant, allowing time for personal reflection.

Hecate originally started out as the goddess of women, childbirth, and the beginnings of life.  In our modern time, she is known as the goddess of change, witchcraft, magic, life, death, crossroads, and psychic abilities.  She is also associated with truth, the dark moon, and fertility.  Hecate is known as one of the dark goddesses who rule over what we perceive as the darker elements of life such as magic, rebirth, death, spirits, ghosts, and the Underworld.

In the Greek myth of Persephone, Hecate is known as the keeper of the key to the Underworld, and keeps Persephone company while she is spending her time with Hades, as well as leading Demeter to Persephone due to her psychic abilities and the only one being able to hear and find Persephone in the Underworld.  Because of her involvement with Persephone, Hecate began to be associated with death.  During the Hellenistic period, Hecate became known as the triple-faced goddess of witchcraft and magic.

Whether you are Christian or practice some other religion, it is worth looking into other beliefs and religions for your own spiritual fulfillment.  If you find yourself at a crossroads, whether metaphorically or literally, remember to give a nod to Hecate.

Sources:

Cult of Hekate

The Hippie Witch

Festival of Hecate – Paperblog

Nov. 30th: Hecate Trivia

Alex Matsuo is the founder of the Association of Paranormal Study, author of the upcoming book The Haunted Actor, and host of ParaNation Radio which air every other Sunday @ 6pm PST/9pm EST.  She can be followed on Twitter at: @alexmatsuo

Written by APS Founder & Mid Atlantic Director:

Alex Matsuo

Today, the mainstream media has seemed to make the paranormal “normal” so to speak.  Many people credit television shows and documentary style of presenting the paranormal in such a way where it’s no longer a novelty or cliché, but a legitimate experience that many people share.  Many people think that the paranormal craze started in the late 20^th/early 21^st century and that this is a fairly new thing.

Actually, it’s not.  However, the perceptions of the paranormal has changed and evolved over the course of human history, and it’s a cycle that is simply repeating itself as opinions and the influence of religion changes.

What we call the paranormal today was called something else completely different before the term was even coined.  For the purpose of consistency, I’ll use the term “unknown” for the duration of this piece.

For thousands of years, humans worshipped deities whether it was in the form of a single God or several different gods and goddesses.  There was an awareness and knowledge of a spiritual world that was beyond our physical world.  Communicating with deceased ancestors was not out of the norm, and was a common practice.

But then, things changed…

Let us consider Elizabethan England, or the Renaissance.  The Reformation movement saw a new age of Protestantism and Catholicism became a hushed practice.  There wasn’t any mainstream knowledge of the unknown at the time, and those who studied and practiced it were regarded as evil or unholy so to speak.  Stories of such individuals like Doctor Faustus ran rampant to show the repercussions of seeking knowledge and consorting with the Devil.  According to the Bible, those that looked like spirits of our loved ones were really evil spirits in disguise meant to trick us.  And mediumship was out of the question as well and they were not popular people (but still consulted in secret).

Salem was not the only one famous for witch trials.  In England, there was a very real fear of witches and any sort of practice that would be interpreted as consorting with the Devil.  After participating in several witch trials in North Berwick, King James I of England (and VI of Scotland respectively) wrote a favorable account of witch hunting in his book, Daemonologie, in 1597.  This perception was acceptable and enforced.

Now, let’s fast-forward to the 19^th century.

http://www.occultopedia.com

Victorian times found a fascination with gothic themes and horror.  Stories of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde plus Charles Dickens incorporating ghosts in his works.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the rise in spirit photography, Spiritualism, séances, eerie special effects on the stage, and the founding of The Ghost Club in 1862 plus the Society for Psychical Research (1882), and American Society for Psychical Research (1884).  If there weren’t a widespread acceptance in what they perceived as the unknown, it wouldn’t have been as popular as it was.

It seems that acceptance of the unknown comes in waves.  The popularity of the unknown today is not unique, but it looks like this is here to stay for a while.  Hopefully, this acceptance will continue and not go back into hiding in a few decades.

But also rest assured that the acceptance of the unknown has come and go because there are people who have had experiences, regardless of societal views.  The popularity that we see today is thanks to media exposure heightening our awareness, but the popularity is not new for us, and hopefully the cycle will continue in the believer’s favor.

After the Halloween festivities have concluded, another celebration takes place.  Growing up in San Diego and having many friends with strong Mexican roots, I’m no stranger to Día de los Muertos or in English, “Day of the Dead.”  Today and tomorrow marks a two-day celebration where we remember those who have passed away, and the souls of these loved ones cross over from the Other Side and visit.  November 1^st is traditionally when the souls of children arrive and November 2^nd is when the adult souls arrive.  Traditionally, it is a happy celebration.  San Diego has a large celebration in Old Town, so if you’re in that area, head down there.  When I worked in the public schools in San Diego, celebrating Día de los Muertos was also an educational opportunity for my students to learn about another culture, or even dig down deeper into their own culture and family history, since about 95% of my students were from Mexico.  It was during this time with my students that Día de los Muertos became a part of my life, and will continue to do so every year until I go on my own journey to the other side.

But how exactly is Día de los Muertos celebrated?

Families will traditionally build an altar dedicated to their deceased loved ones.  These altars will be built weeks leading up to November 1^st and November 2^nd, and some will even hire companies to build elaborate altars.  However elaborate or modest the altars are, they serve the same purpose of remembering the dead.

These altars are decorated with flowers (specifically marigolds), paper known as papel picado, cloth or clothing belonging to the loved ones, photos, their favorite foods and beverages, candles, incense, salt, bread known as pan du muerto, sugar skulls, fresh fruit, and more.  The items on the altars are a gift to the souls after their long journey from the Other Side, so even having items such as water and toiletries on the altar is considered appreciated.

The souls that visit take in the essence of the items of the altar, taking away the smell of the flowers, and the taste and nutritional value of the food.  The more elaborate and expensive the altar is, the better, since the families want nothing but the best for the souls of their loved ones. These altars are usually indoors, but there are also outdoor altars as well in public buildings, schools, museums, and libraries.

In addition to these altars, the grave sites of these loved ones are cleaned up and decorated with flowers, candles, among other items.  In Mexico, it is a large celebration but it is also celebrated in other countries such as Spain, Guatemala, and Brazil.

My altar is usually rather humble with a table-cloth, photos, some fruit, candles, and my loved ones’ favorite foods.

While sugar skulls are one of the most popular parts of Día de los Muertos, the are of creating these beautiful items doesn’t stop at sugar.  Celebrants will often adorn their own faces with personal designs with makeup and wear costumes.

One of the most well-known skulls is La Calavera Catrina, usually donning an elegant hat and dress that was to be a dig against the Europhile Mexican elite.  She was created circa 1910 by artist Jose Guadalupe Posada.  She became an icon for the Mexican Revolution at the beginning of the 20^th century.  It is said that she is based on Aztec legend, Mictecacihuatl, the Lady of the Dead.

Whether it’s an altar, decorating your loved one’s gravesite, or taking a moment, be sure to remember and pay your respects to those who have already made their journey to the Other Side.

–Alex Matsuo, Founder & Director-Raleigh

• Day of the Dead makeup Examples
• Build Your Own Day of the Dead Altar
• Day of the Dead Bread Recipe
• Information on Papel Picado
• How To Make Sugar Skulls

Written By APS Founder & Mid-South Director: Alex Matsuo

The banshee is probably one of the most famous of Irish folklore.  Contrary to popular belief, the banshee is not a ghost, but instead part of the faery world.  The word “banshee” actually means “faery woman.”  Whether there is just one banshee, or several banshees has always been a mystery.  Legend says that the banshee can only cry for five particular families; the O’Briens, the O’Neills, O’Connors, O’Gradys, and the Kavanaughs.  Variations of this legend has implied that there is a banshee for each of these families.

Legend claims that if you hear the cry of a banshee, it means that someone will soon die.  The wailing cry is the most prominent and well-known characteristic of the banshee, and it has struck fear in the hearts of people for centuries.  It has also been said that instead of a wailing cry, the banshee is actually singing a chilling song lamenting the upcoming passing.  Legends also have said that the song is just for the person who is passing and the song leads them from life into death as they pass on to the other side.  Variations of the banshee cry/song changes depending on the area of Ireland from singing in Kerry to crying and wailing like an owl in Rathlin Island.

Those who hear the legend may assume that it is the banshee herself that causes the deaths and that she is an evil spirit collecting souls.  But is the banshee the proclaimer of death?  Or is she actually mourning the impending death and those who have passed before?  The latter is the more traditional and ancient legend of the banshee, and she possesses the foresight to warn families of impending deaths.

There is also legend of the physical appearance of a banshee.  She has been seen in the form of a woman, an old hag, or a stately matron.  These three forms are not without purpose, as they represent the three aspects of the Celtic goddess of war and death: Badhbh, Macha, and Mor-Rioghain.  The banshee has also been seen as a washer-woman, washing the bloodstained clothes of the person who was about to die.  She also said to wear a hooded cloak.

There is no one specific death associated with the banshee’s cry.  It can vary between the sudden death of a child to the death of an elderly family member dying of old age.   The most famous banshee legend tells of when King James I of Scotland was approached by a banshee and she foretold of his murder at the instigation of the Earl of Atholl.

For Further Research

The Banshee by Elliot O’Donnel

Banshee by Cormac Strain and Barry Fitzgerald

http://www.irelandseye.com/animation/explorer/banshee.html

http://www.marymalone.com/folklore.shtml

http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Banshee_(folklore)

http://www.yourirish.com/folklore/banshees/