Tales of Halloween - All Hallows Eve 2022

Tales of Halloween | Full Movie | Awesome Horror Anthology | Greg Grunberg | Halloween 2022

Movie Central

3.48M subscribers

 75,207 views  Oct 21, 2022

Tales of Halloween - Ten stories from horror's top directors. Ghosts, ghouls, monsters, and the devil delight in terrorizing unsuspecting residents of a suburban neighborhood on Halloween night.

2015.  Stars: Greg Grunberg, Adrienne Barbeau(voice), Hunter Smit, Barry Bostwick, Cameron Easton

con't....

 

*************************

 

'All Hallows' Eve'

The pumpkin grinned from ear to ear,
“The moon is bright, the sky is clear;
This is the night we’ve waited for,
When elves come knocking on the door,

“When witches ride their broomsticks high
And ghosts and goblins fill the sky.
Then Jack and Jill, with fairy queen,
Will dance and sing: it’s Halloween.”

-- Constance B. Osborne

 

*************************

"Strange Things In The Woods" ft John DeSouza 10/28/22

October 29th, 2022.

Quite Frankly

21,403 subscribers

Friday night and we are going to skim through some relevant headlines, including a follow up on the immediate fallout from the Twitter sale, Paul Pelosi's hammer fight, and some audience submissions for Obese Disney titles. Then we welcome back Retired FBI paranormal investigator, John DeSouza, who recently contributed to David Paulides' latest installment to the Missing 411: The UFO Connection. Should be plenty of time in the second half to take some calls, and read through some entries on our Strange Things You've Seen in the Woods forum thread (very relevant to tonight's main topic). Halloween fun continues all weekend, including Saturday Night.

con't....

************

"I was out in the ranges stalking  when an animal bedded down under shrubs caught wind of me and stood up. It looked like a cross between a Brahman bulll and a zebra and we locked eyes. Slowly I  moved my hand towards my quiver, but the very second I touched an arrow, the thing turned tail and bolted down the hill.

"Needless to say, there are no Brahman nor zebra where I hunt. Haven't seen it since, but still have NO IDEA what I was looking at."

-- TheStinkingBishop

*************************

~Vlad Dracul~

Hero for All-Hallows Eve

Order of the Dragon

Vlad the Impaler - Dracula The Man & Myth Documentary

The People Profiles

442K subscribers

319,316 views - August 10, 2022

con't....

************

"That was BRILLIANT!!! I’ve never seen such a riveting portrait. What a strange time and place he lived in! In some ways he was more interesting than the myth. Truth is stranger than fiction."
-- Jaywill909

"I am sincerely impressed not only by the care for the exact pronounciation of all names (well done!), but also by the amount of research done and the exhaustive presentation of all historical facts. New subscriber here, keep up the great work!"
-- Angelfeather100

"Wow, this is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen on Vlad Tepes. It rivals the one done some years ago covering the book 'In Search of Dracula'."
-- jfnuyen

"Vlad the Impaler is what we now call Super-Hero"
-- Cro-Magnum

"I live in Canada my great auntie was from Romania she used to tell us kids stories about Vlad the Impaler in the early 1980s I still remember it"
-- Ryan Donovan

"Rise up Great Vlad Dracula, Europe needs you, rise up..."
-- D4Disdain

"This man was and is a hero for The West!!!"
-- jimsy7al

"Why no one makes a movie based on the real story as it is fascinating!"
-- C A F É B E A T S

*************************

'Terrifying close-up of an ant's face gives horror movie monsters a run for their money'

Angelica Stabile - Fox News via MSN - October 21, 2022

It turns out that zooming in on an ant’s face is an absolute nightmare.

A close-up photograph of an ant was sent in as a submission to the 48th annual Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition — and the results are freaky.

The tight shot of the tiny insect, captured by Dr. Eugenijus Kavaliauskas of Taurage, Lithuania, shows the ant’s beady red eyes, angry expression and what appears to be long, sharp teeth.

con't....

*************************

Lake of Fire!!

Close-up photograph of current erupting Hawaii volcano looks like the pit of Hell !

[Source: AP via MSN - 'Hawaii's Big Island gets warning as huge volcano rumbles']

*************************

*************************

Justina Szilágyi - Wife of Vlad Dracul

This would have made her Queen of Wallachia

*************************

The Mysterious Origin of Halloween - Randall Carlson

After Skool

2.42M Subscripers

208,233 views - October 24, 2022

Halloween is seen in our modern age as a day lacking in any historical meaning. It has become known for scary movies, candy, costumes and mischief. But there is a deep, universal tradition behind Halloween, also known as the Festival of the Dead, All Souls Day or Feast of the Ancestors. This festival is observed around the world, in the northern and southern hemispheres at the SAME time of year. In this video, we take a dive down the rabbit hole with Randall Carlson to uncover the mysterious origin of Halloween.

con't....

*************************

Libera Me

Mental Set

103,139 views - October 8, 2010

From "Interview with the Vampire" (1994)

************

'Libera me, Domine' (English translation)

Gabriel Fauré

'Free me, Lord'

Free me, Lord, from eternal death,
on that terrible day, on that day.
When the skies are to be moved,
when the skies are to be moved, and the earth.
As you'll come to judge the aeon/world by fire.
 
Terrified, terrified I have been caused to become,
and I fear, as the tremor will come
and the rage is going to come.
 
That day, the day of rage,
danger and misery
That day, the great
and bitter, very bitter day.
 
Bestow us eternal rest, Lord,
and constant light may shine for them, may shine for them.
 
Free me, Lord, from eternal death,
on that terrible day, on that day.
When the skies are to be moved,
when the skies are to be moved, and the earth.
As you'll come to judge the aeon/world by fire.
 
Free me, Lord, from eternal death.
Free me, Lord.

************

Libera me

"Libera me" ("Deliver me") is a responsory sung in the Office of the Dead in the Catholic Church, and at the absolution of the dead, a service of prayers for the dead said beside the coffin immediately after the Requiem Mass and before burial. The text asks God to have mercy upon the deceased person at the Last Judgment. In addition to the Gregorian chant in the Roman Gradual, many composers have written settings for the text, including Tomás Luis de Victoria, Anton Bruckner (two settings), Giuseppe Verdi, Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Duruflé, Igor Stravinsky, Benjamin Britten, Sigismund von Neukomm, Orlande de Lassus, Krzysztof Penderecki, Antonio Salieri, Lorenzo Perosi, Arnold Rosner and Patrick Gowers (first stanza only). The Christian technical thrash band Believer also used the entire text in the operatically sung section of "Dies Iræ (Day of Wrath)" in their 1990 album Sanity Obscure.

************

"Halloween music"

Danse Macabre - Camille Saint-Saens
Devil Went Down to Georgia - Charlie Daniels Band
Skeletons in my Closet - Alice Cooper
Witchy Woman - Eagles
Dark Shadows Theme- Robert Cobert
This is Halloween - Danny Elfman
Monster Mash - Bobby Pickett
Halloween - Misfits
Hallow's Eve - Hallows Eve
Hellbound / Second Sight Seance - Christopher Young
Iron Maiden Studio version - Iron Maiden
Vedergällningen - Garmarna
Burzum - Dunkelheit
Type O Negative - Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare)
Helloween - Halloween
The Legend of Wooly Swamp - Charlie Daniels Band
Stigmata Martyr - Bauhaus
Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan
Time of The Season - Zombies
Season of The Witch - Donovan
"The Future" and "You Want it Darker" - Leonard Cohen
Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley
Monsters' Holiday - Buck Owens
Night On Bald Mountain - Fantasia (1941)
Haunted House - Jumpin' Gene Simmons (not the one from KISS)
The Cramps - Human Fly
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
I Put a Spell on You - Credence Clearwater Revival
Spooky - Atlanta Rhythm Section
Witchy Woman (Eagles) - Doctor Sleep
Demented Are Go - Shadow Crypt
Last Caress - The Misfits
London Dungeon - Prong
This is Halloween - Leo Moracchioli
House of 1000 Corpses - Rob Zombie
Då Som Nu För Alltid - Kent
They're Coming to Take Me Away -  Butcher Babies
A.F.I. - "Totalimmortal" - A.F.I.
Temptation - Cradle Of Filth
The Death of Love -  Cradle Of Filth
The Blood - Such Fun - The Blood
My Dark Place Alone - Murderdolls
Necrodaemon Terrorsathan 2020 - Belphegor
Conjuring The Dead - Belphegor
We Are the Truth - Mushroomhead
Twilight Zone - Manhattan Transfer
Lil' Red Riding Hood - Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs
Halloween Music - Dark Castle of Mystbane - Fantasy & World Music by the Fiechters
Halloween Music - Haunted Organ | Dark, Vampire - Fantasy & World Music by the Fiechters
Spooky Carnival Music - Antique Carousel of Fright  - Fantasy & World Music by the Fiechters

*************************

          Autumn’s Spell

                The fields of wheat are seas of gold
                Along the open country road.
                The orchard’s wealth clings to the vine,
                Clustered fruit for sweet, red wine.

                The cornstalks’ silken, tasseled heads
                Stand tall above the melon beds;
                The golden pumpkin waits its fate
                To be a jack-o’lantern’s face,

                While in the cornfield at his post,
                Reluctant scarecrow’s playing host
                To crows who taunt his haystack head
                And raid, like beggars, the harvest bed.

                The harvesttime is a holiday
                Of brilliant colors, costumes gay,
                So Autumn, weave your magic spell
                Ere winter’s white shrouds hill and dell.

                -- Edith Elaine Williamson

.

Invictus: Part 3 - "The Wolf Age"

As I sit here in the cold of a garage, as I have for about five weeks now, I ponder the upcoming Full Wolf Moon which will occur on Monday evening. Monday, "Moon's Day," February 17, 2022. Up to about a week ago, the coldest three-week spell that I can ever remember around here occurred. It never got above about 48 degrees, and dipped down into the 30's on a number of mornings. Although that is not unusual for many parts, for me it's more extreme since I am living in a garage with no heat, and no bed.

Today when I returned from an errand, I saw where the renovation team had emptied the upstairs refrigerator. It reminded me of one of the earliest lessons that my mother had taught me: Never waste food. Perhaps she may have thought about being cold and hungry at times as a child during the unforgiving winters of rural northern Wisconsin. Now she is gone, and I must go on, struggling to meet a lessor opponent than she had met.

In about a week, I must leave this place permanently, and I have already used up a lot of favors. There is a method to this madness, but it's easy to lose grip of it as events control me more than I control them. I don't recall of ever absolutely having to seize opportunities when they present themselves, amid many very dark down periods. For me now, this truly is "The Wolf Age." During this time, I have contracted a condition called chilblains from my fingers and toes being subjected to incessant cold. It's difficult to sleep from the painful swelling of he blood vessels. As I literally shiver now on this Saturday night as I type this, should I complain to someone, or maybe just cave in and quit?

Should I just take on a negative attitude, feel sorry for myself, use some sort of pain killer, or perhaps just become a bad person? Or... should I think of my father who died on a lost highway taking care of his family, my sister who died in battle near Beirut, or my mother who worked as a shipping/receiving clerk for sixty hours a week to keep our home going after they were gone? If they're looking down upon me right now, would they think I'm showing any courage, or at least resiliency? I think this is still a true test of wits and will. My numb fingers and toes are proof enough of at least that. The coyote howls from down in the cold dark canyon now symbolize more than just a fanciful reminder of nature, but of the harshness of life's struggle. This time it's not just talk.

Once more into the fray...
Into the last good fight I'll ever know.
Live and die on this day...
Live and die on this day...

-- 'The Grey'

.

'A Mountain Rose'

My mother lived in Kelseyville, CA for many years, at the base of Mt. Konocti (elev 4,305 ft)

'A Mountain Rose'

Her brood hailed from the highlands,
Tantamount to the sky's islands.
Now so very distant from those ancient shadows,
Still in the blood, she remains a wiley and radiant mountain rose.
For me, this woman was my teacher more than any other,
So proud that she was my mother.

 

.

Invictus: Part 2 - Facing The Crossroads

'The Bend in the Road'

We come to life's crossroads
And we view what we think is the end.
But God has a much wider vision
And He knows it's only a bend-

The road will go on and get smoother
And after we've stopped for a rest,
The path that lies hidden beyond us
Is often the path that is best

So rest and relax and grow stronger,
Let go and let God share your load
And have faith in a brighter tomorrow-
You've just come to a bend in the road

-- Helen Steiner Rice

 

************

 

A stranger shared this with me a few days ago, who knew nothing of my current predicament.

 

.

Invictus: Part 1 - The struggle to be the architect of one's own destiny

My late mother, now gone six months already, owned a book entitled 'A Treasury of the World's Best Loved Poems'. Now as I engage in the final steps of clearing out her house, a week ago, I came upon this book. With a soft leather cover, it was published in 1961 by Avenel Books. She probably had this book for a large portion of her life. As I opened it, almost magically it stopped at one page. As I looked down upon this page, I read the name of a particular poem: 'Invictus', by William Ernest Henley. Was it a message for me during this, a very trying time for me?

 

'Invictus'

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall finde me, unafraid,

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

-- William Ernest Henley

.

My mother passed away today

'I Was Young Once'

by Bida (AllPoetry.com)

Once upon a time
I was but a kid
After other things
In the games hid

Once upon a time
I was but a teen
To me the life
Seemed ever green

Once upon a time
I was in my youth
Each opportunity was
Of the heights booth

Once upon a time
Was a man young
Songs of romance
Were by me sung

Of teen and youth
Now gone are days
Each age has beauty
My heart now says

 

************

 

 

So often people have said over the ages: "There wasn't enough time." I think that's true, but also we just wish there could be more time. Somewhere I heard, I don't remember where, that "if life was fair, mother's would last forever." Only two months ago, there she was sitting out on that deck behind her home, beyond the six-foot fence along the steep hillside, which is directly connected to the northern Santa Cruz Mountains. There was a little heat wave here, it was probably about 75 degrees, still, sunny, no clouds, a perfect morning. She was sipping a small glass of Lamarca wine and speaking to me. She was healthy in mind and body, although a serious health issue had arisen recently, but more of a long-term problem. That was her final day in the sun, literally and figuratively speaking, and now she's gone from this world... at least for this incarnation. She didn't suffer for long. Many languish for years in her state of the past weeks. She is free, but I will especially miss all of the laughs we had together.

She was indeed young and beautiful once, growing up in the rural Midwest, relatively poor but happy. Of course, being my mother, we are part of the same "soul group family." Although apparently roles change from life to life, I wish she could be my mother many, many times again. I couldn't have asked for a better mom. Now I have lost my mother Janet, my older sister Katherine, and my fiance Rachel. I guess they make something of a perfect spiritual trifecta for me. I wish they all could be here still, but this was what fate gave me. Maybe next time it will go better, happier, and a lot longer. In that instance, I would also have my father as well, and there would have been children and all the rest of it in this daydream. It could have gone very differently for us.

Novelist and TV personality Brad Meltzer--known for his knowledge of ancient codes, the occult, legends, and folklore--when asked about "the end of the world" within religions, legends, and folklore... started out by saying that when his mother passed away, it was "the end of the world for him," or felt like it. During my nightly exercising during these difficult last weeks, I saw the cherry blossoms blooming in the area. Even in the dim light I could make out the pink coloring, emerging in a thick pink mass on the trees. I remember from the film 'The Last Samurai', two scenes about cherry blossoms; in particular, "the perfect cherry blossom." One of her best friends was Japanese.

"The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life," Katsumoto said. Near the end of the film, dying, he saw a beautiful cherry blossom tree in full bloom amid the carnage of the battle. "Perfect. They... are all... perfect..." he finally stated. On the hallway outside of my mother's room was hanging a small painting of a cherry blossom tree. The painting depicted the tree in the dark of night, with trees and hills in the background... much like the ones I saw on those nights.

At the end of the film, the Emperor asked Captain Algren in regards to Katsumoto: "How did he die?" Algren responded: "I will tell you have he lived." The Emperor also said during that scene: "We cannot forget who we are, or where we came from." In the bylaws of profession sports, there's what they call a "franchise player," where a team can declare a player or two to be off-limits to be signed and taken away from the team. Life and fate, of course, offer no such thing. Perhaps it was still dark out when she passed, in an unpleasant building of strangers; however the light from the gentle spirits of her family on the other side swooped down to claim their own.

Birth.... Life.... Death and to a New Arising....

 

~She is now the morning and the spring~

 

.

Festa di Tana 2021 - Part 3 - "the beautiful darkness"

"A Romance in Darkness"

From reverse label....

 

Apothic Dark

Red Blend

There's a romance in darkness, it draws our curiosity and beckons a desire to taste the unknown.

Apothic Dark blends dark fruit flavors of blueberry with opullent notes of coffee and dark chocolate for a rich, yet silky smooth, wine experience.

www.apothic.com

Vinted and bottled by Apothic Wines, Modesto, CA

************

 

Apothic (along with related words) have numerous different meanings as they progressed through Greek and Latin to English over the centuries.

 

************

 

How do the words "apothic", "apotheca", and "apothecary" correlate?How do the words "apothic", "apotheca", and "apothecary" correlate?

Tarquin_McBeard (reddit.com)

An "apotheca", in Ancient Greek and Ancient Latin, was a word for a warehouse or repository. As far as I know, this word does not exist in English. In later Latin, the word came to mean a shop or store.

This led to the derived term "apothecarius", meaning shopkeeper. It is from this Latin word that we get the English "apothecary", which had narrowed in meaning to refer specifically to the keeper of a drugstore.

And "Apothic" is apparently a brand name for some kind of wine. This word too is derived from "apotheca", because wine casks were stored in warehouses.

 

************

 

apothic

Beautiful or stunning.

Staring deep into the apothic abyss, I found myself feeling as if there were a woman, somewhere down there that had my heart

by Fuzzy Andrews (UrbanDictionary.com)

 

************

 

Apothic

(Definitions.net)

Epic doom on a biblical scale.

These apothic events led to the end of their civilization.

 

************ 

apothecary

(Merriam-Webster.com)

noun

apoth·​e·​cary | \ ə-ˈpä-thə-ˌker-ē, -ˌke-rē \

plural: apothecaries

 

Definition of apothecary
1 : one who prepares and sells drugs or compounds for medicinal purposes
2 : pharmacy

 

Apothecaries, Bodegas, and Boutiques

Apothecary, bodega, and boutique may not look very similar, but they are all related both in meaning and in origin. Each of these words can be traced back to a Latin word for “storehouse” (apotheca), and each one refers in English to a retail establishment of some sort. Although bodega initially meant “a storehouse for wine,” it now most commonly refers to a grocery store in an urban area, especially one that specializes in Hispanic groceries.

Boutique has also taken on new meanings: its first sense in English (“a small retail store”) is still current, but it now may also denote “a small company that offers highly specialized products or services.” Of the three words, apothecary has changed the least; it has gone from referring solely to the person who sells drugs or medicines to also naming the store where such goods are sold.

 

Examples of apothecary in a Sentence

in olden days the apothecary had few drugs that actually cured anything, most substances being little more than pain relievers the historic village boasts an old-fashioned apothecary that's been there for almost a century and a half

Recent Examples on the Web To go with the Grey Hen's new look, modeled after a New Orleans-style apothecary, the cocktails will be served in brown glass medicine bottles and include ingredients historically thought to cure ailments. — Tirion Morris, The Arizona Republic, "These award-winning Arizona bars now serve takeout cocktails. Here's what's on the menus," 11 July 2020 The right tiny glass bottles, which will make your bathroom look like a chic apothecary, can transform your face better than almost anything, short of a visit to the dermatologist. — Jenny Singer, Glamour, "The Ordinary Peeling Solution Completely Transformed My Skin," 20 May 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apothecary.'

 

First Known Use of apothecary

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for apothecary

Middle English apothecarie, apotecarie, pothecarie, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French apothecaire, ipotecaire, borrowed from Medieval Latin apotēcārius, apothēcārius, going back to Late Latin, "shopkeeper," from Latin apothēca "storeroom, storehouse, repository" (borrowed from Greek apothḗkē, from apothē-, variant stem of apotithénai "to put away, stow away" —from apo- apo- + tithénai "to put, place"— + -kē, noun suffix) + -ārius -ary

************

 

15th century French apothecary

Apothecary (Wikipedia)

Apoth (Wiktionary)

Apoth (Urban Dictinary)

Apotheosis (Wiktionary)

 

*************************

 

Nighthawk

Last night during a late hike along the trails, I finally saw it. A avian which was not an owl, literally flying at night; a hawk no less! It startled me at first, then I just assumed it was an owl; it wasn't. It was clearly a hawk by its outline. There it was, gliding confidently. Occasionally a bird could be disturbed at night and take to flight, while other times birds can make noises at night. No, this was a hawk likely hunting. The trails are filled with little brush rabbits in the darkness, as I also could plainly see last night. So now I know that "nighthawk" isn't just a fancy marketing play.

A night hike always has surprises. Prior to arriving, I saw a large wolf-like coyote; this always will get your attention. I suspect that, although wolves have long been eliminated from California, wolf DNA still lives on in some coyotes. This sight gave me an ominous feeling; would they attack me along the trail? If in a pack, it's always possible. However, I have encountered a half dozen small coyotes with no problem. The coyotes which I have observed in southern San Mateo County and southward appear to be the typical small variety; while I think some have arrived in the area from Marin County to the north... and probably beyond that. It's possible that they could account for the large sized ones. It was quite a sight.

While hiking I saw what at first looked like some type of "orb" floating across the field ahead. It stopped a few times, then kept moving from left to right and eventually crossing the trail. I thought "could this be some type of paranormal thing?" For a split second, I did catch a glimpse of it; it was a raccoon's eyes, mindful of me as it moved. Somehow it seems that there would be a lot less meaning to be out there if there were no animals, no mysteries about. Even the apex predator of the little region, the large coyote spotted earlier, adds just a slight hint of peril. Hypothetically, if the area was fully developed and paved over... the night peril would merely switch over to the more dangerous creature on two legs. The darkness and desolation is humbling.

At another point, I caught a glimpse of an unknown creature. It may have been a weasel with dark fur. I saw an orange and white weasel once some years ago. I suspect that was what is was, hunting for smaller prey (mice, shrews, gophers). There's a mystery to the darkness. Even if I'm not out there, there's a fascination I feel just looking in the direction of the dark canyon and knowing that there's activity out there.... creatures feeding on vegetation... others hunting for meat... a real struggle for life and death for them as we sleep.

At one clearing along the trail, I came around the bend and startled a raccoon. It scurried up one of several nearby trees, then stood on a limb and held onto a branch with one hand and peered down at me. It almost looked like a little ape in the darkness. After feeling some trepidation while making my way through some thick brush in the darkness amid some cracking sounds and sounds of footsteps, the raccoon provided some comic relief. Since raccoons aren't fast runners, it probably felt the better move would be the safety of a tree.

 

************

 

Nightmare archetypes

"Deep into that darkness peering. Long I stood there, wondering... fearing... doubting..." -- Edgar Allan Poe

One of the standard settings for documentaries and footage of evolutionary struggle in animals is, of course, the African savannah. In particular, the brutal struggle between lions and hyenas. Hyenas are not cowards, despite their so-called "cowardly laugh." Their jaws are so powerful that they can break an elephants thigh bone to get at the bone marrow. Lions, especially male lions, are incredible brutes who can devour one hundred pounds of meat in one sitting. They have the eyes of a killer like perhaps no other animal. One interesting side note is that a male lion always dominate the lion pride; for hyenas, a female is always the queen of the pack. To digress, the African savannah at night is extraordinarily barbaric and bloodthirsty.

I have watched literally hundreds of documentaries and videos of the African savannah in my life. The desperate struggle of life there is in my subconscious I suppose; one of those nightmares that linger in man's psyche that we always read quotes about. A couple of nights after the previous account above, I was again hiking that same trail at night when I came upon the clear outline of a coyote's head in a dark grassy field, black against some distant urban lights. As I shined my flashlight at it, the outline remained black... only with eye shine to go with it! I knew it was a coyote, and had to wonder if it could become aggressive. Just after I took the light off from it, it took off running towards the trail. I again shined my flashlight at it, and could see it moving towards the trail behind me about fifty feet away.

I was fairly certain that it wasn't looking to attack me, but I kept my light on it. It seemed to cross over and move up a hillside. Still, the sight of that black head with white eye shine remained with me. Somewhat coincidentally, later that evening I came upon a video from last summer of a mountain lion which has been seen in a residential neighborhood only about four miles from the trails that I usually hike. I couldn't help but think that maybe a mountain lion could wander up there looking for some new hunting ground. The next night I was hiking in a more remote location in the nearby mountains. Actually I didn't intend on being up there in the dark, but it just got dark on me.

While I walked in the darkness, the images of the mountain lion from the video and my own memory of the black coyote head with the eerie white eye shine merged together in my mind with all the footage of carnage I've watched of the African savannah at night. It was indeed dark, and somehow the very real local presence of a mountain lion conjured up a perception of an African lioness, while the eerie image of that coyote conjured up the perception of a hyena. Somehow all of those quotes that we've all read over the years about "the archetypal nightmares that lurk inside man's dark subconscious"--which we never really take seriously while reading them--suddenly became very real to me!

 

 

As I shined my flashlight out into the dark terrain of grass and shrub, I couldn't help but think of all of those hundreds of videos of the merciless African savannah! The very real possibility of a mountain lion being out there because of the news story and video... made it seem altogether real to me. If that mountain lion was audacious enough to walk down the street of a neighborhood, it certainly could have took to these nearby trails. The fear of that real possibility somehow just got attached to all the other stuff.. the brutal savannah at night. I mean.. it looked like the same type of terrain from all of those videos, the same terrain, the same darkness, and almost a similar remoteness.

Those mountain trails are not somewhere that you want to be at night, which is why I stick to the nearby flatland trails if I go at night. However, here I was; about a forty minute walk back to the street where my car was parked. Now I think I have a newfound appreciation for all of those quotes about "man's archetypal nightmares." My mind was playing tricks on me up there, conflating some real possible dangers with my "African savannah nightmare" scenario. All of those dangerous animals: lions, hyenas, African hunting dogs, hippos, crocs, big poisonous snakes, etc... from all of those videos.

It's very dark up there at night, and as I walked through the blackness of the groves of trees for the last twenty minutes, the uneasy feelings only got worse. Also, I have run across several very strange people on trails over the years in broad daylight, and recalling all of those true crime programs on ID... all of those brutal crimes. Even the dangers of African animals could remind one of the horrific chimpanzee attacks on people in recent years. All one's fears come out in the darkness and desolation. Still, I can't help but think of the walk I took in a much more tame wooded trail a couple of weeks before during the little early spring heat wave we had; the warmth, the stillness, the hoot of an owl above, the howl of a coyote in the far distance, the full moon shining through the tree tops onto the trail... beautiful.

*************************

 

 

Your mind is fooled

Roam in your flight

Your sight is blurred

Embrace your might

-- Poem from a Satanist whom I encountered online

*************************

The woman with the hypnotic eyes

I believe that I mentioned this story once on here. It occurred at a time when I was having some type of powerful spiritual awakening. For weeks, every day seemed to bring more and more complex synchronicities. Some of it so unbelievable that I chose not to divulge it. There's just no way to review the events without it sounding crazy. However, I can tell at least this much.

One night I was driving nearby where I live; on the other side of the mountain... so to speak. I recall that it was just after twilight, with a little glimpse of the orange sky at one point far in the distance. The residential street was quiet, no traffic, and it was located nearby the mountains here; the peaks visible in the near distance. As I slowed for a stop sign, a somewhat unusual looking woman came into focus along the sidewalk. She was looking right at me. I don't recall if she was walking or not. She seemed to be late thirties to early forties, had somewhere between long and shoulder length dark hair, probably brown or hazel eyes which looked dark at least in the night, attractive without being beautiful, Mediterranean in appearance, maybe 5'6" to 5'7", wearing darker clothing with some type of cape dress, and last but not least... prominent, hypnotic eyes; the kind've eyes that don't blink!

There was so much energy in those eyes, and she was clearly looking at me, there was no ifs, ans, or buts about it! I found myself looking back into her eyes. They just drew me in. I wanted so badly to just keep looking, to feel the surge of energy, to unlock the mystery of her. Who was she? Why was she looking at me? What is she really like? What's her program? Far from an "energy vampire," she was emitting energy, if anything! The stop sign was another fifteen feet away, and if I just drove up to it I would have passed her. I slowed down slightly, still looking into her eyes. I had full control, I think. The energy from her hypnotic-like stare was more powerful than any feelings of silliness which I may have otherwise felt.

What could I have said? What if I had stopped and pressed the button to roll down the window next to her? Would she have said something? Would she be surprised, angry, calm? Somehow I kind've doubt she would be afraid. Did she have a message for me? Did she pick up something from me, such as a connection of some sort, or energetic recognition? Was she even real? Could I have just stated flatly what I was thinking? She seemed to have walked out from one of the residences, and there's really just no way that she could have been seeking some guy, etc. It wasn't that type of neighborhood at all.

I wish I had stopped and took a chance, rather than just wonder about it. I could have said hello, could have introduced myself, or could have complimented her. Would she have thought I was impressive, brave, silly, stupid? Maybe it wasn't about "getting with her" at all; maybe she had a program. In other words, maybe there was a mystery that had nothing to do with either formal or base sort've things. She couldn't have just been another woman. There had to be something else to it. It was probably a chance worth taking.

 

"It's judgement that defeats us." -- Col. Kurtz

 

************ 

It's kind've like the old story about a flood. A massive flood was engulfing a rural town once. A good Christian man proclaimed that he was going to leave the fate of his family with God! As the water was rising, a policeman drove up and offered to drive them to safety. "Thank you, but no. We're going to have faith in the Lord!" As the water reached the house, a recuse team arrived on a boat and offered to ride them to safety. "No, thank you. We're going to stick it out and have trust in God!" As the water was rising and rising, the family had to take refuge on the roof top. A rescue helicopter came by, and they shouted into a loud speaker, offering to fly the family to safety. "No, we're going to put ALL of our trust in the LORD!!" the man yelled back.

As the story goes, the family all perished in the flood. The man was infuriated as he stormed to the Gates of Heaven. "God, why did you allow us to perish!? We put all of our trust in you, and you let us down!" God then looked at him and said: "What are you talking about? I sent you a car, a boat, a helicopter...."

 

************

 

I've experiences some surreal or paranormal events in my life, but I never shared the experience with anyone else. Again, given the synchronicities which I had been experiencing, I suspect that there was something more to this experience. I may have felt that I was in control, it's hard to say for certain. She had something for me; maybe it was good, maybe not. She wasn't an ordinary person. For some reason, I'm thinking of a line from the film 'Heaven Can Wait', in which the angel-figure "Mr. Jordan" tries to bring the obstinate protagonist out've his fog:

"Joe, come here. I want you to look at me and listen very carefully to what I'm saying. This is not a dream. Life has a certain quality all its own; a certain feeling, and so do dreams. You know that this is not life, and you know now that this is not a dream. This is a place that comes after life, and after dreams."

I suppose I should add that in my perception relative to this event, it would mean aside from life or dreams. I should have at least received the message which she had for me. Sometimes your name is called....

*************************

 

 

"I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses."

-- Friedrich Nietzsche

*************************

Bananarama - Venus (Lyrics)

Audioandlyrics

Artist: Bananarama
Song: Venus
Album: True Confessions
Year: 1986

Photo: https://unsplash.com/photos/3guBQuEqvYM​

~I don't own the song
enjoy!

Copyright Email: Audioandlyrics543@gmail.com

************

"Venus: The Roman goddess of beauty and love." -- Bow to the Muffins

Bananarama - Venus (Official Video)

.