Haints, Hollers, and Hoodoo

Things That Go Bump in the Literature: An Environmental Appraisal of “Haunted Houses”

This paper contains a narrative overview of the past 20-years of environmental research on anomalous experiences attributed to “haunted houses.” This exercise served as a much-needed update to an anthology of noteworthy overviews on ghosts, haunts, and poltergeists (Houran & Lange, 2001b). We also considered whether new studies had incorporated certain recommendations made in this anthology. Our search revealed a relative paucity of studies (n = 66) on environmental factors that ostensibly stimulate haunt-type experiences. This literature was diverse and often lacked methodological consistency and adherence to the prior suggestions. However, critical consideration of the content revealed a recurring focus on six ambient variables: embedded (static) cues, lighting levels, air quality, temperature, infrasound, and electromagnetic fields. Their relation to the onset or structure of witness reports showed mostly null, though sometimes inconsistent or weak outcomes. However, such research as related to haunts is arguably in its infancy and new designs are needed to account better for environmental and architectural phenomenology. Future studies should therefore address four areas: (i) more consistent and precise measurements of discrete ambient variables; (ii) the potential role of “Gestalt influences” that involve holistic environment-person interactions; (iii) individual differences in attentional or perceptual sensitivities of percipients to environmental variables; and (iv) the role of attitudinal and normative influences in the interpretation of environmental stimuli. Focused scrutiny on these issues should clarify the explanatory power of evolutionary-environmental models for these and related anomalous experiences.

Everything is about to “go dark”

I’m coming down from spending a few days at Usenix Security, right here in my hometown of Baltimore. This means that my days have been taken up with two kinds of conversation: first, explaini…

An investigation into alleged ‘hauntings’

In cases of alleged hauntings, a large number of seemingly trustworthy witnesses consistently report experiencing unusual phenomena (e.g. apparitions, sudden changes in temperature, a strong sense of presence) in certain locations. The two studies reported here explored the psychological mechanisms that underlie this apparent evidence of ‘ghostly’ activity. The experiments took place at two locations that have a considerable reputation for being haunted—Hampton Court Palace (Surrey, England) and the South Bridge Vaults (Edinburgh, Scotland). Both studies involved participants walking around these locations and reporting where they experienced unusual phenomena. Results revealed significantly more reports of unusual experiences in areas that had a reputation for being haunted. This effect was not related to participants' prior knowledge about the reputation of these areas. However, the location of participants' experiences correlated significantly with various environmental factors, including, for example, the variance of local magnetic fields and lighting levels. These findings strongly suggest that alleged hauntings may not necessarily represent evidence for ‘ghostly’ activity, but could be, at least in part, the result of people responding to ‘normal’ factors in their surroundings.

Furries Are Everywhere. That's Because We're People. - Ewan’s Blog

I genuinely cannot believe this is something I am writing about.

Rumi: Community Of The Spirit - Stillness Speaks

There is a community of the spirit. Join it, and feel the delight of walking in the noisy street and being the noise. ...  Enjoy Rumi's full poem by clicking read more below ... Also, visit  Poetry and Consciousness for more ...

The Eyewall

Seeing you through the storm

An Explanation (Which I Would Be Very Grateful If You Took The Time To Read)

What follows is a minor modern horror story.

haunted.at — an atmosphere compendium

Summon a presence on the Atmosphere.

ServerlessHorrors | Home

Stories you never want to feel on your own skin

Why it’s as hard to escape an echo chamber as it is to flee a cult | Aeon Essays

First you don’t hear other views. Then you can’t trust them. Your personal information network entraps you just like a cult

Hood Vacations — Oakland Public Library

Hood Vacations — Jones, Michal, — "Michal "MJ" Jones' debut Hood Vacations is a rhythmic & quiet rumbling--an unflinching recollection of Blackness, queerness, gender, and violence through lenses of family lineage and confessional narrative. A nostalgia for an unreachable home permeates these poems: "We were mighty beautiful once, in golden dust." The speaker of Hood Vacations tells of magic: of praying mantises, bathtub octopuses, Black ghosts, & bringing back "rainbow soap colors." It is a book of passing--as, through, and on. Hop on in."--

Virtue and a Sledgehammer

Go back to your hometown and tear it down with a sledgehammer in this narrative exploration game. Confront your past in a devastating story about feeling like you no longer belong in the place you grew up.

Hoodoo as Practice | Linktree

A hub for my curriculum "Hoodoo As Practice," linking Black spirituality, liberation, activism, and political awareness together for waking Black folk.

When Monsters Walk Among Us

More than four decades ago, the Greek composer and public intellectual Manos Hadjidakis issued a warning that now reads less like a reflection on fascism than a prophecy of our own time. The greatest danger, he suggested, comes when we grow accustomed to the monster, when its presence no longer shocks the conscience and its violence begins to merge with the routines of everyday life. Tolerance does not diminish the monster; it multiplies the conditions that allow it to flourish, strengthening its presence in public life until monstrosity itself acquires the authority to govern. In this instance, the collapse of conscience is inseparable from the uncoupling of “belief from judgment, conviction from action.”

Managing intrusive thoughts | Lifeline

Dealing with overwhelming and distressing thoughts can be difficult, but knowing how to handle them can make a big difference to how you feel. Learn why you might be experiencing intrusive thoughts and strategies that can help you manage them.