Voodoo and Priestesses

Alright, in this blog post, I would like to talk about someone who has had a big impact on me and my fascination with the paranormal. Her name is Marie Laveau. She was a big-time Voodoo priestess down in Louisiana in the 1800s, everyone knew her name. 

Below, is a book that I would recommend reading about Marie. Growing up and hearing about who she was and the types of black magic she preformed, I thought she was evil and scary. But actually, she was pretty normal, aside from all supernatural works she does. She was the mother of 8 kids and was actually inter-racial. You can read more about the famous voodoo priestess from the link below.

Marie Laveau Voodoo Priestess

The next  thing I want to talk to you about, is what Marie actually did when she was alive, and what voodoo really is. 

There are three different types of voodoo: Louisiana Voodoo, Haitian Voodoo and West African Vodun.
On the site What is Voodoo they explain all three different types of Voodoo, but they also gave me the general definition of the religion. It says:

Voodoo (also spelled Vodou) is an ancient West African religion practiced by more than 30 million people in Benin, Togo and Ghana. Voodoo varieties are also present in the United States, and the Caribbean. The word ‘vodou’ comes from the languages of West Africa, and means ‘spirit’. That is appropriate as Voodoo is a religion of spirits. Practitioners of Voodoo (who are called Voodooists) believe that the world of humans is shared by the world of the spirits. When a person dies, his spirit passed to the world of the unseen but is still able to see the human world, the visible world. Spirits, it is believed, in some cases can even impact the world of the living.

The last and final clips I'm providing below are a further explanation of Voodoo and an actual video of Voodoo being performed in all three different styles.

What is Voodoo- With Joan Rivers

Voodoo in Louisiana

Haitian Voodoo

West African Vodun

Books and Shows I recommend.

Since I'm so interested in the belief of the Supernatural, I have a couple of books and T.V. shows I would like to recommend if you have further interest in the topic! Some of these recommended links are fake supernatural shows that are just for fun, and the others are stories that are believed to be true! All of the books are based off of the city of New Orleans, which is the city that first got me interested in the subject and also gave me stories to make me believe. 

Books:


Louisiana's Haunted Plantations

New Orleans Ghosts

The Ghosts of New Orleans

Ghosts Among Us 

Television Shows:
Supernatural 


The Dead Files

Types of Angels and Demons

There are a lot of different ideas about the afterlife, but two of the best known creatures of the supernatural realm are Angels and Demons.



The word Angel stems from the Latin language and means "messengers". They are believed to helpers of God and they come in many different forms, below I have researched each type of angel and demon and provided you with descriptions below. Information for the angels was found through this link ---> Types of Angels. Like the government, it is believed that angels have branches, or ¨spheres¨.

the first sphere:



Cherubim angels-Genesis 3:24 and Ezekiel 10:1-22 - These angels are the second highest in the nine hierarchies of angels. They are intercessors of God. Their mission is also to protect the throne of God. They are fierce angels.When they come to earth, they have great power of apocalypse nature. They have four faces: one of a man, one of an ox, one of an eagle, and one of a lion.






Seraphim angels-Isaiah 6:2 - These angels are closest to God. They praise God and represent His love. There are only four of them. Their primary mission is to protect the throne of God. They have six wings: two cover their faces, two cover their bodies, and two cover their feet.



















Thrones – Colossians 1:16 – Their name literally means throne or highly ornamented chair. These angels dispense God’s divine judgment. The lower hierarchies of angels need the Thrones to gain access God.








The Second Sphere:

Dominions – Colossians 1:16 - These are the angels of leadership, regulating the duties of the angels. They give power to heads of government and other authority figures. They have the appearance of humans with wings.


Virtues – 1 Peter 3:22 - These angels are known as the Spirits of Motion and control the elements. They govern all nature and perform miracles. They provide courage, grace, and valor.


Powers – Colossians 1:16 - These angels have the task of controlling the border between heaven and earth. They are warrior angels who fight against evil. They are the angels of birth and death.


The Third Sphere:




Principalities – Colossians 1:16 - These angels look over groups of people. They are in charge of the world’s nations, cities, and towns. Their duties include taking charge of religion, politics, and the duties of the angels on earth below them.


Archangel – 1 Thessalonians 4:16 - This angel is the chief angel, guardian of people and all things physical. The archangel appears only in human form and has the task of being God’s messenger to people at critical times of need.


Angels – Throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation - These angels act as our personal guardian. They deliver prayers to God and God’s answers and messages to us. They have the task of nurturing, counseling, and healing us.

Information about demons was found through this link ---> Types of Demons




Lesser Demons


Lesser demons are the lower form of demon. They are not as advanced in the way they work as the shapeshifters but they still possess and a dark and negative power. Lesser demons are a combination of masses of dark and negative souls that have been compressed together to form a dark energy being. Lesser demons are a weaker and less powerful form of demon but hey are still a threat.








Dark ET's and Reptilians/greys
Dark ET's and Reptilians are alien dark forces. They work together with the demons of the dark side. There more advanced then the demons of the dark forces and they control and are leaders of many demons. Dark ET's and reptilians are on a much higher level of power than the demons and therefore retain a higher intelligence because of that. Dark ET's are harder to remove because of there level of intelligence and power. Dark ET's work on a much deeper level within humans to separate them from there higher soul or higher level of power. Dark ET's and reptilians also steal the astral body or spirit body of many humans while they sleep and dream. Dark ET's have also created a conflict with the laws of the universe by interfering with the freewill of the human population.





Fallen Angels- Fallen Angels are dark angelic beings. Fallen Angels were once light beings but over time they chose to have power over and control the human race. They chose the darkside and were separated from the angels of the light. Fallen angels are extremely rare and have been found to only possess female women. They are not a major threat in the battle of power over the human race.












Sorcerer Spirit Entities or Negative Spirit Entities (spirits that have chosen to work with the dark forces)



They are a special group of negative spirits that have chosen a much darker path then the ordinary negative spirit entities. SSE exist by stealing soul pieces and personal power from the people they possess. SSE work together with demons to have more power over the person they possess. Many were at one time sorcerers in there life on earth. Sorcerers were people that worked with the power of the dark-side to have power over other people. Many sorcerers were from the medieval ages but still Sorcerers can be found in all walks of life in modern times from the energy thief that wastes your time and steals your energy to the rapist who steals the power of the women he rapes. SSE steal and hold parts of personal power from the people they possess and when they are removed they must give up the parts of power they have stolen.

Fun/Interesting videos of near death experiences and Reincarnation.

For the past few blog posts, I've talked about actually dying and not knowing what happens. I know that there is no definite answer to what happens, but there have been occasions where people have died and come back to life. 

This is called a "Near Death Experience". Below, are several videos with people who claim to have actually experienced this and tell what they have seen.   

Man Dies for 45 Minutes and comes back after prayers.

Little Boy sees Heaven

Little girl meets her Guardian Angel.

Another interesting belief is something that I already talked a little bit about, but I would like to revisit it with this amazing story I provided below. Reincarnation is the belief of when you die, your soul leaves the body and moves on to another vessel, be it another person, or an animal or an insect. Anyways, this video is about a little boy who claims he remembers his past life.

Boy remembers past life Part 1/5

Boy Remembers past life 2/5

Boy remembers past life 3/5

Boy remembers past life 4/5

Boy remembers past life 5/5

Islam- Ritual and Beliefs

So, we've talked about a lot of the well known theories of where we go when we pass. Well, I've decided to start digging deeper and I wanted to do a little research about the Muslim people and their rituals and beliefs.

From what I've gathered, after one passes, they take the body, similarly to the Egyptians and prepare the body for burial by washing it, perfuming it and shrouding it.

In an article I read on a website called "Deathreference.com" they talk about what is believed to happen to the soul after it has left the body. Here is the full explianation:




"Once a Muslim dies, the people left behind must prepare the body by washing, perfuming, and shrouding it. The funeral prayer is then performed, and the deceased is buried in a graveyard without a coffin, simply laid in the earth and covered. A person, usually a relative, informs the deceased of what is happening, as Muslims believe that the deceased can hear and understand what is being said. Muslims believe the dead person is not always aware of the transition, and so the one giving instructions informs the deceased that he or she has died, is being laid in the grave, and that two angels known as Munkar and Nakir will soon come into the grave to ask three questions. To the first question, "Who is your Lord?," the deceased is instructed to reply, "Allah." In answer to the second question, "Who is your Prophet?," the deceased should say, "Muhammad," and the correct response to the third question, "What is your religion?," is "Islam." If the individual passes this first phase of the afterlife, the experience of the grave is pleasant, and he or she is given glimpses of the pleasures of paradise. If however, the deceased does not pass this phase, then the grave is the first stage of chastisement.


After this, the soul sleeps and does not awake until a blast from an angel at God's command. According to Islamic tradition, this blast signals the end of the world and kills any remaining souls on the earth. It is followed by a second blast that causes all of the souls to be resurrected. At this point, humanity is raised up and assembled on a plain. The Quran states, "On that day We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another; the trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together" (Quran, p. 735). From there, humanity will beg each of the prophets to intercede for them and hasten the Day of Judgment because the waiting is so terrible, but the prophets will refuse. Finally, all of humanity goes to the Prophet Muhammad. He will agree to intercede for them and ask that the Judgment commence. This intercession is granted to him alone. Then, each soul is judged based upon its beliefs and actions, which are weighed in the scales of divine justice. At this point, the two guardian angels assigned to all people throughout their adult lives will testify for or against them. According to the Quran, the limbs of each person will testify, and the earth herself is resurrected and bears witness against those who caused her harm. Next, a person will be given a book either in the right or left hand. For those given a book in the right hand, they pass the Judgment and are given the grace of God. For those given a book in their left hand, they fail the Judgment and are condemned to hell. However, at this point, prophets and other righteous people are allowed to intercede for their relatives, followers, or friends among the condemned, and their intercession is accepted.


Once the Day of Judgment is over, humanity proceeds to a bridge known as the sirat, which crosses over hell. The saved cross it safely to the other side and are greeted by their respective prophets. The Muslims who make it safely across are greeted by Muhammad, who will take them to a great pool and give them a drink that will quench their thirst forever. The condemned fall into hell. The Quran states that some will only spend a brief time there, while others, the unrepenting and idolatrous ingrates, are condemned forever. Muslims see death as a transition to the other side. Islam is seen as the vehicle that will take one safely there. It is only in paradise that the believer finds ultimate peace and happiness."

Read more: http://www.deathreference.com/Ho-Ka/Islam.html#ixzz2TNb1KwbO


Just as the Egyptians believe, they must also be judged based on the life they lived before dying, the only difference really is that they talk about how each person living within this religion have two guardian angels that had been assigned to them after their birth and also having their own limbs and Earth testifying as well.

Below is a link of a talk show called "The Deen Show" and his guest is a muslim man who has memorized the Quran and talks about the process of life after death. 

Islam Belief of what happens after death pt.1/2
Islam Belief of what happens after death pt. 2/2

Egypts Theory

Egypt's life after death.  




The Egyptians had a very complex ritual for those who passed. They believed that death wasn't the end of life, but a journey you had to go through in order to reach eternal bliss and happiness. The way the body is preserved had a big part to play in the judgment of the soul.

You can read all about the mummification process at this site I found, that greatly goes into detail about preserving important organs and body parts and the journey the soul must go through after it has left the body.

Egyptians Life after Death <--- Full article

The Egyptians believe that instead of a "Reaper" there is a Jackal-headed man, named Anubis. He is considered to be the god of the dead. It is also said that he would be the judge along with forty two other deities and judges that would judge each soul during the journey to eternity.

In the article posted above, they explain the three main deities in Egyptian religion. It says: 

" According to ancient Egyptian beliefs the soul was a perishable entity which meant that it was at great risk at all times. This is why the Egyptians had elaborate burial rituals the purpose of which was to ensure the preservation of the dead bodies and the various elements of the soul. Some of the most important burial rituals included the process of mummification, the making of the tomb, the casting of spells and death masks. The Egyptians believe the soul had three parts namely Ka, Ba and Ahk and it was essential to ensure the protection of all these three parts."

With that being said, where they go after death depends on the judgement of the Anubis and his forty two other judges, whether you live on with peace and happiness for eternity or living in the underworld. 

So I guess the theory isn't all that different from most but the beliefs and the carry-out are. And I find that to be very interesting the way other ethnic groups and other religions go about the death of loved ones.  

Why I'm a believer... Real Ghost Encounters

I am a believer that there is an afterlife for several reasons. One reason is that I watch several shows on the Discovery Channel such as Ghost Adventures and one show on TLC called Long Island Medium.

If you have never heard or seen either of these shows and you're a skeptic, I recommend giving these two shows a test drive.

Ghost Adventures is a show where four men find the most haunted locations around the world, research the stories behind each location and then proceed to do an over-night lock down with all their special equipment like night-vision goggles and EVPs and so on.

Ghost Adventures Preview

When I first began watching this show, I was also a skeptic. But then, I began watching the show Long Island Medium which began to make me believe more and more about the afterlife and gave me more belief in what the Ghost Adventures team was showing their audience.

Long Island Medium is about a woman who was born with the gift of a sixth sense- talking to the dead.
Here's a clip of her in an intimate reading with a skeptic.

Long Island Medium Clip

Through these two shows, I began to become more and more interested in what really does happen when we pass. I've heard of a being called a "Reaper". This is what is known to be the angel of death, the one who takes the spirit from the body.

Well, they are all depicted to have a dark cloche and a farming utensil, but in the picture I have been given by my Uncle Charlie, Ex-FBI agent, he is depicted slightly different.





My Real Stories 

      

Above is the picture of my Uncle Charlie's good friend who was on vacation with his girlfriend. Behind, you can very clearly see the woman to the right cleaning the table... However, on the left side of the table is faint view of another person, who seems to be hovering over the garbage can.

The person who took this picture explains that the person or thing behind the boy was not there when the picture was taken.

If you look closely, you can see this entities face, hair, arms and clothes. We believe this is no ordinary entity, though. We believe this is a real reaper. Why do we think this is a reaper?

We believe this is a reaper because a week after this photo was taken, the boys girlfriend had broken up with him. Shattered, the boy then proceeded to call his girlfriend and while on the line with the machine you can hear him putting a bullet straight through his temple.

We believe that in this picture, the Reaper was standing behind him, waiting for the time to collect his soul.



This second picture I've provided for you was taken by my very own sister, who is striving to become a professional photographer, so as you can imagine, this photo was taken with a very nice camera.

As you can see in the bottom right, there is a white blur. When my sister first sent me this picture, she insisted it was a ghost, simply because this figure was not present when she took the picture.

Many skeptics that I showed this picture to just made up excuses for the existence of this picture saying that it must have been a person running real fast or just a fluke... Well it's not. My sister is living proof and so is her very nice camera.

This photo was shot in the French Market in the city of New Orleans, also known for being one of the most haunted cities in the world.

Take in what you will and believe what you want. But they are living among us, and we may not be alone.