Mysterious Universe

Some 120 miles north of Phoenix, Arizona, in the northern Verde Valley, is Sedona, a small, tranquil city of barely 10,000 people that has become legendary in New Age circles for its enigmatic energies, vortexes, Native American legends of supernatural entities roaming the surrounding countryside, and much more of a paranormal and strange nature. Sedona is also home to the famous Red Rocks, large and stunning formations of sandstone that glow an eerie and captivating red and orange when the sun both rises and sets, and which add even further to Sedona’s reputation as a place of deep mystery and wonder.

And then there are Sedona’s UFOs…

One incident that really stands out in the weird stakes occurred back in the summer of 1947, the details of which can be found in a formerly classified FBI file, now made available via the terms of the Freedom of Information Act.

According to the document of August 17, 1947 – titled Flying Disk, Sedona, Arizona – the witness (whose name has been excised from the file by FBI censors) was a former Second World War pilot who, after the hostilities came to an end in 1945, spent the next eighteen months working as a crop-duster in West Texas, before moving to Sedona, and securing employment in nearby Prescott.

Continue reading…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (57.3MB)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The mystery of the Wisconsin Booms seems to have been solved, or has it?

We investigate on scene reports of out of place government agents, blacked out SUVs, and an all too convenient explanation. Also featured this week are fresh reports of modern day Pterosaurs, medical myths and hysteria in India, and more Zombie Voodoo from Zambia.

Read on for show notes, music, and more.

Continue reading…

“This scares me and I don’t know what it is. I have been seeing them since I was a little girl. Always outta the corner of my eye a tall black shadow. I always feel like something or someone is by me. Last night I went down to my bedroom. There it was. Standing next to my dresser. I ran upstairs crying to my mom. She went down and looked saying it was only ’cause I was overtired. But I KNOW what I saw. It was so scary. I don’t know what it is. I need all the help I can get!” – Jessica’s cry for help, 10, January 2010.

Tales of walking Shadows come from across the world. Some of these Shadow People wander through the periphery of our lives; others stay for years. People can rarely make out features of these darker-than-night, human shaped entities other than an occasional set of blazing red eyes. Shadow People often appear dressed as a Medieval monk, wearing a fedora, or bald and sexless. These entities may simply trek through our bedroom at night never to be seen again, while others may lurk in doorways, just watching, day after day. Still others attack with energy-draining fear.

What are they?

I’ve studied the Shadow People phenomena for the past decade, and have come to the conclusion the term “Shadow People” is a catchall for entities that exhibit certain characteristics – but their origins can be wildly different. Through research and personal experience, I’ve categorized these creatures by behavior.

Continue reading…

Throughout history, there have been a number of curious afflictions that show up repeatedly in various stories and traditions. These range from the common varieties that involve hexes, spells, and charms, to the more incredible types that incorporate transformation into ghastly forms and incredible creatures. Occasionally, we even see such things as affliction with odd ailments and dark states such as vampirism, zombification, or soul-slavery that arise from the use of wicked spellcraft and black magic aimed at the unsuspecting. 

These are all themes we expect to see in literature, and the wealth of pages adorning fiction tomes spanning the centuries incorporate such odd instances into their various mythologies. But pursuing the mysteries surrounding witchcraft, black arts, and ill fortune a bit more deeply, there occasionally arise a few curiosities that defy rationale altogether, ceasing to conform even to the typical precepts of spells and sorcery. Such things, at times, may involve how looks (or more specifically, certain kinds of staring) can kill, and even the use of magical practices to incite fear, paranoia, and even the disappearance of one’s unmentionables.

Yes, this quickly becomes uncertain territory indeed… but for sheer lack of having any better sense than to abstain, we’ll no doubt press onward, as usual…

Continue reading…

Skinwalkers and native Australian hominid legends are served up on first this week’s Plus+ exclusive.

We also look into some Bigfoot “Import” difficulties (the shipping is expensive), and some bizarre beach bound giant entities.

Read on for show notes, music, and video links.

Continue reading…

Located within California’s Mojave Desert, Death Valley is a most apt name for a place that resembles the rugged surface of some far away, battle-scarred planet and which holds the dubious honor of being home to the highest recorded temperature in the western world. An incredible 136° Fahrenheit, it was recorded on July 10, 1913, in the very appropriately named Furnace Creek.

It is somewhat ironic that, although Death Valley got its memorable moniker during the famous Gold Rush of 1849, only one death among all the prospectors eager to seek out gold was actually reported during that turbulent period. And although the name may be relatively new, the history of the area is most definitely not. For more than a thousand years the Timbisha Native Americans have lived in the harsh environs of Death Valley. And, in times both past and present, so have a whole range of things undeniably weird.

One of the strangest of all sagas relative to the mysteries of Death Valley erupted in the summer of 1947, the very same period in which the era of the Flying Saucer took the entire world by storm. In early August of that year, Howard E. Hill, of Los Angeles, spoke before the city’s Transportation Club and told a sensational story.

It was an extravagant tale that described the work of a certain Dr. F. Bruce Russell, a retired Cincinnati, Ohio physician, who claimed to have discovered, in 1931, a series of complex tunnels deep below Death Valley. Well, you may justifiably ask, so what?

Continue reading…

The Christian Bible is, by and large, one of the most famous books in all of known history. It consists of a set of scriptures comprised of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, having been compiled from various other collected works spanning the centuries. The oldest original Christian Bibles still existing today were produced in the Greek language, and represent manuscripts that date back to the 4th century. In addition to those precepts and teachings that form the basis for Christian teachings, each of these relic texts also discuss historic events pertaining to the people that lived throughout the Middle East and other regions in ancient times.

While the stories that constitute many Biblical accounts do pertain to real historical events, debate among scholars has diminished the merit and accuracy of such things as the Exodus from Egypt, as described in the Torah, as well as the classic descriptions of a migration to the “Promised Land.” Beyond these culturally-themed stories, there are also a number of events and accounts related throughout the Bible–especially contained within the Old Testament–which according to scholarly interpretation are quite obviously myths and fables, aimed at construing morals and other virtues in the Judeo Christian tradition. And yet, despite their largely mythic status, there remain a number of aspects where the incredible stories related within parts of the Christian Bible seem to have counterparts that exist also in reality; could these point to a deeper meaning that could be gleaned from within some of the stories and circumstances in the Bible, and perhaps in other ancient documents as well?

Continue reading…