Werewolves

Readers were very happy with the research done in the previous posts. Many of you, e-mailed about werewolves so I hope you'll find the answers in this post.

Origins
The word werewolf is from the Anglo-Saxon word werwulf; wer meaning man, and wulf meaning wolf. This half-man half-beast has all the appearance of a normal human being by day. But come nightfall, with the rising of a full moon, a transformation takes place. And what was once a man turns into a vicious, bloodthirsty, killing machine - the werewolf. Hollywood's portrayal of this beast is often shallow and sometimes even comical. It makes this supernatural phenomenon often unbelievable. But this creature is prevalent amongst many ancient culture.

Lycanthropy
Lycanthropy is not unusual, from Asia to Europe. It describes the ability to assume the form of an animal, that is to shift shapes. The werewolf is as good example of this. Another case in point is the Dracula-bat change. Instances of lycanthropy have been recorded as early as the time of Julius Caesar by Ovid (43 BC to AD 18). As the legend goes, Lycaon the king of Arcadia tried to test the omniscience of Zeus by placing before him a dish of human flesh, just to see if the god could tell. Well, Zeus didn't get to be a god if he couldn't tell some delicious repast from cannibal cuisine. He was so angry, he cursed Lycaon, turning him into the very first werewolf.

King Nebuchadnezzar
Besides Roman and Greek legend, the shape shifters are also reported in the Bible. The book of Daniel in the Bile tells of how King Nebuchadnezzar was transformed from an almight ruler into a beast of the field. Daniel makes a prediction about the king and the Bible records, "The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. And he was driven from men and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair was grown as eagle feathers and his nails were as claws." Do we need any further proof that shape shifting is plausible? I have seen for myself how sometimes, while in a trance, a spirit that induces animal behavior can possess a person. This person will then behave exactly like a monkey, prancing about and scratching himself. He can even perform a dance resembling an animal or do some sort of pugilistic routine that imitates animal movements.

The possible causes
According to an old English traditional belief, lycanthropy in the case of the werewolf is caused by the plant Wolfsbane. If a man scratches himself with this magical plant by the light of a full moon, he immediately becomes a werewolf, forever doomed to changing into a ravenous, murderous beast every time the full moon rises in the night sky. However. I believe it can also happen through spirit possession. The spirit world, you see, is very complex. There are spirits that would make you take after an animal and if you are trapped by one of these foul demons, it could even make you look like a beast. Have you noticed how some people looked like animals? Well, there might be a supernatural explanation for this. In the time of the Celts, before the Norman and Saxon invasion of England, the Druids used to dress up in wolfskin by the light of the full moon to mark occult festivals like the summer and winter solstice.

Eastern beliefs
Although the wolf is the most common animal referred to in lycanthropy in the West, it is not necessarily the case in the East. Indian legends of lycanthropy revolve around the tiger instead of the wolf. As recently as 1919,, in Bhagalpur, India, a shopkeeper named Rupa Sao attacked and killed a small girl. However, the marks and signs of this murder were more like those of a tiger rather than a man. When arrested, Sao was in such a deteriorated state of mind that he could not account for the heinous act himself. He had to be committed to an asylum. One night while in custody there, the guards heard him cursing his fate and calling out to the heavens - that he did not want to change into a tiger again! By the time they reached his cell, he had killed himself. In popular Chinese legends, lycanthropy and werewolves are also prevalent. Many stories revolve around this. However, there's an interesting variant - a female of the species, the legendary Hu Li Jing [狐狸精]. This is the Fox Spirit, where certain beautiful woman are believed to be the spirits of demonic foxes. You could say that the could change their shape from foxy babe to baby fox at will!

Other animals
Animals have always been a favorite target of evil spirits. These spirits attack dogs, pigs and snakes because animals are almost defenceless against their attacks. The first known case of animal possession was in the garden of Eden when the devil possessed the snake to talk to Eve. Interestingly enough, the snake was punished for that foul deed and damned to spend the rest of eternity crawling on its belly. Dogs and wolves seem to have an uncanny ability to "see" things that others can't. You can tell when a dog is seeing something when it barks or howls for no apparent reason. Many readers have e-mailed to say that when you use dog tears on your own eyes, you'll be able to see the spirits just like dogs do.

The World Of Cults

Since my investigations on the cults (Satanism, Witchcraft and Moonies, Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientology), a lot of readers have been e-mailing for information regarding these organizations. However, it seems to me that there is a lot of confusion as to what a cult acutally is. And so, in this post, I have decided to take another look at this twilight underworld.

Why Cults Exist
Cults are not new. As the industrial revolution heralded a new world order of modernization, traditional mainstream religions lost their grip. Science and progress created confusion and doubt about the spiritual nature of man, education and awareness has armed him with a set of new values and ideals. Life was not so simple anymore. Morality went along with the decline of the spiritual nature. All of man's baser instinct came to the fore. Lust, greed, envy... etc, and his reason justified his motives. In a society where power, wealth and success are taught to be the only goals worth aspiring to, many people grew disillusioned. They were lost and had no solid traditional religious background they could fall back on to guide them. This decay began to accelerate in the latter half of the 19th century. This was the time of the birth of communism with its fearless godlessness, along with the more modern philosophers and their radical schools of thought. Modern man had a lot to confuse him indeed. This was the fertile soil in which the seeds of the cults were planted, it's easy to see how they grew and flourished.

To a generation of spiritually impoverished people, the coming of a charismatic, guru-like individual can be very inspiring indeed. A prophetic, messianic leader who can convinced their followers and believers that they have the secret to the meaning of life. These friendly frauds and charming charlatans really boomed in the past 40 years of this century. The new religions are mostly perverted revivals of the Christian faith. The rest are Western interpretations of ancient Eastern faiths, a perversion of the more mystic aspects of Hinduism and Buddhism. The latter of these is especially popular in the West. Kinky, hip interpretations of Buddhism and Hinduism are seen as exotic, chic and glamorous in the eyes of bored Western teenagers. Especially with the association of the Beatles to the Hara Krishnas in the '60s, many kids were sold on this idea. The new religion concept of the cults promised them everything; it was a reaction of the harsh materialism of a secular world and a revolution of the strict tenets of traditional beliefs. Hippies, drop-outs, disillusioned intellectuals all found something in the cults that spoke directly to them. Many cults simply brainwash their followers into giving up all their money and becoming mindless slaves to their leaders. But the more evil organizations, like the People's Temple, whose leader Jim Jones persuaded 913 members to commmit ritual suicide by drinking cyanide. Of course, many other cult leaders would not go to this extent.

How to identify a cult
The word "cult" originates from the Latin word "cultus", which means everything to do with worship and ritual. It has now been given a wider meaning and is used to describe anything that has an exclusive following. But being exclusive in itself is not damaging. But what I want to focus on are the cults that ARE damaging. Prof Ian Haworth of London, who runs th Cult Information Centre, believes that the definition of a cult is simple equation. Exclusive Sect plus Mind Control equals Cult. Dr Christian Czurko who runs the British Branch of Dialogcentre, which helps ex-members of cults back into society, lays down his criteria for his definition of a damaging cult:

» They recruit through inaccurate information

» They inoculate their recruits mentally against any other point of view

» They exploit their followers, making them work for very little money or no money and making demands on their bank accounts and personal assets, etc

» They hurt people - the family members and friends of their followers

In conclusion, the sinister world of cults is subversive and destructive. Its twisted religious values are like poison to society and the individual. In my few previous posts, I took a look at some of them. Due to the good response, I have decided to carry out further investigations to expose even more of these demonic deviants, so that you can be wary of their wiles and ways.

Children Of God
In the '60s, a strange sex cult was born on the sun-kissed beaches of California. They were called the Children Of God. Their leader was Moses David, a self-styled prophet who preached free love to a generation of horny hippies.

The Founder
Moses David was born David Berg in 1919. His parents were preachers. Moses travelled with his family was they went around the country preaching their version of the Christian Gospel and it was in this atmosphere of faith and travelling road-show lifestyle that he grew up in. He grew up and worked as a teacher in junior high school for a while, but was later attracted to the lure of TV evangelism. He opted for the commercial and glamorous possibilities this profession promised and became a TV preacher. After a spell of this, he went to the beaches of California to help his elderly mother in her Mission for the Hippies. Moses soon adopted their image of long hair, beard and other '60s fashion, and this made it easy for the hippies to identify with him. He soon had a large following. At the start, his teachings were based on the fundamentalist interpretations of the Bible and Christianity, with special emphasis on the Apocalypse and the "last days". But as his power and following increased, he became more megalomanic and bizarre. He began to receive prophecies and revelations that had no biblical foundation. He claimed to be a medium for a spirit called Abraham, who had been a gypsy king. Moses David then billed himself as a new messiah - "God's Endtime Prophet" following in the footsteps of the Moses in the Bible. The group left the California beaches and sent their message all across America and the world. Setting up communes wherever they could, their beliefs and lifestyle spread.

Sex as bait
Moses David as highly promiscuous and had to change the name of the COG to the Family of Love in 1978 due to the bad press he was receiving. His doctrine of free sex was introduced gradually to his followers, instructing them that they had to "share" themselves and their wives with others. In fact, he had a share in many of his followers' wives ut apparently, he never shared his wife with them. He later started the flirty fishing ministry, where his female followers were used as "bait" to "convert" men - "fish". He encouraged the girls to have sex freely with men in order to get them to join up. By this time, Moses David had moved to Tenerife. He communicated with his followers, giving instructions through letters. By this time, the flirty fishing ministry was in full operation and the girls eventually became known as "Hookers for Jesus". Moses David would also encourage girls to get money for their ministry from the men they slept with in order to keep it going. All these money was funnelled back to the top with the rest of the cult members living in near poverty.

In the '70s and '80s, Moses' instructions letters got even more bizarre and perverse. He encouraged lesbians and homosexuality but had to withdraw his approval when there was a substantial outbreak of it. In 1979, he issued a letter called "My Little Fish", in which he revealed his new fantasy and encouraged his followers to have sex with children. He also encouraged group sex. He suggested that a communion service should be rounded off with group sex, including children. He made public his own incestuous relations with his daughter in a letter entitled "The Devil Hates Sex". He exhorted his followers to do the same with their children. In his book, called Heaven's Children, he decreed, "There are now laws against incest in the Kingdom of God". However, the Aids threat of recent years has put a damper on Moses David and his Family of Love. With the authorities of many countries looking into their practices, Moses David and his sex cult have been forced underground. They are still active though, but they do things on a smaller scale these days. And as for "God's Endtime Prophet" himself, Moses David, no one really knows if he is dead or alive. He was last heard to be living in a remote village in Greece, but he had to flee when his identity was revealed to the local authorities. He would now be in his 80s if he were still alive. But there are many rumours circulated by ex-members of his cult that he is now dead. As for the Children of God, also known as Family of Love, they are still active, spreading their free love, sexual perversion, child abuse and incest. Though they may seem harmless from a liberated point of view, many ex-members continually come forward to testify about how their lives were ruined by the twisted teachings of this evil cult.

The Rajineeshis
This cult was founded by Rajineesh Chandra Mohan. He was born the eldest of 13 children in a middle-class Indian family. A top student in his post-graduate philosophy class, he taught philosophy for 10 years. He was also a painter, a poet, an amateur photographer. A well-read, charming and intensely charismatic individual, his mesmerizing personality attracted many people to him. Rajineesh Chandra Mohan gave himself the tittle of Bhagwan, which means god. Bhagwan can also be rendered "the origination of all things". It is in this vein that the word is translated to mean "Master of the Vagina", the idea being that the female body is the origin of life itself. It is, therefore, symbolic of the origination of all that is in the universe. Rajineesh, however, it was suspected, used the title with mischief. When asked why he called himself "Master of the Vagina", Rajineesh said it was only a joke. But it was as Bhagwan Shree Rajineesh that he was to be known throughout the world.

Its Beliefs
People joined his cult and were promised a utopian future: a world where love ruled. Where there was no sexual hang-ups and where peace and love pervaded. There would be aunited world government and genetic engineering would ensure that only the right number of quality controlled human beings were born each year. Religion would be abolished as everyone's spiritual needs would be met from within themselves. The Master of the Vagina really lived up to his name. Rajineesh justified sexual immorality by teaching yhat sex is divine, and sought to approach Divinity by getting it on with as many of his pretty young "sanyassins" as possible. Whether he attained the spiritual plane of the gods no one knows, but it was speculated that he died of Aids on January 18, 1990. He established his free love sex cult in Bombay in 1969. By this time, many Westerners had heard of him and came flocking to him. By 1974, his following had grown so he moved to Poona, where he established his ashram - a place for worship, meditation and ritual sex. Rajineesh's followers were all clothed in red spectrum colours, hence the nickname - the Red Brigade.

Despite his claims of being a "Champion of the Commoner" and aims to "spread practical spirituality for every man", he taught that only the rich could become spiritual. "That the materially poor can ever be spiritual is absurd!" he said. He reasoned that a poor man would be too busy just trying to survive and that he would have no time for spiritual enlightenment. Right from the start, he sought to prove this point by charging exorbitant admission fees for his religious talks and developing a taste for an ostentatious lifestyle, with a penchant for rolls Royces (he owned 96 of them). In 1981, Rajineesh fled to America, where he set up an ashram in Oregon. There, he sought to build his "Rajineeshpura" - a utopian city for the followers of his cult on a 126 square mile plot of desert. Here in his American ashram, sexual perversion and group orgies were so rampant that children as young as 12 were given instructions on how to use condoms in fear of Aids and venereal disease. He owned four aircraft, a bus fleet, and an enormous armoury - which he used to arm his own private army known as the "Peace Force". This was the time when he was at the peak of his powers and there were 575 meditation centres for followers of his cult all around the world.

However, before Rajineeshpura could be completed, he was arrested in 1985 at Charlotte Douglas International airport in Carolina as his private plane stopped to refuel on its way to Bermuda. The authorities could not arrest him at Rajineeshpura for fear of a showdown between Rajineesh's "Peace Force" and themselves. They were seriously avoiding a confrontation with his heavily armed private army in anticipation of a massive fire fight that would leave many dead. They feared a mini war - such was the power and control of Rajineesh's dominion. The charges against him were for violation of visa regulations. He was given a 10-year suspended sentence and five years probation. He was also ordered to leave America and never return after paying 400,000 dollars in fines and costs. Rajineesh travelled through Greece, Switzerland, England, Ireland, the West Indies and Spain after his trial. But he was refused permission to settle in any of those countries. In 1987, he returned to his original ashram in Poona, where he remained till he died. The inscription on his grave reads:


OSHO

Never Born, Never Died

Only visited this planet between

December 11, 1931 and January 18, 1990



Under that tombstone lies Bhagwan Shree Rajineesh - the Master of the Vagina. As for his cult? It is still alive and well today, and his teachings are spread by an inner circle of his chosen disciples.

All of the above is not meant to encourage anyone to participate or subscribe to cults and their views or ideology. What I've tried to do is to provide insight and information to the various occult and supernatural practices that exist in the world today. Cults are a spiritual phenomenon and are therefore a part of this. I hope that readers will find this information helpful should they encounter any such group. Not all the cults I have checked out are dangerous, but I hope I have done my bit for society by exposing those that are.

Voodoo

Voodoo originated from African polytheism and fetishism, a pagan Negro worship that is essentially elemental. Originally, it was a fairly harmless practice, consisting of herbal cures, love potions and soothsaying. Now, it's black magic at its worst.

White Chicken

Fortunes were told by splitting the neck of a white chicken and studying the patterns made by the spurting blood in the dance of death.

Talking Drum

Another essental element of Voodoo is the African talking drum, where messages were communicated by the language of a drum beat. Voodoo witch doctors have perfected this language to an art, and the hypnotic pulse of Voodoo is based on the ryhthm of sex and the beating of the heart. There is even a systematic, steady beat to the pouding rush of blood coursing in our veins and the understanding of all the beats of these rhythmic patterns is the secret and key of Voodoo. For Voodoo practitioners, all the mystery and magic of the elements are contained in this beat, which is the rhythm of life.

Papa Doc and John F. Kennedy

One of the most famous practitioners of the craft of Voodoo sorcery was Papa Doc, the president of Haiti in the 1960s. Haiti is the only country whose government was formed from a successful slave revolution. Considering this, it is not so surprising to learn that their president was a practising Voodoo witch doctor. Shortly before the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, the American president had a falling out with Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, the Haitian Voodoo president regarding the trade embargoes and sanctions on Haiti. Papa Doc was furious. He went on national television in Haiti to put a curse on John F. Kennedy. He pronounced his personal death sentence on the American president before the TV cameras and then proceeded to stick pins in an effigy doll of Kennedy. Shortly after this, Kennedy was shot dead in downtown Dallas, Texas. The succeeding American president surreptitiously lifted the trade sanctions on Haiti. This whole affair was hushed up by the CIA for security reasons. After all, they could not admit that they lost a president and revoked a political stance to Voodoo: the Voodoo of Haitian president Papa Doc.

Black Juju

The method with which Papa Doc dispatched John F. Kennedy is the Mojo, otherwise known as Black Juju. The magic starts with the making of an effigy, a doll resembling the victim. A scrap of cloth or a lock of hair from the targeted victim is affixed to the doll in order to harness the psychic identity of the person. Heated Voodoo pins and needles are then stuck into the doll amidst the ritual ceremonial chanting of spells. All the while, the Voodoo talking drum will be beating incessantly. Depending on the witch doctor's powers and intentions, accidents, illness or death will befall the victim.

Zombies

The most frightening thing about Voodoo is its awesome power. Voodoo spells have the power to reach beyond the grave! It is a widely known fact that in the early days of independence, Haiti's vast tracts of sugar cane plantations were extensively cultivated by a strange and unique labour force - Zombies. Zombies were the restless dead, summoned from their graves by the talking drum which tapped into hearts which long ceased beating and reanimated them. They came back to life but they were without a mind of their own, they were made to work 24 hours, seven days a week. Coarse salt was sprinkled on their open graves so they could not go back to rest. The Zombies toiled productively and uncomplainingly although they were in various stages of decomposition. They worked on until their maggoty flesh rotted away and their dry brittle bones crumbled to dust. The Zombies were hardworking and their labour was free. They turned the Haitian economy around at that time. But all the above is just the major surface facts we have about this great and mysterious black art. Voodoo has changed and progressed with the times. Its influence is everywhere. Especially in modern popular music.

Pop music and sex

I believe that the pop music of today is based on the beat. The 4/4 heartbeat, the rhythm of sex. This is the beat of Voodoo. This beat was brought to the West with the first boatload of slaves from Africa. The slaves made music with this beat, which later evolved into blues music. An early blues musician Robert Johnson, recognised the dark satanic spirit of this beat. He wanted to learn the secrets of it in order to harness it for his own use. He sold his soul to the Devil to achieve this. This was detailed in his songs Crossroads and Hellhound On My Trail. This fact has been recorded in the Chicago Blues museum and various books, movies and TV documentaries. But alas, before he could unlock the arcane knowledge of the black beat, Robert Johnson was murdered in Mississippi. He died at the legendary crossroads of Louisiana and Vicksburg.

Country, Jazz and Rock 'n' Roll

Country, Jazz and especially Rock 'n' Roll, were all influenced by the blues. They were all injected, shot full of the beat. The Voodoo rhythm gives the music life. It made people happy, excited. It made them want to move, dance, have sex, fun and adventure. Everyone who listened was under the insidious overpowering magic of Black Juju. It has crossed over into many cultures as well. This kind of beat music is sung in many languages in the world today. Pop music with a strong rhythmic influence sung in Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, French... etc, all translate the beat of Voodoo, getting the kids to dance to Black Juju. This is especially the case in discos. Have you ever wondered why people feel the urge to get together in a dark noisy place and dance themselves into a trance-like state? This is because they are obeying the call of the Voodoo rhythm, the same Voodoo rhythm that echoed from time immemorial through the darkest African jungles. However, now it's been modified with synthesizers and drum machines. Despite the adaptation to the times, its carnal message is still the same. The beat speaks a message of sex and magic, blood and violence.

Voodo on TV

This music is also used in ads and TV programs, though the beat is watered down. The effect is still there, in a more subtle, insidious way. Have you ever noticed how images of sex are used to sell products? Well, with the Voodoo beat behind these sexy visuals, the message is driven home more deeply until it registers in the psyche and the consumer is absolutely possessed by his desire for the product. This desire is reinforced by the sexual imagery so that it consumes him totally, like lust. Something that he's GOT to have. And with diabolical psychological touches, this consuming desire feeds upon itself, to the extent that one feels inferior and inadequate if one does not heed the message and obtain the product. Thus, we see, the far-reaching tentacles of this ancient black magic. Its influence is prevalent in the subconscious mind of modern society. Every day, in many ways, our lives are infected by the Voodoo beat of Black Juju. We don't hear much about people sticking pins into dolls and raising the dead to work as Zombies because there isn't much call for it. However, the rhythm of Black Juju is very useful today in a society of mass consumerism. That is why, make no mistake about it - Voodoo is alive and well in this world today.

Vampires

Blood has always held a special fascination for people all over the world since ancient times. Blood symbolises life, and the spilling of blood in sacrifices meant the offering of life to the deities. In some cultures, human sacrifices were common. Judaism, Christianity and Islam expressly forbid the drinking of blood. The thinking is that life is reserved for God, not man. The evil of vampirism is therefore this - that what is reserved for God is now consumed by this defiant group. The consequences for them have been damning. I hope you find this piece of research a revelation.

Hollywood has turned the vampire myth into a cartoonish type. Hong Kong and Bollywood have followed suit, adding touches of their own crass vulgarity. Most modern popular beliefs reflect this misconception. The vampire is portrayed as a romantic, supernatural being. And though a bloodsucker, it is a bloodless, two-dimensional cardboard cut-out. More funny than frightening, more humorous than horrific. It is a scaled down beast to suit popular imagination. Who wants to know the REAL truth about vampires, anyway? After all, the safe, cosy stereotypes are much more comforting to live with - they can't possibly be REAL. Not the way they are made out to be...

What Vampirism Is

Vampires are believed to be the undead who live on blood. Blood is a very real nourishing requirement. The vampire germ is a virus, a deficiency in the physical make-up that depletes the sugar and enzymes in the bloodstream. It is similar to the flu or the Black Plague, which decimated much of Europe in the 17th century. This deficiency is the cause for the lust for blood. Thus, the drinking of blood for survival is entirely feasible from the scientific point of view. However, it is believed that imbibing large quantites of human blood sugars directly only aggravates the virus. It builds up the tolerance level and increases the appetite. The body NEEDS more blood sugar and enzymes to keep functioning, otherwise there is a shutdown. Vampirism is a disease - a physical condition.

The psychological and spiritual aspects

There are also many psychological and spiritual aspects to vampirism. It is the gratification of a perverse nature, a latent sadism. For bloodletting and pain are often inextricably connected. There is a sense of power when one takes on the predatory role of a bloodsucker. it is violent and very sensual, the sucking of warm, fresh blood from pulsing, throbbing veins. The heart races as blood is drained, then slows as life itself goes along with it. Until the body of warm flesh is wrapped in Death's cold caress. The vampire's act of feeding on its victim is reminiscent of the sexual act of violence and struggle, orgasm and release, with the added erotic spices of sadomasochism, wilful perversion and murder. As for the spiritual aspect of it, this is where we see how vampirism fits in place of logic and reality in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Blood is considered to be the life force of a living thing. In the Koran and the Jewish Torah, this fact is very plain and the rules in regard to this are very strict. Meat is to be consumed without any blood. Animals have to be ritually slaughtered in order that the blood is properly drained. This is because the consumption of another's life force - its blood - is considered a great sin in Islam and Judaism.

In Christianity, blood is considered sacred too. The shedding of blood was deemed necessary for the forgiveness of sins. The blood of animal sacrifices was used in olden times to sprinkle upon the altar of worhsip, the veil of the temple and the faces of the worshippers. This practice went on until Christ came and died on the cross. Then His blood was shed as the ultimate sacrifice. Thus we see, the cross was just a symbol, the BLOOD was the key. Christians believe that invoking the power of the blood of God is the most potent and lethal weapon they have against evil forces. It is from this spiritual angle that we can see that vampirism is a combination of the physical, the psyhoclogical and the supernatural. This unholy combination creates the exalted but evil state of the immortality of the living dead, the Undead: the blood-drinking night hunter - the vampire. The most famous vampire of all time is undoubtedly Vlad the Impaler, better known as Count Dracula.

Count Dracula

A lot of people think Dracula is a myth built out of the movies from Bram Stoker's gothic novel. But Vlad the Impaler DID exist. He was a 14th century Transylvanian count with particularly bloodthirsty, sadistic tendencies. The nickname Vlad the Impaler came about due to Count Vladimir's way of impaling his enemies on tall, sharp, greased wooden stakes. The victim would be stripped and placed on top of one of these stakes. His body weight would pull him groundwards, sliding slowly down the greased wooden stake, until it penetrated him completely, all the way through the abdomen to the throat. This fearsome method of execution earned Count Vladimir the title of Vlad the Impaler. The sadistic, bloodthirsty count was so feared during his lifetime that even after his death, his aura of awe-inspiring terror lingered, especially when people were found dead - their bodies drained of blood - in the hamlets around the castle where the bloodthirsty count lived.

Chinese Vampires - Jiang-shi [僵尸]

As Asians, we may think that vampirism only occurs in the West. But blood-drinking is prevalent in Asian culture as well. For centuries, Chinese folklore has told of the presence of a deadly blood-drinking corpse - the Jiang-shi [僵尸]. The is the Chinese equivalent of the Western vampire. The reason why vampirism has been recorded in so many different and remote sources is simple - vampires exist.

Vampire Bats

The creature most commonly associated with vampirism is the vampire bat, a species of flying rodent that lives on blood, uinlike its more harmless fruit-eating counterparts that are more commonly seen. Just like the legion of the damned - the vampire's world of the Undead - the bat is a creature of the night. It hunts in the darkness and sleeps during the day. The fangs of the vampire bat are shaped just like the fangs of the vampire, with two sharp incisors at the side of the mouth for puncturing flesh in order to suck blood from its victims or prey. According to legend and popular belief, vampires are able to change into bats. However, the truth is not that simple. The vampire, like all supernatural demonic beasts are lycanthropes - shape shifters. Besides transforming into bats, vampires also are able to change into rats, wolves and all the other creatures of the night. Lycanthrophy is a phenomenon closely associated with occult beings of all cultures. For example, in Chinese demonology the fox spirit [狐狸精] and snake spirit [蛇妖] - essentially feminine demons - alternate between human and animal states. Although they are not bloodsuckers, they, like the vampires, are also lycanthropes. Thus we see that the power of an occult being to change its human form to an animal one is not unique to vampirism.

Witches of old have "familiars" - satanic aides usually in the form of household pets like cats. Other kinds of familiars are goats, crows, wolves, rats, snakes and especially bats. A witch at the height of her powers could easily transform herself into any one of these animals. The bats remain the popular animal of choice for vampires because it is both a nocturnal creature and a bloodsucker. Also, with its leathery wings and sharp vicious teeth, this flying rodent is extremely tough and tenacious. However, if the situation called for it, a vampire can also easily transform itself into a huge grey wolf or a pack of rabid rats if necessary. The form of the bat is not necessarily the only alternative. The subject of lycanthrophy - shape shifting - is a fascinating topic of the occult. I will look into this more thoroughly in my next few posts when I shall cover the topic of werewolves and other lycanthropic shape shifters. I look forward to telling you, my readers, all about them.

Act of survival

Vampires are a race apart, yet co-existing with human beings. Throughout the ages, they have been hunted and destroyed for the death and terror they spread. And that is why, to survive, they have evolved to fit into society. Many speculate that through cutting down on their intake of human blood, or even switching to the less sugar and enzyme-rich sources of animal blood, they have lessend their dependencies and weaknesses. For example, the killing urge and fear of sunlight simply had to evolve into something more acceptable so as to avoid detection and destruction. With less murdied bodies found drained of blood, they aren't going to be many calls for vampire hunts. However, no matter what the present, compromised state they live in today, vampires are still bloodthirsty, predatory monsters who would not hesitate to drain one's lifeblood to fulfill their craving. The very act of their survival, the drinking of blood, the imbibing of one's life force, can be deemed as something deviant, perverse and evil. And though they are now able to keep it under control by reverting to safer substitutes, have no doubt that they would switch back to their true natures whenever the opportunity arises - to kill and feast on the gory spilling of bloodshed.

The Supernatural in Fiction

"The fear which we get from reading ghost

stories is a refined and spiritualized

essence of fear. It is a fear which we can

examine and play with. Far from despising

ourselves for being frightened by a ghost story,

we are proud of this proof of sensibility."


- Virginia Woolf

The Supernatural

I hope you enjoy this post. There is more to life than meets the eye. And though I am an agnostic, I cannot deny the possibility of the supernatural, having read the piles of spiritual texts that I went through in order to get a clearer picture of the unseen mysteries. And so, I present to you a selection of the revelations I gleaned from the ancient tomes of the elders.

THE NECRONOMICON

This rare and ancient text was written by the mad Arab Abdul Azared in pre-Islamic times. It is also widely known as the Egyptian Book of The Dead. Ever since it was first printed in 1300 B.C., it has been banned and destroyed everywhere. The mad Arab himself was subject to much persecution and vanished under mysterious circumstances. However, years after his reported death, many copies of the Necronomicon surfaced in the Persian Empire under the time of the Aga Khan. These books were reputedly bound in human skin and written in blood on paper made from human flesh! A few copies still survive in the world today and they are quite rare and priceless. The Necronomicon is the official book of demonology, predating Christianity and Islam. It is alarming how many parallels there are within. For example, in the Necronomicon, there is Anubis, the dog-faced demon of Hell. There is a close similarity between Anubis and Cerberus - the three-headed dog demon that guards the nine circles of the Inferno.

Also, the Koran's angel of destruction, Israfel, has a parallel in the Necronomicon. It is the one-eyed Idiot God of Chaos, Nylarthotep who plays a flute as well and will come in the time of Apocalypse when the world is to be destroyed. However, I strongly discouraged readers from touching this evil book. The reason that it has been banned and reviled throughout the ages is because it is truly a vile, unholy piece of work. Besides its spell and incantations for raising demons and invoking curses, it alludes to a primeval darkness so profound that the darkness could be said to be the god of the Devil. The very spirit that made Lucifer and his angels turn against God in the first place is in this darkness. And that is all we shall discuss of the Necronomicon - the Egyptian Book of The Dead. In fact, right now I'm trying very hard to forget all the disturbing forbidden secrets that these accursed manuscripts have revealed to me...

SCIENCE

The most comforting view to take of the spiritual and the supernatural is the scientific one. I myself used to subscribe to this view, but not any longer. There are just too many things that man cannot hope to explain - like Creation, for example. Now the scientific view is that man evolved from the apes - Darwin's Theory of Evolution. But this theory still doesn't explain why the apes we see nowadays aren't evolving into something a little more similar to you and me. And also, why are there STILL apes around when they're supposed to have turned into Homosapiens... Also, scientists would have us believe that our earth's bounty of life forms is a freak of nature - that a happy coincidence of exploding gases sort of made it up, as compared to the barren cosmic wastes of the other planets in our solar system. How can Science even hope to provide all the answers when it isn't even sure if there is a planet X in orbit around our Sun, just behind the planet Pluto?

When our solar system is just a tiny part of the Milky Way which, in turn, is one of the millions of stellar galaxies that make up the Universe? How is it that, so far, only the planet Earth is known to have intelligent life form? Scientists' explanation of this fact that it's a coincidence. Why don't they just admit that they don't know! And recognise the mystery and wonder of it all. Another reason for mistrusting Science is the smug, complacent way it treats the supernatural and the unknown. It will admit to the existence of ghosts but recognises the meagre findings of its own research in poltergeists and protoplasm - all these are just technical terms for ghosts, spirits, etc. But I suppose Man will never recognise his own ignorance, preferring to console himself with the little knowledge that he has. For, indeed, there are more things in Heaven and earth then meets the eye. However, as for (as yet) the unseen world, I suppose it's more comforting for the narrow-minded to simply declare that it doesn't exist.

CHINESE MYTHOLOGY

Chinese traditional beliefs are deeply spiritual. Be it Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, ancestor worship, etc. It is this spiritualism that Mao and the communists tried to wipe out from our psyche and failed. And it is this spiritualism that will prove the eventual downfall of communism. During the Tang Dynasty, the legendary Journey to the West was made to fetch the Buddhist scriptures from India. It was during this period that Buddhism was introduced into China. The original Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, himself was believed to be an incarnation of Lord Krishna of the Hindu divine pantheon. But the tenets of the Dharmapada were so compatible with Lao Tze's Tao Te Ching and Taoism itself that it was readily incorporated into the Chinese way of life... the Tao of life.

The Tao Te Ching was not compiled until about 300 B.C. But it is even more ancient than Confucianism. It is attributed to Lao Tze and is a poetical celebration of the Way (Tao) of the primordial forces of nature. It was also how the great sage identified himself with them in his conduct. This elemental "oneness" and spiritual harmony is very similar to the teachings of Buddha, and thus was easily assimilated into popular Chinese beliefs. The Taoist sage aspires to a state of spiritual equanimity that transcends considerations of physical survival. Scorning the material world, he is immune from the physical as wll as metaphysical harm. This state is like the state of Nirvana in Buddhism. As for ancestor worship, it is built on the foundation of ghosts and the spirit world of the dead. The seventh lunar month is the time of the Hungry Ghost Festival. This is the time when the gates of the underworld are thrown open and the dead roam the earth on this Hell's Holiday. Burnt offerings and food are put up for their appeasement. Not only that, the celebrations include street operas and road shows that go on for a whole month. So you see, the acceptance of the supernatural is part our cultural heritage. It is deep in our psyche, in our very genes... this belief in ghosts.

HINDU MYTHOLOGY

The spiritual world is the closest link between the Indian and Chinese cultures. According to Hindu beliefs, Buddha is an incarnation of Lord Krisha - who is the supreme godhead. Besides Buddha, the Lord Krishna has many other incarnations, such as the chariot driver for the great archer Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita; and Lord Vishnu, whose fiery sword cleaved the heavens from the earth and whose giant footsteps formed the mountains and whose mighty hands fixed the skies and the upper firmaments. My personal favorite incarnation of Krishna is Shiva - God of art, music, dance and love. He is also the sex god of the Karma Sutra.

According to the Hare Krishnas, we are now living in the Kali Yoga, which is the age of Kali - the Goddess of Destruction. Kali the Goddess is the wife of Yama, the ruler of the Hindu Hell. In her depictions, Kali is garlanded by flowers. But according to traditional beliefs, the garlands are actually strings of human intestines. Likewise, the belt she wears around her waist is actually linked by the severed heads of her sons whose flesh she has eaten. Blood sacrifices are often offered up to Kali. It makes you think, doesn't it? That, according to Hindu beliefs, we are in the age of this fearsome Goddess, the Kali Yoga. It seems that the apocalypse is imminent. And after this, we will go into the Golden Age of Brahmins. Well, I for am one waiting for the age of the Karma Sutra. Perhaps then they will find a cure for AIDS.

JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM

The great similarity between Christianity and Islam is because it has its roots in the Jewish Torah. The Old Testament in the Bible and much of the Koran is almost taken from the ancient Jewish mystic Kabalah. The similarities here are astounding. For example, all these three major religions believe in the same source of creation and mankind... Adam and Eve. They even believe in the same prophets... Moses (Jew/Christian) is Musa (Muslim). Even Jesus and Mary are mentioned in the Koran as Isa and Miriam (Arabic spelling). With all these similarities, it makes you wonder why they're fighting each other all the time, isn't it? Still, it never ceases to amaze me how these very different people (Jew/Christian/Muslim) could share the same beliefs. It's obvious that there is definitely something there, undeniably concrete and REAL that brings these diverse peoples and their beliefs together. Also, like the Hindus and Taoists, they believe in angels, demons, ghosts and spirits. But perhaps the strongest link in their common belief is in Heaven and Hell.

Life After Death

REINCARNATION

The Buddhists believe in reincarnation. Some of them believe that after several reincarnations, if a person is "good", so to speak, he ascends to the level of the Bodisatvas and he doesn't have to be born again. Instead, he will dwell on a higher plane - some kind of Heaven. Of course, there are many schools of Buddhism. Zen Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Saravastivada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism... but I did not look too much into them, but from what I gathered, each is more a philosophy than a religion. However, our Chinese Buddhism is more spiritual, as it contains elements of the sacred Tao. it also spawned great kung fu as people who saw the movie Shaolin Temple, starring Jet Li can tell you. Traditional Chinese Buddhism preaches that there IS a Hell. Eighteen levels of it in fact, with varying degrees of punishments and torments one is subjected to according to the sins committed in life. Only after having "done time" in the underworld can one be reincarnated. The hapless sinner can now expect to come back into this world as an insect or pig or something sufficiently lowly if he led a bad life. If he led a not-so-bad life, then he can expect to come back as something human.

However, there are many types of humans. The beautiful, rich successful people we see today all led blameless, wonderful past lives. Whereas all the cripples, orphans, blinds, etc deserve to be what they are for they must have been bastards in their past lives. The basic teaching of Buddhism is this: Love not the superficial material things of this world, so that you can enjoy them when you are rewarded with them in the next life. And that is basically what reincarnation is all about.

HEAVEN AND HELL

This is what Taoist, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Jews and even Satanists ALL believe in - Heaven and Hell. The Taoist court of Hell is ruled by Giam Lor Ong - The King of Hell. He is also the judge of the court of the underworld. The bailiffs are Tua Ah Peh (Big Uncle) and Gee Ah Peh (Second Uncle). They are the ones who fetch the newly dead from this world and bring them to judgement. The court attendants are all demons, namely - the Gutao Baybeen (literally meaning Bull Head Horse Face). They are also the ones to inflict the torments and punishments meted out to the damned by Giam Lor Ong. As for Hindus, their concept of Hell is the dark domain of Yama, husband of Kali - the Goddess of Destruction. The Neraka Dunia, Hell, as the Muslims call the nether world, are the depths reserved for those cut off from the mercy of Allah. All bad Muslims go there.

But perhaps the most frightening of all concepts of Hell is the Christian and Jewish Hell, for it has been so vividly described in the Bible. It has been described to be a "pit of despair" where there is constant weeping and gnashing of teeth - the sounds of the damned in their anguish. It is a "lake of fire", where the fire never goes out and the sulphur and brimstone is always burning. It is also referred to as "eternal darkness" as well. Some great classic Western literature has been written about the Christian concept of Hell. These include: The Divine Comedy - Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso by Dante Alighieri, a renowned poet of 13th-century Florence. I think it would be interesting to note at this point that in every religion, there is a striking similarity in the concept of Hell - that it is a hot, fiery place full of anguish and torment. And in every culture, with all their dissimilarities, they all conceive of Hell as a subterranean underground place.

Is this a coincidence? I think not. Perhaps some hellish vision was actually revealed to them so that they know this place exists. For it cannot be that these different people from different cultures would dream up different times about this same place. The free thinkers refuse to consider the possiblities of an aftelife because it is quite beyond their limited imagination to do so. They have no soul and the Hell these people will be damned to is probably the same one reserved for farm animals and noisy household pets. The Catholic version of Hell has a Purgatory where lesser sinners who are not completely damned spend a certain amount of time to atone for their sins on earth. But the general belief regarding Hell is that it is eternal. Frightening, isn't it? An eternity of never-ending torments. Dying a million deaths over and over again, burning forever in the fire that never goes out. Squirming in agony in searing flames while the blood boils in your very veins - for ever and ever. And all the while, laughing demons mock you in your torment, relishing your pain, making it worse by prodding you with pitchforks, peeling off your skin, gouging out your eyes and eating them like fishballs. Tearing open your stomach and ripping out your intestines, cutting off your tongue and pulling out your teeth, one by one. Only to have it all grow back so they can do it all over again.

But enough about Hell. Let us talk about Heaven instead. According to popular belief, God made man hoping that he'd be good so that he can join Jesus, Moses and Mohammed up in Heaven when he dies. Heaven has been described as a plane of eternal bliss where everything is just perfect and everyone is very nice. You don't have to work, you don't have to go to school. A lot of popular literature, music and movies have tried to give some kind of idea of Heaven, but none have succeeded. A Christian friend told me once that if you played Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven backwards, you could hear a voice praising Satan. However, a "lapsed" Roman Catholic friend of mine told me that he played AC/DC's Highway To Hell backwards and there was a voice on it praising God!