Believing In Ghosts

I picked up a copy of James Van Praagh's new book, Ghosts Among Us: Uncovering the Truth About the Other Side
tonight. It has got me thinking already, about things like ghosts and paranormal experiences. I've been lucky enough to have had a few unexplained or some would call 'weird' experiences in my life, so his book kind of struck a chord with me.

If you believe in Van Praagh's work, you believe in ghosts, and if you believe in ghosts you are not alone. Ask almost anyone and they have some kind of a ghost story to tell you. That's because, real or imagined, we live with the idea of ghosts, and probably with actual ghosts.

The theory, and I trust it is only a theory, because...well how could anyone know for sure, is that ghosts are the 'spirits' of people who have passed on, but not gone all the way to the "other side" whatever that means. In common thought, it is usually said to mean that they either don't want to go, or have unfinished business here, and are hanging back, trying to deal with that, which of course is usually impossible. Unless of course you watch Ghost Whisperer.....

Personally, and I say this in writing, I believe in ghosts. I don't for a minute pretend to understand them, or explain them, but I believe in them. I also believe that there are people among us, perhaps even all of us, who have the ability to communicate with ghosts, if we know how, and if we try.

The problem is, as with so much of the unexplained, the mysteries become confusing and deeper and somewhat impossible to understand, because of the charletans and frauds who have capitalized on ghost stories and other unexplained phenonenom. They have convuluted the truth to the point that who knows who to believe, who to trust, and who is for real.

I think James Van Praagh is for real. I might be going out on a limb here, but having looked into the guy a bit, I am convinced that there is something to what he says and does. Following my motto, where there is fiction, there is some truth, I am convinced that while every ghost story may not be true, there are some that are. It's up to us, the researchers, the followers of this kind of mystery, to seek the truth, to look for the real and separate it from the imagined, or the outright fake.

Van Praagh seems to be able to see the ghosts among us, something that is a gift for sure, and something that I think it would be nice to be able to do. At least I think it would. It always makes me wonder if I could handle that ability if I had it, or if it would utimately drive me bonkers. So for now, I am quite content to let guys like James Van Praagh deal with the ghosts and then tell me about it in their books and television shows etc.

If you haven't already, I suggest you pick up a copy of Ghosts Among Us: Uncovering the Truth About the Other Side
by James Van Praagh, it is an interesting read.

Was Captain Kidd A Mason?

As I read I am beginning to see a little more about things that I used to take for granted. Like pirates....it's interesting to think that probably famous pirates like Captain William Kidd were probably Masons, or perhaps even members of the Knights Templar on some level. As you delve into the esoteric mysteries and the symbolism that is involved in Masonry, you start to see things. Like how much pirate symbolism seems to be tied to Masonic symbolism, the most obvious being the skull and crossbones flag that became synonomous with piracy.

We must remember, the Knight's Templars were fearsome warriors and apparently skilled sailors, two attributes that are necessary if you want a career in piracy. Also, in many cases, Kidd's among them, the pirates began as pirateers, which are essentially pirates sanctioned by the state or some country or government. It was only when the pirateers grew too wealthy or too powerful that they became known as pirates. Oddly enough, that is similar to the story of the Knights Templar, who were at first sanctioned by the church and state, only to become outlaws after they had become too powerful....I suppose at that point, they too became "pirates"

So if the pirates, or at least some pirates, were privateers in the beginning, and somehow stumbled on, or knew about the story of the Templars, perhaps because of their Masonic affiliations, it is possible they knew something about the Templar Treasure. I am thinking in particular about the aforesaid Captain Kidd, who legend and pirate lore implies had ties to Oak Island and has certainly been linked to the purported buried treasure.

Perhaps Kidd didn't bury treasure on Oak Island, perhaps he recovered it, or tried to recover it. That would explain the workings at the Oak Island Money Pit that it appears were made in the 1700's as opposed to the 1300's when the Templars, in particular Henry Sinclair, would have been in the area of Nova Scotia.

If Kidd did know about the treasure, or had his suspicions, his work as a privateer may have taken a back seat to his hunt for the Templar Treasure, or the Holy Grail. Perhaps he found it, or perhaps not, but whatever, his search for the treasure may have brought him into disfavor with his country, who renounced him as a pirate. Or maybe he became a pirate too, using his ill-gotten gains to further his search for the Grail, we may never know.

Whatever the case, it is clear that Captain Kidd began as a rightous man and ended a criminal, which to me, parallels the story of the Templars....

Let's think about that for awhile....