The other day I visited a cemetery. I often like to visit cemeteries and this particular spooky day was perfect for that. It is late March here but early spring. Crocuses are popping up everywhere. However, as you can see in the photo above, my attention was drawn to the misty eeriness of the cemetery. I took several photos of the cemetery situated next to the Public Gardens.
Trees stand out from the somber fog. The fog makes the cemetery appear ethereal, like you had crossed a threshold into the Otherworld. The tombstones add to the inescapable feel of death. It creeped me out, being there. When I left, after taking many photos, and I had crossed the threshold of the cemetery, I felt freed of something. Free of death’s grip? Free of the spirits whose icy fingers clung to me, pulling me to join them in their prison? One can only guess. The air felt less heavy when I reached the sidewalk.
Spring is here. The ground is less frozen and now muddy. Daffodils and crocuses pop up on lawns, greeting spring with their cheery faces. But in that cemetery, Time and Death stood still and held hands. Spring slumbers there yet.
Personally, I am grateful for spring’s return. I suppose that is due to my restlessness. It is very contradictory. I want to sleep or I feel restless. Spring is change. Spring is fresh new life. Spring ushers in foals, eggs, chicks, hens, neighing horses and shrieking jays. As much as I love the gothic atmosphere of the cemetery, I am a gardener. For the last few weeks, I have tended to my starter herbs and veggies. I take care of them and I have taken good care of my cat, who shares in my eagerness for warmer days. I spied a small bird nest up high in a tree on the nature trail a while ago.
Winter is hard for my dear cat. I can’t have the screen door open all day for her the way I do in summer. She doesn’t understand that. I can only imagine how bored she is. Lately she has taken to attacking her big bag of cat food.
Last night, I watched the new Ghostbusters movie: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. I loved it. I was late so I missed the previews and the very beginning of the movie but I sure enjoyed the rest. I would highly recommend anyone who is curious to grab some popcorn and a friend, and go see the movie in theatres.
The ethereal eeriness of the cemetery is like one last swan song of the dark half of the year before the sun engulfs the world. I am happy to have visited the cemetery to experience the chill of death, the reminder of mortality. I know spring is around the corner, slowly tiptoeing in and soon to kick the darkness to the curb.
Spooky cemeteries and ghost busting movies! I even got a Batman doll souvenir! I do love theatre popcorn!
I obtained a white garment like a nightgown. I like it because I can alter it to match the chemises that I see on the Holy Clothing website. I am not done yet but it will look great. I love this photo!
Tonight I am going to Trident Cafe to support a likeminded awesome horror author. I’m celebrating women in horror month. Yay!
Today’s post covers a new exciting event in the world of the paranormal. Enjoy!!!
Thunder Bay paranormal convention set to showcase the spooky side of life this fall
Workshops, guest speakers will cover all manner of paranormal topics
A group of paranormal investigators record a drop in temperature inside a site believed to be subject to paranormal activities. Paranormal investigators will gather in Thunder Bay, Ont., this fall. (Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters )
With a slate of guest speakers and workshops on the schedule, the first-ever Lake Superior Paranormal Convention will shine a spotlight on the strange and spooky this fall.
The convention – which is being organized by Thunder Bay paranormal investigation group Lucky Paranormal – will take place in October at the Prince Arthur hotel. Tickets go on sale Saturday, March 2, and will be available online.
“At a paranormal convention, they have lots of speakers,” organizer and Lucky Paranormal member Gail Willis said. “All day long, you can listen to paranormal experts on paranormal activity, investigation, UFO’s, Sasquatch, Bigfoot, all of those types of things are spoken about openly at a convention.”
More than 15 guests have been booked so far. They include:
Beyond the Haunting Investigations of History’s Most Haunted;
Shane Pittman, from Netflix’s 28 Days Haunted and Discovery Channel’s The Holzer Files;
Author and researcher Jeff Belanger (Ghost Adventures and Paranormal Challenge);
Author and researcher Chris Rutkowski;
Thunder Bay writer Kim Casey;
Investigator and filmmaker Dee McCullay, and
The Winnipeg Paranormal Group.
The convention will also include vendors, as well as workshops on how to use some of the equipment paranormal investigators use, organizer and Lucky Paranormal member Mel Willis said.
A REM Pod used by Lucky Paranormal during their investigations. The upcoming Lake Superior Paranormal Convention will feature workshops on how to use ghost-hunting equipment like this. (Kris Ketonen/CBC)
The idea for the local convention grew out of visits to other, similar events by Lucky Paranormal members.
“We’ve gone to a number of conventions in the U.S.,” Mel Willis said. “There’s one in Halifax and that’s the only one across Canada and we’re like, ‘well, we’re smack in the middle of Canada, why not here?'”
Gail Willis said the convention isn’t only geared at investigators, and hopes that everyone with an interest in the supernatural will take away something worthwhile.
“I hope that they leave with more information,” she said. “I hope that they leave with a passion for the paranormal, and also maybe new connections.”
A few other events are scheduled around the main convention, which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 5. Those include:
A VIP party with celebrity guest speakers on the evening of Oct. 4;
A celebrity-led paranormal investigation at the Thunder Bay museum, scheduled for the evening of Oct. 5, and
Sunday Spirits n’ Sweets at Cafe Ora, which will include afternoon tea and coffee with Canadian psychic medium Kerrilynn Shellhorn on the afternoon of Oct. 6.
The Lake Superior Paranormal Convention itself, meanwhile, is scheduled for Oct. 5, 2024, at the Prince Arthur Hotel. For ticket information, visit the event’s website.
Superior Morning8:22Mel and Gail Willis of Lucky Paranormal: Paranormal Convention
Thunder Bay ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts, mark your calendars, the first-ever Lake Superior Paranormal Convention is coming to the city this fall. Hear from the organizers.
I am sad to announce that my friend Scott Lee Bower has passed away. He died from a serious heart complication this week. His friends and I are saddened by his passing. I posted about him on this blog and I will repost it for everyone to see again. He was a genuine person and he loved the paranormal. Scott will be missed.
Today’s post is about an investigation led at the most famous Five Fishermen restaurant. I have been there and I can attest that the restaurant is genuinely haunted. Read on if you dare!
Paranormal investigators reach out to spirits at haunted Halifax eatery
On a chilly Saturday night in October, a group of paranormal investigators gathered at a historic Halifax building long rumoured to be haunted.
What is now a popular restaurant in Halifax’s downtown core was once a mortuary, processing bodies from both the sinking of the Titanic and the Halifax Explosion.
The persistent stories of strange happenings at the Five Fishermen at 1740 Argyle Street have attracted the attention of Paranormal Investigations Nova Scotia (PINS.)
Desperate for answers, the group decided to gather their equipment and spend a long night at the restaurant in the hopes of solving the mystery behind the reports of flickering lights and unknown footsteps.
“Hoping to try and communicate with a spirit of some sort, somebody that has, you know, been trapped here, someone who has personal possessions here,” says Darcy O’Neil of PINS.
The group doesn’t have to wait long.
Cameras are quick to catch a motion sensor going off on its own. Suspecting a malfunction, the team discusses the problem while a white mist moves across their video screen.
No one on the team can explain it and the mist is only the beginning.
The team sets up a ghost box, a digital audio recorder with a built-in radio set on a reverse frequency.
Where a person’s ears would only pick up static, investigators say other voices sometimes emerge from the white noise.
The team also sets up a laser grid in an effort to spot any shadows passing by.
The investigators say the quickest way to determine whether a ghost is present is to simply ask.
“Is there a female here?” they ask.
The silence is deafening as they wait for an answer in a dining room where a mysterious man has been spotted several times in a mirror.
“If there’s a male here, what’s your name?”
Suddenly, through the static on the ghost box, the words “it’s Drake” seem to fill the air.
“That was a male voice that just came through,” says O’Neil.
A man named William Leonard Drake died in the Halifax Explosion. The body of the 24-year-old was prepared for burial in the building.
“I thoroughly believe that we are haunted,” says the restaurant’s general manager, Heather Brown. “I don’t believe that any of the spirits here are here to hurt us. I think they’re more or less just here to say this is our space.”
The embalming process in the old funeral home took place in what is now a private dining room.
A basic security system catches some action in the room as balls of light, or orbs, dance around the space. The orbs are invisible to the naked eye but can be seen plain as day on the infrared video.
Upstairs in the woman’s washroom, where a little girl has been spotted and a woman heard weeping, the team brings so-called trigger objects – items chosen to elicit a response.
There is no obvious response, but some women in the group report feeling numb.
The investigators try the same method in the wine cage.
“Is there anyone here who wants to communicate with me?” asks one investigator.
The light of the flashlight comes on, seemingly on its own.
“Are you a female? Turn it on for yes.”
Again, the flashlight lights up on its own.
“Are you a young child?”
The light turns on once more.
The team begins to pick up more activity. Radios and motion sensors continue to go off for no apparent reason.
And so it goes, until well after midnight.
As the investigators pack up and leave, they conclude the evening has generated more questions than answers. They vow to return.
There are 29 days till Spring Equinox! I can’t wait. I mean I have a few herb seedlings growing under my grow light. I am literally counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds till I can be in my garden again. I am just chomping at the bit for spring.
I put some seeds on damp paper towel and put the paper towels in ziplock baggies. I used mountain arnica seeds, mint, elecampane, purple basil and marshmallow root. I can’t wait to grow those herbs! Starting seeds that way is a great way to see which seeds will grow the strongest and what the germination rate is. I love starting seeds that way.
The next turn in the Wheel of the Year is Ostara. Ostara is the second Spring sabbat.
Pumpkin season is here. The Paranormal Symposium is a few days away. I have been busy preparing for it. I can’t wait to attend.
The beautiful black plush blanket that I ordered from Killstar arrives tomorrow! I can’t wait for that either. The blanket has a spiderweb print and will keep me warm. I want to download lots of photos of my ancestors for Samhain. I also want to make them a beautiful offering of golden flowers this year. I decided on goldenrod and marigolds, and maybe asters. I am sure they will appreciate the offering.
The host of the Paranormal Symposium, Elliott Van Dusen, wants to interview me about my blog, The Paranormal Quill after the Symposium. I am happy about that. It is nice to get some recognition after all my hard work. I have had a long go of it. I will have to prepare for that too. It should be interesting.
I bought a cool black glossy nail polish the other day. The brand is Opi and the color is black onyx. I love the color and the quality of the nail polish. I am almost all set for the Paranormal Symposium. I just have to decide what to wear. I washed two gothy witchy dresses and they will be clean in time for the big day. I bought a beautiful black handbag today on Spring Garden near the Public Gardens. It is so lovely. I hand washed that too, as it had a strong scent. I want to use that bag the day of the event. Yes this has taken a lot of thought. I need spending money for lunch and maybe cabfare. It is a day long event so that is why I have been thinking everything through. The black boots I wanted to wear aren’t ready. I have an alternate pair. The clothes are clean. Yup I do believe I just have to enjoy myself and relax. I even asked my Mom to give me a wake up call early in the morning. I take the bus so I have to get up early early in the morning. I have to be ready by 8 am to leave or be there at the time. I know where the event is to be held and I know which bus to take. Now the old me would have scrambled at the last minute. This time I have prepared well in advance. Yeah being this organized sure feels better.
I even checked out hairstyle options. Maybe not that necessary but you never know. I mean we would seriously prepare for a job interview right? Right. I really want to make an impact with my appearance.
Penny will be groomed later in the month. I needed the money today to buy groceries and to pay for duties and taxes for the quilt to be shipped to me. I hate that but I had to do it. The blanket was 60% off. I wouldn’t have bought it otherwise, considering it is mailed from the States.
I harvested roses, yarrow, black horehound, asters, lavender, apples and red clover. I dried them save for the apples in my dehydrator. Now they are stored in jars. The herbs look beautiful even when dried. I ground up a large quantity of black pepper and I ground up a loaf of white bread. I stored the black pepper in the same jar and stored the bread crumbs in a ziplock bag in the freezer. I want to use up the food that I have because it is so expensive these days. Yup times are tough right now. I am not buying a new outfit for the big day. I intend to use what I already have. That is what the happiest people do. They make the most and best of what they have. I have nice things and I try to make them last me as long as I can.
I will have to get to know black horehound. I am not too acquainted with that herb but it is not that accepted amongst herbalists. One more herb to learn!
This collection of true eerie tales is sure to put you in a spooky mood! Read on to get scared! Remember to stay spooky…
5 ghost tour guides share their favourite haunting tales from across Canada
Haunted hotels, back-alley apparitions and more terrifying local lore.
(Credit: iStock/Getty Images)
Just as pumpkin spice lattes pair perfectly with leaf peeping, there’s perhaps no better way to get in the Halloween spirit than with a good old-fashioned fright night.
In fact, Canada has plenty of its own nightmare-inducing campfire tales to keep you lying awake in terror — take it from some of the nation’s top tour guides who specialize in spinning cobweb-covered yarns from the crypt.
To celebrate spooky season, we asked five of these pros to share their favourite sinister stories with us — many of which are associated with regular, real-life ghost sightings. So, read on, if you dare.
These stories have been edited and condensed for clarity.
I love all my ghosts equally, but what I love to talk about is the Woman in Black and the Man in Black of Gaoler’s Mews.
The Alhambra Hotel was completed in 1887, the year after the Great Vancouver Fire. It was an opulent hotel and it also had a reputation for being a full-service hotel — meaning, you could get any kind of room service you might desire (wink, wink). I’m sure the building has its fair share of ghosts, as do many old hotels, but its most prolific ghost makes her appearance on the back stairs in Gaoler’s Mews. She seems to have a preference for dark, rainy nights, however, that is not absolute. She materializes as a stunning woman in long black dress with long black hair, and is often seen clutching her waist. Then, she straightens, glides down Gaoler’s Mews and disappears into Blood Alley. People theorize that she is a widow walking toward the hangman’s noose that once stood in Blood Alley. But was there ever really one there? I have doubts.
But what of the ghost that follows? The Man in Black? He is a well-dressed gentleman in a long black coat and bowler hat. He usually makes his entrance via the front door of the restaurant that backs onto this alley — now known as L’Abattoir. He’s so solid that the host or hostess will try to give him a menu but he simply walks forward, through the restaurant, often disappearing in the alley behind the atrium. So what’s his story? Since he is often seen seconds after the Woman in Black, one can reason the two had a relationship, but we can only speculate on the nature of it. Is he watching out for her? Or is he a customer still hoping to visit his favourite mistress?
Back in April of this year, I had a mother and young daughter from Calgary on the tour with me. Once we got to Gaoler’s Mews, even before I began telling any ghost stories, the young teen looked up at the window above the Twisted Fork, and said, “there’s a man in an old top hat looking down at us.” I couldn’t see anyone so I asked her, could he be wearing a bowler hat? She didn’t know what that was, but it was an old-fashioned black hat. Apparently, he watched us the entire time we stood in that spot. The Man in Black often disappears into that very building, and the second floor was once a brothel.
Experience it in person: Ghostly Gastown Tour, 90 minutes, $27
The tale of the headless nun
As told by Shawn McCarthy, co-founder, Character Matters Miramichi
The legend of the ghost in French Fort Cove proceeds in this way: one night, around 1758, after having helped a woman through a difficult childbirth, Sister Marie Inconnue was returning to the settlement at the cove — at the time home to a battery of 16 cannons and a small detachment of soldiers. As she crossed the footbridge over Crow Brook, she was set upon.
Some say it was a pair of leprous sailors from L’Indienne de Morlaix, out for revenge on those who had imprisoned them. Others insist that it was a mad trapper, wild and desperate from years living in the woods. Whoever he was, he was looking to extort the location of a buried treasure from the young nun. Sister Marie adamantly refused to divulge the whereabouts of the treasure, uttering only prayers for the redemption of the poor wretch’s soul.
In a fit of rage, the maniac severed her head with a violent blow. Some say he severed the head so he could dig into her throat, thinking she had swallowed the map as she saw him approach. The head was thrown into the waters of the cove, and her body was left on the bridge.
The settlers mourned the loss of Sister Marie for months. The militia attempted to find the man who had perpetrated this terrible crime, but were unsuccessful. Sister Marie’s death could not be avenged. Her body was sent to France for burial, but her head was never recovered. Since that day, it is said that the ghost of Sister Marie still roams the cove, still diligently protecting the treasure — and searching for the head that will make her whole again.
As told by Kristen Treusch, owner and guide, SquarePeg Tours
This story takes place at the Fort Garry Hotel in Room 202. The urban legend is that the spirit of a woman haunts this room. She looks like a bride and lets people know she’s in the room in several ways. People have reported hearing footsteps in the room, feeling someone sitting on the foot of the bed, and occasionally, lying beside them when they were half asleep. She has also been known to leave wet footprints in the bathroom, turn the light on in the closet and mess with the TV and phone. If you are fortunate enough to actually see her, she’ll chat and then exit the room through the window.
It is said that this bride was either murdered by her new husband or witnessed him being struck down by a trolley car on Broadway when he went across the street to get something. When she saw this, she was torn apart with grief and guilt and [died by] suicide in the room.
I carry a K2 meter on my tours and it lights up whenever I talk about her; that’s how she lets me know she’s around.
Experience it in person: Broadway Ghost Walk, 90 minutes, $15
One of the most intriguing ghost stories I tell is honestly one of my favourites. It also happens to be tied closely to our history. While the Canadas were still colonies of the United Kingdom, we became the front line for the War of 1812. Lake Ontario was frequently populated by both American and British warships — with more than a few battles fought on the water.
One fateful day, the wind had died down. Unable to move their ships without the aid of the air, both sides were forced to wait on the peaceful water. The winds returned as a violent storm in the early hours of the morning. Two American schooners, the Scourge and the Hamilton, sank under the weight of their top-heavy guns. Over 50 sailors were sent to the bottom of the lake with them. The intense storm, filled with rain and lightning, only lasted a few minutes.
Today, the ships still lie at the bottom of the lake, their wrecks officially considered a national historic site — but that’s not where their stories end. A local legend has since emerged among some older mariners. This tale suggests the ships continue to set sail from time to time. One might see two ghostly ships emerging from the mist on dark nights with thick fog. The sailors who died that day, still on board, are forever trapped in their final moments on deck. Some even say that to see these ships may lead to a death on your own crew.
Experience it in person: Original Haunted Walk of Toronto, 75 minutes, $24.99
The haunting of Room 207
As told by Ghost Guide Daniel, overseer, Ghost Walks
I love to tell the story of Molly McGuire at the Prince of Wales Hotel. The legend talks about the house, which once stood on that land. During the War of 1812, as the American soldiers marched in, one soldier was sent into the house to check it for the British. It was dusk and there were no electric lights. Upon entering a second-floor bedroom, he mistook a shadow for a British soldier. He rushed in and ran the person through with his bayonet — only then realizing it was an innocent woman.
The woman was Molly McGuire, and the bedroom is said to be where Room 207 at the Prince of Wales Hotel exists today. Room 207 is considered the most haunted room in the hotel.
A manager told us the story of a couple who stayed in the room. In the middle of the night, they awoke as something fell in the bathroom. Getting up together to investigate — neither wanted to do it alone — the wife opened the bathroom door, flipped on the light and saw a woman with long, dark hair staring at her from inside the bathroom mirror.
One of our guides had a similarly spooky experience. While telling Molly’s story, she noticed a swing across the street in Simcoe Park. One seat was swinging violently back and forth. There was no wind. It was nighttime, so also no kids.
She ran into the park to check it. The swing continued swinging, until a guest took a photo. After the flash, it slowed, then stopped on its own. The best part: in the photo, there was a big, bright orb on the swing seat.
As I type here, the rain’s pouring. The sky is heavy and overcast. I haven’t been out to my garden yet. It’s mid-August but the bugs are still harassing me, the weather is still warm but stores are stocking Halloween goods early. I am not ready for the spookiest time of year. That has to do with the goods in my garden growing late in the year due to the heatwave.
Here is a fascinating story about a true paranormal investigator. Read on and enjoy!
Canada’s Lady of Folklore
Helen Creighton
Helen Creighton was a celebrated folklorist, author, and pioneer researcher. She is best known for her book Bluenose Ghosts about firsthand accounts of spine-chilling tales. Creighton excelled at collecting local folk ballads, folk tales and ghost stories. She is also known for her skill at collecting local dances, games, cures and proverbs. She was born with a caul. A person born with a caul will have a warning before danger. This proved true when Creighton explored the province in search of folk tales. One night she stayed at an inn the night before the Miramichi Folk Festival and had a dream of a child coming towards her. The next day a deer jumped in front of her car on the highway. She would have several of these portentous experiences including her own doppelganger warning her of danger. It made her the perfect person to lend an empathetic ear to those sharing their own experiences.
Because Creighton encountered their stories with a sense of empathy, people trusted her and felt comfortable opening up to her about their tales, customs and ghost stories. An elderly man once told her, “You’ve got a way with you; you’d bewitch the devil.”
The blurb for Bluenose Ghosts reads: “Haunted houses, headless ghosts, phantom ships, supernatural warnings of death – these are just some of the unexplainable and mysterious phenomena that appear in Bluenose Ghosts. Written in a personable and accessible style by celebrated folklorist Helen Creighton, Bluenose Ghosts is based on the experiences of ordinary people as told to the author over a period of thirty years. These chilling stories come from across the Maritimes – the Highlands of Cape Breton, the woods of New Brunswick, and the harbours around Halifax. First published in 1957, Bluenose Ghosts is a classic of Nova Scotia folklore presented here in a new format and with a foreword from Clary Croft.”
Her career as a folk tales and songs collector spanned forty years. Her celebrated book Bluenose Ghosts focuses on true ghost stories, superstition, witchcraft and buried treasure. She recorded first-hand accounts from the people she interviewed and did her utmost best to maintain their authenticity. She was a collector of tales, not an analyzer, and she received an unfair amount of criticism for that. Creighton collected the folk tales with no intention of analyzing them. That made her stand out from her colleagues and is what was so unique about her.
She took painstaking care to record the folk songs that she collected. She had limited means to work with as she transcribed her work. Over time, Creighton met people who would assist her in accurately transcribing and preserving her work.
It happened by chance that Creighton began collecting local ghost stories. She originally set out to gather folk tales and songs. Bluenose Ghosts is chilling because the scary accounts are from real, everyday people. That is what gives her book so much appeal. The scary experiences are shared by people who have no reason to lie and know how to tell a tale. I dare you to read it at night with the lights on.
Creighton was often found carrying a meter long melodeon in a wheelbarrow when she visited people. She used a tape recorder when it was invented ten years later. Creighton worked tirelessly to collect four thousand folk songs and tales of eerie spectral encounters. It demonstrates her immense respect for what ordinary men and women had to say. She was determined to preserve their tales to keep them from disappearing in the mists of history.
Creighton may have recorded thousands of folk tales, ghost stories and songs. Yet it was the voices of those she interviewed that shone in the books and tapes. She never got in their way or tampered with their words. She was given the nickname the Ghost Lady by those she interviewed.
Here is an unsettling excerpt from the book: “An East Chester woman said, “My uncle was a contractor, and when I was fifteen, he and I were going home to Mahone Bay from Western Shore. When we were in the woods I heard a horse and it seemed to be so close that I could almost feel its breath. I looked around and what I saw was a horse all right, but there was a man sitting on it with no head. My uncle didn’t see it, and I was too scared to speak until we got home and then all he said was, ‘That’s nothing. Lots of people have seen that horse and rider.’ Since then I have asked many people but nobody seems to know who the rider is supposed to be.”
A headless ghost and his horse, top that. That is one of many chilling tales from regular people simply sharing their stories. This is why I love the book and why it spooks me.
Here’s a second excerpt about a sea captain, the devil and a set of playing cards:
“They were his own cards anyway, so he put them in his sea chest and locked them up. “That night he was awakened from his sleep and was surprised to see a man sitting on his sea chest. He was dealing cards, and he dealt four hands. Then the stranger saw that the captain was awake and asked him to sit in and have a game with him. Before he could make up his mind he looked at the man’s feet and saw the cloven hoof. He screamed and the stranger disappeared, and that was why he would have nothing more to do with playing cards.””
The excerpts above demonstrate how spine tingling the book is. No other book compares to Bluenose Ghosts. I highly recommend the book to anyone who craves a salty maritime ghost story.
Creighton left Canadians with a trove of rich folklore. She ‘still hasn’t been matched”. Her style and approach were considered unconventional. “Horace Beck wrote (that), “Perhaps your most important achievement is that you have done something no one else has been able to do in North America. You have brought folklore to national and public attention and given it a status in Canada it has never achieved in the United States. This you have done most singlehandedly and for this all folklorists must be forever grateful.””
Helen Creighton left a legacy to those who are passionate about ghost stories and the paranormal. She was a true pioneer. When Helen Creighton began her career, she was untrained and inexperienced but that didn’t stop her.
“Over the course of her career, Creighton collected over 60,000 materials including 4,000 songs and ballads. She authored thirteen books of traditional songs, ballads and stories, of which her Bluenose Ghosts is the most widely known. She also wrote an autobiography, and a number of articles. She received many awards, including Distinguished Folklorist of 1981 (Canada); six honorary doctorates; Fellow of the American Folklore Society, Honorary Life President of the Canadian Authors’ Association; and The Order of Canada. Helen was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 by Folk Alliance International. In 2018, Parks Canada designated Helen Creighton a nationally significant person who helped define Canada’s history.” The collection of her life’s work now resides at the Nova Scotia Public Archives.
Happy Earth Day!!! Every single day should be Earth Day, in my opinion. But I am glad to celebrate it today. I’m sipping herbal tea. I have no lights turned on, the kettle is unplugged. Well OK I’m on the computer but I have to be to type this post. I watered my many green seedlings this morning. My kitty is perched on a pile of papers, watching everything that moves. Mmmm this herbal tea of chamomile, meadowsweet, lemon balm, passionflower and vervain is delicious!
I successfully completed the latest section on the nervous system in the Intermediate Course with a perfect grade – 100%! I have other good news. My poem, The Frightened Spirit, is slated to be published in the upcoming issue of Polar Borealis #21! I’m attending StokerCon 2022 which is on May 12-15th and I can’t wait! I even submitted an author reading of me reading my published short story The Grimm Pumpkin. This is all good news.
I have to practice my botanical drawings more. Once spring really is here, and flowers are in bloom, like when the weather actually warms up and stays warm, I will draw more. Spring in Nova Scotia is like an extended winter season. The Herbal Academy wants me to go foraging. It’s not time here for that yet. I’ll be patient. Speaking of wild flowers, the sunny flowers are coltsfoot not dandelion. I thought they were dandelions but my app identified them as coltsfoot. They are two different plants. Dandelion is safe to consume and coltsfoot has a toxin.
This website says more about it here:
Coltsfoot preparations have liver toxic alkaloids that may have the potential to cause cancer. Some sources, such as RX List, report that “Coltsfoot is considered UNSAFE. It contains chemicals called hepatotoxic (toxic to the liver) pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) that can damage the liver or cause cancer.”Mar 22, 2020
I’m mentioning this to show you how easily one plant can be mistaken for another. I use the app Seek to aid me in identifying plants. I almost harvested the coltsfoot but I may be reluctant to do so now. There is insufficient evidence to support whether it is a safe herb to consume. I hope the bees enjoy coltsfoot. Power to them!
A book came in the mail that I am so excited to get to read. The book’s titled Poltergeist: A New Investigation into Destructive Haunting by John Fraser. This book focuses way more on poltergeists than on ghosts. The author aims to prove the existence of the more noisy spooky poltergeists. I think I will enjoy this book. That debate can go on for forever. It is hard to prove both exist let alone one over the other. The book is nonfiction.
I hope you all enjoy spring. Blessings to all, Spiderwitch
The photo above is the nature trail. The nature trail looks spooky and in my opinion, is the best representation of the thinning of the veil between the worlds. It beckons to me, enticing to dare to venture down the concrete path ” to lose my mind and find my soul”. Well I am most certainly not losing my mind. I just like the expression. The expression means to totally lose oneself in nature, to release any inhibitions. The sky and the trees appear to be enveloped in a mist, and yet reveals how beautiful the autumn season is. The leaves contrast the heavy grey sky. Rustic orange, brown and gold colours stand out against the sky.
The veil between the worlds is thinning. I don’t believe this occurs only at Samhain and Beltane. I think there is a stronger reason why there are so many more reports of people encountering spirits now more than ever before. It can’t be just that we have better ghost hunting devices for detecting them. There has to be actual spirits to detect or the devices would be no use to anyone. I don’t know what started this or how the veil is getting weaker. It could be that we destroyed the ozone layer ( just a theory, don’t laugh), or that someone or a group of people performed certain dark magic that led to the rapidly thinning veil. It could also be that we are all in a global transition. The global transition could have to do with the fact that we are in the Age of Aquarius. The old systems are collapsing. People are turning away from the old long established systems of the patriarchy (which I am in support of), and the other old systems of the Church. They could be seeking something more liberating and less conventional. And what is more conventional than the Church and oppression?
These are a few theories. They are not fact and should not be treated as such. The other theory is that they are coming because a change is coming. I fear that this change might be darker and weirder than we are ready for. The spirits may already know the dark change coming. Look at the world right now. Tension, hate, animosity, apathy, crime, war, and the pandemic are running high. Ever since the pandemic began, people have become more hostile and less loving. It’s almost like there is something wrong with you are if you are nice. That’s terrible. All the negativity in the world is feeding the spirits.
I can’t remember when this happened. But not too long ago, I had another of my freaky incidents. Apparently, I had a paper cut. The weird thing is, I never felt any pain. I had a page in my hands and somehow got a paper cut. I never felt the pain but my hands were blood stained from the paper cut. I had a new white computer mouse in my hands and the mouse managed to remain immaculate somehow. I entered the washroom to bandage my hand but no, I can’t explain that. Paper cuts hurt. I am open to theories. This is as weird as the time I saw a ghost in the shape of a rat or rabbit disappear under my bed. I am open to theories and explanations.
There has to be a reason for all these occurrences. The ones that I experience and in the rest of the world. People have been discussing this since 2016 and maybe before that time. Stories of ghosts are nothing new. The important thing right now is why it is happening. I will be discussing this more in depth in future posts.
Here is a link that discusses the thinning of the veil in more depth. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Wow, I just found out that Discovery Plus is now available in Canada!! Happy dance, happy dance. OK I can now watch The Haunted Museum video anthology. I am so happy. I have seen the episodes on Youtube. Also, speaking of horror, let’s acknowledge that today is the birthday of Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula. Bram Stoker left behind a legend and a legacy, one which most of us are familiar with. Bram Stoker lived from November 8, 1847- April 20, 1912.
Hey dear readers! I found yet another awesome Canadian paranormal story for you! Enjoy!
Winnipeg’s Hamilton House, known for paranormal activity, getting restored
Winnipeg –
Fans of the paranormal have a chance to spend the night in a historic Winnipeg house known for its eerie history and brushes with the unexplainable.
Hamilton House has been purchased and restored by Cheryl Wiebe, owner of Gags Unlimited.
Her plan is to move the store into the bottom level and rent out the two, top levels that were used as residential apartments on Airbnb, giving guests the chance to have an encounter with the home’s storied spirits.
“It might happen. I can’t guarantee,” Wiebe told CTV News. “We have a book library, we’ll have a video library though for anyone waiting for the ghosts, so something you can sit back and relax at.”
Why does this house have such a reputation for the paranormal?
The Henderson Highway house was once owned by Dr. T.G. Hamilton, a Manitoba physician, MLA, and school trustee, and his wife Lillian.
According to the University of Manitoba Library Archives, the couple became interested in spiritual communication after the death of their three-year-old son Arthur in 1919 from Spanish flu.
As the couple tried to reconnect with Arthur, their home became the meeting place of a circle of spiritualist mediums, hosting numerous séances, trance states, and psychic readings.
Over 700 archival images donated by the Hamilton family to the U of M show alleged instances at the home of telekinesis, teleplasm, and other psychic phenomena.
Since buying the home, Wiebe said she has had a few unexplainable experiences of her own.
“My personal experience is when I was waiting for the appraiser and I was at the front counter, which is right 10 feet from the door, and I heard a knock at the door,” she recalled.
“I went to go and answer the door and it is glass, and nobody was there. So I went to the back door thinking someone was there, that it was the appraiser and nobody was there.”
Wiebe said a similar experience happened when she was renovating the home with her son. He went to use the washroom and heard a knocking sound. When he returned, he asked his mother if it was her.
“I said, ‘I’m not knocking. I was hanging wallpaper.’ He said ‘I was downstairs and somebody knocked on the door,’ and he knocked on the wall. He said it was clear, like that,” Wiebe explained.
Our own CTV News Photojournalist Zachary Kitchen had a few eerie moments himself when shooting interviews at the home. The batteries on many of Kitchen’s electronics died unexplainably. Additionally, a ring that was found buried in the carpet during renovation unexplainably made its way into Kitchen’s wagon that was hauling his camera gear. He discovered it while unloading his equipment for the shoot.
“It seemed very strange to have a ring pop into my wagon all of a sudden,” he said. “Cheryl said that the ring was on the counter, and she doesn’t know how it ended up on the wagon.”
Psychic Medium Bernice Bisson said she too feels a strong, paranormal presence in the home.
“When I had the opportunity to read from this house over last summer, I had so many paranormal activities going on. I had so many unexplained noises, doors opening and closing, things going on,” she said.
“This place had such a great history and as I delved into the history, I started to figure out who these paranormal entities who were showing up, because they belong to the house.”
Wiebe hopes to start taking guests in early November, and hopes to open the storefront soon after.
“So people can come and experience Hamilton House for themselves,” she said.
Credit given to: https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg-s-hamilton-house-known-for-paranormal-activity-getting-restored-1.5634457
Graveyard in the woods: Abandoned Nova Scotia logging village so spooky skeptic won’t visit alone
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The scorched, leafless Inspiration tree is one of the milestones hikers can use to measure their progress when hiking to Roxbury, an abandoned logging village in Annapolis County. – Contributed
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS
Leafless trees close in and choke out the midday sun as David Whitman and his daughter, Lori, tread further into the dense forest.
The two are exploring the remains of Roxbury, an abandoned Annapolis County logging and farming village described as “lost in the woods” by locals.
“At first glance, there is not much to see,” says Whitman.
Whitman, a retired schoolteacher, is now referred to as the ‘Mayor of Roxbury’ after writing his first self-published book about the area called ‘Lost in The Woods: The Lure and History of Roxbury,’ which came out in 2005.
David and his wife Paulette Whitman are both writers that aim to preserve local Nova Scotian history. – Contributed
His interest sparked in the once-thriving settlement destroyed by a forest fire and abandoned in 1904, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was here where he spent hours fishing at a nearby river with friends.
“I was always intrigued by Roxbury as a kid. The village is about four miles off the main road, in the middle of nowhere. And when I began teaching school in Halifax, I started to research the area where very little is known.”
Over the years, he went digging for facts, church and school records, deeds, newspaper reports, and interviewed descendants of those that had once called the area “home.”
Whitman discovered a mysterious and tragic past.
The dirt trail that leads to the Roxbury settlement deep in the woods. – Contributed
Originally, he says, Roxbury was known as Durland’s Settlement, named after Thomas Durland, the first English Loyalist settler in the early 1800s. His brother Charles followed with his family, and by 1865, there were 15 families in the settlement, with a population around 60.
But the settlement stretches further back. The Mi’kmaq were the first inhabitants, followed by French Acadians fleeing from British soldiers after refusing to pledge British allegiance – known as the Expulsion from 1755 to 1764.
“About 60 French Acadian exiles took to the river and hid on South Mountain,” Whitman says.
“The Mi’kmaq became their allies, but many Acadians did not survive the freezing winter.”
Remains of stone walls from the Loyalist days. – Contributed
Acadian gold?
Rumours persist, says Whitman, that the Acadians, while fleeing, left stashes of gold under Mile Rock on Roxbury Road.
“There have been some treasure hunters over the years, but nothing retrieved or at least made public.”
While piecing his second book together on the area, Whitman says he interviewed many who reported “strange voices” while alone on Roxbury Road.
“Legend has it some of the French Acadians were planning to come back and get this gold, so I think it plays on the imagination which can run wild out there when no one is around,” he dismisses with a nervous laugh.
When the Loyalists arrived (1775 to 1783), they built permanent structures over the Acadian nomadic-style homes using rocks from the mountain.
Shreds of lumber remain from the former logging and farming village. – Contributed
“By 1904, most of the residents had moved out with the lumber industry depleted and the serious forest fire.”
Whitman explains to produce blueberries, they burned the land, but a fire got out of control and spread over hundreds of acres, torching Roxbury.
Today, the scorched, leafless Inspiration tree echoes this history.
“The tree is aptly named Inspiration because if you make it that far, you might as well keep going,” says Whitman.
There is an 18.7-kilometre in-and-back trail described as “difficult” on All Trails, which features a lake and cuts through the settlement.
Roxbury lay dormant for several years, attended only by nature. Then, in the 1920s, families set up homesteads, including Whitman’s father.
“Roxbury had a school, church, post office, sawmill and grist mill. The last family moved out in 1927,” notes Whitman.
Andrew Rosengren and the Thygesen family were the last homesteaders.
“Then in 1948 through to the late 1950s, lumbering activities by J. H. Hicks and Sons and Max Napthal interrupted the settlement’s slumber. And in the 2000s, forestry work from Bowater Mersey and Lafarge Canada Inc.”
Lost in The Woods: The Lure and History of Roxbury, by David Whitman, published in 2005. – Contributed
Haunted woods
So, what’s left there now? Stone foundations, deep round wells, shreds of lumber.
“But people go there a lot to hike,” says Whitman.
Yet Whitman says he will “never walk there alone.”
The supernatural skeptic that claims, “there is a scientific explanation for everything” admits he has heard “through the trees,” a sound the resembles the “wailing of a man.”
Other interviewees of Whitman reported “strange noises” or “figures.”
It is not a place for the faint of heart, he says.
Roxbury: A return to a ghost town, by David Whitman, published in 2015, with a foreword by John DeMont. – Contributed
“I have not been back there for a while. Not by myself, especially to the graveyards. There was always something about them. There is one graveyard where a man lost his wife in childbirth, and he would visit and cry on their graves.”
In one cemetery, a headstone peeks through the vegetation with just one bold word, “Baby.”
“In my second book, ‘Roxbury: A return to a ghost town,’ I interviewed people that say they could feel or even see someone watching them. It gave them an intense feeling that they should not be there,” he adds.
The book, published in 2015 with a foreword by John DeMont, includes photographs by witnesses, capturing “blurred images of a young girl in a white dress” floating through the cemetery and disappearing into the trees.
“This place can stir the imagination, especially in the graveyards that are in the middle of the woods,” Whitman says.
“People that do not know the history or have not read the books go back there and treat it just as a hike or a tour, but those that know the area are reluctant to go by themselves.”
Dormant wooden cottages in the area – designated by the province as a Provincial Park Reserve – have left a ghostly imprint on many people, including former students of Whitman, who he says will “never talk about what they heard or saw” because it was so frightening.
Whitman is part of Friends of Roxbury that gathered funding for interpretative signage to preserve the lumber settlement’s history. As a result, he no longer needs to give tours in a place he describes as “isolated and creepy.”
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