Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and one of Christianity's most widely known figures. Despite his popularity, a lot of what is known about him is false thanks to hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling, that includes the story about him banishing the snakes from Ireland. The story was actually a metaphor for the eradication of pagan ideology from Ireland and the triumph of Christianity. Near the end of the fourth century, St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents and is believed to have died on March 17, 460 A.D.

At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. There is some dispute as to where he was kept captive. Many believe he was taken to Mount Slemish in County Antrim, but it's more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to religion for comfort and became a devout Christian. It is also believed that at this time Patrick first began dreaming to convert the Irish to Christianity.

Patrick escaped after more than six years of being a prisoner. His writings stated that a voice which he believe to be God spoke to him in a dream telling him it was time for him to leave Ireland. In order to do this, he walked 200 miles County Mayo, where he was aid to have been kept as a prisoner, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training that lasted over fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.

Familiar with Irish language and culture, Patrick incorporated traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For example, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. He used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity.

The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland but in New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the Irish soldiers to reconnect with their roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. However, the first time St. Patrick's Day was publicly celebrated in America was in Boston in 1737. In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world.

I hope everyone has a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. If you're planning on drinking, please do it responsibly.

Source: The History Channel

Trocadero Pub

A fair share of haunted establishments have phantom inhabitants which could only be described as “friendly.” The Trocadero Pub in Birmingham, England is among them. Their most well known ghost is former landlord Henry Skinner.

The Trocadero Pub began as the Fire Engine House for the Norwich Union Insurance Company (1846, Edge & Avery) in the 1800s. In 1883, it converted into a drinking house known as The Bodega. Henry Skinner served in the military before taking over the upscale wine bar. December 5, 1895 was the last day he stepped in to the building…alive.

Henry hired Arthur Allen to work as barman in the Bodega. For whatever reason, he fired him, but that would not be the last time he would see Arthur. The former employee returned with brother Herbert the next day to collect his wages. The men argued over the money. Arthur pulled a gun. The first shot hit the wainscoting. He turned around and the second shot hit him in the chest. Henry didn’t survive his injuries. However, his death would not be the only one to take place in the building. There is a story of two girls who fell down a spiral staircase to their deaths.

The pub became the Trocadero in 1902 and is believed to be haunted. Staff and visitors have concluded that Henry is behind most of the activity. He rattles and knocks over glasses, flings beer mats and change and moves things. The staff has discovered all types of objects on tables including clocks. Not to mention, he has been seen hanging around the building and he is not alone. Witnesses have seen two young girls at Trocadero. Other activity includes the smell of burning wood, strange lights and various noises.

Sneak Peek Tuesday - GHI/Face Off/Being Human

In Ghost Hunters International, the team travels to San Ignacio, Belize to help a man who is being tormented by spirits that haunt the Mayan Ruins of Cahal Pech. Catch the sneak peek clip as Susan takes part in a bloodletting ritual in order to contact Mayan spirits and tune in to the all-new episode next Wednesday, March 14 at 9pm ET.



The season finale of Face Off premieres next week and the three remaining contestants are allowed to select three former contestants to join them in the final competition. Catch the all-new sneak peek and tune in as Rayce, Ian and RJ compete to be crowned the king of makeup magic!



In Being Human, Sally lies, unable to wake from a dream and Josh and Aidan are found wondering where she might be. Apparently, Sally is actually dreaming about a life with the Reaper and might be locked inside forever. Tune in Monday to see if Sally will ever regain control and wake up from this dream.

Grannie February

Mistaken identity seems to be a common problem among the paranormal along with inaccurate information. There is a local legend in Elizabethton, Tennessee which falls in to this category.

It is said Grannie February haunts the Highland Cemetery. She is seen, sometimes on Halloween, wandering the grounds or heard rocking in her rocking chair. Problem is Grannie February a.k.a. Nannie February is not buried in the mausoleum containing the rocking chair. However, this is not a common case of wrong gravesite. Let’s start at the beginning.

Nannie was born in 1838 and married Isaac T. February in 1885. She became a widow at the turn of the century. Her reputation among her neighborhood ventured on a day and night scenario. Many described her as being generous. Nannie invited local kids to play her piano. Her fingers were often stained from breaking open walnuts and digging in her flower bed. She also possessed a fondness for Cadillacs even though it’s not known whether or not she ever drove any of the ones she leased.

Local teens claimed she allegedly practiced witchcraft. Why start such rumors? Supposedly, the answer lies with one of her routines. She often took a shortcut through Highland Cemetery, passed the Old African American cemetery, to retrieve milk from the local dairy. From time to time, Nannie stopped at her husband’s grave for a chat. I’m not certain that would be enough to accuse a person of witchcraft. However, with kids as the accusers, I guess it is possible.

Nannie died during the Depression and was buried next to her husband in a mausoleum. Nannie February sparked a legend. Nannie Crow (sp?) Brister’s death transformed it. She loved rocking in her rocking chair so much her family placed the chair in the mausoleum (located near Nannie February) where she was buried. It is this rocking chair many claim to hear and see rocking.

Thanks to vandals, the family removed the rocking chair and padlocked the door shut. Nannie February’s mausoleum is also sealed shut. It is uncertain whether or not the paranormal activity continues.

WARNING: Signs are posted. In Tennessee, it is illegal to be in a cemetery after sunset unless you have family buried there. Some cemeteries don’t allow ANYONE to be there after sunset. DO NOT TRESPASS! You will be arrested.

Sneak Peek Tuesday - GHI/Face Off/Total Blackout

 

The Ghost Hunters International team investigates caves in Belize and a chateau in France during this next week’s episode. The team hears strange noises while searching for The Crystal Maiden in the caves while Susan claims that someone whispered in her hear at the French chateau. To find out if the spirits of the scorned women take revenge in Belize and who that strange voice came from, tune in on Wednesday at 9/8c!

  

In next week’s Face Off, the contestants face a challenge that is prehistoric as they are challenged to mold and create a human-dinosaur hybrid. Sue struggles to make a skateboard for a prop while Rayce encounters a latex malfunction with his creation. Cleve Hall of Monster Man makes a special appearance as guest judge for the daunting double elimination that the contestants will face. Tune in on Wednesday at 10/9c to see what the contestants create with these tricky obstacles!

 

It’s Lights Out! Jaleel White hosts a Syfy competition that you never saw coming where contestants battle each other and their fears in a series of challenges, confronting their own worst enemy – themselves. However, there is a twist -- all the challenges are played in complete darkness; no lights, no blindfolds and no-holds barred as the players face their fears and unexpected surprises in a series of nerve-wracking games. Catch the sneak peek and tune in to the premiere of Total Blackout on Wednesday, April 25th at 10/9c.

Paranormal Veteran Gives Warning To Para-Newbies

Paranormal Veteran Gives Warning To Para-Newbies

By Sandra J Wells

After doing paranormal research and investigations for thirty years I have seen and experienced enough to write endless books about ghosts and the afterlife. However, there is another side of this research that never gets talked about. That is the long term effects that being touched by the energy of ghosts can cause. Sure we talk about what we experienced, if we caught any great evidence and the location itself but this one subject just never seems to come up in the conversation.

When I watch the paranormal TV shows I cringe when I see those people challenging ghosts to touch them. I often wonder if they take all precautions that are available to them to protect their own energy from harm. The closer we come to the energy of ghosts the more it affects us not only spiritually but physically as well. Obviously no one can avoid being touched by the energy of ghosts when it is something we can not see. Most investigators would tell you that is a risk they are willing to take. However, there are ways to protect our own energy and many just never use it. It surprises me when these new investigators ignore these simple steps using the mind set that nothing could ever happen to them and they become excited when they experience that energy sensation of being touched. Unfortunately, they still are not looking at the bigger picture.

Over the last decade or so there has been an explosion of interest in the paranormal; not that it is a bad thing at all. My concern comes when I see these new ghost hunters do a few investigations for six months or so then proclaim themselves to be experts. Those who have been in this research for as long as I have understand that it is not all about the evidence you capture but what we truly understand about the afterlife and its affects on the living.

I have seen so many of those same veteran ghost hunters dying and becoming very ill. I truly believe that because of our familiarity of the energy of ghosts we encounter we often times find ourselves forgetting that one thing that is most important; protection. Soon they find themselves having serious health issues for no apparent reason and possibly having their lives turned upside down. If you asked any paranormal veteran if they had been affected at some point I would say that at least 75% of them would agree that in can be a very real possibility. Can I guarantee that protecting ourselves before entering a haunted location will actually work? No of course I cannot. There are no guarantees in this life nor does anyone have all the answers. I can only speak from personal experiences of my own plus for others who also have tested this theory for themselves. Have I experienced any affects like I have been talking about? Yes I have. From tried and true experiences that I have gathered over the last three decades I found that when I was diligent about protecting my energy this did not occur as frequently as when I did not. It is vital that all paranormal investigators take this seriously.

If you believe that because you have investigated the paranormal for a couple years and nothing has happened to you as yet then I wish you the best in your endeavors; because it will. No investigator has all the answers to these affects and if you doubt what I am telling you I truly hope that someday you do not find out that I was right.

Sneak Peek Tuesday - GHI/Face Off

The Ghost Hunters International team is off to Italy in this week's episode to find out if an Italian prison's most famous inmate is guilty of paranormal crimes. In the sneak peek, the team is investigating inside of the prison when they being to hear noises and feel like someone or something is watching them. When Susan claims to have seen a black blob fly through the air, Paul has his doubts since it is a dead end. As they are debating however, they both see something. Is it the prisoner or is it just their mind playing tricks on them? Tune in next Wednesday at 9/8c to find out.

In next week's challenge on Face Off, the contestants are tasked with creating a character worthy of a Tim Burton film to be judged in front of Burton film veteran Catherine O'Hara. As the contestants get down to work, Ian notices that Sue had the same idea when it cam to designing their character. Will Ian change his idea or will he take his chances? Tune in next Wednesday at 10/9c.

GS Question of the Week

What is the Kentucky Yeahoh?