Mayan Pyramid Destroyed

An ancient Mayan pyramid has been destroyed--to be used as filler for road construction.

One of the largest pyramids in Belize, near the Mexican border, has been bulldozed by a road construction crew.  The workers used backhoes and bulldozers to crush the stone from the pyramid so that they could use it to fill in a road.

Known as the Nohmul complex, the ceremonial pyramid was dated to about 2,300 years old.  It was considered the most important ancient site in Northern Belize.  The structure sat in the middle of a sugar can field.  While the pyramid lacked the typical stone sides that mark many pyramids, it was about one hundred feet tall and was well known in the region as a sacred site and ceremonial centre.

Jaime Awe, head of the Belize Institute of Archaeology said that they damage was discovered last week;

"It's a feeling of incredible disbelief because of the ignorance and the insensitivity...they were using this for road fill.  It's like being punched in the stomach, it's just so horrendous."

Pre-Hispanic ruins are under government protection in Belize wether they sit on private or public land.  Police are conducting an investigation of the incident and criminal charges may be filed. 

Awe believes the incident was a result of lazy workers who didn't want to quarry for the needed rock.

"To think that today we have modern equipment, that you can go and excavate in a quarry anywhere, but that this company would completely disregard that and completely destroyed this building.  Why can't these people just go and quarry somewhere that has no cultural significance?  It's mind boggling."

Belize has hundreds of Mayan ruins, many of them covered by jungle.  Sadly, this is not the first time such destruction of an ancient site has taken place in Belize and other countries in the region.

According to Professor Francisco Estrada-Beli of Tulane University;

"I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say that every day a Maya mound is being destroyed for construction in one of the countries were the Maya lived.  Unfortunately, this destruction of our heritage is irreversible but many don't take it seriously.  The only way to stop it is by showing that it is a major crime and people can and will go to jail for it."

The Writer's Corner

I was recently interviewed by Playwright and Screenwriter Ryan Sprague for his site, The Writer's Corner.

Ryan's based in New York City and has some pretty exciting projects in the works.  I'm especially looking forward to his film "Reach" currently in pre-production.

Drop by his site and check out my interview, and while you're at it, take a glance at some of the other interviews he's done with writers from several different corners of the creative world.

http://www.ryandsprague.com/2/post/2013/04/david-weatherly-author-of-the-black-eyed-children.html

Return to Coast to Coast AM

On Friday, April 12th, I had the pleasure of making a return appearance on Coast to Coast AM.  I joined George Noory for the top two hours of the show to discuss Black Eyed Children as well as accounts of Black Eyed Adults. 

The show is available in the archives section of the C2C Website:

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2013/04/12

Nazca Lines Damaged

Peruvian news daily, El Comercio, has reported damage to a group of lines on the Nazaca plateau.
According to the daily, heavy machinery owned by a firm removing limestone from the area is responsible for the damage.  The company claims that the plant is on private property and that the owners have a right to carry out their operations.
Eduardo Herran Gomez de la Torre, director of research at Ojos de Condor says the damage in the area is extensive:  "We have witnessed the irreparable destruction to a set of lines and trapezoids that existed in the area."
Commenting on the company's claims of land rights, Herran was quoted as saying: "The limestone firm responsible has not been sanctioned or supervised by the authorities of the Regional Directorate of Culture of Ica, despite being in this great archeological reserve."

The Nazca lines consist of hundreds of geometric shapes and simple lines.  The lines also contain over seventy zoomorphic shapes of creatures including, spiders, hummingbirds, lizards, fish and even a monkey.  The largest of the shapes is over 660 feet across.  The lines were created by removing the reddish pebbles from the land's surface, revealing the light gray dirt below.  
The lines are located on an arid, coastal plain south of Lima, Peru.  The plateau stretches more than fifty miles between the towns of Nazca and Palpa.  Much controversy surrounds the origins and purpose of the Nazca lines.  Some scientist believe the lines are related to water rituals, or perhaps, as directional lines to indicate water sources.  Other theories propose that the lines are a form of Archeoastronomy used to track astronomical movements in ancient times.

Nazca was made famous in the field of Ancient Astronaut studies by researcher Erich Von Daniken, author of Chariots of the Gods.  Von Daniken suggested that the lines were a result of technology beyond the scope of the native peoples of the region.  He postulated that the lines were actually some type of "ancient runway", visible from space and created as a guide for extraterrestrial visitors.

The Nazca lines were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.  They have been under threat for some time and face major conservation challenges.  In 2012, they were added to the World Monuments Fund's watch list of cultural heritage sites at risk.  The lines face danger from looters, mining operations, unregulated tourism and even changing weather patterns.  They are considered an important site to the world as well as a significant tourist destination.  The government of Peru has had a difficult time keeping the site safe and it is clear that new steps must be taken to preserve this valuable, historical location.

Owls & UFOs

At this year's UFO congress in Scottsdale, AZ, I had a chance to catch up with my friend, Mike Clelland.  Mike writes a blog and records a podcast about UFOs, abductions and other related topics.  He has a special connection to owls and, over time, he's collected a lot of unusual stories related to these magical birds.  Combined with his own 'owl stories' he's amassed quite a catalog but he's always looking for more.  During congress this year, Mike made a point of asking me if I recalled any
unusual owl stories and one in particular came to mind.  It occurred on my first visit to the home of a woman who reported a number of UFO sightings.  Some of the details of the case are presented here, specifically the portion that relates to the appearance of an owl.

I conducted this investigation back in 2008 in the Tampa, Florida area.  A young woman named Joan had contacted me about a series of UFO sightings that she'd had near her home on the outskirts of Tampa.  After a few phone conversations, I arranged to meet her at her home and see the area where the sightings had occurred.  It was the first week of September, 2008.  Joan claimed that she had witnessed a UFO on three separate nights during the summer, with the most recent sighting in late August.  These were 'fresh' sightings and I was anxious see the location and speak with Joan in person.

I arrived at Joan's home just as the sun was starting to set.  I parked on the street in front of the address that she had given me and turned the engine off.  Joan had told me to look for her car and, glancing at the house, I noted that it was parked out front, assuring me that she was home from work.  I reached over and retrieved my notebook and digital recorded from the passenger seat.  I make a habit of carrying both since some witnesses are not comfortable having their interview recorded.
 Since I had been in a rush leaving, I needed to change the batteries in the recorder.  As I was looking down to do this, I heard a heavy 'thud' and felt a slight shake as though something had fallen on the vehicle.  
Looking up quickly, I was shocked to see an owl perched on the hood.  It turned it's head and looked directly at me.  I recognized the species, a Great Horned Owl.  This one was at least a foot tall.  It looked at me for a moment, turned it's head and looked forward down the street then repeated this movement.  It never made a sound and after a moment, it launched into the air.
I had reached over and grabbed my camera from the seat without taking my eyes off the bird, but it happened so quickly that I was unable to take a photo since the bird took flight just as I powered the camera on.

It was an unusual incident and I wasn't sure what had caused the owl to land on my vehicle moments after I had turned the engine off.  I didn't mention this incident to Joan when I went in to conduct the interview.

Sitting in Joan's kitchen, I listened quietly as she began to give me details of her UFO sightings.  Like many people who report repeated encounters, Joan had experienced some odd things in her life.  On two occasions, she had experienced missing time.  Lapses in her routine that she simply couldn't explain and didn't have any clear memory of. 
Once she had told me about her sightings, I brought up her children.  Joan had two kids, Melissa who was twelve and Jared who was seven.  Her daughter had not mentioned anything unusual since the UFO activity had begun.  Her son however, had started to talk about 'lights in the sky' and the 'little men'  He had also developed an imaginary friend.  A common thing for young children to do, but the timing was rather curious.

As I sat talking to Joan, her son came in to the kitchen.  He calmly reported to his mother "It's at my window again Mommy."  Joan assure him that "it" was already gone.  She excused herself for a moment and walked with her son to his room.  When she returned to the kitchen, she explained that a large owl had started coming to her son's window and perching on the sill outside.  She seemed to think that the bird was attracted to the bedroom light or possibly to her son's cat that often sat on
a table just inside his window.
I asked if she had ever seen the owl herself and she reported that she had not but her daughter had witnessed it on a couple of occasions.  A neighbor had also informed Joan that he had seen a large owl in her yard a few times.  Interesting enough when I pressed her for more details, Joan recalled that the owl had started to appear around the time of her first UFO sighting.

In Shamanic terms, the owl is a powerful totem.  Viewed as an omen of death and darkness in some cultures and as a representative of wisdom by others.
Owls have been mentioned in quite a number of UFO accounts.  Some researchers believe that the owl is often a 'screen memory' blocking the reality of some alien life form.  Of course, these theories, while interesting, remain unproven.  Perhaps more fascinating are the number of cases of real, physical owls that appear to those who report abduction experiences.  Are these birds part of a shamanic experience unfolding around people going through abduction experiences and contact with some otherworldly life form?  Are the birds drawn to the circumstances or the people themselves?  These questions and others are being explored by Mike in the midst of his personal journey with owls.

If you have an unusual story of an encounter with an owl that you would like to share, contact me at:
twocrowsparanormal@gmail.com

or get in touch with Mike Clelland at his blog:
 http://hiddenexperience.blogspot.com/

Binnall of America

I recently taped a show with Tim Binnall for season 7 of BOA Audio.  We had a great conversation that lasted two and a half hours!  Lots of discussion of the black eyed children, crystal skulls and the paranormal in general.

If you've never listened to BOA audio, I encourage you to check out some of the past shows.  It's one of my favorite podcast.  Tim is a great host and past episodes have featured some amazing guest.

http://www.binnallofamerica.com/boaa032613.html

Rosemary Ellen Guiley

At this year's International UFO Congress in Scottsdale, AZ, I had some time to chat with author Rosemary Ellen Guiley.  I've always been a fan Rosemary's work and we share a lot of common ideas in terms of the global nature of paranormal phenomena. 
Perhaps the most impressive research that Rosemary has done concerns the Djinn.  Her book "The Vengeful Djinn" should be on the shelf of everyone interested in developing a broad understanding of the paranormal.

Those familiar with my book on the Black Eyed Children will know that it includes a chapter on the Djinn and their possible connection to BEK encounters.  In her years of research, Rosemary has received reports of encounters with the black eyed children herself and it's her opinion that they are very likely a guise of the Djinn in many cases.
I'm happy to report that Rosemary's investigation of the Djinn has led her to release a new book on the topic, "The Djinn Connection".  I haven't had a chance to dive into it yet, but I'll post a review once I have.  I have no doubt it will live up to her normal, high standards.

In the meantime, you can purchase this and other books directly at Rosemary's Website.
Rosemary also publishes a monthly newsletter and subscriptions are available through her Website.  Subscribe for free, it's delivered via email and contains interesting reports and interviews each month.  The current edition includes a discussion with yours truly as I discuss BEKs, eye-shifters and portal areas.

Rosemary's Webstie can be found at:
http://www.visionaryliving.com/