Stigmata Reported in Samoa

A woman in Samoa claims she developed Stigmata while performing in a church play on Good Friday.

Stigmata is primarily linked to the Catholic faith.  It's a phenomenon wherein a person develops bleeding wounds similar to those suffered by Christ during the crucifixion.  The faithful see such a condition as a miracle and a sign of holy influence.

In the latest Samoan case, twenty three year old Toaipuapuaga Opapo says started bleeding from wounds on her palms, feet, forehead, and side.  She says the wounds appeared while she was performing as Jesus in a play re-enacting the crucifixion. 

Footage of her at the church was broadcast on television and shows what appears to be blood running down her arms, and later, emerging from her side.

In an interview with TV1 Samoa, Opapo told reporters that she spontaneously started bleeding while news cameras were rolling.  The station did not confirm the claim.  Opapo told reporters:

"I'm just another human being...but my body has been used as a reminder because God knows that the faith of his servants are dying."

Samoa is a largely Christian country and even the Prime Minister weighed in on the stigmata case.  PM Tuilaepa Sailelel Malielagaoi told the Samoa Observer newspaper:

"We should be happy about these events that it has happened to a daughter of a pastor in Samoa.  If it happens to someone, it means they are holy."

Some controversial aspects have developed around the case.  Opapo it seems, is not Catholic, but a member of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (CCCS).  A spokesman for the church, general secretary Afereti Uili stated:

"Stigmata is not part of the Reformed tradition of which CCCS is a part.  If it really is stigmata, it would be a unique occurrence.  We are therefore undertaking our own investigations into the matter."

Uili added that the Church would release an official statement once their investigation was complete.

TV1 Samoa's news editor, Merita Huch, said that the case has created a divide across faiths in the country.

"The Catholic Church has since been taking care of her, they have held a Mass for her.  There have been villages who have invited her as they want to meet her and touch her. 

But there are other churches who are warning people not to believe it, saying it is the work of the devil...Some people say she was possessed by an old boyfriend's spirit."

As is always the case with reports of stigmata, the doubting cry hoax and the faithful proclaim miracle, but the debate continues.

I Would Still Be Drowned In Tears Reviewed

Historians often ignore the evidence for a connection between President Abraham Lincoln and Spiritualism, opting to claim that the only spiritualist ideas observed by the first family sat firmly in the mind of the President's wife Mary Todd.  A woman that many historians claim was mentally deranged.  In the skeptic's narrow belief system, only a mentally unstable person could believe in the tenants of the spiritualist tradition.
Sadly, such views are one sided and fail to account for the popularity of Spiritualism during the period of Lincoln's rise to the nation's highest office.

When the Civil War went into full swing, the idea of communicating with the deceased became even more appealing to those who had lost loved ones to the conflict.  Séances were all the rage and were being conducted around the country.  Washington D.C. was a hotbed of Spiritualism and members included those in high society.  Is it any wonder that the first family wouldn't have been well aware of this trend?  Furthermore, could there be any doubt that a man with a constantly inquisitive mind such has Lincoln, wouldn't at least investigate the popular craze that so many people were embracing?

While a lot has been written about Spiritualism of the period, a more in-depth study of Lincoln and his relationship to such beliefs is long overdue.
Author Michelle L. Hamilton has tried to fill some of the void with her recent work, "I Would Still Be Drowned In Tears."  Subtitled, "Spiritualism in Abraham Lincoln's White House," the book digs into historical documents to give us examples and evidence pointing to President Lincoln's interest in the Spiritualism of the day.

There's a great mention of Lincoln's encounter with a levitating piano at a séance conducted by medium Nettie Colburn.  According to accounts:

"The President, with a quaint smile, said, 'I think we can hold down that instrument.' Whereupon he climbed upon it, sitting with his legs dangling over the side, as also did Mr. Somes, S.P. Kase, and a soldier in the uniform of a major...from the Army of the Potomac.  The piano, notwithstanding the enormous added weight, continued to wabble about until the sitters were glad 'to vacate the premises'"

The book comes in at about 150 pages, so it just breaks the surface of a very deep subject.  It's a quick read, and there's a great bibliography of source material for those who wish to dig further into a fascinating aspect of history.

Check it out for a glimpse into an untapped and strange aspect of civil war history.

Men In Black Reviewed

I've been meaning to get around to this review for some time, but let's face it, keeping up with the prolific writings of Nick Redfern is a job in and of itself.

That being said, I always enjoy getting a new title by him in hand and with this particular offering, I had the pleasure of contributing a chapter. 

Nick is certainly the go to guy when it comes to the infamous Men in Black.  These creepy figures have floated around the fringes of the UFO field for a very long time, and despite how much they're written about, there always seem to be more lingering and unsettling questions about them.

Nick's latest offering on the topic is "Men In Black: Personal Stories and Eerie Adventures."

Like the title implies, the book is a collection of various accounts that relate to the creepy MIBs.

Nick called me way back about his idea for the book and he asked if I could write something about the possible connections between the MIB and the BEK or, black eyed kids.  I had just the thing.  An untold aspect of the possible connection between the two entities that also included electronic interference and Point Pleasant, WV, both key things related to the history of the MIB.

I was happy to get to share this weird experience that shows how strange things can get for those of us who spend our lives investigating the strange.

But there's much, much more in this book of course.  Brad Steiger weighs in with his own story, pulled from his long career studying UFOs and the paranormal. 
Jason Offutt writes about connection between MIB and the equally creepy Hat Man.  Micah Hanks tells us about the Night Walkers, and author Christopher Loring Knowles, who's written a lot about pop culture, comes in with a piece titled MIB-UFO: Virtual Reality and Reality Tunnels.  It offers a fascinating perspective.

The book also has a good selection of articles by people you may not have heard of, some directly involved in the UFO field, others not so much, but the common theme revolves around their encounters with the mysterious MIB.

All in all, this is yet another fine work by Redfern, and has with all his other titles, I strongly advise you to pick it up and give it a read.

Mothman in Russia

Mothman!

Author and investigator John Keel immortalized the winged entity in his bestseller "The Mothman Prophecies," and anyone familiar with this strange creature, automatically thinks of Point Pleasant, WV and the series of encounters that led to the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge in 1967.

But in the years since the Point Pleasant tragedy, this strange, winged creature has been reported in other locations around the world, often it seems, just prior to a disaster. 

These include rumors of Mothman sightings prior to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the 911 terrorist attacks and the Chernobyl power plant meltdown.

Many of these reports come in after the fact, but one terrorist incident in Russia was predicted by Mothman sightings before it occurred.

According to reports in Russia's news source, Pravda, one of the country's UFO centers, "Russian House," sent a registered letter to the government in Moscow in the summer of 1999.  The letter predicted the explosion of an apartment building in Moscow.  No one at the government level treated the letter with any degree of seriousness due to its odd nature and statements.

One hundred and nine people died in the terrorist bombing of the building.

The supervisor of Russian House, Alexander Galtsev, stated to Pravda:

"We were afraid of Federal Security Bureau agents to come here and claim that we were involved in the act of terrorism.  That is why we cannot prevent catastrophes, we are afraid.  We managed to find two pensioners, who said that they saw some strange birds, who had human outlines with legs, arms and head."

Galtsev indicates that the winged creatures were appearing over the apartment building, much the way West Virginia's Mothman was seen near the Silver Bridge.

Galtsev further stated that he believes the Mothman is able to chose who it manifest to, stating that the cryptid can make itself visible to the eyes of one person, two, even a dozen or more at once.  In interviews, the ufologist said that he had discussed the matter with a Moscow priest:

"I talked about this phenomenon to a priest from the Holy Trinity Church in Moscow.  He said that mothmen could actually be guardian angels that try to warn people of some horrific danger."

Galtsev also revealed that there were Mothman reports from Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia:

"Our colleagues from the ufologist organization in Tbilisi sent us interesting materials at the end of April.  They wrote that some strange man was coming to the church of St. David, saying that there was a risk of very serious danger for the church.  The man says that he got that information from a phantom with wings.  The earthquake took place in Georgia on April 25, damaging 130 objects of architectural value, and St. David's church was among them. 

Is the mysterious Mothman indeed an omen of coming disaster?  Some Russian researchers certainly seem to believe this is the case.  Has more sharing of information between east and west continues, it will be interesting to see if more is uncovered.

Until then, watch the skies.

Angels in the Storm

Schoolchildren saved by mysterious, nonexistent "officials," a man standing calmly on a blanket in the face of an F5 tornado, and a young boy carried to a treetop safety by a winged man.

While the world is full of dark manifestations, there are also reports of other forces at work, saving people from death and destruction.  Are they spirits, angels, or something else?

More in my latest article, Angels in the Storm, in this month's PP&S news, available at:

 

http://lamarzulli.net/news_magazine.htm

 

Flying Red Humanoid

Here's another gem from researcher Scott Corrales's Institute of Hispanic Ufology.  This one involves an encounter with a strange, small humanoid in a Chilean mine. 

August 31, 2004

Francisco Vega was working at the El Pelambre mines when he saw what appeared to be a small "monkey" walking toward him.  Upon looking closer, Francesco said it was a human-like creature, but red in color.

"It had a bulky head; was no taller than 80 centimeters (31.5 inches) and looked like a gas bag, because it was so fat."

Three other workers also witnessed the strange creature and all four were amazed when the being lifted off the ground.  They all watched as the creature flew away toward the ocean.  About the same time, five youths reported seeing humanoid-type creatures flying through the air that were surrounded by an aura of light.  The group said the strange beings emerged from the ocean.

Cryptid Culture 2

Check out the second issue of Cryptid Culture magazine, now in print and available for order.

This issue has a fantastic cover by artist Sam Shearon, a piece by Robert Robinson on the Legend of the Gowrow, articles on Carolina mermaids, Champ, Sasquatch and much more.

I'm also honored to be featured in this issue, with an article that gives a glimpse into how I became interested in the pursuit of cryptids.

Congrats to the editors, the magazine continues to hit the right notes with a good blend of art and articles.  If you're into any aspect of cryptozoology and cryptids, check this out.

Available at:

 

http://www.cryptidculture.com/