Death by Thought

There is a belief among primitive (and not so primitive) societies that death can be produced in an enemy by means of a curse, hex or some other magical ritual method. Although such a concept might seem nonsense to our modern western way of thinking, the undeniable fact is that the victims of such curses often do die prematurely as predicted by their curse casters.

If we discount the possibility of magic as an agent in the deaths of these unfortunate victims, what then, could be the cause of their demise? Western psychology suggests that is the unshakable belief that the victims have about the power of such curses to do what they say they can do that brings about their death. In other words, in the same way that a placebo medicine (such as a sugar pill) can cure a condition simply because the patient believes it can, a curse can kill it's victim simply because the victim believes it can – They literally think themselves to death.

African Witch Doctor

Source: Hans Hillewaert Wikimedia commons

Time Delay Death.

Here is a strange case, reported in the American Anthropologist in 1942, showing how it is belief, not circumstance that produces the “Magic”of curses and hexes. Father Jerome Meroola da Sorrento, an Italian missionary in the Congo in 1682 told a story which demonstrated the fatal power of belief. A young man from the Congo had stayed over at a friends house one night. The following morning, the friend had cooked a wild hen for breakfast. According to the young man's tribal custom, it was forbidden for young men to consume wild hen – doing so would attract fatal consequences. The young man was worried about the breakfast and asked his friend if it was wild hen – The friend (lying) assured him that it was not, and so the young man ate the breakfast with thanks.

The two friends met again some years later, and the young man's friend teased him by asking if he would be willing to eat a wild hen. The young man replied that he could never do so as he had been warned of the consequences of such an act by his witch-doctor. The friend then laughed and said that the young man appeared to have had no problem eating a wild hen the last time they were together. The moment the young man realised that he had consumed the taboo food, he immediately began to tremble and shake violently, and was dead within 24 hours.

Here is a more modern example from the pages of the Science Digest,August 1976. A Georgia Midwife was called to deliver three babies around the same area of the Okefenokee swamp. The date, appropriately enough, was Friday 13th. For some undisclosed reason the midwife placed a curse on all three of the babies that she had delivered, declaring that one would die before she was 16 years old, the second would be dead before she reached 21 years old and the third was predicted to die before her 23rdbirthday. The first two predictions were disturbingly accurate, as the first child was killed in a car accident when she was 15 years old. The second child was fatally wounded by gunfire in a nightclub brawl on the eve of her 21st birthday. Some two years later in 1969, the third child presented herself as a Baltimore hospital, quite hysterical and claiming that she was doomed to die in three days time – her 23rd birthday. Physically, there appeared to be nothing amiss but because of her overwrought emotional state, it was decided to admit her for observation. The next morning, only two days before her 23rd birthday, the girl was found dead in her bed. A victim of her own belief.

Dr. S.M.Lambert of the Rockerfeller Foundation Humanitarian Program

Saved by a Change of Belief.

Although it would seem that belief in the power of curses is a one-way ticket to death, the physical and mental effect of being hexed can cease immediately if the victim can be made to believe that he has been released from it. Here is an incident which occurred in Australia in 1919 and was reported by Dr. S.M. Lambert during his work there with the International Health division of the Rockerfeller Foundation.

“At a mission at Mona Mona in North Queensland were many native converts, but on the outskirts of the Mission was a group of non-converts including one Nebo, a famous witch doctor. The chief helper of the missionary was Rob, a native who had been converted. When Dr. Lambert arrived at the Mission he learned that Rob was in distress and that the missionary wanted him examined. Dr. Lambert made the examination, and found no fever, no complaint of pain, no symptoms or signs of disease. He was impressed, however, by the obvious indications that Rob was seriously ill and extremely weak.. From the missionary he learned that Rob had had a bone pointed at him by Nebo and was convinced that in consequence he must die. Thereupon Dr. Lambert and the missionary went for Nebo, threatened him sharply that his supply of food would be shut off if anything happened to Rob and that he and his people would be driven away from the Mission. At once Nebo agreed to go with them to see Rob. He leaned over Rob's bed and told the sick man that it was all a mistake, a mere joke – indeed, that he had not pointed a bone at him at all. The relief, Dr. Lambert testifies was almost instantaneous [sic]; that evening Rob was back at work, quite happy again, and in full possession of his physical strength”


It is evident from this account that Nebo the witch doctor was quite well aware that his power came from psychology rather than magic. He felt no need to conduct rituals, use sacraments or utter secret chants. He knew that just convincing Rob that it was all a joke – that the curse was never really issued, was all that was required for it's deathly power to evaporate like the morning mist.

The Power of Belief

Belief is a tremendously powerful thing. It can kill us, or it can cure us. Truth is not an issue where belief is concerned and throughout the ages those in the know have used it's secret to manipulate and control others. The bewildering array of cults, religions and superstitions are testament to this fact. We must take care in what we believe, for there are those who are only too happy to use those beliefs for their own ends and to our detriment.

Did the Clergyman Meet an Alien ET?

The sleepy village of Bodfari in North Wales

Was this an Alien abduction attempt?

Here is a strange tale indeed. Buried in the memoirs of a clergyman is a tale of his childhood and a meeting with (and a near abduction by), some "strange beings". One would assume that being a Clergyman, he is likely to be truthful in what he wrote. He does not claim to know what these "beings" were, other than the fact that they were terrifying and plainly not human. The incident is said to have taken place in the 1700s, so the thought that they could have possibly been Aliens from another planet would probably not have occurred to him, but the similarities between this story and modern day tales of UFOs and "Alien sightings" is plain to see.

The Clergyman in question is the Rev. Dr. Edward Williams. He was born in 1750, barely three miles away from where I live (North Wales in the UK), at a place called Glan Clwyd, Bodfari, and died in 1813.

The Village Church, Bodfari

Dr. Williams was well known and liked in the area, and later on in his life, he published his autobiography. The story it told of his life was unremarkable, and very much as you would expect a Country Clergyman's life to be.

However, amongst his childhood reminiscences is a tale so strange that it begs to be explained in rational terms. On the face of it, there doesn't seem to be a rational explanation for it. Modern eyes reading the story might assume that this was a UFO related encounter with extraterrestrial aliens. Back then they were perhaps perceived as Welsh Pixies - "Y Tylwyth Teg" (The Fair Folk), but whatever the truth of the matter, it nevertheless provides food for thought.

An early Illustration of "Y Tylwyth Teg" (The Fair Folk) - Welsh Pixies

The Strange Beings - ET?

The story is best told in his own words, so here it is, as he wrote it.

"On a fine summer day (about midsummer) between the hours of twelve at noon and one, my eldest sister and myself, our next neighbours children Barbera and Ann Evans, both older than myself, were in a field called Cae Caled near their house (Llanelwyd), all innocently engaged at play by a hedge under a tree and not far from the stile next to that house, when one of us observed on the middle of the field a company of - what shall I call them? - Beings, neither men nor women nor children dancing with great briskness.

They were in full view less than a hundred yards from us, consisting of about seven or eight couples: we could not well reckon them, owing to the briskness of their motions and the consternation with which we were struck at a sight so unusual.

They were clothed in red, dress not unlike a military uniform, without hats, but their heads tied with handkerchiefs of a reddish colour, sprigged or spotted with yellow, all uniform in this as in habit, all tied behind with the corners hanging down their backs, and white handkerchiefs in their hands held loose by the corners.

They appeared of a size somewhat less than our own, but more like dwarfs than children. On first discovery we began, with no small dread, to question one another as to what they could be, as there were no soldiers in the country, nor was it time for May dancers, and as they differed much from all the human beings we had ever seen.

Thus alarmed we dropped our play, left our station and made for the stile. Still keeping our eyes upon them we observed one of their company starting from the rest and making towards us with a running pace. I being the youngest was last at the stile, and though struck with an inexpressible panic, saw the grim elf just at my heels, having a full and clear, though terrific view of him, with his ancient, swarthy and grim complexion.

I screamed out exceedingly; my sister also and our companions set up a roar, and the former dragged me with violence over the stile on which at the instant I was disengaged from it, this warlike Liliputian leaned and stretched himself after me but came not over".

The Investigation

Following their lucky escape, the terrified children ran all the way back to the house, and gabbled out the story to their concerned parents. A small task force consisting of several men was assembled and sent out to investigate. They arrived en-masse at Cae Caled field, but found nothing. The field was empty. Whoever or whatever had been there was gone.

The Flatwoods Monster 

Here is an astonishing tale of an object that falls from the heavens one dark September night, prompting a group of townsfolk to trek up to it's drop zone to investigate. There, along with many other witnesses they experience something that frightens them to their core, many flee in panic. The thing that frightened them was said to be a ten-foot tall being with a “blood red” face and glowing eyes – It became known as “The Flatwood Monster”

The Beginning

The year is 1952, the place is Flatwoods, West Virginia/ It was September 12th and the early autumn nights were already drawing in. Sherriff Robert Carr, and Deputy Burnell long took a call from a concerned witness who had seen a ball of fire fall to earth towards the river Elk, to the south of Gassaway. It was presumed that this must be a crashing aircraft.

A group of schoolboys from Flatwoods school were playing football in the failing evening light when they saw an object “like a meteor” land on a hill. Although at first frightened, as they talked about it, their fear turned to excitement, and they decided to investigate – but not alone.



Having first reported what they saw to a neighbour, Kathleen May, they then set off up the hill in the company of the neighbour, her two sons and National Guardsman Gene Lemon. Mrs. May recalled that the night was foggy with a mist in the air.

As they approached the site, they could detect a “metallic” smell which burned their nose and eyes. Some found the odour so overpowering that it made them vomit or faint. After regaining their composure they pushed on. As they crested the hill, all the witnessed claimed that they saw a “glowing hissing” object, as large as a house, emitting a throbbing hissing sound.

Reporters Investigate

Word spread like wild-fire, and by the time the Sherrif arrived, the hill-side was crowded with locals who had come to investigate the area for themselves.

Braxton Democrat reporter A.Lee Stewart, was sent to cover the event and arrived at the May household and noticed that every witness had been extremely frightened by their experience, commenting that "those people were the most scared people I've ever seen".

National Guardsman Gene Lemon and one of Kathleen May's sons agreed to escort the reporter back to the scene of the incident. They took shotguns with them for protection. Returning to the hillside, nothing unusual could be discerned in the enveloping darkness, but the overwhelming odour remained. Stewart decided to call it a night, he would return the following day and examine the scene in daylight

The Monster Disappears

On returning the next day, the hill grassy side revealed a parallel set of lines “skid marks” , leading to a large circle of flattened grass, suggesting that “something” had landed – and departed. Despite a number of investigations, the events at Flatwoods have never been satisfactorily explained and remain a mystery.

Newspaper report of the Flatwood Monster Incident

A Strange Story about My Ring...

Now I really don't know what to make of this. I consider myself a level-headed sort of a bloke. Pretty open minded without necessarily subscribing to nutty theories about ghosts and psychic whatnots, but sometimes, just sometimes, things happen that make you think...

The story I am about to tell you is true. It happened to me last week and as I said above, it makes you think...

Let me set the scene...
About two and a half years ago, I was in my bedroom getting ready to go to sleep. I was in the habit of removing my wedding ring and placing it on the bedside table each night before I got into bed, but on this particular night, as I was removing said ring, it slipped and I dropped it.

Both my wife and I heard it bounce on the floor and we expected several more bounces before it came to rest - but there were no more bounces - Just the one, and then... silence.  I lost sight of the ring as it fell and it was nowhere to be found on the floor. I searched on my hands and knees, emptied shoes and shook bedsheets, but it was not there. It was like it had just disappeared in mid-bounce.

The next day, with the added benefit of daylight streaming into the room, we resumed the search. The bedroom was virtually dismantled in the process - but still no ring.

Fast-forward to about a year later. We decided to change our bed. Our old Victorian cast-iron bed was dismantled and removed from the room bit by bit. The bits of bed were shaken and examined -  but no ring. Whilst the room was empty another major search was undertaken - Even the edges of the carpet were pulled up - Still no ring - We resigned ourselves to the fact that it was gone forever.

After a month of the new bed, my wife decided that she didn't like it and wanted the old bed back, so I took out the new bed, brought in the Victorian bits of the old one and bolted them together. Our old bed was back and has remained with us through the intervening year and a half up to the present day.

Last week it was our wedding anniversary, and my wife had arranged a surprise holiday way down in St.Ives in Cornwall.  Our daughter had agreed to house-sit for us while we were away.  We had wonderful weather, and as you might expect, we also had a wonderful time.

Our Anniversary actually occurred mid-week, and we were enjoying a nice bottle of wine and wishing each other "Happy Anniversary" when we received a phone call from our house-sitting daughter. She said that our six-year-old grand daughter wanted to tell us something.

My jaw hit the floor when I heard what she had to say - She wanted to sleep in our bed while we were away, and as she entered the bedroom she saw something on the floor in the middle of the room, about a foot in front of the bed - It was the wedding ring!

I'll be honest with you - It spooked me out! There is just no way it could have got there. Even if it had been somehow caught in the bedframe, and had managed to evade my many detailed examinations of it, The bed-end is a solid board of wood that extends to the floor, so there is no way it could roll out there - It seems to have just disappeared one night, in mid bounce, and then reappeared to our grand daughter two and a half years later on the night of our wedding anniversary.

Spooky - Or what?