What appears to be a glowing white orb can clearly be seen emerging from a fireplace in a hair salon that was once a courthouse – and where criminals used to be hanged in the cellar.

The property’s current owner, hairdresser Harry Browns, 35, said his customers have been plagued by spooky apparitions for years.
 On the move: What appears to be a white ghost can be seen emerging from a fireplace in a Market Harborough hair salon that was once a courthouse
But he said this was the first time one had ever been filmed in the salon in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.

‘We’ve been aware of an eerie presence in the salon for years but to actually see it on film is very odd,’ Mr Browns said.

‘Some of the girls working here have been quite freaked out by what they’ve seen. Scissors and hairbrushes have gone missing and order sheets have printed out on their own.

‘On one occasion a customer saw two people standing by the fireplace wearing old clothing.

‘He freaked out when we said no one was there so I decided to get some professionals to investigate.’

The spectre was caught on film after spook hunters Ghost UK set up cameras in the salon – a former courthouse dating back to 1820 – earlier this year.

 Who you gonna call? Spook watchers Ghost UK were called in to monitor the salon. Prisoners used to be hanged in the property’s cellar

At 8.21pm on February 28, a ghostly white flash appeared on the camera.
Kelly Goddard, 31, of Ghost UK, said the ghost could be that of a former prisoner.

‘The most interesting part of the night was when we saw what looked like an orb or spirit,’ she said.

‘On the screen it seemed to change shape. We believe the shape could have something to do with what the building was used for in the past.

‘Apparently it was used as a courthouse and criminals used to be hanged in the building’s cellar.

‘This could explain the strange orbs and the dip in temperature felt by the staff and customers.’

Father-of-two Mr Browns said he is happy for the ghosts to stay as long as they remain friendly.

He said: ‘I haven’t decided whether to hire an exorcist yet, as long as the ghosts don’t do any harm I suppose they can stay.’

Daily Mail on 14th April 2009

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1169860/Caught-camera-The-spooky-moment-ghost-haunts-courthouse-prisoners-hanged.html#ixzz0gowHQFLd

STRANGE footsteps were heard by builders working at ‘Deco 5’, a bar and art gallery in Whitstable, Kent.

The men reported that the footsteps made their way across the floor in the room above the bar, which is part of the first floor art gallery.

Work continued, but then engineers said the whole floor was unsound and would have to be replaced. Owner Tiziana told Your Canterbury: “It was when they were  clearing out the rubble after the old floor had been removed. We were out at the time, and when we got back we found these two burly builders shaking on the doorstep and refusing to go back in. They said they had just heard footsteps on a floor that wasn’t there!”

Co-owner Michael Dowling said, “We thought they were joking at first, but they were white and shaking.” From then on the builders worked in pairs. An electrician, working in the loft early one morning had the fright of his life when his lamp smashed, but still lit, it appeared to float through the air. Tiziana said, “He rushed down to the bar and refused to go back upstairs. We spent an hour calming him down. He took the next day off.”

Staff have reported slamming doors, trip switches on the security cameras operating for no reason, and flickering lights. Customers seem to avoid using the back stairs leading down from the gallery to the bar. They are becoming used to their supernatural entity, and according to Tiziana, everyone refers to it as ‘her’.

“We talk to her, ask if she’s OK. And she likes the music. When the music is on, nothing seems to happen.”

Deco 5’s owners are looking into the history of the building to see if they can shed any light on the reports. They are interested to hear from anyone who might
have information. Get in touch at http://www.deco5.co.uk/

PALE young woman appears at the window of a ruined castle – in a photo said to show a GHOST.

The spooky snap was taken at a building hailed as one of Britain’s most haunted.

The shadowy girl appears to be on the first floor, in what used to be a magnificent banquet hall.

The floor in that room crumbled away years ago, meaning there is nothing for a person to stand on.

Company boss Kevin Horkin took the photo at Gwrych Castle in Abergele, North Wales, but only saw the ghostly figure when he downloaded his pictures later.

Kevin, 48, said: “I did feel a presence there. It was a cold day when I visited, but it seemed warm near the building.

“There seems to be a sense of tragedy there.”

Kevin, believes the figure is someone who once lived at the castle. He plans to investigate further with a ghost-hunting team.

The North Wales Paranormal Research Group says many sightings have already been recorded at Gwrych.

The castle, built in 1819, has been derelict since 1985.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2853270/A-pale-young-woman-appears-at-the-window-of-a-ruined-castle-in-a-photo-said-to-show-a-ghost.html

A pink version of the popular Ouija board game has some critics seeing red.

The children’s sleepover staple — sold by Hasbro since 1967 — now comes in hot pink, an edition released two years ago that gets tweens to call on “spirits” to spell out answers to life’s pressing questions.

It’s designed for young girls ages 8 and older, but some say the mysterious product is a “dangerous spiritual game” that opens up anyone, particularly Christians, to attacks on their soul.

The game continues to be sold at Toys R Us locations in the U.S. and Canada for $19.99, although it’s currently being “phased out,” company officials say.

“There’s a spiritual reality to it and Hasbro is treating it as if it’s just a game,” said Stephen Phelan, communications director for Human Life International, which bills itself as the largest international pro-life organization and missionary worldwide. “It’s not Monopoly. It really is a dangerous spiritual game and for [Hasbro] to treat it as just another game is quite dishonest.”

Phelan, who has never played the game, said the Bible explicitly states “not to mess with spirits” and that using a Ouija board will leave a person’s soul vulnerable to attack.

“All Christians should know, well everyone should, that it’s opening up a person to attack, spiritually,” he said. “Christians shouldn’t use it.”

Asked how the game differed from magic kits or Harry Potter-themed merchandise, Phelan replied, “The difference is that the Ouija board is actually is a portal to talk to spirits and it’s hard to get people to understand that until they actually do it. I don’t pretend to know how it works, but it actually does.”

Phelan also noted that the pink version of the game is explicitly marketed to young girls who may want to partake in “something dangerous” during a late-night sleepover.

“It’s pink,” he said. “That wouldn’t appeal to me when I was 8.”

The pink edition is also available for $33.99 on Amazon.com, where some commenters likened the game to occult materials targeting “tween” girls.

“Just unbelievable,” one posting read. “Hasbro — you should be seriously ashamed — you have lost your way. Ouija boards are NOT ‘games’ and they certainly should not be marketing these to children.”

Toy expert and consultant Chris Byrne said he found “absolutely nothing” wrong with any version of the game.

“And if something doesn’t fit your value or belief system, you don’t have to buy it,” Byrne said. “There’s absolutely nothing remotely Christian or un-Christian about it. I think people are projecting their belief system on it.”

Byrne, who writes for timetoplaymag.com, said he was unclear of the origin of the notion that Ouija players can somehow communicate with spirits or the dead.

“That is something that people have made up and it became part of our culture,” he said. “It’s always been entertainment. What I remember is trying to brain my younger brother with the board because he kept moving it. It’s just funny that people make up this stuff.”

Hasbro officials say they have received a “couple of dozen” complaints following a recent report on the pink version. Patricia Riso, a Hasbro spokeswoman, defended the game as, well, just that.

“Our response is that Ouija is simply a game — and it is intended purely for fun and entertainment,” she wrote FoxNews.com.

Bob Friedland, a spokesman for Toys R Us, said the pink Ouija version has been on clearance at its locations and is being “phased out” moving forward as new products are being introduced this year.

“There are very few pieces in our inventory in store and it is no longer available online,” Friedland wrote.

In a statement to FoxNews.com, the Toy Industry Association said the game is among thousands of options to bring “fun and excitement” to children.

“TIA encourages parents to make their own choices about which products are most appropriate for their families,” the statement read.

Byrne, meanwhile, said the current version of the game is not much different from the first Ouija-like game first patented by patent attorney Elijah Bond in May 1890.

“It’s been a popular toy for years, and I’ve played it and I don’t do any Macbeth-like witchcraft,” he said. “It’s no different from watching a scary movie or a good ghost story.”

Fox News – 6th February 2010

Local magistrates, conducted ruthless witch-hunts in 1612 in the hope that they would find favour with King James who lived in fear of Catholic rebellion having survived the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. One of these hunts resulted in the arresting of Alizon Device in Pendle, Lancashire.

The crime she was accused of was setting a curse on a pedlar and paralysing him. She confessed, and incriminated two other women, named Demdike and Chattox.

Investigations at Demdike’s home, Malkin Tower, revealed human bones and clay figures of people who had mysteriously died in recent years.

The magistrate continued their witch-hunt arresting, eleven women in total and then imprisoned at Lancaster Castle where on 17th August 1612 ten of them were tried and publicly hanged three days later.

Alizon Device, Elizabeth Device, James Device, Anne Whittle, alias Chattox, Anne Redferne, Alice Nutter, Katherine Hewitt, John Bulcock, Jane Bulcock & Isobel Robey were the ten hanged at Lancaster gaol.

Elizabeth Southerns, alias Demdike, died in Lancaster Gaol awaiting trial, but was nevertheless considered to be a witch on the basis of evidence already gathered. Jennet Preston, who lived just over the Lancashire border, was tried in Yorkshire and hanged at York in 1612. Finally, Magaret Pearson was found guilty of witchcraft at Lancaster, but not murder, and received a sentence of one years imprisonment.

In their mass these people made up the famous thirteen Pendle Witches.

The Pendle Witches were accused of selling their souls to evil spirits or devils in return for the power to kill or injure who ever they pleased.

The usual method of murder, described in Demdike’s confession to magistrates, was to make an ethigy of the intended victim, known as a ‘picture of clay’. The image was then crumbled or burned over a period of time, causing the victim to fall ill and slowly die.

The family at the centre of the witchcraft allegations and the ring leaders of the Pendle Witches: Alizon Device, James Device, Elizabeth Device and Demdike lived at Malkin Tower. Demdike, who was in here eighties, was the head of the family and was believed to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. It is here that bones and other vital evidence was found to incriminate the Device family.

Magistrates were baffled that the witches were so eager to incriminate each other when questioned, but it then came to light that Demdike had once been a close friend of Chattox, but they fell out and then feuded bitterly. It is believed that this is why the two families incriminated each other. In addition to this when Demdike died in gaol, Chattox changed here story, claiming Demdike was responsible for inticing here into witchcraft.

The Pendle Witches are said to haunt the buildings, landscapes and historic villages in the shadow of Pendle Hill such as Newchurch, home of St. Mary’s Church, from where Demdike was thought to have stolen human bones.

A sinister feeling and anger is often felt by visitors and many local refuse to discuss the goings on for fear of their own safety.

The comedian Billy Connolly used to play music at the Pendle Inn before his comic fame and loves to return to Pendle to relive those times.

Visit Pendle Hill With Phil Whyman’s Dead Haunted Nights

Download The Pendle Witch Trail Leaflet (PDF)

Paranormal investigations, organised ghost hunts & ghost hunting events with Dead Haunted Nights; the only UK ghost hunting, haunted events and paranormal investigation company whose events are run and hosted by an internationally recognised figure within paranormal TV programming – Most Haunted’s PHIL WHYMAN.

To Book Any Of These Events visit DEAD HAUNTED NIGHTS

The Tarot was originally a deck of 78 cards, divided into 4 suits of 14 cards (the standard ace-10, then page, knight, queen, and king) and 22 un-numbered ‘triumphs’ or ‘trumps’. Over the years, the trumps got numbered 1 to 21, with one card (the fool) remaining un-numbered or sometimes being 0. The 4 suits are commonly called the ‘Minor Arcana’ and the trump cards are called the ‘Major Arcana’. More loosely, any deck of cards designed for ‘fortune-telling’, divination, meditation, contemplation, or other non-game uses is popularly called a Tarot deck. The most commonly found suits for Tarot decks are cups, swords, wands or staffs (probably originally polo-sticks), and pentacles (originally coins).

The names of the Major Arcana cards frequently change from deck to deck, but historically they’ve been ;

• The Fool (un-numbered or 0)
• The Magician (I)
• The High Priestess (originally the Popess) (II)
• The Empress (III)
• The Emperor (IV)
• The Heirophant (originally the Pope) (V)
• The Lovers (VI)
• The Chariot (VII)
• Strength (VIII, originally XI)
• The Hermit (IX)
• The Wheel of Fortune (X)
• Justice (XI, originally VIII)
• The Hanged Man (XII)
• Death (XIII)
• Temperance (XIV)
• The Devil (XV)
• The Tower (XVI)
• The Star (XVII)
• The Moon (XVIII)
• The Sun (XIX)
• Judgement (XX)
• The World (XXI)

The Major Arcana cards are usually illustrated, frequently the Minor Arcana cards are, as well.

Tarot decks come in a bewildering variety these days. You can find oversized, undersized, or round decks. Some have more than 78 cards, some less. Some are based on a particular mythic cycle. Some are based on a particular psychological theory. Some are based on channelled information. Some are just hard to describe. A ‘historical’ deck has simply one, two, or however many wands, cups, or whatever for the number cards.

A.E. Waite first popularised a deck which has illustrations on all 78 cards (painted by Pamela Colman Smith), which has become the model for the greatest number of other currently available decks.

A. Crowley popularised a deck which had arcane symbols, but not real ‘illustrations’ on the number cards (painter by Lady Frieda Harris). Decks which follow those basic set-ups are descendants from these earlier ones.

No-one knows the ‘true’ origin of the Tarot. The most common myth is that it was brought to Europe by the Gypsies – but this myth come from the fact that very early occultists who used the Tarot fancied that it came from Egypt. They were as wrong about that as they were about the homeland of the Gypsies. In fact, the Tarot came to Europe about the same time as any other form of playing card, in the early/mid 1300’s. It is most closely related to the ‘Mamluk’ deck of the Islamic world, which had suits cups, coins, swords, and polo-sticks.

The Tarot was originally used for a game called ‘tarocchi’ in Italy, which is sort of a distant cousin to Bridge. Tarocchi is still played in some parts of the world, not usually with the same decks the ‘fortune tellers’ use.
The game was quite popular for a time among the royalty in Italy, and sometimes a duke would commission an artist to create a really nice deck. Some of the earliest surviving Tarot decks come from this source. Plainer decks existed, but were not well made enough, or well thought-of enough, to survive the intervening 600 years.

The Joker of ’standard’ card decks is “not” related to the Fool of Tarot. The Joker was invented as a wild card for Euchre in the 1800’s, in a part of the world where the Tarot was virtually or totally unknown.

The Tarot was first associated with the occult by Antoine Court de Gebelin, a relatively obscure Parisian mason who wrote about the deck in 1781. He invented a lot of the standard myths about the Tarot which were later popularised by others (it comes from ancient Egypt, the Major Arcana is related to the Kabalah, etc.). The first big popularise of the deck was a contemporary of de Gebelin, called Etteilla, who published the first ‘revised and corrected’ Tarot deck for divination. The fad was caught up by Eliphas Levi, Oswald Wirth, and Papus, among others. From Papus, the Tarot caught on with some English mystics, such as S.L. Mathers (whose mistranslation of Levi brought us the suit of pentacles), A.E. Waite, and A. Crowley. The Tarot received a lot of attention from these folks, and they created a fairly large body of writing on the use of Tarot. For the most part they thought that divination was a ‘lower’ use of the cards, that ideally it should be used to put you in touch with eternal verities, usually in conjunction with whatever magical order they happened to be involved with. But of course, divination was the most popular use for the cards.

Most of the Tarot decks on the market were created this century, most of those in the last 20 years.