Robin G. Austin's Blog

In The Taw Ridge Haunting, (Book 5 of the Jack Raven Ghost Mystery Series), Jack goes to the fictional town of Taw Ridge to help a spirit check out of the Herman Hotel in this small town in Tennessee.

The Bell Witch

Illustration of Bell Home

Of all the ghostly legends in Tennessee, the most famous is the Bell Witch.

From 1817 to 1821, the Bell family was said to be haunted by an invisible entity named Kate Batts, who was later branded a witch.

John Bell moved his family from North Carolina to Red River Tennessee. He was a farmer and an elder in the local Baptist Church. By all accounts Bell was a decent and well-liked man. Then the hauntings began.

The first known haunting was when John Bell witnessed a dog with a rabbit’s head. He attempted to shoot the creature,  but it disappeared.

Afterwards, the family heard noises in the home such as scratching and knocking. Later the witch started pulling hair, slapping, pinching, and sticking pins in the family, especially John and his  youngest daughter, Betsy.

Kate Batts also had a good witch side to her. She was said to be kind to John’s wife Lucy and his son John Jr.  Reportedly, Kate sang hymns to Lucy. No word on how Lucy felt about that.

Batts was able to speak and engage in full conversations with others. She could change form as well as her surroundings and be in more than one place at a time. She was also said to have the gift of prophecy.

The witch’s actions were observed by many in the community, including the clergy. The events subsided only after Bell’s death.

One story  claims Kate Batts tried to kill John with curses, threats and afflictions.  Another story says she poisoned him then sang drinking songs to the mourners.

Another story says she promised the family she would return in seven years. Allegedly, she did in 1828, but was ignored by the family and soon left. But the Bell Witch didn’t go far.

Many believe she fled to a cave that is still located on Bell family farm.  The Bell Witch Cave is in the National Register of Historic Places.  You can visit the cave at 430 Keysburg Road in Adams, Tennessee. 

In 1892, Martin V. Ingram published, An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch.  He wrote that Kate Batts was a poltergeist.  The book was written with accounts from Richard Williams Bell, John Bell’s son.

What Are the Odds?

Sigmund Freud said there are no coincidences, and I have to agree.  I wrote this post after the final edit of The Taw Ridge Haunting.

I picked the Bell Witch because of its notoriety.  It was only afterwards that I recalled my book has not one, but two references to witches.

A brujo who makes Jack a protection doll and a werabana, a Polynesian witch.  Okay, this one could have been just a memory lapse, I definitely have those,  but I wasn’t thinking about it at the time.

In  my book, the hotel’s murders occurred in 2002. Taw Ridge was published September 1.

The Bell Witch movie by Shane Marr was shot in September, 2002. It was released September 1, 2007.  Stranger still, the Bell Witch was said to call John Bell Old Jack.

Spooky enough, but the more I read about the Bell Witch , the weirder things got.

In The Taw Ridge Haunting, the detective assigned to the murder investigation was Ben Radford. I don’t remember how I selected the name. Many times, I take names from my Cat of Day calendar.

The Taw Ridge Haunting is Vol 5 in the Jack Raven Ghost Mystery Series. It takes place in the fictional town of Taw Ridge, Tennessee. Jack is hired to eradicate a haunting at the Herman Hotel, but she first has to find out who’s haunting the place.

Tennessee maybe the buckle of the Bible belt but it is not without its sinners, and Taw Ridge had more than its share. Below are some things about the state and a few tidbits of what I used in the book.

About Tennessee

The word Tennessee comes from the Cherokee Native word, Tana-see. It means the meeting place.
The state motto is Agriculture and Commerce.
The state flower is the iris.
The state bird is the mockingbird.
Bristol is known as the birthplace of country music.
Graceland is the second most visited house in the country.
Tennessee has more than 3,800 documented caves.
Chicken isn’t chicken unless it’s cayenne pepper hot chicken.
Tennessee is the buckle of the Bible belt.
Saying bless your heart is just a Tennessean’s way of responding to your stupidity.
Y’all isn’t just for rednecks.
Coca-Cola was first bottled in 1899 in Chattanooga.  The bottling rights were purchased for $1.00.
Davy Crockett was born near Greeneville. A replica of his log cabin is available to the public.
Jack Daniel’s whiskey is produced in Lynchburg.
The Grand Ole Opry holds the title as the longest radio show in history. It is broadcast on Friday and Saturday evenings, and has been since 1925.
Dolly Parton’s theme park Dollywood is located in Pigeon Forge.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is in Nashville.
Martin Luther King, Jr., was killed in 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. The motel where he lost his life is now the American Civil Rights Museum.
The Alex Haley boyhood home in Henning is the first state-owned historic site devoted to African Americans in Tennessee.

Tennessee Desserts  

Every state has its favorite desserts. These are Tennessee’s.

Nutella Cream Pie: This no-bake pie uses a graham cracker crust and Nutella®, which is a sweet hazelnut-cocoa spread. It’s similar to chocolate mousse pie.

Jam Bundt Cake: Plan on making this cake only if you’ve got a kitchen stocked with ingredients and time on your hands. If you’re ever in Nashville, stop by The Loveless Cafe where they serve Big Momma’s version of this favorite made with blackberry jam and buttermilk. Recipe is on the website.

MoonPie: Tennessee born and bred. MoonPies are two round graham cracker cookies with marshmallow filling and dipped in a flavored coating. They were created at the Chattanooga Bakery in 1917, and were just five cents each. One hundred years later, they are still under $1.00 each. Today, the company produces about one million MoonPies a day.

Mountain Stack Cake:  This cake is made up of several thin layers of cake separated by a spiced apple filling. Legend says it originated as a wedding cake, with guests each bringing a cake layer for the bride.

Banana Cream Pie: This pie’s a Tennessee winner with a yearly festival where Miss Banana Pudding is named.

Brujería

In Book 5, Agustina Cortez sends Jack to Taw Ridge with protection made by a Brujo.

Brujería is Spanish for witchcraft. The practice is a form of folk magic involving charms, spells, curses, hexes, or divination.

In Mexican culture, the female sorceress or witch is called brujo and the male is bruja.

The brujo/bruja can also be a spiritual healer, spiritual counselor, and spellworker (hechizos).  Brujería is a practice of interacting with the living energy of the universe.

A brujo is often feared and revered due to the belief that she only engages in black magic or countermagic. Unlike the curandero, the brujo is not limited by ethics in practicing her magic, though she must accept the consequences of choices made.

The brujo may leave her hexing agent in the person’s home. If a doll is used, it must be found and destroyed.

A curandero is often called upon to heal those suspected of being a victim of brujería. If that is the case, the curandero must then identify the kind of witchcraft used and even the brujo who put the hex on the person.

The treatment may also involve the removal of objects magically injected into the victim’s body such as a worm. Love hexes may counteract the countermagic.

The curandero may contact the brujo through supernatural means or directly to demand that the curse be removed. If the brujo refuses, the curandero may hex the hexer.

13th Floor

You can’t have a haunted hotel without a 13th floor. I couldn’t find one in Tennessee, except for the Herman Hotel.

Triskaidekaphobia is the extreme superstition regarding the number thirteen.

The early designers of tall buildings feared the financial repercussions of the superstition more than the superstition itself, and omitted the number thirteen on floors and elevators. The practice soon became commonplace in the United States.

Early critics of New York architecture warned against the thirteenth floor arguing that it would cause  street congestion and ominous shadows as well as lower property values.

In 2002, Otis Elevators did a study that revealed 85% of the buildings with Otis brand elevators did not have a floor named labeled the 13th. A representative for the Westinghouse Elevator Company estimates it is closer to 90%.

Buildings that brave the feared phobia are the Palmer House Hilton, the Hotel Burnham and Virgin Hotels in Chicago, Marriott in Grande Dunes, South Carolina, the Plaza, Waldorf Astoria, the Flatiron Building, and the Empire State Building in New York. The World Trade Center also had a 13th floor.

The Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel is famous for its 13th floor. Gangster Thomas ‘Fatty’ Walsh was killed by another gangster on the thirteenth floor in 1929. His ghost has never checked out.

Hoja Santa

If you need protection from a spirit, use this herb.

Hoja Santas is primarily culinary. The leaves have a fragrance similar to sassafras. It is used as a healing tea.

Hoja Santa (also known as Hierba Santa and Yerba Santa) is known as the sacred leaf. It is an aromatic herb that grows in tropic Mesoamerica with a soft, heart-shaped leaf.

In spiritual practices, this herb is used for protection, healing, dreamwork, and for increasing divinatory abilities. In magic work, it is used in making poppets and tinctures. Putting it in bath water is thought to bring out inner beauty.

It can be used for dressing for altars, kept in medicine bags, and as an ingredient in potpourri. Some Native Americans believe that burning the plant neutralizes negative energies and can heal as well as reduce fear and emotional injuries such as grief, depression, melancholy, and despair while providing a boundary of protection.

Curanderos call it the holy herb. It is used as an altar offering along with other sacred herbs and roots.

The following is a recipe for incense from the Herbal Riot.

Yucatan Incense
3 parts Copal
2 parts Frankincense
1 part Rosemary
1 part Sage
1 part Lemongrass
1 part Bay
½ part Marigold
½ part Yerba Santa

Photo Credit  – Forest Starr & Kim Starr http://www.starrenvironmental.com

Hotel Murders

After researching hotel murders, I never plan on staying in one again. Besides the nasty bedspreads and bedbugs, and security guards who might not be all that trustworthy, methamphetamine labs have become a serious problem. A single meth lab has a 15% chance of catching fire or exploding.

While those things are bad enough, at least they are believable. What isn’t is… bodies under the bed.

In 2003, Sony Millbrook was murdered and hidden inside the bed’s box frame at a Budget Inn in Memphis Tennessee. Despite the odor, the room had been cleaned and rented out five times before her body was discovered. Her boyfriend was later convicted.

A man was found at the Capri Motel in Kansas City. He was under the mattress and in an advanced state of decomposition.

A couple slept over the remains of a man in the Burgundy Motor Inn in Atlantic City. Ten days of complaints by guests led to the discovery of a woman in a Travelodge in Pasadena, California.

Murderer Jerry Lee Dunbar killed two prostitutes on separate occasions after taking them to motels. At his trial he stated that little men who glowed were following him in the jail. He said they came with their suitcases and that he liked them and they made him laugh.

When people say fiction is unbelievable, I always roll my eyes.

Werabana

In the legends of Papua New Guinea every man is a sorcerer (barau) and every woman a witch (werabana). In Polynesian culture, the werabana is a demon entity.

In An Encyclopaedia of Occultism by Lewis Spence, the werabana is described as an evil spirit that inhabits dark places and wanders in the night while giving witches their power to smite all around.

A werabana can apply to witches but also to the vessels of the werabana who are given their terrifying powers. The werabana and the barau are often blamed for physical illnesses. They are the most feared humans in the village. Their magic is always hostile and meant to destroy the community through illness or injury.

.huge-it-share-buttons {
border:0px solid #0FB5D6;
border-radius:5px;
background:#3BD8FF;
text-align:left; }

#huge-it-share-buttons-top {margin-bottom:0px;}
#huge-it-share-buttons-bottom {margin-top:0px;}

.huge-it-share-buttons h3 {
font-size:25px ;
font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;
color:#666666;

display:block; line-height:25px ;

text-align:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul {
float:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li {
margin-left:3px;
margin-right:3px;
padding:0px;
border:0px ridge #E6354C;
border-radius:11px;
background-color:#14CC9B;
}

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li #backforunical2605 {
border-bottom: 0;
background-image:url('http://robingaustin.com/wp-content/pl...
width:30px;
height:30px;
}

.front-shares-count {
position: absolute;
text-align: center;
display: block;
}

.shares_size20 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 10px;
top: 10px;
width: 20px;
}

.shares_size30 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 11px;
top: 15px;
width: 30px;
}

.shares_size40 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 12px;
top: 21px;
width: 40px;
}



Share This:

In The Eton Bluff Bay Haunting (Book 4 of the Jack Raven Ghost Mystery Series), Jack goes to the fictional town of Eton Bluff to find out who is haunting an old barn and three kids in Minnesota field.

Grey Cloud Island

Grey Cloud Island is a residential community located along the banks of the Mississippi  River. It’s named after Marpiyarotowin, a Native American Princess who was known by the name Grey Cloud. She was the daughter of the Great Mdewakanton Dakota Sioux Chief Wapasha I. She was born in 1744 and died in 1844.

To the Native Americans, the island is sacred ground. It is said to have the largest number of Indian burial mounds in the country. Many visitors to the island complain of an unsettling feeling in the air.

Grey Cloud is said to walk the island while carrying a green lantern. Green orbs or clouds have been associated with her ghost. Others report seeing a blue-green light.

Native American drumming has been heard on nights when the moon is full. Phantom coyotes have also been reported.

Grey Cloud is not the only reported spirit on the island. The Grey Cloud Cemetery is a popular paranormal haunt despite the warning signs to stay out between sundown and sun up.

Those visiting the island have reported a ghost-driven white pickup truck that enjoys tailgating and chasing non-locals off the island. Some say that the truck has no driver. The story is that the driver was a man who lost control of his truck and drown in the Mississippi River.

One popular tale is of the grave of a witch who once lived on the island. On her grave, only weeds will grow while the other graves are covered with grass.

A young girl struck by a train is said to still walk the lonely tracks.

A headless bride is said to roam the fields. Legend says that her beloved discovered that she was cheating on him, so he chopped off her head with an axe. Guess she’s still looking for her head.

There is a row of headstones where a dozen nuns are buried. Locals say if you walk one direction counting the stones then turn around and count them in the other direction, you’ll get a different number. If you try this trick, watch for the shadow of a small child being amused by your efforts.

A phantom cigarette smoker is reported to frequent the local cemetery on moonlit nights.

Both those in vehicles and on foot have reported a translucent motorcyclist silently riding down the roads. They also report that it will vanish without warning.

Hearing disembodied voices amongst the graves is not uncommon and neither are the claims of the horrified screams of a woman.

Several have reported a translucent man wearing a red flannel jacket and an orange hat while smoking a cigarette and carrying a rifle. One woman even reported that the man stared at her and she became so frightened, she left the area. Apparently though, he wasn’t done with her. As she drove away, she reports she saw him in her backseat through the rearview mirror. I wonder how she kept driving.

Those visiting the cemetery have reported car problems once inside the gates. Upon hearing the screaming woman, one driver whose car would not start, pushed it out the gates. As soon as  he was out, his vehicle’s engine turned on as did the radio and lights.

Those who have visited the cemetery advise wearing running shoes if you are brave enough to enter the gates.

Stay haunted.

.huge-it-share-buttons {
border:0px solid #0FB5D6;
border-radius:5px;
background:#3BD8FF;
text-align:left; }

#huge-it-share-buttons-top {margin-bottom:0px;}
#huge-it-share-buttons-bottom {margin-top:0px;}

.huge-it-share-buttons h3 {
font-size:25px ;
font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;
color:#666666;

display:block; line-height:25px ;

text-align:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul {
float:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li {
margin-left:3px;
margin-right:3px;
padding:0px;
border:0px ridge #E6354C;
border-radius:11px;
background-color:#14CC9B;
}

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li #backforunical2261 {
border-bottom: 0;
background-image:url('http://robingaustin.com/wp-content/pl...
width:30px;
height:30px;
}

.front-shares-count {
position: absolute;
text-align: center;
display: block;
}

.shares_size20 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 10px;
top: 10px;
width: 20px;
}

.shares_size30 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 11px;
top: 15px;
width: 30px;
}

.shares_size40 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 12px;
top: 21px;
width: 40px;
}



Share This:

In The Shem Bay Haunting (Book 3 of the Jack Raven Ghost Mystery Series), Jack goes to the fictional town of Shem Bay and encounters a Doctor’s dark past and an ancient curse in a Oregon mansion.

Heceta Head Lighthouse Keeper’s House

Two hundred feet above the Pacific Ocean in Florence, Oregon, sits the Heceta Head Lighthouse (Ha SEE Ta).

The adjacent keeper’s house, which is now a bed and breakfast, is said to be occupied by The Gray Lady  aka Rue.

Built in 1894, both structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The lighthouse is 56 feet tall. Operation has been automated and a keeper of the light is no longer needed.

The ghostly footsteps of a woman have been heard on the property since the 1950s. No doubt the lady of the house, she is fond of opening doors and windows.

Guests also report strange noises, electrical disturbances, and levitating objects. She is also reportedly fond of turning up the heat at night.

During a séance meant to determine the spirit’s identity, the letters R U E were revealed. Who Rue once was remains a mystery, but after more than sixty years, no one doubts her presence.

Some say she was the wife of an assistant lighthouse keeper, Frank DeRay, whose daughter drowned in a pond or the ocean in the 1890s.

According to this story, Rue took her own life after the child died. A child’s grave is on the property. There have been reports of screams heard in the night, and it is speculated that this is a residual replay of Rue’s anguish.

Life Magazine wrote of Rue in an article titled Terrifying Tales of 9 Haunted Houses. Oregon Public Broadcasting (PBS) also ran a story on the haunting called Heceta Head Lighthouse.

Tales of the Gray Lady have also been documented on paranormal reality television shows. It was supposedly used in the film The Fog, though I find no proof of this online.

The haunting is featured in Donna Stewart’s Ghosthunting Oregon (America’s Haunted Road Trip) released in September 2014. It is listed as one the top 10 haunted places in the United States.

Nearly every guest since the 1950s have reported some unexplained activity. Rue has also been seen by many guests, appearing as a gray mist that floats about the grounds and in the house. She is often seen in daylight hours and has a reputation of being quite pleasant.

A laborer working on the house in the 1970s is said to have had a face-to-mirror encounter with the woman in the attic. He said she had silver hair and was wearing a long, dark dress.

Later, this same worker broke the window to the attic. The man clearly was meant to meet with the spirit but sadly, he was too fearful to return to the attic. Other workers went to clean the broken glass and are said to have found it already nicely swept up for them..

A caretaker in the home once reported seeing a long skirt floating down the hallway and going through a locked door. Rue has also been seen going to the kitchen with something in her hand as a caretaker’s wife was cleaning up.

The Heceta Head B&B is renown for its wedding events and couples getaways. I’m sure that Rue is most pleased by the use of her former home.

Stay haunted.

.huge-it-share-buttons {
border:0px solid #0FB5D6;
border-radius:5px;
background:#3BD8FF;
text-align:left; }

#huge-it-share-buttons-top {margin-bottom:0px;}
#huge-it-share-buttons-bottom {margin-top:0px;}

.huge-it-share-buttons h3 {
font-size:25px ;
font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;
color:#666666;

display:block; line-height:25px ;

text-align:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul {
float:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li {
margin-left:3px;
margin-right:3px;
padding:0px;
border:0px ridge #E6354C;
border-radius:11px;
background-color:#14CC9B;
}

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li #backforunical2252 {
border-bottom: 0;
background-image:url('http://robingaustin.com/wp-content/pl...
width:30px;
height:30px;
}

.front-shares-count {
position: absolute;
text-align: center;
display: block;
}

.shares_size20 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 10px;
top: 10px;
width: 20px;
}

.shares_size30 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 11px;
top: 15px;
width: 30px;
}

.shares_size40 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 12px;
top: 21px;
width: 40px;
}



Share This:

In The Cathville Haunting (Book 2 of the Jack Raven Ghost Mystery Series), Jack goes to the fictional town of Cathville to get rid of an ecto-mist that is haunting the Arkansas woods.

Crescent Hotel & Spa , Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Americas Most Haunted Hotel

If you go to Arkansas, plan to stay at the Crescent Hotel & Spa. Known as America’s Most Haunted Hotel, many of the guest have never checked out. That’s okay, because the hotel has its own  morgue.

The hotel was build in 1886, as a resort for the rich and famous. It has been reincarnated twice as colleges and once as a hospital and health resort before its current owner turned it into a ghost hunter’s favorite haunt.

Crescent has had a troubled and sad past that is now bankrolling its bright future. The current owner is proud of the title of most haunted, and the ghost guide staffers give regular ghost tours around the hotel. Guests are rarely disappointed since the hotel supposedly has over one hundred spirits and they aren’t shy.

Smoking may not be allowed in the hotel, but you may still smell pipe tobacco. In the late nineteenth century, the hotel had its own in-house doctor. Dr. John Freemont Ellis loved his cherry tobacco, and most say he still does. Ask for Room 212 if you want to be sure to smell the sweet scent.

If you feel a cold breeze while on the staircase landing, look around and say hello to the little girl who reportedly fell to her death from the fourth floor railing.

Yes, before you ask, the tour does include a walkthrough of the morgue. They even turn off the lights so you get the full effect of the place. Now aren’t they nice. Guests are encouraged to stand at the autopsy table and take photos in the hopes of catching an orb or two.

In case you’re wondering why the morgue, the hotel was once a cancer hospital. Norman Baker was not a doctor, but promised he could cure cancer. He couldn’t. In addition, one of his employees was thrilled by the kill rather than the cure. Some of the bodies were put in the walk-in cooler where many of their spirits stay to this day. Dozens of skeletons were found behind wall panels.

You don’t have to go on the tour to get your ghostly experience. Guests have reported hearing their name called, having their bed sheets tugged on while sleeping, hearing footsteps in their rooms, and feeling like they’ve been touched.

If it’s available, ask for Room 218, the exact spot where Michael, one of the hotel’s builders fell to his death. Be a sound sleeper though because Michael likes to shake his roommates awake.

If you’d rather see a photo of a ghost than a ghost itself, stay in Room 202. There’s a photo of a misty figure slouching in the closet. Only the photographer and the ghost were in the room when the picture was taken.

While in the lobby or the bar you may see a distinguished-looking man dressed in old-fashioned clothing and wearing a mustache and beard. He’s not much of a talker so don’t expect him to say hello… before he vanishes.

Stay haunted.

.huge-it-share-buttons {
border:0px solid #0FB5D6;
border-radius:5px;
background:#3BD8FF;
text-align:left; }

#huge-it-share-buttons-top {margin-bottom:0px;}
#huge-it-share-buttons-bottom {margin-top:0px;}

.huge-it-share-buttons h3 {
font-size:25px ;
font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;
color:#666666;

display:block; line-height:25px ;

text-align:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul {
float:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li {
margin-left:3px;
margin-right:3px;
padding:0px;
border:0px ridge #E6354C;
border-radius:11px;
background-color:#14CC9B;
}

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li #backforunical2240 {
border-bottom: 0;
background-image:url('http://robingaustin.com/wp-content/pl...
width:30px;
height:30px;
}

.front-shares-count {
position: absolute;
text-align: center;
display: block;
}

.shares_size20 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 10px;
top: 10px;
width: 20px;
}

.shares_size30 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 11px;
top: 15px;
width: 30px;
}

.shares_size40 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 12px;
top: 21px;
width: 40px;
}



Share This:

In The Roxbury Haunting (Book 1 of the Jack Raven Ghost Mystery Series), Jack goes to the fictional town of Roxbury to release a spirit who has reason to stay in his old Victorian Mansion.

Sonshine Paranormal on YouTube

Stagecoach Road in Marshall, Texas.

Take a slow drive down this dirt road and you’re likely to encounter more than one ghost.

Whether they sit on the trunk of your car while you search between the trees or their misty faces light up the side of the road, know they are watching you.

If you’re lucky, you’ll hear the clanking of an old stagecoach and see dutiful spirits carrying the coffins of Confederate soldiers.  If  on the other hand, you see Old Lady Lucy, run. Your luck has just run out.

If you are particularly brave go up to the sand dune where it’s said demon spirits practice black magic.

Some people have seen nothing at all on this old road, but they’ve heard heavy footsteps running in the woods. Running towards them, but never getting close enough to be seen.  Few who have been down the road at night fail to mention its spook factor.

Park on the old bridge if you dare and watch your rearview mirror for a few minutes. You won’t see anything, but do get out and check for the children’s handprints on the back of your car.

Should you see her, you may feel like shedding some tears for La Llorna, the lady in black, who is also known as the Weeping Woman.  She’s often seen carrying a lantern as she searches for her  children who some say went missing, but most think La Llorna killed her children in a rage after her true loved dumped her for another. La Llorna then killed herself in the river.

Then there’s the Woman In White who is believed  to have died in a stagecoach accident  on a dark, stormy night. She is said to make her appearance just before disaster strikes so don’t just stand around and stare at the woman.

What every ghost tale needs is an Ax Man, and Stagecoach Road has one of those too.  If you travel alone on the road at night, expect to have your head chopped off.

This long, lonely road is said to have been cursed by a voodoo priestess after she was forced to leave her home in New Orleans in the early 1800s. Stagecoach was once the main road between Shreveport and Marshall so she ended up in Texas.

Seems the good people of Marshall didn’t much care for  the priestess’ superpowers and thought they would be rid of her for good just by hanging her from a tree on Stagecoach Road. Silly Texans, voodoo never dies.

These days, the priestess likes to wander the road especially when the moon is full. Some say she carries a shrunken head… and it looks just like you.

Stay haunted.

.huge-it-share-buttons {
border:0px solid #0FB5D6;
border-radius:5px;
background:#3BD8FF;
text-align:left; }

#huge-it-share-buttons-top {margin-bottom:0px;}
#huge-it-share-buttons-bottom {margin-top:0px;}

.huge-it-share-buttons h3 {
font-size:25px ;
font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;
color:#666666;

display:block; line-height:25px ;

text-align:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul {
float:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li {
margin-left:3px;
margin-right:3px;
padding:0px;
border:0px ridge #E6354C;
border-radius:11px;
background-color:#14CC9B;
}

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li #backforunical2227 {
border-bottom: 0;
background-image:url('http://robingaustin.com/wp-content/pl...
width:30px;
height:30px;
}

.front-shares-count {
position: absolute;
text-align: center;
display: block;
}

.shares_size20 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 10px;
top: 10px;
width: 20px;
}

.shares_size30 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 11px;
top: 15px;
width: 30px;
}

.shares_size40 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 12px;
top: 21px;
width: 40px;
}



Share This:

The Eton Bay Haunting is Vol 4 in the Jack Raven Ghost Mystery Series. It takes place in the fictional town of Eton Bay, Minnesota. Jack is hired to get rid of a vile, disgusting, and crude spirit who is haunting a barn used by a tech startup group after one member of the group dies.

This haunting is one of love, betrayal, lies, and what money can buy and can’t buy. Below are some of the tidbits of what I used in the book.

Spider Facts.  There are approximately one million spiders per one acre of land- closer to three million in the tropics. At any given time, you are never more than ten feet away from a spider —ever.

Spiders eat harmful insects (more than birds and bats combined), pollinate plants, and recycle dead animals. They are a food source for small mammals, birds, and fish.

Not all spiders spin webs.

Spiders’ blood is blue.

Hummingbirds take the silk from spider webs to weave their nests.

Some male spiders give dead flies to females as presents.

Drugs impact the way spiders spin their webs. Spiders on LSD spin beautiful webs while spiders on caffeine spin ugly ones.

The venom of the female black widow is fifteen times more powerful than the poison of a rattlesnake.

If these facts creeped you out, you may have arachnophobia (a fear of spiders).

FactRetriever.com

Crapola. This is a homegrown granola business started by Brian and Andrea Strom. Ingredients are cranberry, apple, and granola. It also contains seeds, nuts, agave, maple, and other organic goodness.

Crapola is one of the must  haves/do’s when visiting Minnesota. Others are Caribou Coffee, deep fried cheese curds, ice fishing, Summit beer, Juicy lucy, jell-o, marshmallows and fruit, lutefisk (called fruitcake), and hanging out at the Target store.  Crapola.

About Minnesota. The state’s name comes from the Dakota tribe word for clear blue water:  ‘Mní sóta’. Its nickname is Land of 10,000 Lakes. It shares borders with Michigan (water only), Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota, and Ontario and Manitoba in Canada. Saint Paul is the capitol.

It ranks as one of the healthiest states in the US. In 2015, Minneapolis was named the nation’s Most Literate City. Bob Dylan and Prince were born in the state. The state bird is the common loon. The state animal is the timber wolf. The state muffin is the blueberry. The average night temperature in the coldest month of January is 4.3 degrees.

Lingo you might hear: Ya sure you betcha, it’s goh-na grow on ya, could be worse, and doncha know.

The giant spoon and cherry is by artists Claes Oldenburg and his wife, Coosje van Bruggen. It is the centerpiece of the Walker Art Center’s Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the largest urban sculpture park in the world.

Surveillance Cameras.  The average US citizen can be caught on camera more than 100 times a day. You’re being watched from your neighbors’ (or your own) home security cameras, gas stations, traffic cameras, public transportation, restaurants, stores, parking garages, lobbies, elevators, your place of employment, banks, post offices, and churches, just to name a few.

If you owned a Samsung television in 2015, they were watching you. You are also being listened to through your smartphone by hackers, Amazon, Facebook, and the government. Your email provider is watching what you write. Your browser provider is tracking your searches. Skype has been hackable since 2011. Your smartphone also knows where you are and who you are with, if they have a smartphone. If you talk and shop, retail stores are using  wifi to drop in on your conversation. If you have a newer car, your speed, direction, and more are being recorded. Your GPS knows everywhere you go. In Britain, one in ten women are targeted for voyeuristic pleasures.  And of course, the drones are looking in your windows

I was twelve years old when I had my most significant ghost sighting.  

In the early sixties, we lived in Southern California. The weather was warm, the houses and yards big, the neighborhoods friendly, and everyone knew everyone.

That day, a friend and I had been riding our bikes.  At dusk (it was safe for kids back then), we stopped at the corner to part ways for the evening. Across the street we saw two little girls. They wore matching dresses and Sunday School shoes. This was unusual because Southern California in the summer was the epitome of casual. Their brown hair was long and curled and tied in pigtails. They were holding hands and walking at a slow, steady pace.

My friend, who was a couple years younger than me, and I were very curious about the girls. Like I said, everyone knew everyone, but we sure didn’t know them and we wanted to. We decided to watch which house they went to so we could go meet them the next day.

They reached the corner and turned to walk in the direction away from us. It was starting to get dark, but the streets were lit by lamp posts.  There was no traffic in the neighborhood, but there was one car parked on the street they’d turned down.

They got to the car and were blocked from our view for a few seconds. When they appeared on the other side of the car, they were two old ladies. They wore matching brown coats and orthopedic shoes. Their hair was gray and pinned in matching buns. They were still holding hands. Still walking at a steady, slow pace. And still appearing like two very living people.

My friend was flipping out. He wanted to know if I saw that,  what had just happened, where the little girls went. He was coming out of his skin over it. We waited until we couldn’t see them anymore.

I remember that when they reached the corner, I felt electricity in the air and an overwhelming sense of peace and love. I recall looking up and seeing tiny, crystal sparkles in the sky. I knew something amazing had happened, too amazing to put into words.

I told my friend that I didn’t know what happened, but we couldn’t talk about it. Even when the words were coming out of my mouth, I had no idea why I was saying them.

Over the next week or so, my friend continued to ask me about the girls. He couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t talk about it and neither could I. He wanted to go knock on doors until we found them. I knew we’d never find them. It was years before I told anyone this story.

Did the little girls get in the car and the old ladies got out and continued down the street? No. There wasn’t enough time and there wasn’t any noise of a door opening or closing. We were too close to have missed that if it were the case. Plus, the old ladies were just like the girls- the way they walked, held hands, matched from head to foot- just sixty or seventy years older.

I don’t doubt, and wouldn’t even if not for my friend, that I saw what I saw. I don’t know what the message was or even if there was one. Maybe life passes us by in an instant? Who knows, but I can now attest that it truly does.

.huge-it-share-buttons {
border:0px solid #0FB5D6;
border-radius:5px;
background:#3BD8FF;
text-align:left; }

#huge-it-share-buttons-top {margin-bottom:0px;}
#huge-it-share-buttons-bottom {margin-top:0px;}

.huge-it-share-buttons h3 {
font-size:25px ;
font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;
color:#666666;

display:block; line-height:25px ;

text-align:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul {
float:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li {
margin-left:3px;
margin-right:3px;
padding:0px;
border:0px ridge #E6354C;
border-radius:11px;
background-color:#14CC9B;
}

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li #backforunical2042 {
border-bottom: 0;
background-image:url('http://robingaustin.com/wp-content/pl...
width:30px;
height:30px;
}

.front-shares-count {
position: absolute;
text-align: center;
display: block;
}

.shares_size20 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 10px;
top: 10px;
width: 20px;
}

.shares_size30 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 11px;
top: 15px;
width: 30px;
}

.shares_size40 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 12px;
top: 21px;
width: 40px;
}



Share This:

The Shem Bay Haunting is Vol 3 in the Jack Raven Ghost Mystery Series. It takes place in the fictional town of Shem Bay, Oregon. Jack is hired to rid a Doctor’s home of a spirit that is threatening him and amusing his young daughter. Dr. Douglas Pratt’s housekeeper is determined to keep the home exactly as it is.

This haunting is filled with ancient beliefs and spooky science that my research proved had a common link. Below are some of the tidbits of what I used in the book.

Lidérc. This is a supernatural creature of Hungarian folklore. There are three interpretation for the lidérc:  a chicken, which hatches from the egg of a black hen that’s kept warm under the arm of a human; a tiny temporal devil that may come from a black hen’s egg or is found  hiding in rags, boxes, glass bottles, or the pockets of old clothes; and a satanic lover, which is similar to an incubus or succubus. All three are demonic and very possessive.

Doppelganger.  The concept of look-alike doubles dates back to ancient Egyptian where it was called a Ka  (spirit double). Doppelganger is German for double-goer. Seems this supernatural phenomena is very natural.

Photographer  François Brunelle has spent over fifteen years photographing people who could be twins but are total strangers with no blood relationship. What’s so strange about the twins, besides looking alike, are their other characteristics such as weight, body shapes, dress preferences,  hairstyles, and even personalities.

For years I worked in Seattle and was frequently mistaken for my own doppelganger. A barrister at a Starbucks was especially friendly and would often ask me if I enjoyed an event or how something I’d never heard of turned out. I thought he was just being good at customer service until I realized afterwards that he really thought he knew me. By then he had become quite spooked by me, probably thinking I had mental problems. Sadly, I never met my doppelganger… or perhaps the barrister was right.

Image Credit

Stuart Hameroff & Roger Penrose.  Hameroff, a  anesthesiologist,  and Penrose, a physicist, theorized that human consciousness comes from microtubules inside our brain cells and are responsible for quantum processing- otherwise known as the souls. That suggested that when the quantum information leaves the brain, it continues to exist.

The pair have plenty of critics but quantum physicist Henry Stapp agree that the personality might survive as a mental entity and could explain alleged possessions and channeling.

The Human Energy Field – Aura.  As much as Jack tries to stay out of the minds of the living, she can’t stop herself from reading auras.

You too have probably been reading them most of your life. If you think not, remember a time when you caught someone staring at you or come up too close behind you. What you sensed was their energy field- an electromagnetic or biomagnetic field that all living organisms project.

The field pulsates according to the hertz of the associated colors:  Blue 250–275 Hz (plus 1,200 Hz);  Green 250–475 Hz;  Yellow 500–700 Hz;  Orange 950–1050 Hz;  Red 1,000–1,200 Hz;  Violet 1,000–2,000, (plus 300–400; 600–800 Hz), and  White 1,100–2,000 Hz. (A Study of Structural Neuromuscular, Energy Field, and Emotional Approaches)

As you already sense others’ energy fields, with practice, you can learn to see auras too. Practice on plants and pets to begin with. It helps to meditate before you begin. Relax, empty your mind, and gaze slightly to the right or left of your subject.  Don’t try to keep your subject in focus. Spend ten to fifteen minutes  in practice. Soon you will see a fog or mist followed by the ability to see colors.

Alcohol & Spirits. If you have ever drank alcohol to excess or seen someone in an intoxicated state, you have likely experienced or witnessed black energy at work.  Alcohol opens a portal and changes not just the brain by altering neurotransmitters, but the personality by possession.

One of my favorite sites is the Spiritual Science Research Foundation (founded in India).  Using a biofeedback machine, their researchers took readings of the chakras (the subtle energy of the body) before and after alcohol consumption. They continued to take readings until the findings were close to original pre-alcohol level.  On average, it took 2.5 days to return to the original level.

In Hindu philosophy, there are 3 subtle basic components of creations:  Sattva (balance), Raja (imbalance), and Tama (inertia).  Alcohol increases Raja and Tama components.

Earthbound spirits are Raja and Tama dominant. They are attracted to like energy making the user of alcohol an easy target for possession, and the accompanying states of anger, depression, and despair.

If you have ever woken up the day after excessive use of alcohol and could not remember or believe what you did while intoxicated, know that you were under the influence of a dark spirit. Spooky right?

Curandera. Native to Latin America, these traditional healers are also known as shamans or witch doctors.  They use remedies to treat mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual illnesses that are believed to be malevolent spirits or a curse. Their powers are considered supernatural. They use herbs, massage, remedies, potions, sage smoke, and raw eggs. Deeply influenced by the Roman Catholic Church, reverence of various Saints and prayer are part of their practice.

.huge-it-share-buttons {
border:0px solid #0FB5D6;
border-radius:5px;
background:#3BD8FF;
text-align:left; }

#huge-it-share-buttons-top {margin-bottom:0px;}
#huge-it-share-buttons-bottom {margin-top:0px;}

.huge-it-share-buttons h3 {
font-size:25px ;
font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;
color:#666666;

display:block; line-height:25px ;

text-align:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul {
float:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li {
margin-left:3px;
margin-right:3px;
padding:0px;
border:0px ridge #E6354C;
border-radius:11px;
background-color:#14CC9B;
}

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li #backforunical1947 {
border-bottom: 0;
background-image:url('http://robingaustin.com/wp-content/pl...
width:30px;
height:30px;
}

.front-shares-count {
position: absolute;
text-align: center;
display: block;
}

.shares_size20 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 10px;
top: 10px;
width: 20px;
}

.shares_size30 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 11px;
top: 15px;
width: 30px;
}

.shares_size40 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 12px;
top: 21px;
width: 40px;
}



Share This:

Not feeling quite like yourself these days? Don’t discount dark (negative) energy as the cause.

If you’ve ever walked into a room where there has been an argument or worse, you likely sensed the bad vibes. Dark forces are real and so is evil. Physical space retains the energetic imprint of everything that enters it, include demonic forces. So watch out, you could be influenced by dark energy without even knowing it’s happening.

Everything in Life is Vibration – Albert Einstein

Vibration is both good and bad and you can’t avoid being influenced but you can take steps to clear and protect your vibrational field.

Take the Dark Energy Quiz… and come back before it’s too late.

Banish Your Dark Energy

 Clear your personal space.  In your home, workplace, vehicle, etc, clear the energy by moving stagnation.  Open as many windows as possible. Never miss a windy day to try this technique. If you can’t open windows, set up fans and blast out the negativity. You can also use hand fans and hanging mobiles.
Lose the clutter. Keep qi (invisible forces, ie vibration) flowing by employing the Chinese principles of Feng Shui. Clutter blocks the flow so toss what you don’t need. Make a habit of rearranging items on shelves and in closets to release trapped energy.
Keep house plants. House plants help purify stagnant air. Palm, ficus, ivy, and ferns are recommended. In early Chinese  culture, bonsai trees were thought to possess supernatural powers with the ability to increase the life force. Remember plants are alive. Keep them watered, fed, and inset free. Weather permitting, set them outdoors for short periods so they can recharge their own energy.
Watch the alcohol. It’s not called the devil’s brew for nothing. Frequent use of alcohol weakens the mind and subtle energy of the soul. Under the influence is not limited to the intoxicating liquid. A toxic mind and body is susceptible to evil entities and even possession.  Intoxicants are tricksters. Illusory frequencies are created by negative energies and make things appear falsely pleasant. (SSRF)
Listen to high vibrational music.  Solfeggio compositions are recommended. There are 6 hertz frequencies: 396, 417, 528, 639,741, 852. They each reduce to the number 3, 6, or 9 and the sum of the 6 reduces to 9.

If you only knew the magnificence of the 3, 6 and 9, then you would hold a key to the universe. Nikola Telsa.

Use essential oils. These oils have a profound effect on the emotions. Once inhaled, the smell passes to the sensory reception nerves and hypothalamus in the limbic portion of the brain, which produces hormones including oxytocin (the love chemical).  The highest vibrational oils are Rose: 320 MHz, Lavender: 118 MHz, Myrrh:105 MHz, Juniper: 98 MHz, and Sandalwood: 96 MHz.
Burn white sage smudge sticks. Sage smoke is a powerful air purifier and that’s not  just folk magick talking. Scientific studies ( Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2004) show that medicinal smoke reduces airborne bacteria by 94% (after one hour of burning).
Take time to tune in. Use meditation and/or prayer to connect with the highest frequency in the universe. If neither appeal to your convictions, consider working on accessing the Akashic Records as psychic Edgar Cayce did or by practicing thought experiments or visual thinking as was done by Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla.
Finally, consciously choose positivity. The world is not all kittens and rainbow. #sad. Negativity sometimes feels like the normal. Choose otherwise by paying attention to your own dark thoughts and realize that darkness itself is doing your thinking for you.



.huge-it-share-buttons {
border:0px solid #0FB5D6;
border-radius:5px;
background:#3BD8FF;
text-align:left; }

#huge-it-share-buttons-top {margin-bottom:0px;}
#huge-it-share-buttons-bottom {margin-top:0px;}

.huge-it-share-buttons h3 {
font-size:25px ;
font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;
color:#666666;

display:block; line-height:25px ;

text-align:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul {
float:left; }

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li {
margin-left:3px;
margin-right:3px;
padding:0px;
border:0px ridge #E6354C;
border-radius:11px;
background-color:#14CC9B;
}

.huge-it-share-buttons ul li #backforunical1925 {
border-bottom: 0;
background-image:url('http://robingaustin.com/wp-content/pl...
width:30px;
height:30px;
}

.front-shares-count {
position: absolute;
text-align: center;
display: block;
}

.shares_size20 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 10px;
top: 10px;
width: 20px;
}

.shares_size30 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 11px;
top: 15px;
width: 30px;
}

.shares_size40 .front-shares-count {
font-size: 12px;
top: 21px;
width: 40px;
}



Share This: