Iceland's Legendary Lake Monster, Caught On Tape, Panel Says

A panel in Iceland has decided that video footage released in 2012 depicts a legendary lake monster.

Who needs Loch Ness when you've got Lagarfljótsormur?

A 13-member panel convened in Iceland has decided by a seven-vote (i.e. very narrow) majority that grainy footage released in 2012 in fact depicts Lagarfljótsormur, a legendary lake monster first reported in 1345. Read more

Top 10 Tales of Witchcraft in the Midwest

From the Nancy Evans to Molly Crenshaw, Mysterious Heartland lists the top ten tales of witchcraft in th Midwest.

Although belief in witchcraft has persisted in the American Midwest for nearly two centuries, Mysterious Heartland has found it surprisingly difficult to locate stories of witchcraft in the region. Never-the-less, we have scoured newspaper archives and dusty volumes to bring you some of the most exciting and obscure accounts of conjuring, hexes, and mistaken identity. Which story will prove to be the most compelling of them all? Read more

Old, Mysterious Photos of Shamans, Mystics, and Medicine Men

 The Ghost Diaries has posted a collection of old, mysterious photos of shamans, mystics, and medicine men.

Throughout prehistoric times and even in some of today’s remote tribal cultures, shamans and ‘medicine men’ have sought to uncover the mysteries of consciousness and the universe. They did so by appealing to spirits in a practice called animism. In many languages, the word for spirit is the same word used for breath.

The shaman was considered a healer between the natural and spiritual world. He used spells and incantations to drive away the gods or spirits thought to be responsible for people’s illnesses. In order to tap into this unseen dimension of Mana, or life force, shamans used the ecstatic techniques of dreams, visions, and trances. Today, we scoff at most non-scientific methods of understanding reality, but for the people who lived for thousands of years before us, it was a pathway to truth.

Maybe–like with the Hindi cultures that understood certain principles of quantum physics through mystic philosophy long before we did–there are darker realities still to be dug up from our inner psyche that can answer our questions. Read more

Poltergeist Communication

As if throwing objects around weren't bad enough, some accounts indicate that poltergeists can also communicate audibly.

Several years ago, a reader asked me about poltergeists and if these entities had the ability to use audible communication. There were a few modern reports, but I wasn't sure if these were exaggerations produced by the witnesses. So I decided to look over some of the prominent historical cases and post a few that exhibit authenticity even though the commentary may be a bit folksy. I offer my opinion at the end of the post: Read more

A Spell to Break Up a Couple

If your partner is attracted to another person, you can nip the relationship in the bud with this break-up spell. Try to cast the spell as soon as possible for best results. The ideal time to cast the spell is on a Tuesday or Saturday during the waning moon, but it's more important to cast the spell than to wait for the perfect time. The closer a relationship becomes and the longer it exists, the more difficult  it is to break up.