It's not weird, It's Para"Normal"

This past week I finally made my way over to the infamous Tower of London. Known to be a massive fortress for the royals once upon a time but now serves a more touristy purpose and the house for the crown jewels. It is no surprise that this fortress holds a bloody and dark history. It held famous prisoners and has been the place where queens of England lose their heads. It was a surreal feeling standing next to the spot where King Henry VIII had his second wife, Anne Boleyn beheaded. There are many other people who lost their lives here, two young boys were taken from their beds and murdered and stashed away under a staircase within the tower so that their uncle could become King. There many rumors that the ghosts of those boys and Queen Anne still roam the great tower. Such violent deaths leaves a mark and that mark can never be removed. To learn more about the Tower of London or to schedule a visit go to http://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/. 

Oxford is a world famous University that has been established for centuries. It is no wonder that this place of higher education comes with a blood stained past. Oxford’s history has a surprisingly violent one. People today refer to it as town vs. gown. The towns people enraged that the university caused prices to go up. They also did not like the students because they were very different and set apart from them. The students had to wear uniforms at all times, black long cloaks. The students were also not permitted to speak English at any time but had to speak in latin. These differences left the towns people uneasy which quickly turned into violent attacks on the students. One particular fight broke out and 63 students were massacred within two days. Such violent and sudden deaths left an imprint on this campus for years to come. People have reported screaming, gunfire, and horses galloping with no one there. While I was visiting Oxford I did a ghost walk and learned about the bloody past of the campus. I did not personally hear or see anything but as night fell the campus turned very eerie and if any place were to have ghosts it would be that one. 

http://www.jacktherippermuseum.com

I am glad you got the opportunity to visit The Catacombs! When I had previously visited Paris it was something the was unforgettable. It is interesting how no one talks and there is a cold ominous feel when you go underground. Have you read any articles about the Catacombs being haunted or paranormal? I remember seeing an episode on The Travel Channel about an investigation that they did where they shut down the Catacombs for a day. Here is the article! http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/haunted/photos/haunted-paris

For more information on who is buried at the Cimetière du Père Lachaise follow the link : http://hubpages.com/entertainment/PereLachaiseCemetery

I would encourage anyone to check out the catacombs. For ticket and general information go to http://www.catacombes.paris.fr 

Thank you! So far it has been a lot of fun learning about the history of Europe in the paranormal aspect! 

This past week my class took a trip to South hall, London in order to visit a Sihk temple. As I was walking through this beautiful temple and began listening to our guide speak about his religion I started to wonder if these people who come to pray for hours a day believed in spirits? Most religions believe in some form of after life and some form of spirits walking about but not all. After doing some research on sikhism beliefs on spirits, it seems to be pretty split down the middle. Some scholars believe that spirits are just metaphors to tell stories of sin but others believe that demonic entities roam the world. I think that this particular religion has more difficulty accepting roaming spirits because they believe in a strict cycle of reincarnation. Once you die you reach judgment day and all of your karma is analyzed and you are sent back to earth as whatever form you deserve. There is not a lot of room for the belief in naming spirits because our reincarnation is not our choice but God’s form of reward or punishment. I am christian and in my religion, it is also up for debate whether spirits are real or not. Some have the belief that there are angels and demonic entities but not human spirits. I know many christians who can not seem to cope with the idea that human spirits roam the earth. Are they scared of the aspect that we may have more control over what happens to our goal when we pass or is it that some things are just to far fetched to believe?

~Happy Hauntings 

Stop Googling written by Sherry Turkle of the New York Times writes a compelling piece about how technology, specifically how cell phone usage, has an impact on verbal communication between people. She also ties in various psychological studies done on the impact technology has on person to person relations. I believe that the most telling aspect of the article is the social experiment that was done where they asked the students if they would rather get shocked with mild electric shocks or sit alone with their thought for at least 15 minutes, and more students opted for the electric treatment then to sit with their thoughts. I personally see it more with the younger generations who are growing up in a world where apps and the social media world was all they ever knew. I am a 90s kid, therefor I still remember a world where no one had cell hones as kids and we would all play outside together but we grew up when this form of technology, this new form of “living”, was being introduced. My family has the no devices at dinner rule and I have an easier time with it then my 14 year old sister does. Actually, any excuse I can get that says “no phones” is kinda of a relief. I feel pressure to be constantly connected. I have a fear that I am missing out on something if I am not constantly checking and keeping up with everything, it is exhausting. I do not think that phones or being connected is bad but I think it has had a negative impact on personal relationships.