BRAD STEIGER'S --REAL NIGHTMARES: True and Truly scary unexplained phenomena

Another definite MUST READ from the master of monsters and ghoulies and everything that goes bump in the night ( AND day!),Brad Steiger.
Check out his newest and latest in the wonderful world of paranormal investigations. Great stories to read by candlelight!

Finally back online!

I am delighted to tell you all that I am finally back!!
It was hell not having internet for that period of time nut so worth it to be in our new home we purchased in late July.
It's prime squatch territory and Im lovin it!!
We've got wildlife galore, and there are fields of corn , blueberries, and other crops growing nearby.
I listen and watch carefully for our forest friends.
Exploring All Realms is due to start again soon but due to scheduling conflicts we have not been able to nail down a date just yet.
We'll keep you posted.
I have some interesting photos and news coming up, so stay tuned for more in the coming days.

Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven M.

This just in from my friend and colleague Nick Redfern :

Hi everyone!

New Page Books have posted to their blog, a chapter excerpt from my new book, The Real Men in Black. The chapter details recent 21st Century sightings with the MIB.

Here's the link, and feel free to link to it:

http://newpagebooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/recent-visits-from-real-men-in-black.html

Best,

Nick

A Pickup Load of Pigs: The Feral Swine Pandemic Video

Feral swine are still posing threats and spreading disease to wild as well as domestic animals. To be sure of what the eradication plans in your area are, please be sure to visit your local DNR page for updates.
Michigan DNR Feral Swine

Watch the video here :
A Pickup Load of Pigs: The Feral Swine Pandemic Video

Max, a flesh and blood red-eyed black dog!

From the haunting Moors of England to the distant forests of the Scottish Highlands and the mysterious Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, the legends have been passed down for generations. Stories of malignant, ghastly looking black hounds with glowing red eyes that roam the wastelands and plod through ancient forests in the night, baying and howling and bringing with them a supernatural feeling of ill will and bad omens. Locals are often frightened to the point of staying in doors for days on end and crossing themselves with holy water at the slightest mention of the foul beasts. In the late 1600's hundreds and early 1700's, they were often associated with witches, either accompanying them to black masses or being one in the same as shape-shifting counterparts.
Even Mexico and North America have their versions of these creatures.

They are known by many names - Devil dogs, demon dogs, hounds of Hell, Black Shag, Black Shuck, Faery dogs, Ghost hound, "Ol' Padfoot", Yeth hound, Pooka, and probably the most well known of them all, 'The Hound of Baskervilles'.
The origins are debatable and come from many backgrounds and sources, but their descriptions have a host of things in common. They are often described as abnormally large in stature, black in color, malevolent in nature, and have glaring hypnotic red eyes that mesmerize, yet terrify any poor soul unfortunate enough to cross their path.

Very rarely are they seen running in packs or lumbering down busy streets. They are more likely, and have been reported to be, encountered alone in graveyards, dark forests, on sites where executions or murder have taken place, ancient burial grounds, and vast distant reaches of the Moors where escape is unlikely, but death from fright a distinct possibility.
In Tring, Hertfordshire, a fiersome black beast with glowing red eyes haunts an old road and is said to be the spirit of a local chimney sweep who was brought up on murder charges and promptly executed. It is said that the dog sinks slowly into the ground if approached.
In Jersey, the phantom black dog is known as 'Tchico' and usually makes its prescence known just before a storm rolls in.
Cape Elizabeth, Maine is home to a black dog the size of a St. Bernard but with a wolf-like sillouette. It is described as being a shadowy figure who lurks in the bushes and will block your path if you attempt to walk down the road it haunts.

Though most of these creatures are the stuff nightmares are made of, not all are considered bad luck or evil. In fact some, like the 'Gurt Dog' of Somerset, are considered benevolent and even helpful.

Anubis, the black jackal-headed god of the Underworld who is associated with mummification and judgemnt of the soul, is also known to safeguard the dead on their journey into the afterlife. He is also known as a fierce protector of children.

Now let me introduce you to my friend Tina's canine companion, Max.


Max is a Newfoundland mix-breed dog that weighs over 100 pounds, has a beautiful midnight-black coat, and stands an impressive three feet tall at the shoulder.
He also has an unusual attribute I find particularly intriguing. Max's eyes, when any source of light hits them including sunlight, will blaze crimson-orange like the fires of a freshly stoked hearth. It is definitely not Tapetum lucidum aka "eye shine" that causes Max's to look this way. It is a natural eye coloration he was likely born with. Though medical conditions such as conjunctivitis and entropion can certainly be causes for a dog's eyes to have an odd red color to them, Max is in great condition and has a clean bill of health, eyes and all.
And don't let Max's monstrous size and unique red orbs fool you for one moment. He is neither evil or dangerous.
Max is a gentle giant who Tina rescued some time ago from a shelter where he was passed over and unwanted by others.
Could Max's uncanny resemblence to the hounds of Hell be a reason he couldn't find his forever home for so long? Who knows. But it certainly is possible that Max, and others like him, could be the cause for many a campfire story and tales told on a stormy night.
I would like to think it was fate that brought him and Tina together. They're inseparable and are the center of each other's world. No greater love is there than the love between a person and their dog.

No matter the origins of these legends, they are indelibly etched into our cultures and heritage, and will surely live on well after we ourselves have moved on to the spectral plane.

Have a howling good day, Haven fans!
-Raven M.

**Special thanks to my friend Linda Godfrey for her input regarding eye conditions and variations**

Lyuba the baby mammoth

In my "Raven's blog" over at the Crypto Haven, I talk about "Waking the baby mammoth" ,
an extraordinary National Geographic documentary that takes you on a journey into the life and death of a baby mammoth who lay in near perfect preservation in the perma-frost of Russia's Yamal Peninsula for 40,000 years.

Read about little "Lyuba" and also how Japanese scientists are working to use frozen DNA to bring back the woolly mammoth within 5 years time :

RAVEN'S BLOG

2 New awesome posts from Nick Redfern!

From Nick :

"In case of interest, 2 new posts: one a new article from me on abductions,and the other an interview that Mike Clelland did with me on friday, which covers a whole range of esoteric areas:

http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/03/abductions-what-do-we-really-know/

http://hiddenexperience.blogspot.com/2011/03/audio-conversation-with-nick-redfern-on.html

Best,

Nick"

Music For Monsters?

Yes there is!
And you can read all about it and check out the music for yourself at my good friend Nick Redfern's page :

http://monsterusa.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday Mommy!

My blog today is dedicated to my mother, Flora McCarthy, who passed away from this world January 25th,2007.
It is her birthday today.
My mother was my very first link to the mysteries of the unknown. She loved everything about anything paranormal, Fortean and unknown. She was very gifted and knowledgeable, and though she never sought a degree, she had more education in the realms of science and math than most people who make a career of them. We often called her "the human calculator" because you could throw a random mathematical equation at her, and she could figure it out solely in her head without ever laying pen to paper.
She had a way of just "knowing" things and her sense about people was always spot on.
I loved to listen to her talk about the subjects she enjoyed so much. Dad was a die-hard skeptic, but even he could not deny mom's truly wonderful psychic talents, and he was, along with all of us, in awe of the things she could do.
I'll keep this short, but the following story is one that not many know about because mom chose to humbly keep it quiet for many years, but it is one which I would like to share with you today to honor her.
Were it not for my mother some years ago, a little girl in Ohio may have ended up being another child whos life ended all too soon at the hands of a child molester. The man held her captive for several days in the attic of a house and gave her very little food and water. In fact she was severely and dangerously dehydrated when she was found by local police after many days of searching. The man also kept her tiny hands and feet bound with duct tape so there was no chance of escape for her, though she was just barely 3 years old.
A group of psychics worked together on this case and are also to thank for their input as well, so I dont want to disclude them in this story, but it was my mother who was able to psychically tune into street signs, the house's exterior, and even the man's description down to tattoos he had and clothing he wore. With her input of psychic information, they were more able to locate the area, retreive the little girl, and put the man behind bars, where he will be for the rest of his life. The child had to undergo several reconstructive surgeries and intensive therapy, but was able to recover and go on about her life,because my mother took the time to concentrate on this case and even go without sleep, so that that little girl could be safely reunited with her family and have the chance to grow up and experience life.
My mother was a very special person, who constantly went out of her way for others, though her own schedule was at best frantic and chaotic, as her and dad worked so hard every day together in his business as a cash register salesman and repairman. They were always on the go and I always wondered where all that energy came from. I admire both of them for their strong wills and determination to forge ahead no matter how tough times got.
Dad joined mom in the hereafter a little more than a year after she passed. I hope they are both smiling down upon me and able to be proud of the person Ive become and the things I am accomplishing, due mostly in part to their wisdom, guidance, and never ending willingness to teach me and talk with me about the subjects I love so much.
I love you mommy and daddy. Thank you for being my parents. See you when I get there.

Mass deaths of birds and fish : The aflockalypse? Or just another weird, incredible, milestone in biological history

At first glance, I too am inclined to look at the fish and birds perishing in great numbers as a "sign" or portend of something to come, but as a budding Zoologist and scientist, I take a look at the hard and true facts and put the puzzle pieces together bit by bit until Occam's Razor clues me in and I find the simplest, most likely answer.
What I know about animals already and have also been reading in several different reports, is that this is indeed a common occurrence and will happen periodically on earth, caused by sources such as weather changes, air pollution, disease, acid rain, and even magnetic fluctuations that throw birds and other creatures off their instinctive migratory patterns. Whales washing up on beaches is just one example of these terrible, yet natural, disasters.
It's all part of Mother Nature's design.
Now, are there things we can do about some of it? Certainly!
Pollution is definitely something we have within our realm to control, at least to some degree.
If we put all of our minds together for a solution, surely one will come about.

My main objective in posting this today is to point out that we should take care not to jump to conclusions too quickly and focus on paranormal or government conspiracy, when we should be looking at the big picture and focusing on the facts in order to find a solution, if indeed there is one.
Not that we may not find a paranormal reason or government conspiracy some day down the road. Those too ARE options, but they're simply not the likeliest causes, and that is my point.

Check out this latest report from yahoo news, and give it some thought:

FACT CHECK: Mass bird, fish deaths occur regularly

Have a howling good day, Haven fans!

Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven M.