Halloween Shopping in Denver

At the end of our trip to Colorado, Mom and I traveled back to Denver. Our hotel had a big benefit; it was across from a new outdoor shopping mall. And the best Spirit Halloween store I've ever been to was a part of that mall.

We saw some of these same props back in Wisconsin, but they seemed more special here. And the werewolf with those trees seemed perfect for where we were.

The werewolf was probably my favorite prop. Here he is without his eyes glowing. That's scary in a different way. The werewolf makes some pretty believable growling noises as you walk by. To show you:

The Limb Ripper

Check out the Ouija Board section! I didn't see any of this stuff at the Spirit store here. Now that I'm having more time to look this over, I'm seeing a planchette ice cube tray! There's also a Ouija pot holder, bottle opener, placemats (that could actually be used as Ouija Boards!) towels, glasses, candle holders... they've thought of it all. Even what looks like a jug of Ouija moonshine? Not sure about that one, but most of this stuff is pretty cool! That metal bottle opener is clever.

This still has me laughing:

Mummified Skull:

How about this zombie dude? Nice touch with the one shoe.

And for you haunted doll people:

I think she was supposed to move around or something. There were a bunch of smaller standing props clustered around. I was sure they'd move when I came over, but nothing happened. Maybe it was time for a new battery?

We had a great time looking around. I even got a few scares when the props leaped out toward me or made a sudden noise. It was fun to jump up and then laugh a bit at myself for doing so.

That happened with this Forest Demon. This video shows the way it pops up to be frighteningly tall: Forest Demon Demonstration. It really looms over you! The demon's comments are a little cheesy, and somewhat insulting, but the movements... yikes!

This talking tree wasn't going to scare me too much in a store, but maybe if someone put him in a wooded area at night he could be more scary. He says some kind of cheesy/threatening things as you walk by. I found a video of him in action: Deadly Roots

This one gave me the biggest jump scare. I know he doesn't look like much here, but if you find yourself in a Spirit store, give this one a try. Let's just say if you put this on your porch holding the trick-or-treat candy like he is here, you'll have quite a show to watch.

I'm not even going to share a video of the scarecrow, because it would be more fun for you guys to experience this as an in-person surprise.

There was a sort of Area 51 space in the back. At one point, when we were checking out these alien props, I got a really goofy scare. I didn't realize there was a door in the wall next to me. An employee came out of it, carrying some boxes and spooked me. I went "eek!" and jumped and she said "I'm the scariest prop here".  She helped get a few of the tired props going and added to the fun atmosphere there.

This alien is laid out on a table when you walk up to it, but then it slowly rises.

There was even a spaceship flying above us.

After having a fun time getting scared at Spirit Halloween, we checked out some of the Halloween items in JCPenney.

I might need this hat...

How cute is this little truck? I like any display that involves a vintage metal truck that's full of something.

We also went into our first Charming Charlie store. I only knew of their web site before this. I didn't realize that they had actual brick and mortar stores.

Charming Charlie was selling these sugar skull masks. Aren't they cool? I feel inspired to make something like this.

This is a view down one of the pathways between shops. Isn't this festive with the lights? I thought this mall was laid out really nicely.

Across the street from this mall was a Target. They had a little bit of Halloween out at this point. There were these big heads that looked like they could be part of a mascot costume.

One of these could have actually been part of my high school's mascot costume. This looks enough like a Panther, right?

Who could resist spinning the "Hand of Fate"? I like these kind of vintage looking props. I didn't even notice the skull with the glowing eyes until now! I guess my mind was in other places at the time. It was getting to be time to head to the airport when I took this. Anyway, neat skeleton hand on this too!

And then there are these old-timey busts. This looks like it should be at Disney's Haunted Mansion. I'm sure this bust said something, but I can't remember what! It looks like he was in the process of saying something as I took this pic.

Other than the Spirit Halloween store, there was another great surprise to see from our hotel window. We had this amazing view of the sun setting over the mountains. Check this out! Especially the last one.

OK, guys. Get ready for the perfect Halloween sunset!

Woo! You can't beat that.

Tomorrow night is our annual Witch Party! So there will be many pictures in the future! This year's theme is black cats.

Mysterious Tales from Haunted Ireland

YouTube is filled with wonderful paranormal videos. I can easily get hooked on the many historical videos about haunted places. Lately, I've found some YouTube videos about haunted European castles, hotels, and pubs. I thought now would be the perfect time to share some ghost stories that take place in Ireland, because I like to post something Irish around St. Patrick's Day.

Here are a few of my favorite stories! For those of you who are reading my blog in email form, you might not see the videos. So please go to my actual blog to watch these.

First up, Charleville Castle! I found several videos about this place, but I liked this one best. It has a great introduction and nice storytelling.

Part one



Part two



The second half of this story finishes with a New Orleans haunted hotel story. I'm not including more about that beautiful place, since it doesn't fit with the Irish theme. If you'd like to see the rest of this program on YouTube, here's Part 3 and Part 4.

I found these videos on the GhostWatching YouTube channel. I love just about every video this person has collected. If you're not afraid of getting addicted to watching great ghost videos, here's the channel:

GhostWatching

Many of the places in these videos are beautiful. I think one of my reasons for being interested in haunted houses is the wonderful old architecture.

Charleville Castle staircase

Cool as the architecture is, I wouldn't go out of my way to stay in Charleville Castle. Would you?

County Wicklow

This next story concerns an Irish farm that stands on haunted land. The story starts off almost charmingly, as ghost stories go, and then gets not so cute. I thought this video was really well done and I enjoyed listening to the story tellers' accents. Watching this, I felt like I was sitting down with a friend, hearing their personal story.  



What did you think of the last story that happened in the trailer? I'd be interested to hear your opinions on what could have caused that phenomenon! 

Leap Castle

Some people say that Leap Castle is the most haunted castle in Ireland. The castle has a troubled history, filled with murder, a dungeon, and even a little "elemental" creature. This is a video from the Most Haunted show. Even if you're not into watching their overnight stay in the castle, I still recommend the history filled introduction and personal accounts. That would be about the first 10 minutes of this show.



I know it gets a little goofy by the time the men are arguing over whether to have a seance. So if you're not into that night vision, everyone is green with glowing eyes, while waiting for something to happen stuff, you might want to stop watching there. You need to be in the mood to imagine what's happening, since you're taking their word for cold spots, weird noises, etc. Watching other people wait for something to happen can get a bit tiresome for me, but I am really fascinated by the psychic on this show. The highlight of this episode for me is when he interacts with the "elemental" spirit. This was the first time I heard of that sort of thing.

I also have to share the Celtic Animal Signs I ran across recently! They're a lot like regular zodiac signs. In fact my "Swan" sign sounds an awful lot like my regular Libra description. I'm sure all you Libras will like that one! Take a peek: What's Your Celtic Animal Sign?

Do you Ouija?

Get ready to read about one of the most controversial games in the world: The Ouija Board. I realize that there are a wide range of opinions about these boards, and I look forward to hearing what yours is. Many people won't even touch a Ouija Board, for fear of invoking evil spirits. Yet, most of us take as big of a risk when we participate in online discussions. We blog, tweet, and otherwise reach out into the unknown with no idea of what is on the other side of our screens. Like people sitting around a Ouija Board, we expect to have a positive reaction - until we don't.

Since there are good and bad people in the world, it makes sense that there would be good and bad spirits. I assume that an earthbound spirit would remain more or less like they were in life. So it seems just as possible to run into a positive spirit as a negative one when playing with a Ouija Board. Playing with one of these boards is comparable to typing an opinion on an online message board and waiting to see what kind of answer you receive. You might hear from someone who agrees with you, someone you writes meaningless things you don't understand, or an angry person who says vile things to you. Negative responses from a Ouija Board or another internet user can be surprising and at times scary. This is because in both cases, you cannot see who you are communicating with. This adds a bit of mystery and excitement, but also a potential risk.
 

Awhile back, I was talking Ouija Boards with my blog buddy, Holly (who you may know as Hiyoko). Both of us own antique Ouija Boards. Mine was made during the 1950s, while hers predates the 1950s. The boards are quite different in style, since Hiyoko's board is Canadian and mine is American. Let me show you the differences. Here's mine:

This is the standard version most Americans are used to seeing. I took a photo of my 1950s board, but my 1990s board looks just like it. The planchette on the older one has a metal needle while the new one is all plastic. Here's Holly's Board:

Both of our boards were designed by William Fuld. Mine predates the ones released by Parker Brothers.  Hers was made by The Canada Games Company.

After seeing a Canadian Ouija Board, I wanted to see a European one. According to my British sources, Ouija Boards were for the most part not sold in England. There is evidently only one shop in England where a person could get a board. That shop is The Sorcerer's Apprentice in Leeds. The board they offer actually comes with a dial you can spin.

This is the best photo I could find of that board. My blog friend Sandy, who you probably know from http://vainglorysinner.blogspot.com/ gave me some possible information as to why there aren't many Ouija Boards in England. She pointed me to various acts that have been passed. Basically, these laws have prohibited psychics from making a profit from any readings not advertised as "entertainment". Prior to that there was a "Witchcraft Act" banning witchcraft. If you would like to learn about the history of these laws, click Here and Here.

I have to share a favorite Ouija Board I ran into online. It was designed by the Halloween artist, Lew Lehrman. He mostly paints haunted house portraits from the photos people send him of their homes. Anyway, he designed the beautiful Ouija Board below. You can see it in more detail: Here

Here's another beautiful board!



This picture was sent to me by my blog friend Holly. (This is a different Holly from the one mentioned above.) You probably know this Holly from her blog: http://hollyshorrorland.blogspot.com/

Anyway, while Holly and I chatted about this blog post, she mentioned that he friend, Vanessa actually constructed her own Ouija Board. Vanessa did a really great job on this Emily the Strange themed board!

The planchette is adorable too! I just love Emily the Strange. If any of you have designed your own board, send a picture of it to me and I'll add it to this post!

As long as we're talking Ouija Boards, I have to share my favorite episode of I Love Lucy! This episode is titled "The Seance" and it aired in the first season of the show, back in 1951. If you've seen this episode, you know where I got the title for this post. :) You can watch it here in its entirety: 

If you don't have 30 minutes to spare, here's a five minute video showing the highlight of the episode. All you really need to know going into this is that Lucy has planned a seance.

If anyone could tell me who plays the Mr. Merriweather character, I would appreciate it! I know I've heard his voice on some old radio programs and other TV shows.

This is probably not going to come as a surprise to you, but I've had some experiences with the Ouija Board. Mostly I was just goofing around with friends and receiving nonsensical messages. Sometimes the planchette would just hover around aimlessly. There was an incident where a candle somehow caught the tablecloth under the Ouija board on fire. Other than that, things were pretty uneventful.

I do have a scary personal story involving a Ouija Board, but the scary part doesn't involve me actually using it. When I was in high school, a friend and I double dated. The four of us would often hang out at her house. My friend's boyfriend had an "interesting" brother who had spent some time in prison. I'd heard a lot of stories about him. The main stories involved an underground Wiccan group he supposedly belonged to. Both my friend's boyfriend and mine swore they'd seen this guy break a window just by staring at it for a long time.

One day I was informed that his brother was being released from prison and would be hanging out with us on his first day out. I'll never forget the surly look that was on his face when I met him. He had long, wavy hair and was wearing a shirt with "I'll sleep when I'm dead" printed on it. He didn't say "hello" back when we met, and he continued his silence through the entire night! I seriously did not hear one word from this guy.

Well, the four of us hung out and watched a movie at my friend's house for a few hours, while the grumpy brother sulked by himself in the corner of the room. After a while, we got bored and decided to play with the Ouija Board I'd brought over. We had messed around with the board many times before, so this was nothing new. The only difference this time was that we could not get the planchette to move. Not one bit. We tried for an hour or so! All the time we patiently waited for the Ouija Board to get in gear, I had the weirdest feeling. It's hard to explain the feeling I had, but it was a little like the uneasiness you feel when you're being watched but you're unable to see who is watching you.

The next day at school, I ran into my friend. She told me that she'd talked to her boyfriend on the phone and he told her that his brother put some kind of cast over the board so we would be unable to use it! Evidently, he thought Ouija Boards were evil.

Perhaps he would have been more comfortable with the Angel Board, which is similar to the Ouija only without those pesky demons. Or so it is advertised. I'm not sure if a beautiful, angelic board would protect you from anything negative, but intention does count for something. If you're curious about that board, here it is:

I realize that it's a little difficult to see what's going on here. This is more or less a Ouija Board printed on a light blue background with an angel in the center. I find it interesting that many people online call the original Ouija Board evil, but say this is one is alright. I would be curious to try this board right after using the original Ouija Board to see if the results were any different. Some people believe that we are all moving the planchette ourselves, as our subconscious spells out the messages. If this is the case, our subconscious might believe the Angel board is safe and therefore spell out something nice?

I'm honestly not sure what I believe about Ouija Boards. In my experience they are fun and entertaining, but we've all heard the horror stories others have had with them. Sometimes I know my friends were moving the planchette to freak me out, other times it felt like it was lightly gliding along by itself. Sometimes it would just hover near "goodbye". I'm going to keep an open mind, like I do with a lot of "occult" topics. I think we shouldn't fear what we don't understand, although I know that's a natural reaction sometimes. Maybe a little bit of wariness balanced with curiosity is healthy.

Oh, and you know I had to add something spooky to this blog post! The message in this video is eerie, even if you think the guy is moving the planchette, himself.

So...What I'd like to know is:

I'm sure that many of you have personal Ouija Board stories and I would love to hear them! 

Guardians of the Tomb

Last night I was lucky enough to see a series of traveling exhibits in the Summer of China series at the Milwaukee Art Museum. I was lucky because these pieces of art are only traveling to three different museums in America and also because this is the first time these pieces have been allowed out of China.

I saw some amazing artifacts last night! I even saw a doorway that was removed from an actual palace. The doorway was part of the exhibit: The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City. If you would like to read a short page of information about the show, here's a link to a section of our museum's web site:

http://www.mam.org/china/

I could go on about all the beautiful art, architectural pieces, and furniture I saw last night, although that wouldn't really fit with the theme of this blog. Luckily, there was a part of the show that was a fit: Tomb Guardians. The Tomb Guardians I got to see were from the Tang Dynasty which ran from 618-907 BCE. They were still in great shape! Here are a few of the photos I took of the Tomb Guardians:

Tomb Guardians were often sculptures of fierce beasts, warriors, or supernatural creatures that were placed in pairs in tombs. These were placed near the entrance of a tomb to protect the deceased from evil spirits. As you can see in my pictures, they were ferocious creatures. I'm not sure what kind of creatures the first ones are, but they manage to look both menacing and happy at the same time. Actually, almost all the sculptures I saw last night looked like they were smiling!

I couldn't help comparing the ancient Chinese burial rituals with those of the ancient Egyptians. Both cultures saw the afterlife as a place where the dead could keep their possessions. In both cases, all the things a person needed in life would be left in their tomb. There were also some sculptures of musicians on display last night. These were left in a tomb so a deceased person could bring some music along on his trip into the afterlife!
 

I tried to find a youtube clip about Tang dynasty burial rituals, but that was pretty much impossible to do. So, instead here's a good one from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-475 BCE) You'll still get to see a few Tomb Guardians that look similar to the ones in my photos.

I also ran across an interesting page on the National Geographic web site. There are a series of photos here showing various Chinese burial customs from different time periods. This is really worth checking out!

National Geographic Chinese Burial Customs

For those who would like to see a modern twist on an older Chinese custom honoring the dead, here's something for you:

This video left me really surprised, amused, and informed! It kind of reminded me of Day of the Dead rituals, like leaving full dinner place settings out for deceased family members. It's a little different to burn something in order to send it to a spirit than to leave it sitting out, but both are a sweet way of remembering someone.

* Update * I was back at the art museum to hear a lecture today (Sunday). While there, I took a few more Tomb Guardian photos! I just had to share these. This one is a vicious little dog. Check out those teeth! 

It kind of looks like he's taking a bite out of that woman in front of him. :) I just love when pictures turn out that way!

P.S. ~ If you haven't entered my giveaway in the previous blog entry, you have until Monday to give it a shot! :)