New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
My Dictionary of Demons: Names of the Damned was one of my most challenging writing projects to date. I love doing research, and because of this I write mainly non-fiction. But the research involved in producing a dictionary of any sort is extensive, rigorous, and exhausting. I feel obligated as a researcher to check up on my sources and to never assume the accuracy of facts put forth in other books. Not all writers are rigorous about their sources, and it pays to check citations and references. It’s essential to gain access to primary resources because sometimes, once a passage is misquoted, if no one ever checks the original source of the quote, that misquote can appear in text ...
God made the angels from light, he made man from the mud and the clay, and the Djinn from smokeless fire. The passage above is from the Qur'an, and talks about a mysterious and ancient race of beings called Djinn. In the western world we are only familiar with man, angels, and fallen angels (often been referred to as demons). However, in the Muslim belief there are no fallen angels, but instead a different third race that is much older than the human race. The Qur’an makes it very clear that the Djinn existed before mankind; just how long before no one seems to know for sure. Some Islamic scholars say they lived on our planet a thousand years before humans, some say a thousand ...
I am certain, if you are reading this article, that at some point in your life you have heard somebody described as a "magnet for activity," a "ghost magnet," or something similar. A few years ago, a colleague of mine started referring to me as such. At first I laughed it off, claiming that such an attribute did not and could not exist. Recently, I have started researching and pondering heavily on the idea that this could potentially be true. I was never fond of the idea of giving individuals involved in the field of paranormal or supernatural research labels of any kind. I have never been one to implement psychics or mediums, as my research was always heavily rooted in gathering data ...
When it comes to the matter of mysterious creatures and unknown animals, one of the most famous of all is Nessie—the monstrous denizen of Scotland's huge Loch Ness. For centuries stories have surfaced of a creature—or, far more likely, a colony of creatures—lurking deep in the waters of the ancient loch, and occasionally surfacing to tantalize and terrify locals and tourists. But, what are the Nessies? That's a very good question! The theories are many. The answers, however, are few. Nevertheless, it's worth addressing some of the more intriguing suggestions for Scotland's most famous monsters, and here are three of them. Take your pick! PlesiosaursThere is no doubt ...
