The Ghostly President Lincoln?-By Robyn Madison

Lincoln, the recent movie by Steven Spielberg, has sparked much renewed interest in me about the 16th President of the United States. I’ve always found Mr. Lincoln to be a bit spooky – his intense and heavy countenance, his wife Mary’s obsession with spiritualism, his assassination, the numerous reports of sightings of his ghost.

Abraham Lincoln has always been described as a depressive person even before becoming President in 1861, very serious and even gloomy. His mother died when he was very young which may have accounted for some of that. Of course the extreme stress he was under because of the country being at Civil War, sparked by the question of slavery and with its massive losses of life, would make anyone gloomy, I suspect. And this is not to mention the death of the Lincoln’s beloved youngest son Willie in 1862. Although Lincoln lived long enough to see the end of the War on April 9, 1865 in his second term as President, his life was cut short by assassin John Wilkes Booth just days later on April 14th.

It is said that Lincoln himself had not only a prophetic dream of his own death shortly before the assassination, but also had a disturbing vision on the eve of his election in 1860 and several times after, that Mary Lincoln interpreted to be prophetic of his death in his second term. He purportedly took some part in the grieving Mary’s attempts to contact their little son Willie after his death through séances, and there are historic records of many spiritualists of the time visiting the White House.

The first widely reported sighting of Lincoln’s ghost in the White House was apparently First Lady Grace Coolidge in the 1920’s, who claimed to have witnessed the figure of Lincoln staring out the windows of the Oval Office. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt used the Lincoln Bedroom as her study and claimed to have sensed his spirit nearby on numerous occasions. It was also during Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency, another time of war and upheaval for the United States, that visiting Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands answered a knock at her door only to faint away at the sight of Lincoln’s ghost standing there in his stovepipe hat, and Sir Winston Churchill emerged naked from his bath save for his customary cigar, to witness Lincoln’s ghost standing by the bedroom fire and would never again stay in that room. In more recent times, First Daughter Maureen Reagan and her husband each saw Lincoln’s apparition, and both Nancy Reagan and Hilary Clinton felt his presence in the house.

There have been reports of sightings of a ghost train – the train that bore President Lincoln’s body from Washington DC to Springfield, Illinois – at the train station in Albany, NY during the month of April as well as at other sites along the funeral cortege’s 1700-mile journey. Lincoln’s ghost was said to have been seen near his tomb in Illinois at times. If there is any truth to the idea that disturbing someone’s eternal rest stirs up a haunting, well, it is more likely than not that his ghost was seen, as Lincoln’s body was moved an astounding total of 17 times. Rebuilding of the tomb monument and attempted grave robbing accounted for some of the moves, while it seems paranoia prompted the others. During several of those moves, a hole was cut in the coffin for a secret society of tomb guards to check if Mr. Lincoln was still in there. That old joke about “who is buried in Grant’s Tomb” comes to mind.

But poor Mr. Lincoln…the great man has had no rest, it seems. Perhaps he still seeks to watch over the country he feared would be split apart during his lifetime. Perhaps the burdens he carried were so great as to be impossible to put down and so his spirit still wanders the earth. Or more hopefully, it’s only that his seeming presence still lingers as a residual trace of tumultuous times.

Robyn is proprietor of Shrine Maiden. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop.

Calling Aunt Hagatha. Are You Here With Us Now?-By Debbi Decker

So, you are thinking you will invite a few friends over, light some candles, and hold a séance. You might even want to haul that dusty Ouija board out of the closet and use that during your séance. May I make a suggestion? Don’t.

I think that just about everyone has heard of the Ouija board and many of us have used it at one point or another. Ouija boards are a fascinatingly scary subject. The board we are most familiar with today was invented in the 1890s and the patent was subsequently sold to Parker Brothers in 1966 (Parker Brothers has since been acquired by Hasbro, Inc.). The early 1890s board caught on quickly as a tool to be used by the Spiritualist movement. Several well known authors, poets, songwriters, and others have attributed works and deeds to working with the Ouija.

So, why do I suggest you not use it?

As someone interested in the paranormal, and a ghost hunter with some sensitive abilities, I shy away from the use of what are called spirit boards. Spirit boards have been around for thousands of year and the Ouija board is simply a newer version of the same. There are references throughout history of their use for communicating with the dead. There are also references of these kinds of instruments allowing entities of dubious nature to pass through from the other side. No one is exactly able to explain how these boards work, only that they do.

My grandmother was a very proficient user of the Ouija board. Blindfolded, she would lay her fingers on the planchette, and off it would go. We were instructed never to ask our questions out loud. She did not want to know what the questions were. But, she could answer them. Each and every time. As a teenager, I participated in a few of these events, and every time I did so the end result would be that my silent questions would be answered. I never felt the supposed “fun” of it though. After a few times, I stopped attending.

Some would say that my grandmother memorized the board and was very good at sensing body movements, and of course could tell by the subtle gasps and intake of breath that she was on to something. Some would say that she could certainly “predict” what questions a teenage girl would have (boys, dating, clothes, etc.) and could tailor her answers directly. I will never understand how she was able to do what she did with so much success. She never directly called for guidance, but she repeatedly told us that her hands were being moved by a spirit to spell out the answers to our questions. Most everyone who participated in these events enjoyed themselves and always looked forward to the next one. Not me.

It is possible that using these boards focuses a portion of the mind that fine-tunes the “radio frequency” emitted by the brain so that the spirits and the entities are more easily able to communicate with us. Over the years, I have run across many references to the opening of portals while using spirit boards. Portals are doorways to the other side, the other dimensions, etc. Sometimes what passes through these portals might not be a benevolent spirit stopping by to answer your question. How would you be able to tell? It’s not like you will get an honest answer if it is not a benevolent spirit. But then, I could be wrong. It might just answer. In ways you would never want to experience. I have never asked and I don’t intend to. Because I have also read and heard first-hand about the numerous demonic possessions and evil hauntings that resulted from people playing around with a Ouija board.

I cannot explain the aura that enveloped me every time I sat with my grandmother while she worked the board. I can tell you that it always made me sick to my stomach and very afraid. I knew nothing at the time of portals, entities, demonic possessions, and the like. All I knew was that my grandmother assured me that this was innocent fun. Nevertheless, something “other” was always lurking in the background that terrified me. That alone was enough to cause me to step away and leave the Ouija behind.

So, have your séance, and ask Aunt Hagatha to drop in for a visit. Leave the Ouija board in the closet (or better yet, burn it). Aunt Hagatha, I would assume, was a nice person and maybe she can give you a good stock tip. I would not, however, bet the farm on any answer that came through the use of a Ouija board!

Debbie Decker is proprietor of twistedpixelstudio Art & Assemblage Emporium. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for the telling of hauntings and ghostly tales by Debbie Decker.

Superstitious New Year…-By Angelique Duncan

The time honored traditions of ringing in the New Year, the fireworks and banging noises, the Champagne toast and that all-important kiss at midnight, out with the old and in with the new! For most, the turning of the year would not be complete with out these rites. These customs have accompanied the modern celebrations of linear time passage for generations, but why do we do them? Most may not realize how deeply rooted these traditions are in superstition.

The practice of January 1st as the start of the New Year was not truly adopted as the “official” start of the New Year as we know it now until the 1500’s and it was not until the 1700’s that most European countries began the practice. Most of the traditions and customs associated with the holiday originate from ancient history BC when New Years was celebrated in conjunction with the Spring equinox and the lunar calendar.

The hoopla of blowing horns and banging pots and fireworks at midnight did not originate as celebratory fanfare. Today many make a big noise at the stroke of midnight to celebrate that the old year is over and the New has begun as a mark of time passage. It was once widely believed by many cultures that at midnight evil spirits would prevail and seep into the coming year if not warded away. Some cultures believe that the “devils” of the past year will carry over and bring misfortune from the previous year into the new if not driven away.

The drinking of alcohol usually sparkling at midnight comes from the traditions of the Greeks and Romans to share wine at auspicious or religious occasions. Although in modern times most see New Years as just another occasion to drink until drunk and “party into the New Year” the traditional drink and toast at midnight has a more enduring and meaningful background. Many cultures had the tradition of breaking bread and sharing communal drink as a way of building solidarity as a pact of family and togetherness of experience. The traditions of speaking words of the midnight toast were to reflect on the passing of the events of the past era and set the tone for the era to come. The communal toast was to celebrate the optimism and hope for what was to come in the next cycle of time. To share the passage with family, friends and community was to symbolize that one would have those who are dear to them near in the next year.

The New Years kiss has a similar background in meaning. A kiss at midnight or within minutes of the New Year symbolized that one would not be alone and sealed that the person kissed would find romantic relationships in the coming year. Some cultures believed that the person who bestowed a New Years kiss was the person one would enter into a serious relationship or marry with in the coming year. To some the tradition reinforced that the relationship they were involved with would endure into the coming year.

Many take time at the start of the year to “clean house” figuratively and literally. It was once believed that by cleaning the house before the New Year began was to literally clean away the dark spirits, negativity and any unwanted circumstances from the past year. To start the New Year organized and with ones affairs in order was to make way for positive occurrences.

Our traditions are symbolic of bringing good luck and fortune into the New Year.
So when one makes toast, whoops and hollers, eats black-eyed peas or kisses a pretty girl at midnight, know that you are carrying on time-honored traditions that root themselves in deep symbolic belief and superstition. At the stroke of midnight may family and friends surround you and the New Year bring you happiness and health, and may no demons follow you into the coming year!

Angelique Duncan is proprietor of Twilight Faerie Nostalgic and Capricious Objects. Check out her artist page to find links to her shops and vintage inspired traditional holiday art. Visit again next month for more traditions and folklore.

They Came to Visit Christmas Day.-By Debbi Decker

Christmas morning found me wandering a fog filled cemetery, taking pictures, pausing now and again to read the inscriptions and to marvel at the beauty of the worn, moss capped stones and statues. I was alone that morning. Not another person around. But perhaps not completely alone. If you look closely at the first picture in this article, you will see several circular spots. Those spots are considered by some to be orbs. Orbs are thought to be a gathering of energy by the earthbound dead that can be easily manifested. If that is true, I had quite a bit of company at that moment.

Some people see every orb as a visiting ghost. I am not a person who believes that every unusual spot that shows up in a picture is an orb. Having studied orbs over the years, I find myself unconvinced either way. They can be water drops or bits of dust that are reflecting light and the camera catches them at just the right moment. With the advent of digital cameras, orbs are appearing more frequently in our photography.

Sometimes, though, you catch something that is different and defies the usual explanation of light, water, and dust. Those are the times when you sit back and wonder if you just had a visitation, from a friend, family member, or just someone passing through. I like to isolate the orbs I capture in my pictures and blow them up to see if I see anything inside them. Most of the time I don’t. But recently, I captured an orb on a ghost hunting expedition. I leave it up to you to decide if its simply dust or perhaps something more.

The logical side of me believes that the orbs in my photograph from Christmas day are likely reflections from water droplets in the trees and air. It was foggy after all. The romantic side of me, however, wants to believe that they were the inhabitants of the cemetery, and that they were gathering to wish me a Merry Christmas.

Debbie Decker is proprietor of twistedpixelstudio Art & Assemblage Emporium. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for the telling of hauntings and ghostly tales by Debbie Decker.