All ideas to help the banshee are welcome!
Thanks much.
Blessings, CF
(Note: this movement is meant to be a fun, creative exercise but who knows? The banshees might thank us for it anyway!)
Friday, April 13, 2012
SOBS
It's time to take action against the defamation of the banshee. So I'm forming a new activist group: SOBS (Society of Banshee Supporters). Please help spread the word that banshees are compassionate, gentle, noble souls, not evil stalking murders as they are often depicted on t.v. shows and movies. Please join my blog and comment on ways that we can combat the corrupted image of the banshee. Alternatively, tweet comments to @looneyfilberts on Twitter. Please consider adding #banshee or #SOBS to the comments to make them stand out.
Fight for the Banshee!
This is a brief extra blog today.
It happened again. Another misrepresentation of a banshee. Another slander to the the good spirits who do such noble work! A couple of days ago I was watching a t..v. show (I won't mention which one) and the episode was centered around banshees. The banshees in this show were presented as ugly, vicious beings who fed on the pain of suffering people and then murdered them. The banshees in the story were made up to look something like anemic vampires, fangs and all. And the screaming was horrible! I know that this has become a part of the lore of the banshee but it is inaccurate. Banshees are not hunters, murderers or vampires.
So today I'm calling for action. Stop the Banshee Bashing!
Spread the word on whatever social media you use. Let's set the record straight. Banshees are good, compassionate souls (see Bane of the Banshee on this blog if you've only ever heard that banshees are bad).
Please join me in fighting to restore the reputation of the banshee!
It happened again. Another misrepresentation of a banshee. Another slander to the the good spirits who do such noble work! A couple of days ago I was watching a t..v. show (I won't mention which one) and the episode was centered around banshees. The banshees in this show were presented as ugly, vicious beings who fed on the pain of suffering people and then murdered them. The banshees in the story were made up to look something like anemic vampires, fangs and all. And the screaming was horrible! I know that this has become a part of the lore of the banshee but it is inaccurate. Banshees are not hunters, murderers or vampires.
So today I'm calling for action. Stop the Banshee Bashing!
Spread the word on whatever social media you use. Let's set the record straight. Banshees are good, compassionate souls (see Bane of the Banshee on this blog if you've only ever heard that banshees are bad).
Please join me in fighting to restore the reputation of the banshee!
Intersection of Worlds
The first time I heard the expression "thin places" was at a Celtic Spirituality workshop. As soon as the facilitator began to explain what thin places were, I knew exactly what she was talking about. I had grown up with the belief, but in all honesty, I thought it was just a family belief.
So what are thin places? They are spots where the veil between the natural and supernatural worlds is so thin that sometimes you can see or at least sense the other side. I've mentioned my mother's belief that heaven is not "up there," but is actually all around us. This fits right in with the concept of thin places. In Irish folklore, the faery world is thought to be a parallel world that exists in the same space as the natural world. Most humans, however, aren't able to see or even sense the faeries. This is similar to what I mean by saying that heaven is all around us. So all those who've "moved on" are actually still here. We just don't normally see them. A thin place, then, is a place where it is easier to connect with them.
Previously I've mentioned that I believe in ghosts, however, I don't believe in wispy, transparent things or spots of ectoplasm. I believe in ghosts because I've seen them and and the ones I've seen have been three-dimensional and solid, even though sometimes I've only seen a head rather than a whole body. From early childhood on, I have had encounters with spirits. This hasn't been an everyday thing nor is there a pattern to it. Whenever I've seen a ghost, the experience has been unexpected and usually brief. Some have been relatives. Some have been strangers. Only two have been malevolent.
Today, the only story I will share is about my father. He died in 2002. Both of my parents have gone to heaven now, but Dad was the first to go. He had pulmonary fibrosis and died gasping for breath even though he was wearing an oxygen mask. Of course it wasn't easy to let him go, but I wanted him to be out of the suffering more than I wanted to hold on to him. I firmly believe in heaven, so I knew he would be going to a better place. Also, I didn't think he was going too far. Since early childhood, I have prayed and I have felt the presence of God, the Blessed Mother and some saints. I felt an absolute connection with them. I was shocked, therefore, when my dad died and I couldn't feel him anymore. I prayed and prayed and tried to talk with him, but I all I felt was emptiness. This not only depressed me, it shook my faith. Had that "connection" with God et al just been a creation of my imagination? This went on for a while. My mom also was in distress. She had been visited by her older brother when he died. Her mother had come with a comforting message when she died. My dad had been her soul mate, so she expected a reassuring visit from him, but...nothing.
Then one day I was sitting on my couch, praying with everything that was in me. I wasn't praying about my dad. I was upset about some other things that were going on in my life and I was in a great deal of distress. Generally I pray with my eyes closed, but for whatever reason, I opened them at one point and was startled to see my dad's face looking at me. "Daddy!" I exclaimed. He seemed surprised that I saw him and he literally pulledl his head back behind the curtain. I was frustrated that he left and called after him, but didn't see him again. Since that time, however, I have been able to feel his presence when I talk to him. At times, I will suddenly feel his presence when I haven't been thinking about him. I don't have to be in distress. Sometimes I just feel the joyfulness of his presence. My mom, by the way, also got "a visit" in a dream. He came and kissed her, then smiling and wrapped in light, he left.
Now my mom has left to join him. I only can feel their presences now and then, but I know they are always nearby, right behind the thin curtain.
Have you ever experienced the presence of someone from the other side?
Have you ever been in a place where you could sense that there was more going on than you could see?
So what are thin places? They are spots where the veil between the natural and supernatural worlds is so thin that sometimes you can see or at least sense the other side. I've mentioned my mother's belief that heaven is not "up there," but is actually all around us. This fits right in with the concept of thin places. In Irish folklore, the faery world is thought to be a parallel world that exists in the same space as the natural world. Most humans, however, aren't able to see or even sense the faeries. This is similar to what I mean by saying that heaven is all around us. So all those who've "moved on" are actually still here. We just don't normally see them. A thin place, then, is a place where it is easier to connect with them.
Previously I've mentioned that I believe in ghosts, however, I don't believe in wispy, transparent things or spots of ectoplasm. I believe in ghosts because I've seen them and and the ones I've seen have been three-dimensional and solid, even though sometimes I've only seen a head rather than a whole body. From early childhood on, I have had encounters with spirits. This hasn't been an everyday thing nor is there a pattern to it. Whenever I've seen a ghost, the experience has been unexpected and usually brief. Some have been relatives. Some have been strangers. Only two have been malevolent.
Today, the only story I will share is about my father. He died in 2002. Both of my parents have gone to heaven now, but Dad was the first to go. He had pulmonary fibrosis and died gasping for breath even though he was wearing an oxygen mask. Of course it wasn't easy to let him go, but I wanted him to be out of the suffering more than I wanted to hold on to him. I firmly believe in heaven, so I knew he would be going to a better place. Also, I didn't think he was going too far. Since early childhood, I have prayed and I have felt the presence of God, the Blessed Mother and some saints. I felt an absolute connection with them. I was shocked, therefore, when my dad died and I couldn't feel him anymore. I prayed and prayed and tried to talk with him, but I all I felt was emptiness. This not only depressed me, it shook my faith. Had that "connection" with God et al just been a creation of my imagination? This went on for a while. My mom also was in distress. She had been visited by her older brother when he died. Her mother had come with a comforting message when she died. My dad had been her soul mate, so she expected a reassuring visit from him, but...nothing.
Then one day I was sitting on my couch, praying with everything that was in me. I wasn't praying about my dad. I was upset about some other things that were going on in my life and I was in a great deal of distress. Generally I pray with my eyes closed, but for whatever reason, I opened them at one point and was startled to see my dad's face looking at me. "Daddy!" I exclaimed. He seemed surprised that I saw him and he literally pulledl his head back behind the curtain. I was frustrated that he left and called after him, but didn't see him again. Since that time, however, I have been able to feel his presence when I talk to him. At times, I will suddenly feel his presence when I haven't been thinking about him. I don't have to be in distress. Sometimes I just feel the joyfulness of his presence. My mom, by the way, also got "a visit" in a dream. He came and kissed her, then smiling and wrapped in light, he left.
Now my mom has left to join him. I only can feel their presences now and then, but I know they are always nearby, right behind the thin curtain.
Have you ever experienced the presence of someone from the other side?
Have you ever been in a place where you could sense that there was more going on than you could see?
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Fairy Ghost?
Is a banshee a ghost or is she a fairy?
Banshee (bean sidhe) means "fairy woman" or "woman of the fairy mound" according to most translations I've seen. So logically, a banshee is a fairy. However, some legends say that banshees are women who died in childbirth or were murdered, which would make them ghosts. Right? Many drawings of banshees picture them as spectral figures.
So what's your position? Is a banshee a ghost or a fairy? Could she be a combination? And what would be the implications of that?
Banshee (bean sidhe) means "fairy woman" or "woman of the fairy mound" according to most translations I've seen. So logically, a banshee is a fairy. However, some legends say that banshees are women who died in childbirth or were murdered, which would make them ghosts. Right? Many drawings of banshees picture them as spectral figures.
So what's your position? Is a banshee a ghost or a fairy? Could she be a combination? And what would be the implications of that?
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