Category: Living Myth

Manitou, the Great Spirit

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Giants, God/desses, Living Myth, Mythology

Manitou – the Great Spiritu

Article by Thomas Baurley, Leaf McGowan, Technogypsie Research

In the heart of the Ute and many Algonquian Native American groups, the closest equivalent to the Christian concept of “God” would be the “Great Spirit” or “Manitou”, A God of many names. It is the spiritual and fundamental all-knowing life force, omnipresent, all-seeing, all-existing, and the combined spirit of all organisms, their environments, and life events.

“Aasha Monetoo” – The Great Spirit, divided by “Aashaa monetoo – “The Good Spirit” and otshee monetoo – “the bad spirit”. It is S/he of no sex that gave humanity the land, the sky, and the sea to the people. It was a well-known concept amongst many tribes, especially within the Algonquian family groups, even pre-contact and pre-Christianization by Euro-American contact.

European explorer Thomas Harriot recorded in 1585 in his glossary of the Algonquian language Roanoke the term “mantoac” meaning “Gods”. “Gitche Manitou” in Algonquian refers to “Supreme Being” or “Great Spirit”. In Shamanism, “manitous” (aka “manidoog” or “manidoowag”) are connections that are connected to achieve desired effects such as buffalo manitou for a good hunt, plant manitous for healing, and manidoowag as an aspect of the Great Connection.

The derivatives “manituw” are underwater creatures that were appeased with offerings from hunters for safe passage amongst the Iynu. The Canadian province “Manitoba” is named after Lake Manitoba coming from “manitou-wapow” – the Straight of the Manitou, divine passage through the rocks by the Creator. Manitoulin Island, or “spirit island”, is a very sacred place to the Ojibway or Anishinaabe tribes where they have placed sounding rocks and created sacred sites.

Fox Indians believed the manitou lived in the grandfather stones of the sweat lodge. When one heats the rocks, the heat of the fire forces manitou to come out of its place within the stones. It is released from the stones when water is added, following the steam, and entering the human body. Once inside, it moves all over the body driving out everything that inflicts pain. Before it returns to the stone, it imparts some of its nature to the body. This is why “manitou” is seen from volcanic waters, heated waters, or mineral springs as carrying a ride within the waters, entering the human body when it is drunk, and then healing the body in the process. The Colorado village of “Manitou Springs” is named after the local tribes’ belief that Manitou – the Great Spirit blessed itself in the mineral waters that rise up from the karst topography as a healing spirit – once drank into the body, cleansing, purifying, and healing the body as it travels within.

Manitou is also called “Wakan Tanka” amongst the Sioux tribes, Gitche Manitou in Algonquian, and other names around the varying peoples. Even though there is much evidence that many tribes and peoples, mostly Algonquian, believed in this concept, and being before Christianity affected their belief systems, other scientists believe that not all tribes believed in a supreme being until after the 18th century. It was during the 18th century that many saw the “Great Spirit” an anthropomorphic celestial deity who ruled over the world.

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Zombieland, Pennsylvania

Posted on By Thomas Baurley No Comments on Zombieland, Pennsylvania
Haunted Locations, Living Myth, Media, News, Tales, Monsters, Mythology, Shadow beings, Urban Legends, Zombies
St. Lawrence Cemetery – Zombie Land PA  

 

Zombieland

Hillsville, Pennsylvania

Along the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania, in Lawrence County, just north of the small Italian immigrant populated village of Hillsville is an unsettling quiet and eerie region locals call “Zombie Land”.

Mainly “urban legend” than actual historic folklore are tales of the macabre, mystical beasts, deaths, and grisly murder. There is definitely a feeling of “odd” and “something not right” when entering these several mile strips of heavily wooded spots meeting farming, transportation, and industrial works along Lawler Ford Road a.k.a. “Zombie Road” or Route 224.

The Virgin Mary:

It begins around the old St. Lawrence Catholic Church which has long been converted to a private residence and its accompanying graveyard along route 224. There is an alcove with a statue of the Virgin Mary who has a creepy air about herself. Legend has it, she will greet visitors with open arms when it is safe to enter Zombie Land, and have praying hands when it is not. In the 1990’s it was reportedly vandalized and a plexiglass (or glass) window was installed to protect the statue.

The Mary Statue - Zombie Land PA

St. Lawrence Church and Graveyard:

Some say the gravestones behind this church glow at night. Others say it is at the Presbyterian graveyard down the road. We’ve been to both, and outside of solar-powered grave lights, there is no glow. Others say it is a historic stone in the older part of the graveyard behind the old Church (St. Lawrence) that has a particular shine that reflects off the full moon or light from the house (old church). We unfortunately during our night visit did not see that section, although we did explore the two graveyards – seeing no glow, but experiencing the eerie ambiance.

St. Lawrence Cemetery

The Hilltown Bridge:

Just down the road from the St. Lawrence Graveyard north is the Hilltown Bridge. The original Bridge in March 1913 was swept away and has since been replaced by a new concrete monster. It was torn down again in 2007 and replaced with a modern concrete span.

It is from this bridge that reports of unexplained lights moving around it and underneath like the Will o’ Wisp has been reported. Also, some say one can hear screams and gunshots from the bridge at night. It has also been reported to be a “crying bridge” with sounds of a crying baby underneath, with the urban lore that a mother tossed her child over the edge. It has reports of suicides being conducted from its rails.

Hilltown Bridge

The Killing Fields or “Murder Swamp”:

Just north of the Hilltown Bridge are the “Killing Fields” where at night many report hearing screams and gunshots. In the woods bordering the railway, some say there are “ghost whistles” to be heard late at night. If one park near the rails, strange things will happen to the car. It is also reputedly where a serial killer dumped more than a dozen bodies with decapitated heads in Zombie Land.

From 1921-1942, between Mahoningtown and New Castle, over 15 bodies were found in the swamp and may have been the same serial killer who conducted decapitations in Cleveland around the same time. There are many stories of the Italian Immigrants who settled in the area also killing many farmers, authorities, and residents leaving them in the Killing Fields to decay. It was in 1907 when several Italian men in Hillsville, believed to be associated with the Italian mafia/mob who proclaimed that “No person in the Hillsville district, either Italian or American, will give the slightest assistance to any officer desiring the prosecution of Italian offenders.” and it was then that a Hillsville farmer allowed an officer named Sealy Houk to use his phone to effect an arrest of an Italian found to have killed his cow.

It is believed that the officer was killed and dumped in the “Killing fields” of the region, discovered by a train passing by. Three days after Houk’s body was discovered, three Italian mob men went into the fields killing and pouching animals, aggravating and attacking (murdering at least one – William Duff) farmers who tried to stand in their way.

Killing Fields
The Killing fields – Zombie Land PA

The Mines:

There are said to be various mines in the area used by the mafia from Youngstown to dispose of bodies. While traveling through the area, we only saw signs for “Limestone” mines.

 

Skyhill Road Bridge
The Frankenstein Bridge/sky hill road bridge: Zombie Land PA

 

Skyhill Road Bridge:

(aka Frankenstein Bridge, Hookman’s Bridge, Ghost Bridge, Graffiti Bridge)

A few more miles down into Zombie land on Skyhill Road is a small bridge that was built in 1917 crossing off the Coffee Run River. It also has been replaced in 2013 changing the eerie attraction. It became to be believed to be haunted by the “Bridge People” and the “Hook Man”.

Apparently, they were mutated zombie-like people who lived nearby that were bothered by people hanging around the bridge so would hunt them down to maim or kill them. It is believed that if one writes someone’s name on the bridge, the “Bridge People” or “The Hookman” would go murder them. The bridge is covered with people’s names and symbols. The Original bridge had wood railings where the graffiti would be, but now a metal railing, the graffiti is on the asphalt itself. Oddly, underneath the bridge are lover’s dedications and love notes scrawled on the walls. The Hate is above, the Love below.

We also saw the corpse of a dead deer lying halfway on the ground and in the water, half-wrapped in a garbage bag like an offering to the Bridge people. Someone else writing about the Bridge also stated there was a dead deer but that was back in 2016, so a different dead deer. It is said a young boy leaped from the bridge killing himself as a suicide.

Hate Graffit atop The Frankenstein Bridge/skyhill road bridge: Zombie Land PA
Hate Graffiti atop The Frankenstein Bridge/sky hill road bridge: Zombie Land PA

The Zombie Torch:

Right around the corner from the bridge west is the Eternal Flame dedicated to the Zombies that haunt the woods. The mutant colored metal pipe protruding from the ground is just a stone’s torch from the road – it is an iron pipe venting fumes from the natural gas field below. If one lights the torch it will anger the Bridge People and the Hook Man, summoning them to cause death unto the one who lit it.

The Zombie Torch/Eternal Flame
The Zombie Torch/Eternal Flame  

The Blood House, Bridge People, Hook Man:

Deep in the woods near the bridge and torch is the purported home of the Bridge People and/or Hook Man. It is said also to have been the home of a wicked witch named “Mary Black” who snatched and murdered children of the area, burying them in the fields.

It has long been burnt down and demolished by authorities and no longer exists. Others state that the Blood House is located off of Erskin Quarry Road and had a small graveyard attached to it. Some say the Witch was a woman who went crazy and hung her children. Others say it all happened when some mental patients escaped and settled in the area.

Others say the “Bridge People” were mutant-like residents of the woods who suffered from “hydrocephalus” or “water on the brain” that settled in the area along the Mahoning River to avoid being harassed for their deformities. They were also nicknamed the “Light Bulb Heads”.

An escaped mental patient nicknamed “Zombie” who was a serial killer supposedly lived in the woods along this road. Some claim that his bloodied hospital gown was once found on the road and murdered local kids. Other paranormal investigators call the “Bridge People” the infamous legendary “Shadow People” of lore. There is some belief that the “Hook Man” came from the Killing of Seely Houk written about above.

The Railroad Bridge:

Along Coffee Run, at Robinson’s Crossing, just north of the Manoning River, within Zombie Land, not too far from all the haunted locations is a Railway Bridge still in use by CSX trains was the scene of a grisly rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl named Shannon Leigh Kos.

Her boyfriend and two other 20-year-old boys brought her there, raped her, and stabbed her to death. They attempted to burn her body, but her remains were found by the bridge three days later. The sick criminals – William George Monday (21), David Christopher Garvey (20), and Perry Sam Ricciardi II (20) were arrested and convicted.

There are purported rumors that Robinson’s Crossing was once a popular “lover’s lane” but police reported many arguments and spats, domestic violence calls, etc. were popular there as well as abandoned dates they had to come to escort home. Rumors of suicides at this spot as well as the other bridges are also common.

The Glowing Green Man:

There are legends of a green man who had been burned in an industrial accident that lived in the area. Others say he was a local handyman who was electrocuted and had a light green glow to his skin. According to Jim Mosley, the Green Man not only existed but was someone whom he had met on occasion through his wanderings in Zombie Land and spent many evenings drinking with him at the local pub. His real name was Raymond Robinson.

A zombie land facebook fan page exists here: https://www.facebook.com/ZombieLandHillsvillePA/ and t-shirts are sold at a local beverage shop.

Dead deer by Frankenstein Bridge
Dead deer dumped at The Frankenstein Bridge/skyhill road bridge: Zombie Land PA

Recommended Reading/Bibliography:

  • Associated Press 2000 “Accused told police of Killing”. The Associated Press. Website referenced on 11/12/18 at http://www2.sharonherald.com/localnews/recentnews/0011/ln111600f.html
  • Lawrence County Memoirs n.d. “Zombie Land – Hillsville PA” website referenced 11/12/18 at http://www.lawrencecountymemoirs.com/lcmpages/1073/zombieland-hillsville-pa
  • Reddit 2016 “Gruesome Murder of a Girl I Knew NSFW” by u/nebbles1069. Website referenced 11/12/18 at https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/462b6r/gruesome_murder_of_a_girl_i_knew_nsfw/
  • Penn Live e2016 “From Hell’s Hollow to Zombie Land: 13 western PA places with haunting legends. Website referenced 11/12/18 at https://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/10/haunted_western_pennsylvania.html
  • Summers, Ken 2011 “The Strange History Behind America’s Creepiest Zombie Road Legends … and How You Can find them”. Website referenced 11/12/18 at http://weekinweird.com/2011/09/26/home-zombie-roads/
  • Tinsley, M. Ferguson 2000 “This time, Zombie Land tale is true”. Post-Gazette Staff. Website referenced 11/12/18 at http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/20001031zombie1.asp
  • Torisk, Emmalee C. 2013 “Urban legends haunt Zombieland” : Vindy.com. Website referenced 11/12/18 at http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/oct/29/urban-legends-haunt-zombieland/
  • Warren, Louis S. unknown “The Hunters Game: Poachers and Conservationists in Twentieth-Century America”. Website referenced 11/12/18 at https://books.google.com/books?id=OfeB1wAdQHwC&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=killing+fields+hillsville

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Lammas

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Events, Living Myth, Magic & The Occult, Religion

Lammas is a harvest festival and cross-quarter celebration in Anglo-Saxon and Western hemisphere countries particularly in folk culture. It is most commonly revered around August 1st but occurs between August 1st and September 1st. The holiday marks the annual harvest – usually centered around ‘wheat’ but can be observed around any harvest. It cycles around … Read More “Lammas” »

The White Spring of Glastonbury

Posted on By Techno Tink No Comments on The White Spring of Glastonbury
Faeries, Living Myth, Mythology, Sacred Sites

 

White Spring Entrance
August 1, 2011: The White Spring, Glastonbury, England.

White Spring
~ Wellhouse Lane, Glastonbury, England BA6 8BL, UK +44 7340 288392 * https://www.whitespring.org.uk/ ~

While backpacking Europe during the Summer of 2011 this was one of my favorite sacred spaces to visit, even more so than the infamous Chalice Well. The White Spring is a free-to-visit spring welling up in a Victorian pump house that has been converted to a temple and pilgrimage site. It offers calcium-rich spring water to all for free unlike the Chalice Well that charges high admission to enter their sacred garden.

It was the concept and dedication to the well that strengthened the birthing of my decision to be a Water Protector and Springs Guardian for the remainder of my life. This space was monumental for this change from a Protector of the Ancestors (Archaeologist) to Water Guardian as my life’s purpose.

 

The White Spring
August 1, 2011: The White Spring, Glastonbury, England.

Within a few feet from one another, the two Isle of Avalon mysteries wells forth from the Earth bestowing blessings, magic, and healing to its visitors and pilgrims. Each offers different healing properties, the Chalice Well being the Red spring rich with iron, the other white with calcite, both from the magical caverns beneath Glastonbury Tor, with rumors of Merlin’s magic. There is actually a third Blue Spring that has since vanished.

A temple has been built here at the White Spring offering the gift of pure water that is cavernous, mysterious, dark, Gothic, and magical as contrary to the Chalice Well in a well lit open-aired garden. The interior has three domed vaults standing at 16 feet height with beautiful bowed floors some say mimic the illusion of a hull of a boat moored at the portal to the Otherworld.

The pools within were designed and constructed based on sacred geometry following the Michael ley line that flows through space with shrines added honoring ancient energies and the Spirits of Avalon.

A company of volunteers watch over the Spring and temple who designed it, built it, and care for it on a daily basis. The site sees pilgrimages and visitors daily. Group ceremonies and meditations are also conducted daily during opening hours, including celebrations of the turning of the seasons, the full moon, and the new moon. Private ceremonies can be arranged. There is no charge or expectation of donations and all caretakers do not get paid.

 

The White Spring
August 1, 2011: The White Spring

 

The sanctuary is candle-lit and dark, the sound of the water flowing can meditatively be heard and is a guide for ceremony and contemplation. Talking or conversations is strictly discouraged as silence other than the Spring is desired, though songs are welcome and check with the well keeper if wanting to play musical instruments. No Cameras, mobile phones, or electronic equipment is permitted in the sanctuary.

Legend has it that Glastonbury is England’s most sacred site and is where the foundations of the earliest church in Britain was formed and may be the site of the earliest church in the world second to Jerusalem and was dedicated to Mary. (There is no archaeological evidence to support this legend)

The Glastonbury Tor or the Holy Hill of Albion is also believed to be England’s most sacred mountain and a place of Ancient Goddess worship. The Tor and its caverns beneath host numerous aquifers and springs that well forth from its base. Many of the springs have dried up except the Red Spring (Chalice Well) and the White Spring.

There is evidence of a monastic site at the summit of the Tor and archaeological excavations revealed it is likely that early Celtic Christian hermits once lived on the sacred site of the White Spring. In 1872 a well house was constructed over the spring creating a reservoir that was used by townsfolk who were suffering from cholera and therefore destroyed the beautiful combe that once was there.

A historic document by George Wright in 1896 stated “And what was Glastonbury like then? One thing that clings to me was the beautiful Well House Lane of those days before it had been spoilt by the erection of the reservoir. There was a small copse of bushes on the right hand running up the hill, and through it could be, not seen, but heard, the rush of running water, which made itself visible as it poured into the lane. But the lane itself was beautiful, for the whole bank was a series of fairy dropping wells – little caverns clothed with moss and vedure, and each small twig and leaf was a medium for the water to flow, drop, drop, drop into a small basin below. This water contained lime, and pieces of wood or leaves subject to this dropping became encrusted with a covering of lime. For a long time, I attended those pretty caverns with affectionate care, and Well House Lane was an object of interest to all our visitors”

 

The White Spring blue door
August 1, 2011: The White Spring, Glastonbury, England.

The reservoir fell into disuse as the high calciferous waters often blocked the pipes and by the 19th-century water was piped into Glastonbury from out of town, the well house falling into disuse and forgotten. In the 1980’s it was re-opened and reconstructed being used for drinking water for the town. The walls, floors, water pipes, and chemical paint added in the ’80s was removed.

The high ceilings bowed floors, and original stone walls were uncovered unveiling the cathedral-like structure you see today. By 2004 a new owner took over the building and erected the sacred space you can visit now. The temple was consecrated in 2005. In October 2009 various pools were built inside based on sacred geometry. Its design and layout are always changing. The seasonal altar changes at each turn of the wheel. The bower that forms the Brigid shrine is rebuilt with fresh hazel for Imbolc and a February 1st celebration held in conjunction with Chalice Well and Bride’s Mound.

The White Spring is dedicated to the Goddess Brigid – the Celtic Fire Goddess and Guardian of the Sacred Springs within, and a perpetually burning Brigid Flame flickers her magic. A shrine in honor of the Lady of Avalon is within as well as a shrine in honor of the King of the World of Faerie at the portal to the Otherworld. Legend has it that the nun named Brigid who was said to be a child in 525 C.E. filled with the spirit of the Goddess Brigid who was born in Ireland from a Druidic father named Dubtach and a Christian slave mother named Brocessa. She was raised in both traditions and chose to enter a monastery – making her an Abbess as well as a nun. Legend states she lived and learned at the Beckery in Glastonbury before founding her abbey Cill Dara in Kildare Ireland.

The Lady of Avalon is seen at the White Spring as the Lady of ancient feminine primary power as Mother, Earth Mother, Mother of God, and Mother of us all. She is forever conceiving and birthing yet remains unchanged as herself self-fulfilled as the Virgin Mother. She is a dark lady like the earth – dark, womb-like, safe, hidden, mysterious, vast, abstract, and protective. She is also called the Black Madonna.

The King of the Faeries represents nature as wild, beautiful, majestic, diverse, interdependent, and powerful. He represents the Fae, the Otherworld, and is King of the World of Faerie as well as all the nature spirits of this world. He represents the unity of both worlds.

It is said that the White Spring is a portal to the Celtic Otherworld. It is said that Gwyn Ap Nudd was said to ride through here.

More Information: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-white-spring-glastonbury-england

 

The White Spring
 

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