A world abound with mysteries.

  This planet we live on, its a wonderful place. The cosmos beyond Im sure are just as beautiful if we had the ability to explore them. In our short time here we have figured out so many things about our world and the way it works, and were even beginning to look into the universe and unlock its secrets. But there are things far more mysterious still. Beyond the realm of science and into the realm of myth and legend. Spirits of great power who rule over the natural world, and creatures of magic and majesty beyond compare. We often dismiss things like this as merely myth. But behind every legend lies a grain of truth. And sometimes I wonder just where that grain lies. While many cultures have their own unique legends, the ones I find interesting are the ones that are prominent in cultures around the globe in cultures that have never met. From Ryujin, the Japanese God and guardian of the sea, to the Leviathan of hebrew sacred texts to the Kolowisi of native American legend. Somehow the same concept, that of a serpent or dragon of the sea with the horns of a stag, made its way around the world to many people. It seems that any culture that has laid eyes on the sea has its own legend about essentially the same thing. And of that I cannot help but ponder the implications as more than coincidental.

  The concept of ghosts has become more accepted in the modern world as well. While in the ancient world everyone believed in such things, there came an age of science and knowledge. And with that, such seemingly magical concepts were cast off as gibberish of the ancients. But yet the more we learned about the world the more mysterious the supernatural world became. Eventually it became more and more apparent that some concepts of magic and myth such as the soul, had some truth behind them. We have many solid and trustworthy methods for debunking supposedly "paranormal" evidence. Nevertheless, unexplained events continued to occur despite everything we did to disprove them. While our ancestors had some primitive and foolish thoughts on the world, they were also well aware of the fact that not everything can be explained in this life. And that there is one afterwards. While many consider an afterlife to be a man made concept to shield against the fear of imminent mortality. Many have seen undeniable proof that such worlds beyond physical being certainly exist. I myself have seen that there is a life beyond this one. And have had others verify the things I have seen.

  Besides the human soul itself, many believe that there are spirits in nature, and even of collective groups of people. Whether these spirits be reminiscent of our own souls or whether they are something else entirely, perhaps something more divine and independent, is really not universally known. While I am sure there exist people who have been enlightened to things that I have not, just as I have been been enlightened to things others have not, this is hardly common knowledge. Such spirits may protect or even discipline us and we have no awareness of it whatsoever. Even tales of angels and similar spirits of the deceased that have ascended to higher levels of purity and power in the afterlife are quite common throughout the world.

  However for every victory there is a defeat, and a dusk for every dawn. The mysterious powers in the world are not always there to protect us. People love tales of Angelic guardians. To think that our ancestors grow so close to divinity in the afterlife purely in the interest of protecting and guiding us is a wonderful thought. But tales of demons and monsters are equally common. From terrible beasts that  revel in destruction and terror to dark spirits that plague us with nightmares and feed upon our very souls, the world has no shortage of dark and terrifying legends either. While many of these are also merely myths, born of ignorance and a need to explain the unexplained. It would seem that some of this darkness is indeed lurking through the shadows in the world. While being a non religious type I tend to steer clear of the Abrahamic definition of "demons" there are certainly very, very dark spirits in the world that should be avoided at all costs. Now, to my knowledge I can only personally confirm spirits of the dead that have taken on a very dark and evil nature. As for demons and other dark spiritual entities I cannot fully say that they exist. But given how many things I have seen on the divine side of things It would surprise me little if the tails side of that coin is just as prominent. Again, there may be others who are more enlightened than I in this particular area.

  I wonder also, since the mind can create things that do not exist within our bodies, as mentioned in one of my previous articles. If the same is not responsible for many of these darker entities as well? Since we do not know how spirits are brought into this world, this area of the occult is very much open to theories. One such theory that I have is, and it may be a hard pill to swallow, but bear in mind that it is only a theory; Is that many dark spiritual entities or 'demons" as some call them are born of our own minds. Our fear, our hate, anger, greed and our darkest of desires. Could it be that we ourselves have the power to produce these beings from ourselves? Perhaps the term "inner demons" has more to it than previously imagined. So many cultures have their own ideas about these dreaded spirits. But perhaps they are created by the darkness in our own hearts and take the form of what we imagine them to be. While that thought may be slightly disturbing it may also lend credibility to such wide varieties of different spirits around the world. We know so little about the world beyond our five senses that the possibilities are literally endless. 

  So since Ive bothered to say all this, I should note that while heavily spiritual and very much an occult enthusiast I am not one to believe things without evidence. I believe that we must take responsibility for our own actions and not blame some red, horned fellow with a pitch fork every time something goes awry in the world. And while faith in the divine and prayer can be a good thing, I also maintain that where applicable, getting off your knees and working to improve things yourself is much more reliable. A good expression that I have heard is to "be open minded, but not so much that your brains fall out". It is one thing to believe that the world is full of mysterious things that we may never understand. Because I can personally guarantee this is true. But to deny fact and proof in favor of superstition is just foolish. That is why I am not religious, there are too many preconceived notions and it invites fear and misunderstanding. But I am not a man purely of science either, because I know the world cannot be fully explained on a calculator. I remain very spiritual and open to new lessons the world has to teach, but If I uncover something that shows my beliefs simply were not true I can accept that as well. 

  So enjoy it my friends, the world is an incredible place full of endless adventures and mysteries. Let the light into your heart, be open to the worlds teachings, no matter what you think of them. Remember to stay out of the dark if you can help it. Do not let fear control you, embrace the unknown and the shadows may be illuminated for you. Be curious, but also be cautious. And never grow bored of life.