Every Little Helps

I haven't blogged here for a few weeks. I've been trying to leave a few inane comments around just to let you know I haven't died, emigrated or been arrested.

There are several reasons for this. First of all I haven't had anything interesting to say (nothing unusual there). Also, both of the writers' groups I'm in have broken up until the new year so nothing to report on that. In addition I've actually had some proper work to do. We had a training day at the college where I work part-time as an exam invigilator. The resits are coming up in January so there will be a few days work there. I've also managed to get a job at the local Tesco, stacking shelves on the night shift. This is just a few nights per week up until the new year. I've worked nights before when I was an engineer so no problem there. We're kept busy so the time goes quickly. It's a new experience so I'm hoping that I can pick up a few ideas for characters and plots.

I've also been busy writing. I've a few pieces out at agents and magazines and, thanks to all you bloggers out there who keep us up to date, a few competition entries have been posted out. So please continue posting news about courses, competitions and other opportunities. And any advice is always welcome. I need all the help I can get.

The Ghosts of Grand Central Station

 I skipped my list today.  I was far too tired to travel to far from home to chase fog and specters.  So instead I stayed close to home and went to Grand Central Station, one of the most famous haunted locations in the city. Grand Central Station is an imposing structure that is embedded into the corner of 42nd and Park  in Manhattan.  It is the largest train station in the world and one of the most famous landmarks in New York City.  The terminal is home to 44 platforms and 66 tracks.   The station is a living breathing work of art and a part of history.  Grand Central Station was built in 1871 and has been remodeled on many occasions.  The mural on the ceiling has been repainted two times now and the current painting is both lovely and infamous.  It is a picture of the Constellations.  One of the more interesting facts about the ceiling is that the constellations on it have been flipped.  The artist claims he did this purposely to show God's view of the constellations but many believe the artist just made a mistake.

The ghosts that linger in this station are many.  There are so many ghosts in the station that there is a ghost walk just for Grand Central.  My favorite ghost story from Grand Central is a lovely bit of folklore.  In the 1880s, when Grand Central was new,  Vanderbilt was one of the richest men in the nation.  He was so rich he could indulge in things that others might view as extravagant.  One thing he indulged in was race horse.   He bought the fastest racehorse in the world, Maud. S. and had her stabled next to grand central station so when he arrived on a train he could have the fastest horse in the world to deliver him home.  Maud S. died next to the station and her specter is said to wander Grand Central to this day.  There may be many more tragic ghosts in Grand Central.  The ghosts of those who have died in accidents and suicides linger in the shadows of the famous building, but Maud's ghost is by far the largest and the most interesting.

My Haunted New York Wish List

I am travelling again.  This time I'm going to New York for the rest of the week.  It will be a long, cold trip, but I will be bundled up in many layers of clothing and their are many secret haunted places in Manhattan to keep me company during the long, dark nights after my conference ends.   At the beginning of every journey, I make a wish list.  It is the list of places I would visit if everything went right and time were as abundant as sand.  Sadly, I rarely finish my wish lists, but they are wonderful starting points and any place I miss this time I can see next time.   So here are all the haunted locations I would like to see while I am in the big apple.

1.  The Algonquin Hotel:  The Algonquin Hotel was once home to the vicious circle of writers that once included some of the most famous writers of the time.  Some say that the ghosts of these writers still haunt this old hotel.  The linger in corners and behind shadows.  

2.  "The House of Death".  How could I not want to visit a haunted location with such an ominous name.  This house is believed to be haunted by 22 people including the Mark Twain.   I love Mark Twain and would go to New York just to see his ghost.

3.  The Empire States Building:   Many depressed people have taken the elevator to the top of this famous building just to jump to their deaths.  Their ghosts are said to haunt the building to this day.

4.  Manhattan Bistro:  This SoHo bistro is said to be haunted by a young woman who was murdered in the building in 1799.  She haunts this restaurant knocking ashtrays off of tables, breaking plates, and causing other  havoc.

5.  The Chelsea:   I am a Sex Pistols fan so this location has to be on my list.  It is room 100 at The Chelsea that the notorious Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols killed his girl friend Nancy.  Her ghost is said to remain at the Chelsea to this day.  The Ghost of Sid Vicious himself is said to haunt the elevator.

6.  Bridge Cafe:  This bar that is said to be the oldest in New York dates back to 1794.  Ghosts of the pirates that used to frequent this establishment have been sited at the cafe.

Those are my top six.  Hopefully,  I'll get the time to see all of these haunted locations, but if I miss a few, I'll enjoy the ones I do see.  I might go to the Chelsea first.  I've always wanted to meet Sid Vicious.

How to Protect Your Home from Haunting and Evil Spirits

 While exploring the Burritt Museum and the many historic cabins within it last night,  I came upon an old witch bottle sitting atop a shelf in a cabin from 1825.   The witch bottle was a hideous and fearsome thing that reminded me of my love of folklore and folk remedies.  I especially love old cures for hauntings.  Witch bottles have a long history and have been popular for well over a millennium.  They were most popular in the 16th century when fear of witches, hauntings, and bad spirits reached a kind of fevered pitch that resulted in many a poor soul being burned a live for witchcraft.

The basic theory behind witch bottles is that spirits and ghosts have to count every item in a house or building before they can enter and haunt the home.  The bottle was meant to have so many small items in it that no spirit or ghost could ever count its contents. Thus the house was protected from haunting.  Early bottles were filled were filled with sand, dirt, pebbles and other small items that would be difficult to count.  By the sixteenth century the bottles took on a more sinister and disgusting tone.  They were often filled with urine, toe nails, hair, pins, and nails.   These witch bottles were thought to actually prevent a witch from casting a harmful spell on you.  They were also believed to lure evil spirits in and trap them, impaling them on the nails and pins so they can't escape.  These bottles were usually hidden and buried upside down in the home.  The picture to the side shows a classic witch jar from the seventeenth century.  It was thought that if such a witch bottle was thrown in the fire any witch that had set a curse on the owner of the witch jar would die.

Now the witch bottle has gone full circle.  Modern incarnations of these jars are said to protect against bad spirits and ghosts and are again filled with more pleasant things.  I looked at many crazy websites with recipes for witch bottles and it seems that some people still prefer the stinky bottle and place hair, nails, finger nails etc in the bottle, but that is just gross.  Also, these people are often using the bottles for larger magical purposes that I avoid.  Here is a simple recipe for a witch jar to protect your home from bad spirits and ghosts and hauntings.  These type of witch bottles are pretty and smell good too!

1.  Choose a pretty bottle with a lid and clean it
2.  Fill the bottle with some sand  or salt to make a foundation for the rest of the materials to rest on.
3 Add the pebbles, sea shells, or rosemary alternately to the bottle. After you have added these, add a bit more sand.
4.  Add  flower petals or  greenery .  There is no right or wrong way to make the bottle. Keep in mind your intent while making the bottle and envision what you want it to look like.

After you have all the items in the bottle, affix the lid. Tie the ribbon around mouth of the bottle near the lid as a final touch
 
Here is a picture of a modern witch bottle I found on Etsy.  The seller says the witch bottle will banish evil spirits.

Ghosts on the Mountain



Burritt Museum is a living history museum on the top of scenic Monte Sano Mountain.  It is a breathtakingly beautiful location.  It sits perched atop the mountain lost in the clouds.  The view from its steps is awe inspiring.  The museum began with the Burritt Museum which is a mansion once owned by a local physician that donated the land and the house.  Since that time,  numerous historic cabins have been moved up on the mountain so as you walk through the property it is like travelling through history.  Each cabin is staffed by volunteers dressed in period costumes and kept to look like it would have in the year it was built.   According to legend, the mansion is haunted.  I don't have all the details, but here are the pictures from my trip to the mountain today.  More will come later.



The Ghosts of The Algonquin Roundtable Writers

Next week I will embark on a journey that is completely ill advised.  I am going to New York to attend one of the Algonquin Writer's Conferences.  This trip is ill advised because I don't have the money to waste on a trip to New York,  I am leaving my children during a time when they need me, and the probability of me actually accomplishing anything with this conference is slim.  During this conference,  I will have an opportunity to pitch my latest fiction novel to 4 editors from big houses like Penguin.  I will be nervous and sweaty and will probably stutter and drool, making the likelihood of them having interest in my book even lower.   Why am I going you may ask?  I am going because I am a dreamer and I just can't help myself.  I really want to be a fiction writer. 

As I have prepared for me trip, I found a link between my trip and the ghosts of many old writers. This link, however tangential, has just made my day.  The Algonquin group  is running the conference  I am going to and one of the most haunted locations in New York is the Algonquin Hotel, which is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the Algonquin Writers Round table.   The Algonquin Hotel  was made famous as being the meeting place for the Algonquin writer's circle who were considered to be some of the best writers of the time.  The Hotel is said to be haunted by these authors to this day.   The group, who called themselves "The Vicious Circle" included Dorothy Parker, Franklin Pierce, Robert Benchley, Robert Sherwood, Alexander Woolcott, Harpo Marx, Harold Ross, Heywood Broun, George S. Kaufman, Marc Connelly, Franklin Pierce Adams, and Edna Ferber.   Guests at the Alonquin have claimed to have seen various members of this group of writers throughout the hotel.   They have also claimed to hear odd noises and witnessed other supernatural occurrences withing the hotel.

I'm not sure what the link between the group that is hosting the conference I am going to and the old Algonquin writing circle is, but I feel inspired to know that there is some kind of link between the conference and the ghosts of more successful writers.  The Algonquin Hotel will be the first haunted location I visit in New York.  Maybe I can find inspiration in the ghosts of greater writers than me.

Time to Begin Your Krampus Day Celebrations!!

In America, we embrace all cultures and pull their traditions into our own culture and make it our own. I believe we should do the same for Krampus Day.   It is time to begin our Krampus Day Celebrations!  According to Wikipedia,   "Traditionally, young men dress up as the Krampus in the first two weeks of December, particularly on the evening of 5 December, and roam the streets frightening children and women with rusty chains and bells. In some rural areas the tradition also includes birching – by Krampus, especially of young girls"

Krampus is part of Austrian and Hungarian folklore and is associated with Christmas. His name, taken from the Germanic Krampen means claw. Krampus looks like and acts like the devil. He is a demon that travels with Saint Nickolas on Christmas Eve and while Santa delivers candies and treats to the good little children, Krampus delivers corporal punishment and horror to the bad little children. He provides a little extra incentive for the children to be good. Apparently in Austria, not getting presents wasn't enough to motivate children. Satan himself had to beat the children with willow branches and carry them off to hell.  I think it would take about this much incentive to get my boys to stop fighting on a nightly basis, so they might be on to something.

Krampus became so popular that his story and legends spread throughout Europe and became especially popular in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and northern Italy. He became so popular that he earned his own holiday. Dec 5 is Krampus day. It is almost like  a prolonged Devil's Night in Detroit, without the fire. On Krampus day and the days around it, young men take to the streets dressed in their most fearful Krampus costumes. They roam the streets scaring children with loud rusty bells and chains. They chase down young girls and hit them with birch branches.  I feel like this would add some spice to our Christmas preparations.  Who wouldn't want to be terrified by a large devil in these days leading up to Christmas?  I have to say that it would make shopping a little bit less painful and it certainly sounds like more fun than black Friday! So get out your rusty chains and bells an find your ugliest mask and take to the streets.  It is almost Krampus Day.