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Features Archive:

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2005 Archive:
Whose Scrooge? - by Lee Prosser
December 15, 2005

Column - regular feature

Spirit Dor by John Richards
December 9, 2005


The Witchcraft Connection - The Ghostly Carpenter - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
December 6, 2005

Column - regular feature

Nature is a Haunted House - by Lee Prosser
December 1, 2005

Column - regular feature

Hollywood Ghost Hunt Weekend by Richard Senate
November 28, 2005


Clairvoyance, Ghosts, and Music - by Lee Prosser
November 15, 2005

Column - regular feature

Halloween and the End Times - by Lee Prosser
November 1, 2005

Column - regular feature

The Witchcraft Connection - Resurrection Mary: The Conclusion - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
October 20, 2005

Column - regular feature

1 Corinthians 12:10 - by Lee Prosser
October 15, 2005

Column - regular feature

Gift From A Child By Rick Hayes
October 14, 2005


Ghost Hunt: The Liberace Mansion by Richard Senate
October 7, 2005


Mimosa, Marigold, Cayenne, Dandelion, Mullein, Clairvoyance, Uncle Willard, and Ghosts - by Lee Prosser
October 1, 2005

Column - regular feature

Today's Cults of Personality by Wayne Harrup
September 19, 2005


Clairvoyance and the River of the Mind - by Lee Prosser
September 15, 2005

Column - regular feature

Bide One's Time - Rev. Pat Robertson - by Lee Prosser
September 1, 2005

Column - regular feature

Cedar Key Inn - The Man in the Kitchen by Janice Cottrill
August 29, 2005


Bide One's Time - High Spirits - by Lee Prosser
August 15, 2005

Column - regular feature

CBS Introduces the Ghost Whisperer by Jeff Belanger
August 5, 2005


Bide One's Time - Ghostly Encounter - by Lee Prosser
August 1, 2005

Column - regular feature

Bide One's Time - Don Bachardy - by Lee Prosser
July 15, 2005

Column - regular feature

Bide One's Time - New Mexico, Land of Enchantment - by Lee Prosser
July 1, 2005

Column - regular feature

Tibetan Beliefs On Death and Beyond Part 2 of 2 by Janice Cottrill
June 20, 2005


Bide One's Time - Why Do We Enjoy Ghost Story Movies? - by Lee Prosser
June 15, 2005

Column - regular feature

Tibetan Beliefs On Death and Beyond Part 1 of 2 by Janice Cottrill
June 13, 2005


Bide One's Time - We are Each a Living Ghost in Our Own Story - by Lee Prosser
June 1, 2005

Column - regular feature

Electronic Voice Phenomena (E.V.P.) by Todd M. Bates
May 23, 2005


Bide One's Time - Sensitive to Ghosts - by Lee Prosser
May 17, 2005

Column - regular feature

Emotions of the Paranormal by Brian Leffler
May 13, 2005


George Lutz's Amityville Horror by Jeff Belanger
April 12, 2005


Connecting Through Reincarnation? by Rick Hayes
March 16, 2005


Chinese Hopping Ghosts by Janice Cottrill
March 4, 2005


Dr. Hans Holzer - A Lifetime of Explaining the Unexplained by Jeff Belanger
February 7, 2005


The Legend of Lucy Keyes by John Stimpson
February 4, 2005


Raymond Buckland by Lee Prosser
January 28, 2005


The Mysterious Haunting of Stone's Public House by David Retalic
January 23, 2005


Some Musings on White Noise by Lee Prosser
January 12, 2005


India and the Supernatural by Lee Prosser
January 3, 2005




December 9, 2005

Spirit Dor

By John Richards [Click on each photo for a larger view in a pop-up window.]

"There is nothing Supernatural, just laws of physics not fully understood.

The intent of my work is to bridge a gap, to create a transition point of sorts. Inspired by a type of morphic resonance, I make designs on the ground, earthshapes, which are coherent and symmetrical, usually consisting of circles arranged in a pattern. The dimensions are not exact, nor are they derived from any sort of archaic codes, ancient measurement standards, or cryptic formulae. They are laid out with what feels instinctively correct at the time.

The photos in this article were taken in my backyard after the creation of Spirit Dor II. Spirit Dor I will be documented in the future. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been any type of cemetery or burial ground on the plot of land where I have made these works.

Background
By trade I am an electronics technician specializing in radar systems and test equipment. My professional background has been in radio communications, wave propagation, resonant frequencies, wavelengths, antenna theory, and transmitting/receiving systems. My personal background is drawing, artwork, wooden sculpture, wilderness studies, and a sort of shamanistic/Wiccan approach to life, balanced with an interest in astronomy, mathematics, and hard science.

I grew up in Wisconsin and spent much of my time in the forest and fields behind our house. I would range the woods for hours, passing amongst the tamarack and birch, cornfields, kettles, and moraines, and spotting the occasional white tail deer or owl. Sometimes spending the night by a solitary campfire, I would absorb the essence of the surroundings. I made some of my first stick shelters during this time. 

In the hills north of Sun Valley, Nevada, I have made quite a few solitary works, nothing more than a mound of dirt with a stick or feather set on top, sometimes connecting two mounds with a line of stones. Performing a derivative of the ha rite, I would appeal to the inner selves and acknowledge the wind swept sagebrush desert around me. It was here that I made my first organized circular arrangement on a larger scale. 

A hut shelter made of juniper and sage was the focal point of a standing stone arrangement. A 1-meter menhir was the center of a stone circle, with two smaller menhirs marking the sunrise on the summer and winter solstice.

In North Carolina I made a similar hut and stone arrangement, this time adding a carved wooden spirit pole. I also created a few elongated earthen shapes in the Rocky Mountains, not far from Colorado Springs

Spirit Dor I
I work only with hand tools; the shovel, pick, and rake. Anything else and it would not be effective. The amount of physical and emotional effort that goes into one of these works is what makes it operate.

I decided on a simple design, and had a mental blueprint of how I wanted it to look. Marking the three circles out with a rope and anchor stake, I outlined the shapes and connected them together. Once the template was on the ground, I dug a shallow water ditch around the edges.

After that was complete, a mixture of soil and seed is added to the area inside the circles. Mixing wheat seed and wet soil with the bare hands is an empowering experience, something that must be considered. The wheat was chosen for two reasons: it has been a staple of life since the transition from hunter/gatherers and also because it creates a beautiful medium when it ripens and turns golden in the autumn.

On the periphery of the tri-circle arrangement I built three dirt mounds and placed the three menhirs atop each one, to act as a sentry or antenna. These stones I had acquired from the Feather River in Northern California in 1995, and they have been with me ever since. The relation of the mounds to the circles was due more to instinctive aesthetics, not orthodox geometry or astronomical alignments.

This was the process for Spirit Dor I.

Spirit Dor II
Spirit Dor II has a different configuration, with a quad arrangement of circles laid out in a diamond pattern. The main circle was split in the middle for a walkway, and wheat/soil was mixed, charged, and planted on either side. The two flanking circles saw the addition of corn seed, once again chosen for its life giving properties and the ability to create a natural, asymmetrical acoustic element in the autumn when it dries out and rustles in the wind. The remaining circle was planted with a combination of gourd and pumpkin. The entire formation was then outlined with rocks.

The center of the work saw the addition of what I call Earth Candle, a pit dug into the ground and filled with natural wax and tree bark. When ignited, it will burn until doused by dirt. In line with the Earth Candle was the main menhir again, this time flanked by the other two to form a triangular presence.

The last element was the Calling Circle, in which a person would stand and become centered with the entire formation.

The concept is to walk through the main wheat circle, enter the formation, light the Earth Candle, and center oneself in the Calling Circle, the whole time being aware of the resonance of the formation, how much effort it took to create it, the growing elements involved, and how they are now inter-acting.

Spherical Resonance
With the understanding that a physical body is powered by a common energy source, we can draw a conclusion that all life, single or multi-cellular, utilizes a small fraction of the overall main supply. Because energy can never actually be destroyed, only changed, the individual energy that animates a physical body is permanently a part of the larger whole, but only temporarily co-locates with the body. Once the body is no longer needed, the energy will revert back to its normal frequency and shape.

It has been proven that any loose conglomeration of elements will, in the absence of extreme environmental factors, draw together upon itself from all directions until unity is achieved. A good example is the countless stars and planets in our stellar neighborhood. Energy of a certain wavelength, frequency, or amplitude will accomplish this same feat, assuming the most compact and economical shape. I call this spherical resonance.

The Spirit Dor formations are a type of amplifier, enabling energy transference from one medium to another.

Phasing
If you can picture the average human perception operating at a certain frequency range, say 430-680 nanometers, we can group most optical experiences into this range. Because the spherical resonance is not visible to the naked eye, and the fact that a split second snap shot measured in fractions of second can capture the resonance on film when illuminated by a bright flash, we can draw the tentative conclusion that the spherical resonance is operating at a frequency beyond the human visible spectrum. This is similar in concept to how a strobe light can stop the action of a fast moving object. 

Some photos will show partial spherical resonance, half and quarter shapes. Imagine taking a ball and holding it underwater, then slowly raising it to the surface. As it breaks the plane of the waters surface, partial aspects of the balls surface will become visible, 1/16, 1/8,1/4, 1/2, and so on, until the entire ball is above the water plane and visible as a whole. Like phases of the moon, the spherical resonance retains its coherent shape, but sometimes appears as crescents or ovals, depending on what phase the camera stops the action.

The fractional spheres are the result of the camera catching this phasing process.










John Richards is an artist living in Fallon, Nevada.




2014 Haunted New England Wall Calendar by Jeff Belanger photography by Frank Grace
Check out the 2014 Haunted New England wall calendar by Jeff Belanger and photography by Frank Grace!


Paranormal Conferences and Lectures
Don't miss the following events and lectures:

Jeff Belanger and “The Bridgewater Triangle” at Dedham Community Theatre - April 6, 2014 9:00PM

The Spirits of the Mark Twain House - Hartford, Connecticut - April 12, 2014

Paracon Australia - East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia - May 10-12, 2014