Control, Fear and Wonder: BVM in Egypt and Other Staged Signs

The BVM made an appearence  in Egypt this month:Virgin Mary appearing in Egypt? Video

Hundreds, if not thousands, have been lining up for hours every night at the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in a Cairo neighborhood just off the Nile. Many of them claim that a mysterious light hovering above the church's domes is an apparition of the Virgin Mary who will bring Christian Copts prosperity and relief in a time of national and religious struggle.

The crowds began appearing Thursday evening when a number of residents spotted a flickering light. No one was sure where the illumination was coming from, and word quickly spread that the light took the shape of the Virgin Mary wearing a blue gown and standing in the sky between the church's two high crosses.

There is a video clip at the above link on Beliefnet.com, with a link to the following clip on YouTube:


The image shown reminded me of the BVM's appearence, which the article mentions, in Zeitun, Egypt, from 1968 to 1971. Similar white, cut-out type figure, and pigeons. Pigeons are mentioned in the recent BVM apparition as well:

The scene on Saturday was huge when we saw the lightning and white pigeons flying around us. White pigeons always accompany apparitions like these," one Copt told The Times.

Watching the clip shown here, an orange light can be seen flickering off towards the end of the clip, as if the image of Mary was being projected from that source.

Coming in on the heels of other recent weirdness in the world, this BVM apparition doesn't seem to be a paranormal event, but part of the staging I refered to in my earlier post on UFO Mary, Red Hooded Woman Attacks Pope As Part of Global Staging. Signs in the skies: UFOs for the saucer heads (Kremlin, etc.) blue spirals in Norway for the skeptics and rational, the BVM for the religious. And to keep us on our toes, failed Nigerian bombers and attacks on Italian authorities; the Pope, again performed for the religious, the Prime Minister for the rest of us.

Control, fear and wonder all at once. All are distractions, seemingly without connection to each other. Year end strangeness; it appears to be a bit much.

Monk Leaves Footprints in Wood Floor

Hua Chi, a 70 year old Chinese monk, has something concrete to show his devotion to prayer. He has left a physical record of his religious practice; footprints, deep impressions in the wood floor, caused by his constant kneeling over the past twenty years. See Is it a miracle? Monk who prays so much he has left footprints ingrained in the FLOOR

This story is from February of this year, but I just came across it, thanks to The Heavy Stuff blog. THS has a neat list of his top ten Fortean stories of 2009, and the story of the monk was one of those events.

Red Hooded Woman Attacks Pope as Part of Global Staging

A strange incident, that seems odder still when juxtaposed with other odd events this holiday season; the attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 in particular.

Both incidents served to grab international attention during a time when many of us are vulnerable emotionally and spiritually; we're amped up at this time of year on many levels. Add to this mix international travel; people dependent on the whims and fates of weather, airport security, government, flight arrivals and cancellations. . .

The Pope, during the Christmas Day blessing, was attacked by a young woman in a red hooded sweatshirt. The woman had climbed over a barrier and managed to pull the Pope to the ground; however, the Pope was unharmed. Reports say the woman was mentally unstable. Interesting for the above reasons but also in context of the attack two weeks earlier on the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi's attacker, it's been reported, also has mental problems.

One of the things to emerge from these incidents --  the bombing attempt, the attacks on the Pope and Silvio Berlusconi --  is the reminder from authority of the need for tighter security. Homeland Security was lightening quick in its announcements for newer, stricter security edicts, which have already been put in place. Along with these even more restrictive rules is the urging of Homeland Security for the use of body scanners in airports.

As to the failed bombing attempt by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, there's further support for the sleeper agent scenario: Abdulmutallab told authorities "operatives" in Yeman gave him the explosives. The US attacked Yemen on December 19th.

Whether intentionally planned by the Global Cabal (you know, "Them,") or the Trickster in our face, there are esoteric elements all over these events. Two mentally unstable people, a  woman in her twenties wearing a hood that's red, (Christmas color, blood, sacrifice, wanton woman,) the inept would be airplane bomber from Nigeria, (the Nigerian e-mail spam scams,) Christmas Day, (world peace, love, goodwill to men, religion. . . ) the Pope, (authority, religion, spiritual control, sexual control, Nazis,) the Vatican,(more control and authority infrastructure, hidden treasures and secrets, power, global presence) and Kafka-esqe rules that are, we're  told,to keep us safe, but really serve to humiliate and control.

These incidents seem unconnected and maybe they are; but they all happened on the global stage, during a time of global sharing and unity, and where travel is at its highest on a world wide level. Institutions were attacked: the Pope/Vatican, (and two weeks previously, Italy's PM, another authority) and an airline, directly involving Homeland Security.

Notes
Detroit attack: terrorist once again confounds airport security

Christmas assault on pope in St Peter’s

United States Attacks Yemen 

Reposted on my blog  Octopus Confessional

Staring at the Sun, Waiting for Mary

From this article Looking at the BVM can make you go blind...

An intersting report surfaces via the Irish Times. Recent supposed appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) have been following the pattern made famous at Fatima - namely word gets around, lots of people turn up and then they claim to see the sun dancing around in the sky. October the 31st saw 10 000 people attending and an earlier appearance on the 11th of October also saw large numbers. At both gatherings people claimed to see the sun shimmering, changing colour and dancing in the sky.

People are looking towards the heavens, watching suns dance and colors glimmer, and this is causing problems for some, who find they have to go to the hospital:

Well people are quite naturally looking at the sun attempting to get their own view of a miracle.  Some are then presenting themselves to University Hospital Galloway with vision problems.Dr Eamonn O'Donoghue, consultant opthalmologist reports that they have witnessed five recent cases of solar retinopathy (damage to the retina from prolonged exposure to the sun - i.e. from staring at it).  

From Damn Data!: The Fatima-BVM-UFO Connection

The excellent blog Cabinet of Wonders has an item by contributor "Emperor" concerning Fatima, UFOs and the BVM. He quotes Fatima-UFO-BVM writer Professor Joaquim Fernandes; pay Cabinet of Wonders a visit to find out more.

BVM Returns to Knock, Ireland?

Another BVM appearance, this time in Knock, Ireland, which is the site of a BVM visitation in 1879. Now, many have come from all over to see if she'll reappear in the same place. As seems to be the common response from the Vatican, no Church sanctioned words or representatives have lent support:

Coleman complained that the Catholic church had not made a priest available to recite the Rosary with him and the thousands gathered in waiting. Describing himself as "a visionary of our Blessed Mother", he said the visitation would only be visible "to people who come with an open heart".

Paralleling other BVM visitations, like Fatima, it's expected Mary will arrive in a "dancing sun."

Story here: Thousands await Knock's new Virgin Mary vision:Pilgrims have travelled to a rain-soaked corner of western Ireland hoping to witness a miracle

From L.A. Marzulli: Fatima the New Movie...Deception A go-go

On UFO Digest, new article on the new film Fatima and the event: "Fatima The New Movie ... Deception A go-go" from researcher L.A. Marzulli. Thanks to Lesley at The Debris Field for the link. Includes a clip of the movie.

Esoteric Connections in Mexican Wrestling

My new Trickster's Realm will be up sometime tomorrow for Binnall of America: Fun With Lucha Libre’s Esoteric Side. The column was inspired by the by now almost iconic photograph of two Lucha Libre wrestlers viewing an image of the Virgin Mary in a California restaurant.

While there at Binnall of America, be sure to read all the other great columns, and listen to the podcasts. As always, Tim Binnall offers the most interesting interviews -- and for free.

On Naveed's Realm: Deluge Myths

Naveed at Naveed's Realm is doing a nice series on deluge/flood myths. Have a look.

Blog Find: Virgin Mary (again)

I found a very nicely designed and presented blog that tracks appearances of the BVM's image on things like trees, truck windows, etc. It's called Virgin Mary (again). It's a useful resource, but it is definitely a skeptic blog; the blog author or authors have no patience with the phenomena. Here's an example from her post "Our Lady of Looks Like an Ordinary Potato:"

Usually I add some salt and pepper too. I use kosher salt most often. If a potato is actually an apparition of the Holy Virgin Mother of God with Perfectly Intact Hymen Covering Her Virtuous Virginal Vagina holding her son is that still kosher food? I know Jesus was always telling people “Eat me”, so I guess it would not be rude. If I nuked this potato and took it out onto the patio would that constitute eating out the Holy Virgin Mother of God with Perfectly Intact Hymen Covering Her Virtuous Virginal Vagina holding her son? So many questions!

Not for the delicate, certainly not for the religious and the faithful, and woos like myself probably won't like it either, unless you're like me and expect that kind of thing :)

Taking it to the People, Tricksters ...

My new Trickster's Realm column for Binnall of America will be up sometime tomorrow: Seeing the Virgin: Tricksters Take it to the People.

Fatima 1917: The Buzzing

From the "What's all this then?" blog:Fatima. 1917. The Buzzing.

Gabriella Ricciardi: "Telling Stories, Building Altars: Mexican American Women's Altars in Oregon

Telling Stories, Building Altars: Mexican American Women's Altars in Oregon by Garbriella Ricciardi. In Madras, Oregon, altars and beliefs.

Professor Dan Wojcik: "Spirits, Apparitions, and Traditions of Supernatural Photography"

I found this while searching on-line this evening for Marian apparitions in Oregon: Spirits, Apparitions, and Traditions of Supernatural Photography, from University of Oregon folklore professor Daniel Wojcik. With photos he has taken himself at Bayside, New York. Very interesting.

Keep UFO Hunters on Air

Lesley posted this on Women Of Esoterica, and I'm passing it along. Please sign the petition and keep UFO Hunters on the air!

Bill has just finished filming for Season 3 and I don't know if there will be a Season 4. Maybe you -- plus some pals -- can write to the network and let them know you would like to see more episodes:

http://www.history.com/global/feedback/contact.jsp?site=HistoryChannel.com&NetwCode=THC

or you can sign a petition:

http://www.petitiononline.com/uf0hunt/petition.html

Either way, it can't hurt, and it just might help!

Keeping hope alive!

Thanks!

nb

richelle hawks: "Virgins and Saints Along the Mohawk"

Esoteric author, and contributor to Women Of Esoterica, has a neat Medussa's Ladder on Binnall of America: Virgins and Saints Along the Mohawk." It's a look at the west coast vs. east coast cultural differences in presenting Mary, as well as broader cultural representations.

One of the most visible cultural dynamics is the presence of the Virgin Mary. In upstate New York's Mohawk Valley, where I live, Virgin Mary statues and icons are everywhere: restaurants, atop buildings and institutions, gas stations, affixed to mailboxes on rural roads. The Blessed Virgin Mary hangs out in windows, looms large over cemeteries, and watches over her flock from backyard altars. She's always made of concrete or plaster.

This is not Mexico, and this is not the fantastical, glorious Virgen de Guadalupe; here, the Holy Mother is unadorned, plain. There are no bright plastic flowers, nor are there colorful candles in jars, no milagros. Generally, there is no sense of "shrinage."

By the way, don't forget you can download a free pdf collection of blog entries on the BVM that includes an article by richelle on the image of Mary in Utah.

Mexican Wrestlers and a BVM Image

There's a great post over at Cabinet of Wonders about Mexican wrestlers visiting a "shrine" of the BVM, who appeared on a griddle at the Las Palmas restaurant: Masked wrestlers declare BVM appearance a miracle. This has a lot of Fortean juxtapositions and history here; goes beyond a mere image of Mary on a potato chip kind of thing.

Mary on a Griddle

The BVM makes an appearance, this time on a griddle in Calexico ,

More here

Website: "Christians Against UFOs and Aliens"

Christians Against UFOs and Aliens is a website that doesn't believe that aliens and UFOs exist, as in, beings from outer space, but that what many of us think of as aliens (ET) and spaceships are really Satan. In many ways, though for very different reasons, I think they're on to something; not because of their doctrine, but because of the "thing" that formed their doctrine. That "thing" being ET/alien/UFO/"other" . . . either way, interesting site for the Fortean obsessed.

On UFO Digest: Is There God a Mother?

Ron Murdock has a short piece on UFO Digest: Is There A God The Mother?

There's an "editor's note" to the piece:

Editor's Note: Although I am not Catholic I have read that the Catholic Church believes that Jesus' mother Mary was also born through miraculous conception. According to www.catholicplanet.com: "God desired that the Virginity of Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, be so perfect, complete, and all-encompassing that even the manner of her Immaculate Conception and her Holy Birth were required by God to be entirely Virginal, occurring solely and entirely by a miracle of God, and not in the usual way."

This coincides with the idea of the "ancient astronauts" theory; paralleling other sacred myths about being "seeded," genetic manipulation, sky beings, human "hybrids" (half man, half other), mixed parentage (human mother, "alien" or "god" father) and so on.

Project Blue Beam

Interesting piece on the Psychic Experiences site: NASA and Project Blue Beam.

Mary's Colors Clues?

On UFO Digest, Carolyn S. writes about the colors used in religious stain glass art, and asks if the colors used, particularly the colors used in images of Mary, are clues leading to information as well as location: Connection at New Orleans Cathedral to Rennes Mystery the Box and Mary's Colours

An excerpt from her article:

I have found another coincidence in the colours of Mary and something Ben Hammott has found using the clues he gathered from Rennes Chateau. Its concerning the wood box with the cup ,annointing jar, and other treasures that were found in a cave by Ben Hammott. It has to do with Mary's colours. . . Are these colours marking something or helping locate a treasure?. . . Red, blue, and green are the additive primary colors and if you make three circles combining with each other Mary colours are at the middle which is a light blue and white. Many statues of the world that use the Mary use the colors blue and white there is a scientific basis for this.

A Christian "Smoking Gun": UFOs and Religion

Synchronicity abounds in esoterica; the column I submitted last night for UFO Magazine is about this topic. I was unaware of Joe Jordan's articles until I was proofing the article.

Joe Jordon is a newly converted Christian who's rejected his new age ways and uses prayer within a Christian context to keep aliens at bay. He also seems to be about testifying at UFO conventions, as Greg Bishop reported awhile back on UFO Mystic.

Here's part 1 and a part II of his articles on this topic.

For the non-religious, UFO researcher Ann Druffel wrote How to Protect Yourself Against Alien Abductions.

I don't know when my article will be out; it depends on what issue editor Nancy Birnes thinks it will fit the best.

Visions Of The Virgin Mary by Courtney Roberts,takes an astrological journey into BVM apparitions.

ChristoPaganism

My Llewellyn catalog arrived yesterday, and in it is a full page ad for the book ChristoPaganism, by Joyce and River Higginbotham. I've never heard of ChristoPaganism before. From the little bit of reading I've done it seems to share basic ideas with Gnosticism. I think. But, if you're interested, the book is available on the usual site; Amazon.com etc. and a Google search turns up a lot of interesting places.

The Growing Latina Population; What Does This Mean For Non-Latino Women In the Womens Spirituality Movement?

The Growing Latina Population; What Does This Mean For Non-Latino Women In the Womens Spirituality Movement. from the Mother Lover Goddess blog.

Christian UFO Event; Pag

A first in UFOlogy:First Christian-UFO-alien symposium.

No Worship On 'Virgin Mary Hill'

The crackdown on acknowledging appearances of the BVM in Africa: (thanks to The Daily Grail for the item.)

No worship on 'Virgin Mary' hill
By Prime Ndikumagenge
BBC News, Bujumbura

Virgin Mary image
Worshippers claim only those with a "special gift" see the apparition

Worship has been banned on a small rural hill in Burundi, where a woman claims to see the Virgin Mary on the same day of every month.

Keeping with Fortean tradition, the woman is twenty-three years old. Esoteric minded individuals know that twenty-three is a big time high strangeness number.

The local government, and the Church -- neither are amused:

"The archibishop of the northern diocese has formally advised worshippers to stop going to see Euzebie while the church investigates" - Edouard Nduwimana
Provincial governor

The religious and the curious are "trouble makers" as the government refers to them. To make sure people stay away and follow both the law, and the Vatican's, pronouncement to stay away, they've put police in the area.

BVM in Stain in Chicago Underpass Defaced Again

Since 2005, a stain many believe to be of the Virgin Mary has been visible on a Chicago underpass. Virgin Mary Underpass Stain Defaced With Devil Graffiti, reported by FOX News. There's a link in the article that takes you to the image of the purple devil graffiti. There are also several links on the sidebar related to the story of the image: people charged with previous vandalism, etc. The comments left by readers are also interesting to read.

Interesting things about this: while there's the division between the official, authoritarian line of the Vatican and Catholics regarding the BVM, there are also the divisions among the "folk." Many Christians but non-Catholics mock BVM apparitions, images, etc. or find them offensive. As do some Catholics as well. . . point is, many religious see things like this as embarrassing, superstitious, and/or sacrilegious.

For example, Victor Gonzalez was charged with "criminal damage" when he defaced the stain, writing "Big Lie" over the image. His reason for doing so: "he believed visitors were worshiping a graven image in violation of the Second Commandment."

Catholics Ordered To Keep Quiet Over Virgin Visions

Reporters Jerome Taylor and Simon Caldwell discuss the Vatican's latest in regards to Marian apparitions:Catholics ordered to keep quiet over Virgin visions

This is one aspect of the phenomena of Marian Apparitions that intrigues me: the Church's history of denial and suppression around Marian apparitions. Currently, the Vatican is exercising its power by mandating Catholics stay mum about visitations:"Catholics who claim they have seen the Virgin Mary will be forced to remain silent ..." waiting until the visitations have been investigated by "psychologists, theologians, priests and exorcists." The goal of this renewed effort is to "stamp out false claims of miracles."

Obvious questions come to mind. Why is the Vatican so focused on this now? What is it about the timing of these "new guidelines" in terms of BVM apparitions? Why have "new guidelines" at all? Who decides what's a "false claim" and what isn't?

I can't keep from thinking that there is a connection between this and the Vatican's positive acknowledgement that ET exists. An odd juxtaposition: the BVM, and the effort put forth by the Church to keep her hidden, and the overt acknowledgement that aliens are real. Not angels, demons and Satan, which are also acknowledged to exist of course, but literal ET, aliens, from outer space. The distinction between aliens and angels is made by the Church.

"It is entirely credible that in the enormous distance between Angels and humans, there could be found some middle stage, that is beings with a body like ours but more elevated spiritually. If such intelligent beings really exist on other planets, only science will be able to prove; but in spite of what some people think, we would be in a position to reconcile their existence with the Redemption that Christ has brought us.” (Vatican theologian Monsignor Corrado Balducci)

This new directive from the Vatican is called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. That may sound reasonable enough,except this used to be known as the Holy Office Of The Inquisition. This update will renew the version from 1978s. In other words, the Inquisition has been kept alive in various forms right up to the present.

Aside from the relationship between Mary and ET, a comparison can be made between the image of "The Lady" and witches. During the Inquisition, women were tortured and killed under the premise that they were witches.

Witnesses to miracles, including Marian apparitions, can talk about it and "will be believed" as long as they stay quiet and don't seek a public forum. If they don't keep quiet, they won't be believed, according to this new mandate. The person making the claim of miracle, stigmata, or BVM visit, will have to endure examinations by psychiatrists, exorcists, etc. to: exclude the possibility that Satan is hiding behind the apparitions in order to deceive the faithful.

This is chilling on a lot of levels of course. From the context of the new guidelines itself,(Inquisition) to the suppression of the individuals mystical/paranormal experience, the war between authoritarian keepers of experience (whether it's the Vatican, the JREF, Skeptical Inquirer, CSI, or the government) and the "folk" continues.


Dialogue in Bellaria:
SITCHIN AND VATICAN THEOLOGIAN DISCUSS UFO's,
EXTRATERRESTRIALS, ANGELS, CREATION OF MAN, Report by Zecharia Sitchin

Slightly Revised UFO Mary Download

It's still free, and it's still available, just a different color cover and the addition of Richelle Hawk's photograph that accompanies her article. Click on the BVM image in the menu on your right to get there.