FATIMA topic on Coast to Coast Tonight

Secrets of Fatima

Sun 03-03
George Noory will be joined by Father Nicholas Gruner, one of the world's leading authorities on traditional Roman Catholic doctrine and practice, for a discussion on the series of apparitions at Fatima, Portugal from May to October 1917, in which a number of predictions, requests and warnings were allegedly conveyed by the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children.

Philip Coppens: The Lies of Fatima

The following from Philip Coppens:The Lies of Fatima;The apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima in origin had nothing to do with prophecies or, indeed, the Virgin Mary. But through a series of manipulations, the Church created one of the most elaborate lies, which formed the backdrop of major political events.

The story of the BVM at Fatima contains numerous fascinating elements. One aspect of the story is the following concerning Lucia, who kept the "secrets" and lived the rest of her life in a convent. But this, Coppens suggests (and the facts support) wasn't due entirely to Lucia's devotion as a Catholic.

...shortly after the Fatima apparitions, she was forced into a convent (she was not a devout Catholic when the visions happened; her father was actually an atheist), sent to a nunnery where she could not communicate with anyone because language barriers, and was later placed in solitary confinement, to make sure she didn’t speak to anyone; access to Lucia required the consent of the highest Vatican circles and it was rarely granted. What Lucia desired, was therefore totally at the Pope’s discretion.

It's been suggested before, and Coppens discusses this in his article, that the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul ll in 1981 had something to do with the Fatima secrets. So much so that "the bullet was later set in the crown of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima."

But was the secret a true prediction of an assassination attempt, or manipulated revelations by the Vatican -- manipulated to the extent of holding prisoner a woman for just about her entire life? Coppens shows us how the latter seems to be the case.

Note: be sure to read Lon Strickler's piece about Philip's article at his blog Phantom and Monsters!

Philip Coppens: An icon for Mother Russia

Philip Coppens' An icon for Mother Russia:

The Virgin of Kazan is one of the most revered icons Russia ever knew. Its disappearance at the time of the Russian Revolution was a catastrophe, but its resurgence and its link with Pope John Paul II and Fatima has added a most recent chapter to one of the world’s greatest icons.

Fascinating history of the icon, politics, the Vatican's role, relationship to Fatima, maverick or hidden archeology, and BVM apparitions.

An icon for Mother Russia

Marian Apparition/Moon Goddess Thread on the JREF

I abhor skeptibunkies, but I do acknowledge my twisted fascination with their convoluted, surreal mind-sets on things, particularly paranormal and esoteric subjects. On the JREF (James Randi Educational Forum) message board, is a thread in the "paranormal/general skepticism" category: "Endorsing Our Lady of Fatima is endorsing the Moon Goddess." 

I haven't been following the thread closely, but did find the above message interesting for its mention of a "grey alien" and UFOs in connection with Marian apparitions; Medjugorje. Whether or not the person is a troll  or for real, who can say, but it's an interesting thread for its inclusion of aliens, greys, Mary as UFO/alien, and seemingly "rogue" messages and manifestations at Medjugorje.

Related posts: my articles at UFO Digest: Speculation on Mary as a Trickster
and BVM Apparitions, UFOs and Deceptions

9 Approved Apparitions

The nine Vatican approved Marian apparitions, according to this site.

On JREF: "Endorsing Our Lady of Fatima is endorsing the Moon Goddess"

New thread on the uber-skeptic forum JREF (James Randi message boards) titled"Endorsing Our Lady of Fatima is endorsing the Moon Goddess" I'm not sure what the OP's intent or point is; and it's interesting he/she posted it on a skeptic forum -- a pathological skeptic forum, as the JREF is. The usual replies of snarky retorts, but an interesting idea from the OP. . .

Divine Apparitions Subject on Coast to Coast Tonight

Tonight's subject on C2C: "Divine Apparitions." Kevin Cook is the guest, described as a " Paranormal researcher specializing in Catholic Mysticism."  George Noory is tonight's host.

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).  

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.

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.

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

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.

The Lady

UFO and paranormal researchers who study BVM apparitions say that, in many of these apparitions, "the lady" never says who she is. She doesn't tell the witness she is the Blessed Mother; that's an assumption and interpretation on the part of the witness.

This fact, and parallels to psychic, paranormal and UFO phenomena, supports the theory that BVM appearances are UFO related, not literal religious events only.

In Heavenly Lights: The Apparitions of Fatima and the UFO Phenomenon, the authors Joaquim Fernandes and Fina D'Armada also mention this. In Chapter I of the book, they begin by pointing out that the lady appearing to the child witness Lucia didn't say who or what she was; the assumption it was of course the Virgin Mary was made by the deeply religious people in the area.

They quote Antonio dos Santos, Lucia's father, who said of the apparition's origins:

"If the kids saw a woman dressed in white, who else could she be but Our Lady?"

Lucia's mother questioned her about the visitation:

"Lucia, I heard it said that you saw Our Lady at Cova da Iria," her mother asked.

Lucia responded with:

"I never said that it was Our Lady -- rather, a small, pretty lady."

Visitations of ladies, often dressed in white, that come from the heavens, go back thousands of years; predating Christianity. The BVM phenomena cannot be considered in such strict and narrow terms as purely a literal religious phenomenon, as the authors of Heavenly Lights write, these apparitions are neither literally religious, nor are they to be dismissed as delusions:

Between the two extremes of irrational pity and rational intolerance, viewed in the long tradition of "the manque," there lies a vast no-man's land, where the practice of a "third way" is the beginning to find legitimacy in academic circles.

Coast to Coast Thursday: Fatima Secrets

Nicholas Gruner, "Fatima Secrets" will be on Coast to Coast this Thursday night.

The Fatima Teardrop

From Coast to Coast site, an image of the Fatima teardrop. (He's right, I don't think it looks like the famous ghost photo either.)

On UFO Digest: Fatima Revisited (The Appariton Phenomenon in UFOlogy, Psychology and Science)

UFO Digest has a review up right now by Malcolm Robinson: Fatima Revisited
(The Apparition Phenomenon In UFOlogy, Psychology, and Science),by Fernando Fernandes, Joaquim Fernandes & Raul Berenguel

Orbs and Roses and the Continuum: Richard L. Thompson

Orbs and Roses and the Continuum: Richard L. Thompson

I found excerpts from Richard L. Thompson’s book Alien Identities: Ancient Insights into Modern UFO Phenomena on the Watcher site. Interesting data on the 13th of the month, orbs, roses, and much more. In discussing the apparitions at Fatima, Thompson writes:

These phenomena included the appearance of a glowing, globe- shaped vehicle and the occurrence of a shower of rose petals that vanished upon touching the ground. Showers of flower petals are often mentioned in Vedic accounts of celestial visitations.[In other words, the rebel angels who pretended to be Vedic gods did the same things as the rebel angels who are now pretending to be Mary... perhaps they are the same rebellious entities? - ww] For example, here is an excerpt from the description of Krsna's rasa dance in the Bhagavata Purana:

The demigods and their wives were overwhelmed with eagerness to witness the rasa dance, and they soon crowded the sky with their hundreds of celestial airplanes. Kettledrums then resounded in the sky while flowers rained down and the chief Gandharvas and their wives sang Lord Krsna's spotless glories.

As for the aerial globe, one eyewitness, Mgr. J. Quaresma, described its appearance on September 13, 1917, as follows:

"To my surprise, I see clearly and distinctly a globe of light advancing from east to west, gliding slowly and majestically through the air...Suddenly the globe with its extraordinary light vanished, but near us a little girl of about ten con- tinues to cry joyfully: 'I still see it! I still see it! Now it is going down!'"

As many paranormal and UFO researchers have noted, “Mary” doesn't say she’s Mary; she appears as a being, an entity, interpreted as Mary. The children at Fatima saw an “angel” before Mary’s appearance:

Before their meetings with the lady, the three children also had encounters with an angel. At the time of the first encounter they were tending their sheep at a rocky knoll not far from their home. They saw across the valley a dazzling globe of light like a miniature sun, gliding slowly towards them. As it approached, the ball of light gradually resolved itself into a brilliantly shining young man, who seemed to be about fourteen years old

Thompson agrees that, like Vallee and others, Marian apparitions share a connection with UFO events. But Thompson takes a broader perspective; well worth reading. The following comment by Thompson is essential to approaching the UFO phenomena; one that researchers who think we should discard various elements because they’re embarrassing or kooky or just plain weird just heed:

Thus the UFO continuum might be seen as part of a larger mystical-humanoid continuum. Fatima would probably appear as a typical point in this larger assemblage.

I haven’t read the book, but plan to. The page I’m linking to, and where I got this material from, is from the Watcher site, which is a religious site dealing with UFOs.

http://www.mt.net/~watcher/october13maryfatima.html