Ghostly oarsmen on the broads

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Black Prince
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Re: Ghostly oarsmen on the broads

Post by Black Prince »

Santiago what would you do if you where out fishing alone in the wilds and saw something truly horrifying that was your worst night mare would you say to your self it's not real a trick of the mind carry on fishing and when at home say nothing to no one and go fishing same place again because if you could you would be more of a man than me yes I know full well what the brain is capable of doing I was involved in a rta not my fault recievd head injuries not told for 7 years at times I thought I was going mad but saw nothing untoward although it has been a strange time i now tell my self to calm down now I know what it is although I have some wonder full dreams due to my medication but I cannot remember most of the in the morning :Hat: mike

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Gary Bills
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Re: Ghostly oarsmen on the broads

Post by Gary Bills »

I agree with Black Prince, while I do also respect the scientific position...like most folks I've seen some crazy stuff over the years - and most of those experiences might well be down to imagination, due to fatigue, light conditions etc...but one or two events do make me pause and scratch my head - and it's those experiences that make you wonder and, to a large extent, change your outlook on the world.... :Hide:
This 'happening' didn't happen to me, but it is fascinating because there were two witnesses, and it happened last year. My brother, my nephew and a friend called Dannie, a chap I used to fish with during my pike fishing years, were fishing a canal junction, after carp, at night. The junction is at Stourton, where the Stourbridge Canal joins the Staffs and Worcester, and a bridge links the two canals. The spot is called Stewponey.
My nephew Steve - a university lecturer, I might add, and Dannie - a local authority manager (both bright, reasonable chaps) - both saw a translucent figure heading down the towpath of the Staffs and Worcester, towards them. Steve said it seemed to be walking above the surface of the towpath. When the figure passed in front of a moonlit opening in the trees, only its upper torso could be seen. When the figure moved into dark areas, only its moving legs could be seen. It was translucent - the classic ghost. Male. Most of the time, the whole of the figure could be seen. Steve watched amazed but nervous; he believed at the time that he was the only witness. The figure reached the little humpback bridge and started to cross, before vanishing. Steve and Dannie, by the way, were on the Stourbridge Canal side, watching it approach. As I say, Steven thought no-one else had seen it, but as soon as the figure vanished - as close as 5m to Steven and 15m to Dannie, it was Dannie who yelled: "Did you see that?! It must have been a ghost...."

Here's the bridge, by the way - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/974330

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Santiago
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Re: Ghostly oarsmen on the broads

Post by Santiago »

There might well be something to these ghost stories that really is other worldly. I certainly don't profess that science has all the answers, but I do think we should entertain rational explanations above the supernatural. However, I well remember the night that Princess Diana died. Watching the news coverage of her and Dodi leaving the Paris Hilton, surrounded by the paparazzi, I said to myself "who else are those paparazzi going to hound if Princess Diana should die". And we all know what happened later on that night. When I first heard the news I was in a Homebase car park idly listening to the radio, and nearly froze as her death was announced. So was that just a coincidence or something of a premonition? Spooky or what. I will never know.
"....he felt the gentle touch on the line and he was happy"

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Re: Ghostly oarsmen on the broads

Post by Pragmatist »

I guess one day science will have the answers, one way or the other.
Good posts from Gary and Black prince and also from yourself. None of us really know for sure and that's what makes these very rare events quite unnerving.

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Beresford
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Re: Ghostly oarsmen on the broads

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I've experienced other worldly happenings. My father's house dates from the C16th and I and my father have experienced an inexplicable sensation. This is odd, but I have heard of it elsewhere. I'm the dreamer who believes that there is another side to life my father is ex forces and then worked selling scientific measuring devices – he doesn't believe in ghosts. Over the span of a few years I had smelt cigarette smoke in the house on just two occasions. Neither dad or I smoked. The things was this smell was only a tiny area about a two feet 'blob' of smell. Very odd. You could walk in and out of it. A few years later in broad daylight exactly the same thing occurred. I then realised it was exactly the same time of year – down to the same week. Many years later my father rang me at work to ask me if I or any of my friends had been in his house smoking. You can guess my response.

As a twelve year old I had seen one of the curtains in my bedroom lift up slowly by the corners, rise to the ceiling and then drop. I'm still looking forward to science explaining that event. No shift of the air can pick up a curtain precisely by the corners in the way I witnessed.

However, I am also of the view that our understanding of physics may actually turn out to be very limited and that one day we might understand how places can seemingly record and play back an echo of past events. I've read one view from an Oxbridge professor who claims that time may not be linear as we currently accept it to be.

Against my better judgement, when I was a student the lads I shared a house with, had a ouija board session when I was out. When I got home they urged me to take part in a second session. They had no possible way of knowing prior to the session the facts that were divulged to them. The spirit they contacted was the departed friend of our live in landlady who they had never met or had any knowledge of beyond knowing his name. He gave them a message and a date. When that date came it turned out to be our landlady's birthday that none of us knew. As yet I have never come close to reading any scientific explanation about how this experience can be rationally explained by our existing knowledge of space/time/matter etc etc. Until this kind of thing can be explained then I remain of the view that there is far more to this world than we currently understand.

When my grandad died I woke up in the night having had a dream that somebody close to me was about to die. When the phone rang a few hours later I already knew the news.

My next door neighbour died a few years ago and came back to say goodbye to me. When we would chat and laugh she occasionally would hold onto my forearm as she laughed. Three days after the funeral I was cutting back one of her trees that had grown too large. I was wearing a T shirt and quite clearly felt somebody place their hand on my forearm. I knew exactly who it was and was very touched by that experience. When we had left the funeral service and her family had left I went up to the coffin to say my goodbyes and had touched the casket myself. I never felt her family looked after her well enough.

I do agree the mind plays tricks – I can draw and when you learn you have to play a psychological game with your brain. The problem is your brain keeps telling you what it wants you to draw but it is constantly leading the hand astray. It keeps telling you that you already know what the thing looks like that you are drawing and thus encourages you to get a move on. Actually drawing is actually 90% looking and 10% making marks. Those that can draw have trained themselves to ignore the misleading messages from the brain and instead impose a new reality on the mind based on forcing it to stop being so lazy and to stop making it up. Instead by fighting this psychological warfare with your own mind you can make it hold true pictures long enough for you to record them but it always returns to it's default setting, which is to imagine. It's the ability to imagine which may possibly set us apart from animals which may explain why darkness isn't naturally scary to them. When it gets dark I think we become more creative as we see less and therefore our brain has a wonderful time imposing fantastical realities.
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Black Prince
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Re: Ghostly oarsmen on the broads

Post by Black Prince »

What very good thread and write ups yes there're is so much argue ment to both sides it's more than likely a bit of both as for wigi boards and black arts I steer well clear would some one of a mature age Who didn't believe in ghosts etc happily play a wigi board no spirit no problems I used to work in a Victorian steel foundry I was first in in the mornings I covered the 20yds to the light switches very fast indeed it was a very haunted place indeed we had a very religious security guard who had to make a cerciut of the place at night stamping a card he carried with him to prove he was there at that time no lights apart from his torch there was gantries high up in the roof he heard foot steps turned his torch on expecting a intruder nothing there the foot steps went over him then died out what could explain this I do believe houses articles can tape happenings like a video tape to be played out in the future yes there is so much we don't know :Hat: mike

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Aquaerial
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Re: Ghostly oarsmen on the broads

Post by Aquaerial »

Two of my friends/then work colleagues were killed on Filby Bridge when their mini crashed there in the '70's. This thread has brought all that back again and in a positive way as I think about them. Having sold our home we are moving back that way too.. returning home so to speak...very helpful to explore my thoughts on where we end up.
Unconnected to the above but relevant... what are your thoughts on external consciousness? Animals are very sensitive to it and I believe once understood we are too. The body is merely a vessel but the consciousness and self awareness that is unique to ourselves... how can that cease to exist?
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That he didn't, didn't already have

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Santiago
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Re: Ghostly oarsmen on the broads

Post by Santiago »

Many other animals are self aware and show consciousness. For example, all primates, elephants, whales and dolphins. Even some birds like crows! I do find it quite odd that most humans still think they're unique in this way. And it's just basically electricity in our nervous systems which stops after death.
"....he felt the gentle touch on the line and he was happy"

Hemingway

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Black Prince
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Re: Ghostly oarsmen on the broads

Post by Black Prince »

Two things slightly off topic I believe the body is just a vessel to get us through life (mine would definitely not pass its mot)then when your time is up your soul carries on as a spirit in a good or evil form birds and animals defiantly have early warning systems hide as well as you can a gun in hand a bird turns unexplainable away just sit there with a rod in hand they sail over head :Hat: mike

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Wallys-Cast
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Re: Ghostly oarsmen on the broads

Post by Wallys-Cast »

There was mention lately about the human brain becoming more active at night time, I think it is more than likely a primitive survival instinct the same as other animals so when the light fades your eyes become less important and the other senses kick in stronger. Hearing footsteps etc in the dark will make you imagine someone walking near you and can cause the brain to conjure up images.

I was once night fishing and I could hear someone creeping up on me behind my brolly, thinking it was my mate playing tricks, I waited until he was right behind me then jumped up and switching my cap lamp on, I shouted whooo to scare him only to nearly falling in the water as two huge eyes lit up right in front of my face and then a very loud braying noise as a donkey ran off at full pelt with my brolly guy rope around one of its legs.
It unnerved me so much I couldn't carry on fishing but have laughed about it on many occasions since.

I really don't believe in ghosts but I do find it an interesting topic and would love to be proved wrong with irrefutable evidence or an actual personal experience. It just seems strange when nowadays everyone has cameras on them and still no hard evidence.

Wal.

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