Monster-Sized Bats on Puerto Rico?

That's a question I ask at Mysterious Universe...

 

Robert Goerman reviews "The Black Diary"

 

Robert Goerman's great new review of my latest book, The Black Diary: 

 

 

The Black Diary: M.I.B., Women in Black, Black-Eyed Children, and Dangerous Books

by Nick Redfern

Publisher: Lisa Hagan Books (May 13, 2018)

Paperback: 258 pages

Reviewed by Robert A. Goerman

http://robertgoerman.wixsite.com/paranormal

It is an absolute fact that credible people encounter incredible beings. Some of these entities can rather successfully impersonate the human inhabitants of Earth.

I usually designate these counterfeits as "Mysterious Strangers." This may include those mimics that harass eyewitnesses to so-called "UFO" and "paranormal" events or any that intimidate investigative researchers of unexplained phenomena. Quite often, the "high strangeness" of the stranger is only realized during pensive hindsight. This is after the "enchantment" has broken. Enchantment here refers to the manipulation of human perception, consciousness, and memory. It also refers to their exploitation of our time and space continuum.

I have organized these encounters into three distinct categories based on weirdness: Curious, Bizarre, and Incredible.

The "Curious" level contains those cases where the strangers display an uncanny knowledge of exactly what the witness saw or sometimes appear on the scene before that witness had a chance to report the experience to the authorities or media.

"Bizarre" cases may include these things and more. The visitors may appear odd or act very strangely. They may speak in a monotone "like a computer" or with an unidentifiable accent; try to drink Jell-O; move in a mechanical manner; have no visible body hair; males might wear bright red lipstick and cosmetics; resemble a cadaver; appear to have respiratory difficulties; "run out" of energy... all as if poorly imitating human beings.

"Incredible" cases add an extraordinary touch to the aforementioned categories. For instance, the interlopers may disappear in one of two ways. There is a difference between vanishing in plain sight and disappearing in the blink of an eye. The former indicates that the witness sees the entity vanish during unbroken vigilance. Disappearing in the blink of an eye means that the witness looked away or blinked and the visitor was gone. Irish folklore tells us to never take our eyes off a leprechaun during a pursuit or he will vanish. Our strangers might also walk through a muddy field and leave no tracks. The laws of our spatiotemporal "reality" do not deter certain visitants.

Personally researching encounters with nonhuman beings for more than five decades, it is my distinct honor and privilege to read, review, and recommend the MiB/WiB trilogy by my colleague Nick Redfern. The Black Diary: M.I.B., Women in Black, Black-Eyed Children, and Dangerous Books is his grand finale to the series. To call it "grand" is an understatement.

There are, first and foremost, mesmerizing accounts of meetings with nonhuman beings.

On July 19, 2012, Gloria (a senior citizen from Decatur, Texas) was just minding her own business and reading a book, with her two dogs for company. Both pets began barking at the sky. She looked up in time to observe what can only be accurately described as a classic flying saucer before it suddenly dematerialized, rather than having shot away at high speed. It was a case of "here-one-second-and-gone-the-next-second." Animal reactions are part and parcel of many paranormal mysteries.

Gloria had a brief peek into the unknown. She took no photos or video. She recovered no physical evidence of the "UFO" existence. She did not report her sighting to the media or the authorities.

And yet, there was a knock on her door the following afternoon. It was a pale-faced skeletal woman of about thirty, wearing a long black wig and dressed in a black jacket, a white blouse, and a flowing, black skirt (in July in Texas). She also sported huge sunglasses. The WiB smelled of dirt. This stranger warned Gloria not to talk about the UFO she had encountered the previous day, due to the claim that "the government is concerned." After asking what the time was, the WiB turned, walked down Gloria's driveway and vanished into nothingness.

Nick and I both know that these strangers are not from any government agency. While MiB/WiB visits can turn "ho-hum" UFO sightings into memorable cases, these entity encounters can also be quite hazardous to your health.

Kent Senter described his physical reactions to a visit from three MiB. "I looked up and immediately felt numbness and somewhat of a tingling electric shock in my stomach. I have never felt this sensation before or since. It was similar to a funny bone hit, but in the stomach only... It all seemed so strange and I felt like I was in a stupor."

Could Kent be describing some type of invisible assault to his Solar Plexus? Interestingly enough, the Solar Plexus chakra is associated with the following psychological and behavioral functions: willpower, clarity of judgement, and making decisions. Perhaps these beings, from realms unknown, recognize more than our crude biological vulnerabilities.

Reactions to visits from these strangers may include mind-numbing fear, perceived evil, confusion, electrifying energy racing up the spine, sickness in the stomach, loss of will, and even loss of consciousness. These effects might be a reaction to purposefully directed energies and the localized environment created by the close proximity of these "beings."

One witness summed up his feelings to Nick: "I don't know if you've ever eaten anything that's made you really sick and then afterwards, just the thought or smell or even sight of that food will bring back the symptoms again? That's how it is with these MiB things, pretty much exactly. You know when they're around. You can feel it like the oncoming symptoms of a flu or food poisoning attack." Redfern reports that others have fallen ill after their encounters with these Mysterious Strangers.

It is all here in The Black Diary: M.I.B., Women in Black, Black-Eyed Children, and Dangerous Books. There are strange and threatening telephone calls. There are "phantom photographers" and "grinning men." There are even phantom Black Helicopters that morph into the weirdest things!

The Black Diary (2018) by Nick Redfern joins the honored tradition of The Mothman Prophecies (1975) by John Keel, The Mysterious Valley (1996) by Christopher O'Brien, and Hunt for the Skinwalker (2005) by Colm A. Kelleher Ph.D. and George Knapp. Each of these amazing authors documented, in a chronological journal style of sorts, the mayhem and mystery, synchronicity and "Trickster" phenomena that interacted with their research and the lives of those within the scope of their investigations.

The Black Diary: M.I.B., Women in Black, Black-Eyed Children, and Dangerous Books is a tantalizing and dangerous roller coaster. Ride it at your own risk. For those that do, I offer this advice:

1.) Not every idea in your head belongs to you.

2.) These cosmic forces know what you think and do.

3.) Some synchronous events are orchestrated for your benefit or detriment.

 

 

Time For New Articles...

1. The U.S. Navy's "Jack Kerouac File."

2.  The saga of Frank Stranges and Valiant Thor.

3. Sex with Robots.

4. Creatures on the Loose.

5. Beware of the Grinning Man.

6. The Vampire in Fiction.

7. A U.K. Mothman?

8. Cattle Mutilations and Hollywood.

9. Supernatural "Alien Big Cats."

10. UFOs and Government Files.

1, 2, 3: Men in Black

New Articles...

1. A 1950s saga/mystery of an out of place animal in Texas.

2. A Diary of the Damned (about my new book, The Black Diary).

3. UK Government Files on UFOs.

4. Mysterious Fireballs in U.S. skies in the 1940s.

5. When Governments Spy on Ufologists.

The Black Diary: June 5

 My new book, The Black Diary:M.I.B., Women in Black, Black-Eyed Children and Dangerous Books, is officially released on June 5.

Many thanks to Crystal Myrick for the cool and creepy trailer!

Click on the link above for more on the book...

10 Recent Articles From Me...

1. A strange saga of the Loch Ness Monster and magic...

2. And a follow-up article on supernatural lake-monsters...

3. The controversy surrounding the Chupacabra...

4. Shape-shifting creatures...

5. When George Adamski got hoaxed...

6. Flying Saucers and Uranium poisoning...

7. Taking a look at the Yeti...

8.  Brad Steiger and the Trickster phenomenon...

9. Men in ape-suits...

10. The future of Cryptozoology...

A Bunch Of New Articles...

1. Should the term "Ufology" be changed to something else?

2. Is Mothman a Shape-Shifter?

3. Secret Sources: Friends Or Foes?

4. Aliens Or Time-Travelers?

5. The Changing Fashions Of The Men in Black.

6. Looking Back At The Norliss Tapes.

7. Quatermass and the Pit: 50 Years On.

The "Demonic UFOs" Theory Continues...

Back in 2010, I wrote a book called Final Events. It was focused on a group within the government which had a very strange and controversial belief. They believed that the UFO phenomenon is not extraterrestrial but literally demonic. Some people said at the time it was nonsense to say that such a group/think-tank could exist. Now, 8 years after Final Events was published, there's this from today:

http://metro.co.uk/2018/05/08/religious-pentagon-mod-officials-thought-ufos-demonic-divine-former-government-investigators-reveal-7529174/

Ufology Or A New title

At Mysterious Universe, I ask whether the term "Ufology" should be replaced with something else...

The Black Diary - Coming on June 5...

Coming on June 5, my new book, The Black Diary: M.I.B., Women in Black, Black-Eyed Children, and Dangerous Books. When the book appears on Amazon, I'll post the info here.

From the publisher, Lisa Hagan Books:

• “His skin was strange”
• “She had total black eyes”
• “You could almost taste the menace”
• “The impulse to burn the book is mighty interesting”

Nick Redfern reveals the very latest information on the sinister Men in Black, the chilling Women in Black, and the creepy Black-Eyed Children. Highlights include: dozens of never-before-seen stories of encounters with these creatures; Nick’s own sighting of an MIB; the ability of these multi-dimensional entities to invade our space in hostile fashion; and how and why writing, reading
and even thinking about them can be hazardous.

Nick Redfern is the author of more than forty books. They include Men in Black; Women in Black; The Roswell UFO Conspiracy; and 365 Days of UFOs. Nick has appeared on many TV shows, including the BBC’s Out of This World; the SyFy Channel’s Proof Positive; the History Channel’s Monster Quest, America’s Book of Secrets and UFO Hunters; the National Geographic Channel’s Paranatural; and MSNBC’s Countdown. He can be contacted at: http://nickredfernfortean.blogspot.com

Robert Goerman Reviews "The Slenderman Mysteries"

An excellent new review from Robert Goerman of my recently published book, "The Slenderman Mystreries."

The Slenderman Mysteries: An Internet Urban Legend Comes to Life
by Nick Redfern
Publisher: New Page Books (February 19, 2018)
Paperback: 288 pages
Reviewed by Robert A. Goerman
http://robertgoerman.wixsite.com/paranormal

Well, soak me in gasoline and hand me a lighter... I must confess to originally never giving all this "Slenderman" business a second thought. Nick Redfern changes all that. The Slenderman Mysteries: An Internet Urban Legend Comes to Life leaves readers feeling like helpless bugs trapped in a violently shaken jar.

Eric Knudsen has an epiphany. Prompted by a Photoshop contest to manipulate ordinary photos into scary paranormal images, he "creates" The Slender Man (now known simply as Slenderman) during a "boring" afternoon at work. Knudsen admits to throwing together the two original images in about fifteen minutes and that "it was pretty spontaneous." The black-and-white photographs depict a very tall and emaciated "man" in a black suit. His arms and legs are way too long and spiderlike. He has no hair or face. Tentacles protrude from his back. He is lurking behind a group of children. Using the pseudonym of "Victor Surge," Knudsen downloads the doctored photos, accompanied by some tantalizing text, to the Something Awful (SA) website forum and The Slender Man is born on June 10, 2009. Wednesday's child is full of woe.

In an interview, Knudsen adds, "You’ve seen him, now you can’t unsee him."
As I independently research each aspect while reading Nick Redfern's book, I am amazed and alarmed as to how effortlessly Knudsen's nightmarish contagion is crafted and the efficient incubation period of the psycho-virus. "Slendermania" spreads like wildfire. Redfern writes that "None of this occurred in weeks or even months. It all happened within days."

It gets weirder.

On the night of November 6, 2009, George Noory, host of the hugely popular paranormally themed talk-show Coast to Coast AM, takes a number of calls from people who claim to have personally encountered an entity resembling Slenderman. Some claim the Slenderman invades their dreams. Others see the Slenderman in the real world.

My colleague, the Reverend Robin Swope, has many narratives concerning encounters with Slenderman. Many of these predate the invention of the mythos. These are detailed in his 2012 book Slenderman: From Fiction to Fact.

What is happening here?

Who or what is the Slenderman? Is he a mind-created Tulpa or thought-form that can stride out of our darkest imaginations and into reality if enough people believe in him? Is Eric Knudsen a creator or conduit? Is the Internet awake and tormenting us with equivalents of our very own online nightmares? Is he summoned by Chaos Magic? Is Slenderman the "reborn face of an ancient evil?" There are far more questions and theories and synchronicities than answers.

On May 31, 2014, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, both twelve, lure their friend, fellow sixth-grader Payton “Bella” Leutner, into the woods near their Waukesha, Wisconsin suburb. What happens next becomes international news. Geyser and Weier stab Leutner nineteen times and then leave her to die, hoping that her death will make them worthy of becoming servants or "proxies" of Slenderman. Their victim survives the attack and Geyser and Weier are arrested, tried, and sentenced. Slenderman becomes a household word. The horrific tragedy now haunts every attempt to research this topic.
I do not envy Nick Redfern on this endeavor. The Slenderman Mysteries: An Internet Urban Legend Comes to Life covers a lot of territory. Interviews are conducted with the likes of Jenny Coleman, Mike Huberty, Allison Jornlin, Tea Krulos, Olav Phillips, Kimberly Rackley, Robin Swope, and Ian Vincent.

Whenever I examine any reported encounter with the paranormal, I attempt to ascertain the temperature of the witness. In a COLD encounter, the witness is minding their own business, with nary a thought about the unknown and unexplained. During WARM encounters, the witness has a temporary involvement with the paranormal spurred by mild curiosity or social pressure. They may be playing with a Ouija board or participating in an amateur hunt for ghosts or cryptids. HOT encounters involve individuals who are in active pursuit of the paranormal.

One of my favorite cases in The Slenderman Mysteries: An Internet Urban Legend Comes to Life is very HOT. "Lacy," a trainee flight attendant from Erie, Pennsylvania becomes overwhelmingly obsessed with the the saga of the Slenderman, reading all that she could about the subject. One book that she reads is Slenderman: From Fiction to Fact.

Lacy always keeps her laptop computer on a coffee table in her living room. On three occasions in 2016, her device, which was in sleep-mode, wakes up. The first time it briefly displays an image looking like a cross between a man and a long-legged bug. The second time it clearly displays Slenderman's non-face. On the final occasion, a voice announces: "We are friends." Lacy immediately drops her research into the Slenderman, deletes all her files on the subject, and burns her copy of Reverend Swope's book in a metal container in her mother's yard. Slenderman did not return.
There is a history of paranormal phenomena emanating from telephones, radios, and televisions. Haunted computers seems to be the next phase.

There is also a history of "psychic backlash." Sometimes, when a person becomes too deeply immersed in paranormal investigation and research, the phenomena appears to realize that it is being watched and responds. Usually, not in a positive manner. John Keel and others, warn us, time and time again, about the dangers of contemplating supernatural entities.
Be careful what you wish for.

We may want to prepare ourselves for a new wave of "Slendermania." Slender Man is an upcoming supernatural horror film directed by Sylvain White and written by David Birke. The film stars Joey King, Julia Goldani Telles, Jaz Sinclair, Annalise Basso and Talitha Bateman. The monster is portrayed by Javier Botet. A brief summary reads: "Slender Man tells the story of a tall, thin, horrifying figure with unnaturally long arms and a featureless face, who is reputed to be responsible for the haunting and disappearance of countless children and teens." It will be released by Screen Gems on August 24, 2018.

Nick Redfern's book will be a great place to start.

The Ozark UFO Gig in Photos

A bunch of photos from the weekend, at the Ozarks UFO gig. A great time! About 600 people turned up and lots of fun!

It's Article Time Again...

1: An article from me on the controversial story of Bob Lazar and Area 51. Lazar's claims usually place people into two camps: those who think that Lazar's story is true and those who think it's bullshit. But, what if there was a third theory/explanation, one which involves mind-games, hypnosis and mind-altering drugs? Here's the article.

2: A two-part article on the controversial issue of Bigfoot in the U.K. Here's part-1 and here's part-2.

3: The issue of man-made (rather than alien-built) UFOs.

4: Possibly the weirdest Man in Black story of all.

5: UFOs seen around military and government installations.

6: The Moon-base that never was.

The Man Who Loved An Alien That Never Existed

Over at the Mysterious Universe website, I give my opinion on one of the strangest of all alleged alien encounters, which took place in the Nevada desert in the early 1950s. It's the weird saga of a man named Truman Bethurum.

It's Time For A Few New Articles...

1. A baboon-like animal seen in Illinois in the 1940s...

2. Are the Black-Eyed Children self-aware?

3. Similarly, are the M.I.B. self-aware?

4. Why are strange creatures so often seen crossing roads?

5. The strange creatures of Cuba.

6. A review from me of Roland Watson's new book on Nessie.

Beware of the Black Eyed Kid

So, there I was, speaking on my new book, The Slenderman Mysteries at the 7th Annual Texas Metaphysical & Paranormal Unity Fest in Glenrose, Texas last Saturday.

A great time was had!

As you can see, one of the Black-Eyed Children came up to me and claimed I was its dad......

A New Book on the Loch Ness Monsters

Received in the mail a few days ago and which I'll be reviewing soon. It's the new Loch Ness Monster-themed book from Roland Watson.

I have been waiting for someone to tell this story, as it deals with one of the most interesting aspects of the Loch Ness Mystery, that of sightings on land/on the shores.

You can find Roland's book (titled When Monsters Come Ashore: Stories of the Loch Ness Monster on Land) at this link.

New articles...

Monsters in the Mountains...

Half-Human & Half-Chimpanzee? No!

The United States' Mysterious "Little People"

Reviewing a New Book on Mothman and More...

Kidnapped by Bigfoot?

Another Tale of Kidnapping by a Monster

The Unknown Apes of Kenya


 

If Roswell Should Fall...

That's the subject of another new article from me, which addresses how Ufology will cope (or won't cope!) if, one day, Roswell is shown not to have been an E.T. event. You can find it here.