[NSFW] The Singapore Occultists Thread

[Huat Zai]

 

[Huat Zai]

Edinburgh Museum of Magic, Fortune Telling and Witchcraft opens in Chalmers Close

 

The Museum of Magic, Fortune Telling and Witchcraft opened its doors at the weekend, taking visitors back to one of the darkest periods in Scotland’s history.

 

The museum at Chalmers Close off the High Street held a jam-packed opening event last Saturday before opening to the public the following day. Museum curator Ash William Mills, who studied Scottish ethanology and history at the University of Edinburgh and is a published author on magic and witchcraft, has been interested in the subjects since he was 12.

 

Ash said: "It’s going brilliant so far. We have had quite a lot of visitors, with a lot of them saying ‘why have we not had this museum before?’ One of our main focuses is witchcraft, and in particular the witch trials from 1590-1662 when Scotland had the third highest death rate for witches in Europe, only behind Switzerland and Germany, when 4000 people were executed here for witchcraft. So you can see the extent of how bleak it was during that period.

 

Pictures from the museum's opening night last Saturday, including Ash speaking to visitors (top left)

 

"That’s quite a lot of deaths for a country like Scotland as the population was lower back then compared to now, and much lower than England. From the reformation onwards that’s when the big craze started. The North Berwick witch trials started things off in 1590 when King James VI blamed witches for storms he faced returning by ship from Denmark.

"We focus on three main categories in magic. It starts with the witch trials and the history that was involved, along with some replica torture devices, then moves into folk magic like charms and spells that still persist today. We also focus on protection magic, which was quite popular until the 20th century. We have a mummified cat and a mummified rat, which would have been used to protect properties. Particularly cats, as they were seen as not only having nine lives but also possessing a sixth sense.”

 

Ash wants people to see the real history of magic and witchcraft in Scotland and believes he has the perfect location to showcase his collection. He said: "I hope to bring awareness. Last year there was the witches’ pardon by the Scottish Government and the Church of Scotland also apologised. I want to bring understanding and raise awareness of Scotland’s rich heritage of magic that still goes on today and bring that unique world to Edinburgh.

"With Harry Potter being so big in Edinburgh, if someone wants to see the reality of witchcraft and magic they should come here. The museum is not a spook fest. It’s a respectable museum with artefacts from over the centuries about magic and witch hunting in Scotland.

Museum of Magic, Fortune-telling & Witchcraft curator Ash William Mills welcoming visitors to the new tourist attraction just off the High Street at the opening night last Saturday.

"My partner and I set-up this place by ourselves. It took two and a half months to set-up with my own personal collection I have built up over the past 15 years, so my flat is cleared out! And I have picked up some more stuff recently donated. It’s nice to share it all with the public and not keep it to myself.

 

"I want visitors here to have an experience like they are stepping back in time and our location in an old close in Edinburgh’s Old Town is perfect. I instantly fell in love with this place. The foundations were built in the 17th century and the rest is late Victorian, so the look and feel of the place goes well with the story, which starts in the 17th century with the witch hunts. It’s perfect.”

The museum is open Tuesday to Friday 11am-7pm, 7am-7pm on Saturdays and 11am-7pm on Sundays, and is closed on Mondays.

 

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/edinburgh-museum-of-magic-fortune-telling-and-witchcraft-opens-in-chalmers-close-4049506

[Huat Zai]

 

[chamfer]

4 hours ago, Huat Zai said:

 

Is it something like 结界？

[Huat Zai]

14 hours ago, chamfer said:

Is it something like 结界？

结界 usually refers to "human made" area of exclusion, often to contain an entity or energy field. Thin places are more like areas where two worlds are closest to each other, and under special conditions, allows beings from either side to cross over.

[Huat Zai]

 

[chamfer]

 

[Huat Zai]

20 minutes ago, chamfer said:

 

 

 

Something else she didn't talk about is deconstruction. After you have enough experience and knowledge under your belt, you need to start cutting away all the bullshit from the actual art. That's not something you want a beginner to do, because there isn't anything to cut away from.

[chamfer]

11 minutes ago, Huat Zai said:

 

 

Something else she didn't talk about is deconstruction. After you have enough experience and knowledge under your belt, you need to start cutting away all the bullshit from the actual art. That's not something you want a beginner to do, because there isn't anything to cut away from.

 

I always wonder why most people only make or talk about beginner stuff. It's never intermediate or expert level. 

 

After watching this video, i finally realize it.

 

But frankly speaking even at beginner level there is so much ground to cover as one might change the practice path as one goes along.

[Huat Zai]

2 minutes ago, chamfer said:

 

I always wonder why most people only make or talk about beginner stuff. It's never intermediate or expert level. 

 

After watching this video, i finally realize it.

 

But frankly speaking even at beginner level there is so much ground to cover as one might change the practice path as one goes along.

 

If it was that easy to pass on the the knowledge it won't be called the esoteric arts, it will be exoteric arts. Also why practice is more important than receiving instructions.

[chamfer]

 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by chamfer

[chamfer]

 

Others might think he like talk big and has a yaya papaya attitude. He is really 'lucky' to have the 'gift' and the right teacher to help him boost his gift.

 

But his viewpoints does resonates with me.

[Huat Zai]

17 minutes ago, chamfer said:

 

Others might think he like talk big and has a yaya papaya attitude. He is really 'lucky' to have the 'gift' and the right teacher to help him boost his gift.

 

But his viewpoints does resonates with me.

He's not wrong, but the mouth is power
做人还是收敛一点，踢到铁板时才不会太痛.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Huat Zai

[Huat Zai]

28 schoolgirls in Colombia hospitalised after apparently playing with Ouija boards in school

 

 

28 schoolgirls in Colombia were hospitalised after suffering anxiety attacks after apparently playing with Ouija boards in school.

 

 

“There were 28 possible cases of anxiety in school students,” said Hugo Torres, head of the Galeras Educational Institution in Galeras, where the incident took place, according to New York Post and other media citing Jam Press.

The girls reportedly fainted and showed symptoms, including anxiety, while in school.

 

The school in Colombia via Jam Press

 

Parents and school faculty subsequently conveyed those afflicted to a municipal hospital.

The students’ diagnoses were not revealed.

But many parents blamed the use of Ouija boards, which have sliding pointers to spell out messages supposedly without human intervention.

Ouija boards were popularised in the United States in the late 1880s.

They are mentioned in occult lore as they are believed to be used to communicate with spirits.

 

 

 

Nutritional deficit to blame?

 

However, the controversy might be linked to a lack of nutrition, rather than the supernatural.

While many parents believe the children have been using Ouija boards in class, as per Mirror, officials are pointing to a more mundane cause.

This has led to an exchanging of views.

One mother said the children fainting at school cannot be blamed on the lack of consumption of food.

“I work here in a hospital kiosk and every day I see three or four children arrive after fainting,” according to one mother.

“Parents, you have to move, investigate what’s happening at school, because our children cannot continue in this situation.”

She added: “Our children always have a good breakfast and it cannot be said that what’s happening is due to lack of food.”

Torres has accused community members of stoking hysteria instead and implored members to avoid making “early judgments and diagnoses of their own” in the interim.

He said: “Given the reported cases, a series of comments were unleashed on the community that, rather than helping to resolve the situation, led to confusion and an adverse environment for our work.”

The school is apparently waiting for the medical diagnoses before providing further information.

 

Not the first time

 

School-going children fainting and displaying other symptoms in Colombia is apparently not new.

Daily Mail reported that 11 teenagers were found collapsed after using a Ouija board at another school in Colombia in November 2022.

It was later reported that at least five of them had suffered from food poisoning.

 

https://mothership.sg/2023/03/schoolgirls-colombia-ouija/

[Huat Zai]

3 minutes ago, Huat Zai said:

28 schoolgirls in Colombia hospitalised after apparently playing with Ouija boards in school

 

 

28 schoolgirls in Colombia were hospitalised after suffering anxiety attacks after apparently playing with Ouija boards in school.

 

 

“There were 28 possible cases of anxiety in school students,” said Hugo Torres, head of the Galeras Educational Institution in Galeras, where the incident took place, according to New York Post and other media citing Jam Press.

The girls reportedly fainted and showed symptoms, including anxiety, while in school.

 

The school in Colombia via Jam Press

 

Parents and school faculty subsequently conveyed those afflicted to a municipal hospital.

The students’ diagnoses were not revealed.

But many parents blamed the use of Ouija boards, which have sliding pointers to spell out messages supposedly without human intervention.

Ouija boards were popularised in the United States in the late 1880s.

They are mentioned in occult lore as they are believed to be used to communicate with spirits.

 

 

 

Nutritional deficit to blame?

 

However, the controversy might be linked to a lack of nutrition, rather than the supernatural.

While many parents believe the children have been using Ouija boards in class, as per Mirror, officials are pointing to a more mundane cause.

This has led to an exchanging of views.

One mother said the children fainting at school cannot be blamed on the lack of consumption of food.

“I work here in a hospital kiosk and every day I see three or four children arrive after fainting,” according to one mother.

“Parents, you have to move, investigate what’s happening at school, because our children cannot continue in this situation.”

She added: “Our children always have a good breakfast and it cannot be said that what’s happening is due to lack of food.”

Torres has accused community members of stoking hysteria instead and implored members to avoid making “early judgments and diagnoses of their own” in the interim.

He said: “Given the reported cases, a series of comments were unleashed on the community that, rather than helping to resolve the situation, led to confusion and an adverse environment for our work.”

The school is apparently waiting for the medical diagnoses before providing further information.

 

Not the first time

 

School-going children fainting and displaying other symptoms in Colombia is apparently not new.

Daily Mail reported that 11 teenagers were found collapsed after using a Ouija board at another school in Colombia in November 2022.

It was later reported that at least five of them had suffered from food poisoning.

 

https://mothership.sg/2023/03/schoolgirls-colombia-ouija/

 

lack of nutrition

[chamfer]

 

Been using energy sensing for tarot card reading. Discovered it by accident when i was still new to tarot. But really very draining and need to go for walk in sun or nature to recharge.

[Huat Zai]

1 hour ago, chamfer said:

Been using energy sensing for tarot card reading. Discovered it by accident when i was still new to tarot. But really very draining and need to go for walk in sun or nature to recharge.

 

I see why upper management sent you my way now.. That's how I read too, there are ways to reduce the impact of extended energy sensing, but you need have a solid foundation or the techniques will end up harming you.

 

There are also other ways to improve psychic abilities not discussed in the video, but
 

你懂得

 

Almost all advanced techniques require 3 basic foundations

1) An "emergency stop button" that neutralizes everything, good, bad, just happen to be there, everything under the halocarbon

2) Advanced energy works, being able to raise,  ground, channel large of amount of energy saved my butt way too many times.

3) Advanced psychic defence. Prevention is always better than actually needing to smack the red button.

 

You can train all that with one simple daily practice, 真的出事什么都别想，跟平常练的一样，一招打出去全搞定。有没有听懂？

Edited March 12, 2023 by Huat Zai

[Huat Zai]

 

[The_King]

 

 

 

 

 

[Huat Zai]

9 minutes ago, The_King said:

 

 

 

 

 

To be honest, I haven't really seen anything I shouldn't in a proper graveyard.

[Huat Zai]

 

[Huat Zai]

Met Museum Kicked Me Out for Praying to My Ancestral Gods

My danced prayer to looted Cambodian antiquities was too much for the New York museum.

 

 

Soon after immigrating to the United States from my native Cambodia in the early 1990s, I was wandering around a knickknack shop in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles when I came upon a beautifully replicated Angkorian-era head of the god Shiva. It was the only Khmer item in the shop, and I felt an immediate connection to it. In fact, it spoke to me, telling me to take it home so that it could be situated and honored appropriately rather than letting it drift within an unfamiliar world. Though the head of Shiva was too expensive for my limited means, I bought it anyway and placed it on my household altar, where I made offerings and prayed to my gods, ancestors, and spirits.

For Cambodians, including myself, the idea that spirits can inhabit objects is commonplace. They can be found in religious statues or in nature — a tree, a mountain, or the intersection of rivers. 

 

My artistic practice, Cambodian classical dance — which UNESCO added to its List of the Intangible Treasures of Humanity in 2008 — was born as a form of ritual prayer among the sandstone temples of ancient Angkor (though probably also in the Chenla and Funan kingdoms before that). Through dance, the king communicated with the heavens, asking for rain that would fertilize our agricultural empire. Though the dance has additional purposes today, including my own choreography for the proscenium stage, its sacred function remains its core. I was a member of the first generation to study and perform classical dance in the aftermath of Pol Pot’s genocide (1975-1979), during which the dance was forbidden and some 90% of its practitioners perished. The People’s Republic of Kampuchea was officially a socialist country, and although the dance was eventually revived, its spiritual side was downplayed during public performances, while its sanctity was maintained behind the scenes. Following the signing of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords, King Norodom Sihanouk’s return was greeted with an elaborate Buong Suong ritual, a danced prayer for blessings from the spirit world.    

Whenever I visit museums around the world that house Khmer antiquities, I pray to the gods and ancestors that inhabit them. Sometimes I simply put my hands together and chant. Other times I move. This is my tradition. It is an essential part of my identity and my relationship to these objects. When I visited the Musée Guimet in Paris, I marveled at the size and quality of its collection, which I knew had been taken from Cambodia under French colonial rule. But when I visited museums in the United States, including the Norton Simon, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I felt at once thrilled to encounter my missing heritage and conflicted by its dislocation from Cambodia. I was largely unfamiliar with how it had arrived in its current situation. I was aware of the problem of looting but thought such prominent museums could never be complicit in these kinds of crimes.

My understanding evolved when I was commissioned to choreograph a dance, performed by Mot Pharan, in celebration of the return of a plundered statue of Phanna Bharamita from the collection of disgraced art dealer Douglas Latchford in 2021. Pharan performed the dance for a short film by director Ryan Barton, titled Returning Gods (in production). Separately, my university-aged son interned for a summer with the team documenting and organizing the repatriation of looted Khmer antiquities led by the American lawyer Bradley Gordon. (My son is subsequently writing his senior thesis on the value of returning such objects as a form of soft diplomacy.) As a result, I became aware of the wholesale ravaging of my culture’s heritage through an elaborate network of thieves and unscrupulous art dealers, and the complicity of many museums in this illicit trade, including The Met.

In February of 2023, the producers of the podcast series Dynamite Doug, which examines the connection between The Met and Latchford, invited me to participate in a panel discussion in New York City. When they asked me if I’d be willing to dance before the looted antiquities on display at The Met so that they could share a video recording of it during the panel, I agreed, in part, because it was something I’d already done. Ten years earlier, visiting the same gallery on my own, I had taken off my shoes and danced a prayer for the gods that stood on pedestals before me. These are religious objects created by my ancestors for this very purpose. 

 

[Can't post the video of the dance, go to the link at the bottom to see it]

 

So, on 28 February, I entered the gallery with the Cambodian-Canadian actress Ellen Wong, host of Dynamite Doug, and my fellow panelist, the Cambodian archeologist Meas Sopheap. A few members of the Dynamite Doug team came along to record my danced prayer. As is appropriate, I removed my shoes (though, it being winter, I was wearing stockings) and approached the statue of the god Harihara. I prayed for his safe and prompt return to his homeland. I prayed to the four directions and then moved on to the main gallery. About two minutes into my brief dance, a member of the museum’s security team approached me and stated that I wasn’t allowed to dance there without permission. He also instructed me to put on my shoes. Now, I knew that the museum would be unhappy if it understood what I was praying for. But in that trancelike state, I was unprepared to be interrupted. In fact, in my over 40 years of dancing, no one has ever told me to stop. Though I obliged without protest, I was thrown off balance. If I had simply walked to each statue and prayed, I doubt he would’ve felt compelled to stop me. Something about my rhythmic movement, silent and subdued as it was, set the guard on edge. One of the people recording the video told me that he found my danced prayer so powerful he was shaking. 

Replica of a statue of the Cambodian diety Harihara on the steps of the Met Museum

If there was any uncertainty about how the museum felt about my presence it was clarified when the Dynamite Doug team attempted to interview me about the experience on the museum steps and The Met’s security team told us we weren’t allowed to be there. As I understand it, The Met is a publicly supported museum situated in a public park. I suspect we had every legal right to be there. But, once again, we obliged and moved to the sidewalk.

That I was stopped from acting out the very purpose for which these stolen statues were created speaks directly to the reason why Cambodia is demanding their return from The Met. They don’t belong in a New York City museum, especially an uncooperative one that thinks it should define how Cambodians can interact with them. I agree with Sopheap that these artifacts belong among the temples from which they were looted. Once returned, they can be placed among restored temples so that local people can incorporate their presence into their everyday lives. Likewise, people who would have otherwise viewed these artifacts at The Met can visit Cambodia and experience them in their proper context. Even if that’s not possible, and these treasures of our historical and cultural heritage end up in one of Cambodia’s many museums, I can assure you that no guard will ever demand that visitors stop praying to them. We Cambodians, be it security guards, archeologists, or choreographers, know where our spirits reside.

 

https://hyperallergic.com/809442/met-museum-kicked-me-out-for-praying-to-my-ancestral-gods/

Edited March 23, 2023 by Huat Zai

[Huat Zai]

 

[Huat Zai]

 

[Huat Zai]