Mysteries of the World

by D.M. Murdock/Acharya S

"Our world has two sets of natural laws. One set tells us stupidly simple things about gravity and nature. The other tells us that space and time are constantly distorted in our reality, and that we are all subject to the still undefined laws of that second set."

John Keel, Disneyland of the Gods

"Probably nothing could ever dislodge sceptics from positions clung to for their very life."

Peter Kolosimo, Not of this World

"If there is a Universal Mind, must it be sane?"

Charles Fort

The following is said in my best Rod Serling voice, as part of my studies in folklore and mythology, leading you into a whole new world for you to examine...

Rod Serling, host of 'The Twighlight Zone'

Skepticism is the basis for science. As such, skeptisicm is absolutely crucial in order to discover the truth. It is true that far too many people are gullible, rather than skeptical. This gullibility has led to the unthinking following of dangerous ideologies that make human beings little more than sheep and slaves. Millions are convinced, merely on the words of others, that there are invisible creatures of one or another ethnicity, race gender or form, such as gods, sons of gods, virgin mothers, angels, devils, etc., who are directing life behind the scenes. While there are indeed unseen forces at work in nature (such as air, gravity, levity and love) what they have been too frequently portrayed as are mere cultural artifacts and hallucinations, instead of ultimate realities. Mindlessly believing in these limited depictions of the mysterious and enigmatic without thorough investigation is not healthy. But hardcore skepticism that reduces the cosmos to nothing but mechanical matter and third-dimensional, mundane mediocrity is not necessarily healthy either. In this sense, the gullible follower and the hardcore skeptic are in the same boat, and the paradox thus presented is at the core of the quest for understanding the workings of the universe.

Much of the time, the materialistic depiction of life rings true, as the supernatural or paranormal does not concretely factor into daily life. However, at times the truly bizarre and unexplainable occurs, thus throwing our established paradigms of reality into an uproar. While materialists find these occurrences disturbing and readily dismiss them as fantasy and illusion, the fact remains that some of them cannot be so easily dismissed. Nor would we want to, since these moments of mystery are some of the most delicious and entertaining that we can experience in this dimension. These "fortean" moments, when frogs purportedly fall from the sky or chupacabras allegedly appear out of nowhere or manmade objects are supposedly found in rock strata millions of years old, should be viewed as simply fascinating and not ignored. After all, who wants to live in a world or universe where no magic ever occurs? Yet, that desire does not mean we should not inspect or enjoy such events with a critical eye, using rigorous scientific methodology.

Let us inspect some of these inexplicable and earthshaking events that have allegedly occurred over the thousands and millions of years. These "fortean" events or items, named by Charles Fort "the procession of the damned" (Prometheus Books), are innumerable in quantity, so the following will present a mere taste of the wonders that await those who have not already made up their minds as to the nature of reality. (The following list represents reportage of apparent and alleged phenomena from folklore, stories and reports around the world, not an opinion or endorsement as to whether or not they have actually happened or are "real." I include numerous links/citations for further investigation. Ask yourself, is it real or is a hoax?)

For hundreds of years, inexplicable "sky quakes" or thunderous explosions have been heard in various parts of the world, long before jets existed to break the sound barrier.

Huge blocks of ice have been crashing through roofs for centuries, again long before airplanes were invented.

Lightning bolts have come out of clear skies and zapped people, including a few preachers in their church pulpits.

For millennia, people have been reported to have vanished and appeared out of thin air.

Also for thousands of years, red and black rains have fallen from the skies.

Elusive giant hairy beasts, lake monsters and sea serpents have been reported in remote places around the globe. These critters seem to know when cameras are trained on them, thereby avoiding them.

A long-extinct dinosaur is occasionally reported to lumber suddenly out of nowhere.

Animals that do not belong in the area appear without any explanation such as escape from a zoo or circus, including kangaroos and gorillas in North America or panthers in England.

For decades—long before the overt development of the laser— thousands of animal mutilations have been reported, wherein the blood is drained and organs removed through precise surgical incisions, with no blood found around the carcass.

Strange machines or "submarines" are detected in waters where there shouldn't be any.

Phantom ships and sailors appear and disappear on lakes and the open seas.

UFOs—"Unidentified Flying Objects," not necessarily piloted by sentient creatures—have been buzzing around the sky for centuries. In modern times, these appearances have been dismissed as "swamp gas."

Over a century ago, dirigibles or blimps allegedly appeared in several places, decades before they were invented, and their occupants sometimes descended and made bizarre comments to the locals.

From time to time, huge "satellites" have been detected in space, such as "The Black Knight," as have been strange "radio transmissions."

Cultures around the world claim to be descended from or taught by "sky people," purportedly reflecting that ancient man had the capacity to fly.

Eskimos claim to have been brought north in "metal birds."

Men dressed in black, often in the style of the day, have been reported for centuries. They sometimes seem quite malevolent or alien, or speak unintelligibly and do bizarre things like eat cigarettes.

Weird carvings or figurines depict what look like astronauts wearing helmets and breathing apparatuses or carrying laser packs. These, of course, may merely be objets d'art, based on humankind's amazing creativity and imagination.

Giants, elves and alien creatures of all sorts have been reported for millennia to have descended from the skies or appeared out of the ground or from the ocean.

Tiny, intricate artifacts such as spears and coffins are found that appear to have been made by elves.

Giant human skeletons from 7 to 15 feet long (2.25-5 meters) have allegedly been found in many parts of the world; however, skeptics dispute these claims as bad science and a desire to validate the Bible: "In those days there were giants in the Earth." (Gen 6:4) Some of these giant bones, in fact, were dinosaur parts. Others, such as the Cardiff giant, have been hoaxes.

Mummified remains of little people or "aliens" are reported to be found in caves or in Tibetan monasteries, purportedly the remains of a race called the Dropa.

Coins, screws, metal axeheads and other metal objects that seem to be manmade are allegedly found in rock strata tens of thousands or millions of years old, as are reportedly fossilized footprints of true human beings, long before such creatures purportedly existed. Some of these prints, such as the notorious "Paluxy prints," are claimed by scientists to be dinosaur tracks.

A human skull found in Africa and a bison skull in Siberia thousands of years old appear to have bullet holes in them.

Stone towers and structures, and miles of paved roads, thousands of years old, were found all over North America when the Europeans arrived, with no obvious builders.

Seaport cities are allegedly found in the American desert, apparently proving they were built thousands of years ago, when the sea was farther inland.

Pre-Columbian metal objects have also purportedly been found in North America, dating from times when no natives were known to be using metal.

As Keel reports, "Somebody was mining ore and coal in [the U.S.], and pumping oil in Pennsylvania before Columbus set sail."

Ancient pre-Columbian carvings in Central America depict black men and bearded, light- or red-haired white men, long before anyone was supposed to have crossed the Atlantic Ocean. These images could be natives with exaggerated features and artistic license. However, if thousands of years ago humans were able to leave southern Africa and make their way to the Americas, there is little reason why subsequent migrations of humans could not have occured.

Pygmies claim to have reached a high degree of technology and to have sailed around the world in very ancient times. Pygmy remains are purportedly found around the globe, although it is uncertain if they are the same "race" as those from Africa. However, according to DNA studies, we are all African. Fossils of small hominids have been found in Indonesia that date to only 12,000 years ago.

Ancient maps have been found that depict Antarctica, long before that continent was discovered in modern times, although skeptics find problems with this claim.

Huge monolithic ruins and earth mounds are found around the globe with little evidence of who built them or how they were built.

Enormous spheres, perfectly round, are found in the jungles of Central America, some of which weigh up to 16 tons—who could have carved such stones?

Thousands of years ago, somebody in what is now New York evidently used a steel drill to create what are called "moonstones."

50,000 engraved "stones of Ica" in Peru, allegedly dated to at least several centuries old based on oxidation and the reports of Spanish conquistadors, show people, extant and extinct animals, star maps, the star ring of the zodiac, and maps of unidentified land areas. The people are shown hunting or struggling with a variety of monsters that resemble brontosaurs, triceratops, stegosaurs, and pterodactyls, which properly belong to the Mesozoic era [225-65 million BP]. Even more surprisingly, human beings are portrayed as having domesticated animals that appear to be dinosaurs and are using them for transportation and warfare. People are shown using telescopes, looking at the stars, and performing surgery. However, stones with these anachronistic representations have been asserted to be modern fakes. As archaeologist Dr. Kenneth Feder states, "The Ica Stones represent one of the most transparent and absurd archaeological hoaxes ever perpetrated." (Feder, Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology, 141)

The Great Pyramid remains a mystery as to how it was constructed with such enormous blocks and astonishing perfection. The mysterious creator of Coral Castle, Edward Leedskalnin, claims to have discovered the secret.

Many thousands of years ago, ancient astronomers knew precise stellar, lunar and solar measurements such as the precession of the equinoxes and the daily, monthly and yearly movements of the sun and moon - at a time when they were supposed to be living in caves, wearing skins and carrying clubs.

Indian texts describe a huge battle in ancient times with flying machines and what seem to be atomic weapons. Vitrified sand or green glass of the sort found near atomic test sites has been discovered in deserts in India and China. These Indian texts, however, like the "sacred" writings of many cultures, are highly mythologized and in general cannot serve as "history."

And recently, huge, strange and seemingly manmade structures and roads have been found under the sea off the coast of Japan, scattered over an area of 300 miles.

These examples are but a few of the wacky and wild anomalies reported and purported around the globe for thousands of years. The quantity of such weird discoveries is vast, and many of them cannot to be dismissed or explained away. We must ask, how did these bizarre things come about? And why would we want to ignore them? They clearly constitute some of the most interesting aspects of the human drama. To ignore them is to accept a world and a cosmos that is dull, uniform and boring. Even orthodox science recognizes that the universe is infinitely surprising in its vastness and diversity. Black holes, quarks and other cosmic oddities that appear to be at once real and unreal fascinate scientists and give them pause in their definitive pronouncements—why disregard the mysteries closer to home?