Chihuahuas: Spirit Guides

spirits

Through local legends, the ancestor of the Chihuahua breed was greatly believed to have been found in 1850 in the old ruins near Casa Grandes. These ruins are found in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, where the breed gets it name. There are many different theories about the origin of the Chihuahua. One theory is that Chihuahuas are descended from the Techichi, a companion dog preferred by the Toltecs. Thought to have hunted in packs, the Techichi can be traced as far back as the ninth century and thought to be the Chihuahua’s native Mexican ancestor. Remains of dogs closely similar, but slightly larger than the average Chihuahua, have been found in such places as the Great Pyramid of Cholula, with these remains dating as far back as the 2nd century BC, and predating the Ancient Mayans. After the Toltecs were conquered by the Aztecs, it was thought that the early ancestor of the Chihuahua was offered as a sacrifice during religious ceremonies. The Aztecs would cremate and bury the dog with its deceased owners believing that they would act as a spirit guide for the souls of the dead. Legends were told that the blue/black coated Chihuahuas were revered as a sacred and strong religious symbol. The Chihuahuas with red coats were given the responsibility and burden of accompanying the sins of the dead by having them thrown upon a funeral pyre as part of that burden.

A second theory is that the Chihuahua dog originated from Europe and was brought to American around 1520’s. Another theory is that the dogs descended from China and were transported to America on Chinese trader ships. This theory follows the assumption that the Chinese favored small dogs to which the Chihuahua fits the description. Whatever the origin may be, there is one fact, the Chihuahua was associated with Mexico and were discovered by American travelers. In 1880 the Chihuahua dogs were brought to the United States and thought of as exotic pets.

The word “Chihuahua” means arid, sandy place. Today’s Chihuahuas are much smaller than its ancestors, and in 1904 the breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club as a purebred breed. The Chihuahua dogs remains a popular breed to this day.

My Chihuahua's name is Booger (shown in the picture above). He is a larger of the breed, weighing 15 pounds and has the typical temperament of a Chihuahua. He is a joy to have around and glad we decided to keep him when he was given to us 7 years ago.

If You Build It, Will the Ghosts Still Be There?

spirits

If on old building with a history of violence and death was torn down and a new structure was put in its place, would the spirits that haunted the old structure still be there? Some houses that have had reports of evil spirits tormenting the current owners were found to have been built on an old cemetery or sacred grounds. It appears that the unhappy spirits are making there presence known and that they do not appreciate this structure on top of their final resting place. Are the imprints of the spirits in the structure’s walls or floorboards; the objects that belonged to the decease; the ground the structures are built on that carry the embodied spirits, or perhaps all three? This brings me to Ground Zero, the over 16 acre area in Manhattan where the Twin Towers once stood. We all know what happened on September 11, 2001, it is forever embedded in our minds and hearts. Many innocent souls were lost in that unbelievable tragedy that unfolded in front of us either on our TV’s or live for those that were there. For me, I spent a week glued to the TV with a box of tissues in disbelief. I never got the chance to see the towers and now I never will. Ten months later in July of 2002, my family and I saw Ground Zero for ourselves. When we first got there, we walked along a long cover corridor where openings were provided in various areas to see the enormous hole that once stood the Twin Towers. You finally get to an open area were you can stare and reflect on what that moment was like for those that were there. On all four sides of the massive hole were signs of the destruction on the buildings surrounding the 16 plus acres. You saw three buildings standing with the middle one covered in what looked like a large sheet; building walls that were still destroyed from the trauma of the towers falling; windows that were still blackened from the fire and heat; and a one solid block memorial honoring those loved ones that perished in the destruction. In the very deep hole was the construction equipment that was working to fill the area so that new construction can some day be put upon this massive piece of land that will forever have a history of violence. While there, you are overwhelmed with the feeling of sadness and the terror that many must have felt. With about 3,000 lives that were lost almost eight years ago, I was wondering if the area might be haunted by some of their spirits, especially those that never knew what hit them. Will the new memorial park and buildings have paranormal activity or will those spirits finally rest in peace?

Some visitors and others that have offices near Ground Zero have reported some paranormal activity. They have reported seeing a ghost of fireman in full gear running through the area and other apparitions of those that may have worked there. An unsettling feeling, chills with hairs rising on their arms, and the feeling of dread are also reported. I have been there twice and experienced some of those feelings, especially in 2002. The memory of that day was clearer in 2002 than when I returned three years later, in 2005.

Basically, I was just wondering, if you build it, will the ghost still be there? I would love to hear your thoughts.

--Julie--

Manhattan skyline before 2001
Manhattan skyline 2005 (picture taken by my cousin)

The Spirit World

spirits

Spiritualism is the belief that the dead survive as spirits which can communicate with the living through a third party, a medium. According to the philosophical doctrine of spiritualism, spirits inhabit a world in itself known as the ‘Spirit World’. This world is the vessel where other worlds come through and is independent from the ‘material’ world. Some Spiritualist believe that we are spiritual beings living on this earth for only a certain amount of time and living in the physical realm for a reason. They also believe that the human’s soul can live beyond the physical body’s existence. We live in the physical realm, temporarily, learning enough lessons to move on to the spiritual world. Spiritualists believe in spiritual evolution and that the substance of the physical and spiritual worlds is connected with one another and is developing gradually. Many feel that the Spirit World is where ghosts or spirits go after death.

The Plains Native Americans have a strong belief in a Great Spirit and the Spirit World. This Great Spirit is powerful and has a great ability over everything on Earth. The Earth is the mother of all spirits, and the Sun, which gives the earth warmth and light, has a great power. Many visions that are in their dreams are believed to be a sign from the spirits. The Medicine Man was usually sought out to interpret the dreams and any visions or signs one might have. Often times, animals, like game, was killed as an offering to the spirits.

Some Atheists, including some scientists, feel they need more proof of the existence of the Spirit World before they will give any validity to this subject. They will usually deny any realm beyond this real world and would rather have someone else prove its existence.

Whether you believe in the Spirit World or not, the existence of anything beyond this physical realm is possible.

--Julie--

Bird Spirits

spirits

I either read or heard somewhere that birds symbolize the presence of a spirit. The dove has been seen as a spirit messenger between two worlds and represents peace. It soothes and quiets our troubles and helps us to find that peace. A hummingbird is seen as a messenger of love and joy. It symbolizes energy and is associated with the Ghost Spirits of the native American religion. I have a few experiences where a dove or hummingbird was present but two incidences stick out in my mind.

It was December 2004 when my Dad caught pneumonia, then congestive heart failure. After five years of many health issues, he couldn't fight back from this illness. We got the news on a Tuesday and on Wednesday they made plans to put him in the hospice area of the hospital. The next day he was weaker but still able to talk with us. By Friday, he just laid in bed, peaceful with his eyes closed. There was something different on this day. On the window seal was a dove, pacing back and forth. Every time it got to the end of the window seal, it would look inside while bopping its head up and down. It kept it up all morning, not missing a beat, while we sat by his bed and told stories of his life. We all left for lunch but the dove kept up his vigil on the window seal. When we returned from lunch we noticed another dove was with him. The two of them were marching in formation, stopping at the end to bop their heads while looking at us in the room. They never missed a beat. Around two in the afternoon, the priest came to administer the Last Rites. Sometime during that time while we were all praying, he passed away. After grieving, we noticed that the doves were gone too. Were they the spirits of family members that came to help my Father on his journey? I believe they were.

Another time was at my Mother-in-law's grave site. It was a crispy Christmas morning, after opening our presents from Santa (yes, I said Santa), we ate breakfast then went to visit our loved ones. After my daughter and I went to decorate another family member's grave, we met my husband and son back at his mother's grave site. As we all stood next to each other talking, a hummingbird buzzed around us. It started by circling each of us several times. Then it would hover in front of our faces coming very close. It kept up this vigil for several minutes before it flew away. I didn't think that hummingbirds went near people but this one did. To me it seemed like it was trying to communicate to us. I told them that it was Darlene and she was saying hello. Was it the spirit of my Mother-in-law in that hummingbird? I believe it was her bringing us love on that Christmas morning.

--Julie--

Ouija Board: Spirit Board or Just a Game

spirits

Most of us have checked out Ouija boards at one time in our lives. For me, it was when I was in middle school. My friends and I would spend the night at one of our homes on the weekends. There were usually six of us and we loved getting scared. Our night would usually consist of cheesy scary movies, junk food and playing games. The games weren’t your typical board games but anything that might give us a scare. We might start out with: light as a feather, stiff as a board; or a séance; or we would pull out the Ouija board, which someone conveniently had. We would all put a finger on the triangle pointer and ask questions. The excitement would build when the pointer started moving. Of course we all swore that we didn’t move it. Nothing major happened, just a group of silly adolescent girls having fun.

Even though we had nothing happen afterwards, the same can’t be said for a friend of my daughters and her two roommates. They decided to check out the Ouija board one night that April had purchased. They asked all the questions and got movement from the pointer. After having fun, the board was put away and they went to bed. The next morning several of the kitchen cabinet doors were opened. They blamed each other for playing a prank but no one would fess up. The doors were shut and the two roommates went to work while April took a shower. When she returned to the kitchen, some of the cabinet doors where opened. She called her roommates to see if one of them returned and opened the cabinets, but they were already at work. Creepy feelings came over her at this point. This was only the beginning of many unexplained phenomenon to happen in that apartment. All April’s life strange paranormal activity kept happening to her or around her. This seemed to another chapter in the spooky life that was April’s. (I hope to write some blogs about some of these chapters). After a month or so of the paranormal activity in the apartment, they all moved out! Did some type of spirit, good or bad, get released when they used to Ouija board? I don’t know but the paranormal activity was real.

Ouija board (pronounced “weejah”) has been known as a spirit board or talking board. The board is made up of letters, numbers, and symbols all to help communicate with spirits. The triangle pointer (as I call it) is called a planchette and aides in spelling out the messages from the questions asked. Although “Ouija” is a trademark name, the term “Ouija Board” is abandoned as a registered trademark. The Ouija board goes as far back as 1200 B. C. and used by the Chinese as a method called “planchette writing”. On February 10, 1891, the Ouija board was patented, looking much like the board we use today.

The scientific explanation for the Quija board is that we are using our subconscious mind in directing our thought process. Some people believe that the Ouija board is so powerful that they a not aware that they are moving the planchette. They are so caught up in the moment and believe that some kind of spiritual force is answering their questions. Experiments were conducted to try and prove this theory right and concluded with different results.

A spiritualist explains the Quija board as vessel for spiritual contact. Some say that the contacted spirits may use the talents of a medium to get their messages across. The medium’s eyes are a vessel for a spirit to use and be able to point at the letters in order to form the message it needs to convey. Some don’t believe that the board has any mythical powers but used as a tool for a medium to communicate with spirits.

Of course, where would we be without the skeptic’s view? They feel that it is used to fool people, a prank, and that one person is indeed moving the planchette. Maybe, more than one person is in on the joke, with all moving the planchette slowly, having the unaware person thinking that it is moving on its own. Also, they may keep a straight face or show shock, keeping up with the prank. The skeptics believe that the planchette can only move by human power and not spiritual power.

Although many think of Ouija board as a simple game and harmless, some revere it as evil and dangerous. What may seem like a friendly spirit could be a demon spirit instead playing tricks on an unsuspecting victim. People have reported being haunted by ghosts, hearing voices and other unknown phenomenon after using the Ouija board. This is what happened to April and her roommates. There are many other stories similar to these that can be found on the Internet. What do you think? Is the Quija board evil or just a game?

--Julie--