Time travelers, UFO festivals, an electric man and cats that see spirit … welcome to Fortean Times, the magazine that collects the strangest news from around the world. No fake news here, Mr. President! So, in the spirit of good fun in the New Year, here are some of this month’s most intriguing tales from Fortean Times, journalism’s version of The Twilight Zone.
Take Me to Your Leader
On October 2, Bryant Johnson was arrested in Casper, Wyoming (U.S), claiming to have travelled back in time from the year 2048 to warn civilization about the impending arrival of aliens. After receiving a call about a visibly drunk man, police found Johnson warning residents that aliens would be coming next year and they should leave the area as soon as possible. Johnson was so concerned about his mission, he demanded to speak to the “president of the town.” Johnson’s blood-alcohol reading exceeded legal limits, but the alleged time traveller had a perfectly logical explanation – the only way the aliens could send him back in time was to fill him full of alcohol. He was arrested nonetheless.
Wish You Were Here
Last September, Crook County, Wyoming held the first annual Devils Tower UFO Rendezvous at the site of Devils Tower, the rock formation made famous by the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The festival featured an alien parade, costume contest and a range of speakers including investigators, supposed abductees and scientists investigating extraterrestrial life. Some festival-goers were disappointed, though, that there were no anomalous lights in the sky.
The Electric Man
Naresh Kumar of Uttar Pradesh, India, would certainly know how to cut down on his hydro bill – he’d just plug himself into the wall. Kumar claims that he is naturally insulated against high voltage electricity. Furthermore, he can draw energy directly from electricity, so he does not need regular food to survive. “Whenever I feel hungry and there’s no food in the house,” he told a reporter, “I hold naked wires and within half an hour I’m satisfied. I think about 80 percent of my body is composed of electricity now.” Videos of Kumar holding live wires in his hands or mouth are circulating on social media, and newspapers dubbed him “India’s Living Light Bulb.”
A Horny Guy
Pagan priest Phelan Moonsong of Maine was given permission to wear goat horns on his driver’s license photo. Moonsong always wears his goat horns, except when he’s bathing or sleeping. He says the horns help him educate others about paganism.
Finding Your Higher Self
An abandoned Lutheran church in Denver, Colorado reopened as the International Church of Cannabis. The sanctuary is filled with psychedelic murals and is dedicated to the worship of the spiritual benefits of Weed – a new religion called Elevationism.
Does Your Pet See Spirit?
In 1971, parapsychologist Robert Morris brought a dog, a cat, a rat and a rattlesnake into a supposed haunted house in Kentucky too see if animals were sensitive to the presence of spirits. He took the animals, one at a time, into a room where there had been a murder. The dog entered the room, then immediately began snarling and backed out. The cat was carried into the room, then suddenly jumped out of Morris’ arms onto the floor, where it tentatively approached an empty chair. The cat spent several minutes hissing and spitting at the empty chair until it was taken from the room. The rat had no reaction when it was released into the room, but the snake assumed an attack posture focused on the same chair. Interestingly, none of the animals reacted in a similar way in any other room in the house.
I don’t have time or the space to tell you about some of the other interesting Outer Limits tales in the magazine – the 50th anniversary of the Bigfoot sighting film, the scientist that located the portion of our brain that’s responsible for us loving or hating cheese, the truth about diamonds (they’re not made of pressurized coal!), a boxing kangaroo, mysterious lights in East Anglia, England…
Fortean Times, published in England, can be subscribed online: https://subscribe.forteantimes.com/overseas-subscriptions
And while you read it and chuckle, give thanks that we live in such a weird, wonderful and entertaining world.
If you have any questions or comments on this subject or on any other spiritual matter, feel free to write me at mail @ carolynmolnar.com. And please visit me again!