The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a chimera as an imaginary monster compounded of incongruous parts. It seems the perfect term to use when discussing the strange creatures our ancestors first bore witness to when they were exploring the world. Imagine the first time an explorer crossed paths with a tapir, capybara, […]
Brian Baker
Founder Brian Baker’s take on the supernatural world.
Peter Usborne influenced generations with The World of the Unknown books
The World of the Unknown: Ghosts is a book that sends an electrical current of energy through all of those involved in the paranormal. It connects us all. Its cousins, two further books on Monsters and UFOs published by Usborne Books, kept those with vivid imaginations hyperactive. All three of The World of the Unknown books […]
10,000 dreams interpreted, but not one explanation for why I dreamt about the paranormal
Our dreams are a fascinating reflection of who we are. They change as we grow as people, often dissolving our anxieties, interactions and thoughts into one big thick stew of images that are often challenging to interpret. Carl Jung once wrote in his collection of essays, Civilization in Transition, “The […]
When it comes to spirituality and the climate crisis, I’m more in tune with nature
The current climate crisis and accompanying erratic weather — deadly heat waves in Europe and the high swells in Hawaii — have me thinking about my spirituality. I’ve never been one for organized religion. I’ll admit to being an apatheist — one who has a general apathy towards the existence […]
True crime: The greatest influence on our modern ghost stories
There is a strong relationship between the paranormal and true crime. Tailing along like an awkward teenage third wheel is mental health because, in a lot of the more gruesome cases, there’s an element of deviation. Horror tropes borrow strongly from true crime. Look at a fair amount of our […]
It’s no surprise humans are excluded from alleged ‘galactic federation’
By now, most people have heard the musings of the former head of Israel’s Defense Ministry’s space directorate that there is a galactic federation and humans are not welcome. Additionally, America’s belligerent, Tang-skinned leader knows about it. It’s a lurid detail that was disclosed by Haim Eshed to Israel’s Yediot […]
What to listen to this Halloween
Paranormal and pop culture go hand-in-hand. I’m often reminded of the “Supernatural” episode where the Winchester brothers battle a tulpa. It’s a broken telephone episode that features people telling a ghost story, and altering it as the plot progresses. New tropes are added to snazzy it up or to keep […]
We need more diversity in our paranormal TV
Myling of Sweden. Banshee of Ireland. Manananggal of the Philippines. Mami Wata of Nigeria. Ifrit of the Middle East. Domovoy of Russia. La Llorona of Mexico. Chudail of Pakistan. Wendigo of the First Nations. And the Yurei of Japan. With the most commonly reported supernatural entity in the world being […]
Pandemic gives us a chance to reflect on the afterlife
Ever since I wrote the feature on past life regression in Canada, my mind has been thinking about what comes next. And maybe the pandemic is creating a minor existential crisis for all of us because a virus is threatening our very way of life and claiming a lot of […]
The challenges of being a journalist who digs in the paranormal dirt
I could probably defend the reason why I started the Superstitious Times until my vocal cords seize up, but some people will still see the endeavour as a Fox Mulder-esque pursuit. I prefer Dr. John Montague of Shirley Jackson’s universe because much like him, my fascination with what people believe […]