 Welcome to Paranormality Magazine. Each week, Paranormality Magazine explores all 40 subjects from phantoms to UFOs and every cryptid creature in between. Each week, you are treated to a collection of well-researched and investigated stories, interviews and reports on cutting-edge paranormal projects and topics they know you crave. And here in the podcast, I share stories from the magazine to give you just a taste of what you receive in every issue. I'm Darren Marlar and this is Paranormality Magazine. From the December 2023 issue of Paranormality Magazine, the search for cosmic gateways. For centuries, legends and myths from cultures all over the world have told of mysterious portals said to transport travelers instantly between far-distant locations. Often known as stargates, the origin and purpose of these theoretical passages between worlds remain shrouded in mystery. But new evidence is emerging that may shed light on the locations and true nature of these elusive cosmic gateways. The earliest known accounts of stargates date back to ancient Egypt where hieroglyphics and funerary texts reference a mythical portal called the Door to Heaven, said to link the mortal realm to that of the gods. Some contend the Door to Heaven was a physical gateway located somewhere along the Nile, while others insist it was a metaphor for the journey the soul takes after death. Interestingly, many ancient cultures in Central and South America also told of portals to other worlds such as the legend of the Iron Brothers from Inca mythology who used a magical cave to transport themselves and their siblings to Earth from the heavens. In more recent times, some have speculated that the purpose of Stonehenge, the enigmatic prehistoric stone circle in England, may have been to form an ancient stargate. They point to the precise alignments of the standing stones with key astronomical bodies and posit that opening the portal required intricate rituals performed by druid priests. Skeptics counter that no credible evidence ties Stonehenge to supernatural transportation. Nonetheless, the site continues to fascinate paranormal enthusiasts to this day. Elsewhere in Great Britain, rumors have swirled for decades around a secret stargate facility supposedly built deep beneath London's historic Scotland Yard headquarters. While firmly denied by authorities, the story goes that classified experiments in the 1940s accidentally opened a wormhole to another dimension there. It's said to have remained under guard as a closely guarded secret ever since. Curiously, declassified governmental documents do confirm highly sensitive psychic experiments were ongoing in the vicinity at that time, but any connection to stargates remains pure conjecture. Across the Atlantic, conspiracy theorists contend the U.S. government has not only experimented with stargate travel, but mastered it. They believe the technology was first developed in the 1950s as part of a Cold War program to build a portal linking a secret underground base near Boston to an existing wormhole under the ice of Antarctica. The ultimate goal was rapid deployment of military forces across vast distances. The Antarctic end still operates today, according to the claims. And while no hard evidence supports the theories, they do raise an interesting question. If stargate travel was achieved, what astonishing wonders and fearsome dangers might await on the other side? Some contend that stargates may even explain the baffling disappearance of ships and airplanes in Alaska's infamous Bermuda Triangle-like Deadman's Triangle. Located near Juno, it is associated with many unexplained vanishings. Could a portal reside deep in the area's glacier-filled fjords? While an exotic theory, it offers a potential, if improbable, rationale for the region's well-documented paranormal activity. Of course, Alaska is not alone in reports of inexplicable phenomena. Similar accounts surround the remote vortices of Sedona's energy vortexes and the Nevada Triangle, angling from Las Vegas to Reno to Fresno. Even the Bermuda Triangle itself may contain an underwater stargate, according to some exploring anomalous events in the area. While far from proven, it is within reason to speculate that if stargates exist almost anywhere on Earth, we would find them in such reputed paranormal hotspots. Ultimately, without more concrete evidence, the existence of stargates remains highly speculative. But with advances in particle physics, quantum mechanics, and our understanding of spacetime, unlocking the secrets of transdimensional travel may lie just beyond mankind's grasp. And if real, the implications are staggering. Will we one day traverse the cosmos or even escape the boundaries of our universe entirely? Or will opening gates to other realities unleash horrors beyond imagination? One thing is certain. If stargates exist, the adventure of the millennium may await us. Have you ever heard of the Boo Hag? Gary Brand Jr. tells us about it. Jerome was lying on his bed, covered in a thin sweat. The sheets were rumbled and pushed aside. His window was open and inviting, letting in a cool summer breeze. Outside, the night sky was lit with stars and crickets could be heard. The low country of South Carolina was quiet and peaceful, with the ocean waves lapping against the shore of Sullivan's Island. As he slumbered, the pale moonlight seeped through his bedroom window and cast a strange shadow on the floor. The silhouette crept closer until it was hovering above him ominously. He stirred in his sleep but remained unaware of the threat looming over him. The creature's body was a grotesquely distorted image of humanity, lacking skin to cover its bright red muscles and prominent blue veins. Its eyes were wide and yellow, glowing like cat's eyes. Its hair was long and wispy, blowing in an eerie breeze that seemed to originate from some other realm. The creature crept slowly along Jerome's creaky mattress, placing knees on either side of his chest. Its skinless fingers quivered as it leaned in closer until their faces almost touched. With a sickening, lipless smile, it began riding him, inhaling deeply to suck the air from Jerome's lungs as he lay sleeping. The sleeper tried to sputter outcries of protest but something invisible weighed down on him, paralyzing him. His limbs went rigid and his breaths felt shallow and weak, like an unseen force, slowly drawing out his life. His body withered beneath his skin from each breath the spirit took. As the first rays of the morning sun peaked through the window, the creature shifted in the bed, stretching its limbs as it opened its eyes. It stole Jerome's skin from beneath the sheets and stepped into the early morning light outside his home, wearing the covering of its victim. It blended in with the other humans hurrying to start their days. Moving with purpose, it passed by unnoticed, its ultimate destination unknown. Jerome was now another victim of the boo-hag, a terrifying creature that blended the horrors of sleep paralysis with the viciousness of a vampire. For centuries since the 1500s, generations of men and women from West Africa have been uprooted from their homes to toil in the fields of America. In the hot sun, they worked tirelessly, planting indigo in South Carolina which was used to manufacture a rich blue dye. The enslaved Africans faced grueling labor and the oppressive humidity of the low country. They formed cultural bonds to cope, creating an Afro-Caribbean Creole culture where they distinct the language and traditions and call themselves the Gullah. In their culture people are believed to have two components, a spirit and a soul. Upon an individual's death, the soul passes on to heaven or hell depending on how they lived life while on earth. The spirit, however, remains behind in the physical world as a form of spiritual guidance for future generations. In Gullah folklore, a boo-hag was believed to result from a malevolent spirit that persisted into death. These creatures of the night brought with them witchcraft and insidious magic that wreaked havoc upon unsuspecting victims. Due to their malicious nature in life, it was feared that these entities remained supernatural beings, bringing terror to those around them after passing. Legends state they survived by siphoning off life force from their victims and feeding on it while subjecting them to intense nightmares. This dreadful behavior generated a saying among the Gullah community, don't let the boo-hag ride ya. Folklore suggests that if a person is fortunate, they may awaken from their slumber feeling extremely fatigued yet unharmed. An indicator of an encounter with this spirit is someone asleep for hours yet feels as if they have not rested. Boo-hags are said to be deterred from rioting a person at night by having an object such as a broom, hairbrush, or colander near an individual's bedroom door. These objects have been said to make the evil spirit pause and count the bristles in a broom, the strands in a hairbrush or holes in a colander. The objective is for the hag to be preoccupied until sunrise. Without her protective skin suit, the boo-hag will succumb and perish when exposed to the morning light. Throwing a handful of salt over the boo-hag is also an effective way to kill it. Salt will prevent the spirit from re-entering its skin and cause it to perish before the sun rises. While this method can be tricky, it will put an end to the creature. The best way to avoid potential encounters with the creature is through a hue called paint blue. The Robin's Egg blue color closely mimics that of the sea and sky in South Carolina's Low Country coastal region. It is believed to repel malevolent spirits and ghosts based on Gullah folklore. For generations, the Low Country people have used paint of this color on their window sills, shutters, doorways, and verandah's ceilings. The reasoning is that spirits think they have stumbled into a body of water and are trapped. In reality, they've stepped out into the open sky and will be swept away by the wind or destroyed by sunlight. This low-cost solution has effectively kept away those seeking to inflict harm. Not only that, but it's also believed to create an illusion that small spaces seem more prominent, a significant advantage in rural houses of days gone by. Should you come to this area, it would be normal to find homes adorned with the color meant to keep evil away while allowing the benevolent forces to stay and guide the youth. Bottle trees made by placing blue glass bottles on the ends of sticks or branches have been used to deter evil spirits. The color of the glass is believed to trap these entities inside as they can enter through the small openings but can't escape again. The bottle's ringing, rattling, or rustling sound indicates that a spirit has been captured. Still, if a hardware store does not have a can of paint blue, purchase a broom or two to maintain a safe home against the boo-hag. Want more Paranormality? Subscribe to Paranormality Magazine and each month get it delivered digitally or via mail in our print version. Paranormality Magazine is a collaborative endeavor featuring works from people like you who have a passion for all things mysterious and unexplained. Our goal is the pursuit of knowledge, gathering captivating stories from our own team of writers, researchers and investigators, as well as from writers such as yourself. Each monthly issue also includes a list of paranormal, horror, UFO, and cryptozoology events around the country. Incredible paranormal-themed artwork, articles and writing sent in from our readers, suggested books and podcasts to consume, and more. Visit ParanormalityMag.com and subscribe today for as little as $3.99 a month. That's ParanormalityMag.com ParanormalityMag.com The light trickles through the maple leaves and filters down to the earth below. Various birds can be observed in and around the dense woods. Their songs punctuated only by the whistling of winds through the branches. Trees that have fallen long ago line various sides of the trail. They're massive trunks, now a haven for critters, moss, and mushrooms. As you walk deeper into the woods, odd signs begin to emerge from the shadows. The words this way can be seen crudely scrawled onto the bark of a tree trunk, with a misshapen arrow pointing towards a gnarled old bridge. As I draw closer to the bridge, the planks appear uneven and misshapen, broken and in disrepair in many places. It is apparent this man-made walkway was once a beautiful structure that overlooked the natural landscape. The peeling paint, discarded trash and rotting lumber loom over the space like a forgotten ghost. I breathe in deeply and hesitantly step onto the creaking boards. I know I am close now, and there is no turning back. This is how paranormality columnist Gina Black begins her story entitled Hikers, Beware of the Doll's Head Trail. Tucked away in the backwoods of an unassuming Atlanta suburb is a hiking trail with some unique curiosities. Just beyond the old wooden bridge in Constitution Lakes Park is the infamous Doll's Head Trail. This curated art installation has a morbid theme unlike anything I have ever encountered. Creepy dolls, toys and trash arranged in macabre settings will leave you intrigued, captivated and perhaps even a bit unsettled. This land was formally a 19th century brick factory called South River Brick Company. The factory sourced natural Georgia clay from its pits dug into the surrounding area. These bricks built countless structures in and around the state. After the factory closed down, nature slowly began to reclaim her landscape. The former clay pits began to fill with natural water and became a system of ponds now known as Constitution Lakes. They gained popularity with bird watchers and nature enthusiasts over the years. In 2003, DeKalb County purchased the land and paved trails, constructed bridges, and cultivated what the current nature preserve is today. Many locals walked these trails often, including a local carpenter, Joel Slaton. Where others saw discarded trash that littered the forest trail, Slaton saw an opportunity to create art. He envisioned a whimsical world where doll parts and unwanted toys could come to life in a misfit installation of curiosity and expression. He began his odd menagerie with dolls, bottle caps, old televisions, bicycles, and other odds and ends he collected among the trails. He encouraged others to add to the installations with found objects recovered from the forest itself. He strongly discouraged bringing foreign items into the collection from outside the walls of the woods. The idea was quirky, but also central to shining a light on nature preservation. Since the project's inception in 2011, Slaton and supporters note the decrease of trash on and around the trails as being a direct result of the installation. Over the years the doll collection grew and with it a growing fascination for the macabre world Slaton had created. Hand-painted messages appear alongside some dolls commenting on society and the world around us. These messages range from positive encouragements, cheeky observations, and even cryptic warnings of the government's control over the country. The lifeless eyes that look up at you from knots of trees, hanging ropes and discarded objects seem to follow you as you walk further and further into the dense woods. The overwhelming sense of being watched can feel suffocating at times and rather unsettling. Whether the trail itself is haunted or not is certainly up for debate depending on who you talk to. Dolls are said to be common vessels for spirit attachments, so the notion of the trail collection being haunted is certainly a plausible possibility. Throughout history dolls have held a connection to the afterlife for a variety of reasons. Going back to Mayan times, people believed the objects could provide the closest option to a human form which potentially attracted spirit energies to enter them. The concept of death is not necessarily an easy notion for young minds to comprehend, thus causing speculation to suggest attachment of children to familiar and comfortable objects during a spiritual transition. This idea suggests that the child spirit simply does not know what to do and therefore latches on to what feels most comfortable and less confusing. Reports of haunted dolls have made their way into American, Latin, and European folklore with the trend of pop culture smash movies such as Chucky, Annabelle, and Megan standing testament that haunted dolls continue to captivate and excite fear in audiences. Personally, I feel the dolls represent guardians of the space and their eerie gaze a reminder to behave within the forest. The very idea of creating this macabre world from trash really inspired me and left me more cognizant to the presence of litter along the forest floor. If the trail is haunted, I do believe the energies are benevolent and most likely grateful for the new found purpose in this serene setting. Despite being discarded by some, the dolls have found new life inside the creative world brought to existence thanks to Joel Slayton. Instead of filling a landfill, they can now fill our imaginations with endless possibilities, inspiration, and so much more. If you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend a visit to this quirky little gem. You can find it in Atlanta, Georgia at 1305 South River Industrial Boulevard Southeast. John Steinbeck is known for direct depiction of rural American life. His stories and books are certainly not known for being fantastical or taking deep dives into the paranormal. However, one of his short stories briefly and casually mentions one of California's most famous paranormal entities. In his short story, Flight, a teenage boy who is forced to flee into the Santa Lucia Mountains receives an ominous warning from his mother, when thou comest to the high mountains, if thou seest any of the dark watching men, go not near to them nor try to speak to them. Columnist Billy White brings us the story of the mysterious Dark Watchers of the Santa Lucias. If you're not familiar with the legend of the Dark Watchers, you may assume that the mother in this story is giving a vague warning. Later in the story, the main character does encounter these figures on his flight. However, the casual reader might still not think that there's anything more than men who live in the forest. Pepe looked suspiciously back every minute or so, and his eyes sought the tops of the ridges ahead. Once, on a white barren spur, he saw a black figure for a moment, but he looked quickly away, for it was one of the Dark Watchers. No one knew who the Watchers were nor where they lived, but it was better to ignore them and never to show interest in them. They did not bother one who stayed on the trail and minded his own business. So if these Watchers are not mere men in the rural Santa Lucia Mountains, who or what are they? Truth be told, people have been searching for the answers to the Dark Watchers mystery for hundreds of years. The Santa Lucia Mountain Range lies along the central coast of California. They're an extremely rural stretch of hills and mountains that run all the way from Monterey County in the north to San Luis Obispo in the south. Because of the vastness of the range, they proved to be a difficult obstacle to the Spanish as they moved through on their colonization of the California coast. However, the conquistadors began reporting seeing mysterious figures throughout the mountains. These figures became known as Los Vigilantes Oscuros or the Dark Watchers. As more and more settlers began to move through the area, they continued to report encounters with these entities. Each person who claimed to see the Dark Watchers reported essentially the same encounter. The Watchers are typically seen during the late afternoon and early evening hours. They seem to be approximately seven feet tall, humanoid beings wearing wide brimmed hats and dark clothing. Those who've encountered them claim they are unable to see detailed facial features other than eyes that appear to be watching them. The Watchers are usually seen from quite a distance and disappear quickly once spotted. Some people have reported that the Watchers seem to be moving through the mountains with long staffs. They do not make any noise as they travel. One of the most interesting features or attributes of the Watchers is that they seem to prefer to appear to people who are traveling with limited technology. Most of the reports come from hikers and campers who are going through the mountains traveling with very limited investigatory equipment or even cell phones and computers. Since the Watchers are so famous and have attracted such a following, they have also attracted the attention of the scientific community. There are a few possible scientific explanations for what people are seeing out there in the Santaluchia Range. The first one is Peridolia. Peridolia is the common psychological phenomenon where our brains process visual information by constructing familiar attributes. In other words, our brain makes us see what may not be there so that we can process what we are looking at. This is where we get a man in the moon, or shapes in clouds, or even Elvis in toast. Many argue that the Watchers are shadows in the trees that are constructed into humanoid figures by the individuals who see them. Another more interesting scientific explanation is the Brocken Specter. Getting its name from the specters that have been reportedly seen in the German Harz Mountains, a Brocken Specter effect is created when the shadows of a hiker are cast onto foggy mountains. If the sun is behind the hiker like in a late afternoon or a twilight, the shadow can appear huge, menacing, and distant, all characteristics of the Watchers. However, one element that the Watchers do not have in common with the Brocken Specter effect is the lack of a rainbow halo. Brocken Specters have the attribute of a rainbow halo around the head caused by the mist. Not a single witness of the Dark Watchers have ever reported seeing a halo of any type. While they are said to have a large, black, wide-brimmed hat, that definitely does not resemble a rainbow halo. One person who would argue against both Peridolia and Brocken Specters would be John Steinbeck's mother, Olive Hamilton. Olive was a school teacher and not one prone to grandiose stories. As a young teacher, she would travel through Mule, Deer, Canyon, and the Santa Lucia Range in order to teach. She told her children and her grandchildren that she encountered the Watchers numerous times. In fact, she began to sort of trade with them. She would leave them fruits and nuts by trees on her way to school in Big Sur, and on her way home, she would find flowers in their place. Hamilton's belief in the Watchers clearly passed on to her son John, who then passed it on to his son Thomas, who collaborated on a book entitled, In Search of the Dark Watchers. Peridolia? Brocken Specters? Or are the Dark Watchers something more? Are they beings who have been watching the Central Coast of California for over 300 years? If so, what are they watching for? They have never intervened, have never interacted aside from possible gifts at trees with any people, at least none have reported it. They keep their distance, but who or what are they? If they are not a trick of the mind or light on fog, they must have a reason for watching this coast for over 300 years, right? Personally, I choose to follow the example of Olive Hamilton. If gifts of fruits and nuts return flowers, I'm more than willing to make peace and keep my distance. And if you're a researcher or investigator, send us your stories. We might feature you in our next issue. If you have a paranormal podcast, you can add it to our website so our readers can find your show. And artists, if you'd like your work to be featured in our magazine or on our back cover, contact us. Again, our website is paranormalitymag.com. I'm Darren Marlar, and I'll have more paranormal for you next time from Paranormality magazine.