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HALLOWEEN I S S U E VOL. 1 NO. 3
Ghosts of the Boardwalk, photo illustration by Taylor Barnes
TABLE OF CONTENTS OCTOBER 2013 VOL. 1 NO. 3
content s HALLOWEEN IN VENICE 3.1 Venice celebrates Halloween!
Venice Haunted House The Eternal Rest Cemetery
Halloween History 3
Witches... Do You Have One Next Door? 4
Ouija Board The Modern Board 8
Dia de los Muertos 9 SPARC Celebrates Day of the Dead
A Venice Ghost Story Charlie Chaplin
Mystic Journey Bookstore
Venice Haunts 15
Ghostlight Orchestra 18
Black Cat Tales 21
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Telekenesis Developing Your Inner Magic 6
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COVER Venice of America Tarot Card
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design by Taylor Barnes illustration by Rudy Garcia © Rudy Garcia 2013
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CONTRIBUTOR ARTISTS Rudy Garcia Rudy Garcia, a Venice resident since 1990, has been drawing since the age of four. He is studying to be a professional comic book artist and be published in Japanese comics. Being of Mexican descent, his culture and religion influence his art and ser ve as a motivating factor in his pieces.
Diana Garcia Venice resident Diana Garcia is an actress/ar tist/filmmaker. In her spare-time she is also the proprietress (along with her par tner Gregor y Rogove) of the new cereal bar on Abbot Kinney, Another Kind of Sunrise.
Editor and Designer Taylor Barnes 3.1venice@gmail.com
Associate Editor Christopher Johnson Associate Designer Rudy Garcia rudy3.1venice@gmail.com
Media Editor Jennifer Garcia jenni3.1venice@gmail.com
Contributing Editors India Wilson Larry Ragan Advisory Board Laura Ragan, Dita Barnes, Tyrus Wilson
Volume 1, No. 3 3point1-venice.com Copyright 2013 3.1 Venice is published and designed by L7studio.com. All rights reser ved. Nothing shown may be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder. For more information or submission guidelines: E-mail 3.1venice@gmail.com
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H
alloween represents a time of year for many ancient cultures when the veil between the spirit world and the world of the living is blurred. It is believed that on the night of October 31st the ghosts of the dead return to earth and haunt us – causing trouble and reeking havoc. The ancient Celts and Druids also believed that night made it easier to communicate with the dead and otherworldly spirits and allowing for magic to be practiced and predictions for the future to be made.
The Druids built bonfires on Samhain – the Celtic name for the pagan harvest holiday celebrated on October 31st. During these ancient celebrations they would wear costumes of animal heads and skins and tell fortunes for the coming year. The ancient Romans conquered the Celts in 43A.D. and the Roman festival of Feralia for the commemoration of the dead was combined with the traditions of Samhain. One tradition was the apple, used as a symbol of Pomona the Roman goddess of fruit and trees, is now part of the Halloween game of “bobbing for apples.” In 609A.D. Pope Boniface IV created the Catholic feast of All Saints Day and moved it to November 1st. All Souls Day, a day to honor the dead was on November 2nd. All Souls Day was widely believed to have been created by the church to replace Samhain and was celebrated in a similar tradition with bonfires, parades, and costumes of saints, angels and devils. All Saints day was called All-hallowmas and the night before was All-hallows Eve – or Halloween. By the 1800s with the migration of millions of Irish fleeing the potato famine of 1846 the Halloween tradition started to take root in America. Halloween became a holiday about community and neighborly gatherings rather than ghosts and witchcraft. By the turn of the century Halloween parties became a common way to celebrate and the holiday lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the 19th century. Modern Halloween celebrations became secular and entertainment oriented with costumes, games and parties in the 1920s and 1930s. During this time and up into the 1950s the ancient tradition of trick-or-treating was revived to become a new American tradition. Today Halloween is a commercial event with American’s spending an estimated $6 billion annually to celebrate what was once a deeply sacred time of year. But on October 31st, when the full harvest moon rises and the night is getting longer, you can still sense the thinning of the veil between the spirit world and the land of the living – and just for a moment you imagine that you are not alone as you feel the souls of the dead roam the earth.
Happy Halloween! PHOTO COURTESY OF Shannon hayner family halloween collection
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Gargoyl from the Eternal Rest Cemetery
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VENICE
“They have to get off their phones and they can’t take pictures. You have to go in there and be on your own. People want their distance, but I don’t want that. It’s dark. It’s claustrophobic. There’s fog. There’s sound and there are actors all through out the maze pushing your buttons in EVERY sort of way.” Steve Rose Creator of the Eternal Rest Cemetery 2 Issue 3 2013
The Venice Eternal Rest Cemeter y is considered by many to be one of the scariest haunted houses in the city. Ranked by Huffington Post as one of the seven best haunted houses in Los Angeles, the unearthly cemeter y and bloodstained morgue on Rose Avenue draws over 1,200 people each Halloween season to its annual Yard Hunt, a two-night indoor/outdoor fright fest where creatures and monsters spring forth out of the imagination of professional prop and set designer Steve Rose and onto the pathways of the grounds’ captured pray. Rose’s famed party for the undead, taking place this year on Halloween night and Saturday, November 2nd, initially started out as a mobile operation. In those early days, he would spend hours to painstakingly transform the homes of friends and clients into elaborate haunted houses. When he moved into his Rose Avenue residence over a decade ago, his front yard became his personal laborator y for scaring young trick-or-treaters. Always experimenting with makeup, sound and visual techniques, Rose has continued to add new elements to keep knees trembling and hearts pounding. Today, the journey of terror begins in the original cemeter y but now slowly winds its way through the house and a tight maze that covers the entire property. Visitors enter Rose’s world of horror in groups of two and three, so each person—whether they like it or not—is almost guaranteed to receive personalized attention from the lurking ghouls. No cell phones. No pictures. It’s dark. It’s claustrophobic. “It’s gotten scarier and scarier!” he says proudly of the site’s current incarnation. “Now the haunted house has become so intense that it’s not recommended for children under 13! The kids are ver y, ver y ner vous now and
it’s just too much. There are ambient lights and you can hear people screaming inside and you just don’t know what is going to happen. We’re not tr ying to kill anyone, but it’s definitely intense theater, and it’s not for ever yone. You can hear people in the line say, ‘Oh my god, I don’t know if I can do this!’ and, ‘Oh my god, what’s going on in there?!’” With the help of over thirty actors and craftsmen, it takes Rose and his team several weeks to build and put the experience together. While his cast still gives out candy to weaker souls too scared to venture far beyond the house’s front gate, his penchant for inviting neighbors into his ominous, theatrical scenarios goes back to his childhood roots in San Diego. As a boy, Rose would create horror scenes in his home and would dare his neighbors to experience his burgeoning sinister showmanship for themselves. He carried that passion into college at Willamette University, where he majored in theater and would donate his time to building haunted houses. “I always loved the idea of turning a space into something that people would walk into and because of the music, the visuals, and ever ything happening…they go to another place,” he explains. In the erudite theater world where designing haunted houses and yard haunts is often considered a boorish pursuit, Rose doesn’t shy away from using his creative talents to immerse his audience in his own brand of fantasy. “I consider it to be a total jolt! It’s high on the emotional scale! That’s what makes me excited about doing it – to see how many people are jolted by something they have never done. That’s why we do it. It’s free. I don’t make money off of it; I actually lose money. I feel like I’ve created a little niche of something special.” 3.1 Venice Magazine 3point1–venice.com
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DO YOU HAVE ON E LI V I N G NEXT D OOR? HER E A F EW WAYS TO TE LL. . . Venice is full of kooky characters and mysterious residents—it’s one of the reasons we love the place so much. But don’t be fooled. Here are a few ways to tell if your “eccentric” neighbor is really a witch! All the stray cats in the neighborhood tend to congregate in her garden (and use your own as their litter box). Doesn’t cut down the weeds in her garden; in fact it looks more like she’s cultivating them. Most of her clothes on the wash line are black. The local kids talk in whispers as they go past her house, then start running at the last moment. Nobody trick-or-treats her house; not after the incident when the kids’ costumes were less scary than hers when she opened the door to them. Footprints on the roof. And the trees in her flight-path have been pruned down. When you pop next door for a chat, the kettle is always already on. You discover that her realistic resin skull ornament in her living room actually is real. You catch her washing a crystal ball along with the dishes. There aren’t any mirrors in her house. Or clocks. She listens to what you are saying like she really cares. Still not convinced? Score your weird neighbor’s likelihood of casting spells by answering over forty additional questions here: http://d21c.com/walpurgis9/halloween/neighbor.html
digital illustration by Taylor Barnes
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6 Issue 3 2013
INSTALLATION by JIM BUDMAN
TELEKiNeSIS DEV ELO P YOU R I N N E R MA G I C access the power of your mind
evitation, moving objects with your mind and flying through the air all seem to be ideas of science fiction. However, the laws of physics suggest that if our minds can connect with the energy of matter we can change the state or motion of matter. All that to say – if you put your mind to it you CAN move mountains! The first law of thermodynamics is that energy cannot be created or destroyed but it can be transferred or changed from one form to another. The idea behind Telekinesis is not magic but it can look like magic. All one is doing is transferring the energy from their body to an object outside of their body. The simplest exercise to begin to train the mind in the transference of energy is the “pencil roll trick.” The idea is to put a round pencil on a flat smooth surface, relax and tr y to transfer the energy in your body to the object outside of your body – the pencil – and make it roll. Tr y it and see what happens. If you are interested in developing your abilities further here is a website that gives you exercises to master telekinesis at ever y level. http://learn-telekinesis-training.com/learn-telepathy.php
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THE OUIJA BOARD IS AN ANCIENT METHOD OF FORTUNE TELLING DATING BACK TO ANCIENT CHINA. TRADITIONALLY, A SLIDER IS USED ON THE BOARD TO ALLOW A SPIRIT TO SPELL THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS. DON’T HAVE A OUIJA BOARD FOR HALLOWEEN NIGHT? TRY THIS VERSION:
http://www.brainjar.com/dhtml/ouija/
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June/July 2013
Dia de los Muertos ILLUSTRATION BY DIANA GARCIA
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SPARC GALLERY CELEBRATes THE DAY OF THE DEAD IN VENICE The Mexican holiday Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebrates honoring those who have passed with altars decorated with sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite food and drink of the departed. Traditionally, the graves of beloved family members are visited during the first two days of November and gifts of food and the deceased’s possessions are left in remembrance. On Halloween night, The SPARC (Social and Public Art Resource Center) Galler y
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at 685 Venice Boulevard celebrates its tenth year of honoring Dia de Los Muertos with a special performance and ceremony to call forth departed spirits. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and is open to the public. Attendees are asked to bring a personal memento or photo to add to the community altar. For more information, visit sparcinla.org. http://sparcinla.org/projects/join-over80-ucla-students-plus-community-members/
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPARCINLA.ORG
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A V enice G H O S T S TO RY
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harlie Chaplin used to own several of the large buildings that sit near or along the Venice Beach Boardwalk. At the turn of the centur y these buildings were commonly used as bath houses or lodging for wealthy vacationers. Today, these buildings have been converted to apartments but among them sits the infamous Number 26 on Westminster Avenue. It has been documented in print and in Chaplin’s movies that he did much of his filming during the early 1900s in and around these properties on Westminster Avenue. In 1915, during the filming of By the Sea, Chaplin’s stunt double mysteriously disappeared from the film set. Production was put on hold for three days and a manhunt ensued. After turning up empty-handed, it was assumed that Chaplin’s long time friend must have quit and left on his own recognizance. The studio was losing money each day so they forced Chaplin to replace his stunt double and continue production of the film. On the seventh day after the disappearance of his friend, Chaplin returned to his dressing room located in the basement of Building Number 26 on Westminster. It is documented that Chaplin, while accompanied by an entourage, entered the room to discover his stunt double lying dead on the floor, wet and covered in seaweed. The man appeared to have been deceased for several days. How he ended up on the floor of Chaplin’s dressing room after being missing for almost an entire week is still a complete myster y to this day. Over the years, subsequent inhabitants of the infamous building have claimed to have heard strange noises emanating from the walls, as if someone is walking through shallow water. Other mysterious sounds have included groaning and the faint whimper of someone distantly cr ying for help. There have also been several sightings of what appears to be an apparition of a man bound by the hands and feet standing in the corners of the building. The most blood-curdling detail of all these sightings: the ghost is dressed in the same Chaplin-esque tuxedo coat and proverbial black derby the stunt double was wearing the day he went missing.
photo left: charlie chaplin filming in venice in 1915.
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little bits of magic to make small wishes come true
Using coins to conjure wishes into reality is a centuries old tradition. To ensure that your wishes are fulfilled, pick up coins you find lying heads up on the ground and then wish on them. Wish while throwing a coin in a fountain or a river. Turn a silver coin over in your pocket whenever you see a full moon.
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For all of your spell casting needs as well as spiritual enlightenment Venice has the Mystic Journey Bookstore. Tthe bookstore serves as a community hub hosting workshops and events as well a group of highly skilled intuitives and card readers. on Abbott Kinney Blvd. mysticjourneybookstore.com
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V enice B each
Freakshow The Venice Boardwalk has always been home to death-defying performers, human peacocks with “unusual” style, and all manner of lifestyles—the perfect backdrop for the carnival-style Venice Beach Freakshow on Ocean Front Walk. Home to the macabre and oddly boasting the largest collection of two-headed creatures in the world, the Venice Beach Freakshow also hosts performers in classic, circus-sideshow style: sword swallowers, fire eaters, Electra the Electric Lady, Lady Twisto the Rubber Girl, The Indestructible Woman and other human curiosities round out its cast. At the Venice Beach Freakshow, it’s Halloween all year long.
909 Ocean Front Walk https://www.facebook.com/venice.freakshow
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June/July 2013
el bordello
alexandra El Bordello Alexandra is one of the many buildings in Venice with a checkered past: tales of its histor y range from the building being used as an actual bordello to a seedy heroin den. Although the Bordello is now an apartment building it remains one of the most eccentric places in Venice—and the perfect Halloween destination. Demons and gargoyles leer and crouch from the roofline, while small murals of medieval warrior-women fighting dragons, nymphs and centaurs decorate the exterior of the house. As you walk down Westminster Avenue towards the beach, the building looms up and captures the imagination with its dark color, goldtipped iron fence, and many life-sized statues. By day or night, El Bordello Alexandra is a haunted house come to life. You can almost hear the gargoyles screeching when you pass by. Located at 20 Westminster Avenue Venice Beach 3.1 Venice Magazine 3point1–venice.com
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Ghostlight Orchestra Playing at the Del Monte Speakeasy Venice, CA Click to see & hear
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The townhouse bar
& del monte speakeasy
The Townhouse Bar and Del Monte Speakeasy in the basement have been a part of Venice Beach history since 1915. The speakeasy is rumored to have tunnels that run all the way to the pier for the rum runners that secretly moved their cargo during Prohibition. Small ships would sail to the former Abbot Kinney pier, a trading post for alcohol to be smuggled to the Del Monte Speakeasy and all over Los Angeles. It should come as no surprise that Townhouse has its own ghost story from that era. The ghost of Frank Bennett, the bar’s owner from 1972-2003, is said to still inhabit the best seat in the house, the dark back corner booth across from the downstairs bar. Coincidentally, that same seat was known to be a favorite spot for Frank Sinatra when he was alive and frequented the place. 52 Windward Avenue Venice Beach
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The best table in the house for a ghost sighting.
ILLUSTRATION TAYLOR BARNES
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Photo of Uno a Venice resident 22 Issue 3 2013
Photograph by TAYLOR BARNES
THE MYTH OF THE BLACK CAT A black cat crossing your path brings good luck
—Japanese superstition
A strange black cat on your porch brings prosperity
—Scottish superstition
A cat sneezing is a good omen for everyone who hears it
—Italian superstition
The mysterious black cat has beguiled humans for hundreds of years and become a symbol for Halloween. Ancient Egyptians so revered their cats that when the family pet died they went into mourning. In Egypt, it was once believed that the life-giving rays of the sun were kept in a cat’s eyes at night for safekeeping. Yet the enduring superstition surrounding cats in general seems to go back to the ancient Greeks. In Greek mythology Galenthias, the priestess of the temple of Hecate or the “Dark Mother,” was believed to have powers to take the form of a cat and is considered to be the Mother of Witchcraft. It’s said that Galenthias took the feline form nine times, contributing to the myth that cats have nine lives. In America, black cats were once thought to be disguises for witches seeking to avoid persecution during the Salem Witch Hunts. Whether your beliefs celebrate or demonize black cats, you can be sure of one thing: it’s best to keep your family’s black cat safe and out of sight until Halloween passes!
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