An eCCenTrIC CUlTUrAl mAGAzIne
the tradition of sati in india
The traditional practice of widows immolating themselves
sokushinbutsu
The tor turous self mummif ication of buddhist monks
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Yanomamo Ash eating Japanese Geisha Concubines eunuchs in Ancient China
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An eCCenTrIC CUlTUrAl mAGAzIne
deja vu or deja senti?
Strange phenomena of the mind origins
foot binding
It’s histor y in Chinese culture then and today
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Weird Festivals Aquagenic Ur ticaria Histor y of Geisha Tibetan Sky Burial
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odd bod mobb
neck stretching with rings and the padaung women
blood fetishism
The most common identif ied vampire fetishists practiced
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Gloomy Sunday Apotemnophilia The Poltergeist Curse Spontaneous Human Combustion
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content march 2012/ vol. 1
departments
58 50 72 78 80 90 93
the life and making of a mannequi in society
concubines of ancient china The origin to the aChinese emperor Torturous Self Mummification A tantric ritual from Tang China
20
japanese geisha HISTORY: Now & Then A look inside the origin of the geishas tiberian sky burial The ancient sky burial by Monks the 13 – year old allergic to everything The stor y of a rare skin condition stonehenge The strange myster y behind this landmark blood fetishism The difference behind life blood – drinkers
regular columns 05 18 28 32 40 64
editors letter odd bod mob sweet addictions interesting word weird festivals horoscope
if you didn’t know paradox is . . . A seemingly absurd or self–contradictory statement that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true
the history of halloween
traditional & modern gambling
The Celtic connection descend of the ancient fire festival Samhain and halloween today
97 features
06
33 47 51 60 68 78 97
have a question? feel free to contact us! Write us at: Paradox, PO Box 640012, San Jose, CA 95164– 0010 Call Toll Free line: (408) 449 – 0307 Email Jackie at info@paradoxmag.com
deja vu or deja senti? Strange phenomena of the mind origins the tradition of sati The traditional Hindu practice of a widow the history of footbinding The Histor y behind the ancient Chinese ritual tiberian sky burial The ancient sky burial by Monks the poltergeist curse The stor y behind the movie necrophilia The manifestation of necrophilia sepukku A form of practice by the samurai warriors
the mind is a wonderful thing
–
t h e r e i s s o m u c h a b o u t i t w h i c h r e m a i n s a m y s t e ry t o
t h i s d ay . s c i e n c e i s a b l e t o d e s c r i b e s t r a n g e p h e n o m e n a , b u t c a n ’ t a c c o u n t f o r t h e i r o r i g i n s . w h i l e m o s t o f u s a r e fa m i l i a r w i t h o n e o r t w o o n t h i s l i s t , m a n y o t h e r s a r e m o s t ly u n k n o w n o u t s i d e o f t h e p s y c h o l o g i c a l r e a l m .
Phenomena
of the Mind By Ally Stern
Déjà Vu The experience of being cer tain that you have experienced or seen a new situation previously — as though the event has already happened or is repeating itself. The experience is usually accompanied by a strong sense of familiarity andand strangeness. The “previous” experience is usually attributed to a dream, but sometimes there is a firm sense that it has tr uly occurred in the past. Déjà Vécu Déjà vécu is what most people are experiencing when they think they are experiencing deja vu. Déjà vu is the sense of having seen something before , whereas déjà vécu is the experience of having seen an event before , but in great detail – such as recognizing smells and sounds. This is also usually accompanied by a ver y strong feeling of knowing what is going to come next. Déjà Senti The phenomenon of having “already felt” something. This is exclusively a mental phenomenon, in which seldom remains in your memor y afterwards. The recollection is always star ted by another per son’s voice , or by my own verbalized thought, or by what and mentally verbalize during the abnormal state . Déjà Visité A less common experience and it involves an uncanny knowledge of a new place . For example , you may know your way around a new town or a landscape despite having never been there , and knowing that it is impossible for you to have this knowledge . For this reason, Déjà visité is about spatial and geographical relationships, while déjà vécu is about temporal occurrences. Presque Vu Presque vu is ver y similar to the “tip of the tongue” sensation – it is the strong feeling that you are about to experience an epiphany thoughthe epiphany seldom comes. The sensation of presque vu can be ver y disorienting.
paradox march | 01
The sensation of presque vu can be very disorienting and distracting.
Jamais Vu A familiar situation which is not recognized. It is often considered to be the opposite of déjà vu. The obser ver does not recognize the situation despite knowing rationally that they have been there before . It is commonly explained as when a per son momentarily doesn’t recognize a per son, word, or place that they know. L’esprit de l’Escalier The sense of thinking of a clever comeback when it is too late . The phrase can be used to describe a riposte to an insult, or any clever remar k that comes to mind too late . The phenomenon is usually accompanied by a feeling of regret at having not thought of the riposte when it was most needed. Prosopagnosia A phenomenon in which a per son is unable to recognize faces of people or objects that they should know. People experiencing this disorder are usually able to use their other senses to recognize people — such as a per son’s perfume , the shape or style of their hair, the sound of their voice , or even their gait. Fregoli Delusion A rare brain phenomenon in which a per son holds the belief that different people are , in fact, the same per son in a variety of disguises. It is often associated with paranoia and the belief that the per son in disguise is tr ying to per secute them. Capgras Delusion The phenomenon in which a per son believes that a close friend or family member has been replaced by an identical looking impostor. This could be tied in to the old belief that babies were stolen and replaced by changelings in medieval folklore , as well as the modern idea of aliens taking over the bodies of people on ear th to live amongst us for reasons unknown.
paradox march | 03
Paradox is a publication on eccentric views of beliefs, and cultural topics. Paradox was designed to be bold and express its individuality. The magazine is full of self – contradictor y and stories that in reality expresses truths.
hello, welcome to paradox! this is your editor speaking. let’s talk about what paradox really is and why we’re here.
Why create a magazine? I ask the readers, why not? Paradox was created for readers interested in the ever yday life facts that we wouldn’t normally be aware of, yet it will intrigue and cause skepticism. It will leave the reader pondering and coming back for more curiosity. I believe that deep down inside we all have a curiosity for the unknown, and crave for knowledge. Indeed, this is exactly what paradox will tr y to achieve and bring to our fellow viewers. The magazine will cover about ever y relevant subject possible. Such as gender, ethnicity, sex, culture. This month the magazine will be covering an ar ticle on the Geisha histor y, ancient China concubines and naked sushi. Now take your cup of coffee and drink up, it’s going to be a while. Cheers,
n a n c y g a lv e z designer and publisher
paradox march | 04
The Celts did believe in gods, giants, monsters, witches, spirits, and elves, but these were not considered evil, so much as dangerous.
The History of
Halloween & the celtic connection By Dennis Rupper our modern celebration of halloween is a very distant
descendant of the ancient celtic fire festival called samhain . it was the biggest and most significant holiday of the celtic year . the celts lived more than
2,000
years ago in what is
now great britain , ireland , and france . their new year began on november
1.
Celtic legends tell us that on this night, the hear th fires in Ireland were extinguished, and then re – lit from the central fire of the Druids at Tlachtg. Upon this sacred bonfire the Druids burned animals. The extinguishing of the hear th fires symbolized the “dark half ” of the year. The re – kindling from the Druidic fire was symbolic of the returning life that was hoped for in the spring. In the Celtic belief system, turning points, such as the turning of one year into the next were seen as magical times. This was the time when the “veil between the worlds” was its thinnest, and the dead communicated with the living. The Celts believed that when people died, they went to a land of eternal youth and happiness called Tir Nan Og. They did not have the concept of heaven and hell that the Christian church later brought into the land. The Celts did not have demons and devils in their belief system. Christians describe Halloween as a festival in which the Celts sacrificed human beings to the devil or some evil demonic god of death. They believe in gods, giants, monsters, witches, spirits, and elves, but these were not considered evil. It is impor tant to distinguish between paganism and Satanism. Pagans are people who believe in more than one god. Modern day pagans call themselves Wiccans. Pagans are quick to emphasize that they don’t worship Satan. The devil is a Judeo – Christian concept, because one has to believe in a single God.
paradox march | 06
The earliest actual historic practice seems to have been poor folk in masks and costumes going from house to house. They would put on a simple play or musical performance in return for food and drink.
Where did costuming come from?
Where did the “treat” part come from?
We do have records of costumed processions in a much later time (Christian times), but these costumed processions were NOT limited to the Halloween holiday.
By the turn of the centur y, Halloween had become an ever more destructive way to “let off steam” for crowded and poor urban dwellers. Vandalism that had been limited to tipping outhouses; , and switching shop signs.
The earliest actual historic practice seems to have been poor folk in masks and costumes going from house to house. They would put on a simple play or musical performance in return for food and drink. This practice is called Mumming or Guising and has no discernable connection to the Celts. You may be surprised to learn that your parents or grandparents know nothing about costuming on Halloween. There were lots of pranks on Halloween, but they know nothing of dressing up. Folklorist Tad Tuleja says that costume par ties are frequently mentioned in the early decades of the 1900s (but nothing about going door – to– door in costume).
The nighttime terrorism and murders by the Ku Klux Klan reached their apex during this decade. Neighborhood committees and local city clubs then mobilized to organize safe and alternatives to vandalism. Good children were encouraged to go door to door and receive treats from homes and thereby keeping troublemakers away. By the 1930’s, these “beggar’s nights” were enormously popular and being practiced nationwide, with the “trick or treat” greeting widespread.
The actual phrase “trick or treat” is not Druidic! The earliest known reference in print dates only to 1938 in an ar ticle in the Los Angeles Times entitled “Halloween Pranks Plotted by Youngsters of Southland,” Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California), October 30, 1938, : “Trick or treat!” is the Halloween hijacking game hundreds of Southern California youngsters will play tomorrow night as they practice streamlined versions of traditional Allhallows pranks.” The term is actually American, not European! In America in the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was a custom of playing pranks on Halloween. This custom appears to have come from immigrants from Ireland and Scotland which had a practice called Mischief Night. The pleasant fiction was that such rambunctiousness was the work of “fairies,” “elves,” “witches” and “goblins.” That’s the “trick” par t of Halloween.
How did witches become connected to Halloween? Once the Druids were branded as evil, their practices were looked at as “witchcraft.” Followers of the old religion were persecuted, went into hiding, and were branded as witches who worshipped Satan or the Devil. This is why European witchcraft became connected with Satan, whereas witchcraft in other areas of the world is animistic in nature. October 31 became known as a witch holiday. It was called “The Witches’ Sabbath” by witch hunters and eventually European witches began celebrating October 31 as one of their great Sabbaths held during the year. Halloween celebrations did not become popular in the United States until the late 1800s. It appears to have arrived after 1840, when large numbers of immigrants arrived from Ireland and Scotland. It must be said that “Halloween” as we know it in America, with all the folk stories and urban legends attached to it, is a distinctly American phenomenon.
paradox march | 08
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Young girls were sold into the geisha life by their families until the mid – 20th century and were often subject to the ritual of ‘mizu – age,’ whereby their virginity was sold to the highest bidder.
the history of geisha
By Sarah Reynold
g e i s h a h av e t h e i r ro ot s i n f e m a l e e n t e rta i n e r s s u c h a s t h e s a b u ru ko o f t h e 7 t h c e n t u ry 13 t h c e n t u ry .
a n d t h e s h i r a b yo s h i , w h o e m e r g e d a ro u n d t h e e a r ly
They would perform for the nobility and some even became concubines to the emperor. It was in the late 16th centur y that the first walled – in pleasure quar ters were built in Japan. Like so many aspects of Japanese culture, they were modelled after those of Ming Dynasty China. After they were relocated in the mid – 1600s, they became known as Shimabara (after a for tress in Kyushu). Meanwhile a marshy patch of land (Yoshi – wara) in Edo had been designated as the site for a brothel district. Brothels were not allowed to operate outside the district and strict rules applied. among these were that no customers were allowed to stay in a brothel more than 24 hours; cour tesans were to wear simple dyed kimonos; and any suspicious or unknown visitors were to be repor ted to the Office of the City Governor. With Japan enjoying a long – awaited period of peace following centuries of civil war, many samurai found that society no longer had such need of their ser vices. It’s thought that many daughters of these formerly families became cour tesans, with the result that quar ters such as Yoshiwara and Shimabara were places of refinement and culture.
enter tainer emerged in Kyoto and Osaka. The earliest geiko were men, while the first females, who appeared shor tly after, were odoriko (dancers). Female geisha became popular enough to steal clients from the cour tesans, and in it was decided to star t a registration system, to keep them under control and force them to pay taxes. Itstrictly controlled their dress, behaviour and their movements became so so successful that it quickly became the norm at hanamichi across Japan. These strict rules allowed the geisha to flourish as ar tists and enter tainers. Though more simply dressed than the cour tesans, they became regarded as fashion leaers. But many aspects of the lifestyle itself were less glamorous. Such practices were eradicated after World War II and the geisha profession went into a steady decline. Today, if geisha are hired to enter tain at a private par ty outside the upper eschelons of society, they are most likely to be seasoned veterans, more akin to your favorite aunt or even grandmother.
Peace also brought an increase in prosperity and the rise of the merchant class. Add that to the presence of ar tists and free of the strictures of the outside world, and it truly was something of an adult amusement park, with culture thrown in for good measure. Within the hanamichi there were different classes of cour tesans, and over the decades the hierarchy standards expected of them changed many times, not always for the better. The situation ended in the mid – 18th centur y to the extent that a new form of
paradox march | 12
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