Introduction

People have differing views on entities like ghosts, angels, demons, and gods. Some believe in their existence, while others dismiss them as nonsense. Skepticism is natural, especially for those who haven't had personal experiences. However, I believe skepticism is important because it keeps us grounded, but too much of it can close us off to possibilities beyond our current understanding.

Growing up in a world that prioritizes the observable, I understand the inclination to doubt what we can't see. However, some experiences are deeply personal and don’t fit neatly into scientific frameworks. My encounters have led me to reconsider what we can’t perceive and how fear can cloud those experiences.

The Velvet Cave Encounter: Curiosity in the Mist

For example, I had a curious experience that left me wondering about the unseen. During a visit to the Velvet Cave in Valkenburg, Netherlands, I felt something I can only describe as a presence. The cave maintains a constant temperature of 12°C with no wind, and its labyrinth of tunnels is dark and disorienting—you can only navigate it with a guide.

The guide shared the story of two young boys who had tragically died in the cave after getting lost, but as I listened, I began to feel as if something was watching us. Not making any assumptions, I stayed curious. When the guide wasn’t looking, I slipped away from the group, using my phone’s flashlight for guidance.

What happened next was strange, yet not frightening. I felt as though I was following an "energy," like something curious was watching me back. As I took photos of the hallway ahead, I noticed something moving on my camera: a cloud of mist, moving closer. Given the cave's stable conditions, the appearance of mist seemed unusual, especially when it moved in a way that felt... responsive. It didn’t feel threatening—rather, it seemed curious, as if it were checking me out just as I was observing it.

Instead of panic, I felt an odd sense of mutual curiosity, as if the mist (if it was something sentient at all) was just as interested in me. I kept taking pictures, even when a second cloud of mist appeared. At one point, two distinct clouds were swirling around me. I will add them here.

But what could this have been? I have shown these pictures and shared my story with many people. Even the most skeptical among them have admitted they cannot explain it. Could it be possible that what we refer to as entities are indeed real?

More pictures of this mysterious "mist" inside the Velvet Cave in Valkenburg can be found at the end of this blog post.

The Ouija Board Experiment: How Our Mindset Shapes Encounters

Many express skepticism as a protective measure against the unknown. However, I’ve observed that those who approach these experiences with fear often face more difficulties than those who remain calm. This raises the question of how much our mindset influences such encounters.

I want to delve a bit deeper into this phenomenon. It’s possible that people only feel scared when they sense a reason to be. Yet, I also know of stories involving several people together, where they each experienced different things. Typically, those who were most afraid suffered the most. Of course, this could be because of how exhausting fear is, but could there be other explanations?

This brings me back to my first experience with a Ouija board. I know some people might dismiss it as nonsense, while others think it’s dangerous. I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical about it myself. But around six years ago, someone asked my boyfriend and me if we wanted to test a Ouija board they had. We were up for an experiment, so we agreed. To be honest, I felt a bit nervous, even though I didn’t believe it would work.

After 20 minutes of sitting with our fingers on the glass, nothing happened. Just when we were about to give up, something changed. The glass shifted—not abruptly, but with a strange deliberateness, as though it had borrowed energy from our hands. None of us could explain it. It felt as though something was using the energy of our combined hands to move it. Of course, with things like this, it’s all speculation, but I think that if entities are real, they might use our energy to interact with the physical world. All three of us were connected to the glass, yet none of us felt like we were consciously moving it. It was as if some distinct energy was guiding our hands. We even asked each other if anyone was doing it, and we all swore we weren’t.

We began asking questions and eventually made contact with several different entities. One introduced itself as “ZoZo.” I didn’t feel anything threatening about the energy, but our friend remembered scary stories about ZoZo. Even though he mentioned this, I felt there was no reason to be scared, while he seemed very nervous. My boyfriend and I remained calm throughout.

I’ve always questioned other people’s fears rather than blindly following them. Perhaps it’s because I was often scapegoated during my childhood and wrongly accused of things. I never want to jump to conclusions based on someone else’s emotions or claims. This is why I try to understand every perspective, even from an entity like ZoZo. I started asking questions about how entities feel when summoned, and we received some interesting answers.

Our friend, in contrast, wanted to summon a war angel to keep ZoZo in check. But ZoZo responded that summoning other beings in that way can be hurtful and insulting. Even after hearing that, I still didn’t feel there was anything to worry about. My boyfriend and I slept peacefully that night, but our friend told us he was harassed in his sleep.

I couldn’t help but wonder if this had happened because he insulted ZoZo by calling for a war angel, or if it was simply due to his heightened fear while we remained calm. A skeptic might say that fear can make the mind play tricks on us. However, what’s harder to explain from a skeptical point of view is why I later found so many similar stories from people who had experimented with a Ouija board and encountered the name ZoZo, along with other consistent characteristics, even though I had never heard of ZoZo before this experience.

About six years later, just a couple of months ago, I encountered ZoZo again during another Ouija board experiment at an occult festival. It felt almost like he was stopping by to say hello. I hadn’t expected the same name, ZoZo, to appear again.

Pendulums and the Subconscious: Tools of Insight?

I’ve also been experimenting with a pendulum. The simplest pendulum consists of a string with a mass at the end. In the spiritual world, it often features a crystal at the end and a small ball of the same crystal at the top of the string. You can use it for decision-making, to assess whether your chakras are open, to see if energy is flowing in a room, and even to communicate with spirits. However, how it works is less clear.

It’s intriguing that you can ask questions about future events, and the pendulum’s answers often turn out to be correct. This raises questions similar to those surrounding Ouija boards: how is it possible to achieve such a high rate of accurate predictions and consistent answers? Probability calculations suggest that the odds wouldn’t favor consistent correctness, making it less likely for people to guess accurately without these methods. I can say that I never felt like I was consciously moving the pendulum, but I do not rule out the possibility that my subconscious may have made subtle movements. Perhaps our subconscious is more powerful than we think.

This reminds me of a course where we were paired with random people to guess details about them, like their pets or music preferences. Surprisingly, most participants guessed correctly. Instead of making instant judgments, we were encouraged to pause and trust our instincts, allowing our subconscious to process subtle details we might not consciously notice. For example, someone dressed in black may be assumed to be a metalhead, but taking a moment might reveal jewelry that suggests goth influences.

While some individuals with highly developed observational skills may claim to have psychic abilities, I believe others genuinely experience phenomena that are difficult to explain. Not all are fakes. Some truly believe in their abilities and may provide valuable insights. However, claims about healing and health are trickier. I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions, and most paranormal methods lack rigorous testing compared to conventional medicine. Still, context is crucial when evaluating alternative methods. Just because science hasn’t proven something doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. The placebo effect, even if it’s “just” that, still holds power. However, caution and well-considered decisions are always important.

Entities and the Limits of Science: Could They Be Too Small to Detect?

What if these entities can subtly influence our subconscious, planting suggestions or guiding our thoughts in unnoticed ways? In the case of the pendulum, perhaps they are influencing our unconscious muscle movements rather than us consciously directing it. This could explain why so many find the answers eerily accurate or connected to something beyond their conscious awareness.

Quantum physics (the study of matter and energy at the most fundamental level) shows that the smallest particles behave differently from those we observe in larger systems (McMaster University, n.d.). Could what we call entities be made of particles that are too small to detect with our scientific tools? Could entities operate in ways that are just beyond our current understanding? Given that the matter we know constitutes less than 5% of the observable universe, with the remainder being dark matter and dark energy, there’s ample room for the unknown (NASA, n.d.).

Ancient Gods or Demons? Reframing Our Understanding of Entities

Following my encounter with ZoZo, I delved into the historical roots of many demons mentioned in the Bible and discovered that several of these figures were originally ancient deities, revered as protective or benevolent forces. For instance, Baalzebub, the god of the Philistine city of Ekron, was initially associated with agricultural prosperity and protection against plagues. However, as Abrahamic religions absorbed and reinterpreted earlier traditions, the deity’s name transformed into "Beelzebub," often translated as "lord of the flies" or "lord of dung." This pejorative reinterpretation reflects a broader trend in which rival gods were reframed as malevolent adversaries (Collins, 2007; Edwards, 2002).

In the Old Testament (2 Kings 1:2–16), Beelzebub’s name appears as part of a derogatory wordplay, combining Baal-Zebul ("Lord of the Dwelling") with the Hebrew word zebel ("dung"), to demean the deity’s status. Interestingly, some theories propose that the association with flies might have originally been tied to more neutral or even positive connotations. In ancient agrarian societies, flies were linked to cycles of harvest, fertility, and even warfare, as they could signify abundance or be invoked symbolically to wish plagues upon one’s enemies. Flies’ presence on dung may have been seen less as a sign of filth and more as an indicator of fecundity and agricultural success (Ford, 2005).

Moreover, New Testament references to "Beelzebul" may retain elements of the original deity’s identity. Scholars suggest that the figure represents an enduring cultural memory of Baal’s historical significance, even in the context of first-century CE religious polemics (Marcus, 2000; Gaston, 1962). This linguistic and theological transformation highlights how ancient deities were vilified through the lens of competing religious narratives, reshaping their roles from benefactors to demons.

In my paper, "The Envious God," I delve deeper into this topic, exploring how some of the demons can be viewed as ancient gods who possess the potential to be helpful, malevolent, or even friendly. I also learned that angels can sometimes evoke fear, and both angels and demons can impart lessons that, while harsh, ultimately serve a beneficial purpose. The key difference lies in how these entities are perceived.

Being Open-Minded: Is Fear Necessary?

I believe that being open-minded about entities beyond our realm can bring positive experiences, such as joy and fulfillment. Even if these entities are products of our imagination, the power of imagination should not be underestimated. Countless people share exciting stories about their encounters, like rituals granting wishes or altering circumstances. While I encourage healthy skepticism, I think it’s equally essential to allow for wonder and possibility.

Of course, some people fear hexes or certain entities, but if ghosts are merely the spirits of deceased individuals, why should they be scary? Those who weren’t aggressive in life are unlikely to be so after death, and there’s no evidence that ghosts are inherently harmful. In most cases, fear is unnecessary. When it comes to hexes, it’s essential to recognize that harm comes from the person casting the hex, not the entity itself. In such cases, protection and self-awareness are crucial.

However, most self-identified witches are not likely to engage in hexing, and those who do so do so rarely, as confirmed by many in the occult community through my reading and discussions in Facebook groups.

Entities may not be “inherently” malevolent. I find it fascinating to consider that they could be manifestations of our fears, desires or subconscious, serving as mirrors of our internal worlds. They could also be forms of “energy”. Understanding this could foster healthier relationships with these entities, shifting our perception from one of fear to curiosity.

While I’ve experienced skepticism about my encounters, I’ve also seen the transformative power of a curious and open mindset. For example, I felt oddly comfortable during the Velvet Cave experience, even amidst the dark and unfamiliar surroundings. Similarly, my Ouija board experiment taught me that fear can close doors to understanding, while openness can invite new perspectives.

Conclusion

This post invites you to reflect on your experiences and beliefs regarding unseen entities. How do you feel about your encounters with them (if you had them)? Have they been positive, negative, or neutral? Your thoughts are welcome, as they contribute to a broader dialogue about these complex and often misunderstood subjects. So, whether these entities are real, symbolic, or a reflection of our subconscious, should we be so quick to dismiss what we can’t yet explain? Have you had encounters with the unseen that made you question your perspective?

In Part 2 of this blog post, I will share more experiences and explore this topic even further, so don’t forget to check it out!

Sources:

• Beuken, W. A. H. M. (2000). Isaiah II, Volume 2.
• Day, J. (2002). Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan.
• Ford, M. W. (2005). Bible of the Adversary.
• McMaster University. (n.d.). Elementary particle physics. Department of Physics & Astronomy. Retrieved December 9, 2024, from https://physics.mcmaster.ca.
• NASA. (n.d.). Dark energy, dark matter. Retrieved December 9, 2024, from https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy.