In Pure Spirit

For open minds

Chinese zoo says its sun bears are real – and definitely not humans in bear suits

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A zoo in China has been forced to refute any allegations its sun bears are actually humans dressed in bear suits, after a video of one of its bears standing on hind legs went viral.

Despite denying the allegations, zookeepers at the zoo published a statement yesterday (Sunday) in the voice of Angela, a Malaysian sun bear – because making them give a statement will somehow convince people they’re not human?

The statement read: “When it comes to bears, the first thing that comes to mind is a huge figure and amazing power … But not all bears are behemoths and danger personified. We Malayan bears are petite, the smallest bear in the world.”

I’m laughing as I type this. You can watch the video below – and I can kind of see where people are coming from, as the wrinkly folds of fur do make it look like the bottom half of a man in trampy trousers. But it’s clearly still a bear!

The situation has escalated to the point that the zoo are now arranging for reporters to visit TODAY to see the bears.

An audio recording has been doing the rounds on WeChat, where a spokesperson for the zoo has stated a deception of this scale would never occur at a state-run facility, and that in this 40C (104F) summer heat, a human dressed in a fur suit “would not last more than a few minutes before collapsing”.

Sun bears are known for being around the size of a large dog, getting to a height of around 50 inches tops on their hind legs – whereas grizzly bears and other species can reach up to 2.8 metres, the zoo says.

It’s not the first time Chinese zoos have been accused of deception. Apparently some have been accused of dying dogs to look like wolves or African cats, as well as painting donkeys to look like zebras (I’m sure that one actually happened).

You might rub the world’s most expensive bird droppings into your face

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Born in 1962, Tom Cruise is 61, but would you believe it if you’ve seen the latest Mission Impossible film? How does he look so young?

Ten years ago, The Huffington Post wrote up anonymous insider accounts, saying;

Tom doesn’t go in for Botox or surgery, but he does pay close attention to all the new and popular natural treatments. He recently started experimenting with the nightingale poo facial.”

Asami Geisha

Is there Nightingale poo anti-wrinkle cream on Amazon? Not that I could find. I did find Asami Geisha.

That’s a registered trademarked cream which claims to be the only one in the world with extracted enzymes from the excrement of the Japanese nightingale.

  • The good news? Shipping is free.
  • The bad? A small tub costs over £425.

Wikipedia alludes to why the Japanese nightingale might be so expensive. There aren’t many in Japan. Instead, Wikipedia says;

The leiothrix is usually found in India, Bhutan, Nepal, Burma and parts of Tibet. This species is a bird of the hill forests, found in every type of jungle though it prefers pine forests with bushes.

Red-billed leiothrix is the full name of the nightingale. However, it’s worth noting that the bird does come to Japan and likes the forests of Abies and Tsuga while there.

Nightingale droppings are not a new trend. The practice dates back hundreds of years, as Asami Geisha explain.

“Geisha Facial” refers to a beauty treatment that uses nightingale droppings. In Japan, the poop is called Uguisu No Fun. Japanese geishas have used this treatment for centuries.

Geishas used to wear a white makeup called oshiroi, which contained zinc and lead. This makeup could cause skin problems, such as skin diseases.

However, it’s suggested that the Uguisu No Fun could clean and regenerate the damaged skin. This resulted in softer, more radiant, and smoother skin.

The Geisha Facial is still used today, and it is said to have many benefits for the skin, but it is important to find a reputable spa that offers this treatment.

The cream treatment may be uncomfortable, as it can cause some redness and irritation. Finally, you should only have the treatment done a few times a year, as it can dry the skin. Perhaps it is a good thing it’s not Amazon.

In Pure Spirit

If Japanese nightingale poop facials exist, does that mean birds are kept in cages purely for poo farming? If so, then there are likely ethical considerations.

Would you spend £400 a year on Japanese anti-wrinkle cream made from bird boop if it made you look younger?

Why do we write – and could reading ever be an art form?

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An updated blog post, based on past witterings and a revisit from a much older, jaded author… enjoy.

Have you ever thought of reading as an art form? After all, each crafted piece of writing depends on the person that reads it; their imagination, their vision, their emotions, their perspective.

Each reader views the words on the page in their own unique way; treasuring the characters, the scenery, the emotions of the book, making them come to life in a way the author could only hope for.

But each of these worlds that are created are secret, sacred, and can never be replicated or shared with outside eyes. That’s what makes it all the more precious – but surely it can’t be art, because it’s only in one mind (at least until a Black Mirror scenario is upon us).

Unless… we’re all art. Every single one of us is our own individual life’s work.

We love to read. We love anything that provokes a reaction in us.

I read purely because I love to read – it takes me away somewhere else and I have had great memories while reading some books.

When I can really get into a book, really lose myself in it, it’s something I find worthwhile. I like to be stimulated in that way, and I especially love things that provoke some sort of reaction in me be it good, bad, emotional or just a good laugh. I love being able to laugh, cry, feel for the characters.

And that’s why it’s so important to me to be able to create that for other people and to know that others are taking something away from my work, that makes it all worthwhile for me.

That is why I write. Along with the dreams that fuel the words that flow from my mind through my fingers and onto the keys, and along with the imagination that drives me forward, that visualises and builds on those dreams.

I write to create my own worlds and to bring together beauty and essence in my characters.

But most of all, I write so that others can lose themselves in my work and if they can take something away from it; be it large or small, that is more than enough for me. I write in the hope that my work will shine through and live in its own way; inside others.

That is why I write. Or, at least, it’s why I used to.

You see, I wrote this many years ago, because I suffered some trauma and lost my will to write whilst I was around 60,000 words through my fourth novel. My entire life changed.

Does it make me sad to go back and read this? Yes, a bit. Do I still have stories in me? Yes, so many.

But whether I go back to writing again, or simply stay a reader; a satisfied partaker of fictional worlds others have created for me – I’ll always enjoy the stories (and in the meantime, I’ll write for fun on here).

Hong Kongers urged to stare disapprovingly at people who smoke

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Unfortunately, smoking is still popular in parts of the world such as Hong Kong – and the territory’s health minister, Professor Lo Chung-mau said now advised people to ‘stare disapprovingly’.

It’s part of the latest effort to help rid Hong Kong of tobacco for good, with Professor Lo saying those smoking in prohibited areas aren’t likely to “hit back” at glares from their fellow citizens. Hmmm.

“Cigarettes can harm the health of all of us,” Professor Lo said during a meeting of the Legislative Council’s health service panel on Friday 14th July.

He continued:

When the members of the public see people smoking in non-smoking areas, even if no law enforcement officers can show up immediately, we can stare at the smokers. When someone takes out a cigarette at a restaurant, everyone on the premises can stare at that person. I do not believe that person would dare to hit back at everyone at the restaurant as they are simply staring.

It’s Professor Lo’s hope that adopting such behaviour will help shape the city into a “non-smoking culture”.

He continued: “Take queuing at a bus stop as an example. No one will say it requires the law to compel people to queue. Our society is able to create a culture where people will comply with this rule of queuing when waiting for buses. I hope the whole of society can build a non-smoking culture.”

Well, it’s probably a better idea than what I used to do when placed in a room with a group of smokers as a child – which was to just try and hold my breath, shout that I’m going to die, and cry a lot because my parents clearly didn’t love me or care about the cancer risk.

Prof Lo has also warned that surveillance footage and video clips provided by civilians will be used as evidence as part of the crackdown on smoking in prohibited areas such as restaurants, offices, and indoor and outdoor public spaces. Penalties of HK$1,500 (£147) are enforced for breaking the rules.

On the 12th, a public consultation paper was launched by health authorities in Hong Kong as they look for more effective strategies to tackle the smoking crisis.

Included within that paper was the idea of banning people born after a certain date from buying tobacco products, and a 75% tobacco tax.

We’ll see if it makes a difference.

In Pure Spirit

Have you been able to stop smoking? What worked for you? Plant-based nicotine alternative ripple suggests seven things to try to quit smoking.

Alternatively, and as you’d expect, Cancer Research UK has some advice too!

Big Heckin’ Two-Day Prime Day: Wonderfully weird finds discounted on Amazon

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It’s Amazon’s Prime Day, and that’s already a weird start because Prime Day isn’t a day. It’s two days long!

You need to be an Amazon Prime member to shop the site with significant discounts. The two-day event is designed to reward people for being members.

Here at In Pure Spirit, we’re very interested in ethical retail, so you might wonder why Amazon is appearing here. Amazon’s track record isn’t great, but you can do some important things to make the world a better place.

For example, Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program not only saves you money but lets the retailer plan shorter shipping routes for your stuff, and that’s less carbon from transport. The Amazon Delivery Day gets all your shopping saved up for the weekly delivery, and that’s less cardboard from boxes.

In this list, we’ll look at some of the wonderfully weird curios we spotted in the sale!

Happy potato

Positive Potatoe
How can you say no to a potato that urges you on with the heartfelt “I may be a tiny potato, but I believe in you. Go do your thing!” Can you? Nope, I can’t!

Carp clutch

Can a fish be handy? This zipper can be a pencil case holder, a key holder or even a makeup case. Whatever you use it for, you can surely win some attention when you slide the scaly wonder from your bag or pocket. I’m hooked.

Banana Man
The 14″ banana… man… in a coat! This banana plush is also cleverly designed with magnets inside so you can arrange your new best friend in all sorts of positions. Show me how!.

Shark blanket
Is there a fishy theme in this Prime Day-inspired collection? Are we now feeding kids to sharks? The answer to both is; maybe. But, hey, it looks fun.

Cat mug
I can tell you immediately why I like this mug – yes, the kitten on the top is cute, as is the wee paw print on the handle, but it’s the “Look at me” poser on the mug itself. Oh, and an anti-spill top is handy, too and so let’s look closer.

Shapely wine glasses
There’s no such thing as wine for kids, so why not have adult wine glasses? This pair of shapely glasses from Hoypefiy certainly suggest a mood for the night… but would you dare? I dare!

That’s a collection of just some weird and wonderful discoveries from this year’s Big Heckin’ Two-Day Prime Day. Good luck with your discount and discovery day if you use the sales this week!

In Pure Spirit

Do you find Amazon helpful? Is the retail giant valuable enough to be worth the Amazon Prime membership even if you make an effort to shop local?

The Negative Effects of Revenge on a Person

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Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2017 for Newzlet, and updated for 2023 because Trump clearly hasn’t changed.

Have you ever wanted to get your own back on someone who has wronged you?

Of course you have; one could argue it’s only human for us to have those vengeful feelings.

For instance, that person who stole your idea during a meeting at work – perhaps you got them back by calling them out on their thievery to your mutual boss (or putting salt in their sugar container when they weren’t looking).

Or perhaps that spiteful ‘friend’ who spread a malicious rumour about you for reasons you can’t quite fathom? So, you decided to block them from your social media and not invite them to the party of a century (at yours, featuring Doritos and all the trimmings, with those special cheese and bacon rolls from M&S).

Ooh! This is a good one: how about the time you asked for help after your latest bankruptcy, only for five people to refuse – so you decided right there and then to spend the rest of your life “destroying” those five people?

“Wait a minute, woah there.” – I hear you say. Surely that’s a step too far? Well, not for Donald Trump, according to a revelation by Virgin founder and business mogul Sir Richard Branson.

Here’s what Branson said at the time:

“Even before the starters arrived he began telling me about how he had asked a number of people for help after his latest bankruptcy and how five of them were unwilling to help. He told me he was going to spend the rest of his life destroying these five people.”

Bit much, isn’t it? Sir Richard (quite rightly) found the conversation more than a little bit “bizarre” and wrote in his blog post that he advised Trump these activities probably weren’t the best way to spend his life.

Branson claimed to have told Trump that it would “eat him up and do more damage to him than them.”

The billionaire and successful businessman left the lunch date feeling “disturbed and saddened” by what he’d heard, and quite rightly went on to express concerns about Trump running for president.

Which brings me to the latest, very similar comment from Trump right now in 2023, who has now vowed to ‘go after’ Biden’s family in a bitter social media rant before he boarded the plane to his arraignment.

It doesn’t seem like he’s changed at all, does it?

So, what are the effects of revenge on a person?

It got me thinking of the effects holding such negative thoughts and vengeful desires can actually have on a person.

You may have heard the term: “revenge is sweet”. However, at least according to this study it’s actually bittersweet, with people left feeling both good AND bad about what they’ve done.

Psychologists’ research has also found that revenge can come at a price. This may not come as news to you, but dwelling on a negative situation and the unhappiness it has caused you can stop you from moving on with your life, leaving you feeling happy or even downright depressed.

No way! Really?! Y’don’t say.

Another non-surprise…

Social psychologist Ian McKee, PhD, of Adelaide University, Australia, linked vengeful tendencies to two main social attitudes; rightwing authoritarianism and social dominance, along with the motivational values that are hidden under the surface of those attitudes.

He said: “People who are more vengeful tend to be those who are motivated by power, by authority and by the desire for status. They don’t want to lose face.”

However, the results of McKee’s study stated that instead of providing a person with closure, revenge actually does the opposite, and “keeps the wound open and fresh”.

There’s also a lot to be said for all the “hippydippy nonsense” people share about sharing positivity, paying it forward and meditation in order to help further our mindful selves. The people who practice these techniques tend to be happier, less stressed, and more focused on bettering themselves and
their peers.

This whole subject also reminds me of a very poignant quote by Roald Dahl:

The above quote (and accompanying illustration by Quentin Blake) never fails to make me smile, regardless of how true or untrue it may be.

To sum it up…

Revenge can often seem ‘sweet’, but the price we pay may not be worth it in the long term, with the negative effects of revenge being less than desirable.

Instead, why not get out there, smell the roses and work on moving forward with your life, to the betterment of yourself, your family and your peers?

Paint a masterpiece, write a novel, find some other creative outlet to release those pent-up feelings of anger, frustration and hurt?

And certainly, whatever you do, don’t use it as a possible motivation to become president of the United States!

Travelling with Tricksy Feet: A Personal Lookback at Choosing Unwise Footwear

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It’s no secret that I love to travel. In fact, I think it’s an essential thing to do if you want to grow as a person and learn all the things about yourself that have been hidden for whatever reason.

However, let’s get real here; my feet are literally THE WORST when it comes to shoes. For years, it seemed that almost no matter what I wore, my feet would rub in one place or another, so I would get to the point of switching a pair of shoes that hurt in one spot, for a pair that would hurt me in another – just to give the sore parts of my feet a break!

Despite the obvious problems this causes, I also love to walk. When I’m travelling, I really make a point of taking the time to see and experience all the little details you won’t necessarily notice in a car or taking public transport.

So, how does someone like that get anywhere, explore and take in everything their journey has to offer, whilst managing to evade imminent disaster along the way? Well, with a little hope, a LOT of Compeed (blister plasters), and a damn good pair of shoes.

Unfortunately, it took me quite a while before I discovered my Doc Martens, my T.U.Ks, my HELMS, my Birkenstocks and my TOMS – so, this article is about some of the amazing, lifechanging and utterly cringeworthy travel experiences I’ve had over the years with my troublesome feet. 

Why? Just because. 

Hope you’ll join me for the ride!

Scotland 

Okay, let’s start this thing at the very beginning. Because I’m originally from Scotland, the first place I started going on walks and exploring was, of course, my own country! (This probably doesn’t technically count as ‘travelling’, but doesn’t everything start at home?)

Oh yes, I’ve spent many, many days walking back home in my bare feet from wearing ridiculous shoes (from Stockbridge to Waverley Station when my heels got too much), and made many Compeed stops whilst exploring new cities and villages, going to gigs, museums, galleries, etc. 

And for many years, the shadow of painful feet hung over me. Despite this, Scotland’s hills are usually the absolute best places to stop and gather your thoughts, and they also provides a good hour or two of solid exercise!

As pictured, I’d usually hover between trainers and boots, although I could never really find a happy medium between not enough support (trainers), and too much stiffness to actually be comfortable (boots)! Still, those views are totally worth it – am I right?

Continental Europe Part 1: (Multiple)

I was quite young when I first set off on my first trip to Continental Europe. It was actually a school trip, and involved getting the bus down to Hull, before taking the ferry over to Rotterdam. That night we partied hard, and ate about 5 small tubs of vanilla ice cream each from the ship’s buffet service. 

In just a few days, we also managed to squeeze in Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany whilst munching on some very questionable packed lunches by the tour bus company. I also spent a good deal of that trip walking around with aching sore feet because of my bad choices in footwear; a pair of ill-fitting mary janes from Clarks, and a pair of new trainers. 

However, that didn’t stop me enjoying the sights and sounds of Cologne Cathedral – or the wonders of Efteling Theme Park! I also bought some amazing chocolate in Brussels, so overall it was definitely a worthwhile trip.

The only thing that really spoiled it, even more than my feet? The other children. (I was 13 going on 40 back then)

Unfortunately, this was to be my last European trip until I was about 19, when I took a glorious trip to Amsterdam – and by myself this time! Unfortunately I was still experiencing the same shoe problems.

USA Part 1: New York

When I went to New York for the first time, I was in my mid-teens, and it was on a trip together with my family. The fact that I was in my teens didn’t stop me being hit on by various random men, though (much to my parents’ obvious disdain). 

A lot of that trip was spent milling through a plethora of shops, but there was also the obligatory visit to the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Museum of Natural History, the Twin Towers (which still existed at the time) and more. 

Ah, the memories! I remember it was in the autumn, and the air had this slightly sweet smell about it; I’ve not really experienced anything quite like it ever since. Then there was the disappointment of trying a pretzel for the first time and discovering it really wasn’t all that nice – even the squirrels weren’t having any of that nonsense! 

There was also that time I had to stop and buy a new pair of shoes at Macy’s, which I could change into right there and then – and explaining to the puzzled shop assistant about my Frankenstein feet which were patched up with so many blister plasters they literally looked like patchwork bits of skin. 

I wish I could have spent more time enjoying the sights and sounds, rather than complaining about my near-constantly aching feet by the end of it. Yes, as a teenager, I was such a joy.

Japan

Next up, Japan! I decided to go on this month-long trip of a lifetime having just suffered a pretty epic break-up with my boyfriend of about four years (at the time). It was a real turning point in my life, as that particular break-up also prompted me to get laser eye surgery, quit my job and go back into higher education! Wow. 

Anyway, the journey to Japan started out fairly eventful. The plane was huge – so big that someone actually lost their grandmother. I was travelling alone, and arriving and finding my way around was a strange experience. I mean, I sometimes got lost in my home town, so what was I going to do in a massive city with hardly anything in English?! 

It was summer, and incredibly hot, but that wasn’t stopping me spending most of my time exploring Tokyo on-foot. Needless to say, I got lost A LOT. I think I once spent about an hour trying to find my way out of Tokyo station, it was really that bad. 

My choice of footwear for the trip was an attempt at being sensible; a regular pair of Sketchers that *looked* comfortable enough. How wrong was I?! Firstly, I made the amateur mistake of not wearing them at first. Secondly, the shoes themselves had quite hard soles, and with all the walking on hard pavements, it led to major foot ache.

I remember once I spent hours upon hours trying to find my way around Shinjuku and Ginza, and when I finally got on the subway to get back, I was so hungry and so achey I ended up sitting right down on the floor, trainers off, stuffing my face with noodles – I got some looks and the feeling that people don’t really do that in Japan. Cringe! 

Another time, I had to sit down on a park bench to rest my feet for a while, and saw an employee of the city doing his usual cat-feeding rounds. I wasn’t aware at the time that people were actually paid to feed the strays in the parks, but it was really quite a lovely sight. 

Then, there was the time I decided to visit Mount Fuji…

There it is: it really is that beautiful in real life. However, climbing it is another matter. I didn’t get to the top, and didn’t really have the budget to stay overnight. 

However, just walking around for a few hours was enough for my protesting feet! (It was a good thing that there was a nice traditional Japanese sauna when I got back to the hotel!) 

One day I’d love to go back with someone and do the entire thing, right to the top.

USA Part 2: Los Angeles

Los Angeles was a big trip for me; it happened for a couple of different reasons, but one of them was to try and promote my first ever TV pilot to some producers and industry folk who seemed to be into it. 

I also went to a bunch of movie screenings and events, and spent time with someone I was just starting to develop a relationship with (it didn’t work out).

However, the locals thought I was insane, because apparently NO-ONE walks in LaLaLand – and I happened to make a point of walking almost everywhere I went. Reactions generally went along the lines of:

“You walked HOW far?!” 

“Aren’t you concerned for your safety?” 

“Excuse me, miss, where are you going?”

And, of course, on the rare occasions I took public transport to get to a screening or visit the beach:  

“Wait… you took the BUS?!” – (people seem to think LA buses are a myth; they’re actually very efficient, don’t smell, and are better value than Edinburgh buses!).

One of the main downsides of this was that my cheap H&M flats got overly sweaty and disintegrated in the heat. Also, catcallers – they’re EVERYWHERE in Los Angeles, and they like to bother lone women walking.  

However, the good thing about me walking in LA is that this is where I first discovered HELM Boots! Hurrah – the tables had started to turn, and I was saved! And considering I got there in a brand new pair of New Rocks (security was fun that day), boy was I happy to find a pair of boots that didn’t seem to be trying to kill me! 

I walked to LACMA, I walked back from film studios, I walked to meetings, and to shops, and to find the best burgers in town. I walked down Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, and once I walked all the way down La Cienega Boulevard to interview two of the stars from Mad Men! 

Overall, my stay in Los Angeles, California was an unbelievable experience, and I got to meet so many interesting and wonderful people along the way. I’ll always remember it, and I’m sure I’ll be back (if only to visit the pretty dresses at nearby PinupGirlClothing).

Continental Europe Part 2: Italian Alps

I’ve made a couple of trips to the Italian Alps now. The first time was my first trip away with my current partner, in a little village surrounded by beautiful hills. 

The weather was lovely, but unfortunately that prompted me to break out the Miss L Fire pink flamingo sandals and my Irregular Choice parrot shoes. After all, what else can you wear with pretty dresses, am I right?

Good thing I brought my Helms as backup, because I was breaking out the blister plasters by the third day. 

(There was also my partner’s face when he realised how many shoes I had actually packed. I guess there’s just some things that will never change…).

My trusty boots were the perfect companion for climbing up at least one long and rocky path to explore an old church buried way up the side of the hill, but it was also really fun to just wander around the town and down various little paths and secluded areas, where we’d see tiny lizards darting out from behind the rocks. 

We took a few boat rides over Lake Como on our visit, and spent some time exploring other villages and looking in the small and interesting shops dotted around all over. And of course, it goes without saying that the pizza was amazing!

Sri Lanka 

This is the trip where I discovered TOMS and also Birkenstocks for the first time. So comf! It was crazy humid, and I did a hecka lotta walking and I was fine. 

I was terrified of the massive waves, and being driven through the rain and busy streets in a tiny tuk-tuk (because who wouldn’t be?) but one thing I didn’t have to worry about anymore were my sodding feet. 

Think I’d learned my lesson by then. 

And there were plenty of other, fun things to see and do in Sri Lanka. I ate barracuda (OOOOHHH BARRACUUUDAAAA) and relaxed on beautiful beaches, saw sea turtles, met lovely people and did some shopping. 

Held a giant snake! Saw the smallest-looking lizard in the world. Was I hot and sweaty? Yes. Did I have fabulous massages and smell of oil and beach? Also yes. 

Do I regret any of the above? Nope. Absolutely not. 

One final thought…

With age, either I’m choosing better footwear, better footwear is being made for me, or the third option… my feet are getting hardened along with my soul.

Just like me, you’re probably going to have to find your own way when setting out to see the world – whether you’re in sandals, flats, heels or mary janes, may the odds be ever in your favour!

9 of the Creepiest Stories About Twins

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Have you ever found the concept of twins fascinating, or even at times a little creepy?

Just the idea of two exactly (or almost exactly) identical people who can seemingly say the same things simultaneously, finish each other’s sentences, feel each other’s pain and even claim to know what the other is thinking can, at times, be a little… well, unnerving.

Mainly because we can’t quite put our finger on how such a thing can be possible.

There are also so many influences we can blame for twins having slightly darker connotations in popular culture; for instance, The Shining is probably one of the most well-known references.

Here’s what biologist Julia Harrisun had to say on the subject:

“Being a biologist by background, I suppose I’m always looking for biological explanations to things. For instance, humans read each other’s body language, more than simply paying attention to what they say. However, most of all, we read the expressions on other people’s faces. Faces are key. So maybe that’s why twins can be a bit disconcerting.

“If you see two virtually identical faces at the same time, then it makes it more difficult to read them; to work out their emotions and intentions. That poses a potential threat. I think maybe Stanley Kubrick clocked that when he made ‘The Shining’.“

So, whether you find twins intriguing or intimidating, I’ve put together the following list of some of the weirdest (and creepiest) stories about twins I’ve ever heard:

1. A ‘special friend’

“My son was meant to be a twin, but we lost his sibling at 10 weeks… However, he often plays with someone who isn’t there and my eldest girls ask about his ‘special friend’.“

2. The ‘Jim’ twins

“Labelled ‘the Jim Twins’, the story of two twin boys raised apart is one that amazes everyone who hears it. Adopted out to different parents at just four weeks of age, the twins were reunited at age 39, never having known they were twins.

“It was the similarities between the two that shocked the most; both boys had been named ‘Jim’ by their adoptive families, both had sons that they had named James Allan, both had a pet dog named ‘Toy’, both hated spelling but excelled in maths, both worked in law enforcement and both had married women named Betty, divorced her, and married women named Linda. SPOOKY.“

Source: Ripley’s Believe it Or Not

You’re tellin’ me! It’s these kinds of stories which make you wonder exactly what kind of connection it’s possible for twins to have! It reminds me of the bizarre phenomenon known as ‘quantum entanglement’.

3. A shopkeeper with ‘The Shining’

“My local shopkeeper was convinced I was in his shop the other day (I wasn’t) with my twin girls (I don’t have kids). Either he’s got ‘The Shining’ or there’s some sort of weird multiverse shit going on.

“Let me explain. When I was in second year of uni with my friend Mel, we shared a flat with three guys, and we all watched too many horror films – including The Shining. The bit that scared me most was the twin girls sequence.

“I ended up sharing a flat with Mel for years, and she’s an archaeologist. One day she’d been looking through old files at work and found a photo of twin girls that were daughters of an archaeologist.

“That lived on our telephone table for a while; it just became a thing, I suppose.

“Oh yeah, and I also I once got pregnant when I was with still with my ex, a month after he’d dumped me, and took the difficult decision to terminate. When they did the scan it was twins. That’s why I was so freaked out!“

4. Identical wardrobes!

“My mum is a nonidentical twin. She also has a younger set of sibling twins, too. Anyway, when they were small and would go clothes shopping, my mum would go off with my Nan, and my Aunt would go off with my Grandad, then they’d meet up afterwards for lunch before going home.

“Every single time, they’d get their clothes out to show each other, and every single time, they’d have the exact same clothes! Even now at 53 years old, they still end up with the same clothes!

“Last Xmas, their partners both bought the exact same Samsung tablet, both white, both with the same protective case. Neither my mum nor aunt had asked/mentioned one. And their partners don’t ever have any contact apart from family get togethers, so they hadn’t discussed it either!“

5. Secret conversations

“I know someone who had a very faint second heartbeat at one of her very early scans, but then had a little bleed and there was only one baby born. At the time, she thought she may have lost a twin.

“When their child was about 1 and-a-half years old, they heard the them playing in their room, talking away and seemingly having a conversation with someone – but the child was all alone in their bedroom, so they got the feeling it may have been the twin that never made it.“

6. Psychic magnetism

“My mum was a twin, and when I was a kid she’d sometimes say: ‘I’ve got a feeling we’re going to see Auntie Sheila today’ and sure enough, Auntie Sheila would turn up on the doorstep.“

7. A boy she thought she knew

“I’m a twinless twin. They thought my mum was only pregnant with one baby that unfortunately died, but my mum was the one to catch sight of the second image (me) in her last scan otherwise they would’ve gone to remove my twin and killed me at the same time.

“I had to be delivered on emergency.

“I remember having a little boy I played with as a kid, but my parents say he never existed; that I’d be playing and laughing and when they asked who I was talking to, I said my twin brother’s name despite never having heard it before (they had only ever spoken it while my mum was still pregnant).

“I still remember what he looked like and everything. He’s still around me, so I’m told, like a guardian angel – which is comforting.“

8. The ‘Silent Twins’

“Twins Jennifer and June Gibbons became notorious in the ’80s when they carried out a two-woman crime spree at age 18 that resulted in both sisters being declared psychopaths and sent to England’s most famous high-security hospital for the criminally insane.

However, they already had plenty of experience being creepy before that: As kids they were known as “the silent twins” because they refused to speak to anyone but each other, and even then they used their own secret language that no-one else could understand.

The sisters had been brought up in Wales by their Barbadian parents, however, both refused to read or write during school hours. At home, however, it was a completely different story, with the pair reading

“voraciously” and filling dozens of diaries with handwritten novels and other accounts. They would give them odd names such as ‘The PepsiCola Addict’ and ‘Discomania’.

According to Cracked:

“Like all children, they liked to play games, but rather than settling for Barbies or Monopoly, they had bizarre rituals where they decided which one would wake up in the morning first or which one would breathe first, and the other one wasn’t allowed to do anything until the first one did so.”

“There’s something really quite sinister about that last story; I can’t imagine having a copy of myself controlling me and telling me what to do or when I’m allowed to do it. Shudder.”

Well, we’re almost at the end of this article, but first I felt it appropriate to finish up with my own story, so here goes:

9. He’d always felt alone

“When my granny was pregnant with my Uncle, the doctors said she’d had a miscarriage and lost the baby. Of course she was upset, but later found out she was in fact still pregnant; it had been twins. My uncle wasn’t told until he was much older, but said he’d wished he’d known sooner, as he had felt like he’d always been missing someone.“

Conclusion

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this list of creepiest stories about twins, and I’d like to thank everyone who contributed their own unique stories to me via social media – I really enjoyed reading them!

Do you know any weird, unusual or creepy stories about twins? Perhaps you’ve experienced something yourself – in which case, let us know!

Where Do Nightmares Come From?

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This week, I had to redefine my own classification of the word ‘nightmare’. 

In the past, I’ve had disturbing dreams, or dreams where scary or undesirable things happened. Plenty of them. In the past I’d have called those nightmares, easily. 

Some of them, I would wake up crying, or shaken, or feel deeply perturbed by the memory of these dreams. There have even been some which ended up plaguing me for the rest of the day, casting a shadow over everything I did. 

Some of them have actually stayed with me since I was a teenager. I remain adamant that one in particular, a Victorian period horror, is still a very good premise for a novel that I may still get around to writing one day. (It could actually be a decent graphic novel, now I’m doing the Arting thing).

A particularly disturbing dream

I recently dreamt about the death of an old friend, and lying in their arms as they gasped their final breath (disturbing enough, right?), said friend vanished leaving me lying on the bed alone. 

Then, out of nowhere, everything changed and a terrifying, blurred out and extremely speedy entity with sharp teeth and an image full of malevolence started dashing towards me across the dark room, pulling away all the covers from me and muttering strange words as it darted around all over the place.

I was sure it was going to hurt me. I tried to scream, but couldn’t. 

Imagine a Jack Frost-type character, stuck in a blurred out box which seemingly moved in broken up frames, rapidly jumping from one place to another across the room, which one set target; you. 

It was realistic, it was frightening, and I woke up with my heart racing. I don’t remember ever waking up from a dream so terrified before. To be honest, I was too scared to get up to go to the toilet, just in case I wasn’t actually awake yet and had to endure more of the same. 

I eventually had to ask my partner (who was getting up in 10 minutes anyway) to turn on the bedside light for me.

Now, surely if anything was a nightmare, that was. And it got me thinking… why do we have nightmares in the first place? Where do they come from?

Where do nightmares come from?

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, only two to eight per cent of the adult population suffer from nightmares, which is actually pretty good odds. And if what I had was an actual nightmare – putting the rest of my disturbing dreams to shame – then that seems about right. 

Professional dream analyst and author, Lauri Quinn Loewenberg, highlights it’s important to look at dreaming as merely a continued thinking process from events that have occurred during the day.

Here’s what she said to Medical Daily on the matter:

“The nightmare is when we are thinking about difficult issues during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and trying to sort them out. We often try to ignore our difficult issues with distractions during the day but when we are asleep and are forced to be alone in our own heads, these difficult issues will be addressed.”

Bit disappointing when you think about it like that, isn’t it? It’s hardly the kind of thing Stephen King readers like myself tend to think of first when something terrifying disturbs your dreams. And in this instance, it felt like it had actually invaded by normal dream, changing the atmosphere entirely. 

So, could it just signify I’m scared of death? After all, my friend seemed to die, and then whatever it was decided to come for me. Hmmmm. 

In my opinion, I’ve always seemed a bit too accepting of my own death. I’d like to think when faced with a serious illness, I’d put up an equally serious fight, but when I’m on a plane thousands of miles in the sky, I end up thinking: “Well, if this is it, then I suppose I’ve at least had a nice holiday.”

But I digress. 

Could the culprit be something entirely mundane?

What is the actual cause of nightmares? Is it down to traumatic events, anxiety and depression, the food we eat, sleep apnea, or a manifestation of things we’ve buried in our subconscious minds? 

Perhaps it’s something else entirely.

According to holistic health practitioner Carol Wasserman, it could even be down to unknown allergies. 

Here’s what she had to say on this interesting theory:

“For example, if you have an allergy to peaches, but are not aware, you could be getting nightmares, and once you stop eating peach ice cream at night, the nightmares stop.”

Seem a bit hard to swallow? Carol went on to use herself as an example:

“Every time I ate shrimp I had a restless night and bad dreams. So I stopped the shrimp and now I sleep peacefully.”

Another study suggests it could also have a lot to do with your age, personality type and any recent trauma you’ve experienced; with college students being particularly susceptible. In fact, 47% of the students studied had a nightmare within the same two-week period. 

Makes me wonder exactly how they were classifying nightmares, though. 

Most nightmares also seem to evolve around things like death and murder, however these things aren’t always so clear-cut as they might seem. 

Most of the evidence seems to suggest that in order to get a better grasp of our nightmares, we should take more time to understand and process the issues bothering us during the day – or work out what we’re eating before we have disturbing dreams! 

Curious, how do you define your nightmares? Have you had something like this that’s scared the hell out of you? If so, I’d love to hear from you.

Bed shop turns to a sleep expert to explain dreams

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BedKingdom‘s sleep experts have studied the hidden meanings behind some of the most common dreams. 

A standard theory for why we dream is that our brains try to make sense of what has happened and predict and rehearse likely future events. In this case, BedKingdom is also interested in dreams because they offer an impressive range of beds and tempt people who might be in the market for a new one. That’s okay as the dream meanings below are still interesting.

In Pure Spirit has paraphrased some of BedKingdom’s sleep research below but first, here’s what a spokesperson from the retailer said;

Dreams can be linked to events that have happened or are currently happening in our lives.  

Remembering dreams can be difficult. Studies show that people forget 80-90% of their dreams and some people can’t remember anything. Writing dreams down as soon as you wake up can help you to remember and then you can try and interpret the meanings. 

Negative emotions and feelings of anxiety are more prevalent in dreams according to a study of over 50,000 people by psychologist Calvin S. Hall. By analysing dreams, we can problem solve and identify ways to help with issues we encounter in our lives.

Falling in your dreams 

Dreams of falling often represent fear and vulnerability, as well as feelings of helplessness and being overwhelmed. Your subconscious may warn you to be cautious if you dream of falling. In such dreams, losing control of a situation may be symbolized as a fall.

Being chased in your dreams 

Being chased in dreams is often caused by feelings of stress and anxiety. It can also result from feeling threatened in one’s waking life. Additionally, dreams of being chased may indicate a warning to be cautious of potential threats, which can stem from feelings of anger.

Teeth falling out in your dreams 

If you dream about your teeth falling out, it could mean that you feel unattractive or have negative thoughts about your appearance. Communication problems may also be a cause of these dreams since losing teeth can make it hard to speak. Additionally, a lack of confidence can trigger this type of dream.

Being naked 

Commonly brought on by feelings of being exposed, dreams of being naked in public places like school or work can also be triggered by feeling accused by someone. However, dreams of being naked sometimes indicate that a person is comfortable with who they are. 

Flying 

The feeling of freedom is often linked with the ability to fly, but if you experience difficulties or failures in flying during your dreams, it could be a sign of low confidence. Additionally, if other people in your dream are also struggling to fly, this may suggest that they are hindering your progress and preventing you from pursuing your goals in life.

In Pure Spirit

Which common dream do you think has an uncommon reason behind it?

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This blog discusses ideas and causes. Urban myth, science and faith combine here. So do editorials and technology; In Pure Spirit uses affiliate marketing and some links might earn us money. You can read more about that here.

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