Blows Invisible

In continuing on the theories I've advanced as to Elemental Manifestations, I wanted to discuss the real dividing line between what I would consider "mischievous" behavior and that which is downright maleficent. And to this, I bring some accounts of inexplicable attacks on human beings by forces Unknown, referred to as "Invisibles" by some.

In their seminal book, Phenomena: A Book of Wonders, authors John Michell and Robert Rickard begin discussing the Invisible with accounts of hair-stealing. While originally thought to be localized to China, they discuss a short outbreak of similar events in London in December 1922. In some cases, the hair was said to disappear as soon as it was cut and the victims claimed to have felt their hair "being pulled."

While certainly injurious to the victims' appearance and ego, with very few exceptions, these attacks were not actually physically harmful, and so cannot be completely deemed "maleficent" or Evil. On the other hand, they are congruent with other activity reported to surround Elemental Manifestations and thus hint to me that they are no mere hauntings. Hair plays an important part in many Occult practices and rituals and has held a sort of mystical quality since Biblical times or before (Samson and Delilah).

But in this same discussion, the authors mention the bizarre events surrounding spontaneous wounds - some of which are said to be deadly to the victims. The most interesting of these involves the reported activity surrounding Coventry Street in London in April, 1922. A man was brought in with a stab wound to his neck, but all he could tell the doctors was that he had been walking along Coventry Street and, when he turned off of it, he had fallen to the ground. By the end of the day, two more men with the same wounds and the same story were admitted. The report was given in The People, April 1922.

In further posts, we will discuss more about Elementals, what they are and how they may come to be created. Assuming this report to be true and not - as it could be posited - an April Fool's joke, this is an Elemental that can be classified as a "Hate." Created by Evil thoughts when an Evil man is murdered, the Hate is said to seek revenge for its creator's death. This is a True Elemental, borne from the mind of Man, formed by Evil and angry thoughts, desires, hopes, or feelings. The advent of the man's death by murder is said to create such a spirit form.

But, again, given the fact that it appeared in a magazine in April and the events have not been repeated since, it may have been an April Fool's Day prank (they were pretty popular around that time). The number three is important in many branches of the Occult.