The Power of Belief: Hauntings, Paranormal Activity, an Ancient Curse and the Role of the Human Mind

I read a fascinating article today about the ancient Pharaoh Tutankhamen. He died over 3,000 years ago from what some believe was a blow to the head by conspirators who plotted his demise. Few Egyptologists believed this however, and now have a new theory thanks to technology. After a detailed CT scan and analysis, he most likely died from a fractured femur which could have easily become infected.

What I found most interesting about the story was the fact that several stange things unexpectedly happened while they were examining the mummy... The power went out, and the CT scanner failed to start at one point. One of the scientists suddenly became ill.

When King Tut was discovered, many of the local diggers refused to participate after reading warnings of a curse if anyone disturbed the tomb. Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition in 1923, died from a mosquito bite which became infected after frequently aggrivating it by shaving. It could just be coincidence except that he died shortly after the discovery and there were unexplained power outages in Cairo at the same time. Howard Carter, the explorer who discovered the tomb, had a venomous asp or cobra kill his pet canary. 23 other collegues met their demise not long after unearthing the tomb of King Tutankhamen. The main theory is that toxic mold buildup within the tomb released spores which were inhaled by anyone who entered, causing sickness and death. The ironic thing is, regardless of how these people died or whether there is an explanation - they still died, and the warnings were on the wall, literally.

I often enjoy reading about paranormal experiences. This got me thinking about what a "curse" really is. There is a great, underrated movie called "The Skeleton Key" starring Kate Hudson. It's all about the power of Voodoo. One of the messages in the film is that Voodoo can only effect you if you believe in it. Believing in something gives it power. Having a weak mind also allows one to be taken advantage of (in all aspects of life). The point is, could the scientists working on the mummy caused the strange occurrences to happen because they were all collectively thinking (consciously or not) about a possible curse? Perhaps that could have led to the unexplained power outages.

An extreme example is poltergiest activity which has been well documented leaving out the Hollywood glamourization of it. It is considered to be a form of uncontrolled psychokinesis from the human mind. A poltergiest is often linked to a particular person who may have no idea they are causing the effect. If this is possible, then is it plausible that the human mind is capable of a lot more than we think.

A haunting may be residual energy from the past, or a "recording" of sorts that plays over and over. Those disturbances may resonate and that's what we hear, see, feel when having a paranormal experience. The fact that we have the ability to tune in, and recognize it at times, is pretty amazing. When it comes down to it, we are nothing more than vibrating masses of energy anyway. I have never had a paranormal experience, at least nothing I would recognize as one. Obviously a person is much more sensitive to negative emotions. That is why it seems normal that old prisons, castles, battlefields, or houses with enough time to accumulate past residents could easily be "haunted" . We've all been in places where we suddenly feel uncomfortable. On the flip side, what about those times where you feel at peace, where an abundance of positive energy exists? Because we associate hauntings with darkness, those experiences may be overlooked completely.

Skeptic or not, there is much about the universe we'll never understand as the carbon units we are currently incarnate as. But with all the advances in science, the ever lasting mysteries surrounding us become all the more interesting.