Mothman: Red Eyed Cryptid

diana: Good evening, everyone, and welcome back to Beyond the Spiritual Nexus, your cosmic connection. I'm your host, Diana Rose. And I'm Xandra. Welcome to Cosmic Monday, where we like to talk about all things mystical, magical, and supernatural. Anyone who knows us knows that this is our favorite time of the year and we love to drag it out as much as possible. So over the next eight weeks leading up to Halloween, we're going to explore some of the spookiest, most mysterious stories ever recorded. And we're not just starting with anything ordinary. Tonight we're traveling back to the late nineteen sixties to a quiet town along the Ohio River, Point Pleasant, West Virginia. This town became famous. For strange sightings, weird events, and a creature known all over the world as the Mothman Was it a warning sign, a product of local panic, or something strange from another dimension coming to warn people about a disaster? Tonight, we're going to walk through the real timeline, look at the clues, and talk about what it all means. Yes, Xandra, tonight we're going to put our two cents in. Plus later in the show we'll check out our cosmic currents, astrology update. We'll do a live tea and tarot card pull and end with a simple grounding ritual to help you feel safe and calm whenever you listen to any of these spooky events. So dim the lights. Grab a cozy blanket and let's Jump right in. Alright everybody, grab your favorite tea and settle in because we have to go right back to where this whole mind-bending mystery started. And that would be November twelfth, nineteen sixty six in Clenedon, West Virginia. Picture this. Five graveyard diggers are working in a quiet local cemetery. minding their own business. When they look up and see something straight out of a nightmare, a massive brown winged figure rises right out of the trees and glides over their heads. Talk about a rough day at the office, Xandra. And if you check the original write-up in the Point Pleasant Register from back then, they weren't seeing things. They described it as a human-like shadow with a massive wingspan gliding silently through the air. and that was just the warmup act, Diana. Three nights later, on November 15th, things got way stranger. So as John Keel noted, UFOologist, documented in his classic book, The Mothman Prophecies, which Fun little side quest here. was the exact library book that I checked out when I was a kid that kickstarted my whole paranormal obsession. I remember that. You brought that giant hardcover home from the school library. I took one look at it and said, All right, if you're reading this, we're going to go see the movie Richard Gere You actually did take me to the theater too. I I think I yeah, I think I held your hand so tight during that phone call scene with Indrid Cold that your knuckles turned white. You did. Okay, but getting back to Keel's real life investigation, two young married couples, Roger and Linda Scarbury and Steve and Mara Mallette, were taking a late night drive through the old World War II munitions plant outside Point Pleasant. The TNT area. You know, every small town has that one creepy spot where all the teenagers go to scare themselves, right? I know they had that back in my day, Xandra. Exactly. Except this time this time the scare was real. And as they passed an abandoned coal plant door, they spotted two massive glowing red orbs in the dark. When their headlights hit the figure, well, they realized it wasn't a teenager in a mask. They said it was a grey creature standing well over seven feet tall. Wow, seven feet tall. Yeah, and it had giant wings folded against its back. So Yeah, that happened to my brother long ago. Did it? Yes. We were we were real young, we were in our teens and he he walked to the corner store and it was it was late at night. Mm. And on your way back at the corner store so late. he had a girlfriend that he had to call from the payphone. Because back then we didn't have cell phones so and he wanted to be private so he would walk to the corner store so he could call his girlfriend from the payphone. Okay, continue. And and weird, right? And when he was walking back he said that this huge creature, he doesn't even know what it was. He's just said it was huge. It had a large, very large wingspan. It was like a dark shadow. And he said he got so scared that he started running home and he said that it followed him all the way home. And he ran in the door. I forg I remember it like yesterday. my god. He ran in the door. And he was just and we were listening to music and talking and everything. And he runs in, he was like, he's all out of breath and sweaty and I go, What's the matter? What's wrong? And then he told us what had happened. Of course we made light of it, you know, we laughed at him and said he was crazy, but yeah, he was just totally petrified. He never went walking to the corner store at night anymore after that. I assume that relationship fizzled out then. Yes. Well Okay, so let's get back to Point Pleasant. Okay, let me change these. And here's the detail that always gives me the chills about that, Xandra Uh-huh. It didn't even have a distinct head, they said. Yeah. Those glowing red eyes were set deep into its upper torso or shoulders. so obviously they panicked. Mm-hmm. you know. As with any world. Yeah. This two sets of young married couples, you know, they they panicked and they hit the gas, and I guess back then it would have been like a Chevy Impala And they pushed the needle past a hundred miles per hour down Route sixty two. But here's the kicker. The creature didn't run after them on the road. It didn't? No. It took off straight up into the air without even flapping its wings, apparently. Wait a minute. It didn't even flap its wings. Nope, not even once. It hovered right over the roof of the car, matching their speed, and apparently it was emitting this high pitched screeching sound, like a loud mechanical squeal the whole time. The second they got into town they flew straight into Mason County Courthouse to report it to Deputy Millard Halstead. It's all officially recorded. Well, Xandra, you know his story is gonna be pretty wild. And you must have gotten the bejeebus scared out of you when the first thing you do is drive straight to the police station at a hundred miles an hour. Yeah. And Also, the very next evening on November sixteenth, the sightings hit way too close to home for the Wamsley and Bennett families. They were driving near the TNT area when their car broke down. Which is the number one rule of every horror movie, right? Never let your car break down near the creepy spot. Well, perhaps it was out of their controls, Andrew. Yeah, that's true. Seriously, Marcella Bennett got got out of the car. She was carrying her young child. She looked over towards the porch, saw a tall, grey figure just rise up from the ground. She was so terrified that she literally dropped her baby on the grass. Then she herself fell to the ground in horror. She grabbed her baby and then scrambled inside the house, locking the door while the creature get this pressed its glowing red eyes right against the window pane. Good lord. Could you imagine, Xandra? I don't want to imagine. I would have lost my mind. And okay, so by November 18th, the story actually crossed state lines into Ohio. The Athens Messenger ran a whole article on a report on From Pomeroy, where a driver named Ruth Foster spotted a tall winged entity standing right on her front lawn. But the second her husband stepped outside to check, it vanished into the dark. And let me it wasn't just creeping around at night either. On November twenty-fifth, in another report, Covered by the Point Pleasant Register, a man named Thomas Ury was driving along Route 62 during the broad daylight in the morning, Xandra. He saw this giant figure standing in a field next to the road. And as he passed, it spread its wings. He estimated that they were over ten feet across. It took off vertically chasing his car from above, veering off toward the Ohio River. Jeez, can you imagine driving to work like on a casual little Friday morning and minding your own business. Yeah, minding your own business, doing what you gotta do. And then there's a ten foot winged monster chasing your car. Unbelievable. It's wild. And over that thirteen month period, more than one hundred people in Mason County came forward and the local folklore went into absolute overdrive. Of course it did. The scientists tried to calm everybody down by explaining the incidents as sand hill crane sightings. Can you imagine that? Hmm. Those are giant birds with red patches around their eyes, just in case y'all didn't know. But I can't imagine, Xandra, that that would that help any water with the people who actually saw this creature. Right, right. Because well, you know, everyone knows sandhill cranes. Well they they love to chase Chevy Impalas doing a hundred miles an hour. You know, that just makes sense. Locals I'm sure did not buy that for a second. Not at all. Others pointed to the legend of Chief Cornstalk's curse. That was referencing the Shawnee leader who was tragically killed in Point Pleasant back in seventeen seventy seven. And allegedly he cursed the whole region. Then you had investigators like John Keel, the UFOlogist who argued in his research that Mothman was an ultraterrestrial, an entity from another dimension, stepping into ours during times of intense electromagnetic stress. And that whole year was just filled with high strangeness. People reported seeing mysterious lights in the sky, hearing strange static and voices on their phone lines, and even being visited by weird men in pristine black suits, the classic black men in black legend, which I'm sure that wasn't Will Smith, you know, but they also included an entity who called himself Indrid Cold in that, which we mentioned him earlier. You know, it's like the entire town. Turned literally into a magnet for the weird and unexplained. But tragically, it all built up to that heartbreaking afternoon on December 15th in 1967. If you read the official highway accident report, the silver bridge connecting Point Pleasant to Ohio collapsed during peak rush hour traffic due to a structural failure in a critical I bar link taking forty six lives, which was just horrific, Xandra. In the in the days leading up to the disaster, several witnesses claimed that they saw the winged shadow perched high on the bridge's steels framework. But the second the bridge fell, the Mothman completely vanished from Point Pleasant. It's almost Xandra, like to me Like the veil was very thin between this world and the next. And the Mothman was able to come through. Hmm. Perhaps. And perhaps it was a warning. Hmm. I've always personally found that I think that the Mothman was attempting to warn people, but perhaps I'm an optimist. Well, I've always thought the same. Yeah. And that's the lingering question that haunts people to this day, Xandra. Was Mothman a dark omen that brought the disaster with it? Or was it desperately trying to warn the town before time ran out? Many people wondered that. I mean, I believe so. I believe the veil was very thin and it enabled the creature to come through. Before we get to our tarot cards, let's take a quick look at what's happening in the night sky. Welcome to our cosmic currents segment, everyone. So, starting today, Monday, September 7th, we have a delicate waning crescent moon resting in the sensitive sign of cancer. The moon's light is fading fast as we move toward the Virgo new moon later in the week. In astrology, this waning phase is called the balsamic moon, which sounds delicious, but it's not. And it's all about clearing out old mental noise and making room for a fresh start. And having that moon in cancer at the start of the week really heightens our emotional antennas. Cancer is a water sign ruled by the moon itself. So when the moon passes through here, your gut reactions, you know, they seem to be more prominent. You might pick up on subtle shifts in a room or have a strange hunch before you can even explain why. And as we shift into the midweek around Wednesday, September 9th, the moon glides into fiery Leo, right as Mercury forms a harmonious trine with Jupiter. This creates a really cool contrast. While the moon is asking us to quiet down and rest, Mercury and Jupiter are opening up big and creative conversations. It's a great window for journaling and brainstorming or talking through spooky theories with some friends. And then comes the main event on Friday, September 11th, the Virgo New Moon. Virgo energy loves detail and healthy boundaries. So if early in the week Cancer Moon helps you spot where your energy is being drained, Friday's new moon gives you the grounding power to build better habits and reset your routine. By the weekend, Saturday the twelfth and Sunday the thirteenth, the moon moves into balanced Libra, inviting us to find peace and harmony after a pretty intense week of processing deep feelings. So I think the big message from the stars this week is simple. Trust your instincts early on, declutter your space midweek, and And use Friday's new moon to get strong protective intentions for the rest of the month. So, to help us unpack all this talk about intuition, warnings, trusting your gut, it's time for my favorite segment, Tea and Tarot. So, everybody, welcome to Tea and Tarot. Tonight we are sipping on a warm herbal blend of mugworth. and blackberry leaf, super cozy, slightly earthy, and perfectly grounding for an autumn evening, even though it's not autumn yet. Mugworth. I'll stop it, Xandra. Yes. Thank you for pr pretending that it's autumn in the middle or towards the end of the summer now with us. We're getting close. We're getting close. I can hardly wait, Xandra. me too. I am so excited for everything pumpkin to hit the stores. Now, as I shuffle the deck tonight, our main question for the collective is How can we tell the difference between normal everyday anxieties and a genuine intuitive warning? okay. Look at that. Tonight we pulled a minor arcana card. The Four of Swords. I love when this card pops up. Now in traditional tarot, the Four of Swords shows a figure resting quietly on a tomb or a bed, depending on your interpretation, with the three swords hanging on the wall above them and a fourth laid beneath them. It's the ultimate card of retreat and mental pause and and quiet reflection. You know, it really is. The suit of swords, it rules the mind, the thoughts, and even anxiety. So when you're stuck in a loop of fear or overthinking what we call mental noise, all four swords are flying around in your head. But The Four of Swords steps in to say, stop, lay your weapons down, and take a breather. And that's the key to answering our question. Yes, just chill. Anxiety is loud, chaotic, and it keeps your mind racing like a hundred miles an hour. But genuine intuition. Now that's intuition is quiet. It's that calm, steady instinct underneath the noise. Exactly. You can't hear your true gut feelings if your brain is spinning out in panic mode. The Four of Swords, it advises us that whenever we feel overwhelmed by, you know, fear or maybe dark stories like the Mothman. The best thing to do is step back, unplug or disconnect, and give your mind the rest it needs. So when the mental room goes quiet, your true intuition becomes crystal clear. So, because we've covered some pretty e eerie spoke folklore tonight, I'm sound tied, I'm so sorry. We don't want to leave you feeling anxious. So right now, wherever you are, we invite you to take a few minutes to step into a simple, protective, and grounding ritual with us. If you're driving or you're multitasking, keep your eyes focused on what you're doing and just hold this intention in your mind. But if you're at home relaxing, sit comfortably, relax your body, and place your hands, palms up on your lap. Take a slow deep breath in through your nose. Hold it for three seconds and And exhale gently out through your mouth. Letting go of any tension that you're feeling in your neck, your chest, your whole body. Now imagine a soft, warm indigo light radiating between your eyebrows, your third eye center. Picture a radiant dome of deep emerald. And a golden light expanding outward from your heart space, wrapping entirely around your body, extending in every direction. This golden shield filters out all stress, panic, unwanted energy, all while allowing peace and clarity. To stay within. Now repeat these words with me. You may say them internally or out loud. My mind and heart is calm. My intuition is clear. I claim full power over my energy field. I listen to my heart, but I release all fear and panic. I am grounded, I am shielded, and I am safe. Take one more deep breath. Breathing in, feeling that warm gold shield just click firmly in place and let it go. You are centered, you are protected, and you are completely safe. Well everyone, that's all the time we have for the Mothman today. Okay. Xandra and I I don't think he's got time for us. That's all Xandra and I have time for today. He's probably quite busy. I have to admit, watching your eyes, Xandra, light up over red eyed cryptids and ten foot wingspans just takes me back to when you were a kid obsessing over library books. Well, look. Some kids wanted a dog. I wanted an interdimensional winged entity lurking in the woods, which you know, I don't think I told you. I did think that we there were Mothman was in the woods for the longest time. I used to see red eyes back there. We had a lot going on in our backyard growing up. But anyway, hey, you're the one who nurtured the obsession. You're the reason for my nightmares. You took me to the theme movie theater. You took me to that movie theater and you fueled the fire. I wouldn't change a thing, Xandra. I cherished all those precious moments. I did too. I did too. Supporting your weird little heart brought us right here to this table. But seriously, whether you're a lifelong cryptid enthusiast like Xandra, or just tuning in for a spooky story, we are here. And we're happy that you kicked off the season with us tonight. Absolutely. So if this deep dive into Point Pleasant gave you a good chill and helped you connect with your own intuition, perhaps, make sure to leave us a review, share the episode on your stories, and tag us. Or send it to that one friend who appreciates. A little bit of history and a little bit of magic. And speaking of weird encounters, our favorite part of the show. I think we're the weirdos here. Building a community. A literal nexus, if you will. And bringing our your voices into our mix. So if you've had anything weird or unexplainable happen to you, if you've had any unexplainable sightings, if you had any bizarre gut feelings that maybe turned out to be right, or if you have questions about tarot, astrology, spirits, or protection rituals. We wanna hear from you. So send your stories, your questions, or your short voice notes over to hello at spiritual nexus podcast.com. That's hello at spiritual nexus podcast.com. You can also connect with us on Instagram at thespiritual nexus. That is at the spiritual nexus. Or you can check out our full archive over at spiritual nexus podcast.com. That's spiritualnexuspodcast.com. Okay, listen up everybody. Mark your calendars for next cosmic Monday, September 14th. Because if any of you have seen the Conjuring movies, we are going to jump into an investigation of one of the many famous cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren were breaking down the genuine psychic mythology, clairvoyance, and residual hauntings behind their earliest haunted house investigations. But you'll have to tune in to find out which one we're going to investigate. You know, I don't think I ever told you, but when I saw the conjuring with our dear old cousin. She qu she got scared at the end and literally crawled into my lap. So I have some very fond memories because of because of Ed and Lorraine. So until next time, trust your quiet inner voice. Clear out what no longer serves you. Stay grounded and take good care of each other. Peace out, everybody.