Mastodawn

Pssst... Sources tell us you've got just THREE DAYS to grab your ticket for Writing the Occult: Seekers and join us online to talk all things weird and paranormal investigations. Tix/full details: writingtheoccult.carrd.co

#horror #fantasy #sciencefiction #writers #writing #books #writingcommunity #writingevents #paranormal #paranormalinvestigation #occult #supernatural

Lauren McMenemy 2d ago

Saturday's Writing the Occult: Seekers will kick off with a Q&A with "ghost hunter". So, what have you always wanted to know about ghost investigations? Let me know in the replies - or come along and ask them yourself! Tix on sale now: writingtheoccult.carrd.co

#ghost #ghosts #ghosthunter #ghosthunting #paranormalinvestigation #paranormal #supernatural #haunted #haunting #occult

Kirst Mason D'Raven May 20

Mysterious Times Weekly Roundup W/E 20/05/26

The strange skies have been busy again this week. Between freshly released Pentagon UFO files, reports of mysterious underwater objects off the American coastline, and another surge in crop circle chatter across Britain, the week ending 20 May 2026 has offered plenty of fuel for late night conversations around the campfire.

As always in the world of the unexplained, some stories sit closer to documented fact while others drift into the realms of speculation and folklore. Either way, the boundary between mystery and modern news continues to blur in fascinating ways.

The biggest talking point this week has undoubtedly been the continuing release of declassified American UAP files through the newly launched PURSUE archive. The release, which began on 8 May, includes military footage, FBI files, NASA mission records and historical reports stretching back to the 1940s. Several outlets highlighted photographs connected to the Apollo missions, including strange lights captured during Apollo 17.

Officials stressed that the files do not confirm extraterrestrial life, though many incidents remain officially “unresolved”. ([Sky News][1])

Some of the more intriguing cases include reports of glowing objects making impossible turns over Kazakhstan, military infrared footage from the Middle East, and witness testimony involving luminous spheres over American military facilities. Researchers and sceptics alike have been combing through the material all week, arguing over whether the release represents genuine transparency or simply another carefully controlled data dump. ([Phys.org][2])

Meanwhile, attention has also turned beneath the waves. Reports circulating this week claimed that more than 9,000 unidentified submersible object sightings have been logged near United States coastlines since late 2025.

The reports, compiled through the Enigma sightings database, include accounts of fast moving objects entering and exiting the water, glowing shapes beneath the ocean surface, and apparent “transmedium” craft capable of moving between sea and sky. Retired military officials quoted in the reports expressed concern that at least some of the phenomena may represent unknown technology operating in restricted waters. ([New York Post][3])

Back here in Britain, crop circle season is beginning to stir once more. UFO and anomaly tracking websites have reported an uptick in discussions surrounding unusual formations and strange aerial sightings across southern England.

While no major verified formations have yet dominated headlines, enthusiasts are already watching Wiltshire and Hampshire closely as warmer weather and clearer night skies return. ([Aliens Digest][4])

Elsewhere in the world of oddity and high strangeness, lunar lore unexpectedly entered academic discussion this week through a paper examining Indigenous spiritual objections to commercial activity on the Moon.

While not paranormal in the traditional sense, the debate touches upon something deeply familiar within folklore studies: the idea that celestial bodies are not merely rocks in space, but sacred entities bound to myth, memory and identity. The paper references objections from Native American communities to the scattering of human remains on the Moon and questions how future lunar exploitation may collide with ancient beliefs. ([arXiv][5])

Online UFO communities have also been buzzing over fresh witness submissions involving jellyfish-like aerial anomalies, luminous domes and strange patterned lights appearing in American skies.

As ever, eyewitness testimony remains deeply subjective, but the sheer volume of reports continues to fascinate researchers who track patterns in modern folklore and anomalous experience. ([UFO Stalker][6])

Whether these stories ultimately prove to be misunderstood technology, psychological projection, elaborate hoaxes or something genuinely unknown, they continue to reveal an enduring truth about humanity.

We are still looking upward.

We are still searching dark waters and lonely fields for signs and symbols.

And perhaps most telling of all, we are still telling stories about the things we cannot quite explain.

Further reading and sources:

• [Sky News coverage of the Pentagon UFO files](https://news.sky.com/story/never-before-seen-files-on-ufos-released-by-pentagon-13541565)

• [ABC News report on the UAP archive release](https://abcnews.com/Politics/pentagon-begins-release-decades-unresolved-ufo-files/story?id=132780534)

• [EarthSky analysis of the newly released UAP records](https://earthsky.org/human-world/pentagon-ufo-files-uap-views-from-moon-nasa/)

• [New York Post report on underwater UFO sightings](https://nypost.com/2026/05/14/us-news/ufo-tracker-app-spots-thousands-of-mysterious-underwater-objects-off-us-shores/)

• [UFO Files Watch archive tracker](https://ufofileswatch.com/)

• [UFO Stalker sightings database](https://ufostalker.com/)

[1]: https://news.sky.com/story/never-before-seen-files-on-ufos-released-by-pentagon-13541565 “‘Never-before-seen’ files on UFOs released by Pentagon | US News | Sky News”

[2]: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-flying-discs-orbs-newly-pentagon.html”From flying discs to glowing orbs, these newly opened Pentagon files point somewhere stranger than expected”

[3]: https://nypost.com/2026/05/14/us-news/ufo-tracker-app-spots-thousands-of-mysterious-underwater-objects-off-us-shores/ “Thousands of mysterious underwater UFOs spotted off US shores: report”

[4]: https://aliensdigest.com/ “Aliens Digest – Latest UFO Sightings & UAP Disclosure News”

[5]: https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.17706 “‘Unacceptable to our people’: Diverse cultural beliefs, Indigenous rights, and the future of human activities on the Moon”

[6]: https://ufostalker.com/ “UFO Stalker | Real-Time UFO Sightings Map | Latest Reports, Photos, and Videos”

This article and images may not be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations used for review, commentary or scholarly purposes.

#alienEncounters #alienSightings #anomalousPhenomena #bizarreWorldNews #BritishCropCircles #conspiracyTheories #cropCircles #cryptoMysteries #Cryptozoology #declassifiedUFODocuments #extraterrestrialLife #Folklore #ForteanNews #fringeScience #hauntedHeadlines #highStrangeness #ModernFolklore #MysteriousLights #MysteriousTimes #mysteryNews #oddNews #paranormalInvestigation #ParanormalNews #PentagonUFOFiles #skyAnomalies #strangeSightings #supernaturalNews #UAP #UFO #UFODisclosure #uncannyEvents #underwaterUFOs #unexplainedEvents #unexplainedPhenomena #USOSightings #weeklyWeirdNews #weirdNews

Lauren McMenemy May 18

A visual prompt to kick off your creative week: what's the focus of this investigation?

If that's whet your appetite, join us for Writing the Occult: Seekers to get into the minds of those who go hunting for proof. Full details: writingtheoccult.carrd.co

#writing #writers #writingcommunity #horror #fantasy #investigation #paranormalresearch #paranormalinvestigation #thexfiles #supernatural #paranormal #ghosts #ufo #uap #occultdetective #psychicalresearch #books #creativity #creativetoots

Show thread

Lauren McMenemy May 16

A.C. Wise's new novel, Ballad of the Bone Road, is a dark fantasy tale of faith and fanaticism, doomed love and desperate bargains. Paranormal investigators Brix and Bellefeather are our guides through the shadows of Port Astor, a city where fae roads criss-cross human highways and ghosts whisper to the living. She'll be in conversation with Lauren McMenemy, who'll delve into the Canadian's award-bothering back catalogue, too.

🧵⬇️

#books #darkfantasy #fae #paranormalinvestigation #paranormal

Kirst Mason D'Raven May 13

Mysterious Times Weekly Roundup W/E 12-5-26

Just when you think the world has settled down for a quiet week, along comes another pile of glowing orbs, declassified UFO papers, strange creatures in distant waters and enough odd headlines to keep Forteans happily staring into the night sky with a mug of tea in hand.

The week ending 13th May 2026 has been especially busy for paranormal watchers, UFO researchers and cryptozoology enthusiasts alike, with one story in particular dominating discussion across social media, news outlets and late night conspiracy forums.

The biggest talking point of the week has undoubtedly been the release of previously classified Pentagon UFO files. The United States Department of Defense began publishing what it describes as “never before seen” material relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, on a rolling basis through a newly launched public archive.

The initial batch reportedly includes more than 150 documents, images and videos collected from agencies including NASA, the FBI and military intelligence departments. Among the files are astronaut reports, infrared footage of unexplained airborne objects and historical witness statements dating back decades.

Unsurprisingly, the internet reacted immediately. Believers hailed the release as historic disclosure while sceptics argued much of the material appears inconclusive or already partially known. Either way, it has reignited public fascination with UFOs in a major way. [1]

Several analysts and scientists interviewed after the release urged caution.

Experts noted that many of the images remain blurry, lack contextual data or could potentially be explained by balloons, optical artefacts or atmospheric effects. Others pointed out that eyewitness testimony alone is notoriously unreliable. Even so, the sheer scale of the disclosure has created a fresh wave of speculation, especially surrounding military encounters over oceans and restricted airspace. The Pentagon has stated that further document drops are expected in the coming weeks. [2]

Meanwhile, UFO sighting databases and reporting hubs have continued receiving a steady stream of new reports from around the world. This week alone included reports of silver spheres over Nevada, glowing orange orbs in remote desert areas and fast moving triangular formations seen above parts of Europe and the United States. One particularly intriguing case involved witnesses in Arizona describing two silent lights manoeuvring at impossible speeds without visible propulsion. Another report from Italy described a glowing sphere abruptly changing direction before vanishing. While none of these sightings have been independently verified, they continue to fuel public fascination with unexplained aerial phenomena. [3]

Over in the world of conspiracy culture, online discussions have exploded around claims involving missing or deceased scientists allegedly connected to classified aerospace or advanced energy projects. The theory, which has spread rapidly across social media platforms, suggests there may be hidden links between a number of unrelated disappearances and alleged UFO research programmes. Journalists, sociologists and investigators have strongly criticised these claims, describing the supposed connections as coincidence and pattern seeking rather than evidence of any organised conspiracy. Nonetheless, the theory has become one of the most widely discussed paranormal talking points of the month. [4]

Cryptozoology has had its own peculiar week as well. Reports from Australian waters involving unusually large squid sightings continue to circulate following several marine encounters shared online by divers and fishermen.

In Britain, the seemingly eternal mystery of phantom big cats remains active, with new alleged sightings reported in rural Wales and the north of England. Though photographs remain frustratingly unclear, witnesses continue describing large black feline shapes moving silently through woodland and farmland.

Nessie, naturally, has also resurfaced in discussion after fresh sonar anomalies from Loch Ness enthusiasts made the rounds online once again. No convincing evidence has emerged, but the legend clearly refuses to fade.

On the archaeological side of strange history, renewed interest has been sparked by reports concerning ancient Mesopotamian clay cylinders linked to King Nebuchadnezzar II. Researchers believe the inscriptions may represent some of the earliest surviving foundation texts associated with the rebuilding of the ziggurat of Kish. While not paranormal in itself, discoveries like these often blur the line between mythology, ancient religion and historical reality, particularly for those fascinated by lost civilisations and forgotten beliefs. [5]

Elsewhere in the world of Forteana, weather watchers in Wales shared photographs of bizarre lenticular cloud formations nicknamed “UFO clouds” after they appeared hovering motionless above hillsides earlier this month. Though meteorologists quickly explained the phenomenon as unusual but natural atmospheric conditions, the images spread rapidly online and inevitably revived memories of classic flying saucer imagery. [5]

The latest issue of Fortean Times has also been attracting attention this week with its deep dive into the historical origins of crashed UFO folklore, exploring mysterious airship scares, strange metals and tales of dead alien pilots from the nineteenth century. It serves as a timely reminder that many supposedly modern mysteries often have roots stretching far deeper into history than we sometimes realise. [6]

As always, the truth behind many of these stories remains frustratingly elusive. Some will eventually find mundane explanations. Others may remain permanently unresolved, drifting into folklore and becoming part of the strange modern mythology we continue building around ourselves.

And perhaps that uncertainty is part of the appeal. The unexplained continues to thrive precisely because it leaves room for imagination, speculation and wonder.