Curious

[juliet]

Hmm. (nabbed from Neil Gaiman's blog, feed at officialgaiman)

Now, I am disinclined to believe in That Sort Of Thing. But *I* wouldn't buy the damn thing. Though I admit I'm twitchy generally atm, which may affect my opinion.

Aha, finally I have thought of a poll:

[Poll #247561]

Comments

[sbp.livejournal.com]

What cabinet? All I see are entries about bananana shoes.

Re:

[juliet]

Sean, are you being dim, or am I being non-obvious?

This link here is what I'm on about. It features near the bottom of Mr Gaiman's latest blog entry, but only as a link to an interesting auction.

[mzdt.livejournal.com]

hmmm. remember that 'host in a jar' ebay thing a while ago?

I'm an open minded skeptic, me.

Re:

[juliet]

Host in a jar? Don't remember it... Elaborate, elaborate!

Re:

[mzdt.livejournal.com]

erm - damn me and my typing. 'ghost in a jar'. ;-)

similar story, based around an empty jar.

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[rillaith.livejournal.com]

Ghost in a jar. Was a little before the original Dibbuk box auction, according to my googling.

Re:

[rillaith.livejournal.com]

Here you go ... http://www.the-ghost-in-a-jar.com/ or better http://www.ghostinthejar.com/

[rillaith.livejournal.com]

I've been googling, there are lots of references to the original auction. Intriguing stuff. Sadly, I couldn't find the website that the current seller is referring to :(

Re:

[rillaith.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'd love to find out what someone "that way inclined" would make of it. The references to the contents and the 2 types of jewish-folklore spirits makes me immedaitely associate the granite with shalom on, rose bud, candle holder and golden cup with eart/air/fire/water, and i'm suprised not to have found that said anywhere else in my googling. Perhaps because most of the references were either blogs or paranormal rather than specifically "witchy" (ie ghosties and psychics rather than pagan / magic kind of thing).

This is the kind of thing that fascinates me - would love to be able to follow this one ;)

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

I love that eBay has a 'psychic, paranormal' category.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

While I don't believe it has a ghost or evil spirit in it, I think that if it was true, selling it on eBay is a very irresponsible thing to do. Everybody who handles it on the way might get hurt by the spirit, and the person who buys it is obviously going to try to return it. Hurting delivery people is not on. He should do what the old woman originally wanted and bury it in the ground, because she seemed to know most about it.

And my cold scientific side says: re-set the hinges so it closes properly, fool.

[j4.livejournal.com]

Part of me emphatically doesn't believe in All This Sort Of Nonsense. The intellectual part of me says it's all a load of hokum, but a jolly good yarn nonetheless; it also says that if people are damn-fool enough to pay £200 for a tatty wooden box with some bits of charity-shop junk in, then that's their business.

But another part of me does believe it. Part of me, deep down, "knows" (the way I know things in dreams) that it could be true. That whether or not this instance of the story is true, it's a true story nonetheless.

That's why I would be damn-fool enough to buy the box, if I had that amount of money to spend on a whim. Because I've never really had a chance to get my hands on something that's "haunted", or "possessed". Because I want to prove myself wrong... or prove myself right. Or prove nothing at all, but add another bit of experience to the melting-pot. Because I don't want to go to my grave wishing I'd explored more ... though I know I will anyway, because there's always another door behind each one that you open. Because this is one fuck of a strange world, and what we know about it may be just the tip of a vast and treacherous iceberg.

Re:

[juliet]

I'm with you for the first two paragraphs :-)

I see what you mean about experience, but... Maybe I'm just too much of a coward here. Partly it's that I have enough superstition in my soul not to want to wish badness upon me or those around me, maybe - I touch wood obsessively, for example, although I've gotten myself out of most other superstitions[0]. But I think cowardice is definitely a feature :-)

[0] Hmm. I wonder if it's the hubris/jinx aspect of the superstition of touching wood that makes it resonate more?

[wintrmute.livejournal.com]

i'd almost feel like the fact that it is on ebay destroys any mysticism around the item. Maybe I'm just too cynical about ebay though?