Simon's Blog

I had never heard the word "caul," nor did I know exactly what it was, until I read the novel Caul Baby, a recommendation from my daughter, Jasmine. While the term was new to me, the topic of the caul is a long-standing tradition in literature. In Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, the narrator describes his own birth by noting, "I was born with a caul, which was advertised for sale at the low price of fifteen guineas." Similarly, in Peter Carey’s Oscar and Lucinda, Theophilus Hopkins gifts his son a box containing a caul to protect him from drowning.  In medieval times, the appearance of a caul on a newborn was seen as a sign of good luck and a destiny for greatness. Some European traditions even linked a "caul birth" to the supernatural ability to defend against evil forces, such as witches and sorcerers. Myths eventually developed suggesting that possessing a baby's caul would bring the bearer good fortune and protect them from death. Because it w...

Helen Blavatsky believed in the occult, astral travel, and paranormal realities. At an early age, her mother and father made sure that she had an education complete in French, art, and music. When forced to marry Nikifor Blavatsky she run away by boarding a ship to Constantinople. While there, she met a "mysterious Indian" man who had always appeared in her childhood dreams, referring to him as Master Morya, who she claimed had a special assignment for her. She claimed that Morya helped her develop and control her psychic powers, improve her telepathy, and project her astral body.    In 1874, she met the reporter Henry Olcott and with his help they created the Miracle Club. It was through this club that they met William Quan Judge, who shared many of their psychic interests. At Miracle Club, Blavatsky, Olcott, and Judge established an esoteric organization called the Theosophical Society, where she began working on her book,” Isis Unveiled” outlining her spiritual worldview...