Valerie Morrison has been asked by the
Roxborough Manayunk Wissahicken Historical Society
for her psychic "feelings" about the Cave of Kelpius
and their noble efforts to preserve his settlement.

Read on...

Johannes Kelpius

The Mystic of the Wissahickon
Born 1673 - Died 1708
(Aged 35)

Johannes Kelpius was born in 1673 in Transylvania,
a village in what is now modern day Romania.

He was a highly educated man with knowledge of
botany, medicine and astronomy
and was also an accomplished musician and writer.
He could speak German, English, Hebrew, Greek and Latin.

Moreover, Johannes, with his deep interest in the occult,
was also a Mystic and a member of a religious cult that believed,
based on their astrological sightings
of a impending alignment of the stars and planets
and their interpretation of the Book of Revelation,
that the end of the world would occur in 1694.

Wanting to practice their unusual "Religion"
and experience the "End Times" freely,
they made a plan to leave Europe and sail to America
in answer to William Penn's promise of religious freedom.

In 1694, on the eve of their departure to America,
the leader of the cult died and Kelpius was appointed
to take his place at the tender age of 21.

Johannes and his 40 followers,
after a treacherous 2-1/2 months voyage to America
on the warship the Sarah Maria Hopewell...

The Warship: Sarah Maria Hopewell

...settled in June 1694 on a hillside by the Wissahickon Creek
hidden then deep in the forest but now not 10 blocks
from Valerie's office in Philadelphia which then,
barely had 500 houses built and occupied at that time.

After making peace with the Lenape Indians that lived in the area,
they hastily built shelters and made livable caves
at their settlement to survive the wilderness,
so that they would be ready to experience the "End of Time"
that was surely about to come.

Today, hundreds of cars* everyday
pass within close proximity of the site of "The Cave of Kelpius"
with most all not knowing of its existence or location.

*Commuters going to and from work, Delivery trucks making their rounds,
Sightseers enjoying the city, etc

Cave of Kelpius - Cult in the Wissahickon
Filmographer Nik Stamps

Is the Cave of Kelpius haunted?

Kelpius & Cult in Wissahickon Valley
Filmographer Nik Stamps

Johannes Kelpius died in 1708 and was buried by his disciples
somewhere in the forest of his settlement
in an unmarked grave.

Most of Kelpius's 40 apostles disbanded shortly after his death,
with many giving up their celibacy, marrying
and starting a regular life in Germantown and Philadelphia,
but a hard-core remnant of 6 monks lingered
and Mill hands working along the Wissahickon Creek during this time
would occasionally notice them
walking in single file on the carriage road, wearing brown robes with hoods and sandals.

Since their demise some 260 years ago and up to today...
There have been sightings on moonlit nights of
six ghostly robed figures seen moving along Forbidden Drive.

Psychic Valerie Morrison...
Having performed many, many ghost cleansings, witnessed one exorcism
and personally performed another exorcism with my ex priest husband Charles,
about these, above-mentioned, particular type of sightings,
I can attest to the following facts...

About 1/3rd of all sightings of ghosts reported seen
are not actually ghosts but are another paranormal phenomena
whereby the events of the past, as in this case,
the Monks walking though the woods as they did 260 years ago,
are somehow embedded in the environment.

An object, home or land somehow captures and retains it
and scenes from the past replay as fleeting glimpses of "ghosts"
for us to see for all eternity.

A sighting that is repetitious (as in this case)
and when no interaction can be made with the apparitions (none reported),
is a good indication that these sightings are purely
this embedded paranormal phenomena.

An analogy would be of one watching a video taped old movie
featuring long deceased actor Boris Karloff
and believing he is still alive and or, as in this case, haunting you.

Apparitions seen under these circumstances should not be feared
as they are not spirits but are simply a "movie" of themselves from the past
and, as in the video tape of Boris Karloff, they cannot interact with you or harm you.

Now about the real ghosts...

True hauntings are, most times, when you can interact with the spirit.

Most hauntings are by those poor souls that have died abruptly and tragically,
such as a victim of war or violence, by an accident, unexpected illness, etc.,
and they simply cannot believe they are dead having had so much yet to live for
and remain sadly wandering between both plains of existence.

Some spirits are those that have done evil deeds during their lives
and fear proceeding to the other side knowing what horror may be awaiting them.
These are usually more aggressive.

These spirits are often "triggered" into activity
soon after one remodels a home previously occupied by them
or builds a home on a property inhabited by those now deceased.

You see, the dear departed, who do not realize that they are dead,
see you as the intruder into their home or their land
not the other way around as we the new owners of the property
believe them to be the intruders.

We often associate older homes (or land) as being haunted
and this observation is true for a very simple reason.

Older homes or previously inhabited land tend to be more haunted
only because they were occupied longer and therefore had more souls die there.

A larger number of deaths at a property yields a greater chance of someone
unfortunately dieing tragically or having done evil deeds during their life
and thus being a haunting candidate.

Now let me assure you that very few true hauntings are demonic in nature
as most all hauntings are not dangerous and are of the "Casper the Friendly Ghost" type
and they should only be persuaded to "go to the light" to gain the peace that they deserve
and if your attempt is unsuccessful they should be respectfully left alone.

But...

Those of you that go on "ghost hunts" purely for entertainment should take heed...
On rare occasions there are those spirits that are truly demonic in nature.
Often, after provocation, they are notorious for following you home.

Homeowners haunted by these beings often are forced to sell their homes.
Before doing so, I always recommend that they spend a week at a motel
to test to see if it follows you there, and if so, I have at least eliminated
the expense and inconvenience of selling your home
that would have only been in vain.

The technique to rid one's home of these entities, once provoked, is extremely difficult.
Blessings by priests typically require many attempts
and, although with good intentions, are usually unsuccessful.

The trick is to not start what cannot be stopped.
"Playing" with the Ouija Board, automatic writing, seances and dabbling in witchcraft
should be totally avoided as a door can be opened to this realm
that should have forever remained closed.

In my experience, the spirits of Native American Indians
are one of the most notorious demonic entities.

Although ancient Indian tribes
were the most peaceful and trustworthy group of people to roam this land,
we simply do not understand their culture and even when we give them sincere respect,
for example when uncovering their graves and respectfully re-interring them,
their hauntings can begin with a vengeance.

The Lenni Lenape Indian tribe roamed the Wissahickon when Kelpius arrived
and although Kelpius had great respect for them and treated them fairly,
they were driven by other groups of settlers out of their homeland
and sent to reservations out west where most of them endured hardship and died.

The song "Cherokee Nation" says it all about the American Indian's plight
and can be heard here

And with the paraphrased words to this song in mind...
They took the whole Indian nation and locked us on this reservation
They took away our native tongue and taught their English to our young
And some day when they've learned...
The Cherokee Nation will return

...Just what is the image that appears on this photograph of the Cave of Kelpius?

Mystic Johannes Kelpius
Still stubbornly awaiting the end of time?
or...
The Lenni Lenape Indian Tribe
Finally returning to and guarding their long lost land?

In 2002 while producing his film
Roxborough & Manayunk - Tails of the 21st Ward in Philadelphia,
Filmographer Nik Stamps went on a hike to take still photos of the Kelpius Cave for his film.

It was a clear sunny day and Nik took many photos of the Cave of Kelpius,
the Rosicrucian Marker and the Kelpius Spring next to the cave.

Later that night while going through his photos on his computer,
he came across this photograph.
Earlier that day, when he took the photograph he didn't notice any fog or smoke which appears in the photo.

Nik later sent his photo to Art Bell, the former talk radio host of "Coast to Coast AM",
a very prestigious and highly acclaimed radio show dealing with the paranormal,
where Art declared that it was an astounding photograph.

Nik Stamps's work on Kelpius along with a voice clip
of Art Bell's radio commentary about his photograph can be found here:
http://cykoe.com/klis_remix.htm

Other extraordinary filmography work of Nik Stamps can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nik+stamps

A Side Note
Finally some Justice comes to the Native American Indians

Every treaty* that the U.S. Government made with our Native American Indians was broken.

*The 1778 treaty with the Lenni Lenape was the first treaty made and by 1890,
nearly every Native American nation was reduced to a reservation.

Today many Indian Reservations, being a territory and not subject to state laws,
have had gambling casinos with slot machines constructed upon them...

...and all the money we took from them when we stole their lands,
They are finally getting back from us...

One Nickel at a time!

Kelpius developed pneumonia from his unwavering meditations from his damp cave.

After this long illness, Johannes Kelpius, sitting in his garden,
surrounded by his grieving disciples and the local people from the area
who routinely came to his sermons, in the year 1708, at age 35, died.

Johannes Kelpius was buried by his disciples
in an unmarked grave somewhere in the forest of his settlement.

Conrad Matthai, one of Kelpius's 40 disciples
became the second entrusted leader of his cult after Kelpius died.

44 years later in 1748, from his deathbed,
Conrad requested that he be buried with his master, Johannes Kelpius,
not beside him, but at his feet, which was done.

The location of Kelpius's and Matthai's entwined unmarked graves
has remained unknown for all these 300 years.

Psychic Valerie Morrison has been requested to psychically help locate these graves
along with the location of their tabernacle which also is unknown.

What is believed to be the 1694 Cave of Kelpius is still there
along with the Rosicrucian Marker erected in 1961
but both are repeatedly disgraced with acts of vandalism and neglect
as illustrated by these photos.

Although there are many organizations
genuinely devoted to the preservation of the Kelpius settlement in the Wissahickon Valley
and all the history and beauty that it contains there...

Psychic Valerie Morrison will remain silent in the request to help locate Kelpius's grave
until such time that these organizations can become united
with the common goal of mounting a legitimate archeological expedition
to recover his grave and more importantly, have the funds to, once found,
respectfully guard, preserve and protect it with dignity
from all forms of future environmental harm and acts of vandalism.

Furthermore, until such time that this can be guaranteed by some organization,
Valerie remains convinced that...

The location of Kelpius's grave is best left unknown
and if no funding ever becomes available, should remain unknown for all eternity.

Her Biography

Sybil Leek was born in England to a well-to-do family that,
though outwardly typical English gentry, had a long family history of witchcraft,
which traced back to the 16th century to her ancestor Molly Leigh,
had been accused during the time of the witch trials.

Sybil's family played host to some very scholarly characters at her home including...

Author Herbert George Wells (aka H. G. Wells) whom Sybil and her father
used to take long walks with discussing all things metaphysical.

H. G. Wells the famed author of the very popular novels:
"The War of the Worlds", "The Time Machine", "The Invisible Man",
"The First Men in the Moon" and "The Island of Dr Moreau" to name but just a few.

and T. E. Lawrence of "Lawrence of Arabia" fame.

Sybil's immediate family all played a part encouraging her to follow the craft.
Sybil's mother and aunt were psychics
and her grandmother was a folk witch and expert astrologer
while her father taught her about
eastern philosophies, nature, and the power of herbs.

She first worked as an astrologer on the French Riviera but it was cut short
by the advent of World War II where she served in the Red Cross
and worked as a nurse caring for wounded soldiers.

In 1951 after the English repeal and abolishment of the Witchcraft Act of 1735,
Sybil rose to media fame in the 1950s when she announced she was a witch.
Her discussions and practice of witchcraft had a profound effect
upon the formation of Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, namely the religion of Wicca.

In France Sybil met a prominent concert pianist
who became her music teacher whom she married when she was 16.
He died two years later, and stricken with grief,
Sybil returned home to her grandmother's house.

Shortly after, she was sent by her grandmother to a French coven
in the hills above Nice, to replace a distant relative of hers as High Priestess.

Eventually she returned to England.
For a short while she stayed with an acquaintance in the New Forest but soon
found the lifestyle there tiresome and decided to run away.

She became friends with the Romany Gypsies in the forest.
Sybil learned much from the Gypsies about the forest, ancient folklore,
and even more about the practical use of herbs
than she had learned from her grandmother.

She lived with the Gypsies for a year,
and attended rituals with the Horsa Coven in the New Forest,
of which for a short time she was High Priestess,
and therefore a member of the Nine Covens council.

When she was 20, Sybil returned to her family,
who had now moved to the edge of the New Forest.
She then opened three antique shops but refused to sell
anything to do with witchcraft, much to the disappointment of visitors.

However, her open attitude about being a witch caused problems, too.
As media interest grew,
Sybil found herself constantly being pestered by news reporters and tourists,
who traveled to her antique shop in Burley where she lived
and would turn up on her doorstep, day and night.

Sybil even had to enlist her friends to serve as decoys
in order to be able to escape out of the village
to go to and attend the secret meeting places of her coven,
for fear of being pursued by cameramen.

Although the village itself thrived on the tourism and visitors,
some people were not so happy about the extra traffic being caused
and her landlord eventually asked her to move.

The Amazing World of Kreskin
Guest: Sybil Leek

In 1964, an American publishing company
wanted Sybil to speak about her new antique book
and she was invited to America to appear on "To Tell the Truth"
a popular TV program at the time.
She took the opportunity to go, and flew to New York
where she was mobbed by reporters and gave many interviews.

While in New York, she was contacted by Dr. Hans Holzer, a ghost hunter,
who invited her to join him investigating hauntings and psychic phenomena.
They went on to do numerous TV and radio shows on the subject and later
Hans Holzer went on alone to do his most famous investigation into the case of...
"The Amityville Horror"

She then moved to Los Angeles where she met Dr. Israel Regardie,
an authority on ritual magic, and they spent much of their time
discussing and practicing the Golden Dawn rituals together.

Strong in defense of her beliefs,
Sybil sometimes differed and even quarreled with other witches.
She disapproved of nudity in rituals, a requirement in some traditions,
and was strongly against the use of drugs,
but she was at odds with most other witches in that she did believe in cursing.
She was also one of the first of the modern day witches
to take up environmental causes.

She made hundreds of television appearances in the U.S. and England
and wrote more than 60 books, including Diary of a Witch, on occult subjects.
She toured frequently holding lectures throughout
the States as well as England and Europe.

Sybil foresaw the success of a then obscure French captain
named Charles DeGaulle,
and predicted the literary achievements and death of Ian Fleming
years before he wrote the Agent 007 novels.

Sybil was, as was Psychic Valerie Morison,
an astrologer for former First Lady Nancy Reagan.

Her pet crow, Mr. Hotfoot Jackson,
most always was found perched on her shoulders.

Sybil died at her Melbourne, Florida home on October 26, 1982.

Beloved Father of my Co-Host Pearl Polto
...dancing once again with Mom