Joie de Vivre Magazine: pseudoscience

In 1676 A.D., a nun, Sister Maria, who claims she was “possessed” wrote a message she claimed came from The Devil. However, nobody could read it because it was written in cryptic symbols that nobody knew how to translate. 340 years later, in 2017, a team of computer scientists based at the LUDUM Science Center in Catania, Italy, managed to unravel the mystery. They used a decryption program which they found on the dark web.

*** “The scientists thought Sister Maria had perhaps created the code using a blend of existing alphabets. And thanks to her years of exposure to religious scripture, the nun had been a skilled linguist with knowledge of both ancient and modern languages. So it was that the experts’ theory proved to be right.”

A lot of it was just incoherent babbling. But some of the sentences formed specific thoughts. Evidently, IF she had written or spoken those words in plain language, she would have been accused of heresy and quite possibly burned at the stake. Now that they know what the letter said, using an understanding of modern psychiatric medicine, mental health professionals have written Sister Maria off as a schizophrenic. It wasn't The Devil's handwriting, it was her own.

REFERENCE: “In 1676 A Possessed Nun Wrote A Message From The Devil. Now The Spooky Letter Has Been Translated | Scientific Mirror” By Richard Arghiris, Nov 16 2021 ~ https://web.archive.org/web/20220219182310/https://scientificmirror.com/s/1676-possessed-nun-message-devil-letter-translated?as=799&bdk=0

This article is fascinating reading. For some reason, after finishing the detailed account of Sister Maria, the article writer decided that, for contrast and comparison, the story of Saint Bernadette, a teenage girl who claims to have had visions of the “Immaculate Conception”, Mary, the mother of Jesus, should be told as the conclusion of the matter. He seemed to think that Bernadette's story was much more intriguing than that of Sister Maria.

(Original source)

Gravestones are fascinating historical markers. But not all graves are marked. The history of those buried is lost. Or not!

“Some people use the term “dowsing” while others use “divining” or “witching”. All three terms mean the same thing.” Some say dowsing is pseudoscience and does not work. Nevertheless people earnestly dowse for graves in certain areas where bodies are believed to be, but the burial spot or final resting place has become lost because they are unmarked. Volunteers for history societies often dowse for graves; and there are others who have their reasons.