Wang Ch’ung and Ghosts: A Mini-Essay

     Born in 27 C.E., the Chinese philosopher Wang Ch’ung, as scholars like Chang Chih-Lien attest, was the Chinese contemporary of the Roman philosopher Seneca, living during roughly the same time and being just as influential in his thinking.[1] In chapter three of book twenty within his collection of philosophical writings, known as Lun-Heng, Ch’ung contemplates life after death and uses reason to argue against the existence of ghosts. As the thinker contends, there are three major factors which disprove spirits. First, the number of individuals who have died over the course of humanity’s history is numerous, which means there should be a congested throng of ghosts wandering the earth. Due to this overwhelming amount, ghost sightings should be fairly common; however, only a handful of individuals have seen them and, when they do, it is only one or two entities, not a massive crowd. Second, once a fire has reduced wood to ash, it is nearly impossible to rekindle the flame. A new fire can be lit with new wood, but it is not the same as the previous blaze. According to Ch’ung, the same logic can be applied to death. Once the physical body has become dust, nature cannot make the person reappear. Like the fire, it can start a new lifeform, but that individual will not be the same as the deceased. Third, we are not cognizant of what occurs around us while we sleep; therefore, the philosopher stresses that we are also not conscious during death to hear or see what happens following our demise. Because of this, the idea of ghosts returning to correct injustices or seek vengeance is improbable.[2]

 

Works Referenced

 

Ch’ung, Wang. Lun-Heng. Vol. 1. Trans. Alfred Forke. New York: Paragon Book Gallery, 1962. 

 

Chih-Lien, Chang. “Wang Chong as a Critic.” Cina 15 (1979): 11-26.

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[1] Chih-Lien, 11.

[2] Ch’ung, 64.

Graveyard Cake

$10 - $15 (based on 2019 prices)

Makes one cake 

 

Sometimes mistakes can lead to unexpected and pleasant surprises. That was the case for this graveyard cake I made for a friend’s party. I originally intended to make a burial plot with a chocolate sheet cake; however, it crumbled while removing it from the pan, so I quickly decided to piecemeal it back together and add cherry filling for blood. 

 

Chocolate Cake

• 2 ⅓ Cups flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• ¼ Cup cocoa powder
• ¾ Teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ Cups sugar
• ½ Cup butter
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Cup milk
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla
• One six-ounce container of cherry yogurt

Cherry Filling

• ½ Cup sugar
• 1 Teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ Cup water
• 3 Tablespoons corn starch
• 5 Cups pitted cherries

Decorations

• 32 Ounces crushed Oreo cookies
• Five small yellow artificial lilies
• Three large white artificial lilies
• Three artificial leaves
• One plastic skeleton hand

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and then, in a large bowl, sift together the baking powder, cocoa powder, flour, salt, and sugar.

2. Add the butter, cherry yogurt, eggs, milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and beat with a hand mixer on low for three minutes until the batter is well blended.

3. Pour the batter into a greased rectangular baking pan and bake for thirty minutes or until a golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

4. As the cake bakes, thoroughly wash and dry the leaves, lilies, and skeleton hand, since these items will be used to decorate the cake and need to be food safe.

5. Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for at least ten minutes. Then, remove it from the pan, transfer it to a large baking sheet (or whatever platter you plan to serve it on), and break apart the middle, creating a mound with the pieces.

6. In a food processor, mince the Oreo cookies. You can chop them into fine crumbs or leave larger chucks to give the dirt a more realistic look. To prevent the cake from being too sweet, remove the cream. After this, line the outside of the cake with the fake dirt and dust the mound with the remaining pieces.

7. To make the cherry filling, begin by mixing corn starch and water together to form a paste. Then, in a large saucepan, cook the cherries, lemon juice, paste, and sugar on a stovetop until the concoction thickens. After this, you will need to chill the filling in the refrigerator for at least twelve hours before use. It might be best to perform this step first or the night before. For the time-pressed haunter, a can of store-bought pie filling will also work. After the filling is chilled, fill the mound with the mixture and pour it along the edges of the cake to look like blood. You can also reserve extra to garnish each slice once the cake is cut and served.

8. Position the leaves and lilies around the cake and insert the skeleton hand into the mound. You can also add further accents like a small ceramic tombstone or fake bugs (since these will also need to be food safe, you will want to thoroughly wash them along with the other decorative elements in step four). 

"The Death Potion" (A Poem)

From “The Deserted House” and “All Hallows Night” to “The Dead Ship” and “A Rhyme of Death’s Inn,” the occult was a major theme in the poetical works of Lizette Woodworth Reese. In this poem, the author explores the role of the jilted lover, who concocts a death potion for the woman who stole her beloved away. 

 

In Italy, 15—.

 

One drop of this, and she will not know

If she be foul or fair;

One drop, and I may bind him again

With a thread of my golden hair.

(Hear, Lord Jesus!)

 

I would that those folk across the street,

In old St. Simon’s there.

Would hush their noise: for they sing so sweet

They make this rare drop seem less rare.

(Hear, Lord Jesus!) 

 

It is May; my plum trees five

Down in the court below

Look like five little chorister boys

Tiptoe to chant, so white they blow.

(Hear, Lord Jesus!) 

 

And a butterfly like a violet

Flits through the sun and lights on the sill

Close to my hand. Are the bees about,

Or is it the wind comes down the hill?

(Hear, Lord Jesus!) 

 

But what have I to do with the May,

Or any other weather?

Or with five white plum trees? Hate and I,

And I and Hell, be yoked together.

(Hear, Lord Jesus!)

 

(One drop is sure to kill.) When she dies,

They will put the cross on her breast,

And get the golden candlesticks out

For her head and feet, and call her blest.

(Hear, Lord Jesus!)

 

But she is a thief! Do ye hear me in Heaven?

Her soul shall not come in

To those white souls. She is pitch, not snow.

Saint Simon, Saint Simon, is Theft not sin?

(Hear, Lord Jesus!)

 

For he was mine, and I was his;

(Hear, Lord Jesus!)

Though we had shame, yet had we bliss.

(Hear, Lord Jesus!) 

 

I fell, but for love, love, love;

And for love, love, love, I swear!

I, for this man and my love,

Would have wiped his feet with my hair!

(Hear, Lord Jesus!) 

 

This robber came; she lay in wait;

She sprang upon him unaware;

He thinks to wed her with a ring

To-morrow in St. Simon’s there.

(Hear, Lord Jesus!) 

 

One drop? And she shall have it then;

In a sup of her lover’s wine;

So — old things will come back again,

And I be his, and he be mine!

(Hear, Lord Jesus!)[1]

 

Works Referenced 

 

Reese, Lizette Woodworth. “The Death Potion.” A Handful of Lavender. Boston, MA: Houghton, Mufflin, and Company, 1891. 37-39.

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[1] Reese, 37-39.

Mind Control Device

$40 - $50 (based on 2020 prices)

Makes one device

 

2020’s mad scientist haunt was a massive undertaking, with the laboratory needing several large pieces of equipment to truly sell the theme. To create a unified set, I decided to use similar elements in all of the pieces: copper and silver pipes and joints, lights fashioned out of Christmas ornaments, and steel-colored bases. For this version, I repurposed an old cookie jar and LED light to make a hypnotizing device the scare-actor could use to control the minds of guests.

• One 12” x 24” board of foam insulation
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in metallic copper
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in metallic silver
• One 4 oz. bottle of clear, all-purpose tacky glue gel*
• A random assortment of bolts, caps, rollers, and screws
• One eighteen-inch critter tube
• Five metal spickets
• One nine-inch metal cookie jar (the lid is not required)
• One plastic, eight-inch frosted light fixture with a three-inch fitter
• One battery-powered LED light
• Two clear plastic Christmas ornaments (two inches in diameter)
• One clear plastic Christmas ornament (four inches in diameter)
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in metallic silver*
• Thirteen feet of 1/4” clear plastic tubing

1. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, build up layers of black and metallic silver spray paint to give the foam board the look of steel. I found it works best to apply a base coat of black to the entire prop and then add the sliver, working in quick bursts to allow parts of the black to remain visible. You can also touch up portions with additional blasts of black if the silver becomes too heavy.

2. Detail the board with the assortment of bolts and screws, applying a small dab of glue to the bottoms of their heads and pushing them into the foam. Your arrangement is entirely based on your chosen aesthetic, so you can apply as many or as little as you like.

3. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the critter tube two even coats of metallic copper spray paint. You can always vary the color to cater the prop to your haunt’s distinct color scheme.

4. Once the paint has dried, use a 5/16 bit to drill four holes into the tube: two at the base and two toward the top. Then, screw a spicket into each hole. For added security, you can coat the threads with glue beforehand.

5. Position the tube on the board and attach it with hot glue. You may need to use a collection of sturdy objects to help support the tube while the glue fully dries.

6. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the cookie jar two even coats of metallic copper spray paint to match the tube and, once the paint has dried, use a 5/16 bit to drill two holes into the container. As with step three, you can use an alternate color for this item to adhere to your haunt’s color pallet. After this, screw the last spicket into the holes, covering the threads with glue for additional support.

7. Using a pair of sharp clippers or scissors, cut a three-inch hole in the bottom of the jar large enough to accommodate the light fixture’s fitter. Because the metal will be sharp, it is best to wear safety gloves during this process.

8. Insert the fitter of the light fixture into the hole and glue it in place. It is best to purchase a plastic version of this item to prevent it from breaking during the assembly or while in use inside the haunt.

9. Determine where the cookie jar will sit on the board and mark its center. Then, place the LED light on this spot and trace its outline. With a sharp knife, cut out the hole, insert the light into its opening, and glue the item in place. You want to be able to access the battery compartment and on-off switch from the bottom of the prop.

10. Position the jar in front of the tube and glue it in place. You want to leave enough room between the container and the spickets to accommodate the tubing, so do not place them too close.

11. Cut the tops off of the Christmas ornaments and, on a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give them a coat of metallic copper spray paint. Once this has dried, accent their tips with metallic silver paint, cut two small holes on either side, and insert screws into the openings. Then, glue the larger ornament to the top of the light fixture and the smaller versions on either side of the jar, ensuring there is enough space for the tubing.

12. Cut the tubing into six twenty-four-inch sections, glue them to the four spickets on the tube and the two smaller Christmas ornaments on either side of the jar, and then run them up into the larger Christmas ornament on the top of the light fixture. You may need to trim the tubing if it is too long to prevent the excess from bunching up inside the prop.

13. Glue a bolt in the space between the critter tube and the small Christmas ornaments, cut two six-inch sections of tubing, and run them between the items, gluing them in place. As with step twelve, you might need to trim the tubing if it is too long.

14. The prop can be enhanced with additional details to cater it toward your haunt’s needs, like swarms of cockroaches crawling across the board or green slime filling the tubes. 

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.