Most of Singleton's 'sightings of the spirit world' were during October

George Buster Singleton

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “An October moon is more mysterious,” was originally published in the Oct. 11, 1990 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

The date is Oct. 4, 1990. The time is 9:30 p.m. I have just returned from atop a high hill not too far from our city. I have spent the hours since early darkness looking at the almost full moon and wondering about its effect on all mankind. Strange that one can look at the full moon during any month of the year, but during October, the moon takes on a different meaning; even the skies seem to be different.

As I sat atop the high hill and viewed the great ball of light through my telescope, I wondered how many people were, like me, watching this great spectacle? I thought again about the effect this great ball of light has had on man down through the ages.

Let us go into the countries of Central America and look at the effect of the moon. The early great civilizations used the moonlight for many of their religious rituals. Many of their sacrifices came during the time of the full moon, and somehow the month of October was the special time for many of the sacrificial ceremonies. Standing there, looking at the full moon, one might wonder about the many thousands that were chosen to die during the full moon of October for religious purposes.

The American Indians chose this time of year for many of their spiritual gatherings. The harvest of corn and other foods to be put away for winter began in October. Hunting to gather meat for the winter would begin when the colors of October began to appear around the countryside.

The great tribes of the plains Indians would begin to follow the large buffalo herds as they migrated across the plains, looking for their food supply for the coming winter. And, as they sat around their campfires on the cool October evenings, the tales of the supernatural or of great spirits rested on the winds. The medicine men and the windwalkers searched the moonlit skies for signs telling of the coming tomorrow; the power of the Great Spirit seemed ever closer this time of year.

The month of October is the month of war for the Moslem religion. For over 3,000 years, this month has been the time to go forth and do battle with the enemy. The pale moon, high in the desert skies, has a strange effect on the people of the nomadic tribes that wander across the dry, sandy world of the Middle East. October is the time to die in battle, if this be the will of Allah.

Strangely enough, if one searched the pages of history, he would find that many of the great battles between nations of the world were fought during the October month. I believe that somewhere inside man, the feel of war is greater at this time of year than other times.

As for myself, I have a greater desire to venture forth and search out the mysteries of the country than during other months of the year. I have mentioned many times about my trips to the Shiloh battlefield in Tennessee. For the past few years, and I can’t explain why, I find myself wanting to go forth during the month of October more than during the month of April, the month the great battle took place. The challenge to wander is greater as the changing leaves of October take on their fall colors.

Places that I have visited right here in our county seem to change during this time of year. I have visited many old, abandoned cemeteries during all times of the year, but most of my sightings of the spirit world were during the month of October, when the moon is full and the autumn winds sigh across the hilltops. I have spent many hours waiting for the unknown while sitting around an old homeplace or burying ground. Strange how the “ho-hum” attitude can come over you at certain times. But during October, full alertness is the order of the day.

Several places around the area are waiting for my investigations and visits to see if the tales I have heard are true. Now the time is at hand to venture forth and see for myself. Just a short time back, I didn’t give these places much thought, but now, the hour is approaching and I can hardly wait to get started and seek out the mysterious happenings that await in the county’s forgotten places.

So seek out the old homeplaces of yesterday. Sit for a while near an old, abandoned chimney on an October night when the moon is full and listen for the sounds of yesterday. They are there, and you will know that spirits of the long departed wait to be heard.

The forgotten warriors of the past wait to tell their stories. Tales of the hard times of the early settlers rest on the winds of these cool October evenings, and they cry to be heard and passed on to the generations yet unborn so that all will remember and heed their teachings.

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from 1964 to 1987. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)