"Wizard Pics" (was:Re: Irrational childhood fears)

[pengolodh_sc]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter, "Potterfanme" wrote:
[snip]
> I also had a very startling night one time.  I had finally
> moved into an apartment of my own.  I had a boyfriend that
> was going to come by after he got off work late at night.  I
> was very tired and decided to go to bed.  I swear I had not
> fallen asleep.....I heard my door open.  Then I saw the
> bathroom light turn on (The bathroom was opposite my bedroom
> door).  Heard the shower run.  I waited and waited and he
> still did not come out.  Finally, I got up to see why he was
> taking so long in the shower and no one was there.  Talk
> about spooky.  I was rattled for a couple days after that.
> I am hoping that I really was so exhausted that I fell asleep
> but I don't think so.
> Susan

Sounds a lot like a phenomenon often referred to in Norway 
as "vardøger"; am not certain of the etymology, but the word is 
believed to stem from Ancient Norse.  Essentially it is experienced 
as being not a ghost as much as an echo of something that will 
happen - or more specifically, someone who is coming:  you hear your 
spouse come home, including the car in the driveway, stepping up to 
the door, opening and closing the door, and then:  nothing.  The door 
has not been opened, not a track to be seen outside (even if there is 
fresh snow, mud or similar).  Then you hear it all again some short 
while later, but this time it is for real.  

You don't mention whether your boyfriend did come - if he did, he may 
have planned on showering, but changed his mind when you were so 
spooked.  Vardøger does not normally include speech - just the sound 
of actions.  They most often involve persons close to you; for some 
people the advance time is so similar from time to time that you know 
how long time you have to put over the coffee; see message 2 on
http://tinyurl.com/sofq  

Some texts refer to it as a form of telepathy, and mention that sound-
halucinations is the most common form, but that some people also have 
visual halucinations.  The term vardøger refers to when these 
impressions are so strong that one realises who will be coming -  you 
are seeing his/her vardøger.  As far as I understand, it is not a 
case of who can see/hear other people's vardøgers as much as who has 
a vardøger for other people to see/hear.

I should mention that this is something that I never have encountered 
myself, nor have I encountered other paranormal phenomena.

Best regards
Christian Stubø