Spirits and Ghosts

Return to the neighborhood that never lets its dead go. Join **The Rockville Horror Book Club** for a dark, atmospheric discussion of **The Haunting of Velkwood** by **Gwendolyn Kiste**, a chilling suburban ghost story where the past is sealed off—but never silent. Twenty years ago, an entire block of homes vanished behind a mysterious veil, trapping its residents as ghosts and leaving behind only three survivors. Since then, the Velkwood Vicinity has become an object of obsession: whispered about in occult circles, sensationalized in documentaries, and picked apart by theorists desperate for answers. None have succeeded. The truth remains locked inside the neighborhood… waiting. When one of the survivors is drawn back to Velkwood, long-buried memories begin to stir. What really happened that night? What was lost, what was abandoned, and what still lingers inside the veil? As the story unfolds, grief, guilt, and fractured friendships rise to the surface, blurring the line between the living and the dead. Our discussion will dig into the novel’s eerie atmosphere, unsettling mystery, and emotional undercurrent—exploring themes of survival, trauma, and the quiet horror of returning to the place that shaped you. Expect thoughtful conversation, uneasy questions, and plenty of space to linger in the shadows of Velkwood. **Event Details** * **Where:** Rockville Memorial Library — Medium Meeting Room 2nd Floor * **When:** February 24, 2026 * **Time:** 6:30–7:30 PM * **What to Bring:** Your copy of *The Haunting of Velkwood* by Gwendolyn Kiste If you enjoy slow-burn dread, haunted suburbs, and stories that creep under your skin rather than jump out at you, this is the night to come back… if you dare. 👻📚

Have you had dreams that felt strangely significant all your life - as though something was trying to teach you things while you sleep? Do you sometimes get internal messages about something that you’re pretty sure didn’t originate from you? Are you nervous about working with the spirits of your ancestors because they were wretched, angry people when they were alive? This is a form of awakening to a larger connection with both yourself and the surrounding energetic spirals that surround us. I can help you learn to connect more strongly - to open safely to that energy/those spirits. This is a session open for folks at all levels of mediumship. There is no set curriculum. This is entirely experiential and intuitive. Come And See. This class is $50

Every Friday night at 7:30pm you are welcome to attend the Covenant Life Church School of Holy Spirit. Whether you are just beginning in the prophetic or a seasoned saint, the Friday night School of the Holy Spirit provides the opportunity to be trained and exercised in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The sessions are taught by Apostle/Prophets Jeff & Linda Herbert who are ordained by Christian International. They are fully certified by CI to raise and train using the Manual for Ministering Spiritual Gifts and the Apostolic Prophetic Training series. Everyone who is willing will have the opportunity to pray for others during the activation times and will be used in their gifts. All sessions are free. Everyone is welcome. Childcare is not provided. For additional information: www.covenant-life-church.org

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Love and Monsters,”** on the inescapable bond between romance and horror, with Joshua Barton, scholar of horror and lecturer in English at Virginia Commonwealth University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-love-monsters](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-love-monsters) .] Romance and horror might seem like opposite genres, but they share a deep emotional core, and the combination of them has captivated audiences across time and culture. Put even your worst Valentine’s Day in perspective by hearing this strange relationship discussed by Joshua Barton, who has earned a big following among Profs and Pints fans with his past talks on cryptids, American horror, and Christmas ghosts. He’ll explore the undeniable and unsettling intersection of romance and horror and examine how and why love and fear intensify each other and combined to create tension, drive narratives, and explore human vulnerability. We’ll look at works that have blended passion and terror, including Gothic literature like the vampire novella *Carmilla* and modern films like *Spring* and *Crimson Peak*. We’ll study the fine line between obsession and adoration running through Stephen King’s “I Know What You Need,” Adrian Lyne’s *Fatal Attraction*, and the timeless *The Phantom of the Opera.* We’ll discuss the seeds of monstrous love that were planted with *Beauty and the Beast* and *Creature from the Black Lagoon* and bloom ferociously in works like *Twilight* and *The Shape of Water*. Through it all, we’ll find the threads of otherness and the taboo that intertwine horror, love, and reflections on identity. Join us for a journey through storytelling that combines the grotesque and the scintillating as we uncover why romance and horror are a match made in the dark. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: From the original 1954 advertising poster for *Creature from the Black Lagoon* (Artist: Reynold Brown / Public Domain).

**✨ Soul Empowering Hypnosis®: Connect with Your Spirit Guide ✨** Saturday, February 14 · 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM Lightworks, Manassas, VA Hosted by Tina of Destination Tarot & Jennie of Ascending Dawn Doula Join us for an intimate Soul Empowering Hypnosis® (SEH) group journey to connect with your spirit guide in a safe, cozy space at Light Works. We’ll begin with gentle grounding and breathwork to calm the nervous system, then move into a guided SEH session to meet your guide, receive messages, and anchor a personal symbol or phrase that supports you in daily life. You’ll leave feeling centered, peaceful, and connected to your higher guidance. This experience is limited to 8 participants to maintain a cozy and supportive atmosphere. Please note that Lightworks is located on an upper level and requires walking one flight of stairs (no elevator access). Please bring your water bottle, journal, and an eye mask (if you are sensitive to daylight meditations). No prior hypnosis or meditation experience required - just bring your open heart and curiosity. 💵 Investment $42 per person Reserve your spot by sending payment via Venmo to @ascendingdawndoula Please include “SEH Feb 14” in the note when you submit payment. Once your payment is received, your seat will be confirmed for this cozy, high-vibe group journey. Only 8 spots available! Join us as we breathe, connect, and journey together into the wisdom of your spirit team.

**The crone represents our trust in wisdom held within, gathered through our lives and experiences – and which, in the later stage of life, makes us most open and confident. They are a spiritual mentor to others who are actively engaged with their community, teaching either through example or directly.** ***‘The inner hag whose image we each carry within us reflects our own unique variety of wisdom, the gift that each of us has to offer this breaking and broken world, and our own particular brand of connection to the numinous.’* \- Dr Sharon Blackie\, Hagitude** **This is a space for women over 50, both Cis and Trans, who have chosen the uncomfortable path of walking with and alchemizing their own shadows in order to move into wisdom that serves family and community. In this place we hold space for each other to learn, grow and purge if needed, so that we can continue doing the work necessary to serve our communities so that they may find their way to self actualization; that they may Flourish.**