What on earth is this? (Found outside my house)

[brooklyn66]

Yesterday came home to find a bit of folded-up paper wedged in a crack in the fence wall bit (pavement goes right past it). Opened it up to find 2x2p coins inside unrecognisable writing - see pic!
What is this?

wow kiwigeekmum that's some detective work! Can't see much else in there though, I have to admit.

tigerbreadaddict that's interesting, thanks for sharing, does it look like this sort of thing?

For all those thinking it's a spell - I did unload the washing machine to find a rogue tissue had shredded over everything, so perhaps it was...

I haven't annoyed anyone I know of - I did scuff a neighbour's car and left a note on their windscreen and she texted me a very nice message back, so don't think it's that - hope not anyway!

Don't have the coins so can't see the date.
Anyway I've posted on Reddit here www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/comments/5tdia7/is_this_a_language/
and here www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/5teecq/what_is_this_writing_found_wrapped_around_coins/

I've been trying to imagine writing it with my hands and it does feel like doodles downwards (with the margin at the top) but happens to look more like a proper language when read horizontally.

Blatant peacemaking, this is fascinating.

I've got a strange sense of deja vu going on here.

Has there been a similar thread to this on MN in the past? I've been on here for over 10 years so it could've been a long time ago.

(sorry if someone has already suggested this but I haven't read the entire thread yet)

DH says it's Myanmar. He's working in a tourist spot and has been asking around. Someone said he recognised it.

Bugger! Went to do a search but the search function isn't working

TinFoil and Reap worra pair of damp squibs you are!

I'm pretty sure that most of the people suggesting things like wiccan spells are either being tongue in cheek or suggesting that the person who left the note might have been making a deluded attempt at a wiccan spell, not that one has actually been cast!

Can you decipher it like unraveled knitting? Do letters and words repeat themselves?

DH text again, the tourist can't read what it says but he has seen the writing in Buddhist places and is sure it's Myanmar. Looks different when I Google it though.

It really does look like my SIL's work OP! Although the chances it actually is are very slim. Do you live in a large town beginning with B?

I cannot believe that in 2017 there are people posting earnestly about money spells with copper left on a thursday because of Jupiter or some other such complete TWADDLE

It's no stranger or more twaddle-ish that praying in a church, lighting candles at sundown on sabbath, washing your feet for salah. It's just different kinds of superstition, isn't it?

It really looks like tee line shorthand upside down. Teeline doesn't look like pitman -it doesn't have the dots and dashes. It's 15 yrs since I used it so can't be 100% but some of the groups look like familiar words. Problem is some it's v difficult to decipher someone else's shorthand.

Its definitely not any form of shorthand... upside down or otherwise! The characters on the note look nothing like it.

Haha at the tissue curse. And may the lady at number 11 have untold amounts of white tissue 'pon her clothes, impossible to remove for all eternity MUA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAA

T line shorthand looks nothing like this. Ivan do 220 words a minute, smug face. OP you have obviously been hexed.

However I can't type - meant I can not Ivan.

To user that said Mayanmar - that is not Pali, for sure.

And yes, people saying 'oh this is modern times, who believes such stuff' well... Beliefs like this (spells, JuJu stuff) were still v much believed in even in 20th century Europe, so pretty sure plenty of cultures have these beliefs still. The major religions are akin to this, but because of the number of followers they are mainstream, and a religion rather than a cult or occult beliefs.

I don't understand the suggestions that it could be a taweez. Please explain. Surely it would be written in Arabic in that case?

tigerbreadaddict

Do you live in a large town beginning with B?
um... yes!
Possibly outing myself here but it's in the south. and west.

(I know it's not exactly outing myself. I am paranoid)

I'm PMSL that the poster who seems to know some salt based spells and what's linked to mercury also gave the useful info that sage can be bought in Tesco.

Way to take the mystery and poetry out of it

Agreed hotdiggity and Ive never heard of them being in any other language besides Arabic. Because surely then they would have a different name.

OP there's all sorts of weirdos in Bournemouth, don't stress, it's probably nothing!

Are you sure the coins are real? They may be empty shells for magic party tricks

Is your house on a crossroad?

When I had warts as a kid a loonie new age type told me to rub copper coins on it and leave them at a crossroads with a spell. I had them frozen off at the GPs instead.

Could be Bristol, not Bournemouth.

(the loonie told me that my warts would go when someone took the coins, and then they'ld get warts in my place LOL)