September 2013 Paranormal Underground
In this issue of “Paranormal Underground” magazine, we profile Most Haunted’s Derek Acorah, Clairvoyant Medium Dakota Lawrence, and paranormal author Moira Rogers. We also feature haunted Ashmore Estates, Annabelle The Haunted Doll, the urban legend of The Bunny Man, and the spiritual reality behind the UFO Phenomenon. Other columns discuss demons and the significance of the number 3, EM Pumps, the top 10 paranormal objects, and the haunted Hotel Sagamore. This issue also explores why ghosts haunt cemeteries, psychic manipulation of paranormal equipment, the Ch’ing Shih Vampire, and dowsing rods. Join us as we Explore the Unexplained. Get a downloadable PDF of this issue at www.paranormalunderground.net!
PARANORMAL UNDERGROUND Volume 6 Issue 9 ® September 2013 A Para-Chat Derek Acorah With Annabelle The Haunted Doll Dowsing Rods The Legend of The Bunny Man THE HAUNTED Ashmore Estates Spirituality & The UFO Phenomenon Demons & The Number Three ALSO INSIDE: Dakota Lawrence, Clairvoyant Medium Psychic Manipulation of Paranormal Equipment Why Do Ghosts Haunt Cemeteries? The Nandi Bear Cryptid & The Ch’ing Shih Vampire September 2013 Analyzing the EM Pump Paranormal Objects Top 10 Paranormal Underground 1 Paranormal Underground Magazine 12-Month Digital SUBSCRIPTION Get 12 Months of Paranormal Underground Magazine E-mailed to You Each Month for just $19.99! That’s 15% off the cover price! Visit www.paranormalunderground.net and start your digital subscription today! • Haunted Sites • The Psychic Mind • Crystals & Herbology • Conspiracy Theories • Investigator Spotlight 2 Paranormal Underground • UFOs • Demonology • Magic & Lore • Cryptids • And More! September 2013 Explore the Unexplained With Us Today! Table Of Contents CASE FILES OF THE UNKNOWN 26 Haunted Sites Ashmore Estates: A Landmark Hit by Disaster 28 Haunted Objects/Curses Annabelle The Haunted Doll 30 Cryptids & Mythological Creatures Africa’s Enigmatic Cryptid: The Nandi Bear 32 Are We Alone? Is There a Spiritual Reality Behind the UFO Phenomenon? 40 Urban Legends The Bunny Man 42 Haunted History An Irreplaceable Loss: The Life and Death of a Poltergeist Agent: The Conclusion 32 18 16 26 IN THE SPOTLIGHT 16 Para-Chat Derek Acorah’s Perfect Day 18 Investigator Spotlight Dakota Lawrence: Clairvoyant Medium and Psychic Paranormal Investigator 60 Haunted Hospitality Hotel Sagamore 62 Haunted Cemeteries Why Do Ghosts Haunt Cemeteries? 82 Author Profile Moira Rogers: “Haunted Sanctuary” 28 68 66 8 40 PARANORMAL INSIGHTS 22 Special Report Psychic Manipulation of Paranormal Equipment 48 Demonology — The Dark Files Demons and the Significance of the Number 3 and Other Symbols 52 Inside the Psychic Mind Inter-life Relationships: Part 2 54 Inside the Psychic Mind Psychic Impressions on a Vietnam-Era Destroyer 56 The Psychic Biker: Attitude With Empathy Meet the Psychic Biker 64 Crystals & Herbology The Basic Essentials to Gem Water 66 Magic & Lore Ch’ing Shih Vampire 68 Katie’s Conspiracy Corner Dowsing Rods 80 Religion and the Paranormal Native American Spirituality and the Paranormal 86 Paranormal Perspective: Guest Editorial Coming Together Is a Beginning 62 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES 72 Ghost Hunter Case Files A Family Haunted: A True Case File 74 The Extreme Ghost Hunter Investigates Meet The Extreme Ghost Hunter 76 Tales From the Haunted Heathman Hotel A Road Trip to Montana State Prison 78 Reader Encounters A Mother’s Gift From Beyond DEPARTMENTS 4 Contributors 7 Calendar of Events 8 Paranormal Top 10 List 6 Publisher’s Letter 7 Ghost Hunter Comic 12 Equipment Update September 2013 Paranormal Underground 3 Contributors WILLIAM BECKER William is a psychic medium and paranormal investigator and researcher, as well as tour guide with Northwest Ghost Tours. William’s interest in the paranormal goes back to his early childhood when he saw his first full apparition. With this interest in the paranormal along with a degree in history, it was only natural that he would jump at the chance to combine the two by giving tours. For more information about William and his work, visit nwghosttours.com and www.paranormalinsights.net. ing out the how’s and why’s of these events. For more information, visit www.inthedarkinvestigations.com. Paul Green Paul Green, The Psychic Biker, is unique in the psychic world — a gifted medium and psychic who was once an ardent skeptic. He is a hard-core, no-nonsense biker who would look more at home on the door of a nightclub than offering his services as an empathetic psychic medium. Make no mistake, Paul is opinionated and brutally honest, yet he is respected by all who know him, or as he would describe himself: “Attitude with Empathy.” Katie Christopher Katie is a paranormal investigator living in North East Pennsylvania. She has been involved in paranormal investigation since 2006 with the team NEPA Paranormal. In that time, she has done over 400 cases. Aside from being an investigator, Katie also handles all of the case management for her team. In 2011, her team formed the sub group Ghost Detectives, which is a ghost hunting TV show that is now in its 4th season. Visit www. ghostdetectives.tv for more info. Jenny Gurney Jenny is an investigator with Proximity Paranormal. The mystery surrounding the paranormal field has always interested Jenny. She is on a quest to find more about why spirits are around us. Jenny has investigated many sites, including Waverly Hills, Bobby Mackey’s, the Villisca Ax Murder House, and First Ward School House. Jenny also hosts her own Web radio show, Paranormal Hotspot. Elaine Davison Elaine is a founding member of the Western Oregon Organization of Paranormal Investigators (W.O.O.P.I). Her team was established in 2010 as a not-for-profit organization of investigators who investigate and document any scientific and photographic evidence of paranormal phenomena in Oregon. Elaine recently researched and created a pamphlet that outlined the dangers of paranormal investigation in an effort to help inform researchers about how to safely investigate a location. Rick E. Hale A Chicago native, Rick is cohost of “Paranormal Underground Radio” on www.HeyZRadio. com. He is the founder of Foundations Psychical Research and the author of the recently released Geek’s Guide to the Strange & Unusual. As an investigator, Rick considers himself to be a Modern Traditionalist, meaning he believes in melding the new and old schools of psychical research. Karen Frazier Karen is a paranormal investigator with South Sound Paranormal Research in Washington State and a frequent contributor to Paranormal Underground. She is also the cohost of “Paranormal Underground Radio” on www.HeyZRadio.com, author of Avalanche of Spirits: The Ghosts of Wellington and Dancing With the Afterlife, and coauthor of Lessons of Many Lives. Ashley Hall Ashley Hall resides in Adelaide, South Australia, where he has researched and investigated the paranormal for more than 15 years. As well as having worked for many of the state’s most professional teams, he has founded The Paranormal Guide. Ashley is open minded toward all aspects of the paranormal, but still says he sways more to the side of being skeptical. He has written more than 200 articles on paranormal and macabre subjects that have appeared in magazines and on Websites worldwide, as well as hosted his own paranormal podcast. Terri J. Garofalo Terri is a paranormal investigator, as well as the artist and writer behind Entities-R-Us, Ghost Hunter Comic. She’s a freelance artist, illustrator, and designer in Hyde Park, New York. You can find her work on www.entities-r-us.com, or contact Terri at firstname.lastname@example.org. John “Jack” Kenna Jack is a technical specialist and assistant case manager for the paranormal team SPIRITS of New England in Winthrop, Massachusetts. He has had a strong interest in the paranormal since he was a child and has helped his SPIRITS team conduct numerous client investigations, including an investigation for the U.S. Navy in 2010. Jack has been a technician and project leader for the Department of the Army for more than 26 years. Chuck Gotski Chuck is a native of Chicago and also an accomplished filmmaker and writer. His interest in the paranormal started at an early age due to a personal experience. With more than 20 years of experience under his belt, he decided it was time to start his own team. So, in 2010, he created In the Dark Investigations. With the help of Larry, Al, and Janine, they have moved into the field not only gathering evidence of the paranormal, but figur- Stephen Lambert Stephen is co-owner of Extreme Ghost Hunting Limited and EGH Media. Based in the North East of England, he likes nothing better than researching and spending the night alone is haunted 4 Paranormal Underground September 2013 locations. He is a Peoples Book Prize finalist as coauthor on The Psychic Biker Meets The Extreme Ghost Hunter and producer and host of online radio shows as part of the EGH Media Network. Find out more about him at www.extremeghosthunting.com and www.eghmedia.com. Barry Taff, Ph.D. Barry holds a doctorate in psychophysiology with a minor in biomedical engineering. He is a world-renowned parapsychologist who worked out of UCLA’s former parapsychology laboratory from 1969 through 1978 as a research associate. During his 40-plus-year career, Barry has investigated more than 4,500 cases of ghosts, hauntings, and poltergeists and conducted extensive studies in telepathy and precognition. For more information, visit http://barrytaff.net. Cheryl Knight Cheryl is editor-in-chief of Paranormal Underground magazine and producer of Paranormal Underground Radio. She has more than 20 years of experience as a professional writer and editor and has published hundreds of articles on topics ranging from advanced technology to paranormal investigation. Cheryl’s previous magazine experience includes roles as senior and managing editor for several business publications. Michele Watson-Baker Michele is an investigator, case manager, and public relations liaison of Mid Illinois Ghost Society. She has researched and read a lot about the paranormal and fully believes that there is always something new to learn. She also volunteers at a local haunted house every October, doing makeup and costumes. She has been a member of MIGS since 2011. Michelle Pillow Michelle is an award-winning author writing in many romance fiction genres, including futuristic and paranormal. A skeptical believer, she has a fascination with anything paranormal. Michelle has a photography degree and is the co-owner of www.TheRavenBooks.com. You can contact Michelle at www.michellepillow.com. Mari Wells Mari’s love of vampires goes back to her tween years. Recently, she has increased her vampire knowledge and expanded it to other paranormal beings. Her paranormal fictional pieces have been included in supernatural magazines. Read more about Mari at www.mariwells.wordpress.com. Michaela Rand (Silvermoon Medicyn) Michaela is a Medicyn Woman. Her life threads are woven between symbiotic psychic vampire and Shamanism, working closely with awakening souls looking to balance the dark and light within themselves. Her favorite tools to use are crystals, herbs, and oils. She is a Universal Life Ordained Minister and performs many services, including soul retrieval, Shamanic extraction, and walking the dead to rest. Visit Silvermoonmedicyn.com for more information. Michael White Michael is a team leader, researcher, and investigator for Paranormal Research & Investigations. His interest in the paranormal began at age seven with his first paranormal encounter where he was thrown across a room by an unseen entity. His paranormal interests include research into hauntings, ESP, PK, OBE experiences, UFOs, and cryptozoology. Having served in the military for 21 years, Michael utilizes his experience with surveillance and data collection in the pursuit of researching the unknown. Rob St.Helen Rob has been a paranormal investigator for more than five years. He had his first paranormal experience at the age of 11. Rob is a member of West Coast Ghost Hunters, based out of Portland, Oregon, where he was born and raised. He currently works the graveyard shift at The Heathman Hotel. He has come to find that the hotel is haunted. Bishop JERRY WILLIAMS Jerry is a radio host of Eastside Paranormal Radio and an investigator with Eastside Paranormal Society. He is also a minister in Ohio and has performed exorcisms and house blessings. Jerry has been investigating the paranormal since 1993. He also has mediumistic abilities and tries to assist those seeking help. Visit www.eastsideparanormalsociety.webs.com for more information. Jill Stefko, Ph.D. Jill is a feature writer for suite101.com. She has studied the paranormal since childhood. In fall 1965, she conducted her first investigation. Jill gives workshops and lectures and writes for selected Internet Websites. Her expertise in the paranormal includes parapsychology, cryptozoology, Fortean phenomena, anomalies, UFOs, aliens and demonic possession, and exorcism. Chad Wilson A freelance writer, Chad is the publisher of Paranormal Underground magazine. His interest in the paranormal led to the creation of www. ParanormalUnderground.net. Chad has investigated with East Tennessee Paranormal Research Society and counts Waverly Hills, the Villisca Axe Murder House, the Queen Anne Hotel, the Queen Mary, the Hotel Alex Johnson, and private residences among his investigations. Melinda Stum, M.Div Melinda graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in [Comparative] Religion. She served as an intern pastor while completing her master’s of Divinity. She is also a member of South Sound Paranormal Research. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 5 Publisher’s Letter PARANORMAL U N D E R G R O U N D® Volume 6, Issue 9 September 2013 www.ParanormalUnderground.net EDITORIAL Publisher ParanormalUnderground@live.com What Fuels the Spirit of a Haunted Object? Chad Wilson Editor-in-Chief Editor@paranormalunderground.net Cheryl Knight H Science Editor J.D. Harrison Contributors William Becker Katie Christopher Elaine Davison Jason V. Francis Karen Frazier Terri J. Garofalo Charles G. Gotski Paul Green Jenny Gurney Rick E. Hale Ashley Hall John “Jack” Kenna Stephen Lambert Silvermoon Medicyn Michelle M. Pillow Rob St.Helen Jill Stefko, Ph.D. Melinda Stum, M.Div. Barry Taff, Ph.D. Michele Watson-Baker Mari Wells Michael White Bishop Jerry Williams Copyright © 2008-2013 — Paranormal Underground® is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. As such, Paranormal Underground and its contents are the property of its owners. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. This publication and all content within this publication may not be copied, quoted, distributed, modified, or reprinted without the express written consent of Paranormal Underground magazine. Paranormal Underground magazine is a publication of Ghost Knight Media, LLC. objects are Annabelle the Doll, made aunted items have long famous by Ed and Lorraine Warren, fascinated those interested in and Robert the Doll, which “lives” in the paranormal. What is their Key West, Florida. allure? What do we find so compelling Some haunted objects are obviously about such objects? I guess the bigfake, but others have their owners tremger question would be: Are they really bling at the prospect of whatever horror haunted, or is that only wishful thinking these objects will conjure up next. The on the part of those attracted to them? stories of such haunted items can chill to I have some thoughts on the the bone. haunted item phenomena. I believe we The most frightful of can instill part of our energy tales involving haunted items in the environment. Just don’t seem to just live in the like the ancient Greeks and minds of those suffering from their beliefs in daemons, their depredations. Take the or negative thought forms, Dibbuk Box, for instance. we, as spiritual beings, can Each tale of what it has impart energy, both negative wrought on those around it and positive, into the world does not garner much attenaround us. I think this is in tion by themselves, but when part what creates some hauntChad Wilson, you look at all that has hapings, and might even be the Publisher pened, and the coincidences answer to intelligent hauntseemingly involved, then its story gets a ings as well. little bit more frightening. What if when we die a part of us And while the quaint wine box stays behind? Normally, this energy is might just seem like a box of coincidencabsorbed back into the world at large, es to some, those who have suffered its much like a decaying body into the effects surely tell a different story. surrounding soil. But what if someThen again, it could be in the mind times this is not what happens? What of those suffering from those effects, a if, when the conditions were right, that story that only feeds the ability of the part of us left behind lingers on well human soul to leave an imprint on the past our deaths? environment around it. The energies And maybe this energy can find we impart only acting to bring our worst itself residing in inanimate objects, such fears to fruition. as dolls, paintings, or even wine boxes. For in the end, we are the creators All of this is conjecture, of course, as of our own reality, whether intentionwe know little of the nuisances of what ally or not. I think haunted items will happens when we pass on from this life continue to exist as long as there are to the next. people to impart their energy into Mirrors, dolls, skulls, chairs, paintthem, as well as those who continue to ings, beds, books, religious items, and a believe in them long after the original plethora of other objects have all been owner has passed. subjected to the claims of being hauntWhat do you think? ed. Two of the most famous haunted 6 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Calendar Of Events September 6–7 3rd Annual Central Illinois Paracon (Meet and Greet/Psychic Fair) Mattoon, Illinois www.teamimps.com/2013-central-ilparacon hauntedspringsparanormalfest.webs. com PARANORMAL U N D E R G R O U N D® Volume 6, Issue 9 September 2013 October 4–6 September 6–8 Parafest Sands Bethlehem Event Center Bethlehem, Pennsylvania www.parafest2013.com Pennsylvania Are MUFON Conference Sheraton Bucks County Hotel Langhorne, Pennsylvania http://mufonpa.com/wp1/?page_ id=927 www.ParanormalUnderground.net ART DIRECTION Art Director Chad Wilson October 11–13 September 12–15 Scare-A-Con Turning Stone Resort & Casino Verona, New York http://scareacon.com/ Little Traverse Bay Parafest The Terrace Inn Bayview, Michigan http://littletraversebayparafest.webs. com/ Design and Layout Cheryl Knight On The Cover Derek Acorah September 13–15 October 17–20 SCAREFEST Lexington, Kentucky http://scarefestcon.com Paradigm Symposium The Historic St. Paul Union Depot St. Paul, Minnesota www.paradigmsymposium.com MEDIA & ADVERTISING MEDIA AGENT Leitreanna Brown Leitreanna@gmail.com September 21–22 October 18–20 Paranormal Journeys Expo Home Wood Suites Lansdale, Pennsylvania www.midnightwatchmen.com/?p=2967 October 4–5 Fantom Fest The Menger Hotel San Antonio, Texas www.fantomfest.com C.A.S.P.E.R. – The Second Forensic Ghost Excavation Congress – Convention C.A.S.P.E.R. Research Center Bedford, Maryland. http://ghostexcavationconference. webs.com/ Ad Sales Lori Houston For Ad Inquiries, Call 1-714-646-4197 or e-mail: email@example.com November 2 October 4–6 Haunted Springs Paranormal Fest Hot Springs, Arkansas Pittsburgh Area MUFON Conference Westmoreland Community College Youngwood, Pennsylvania http://mufonpa.com/wp1/?page_id=929 SOCIAL MEDIA http://twitter.com/ParanormalUG Twitter Ghost Hunter Comic www.facebook.com/pages/Paranormal-Underground/39284418860 Facebook Tumblr www.paranormalunderground.tumblr.com Send comments and letters to: firstname.lastname@example.org The views expressed and opinions given by our contributors do not necessarily reflect those of Paranormal Underground magazine’s owners or its affiliates or sponsors. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 7 The Paranormal Top 10 List Top 10 Paranormal Objects I Will Not Be Adding to My Private Collection Any Time Soon By Karen Frazier, South Sound Paranormal Research & Paranormal Underground Radio S everal years ago, I purchased a piano from an artisan who refurbished old instruments. The tiger mahogany upright is over 100 years old, and it is currently sitting right next to me as I type this. I’ve played piano since I was a kid. Early in my adulthood, however, I moved a lot and I really didn’t want the hassle of moving a piano around with me, so I played an electronic keyboard. However, when we settled in this house and my son began taking lessons, I decided to buy a real piano. That’s when we bought this one. The first time I sat down to play it, I knew there was just something about it. When I played, images flashed through my mind. It was my piano showing me where it had been before it came to me. After a few years, we bought a grand piano and gave the upright to friends. I spent hours playing that grand piano, and I never once saw any images in my head like I had with my upright. At the same time, my friends’ kids began reporting some rather odd happenings in their home that roughly corresponded with the arrival of the piano. When my son entered the seventh grade, he decided to quit piano lessons. I was so busy, I wasn’t playing as much, either. Then we received the mother of all tax bills. I realized the best way to pay Uncle Sam was to sell my beloved grand piano. The same friends to whom we’d given our old upright happened to be looking for a grand at the time, because their very talented son was pursuing his piano studies. Thus, the grand went to them, and my upright came back to the house. I was oddly happy to see it. From the first moment I sat down to play the piano, the images came back. At the same time, the odd happenings in our friends’ home ceased. My son is now a senior in high school, and we still have the upright. As anyone who has been here will tell you, my house is haunted. A few of my more psychic friends have been drawn directly to the piano as one of the sources of this activity. If you buy second-hand or antique items, the potential always exists that you could bring home an object with a spirit attachment, just like I did with my piano. Still, if you run across any of the following objects at a flea market or antique store, I’d recommend you back away slowly and buy something else. 10. Elizabeth Bell’s Wedding Dress This wedding dress was formerly on display at the Baker Mansion, which is the current headquarters of Blair County Historical Society. Elizabeth Bell, the daughter of a local iron master, wore the gown for her 1830 wedding. Visitors to the mansion reported the dress, which was displayed in a glass case, shook violently and swayed back and forth. No one was able to find an explanation for the phenomenon. 9. The Hope Diamond This diamond has long been rumored to bring terrible luck to all who possess — or even touch — it. According to legend, the diamond was plucked from the forehead of an idol of the Hindu Goddess Sita in India. The thief was mauled to death by a pack of wild dogs. In actuality, a French jeweler purchased the diamond in India in 1642 and returned with it to France. In 1673, Louis XIV had the diamond recut. He wore the diamond around his neck. The diamond was later stolen during the 8 Paranormal Underground September 2013 rule of Louis XVI. It is suspected that a large blue diamond that appeared in London in 1823 was, in fact, the crown jewel stolen from France. Although it was now cut differently, it was of the same size and quality. Ultimately, the diamond wound up in the possession of Henry Phillip Hope in the 1930s and became known as the Hope Diamond. The diamond was passed down through the Hope family until they sold it as part of a discharge of bankruptcy proceedings. The legend suggests that many fell victim to the Hope diamond’s curse by meeting an untimely death, including Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, a jeweler who recut the diamond, and even a mailman who delivered it. Regardless of whether the tales are exaggerated or not, you may want to steer clear of touching the famous gem, which is on display at the Smithsonian. activity grew. Claims include an adult being hurled across a room, and a garage that was on fire one minute with no sign of fire or damage the next minute. To end the torment, the family burned the bunk beds within months of their purchase, and paranormal activity in the house ceased. Still, it makes Ikea bunk beds seem like an even better deal, doesn’t it? 6. Annabelle the Haunted Rag Doll 8. The Crying Boy Painting In 1985, The Sun published an article about a couple whose home had burned down. The only object left unscathed was a painting of a crying toddler. The homeowner’s brother-in-law was a firefighter who claimed he had been at numerous fires where everything was destroyed except for similar paintings of a crying boy. After the story broke, numerous people contacted The Sun claiming the same thing had happened to them. Thus, a legend was born. Whether urban legend or truth, however, if you come across a painting of a small, crying boy, you might want to think twice before you hang it on your wall. 7. The Tallman Bunk Beds In 1987, the Tallman family of Horicon, WI, purchased a set of bunk beds, which they put in their basement. A few months later, they moved the bed upstairs, and their children began sleeping in it. That very night, strange things started to occur in their home. A radio randomly switched stations with no one touching the dial, and the children grew ill. The children were also plagued by disturbing visions and dreams, and objects in the house moved seemingly by themselves. The longer the beds were in the house, the worse the Lorraine and Ed Warren first told the story of Annabelle in their book, The Demonologist, which was published in the 1970s. Annabelle was a Raggedy Ann doll that was a mother’s gift to her daughter, purchased from an antique store. The paranormal activity surrounding the doll started slowly, and she moved a little here and there on her own. She quickly upped the ante, however, and began leaving handwritten notes in childish handwriting saying things like, “Help us.” One day, the doll’s owner, Donna, came home and found that Annabelle had a red blood-like substance on the backs of her hands and chest. Donna called in a medium, who determined the doll was home to a spirit of a child named Annabelle Higgins. Donna’s friend, Lou, disliked Annabelle immensely. She creeped him out. One night, awakening from a recurring nightmare, Lou saw Annabelle at his feet. She moved up his leg to his chest and stopped. Lou began to gasp for air and blacked out from lack of oxygen. This was the first of several attacks for which Lou felt Annabelle was responsible. When the Warrens became involved in the case, they determined Annabelle wasn’t possessed by the spirit of a child, but rather by an inhuman entity. They participated in an exorcism of the doll, and then took it with them so it could never bother Donna or Lou again. 5. The Hands Resist Him Painting You know how in Harry Potter, figures in paintings seem to have a life of their own as they move about the canvas? Yeah — this painting is like that, only worse. Oakland, California, artist Bill Stoneham painted “The Hands Resist Him” in 1972. The Feingarten Gallery in Beverly Hills displayed the painting. Several years later, a California couple purchased the painting from a picker who had discovered the painting in the basement of a brewery. They listed it for sale on eBay in 2000, claiming September 2013 Paranormal Underground 9 The Paranormal Top 10 List it was both cursed and haunted. Along with the figures moving about in the painting (in one such incident, the couple claimed a doll in the painting threatened the boy in the image with a gun, causing him to flee the painting), entities from the painting entered other rooms in the house. People viewing the images of the painting on eBay responded to the couple, saying the painting caused odd reactions, such as illness, fainting, and unwanted visitors in the night. While incidents surrounding the Dibbuk Box are too numerous to report here, strange events include unexplainable illnesses, plagues of insects, and even sudden natural disasters. 2. The Busby Stoop Chair 4. Gothic Ballroom of Belcourt Castle Chairs Two chairs at Belcourt Castle in Rhode Island just don’t want you to sit there. In fact, some visitors who try claim they feel a strong resistance when trying to sit in the chairs, while others have wound up unexpectedly on the floor! Also known as the Dead Man’s Chair, the Busby Stoop Chair was reportedly cursed by murderer Thomas Busby right before he was executed for his crimes. According to legend, 63 people who sat in the chair since Busby cursed it have died sudden and unexpected deaths. Currently, the chair hangs on the wall of the Thirsk Museum so no one can sit in it. Better safe than sorry. 1. Robert the Doll 3. The Dibbuk Box Vendors on eBay have offered thousands of reportedly haunted and/or possessed items over the years. The granddaddy of them all, however, just might be the Dibbuk Box. This antique wine cabinet has been sold twice on eBay. It has also been featured on an episode of Paranormal Witness, inspired the movie The Possession, and is the subject of Jason Haxton’s book, The Dibbuk Box. No matter how you slice it, this old doll is creepy as heck. Young Eugene Otto received Robert as a gift from a family maid who was said to practice Voodoo Black Magic. Family members often heard Gene and another unidentified voice having urgent conversations when Gene was alone in his room. At one point, his mother entered the room during such a conversation and found Gene cowering on the floor and Robert perched on the bed looking down at him. Even into adulthood, Eugene had an unnaturally close relationship with the doll. He built a ¾-scale attic room in his house for Robert, and he took Robert everywhere he and his wife went. People passing the house claim to have seen Robert moving about his attic room by himself, peering out the windows. After Gene’s death, his wife Anne moved away from the house, leaving Robert locked in his room. Lease agreements included a clause that Robert would always remain in his attic room as its only occupant. People living in the house reported hearing footsteps from Robert’s room, as well as odd noises. One couple even claimed they found Robert standing giggling at the foot of their bed holding a knife. Now, Robert is on display at the Fort East Martello Museum and Gardens. It seems he is up to his old mischief, and claims of activity include four pacemakers stopping right in front of his display, as well as trouble for the crew filming a recent episode of Mystery at the Museum. 10 Paranormal Underground September 2013 The Geek’s Guide to the Strange & Unusual: Poltergeists, Ghosts, and Demons Rick E. Hale’s book about unexplainable paranormal phenomena explores many of the world’s most intriguing paranormal cases and haunted locations, including the Demon Drummer of Tedworth, Lucedio Abbey, the Dagg poltergeist, and three cases of possession, among many others. Book Now Available Online at Amazon.com September 2013 Paranormal Underground 11 Equipment Update The Effectiveness of the EM Pump By Jack Kenna, Rensselaer Paranormal Research and S.P.I.R.I.T.S. of New England A s paranormal investigators, we are always looking for the next piece of equipment that can help us make contact with the deceased, something that can be used to help make contact between us and the spirits easier. Given the fact that what is probably our primary theory that the spirit — human, animal, and otherwise — exists as energy and also needs energy in order to communicate and interact, then it would seem to make sense that a device that emanates Electromagnetic (EM) energy would be a piece of equipment that no paranormal investigator should be without. A device that actually emits EM energy to provide a spirit with a power source to draw from in order to communicate with us should result in outstanding investigations full of quality EVPs and/or direct communication through other devices, such as a K-II, Mel-Meter, or even an Ovilus. It would seem to make sense based on our theory of spirits and energy right? The obvious answer would seem to be yes, but I personally haven’t found this to be the case with regards to EM pumps, at least not yet. So why is this? I’m sure at this point some of you who have used EM pumps are disagreeing with my last statement. I���m sure some of you feel you have had great success using one or more of these devices, and maybe that’s the case for you, but my own experiences with EM pumps and my own observations and analysis of their use have provided me with a different conclusion of their usefulness and actual impact on investigation results. So, I ask that before you discard my remarks and conclusions please complete reading this article and then see if you feel any of my observations/conclusions have any merit or make any sense. EM Pump by Digital Dowsing What Is the EM Pump? Before I go much further, it’s important to first understand how the EM pump works and what it does. The EM pump is a device that produces and emits electromagnetic pulses that create a low-level EM Field (EMF). This is somewhat different from the EMF that is produced by a building’s wiring or fuse/breaker boxes, because those items radiate a constant steady flow of energy compared to the pulses put out by an EM pump. According to the Digital Dowsing Website, developer and manufacturer of the EM Pump, once turned on the device begins by emitting a “.2Hz pulse and increases to 256Hz pulse.” The EMF created by the pump is supposed to act as a beacon to any spirits that might be in 12 Paranormal Underground September 2013 the location you are investigating, providing them with a I was able to capture good EVPs during investigations source of energy to use to communicate with. It’s a sacrifiwhere there actually was a spirit involved. So when the cial electrical source in that sense, taking the place of let’s EM Pump became available, I was of course interested in say your camera’s, flashlight’s, or audio recorder’s battery trying it out. that can often be drained by a spirit during an investigaI finally got my chance during an investigation with tion. This is the main theory behind the device. my friends from San Diego Ghost Hunters (SdGH). We The issue with EM pumps though is that the field used it during an investigation of the famous Whaley they discharge can also interfere with other devices we House in Old Town San Diego. We set it up in the masare trying to use to detect paranormal activity and attempt ter bedroom on the second floor and let it run from one communication with, such as EMF meters, Mel-Meters, hour before we investigated that location until the end of and K-II meters. As I menthe investigation. tioned before, unlike electrical We did experience a few wiring, breaker boxes, and most things in that room and had The EMF created by the appliances, the EM pump emasome interesting words come pump is supposed to act through on the Ovilus. I did nates a pulsing EM Field rather than a steady field. Although however, capture any as a beacon to any spirits not, the pulse is at a regular interval, EVPs in that room or any in the location. it makes it difficult to validate photographic evidence. My what might be actual spirit combest evidence that evening was munication through one of the actually captured in the front devices mentioned earlier, or if it might be just interferparlor downstairs, which is the farthest location in the ence from the EM pump. house from where we had set up the EM Pump. Although you can baseline the normal EM Field of a This was of course just one investigation. I have been room or location, once the EM pump is introduced into involved with many other investigations though where the the environment your EMF baseline is useless. I know EM Pump was utilized to try and improve contact with some would say at this point that what I just covered is a spirit, but I have seen no noticeable improved results obvious and that the point is just don’t use other EMF when using this device. devices with the EM Pump. That’s true, and even the proOn all of these investigations, sometimes EVPs are ducers of the EM Pump state it is best used for trying to captured and sometimes they’re not; sometimes photo increase chances of capturing EVPs and/or photographic evidence is captured and sometimes it’s not. There was evidence. no noticeable difference between investigations using an They also state that the EM Field emitted by the EM Pump and those where one was not used. pump is very low at only four inches from the device, but it is best to keep your other electronic devices 12 inches How the EM Pump Interacts With Other Devices or more away from the pump to prevent possible damage What I have noticed is that some investigators have and/or interference. attempted to use their EMF detectors and K-II meters in the locations they have set up the EM Pump. They often The EM Pump’s Usefulness on Investigations get sporadic “hits” on these devices, sometimes while OK, so if the EM Pump is not really useful with, and asking questions, and some of these investigators believe is perhaps possibly damaging to our other EMF devices, immediately that they are having direct interaction with a and the main use is to try and improve chances of capspirit, not taking into account the EM Pump in the room turing EVPs, photographic, and/or video evidence, as it and what it is doing. acts as a “beacon” to draw in spirits and provides them They tend to believe that the EM Pump is the reason with a power source to draw from to manifest themselves they are getting such great spirit interaction because it’s and/or communicate with, then how useful and how providing the energy the spirit needs to communicate. successful is it at providing improved results for these My own interpretation is that it’s the device that is specific applications? actually causing the EMF device to react due to the EMF Like many of you, I’ve done many investigations the pump is outputting. Again, sometimes during these over the years, and on most of them I never had an EM sessions EVPs are captured and sometimes they’re not, so Pump. Heck, on my earliest investigations all I had was again I see no real evidence that the EM Pump is improving spirit communication or interaction, at least not yet. myself and a mini tape recorder. Even in those early days, September 2013 Paranormal Underground 13 Equipment Update will release their findings here in Paranormal Underground magazine. In the mean time, I believe the jury is still out on the usefulness of the EM Pump, but as of the release of this article I can only suggest that if you own one of these devices, or if you are thinking about purchasing one, focus on exactly the type of evidence that the manufacturer recommends it for, which is EVPs and photo/video evidence. Do not use any type of EMF detector in the same room with the EM Pump, as at this time I do believe it will only provide you with potential false positive hits on K-II, Mel-Meter, and other EMF devices. You can also conduct your own experiments similar to what I described above. Now, I added that same disclaimer at the beginning of this article as well, and Iâ€™ll explain why. How to Properly Experiment With the EM Pump While I have found that many paranormal teams and investigators use the EM Pump, none I know of have The Bottom Line on the EM Pump actually conducted any serious comparison experimentaSo, what am I recommending regarding this device? tion with this device. What needs to be done to determine 1. Is it worth buying? 2. Will it improve evidence? and 3. the value of this item is to conduct multiple investigations Does it really provide an energy source for spirits to use in one known haunted location, both with and without the to communicate with? EM Pump. With regards to questions In order to gather a good 1 and 2, I think the jury is still In order to gather a good quality of data on this device, at out on those, but at this point least four investigations need to I would not recommend it for quality of data on this device, be conducted at a single locathe new investigator, new team, at least four investigations tion. Two without use of the or the novice. need to be conducted at a EM Pump and two with the use As for the third question, of the EM Pump. I would also single location. the answer is this: The EM alternate these investigations in Pump does produce a low-level order to obtain the best data. constant pulsing electromagAnd weather conditions and other environmental factors netic field that can possibly be used as an energy source should be the same between all of the investigations or at for spirits to draw from. least between each of two investigations (e.g.: InvestigaWill a spirit actually be drawn to this source and will tions 1 & 2 should be under the same conditions and then it use it to communicate with the living? It is possible, but 3 & 4). Also, the same room in the location should be here again I do not believe there is any solid evidence at used each time. this point to support this. These are all control elements that will help validate If you have any questions regarding equipment to use the results of the experiment. Currently, I have plans to for investigating the paranormal, or if you have any other conduct this exact testing at a known haunted location paranormal-related questions, feel free to contact me by with the assistance of my good friends Maritza and Cole-mail at email@example.com. leen of San Diego Ghost Hunters (SdGH), http://www. For more information on the EM Pump, you can sandiegoghosthunters.com/. This testing will likely take check out Digital Dowsingâ€™s Website at http://digitaldowsseveral months to complete, but once itâ€™s completed I ing.com/em-pump/. 14 Paranormal Underground September 2013 YOUR AD HERE! Advertise in Paranormal Underground Magazine and on Paranormal Underground Radio! 1-714-646-4197 • • • • • Affordable Rates/Target Audience Long-Term Exposure Thousands of readers per issue Our podcasts have more than 8,000 listeners each month iTunes and Podbean. Magazine available online and “print on demand” For more information, contact firstname.lastname@example.org September 2013 Paranormal Underground 15 Para-Chat Derek Acorah’s Perfect Day By Paul Green, The Psychic Biker D person from the worlds of the paranormal. This month erek Acorah lives near Southport in the North we speak with Derek. West of England with his wife, Gwen. His career as a medium started in his home town of Liver***** pool, and his renown quickly spread till one day a reQ: What’s your earliest memory? searcher for a TV show called him. She explained that she worked on a program called Livetime, Derek: My earliest memory is being a daily magazine program presented by pushed along Brasenose Road, BooBecky Want. Becky’s aunt had retle, in a pram by my grandmother. ceived a super reading from Derek, and She used to talk to me all the time — I she wanted him for a “one off show.” don’t remember what she used to say That one appearance on Livetime to me, but I do suspect it would have was enough to send the telephone been about the spirit world. lines into meltdown. The program makers were delighted. Derek was Q: Describe your perfect day. asked back for the following week. Derek: A beautiful sunny day spent Every week for the next five years in the company of my family would Derek Acorah was a regular feature on be just about perfect to me, especially Granada Breeze Television. if some good food was included into In July 2001, just before the closure the scenario. of Granada Breeze Television, Derek was asked whether he would be kind Q: Who from history would you Derek’s first supernatural experience enough to donate his services to the like to share a dinner party with? came as a child when the spirit of his late making of a proposed new television grandfather visited him. program. It was to be called Haunting Derek: Being an avid watcher of old Truths. He agreed to this request. films, I think I would like to spend The program was sold to LivingTV and renamed dinner party time with some of the “greats” of Hollywood. Most Haunted. Derek spent five series and numerous live John Wayne would be a definite, plus James Cagney and events demonstrating his phenomenal gift of mediumship actors of that era. If it was a more spiritually themed dinand in communication with some of Britain’s most notoriner party, then I think I would like to talk to Ghandi and ous spirits. Mother Theresa, because I believe that far from being This was the program that many readers will know saintly as they are portrayed, they would be very human Derek from. The show is now no longer on air, apart beings, but with their hearts firmly set on justice. from repeats. But what is behind the public persona you see? Q: If you could be invisible for a day, what would Each month I ask the same questions to a different you do? 16 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Derek: I would make an unseen visit to the people who have been unkind to me in the past and let them experience some REAL paranormal activity. I would take huge delight in seeing genuine fear on their faces. Q: What’s your pet hate? Derek: Mosquitoes. Q: What’s your favorite book? Derek: Gulliver’s Travels and Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons. Q: What can’t you resist? Derek: Puddings. Q: What’s your current or upcoming project? Derek: Apart from completing my autobiography, I will be continuing on with my live tour of the UK plus some live shows in major U.S. cities. I also have one or two trips up and coming where I will be visiting sacred sites — not unfortunately for television. I have also recently been involved in making a pilot program that seems to be progressing nicely, though of course there are no guarantees that it will be commissioned. ***** About Derek’s Upcoming Book Derek hopes to publish a new book soon. The book was dictated by Derek and written by his wife Gwen, the perfect partnership, Derek says. It was completed some time ago, and some of the content — in Derek’s own words — “blows the lid off Most Haunted.” However, as he recently said on his Facebook page, “Yes, there is a confidentiality clause in place which effectively gags me from making any comment on the program for the duration of my involvement. This contract is currently with my lawyer who is looking over the whole situation because the time has come when I feel that I have a right to reply. Since I resigned — and yes, I did resign — I have a right to make comment, just as much as anybody else who is a potential viewer should I choose to do so.” Hence, we can assume that until that issue is sorted, we must await the book. I for one am looking forward to it having worked with other Most Haunted cast members. Feel sure when the book hits the shelves, I shall be having a more in depth chat with Derek for Paranormal Underground. Derek lives near Southport in the North West of England with his wife, Gwen. They share their home with their two dogs — Jack, a Standard Poodle, and Penny, a German Shepherd Dog. Did You Know? • Derek’s early career was playing football with teams such as the legendary Bill Shankly’s Liverpool Foot ball Club. • • Derek has always been a keen fish-keeper and is very proud of his Koi carp. He recently developed an interest in keeping chickens and ducks. His daily routine while at home now includes looking after the flock he was given for his birthday in 2011. In 2007, Derek traveled to Egypt where he filmed Paranormal Egypt. This six-part program gave insight into the lives and some of the mysteries surrounding the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. To find out more about Derek, visit http://derekacorah.com/. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 17 Investigator Spotlight Dakota Lawrence Clairvoyant Medium and Psychic Paranormal Investigator By Jenny Gurney, Proximity Paranormal D akota Lawrence is a gifted clairvoyant, medium, and psychic paranormal investigator from Shreveport, Louisiana. He has a history of incredibly gifted psychics in his family, and at the very early age of 12, he knew that he was gifted himself and even began doing readings for others. Dakota attributes his gifts and talents to God and serves his clients with the utmost respect. Dakota has been guiding people on matters from life questions to lost loved ones and missing person cases. Dakota’s style is straight forward and honest as he explains everything to his clients in ways they can understand. He believes that honesty is the best policy, and a little bit of edginess never hurts either! Dakota recently spoke with Paranormal Underground about his abilities and work in the field. ***** Q: Tell us about yourself and when you realized you had abilities? Dakota: I never truly had that big “awakening” to being psychic. I was raised in a psychic household, so I was always around the psychic aspect of life. It was nothing out of the ordinary for me. It is something that is just an integral part of my family, so it’s just like having dinner together at the table; we’re a family of psychics. Q: When did you start doing readings professionally? Dakota: After September 11, 2001. I was 15 years old. I realized that not everyone possessed the same psychic sense that my family and myself possess. I then made it my mission to do this professionally. I love helping Dakota Lawrence embraces his Native American family heritage, and with every reading he respectfully approaches his native ancestors and asks for assistance and guidance. people, meeting people, and traveling, and I’ve been completely blessed by accomplishing all three things in my career. It is very scary being self-employed, and this being literally my full-time job; however, I’ve never had a doubt that this is what I am supposed to be doing and where I am supposed to be. 18 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Q: What is the difference between a clairvoyant medium and a psychic paranormal investigator? Dakota: A clairvoyant medium focuses more on the reading of people and their lives and lost loved ones. Being a psychic paranormal investigator, I like to call myself a glorified digital voice recorder and electro-magnetic field meter. I like to go into a location and gather what I psychically get from a location, and then have the investigator(s) go in and do their thing. Then we compare notes at the end. It validates what I was picking up through my abilities, as well as the evidence they were able to document as well. Q: What is your advice to people who are realizing they have abilities? Dakota: Go with your gut and where you are drawn to. There is no singular path for developing your abilities. Read all the books and learn all the styles other people read and connect to Spirit; then find the way that suits you best. We’re all different, and while we all connect to Spirit, finding our own personal way of connecting works best. Q: How has your Native American heritage helped you in life and your abilities? Dakota: I would say from the aspect of my life it is really about the balance and focus on myself and spiritual path. I’m a firm believer in karma and to learn from the world Dakota’s readings are what he calls a “soul level” reading, which helps the client understand what is going on in their life and what is going on around them, helping them improve their own lives and personal enlightenment. “Physical death is just the soul’s transition into another realm.” around us, which includes the people, animals, and trees; there is always a message for us. The Red Path is all about creating and keeping that balance within yourself and nature. Psychically, I would say that it has helped me maintain a strong spiritual balance within myself, which of course helps me intuitively. Q: Have your abilities changed the way you view life and death? Dakota: I don’t believe in “death.” It’s merely the soul’s transition into another realm. So I would say while I don’t want to die anytime soon, I don’t have a fear of dying because my abilities have shown me that physical death is just a transition point. When it comes to life, I truly see how much we focus on the negativity around us and not on the things we are supposed to work on. It’s easy to get yourself trapped in a toxic routine instead of truly allowing ourselves to be free from the shackles of negativity. Life is about love, which is where my trademark “love is life” came from. While negativity must happen for us to learn, we can’t dwell on the negative aspects or the positive aspects in life. We must take it all in stride and learn the most that we can from all experiences we go through. Q: Do you plan to write a book, and if so what would you write about? Dakota: Yes. I have two that I want to write so far. One will definitely be about the psychic paranormal investigation side and some of the case files that I have worked on. Because my case files are confidential, if I did write my case file book, I would change the names and locations. I wouldn’t want people to go back and investigate the private estate just for jollies. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 19 Investigator Spotlight Dakota: I heard that nickname and had to laugh. I never truly learned the origin of that nickname, but I’ve been called worse and it is kind of catchy. My life is pretty bland and boring outside of my career, so if someone wants to give me a really interesting nickname like that I’ll take it. And, hey, who knows. I doubt I ever would pose for playgirl, but if Hugh reads this, give me a call. (Laughs) Q: Everyone who knows you says you have an obsession with the titanic. When and how did you become obsessed with the titanic? Dakota: First, when I was around six or seven, there was a special about it on TV. My mother had it on, and I informed her that I had died on that ship. She asked me how I died, and I replied, “The ship hit a giant ice cube and I drowned.” Of course, my mother was used to that sort of thing, but then when James Cameron released his version of Titanic, I knew I wasn’t John Astor or one of the other first-class people. I knew I was in steerage. I guess that’s why I live by the motto of going first class or staying at home now. Beyond that aspect, it’s the fact that it is literally a 100-year-old time vessel at the bottom of the Atlantic. Dakota’s up-beat personality and Southern style has made him one of the most recognized readers within the paranormal and metaphysical community. “My favorite location to investigate is The Pride House in Texas.” She had the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor from all over the world on that ship, and I find their stories to be fascinating, as well as the spiritual lessons of ego behind the Titanic and her sister ships The Olympic and Britannic. Q: What is your favorite life quote, and what does it mean to you. Dakota: Not to be big headed, but my favorite life quote is something I came up with: “Love is Life.” It is just simply so short yet so true. Also, of course, James Dean’s, “Dream as if you’ll live forever; live as if you’ll die today.” Q: Do you do investigations, and if so what is your favorite location? Dakota: I still do investigations, though I do keep my investigations private as I prefer doing private residences more than the “ghost spots” like haunted locations or, as I like to call them, attractions. I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings on a lot of them. Some use the aspect of being haunted as a for-profit business venture, while others legitimately do care about their locations and their resident spirits. I would have to say my favorite location I go to that doesn’t treat it like a for-profit haunted attraction would be The Pride House in Jefferson, Texas. Q: Tell us how you got the nickname Playboy of the Paranormal? To learn more about Dakota, find out more about getting a reading, and learn about his future appearances, visit his Website: www.dakotalawrence.com. 20 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Paranormal Underground Radio Thursdays @ 9-11 p.m. ET/6-8 p.m. PT www.heyzradio.com • Ghosts & Hauntings • UFOs & Alien Encounters • Cryptozoology • Spirituality • Investigating • Crystals & Herbology • Magic & Lore • Urban Legends • Demonology Explore the Unexplained With Hosts Rick Hale & Karen Frazier September 2013 Paranormal Underground 21 Special Report Psychic Manipulation of Paranormal Equipment By Michael White, Paranormal Research and Investigations W hen paranormal investigators are conducting an investigation in a possible haunted location, they are looking to their instruments, noting changes in their environments and exploring their feelings for indications that they are not alone. These changes can be in the form of a disembodied voice, a tactile response, a change in instrument readings (temperature, EMF, etc.), a visual event, an electronic voice phenomenon, etc. When a particular stimulus is received, the investigator attempts to find a logical explanation for it. When all other possible explanations fail, the received event is generally attributed to a spirit, entity, or ghost, depending on the investigator’s personal philosophies. Attributing all unexplainable phenomena as interactions with the dead might not always be correct, though the actual explanations may still fall within paranormal realms. Do Investigators Cause Paranormal Activity? When receiving evidence during an investigation, a significant factor in determining the success is causational. Asking a direct question may result in an EVP or other form of communication. Asking for an unseen entity to make a K-II meter light up, turn on a flashlight, or make a change on any other instrument or object in a room is standard practice. A direct response to such a request generally results in a determination of an intelligent haunting. But what if it was the investigator that actually created the received stimulus? Could the equipment or could the investigators themselves be influenced psychically? In June 2013, Paranormal Research and Investigations (PRI) devised and conducted an experiment to determine if manipulation of investigative equipment could be achieved through psychic means. With a belief that all people have some psychic abilities, some more The experiment was created to determine if common “ghost-hunting” equipment can be psychically manipulated consciously or subconsciously by the living. The experiment took place at the PRI headquarters in Silverdale, Washington. than others, it was determined that the experiment would best be conducted using people with known abilities. For this particular experiment, two people with remote viewing experience participated. The goals of the experiment included the documentation and corroboration of the remote viewer’s interaction with the research team and manipulation of electronic equipment. The experiment took place in a home in Silverdale, Washington, at 8 p.m. on June 26, 2013, with PRI team members, Katie Jones, Matthew Quesada, and Michael White, participating. Approximately one half hour prior to the commencement, both remote viewers (Ellen All- 22 Paranormal Underground September 2013 mendinger in Yakima, Washington, and William Becker in Northern Oregon) were called and briefed that the experiment would begin at 8 p.m. and secure at 8:30 p.m. without signal. The goal of the remote viewers was to locate and announce a playing card that was to be selected at random. If they were unable to detect the card, they were to say the word “negative” through the SB7 or audio recorder. Note: Neither of the remote viewers have visited the experiment location before and were not supplied with floor plans, interior or exterior details, or pictures. Preparing for the Experiment Preparations for the experiment included turning all lights off except for one above the dining room table. A MEL Meter and SB7 were placed on the dining room table, and a video camera was set up to record their readings. In the center of the table, a cardboard box contained a digital voice recorder and one playing card; the card was selected at random and not viewed by the PRI team. Additionally, one low-voltage detector was placed in the vicinity of the box, and a brass statue of the deity Shiva was placed at the far end of the table simply to test the remote viewer’s abilities in detecting it. At approximately 7:56 p.m. all equipment was turned on and the three PRI team members left the dining room and sat in the den near the fireplace. During the experiment, the PRI team noted what they had heard or felt. At 8:30 p.m. all equipment was turned off and the team members discussed their personal experiences. It was then noted that the playing card that had been selected was the Jack of Spades; however, this deck was Two remote viewers were asked to remotely identify a playing card. The card that was selected was the Jack of Spades. Ellen knocked via remote viewing, and a knock was heard by the PRI host. from Disney World, and the Jack was being represented by Donald Duck. All participants, including the two remote viewers Ellen and William, finalized their reports of the experiment independently and submitted them to PRI for analysis. Analyzing the Experiment Data The analysis phase of this experiment consisted of reviewing the audio and video data from the recording devices, as well as reviewing all of the anecdotal reports from the PRI team and the remote viewers. Video review was essential in ruling out anomalous audio from the SB7; it was easy to determine which SB7 voices were a result of picking up parts of broadcasts as the device scanned through the frequencies from those that came through in the same vocal tone over a wide scan of frequencies. Documented electronic anomalies associated with the experiment included temperature readings fluctuating inconsistently with what one might expect from an energyefficient home, the fixed camera shook as if bumped on several occasions, SB7 announcements were recorded, and an intelligent response EVP was discovered after the experiment had concluded. The anecdotal reports from the PRI research team and those from the two remote viewers, Ellen and William, outshined the equipment evidence. The reports, once compared, suggested that interaction between the remote viewers and PRI team did indeed occur and that the goals of the experiment were achieved. Interactions of significant note included: • Ellen knocked via remote viewing, and a knock was heard by the PRI host. • Ellen made note that she had remotely touched the back of the head of someone with blonde hair, and Katie Jones noted that at one point she felt a chill and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. • Ellen said that she repeated the word, “negative,” a few times, one of which may have been recorded. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 23 Special Report Pictured above at left: All experimental equipment was laid out in the dining room on the table. Above at right: The PRI research team sat in the den adjoining the dining room during the experiment. • William’s supported interactions include his vivid and accurate description of the dwelling’s exterior and interior. • William noted tapping the shoulder of a PRI member remotely, and the PRI host reported feeling that sensation unmistakably. eyes closed and my head back like this, and I felt like someone ...,” An EVP (male?) corrected him and said “something.” In William’s description of the focus area and placement of equipment, the description was completely inaccurate for this experiment. However, that description was correct for previous experiments that he was Other Important Results Emerge unaware of. In a previous experiment, where the coffee Additional information that made the experiment table was, the focus area and a card was used (the 9 of considerably more interesting came from reports and data diamonds). not necessarily related to the William’s depiction of the experiment. Before the experiequipment set up and the card William’s description ment began, Katie Jones asked was 100% accurate for that the PRI host if the home had earlier experiment that he was of the focus area been cleared of entities that unaware of. matched a previous might want to interfere with the When planning this reexperiment. mote viewing experiment, the experiment 100%. The PRI host replied that assumption by all parties was if anyone would purposely and that remote viewing activities jokingly interfere, it would be his late grandfather. Duroccur in real-time. Apparently, that is not always the case ing Ellen’s remote visit, she noted running into an entity based on this discovery. named “Horace,” which was the name of the host’s late grandfather. The Bottom Line The EVP that was received after the experiment Overall, the experiment was determined to be a succoncluded occurred when the PRI team compared cess. The theory that paranormal investigators and equipnotes. Matthew Quesada was talking about an experiment can be manipulated by psychic means was generally ence where he had his eyes closed and it seemed like supported by the data and corresponding anecdotal re“someone” had passed in front of him, creating a ports; however, more refined experimentation is needed. shadow on his eyelids. For a complete abstract of this experiment and At that time, a Class B EVP was received that planned experiments, visit the Paranormal Research and sounded like it corrected him. Matthew said, “I had my Investigations Website at http://pri-wa.com. 24 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Does it seem impossible to find help with spirit removals? Master Psychic Dave Gerke offers his services to help rid you of Attachments, unwanted Spirit attacks, and/or home invasion. $50 consultant fee required. Serious inquiries only. To set up payment for consultation fees, contact Assistant Stephen Frey at email@example.com. To find out more about Dave, check out his writings, including “The Story of a Master Psychic,” “Billy the Kid, Serial Killer, revised,” and other informative writings. For book purchases online, just click the links listed below. Story of a Master Psychic (Adventures, Tales, Happenings, and Tips for Becoming a Master Psychic): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/story-of-a-master-psychic-david-l-gerke/1111725972 Billy The Kid, Serial Killer Revised (Billy’s Own Words of His Killings, Mutilations, and Loves as Told to Master Psychic): http://www.amazon.com/Billy-The-Kid-Serial-Killer/dp/1478719621 September 2013 Paranormal Underground 25 Case Files Of The Unknown: Haunted Sites By Jenny Gurney, Proximity Paranormal, & Michele Watson-Baker, Mid Illinois Ghost Society A shmore Estates is a landmark that resides in Coles County, Illinois. The history ranges from a poor farm to a house for the Intermediate Care Facility for the Developmentally Disabled. The building was off-limits to the general public for 20 years. Many had visited the site illegally and experienced the haunt first hand. Many paranormal teams have been through the Ashmore Estates doors to investigate the spirits that are roaming the halls of the building. Ashmore Estates has been featured on Children of the Grave II, Ghost Adventures, and Ghost Hunters. Ashmore Estates History: A Storied Past Leads to a Paranormal Present Ashmore Estates, also known as the Almshouse, is a three-floor building that was built in 1916. It has housed people who were indigent and those who had mental disabilities. From 1916 to around 1959, the building was the Coles County Almshouse. It was located on 200-300 acres in Coles County. The Almshouses were in every county, and were used as a precursor to modern welfare. People were actually “sentenced” to the poor farm. If you were a widow, an orphan, elderly, disabled either physically or mentally, or even a criminal with no home to go to, you ended up in the Almshouse. So, unfortunately, it really was possible for a rapist and a two-year-old to share a home. The poor farm was self-sufficient; they raised all their own crops. Life would have been very difficult for everyone who lived there. The building was used as an almshouse until 1959, about 43 years. It was then closed down, because of the advent of the modern welfare system in the county and the state. Around 1961 the building was reopened as a psychiatric hospital. We have very little information on this era, as Originally built in 1916, Ashmore Estates closed in 1987 and stood abandoned until 2006, when it was opened as a commercial haunted house. many of the records are missing. We think the psychiatric hospital ran for about eight years, as we believe the building was empty in 1970. In the 1970s, the building was purchased and used as a home for the developmentally disabled, Intermediate Care Facility for the Developmentally Disabled (ICFDD). In 1977, the owners of that establishment built the addition. That’s the big square at the end of the building that people see today when they visit the building for investigations. In 1987, the building closed its doors for good. They moved all of its living residents out and locked the doors. They left all the records, 47 beds, dressers, and nightstands behind. Ashmore Estates then sat empty for 19 years. When the Kelleys bought the building in 2006, there was one bed left, which is still with the building. 26 Paranormal Underground September 2013 In late January 2013, a tornado his Ashmore Estates, tearing off much of its roof. A Restoration effort has been organized since the disaster to restore the haunted location. reports that range from class A EVPs to full-body appariDisaster Hits Ashmore Estates: tions. Different teams have experienced different activity Tornado Tears Roof Off Haunted Location while at Ashmore. A tornado hit Ashmore Estates the evening of JanuWhen you visit the location, you never know what ary 29, 2013. We don’t know what strength it was, but we you will get that night when investigating. Everyone that did have clarification that it was a tornado. The roof of the investigates this building walks away having experienced structure was torn off during the event. something strange and unusual. The next day, clean up be“Ashmore Estates is not gan on what was left behind after Paranormal activity at only a true iconic piece of the tornado. The main roof of Ashmore Estates includes Coles County History, but it the building, the iconic red roof, is also one of the most active was sitting in front of the buildthe appearance of fullplaces I’ve ever investigated,” ing, blocking most of the original bodied apparitions. said Becky Guymon of the building. The Kelleys, who Illinois Metaphysical & Paraowned the building at the time, normal Society. “Her walls speak and she will not let and her family spent the day crying and assessing damage, you down.” along with many kind-hearted souls and volunteers. To find out more about Ashmore estates, visit http:// The entire main roof of the original building, the www.hauntedashmoreestates.com/history.html. porch roofs, and the kitchen roof were destroyed. The gorgeous dormers and gable end were destroyed. They have no estimate at how much the damage cost or what it would cost to repair the building. The Save Ashmore Estates Committee has held one successful benefit and is planning another to raise the • At least 200 people reportedly died in Ashmore funds to rebuild the historic building. Recently, Ashmore Estates during the 1950s. Estates has been sold, but the new owners are keeping the • There have been almost 70 paranormal investigations building open to investigators! performed within the walls of Ashmore Estates. Paranormal Activity • The Booth brothers used Ashmore Estates for a Ashmore Estates is said to have a bit of everything documentary called Children of the Grave II. when it comes to paranormal activity. The owners have Did You Know? September 2013 Paranormal Underground 27 Case Files Of The Unknown: Haunted Objects/Curses By Ashley Hall, The Paranormal Guide I n the 1970s, a terrible event took place in a small apartment, lived in by two nursing students. For quite some time strange goings on were noticed by the students, which included unusual handwritten messages on paper, objects moving around the house, and strange dreams had by all who stayed the night. It would all culminate when a friend was attacked, with bloody and burned claw marks torn into their chest. The culprit? A Raggedy Ann doll named Annabelle, who was thought to be possessed by a demon and taking on the guise of the ghost of a little girl. A Doll Comes to Life It all began when Donna, a nursing student, was given a Raggedy Ann doll as a birthday gift from her mother. Raggedy Ann (and Andy) dolls were quite popular in the 1960s and â€™70s, and the graduate student very much liked this gift. The doll was placed on her bed as a decoration, and not much more was thought on the matter by Donna or her roommate, Angie. However, the girls soon began to find the doll creepy â€” something was not quite right about it. It sat on the bed in Donnaâ€™s bedroom, but the girls felt as if they were being watched. Over time, these strange feelings would develop into fear, as the doll took on a life of its own. It began with the doll seemingly moving about the house on its own. The roommates would come home and find the doll in the most unexpected of places. At first, its pose on the bed had changed, but soon the doll would be found throughout the house. Much of the time the girls would arrive home to find it sitting cross-legged on the couch, a place where the girls would spend much of their time. Donna thought the roommate may have been joking, so in the morning, before classes, she took the doll off her bed and placed it on the couch. However, she came home before her room- After receiving a Raggedy Ann doll as a gift, a nursing student and her friends experience unnerving paranormal activity. mate and found the doll back on her bed. The strangest and most inexplicable way the doll was found was standing upright and leaning against a chair. This very much startled the girls, and they knew something was definitely up, as the dolls legs were too flexible to support its own weight. About a month after receiving the doll and dealing with it moving about the apartment, a new phenomena be- 28 Paranormal Underground September 2013 gan. Donna and Angie would arrive home to not only find the doll moved again, but also found pieces of parchment containing short messages written in a seemingly childlike hand. The messages would say things like “Help,” “Help Us,” and “Help Lou,” referring to a friend of the women. Enough was enough! Not only were the messages creepy, but the girls could not find a source for the paper, as neither kept parchment paper in the house! The Dangers of Inviting a Spirit Into Your Life Donna sought out the help of a medium, who soon made contact with the spirit of a young girl named Annabelle Higgins. Annabelle used to live in a house near to the land where the apartment complex was built. Annabelle was only seven when her body was found in the field where Donna’s apartment stood. Annabelle, in spirit, had been staying in the complex for many years, but when Donna and Angie had moved in, she liked the girls and found the doll suitable for habitation and manipulation of the surroundings. Donna gave Annabelle permission to stay with them, as long as she stopped doing things that scared them. Donna, Angie, and the medium seemed happy with the arrangement, but their friend Lou did not like what was happening. Lou felt that the doll was evil and should be gotten rid of. When he stayed in the apartment, he would have very vivid dreams about Annabelle attacking him. One evening Lou and Angie were sitting on a lounge, reading over maps in preparation for a road trip the following day. They were startled by rustling sounds coming Pictured at left: Lorraine Warren worked on the case of the haunted Raggedy Ann doll with her husband, Ed. The doll began moving around the house on its own. from Donna’s room. Fearing it was a burglar; Lou quietly crept up to the bedroom door then suddenly rushed in to confront the intruder. No one was there except, once again, Annabelle had moved. This time she was sprawled out on the floor, the feeling of life having left her. Lou walked up to the doll to inspect it, then got the distinct impression that someone was standing behind him. He turned, expecting to see Angie, but was rather surprised by a burning sensation in his chest. Lou fled the room to the safety of the living room where he removed his shirt. To his and Angie’s amazement, seven distinct claw marks were found burned and bleeding in his chest, three were vertical and four were horizontal. The wounds slowly beaded blood, but the burning was more pronounced. Something unseen had definitely attacked him. The Warrens Arrive on the Scene Donna now believed the doll to be possessed by an evil entity and once again sought help. Help arrived in the form of Ed and Lorraine Warren, who had worked on many cases concerning dark/negative spirits, eventually including the Amityville Case. It was soon decided that the doll was not possessed, but was rather being used to give the impression that it was possessed. The entity in this case was not capable of possessing the doll, as it needed a human host. And since this can take time to succeed, the doll was used to fool the girls into believing that it was a much more friendly spirit. Essentially, in their minds, a “demon” had attached itself to the doll, but wanted so much more. And through the previous séance, Donna had unwittingly given it free reign of the house when she gave it permission to stay. It seemed that the demon’s intent was to possess Lou by using the doll, trying to get his attention and possible sympathies through the handwritten notes, many of which had Lou’s name on them. The dreams, scratches, and burns were typical of the early stages of a demon making its mark and intent to reside within a human form. An exorcism was performed on the apartment, and the Warrens took the doll with them. Donna, Angie, and Lou were now free of the terrors that had plagued them for the past few months. As for Annabelle the Doll, she sits locked in a glass case in the Warren Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, together with a sign that says, “Warning. Positively Do Not Open.” The presence can still be felt within the doll by those with sensitive abilities, but as for why the entity stays attached to the doll? It is not entirely certain, but maybe it is looking for the right person to pay a visit to the museum in which to make a new attachment. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 29 Case Files Of The Unknown: Cryptids & Mythological Creatures Africa’s Enigmatic Cryptid: The Nandi Bear By Jill Stefko, Ph.D., Suite 101 Contributing Writer Z oologists claim there are no bears living in Africa, but ursine fossils have been discovered there, so it’s possible that the Nandi Bear isn’t extinct. The Nandi tribe, for which this bear is named, are the people who have seen this mysterious animal more often than others. According to witness accounts, this cryptid, an Unknown Mysterious Animal, UMA, has the bears’ characteristics and posture. The small brown animal climbs trees. It’s a ferocious, nocturnal animal, said to eat humans and livestock. The Nandi Bear has successfully avoided scientists and hunters. The Nandi Bear It has various names, including chemosit, chimosit, kerit, duba, vere, kikambang, sabrookoo, gadet, and geteit. Witnesses have sighted the cryptid since ancient times. Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, wrote about it in the 1st Century CE. Some witnesses say the cryptid resembles the European brown bear that has relatives in America and Asia. It has thick, dark auburn or brown fur, a substantial mane, large teeth, and a long pointed head and snout, said to be comparable to the American brown bear. According to others, it’s similar to a powerful, standing, tree-climbing hyena, is between four and six feet tall, with high front shoulders and a sloping back. According to legend, it ate only the brains of its prey and could devastate herds of cattle and sheep. The Nandi Bear: Selected Sightings Most of the sightings were in the early 1900s; two are undated. • Major Braithwaite and C. Kenneth Archer saw an animal that they thought was a lioness until they noticed a snout. The standing creature was about four feet five inches tall at the shoulder. The back sloped steeply toward the rump. It moved with a shuffling gait, like a bear’s. The dark Some witnesses say the Nandi cryptid resembles the European brown bear, which has relatives in America and Asia. (Source: Philip72/Wikipedia) brown coat was thick. The cryptid fled with a clumsy trot and went into trees by the river, where it disappeared. • Early 1900s, Geoffrey Williams, a member of the Nandi Expedition, encountered the UMA. His cousin and he were walking toward Sirgoit Rock when they saw a large animal sitting up on its haunches less than 30 yards away from them. Its posture resembled a bear at a zoo, begging for food. It leaned forward and shuffled away in a sideways canter. • 1912: Major Toulson sighted the cryptid in the Uasin Gishu plain. One of his boys said that a leopard was near the kitchen. He immediately ran to see the creature and witnessed a strange animal, with a bear’s gait, shuffling away from the house. • March 1913: N.E.F. Corbett, District Commissioner of Eldoret, encountered the UMA. He was eating lunch by the Sirgoi River, when he almost bumped into the creature that was drinking water. It shuffled way from 30 Paranormal Underground September 2013 him in a bear-like manner. sible that known animals are mistaken for the bear. • During the construction of the Madadi Railway, In addition to various hyenas being misidentified as workers reported encounters with the bear. One railway the elusive UMA, black honey badgers and baboons are employee, Schindler, discovered a succession of caninealso mistaken for it. like tracks that were eight and a half inches long, with five Natives continued to report the bear committing violent toes and a long heel. He drew sketches of them. attacks against them. Kitapmetit Kipet, chief of a Nandi vil• March 8, 1913: Railway engineer G.W. Hickes, in lage, claimed the cryptid was a devil that stalked the nganasa charge of building the railway through East Africa, saw the (hut settlement) on nights, looking for humans, especially bear. Initially, he thought it was a hyena. As he got closer, children, to consume. According to him, it was a half-man he saw the cryptid had a thickset body, with high withers, and half-enormous ape-faced bird with a scary, howling roar a short neck, squat nose, broad and a glowing red mouth. rump, very short ears, no visible Sightings by Westerners, Some cryptozoologists tail, shaggy legs, and large feet. after the 1920s, are rare, but still postulate the Nandi Bear • 1913: A native servant happen. Recently, bear huntsaw a strange animal like the one ers, searching for the UMA, is a species of hyena Hickes saw. The creature was reported finding tracks and believed to be extinct. standing on its hind legs. A subhearing terrifying howls, unlike contractor saw a similar creature. those made by known animals. The Nandi Bear: Theories The Nandi Bear could be a European brown bear wandering south into the African jungles or an Asian bear that migrated. Some cryptozoologists postulate the Nandi Bear is a species of hyena believed to be extinct, an unknown species or a surviving Chalicothere. Hyenas are fierce hunters who attack and kill herbivores and panthers. Short-faced hyenas, thought to be extinct, were as large as lions and had ursine faces; however, it’s doubtful that the Chalicothere theory is valid because this herbivorous animal was related to horses and tapirs, which evolved during the mid-Eocene era. Some zoologists postulate that the bear is an unknown species of a giant baboon. There are African natives who say it’s a type of monkey. This makes some sense because people who haven’t seen a bear compare it with other animals they have seen — apes being the most likely candidates. Europeans maintain that the animal is a type of bear, especially when they have seen it up close. Some suggest the cryptid is a type of aardvark that can be seven feet tall and have long tails and short chubby legs. They eat insects, not humans, which is, physically, impossible for them. The bear doesn’t have a long tail. Nandi Bear: a Misidentified Known Animal? Around 1920, British Museum authorities investigated the Nandi Bear because of accounts that the creature was attacking humans. Skulls and hides of the alleged animals were sent to the museum for examination. They were those of leopards and hyenas. The pelt of one animal was usually attached to the skull of another’s. Paw print tracks were sent, but it turned out to be impressions of a hyena’s paw superimposed on another one. It’s posThe Nandi Bear: Cryptid Kin The Australian cryptid thylacine (AKA Tasmanian wolf/Tasmanian tiger) is believed to be extinct, although sightings have been reported. The last one, Benjamin, died on September 7, 1936, in the Hobart Domain Zoo. Some people confuse the Queensland Tiger, an Australian enigmatic feline cryptid, with the thylacine because of similarities in their appearance. Thylacines resemble canines in photographs. The tiger’s appearance is similar to the thylacine, except for its feline head and its stripes, which are darkest and most prominent toward the front of the body; the thylacine’s, on the rump. The Nandi Bear’s Western kin is the onza, a mystery Latin American Big Cat. Some cryptozoologists want the onza recognized as a third species of Latin American big cats; others think it’s a mere myth. Reports of onzas go back to the early 1500s when Spanish Conquistadores invaded South America. Could the Nandi Bear Exist? Some animals declared extinct aren’t. In June 2006, conservationists said they found proof that the okapi, a rare giraffe-like mammal, still lived in the Congo’s Virunga National Park. The elusive animal was considered a myth until it was discovered in 1901. The okapi wasn’t seen in the park since 1959, but it was seen in other areas. The World Wildlife Fund and the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature found 17 okapi tracks and other evidence of its existence during a recent survey. This article was originally published at http://suite101.com/ article/africas-enigmatic-cryptid-the-nandi-bear-a409750. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 31 Case Files Of The Unknown: Are We Alone? Is There a Spiritual Reality Behind the UFO Phenomenon? By Jason V. Francis G erard Aartsen is an educator at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands. He is the author of George Adamski: A Herald for the Space Brothers (2010) and Here to Help: UFOs and the Space Brothers (2011). He has lectured about the “Space Brothers” in Europe, America, and the Philippines. Having been a student of the Ageless Wisdom teachings for more than 30 years, Gerard is able to take a spiritual look at the UFO phenomenon. I had the privilege of interviewing Gerard about why he believes the people behind the UFOs are our “Space Brothers,” and their purpose in coming to Earth. ***** Q: Who are the Space Brothers? Gerard: The Space Brothers are the people from other planets in our solar system who come to Earth to assist us, not just humanity as a whole, but our elder brothers, the Masters of Wisdom, in a major transition in consciousness, a realization or reawakening to the spiritual realities of life, to our real spiritual nature that we have lost sight of. I am aware that there are many reports of people who claim to be in contact with people from outer space. A lot of people say that they come from out of this solar system, because our science tells us the other planets in our system are uninhabited and even uninhabitable. According to the Ageless Wisdom Teachings, and this is the background from which I speak and write, life is universal. You cannot go anywhere where there is no life, because life is the underlying principle of everything that exists. It’s just that because we are so conditioned by life on the solid physical plane, and we do not have etheric vision, which is the ability to see the higher planes material reality above the dense physical, liquid, and gaseous physical, that we take for granted that other planets are Gerard Aartsen, educator and author, examines how our “Space Brothers” are here to help us find what we’ve lost sight of. (Photo source: Glenn Peter Perez.) uninhabited. So most contactees say the space people in the UFOs must be from out of the solar system. However, based on my study and research of the Ageless Wisdom, I believe that the Space Brothers are from within our solar system. They are here with their advanced technology and advanced ethics and morals to assist us mostly discretely and in the background. But they have begun to make themselves increasingly visible, even since the 1940s and 1950s. So it is becoming harder and harder for the authorities to deny their existence. 32 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Q: What is the “Ageless Wisdom”? Gerard: The Ageless Wisdom has been defined as “the means by which humanity is kept informed of its essential divinity and of its journey of evolution toward perfection.” It is the sum total of mankind’s spiritual tradition and the source from which all major religions have sprung. Q: Could you tell us about your book George Adamski: A Herald for the Space Brothers (2010)? Gerard: It’s interesting because now that I have a book out, I am invited to speak and give interviews. It seems that a lot of people have forgotten about George Adamski. In the 1950s, he was one of the very first people to speak out about his contacts. He wrote a very famous book he coauthored with an Anglo-Irish gentleman, Desmond Leslie, called Flying Saucers Have Landed, which was published in 1953. It’s mainly a historical overview, a study by Leslie, of the flying saucer phenomena. When Leslie was looking for a publisher, he heard about Adamski’s experience in the California desert in November 1952. Adamski had written it up and was looking for a way to have his report published, which was included as the second part in the same book, Flying Saucers Have Landed. That’s where he first became famous. Also, he had the most detailed photographs of flying saucers. Even until now because I really don’t know about clearer or more detailed photographs of flying saucers. After Adamski’s first encounter with someone who George Adamski (1891–1965) claimed to have photographed ships from other planets, met Nordic alien “Space Brothers,” and gone on flights with them. Authorities set in motion a campaign to discredit Adamski, after which many people saw him as a hoax. came out of the flying saucer that landed in the California desert in 1952, in 1953 he had further contacts and was taken aboard flying saucers that took him to mother ships — larger spacecraft that usually carried lots of people and numerous saucers or “scouts,” as they are called. He spoke to the people on those mother ships, and some of those people were revered even among the space people aboard those mother ships. I think they could be compared to our Masters of Wisdom that we know about through people like Helena Blavatsky and Baird T. Spalding. He received a lot of serious and inspiring teachings about the nature of life. That became the topic and content of his second book Inside the Space Ships that was published in 1955. In the meantime he was lecturing, especially in the U.S. and Mexico at the time. He became world famous, in fact, because of his book. Flying Saucers Have Landed was translated into no less than 10 languages. Mind you, this is the mid-1950s. Within a short number of years he was giving talks, and by 1959 he was on a world tour that took him to South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. He drew huge crowds that came to listen to him. That really worried the authorities. They set in motion a campaign to discredit Adamski. It has been so effective that in the late 1950s and in the early 1960s until his death in 1965, he was generally seen as a hoax or a crackpot. The thing that I think he should be remembered and given credit for is the amazing teaching that he provided through his contacts with the space people. What I do in my book is find the parallels between those teachings and the teachings that have come to us through people like Alice Bailey and Helena Blavatsky that are known as the Ageless Wisdom teachings. It is so interesting to see that the space people actually have the same view of life as the great teachers on Earth. Q: Could you tell us about the Amicizia contact case that took place in Italy concurrent to Adam- September 2013 Paranormal Underground 33 Case Files Of The Unknown: Are We Alone? Q: What is the general impression of the space people by those who have met them? Gerard: It is interesting to see that in all the serious cases of contacts with space people that I have researched — some historical, some more recent — they are seen as morally far advanced compared to ourselves, working and living according to the highest ethical standards. This was reported not only by the early contactees of the 1950s, but also by the people in the Friendship case in Italy and South America, more recent contactees such as Giorgio Dibitonto from Italy and Carlos Diaz from Mexico, and by high-profile individuals who have testified about their encounters. When you look at it closely, it is astounding to find so many people talking about the goodness and wisdom of the people from space. Q: The idea of beneficent Space Brothers stands in stark contrast to nasty “aliens” abducting and examining people. Do the Space Brothers abduct individuals? Gerard: That’s why it is so important to get this message out. I believe it also shows how effective the whole disinformation campaign has been ever since Adamski became so well known in the 1950s. Unfortunately, there have been covert government operations with some secret agencies that even our administrations and presidents didn’t know about, which have increasingly got their own way by giving the space visitors a bad name by depicting them as malicious: responsible for cattle mutilation and beaming people into their ships to have objects implanted into them and to subject them to nasty experiments. None of that is true according to Benjamin Creme, who is in constant contact with one of the Masters of Wisdom. You don’t even need to believe the claim that he is in contact with a Master of Wisdom, because if you go back through the stories of the early “contactees,” none of them ever mentioned having been abducted. More interestingly, more recent testimony of people of high standing (dignitaries and officials), when they speak about their experiences with people from outer space, none of them talks about any of these nasty things. For instance, there have been other early contactees who never mentioned abductions. Pope John XXIII, also known as the “Good Pope,” in the early 1960s had an experience in the garden of his summer castle — the Castel Gandolfo. There was a scout ship or saucer that landed at the south end of the garden. The Pope asked his assistant, who was there as well, to stay put as he went over. The assistant later related that he saw someone come out of the saucer. The Pope kneeled down and got up again and had Gerard Aartsen has been a student of the Ageless Wisdom teaching for more than 30 years. His research into the teachings of the Masters of Wisdom resulted in a comprehensive annotated catalogue, which he has published online as Our Elder Brothers Return: A History in Books (1875–Present). ski’s outreach in the U.S. that you mention in your book Here to Help: UFOs and the Space Brothers? And are there other similar encounters? Gerard: The Amicizia, or Friendship, Case in Italy was a case of mass contact between hundreds of Italians and space people who lived and worked in underground bases in Italy. Actually, similar contact cases seemed to be going on in other European countries at the same time. In Italy, the Friendship Case started in 1956, and while in most contact cases people are invited on board extraterrestrial spacecraft, in this case they were invited into the underground bases of the space people. The case involved quite a number of well-known Italians too, such as university professors, one or two journalists, a painter, and a consul, Alberto Perego. The true scale of Amicizia only became known through the account of psychologist Bruno Sammaciccia, whose story was included in a book titled Mass Contacts by Stefano Breccia, which came out in 2009. Apart from the fact that the various participants all talk about very human-looking space people, what stands out in this case for me is the focus that the space visitors put on the importance of right human relations — friendship and understanding as they called it. This coincides exactly with the stated aims of Adamski’s Get Acquainted Program, which he set up in 1957 on the suggestion of his space contacts. And given that we also know about branches of the Friendship community in South America since 1985, this points to a worldwide, sustained effort on the part of the space people to emphasize the importance of living by the Golden Rule that can also be found at the basis of every major religion. 34 Paranormal Underground September 2013 a conversation for 15 to 20 minutes. The Pope came back and told his assistant that our brothers are everywhere but sometimes we have difficulty recognizing them. In 1997, there was the president [Kirsan Ilyumzhinov] of Kalmykia, a Southern Russian state, who has been quite open about his experiences when he was invited into a cylindrical-shaped craft. It became headline news again just last year in the UK, and he never talks about being “abducted.” So it really shows how effective the military and government’s cover-up has been. And, of course, Hollywood has had its share in how extraterrestrials are depicted. tually be the governments of the world coming forward and admitting that we are indeed being visited by highly advanced civilizations from other planets. Other people have suggested that disclosure will be more gradual and organic; generations being brought up with information about UFOs on television and in print will eventually create an overall consensus that the phenomenon is real. What form do you think disclosure will take, and do you anticipate it soon? Gerard: To be sure, I think disclosure is no longer in the hands of our governments. They have been given the Q: Does the idea of people being “Space Brothopportunity, especially in the 1950s, to announce to the ers” enlarge upon the idea of a universal humanworld their knowledge of and contacts with the people ity that not only transcends national borders but from space, but have chosen to keep it to themselves for also transcends our own world? reasons of self-interest. Gerard: Exactly. We are everywhere. The human experiAt the same time, the space visitors are showing ence is a universal experience, because it is an essential themselves more and more openly, with ever more stage in the evolution of consciousness. There may be spectacular and concrete sightings that cannot be exslight differences between different races and populations plained away anymore. At the same time the world has on different planets just like now arrived at the point where there are differences between the Masters of Wisdom, and “The whole purpose of the races on Earth, but they are the World Teacher as their cover-up by the military and relatively minor. There are no head, are ready to emerge into economic interests is to three-legged beings with just a full public view at this crucial giant head and one eye walking stage of our evolution. Once maintain their control around or any other crazy dethis has happened, very soon over society.” piction. The human experience, now, the space people will be form, and kingdom are a universal occurrence. introduced by these, our Elder Brothers, and they will be landing openly for everyone to see and acknowledge. Q: What are the governments, militaries, and other institutions and people of power around the Q: You have mentioned the Masters of Wisdom. world, who are “in the know” about the UFO isWho exactly are the Masters of Wisdom and the sue and seeking to keep it covered up, frightened World Teacher? of when it comes to disclosure? Gerard: The Masters of Wisdom are really the next kingGerard: The whole purpose of the cover-up by the dom in nature up from the human kingdom. We know military and economic interests is to maintain their control through Darwin’s work of the evolution of the physical over society. I mean, as soon as the general populace would form, with the vegetable kingdom having evolved out of know about alternative ways of living, of relating, ways that the mineral kingdom; the animal kingdom evolved out of are not based on competition and greed for fear of “the the vegetable kingdom; and the human kingdom evolved other,” but rather on empathy, sharing, and justice for all, I out of the animal kingdom. Our science and, very often, am sure that would spell the end for the existing powers. people generally think that it is all a mere accident on the Until now people have been led to believe that the scale of the universe where a number of chemicals mix only way to survive in this world is to fend for yourself, together in a fortunate way and life became self-conscious. your own community, your own country. But it doesn’t The Ageless Wisdom Teachings hold the opposite have to be that way, and the space people are living proof idea. They say that what is actually going on, because life that there are other, more viable and more peaceful ways is everywhere, is the evolution of consciousness and the of living together as one human race. evolution of the form only exists to facilitate the evolution of consciousness. Q: Some people think full disclosure will evenMankind is sort of the midway station or clearinghouse September 2013 Paranormal Underground 35 Case Files Of The Unknown: Are We Alone? of that consciousness. After it has involved itself all the way through the densest levels of matter, the evolution of form and the forces that lie beneath it, it works its way back up through the lower kingdoms into the human kingdom where literally matter and spirit meet, which is where selfconsciousness comes from. And because we are only one stage in the whole evolution, we are not the end station, and the next station up from our level are the Masters of Wisdom. From our point of view, they are perfected men and women like us but ahead of us in evolution. You go through the evolution of consciousness that is available on this planet that takes you to that level of perfection after five major expansions of consciousness, which are really the final phases of the life of the human being on this planet. Those five phases were illustrated for us in the life of Jesus. Some books by Alice Bailey give a very vivid picture of that, but briefly: the birth of Jesus in the cave (the cave of the heart) is a symbol for the first initiation where you gain control over the lower physical nature; the Baptism in the river Jordan is the second initiation that indicates control over our emotional nature; the transfiguration on the mount is the third initiation that gives control over the mental nature; the fourth initiation (the crucifixion) signifies the final sacrifice of our complete lower nature for the soul and higher Life; and the fifth step is symbolized in Jesus’ life by the resurrection, which signifies the raising back to our spiritual nature — the Spark of God out of the material world in which we have grown over many incarnations and cycles. That is how you become, after the fifth initiation, a Master of Wisdom. That has been going on ever since mankind came into being on this planet. Once a person becomes a Master, some choose to stay on Earth to help the rest of us. And one comes back into the world from time-to-time. Others go onto higher ways of evolution. The Master of all the Masters — who has manifested historically through Krishna and Jesus — is the World Teacher. There is always a World Teacher who is the head of the Hierarchy of Masters of Wisdom. Sometimes, in their own evolution, they move up to higher ways of evolution to other cosmic realms. The present World Teacher, our eldest brother, is the oldest of our humanity. Every cosmic cycle, roughly every 2,150 years, the solar system (therefore, our planet) comes into an energetic alignment with the next sign or constellation of the Zodiac. Whenever a New Age starts, the World Teacher manifests himself, but not always in person — 2,000 years ago, he manifested through his disciple Jesus, and 5,000 years ago, he manifested through his disciple Krishna. This time he has come himself according to the information coming from Benjamin Creme. That makes this a historically Gerard speaks at the 2nd Philippino UFO Conference in Manila, October 16, 2011. (Photo source: Glenn Peter Perez.) unique point in time, not only because he comes himself but also, as I said earlier, because humanity as a whole is making a huge step forward in consciousness, a reawakening to our cosmic nature and cosmic brotherhood. Q: Does this have anything to do with the “Age of Aquarius”? Gerard: Yes. We are moving into an ever-fuller alignment with the Constellation of Aquarius and out of the Constellation of Pisces. The mission of Jesus inaugurated the Age of Pisces. We are in a gradual movement into Aquarius that takes several hundred years until we get the strongest influence of that energy. We are now at a point where the waning energies of Pisces are as strong as the incoming energies of Aquarius. That is really the cause of the enormous political tensions in the world, which also work out on the economic level, and tensions in every field, including the religious. Q: How do the Space Brothers and the Masters of Wisdom work with humanity? Gerard: I do not claim any special knowledge or relationship with either the Masters of Wisdom or the Space Brothers. But based on my study and my research, what I do know is that the Masters of Wisdom who have stayed behind to guide us are always here to guide us and work in different fields of human endeavor, as well as in fields we know nothing about. They guide us to make these steps in consciousness and protect us as much as possible. The Space Brothers are here now to help alleviate natural disasters through their advanced technology. Ever 36 Paranormal Underground September 2013 this realization. Once we have that realization, we need to put it into practice. We need to make sure that we cooperate to share all of the food and resources, technological know-how, and the educational and healthcare resources so that everyone can live and prosper in peace and freedom, which should not be limited to the fortunate few who can afford it in the mostly Western countries. That will be an expression of our real spiritual nature — one human family. That is not going to happen overnight and all by itself, and that is where the Masters, especially the World Teacher, are coming in. Based on the information from Benjamin Creme, he has come into the world in July 1977 to inaugurate the Age of Aquarius. He has been working until now mostly behind the scenes. He has taken some major initiatives and a lot has changed because of his influence and his energy and inspiration. The release of Nelson Mandela, as well as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the East Bloc, and the Soviet Union, were inspired by the World Teacher — whose personal name is Maitreya (My-TRAY-uh). So a lot has changed already, but Maitreya hasn’t made himself known yet. But moment is really very Q: You mentioned the “Our main responsibility at that close. When that happens incoming Aquarian Age. this point is to realize that everybody will know and be How exactly is the world aware of it. There have been going to change as we enter we are one human family: several points since 1977 where the Aquarian Age, and We are not separate.” there has been an opportunity what is our responsibility for him to come forward and in it? You spoke about the speak to the world, but somehow things got in the way. Masters guiding mankind’s evolution and the We are now at a point where he will no longer be Space Brothers being here to help, but we are ultistopped by our inaction or the inaction of the media. For mately responsible for the world we create. instance, in 1982, there was a major opportunity where Gerard: Yes, you are absolutely right. The forces from the international media were asked to symbolically go and the old age and new age are in sort of an equilibrium that look for him in London. He would have just come up to causes that massive tension and conflict in the world. All them and that would have set the whole thing in motion. of our institutions are outdated because they are formed The media did not respond in sufficient force, and he had to take the long way to where we are now. through our response to those old energies. So those old structures no longer serve our needs. Our main responsibilWe are now at a point where in December 2008 four ity at this point is to realize that we are one human family: major and very large spacecraft (according to Benjamin We are not separate. We are linked not only by DNA but Creme’s Master) have been positioned around the planet as also by the fact that we only have this one planet that we (in modern day “Stars of Bethlehem.” On YouTube, you will find dozens if not hundreds of clips by people from all over our present form) can live on and get our sustenance from. And unless we come together and realize that we are one the world amazed at seeing this new star or very strange and act on that realization, we will destroy ourselves. craft or light. And it is literally happening all over the world. The increasing conflict that we have seen and the old And they will remain there until Maitreya has made himself ways of trying to solve those conflicts by increasing the known to announce the start of his open appearances, which happened in January 2010 when Maitreya gave his reign of market forces, greed, and competition will only lead to further conflict. Of course, it will not take a whole first interview on an American television station as part of a lot to make further conflict final and altogether destructive panel of people who were asked for their views. of the planet and life because we have nuclear weapons. He does not use the name Maitreya when he appears on television, because it is important that people want The Masters are doing everything to help us to get to since the invention of the atomic bomb, they have worked tirelessly to neutralize the nuclear radiation that comes from all of our atomic testing and explosions and the nuclear power plants. A lot of the radiation our scientists think they can measure fairly well, but the most important levels where nuclear radiation has the most destructive effects, which are the etheric levels of matter I mentioned before, our scientists cannot measure. That is also where nuclear radiation undermines our immune system and causes every greater instances of Alzheimer’s in everyounger people. Of course, our scientists don’t know about that yet. One of the main tasks of our Space Brothers is to alleviate the problems we are causing ourselves due to our ignorance. They do a lot in that respect. How exactly they work with the Masters, I do not know, but they are all in telepathic contact because they don’t need speech or conferences in order to convey thoughts or concerns. They are constantly flying around our planet. According to Benjamin Creme, they have also put a ring of light around our planet to keep it on its axis. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 37 Case Files Of The Unknown: Are We Alone? he will not speak. Everyone will hear his message inwardly. You will hear him in English; I will hear him in Dutch; the French in French; and the Japanese in Japanese, etc. That will help us get that realization, but not everybody will be convinced. A lot of people will start doubting right after the event. Though, Maitreya has said that enough people will be inspired to start moving and demand from their governments that justice be done, we change our structures, we start cooperating internationally, and give expression to that oneness by sharing all of the abundance of this planet. Q: You said that a large number of people are going to unite behind Maitreya and call for freedom and justice, for their rights and a better world. Is this connected to the various peoples’ movements we have been witnessing around the world? Gerard: Absolutely, yes. That is exactly what is happening. We saw early chapters of that “people power” movement in 1986 in the Philippines. We saw dramatic scenes of the same thing happening in Europe in 1989 and 1990. You may remember the scenes on television. For instance, one day it was Hungary, the next day it would be Czechoslovakia, and the day after another country. It was an incredible expression of people power. The same thing has now been inspired in the people in the Arab countries, as well as the protest in Wisconsin and other states in the U.S. where similar protests were staged. That is exactly what we are looking for. Exploring the facts behind the myths, this book re-frames the debate about the reality of the space visitors in view of the unprecedented changes engulfing the world today. what he is advocating and not because of who he may be. The expectation is that even though he has been fairly low-key until now, he will soon become more outspoken. This will increase in frequency and clarity, so-to-speak, until the day that it will be clear to everyone. The interviews have also now been taking place in Mexico. The plan is that it will happen next in Japan, then Europe, and other countries. This will inspire the people to ask the media to bring this man forward and give him a universal platform. Then he will make himself known. That will be the Day of Declaration. Maitreya will give us massive, undeniable experience that we are one human family. We will actually be able to feel it. His love will stream out and it will feel, as he has said, as if he embraced us. At the same time hundreds-ofthousands of miraculous healings will take place. While we see his face on television, he will be giving us a message, but Q: You mentioned a modern-day “Stars of Bethlehem.” Was the Norway Spiral one of these stars? It captured quite a bit of media attention around the world before being dismissed, which seemed like a stretch, as a Russian missile test. Gerard: A failed Russian missile test, mind you! But I’ve never heard of Russian missiles that are designed to look like spectacular Chinese fireworks in case their launch fails. Again, the establishment has done the public a major disservice by trying to explain away this unprecedented celestial display. According to Benjamin Creme, this was the first of a major manifestation of the four “star”-like spacecraft that are positioned around the Earth to alert the world to the imminent emergence of the World Teacher, Maitreya. We were told that many such manifestations would follow, in addition to regular sightings of the “stars” in various shapes and colors. Spiral UFOs, as they seem to be called now, have since been reported all over the world, and they are great signs of hope for mankind. 38 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Gerard: The main message in my book is that people should look carefully for correspondences and parallels between the message from the space people and the Gerard: For the next 2,500 years, he will be at the center Ageless Wisdom. If you look for those parallels you will of our lives. Anytime we come back into incarnation, see that the nature of the space Maitreya will be at the center of people and UFOs cannot be our lives in this world. So will other than beneficent. “The common denominator be a whole host of the Masters If you compare it with the of Wisdom around the world; of many contactees is teachings coming from our there are 14 Masters back in the Golden Rule.” own elder brothers on this the world already. We cannot planet — the Masters of Wisimagine the effect the energy dom — that can be found in the major religions, but more they embody, the ideas that comes with that energy, and recently in much less colored form through disciples like the cosmic nature of that energy will have on the world. Helena Blavatsky, Alice A. Bailey, and Benjamin Creme, Maitreya and the Masters will be available for consultation you will see that the teachings from space and those from and teaching. our own elder brothers are the same. They both teach us that we are one unit on this planet Q: Looking at all of the contacts between people just as the people are one unit on other planets. We live on Earth and those from other planets, is there a in a cosmic brotherhood. The fact that we have forgotuniversal message that is common to all? ten about it since the time of the destruction of Atlantis Gerard: Yes, the common denominator that I found doesn’t change that fact. through my research of the testimonies of many contactWhat is happening now is all this talk about interees over six decades is the Golden Rule. I summarized dimensional portals, ascension, and things like that all it in my new book as “Life is One, so live as one … or come down to the same thing: We are on the threshold of perish.” We must recognize that we are one human family rediscovering our true selves. and act on that realization — that is the only way we can And when that happens, we need to understand what survive on this planet. is happening and put it in practice. For more information on the work of Gerard AartsQ: Is there anything further you would like to add? en, visit www.bgapublications.nl. Q: How long will Maitreya be with us as Head of the Spiritual Hierarchy of Masters? September 2013 Paranormal Underground 39 Case Files Of The Unknown: Urban Legends By Ashley Hall, The Paranormal Guide N ear Clifton, Virginia, is a small railway overpass that spans Colchester Road. The tunnel that runs under the Colchester overpass is known as the Bunny Man Tunnel. A silly name perhaps, but one born from an urban legend. And one that draws quite a crowd at times. The tunnel is named after the “Bunny Man,” a man in a bunny suit that terrorizes those who visit the area. In the early 1900s, a lunatic asylum in Virginia was closed down with many of the criminally insane being transported to other asylums in secure buses/carriages. One of these transports violently crashed, killing many of the inmates and seeing the rest escape. All of the escapees were eventually rounded up ... except for one. A search of the local area and beyond was conducted in order to apprehend the escaped lunatic, but after several weeks the search was called off ... he was either dead or had moved on. The Legend of the Bunny Man However, within a matter of months, hundreds of skinned rabbits were found in the woods near Colchester road. They were hung by their back legs, much the same way as a trapper would; however, many of the rabbits were mutilated beyond being skinned — heads were ripped off, spines removed, limbs missing, and remains partially eaten. The local papers got wind of the story and soon named the rabbit killer the Bunny Man. Another search of the area was made, and before long a man was found hanging up in the trees in a very similar way to the rabbits. Soon several other human bodies were discovered — hanged, skinned, mutilated, and, yes, partially eaten. It was feared that the lunatic had survived in the wilderness or had returned from wherever he had been in hiding. This time the search ended differently. In late October of that year, they tracked down the killer and chased This small railway overpass in Clifton, Virginia, is known as the Bunny Man Tunnel. Be careful not to be caught alone at night around this spooky place or it may be the last thing you do. him to the tracks near the Colchester overpass. A bit of a stand-off took place before the Bunny Man leapt in front of an oncoming train. He was killed instantly. Soon after his suicide, the full identity of the Bunny Man became known. He was the inmate that was not found after the transport had crashed the year previously. His name was Douglas J. Griffon. The reason for his being locked up in a lunatic asylum in the first place? He had murdered his wife and children on Easter Sunday a decade earlier. The legend concludes that in the final days of October every year, new rabbit carcasses are found in the woods near the overpass and that a man in a rabbit suit is seen in the tunnel that runs through the Colchester Overpass/bridge. If he gets you alone, he will kill you, skin you, and hang you from the nearby trees. Is the Bunny Man Legend True? This story sounds incredibly cheesy — escaped criminal lunatic, bunny suit, gutted rabbits, Halloween ... but 40 Paranormal Underground September 2013 believe it or not there seems to be an element of truth to As he approached, this strange man looked at him this tale! and told him that he was trespassing and that he was going In October 1970, there were two verifiable reports of to smash his head in. a man in a bunny suit that terrorized people going about their business. The reports both take place in Burke, The Bunny Man Legend Continues Virginia — not too far from Clifton — and both take place Police investigated but failed to find any physical just before Halloween. sign of this “Bunny Man.” In the first report, an army However, more than 100 other Verifiable reports of a cadet and his girlfriend had people say they witnessed this parked their car at around midodd fellow at night around the “Bunny Man” exist, night to “talk.” It was around Burke and Clifton areas in the including from a security midnight, and they were just nights leading up to Hallowcoming home from a football een. guard and a young couple. game. Soon after they began Another note of interest is to get to talking, they noticed that at the same time people movement outside and to the back of their car before the were finding their pets dead and partially eaten. passenger window smashed showering them with glass. A So was this mysterious stranger in a bunny suit the man in a bunny suit yelled at them, telling them they were inspiration for the legend, or was he in fact the one and on private property. the same Bunny Man? The couple sped off and later found what had Bunny Man is not just seen in Virginia, but the legend smashed the window — a hatchet lay on the car floor. seems to have spread to other nearby states as well. Two days before Halloween in a nearby area, a secuThe telling of the tale changes somewhat with some rity guard was doing his rounds of a new construction area version involving a lot more death. I chose this version when he was startled to find a man in a bunny suit hacking as it seems to be the closest to the verifiable “Bunny away at a wooden post. Man” reports. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 41 Case Files Of The Unknown: Haunted History The Life and Death of a Poltergeist Agent: The Conclusion By Dr. Barry Taff, http://barrytaff.net/ For Part 1 of this article, see our June 2013 issue. For Part 2, see our July 2013 issue. For Part 3, see our August 2013 issue. AN IRREPLACEABLE LOSS O n July 17, 2005, Barry and Lisa accompanied me out to a new haunting case on Cielo Drive within Benedict Canyon of Beverly Hills. If Cielo Drive rings a bell, it should. On August 8, 1969, the followers of Charles Manson viciously murdered Sharon Tate and four of her friends. A stone’s throw away, maybe less than 100 feet down the block, a new house was built in 2002 and was occupied by the son of the builder. Not surprisingly, the construction crew, the resident, and many of his friends have experienced a wide range of paranormal phenomena, including apparitions, psychokinetic displays, and disembodied voices. However, we had absolutely no way of knowing upon our arrival just how utterly unique this specific property would turn out to be. Our instruments indicated bizarre and totally unprecedented magnetic field amplitudes and polarities throughout the entire house, combined with an ambient electromagnetic background anywhere from 20-100 times normal. This house was a compass needle’s worst nightmare. A Paranormal Investigation Causes Physical Illness After this first visit, Barry, Lisa, and I came away from this house feeling physically ill. In fact, after turning beet red, I had passed out at the bottom of the stairwell where the highly localized geomagnetic field (GMF) measured out at 1,700 milligauss [mG], when 300-500 mG is normal. While both Barry and I had relatively strong adverse reactions to the high amplitude geomagnetic fields, as David Oman’s alleged haunted home, 300 feet away from where Sharon Tate was murdered. (Source: PacificCoastNews.com) have about 67% of those visiting, Lisa’s response was far more severe. In fact, there’s a distinct possibility that her spending some six to eight hours in the Cielo house pushed her back into a series of intense relapses from which she never recovered. However, I am not saying that the energy in the house was responsible for her untimely demise, but it possibly hastened its arrival. It then was not surprising to later learn that the U.S. Geological Survey lists this specific location as a geomagnetic anomaly site. Had we known that this property had such strong, positively polarized magnetic fields associated with it, we never would have allowed Lisa to even step foot on the property, let alone within it. Over the course of almost four decades, nothing even close to these levels of energy has been experienced around here during such investigations. As mentioned earlier, there is substantial body of clinical evidence indicating that exposure to 42 Paranormal Underground September 2013 negatively polarized magnetic fields substantially inhibit the growth of many types of cancers, while positively polarized magnetic fields appear to rapidly accelerate their growth and proliferation. It goes without saying that neither Barry nor Lisa ever returned to the Cielo house. I, on the other hand have visited that location more than 20 times over the course of a year and have gotten sick on virtually every occasion. Before you assume that I am a masochist with a death wish, let me assure you that it is simply a matter of my intense scientific curiosity overwhelming my logic on occasion. In my opinion, the Cielo case offers more potentially rewarding information toward unraveling this aspect of the paranormal than any other location I’ve visited during the course of my career. I may return to this location if I am paid to do so on a shoot or able to bring more sophisticated instrumentation into that environment to better study it. However, there is one specific requirement that must be met before I ever return to this location again. It is that I fashion a head-to-foot suit out of Giron or Mu-metal to shield my body from the high intensity magnetic fields. I may look like a chunky alien, but at least I will no longer get physically ill from being in this house. Lisa’s Condition Turns Critical As the summer of 2005 end, so did the phenomena’s dry spell at Barry’s house. At midnight on September 26, Lisa and Barry were about to go to sleep. Suddenly, there were extremely loud banging noises heard throughout the house, preventing their rest. Buster went nuts, believing someone was at the door. These poundings lasted for several minutes and then ceased. At 3 a.m. there was another volley of loud pounds accompanied by footsteps coming up the stairs. Buster again went wild. During this time, Lisa had been very ill from the ever-growing cancer. For the next eight months, Lisa’s physical condition rapidly deteriorated and the PK outbreaks stopped. Lisa had started radiation therapy in hope of turning her condition around. She had lost much weight, had numerous tumors throughout her body, and was very fatigued. Lisa knew that she was dying and told Barry that she just wanted to be free of the constant physical pain she has had for almost two years. Lisa promises Barry that if there is a way, she will attempt to contact and communicate with him from “the other side.” At 11 p.m. on July 16, 2006, a very loud explosion was heard at the front of the house. No source was found. Lights in the patio and throughout the house flickered on and off. Over the next nine days, Lisa physically degenerates and lapses into a coma from which she never emerges. As she requested, she was brought home from the hospital to spend her final days in a familiar environment; there is round-the-clock nursing/medical care. Approaching two in the morning on July 25, Buster ran to the stairwell and began intensely barking as he looked up to the top of the stairs, as if he was sensing something Barry could not. Half an hour later, the nurse tells Barry that she believed Lisa was about to pass. Barry rushed to her side and held her hand. Though she’s in a coma, Lisa seems to be aware of Barry’s touch and responded ever so slightly by very gently squeezing back. Lisa took one last, painful breath of air and stopped breathing at 1:50 a.m. Lisa no longer felt the incredible pain from the consuming cancer within her body. She was, at last, forever free of it. Barry’s eyes, along with many of his friends and Lisa’s 23-year-old daughter, welled up with tears. There was silence in the large room as everyone gently lowered their heads. This brief moment of silent prayer was sharply broken by the sound of numerous doors within Barry’s large house opening and closing on their own accord. This was shortly followed by lights in the patio and throughout the house flickering on and off. Was this Lisa’s attempt at communication, or simply another one of the many PK incidents occurring in and around the house? Lisa McIntosh and Barry Conrad. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 43 Case Files Of The Unknown: Haunted History Does Lisa Try to Communicate From the Beyond? Four days later on July 29 at approximately 12:45 a.m., Barry was in the kitchen talking with Lisa’s daughter’s boyfriend while she was in the bathroom. An ice cube materialized (apported) into the space directly between them, hung motionless in the air, and then fell to the ground. Barry just took it all in thinking that perhaps this was “contact” from a discarnate Lisa. The boyfriend didn’t believe in the paranormal. His eyes widened in horror as he immediately bolted out of the house. After a sleepless night, Barry awoke late the next morning and went to his office. For some unknown reason, the front office door would not open. Something was preventing it from moving. Barry went around through the bathroom and entered the office through the other door. He was astonished to discover that many tapes he had recently shot for his current project were wedged up against the front door preventing it from opening. No explanation. Did this represent “contact”? Several extremely anguish-filled days later, Barry and a friend were reviewing footage they were editing when they suddenly both heard and felt the whistling of cold wind moving through the house. epileptic. When these physically unique individuals take their prescribed meds to quell their seizures, the psychokinetic outbreaks cease as well. This more than suggests that the same region of the brain responsible for mediating seizures and epilepsy may also mitigate psychokinetic phenomena as well. Strangely, most people suffering from seizures and/or epilepsy do not manifest poltergeist phenomena, while the majority of PGAs seem to be either seizure-prone or epileptic. This observed mind-body nexus suggests that this might be a unilateral effect and that there is a missing or unknown variable here that has yet to be discovered. My own case files clearly demonstrate this unexpected relationship. If we had only known what questions to ask many decades ago, the database on this matter would be absolutely enormous. This case is unique and stands on its own for many reasons. Examining this case strictly from a medical perspective is perhaps the best starting point. According to the oncologists who dealt with Lisa and Barry, she is, perhaps, the youngest person on record to contract and so rapidly die from Multiple Myeloma, as this form of cancer is normally associated Is RSPK Responsible for Research indicated that a high with elderly patients, although its etiology is totally unknown. Some Poltergeist Activity? percentage of these “polAs I was keeping and It’s now early 2007, and tergeist agents” were either building the database on this Barry’s house had returned to case, entering data usually its normal ambiance that did not seizure-prone or epileptic. within hours after it occurred, include poltergeist activity. This we have the unique opportunity case presents a unique and fasto retrospectively observe the longitudinal patterns that cinating opportunity to evaluate one of the major theories developed over the course of five years. The collected within parapsychology related to poltergeists. As discussed data strongly suggests that, in this particular case, the earlier, modern academic paranormal researchers believe waxing and waning of the psychokinetic outbreaks were that “living, breathing” people are the physical generators directly correlated with Lisa’s physical health. of Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinetic activity, better When Lisa first started feeling sick enough to consume known as RSPK. Moreover, there is a truly enigmatic psyvast amounts of over-the-counter painkillers starting in late chodynamic relationship between these unique individuals 2002 until May 2003, we see the first major drop off in acand the electromagnetic environment in which they live. tivity. It was as if her body was marshalling all of its energy As research has indicated, a high percentage of these to fight off the initial onslaught from the pathogens. “poltergeist agents,” or PGAs, are either seizure-prone or 44 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Interested in Having Paranormal Underground Magazine Mailed Directly to You? http://paranormalunderground.magcloud.com/ And Select the Issues Youâ€™d Like to Order. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 45 Visit: Case Files Of The Unknown: Haunted History paranormal research community is aware of such at this time. This case is more than simply amazing; it’s incredible, for it finally provides a physical, perhaps even causal, link between the material world and the seemingly non-material, paranormal one. I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of knowing and working with Barry Conrad as a research associate for 18 years. In that time, I’ve learned what a kind, gentle, intelligent, and giving person he is. His dedication to parapsychology is rivaled perhaps only by my own. I’ve met every woman he’s dated since meeting him in 1988. Lisa was, in every respect, a breath of fresh air in Barry’s life of failed relationships with emotionally damaged women who frequently took advantage of his magnanimous nature while sharing absolutely nothing in common with him. Moreover, Lisa was a breath of fresh air in everyone’s life that came to know her. I had such admiration and respect for her, having talked with her extensively since meeting her in 2001, that I would have chosen her as a mate over every woman I’ve known in my five decades on Earth. Both Barry and I keep asking ourselves why did Lisa have to die at the tender young age of 42? In a world of over 6 billion souls residing on this small rock in the heavens, why was Lisa forced to give up her existence and the love she shared with all her friends, family, and especially Barry? Why here, why now? What’s the point and meaning of it all? In a strange twist of fate, the loss of Lisa to my colleague and best friend Barry Conrad may have inadvertently provided us with a vital key to unlocking the very domain she dedicated her all-too-short life to. Let the loss of Lisa’s physical life be seen as a new beginning in unraveling at least one small fraction of the paranormal. Barry’s loss may have given the rest of us incalculable knowledge that we might never have otherwise acquired. Lisa ... if there is any portion of you still residing within the physical world we call life, please hear the call from Barry and the rest of us. Your untimely death was not totally in vain. You will never be forgotten. As long as we remember you, keeping you alive in our hearts, minds, and dreams, you are still with us. Thank you for being you. The world desperately needs many more enlightened beings just like you. You are truly one of kind. Let this not be your final goodbye. After Lisa became very ill around Christmas 2004, necessitating her reluctant visit to a physician and resulting in her being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, we again see a significant attenuation of phenomena. When she began to physically degenerate and required radiation therapy as a last resort, the RSPK activity around her almost completely abated. Since Lisa’s passing in late July 2006, and the minute flurry of events that followed, it feels more like the last capacitive discharges from her physically depleted system. Although one cannot draw any conclusions from any single case, the accumulated database, which is far more comprehensive than discussed herein, and its biomedical correlations, may finally point us in the right direction in terms of understanding this type of phenomenon. Does a Poltergeist Agent Grow Out of Their “Condition”? Generally speaking, in the majority of poltergeist agents I’ve personally investigated or read about, the phenomena dramatically tapers off or completely ends well before ones thirties or forties. To the best of my knowledge, there has not been a single case where a documented and continuously active poltergeist agent dies and the phenomena abruptly stop. The normal course of events is one where the poltergeist agent simply ages and matures, “growing out of” their paranormal “condition.” I would think that the probability of a relatively young individual dying during the course of a poltergeist outbreak is extremely low. Therefore, such data would very likely not exist. If, in fact, it does, no one within the 46 Paranormal Underground September 2013 September 2013 Paranormal Underground 47 Demonology — The Dark Files Demons and the Significance of the Number 3 and Other Symbols By Bishop Jerry Williams, Eastside Paranormal Society & Demonologist D uring my many years of being a demonologist, we have cases where the number 3 comes up. Most people have probably read or seen movies on the demonic and the number 3. I want you to think for a moment about when someone dies and you hear the popular saying, “Death comes in threes.” This refers to deaths that seem to occur in a series of three. So, for instance, when three sports figures pass away at about the same time, or three actors, or three (fill in the blank). I think that relating the number 3 with death does ring true. Why? First, Jesus died on the cross with 3 nails: two in the hand and one in the feet. What about when Jesus died and then rose on the Third Day, fulfilling the Prophecies. The common number 3 is good and bad. Death is not evil, but a celebration of life. When three people you know are taken from you, it’s because they were in a common tie with that celebration of their new life. One other point to make is that there were three crosses when Jesus was crucified. Two criminals were crucified with Jesus in the middle of those two crosses. Demons and the Number 3 My opinion is that demons and the number 3 is very bad. What does this mean? Well, let’s look at this notion for a moment. We know that demons will turn a cross or crucifix upside down on a wall or even in symbolization. This is a mockery of The Trinity: The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit. Now, I’m going to take you one step further into the story behind this. When Simon-Peter the Disciple of Jesus Christ was put to death, he begged to be hung upside down on a cross. He thought that he was not worthy to be executed in the same way as Jesus Christ, and because of this he wanted to be crucified upside down, with his head toward the ground and his feet toward the sky, called the Petrine Cross Method. The theory is that demons see this as a weak point in Christians, so they use this symbol as a way to express that a home or person is not worthy of being spiritual or faithful to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Three Scratches and the Demonic Now let’s talk about “three scratches” and how they relate to the demonic. Demons are said to leave three 48 Paranormal Underground September 2013 September 2013 Paranormal Underground 49 Demonology — The Dark Files so active that you will find some evidence on a recording device. The Demonic Hour is from 3 a.m. and lasts usually until 3:30 a.m. This is the most common time frame of demonic arousal. Demons sometimes will be active after 3:30 a.m. Another thing to be aware of is that certain demons become stronger in specific months. We will talk about that topic next time. Extra Information You May Not Know Demons have their own language. Demons will speak in Enochian, which is considered to be the angel’s language. This is how it was thought that Adam and Eve communicated with God through these angel’s voices. This was because God’s voice was too powerful to the human ear and would destroy man. This is where the angels came in as a translator from God to man. We now speak a form of this language today. Demons will still use what sounds like growls on recordings that are actually words and sentences they use to communicate with a person. Demons will also use scratches on the body. This is usually seen around the legs, neck, belly, torso, and middle back areas. The scratches are usually seen as three lines that are three inches long or even sometimes up to six inches in length. The number is again significant to the demonic, like 3 or 6 are typically The Beast’s number. Sometimes victims will explain on an interview that they heard three knocks or three taps on the walls, ceilings, doors, floors, and even three door bell rings. This again is a mockery of the Trinity and the significance of being unworthy and making fun of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. When the number 3 appears with demonic activity, it’s pertaining to Peter and his crucifixion along with making fun of the Trinity. Demons will also make three lines behind the right ear. They appear like a tattoo that has been made in black ink. The number 3 may appear on walls, human bodies, floors, and other surfaces throughout a property. This is also considered a demonic number, again meaning mocking of the Trinity or the Petrine Cross method. One last thing to note about the number 3: Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus Christ, became burdened by selling him for 30 pieces of silver. When Jesus rose on the third day, Judas was possessed by the Devil. He took a rope and hung himself, committing suicide. The time was recorded as 3:17 in the afternoon. Now take a moment and read and study this, and you will see the pieces of the puzzle coming together. (Note: Judas was the only recorded person possessed by Satan himself.) The Demonic Hour One last thing to look at in relation to the number 3 in relation to the demonic. The Demonic Hour is known as the hour when demons become most active. This is the hour when demons will more likely become We usually hear growls and what appear to be squealing sounds when playing back recordings. Latin and German as their primary language of communication. We usually hear the growls and what appear to be squealing sounds when playing back recordings. If you play it backwards, you can usually hear the language in it’s true form. Thank you for reading this month’s column. Remember to check out my new demonology school. We have pre-recorded classes. All you need to do is register and then pick Demonology Basic 101 to listen to the audio. Once you have completed all of the work and passed applicable tests, you will become a certified demonologist. We also have paranormal investigation classes instructed by Don Ford of V.I.P.S. For more info go to www.crisedu.com. You can also join my Facebook at DemonologistJerryWilliams or check out my radio show at www.goingbeyondradio.com. 50 Paranormal Underground September 2013 September 2013 Paranormal Underground 51 Inside the Psychic Mind Inter-life relationships: Part 2 By William Becker, Paranormal Insights T he client I mentioned in last month’s column and I have continued our work with his past-life soul mate and relationships in this life. One of the theories of reincarnation is that we choose how much of our full soul, our full self, we bring into any one particular life. This accounts for how some people can actually be incarnated into two different lives at once. This can also account for the energy levels we have in this life. If we don’t bring enough of ourselves into a life, we can lack energy. This really isn’t a digression, but a lead-in to part of my point in this article. My client and his soul mate are currently together in the in-between-world. This seems to emphasize the feelings in my client of not settling for a relationship with someone that doesn’t have as deep of a connection. This seems to bring the comparison of what was very much to the present. As my client has opened up to those beings around him, he finds that his soul mate also visits more regularly. We’ll call the soul mate Andre, for expedience sake. Andre will come and hold his hand, nuzzle in his ear, give him a big caress. My client feels his presences, see’s him psychically, but it’s not the same feel as a living person by any means. It does have the soul — the emotion of a living person though, and is very real. One of the things we are looking at is seeing if this closeness not only gives a standard by which to compare other relationships, but also gives the client a sense of cheating on Andre if he develops a romantic relationship with someone else. Andre laughs at the notion, but that doesn’t mean that the client doesn’t have that feeling in his subconscious. We have also found more about their incarnated lives together. These two souls have shared many lives, always as men and always as lovers. In each case, one was an intelligent warrior with a good heart, and the other was the role of the wise healer and teacher. The two together always made a complete whole — a completely balanced being of oneness. The two were always complete equals in each life. The two are now balanced in this. Both souls have that oneness, that complete balance in themselves, as well as together. This will add another dimension of completeness to their relationship if they do meet in this life. The client hasn’t totally lived that completeness yet, but it’s there. We feel that they have reached the end of their incarnations in this world and timeline. Andre may have already reached that point and this is my client’s last life. I don’t know yet if Andre is incarnated at this time or not. When I ask or broach the subject, he winks, smiles, and laughs knowingly, like I’m not telling you — yet, anyway. I’m not getting a reading on this, but do get what I consider to be a psychically guided feeling. I feel that the two will be together in this last lifetime as well. Perhaps not in the geographical area the client currently resides. His past lives have all been in the Eurasia vicinity, and he’s always felt the outsider on the North American continent — at least outside of Canada with its European flavor. The feeling I have gives me the vision that as the client has learned the lessons he’s needed to learn on his own in this life, he and Andre will be reunited in the flesh to live out the last part of their last incarnation in our dimension. It’s really a beautiful thing to behold. I’m hoping the feeling is indeed a form of reading and that they will know it when they meet in person. Andre has it I think. The remnant of my client in the between life place also knows it. He hopes that they both recognize it when they meet here. 52 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Within the pages of “The Harvey Boat,” Spiritual Medium Robyne Marie tells the story given to her from “behind the veil,” after connecting with a spirit who passed away on 9/11. The spirit asked for his powerful, touching, and heartfelt message to be shared with “the children,” so Robyne Marie set out to make this request a reality. Book Now Available Online at September 2013 Paranormal Underground Amazon.com 53 Inside the Psychic Mind Psychic Impressions on a Vietnam-Era Destroyer By Karen Frazier, South Sound Paranormal Research & Paranormal Underground Radio I had some interesting experiences recently aboard a Vietnam-era destroyer during a paranormal investigation. While on board, I came in contact with the spirit of a young sailor, who I won’t identify out of respect for his family. The connection with him was very strong. He came to me one deck below the bridge. First I felt him when I walked aboard the ship past the gun mount on the aft deck. Next, he was in the Captain’s quarters. There, when we asked what he did aboard the ship, he told me, “Gunnery.” I asked Jim (my husband who was in the Navy) if that was a job, and he told me, yes, the ship would have had an entire gunnery section. A Strong Psychic Connection Is Made From the captain’s quarters, we moved next to the XO’s office, which sits just off the quarters. At the time, we were hearing what sounded like something latching/unlatching in the XO’s office, which we later determined was likely the line/hold buttons on an old rotary phone. In the XO’s office, I was overcome with the urge to walk down the hall a bit, which I did (by myself). I walked just a short way down the hall and found what appeared to be a supply room that had two racks (bunks) in it. The sailor was there, and he followed me back to the XO’s office. Patty saw his shadow right behind me as I stepped through the door. Back in the XO’s office, I sat down and got very, very cold. This is the coldest I have ever felt. At the same time, I felt like rocking and keening — I believe the sailor was hugging me. Patty picked up the name of the sailor, and when she said the two similar names that popped into her head, he then confirmed the second name to me psychically. I grew colder and colder and started to cry. I closed my eyes and zoned in on him and just sent all my love, telling him over and over it was OK. I believe I reminded him of his mother. Pictured above: The ship off the coast of South Vietnam, April 1968. (Source: http://www.ussturnerjoy.org/gallery.html) Megan, who was also in the XO’s office with Patty and me, was shaking during the entire encounter. We went downstairs to the galley to meet up with other groups, and the sailor was still with us. While the groups reconvened, I stepped out onto the deck just to collect myself. Feeling Psychic Symptoms A few hours later we were down in the crew bunk rooms (Patty, Megan, and me again). We had shut ourselves in a small NCO’s rack area that had two bunks. Patty and I were seated in chairs, and Megan was lying on the lower rack. The room was quite warm — about 73 degrees. Suddenly, I was overcome with the same cold again. Patty could touch me and feel the cold on my skin in spite of the warmth in the room. Megan began to shake again. I started to feel physical symptoms. First, I felt cramp- 54 Paranormal Underground September 2013 ing all across my shoulders and incredible fatigue, as if I had been working very hard for a long time. Then, I felt searing pain all up my right side, particularly in my torso area. When I asked what the pain was, the ovilus said, “burned.” I realized it was the same sailor again from earlier. I closed my eyes, and he showed me pictures and gave me emotional/physical feelings. Later when we were on the aft deck, I asked if anyone knew if something had happened with that gun mount or not. Jim pointed out a sign that described an incident in October 1965 during the Vietnam War. The ship was involved in a protracted gun battle. It had been going on for 24 hours of shelling. The gun in the mount on the aft of the ship misfired. The Navy drills for misfires, so the gunnery ***** crew knew what to do. They tried in vain to unload the unexploded He is on deck. It is hot and ordinance. Unfortunately, they dark. He is exhausted. He has couldn’t get it out of the barrel. something heavy on his head and The gun barrel was hot from heavy around his body. I can see 24 hours of use, and that heat two others nearby in a dark, conseeped into the unexploded ordifined space. They are wearing helnance as they tried to remove it. mets and some type of a heavy vest. A tragic accident on the ship took the lives of (Jim says this is most likely a three men. (Source: http://www.ussturnerjoy. Eventually, it ignited the ordinance, which exploded and blew back into org/gallery.html) flack vest and that my descriptions the gun mount. Three sailors were were historically accurate). killed, including the sailor I met I feel a sense of exhaustion, on the ship that day. I believe he was standing slightly to overbearing heat, and fear. Something happens that isn’t the left as the blow back blew into the gun mount, which supposed to. At first, there is a calm feeling of efficiency, as would explain the pain on his right side. if ,“Oh, we can deal with this; it’s what we’ve trained for.” As they work, though, the efficiency gives way to fear Another Psychic Impression Proves Accurate and then to terror. Whatever they are doing isn’t workAnother thing occurred down in the engine room. ing, and that’s a terrible thing. There is a flash, the searing The last time I was on the ship, I had a lot of anxiety in the pain on the right side. The sailor’s terror and pain is engine room and picked up there had been some kind of a overwhelming. tragic steam rupture that either hurt or killed someone. After I see/feel all of this, a door opens up in front In the engine room, I am led to a spot where there’s of me. I don’t see it physically with my eyes — they are some kind of a wheel and a catwalk that goes over a closed. I see it in my mind’s eye. It seems to be floating in bunch of equipment. On the catwalk, I can hear loud, a black void with light streaming out from behind. I talk excited voices and see people running. I can feel panic. both in my head and aloud to the sailor about the light. I Where the wheel thing is, I can see a guy frantically turntell him he doesn’t have to relive his pain and terror over ing it, trying to shut off the steam leak. According to Jim, and over — that he can just go through that door. that is exactly what would have happened. For some reason, he looks to Patty and I say, “He’s My friend Elaine worked with a man who was aboard looking at you.” Patty also tells him he can go through the the ship at the time, and he confirmed that the event I dedoor. Suddenly, she gets hives on her arms, and I’m still scribed actually happened. He drew Elaine a diagram of freezing cold. I can feel him kind of tear away from me the engine room to show her exactly where it happened, and make a rush toward the door, as if it is taking courage although I didn’t know that when I was on the ship for the to go there. investigation. Then I see the door close, so I think he has gone Later, Jim went into the engine room with Elaine and through. Patty’s hives go away, and I gradually start to she showed him where the accident happened. It was at warm up. The temperature in the room never fluctuates that valve wheel that I pictured and along the catwalk. The at all, according to our equipment. engine room is huge, and there are a number of those ***** wheels, so I don’t believe it’s just a lucky guess. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 55 The Psychic Biker: Attitude With Empathy Meet the Psychic Biker By Paul Green, Extreme Ghost Hunting W elcome to my first in a series of articles for Paranormal Underground magazine. I thought I would use this first column to introduce myself. I guess one of the first questions I should answer is: What’s up with the name “The Psychic Biker”? As with so much of my life, it came about while in a pub with my bike club mates. A stranger must have been listening to our conversation, and when I went to the bar she asked if I was really a psychic medium. This is a question I am used to being asked, as I am six feet tall, heavily tattooed, have a shaven head, and I am told that even in a good mood I have a face that looks like a bulldog chewing a wasp. So, she got the usual spiel I give to people who ask that question, and having been served I sat down. As the lady was leaving, she made her good-byes, including to me during which she came out with the phrase “The Psychic Biker.” The name stuck, and I decided to use it when I set up as a professional medium. How did I arrive at this stage in my life as medium and a ghost hunter? I am hardly someone with a background that would have led me down this path. Looking back in my youth I had experiences that were clearly psychic, as well as “seeing” relatives who had died, in one case my grandfather before we knew he had crossed. I was also into all sorts of odd things, anything from UFOs to Black Magic, in the latter case I hasten to add simply as a reading topic. However, given my interests and experiences in my youth, when I hit my late teens I became a complete and utter cynic — very much a “when you’re dead, you’re worm food” attitude. When my wife and her friend visited the local spiritualist church now and then, I was very scathing in my comments. I might have stayed in that sort of mode had there not Paul Green, aka The Psychic Biker, is a talented medium and psychic. He was once an ardent skeptic. Paul now operates Extreme Ghost Hunting tours with Stephen Lambert. The tours take place in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Cumbria, County Durham, Scottish Borders, and throughout the UK. been a huge change in my life in my late 40s, when I gave up work to become a caregiver for my wife. That meant going from working away from home on oil rigs, usually working 90 hours a week, to being at home with a huge drop in income and not working 90 hours a week, or at least not in the same hard physical manner. Maybe quite 56 Paranormal Underground September 2013 understandably I became stressed, so it was suggested that I should try meditation. It was probably my wife who suggested it; she wanted some peace I suspect. I was skeptical but was ready to try anything. So after a little research on how to meditate, I gave it a go. As anyone who has tried this will know, it is not easy; either you end up drifting off and wondering what to have for dinner or you fall asleep. I was intrigued so stuck at it, and from that start I began to wonder about the strange images, smells, sounds, and in particular a picture of one man I kept getting in my head, who I found out much later was my spirit guide. I also started to get an inkling that this was how mediums received information. Over about 18 months I had started to glean quite a bit of knowledge on mediumship and psychics, but still scoffed at all that rubbish. I had also come across lots of info on how mediums and psychic faked things, so I was still pretty much on the skeptical side of the fence. Moving on from my reading and research, I felt my next step was to visit a spiritualist church and see how things went “eyes on” so to speak, even though I vowed I was not going to sing along to the hymns. The first church I went to was the church my wife had visited, and the irony was not lost on me. I received a friendly and enthusiastic welcome; later I was to learn that is not always the case at all churches. I was still strictly an observer watching and trying to figure out how the mediums “did it.” I then decided to broaden my experience and visit some other churches along with a fellow bike club member and good friend, Wendy. That was fun, as she is also a biker and some mediums made the assumption we were together as a couple, other than just as friends; they would then come up with some outlandish readings and com- “I found the more I practiced mediumship, the better I became.” ments about our relationship as a couple. Also there was always someone that one of us supposedly knew that had died on a motorcycle. We knew no one who had died on a bike, and we weren’t, as I said, a couple. But there were other mediums that seemed to know information about myself that they shouldn’t logically be able to know. As a result of all this research and experiences, which were spread over about 12 months, I decided to give this mediumship game a go, always being of the opinion that if you want to fully understand something then it is best to try it for yourself. The next step I felt was to attend “Open Circle.” This is usually at a church where the public and trainee mediums could come along and, under the guidance of an experienced medium, practice receiving and passing messages from dead loved ones to other people in the circle, without the stress of doing it live so to speak — even then I was more of an observer, still trying to suss out this mediumship lark. Gradually, I started to realize that some of the images and sensations I was “getting,” but saying nothing about, were being picked up by other people in the circle. As with most things, I found that the more I practiced the better I became, plus I was learning a huge amount from watching other mediums, both what to do and what not to do in terms of how to deliver a message in the best possible way so it could be understood. It sounds easy, but that is one of the main skills of a medium: learning to understand how the spirit world will use your senses to get info to you and give you the best possible chance of passing it accurately to the person you are reading for. My way of working includes first getting the mental picture of the person who was deceased, and then, once the connection had been made, more informa- September 2013 Paranormal Underground 57 The Psychic Biker: Attitude With Empathy and involved. If you ever meet me, ask and I may tell you about it, but the end result was to find myself on my feet seeing six very shocked faces staring back at me and total silence around the circle. Later, I was told I stood up shouting angrily at two women who were giggling and my face and head changed into a much older man with a thin face and a black beard. I could not and cannot recall that part of the experience. After a while I wanted to move away from the church and reading. Enjoyable as it was, the structured way the church teaches you to do reading was starting to grate on me. I would guess anyone who is reading this will have some knowledge of the TV program Most Haunted. I watched this at times, and the whole concept of how the medium working reminded me of my experiences as a kid visiting the castles on school trips. In fact, that program sparked an explosion in interest in mediumship, including having mediums presenting shows on TV. It also led to the creation of a multitude of amateur ghost hunting groups around the UK. By chance at that time I saw an article in a local paper about someone wanting information on gaining access to a local Art Deco cinema, which had been closed for a number of years, for a paranormal investigation. That person was Stephen Lambert (aka The Extreme Ghost Hunter — see his article in this issue), and that was the start of a friendship and business partnership. We did gain access to the cinema, which is sadly now in a very poor state of repair. In fact, as I write this, roads were recently closed around the area where it stands because it had become classified as a dangerous structure. The actual night at the cinema did get me hooked on paranormal investigation. It was so different doing readings there, far faster-paced and much more to my taste. However, I shall end with a funny story that shows ghost hunting is not always a serious business. While at the cinema some of the team wanted to go get a takeaway meal. I gave them directions and opened a small door located to the side of the main doors. I saw two slightly tipsy young girls heading home after a night out. As far as they were concerned, they were passing a long closed and derelict cinema. The resulting screams and the sight of them disappearing into the night while trying to run in tight skirts and heels while a little drunk, but a lot terrified, will stay with me for life. Pretty sure that tale of a ghost opening the door on them and saying, “Hi girls,” will have been told over and over the next day to their skeptical friends. So, that’s me and my background. You will find I tend to have an in-your-face attitude to most topics, or as I say, “attitude with empathy.” tion came through. I also learned how not to do readings, seeing the arrogance of some mediums who, while getting a “no” response from information they were trying to pass on, would tell that person it was their fault “they were blocked.” Even then at a pretty early stage of my development, I vowed never to use that sort of tactic and be honest. Then I was invited into a development circle. That in itself was a great honor and responsibility. You do not simply join a circle; you have to be invited. And by joining you are making a commitment to your teacher, your fellow classmates, yourself, and more importantly to the spirit world that says you will be there every week ready to work with them and for them no matter what. I lost my reluctance in getting to my feet and speaking in front of people; I got used to passing on messages and had my first experience of transfiguration. Transfiguration is when the face and/or the body of the medium takes on the visage of the spirit person that is trying to communicate. The background to the whole tale is long 58 Paranormal Underground September 2013 September 2013 Paranormal Underground 59 Haunted Hospitality Hotel Sagamore By Rick E. Hale, Foundations Psychical Research M ost paranormal researchers agree that places such as prisons, hospitals, and schools have the potential to be places where the dead still roam, mostly due to high levels of emotion, be it good or bad. However, you can add hotels to that list. Murders, suicides, unrequited love, you name it; hotels have seen it all. In this month’s column, we’ll explore one of the most haunted hotels in upstate New York: the Hotel Sagamore. Built in 1883 by Myron Brown and a number of wealthy investors, the Hotel Sagamore was destined to be a sportsman’s paradise. The Hotel was constructed on Green Island in the Adirondack Mountains and not only offered five-star accommodations but offered breathtaking did they know that there were already inhabitants at the Hotel, of the ghostly variety. A Hotel Hosts Ghosts of the Past Shortly after the Hotel Sagamore reopened its doors, guests and employee alike began reporting encounters with the spirits of the Hotel’s past. One of the most curious hauntings witnessed by many appears to be a psychic imprint, more commonly known as a residual haunting, of a couple wearing 19th Century clothing involved in a violent quarrel. Those who have witnessed the strange event all report the same thing. Eyewitnesses watch as a young man and woman dressed in fancy clothes descend the stairs from the second floor while arguing. When they reach the dining area the man is said to violently throw the screaming woman to the ground, and the two just melt into the carpet and vanish. No one is really sure who the couple were and why they were fighting. Although the above-mentioned ghosts appear to be a violent scene captured in time, one spirit that haunts the dining room is another matter entirely. The apparition of a woman in a white gown has been seen in the dining room by several employees. A former chef had a very personal encounter with this lady in white. The cook reported that the apparition walked up to him while he was cooking and said a few unintelligible words. She then passed through him and vanished. The chef walked out on his job. From my own personal experience, I can tell you a spirit pass-through is not a very pleasant thing. A Spirit Named Walter All the employees and many visitors of the Sagamore will tell you that the dining area is not the only place where spirits of the hotel haunt. Apparently, the hotel is scenery, fishing, and an award-winning golf course. If you loved the outdoors, Hotel Sagamore was the place to go. Although it was considered the best hotel to stay at when visiting the Adirondacks, the Sagamore did have its fair share of bad times. The Hotel nearly burned to the ground in 1893 and 1914, killing several guests. In 1930, Hotel Sagamore was fully reconstructed, but by this time the U.S. was deep in the Great Depression, and the Hotel had to close its doors. In 1983, a businessman from Philadelphia bought the hotel and returned it to its former glory. The Hotel Sagamore was once again ready to receive guests. Little 60 Paranormal Underground September 2013 crawling with the dead. And one of those spirits is a rude gentleman simply called Walter. Walter is described as a chubby man wearing a suit and tie and sporting a walruslooking mustache and is said to haunt the elevator. Many have entered the elevator to find Walter silently standing in one of the corners looking straight ahead. Those who encounter Walter report that he rudely nudges them while trying to exit the elevator. Thinking they had just been accosted by some rude, old rich guy, the witness watches in horror as Walter takes four steps off the elevator and vanishes. More Mischievous Spirits Haunt the Hotel Sagamore Although these spirits may be somewhat benign in nature, the last two I’ll mention here are known to be somewhat more troublesome. One spirit is said to be another lady in white who enters people’s rooms, climbs into bed with them, and breaths an icy breathe in their face. She is another spirit whose identity is unknown, although she is believed to have been a guest who died in one of the fires that destroyed the Sagamore in the past. The final spirit is perhaps the most mischievous and loves messing around with golfers on the golf course. In the 1950s, a local teen was struck and killed by a car as he was chasing down a golf ball. Golfers have reported seeing the spirit of the young boy stealing golf balls and throwing golf clubs. The boy is said to run away giggling as he fades into nothingness. The Hotel Sagamore can be found on Green Island in the very haunted town of Bolton Landing, New York, in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains. It’s a great place to stay if you don’t mind sharing your room with the dead. For more information about the Hotel Sagamore, visit http://www.thesagamore.com/. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 61 Haunted Cemeteries Why Do Ghosts Haunt Cemeteries? By Rick E. Hale, Foundations Psychical Research A ccording to many parapsychologists, graveyards should not be haunted. After all, why would a person want to hang out in the place where their body has been laid to rest? I have to say, I strongly disagree with this theory. In fact, places of eternal rest around the world seem to be anything but restful. And these seemingly haunted cemeteries have always intrigued me. I believe that when the body expires the spirit of the person either sticks around their final resting place or finds their way back to a loved one or location they had fond memories of. But why would any self-respecting spirit hang out in the place where their body is buried and will eventually decay to the point of dust? There are theories why a soul would hang around a bone yard amidst the tombstones and the dearly departed. However, before I go any further, I feel compelled to make something very clear. Cemeteries are a place for family and friends to remember the life of a loved one that has passed. The last thing anyone wants to see is someone wandering among the gravestones behaving disrespectfully. Also, please never trespass into a cemetery. Always get permission before investigating. Now, on to my theories about why cemeteries might be haunted. Theory 1: The Occult Connection Graveyards are a place that many perceive as being creepy and forbidding, so some occultists actually carry out rituals on cemetery property. In fact, at some cemeteries in the U.S., there has been evidence of Black Magic and arcane rituals performed within their confines. Knives, altars, and evidence of blood sacrifices have been found. Some believe these rituals are conducted to summon the dead or something far worse. This could be a reason why some graveyards are haunted. Theory 2: You Can’t Take it With You, But You Sure Can Try We love our stuff, don’t we? We work our entire lives to obtain the things we love. Sometimes people are buried with their worldly possessions, and they maintain that attachment. They loved their “stuff” and will follow it no matter where it is, buried or not. Theory 3: Nothing Wrong With a Little Self Love A third theory centers on spirits haunting graveyards because they cannot handle the thought of being separated from their bodies, even when they get a terminal case of decay. And if you haven’t guessed it yet, this is just an introduction to a series on haunted cemeteries. Each month, I’ll be featuring a haunted cemetery in the U.S. that is home to spirits from the beyond. Stay tuned! 62 Paranormal Underground September 2013 September 2013 Paranormal Underground 63 Crystals & Herbology: Mystical Etchings From A Medicyn Woman’s Grimoire The Basic Essentials to Gem Water By Silvermoon Medicyn, www.silvermoonmedicyn.com G em water, otherwise known as gem elixirs, are made up by extracting the essence and vibration of stones into water that is then used for healing. Every single thing on this planet has a vibration. The vibrations are part of the life force that is all around us. The vibrational patterns are influenced by many things, like our emotions, the situations we live in, and people we keep around us. All these factors assist in the performance of our health and expand our life force energy. When our life force is strong and we have a stabilized pattern of vibrating energy, we are less likely to become ill or have negative situations influence us. The vibration of the stone is what seeps into the water, giving it the power to transform the user’s vibrational energy field. These elixirs are powerful life-transforming tools that have been used by shamans, root workers, and medicine people for centuries. It is even rumored that Cleopatra bathed in Malachite and Lapis Lazuli to give herself power over others. These magical waters have been used to soothe and eliminate many illnesses and injuries. It has been known to cure emotional imbalances to physical symptoms when consumed or bathed in. When you use these waters, the spiritual essence of the stone is absorbed into the skin and used by the soul to send information to the core of your being. It is just like carrying a stone in your pocket, but this increases the amount of essence you get into your system. Their uses are very similar to Bach Rescue Remedies, except those elixirs use flower and tree essences to cure people. That we will save to talk about another time. Picking and Cleaning the Gemstones Picking the right stone is an important part of the process. Not all stones can be made into elixirs due to the types of metals and toxic substances they are made of, Pictured above is the direct method of extracting a gemstone’s essence. Make sure to use a clear glass, which helps the sun or moonlight penetrate into the stones. but if you use the indirect method of extracting, described later in this article, any stone can be used. Commonly found stones that are not usable are Turquoise, which has copper; Pyrite (Fool’s Gold, Inca Gold), which has sulphur; and Amber, which holds toxic dust fumes that could cause possible ingestive toxicity, just to name a few. So research the stones you wish to use first. It is best to use raw stones, but really any stone works. You can tell if the stone is correct just by feeling its vibration. Trusting your higher power and spirit guides are the key to this process. Next is cleaning the stone. It is best if you use salt and some water, scrubbing the stone with a toothbrush. Salt will gently and naturally clean any loose particles away and 64 Paranormal Underground September 2013 My favorite way is to place the well cleaned stones in enough water to cover them and then allow it to sit in the sunlight or moonlight for a more powerful charge. I recommend the stones sit in the water for at least two to four hours; they can sit longer but for no more than 24 hours. I judge my remedies by watching the air bubbles on the inside of the jar. When most of those air bubbles have escaped, I know the water is ready. This process ensures the water gets an adequate amount of charging time, and it allows the stone vibration to naturally seep into the water, creating a gentle process without any forced One method of extracting the gemstone’s essence is by using an indirect method, also called the Test Tube Method. This is where you place the stones action, thus ensuring the harmony of in a tube or another vessel and then place the tube in the water. the elixir. Once you have the water ready, place it in a dark container or store in also clear the stone of any negative residual energy. a dark, cool area; this will help to preserve and to keep Using harsh chemicals are bad for the stone and the it pure. Some use vodka as an agent to help preserve the elixir, since they leave a chemical residue that can taint elixir, but I don’t encourage it. Alcohol can be counterthe remedies. Once you clean the stone, it is important productive to your healing process and not suitable for you don’t touch it too much. Even with clean hands and children. surfaces there is always a chance for bacteria to grow. The elixirs are best if used quickly and regularly, decreasing the risk of bacteria growing. Preparing the Elixirs There are a few ways to extract the vibration from How to Use Your Remedy the stone. If you are using the direct method by placing Remember, if you’re drinking the remedy, you the gemstone(s) directly in the water, it is best if you use don’t need much to make it work. But you can conclear glass like an empty jar or test tubes; this helps the sume as much as you like sun or moonlight penetrate for as long as you feel you into the stone. need the healing work. Some Some people use a boiling often choose to bathe with method to exact the vibration the solution or wash specific from the stone, but I don’t parts of the body to create a recommend that method. It stimulated healing point for can harm the stone; heat could the remedy to work. cause it to break or splinter, making it so your remedy is After the first few days you should notice some unusable. Plus cooking on a Teflon pan could taint the changes. I recommend talking to your healer or spirit elixir. guides and taking note of how you’re feeling once you Another method of extracting the essence is the indibegin the treatments. This will help you measure the gem rect method, called the Test Tube Method. This is where water’s effectiveness. you place the stones in a tube or another vessel and then You should detect a difference in your energy levels, place the tube in the water. The issue with this process is stabilizing and decreasing your emotional swings, giving that the stones never physically touch the water, making you the balance you need without the drugs that are easily the remedy less potent and harder to charge the water used today. The benefits not only help you, but they will with the stone’s vibration. also create a deep understanding of one’s ability to selfBut don’t dismay, this can be done, but I suggest you heal and renew the soul. let the gemstones sit for at least eight hours. You should detect a difference in your energy levels. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 65 Magic & Lore Ch’ing Shih Vampire By Mari Wells, www.mariwells.wordpress.com T he Chinese believe in a demonic vampire creature that goes by many names, including Ch’ing Shih. Variations of this name include Chiang-Shi or Shih, Giang Shi, Kiang-Kouei, Kiang Shi, Kiangshi, Kouei, Kyonshi, Xianhshi, and “The Hopping Vampire of Asia,” to name a few. There are some differences in these creatures, but the similarities are far greater. The Ch’ing Shih originated from a region between China and Serbia and is known all over the world as the “hopping vampire,” because it’s “created” when a cat jumps over a corpse or if a person has been cursed to rise as the undead. If a person has the misfortune to die far away from home, and is not returned to his or her homeland for burial, he or she will rise as a Ch’ing Shih. When the Ch’ing Shih returns, its eyes are red, fingernails curved, teeth serrated, and skin a pale green-white that glows slightly. Its hair still grows and turns white; long white hair on a Ch’ing Shih is indicative of physical maturity. They are very strong and vicious; there are reports of victims’ heads and limbs being ripped off. Men are its favorite blood source. They have to surprise their victims, because they don’t have any special or particular powers to lure humans. They are well known for a voracious sexual appetite; women are often raped and then devoured. Its breath is so stinky that if it breathes on you, it would kill you. The Ch’ing Shih is a shape-shifting vampire. It can change into a ball of light, called a corpse candle. Once it is matured, it will be able to fly at will, can hunt its prey by scent, and take the form of a wolf. The moon gives the Ch’ing Shih its power. On moonless nights or during the day hours it stays underground. It’s also blind. This vampire can’t cross over running water, and it’s afraid of thunder and loud noises. The only thing it truly fears is the White Emperor (an Emperor of the Xin Dynasty) and his court, which it has to pay homage. If you need to destroy an adolescent Ch’ing Shih, you must capture it. There are two ways of doing that. Trap it in a circle made of iron fillings, red peas, or rice. Another method is to toss handfuls of grain in front of it or as soon as you see it, and then begin to sweep it back to its grave. The Ch’ing Shih is compelled to count the grains. Once you have it trapped, you must press a Buddhist or Taoist death blessing that’s written on paper to its forehead. You could also lead it to its ancestral burial ground and give it a proper burial rite. When the Ch’ing Shih is buried, perform a Buddhist or Taoist magic spell to bind it to its grave. Capturing a mature adult Ch’ing Shih can only be done by firing a bullet into the air. You may be lucky enough to try to trap it while there’s a thunderstorm; a very loud thunderclap will work. As soon as it falls over, burn the body. 66 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Thursday & Saturday at 11 p.m. Eastern Paranormal and Conspiracy Radio With Demonologist Bishop Jerry Williams http://goingbeyondradio.com/jerrywilliamslive/ For information, September visit: 2013 Paranormal Underground 67 Katie’s Conspiracy Corner Dowsing Rods By Katie Christopher, NEPA Paranormal’s Ghost Detectives The purpose of this article is to educate readers on the facts behind some of the most popular and controversial paranormal conspiracy theories. There are many things out there being hidden and covered up. But we have a right to know the truth. Each month I will cover a different conspiracy theory — some well known and some a bit more obscure. You will be given details and theories about each topic, and in the end, it is for you to decide what you believe. Please e-mail me at KatiesConspiracyCorner@yahoo.com with any questions or topic suggestions. F or this month’s article, I wanted to go a bit outside the box on some of my previous topics. As a paranormal investigator, there are many theories and methods and pieces of equipment that we use in an effort to communicate. Each of these ideas and devices are all critiqued in their own way. What I wanted to do was cover a controversial piece of equipment that I myself work with on many investigations: dowsing rods. I want to cover the history as well as their use in the paranormal field. What Is Dowsing? The dictionary defines dowsing as a form of divination involving rods or a wand, especially the art of finding underground supplies of water, ores, or oil, as well as finding grave sites without the use of scientific apparatus. The most common methods of dowsing are either using dowsing rods or a pendulum. There are some interesting historical facts available on dowsing as well. Dowsing is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. In the Book of Numbers, it says Moses struck a rock with what could be a type of dowsing rod, and the rock produced enough water for all of his people and their cattle. It was believed then that dowsing was acceptable as long as it was used to do the work of the The origins of dowsing can be traced back to 15th Century Germany when the practice was used to find metals. Lord. It was not OK, however, for the average person to attempt the act of dowsing. The Catholic religion specifically believed that all forms of dowsing were considered to be the work of the devil. In 1518, Martin Luther said that dowsing was a violation of the First Commandment. This is interesting since his father was a miner. In the 16th Century, dowsing was common practice in mining. Dowsing was used not only 68 Paranormal Underground September 2013 been around for thousands of years and simply is a method of using the dowsing rods to direct the operator to a hidden source of water, such as an underground spring or well. Even with all of the advancements in technology over the years, dowsing is a method that is still used today. In 1998, an article on water dowsing was published in Popular Mechanics magazine. For a scientific The Theories magazine, the results were interestThere are many different theoing. In hundreds of cases, the article ries as to how dowsing specifically stated the dowsers were able to works. Some believe it is an elecpredict the depth of the water source tromagnetic attraction between the and the yield of the well within 10rods and the object they desire to 20%, and it went further to say that find. This theory is backed up by the after carefully considering the statisâ€œpullâ€? one feels on the rods while tics, they far exceeded lucky guesses. dowsing. Albert Einstein was noted In summary, they concluded as saying he believed dowsing was the that water dowser were much more Map dowsing is the practice of using a pendulum over a map to locate a person, successful than they suspected they result of that pull. place, or object of significance. Others believe it is a result of would be and proved to be obviously a phenomenon called hyperacucia, far less expensive. which is the ability to be aware of the Map Dowsing: This is the pracsmallest details that most people cannot see, meaning the tice of using a pendulum over a map to locate a person, subconscious has registered the answer or item you are place, or object of significance. One simply holds the penlooking for, but it has not traveled to the portion of your dulum and pins down a location based on the movement brain that is consciously aware of that answer. While this of the pendulum. This method has proven particularly is an interesting theory, it is not fully supported, because it successful in locating missing persons. would not explain how someone finds something underAgricultural Dowsing: Farmers have been noted to ground such as wiring or grave sites. use dowsing to assist in finding the appropriate locations Another theory suggests that everything in this world for their crops. The rods can be used to direct the operavibrates in its own unique way, and these vibrations are tor to the best places on the land to plant. picked up by the dowser and revealed through the rods. Other farmers have used pendulum dowsing to deIt is also said that dowsing is a result of a psychic ability termine the health of their soil by holding the pendulum or form of ESP in which the over a handful of soil and gaugdowser uses their ability to ing the pendulums reaction. One of the most common operate the rods. This is not a Medical Dowsing: In holisuses of dowsing is for widely supported theory, but tic healthcare, dowsing can be locating water supplies. would provide some explanaused for medicinal purposes. tion as to why some people find There are two types of medical themselves unable to use dowsing rods. dowsing. The first would be preventative. In this method, Lastly, in the paranormal field, it is believed that a the operator would use dowsing rods to look for harmful spirit can use its energy to manipulate the rods in an effort gasses in the air, such as radon, which can cause cancer if to communicate and answer yes or no questions or lead exposure happens over a long period of time, as well as an investigator to a place or object of significance. be responsible for headaches, insomnia, chronic fatigue, sterility, and even tuberculosis. Methods of Dowsing The second form of medical dowsing is a diagnostic Water Dowsing: One of the most common uses of method. Those qualified have their patient lie down and dowsing is for locating water supplies. This process has then use a pendulum, working their way over the patientâ€™s to locate mines, but also to explore the mines. Surprisingly, dowsing is also used in the military. In the 1960s, during the Vietnam War, U.S. Marines used dowsing to locate tunnels and weapons. In 1986, when 31 Norwegian soldiers were buried in an avalanche, the Norwegian army used dowsing to locate them. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 69 Katie’s Conspiracy Corner charged that I could almost feel the electricity in my hands and arms. And other times, they would stand still, completely unmoving with no evidence of any type of energy in the room. This proved to me that they do have different reactions at different locations based on the different energies at that location. Lastly, I noticed that there were times where I would receive responses that I could never have known the correct answer to. I have even conducted experiments of my own to help validate the authenticity of the responses I received. One experiment involved an investigator asking me true or false questions from a world history book on facts that I haven’t known the answer too since my sophomore year of high school. Interestingly enough, we received a correct response each time. I personally had little faith in dowsing rods until I picked up a pair for myself. In another experiment we conducted, we had each investigator introduce themselves. Then I was blindfolded and Dowsing in the Paranormal Field taken out of the room. The rest of the team scattered The word divination specifically means the practice themselves around the room, then I was led back in unof seeking knowledge of the unknown by supernatuable to see where anyone was. I asked the rods to point to investigators by name, and much to my delight, I was able ral means, so it is easy to see how this method became popular in the paranormal field. As I briefly touched on to locate each investigator. earlier, dowsing takes on its own meaning in relation to I have also had some very interesting dowsing rod the paranormal. In this case, the person using the dowssessions throughout my investigations. I have used the ing rods is simply the operator, and the rods will become rods to pin down details on who a spirit is, how old they are, and what their reasons are for being in a specific locacharged with energy and move on their own when a presence comes forward. tion. I have also used my dowsing rods to locate objects of Some people within the paranormal community find significance, including a book in a fourth-floor library! the rods to be an ineffective piece of equipment because Opinion too much is left open to suggestion. For instance, is there Dowsing is an art form that has been around since a natural electromagnetic energy source causing the rods to move? Or is it possible the operator could be maniputhe 15th Century, and possibly longer, and has proven to lating the rods on their own? be successful and incredibly useful in so many aspects. I personally had little faith in dowsing rods until I Specifically in the paranormal field, dowsing can be an amazing tool for an investigator. picked up a pair for myself. The first thing I noticed is In my personal experience, I’ve noticed that at times they are virtually impossible to control, so manipulating the response is incredibly unlikely. After working with dowsing rods are much easier for a spirit to maniputhem for a while, another thing I noticed was how differlate. They seem to require less energy to communicate ent they would feel on different investigations. through, which results in longer sessions that result in some compelling evidence. At times they would be incredibly charged, so body until a positive reaction is received. This assists the operator in determining the specific area of the patient’s body that is affected. Archaeological Dowsing: Dowsing is also used to locate artifacts of importance. This is done similar to water dowsing. This method has proved successful in finding arrowheads, dinosaur bones, and even ancient church remains. Dowsing for Grave Sites: Another interesting use for dowsing is to locate unmarked grave sites. This is done by using the dowsing rods in the general suspected area and then moving about the suspected area until a positive response is received. You can also use the rods to give you direction to the general area before receiving your positive answer. There have been several accounts of this being an effective method of locating unmarked graves. 70 Paranormal Underground September 2013 The Psychic Biker Meets The Extreme Ghost Hunter! Available on Amazon.com Today! In this book, Paul Green and Stephen Lambert take a candid look at the world of ghost hunting and the paranormal. They also reveal their thoughts on ghosts and hauntings, as they willingly seek to experience the things most people would run from in terror. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 71 Personal Experiences: Ghost Hunter Case Files A Family Haunted: A True Case File By Rick E. Hale, Foundations Psychical Research Note: All names of the clients have been changed to protect their identity. A few months ago my sister-in-law told me that a close friend of hers had a considerable amount of spirit manifestations in her home and wanted an investigation done. To be honest, I’m always a little reluctant to conduct an investigation on a family member’s home or a friend’s home. It is easy to become emotionally involved. However, after seeing a video that the client’s sister e-mailed me, I was more than a little intrigued. A Video Possibly Catches Paranormal Activity The video was of the client’s one-and-a-half-year-old son sitting in his crib. What struck me as odd was that the baby appeared to be interacting with somebody in the room. As far as I could tell, no one was in the room with him. And then, I began seeing strange pulsating lights flying through the frame. Most would dismiss this as being insects or dust. However, in this case, the lights did not have a fluttering look about them. They were pulsating. Also, the child is a special needs child with some health issues, and his room, like the rest of the house, was kept extremely clean. Apart from the lights, my attention was drawn to the side of the crib. I could see what looked like a shadow form manifesting at the end of the crib. I had seen enough, and despite my rules concerning friends and family, I took the case. Seeing the Light Show in Person The house of Mr. and Mrs. G was a newer home. They were the first owners of the home, so naturally I assumed that the activity could be attributed to the land where the house stood. However, upon researching that I could see what looked like a shadow form manifesting at the end of the crib. theory, the land, like most areas in northern Illinois, was once a cornfield. My next thought was that the family may be attracting transient spirits. In psychical research, we call these people ghost magnets. Now it was time to investigate. At the start of the investigation at the G house, I took several pictures and conducted several EVP sessions. At this time, the little boy took his nap. Naptime was when the manifestations happened. After his parents put him to bed, I sat in the kitchen watching a video baby monitor. Sure enough, shortly after putting him down, the little boy began to react to something in the room. As with the prior video, he was laughing and acting as if he was playing with someone. And then the light show began to happen. As I watched I could see numerous pulsating lights 72 Paranormal Underground September 2013 zipping around the little boys bed. The funny thing is these lights seemed to be coming from the open closet to the right of the crib. I began to wonder if perhaps the closet door was acting as some kind of portal for these spirits to come and go. I have seen this many times before and wondered if there was some truth to the old “monster in the closet” myth. The client’s son never did nap that day. If you’re a parent, you know that this is an ever-present situation. When I went upstairs to gather my recorder, I carefully scrutinized every inch of that room looking for any bugs or signs of fakery. I came up with nothing. Evidence Captured During the Investigation Over the next couple of days I went over every picture I took and nothing substantial caught my eye, except for a large, glowing ball of light in the front room. However, audio was a different matter altogether. I received many one-word answers to my questions on audio. These audio recordings substantiated the claims of the client and solidified in my mind that there was true spirit activity in this family’s home. After sharing the evidence with the client and the client’s sister, I was shocked to discover that another sister had a substantial amount of spirit activity in her home. And like the client’s home, her sister’s home was relatively new and resided in a relatively new subdivision. Of course I thought this was I wondered if there was some truth to the old “monster in the closet” myth. unusual that two sisters with two relatively new homes would have such activity. So as with any good ghost hunter, curiosity got the better of me and I took the case. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this article in our next issue. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 73 Personal Experiences: The Extreme Ghost Hunter Investigates Meet The Extreme Ghost Hunter By Stephen Lambert, Extreme Ghost Hunting W elcome to my new column, “The Extreme Ghost Hunter Investigates.” In the coming months, I will be presenting you with information on haunted sites in the UK, some of which have never been investigated before. I will also be throwing into the mix various strange accounts that I have stumbled across during my travels! This month, I’d like to introduce myself. I was born in Ashington, Northumberland, England, in November 1973. I had a normal upbringing in the North East of England. Looking back I have tried to establish when exactly I became interested in the paranormal and have come to the conclusion this was an ongoing interest from a very early age. My first real dealing with death was the loss of my grandfather from my father’s side of the family. I was very young at the time and remember waking up during the night and seeing what can only be described as various heads of gentlemen around my sofa bed. I am not saying that these were ghosts. Maybe I didn’t wake up and was dreaming or possibly it was the imagination of a young boy. It was very strange nevertheless. What is not in doubt is the root cause, albeit a good one, of my interest in all things horror and spooky. It was my father who helped start me on the journey I am now on. He absolutely loved horror movies. Rightly or wrongly, as a young boy, I had watched many such movies as The Evil Dead, Dawn of the Dead, The Exorcist, and many more. My parents still have a box set of 1970s LPs that has a Ouija board drawn on the inside of the cardboard box that held the LPs. Now I have never seen them use it, and I am not sure having the letters in alphabetical order is correct, but at least they tried. Stephen Lambert has more than 10 years of experience in ghost hunting. He has spent a lot of this time on overnight ghost hunts alone. Moving forward a few years there was the loss of my other grandfather. This affected me greatly. I was very close to him, and to see an intelligent man, who had survived his ship being sunk in the Second World War, just wilt away to nothing was very hard to take. His mind and body had gone, and I remember being told to visit him as he didn’t have long left. I didn’t like the service home he was in. Not that there was anything wrong with the staff or people; I just didn’t like it. The staff had dressed and sat him up in a chair for our visit. When I saw him, there was nothing there; it was just like the lights were on, but no one was home. My par- 74 Paranormal Underground September 2013 ents were talking to him, but there had been no response of any kind for weeks. I just held his hand. As my parents were chatting to him, they told him Stephen was here. At the same time, and from absolutely nowhere, he shouted my name. He didn’t move or stop staring at the wall, just shouted my name. We left, and a few days later he was gone. I have not really talked about this until now, but that day affected me quite badly. I still find it quite hard and often visit his grave when I am down or needing help. The next major influence, as was with probably a lot of people, was the introduction of TV shows surrounding ghost hunting. I was hooked. I set off on the Internet to see where I could get involved. I stumbled across a Website for North East Paranormal UK (NEPUK), which is sadly no longer running. I approached them and quickly became involved with the group. I can still remember the very first investigation we went on. It was at the Newcastle Keep in England. Moving on again, there have been a few instances with my son that I cannot explain. When he was a toddler and slept in his cot, his toys were always at one end of the cot. You never think about this, and why should you? It’s nothing strange. It only became strange when I was doing an investigation at Kielder Castle. I have some history you could say with the ghost of Emma at Kielder. Whilst at Kielder a medium told me the ghost of Emma had visited me at home and had seen my son. She didn’t know I had a son and also asked me if his toys were at one end of his cot. My jaw dropped at this point. She explained that he may have seen her and was trying to give her his toys to play with. The next strange occurrence involves both my son and father. I was at work and got a call from my mother to say that my father had seen Evan, my son, in the bedroom at night with another boy that he did not recognize. This was not the first time my father had seen ghostly figures, so I just talked it away. That was until my wife at the time called me to tell me about Evan’s dream. Evan told his mother that during the night he had floated to see his granddad in his bedroom. Apparently, he was standing in the bedroom looking at him. Now to hear that about an hour after the first bit of information just stops you in your tracks. I cannot explain either event, but both are very interesting. With dwindling members of NEPUK, I decided to go it alone. I had an idea for a book, which has been released now with Paul Green — albeit it has taken many years and I documented each location’s history and ghost stories. many format changes to get to this point. I wanted to have a go at things my way. I had made up my mind to contact locations in Northern England and Scotland about the possibility of spending time at their haunted locations. I would document the history and ghost stories, as well as record accounts from the overnight vigil. The big difference being, this was to be done by myself or, at most, there would be only two of us on location. To my surprise I was getting a lot of positive responses from locations. Previously, whilst trying to acquire locations for groups, I had found it much more difficult. I can only surmise that people preferred fewer people on their property. My work for the book at this time was very enjoyable. I got the chance to stay in some wonderful places, some which were family homes not open to the public. One of my accounts was published in a book by Jason Karl of 21st Century Ghosts. I had met Jason previously on a ghost hunting night to help raise money for charity. Working on the book then gave me the idea for a TV show. Being on location alone really captures what I believe ghost hunting is about, and this is what I wanted to give the public the chance to see. No fancy equipment. (Obviously there would be the need to carry a video camera or how could it be a TV show?). At one with the elements and the fear of being alone. As with the book, this idea for TV has evolved over time. Hopefully, as well as just reading about us, you will be able to see us on the TV in the not too distant future. To help us with the book, TV, and many other ideas, I created the company Extreme Ghost Hunting Limited. The first question I get from a lot of people is why is it extreme? The fact that people ask that question means that the name works. People are interested and intrigued. When creating the company I tried to think of lots of different catchy names until I got to the word extreme. This was the nearest word I could get to explain the points I mentioned with the TV idea, points such as alone, scary location, no fancy equipment, and against the elements. Throw a Psychic Biker into the mix and I think Extreme Ghost Hunting works very well. As we are finding out, everything to do with TV is a very slow process. I believe there is an element of luck involved with it as well. Being in the right place at the right time comes to mind. Who knows, by the time you have started reading this article, you may have already seen us on TV. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 75 Personal Experiences: Tales From The Haunted Heathman Hotel A Road Trip to Montana State Prison By Rob St.Helen, West Coast Ghost Hunters F or this month’s column, I’ll be leaving the Haunted Heathman and taking a detour. I recently had the privilege of driving to Montana and doing a joint investigation with Olympic Peninsula Paranormal Society (OPPS) (http://www.olympicpeninsulaparanormalsociety.com/) at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, Montana. It was a very quick trip for me, as I left at 1 a.m. Friday morning, headed north to pick up a friend (Deanne Stewart), and then went east, which felt like forever. We arriving in Helena at 3:30 p.m. We had a scheduled tour setup at the prison. Unfortunately, we were late getting to the location and missed the tour. However, Scott Powers and company at OPPS took the tour and filled us in on the details when we met up later that night for a great Mexican food dinner and chat about the prison. After dinner, we discussed investigative ideas and how we wanted to set up cameras and voice recorders. It was fun for me just being with team OPPS, and I really enjoy working with them. We got back to our hotel around 9 p.m., and by 10 p.m. I was out. Saturday, the day of the investigation, I was beyond excited, of course. I am pretty sure we all were. We had been waiting for this day for a while. I woke up around 6 a.m., had breakfast, and laid low for most of the morning. Once early afternoon hit, we took off for our first look at the prison. When we arrived at the prison, I was amazed that it sat on the side of the main street, not in the middle of nowhere as might be expected. As we arrived, we were met by Tambi and Pete, members of OPPS. They had taken the tour that we had missed out on the previous day, so it was nice to have them there for their input and stories of what they had learned from the tour. Six-thirty p.m. hit and we had access to all of the prison. Julie and her daughter, facilitators at the prison, At top: The exterior of the prison. Bottom photo shows a normal-sized cell inside the prison — photo taken by Deanne Stewart. were absolutely wonderful to have around. They were very nice, answered the many questions we had, and gave us access to investigate just about any area we asked for, including cell floors, wardens office, etc. It was a great experience, one I will not forget. I am looking forward to hopefully going back next year for a second go around. While we were there, we did experience some unexplained activity, including hearing disembodied footsteps walking above us and knocking on a rail. We are still going over audio and video from the investigation at this time. Scott, Michelle, Mary, Tambi, Pete, and Tamara: “Thank you” for this incredible invite. I know I had a wonderful time. And after chatting with Deanne, I know she had an experience of a lifetime! 76 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Vampires, Werewolves, & Witches! Mari Wells Delves Into The Myth Surrounding Some Of The Worldâ€™s Most Feared Creatures! Join the conversation at http://mariwells.wordpress.com/ September 2013 Paranormal Underground 77 Personal Experiences: Reader Encounters A Mother’s Gift from Beyond By Charles G. Gotski, In The Dark Investigations I ’m always asked, like most of you that are in the paranormal field, what made me get into paranormal investigation. For me it was a personal experience. Most of the story I have shared before, but there was always a part I had left out. Why? Probably for fear that even to the people who believe in the paranormal it would sound a little crazy. But I think it’s time that we get everything out in the open. Time to clear the air or to leave no rock unturned (I just love old sayings). OK, so (deep breath in) here we go. It was 1974, and I was 15. I had already seen my fair share of relatives or friends, people that I knew and loved, pass away. And what always would run through my mind was something like this: Wow, so that’s it. We are born, we do what we do while we’re here, and then we just fade to black? I never understood what purpose there was to that. I was raised a Methodist and was taught within the church, as it was explained then, that when we passed we just went to Heaven (or Hell if you were bad). And that was about it. Before we go any further, I want to make something clear. I’m not knocking religion or what anyone believes. I’m just speaking from strictly my own perspective. I just couldn’t see in my mind’s view that with us as human beings, such a complex entity, that all there would be is life and death. (Little did I know much later that the answer to this question would come in such a sad and usual way). I mean, come on! Really, that was all there is? Seems kinda pointless to have all these great experiences, gain all this knowledge, and then to have it all go out the window when we die. Just didn’t make sense. Lucky for me I was a curious fellow by nature and an avid reader. I especially loved to read about weird and unusual events — things that couldn’t be explained. You know, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. I would go to the library always scouring for something new to get into. One day while looking for something interesting to sink my teeth into, I came across an author by the name of Hans Holzer and a book called The Ghost Hunter. I started to read these stories, and I was just blown away by the accounts that were held within. It fit more to what I kind of believed myself, but at the Charles’ mother pictured in 1963. same time I had to keep telling myself I didn’t know this man personally. I had to think these were just stories right? You know that old saying (here I go again): Don’t believe everything that you read. Written to amaze and entertain you as the reader and nothing more. So, as much as I enjoyed these tales of the other side, they really didn’t hold any meaning for me, at least not yet. The day everything started to change I remember quite clearly. I had come home one day from school to see my mother and father sitting at the living room table, my father’s face very serious and stressed. And my mother looked like she had been crying a lot. They told me to sit down and that they had something they needed to talk to me about. My first thought was I was in some kind of trouble, but that was not the case. My father stated that because I was the oldest that I needed to know what was happening and that he would be counting on my help with things. They just found out that my mother had lung cancer. Unfortunately, due to a doctor’s error, they found out much later then they should have, and the cancer had spread. My mother had to go in for an operation to see it any of it could be removed. It didn’t look good. With the news, my eyes welled up and my heart broke. I mean, my mom and I had our share of disagreements, but I still loved her. She was my mom. From that moment things went downhill. I remember lying awake night after night after two surgeries had failed to do any good. I listened as my dad tried desperately to get my mom to eat something as she paced back and forth, slippers on her feet, across the tiled floor of our kitchen crying, saying that it was too painful to do so. Eventually, she returned to the hospital until the cancer took its course, spreading everywhere 78 Paranormal Underground September 2013 until there was no life left within her. Another fade to black. remember quite clearly I had been at a friend’s house for And what was once a beautiful, dark-haired woman, vibrant the day and was heading back home. I was waiting to cross with life, ended with her gaunt and pale, the chemo taking the street, kind of daydreaming (which I still do from time to time) and thinking about what had happened just days what was left off her once-beautiful locks, extinguishing her before, when I looked up and there on the other side of the like water to a flame. street was my mother. Yes my mother! Many months later, after she was gone, we all tried to get back to some kind of normalcy. My dad was out dating She was just as I had remembered her when she was now, and my two younger brothers and I were just trying to alive and well — dark hair, thin, and beautiful as always. And she was smiling at me. I mean just beaming as happy move forward. I still remember the night that it happened as someone could be. I remember just staring and thinking, so well. It’s been 30-plus years, but it’s just as vivid now as it Am I really seeing this? Is this really happening? was then. I was sitting in the living room; my brothers were asleep, and my Dad had gone out. And then as quickly as it happened, a bus crossed over The TV was going. I think I was watching Happy Days, where she was and she was gone. It was in that exact moment that I felt a peace come over me. Like I finally had the answer when I suddenly heard the noise I had heard so many times to the question I had been wondering about for so long; we when my mother was alive. The unmistakable noise of somedon’t just fade to black. The person we see when we look into one pacing back and forth across the kitchen floor. Now, I know I had locked both the front and back door, partly out the mirror every day isn’t who we really are. It is the spirit or of being in the house with only my two the soul that resides within that makes us a human being. brothers and partly because I was always So now, thanks to my mom, what freaked out when sitting alone at home. was only thought of as a terrible injustice So I got up slowly and made my way to the kitchen. I had to see what was hapin my eyes was actually so much more. pening no matter how freaked out I was. Am I saying that I don’t miss her for who she was? No not at all. But what I As I entered the kitchen, the realized is that in life all things happen sounds stopped as if on cue as my foot for a reason, even death. And that somehit the kitchen floor. No one was there. And if that wasn’t enough to freak me thing that I had looked at my whole life out, it was then that I realized I recogas being so terrible — the loss of a loved one —also had another side to it, a posinized that sound. That it was the same tive side. It gave me a purpose to my sound that my mother had made so Charles is pictured in 2011 investigating. life, something beyond the daily grind many times before when pacing in her slippers when she had become ill. for which we all must endure. It put me What makes it even more unbelievable is that we had into a field that I’m passionate about and allowed me to be who I am today. carpeted the floor shortly after her death, and it wasn’t even And not only that, but along the way it gave me the oppossible to make that sound on the floor anymore. It’s at that portunity to meet some incredible people, such as my team moment I remembered the book I had read about haunted houses. Was it possible that it had been my mother, back to members and friends Larry, Al, and Janine. I got to meet give me a sign like I had read that some spirits of people do. Cheryl Knight and Chad Wilson, who allowed me to introduce myself to others within the field through this awesome Was she letting me know that she was still around? Maybe. magazine. For being invited to be on Paranormal UnderOr was it just my imagination at work? ground Radio and meet two wonderful people in Karen FraEven though I knew what I had just experienced had no logical explanation, I wasn’t quite ready to make that leap in zier and Rick Hale, the latter who has become a good friend my mind that it had been something paranormal, at least not and fellow investigator. To all the clients we have met along the way, such as Al, Judy, Justin, Matt, and so many others. yet. OK, so this is the story that I have shared with all who Not to mention meeting people from across the world like ask, the half of the story that isn’t too risky to talk about. But my good friend Ashley Hall from The Paranormal Guide it’s not what really made me believe; no, it is the other half, the one I’m about to tell you that, until now, I had never or my best UK buddies The Psychic Biker Paul Green and mentioned to anyone, ever. Extreme Ghost Hunter Stephen Lambert. And to many others who I have yet to meet. So, to those This is what made me a believer. The one thing that who wanted to know why I’m in the paranormal field this is showed me in which direction my life would be destined my story. The whole story. to go. That there were things out there that we just couldn’t explain. Events in our lives that were for all intents and purAnd to my mother. I will always love you for finding a poses considered to be, well, paranormal. way that day to show me the real truth. To you I say thanks Mom; thanks for such a precious gift. It had been weeks since my house incident, and I September 2013 Paranormal Underground 79 Religion And The Paranormal Native American Spirituality and the Paranormal By Melinda Stum, M.Div., South Sound Paranormal Research P rior to the arrival of Europeans, North America flourished with a rich diversity of native cultures that differed in religious narratives, practices, and convictions. This diversity cannot be universally or comprehensively defined into a single Native American spirituality. However, these spiritualities share a common spiritual foundation upon which their experiences of the paranormal are built. Native American Spirits Native American spiritualities share a cornerstone with interest in the paranormal and afterlife research, known as animism, or a belief in the soul and the spirit world. Native American animism, however, is rooted deeper than popular paranormal interest in disembodied human spirits. It proclaims that the natural and supernatural/paranormal are shared, not separate, including the spirits of nature, animals, and humans. Thus, the Native American spiritualities have traditionally embraced spirits with respect, not fear, and perceived the spirits as neither inherently benevolent nor malevolent. In regards to disembodied human spirits, Native American cultures have spiritual practices regarding death, the bodily remains, and proper burial to ensure that the spirit may peacefully rest. If these spiritual practices are not granted or properly conducted, the spirit may not be able to peacefully rest. If the grave or remains are disturbed, the peacefully resting spirit may be awakened and doomed to walk the Earth until peace is found once again. These non-resting spirits are able to affect the living with drained energy levels, headaches, nausea, fever, the sensation of suffocation, and the experience of hallucinations. These non-resting spirits are those often associated with paranormal investigation and afterlife research. Shamans Shaman is an anthropological identification for the spiritual leader and/or healer in Native American spiritual traditions. As the spiritual leader, the shamans have spiri- tual obligations and responsibilities for their community. One responsibility is to communicate with the spirits and the spirit world. The shaman may communicate with a malevolent spirit as a representative of the community or a mediator between the spirit and the affected living. The malevolent spirit may seek revenge or retribution; the obligation of the shaman is to appease the malevolent spirit and return the spirit to a peaceful rest. A second responsibility includes encouraging a spirit to occupy their physical person during a public lodge ceremony. The spirit may be enticed with ceremonial chanting and drums. Afterwards, the spirit will depart the shaman in order to complete the requested task. A third responsibility includes spiritual, or out-of-body, travel. The shaman may enter into a trance, during which the shaman is able to travel through the underworld or significant distances on Earth. These travels are often for the purpose of healing individuals or finding lost possessions. Vision Quest + Guardian Spirit Vision quests are rites of passage celebrated by a variety of Native American cultures. The vision quest marks 80 Paranormal Underground September 2013 the transition of a young male into manhood, either prior to or during puberty. During the vision quest, the young male will leave the comfort of the community behind and enter into the wilderness alone. While in the wilderness, the young man will fast, meditate, and engage in physical challenges. Although the vision quest engages the mental and physical being of the young male, the intention is spiritual in nature. This intention is for the young male to experience a vision, or a revelation, which guides his continued development until death. In order to honor the vision, the young male is to seek a guardian spirit that will guide and support him for the remainder of his lifetime. Animal Spirits and the Hunt As I previously wrote, Native American animism embraces animal spirits. These animal spirits exist in relationship with nature and human beings. The human-animal relationship is evident in the philosophy of the hunt and the ritualistic mannerisms of the hunter. The philosophy of the hunt in several Native American cultures is intriguing. The cultures hold that animals must choose to be visible to human persons. Therefore, the hunted animal must choose to be visible to the hunter. Thus, this choice is an active sacrifice of their life, flesh, and spirit in order that the human persons may be fed. In honor of this sacrifice, the Native American hunter will only hunt as needed and will utilize the entirety of the animal’s remains. The Native American cultures and their hunters have established ritualistic traditions to honor the animal. The hunter will speak, or chant, a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving for the animal’s sacrifice. A few Native American cultures insist that the successful hunter consume the animal’s warm blood and with it the animal’s spirit. In regards to these Native American cultures, this ritualistic tradition is particularly significant for a hunter’s first kill. However, whether the tradition is a prayer, consuming the blood, or another ritual, these intend to appease the animal’s spirit and convince other animals to willingly sacrifice their life, flesh, and spirit for the health of the human persons. Conclusion Native American spiritualities, paranormal interests, and afterlife research share a common cornerstone known as animism, a belief in the soul and the spirit world. This cornerstone supports the foundation of spirits, the responsibilities of shamans, the vision quest, and the experience of the hunt. This is a solid foundation upon which an interest, experience, and/or belief in the paranormal may be built. Do you have a paranormal problem? Are you in the Kendall County, Illinois, area? All investigations last 4 to 8 hours, depending on the claims and severity of the case No Fees Are Charged Founder/ Lead Investigator Chuck Gotski Larry Jednachowski CoFounder/Tech Manager Case Manager/ Investigator Al Long Janine Hancock Researcher/ Investigator in Training Contact the Team at: inthedarkinvestigations@ hotmail.com September 2013 Keep The Lights Out ... Paranormal Underground 81 www.inthedarkinvestigations. com Author Profile “Haunted Sanctuary” Moira Rogers: Y By Michelle M. Pillow, www.MichellePillow.com es, it’s true! Moira Rogers is actually two people, a pair of best friends who collaborate to the extent that sometimes they might as well be one person. (Or perhaps share one brain between the two of them.) So, how do you make a Moira Rogers? Take a former forensic science and nursing student obsessed with paranormal romance and add a computer programmer with a passion for gritty urban fantasy. Toss in a dash of whimsy and a lot of caffeine, and enjoy with a side of chocolate by the light of the full moon. By day, Bree Bridges and Donna Herren are mildmannered ladies who reside in the Deep South. At night, when their husbands and children are asleep, they combine forces to unleash the product of their fevered imaginations upon the page. So, let’s take a look at the duo behind “Moira Rogers.” After devoting several years to getting a degree in computer science, Bree quit her job as a database programmer to enjoy the crazy life of a full-time writer. She is interested in paranormal romance, urban fantasy, sci-fi, fantasy, post-apocalyptic tales, and any book that tells her how to knit, crochet, felt, bead, silkscreen, sew, quilt, cook, bake, do woodwork, make stained glass, or program computers. As the mother of two young daughters, Donna spends most of her time helping with homework and social tribulations, trying not to learn any more about Justin Bieber than absolutely necessary, and talking up superheroes as role models. She also enjoys reading, watching television, listening to music, and cooking, usually in some odd simultaneous combination. The duo’s newest paranormal romance novel, Haunted Sanctuary, was released in January 2013 from Eden Green can’t remember a time she didn’t believe in monsters — her cousin was born one. Her family’s dark past casts a long shadow, making it hard to make friends and harder to commit to a lover. She lives a quiet life, but she’s always waiting for the other shoe to drop. 82 Paranormal Underground September 2013 Samhain Publishing. So where did the name Moira Rogers come from? Middle names. But Bree and Donna aren’t telling you whose. ***** Q: In your book, Haunted Sanctuary you delve into the world of werewolves, witches and ghosts. What inspired you to write about this? Moira: Though this is hardly the first time we’ve written about werewolves or witches, this new series gave us a chance to do something we’d always wanted — to introduce our paranormal heroes and heroines to their own sort of Thing That Goes Bump in the Night. We love ghost stories, the really good ones that give you the shivers because you’re not quite sure whether to believe them or not. It seemed like it would be fun to put our werewolves in the same situation. Sure, they’re tough, rough, and howl at the moon. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be just as scared of ghosts as we are. Maybe even more. ;) Q: When world-building, did you base your story off of known myths throughout history? Moira: We always pick and choose among popular mythology for all paranormal creatures before giving the world an edge of our own. In our Sanctuary series, magic is a thing of balance, with werewolves representing life and vampires death, with witches straddling the line. I think my favorite part of creating a paranormal mythology for a fictional world is deciding how your mythology could create the popular myths of the day. It’s almost like reverse engineering a new truth from popular fantasy. Lorelei Adams has lost many things — her humanity, her life, even her son. She’s always fought through her exhaustion, always stayed strong for her pack, but now there are new alphas to take care of the others. Unfortunately, time to rest means time to think about her own pain. “I think we’re obsessed with wonder and fear.” Q: Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal? Moira: I think we’re obsessed with wonder and fear. It’s so much fun to imagine a secret world just beneath the one we see every day, to imagine that all those odd things we can’t quite explain fit into a larger picture, one that thrills us and scares us and ultimately delights us. I think humans are explorers, at heart, and we all love the fantasy of discovering a new world that’s been around us all along. What are your favorite paranormal shows, movies, and books? Moira: Oh, we love so many. Both the purely fictional, like True Blood and my current favorite Lost Girl, to the ones where people are really chasing ghosts, like Ghost Hunters or The Dead Files. We don’t care how campy or silly the show is; it’s always good clean (or dirty!) paranormal fun. When it comes to books, there are almost too many to name. Some of my auto-buy authors include Kelley Armstrong, Meljean Brook, Kristen Callihan, Patricia Briggs, Vivian Arend, Ann Aguirre, and Keith Melton. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 83 Author Profile Q: Do you believe in the supernatural? Or are you a skeptic? Donna: Yes to both. Bree: I don’t know if I believe in ghosts, but I am afraid of them. So, there’s that. Q: What kind of paranormal creatures do you wish you could meet? Moira: Anything but zombies. But I think I’d pick witches. I’d love to see magic at work, because the idea of magic has entranced me my whole life. It’s what led me to pick up fantasy novels, and then move to urban fantasy and paranormals. Q: If given the chance, would you become a werewolf? Moira: TOTALLY. As long as I got the super-healing and the great metabolism. I could handle rare steaks, dodging hunters during the full moon, and a whole lot of other inconveniences if I got those two things in return. Q: How would you react if you came face to face with a ghost? Moira: I like to say I’d try to talk to it, communicate with it, and learn all sorts of spiritual truths to get a greater understanding of our world. But I’d probably scream, throw something at it, and flee into the night in a blind panic. Q: What does the future hold for your werewolves and their ghosts? Moira: Haunted Sanctuary was the first of four books that will delve into the history of one small Southern farm, and explore all the ways people — even paranormal people — can be haunted. Our four werewolf couples will have to face their pasts, their fears, and some very real ghosts before they can find their way to a happy ending. Q: Have you ever been abducted by aliens? Moira: I’m pretty sure not ... but maybe that’s what the aliens want me to think! ***** To learn more about Bree and Donna and the duo’s books, visit http://www.moirarogers.com. Moira Rogers Book Titles Southern Arcana Crux Crossroads Deadlock Cipher Impulse Bloodhounds Hunter’s Prey Shadowed Moon Diana’s Hound Wilder’s Mate Archer’s Lady Shattered Moon Merrick’s Destiny Sanctuary Cry Sanctuary Sanctuary Lost Sanctuary’s Price Sanctuary Sanctuary Unbound A Safe Harbor Undertow Sanctuary Redeemed Building Sanctuary Haunted Sanctuary Haunted Magic Haunted Wolves Children of the Undying Demon Bait Hammer Down 84 Paranormal Underground September 2013 September 2013 Paranormal Underground 85 Paranormal Perspective: Guest Editorial Coming Together Is a Beginning By Elaine Davison, Western Oregon Organization of Paranormal Investigators “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” –Henry Ford I firmly believe there is a big huge misunderstanding in the paranormal community. Everyone is part of the paranormal community for their own reason; let’s make no mistake about this fact. The community is a better place because of it; however, people often don’t recognize the fact that diversity makes the community better and stronger. Instead, insecurities reign as people speak ill of those that do not believe or have different theories as them. The community is made up of teams, groups, and individuals; this adds balance to the community. When teams go awry, chaos and conflict can dominate in the community. Let’s start by discussing personalities; everyone has a core personality that adapts to the environment that they are in at that moment. If one was to take the Myers-Briggs personality indicator at home, work, with their paranormal group/team, alone, and in a crowd — it is highly probable the results will all be different. One’s environment and background help to form one’s personality, so if the environment changes it is highly probable that one’s personality changes. I have been to many conferences or group investigations where teams have imploded before my eyes because they have never seen the other personalities of their mates and all hell broke loose. We need to always remember we react differently in different environments, so do not be shocked if your mates react different at a paracon than during a team meeting. The environments are different. Individuals in the community are just people choosing to go out and investigate and experiment on their own for a variety of reasons, despite the fact that a team or a group can often reach a better solution than an individual working alone. A group is a bunch of individuals; they don’t necessarily have a common goal. These people are not bound together in a cause; they simply exist as individuals with similar interests often sharing ideas. This is not wrong, but they are not a team. The definition of a team is “a small group of individuals with complementary skills who must work together toward a common purpose/goal for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.” Nowhere does this state they all must agree on everything; a psychic, skeptic, believer, and non-believer can make a wonderful team if they agree on a common goal such as: “To prove or disprove the existence of life after death.” In most cases a team can reach a better conclusion than an individual or group because each team member will look at the same outcome in different ways and confer. To work as a team, though, they need to have some 86 Paranormal Underground September 2013 sort of an agreement, mission statement, or charter as a better reach the team’s ultimate goal. The team is able to guide to align under. plan and take direction without chaos ensuing. The team Teams are more complicated than groups and take expectations and rules are followed. nurturing to be successful. There are four stages, accordTeam leaders should be stepping back during the ing to Bruce Tuckman’s model, that each team must go Norming phase, letting each team member share the rethrough to become a successful performing team. A fifth sponsibility. No one person should bear the responsibility and final stage added much later than the original model to keep a team going. This is a good time for paranormal of four is Adjourning. teams to venture out and meet socially. Try bowling, campWhen teams first form, the Forming stage, interpersoning, or playing mini-golf. This allows the team to have fun al relationships are often guarded. People are on their best while getting to meet each other’s “other” personalities. behavior, and the team is often dependent on the team’s The fourth stage is Performing. In this phase team leaders for guidance. It is immembers tend to be more portant to clearly ask each team flexible in their roles and come All team members must member for their input. Teams together to support one anaccept and work toward the should take the time to critique other. Team methods and data goal of the team and particitheir processes and openly discollection and review become pate in team meetings. cuss which method the team will second nature. Team energy use. Writing a mission statement is high during this phase, and or a charter will help the team be focused. leadership is situational. Often someone approaching the The second stage, Storming, is the hardest for most team would not be able to pick out the team leader withteams to get through. During this stage, ideas are often atout asking. The team develops a sense of pride, not just in tacked and defended. The team structure is often resisted, their self or team, but in each other’s successes. and people wander off doing their own thing and many of Teams in the Performing stage that go out to parathe discussions are argumentative. Productivity is stalled cons and paranormal meet-ups tend to learn more and as tensions arise, because people have hidden agendas are able to put the information gathered at these events to and don’t listen to each other. much better use. The team will trust each other to at least There are paranormal teams out there that never try new concepts at least once. get past the storming phase, as members never find their All teams must start at the Forming stage and canniche and insecurities dominate the group. Understanding not skip phases. Each phase is important, as it will help why conflicts are occurring and the various steps of a team build cohesiveness. Teams can move backwards through may help; members realizing things will eventually get betthe phases. Perhaps a new member is having a hard time ter will help teams through this phase. Team leaders need fitting in or suffers from HPD, throwing the team back to to remain positive but firm while helping those who are the Storming phase. less secure find their way. All team members must accept and work toward the There are a small percentage of people who find goal of the team and participate in team meetings. To their way onto paranormal teams who suffer from Hismake the team successful, often members must fulfill trionic Personality Disorder (HPD). These team memresponsibilities and assigned tasks outside investigations bers often “stir the pot” to keep the turmoil alive. These and meetings. Members should always practice beneficial people thrive in this state, as they can draw attention to team behaviors; negativity reflects not only on the memthemselves by playing the victim. When the team begins ber, but the entire team. to move on past this stage, these people will begin to There are many people and teams claiming to strive talk about other teams in a negative light or cause drama for para-unity. The definition of unity varies from dictionbetween teams to keep the attention going. These people ary to dictionary, but most have something along the lines create toxicity in the entire paranormal community and that it brings (people) together so as to form a whole or to should be monitored at all times. Teams who have memcombine (people) in interest, attitude, or action. bers like this will never move to the next phase until the The community has become so large that this dream member is dismissed or has otherwise left the team. of peace and harmony for all is not likely until norms are Norming is the third phase. Things begin to calm established throughout the community and individuals, down, and people openly express ideas and feelings groups, and teams are identified and accepted as such. without feeling attacked. People accept each other and There is room for most, and the differences of all should their differences and work to use these differences to be celebrated, not mocked or discouraged. September 2013 Paranormal Underground 87 For Back Issues of Paranormal Underground Magazine, Visit www.paranormalunderground.net!