Halloween—Visits from Beyond

      I love this time of year—pumpkins and cider, ghost stories and creepy movies, costumes and treats. But October 31 also has a mystical and occult significance, which is, in fact, the root from which the secular holiday evolved. That deeper meaning is something I always remember.
      For practitioners of Western Celtic Wicca, there are eight “power points” on the Wheel of the Year, Eight Ritual Occasions that mark important shifts in invisible forces on our planet. October 31, Samhain, is one of those power points. In keeping with ancient Celtic tradition, this is an occasion for giving thanks for all that was reaped during the harvest. It is also the time when the “veil between the worlds” is thin—a potent time for magic and mystical insight, and for connecting with those who have passed to the other side. This is the occasion, Wiccans believe, for celebrating eternality and triumph over death. I know there really is something to that.
      There’s an air of power and imminent mystery at this time of year, a sense that something unseen is very close—I’ve felt it. And I’ve had some uncanny and memorable experiences on Halloween.
      After handing out treats to the little visitors who come to my door—a custom I really enjoy—I sometimes do a small ceremony or prayer late on Halloween night, to honor the deeper meaning of the holiday. One year, when Samhain/Halloween coincided with the full moon, I lit a candle and did a special meditation to bless my loved ones who had passed over.
      I had an older cousin who had died a few months before. Shortly after I began my meditation, an impression of his tall, lanky figure flashed unexpectedly into my mind. I heard, more as an idea than a set of words, that he had come to say goodbye, and to let me know he was proud of me. Whoa! I didn’t expect that. I hadn’t even been thinking about him when I started the meditation.
      And then a procession of people—some of whom I hadn’t thought about in years—began to stream through my mind. Their images, their energies, were so vivid and clear. They had come to wish me well, and to connect with me again for just a little while. When I had lived on the East Coast about twenty years before, I had worked in a nursing home, and had become really close with the residents. So many of them came back to visit me that Halloween night. I was awed and amazed.
      My father, who had already been entering my meditations for years since his death, came that night, too. He offered words of encouragement and approval. And: there was a neighbor from my childhood who had committed a huge wrong against me and my parents. He also appeared. And he apologized for what he had done.
      October 31 really is much more than just the Halloween festivities I love. So: along with the fun this Halloween, I might light a candle or send a blessing to someone who’s passed on. I could raise a cup to immortality. Maybe I'll have some visitors from beyond. It would be the perfect time for it.

Author Ann Young

Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction … and Fact

Haunted Battlefields—Gettysburg, PA, Part Two

     From July 1 to 3, 1863, a fierce Civil War battle was fought in the Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg. The town today is the site of the National Military Park, operated by the US National Park Service. The park, once the scene of death and terrible bloodshed, is filled with grass, fields, trees, and restored historical buildings; memorials stand in various locations, in honor of the men who fought there. But Gettysburg has a paranormal legacy as well—in the form of innumerable reports of strange phenomena from all around the town.

     The odd occurrences at Gettysburg began shortly after the battle ended, and have taken a variety of forms. Multiple incidents of phantom sights, smells, and sounds have been reported. Visitors to Baltimore Street sometimes notice ghostly traces of the scents of vanilla and peppermint. In the days following the battle, the streets of Gettysburg were littered with the decaying bodies of the dead—and the ladies of the town used handkerchiefs saturated with vanilla and peppermint, “pressed to their faces to combat the horrible smell of death.” (www.prairieghosts.com)

     The Devil’s Den—a forbidding outcropping of rock where an especially bloody skirmish took place—is reputed to be one of the most haunted areas of Gettysburg. People have reported hearing the sounds of gunfire & men shouting. The reports of apparitions—some of whom have actually interacted with the living—date back to the days following the battle, when two hunters in the area saw a dim, gesturing male figure who then vanished. (For more details on the earliest reports, go to http://annyoungfiction.blogspot.com/2016/07/haunted-battlefieldsgettysburg-pa.html.) People have also seen a phantom rider who vanishes. And a barefoot, ghostly figure in ragged clothes appeared next to a visiting woman, actually speaking to her before he disappeared.

     One of the most haunted buildings in town is Pennsylvania Hall at Gettysburg College. At the time of the battle, the college was in the thick of the fighting—and the building was used as a Confederate lookout post and field hospital. Ghostly soldiers have been seen pacing in the cupola, shadowy figures standing in the tower; another figure was seen gesturing wildly at a student below, and then vanished. There is also the story of two college administrators who worked in the building. The elevator in which they were riding inexplicably took them to the basement, where—the elevator doors opened onto a bloody, phantom scene of a field hospital filled with horribly wounded soldiers and medical personnel in bloodied garments.

     This is just a small sampling of Gettysburg’s paranormal history, which has been explored in a number of books. Predictably, the town has also become a favorite destination for ghost hunters and others fascinated with hauntings and ghost lore.

http://www.prairieghosts.com/Gettysburg.html

http://www.gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/Gettysburg_Facts/Gettysburg_Facts.php

            http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm

Author Ann Young

Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction ... and Fact

 

Haunted Battlefields—Gettysburg, PA

     The town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was the site of the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War. The town’s long, chilling history of paranormal occurrences began a short time after the battle ended.

     The Battle of Gettysburg, fought in the hills, forests, and streets of the town, raged on for three days, from July 1-3, 1863. During this monumental battle, 70,000 Confederate men faced off against 94,000 Federals. When the fighting ended, the Confederates, led by General Robert E. Lee, had lost the battle. The casualties from both sides, including the dead, wounded, captured, and missing, are estimated between 45- and 51,000.

     In the aftermath of the battle, the once-quiet town of Gettysburg was a scene of human devastation. The bodies of the dead, scattered in and around the town, lay bloating and decaying in the summer heat. Houses and businesses, and even the Hall at Pennsylvania College, had been turned into makeshift field hospitals to accommodate the wounded and dying. Reports from the period tell of blood-soaked carpets and bloodstained walls in peoples’ homes, with the wounded being laid out side-by-side. The scene at the field hospital in Pennsylvania Hall was especially intense: blood-sprayed walls and floors, amputations without anesthesia, and the mortally wounded being taken just outside the operating rooms to die.

      The process of cleaning up the carnage at Gettysburg would not be swift—but the reports of strange occurrences would be much more immediate. Rose Farm was the site of one early report. The farm had been used as a field hospital and burial ground for slain soldiers, and hundreds had been buried in rows around the house and property. A few weeks after the battle, a man who worked at the farm reported a “strange glowing shape” appearing near the graves just after dark.
     Other early incidents occurred at the Devil’s Den, a “tangled outcropping of rocks” that was reputed to be haunted even before the battle—and was the scene of an intense, bloody skirmish on the second day. After the day’s fighting ended, the men who stood guard that night spoke of a “macabre and unnerving” atmosphere among the “looming rocks” and corpses. In another, later report, a pair of hunters became lost in the woods near the rocky ridge. They saw the “dim figure of a man standing atop the boulders,” gesturing. They realized he was showing them the direction they needed to go. And then he vanished. (www.prairieghosts.com)
     These strange events at Gettysburg were just the beginning. In the 151 years since the battle, innumerable incidents have been reported all around the town. And the reports continue, even to the present day.
     Next entry: Gettysburg today, and its most ghostly locations.
     To learn more about the Battle of Gettysburg and its legacy of paranormal occurrences, visit:
          http://www.prairieghosts.com/gettysburg.html    
           http://www.gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/Gettysburg_Facts/Gettysburg_Facts.php

The Ghost in the Closet

        Enjoy the Paranormal Day Party!

May 3, 2016 

http://www.hauntjaunts.net/paranormal-day-party-invite/

 

As children, most of us were probably frightened, at one time or another, of the monster under the bed or in the closet. I never dreamed that, as a college student, I would be a witness to a string of eerie paranormal disturbances—some of which really did emanate from a bedroom closet.

        These strange events took place in the home of one of my friends. The room where the disturbances occurred did have a history; an older family member, years before, had been convinced there was a presence in the room. She had never felt comfortable there. Years later, when my friend “inherited” the room, and the presence began to make itself strongly known, I was one of the people who experienced it.

I heard the eerie rapping on the (second-story) walls; it would happen in different places in the room, sometimes close to where one of us was sitting, and sometimes in response to what that person had said. I felt the pervasive, unnatural cold that would settle on our clothes and skin. I saw objects move when no one was near them; once, a pack of cigarettes slid across a table. And I heard the distinct sounds of thumping and banging that sometimes came from the closet.

Needless to say, everyone wanted to stay away from that closet, and my friend decided she felt safer with a tall, heavy bureau wedged against the closet door. But: when items began disappearing from all over the house, she had a terrible feeling about where they might be. I was with her on two of the occasions when she finally looked inside the closet.

        I’ll never forget the chilling sense of shock I felt when I saw what was inside. The missing items from the house were there—plus some additional things that no one had realized were missing. We found a magazine, a ticket stub, drawings, photos, plaques, and other objects, tangled up with the old clothing and books stored in the closet. We also found a recent magazine illustration that didn’t belong to anyone in the house; we never did figure out where it came from. And a couple of the paper items were actually crumpled.

After the first two times we looked inside the closet, we took out the things that had been missing, and put everything else neatly on the shelf. The third time my friend opened the closet, she found that the items on the shelf had been tossed onto the floor.

        Was all of this a hoax, or some crazy practical joke? I don’t think so. I knew everyone who lived in that house; my friend and her brother were genuinely terrified about what was happening there. I can’t imagine either of them carrying on a hoax that lasted for over a year and a half. Their mother, a no-nonsense sort of woman, certainly wouldn’t have done it. And the other person in the house was too ill to be physically capable of it.

        I can’t find a rational explanation for all the strange occurrences that took place, either. Even if some of it was hysteria or exaggeration or a mistake, that wouldn’t explain everything. Having been there to witness these things first-hand, I knew I was in the midst of something totally beyond normal comprehension. My view of reality was never the same after that.

            I believe that the spirits of deceased people don’t always entirely leave our world, hovering between the seen and unseen, with their presence echoing back to us in what we call hauntings. I also believe that there are other kinds of non-corporeal beings who were never human, and whose presence occasionally seeps into our familiar reality. Maybe, sometimes, something in our own consciousness attracts or feeds or stirs up these “visitors”; I wondered about that in the case of my friend, who was an experimenter in some of the darker aspects of the occult. The presence in her home became much more disruptive after her experimenting started.

        So: do I think her visitor was a human spirit, or something entirely different? I had a feeling it was human, a male. But I’ll never really know for sure. I think that’s one of the things that intrigues me most.

 

Author Ann Young

Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction … and Fact

www.annyoungparanormal.com

Paranormal Favorites: "Ghost Whisperer"

            As someone who’s witnessed a real‑life haunting, I’m always interested in stories about ghosts. In all honesty, most of the supposedly “true” TV stories about ghosts leave me feeling unsatisfied, even indignant; they’re just not very credible. One of my favorite paranormal TV shows is a fictional one that’s been revived on Ion TV: the “Ghost Whisperer” series. Even though this show is fictional, I find it really enjoyable for many reasons—one of them being that the show reflects some of the things I believe to be true about ghosts.

            For anyone still unfamiliar with the show, “Ghost Whisperer” is the story of Melinda Gordon, played by actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. Since her childhood, Melinda has been able to see and talk to ghosts. As a newly-married young woman living in the town of Grandview, New York, she owns an antique store right on the town square.

But Melinda has another, very serious mission: to figure out why the earthbound spirits who come to her have become trapped among the living. Assisted in her adventures by an intriguing cast of characters, Melinda unravels the mysteries underlying the hauntings. Often she also acts as a mediator between the living and dead, helping them resolve any issues between them. Then she assists the trapped souls in moving “into the light”. The Ghost Whisperer plot, which unfolded over five seasons, also has some juicy twists and turns. I won’t say any more, since I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone who might want to discover the details on their own.

            There’s so much about this show that I really enjoy. First of all, “Ghost Whisperer” has a wonderfully spooky atmosphere, a must for a series about ghosts. The Grandview town square, which is featured often, seems almost super-real and in crisp focus—which contrasts nicely with the creepy, surreal appearance of the dead walking among the living or appearing to Melinda. The show also appeals to me because it has heart and a positive focus; call me sentimental, but I like the fact that Melinda Gordon is a gentle, caring soul who has an affectionate (and deliciously sensual) relationship with her husband. A nice contrast to the uglier side of humanity that’s so often portrayed on TV.

I also think that the moments of release, when the trapped souls go into the light, are beautifully poignant, one of the best parts of the show. It’s also refreshing to see a show, even a fictional one, where the focus is on helping tormented spirits, rather than hunting and/or antagonizing them.

Ghost Whisperer also portrays ghosts and hauntings in a way that reflects some of what I believe about ghosts. I think that many hauntings really are the result of deceased people becoming trapped here because of trauma, a sense of unfinished business, or a reluctance to let go. I also agree, based on personal experience, that spirits really can find ways—sometimes disruptive ones—to make themselves known. I also agree with the idea that there is a place of light, beyond the world of the living, where spirits can find healing and peace; but I think it isn’t the only place. I believe there are many realities for our spirits to explore after we’ve moved on from this one.

Even though Ghost Whisperer is not a new show, I think it’s still one of the best choices on paranormal TV. I’m really glad Ion decided to bring it back.

 Curious about some of my own experiences with ghosts and hauntings? Go to:

            http://annyoungfiction.blogspot.com/2013/10/ghostly-encounter-ghastly-coldness.html

            http://annyoungfiction.blogspot.com/2012/03/taunting-unknown.html

 

Author Ann Young

Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction ... and Fact

www.annyoungparanormal.com

 

Messages from Beyond

Over the years I’ve been surprised, more than once, by messages that came to me from loved ones who had passed away. I didn’t do anything in particular to seek out these experiences. But, even when I’m not actively exploring the paranormal, my openness and curiosity about such things doesn't leave me. I believe that if a person is open enough, uncanny things will probably happen.

There was an older cousin of mine who died suddenly. A few months after he passed away, he surprised me by showing up in one of my meditations. A brief impression of his tall, lanky figure flashed into my mind, and I felt a definite sense of his energy. Then I heard, conveyed as an idea rather than a set of words, that he had come to say goodbye and to let me know he was proud of me.

I had a similar experience after my dad passed away. At that time, as part of my meditations, I would imagine myself walking along the water’s edge on my favorite stretch of East Coast beach. One day, I felt startled to see my dad standing on the beach—surf-fishing, wearing his goofy fishing hat and baggy shorts, just like he did when he was alive. I stopped to talk to him, and he let me know he was watching over me and supporting me. He continued to come to me that way for years.

My mother also found a way to connect with me after her death. One night, a couple of months after she passed away, I was sitting alone on the sofa in my living room. I happened to glance over at the big armchair, and—I felt startled to see a brief but distinct impression of my mom sitting there. The image was shadowy but very solid, and I knew immediately that it was her. She had come to make contact with me and to say goodbye, which we had not been able to do before she died.

I’m convinced that the bonds we form with people in life don’t end when those people die. I’m glad that I'm open enough to recognize their presence, and to receive the messages they have for me.

 

Author Ann Young

Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction … and Fact

www.annyoungparanormal.com

What About Ouija?

     I remember, from when I was a child, the spooky reputation surrounding Ouija boards. Our family had a board, like almost everyone else; ours was stashed away in the cellar, a creepy location in any case. As a child, I never did more than stare at the eerie-looking, yellowed old Ouija. Even during my twenties, when my experiences in the paranormal began, I didn’t consider using a Ouija board—especially not then, when I was starting to realize that strange things really do happen, that non-corporeal beings do exist, and that they can find ways to make themselves known. I did a lot to court and invite strange happenings, I admit. But I just wasn’t certain what I would stir up with a Ouija board. Now, decades later, I still don’t use one.
     Let me be clear: I’m not one who’s convinced that Ouija is the gateway to the devil. And I’m not a believer in demonic possession. I do realize that non-corporeal beings, like living humans, can be angry and unpleasant. I just don’t think these beings can easily displace a living person’s will and personality. Most cases of “demonic possession”, I believe, are a product of autosuggestion or mental illness.
     Still, eerie things sometimes happen when Ouija is involved; at times, the mysterious Ouija really does seem to be an effective tool for communicating with the unseen. Problem is, who or what are you connecting with—and is the information you receive something you would really want to know? I don’t think most users have any control over that.
     My husband related a story from his childhood. One of his best friends had a brother who was away from home, serving in the military. The family was playing with Ouija one night, and the sister asked when her brother was coming home. The board said “Never”—and it turned out to be correct. The brother died in a non-combat mishap that claimed his life and many others. After that, his mother would not allow Ouija in the house again.
     This brings me to my main reason for not using a Ouija board: the paranormal, in my opinion, isn’t a game. I’ve had many strange experiences over the years, and I’ve come to develop a healthy respect for the unexplained. Ouija boards, from their beginnings in the late 1800’s, were made by toy and novelty companies, and promoted as such. But, like the pendulum, tarot, or other means of opening up to the unseen, Ouija isn’t a toy.
     It’s been my experience that, if there’s someone in the unseen who has a message for me, they’ll find a way to communicate with me. Two deceased members of my family—my dad and an older cousin—each surprised me by appearing in my meditations to speak to me. My mother, a few months after she died, also startled me by appearing in my living room to say goodbye. I truly believe that, if I remain positive and open, any message I need to receive will come to me, without the use of Ouija or any other divination tool.
     I think peoples’ curiosity about the notorious Ouija will probably continue. Being tempted to grab a glimpse of the future, or a taste of the unseen, seems to be part of just being human. Still, I’ll continue not to be a Ouija user. And I’ll keep myself open to those messages that have their own way of finding me.
    
     Want to learn about the history, and some of the strange lore about Ouija? Visit http://www.annyoungparanormal.com/archived-weekly-facts/216-fact-of-the-week-ouija-board  and http://www.annyoungparanormal.com/#Fact

Author Ann Young

Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction ... and Fact

www.annyoungparanormal.com   

Mastering the Mind

     In his book The Art of Life, Ernest Holmes said: "You must become the master of your own thinking. This is the only way you will realize freedom and joy." I really do believe this is true. And I've been thinking a lot about how to become the master of my thinking.
     We Americans, it seems, are constantly bombarded with suggestions from advertisers and the news media: "buy this," "do that," "eat this," "fear that." I think we're also influenced by the ideas and attitudes of the people around us. Conventional religion blasts us with messages about what we should believe and how we should think. And then there are the messages we hear in our own heads—messages that probably didn't come from us to start with, but came from the people around us when we were young. "You are this," "You’ll never be that," "This is what you can expect from life." Becoming the master of one's thinking seems like a difficult task indeed.
     But I believe we really can liberate ourselves from any idea that doesn't serve us. This requires practice, focus, and determination—but thoughts can be changed. We are free to examine every idea for its validity, and for its value in serving the best in us. Even if someone has been suggesting, for our entire lives, that a certain idea is the right way or the only way to think, we are still at liberty to discard that idea. And then we get to practice and reinforce a better idea in its place, until it becomes a part of us. I've started working on this myself, and I've had a bit of success. For the sake of having greater freedom and joy, I think it’s definitely worth the effort!

                                    Author Ann Young
                      Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction ... and Fact
                            www.annyoungparanormal.com

Ghost Encounters: Ghastly Coldness

I’ll never forget the first time I experienced that sudden, unnatural coldness that’s described so often in ghost stories. I don’t profess to understand why these sudden drops in temperature happen, but I can tell you that they really do occur.

During my college years, I witnessed some incredible haunting phenomena in a friend’s house. I saw and heard things I hadn’t thought possible—such as rapping on the (second-story) walls, objects moving by themselves, a stereo turning on and off when no one was near it, and more. My friend’s bedroom was the place where most of the disturbances occurred.

For some reason, I went into the room alone one day, something I didn’t usually do. Almost immediately, an eerie, instantaneous chill settled on my clothes and skin; I had never felt anything like it. It was like being chilled by a sudden, frigid blast of air, but there was no blast. Then, before I could even think, a wordless terror surged up; the sour taste of bile shot up into my throat, and I had to get out of there. I remember gulping down ginger ale afterward, trying to kill the awful taste, as I struggled to unparalyze my mind and figure out what had happened.

I hadn’t seen or heard anything bizarre this time; that eerie cold was the only thing. But I realized that a part of me much deeper than the conscious part had reacted to that cold with a kind of primal terror—as if, perhaps, I was engaging with the unseen presence in the room on a level of consciousness primarily hidden to me. A rather chilling idea.

You might be wondering if I ever went back into the room after that. In fact, I did, a number of times. And the manifestations would actually escalate over the next year and a half. Why did I keep going back? As terrified as I was, I felt totally fascinated by what was happening in that house.

I had always been a staunch pragmatist who didn’t believe in anything intangible. But now I was witnessing so many strange things that hinted at other levels of reality and consciousness, other forms of existence. I just had to experience as much as I could. Even after the house was sold, and I ended my association with the friend who had lived there, I had to continue exploring, seeking experiences, and delving into the mysteries of the paranormal. Hauntings, psychic phenomena, astral projection, spiritual healing, reincarnation, Wicca—I had to learn about them all.

I’ve come to believe that some of the deepest mysteries really do exist side-by-side with our ordinary world—and that everyday reality is just the merest sliver of what our incredible, multidimensional Universe holds. Those of us who seek to explore these things will certainly experience the extraordinary. I know, because it's happened to me.

What do you think?

Paranormal Witness: Trumbull County UFO

Enjoy the Paranormal Day Party!

May 3, 2016 

http://www.hauntjaunts.net/paranormal-day-party-invite/

I saw an intriguing account on “Paranormal Witness” called Trumbull County UFO—the story of a mass UFO sighting involving both private citizens and police personnel from multiple jurisdictions. I’m always especially interested in UFO sightings reported by police; police officers are trained observers, after all. And in my mind, the police are less likely to perpetrate a hoax. When multiple law enforcement personnel are involved, that really gets my attention.

         This particular story is fascinating, too, because it includes many of the actual communications from that night, retrieved from the Police Archive. It was amazing to hear the reactions of these seasoned, no-nonsense officers as they began to realize they were dealing with something they couldn’t explain.

         The Trumbull County incident took place in Ohio on December 14, 1994. It all began when a call came in to Dispatcher Roy Anne Rudolph of the Liberty Township Police Department. A man reported seeing some type of aircraft angling downward in the sky, with flames trailing from behind. Roy Anne’s first thought was that this could be a plane in distress. But other calls soon followed, with citizens reporting lights in the sky that didn’t appear to be any kind of plane—they hovered without noise, were strangely colored, and one of the callers again saw fire coming out the back. A call even came in from the media, who had received a report of their own.

         In the actual conversation between Roy Anne and the media, she could be heard making jokes, trying to laugh off the sightings with wry good nature. But because of the number of calls, she finally decided to ask an officer to investigate. She expected that he would probably go there and find nothing, laying the matter to rest. Still, she didn’t want to send a message about a possible UFO over the radio, so she used her own phone to call Sergeant Toby Meloro. He went to the site to investigate.

         As Meloro approached the area, a man, obviously frightened, flagged him down, insisting he had seen “a huge light in the sky” over his house. Meloro drove on a little further, and to his amazement, he did see a bright light, a red pulsating light, and a large, indeterminate object. “Maybe it’s a UFO,” he said over the radio to dispatcher Roy Anne, who listened in disbelief—and then sheepishly called the nearby airbase to check on the sightings. She was told they were seeing nothing on radar within a “60-mile diameter of Youngstown—nothing out there.” Meloro, still onsite, drove on a little further toward the bright light. And then his car just stopped; he couldn’t restart it. His portable radio went dead as well. Now he was alone and cut off from communication with Liberty.

         While Roy Anne tried unsuccessfully to reach Meloro, his disabled police car—with him still inside—was hit by “a huge light”. He climbed out with his hand on his pistol. He could see, hovering above the tree line on a double, wooded lot, a huge object enveloped in blinding light. “The light was so intense that I had to shield my eyes,” he said. “It was almost like looking at the sun.” The object was about the size of a football field, and there seemed to be a “structure there”, but he couldn’t distinguish what. The object made no sound as it hovered. And then it began to move off. Now Meloro’s car restarted, and he heard the radio come back on. Finally in contact with Roy Anne again, he said he needed a few minutes to gather his thoughts. And he sat, trying to make sense of what he had just seen.

         He didn’t want to make a report about seeing a UFO; “they’ll think I’m crazy." So he told Roy Anne over the phone, not the radio. And then the other reports flooded in. Hubbard and Hartford Townships called in. “Every agency in the county’s got a visual on it, that I can hear,” someone reported. “Multiple departments have sightings,” another voice said. Officers in various locations could be heard pursuing the object, trying to catch up to it. Even “sergeants and seasoned veterans” were excited, Roy Anne said. Toby Meloro, still onsite in his car, was hearing all this. So, with police lights blazing and sirens screaming, he took off after the object.

         One officer in Brookfield climbed up an old radio tower to observe the strange sight in the sky. There were “four discernible colors,” he said: red, yellow, green, and blue. “Please be a plane, please. I ain’t ready for this,” he said.

         At Toby Meloro’s request, Roy Anne called the airbase a second time, reporting multiple sightings; again she was told they were seeing nothing on radar. By this time, she wanted to see the strange object for herself. One of the officers at Liberty, going against policy, did take her out to the site. Gaping at the strange object through a set of binoculars, Roy Anne saw “something hanging from the bottom, with a red light on it.” The object was “just still”, and she wondered, “Why am I not hearing it?” Then it just shot away, still without sound.

         Sergeant Meloro, meanwhile, had continued to chase the object in his police car. But he never did catch up to it. He felt angry, he said, because he really wanted to catch it and see what it was. The strange events of this night would leave a lasting impression on him—and on Roy Anne Rudolph as well.

         “I get teased endlessly,” she said in the Paranormal Witness account. “Other officers in this get teased endlessly.” She wanted to believe that what she saw was related to the airbase. “But it was like nothing I’d ever seen or experienced.”

         “Everybody denied knowing or seeing anything,” Toby Meloro said. “But I felt there was nothing wrong with what happened. This was something unexplained that happened in the town I live in.” He had never believed in UFO’s, but he felt unquestionably certain that what he saw that night wasn’t any kind of familiar object in the sky. He did contact NASA and the military after the incident, but they claimed to have no knowledge of it. The Trumbull County sightings still remain unexplained.

         An intriguing story. I’ve never sighted a UFO myself, and I’m not convinced about extraterrestrials. But: I’ve heard a couple of personal accounts that really caught my attention. Two people who didn’t even know each other told me eerily similar stories about a strange, silent object hovering above the trees near their homes—in two different states. And I’ve heard other stories, like the one from Trumbull County, that seem to have a strong validity to them. My feeling is that something outside the ordinary really is happening in some of these cases; I think these people really are seeing something that is beyond our familiar reality. The Universe is such a vast place—filled, some say, with a multitude of realities. Who’s to say that these strange sights in the sky aren’t sometimes a glimpse of a different reality that has somehow intersected with ours?

       What do you think?

"Celebrity Ghost Stories": Dee Wallace and Della Reese

Enjoy the Paranormal Day Party!

May 3, 2016 

http://www.hauntjaunts.net/paranormal-day-party-invite/

        As always, I’ve been browsing the paranormal shows on TV, in search of true-life ghost encounters that seem substantial and honest. I recently saw two accounts on “Celebrity Ghost Stories” that really caught my attention: the stories of Dee Wallace and Della Reese. As I watched their stories—which they recounted with such honesty and emotion—I was reminded that, in moments of need, a strong bond of love between people really can reach across the boundary between life and death.

         Actress Dee Wallace, who has been in 75 movies (including “The Howling” and “E. T.”), told of a paranormal experience involving her father. Growing up in Kansas City, Kansas in a “financially challenged” family, Dee Wallace had a deep, loving bond with her father. He would call her “button nose” and “my bright light”, and they shared moments of incredible closeness. But there was also a painful side to their relationship; he was an alcoholic who was never quite able to recover, and she never knew when he was going to be drunk. He had served in the Red Cross during World War II, and had witnessed a great deal of tragedy; according to her mother, he was never the same after that.

         When Dee was a teenager, her mother finally separated from her father, and she took Dee to visit him on Christmas Eve. Dee described how he seemed so embarrassed during that visit. And then, that February, she got the news: her father had committed suicide. He had shot himself in the head.

         That night, grieving alone in her room, she blamed herself for not doing more to help her father. “Maybe if I had loved him just a little bit more …” Later, while she was lying in bed, she was startled by a bright light that appeared in her mirror. Eventually it moved out of the mirror and “hovered into the middle of the room”. And she heard her father’s voice: “Hi, button nose. It’s daddy.”

         He told her he knew she would be blaming herself—and he reassured her that his death was not her fault. Then he told her he loved her. She was profoundly moved by his words of comfort; she thanked him, and told him she loved him, too. Then the bright light moved back into the mirror and faded away. Years later, Dee Wallace still thought of this visit as a very special gift from her father. And she felt “forever grateful that this last moment with him was with his light, not his darkness.”

         Singer and actress Della Reese described her own true-life encounter with a parent who had died—her mother. The “Touched By An Angel” star told the story of a house she once bought, a house with a swimming pool where her daughter could play. About a month after they moved in, the two of them were enjoying the pool together. The air was cold, and Della told her daughter to stay in the pool while she went inside to get some towels. Feeling chilled herself, Della dashed toward the patio doors leading into the house—not realizing that her daughter had closed the doors. Della crashed through the glass, and fell into the jagged pieces that had showered onto the floor.

         Terrified and bleeding, Della couldn’t get her footing on the bloody glass, and she cut herself even more as she tried to struggle up onto her feet. Her daughter ran to get their neighbor, a doctor. Terrified that she would bleed to death before help could come, Della prayed for someone to help her. And then she felt strong arms slowly pulling her upright; she got onto her feet and went to one of the patio chairs, sinking into it. A familiar fragrance came to her—cold cream and vanilla, her mother’s scent—even though her mother had been dead for ten years. Then Della heard her mother’s voice gently telling her that she was going to be okay.

         Della’s neighbor did arrive, and he summoned an ambulance that took her to the hospital. As she lay on a gurney with two doctors standing over her, she heard one of them say that he wasn’t sure they could get blood into her quickly enough to save her. Again, she felt terrified she would die—and again the scent and the comforting presence of her mother came, telling her she would be okay. Her mother stayed with her until after the blood transfusions began. And—in spite of having lost 7 pints of blood, and needing 1,000 stitches to close her wounds—Della Reese did survive. She had no doubt it was the presence of her mother that had saved her.

         Two amazing stories. And I’ve heard similar ones from people who were visited by a deceased loved one in a moment of crisis. I think all of these stories serve to demonstrate the power of love between people: a power that can reach out, even across the boundary between life and death, to bring comfort when it’s needed. Just one more of the wondrous aspects of our existence in this remarkable Universe.

Ann Young

Author—Fantasy, Mysticism, Paranormal Fiction … and Fact

www.annyoungfiction.com

When A Ghostly Visitor Comes To Call

         Ghostly visitors can appear in such a variety of forms: dark or light, as sparkles or flashes, as silhouettes or solid-appearing figures. I’ve seen all of these. I think there are many reasons why they appear in so many different ways, with most of the reasons having to do with the visitor itself—its energy, intention, focus. But I think there’s another factor, too.

         I believe that the emotions and attitude of the viewer can strongly affect what he or she sees when there’s a spirit afoot. I remember an incident that happened in the home of my friend, the place where I first encountered the paranormal.

         I wasn’t there myself for this particular event, but my friend told me about the night when an apparition manifested on a poster in her bedroom. Several members of the family witnessed this, and they all agreed that a face appeared on the poster. But they didn’t all see the same thing.

         If I remember correctly, one saw a demonic face, one a more God-like face, and my friend saw someone else completely. That has always intrigued me. My feeling is that each person, through the filter of their own attitude and emotions, saw their own interpretation of the restless spirit that was haunting the house. Maybe, when attitudes are strong and emotions are especially high, the witnesses aren’t going to be able to truly understand what’s manifesting. An encounter with the paranormal, after all, can cause such intense reactions in people—particularly fear. And do those strong reactions make it even harder for us to understand these things that are outside our normal comprehension to begin with? It seems very possible.

         Another interesting thing I’ve discovered is that ghostly visitors are not always the spirits of deceased people; they can actually be the astral bodies of living persons—or phantasms of the living called thought-forms. I know this because I’ve seen them, and recognized some of them as people I knew!

         Either intentionally or inadvertently, the astral body of a living person can become separated from the physical, sometimes traveling a great distance from the body—and sometimes being visible to psychically sensitive people. In my experience, these visitors usually appeared as filmy, insubstantial figures of themselves, fairly recognizable, and mostly luminous white. Sometimes I’ve been startled by them, but rarely frightened. (For more about astral projection, read my blog entry “Traveling Without the Body” at http://annyoungfiction.blogspot.com/2012/06/traveling-without-body.html).

         It’s also possible for a living person—again, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not—to project a thought-form in his or her own image. This can happen when a person merely thinks about being in a certain place, or strongly wants to be there. This kind of visitor has no consciousness of its own, but can appear very distinct and solid.

         I’ve seen some of these over the years—mostly figures of people I didn’t recognize—and they looked substantial enough to really startle me. Since they were pretty static, without movement, and didn’t seem to have a conscious energy, my theory is that they were inadvertently projected thought-forms that I just happened to pick up on. There were some times when they appeared solid but also dark and indistinct, like they were standing in a shadow. That was a little unnerving, I’ll admit! In those cases, I closed my energy to them as best I could.

         The conclusion I draw from these experiences, and many others: when a ghostly visitor comes to call, we aren’t always going to be able to understand exactly what we’re seeing; we might not even be able to tell whether we’re seeing the figure of someone living or dead. Intuition, in my opinion, is the best guide in dealing with a spirit visitor. I never disregard any feeling of fear; it could be just an overreaction, but then again, it might be alerting me to be cautious. And in situations where I don’t feel threatened, I make an effort to remember to put out a prayer or blessing for my visitor. Who knows—that just might be what it needs most …

         What do you think?

Ann Young

Author--Fantasy, Mysticism, Paranormal Fiction ... and Fact

               www.annyoungfiction.com              

Paranormal Witness—"The Real Haunting in Connecticut”

         I recently saw an episode of “Paranormal Witness” that really caught my attention. It was called “The Real Haunting in Connecticut”, and it told the story of a rather dark, malicious haunting experienced by the Snedeker family. Their account—unlike many I’ve seen—seemed credible and solid. And their story got me to wondering exactly why some people experience this kind of malignant haunting.
         The problem began after the Snedekers moved into a colonial house near Hartford, Connecticut—a house that had previously been a funeral home, and still had mortuary equipment in the basement. The family’s eldest son, 13-year old Phillip, had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and they rented the house to be close to his cancer treatment center. Carmen, the mother of the family, didn’t really want them to stay in this house; but finding a place to live hadn’t been easy, and she and her husband felt like they didn’t have much choice. So Carmen blocked off the embalming room in the basement, and put Phillip’s bedroom down there so that he could be close to a bathroom when he needed it.
         According to the show, Phillip was awakened by someone calling his name on his very first night in the house, and he felt immediately convinced that the house was evil; he didn’t want the family to stay there. But they did.
         He would begin “seeing things” as well as hearing voices; he and his two brothers would also discover, as they explored the area under the counters in the basement, a sticky substance on the walls and floor that looked like blood. Phillip and his middle brother Brad would also see four cloaked apparitions lurking in a corner in the basement—but Carmen would find no intruders when she went searching. All four of the Snedeker children were becoming terrified to be in the house, but Carmen didn’t believe in ghosts, and she scolded Phillip for scaring the others.
         As the family continued to live in the house, Phillip became increasingly sullen, and he complained of hearing voices calling him every night. After the family had been there for about a year, he moved his bedroom into the embalming room—and he began to change even more. He started writing obsessively in a journal, and he became aggressive and angry, often fist-fighting with his brother Brad.
         And then, one day when she was cleaning his room, his older cousin Tammy would chillingly discover what he had been recording in his journal: dark, violent drawings, and notes about killing, murder, and death. Strangely, even though Phillip was dyslexic and had trouble writing, the words were perfectly written—because, he said, “the man had helped him.” Carmen would also discover that her son had been cutting himself on his arms. “Something was telling me to do it,” he said.
         The problems involving Phillip finally reached a peak when his cousin Tammy stepped in between him and Brad to break up yet another fight. Phillip ran into her room and began tearing it up—and then shoved her across the room with a strength that seemed impossible for a boy who had been so ill. After that, the haunting phenomena began for Tammy; unseen hands pulled her covers down during the night, and also tugged at her bra and went up her shirt.
         Carmen, concerned for the safety of all the children in the house, felt that something had to be done. She still didn’t believe that anything paranormal was happening, and she felt that Phillip was somehow responsible for all the mischief. So: she talked to his doctor about the disturbing behavior she’d been seeing. The doctor felt that Phillip could be schizophrenic and should be committed. So Carmen allowed her son to be taken away. At the hospital he delivered a chilling message to his mother: “Now that I’m gone, they’re gonna come after you.”
         And she did become the next target for the haunting. While she was taking a shower, the shower curtain wrapped tightly around her face and body, cutting off her breath; Tammy intervened, tearing a hole in the curtain so that Carmen could breathe. And then things escalated for Tammy as well; again, her bedcovers were tugged, and later, unseen hands groped at her. She described the “growling, coldness, and smell” of the unseen presence as it came for her. And she, along with Carmen, watched in terror as a rosary around Tammy’s neck levitated and then crashed to the floor. Finally Carmen called the church for help, and an exorcism was performed on the house.
         The account on “Paranormal Witness” didn’t indicate whether the exorcism was successful. The family moved out of the house in October 1999, and Carmen had her son released from the hospital. The show didn’t reveal how he fared after he returned home. But, sadly, his cancer returned 24 years after he first became ill. He passed away in January 2012 at the age of 38.
         Phillip did record an interview before his death, admitting that he had been “more fascinated than frightened” of “the things that were in the basement.” And, rather chillingly, he described how evil can “find its way into the little nooks and crannies in your life, and begin to manipulate you …”
         If this story really is true, it raises some interesting questions. It seems there were probably several angry, manipulative presences lingering in the house; so, would there have been problems for anyone who moved in, or was there something about this family that made them especially susceptible? My feeling is that there probably would have been some amount of strange activity for whoever lived there, but—maybe the Snedekers really were particularly vulnerable.
         Their situation was a stressful one; Phillip had cancer, devastating news for any family. They’d had to leave their home in upstate New York for an unwelcoming house in an unfamiliar city—without their father, who stayed behind to continue working. Did all of this make the family more vulnerable to the energies in the house? And was Phillip—in his weakened physical and mental state, and with his admitted fascination for the “things in the basement”—was he the most susceptible of all? It seems very possible.
         I also wonder exactly why these dark, angry presences became trapped in the house. Were they the spirits of deceased people who had been traumatized by seeing their bodies being processed by the funeral home? Had they not realized they were dead, or not wanted to? Or—were these souls somehow traumatized by the way their bodies were handled? Was there some mistreatment? So many possibilities …
         What do you think?

      Sources: “Paranormal Witness”, Season 2, Episode 208: “The Real Haunting in Connecticut”     http://www.syfy.com/paranormalwitness/episodes/season/2/episode/208/the_real_haunting_in_connecticut

Ann Young

Author—Fantasy, Mysticism, Paranormal Fiction … and Fact

www.annyoungfiction.com

Spirits Dark and Light

         As someone who’s courted the paranormal for decades, I’ve encountered more than a few ghostly visitors over the years. They’ve manifested in a variety of ways: dark and light, as sparkles or flashes, as silhouettes or solid-appearing figures. Their presence hasn’t always been easy to handle, but these visitors have had a profound influence on my life and my view of reality.

         No one has to convince me about life after death, or about the idea that people who have died can make themselves known to us. I don’t need proof of the existence of non-corporeal beings who were never human. And I don’t need convincing that we who are human are a melding of body and spirit, with the spiritual part being able to separate from the physical—at death, and sometimes while the person is very much alive! (More about that in a future entry.)

         I really have seen a few visitors who didn’t appear human at all. They didn’t have five heads or razor-sharp claws; their foreignness was much more subtle, and much less scary, than that! I remember seeing one that manifested as a moving pattern of light and dark over the wall. I knew it was a presence of some kind—its energy seemed very much alive, and its movement seemed to be part of that aliveness—but it didn’t have a body as we do.

         There was also a night, years ago, when I woke up to see a huge figure filling the doorway to my bedroom. I had a sense of a male energy, but he didn’t seem human; his face was indistinct, his body broad and square, and he was clothed in a robe-like garment that was scattered with points of white light. I wasn’t sure what he wanted from me, and I definitely felt uneasy seeing him. My sense was that he really was a different kind of being, from a reality other than our own. I just wasn’t so sure I wanted him visiting me!

         I’ve also seen ghostly visitors who were the spirits of deceased people I knew. Several months after my mother passed away, I was startled to get a quick glimpse of her sitting in an armchair in my living room—looking very solid and distinctly like herself. I had a sense that she wanted to communicate with me, and that she wanted me to recognize her and know she was there. I don’t think it was a coincidence that she appeared so recognizably and clearly.

Just a few weeks ago I had another interesting experience. The spiritual center I attend was having a food auction that was named for one of our members who had died. As I was standing in line, chatting and waiting for my turn at the food counter, I got a quick, peripheral glimpse of someone standing in the doorway to my left. I got a distinct impression of a broad, solid figure there, but I couldn’t distinguish who. When I turned to look directly at the person, no one was there! Then I realized who I had seen; it was our friend, the one the event was named for. The figure did have her shape. And it made perfect sense that she’d be standing there watching everyone enjoying the food, just as she did when she was alive.

         Having had these experiences and many others, I’ve come to the conclusion that our familiar reality is surrounded by a non-material dimension through which various kinds of spirit visitors can manifest to us. And I believe that there are still other dimensions/realities beyond that—a multidimensional Universe—through which we all ultimately travel as our souls evolve on their journey. What do you think?

 

Ann Young

Author—Fantasy, Mysticism, Paranormal Fiction … and Fact

 

Glimpsing the Afterlife

        Have you ever been able to sense what happened to a loved one after death? I have. I wasn’t trying to; in fact, I was surprised when some very distinct impressions came to me after a few of the deaths in my family. I was also surprised at how these loved ones reacted to their own passing—and where their journeys seemed to take them after they crossed over.

            The person who surprised me most was my uncle. While he was alive, he seemed to be a pragmatic, no-nonsense, cynical sort of guy. He never seemed to have much of a spiritual or religious leaning. But shortly after his death, I was startled to pick up a distinct impression of him leaving his body with ease, rising up with a great sense of freedom and joy toward the spiritual realm that was his home—just as he’d always expected to.

I was totally floored by the fact that I even had this impression—and by the fact that it also seemed to indicate an inner spiritual life I never would have expected from this uncle. In the end, I decided that he must have been one of those people who was very private about his spiritual beliefs. I felt happy for him, in that he seemed to clearly understand where he came from and where he was going.

By contrast, there was another male loved one of mine who was intensely devout and religious during his life—and fell into a kind of dark, ominous turmoil after he died. These were some of the strongest impressions I’ve ever had after a family member’s passing. On the two nights before his funeral, I could feel, and almost see him lingering heavily in his house, consumed in a dark turmoil that seemed to have some potent anger at its center.

In all honesty, the dark, dense quality of his energy scared me away from trying to help. And I wondered why he was caught up in such turbulence. In trying to be pious during his life, had he been suppressing a great deal of anger, an anger that was finally freed when he left his body? And did this very religious man—a good man, who had spent so much of his life in service to other people—did he carry into his death a feeling of not having done enough, of being too sinful or angry? And did he end up experiencing the torment of Hell as an expected punishment?

Over time, I was able to send him some prayers and healing. And a day came when I could sense that he had moved on from his turmoil. But I find myself wondering how many people fall into this kind of torment after death, because of the expectation of being punished, or being sent to a place called Hell—which, I believe, exists only as a state of being created by one’s own fears and expectations. More about that in a future entry.

My father was another person about whom I had some strong impressions after his death. While he was alive, he seemed to have little, if any belief in God; in his opinion, God didn’t help anyone, and our task as humans was to fend for ourselves and deal with whatever life threw at us. His death was quick and sudden, and I don’t think he departed easily; I felt a strange kind of jolt when it happened, like a brief, rough interruption in time. And then, some weeks after his death, my brother and I had a dream about him—the same dream.

We both saw my father sitting in a grey, empty place all alone, and I knew at once that he really hadn’t believed in anything; he had ended up in a kind of grey limbo because he hadn’t expected anyone or anything to be there for him. To me, that was very sad. I don’t recall whether I felt like I could do anything to help, but I remember feeling certain, somehow, that he wouldn’t be in that place forever. As with my other loved one, a time came when I could sense that my father wasn’t stuck anymore. And I felt such a sense of relief.

So—what’s to be made of all this? It seems to me that a person’s expectations, attitude, and spiritual beliefs can play a huge role in where they go after they die. But I don’t believe the story ends there. I agree with the mystics and metaphysicians who suggest that our journey of evolution carries on after physical death: no one stays stuck forever, and we all continue “moving up the spiral” into new experiences in this multidimensional Universe. Do we move toward the fullest realization of ourselves, or perhaps a perfect reunion with our Source? Either one sounds really good to me.

Ann Young

Author—Fantasy, Mysticism, Paranormal Fiction … and Fact 

Strange Stories--"A Haunting in Georgia"

         I recently saw the story of the Wyrick family on the Discovery Channel’s “A Haunting in Georgia”, and the show really caught my attention, for several reasons. For one thing, the people involved in this story seemed strongly credible; I don’t usually feel that way about the people on these shows. But I found myself really wanting to hear what this group to say.

         This was also a story about a haunting that carried on for years, with the family choosing not to move out of the house—that intrigued me. Just as intriguing were the differing opinions the family received when they sought help. According to the show, a scientist, 2 psychics, and a minister were consulted over the years, and they gave 3 different opinions about the source of the disturbances. As I watched this story, I wondered—which opinion was closest to the truth? That can be a tricky thing to determine when the paranormal is involved. And would any of these people really be able to help the family?

         I did a little research on the Wyricks, and I gathered the information about their story from the TV show and a few other sources. The haunting apparently began shortly after the family moved into their home in Georgia in 1988. While playing outside, their 3-year-old daughter Heidi was befriended by a kindly, protective man only she could see—Mr. Gordy, he called himself. At first, Heidi’s mother Lisa assumed Mr. Gordy was just an imaginary friend her daughter had created. But then Heidi saw another apparition, a man who came to the front door with a bandaged hand and blood on his shirt. She also began to see a shadowy, hooded male figure sometimes lurking around the house.

         Lisa would learn the identity of the first two apparitions from a neighbor; years before, a man named James Gordy had actually been a caretaker on the Wyrick property. The other man, Lon, was a neighbor who’d had his hand severed in an accident nearby. Both men had died years before Heidi was born. Now Lisa Wyrick had no doubt that something paranormal was happening in and around her home. And the manifestations would escalate.

         Lisa, and other relatives of hers, began having strange experiences in the house: a chair moving on its own, phantom voices in the bedroom, and more. And then Heidi’s cheek was inexplicably scratched during her sleep, with what appeared to be claw marks; her father Alex would be scratched as well. After the second time Alex awoke with scratches on his body, the family contacted scientist/paranormal investigator Dr. William Roll. With funding from the show “Unsolved Mysteries” (which would air a segment about Mr. Gordy), Dr. Roll interviewed the Wyricks, conducted scientific tests, and did some research.

         His initial theory: positive ions in the house, and magnetic fields caused by seismic activity on the property, were affecting the brains of Heidi and the rest of the family, causing hallucinations. There were, he said, “no demons or devils” or ghosts involved. But: when Heidi was able to correctly pick out James Gordy from a group of photos Dr. Roll showed her, he revised his theory, saying that Heidi, having strong psychic abilities, was picking up on “place memories”—energy left behind by past events and people “recorded” into the environment. He still didn’t feel that any kind of entity was involved. He had no explanation for the incidents of scratching, and Heidi’s father Alex wasn’t entirely satisfied with Dr. Roll’s conclusions. But he and the family did remain in the house.

         As Heidi grew older, she continued to see apparitions, including the dark, ominous male figure with the obscured face. Because of the media attention the family received, Heidi’s unusual abilities became public knowledge, and she was ridiculed by her middle-school classmates, making her life even more challenging. A second daughter, Jordan, was born to the Wyricks, and as she grew up, she, too, began to see presences in the house. Again, mother Lisa and others from her side of the family also had disturbing experiences in the house. Lisa began to believe, as did the minister at the family’s new church, that the presences in her home were demonic.

         The family consulted Dr. Roll for a second time. He confirmed a pattern of strong psychic ability going back for generations in Lisa’s family—explaining why all the women in the Wyrick household, along with Lisa’s relatives, were experiencing the greatest amount of activity. But he still believed there were no entities involved. He did send psychic Amy Allan to the property—and the family also brought in a psychic of their own. But the two would have very different opinions about what was happening to the Wyricks.

         Amy Allan detected a high level of spirit activity inside and outside the house, sensing some presences that were benevolent, and others that were dark and negative—unpleasant and angry, she said, just as they had been in life. But not demonic. The other psychic, who shared Lisa Wyrick’s religious beliefs, was convinced that all the activity was demonic.

         In the end, the Wyricks’ minister, Brother Stephen Shelly, performed an anointing on the family in the presence of the congregation, to shield the Wyricks from the demonic presences that had been disrupting their lives. Lisa and Alex seemed fortified by the support they received, and were better able to cope with their situation after that. And there were fewer manifestations in the house. But they didn’t entirely stop. At the end of the account on “A Haunting”, Heidi admitted—a bit chillingly—to having some continuing experiences that she would probably never reveal to her family.

         What do I make of all this? I think that Dr. Roll and Amy Allan each had a piece of the truth. Dr. Roll accurately assessed the strong tendency toward psychic ability on Lisa’s side of the family—and he seemed correct in suggesting that Lisa, Heidi and Jordan would continue having psychic experiences because of those abilities. But I disagree with his idea that there isn’t any kind of entity involved. The girls have interacted, sometimes extensively, with some of the presences they’ve seen—I don’t think a “place memory” could do that. And I think Amy Allan had the most balanced and accurate view of the kind of entity involved.

         She identified some of the presences as benevolent, others as dark and angry, but not demonic. She pointed out that a negative presence can manipulate how it appears to people, feeding off their fear; I’ve heard this idea before, and have seen it demonstrated in some of my own paranormal experiences. Believing a presence is demonic only creates more fear for it to feed upon—and helps give it a form to take. Negative presences can be disruptive and terrifying, no doubt—but I believe they are often mistakenly labeled as demons.

         I also agree with Amy Allan’s idea that Heidi, Jordan, and Lisa have mediumistic abilities. The deceased, she says, are strongly drawn to mediums, whose energy, to them, is like a “beacon of light in a dark room.” For that reason she, too, felt that the Wyrick women will continue having psychic experiences throughout their lives.

         All in all, a fascinating story, with a lot of food for thought. For anyone interested in learning more about Heidi: Lisa Wyrick’s sisters, Joyce Cathey and Rebecca Harrington, have written a book entitled The Veil—Heidi Wyrick’s Story. Could be a very interesting read. The book’s Introduction, written by Dr. Roll and posted on The Veil website, also happens to contain a fascinating additional theory about how Heidi acquired her psychic ability. A movie has also been made about Heidi and the Wyricks, although I couldn’t find information about a release date.

         I do find myself wondering how Heidi and her family are doing now. At this point, she’s a young woman in her 20’s, and she’s already had an intense and unusual life. I hope she’s found a way to be at peace with her situation. And I truly wish the family well.

Sources: The Discovery Channel’s “A Haunting in Georgia”: Wikipedia: www.theveilbook.net  http://georgiamysteries.blogspot.com

Ann Young

Author—Fantasy, Mysticism, Paranormal Fiction … and Fact

www.annyoungfiction.com