ANCIENT LATEST HAUNTS

A Connecticut Haunting 
Haunting on Huntington Road
Bapcie's House
Haunted Happenings

Ghosts Of Another Nature

Cosmic Cartoon

 Mr.Peet

A CONNECTICUT HAUNTING
A Psychic’s Story

NOTE: The family in the case has requested to remain anonymous for their own personal reasons. CSOPI gladly honors that request.

Like many of our investigations a request came over the Cosmic Society’s website for some understanding on a haunting situation. Through the electronic mediums (emails, postings etc.) we were asked to investigate the home.

As a preliminary method to gain some insight into an investigation a remote scan was done to view the house and the situations at hand. While doing the astral scan, I received the images of four (4) entities, or ghosts, occupying this house. All were there with love and understanding . I perceived one man, two women and a child (John, Elizabeth, Mary and Christine - respectively) lived along side this family for sometime. During this astral process, I felt an overwhelming feeling of protection and concern emanating from Elizabeth - who seemed to be the most prominent spirit in the house. The image of Elizabeth was a women, perhaps in her late 20’s, dressed in clothing from a period of a about 1870-1890. She had dainty features and a gentle way about her. But, behind her gentle ways was concern - she showed me exactly why. At the top of the stairs I could see (or perceive) an opening or tears made up of psycho-kinetic energy. After completing the scan I called it a dimensional vortex. I believed that this family of spirits was protecting the human family from any type of negative energy, that may possibly come through this tear. When I explained this tear to the owners, I was told that the previous occupant had performed a cleansing ritual. Once I learned the source of this ritual, I knew, at that moment, that this is when the opening happened. While the most powerful cleansing are the rituals done by the owners of a house, a person who has no knowledge of proper ceremony can cause anomalies and dangerous situations to occur- in this case the vortex.

Through further discussions with the family, CSOPI learned that the dog in this home was acting differently. She would no longer go near the couch (a place she used to love) - in fact she would growl at the couch and hide under the dining room table. Additionally, she would not go up stairs for any reason. She may go to the first step, but no further. I believe the cause of this was that the ghost of Elizabeth and Mary were bickering about the position of the couch - that it should face the windows - the lady of this home told us that she had moved the couch from facing the windows to against the windows. Also, I was sure that the reason for the dog’s lack of enthusiasm for the stairs was because of the opening at the top. We, also, learned that the previous occupants had heard a baby crying, footsteps going up the stairs and voices of two ladies talking outside of the house.

Cosmic Society members - Bonnie, Donna and I - arrived at the house at about 8:30 p.m. Immediately I knew something was different with the house. While Bonnie and Donna began taking photos around the front of the house, I realized my perceptions of the house were not quite the same as my astral trip, just days before. It seemed to me that the house was definitely added onto. To my perception, the entire left side of the house didn’t belong. When I questioned the owner, he told us that the section in question was in fact an addition - both downstairs and upstairs - completed a couple of years back.

I could immediately sense Elizabeth. She seemed to be greeting us as we walked in. The other entities were not as easily perceived - but I knew that they were there.

While Donna began setting up for the interview, Bonnie and I made a bee-line for the staircase. We knew that that was the place of interest, and we wanted to check it out. The moment we got onto the first stair, we could immediately feel the energy. It seemed to flow down the staircase right past us. Bonnie told me that she felt nauseous, which is a physical indicator for her, that something is there. As for me it felt like a stream of energy, as I faced the staircase I could feel a tingling sensation pass over me. Normally, when energy such as this is present, I usually feel it pass THROUGH me; but, not in this case. This was definitely moving over me. Bonnie and I went upstairs for a closer look. On the way up, I could perceive Mary, John and the child. However, I sensed another presence but was unsure of who, or what, it was - this I would find out a little later. As we climbed the stairs, I could see the outline of the tear with a sheet of white light over it. On the day I first perceived this opening, I used a white light technique to cover the doorway, hoping that this will aid in the protection of this family. At the same time, Bonnie was taking photos all around the area. With every snap of the flash I could see the sparkles of energy all around. Bonnie noticed this, also. We talked about how the sparkles only appeared near this opening and on the stairs. The sparkle effect did not appear in the bedrooms, surrounding the area.

While I was standing there I began to use another white light technique to close this vortex. With a thought form of white energy, I visualized it weaving through the doorway. I visualized it being “sewn” shut - like a tear in a pair of pants. I could perceive that the hole was closing; and, as a secondary precaution I surrounded it with white light - a sort of psychic bandage. I could perceive the wound was being healed. I was later chastised (lovingly) by Donna, because I never gave her a chance to get up stairs before I closed the vortex. I would explain that there was still a chance because the work was still being done - this was not an instantaneous procedure. It would close over a small period of time, but it was still there, but closing.

Donna conducted the interview - with her unique demeanor of professional researcher and compassionate friend. As the interview went on, I began perceiving all the entities of the house, or so I thought. This, now, included a shepherd type dog, that I could see walking underneath the dining room table. The dog would walk from the kitchen toward all of us, such as a dog would do and then would lay underneath the table. When I saw the dog, I wasn’t at first sure that it was a spirit dog. I thought perhaps this was the family dog we were told about. Then Bonnie mentioned that the lower half of her body, as she sat at the table, was cold. I told her that the dog was laying at her feet, then I knew for sure that this was the spirit of a dog. As the interview went on, I could perceive that Elizabeth was standing next to me, while the spirit of John was sitting in the living room behind me. I mentioned that he was sitting in the arm chair furthest from me - that is when the lady of this home mention activity in that chair from time to time. I could see Mary, at the doorway to the family’s home office area. I felt sure that what I had done was working because they were now joining us downstairs. Throughout the interview, I was receiving flashes and glimpses of the spirit family’s lives in this house, their burial plot (which was in a cemetery not far down the road from where we were) and small glimpses at the property lines and the way things “used to be”. When the video taped portion of the interview was done, we began to set up for a full walk through of the house. Donna had already placed the EMF meter upstairs and now was going to place the video recorder upstairs, where the family had mentioned other types of activity. I started up the stairs before Donna and stopped at the fifth stair, because I could now sense - positively - that there was another spirit in the house. When I tried to go to the next step, I felt a pair of hand push me back down. It definitely took me off guard and I went backwards. If it wasn’t for the back wall I would have fallen on top of Donna. I then heard a voice say in a broken, but jolly, accent, “Watch out for that step. If you want something done right, then you have to do it yourself”. I then perceived the name Henry. I ran up the stairs to see if I could get a better read on this spirit - but it seemed that he was gone. From the tone of the voice I heard, he seemed to be trying to apologize for what he did, but at the same time wanted to warn me about a problem with that stair - as far as I was concerned, this was definitely a humorous man. When we got back downstairs, I saw Henry standing next to the nephew. Through a quick reading, I could tell that Henry was his spirit guide. I questioned this, and the family mentioned an Uncle Henry who had died. He was a funny man, before he had gotten sick. It seemed to me the Uncle Henry had his sense of humor back with him. I told the family that the activity of these spirits would now increase downstairs, now that they did not have to guard the doorway upstairs.We conducted our walk through of the house and the outside property - snapping photos and glimpsing things both past and present as we went along. I could perceive two women at the side of the house - but they did not belong to the house we were investigating - and their clothing was much more up to date. I believed they belonged to the house next door. After completing the walk through, we got the chance to meet the family dog. This dog was such a loving and gentle creature, no one wanted to see her in any type of anguish over the activity in the house. We tried to get her to come upstairs with us. She got as far as the fourth step and decided better on it. It was a start.

By the time we completed the session, we had learned that this family - the lady and gentleman of this home and their nephew - were more than just common haunting “victims”. These people were open to the existence of the spirit world with an understanding and awareness that I have seldom found in investigations These people were kindred spirits. So much so, that all of us were found moments later in the cemetery down the road, that I believed the spirit family’s plot was located (this is another story in itself - look for that story soon). Since that time, we were told that the activity has increased downstairs- nothing negative, but the spirits are free to move about. The photos yielded a number of globules and energy emanations both inside and outside. Blue light, white light and darker light were captured all around. But one of the most significant photos was one where Elizabeth was looking through the window of the enclosed porch. This photo was taken before we entered the house. You can plainly see her face looking through the left window. The family’s dog still has not gone past the fourth step, but she’s back on the couch - which, for me, is a good sign. The family has noted sounds and appearances of the spirits in the house. They are learning their own capabilities of psychic awareness to communicate and understand their extended family.

CSOPI has not finished its research around this case. The videotapes need more scrutiny to see if there is any psychic activity on them. Once this is complete we’ll let our readers know of any anomalies that may appear. I’d like to say that this is another case closed for Cosmic Society. But, I’m not. I believe that this is only the beginning for this family. They are on a positive journey into psychic phenomenon and investigation themselves. We at CSOPI, warmly, embrace these new found colleagues and friends.

By Gary Alan

HAUNTING ON HUNTINGTON ROAD...

Being a paranormal investigator has, not surprisingly, brought me into many haunted dwellings and strange, bizarre places. I enjoy investigating and researching these areas, and it has been my choice to do just that. These feelings take a different turn for me though, when it is my own home, my "security zone", my castle if you will, that is being invaded.

The house itself was built in 1992 and is located in a normal residential area of Stratford, CT. Like any other new homeowners, we photographed the construction of the house, documenting all progressions from groundbreaking, to the roof installation and finally the placement of trees and shrubs. Had I known then what I do now about psychic or spirit photography, I would have been better prepared to to deal with the haunting activity that began with the construction and continues to this day.

I have traced the property ownership back only to 1972, which shows the land was named "Kensington Park", a place for neighboring children to play ball and congregate. It was sold to a dentist who owned an adjoining lot and building in which he practiced his trade...and then some...being arrested twice and finally having his license revoked for molesting children under the influence of the nitrous used for dispelling the pain of having teeth worked on (gas). As far as I know (so far) no other house has stood on this lot, but I still have a lot of digging to do to document that as fact.

When I mention the haunting phenomena to certain family members and friends (you know who you are!) they tell me things like. "The only reason your house is haunted is because you've carried spirits and ghosts home from all those graveyards and creepy places you go to!" and similar phrases. Although I feel that that is certainly a possibility, at the time the house was erected I knew nothing about spirit photography, didn't know I had a knack for it and even threw away many photos containing anomalous images I now know to be associated with this type of photography...(It hurts to think about all those discarded photos. Ouch!) Anyway, my point is that I feel "something" was here before us and I don't attribute this particular instance to my field of work. I believe there have been occasions when spirits have followed me home from haunted places, and I can vouch for the fact that "activity" increases around here just before, during and after certain haunting investigations. These occurrences usually have some connection to the current case. I feel that many spirits come/go/pass thru my house on different occasions and for different reasons. Sometimes my Grandmother's presence is very strong in the house and these are usually times when I am deeply involved, enjoying time with my children (I have noticed sometimes my children actually "smell" just like granny's house - a way for me to identify and associate her presence) or the few times I have been truly frightened here in the house. Her protective energy has been photographed many, many times here. There have been rare occasions of harmful, negative energies here and one incident (described below) actually prompted me to into doing a house blessing with 2 associates (at the time). It was after this that I began recording and chronicling the events, writing them down every time something happened, even the mundane things. A few of the "incidents" were able to be explained away as natural occurrences, or they just plain had an ordinary explanation after everyone in the home was questioned etc. The list below are the occasions I attribute to being of a paranormal nature (dates included where available):

1992 - Photos from house construction show a black vortex (outside) and a small impish creature (elemental?) waving in the window of living room.

1993 - Many photos of Justin and Chloe (my children) show spirit energy.
- Chloe, Justin and I downstairs watching TV. A loud crash sends us upstairs to find a large pile of books on the floor of Chloe's room. All are stacked neatly one atop the other.

1995 -March 19 - Take the picture of Mr. Peet.
- VCR shut off and never worked again as I tried to play a taped interview I conducted of the Warrens.
- Steve (my husband) smells an extremely foul smell in "the peach room" of our basement. He tells me and upon checking I find nothing unusual.
- Two psychic researchers have dinner at my house and we decide to take photos throughout the house. One feels she is bitten on the leg in laundry room and is immediately sick when entering the basement. The other gets "smoky" images on film outside the house.
- Photo taken of Steve painting the dining room shows 3 "globules" hovering near his head.
- I experience "phantomania" (explained away by sleep experts as "sleep paralyzation"..they fail to explain the other accompanying phenomena though...) This is what happened...I awoke on a downstairs sofa around 4:30 am. My husband and son had also fallen asleep on another couch. I shook Steve and said 'C'mon up to bed" he said he would and proceeded to fall back asleep (men..) anyway I went upstairs alone and laid down. At this point I felt completely awake and glanced at the clock which read 4:35..just as I was thinking to myself "I shoulda just stayed on the damn couch." I heard a noise on the other side of the bed (left side). It sounded like someone rubbing their hands together, but loudly. My hair stood on end as I rolled over to see nothing there. I could hear my heart pounding. Laying on my back now with eyes wide open, I felt "something" press on top of the covers over my chest. My mind was racing as I tried to rationalize it away thinking "its just my breathing so fast making the covers go up and thus falling back on me" but inside I knew differently. Then the pressing happened again and the next thing I knew I was completely paralyzed...couldn't speak or move. That feeling alone was one of the most frightening things I've ever experienced. After getting over the shock of this (I could still think and see) I remembered to try and not show fear and pictured myself laughing at "it". The feeling (which lasted around 20 seconds) was released from me and I immediately fell into a fitful, nightmare rich sleep. (Weird because you would think after something like that I would get up and do a couple of shots of Jack Daniels or something!) It was this experience that prompted me into doing the house blessing.

1996 - January 21st..Conducted house blessing with two associates. Starting in basement and working our way up to attic. We heard the sounds of growling and barking coming from different parts of the house and cold spots were felt. While feeling a cold spot on my legs I took a picture and a weird smoky image was recorded.
- Steve hears "someone" breathing right behind his head as he stands in the kitchen.
- Chloe and watch a recipe "lift itself" up and over a slanted dish rack and float ever so slowly down to the floor.
- March - Chloe in living room alone doing homework when a toy truck (which never worked and batteries had been removed) "started up and rolled across the floor".
- Doing laundry in the basement I felt "something" in the room and smelled an overpowering smell of ozone which was quickly replaced by a strong smell of dill (my grandmother frequently cooked with dill and the smell was often present in her home).
- March 15 - Bonnie Tice and I assigned to investigate demonic activity of a home in Shelton, CT. On the phone (the night before) I was discussing the case with a former associate and had left a pile of laundry to answer the phone. When the call was concluded I returned to the laundry to find all the previously folded clothes thrown in a jumbled heap in the center of the room.
- March 17 - !:00 am Sitting up alone looking over photos (containing psychic energy) I heard a loud knocking on the wall in the hallway leading from living room to kitchen.
- March 19 - !:00 pm Talking on phone, knocking (loudly) on Dining room wall.
- March 20 - 1:05 pm Longer, louder knocking on hallway wall again. Three hang-up phone calls right after.
- April - A neighbor comes over and breaks ground for swimming pool. I photograph this and energy shows up in the photos.
- Steve smells Chanel (my favorite perfume) out in yard while raking, then gone.
- Steve finds a small antique bottle and knife in the yard. I wash them and put them on the windowsill. The knife (later on) is hurled into the kitchen sink and continues flying around in the sink banging the edges while I watch in amazement. I am told to replace these items back out into the yard.
- April 3 - Foul smell in kitchen then gone.
- April 9 - Steve out working on pool and pump stops pumping. He gets mad and yells at it (!) and it turns back on and continues working.
- April 10-31 - VCRs and TVs all seem to have a life of their own, turning on and off at will, all hours of the day and night. The microwave oven starts resetting itself and operating at will also.
- April 14 - 1:05 am I just get up to bed and hear a growl/yell from the living room. Foul smell comes and goes.
- April 27 - Spent the day in Farmington and had intended to drive home before the rush hour traffic. Was invited to dinner so ended up staying until 8:00pm. Upon arriving home, I noticed the outside lights on and every single light from basement to 3rd floor on inside the house. Strong smell of dill. When I left in the morning I left no lights on expecting to be home before dark. 11:29 pm 4 knocks on hallway wall.
- April 28 - 11:00 pm Dill smell in basement.
- May 11 - Knocking in kitchen as I am preparing to leave for a cruise..
- May 18 - Big argument with people from psychic research class. Notice as I'm driving home, streetlamps seem to be going out as I pass them (this happens to me a lot). Arrive home and get to front porch where one of the outside lights goes out. Enter house and proceed to tell Steve what happened (fuming the whole time) and go to switch on bathroom light which blows out with a loud POP. I decide to calm down.
- July 13 - Watching TV I see my son's toy ambulance light up and move about 7 inches across the floor by my feet. This happened 3 more times within a 5 minute time span.
- August - 1:00 pm approx. Talking with Steve on the phone he says "whatcha gonna make for dinner?" I say "I don't know " and start to look in fridge. I see a leftover salad and I say " Well, we'll use up this salad" and I walk a few feet out of the room...(My phone cord was really short so I was limited as to how far I could go) I turn around and come back in the room and there (without a crash or a sound) is the salad spilled all over the floor, but the container was balanced perfectly on its side. I took photos and got two large blurry streaks of energy.
- August 3 - Stack of empty boxes makes a loud crash in basement, no one is nearby.
- August 6 - 1:03 am A dark shadow moved right across the page of a book I was reading. Let me also mention I am continually seeing small black darting shadows in the house. too numerous to list. Same thing with small, sparkly ghost lights. TV playing tricks again.
- August 9 - approx. 11:00 pm Computer whirs into life as I am sitting across the room. (There is a switch that must be manually flipped for the computer to go on.)
- August 18 - Justin wakes up screaming and crying that "The Ghost was in the doorway".
- August 19 - 11:20 Went to kitchen because the teapot was whistling. Reached into fridge to retrieve milk and out of the corner of my eye I saw a "man" standing against the wall where my telephone is. I could still see the phone through him. He was standing looking straight ahead (not at me) with his arms folded and very stern expression. His shirt was extremely white and crispy looking. I believe this was Mr. Peet from my photo. at 12:07 the same night I heard a noise in bathroom and found a small silver cup on the floor...nothing else on the same ledge had been disturbed.
- October 1-31 - Lots of little black things flying/darting past.
- October 8 - Sounds like someone breaking into basement. Steve and I go to check and we hear a small voice say "Help", but find nothing.
- October 9 - Foul smell of sweat is perceived by Steve. Bonnie and Carrie happened to be here and they don't smell it although I do. 4:30 am I hear sound like metal being dropped on table in basement and pacing footsteps. Steve thinks it sounds like someone blowing air through a tube.
-October 11 - Someone breathed "HAH" right behind my head in the kitchen. Trying to print out Ghost Guide and the printer switched itself off.
- October 19 - Someone breathing behind me again in kitchen and as I am standing there I watch the spoon rest on the stove turn completely around in a circle. Goosebumps and hair standing up on my neck and arms. 3:15 pm, cleaning a desk in basement the toy ambulance sirens start going off and it says the recorded messages while buried in the toy box across the room...(remember there are no batteries in this).
- November 14 - 10:30 pm Talking on phone, home alone, I hear front door handle turn, I say "hold on" and go check , nothing amiss. Return to phone and and hear front door swing open, check again the door is closed. I get off the phone and wash dishes and hear a loud bang on mirrored coffee table in living room, nothing looks unusual. return to sink and as I'm standing there I feel something press on my back, I stop to record all this stuff in the notebook and something presses on my back and arm as I'm writing hair is standing up on my neck.
- December 14 - Steve says he heard me laughing and he wants to know what's so funny?
I tell him I wasn't laughing or saying anything. He swears he heard my laugh loudly in the kitchen.
- December 17 - Husking corn for dinner lost in thoughts when the hood of my sweatshirt is yanked back causing me to sort of lose balance and I was rocked backward . Turned around, nobody is there. Took photos but didn't get anything strange.
- December 26 - Rudy (our new puppy) acting weirdly outside on deck. Photos of him show a weird gray blur and a vortex. 11:10 pm Steve was in kitchen working on internet on a laptop computer. He knocked into a necklace that was hanging from a cabinet and he watched it as it "flew down and wrapped itself around the phone cord" Trying to untangle it he called me over, this chain had somehow looped itself so that the phone cord was inside of the necklace chain...this could only happen if the phone cord had been unplugged and then inserted inside of the chain. Very weird.

So these are the majority of events that have been occurring here at my house on Huntington Road. Many have been left out because of repetition and some I just plain forgot to record. I think I'll wait awhile before writing up 1997 which has quite a long list already. I have had a few psychic in the house and all have felt nothing negative here at the time...I don't mind sharing my space with spirits but I cannot tolerate the thought of anything harmful or negative (like the phantomania thing) happening to my children or anyone here for that matter. I'll keep you posted!

Donna Kent

Bapcie's House
 

How many of you have a "Bapcie"? If you do, you know that "Bapcie" means "Grandmother" in Polish, so subsequently, this case is about my great-grandmother, Bapcie Binder's 87 year old three story house. Although she has been deceased now for many years, we still refer to it as hers. It has been kind of a "home base" to our family for decades, being a gathering place for reunions, weddings, holidays and funerals. The house stands on a quiet, secluded street in suburban Stamford, CT. and has literally remained unchanged for at least 30 years (except for aluminum siding). Even with three floors, the house had only one bathroom with no shower, peeling paint , cracked linoleum and broken tiles were just a few examples of the disrepair and number of home improvements that needed to be done. Recently, the home was gutted out and major restoration took place. This, as some ghost researchers know, can stir up some otherwise dormant spirit inhabitants. CSOPI felt this house was worth investigating for a few reasons. Recent photographs taken inside the house revealed some questionable "smoky" images, (only on the second floor) as well as two faint globules in Bapcie's bedroom. Also, two workman had experiences on two separate occasions while in the house. One workman, while painting alone in Bapcie's, sensed someone watching him. Upon turning around, he saw what he describes as a shadowy, woman's figure, short and matronly. He could also make out the skirts of a period dress. The other was on the first floor when he detected the sound of whistling. The sound was so prominent that after checking the whole first floor, he persisted to the second where he felt the sound was coming from. He searched the entire floor but found no one. When later asked when the whistling had stopped, he replied "When I left!"

Let me fill you in on the history of the house. It was built in 1910 by a couple whose name I don't know. The third floor was an in-law apartment where the wife passed away. My great-grandmother bought it and she and her children lived there for many years ( daughter, Isabelle, who never married, her other daughter (my grandmother) Irene and her husband Al, along with their three daughters). Eventually, as the girls married and moved out, it was the four older family members who remained. Bapcie died in her bedroom on the second floor. Isabelle had a fatal aneurysm in that same bedroom in 1994, Irene suffered a massive heart attack on the first floor in 1995 and my grandfather Al died in Danbury Hospital in November 1996, the only one who didn't die in the house. For an evening in February 1997, CSOPI photographed, videotaped, audio taped and used a Gauss meter (this will pick up any electromagnetic field) to gather evidence of any spirit activity. We got only one photo on the second floor (a ghost globule) and a possible faint whistle on the videotape. While the team was recording in Bapcie's room, several descript sounds were heard, one like a board being dropped onto the floor, possibly on the third floor above us.
Since our investigation, another psychic photo was taken on the second floor of a circular misty shape. We feel the identity of the spirits are Bapcie and possibly Isabelle. The description of the figure seen on the second floor is very much how Bapcie looked. Also, she occupied that floor exclusively Isabelle and shared the bedroom with her. The whistling was something Isabelle was known to do while cleaning house, plus the fact she was very close to her mother leads us to believe that she may be here as well.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Joyce St. Germaine, a gifted psychic counselor and hypnotherapist about this case. As I told her about the house, she said she sensed a matronly woman with a long, gray braid down her back (Bapcie had worn her hair that way, but I had totally forgotten until now!) and as wearing shoes from the 30's. Joyce didn't feel that she was earthbound, but was merely overseeing what was taking place, sort of "checking things out". After all, it was her home for so long and she wanted to see the work the family was doing on it. The home is now finished and has been occupied for a few weeks with no report of any incidents. I am reluctant to start photographing again because of the calm atmosphere and do not want to encourage Bapcie to stay. CSOPI will update our readers of any further developments.
 

Carrie Reiss

Haunted Happenings
 

One sure-fire way to convert a non-believer into a believer of the supernatural, is to invite them into your haunted house and have them witness, first-hand, the paranormal events as they unfold. This happened to my brother Gary, when he purchased a home in Oxford, Connecticut, several years ago. It seemed the previous owner, Ed D., had not left the property after he'd died.

Since my aunt had lived next door all our lives, we knew Ed and his wife Peggy quite well. He was a gifted woodworker and carpenter, she, a homemaker. Peggy had stayed on after Ed's death and remained there until old age forced her into a nursing home. She has since died. At first, it was little things Gary noticed; cabinet doors and drawers would be open when he'd get home from work, but had been closed when he'd left in the morning. His wife at the time, would also complain of things rearranging themselves in the kitchen. On one occasion, they had friends over, and someone dared Ed to open a door; the cabinet door opened immediately, much to everyone's surprise. Then things took a slightly different turn. Once, in the middle of the night, Patti was awakened to find a woman standing at the foot of the bed. Seconds later, the woman disappeared. This was the one and only time this ghost was ever seen.

Another one to encounter the supernatural was Gary's friend Mark. He had gone outside to get something from his car, well after dark, and when he returned inside, he was as white as a ghost (no pun intended. Well, maybe a little). Gary asked what was wrong and Mark proceeded to tell him he'd just seen an old man (a solid form, not transparent like the woman) walk across the lawn to the detached workshop and disappear through the side of the building (where there is no door). Of course, no one was found, but Mark's description closely matched Ed.

Once a vocal non-believer, Mark now prefers not to talk openly about his experience. It seems he was quite unnerved by it and has been met with the cynicism we paranormal investigators must endure all the time. Generally, the comments and jokes are of the good-natured kind, rarely do you get the mean-spirited ones.

Once Gary got a dog, though, things came to an abrupt halt. That was 6 years ago and whether they stay that way for long, only time will tell. The dog died a sudden death at the age of 4, so for two years, there has been no animal presence in the house (or ghostly presences, either). Maybe there was no connection with the dog, only a coincidence.

If, and when the activity begins again, our investigative team will be there to capture any evidence we can on film, audiotape and videotape (everything had already stopped by the time I began studying the paranormal). I am still going to take some psychic photos, see what happens and I will update you in future issues of the newsletter.

Bonnie Tice

Ghosts Of Another Nature

Ghosts! What are they? Even the word "ghost" seems to cover a broad spectrum. The Webster Dictionary defines "ghost" this way: 1) The spirit of a deceased person, believed to haunt living people or former habitats. 2) Archaic. The animus: soul. 3) A demon: spirit. There's also "ghost writers", "ghost ships" and even a "ghost of a chance"! Let's look at Webster's definition of an earth bound spirit, haunting it's former dwelling or family.

Please try to think of these kinds of ghosts as regular people. Tragedy usually creates the ghost syndrome, such as a sudden accident in a car, a bad fall or something more violent, like murder. The fear and confusion created by this kind of tragedy can cause a person to be earth bound. Unable to understand or cope with what has happened to them, they relive the scene of  their tragic death over and over. Sometimes, the spirits become earth bound through strong attachments to family members, their own homes or property, cherished personal belongings or even their former occupations. This possessiveness can prevent them from going into the light. They feel the need to continue in their everyday lives and refuse to accept their death. While some spirits do not interact with the living around them, content to replay the motions of life to which they have grown accustomed to, others, confused as to why no one can see them, try to gain recognition.

The human, earth bound spirit has the power to move certain objects, such as opening and shutting doors, cabinets or windows, pushing furniture around, knocking over lamps, knickknacks or books. Hiding items, knocking, whispering and footsteps are also common phenomena. Sometimes, they can relay their feelings and emotions to you telepathically, causing you to feel sad or nauseous.

These spirits can also manifest themselves as balls of light, a mist or as a full figured apparition, given the right atmosphere. Ghosts must draw electromagnetic energy from somewhere; it can be from an electric outlet or appliance, plant or animal life or even from a lightening storm. Most often, it is the energy drawn from another human being. Ever felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, accompanied by goose bumps and a tingling sensation? Afterwards, you feel tired and a little groggy? You may have just been used as a human battery! This can also explain some "cold spot" that randomly show up in a haunted area. After the spirit has drawn that energy out, a cold spot remains.

There is always a reason why a spirit is earth bound. Unfortunately, some of these souls harbor ill thoughts and feelings, jealousy, rage, anger, possessiveness or envy, which keeps them from moving on. This can attract the attention of negative, or inhuman, spirits that like nothing more than to manipulate the human entity and keep it in a state of chaos and confusion. These demonic spirits thrive on this, whether the person is alive or dead. While this kind of dark entity exists, it is more common for a house to become infested or a person possessed by with them through experimentation in the occult ( séances, Ouija boards, psychomanteums are few examples), practicing black magic or witchcraft ( not white witchcraft, Wicca), necromancy or voodoo. The inhuman entity must have permission to work it's evil and the individual who invites it must exercise his or her free will to let it manifest.

A lot of the above mentioned black art practitioners ( many times, amateurs who have no idea what they are doing) are often found in graveyards, conjuring up these entities, then leaving the grounds and allowing the spirits to roam freely. Many church- sanctioned burial grounds have become haunted through these careless actions allowing these dark spirits to wreck havoc with the human spirits there.

As far as discerning between the human and demonic entities in a home environment, there are obvious differences. One, the human spirit is usually benign in moving small objects or making noises (i.e. footsteps, rappings etc.), while an inhuman entity can produce terrifying crashes, screams, speaking using foul language, which sometimes is in a different tongue ( i.e. Latin, some unknown or ancient language) and can move extremely heavy objects ( i.e. refrigerators, cars, beds etc.), and can even physically harm or kill a person.

As a ruse, the demonic can start a haunting by masquerading as a human spirit; starting with some "light" haunting phenomena, convincing the "haunted" that first it's their imagination, or perhaps a ghost of a family member, then slowly escalating into a full- fledged demonic possession. Also noted in a negative haunting, is the aversion to religious items. In many cases, holy pictures will be broken, torn off walls or found face-down. Crucifixes will be turned upside-down and holy water is a good defense  weapon. The number "3" also figures in prominently, as in hearing 3 knocks, 3 footsteps or finding 3 gouges or scratch marks in walls, furniture or on a human body residing in the house. This is done as an insult to the Trinity. Clocks will stop and activity can increase at 3:00 a.m., the hour of Christ's death.

So please, those of you who are compelled to research a haunted house, take photos in a cemetery or visit a location known to be haunted (i.e. Dudleytown, Salem etc.) take care to protect yourselves by envisioning yourself in the white light of Jesus Christ before entering and again upon leaving a site (you never really know what's there ahead of time so it's best to be safe). Also remember that in dealing with a human spirit, it was a human being once (a demonic entity has never lived) and maybe with a little love and compassion, you can help this misguided soul find the light and enter the eternal peace it so desperately wants.

Carrie Reiss

Cosmic Cartoon!