Montauk , Long Island has always been a very special place for me. I spent many a summer out there as a child, and I still go back now with my own family. It's just one of those magical, mystical, and beautiful places. It's also known to be...well...haunted.
All sorts of stories abound in Montauk, from haunted resorts to haunted lighthouses; from Big Foot to time travel and even more recently the alleged "Montauk Monster" which washed ashore in the summer of 2008. What many people don't realize however, is that it's also a very historical and spiritual place, which could also be the reason for a variety of paranormal activity which has taken place there.
Archeological excavations have shown that Montauk was inhabited by Native American Indians more than 3,000 years before any white man set foot in North America. The tribe called the land Montauket, meaning “hilly country.” The tribe itself was known as the Montauks, and the Indians were called the Montauketts. They were a peaceful tribe who fished the waters and farmed the land. By 1620, Chief Wyandanch had become known as the greatest chief in Montauk history. Unfortunately, his friendship with Lion Gardiner, and his tribe’s involvement with the British settlers would ultimately cost the Montauk tribe their land in years to come.
The Montauketts lived in peace with the white men, but they were almost constantly at war with more aggressive tribes from New England, the Pequots and the Narragansetts. In 1653, the Narragansetts once again set foot in Montauk, waging a surprise attack on the Montauketts. The fierce warriors nearly destroyed the Montauk Indians in one of the worst attacks ever made on the tribe. The ambush took place at the foot of the present-day Montauk Manor. Because of the terrible losses inflicted on the Montauketts, the low-lying land just east of Fort Hill next to Signal Hill became known as “Massacre Valley.”
The land on which the Montauk Manor stands is therefore very much connected with the Montaukett Indians. There were camps, bloodshed and burials there. Next door to the Manor is Fort Hill Cemetery, which was established by East Hampton Town during the 1980’s. It was named Fort Hill after the fort the Indians once had there. There are many Indians buried in this area, although the graves are not marked. The entire area was disrupted during the Manor’s construction.
It was Carl Fisher’s dream in the summer of 1925 to create the “most fabulous summer resort ever imagined in the western world"...a magnificent English Tudor-style “castle on the hill." Fisher was a multimillionaire industrialist who was responsible for the development of Miami Beach, Florida. He envisioned Montauk as having a beach club, a yacht club, polo fields, a golf course, a ranch and a health spa. His centerpiece would be the Montauk Manor, a 200-room luxury resort hotel. In 1927, part of Fisher’s dream became a reality when the Manor was officially opened. The rich and famous of the day flooded its grand ballrooms, played croquet on the rolling front lawn, drank tea on the veranda overlooking the Manor’s 10,000 acres, and ate in the finest of restaurants, which served international cuisine.
Did anyone at that time know the events that had once occurred there? Did they know about the amazing history that lay beneath the massive structure … Indians, wars, plagues and graves?
The Montauketts weren’t the only ones who died on the land. During the late 1890’s many of Teddy Roosevelt’s soldiers came down with yellow fever. It spread among the troops so quickly that Roosevelt decided to lead them up to the sacred site on the hill. The hill was steep, and the soldiers struggled in their weakened conditions to climb it. It is said that over 300 men died en route. Some died in a detention hospital that was set up near the present Manor. The soldiers were temporarily buried above Indian remains, both at Fort Hill and nearby at Lake Montauk. Eventually, most of their bodies were exhumed and sent home. Neither of the makeshift cemeteries were marked.
Throughout the years, many people visiting the Manor have claimed to see an Indian chief in full headdress wandering the floors. Some guests were so alarmed they had reported what they saw to the front desk. Strange banging sounds have been heard coming from a fourth floor room when no one was there, and another story, apparently more recent, mentioned a cleaning lady. The woman was cleaning the men’s sauna downstairs when she heard the door slam. That noise was followed by a baby’s cry. Terrified, she ran to the management and said she would never work there alone again.
I've gotten a number of orb photos at the Manor, and on one very foggy and quiet night I heard Indian drumbeats on the property when no one was around. Next door at Fort Hill Cemetery, a nine-year-old girl who lived next door claimed to have seen an American Indian in full headdress “perched on top of the hill” two years after the new cemetery was established in the 1980’s. Before she could show anyone, the man was gone.
In recent years, ghostly phenomenon has begun to slow down at the Manor. Perhaps the Indian chief has passed on. You could always check out the Montauk Lighthouse then, which is also rumored to be haunted. I have yet to research and investigate the lighthouse, or you can take a hike in the old Camp Hero which is loaded with all kinds of stories. I don't know who or what you'll run into there.
Even if you're not into ghosts, Montauk remains for many, one of the best places to vacation on Long Island, whether you're staying at the Montauk Manor or in one of the motels in town. Do take a trip up to Fort Hill Cemetery though. It is a beautiful and spiritual place, and offers one of the most spectacular views of Montauk.
Excerpts from this blog have been taken from my book Ghosts of Long Island; Stories of the Paranormal. If you're interested in reading more about the history and haunted phenomenon in Montauk, check out the chapter entitled, "The Spirit of an Indian Chief at Montauk Manor."
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Can Anyone Learn to be a Medium?
If it's true we use only ten percent of our brain, what is the other 90 percent used for? I've come to realize that there is a portion of our brain that everyone can use to communicate with spirits on the other side. How do I know this? I actually was able to give a very basic reading to three different people, two of whom I didn't know, at a recent workshop with world renowned Scottish Medium Bill Coller.
Bill Coller lives in Switzerland and comes to the United States at least twice a year. He gives his mediumship workshops all over the world, and he's probably one of the best technical mediums there is. For the past three years I've attended his four hour workshops. Every single time, I leave the workshop completely and utterly amazed.
I don't consider myself a medium, and I don't have any talents or gifts in this area. I started taking the workshops to further my knowledge on mediumship for when I lecture, write and do my radio shows. Twenty to thirty people, mostly mediums starting out, attend these workshops, and then there was me. The first year I felt a bit out of place, working with strangers and trying to connect with their dead grandparents. I knew there would be absolutely no way I could do such a thing. We were asked to get five points of evidence to prove to the person we were reading for. I had a difficult time, to say the least, but then Bill came over and we took it step by step. Before long, I brought in the woman's grandmother, and she knew without a doubt that it was her. We both sat there shocked. She too, was able to read for me, and she was not a medium either. She brought it my father. It was truly incredible.
So in the beginning of March, I attended my third workshop and felt at little more at ease. It was called "Understanding Your Clairaudience, Clairvoyance and Clairsentience." I know a thing or two about these "tools" as Bill calls them, because I've studied them and I've written about them in my blogs and books. I work with paranormal investigator Joe Giaquinto who is a clairaudient medium (able to hear spirits), and I started developing some clairsentience (knowing/feeling the presence of spirits) while writing the Ghosts of Long Island books. Clairvoyance is the ability to "see spirits."
Over the course of four hours, Bill explained all three "clairs" in detail, breaking it down so we would understand how each means of communication actually works. For the hands-on portion of the workshop, we had to work with a partner and only work on one form of communication. My first partner happened to be a very seasoned medium who Joe and I have had on our blogtalk radio show. I jokingly told her that she obviously had an advantage over me, a non-medium. She laughed and said she believed I could do it. Don't say, "I can't," she said. We'd take it one step at a time.
For this exercise we had to use clairsentience only, so I had to "feel" or "know" who was coming through. We sat holding hands to keep the energy flowing. My eyes were closed and all I could see and feel in my head was darkness...nothingness. Sharon told me to keep paying close attention. Within a few minutes I started "sensing" the presence of her grandmother. Was this for real though? Couldn't I be just guessing or imagining it? I certainly had my doubts. I started sensing other things before long, her grandmother's house in the country, a winding pathway, a swing. I told her about the relationship she had with her grandmother, and how she had a peaceful death from old age. The things I was able to describe to Sharon were accurate, and she understood it to be her grandmother. She wasn't surprised, because this particular grandmother she was very close to. She often comes to Sharon in spirit and helps her on her journey.
The next exercise was dealing with clairvoyance. I worked with gentleman I didn't know. Now I had to try to "see" him in my head, in spirit. It started out the same way, holding hands and trying to get the energy flowing. Just like before, all I saw was blackness. I waited. All of a sudden I saw an image of a man, with black hair and a flannel shirt. He was in his forties or fifties and he was kicking up his heels and dancing. I told the man I was reading for what I was seeing, and then to my surprise I blurted out, "It's your uncle." The man said that was correct. I found out he was kicking up his heels because he always wore cowboy boots. Because I saw him dancing, I kept telling my partner he must have liked to dance. He was unsure when I mentioned it. At that point, Bill Coller happened to come over, and he was able to see the uncle as well. He also saw him dancing. He said it was great that I picked up on that, but I was misinterpreting what he was doing. Bill then asked my partner, "Was your uncle unable to walk the last year of his life?" My partner said that was correct. Bill then told us he was dancing and kicking up his heals, because he wanted his nephew to know that he was fine now. He could walk and dance again, and he no longer had pain. It all made sense now, and I was in awe.
For the last exercise, I worked with Joe Giaquinto, who I know well of course, but I gave it a shot. We were to work clairaudiently now. Within a few minutes I picked up his grandmother on his mother's side, and even though I was hearing my own voice in my head (which is how Bill said we would hear the spirits) I knew it was Joe's grandmother, and she gave me a very specific message for him. It was unbelievable.
I don't consider myself a medium, but through guidance and training, I was able to give a very basic reading to three different people. I was tapping into an unused part of my brain. For me, the workshop was more of a learning experience. I don't plan on reading for people as a living, but it's nice to know that if I pay attention, communication is possible.
Most mediums are born with the gift and then develop it later in life, but each of us has the capacity to pick up on the spirits every now and then. Even the best of mediums need proper training in how to control their mediumship, and how to validate the information they are receiving through the five points of evidence.
If you'd like to see a short video of Bill Coller's workshop, here is the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPhWuTjzPuM. I'm interviewed by reporter Chris Collora, and you can also see me working with my three partners.
Do you think you are capable of communicating with spirits? It's never too late to try.
Bill Coller lives in Switzerland and comes to the United States at least twice a year. He gives his mediumship workshops all over the world, and he's probably one of the best technical mediums there is. For the past three years I've attended his four hour workshops. Every single time, I leave the workshop completely and utterly amazed.
I don't consider myself a medium, and I don't have any talents or gifts in this area. I started taking the workshops to further my knowledge on mediumship for when I lecture, write and do my radio shows. Twenty to thirty people, mostly mediums starting out, attend these workshops, and then there was me. The first year I felt a bit out of place, working with strangers and trying to connect with their dead grandparents. I knew there would be absolutely no way I could do such a thing. We were asked to get five points of evidence to prove to the person we were reading for. I had a difficult time, to say the least, but then Bill came over and we took it step by step. Before long, I brought in the woman's grandmother, and she knew without a doubt that it was her. We both sat there shocked. She too, was able to read for me, and she was not a medium either. She brought it my father. It was truly incredible.
So in the beginning of March, I attended my third workshop and felt at little more at ease. It was called "Understanding Your Clairaudience, Clairvoyance and Clairsentience." I know a thing or two about these "tools" as Bill calls them, because I've studied them and I've written about them in my blogs and books. I work with paranormal investigator Joe Giaquinto who is a clairaudient medium (able to hear spirits), and I started developing some clairsentience (knowing/feeling the presence of spirits) while writing the Ghosts of Long Island books. Clairvoyance is the ability to "see spirits."
Over the course of four hours, Bill explained all three "clairs" in detail, breaking it down so we would understand how each means of communication actually works. For the hands-on portion of the workshop, we had to work with a partner and only work on one form of communication. My first partner happened to be a very seasoned medium who Joe and I have had on our blogtalk radio show. I jokingly told her that she obviously had an advantage over me, a non-medium. She laughed and said she believed I could do it. Don't say, "I can't," she said. We'd take it one step at a time.
For this exercise we had to use clairsentience only, so I had to "feel" or "know" who was coming through. We sat holding hands to keep the energy flowing. My eyes were closed and all I could see and feel in my head was darkness...nothingness. Sharon told me to keep paying close attention. Within a few minutes I started "sensing" the presence of her grandmother. Was this for real though? Couldn't I be just guessing or imagining it? I certainly had my doubts. I started sensing other things before long, her grandmother's house in the country, a winding pathway, a swing. I told her about the relationship she had with her grandmother, and how she had a peaceful death from old age. The things I was able to describe to Sharon were accurate, and she understood it to be her grandmother. She wasn't surprised, because this particular grandmother she was very close to. She often comes to Sharon in spirit and helps her on her journey.
The next exercise was dealing with clairvoyance. I worked with gentleman I didn't know. Now I had to try to "see" him in my head, in spirit. It started out the same way, holding hands and trying to get the energy flowing. Just like before, all I saw was blackness. I waited. All of a sudden I saw an image of a man, with black hair and a flannel shirt. He was in his forties or fifties and he was kicking up his heels and dancing. I told the man I was reading for what I was seeing, and then to my surprise I blurted out, "It's your uncle." The man said that was correct. I found out he was kicking up his heels because he always wore cowboy boots. Because I saw him dancing, I kept telling my partner he must have liked to dance. He was unsure when I mentioned it. At that point, Bill Coller happened to come over, and he was able to see the uncle as well. He also saw him dancing. He said it was great that I picked up on that, but I was misinterpreting what he was doing. Bill then asked my partner, "Was your uncle unable to walk the last year of his life?" My partner said that was correct. Bill then told us he was dancing and kicking up his heals, because he wanted his nephew to know that he was fine now. He could walk and dance again, and he no longer had pain. It all made sense now, and I was in awe.
For the last exercise, I worked with Joe Giaquinto, who I know well of course, but I gave it a shot. We were to work clairaudiently now. Within a few minutes I picked up his grandmother on his mother's side, and even though I was hearing my own voice in my head (which is how Bill said we would hear the spirits) I knew it was Joe's grandmother, and she gave me a very specific message for him. It was unbelievable.
I don't consider myself a medium, but through guidance and training, I was able to give a very basic reading to three different people. I was tapping into an unused part of my brain. For me, the workshop was more of a learning experience. I don't plan on reading for people as a living, but it's nice to know that if I pay attention, communication is possible.
Most mediums are born with the gift and then develop it later in life, but each of us has the capacity to pick up on the spirits every now and then. Even the best of mediums need proper training in how to control their mediumship, and how to validate the information they are receiving through the five points of evidence.
If you'd like to see a short video of Bill Coller's workshop, here is the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPhWuTjzPuM. I'm interviewed by reporter Chris Collora, and you can also see me working with my three partners.
Do you think you are capable of communicating with spirits? It's never too late to try.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
A Winter Retreat in the Haunted Berkshires
Every winter for the past twenty years my husband and I have left the rat-race of Long Island behind, and have taken a long weekend in Lenox, Massachusetts. Everyone asks me if we go there to ski, and I have to say that we don't. Although the skiing in the area is great, from what I've heard, we go for the peace and tranquility that the picturesque Berkshires have to offer. Lenox is the home to artists, musicians and the literary set. In fact, Brook Farm Inn on Hawthorne Street where we have been staying all these years, is a beautiful Victorian inn surrounded by poetry, writers and books...the ideal place for me.
I spend my time reading, or going antique shopping with my husband. We visit the Yankee Candle shop, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Baldwin Extracts (where Martha Stewart and I get our vanilla) and we eat the best Cheddar Ale Soup I've ever tasted at the Barrington Brewery. There are endless things to do in the Berkshires at any time of the year, and it's quite historical as well.
There is of course, one other thing that intrigues me about the area...it's haunted. I've never encountered a ghost at Brook Farm, but I have dragged my poor husband around on ghostly adventures to see what we could find elsewhere.
Perhaps the most well known "haunted" locale is the old Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. Built circa 1773 for Anna and Silas Bingham, it began as a general store and then evolved into a tavern, inn and stagecoach stop. It was a popular spot for travelers back in the 1800's and still remains so today. Ghostly rumors abound at the old inn which has seen the likes of many paranormal investigators and mediums. The fourth floor, in particular, has been said to have the most activity. Both cleaning staff and guests have claimed to see a "ghostly young girl carrying flowers" and "a man in a top hat." It has been said that guests have awoken to the feeling of someone standing over them at the foot of the bed. Cold spots, unexplained knocks, and electrical disturbances have all been reported. Room 301 is also known to be a haunted hot spot.
Traveling back to Lenox, the beautiful Ventfort Hall is open to the public for tours. They have all sorts of interesting events there, including on occasion, ghost hunts! You may remember this magnificent Jacobean Revival Mansion when it appeared in the 1999 film The Cider House Rules. It was originally built as a summer home for George and Sarah Morgan, sister of J. Pierpont Morgan, in 1891, and is a wonderful example of the Gilded Age in Lenox. George and Sarah lived there until their deaths, at which time it was rented out for a number of years. By 1945, the house had a series of owners and was eventually used as a dormitory for the nearby Tanglewood students. It was then used as a summer camp and hotel amongst other things. In the mid-1980's the property was sold to a nursing home developer who wanted to demolish the building. A local preservation group formed to help save the historic structure. The Ventfort Hall Association was formed in 1994, and by 1997, enough money was raised from private donations and loans, that the Association was able to purchase Ventfort Hall.
It has been investigated numerous times by the prestigious Chicopee Paranormal Investigators (CPI) who have seen and photographed apparitions and orbs. They have witnessed doors opening by themselves, and have recorded countless EVP's (Electronic Voice Phenomenon). There is no end to the ghostly activity at Ventfort Hall.
Then there is my personal favorite, Edith Wharton's house, The Mount, which can also be found in Lenox. Perhaps it is the fact that Edith was a writer which has drawn me to this location. Despite the fact that she was deathly afraid of ghosts, she spent a considerable amount of time writing about them. Her home in Lenox was built in 1902 as a writer's retreat, but her tumultuous marriage lead the Whartons to sell it by 1911. By 1942, The Mount became part of the Foxhollow School for Girls. The residents claimed to have heard unexplained noises as well as cold spots and other unusual sensations. When the school closed in 1976, Shakespeare & Company used The Mount for both their theater productions and as a dormitory. Ghostly apparitions of spirits in period clothing were reported, along with shadowy figures and continuous strange noises including footsteps, whispers and slamming doors.
The ghostly activity must still be occurring, because The Mount, like Ventfort Hall, offers ghost tours at certain times of the years.
It was just after dark when my husband and I drove up to the deserted home of Edith Wharton. He wasn't thrilled by the idea, by any means, but I was intent on taking photographs to see what I would get. I'm accustomed to photographing orbs, but the ones I captured that night at The Mount, were just incredible. Taken from the car window, it was as if the spirits were right there, coming into the car. They were simply spectacular.
So if you're looking for a little rest and relaxation, and hoping to come across a ghost or two, historic Lenox and the Berkshires should most definitely be your destination.
I spend my time reading, or going antique shopping with my husband. We visit the Yankee Candle shop, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Baldwin Extracts (where Martha Stewart and I get our vanilla) and we eat the best Cheddar Ale Soup I've ever tasted at the Barrington Brewery. There are endless things to do in the Berkshires at any time of the year, and it's quite historical as well.
There is of course, one other thing that intrigues me about the area...it's haunted. I've never encountered a ghost at Brook Farm, but I have dragged my poor husband around on ghostly adventures to see what we could find elsewhere.
Perhaps the most well known "haunted" locale is the old Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. Built circa 1773 for Anna and Silas Bingham, it began as a general store and then evolved into a tavern, inn and stagecoach stop. It was a popular spot for travelers back in the 1800's and still remains so today. Ghostly rumors abound at the old inn which has seen the likes of many paranormal investigators and mediums. The fourth floor, in particular, has been said to have the most activity. Both cleaning staff and guests have claimed to see a "ghostly young girl carrying flowers" and "a man in a top hat." It has been said that guests have awoken to the feeling of someone standing over them at the foot of the bed. Cold spots, unexplained knocks, and electrical disturbances have all been reported. Room 301 is also known to be a haunted hot spot.
Traveling back to Lenox, the beautiful Ventfort Hall is open to the public for tours. They have all sorts of interesting events there, including on occasion, ghost hunts! You may remember this magnificent Jacobean Revival Mansion when it appeared in the 1999 film The Cider House Rules. It was originally built as a summer home for George and Sarah Morgan, sister of J. Pierpont Morgan, in 1891, and is a wonderful example of the Gilded Age in Lenox. George and Sarah lived there until their deaths, at which time it was rented out for a number of years. By 1945, the house had a series of owners and was eventually used as a dormitory for the nearby Tanglewood students. It was then used as a summer camp and hotel amongst other things. In the mid-1980's the property was sold to a nursing home developer who wanted to demolish the building. A local preservation group formed to help save the historic structure. The Ventfort Hall Association was formed in 1994, and by 1997, enough money was raised from private donations and loans, that the Association was able to purchase Ventfort Hall.
It has been investigated numerous times by the prestigious Chicopee Paranormal Investigators (CPI) who have seen and photographed apparitions and orbs. They have witnessed doors opening by themselves, and have recorded countless EVP's (Electronic Voice Phenomenon). There is no end to the ghostly activity at Ventfort Hall.
Then there is my personal favorite, Edith Wharton's house, The Mount, which can also be found in Lenox. Perhaps it is the fact that Edith was a writer which has drawn me to this location. Despite the fact that she was deathly afraid of ghosts, she spent a considerable amount of time writing about them. Her home in Lenox was built in 1902 as a writer's retreat, but her tumultuous marriage lead the Whartons to sell it by 1911. By 1942, The Mount became part of the Foxhollow School for Girls. The residents claimed to have heard unexplained noises as well as cold spots and other unusual sensations. When the school closed in 1976, Shakespeare & Company used The Mount for both their theater productions and as a dormitory. Ghostly apparitions of spirits in period clothing were reported, along with shadowy figures and continuous strange noises including footsteps, whispers and slamming doors.
The ghostly activity must still be occurring, because The Mount, like Ventfort Hall, offers ghost tours at certain times of the years.
It was just after dark when my husband and I drove up to the deserted home of Edith Wharton. He wasn't thrilled by the idea, by any means, but I was intent on taking photographs to see what I would get. I'm accustomed to photographing orbs, but the ones I captured that night at The Mount, were just incredible. Taken from the car window, it was as if the spirits were right there, coming into the car. They were simply spectacular.
So if you're looking for a little rest and relaxation, and hoping to come across a ghost or two, historic Lenox and the Berkshires should most definitely be your destination.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
After Life Communication
It was during my busy lecture and book signing season, when comedian Jack Simmons called me with a request. He was bringing his one-man play "Buddy's Gift" from California to Long Island, and he wanted me to not only see his play, but partake in it as well. When he told me the heartwarming story of his father, Michael "Buddy" Simmons, "a man who never stopped loving his family, even after he died," I knew a connection had been made. I agreed to briefly talk about after life communication immediately following his monologue in both East Marion and Huntington, Long Island.
There were so many similarities to Jack's story and my own. His dad, like my father, was a down to Earth, loving and sarcastic Irishman who lived life to the fullest. He was the patriarch of his family...strong, confident, until a disease began to take what life was left in him.
One of the worst things I've had to live through was watching my father suffer from Multiple Sclerosis for close to sixteen years, and even worse, watching him die those last few months. Listening to Jack talk about the denial, the hope, the all-encompassing thoughts that permeate every waking moment of your life...well, it all hit home because I too, had lived it with my own family.
I always said that during that time period, as well as the months that followed my father's death, that I was a part of some secret society. A society I didn't want to belong to. A society filled with grief and loss. Looking back now, I see that it was a part of a journey for me. It's what lead me to write the Ghosts of Long Island books, and to ultimately help others to overcome their grief through my writing and my lectures.
That's not all that happened though. As the months went on, strange things began to happen. I always have a radio playing softly in my house. I had gone out for an hour and when I came back, I could hear the radio playing from outside! It was blaring! How could this be? No one else had been home. Other times in the middle of the night, my Ipod would start playing in its charger. It would wake me, and I would hear one of my father's favorite songs or a song that actually answered a question to something that had been on my mind. Signs. They were signs from my father, without a doubt, and they were comforting.
I took this one step further and went to see medium Richard Schoeller who is now a very good friend of mine. He told me things he couldn't have possibly known, and I was reassured that my father was well, and was in a better place. I also came to realize that just because a person dies, it doesn't mean they leave us. Physically they do, of course, but they are always here with us spiritually. They know what we do each day, they know when we're feeling sad or stressed, they're there at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and at the birth of a new baby. They're always there, helping us on our own life's journey.
I can help people through my writing. Jack Simmons through his play. Jack's life changed when he came to his own realization that Buddy was still there, loving his family like he always did. It's nothing short of a beautiful gift.
There are a lot of people out there suffering and feeling alone from a loss of someone who has died. Look for the signs, and don't give up hope. Those we love who have died live on, and we will be reunited with them again someday. After life communication is an amazing thing. Be open and believe, and maybe one day, you'll be writing about your experiences and helping others too.
If you're interested in attending an upcoming performance of "Buddy's Gift", now playing in Huntington, go to HuntingtonPatch.com and search Jack Simmons. You'll also see a wonderful video about the play from reporter Chris Collora. Be sure not to miss it. Lastly, visit my blogtalk radio show "The Kerriann and Joe Show - Spirit Connection" for an interview with Jack Simmons, as we discuss after life communication.
There were so many similarities to Jack's story and my own. His dad, like my father, was a down to Earth, loving and sarcastic Irishman who lived life to the fullest. He was the patriarch of his family...strong, confident, until a disease began to take what life was left in him.
One of the worst things I've had to live through was watching my father suffer from Multiple Sclerosis for close to sixteen years, and even worse, watching him die those last few months. Listening to Jack talk about the denial, the hope, the all-encompassing thoughts that permeate every waking moment of your life...well, it all hit home because I too, had lived it with my own family.
I always said that during that time period, as well as the months that followed my father's death, that I was a part of some secret society. A society I didn't want to belong to. A society filled with grief and loss. Looking back now, I see that it was a part of a journey for me. It's what lead me to write the Ghosts of Long Island books, and to ultimately help others to overcome their grief through my writing and my lectures.
That's not all that happened though. As the months went on, strange things began to happen. I always have a radio playing softly in my house. I had gone out for an hour and when I came back, I could hear the radio playing from outside! It was blaring! How could this be? No one else had been home. Other times in the middle of the night, my Ipod would start playing in its charger. It would wake me, and I would hear one of my father's favorite songs or a song that actually answered a question to something that had been on my mind. Signs. They were signs from my father, without a doubt, and they were comforting.
I took this one step further and went to see medium Richard Schoeller who is now a very good friend of mine. He told me things he couldn't have possibly known, and I was reassured that my father was well, and was in a better place. I also came to realize that just because a person dies, it doesn't mean they leave us. Physically they do, of course, but they are always here with us spiritually. They know what we do each day, they know when we're feeling sad or stressed, they're there at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and at the birth of a new baby. They're always there, helping us on our own life's journey.
I can help people through my writing. Jack Simmons through his play. Jack's life changed when he came to his own realization that Buddy was still there, loving his family like he always did. It's nothing short of a beautiful gift.
There are a lot of people out there suffering and feeling alone from a loss of someone who has died. Look for the signs, and don't give up hope. Those we love who have died live on, and we will be reunited with them again someday. After life communication is an amazing thing. Be open and believe, and maybe one day, you'll be writing about your experiences and helping others too.
If you're interested in attending an upcoming performance of "Buddy's Gift", now playing in Huntington, go to HuntingtonPatch.com and search Jack Simmons. You'll also see a wonderful video about the play from reporter Chris Collora. Be sure not to miss it. Lastly, visit my blogtalk radio show "The Kerriann and Joe Show - Spirit Connection" for an interview with Jack Simmons, as we discuss after life communication.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Can Ghosts Play Practical Jokes?
I would never have believed that ghosts could play practical jokes until it actually happened to me. It was back in 2006, when paranormal investigator Joe Giaquinto and I set out for Eastport one miserable rainy and foggy afternoon We had plans to interview Lloyd Gerard of Lloyd Antiques on Main Street. He was going to tell us the story of his great-great-great-great-uncle Levi, who’d been haunting the place for years. He’d become sort of a legend in Eastport, according to Lloyd.
Andrew Simon Levi came from Russia to Long Island in 1860. He was a teenager determined to avoid serving in the Russian Army — in a sense a draft dodger. He became a traveling salesman, a peddler, selling needles and pins door to door. It is said he walked two months from Brooklyn to Montauk to Greenport to Orient, and then back to New York for supplies. He traveled alone, and never married. Levi died in 1926. For reasons unknown, his spirit has returned to haunt his great-great-great-great-nephew’s store.
“I’ve always been a skeptic,” Lloyd told us. “But what I see, what I hear, and actually what I smell…I have to believe, skeptic or not. Levi used to smoke cigars, and we have smelled cigar smoke. I don’t let anyone smoke in here, but we have smelled cigar smoke. Not only me, but the girl who works here once a week. She said to me one day, ‘Boy, who’s smoking a cigar around here?’ I said, ‘Nobody.’ A few minutes later she said, ‘But I smell cigar smoke.’ I said, ‘Well, it’s Uncle Levi.’ ‘Who’s Uncle Levi?’ she asked. I had to explain to her who Uncle Levi was. He’s here.”
Uncle Levi had always enjoyed playing practical jokes, and Lloyd said he still does. “He tips over tables, knocks things off shelves. He told one of my customers that a table upstairs was $65.00. It was a $400 table, and he tells this guy it was $65.00.”
Joe had asked Lloyd if he did, in fact, sell the table to the man for $65.00 and Lloyd replied, “I thought I better sell it for $65.00, or else. I didn’t want to incur his wrath. He’s been seen. He’s been heard. I hear him. He walks around upstairs. It could go for months with no indication that he’s here, then all of a sudden he’ll knock something off a shelf, something will fall over in front of you when you’re walking down the aisle.”
The apparition of Uncle Levi has appeared to many people, although Lloyd himself has never seen him. “Logical or not, people come to see me and say, ‘Where’s Levi?’ and I say, ‘It beats the hell out of me,’ but usually he’s upstairs. People go up to see him. Little kids come in and say how do we get to see Levi? He does come down here, though, and knocks stuff down. He loves practical jokes. People used to play practical jokes on him when he was alive."
After Joe and I had finished our interview, Lloyd said we were more than welcome to look around the store and take some photographs, adding that maybe Uncle Levi would knock something over for us. Joe and I laughed and headed to the infamous “upstairs,” talking about Uncle Levi and his jokes. It was quiet up there, and Joe walked around with his recorder while I took photos. Back then, on assignments, I had been shooting both manual for black and white, and digital for color. I had just taken some photos with my manual camera, and set it down in the middle of a table behind me. I picked up my digital camera and turned slightly to take a photo, when suddenly my manual camera crashed to the floor. Besides being concerned about its condition, I was completely stunned. I had a bag over one arm and a battery pack over the other. Possibly I might have knocked it over, but it was not as if the camera had been at the edge of the table. I’ve had my manual equipment for twenty years, and have never dropped it, damaged it or even scratched it, ever. I found this “accident” hard to believe.
I remember Joe looked at me and said, “Uncle Levi?” Luckily the camera itself was just fine. But the protective lens filter was broken, and the flash attachment had taken a bit of a beating; the part that attaches to the camera was broken. I was still in disbelief, trying to figure out how this could have happened.
Several days later, I had an e-mail from Joe. He had picked up some EVP’s on his recorder. He wrote, I honed right into the camera episode which I thought would be a good starting point, since I also asked Levi to talk to us afterwards. The best EVP is when your camera crashed and I said something like, “Oh, Levi? Was that you?” Right after, you hear a guy go, “Psssst!” Like someone is saying “Come over here.”
I listened to what Joe sent over, and sure enough, I heard the voice saying “Pssst!” In another EVP maybe five minutes later, the sound of glass breaking could clearly be heard. There was definitely no glass breaking in the store at that time. We would have heard it. Was Levi making fun? Perhaps this time the joke was on us.
You can read the extended version of this story in the chapter entitled "The Ghost of Uncle Levi" in Ghosts of Long Island; Stories of the Paranormal. Stay tuned to blogtalk radio on Thursday, January 5th when Joe and I will be discussing Uncle Levi and his practical jokes on the air. Visit us at www.blogtalkradio.com/kerriannandjoeshow.
Andrew Simon Levi came from Russia to Long Island in 1860. He was a teenager determined to avoid serving in the Russian Army — in a sense a draft dodger. He became a traveling salesman, a peddler, selling needles and pins door to door. It is said he walked two months from Brooklyn to Montauk to Greenport to Orient, and then back to New York for supplies. He traveled alone, and never married. Levi died in 1926. For reasons unknown, his spirit has returned to haunt his great-great-great-great-nephew’s store.
“I’ve always been a skeptic,” Lloyd told us. “But what I see, what I hear, and actually what I smell…I have to believe, skeptic or not. Levi used to smoke cigars, and we have smelled cigar smoke. I don’t let anyone smoke in here, but we have smelled cigar smoke. Not only me, but the girl who works here once a week. She said to me one day, ‘Boy, who’s smoking a cigar around here?’ I said, ‘Nobody.’ A few minutes later she said, ‘But I smell cigar smoke.’ I said, ‘Well, it’s Uncle Levi.’ ‘Who’s Uncle Levi?’ she asked. I had to explain to her who Uncle Levi was. He’s here.”
Uncle Levi had always enjoyed playing practical jokes, and Lloyd said he still does. “He tips over tables, knocks things off shelves. He told one of my customers that a table upstairs was $65.00. It was a $400 table, and he tells this guy it was $65.00.”
Joe had asked Lloyd if he did, in fact, sell the table to the man for $65.00 and Lloyd replied, “I thought I better sell it for $65.00, or else. I didn’t want to incur his wrath. He’s been seen. He’s been heard. I hear him. He walks around upstairs. It could go for months with no indication that he’s here, then all of a sudden he’ll knock something off a shelf, something will fall over in front of you when you’re walking down the aisle.”
The apparition of Uncle Levi has appeared to many people, although Lloyd himself has never seen him. “Logical or not, people come to see me and say, ‘Where’s Levi?’ and I say, ‘It beats the hell out of me,’ but usually he’s upstairs. People go up to see him. Little kids come in and say how do we get to see Levi? He does come down here, though, and knocks stuff down. He loves practical jokes. People used to play practical jokes on him when he was alive."
After Joe and I had finished our interview, Lloyd said we were more than welcome to look around the store and take some photographs, adding that maybe Uncle Levi would knock something over for us. Joe and I laughed and headed to the infamous “upstairs,” talking about Uncle Levi and his jokes. It was quiet up there, and Joe walked around with his recorder while I took photos. Back then, on assignments, I had been shooting both manual for black and white, and digital for color. I had just taken some photos with my manual camera, and set it down in the middle of a table behind me. I picked up my digital camera and turned slightly to take a photo, when suddenly my manual camera crashed to the floor. Besides being concerned about its condition, I was completely stunned. I had a bag over one arm and a battery pack over the other. Possibly I might have knocked it over, but it was not as if the camera had been at the edge of the table. I’ve had my manual equipment for twenty years, and have never dropped it, damaged it or even scratched it, ever. I found this “accident” hard to believe.
I remember Joe looked at me and said, “Uncle Levi?” Luckily the camera itself was just fine. But the protective lens filter was broken, and the flash attachment had taken a bit of a beating; the part that attaches to the camera was broken. I was still in disbelief, trying to figure out how this could have happened.
Several days later, I had an e-mail from Joe. He had picked up some EVP’s on his recorder. He wrote, I honed right into the camera episode which I thought would be a good starting point, since I also asked Levi to talk to us afterwards. The best EVP is when your camera crashed and I said something like, “Oh, Levi? Was that you?” Right after, you hear a guy go, “Psssst!” Like someone is saying “Come over here.”
I listened to what Joe sent over, and sure enough, I heard the voice saying “Pssst!” In another EVP maybe five minutes later, the sound of glass breaking could clearly be heard. There was definitely no glass breaking in the store at that time. We would have heard it. Was Levi making fun? Perhaps this time the joke was on us.
You can read the extended version of this story in the chapter entitled "The Ghost of Uncle Levi" in Ghosts of Long Island; Stories of the Paranormal. Stay tuned to blogtalk radio on Thursday, January 5th when Joe and I will be discussing Uncle Levi and his practical jokes on the air. Visit us at www.blogtalkradio.com/kerriannandjoeshow.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Lighthouses, Legends and Lore
When we think of lighthouses, all sorts of images come to mind. Perhaps you picture a man of the sea smoking his pipe while looking over the vast ocean, or perhaps you see treacherous storms, or a life of loneliness and solitude; mystery and intrigue. Oddly enough, a great majority of people envision a ghost, the spirit of a previous lighthouse keeper who could not leave his watch, and who remains at his former post indefinitely. Are lighthouses truly haunted? If so, why? Or is it our imaginations conjuring up romanticized visions of days gone by?
An Internet search reveals hundreds of haunted lighthouses from all over the world. In the United States they stretch from Maine, to Georgia, to Florida, to Oregon and to California, just to name a few. And then of course, there's New York, home to its own haunted lights.
Lighthouses in general are intriguing, so if you add a ghost or two, all the better. Most of us can't imagine the life of the lighthouse keeper. It was an extremely difficult lifestyle. It is because of this, that many believe that some of the keepers may have lost their minds, and that upon their passing, their spirit remains. Their energy trapped within the conical walls of the towering spire.
I've had the privilege of having private tours of several of Long Island's lighthouses because I've written about them throughout the years. Eaton's Neck Lighthouse, Montauk Point, Huntington, Fire Island, and my personal favorite, Execution Rocks Lighthouse. Although I'm not a fan of climbing endless flights of spiral staircases, especially while carrying heavy camera equipment, I definitely have a fondness for these wonderful, historic places. I'm someone who loves to be out on the water as well, so I've jumped at every chance to visit these fascinating pieces of history.
The Huntington Lighthouse, as well as the Eaton's Neck Lighthouse, I have visited and written about in my earlier books on Huntington, where the focus was on preserving history, not ghosts. Do I think they could be haunted? Sure, but I'd have to do a thorough investigation to really find out. The Fire Island Lighthouse and Execution Rocks, were places I wrote about for the "Ghost" books. Both are presumably haunted.
At Fire Island, tales of pirating, illegal rum-running and shipwrecks abound, as do tales of ghostly phenomenon. The lighthouse is a now a beautifully restored museum. The volunteers I spoke to during the time I did my research, didn't believe in ghosts, but they did say that the rumor began after a children's book came out in 1987, which was written about a little boy who lived with his family at the lighthouse during the late 1970's to early 1980's. According to the story, the boy was lonely so the lighthouse became his friend. The boy said he heard the lighthouse talk to him. Not long after, workers at the lighthouse made up the name George, and claimed he was the one who haunted the old building. However, other stories I came across told of a lonely keeper who hung himself from the tower. Some claim to have heard footsteps on the metal steps, and music and moaning coming from the tower. Could this be the spirit of a keeper making his way back to the tower?
When I visited Execution Rocks lighthouse, I had a very different experience. Talk about a spooky place! Paranormal investigator Joe Giaquinto and I, were taken out in a 25-foot Homeland Security Response Boat with the United States Coast Guard, to the abandoned lighthouse which sits in Long Island Sound. We had an entire tour of the boarded up 2 1/2 story, lighthouse keeper's house, and of the sixty-foot tower. It was an incredible adventure. Surrounded by treacherous rocks, I shuddered as I recalled the stories of the hideous acts that may have occurred there. As the legend has been told, during the Battle of Long Island in the Revolutionary War, British soldiers rounded up "American rebels" in order to put them to death. Because they did not want to "fuel revolutionary passions," they quietly took the Americans away for brutal torture and execution.
It has been said that the British secretly took them to this island of rocks and beat them, then drove spikes into the rock reef, and then chained them to the rocks at low tide. As the tide rose, the American prisoners drowned beneath the icy waters. Other tales reveal that many of the prisoners met their fate by hungry sharks that happened upon a free meal. As if this wasn’t enough, the newly captured were chained next to the skeletal remains of their former comrades…a way of torturing them mentally before they met their own watery demise.
There is a line in the Declaration of Independence which reads, “…the murders they commit on the inhabitants of these States…” According to my research, several historians believe that this line refers to accounts of the brutality that took place on Execution Rocks, and that the line was included in the Declaration as a memorial to those who died there.
It is said that the ghosts of the condemned prisoners remained. There is even one legend that suggests the ghosts sought revenge against the British. Not long after the hideous acts had taken place, a shipload of British soldiers were sent to pursue General Washington while he retreated from Manhattan to White Plains. The ship was wrecked at the reef, killing all the Redcoats aboard. Many people have claimed that the ghosts who haunted the reef caused the shipwreck.
Every lighthouse has its fascinating legends and lore. You can read more about these and other haunted locations in my books, Ghosts of Long Island; Stories of the Paranormal and Ghosts of Long Island II; More Stories of the Paranormal. Both books are available in local bookstores and on Amazon.com in hardcover and in e-format.
An Internet search reveals hundreds of haunted lighthouses from all over the world. In the United States they stretch from Maine, to Georgia, to Florida, to Oregon and to California, just to name a few. And then of course, there's New York, home to its own haunted lights.
Lighthouses in general are intriguing, so if you add a ghost or two, all the better. Most of us can't imagine the life of the lighthouse keeper. It was an extremely difficult lifestyle. It is because of this, that many believe that some of the keepers may have lost their minds, and that upon their passing, their spirit remains. Their energy trapped within the conical walls of the towering spire.
I've had the privilege of having private tours of several of Long Island's lighthouses because I've written about them throughout the years. Eaton's Neck Lighthouse, Montauk Point, Huntington, Fire Island, and my personal favorite, Execution Rocks Lighthouse. Although I'm not a fan of climbing endless flights of spiral staircases, especially while carrying heavy camera equipment, I definitely have a fondness for these wonderful, historic places. I'm someone who loves to be out on the water as well, so I've jumped at every chance to visit these fascinating pieces of history.
The Huntington Lighthouse, as well as the Eaton's Neck Lighthouse, I have visited and written about in my earlier books on Huntington, where the focus was on preserving history, not ghosts. Do I think they could be haunted? Sure, but I'd have to do a thorough investigation to really find out. The Fire Island Lighthouse and Execution Rocks, were places I wrote about for the "Ghost" books. Both are presumably haunted.
At Fire Island, tales of pirating, illegal rum-running and shipwrecks abound, as do tales of ghostly phenomenon. The lighthouse is a now a beautifully restored museum. The volunteers I spoke to during the time I did my research, didn't believe in ghosts, but they did say that the rumor began after a children's book came out in 1987, which was written about a little boy who lived with his family at the lighthouse during the late 1970's to early 1980's. According to the story, the boy was lonely so the lighthouse became his friend. The boy said he heard the lighthouse talk to him. Not long after, workers at the lighthouse made up the name George, and claimed he was the one who haunted the old building. However, other stories I came across told of a lonely keeper who hung himself from the tower. Some claim to have heard footsteps on the metal steps, and music and moaning coming from the tower. Could this be the spirit of a keeper making his way back to the tower?
When I visited Execution Rocks lighthouse, I had a very different experience. Talk about a spooky place! Paranormal investigator Joe Giaquinto and I, were taken out in a 25-foot Homeland Security Response Boat with the United States Coast Guard, to the abandoned lighthouse which sits in Long Island Sound. We had an entire tour of the boarded up 2 1/2 story, lighthouse keeper's house, and of the sixty-foot tower. It was an incredible adventure. Surrounded by treacherous rocks, I shuddered as I recalled the stories of the hideous acts that may have occurred there. As the legend has been told, during the Battle of Long Island in the Revolutionary War, British soldiers rounded up "American rebels" in order to put them to death. Because they did not want to "fuel revolutionary passions," they quietly took the Americans away for brutal torture and execution.
It has been said that the British secretly took them to this island of rocks and beat them, then drove spikes into the rock reef, and then chained them to the rocks at low tide. As the tide rose, the American prisoners drowned beneath the icy waters. Other tales reveal that many of the prisoners met their fate by hungry sharks that happened upon a free meal. As if this wasn’t enough, the newly captured were chained next to the skeletal remains of their former comrades…a way of torturing them mentally before they met their own watery demise.
There is a line in the Declaration of Independence which reads, “…the murders they commit on the inhabitants of these States…” According to my research, several historians believe that this line refers to accounts of the brutality that took place on Execution Rocks, and that the line was included in the Declaration as a memorial to those who died there.
It is said that the ghosts of the condemned prisoners remained. There is even one legend that suggests the ghosts sought revenge against the British. Not long after the hideous acts had taken place, a shipload of British soldiers were sent to pursue General Washington while he retreated from Manhattan to White Plains. The ship was wrecked at the reef, killing all the Redcoats aboard. Many people have claimed that the ghosts who haunted the reef caused the shipwreck.
Every lighthouse has its fascinating legends and lore. You can read more about these and other haunted locations in my books, Ghosts of Long Island; Stories of the Paranormal and Ghosts of Long Island II; More Stories of the Paranormal. Both books are available in local bookstores and on Amazon.com in hardcover and in e-format.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Halloween Ghosts Versus the Real Thing
It's funny that every time Halloween comes around, my phone starts ringing off the hook. Organizations ask me to give lectures, reporters want me to give interviews, and people question me if ghosts are real. Don't get me wrong. I welcome all the hype and publicity, but what I do and what I write about really has nothing to do with Halloween at all! Yet I'm often dubbed "the ghost lady" this time of year.
I do happen to love Halloween, and the inside of my house is transformed into something that you might see in Disneyland. It's filled with skeletons, witches, ghouls and goblins; I have talking heads and brooms that glide around the floor. I even have a ghost that shakes and makes scary sounds. The fact remains, however, that these are Halloween ghosts, and they're not real.
About two weeks ago I was asked to speak to a third grade Cub Scout den about (you guessed it)... ghosts. This is not an easy topic to discuss with a bunch of eight-year-old boys. The last thing I wanted them to do was to go home scared. So my plan was to first squelch their idea of what ghosts actually are. I began with a go-around. Each boy was to tell me what he thought a ghost was. The answers were all quite similar. A ghost is "a flying dead body that can go through you." Really? I couldn't help but smile.
Kids are not the only ones who have misconceptions. I can't tell you the amount of adults who come up to me asking if what I do is like the movie Paranormal Activity. "Is that what it's really like?" they ask, bewildered. I cringe every time Hollywood comes out with another scary ghost movie. What you see in the movies and even on TV is not reality. I don't go into places and see blood dripping from the walls and pots and pans flying around the room. What I do when I work with paranormal investigator Joe Giaquinto, is the positive side of spirit communication. Did you note that I used the word "spirit" as opposed to "ghost"?
I prefer to call them spirits because they are the souls of people who have passed from this world to the next. There are all different types of spirits. A very famous paranormal investigator by the name of Peter Underwood, from London, England, compiled a list of the "Ten Different Types of Ghosts" based on the research he has done. I have included his list in my book, Ghosts of Long Island; Stories of the Paranormal, because I find it to be quite accurate. You can't define "ghost" as any one thing in particular.
The type of ghost that most people are familiar with, are the historical or traditional ghost. These are spirits who are "place centered" or stuck here, for one reason or another. They have usually died tragically. There are modern ghosts, those of the recently dead who come back to say goodbye, or cyclic ghosts who make their presence known during an anniversary of some sort. There are ghosts of inanimate objects and animal ghosts, but really the most common ghost is not a ghost at all. Instead, it is the spirit of someone we love, who has passed on and has come back to visit, or to help us on our journey.
Everyone has their own belief of where we go after we die. I happen to believe in Heaven. To me, if Heaven is a perfect place, then why can't those we love come and be with us? Why do we have this image of everyone sitting on a cloud hundreds of miles up in the sky, wearing a white gown and playing the harp? My father passed away six years ago. I do not picture him like this. Instead, I picture him next to me when I'm watching my son's baseball game, or I get an orb in a family photo taken at Christmas time. He's there...right with us, still being a part of our lives.
Countless people come up to me at lectures and show me family photos. They all have orbs in them. Heaven is not as far away as we think, and also, it's comforting to know that we are never truly alone.
So when I'm asked what a ghost is, I find the need to explain. It's not something scary or evil or demonic. Instead, it's a beautiful and positive affirmation that life does in fact, exist after we die. We co-exist with spirits every day. It's not about October 31st. So while you're out trick-o-treating with your kids, know that the "real" spirits are there with them watching over and protecting.
Have a happy and safe Halloween!
I do happen to love Halloween, and the inside of my house is transformed into something that you might see in Disneyland. It's filled with skeletons, witches, ghouls and goblins; I have talking heads and brooms that glide around the floor. I even have a ghost that shakes and makes scary sounds. The fact remains, however, that these are Halloween ghosts, and they're not real.
About two weeks ago I was asked to speak to a third grade Cub Scout den about (you guessed it)... ghosts. This is not an easy topic to discuss with a bunch of eight-year-old boys. The last thing I wanted them to do was to go home scared. So my plan was to first squelch their idea of what ghosts actually are. I began with a go-around. Each boy was to tell me what he thought a ghost was. The answers were all quite similar. A ghost is "a flying dead body that can go through you." Really? I couldn't help but smile.
Kids are not the only ones who have misconceptions. I can't tell you the amount of adults who come up to me asking if what I do is like the movie Paranormal Activity. "Is that what it's really like?" they ask, bewildered. I cringe every time Hollywood comes out with another scary ghost movie. What you see in the movies and even on TV is not reality. I don't go into places and see blood dripping from the walls and pots and pans flying around the room. What I do when I work with paranormal investigator Joe Giaquinto, is the positive side of spirit communication. Did you note that I used the word "spirit" as opposed to "ghost"?
I prefer to call them spirits because they are the souls of people who have passed from this world to the next. There are all different types of spirits. A very famous paranormal investigator by the name of Peter Underwood, from London, England, compiled a list of the "Ten Different Types of Ghosts" based on the research he has done. I have included his list in my book, Ghosts of Long Island; Stories of the Paranormal, because I find it to be quite accurate. You can't define "ghost" as any one thing in particular.
The type of ghost that most people are familiar with, are the historical or traditional ghost. These are spirits who are "place centered" or stuck here, for one reason or another. They have usually died tragically. There are modern ghosts, those of the recently dead who come back to say goodbye, or cyclic ghosts who make their presence known during an anniversary of some sort. There are ghosts of inanimate objects and animal ghosts, but really the most common ghost is not a ghost at all. Instead, it is the spirit of someone we love, who has passed on and has come back to visit, or to help us on our journey.
Everyone has their own belief of where we go after we die. I happen to believe in Heaven. To me, if Heaven is a perfect place, then why can't those we love come and be with us? Why do we have this image of everyone sitting on a cloud hundreds of miles up in the sky, wearing a white gown and playing the harp? My father passed away six years ago. I do not picture him like this. Instead, I picture him next to me when I'm watching my son's baseball game, or I get an orb in a family photo taken at Christmas time. He's there...right with us, still being a part of our lives.
Countless people come up to me at lectures and show me family photos. They all have orbs in them. Heaven is not as far away as we think, and also, it's comforting to know that we are never truly alone.
So when I'm asked what a ghost is, I find the need to explain. It's not something scary or evil or demonic. Instead, it's a beautiful and positive affirmation that life does in fact, exist after we die. We co-exist with spirits every day. It's not about October 31st. So while you're out trick-o-treating with your kids, know that the "real" spirits are there with them watching over and protecting.
Have a happy and safe Halloween!
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