Mitchell Coombes, Australia’s most trusted spiritual medium, returns to discuss his most recent book, Signs from Spirit: Inspiring True Stories from the Afterlife. Topics include spirits communicating through technology, the pain of losing a child, grief, and many stories of signs from the afterlife. Plus, Mitchell has a super awesome vintage crystal ball and aura goggles!!
Did you miss our LIVE Ouija Session with Karen A. Dahlman last week? Well don’t be sad, because you can watch all 2 hours and 18 minutes of it below!
It was truly an amazing experience, and the collective energy from the session left me with quite a ouija hangover the next day. I talked to Karen about this, and I may share more about it on the audio version of this session when I release it as a podcast in a week or two.
If you participated, watched live, or submitted questions for the session, I want to sincerely thank you for being a part of it all. And, of course, a GINORMOUS thank you goes out to Karen A. Dahlman and board partner Rodney!
Several viewers took to the Big Séance Parlor on Facebook with their thoughts and comments after the show. I want to encourage you to join the group if you haven’t already. Request to join and I’ll accept you, providing you’re not a robot… or one of my students… or creepy… or James Randi.
Here’s the awesome video! Enjoy!
The United Kingdom really knows how to rock the whole Spiritualism thing. In Part 1 of my Mediumship in the UK series, platform medium Marion Hover shares a bit about her background with Spiritualism, two very cool experiences involving her mediumship, and her work with development circles and the Ouija.
Get to this episode in iTunes!
Direct Download Link
See the end of this post for links to previous posts in the series.
On the drive home from the overnight investigation at Belvoir Winery, I was tired, but on a high from having such a cool experience and meeting some really cool people! I already had blog posts planned out in my head. I knew I had some amazing footage on NightShot video, including the one and only Britt Griffith using and demonstrating the use of my spirit box, and hours of very fascinating possible spirit communication with flashlights in two different locations.
Amy Bruni, Britt Griffith, and Adam Berry having a good time with guests at Belvoir Winery.
But what was I MOST excited about capturing? There was a brief period of time where the adorable and amazing duo, Amy Bruni and Adam Berry, joined my group for part of the investigation. Since I happened to be filming, and since they were standing right next to me, I took that opportunity to turn to capture both of their faces in MY VERY OWN NIGHTSHOT! Who gets the opportunity to do that? This was all happening as we were listening to my spirit box in the corner. As I quietly mentioned to them how big of a moment this was, they both hammed it up with a pose and a smile, just for me! Gold, right?! Freaking Elvis moment! And I KNEW that the screen shot was going to be featured right here on the blog.
NOT the screen shot.
Well… clearly that screen shot is missing. And clearly I’ve misled you to believe that this post would include amazing evidence. But just wait. The story, though very mysterious, continues.
Not long after my return home, I hooked up one of my two remaining NightShot camcorders to the computer, ready to upload all of the footage from the three tapes that I used during the investigation. Suddenly, the all too familiar beeping and error code began to show up, which sometimes leads to the tape getting stuck in the camcorder. I didn’t panic. Anyone familiar with these camcorders knows this exact frustrating error. Once I got the tape out, I knew that since I had another camcorder, I’d surely have no problems.
The same thing happened with the other camcorder. I tried one of the other tapes. Same problem. Another tape in the camcorder. Same problem. I couldn’t even play or rewind the tapes. An hour and lots of frustration and google searches later, I gave up and went to bed.
Fortunately, I know Robert Painter from Tape2DVD. He can convert anything to the modern age!
To make a long story not as long, Robert tried everything he could. What was on the tapes? Snow. Snow with a counter that would track the time to the very end of the tapes. Robert informed me that new tapes that have not been recorded on simply don’t play, and there wouldn’t be a counter, therefore clearly something had been recorded onto each tape. You should know that as I recorded that evening, I used the pull out LCD screen that allows you to see what you’re filming. In fact, since much of our investigation was in the dark, that’s how I found my way. When you’re recording, it makes it clear with a red dot on the screen. I saw it each time. The next thing you should know is that I reuse my tapes. Two of the tapes were not taken to the very end, therefore most likely, Robert should have found various leftover footage from past investigations at the end of those tapes. This was not the case.
Most of us have always heard that you should keep magnets away from things like tapes, hard drives, credit cards, etc. This apparently also includes strong electric currents, or any kind of electromagnetic field. Even though this is common knowledge for many people, I don’t think anyone really ever expects it to happen to them. You should always be careful around storms and lighting, but no one ever expects to be struck by it. Could some kind of strong source of electricity or exposure to a magnet have erased my tapes? And if so, is it common for them to have been erased so perfectly? Other than a few small gadgets, batteries, flashlights, and more tapes, I didn’t have anything in my bag that would have caused this. I can’t even think of anything that I would have been around that night that would have fit this description.
Now I know what some of you are thinking… and I’ve thought about it as well. Is Belvoir Winery truly so active that the spirits used or manipulated so much energy for communication that it erased all of my video tapes? Did they? Or… is there some sort of conspiracy? Perhaps someone involved in the planning of the event doesn’t wish for there to be video footage leaked to the public? Did Amy and Adam decide to break out the tape-erasing magnet because it wasn’t a great hair day? (Ohhh that would make me cry.) Did my equipment bag get bathed by some kind of magnetic shower while I wasn’t looking?
I truly am boggled by all of this. I don’t even know what to think. I told Robert to save the tapes for me, just in case aliens drop by with the abducted footage one of these days, or maybe in the future we’ll have space-age technology that will unerase tapes.
…until then, I’ll include this place holder to represent the NightShot screen shot of Amy and Adam.
Screen shot of Amy and Adam during the investigation of Belvoir Winery.
A few nights ago, I had a dream that Amy and Adam stopped by and staged another moment with a working camera, just for me. Ha! (Ahem…. Are you reading this Amy and Adam?)
I can’t lie. I’m super bummed, but maybe the absence of evidence is evidence itself? What are your thoughts?
P.S. Though I did not run audio for every part of the investigation, I do have audio for much of it… and it exists in digital format and was not erased. Stay tuned.
Amy, Adam, Britt, and Chip!(Big Séance)
New Friends! (Big Séance)
The Photos (Big Séance)
I’m Baaaaaaaaaack! (Big Séance)
TAPS and Chip Coffey at Belvoir Winery in March! (Big Séance)
Ohhhh boy. This post is definitely less paranormal and more for my spiritual peeps out there. It has been a rough week. Anyone else concur with me? There seems to be some kind of funky brown aura wrapped around everything this week. I haven’t had energy, I’ve been lethargic in general, and there have been several tense or uncomfortable moments with coworkers. I haven’t liked the energy that keeps being tossed at me, but I also haven’t felt at all proud of the energy residue that I’ve been giving off lately either.
I don’t regularly follow astrology, and I almost never understand it, but I tend to listen when someone gives a warning about turbulence ahead due to the moon or the ominous “retrograde” (whatever that is). I’ll always remember the week that I heard an astrologist discuss how people should expect a lot of technology and computer glitches for a certain time period, probably because of something lunar. And what happened that week? Lot’s of techie drama in my world.
Anyway, back to today. I had a frustrating drive home, a drive that included a discussion with myself on such topics as, “What’s with this week?”, “What’s my purpose, anyway?”, “Do people throw up invisible shields to protect themselves from me on days like this?”, “Am I a good person?”, “Will people have good things to say about me when I’m gone?”, and “Should I go get ice cream?”. After I got home and received a cheerful and much-needed greeting from our four-legged son, I opened up my favorite social media app on my phone. One of the first things I saw was a statement from medium Kristy Robinett.
Today you might be feeling exhausted, tired, moody and some even sick/depleted. The mood is still swinging all over the place as the moon is in Taurus. If at all possible, get takeout, light a candle, watch television or read a book and call it an early night. – Kristy Robinett
I immediately commented, saying how that explained so much about my week! There were handfuls of comments from others that were basically saying the same thing. Maybe there really is something going on?
…maybe my chakras and aura need to go into the shop. Maybe I just need meditation (or medication?). I’ve been bad and haven’t done that in a long time either. Maybe this is all just some crazy intuition that I’m too dense to understand?
Anyone else experiencing this? What do you do to find your “normal” self again? Consider this an official request for assistance from all you gurus out there.
🙂
PEACE! (Please!)
Insightful Astrology (with Maria DeSimone)
Feel your way through life and gain authentic confidence (Creating Within)
The famous Brown Lady of Raynham Hall (Norfolk) captured in this photo from 1936.
There’s just something romantic about a staircase. Well… isn’t there? Maybe I should be more specific. Yes, there are many Hollywood-like stories of hauntings involving stairs. You know, that one where the woman in white (why is it always a woman in white?) falls to her death in the home her and her husband built. And, of course, there’s the “Brown Lady” photo that many are instantly familiar with. But for me, it’s a ghostly, historic type of romance that I’m talking about… and I’m sort of obsessed with all forms of these staircases, especially during a paranormal investigation. In many historical buildings, for example, a staircase may have been the one and only entrance to an area or even to an entire building, in some cases. Let’s use one of these fictional buildings as an example. But first, here’s a quick story. (This is where my students will get excited… when I break the boring routine to tell a random story!) When I was a kid and lucky enough to perform on the stage of Starlight Theatre, a regional theatre in Kansas City, I couldn’t help but obsess over the fact that I was walking on the same stage where I had seen Debbie Gibson (no judgment, please) perform just months before. And really, at the time I had no clue of how many major stars had performed there in the theatre’s history. (End of random story.) If you know a famous person was once in this particular building (the one you’re imagining), you can be sure that they came through this very specific and sometimes small space. But this doesn’t have to be about famous people. If this building was a public place, such as a theatre or a school, than hundreds, thousands, or maybe even millions of souls have passed through.
I very much believe that when we leave the physical world, we leave energy behind. Even if we never return after crossing over, even if when we die we turn to dust and that’s it, a person’s energy may remain in a place that was meaningful to them. But maybe there doesn’t have to be an emotional attachment to a space. I go up and down the stairs in my home ten or more times every day. I could go up and down with my eyes closed due to the fact that I know that part of my house so well. If I was able to somehow track the amount of time I spent, or the energy I left in any part of my home, wouldn’t the stairs be off the charts compared to, let’s say… that weird corner of the living room in between the end table and the front window, or that lovely dining room where no one ever sits?
Being a paranormal investigator has forced me to come up with theories on a few things. And during investigations I often find myself heading for the staircase with a camera and a tripod, and sometimes a digital audio recorder as well. I’ll stand at the bottom and just imagine people, in whatever time period, coming down the stairs as if it were a normal day in their life. I could be wrong, but sometimes I just feel that if we’re going to capture amazing evidence, there’s a good chance it’s going to be there. Imagine a firehouse, well over a century old, and the only staircase to what would have been the second floor living quarters of the volunteer firemen that stayed there. This was in a time before you slid down a pole. Now imagine the hurried and dramatic moments that must have occurred in that fascinating, yet very practical space!
Here are some of the staircases that have fascinated me in recent years. Some are from investigations and some are not.
A staircase from MOSS’s most recent investigation of a 144 year old building in Lexington, Missouri. These 19 steps begin on a second floor landing and lead to a third floor apartment. Both of these floors are above a pizza place and for the most part have not been touched or occupied since approximately 1982.
I was absolutely fascinated by this staircase! This is the main entrance to the historical and vacant Carthage Opera House in Carthage, Missouri, built in the 1870s.
A DVR screen shot from our investigation of an undisclosed museum in St. Charles, Missouri.
The staircase from an old farmhouse, now the Heritage Museum in St. Peters, Missouri.
Unfortunately, you’ll just have to let your mind wonder on this one.
This has been my favorite location to take pictures lately… The Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis, built in 1927, was originally a movie theatre. Stay tuned for a post devoted solely to this beautiful space. It’ll be coming soon!
I couldn’t possibly publish this post without including the famous staircase from The Stanley Hotel.
And just for fun… the glass staircase from our visit to the Apple Store (still under construction at the time… or maybe they were remodeling) in New York City across from Central Park. Are there ghosts here? Who knows?!
I just wanted to show you the early Christmas present I bought myself. This is an old locker from a middle school near my hometown. It probably dates back to the 1950s, but I can’t say that for sure. Although memories are fuzzy, it looks just like the lockers I used when I was in middle school. And actually, at first I thought maybe that’s where it came from since that’s where I found it. But I fell in love with it, anyway. The beautiful old building where I made five years of awkward tween memories no longer exists, but its history has been kind of a fascination of mine for several years now. The upper floor of the building still had the original lockers from the 1920s. I actually wish this locker were older, but apparently antique lockers are pretty hard to find.
You might ask, why in the world would you want an old beaten up locker? Well… a few reasons. I’m a middle school teacher and so “going to school” has been my life from that first day of kindergarten. I’m considering taking it with me to find some creative use for it there. I’m sure my kids will love it. They’ll also be jealous since their lockers now are less than half of this size. You might also recall that I have a cool but nerdy collection of school yearbooks from my hometown. If I find just a few more I’ll have the 1920s pretty much covered, but one of them dates back to 1910. Anyway, my first thought was that this locker would be a cool place to store those yearbooks. It doesn’t exactly go with any of our decor here, so I suppose I’ll have to think about it. I don’t actually have it in my possession yet. A big thanks goes to my Dad for picking it up today since I’m three hours away. And thanks to the nice people at Missouri River Antique Company in Lexington, Missouri.
This locker definitely has a story. How many students since the 50s called this metal box home? Talk about major energy. I wonder if anyone will come looking for locker 130? Oh dear… that’ll be a whole other blog post. 🙂
I’ve blogged about the Scole group several times here at The Big Séance. Like many people, I first read a bit about this group as it is simply highlighted in many books on the topic of spirit communication. Then, when I saw the documentary, The Afterlife Investigations, it seemed so much more real. I then had to read the book The Scole Experiment: Scientific Evidence for Life After Death by Grant and Jane Solomon. From reading the book
The “Scole Hole”, where most of the experiments took place.
I learned that in 1996 the Scole group formed “The New Spiritual Science Foundation”, and they published A Basic Guide to the development of Physical Psychic Phenomena using energy. This guide was written to help groups all over the world wanting to start similar spiritual energy circles, and sometimes it is just referred to as “A Basic Guide”. Of course, I had to have it. To my knowledge it can now only be obtained by downloading it from the link above.
If you’re not familiar with this group and the really cool phenomena that they documented, below is from one of my previous posts.
The Scole Experimental Group was started by two mediums who joined several other spiritual individuals in what most probably know as a spirit circle, which is also similar to a séance group. One thing I didn’t know before reading this book was that the structure of the group and the experiments were pretty much organized and guided by their “spirit team”. The team was composed of around 6 main entities, but other spirit scientists and technicians were involved in the process. Most of their communications came by using the two mediums in trance, but this was not the case every time. Some of the phenomena were moving spirit lights, manifestations of hands and faces, being touched, surround sound-like voices speaking in the room, levitating objects, faces and pictures showing up on sealed photographic film, and some of the cooler experiences involved many gifts of apports (the manifestation of an object seemingly coming from nowhere).
What was the goal of this group? In his first visit, Manu, the “gatekeeper” and leader of the spirit team told the Scole Group that “The team of beings I represent is made up of many thousands of minds from the many other realms of existence. We will be working with your group to provide very tangible evidence of the reality of these other realms. Our plan is to pioneer important methods of communication between the dimensions using ‘energy’ rather than the more traditional methods such as ectoplasm.”
It might be easy to blow this group off and say that there is no way to prove any of this phenomena and the experiences were real, but there are a number of scientists, psychologists, parapsychologists, and other wise and educated professionals who were present and inspected and studied the experiments. Some of these individuals were connected with the highly critical Society for Psychical Research.
I have some séance plans for this fall, but spirit circles are quite a bit different. If you’re interested in forming or joining one, then you should definitely check out the guide, especially if you’re wanting amazing results like the Scole group.
Well, the handbook gives guidance on how to choose members for your group and stresses the old saying that “like attracts like”. It might take several sittings to find the right balance and harmony of group members. Once a group is established, no member outranks another, however, group members should consider themselves members on a trial basis at first. On a side note, I’ve heard from people who have had experience in spirit circles. Some people end up getting their feelings hurt when they end up not fitting into a group’s harmony. I’ve heard of power struggles that go on in some groups as well. It seems to me like finding that harmony would be a tough trial period to get through.
The Scole group received many specific and necessary instructions from their spirit team, and the room and its layout was apparently a part of those instructions. Your room ideally should be used for nothing else but your spirit circles (tough one). It should be free of unnecessary furniture and decorative items, other than a table and chairs arranged in a circle around it, and other recommended items (including a required glass dome) used for experiments. Unnecessary electronic equipment or powered items should be removed. And, perhaps most importantly, these sittings are to be carried out in complete darkness. This could make finding a location a challenge. The Scole group admits that this requirement is sometimes controversial, but the spirit team insists that it is necessary for phenomena to occur in any spirit circle. Perhaps for obvious reasons, a location with only one way in or out is ideal. Something I thought was cool was that luminous tabs (for the table, other experimental items, and wrist bands for sitters) is recommended.
The handbook also gives instructions on general procedures, such as how often you should meet, when to arrive, how long a session should be expected to last, settling in and relaxing, opening prayer, quite a bit of instructions about music that should be used (as a music teacher this was very interesting), a healing exercise that should always happen after the main session, and lastly, a closing prayer.
Forming or joining a spirit circle just may be in my future. I find it very interesting.
Photo Credit: Alan Light
Thank you for being a part of this very special awards ceremony! Tonight’s ceremony and awards have been brought to you by this very post (the 85th), my Dell PC, and WordPress Stats. There is no budget for this evening… no flashy opening number… and no real corporate sponsors or commercials, so let’s get right to it!
The award for The Big Séance’s Top Viewed Post goes to…. Energy, Paranormal Fiction and RomanceOhhh thank you! Actually, I’ll be accepting and explaining all of the awards this evening, therefore I’ll just stay up here so I don’t have to risk my life tripping over these Prada heels. Just kidding… they’re Payless.
I’ll admit that the attention this post got still shocks me! It was pretty early on in this blog’s history (only months ago) and I was struggling to come up with a post for that day. I remember thinking it was absolutely dorky, but I needed a topic and wanted to stay consistent. If you read the comments, I was scolded for making light of the topic. Well, I stand corrected. This was also the post with the most comments, including some surprising responses from authors from the same genre.
#2 – Black Eyed Kids
No… it might not be as strange as those bath salts inhalers who head to the streets to snack on someone’s face or thigh, but black eyed kids are still pretty interesting, and probably just as scary. And believe it or not, “black eyed kids hoax” is the most commonly searched term or phrase that brings people from the search engine world to my blog. In fact, it happens so often that you may have found this post by searching this very phrase. If so, you are truly a paranormal nerd and I love and respect you for that!
#3 – Coming Out of the Paranormal/Spiritual Closet
This was a relatively short but heartfelt post where I simply asked my readers the question “How do you balance your “paranormal/spiritual” life and interests with your “normal” life in the “real world” (such as job, Walmart, family situations, etc) where it might not be as socially accepted to be that nerdy?”
#4 – Phonemes, Allophones, and Cinnamon Buns…
This post truly may give some of you cinnamon bun eyes! Actually, I think may folks clicked on this post due to the deliciously misleading picture. Come on… you know you want to click it now.
#5 – Abandoned Farmhouse Investigation…
This was a fairly recent post, and one of several having to do with MOSS’s recent investigation of a really interesting abandoned farmhouse. The online version of this report and several pieces of evidence will be posted at www.mospiritseekers.com very soon.
And now… the LEAST viewed post… THE LOSER is……………….. (these dots are a drum roll)…………….. What’s your favorite word for “ghost”?
Can you believe it? I can’t! Like 2 people saw this one! It’s GHOSTS, people! Ghosts are probably why you’re here. GO THERE NOW!
As of this very minute The Big Séance has had just over 4,200 total views with 109 views on his best day (yes, I just attached a gender to my blog).
Also as of this very minute, this blog has been read by people from 47 different countries! It may not be a surprise to hear that the top countries were the US, UK, and Canada (in that order).
The most important award for the evening! Someone’s life is about to change! You can look for her on the talk show circuit first thing tomorrow morning!
………. (drum roll again)………….
Thank you folks, we’ll now take you to your local news, already in progress!
Psychic Skill Items Revealed!
Psychic Skill Items Revealed! This is a photo I took the evening of the original blog post, and the items have remained in these exact places since then.
For the previous post, where I introduced the exercise, visit Fun with Psychic Skill!
The Brick
The item on the left is a brick from the Lexington High School/Middle School that I, along with several generations of my family, attended in Lexington, Missouri. I actually attended from the fourth to the eighth grade. The school, which was built in 1927, was demolished ten years ago. I was hoping someone would get some energy from this item.
A photo of the demolition of the old school. This view is of the main entrance on the opposite side of the view you see in the black and white photo above.
The Boy with the Fish
The item on the right is a ceramic boy with a fish that was given to me by an uncle when I was little. I’ve always had it somewhere in my room or in my home since then.
So how did you do?
Sam Crust mentioned an award in his description, which makes me wonder if he could have been seeing the shiny gold plate with inscription glued to the front of the brick. He also mentioned a toy (specifically, Huckleberry Hound), which is a standing character (two legs, arms, facial features, etc.) similar to my boy with the fish.
Kevin D’Arcy mentioned “ceramic”, which is a good call. I can also see how he may have gotten a “bobble head type figure” from my boy with the fish.
Paranormalogistically mentioned the characteristics of “square or rectangular” and “box”, which would connect with my brick. I can also see how she could get “bumpy texture like hobnail glass” (which I had to look up to know what it was) with the boy with the fish. She mentioned “keepsake” as well, which I would consider both of these items to be.
Both Phyllis and Brandie Sellers used the word “box” in their descriptions, connecting them to the brick.
Randall Keller listed several colors, which you could argue is represented somewhere in both items. He also used the term “rectangular”, connecting it to the brick, and “smooth textures”, connecting it to the boy with the fish.
Shall we try this again sometime?
I really had fun doing this and I hope you found it interesting… or at least entertaining. I’d love to try it again sometime, would you? And if anyone decides to try this on their own, let me know. I’d love to participate.
To those who practiced their psychic skill for this exercise, thanks so much!
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