Clairvoyant medium, Travis Sanders, sits down with Patrick for a conversation about psychic kids, Spiritualism, and support for today’s young people. Plus his book, I Am Psychic, So Are You!: A Clairvoyant Handbook.
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My dad called me about this one. “Hey! Turn it on SyFy. There’s a new show and they’re talking about séances!” This seems to be a goofy show that tastes a little like Unsolved Mysteries to me. Maybe it’s the reenactments that give me that vibe, because it’s certainly not the goofiness. And that’s not horrible, I guess… because I love me some old school Unsolved Mysteries. To this day the old theme song can make me pull the covers over my head, but musically I just love it! But Weird or What? is hosted by William Shatner (which explains the goofiness).
William Shatner hosting Weird or What?
The particular episode that I watched was episode #2 and titled “Life After Death”. In this episode, Mr. Shatner makes his entrance on a Segway…. ??? I was delighted to see that the séance material ended up being about the Scole Experiment, which I’ve discussed on this blog quite a bit (see related links below). Most of the information was watered down to fit a small segment, but it was nice to see some fresh discussion on the topic with people involved. Other segments include a man who has been told and is convinced that in a past life he was a general in the Civil War Battle of Antietam, and a man who comes back from the dead after 18 years. That last one, of course, is trying to take advantage of the huge zombie craze that the American culture is going through right now.
Some of the interviews in this episode include a scientist who discusses his theory about the soul and quantum physics (that’s when I started seeing chickens out of the corner of my eye and thought about going downstairs for a snack), a photography expert that analyzes some of the Scole evidence (even though it has already been done), and a Harvard psychologist and a scientist who both play the part of skeptics. The scientist sets up an almost insulting and fake séance for unsuspecting sitters. Of course, this is his way of saying it’s all an illusion.
So what did I think? It’s the only episode I’ve watched and my DVR is not set to record anymore episodes.
I used to not like the boys from Ghost Adventures at all. In fact (as if I knew it all), I would roll my eyes and tell you all about why I thought they were giant asses (though they have been in the past). I’ve talked to other GA fans who believe that they’re softening up a bit and getting more serious. That might be true, but I think I just didn’t really give them a chance before because of the first impression. I began really checking them out in preparation for my Fort Chaffee Prison investigation with JPRS. They had investigated that location a year or so before and I studied that episode. Some people turn their noses up and pretend that all paranormal television (Ghost Hunters, etc.) are nonsense and had nothing to do with why they do whatever it is they do in this field, but I’ve learned to appreciate them for what we can get out of them. I suppose there are pioneers out there who have been at it for years, but the vast majority of people in this field joined AFTER the great paranormal craze of the early 2000s. (Warning: Completely random comment. I think we need to start using the term “ott” or “ot” again when referring to the first ten years of the century. Thoughts?) I can’t pretend Ghost Hunters wasn’t one of the biggest inspirations for why I do what I do.
The Goldfield Hotel
Anyway… (Look! There goes another chicken!) I’ve been watching more Ghost Adventures episodes recently. The episode of their most recent visit to the Goldfield Hotel was outstanding, but just the other night I watched the Glen Tavern Inn episode. What fascinated me about this one? Not only did they get some really great EVP, and they gave us plenty of shots of the beauty of the hotel, but they conducted a séance! I was pleased to see Zak and the boys be open to doing that. The fact that they (like Ghost Hunters) have been having celebrity guests lately has been getting on my nerves, but I guess they gotta do what they gotta do.
Has anyone else been watching?
Glen Tavern Inn
I Still Watch Ghost Hunters… So What?
Video Highlights from our 9/15/12 Séance
Exciting News! Beyond the Scole Experiment!
The Scole Experiment… My Review…
The Scole Group’s “A Basic Guide”
More Random Bits and Thoughts on Scole
Some Random Bits and Thoughts on Scole
In my last post, where I reviewed the book The Scole Experiment: Scientific Evidence for Life After Death by Grant and Jane Solomon, I wrote that in some future posts I would tell you about some of the more interesting parts. I’ll discuss these first few in the order that I flagged or highlighted them in the book. Here are just a few, and all from Chapter 3… (and forgive me for finding this to be a great excuse to dig up some old photos :-))
Two of the meters that are commonly used in paranormal investigation to identify or locate EMF.
The spirit team (through Manu, the kind of gatekeeper) describes the energy they use in the sittings. They refer to it as a “blend of creative energy from three specific sources”, which include “spiritual energy”, “human energy”, and “Earth energy”. Grant and Jane say that “the effect created by the energy was explained to the group as being akin to an electromagnetic field.”
This should be interesting to most paranormal investigators or “ghost hunters” (another term that I despise) because it is commonly believed that spirits can sometimes let themselves be known and even communicate via an electromagnetic field (commonly referred to as EMF). It is also commonly believed that spirits may be able to manifest more easily when there is a source of EMF near for them to draw from. For those of us believing this theory, this should tell us we may be on the right track. On the other hand, there are currently experts in the field that believe that EMF doesn’t play a role in this specific area of the paranormal.
Me conducting a choir many years ago.
As a musician and music teacher, I found this next part to be absolutely fascinating. I wish I had known this for a discussion a while back on this blog.
“At the end of December 1993, Manu also asked the group to be more careful in choosing the music played throughout the sessions as any tunes that were too mournful hindered the work. Apparently, progress depended on creating the right environment, which included the ‘vibrations’ caused by the music. Mournful music lowered the vibrations while jolly music raised them.”
My Dad and I during an investigation… very much in the dark.
There is often a debate in the paranormal investigation field of whether or not it is nonsense to turn the lights out and investigate in the dark. In the Scole experiments, the spirit team insisted on using or creating their own illumination most of the time. Here is how the spirit team explains it.
“The reason we need to provide our own lighting in the future, rather than the electric lighting which you could provide, is not due to the artificial light itself. The problem is essentially with the electric current used to produce the artificial light. Regrettably, this serves to dissipate the very special energy we employ, without which there can be no phenomena.”
If you enjoyed the documentary video and my recent post on The Scole Experimental Group and their Scole Experiment, then you may just enjoy the book that chronicles and recounts the 5-year experiment of life after death, and many of the simply amazing experiences that few people have ever been lucky enough to see. And it all happened in the “scole hole”, a dark cellar in a Norfolk village in England.
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). Most of these apports were historical in nature, and many of them, such as an old newspaper (see below for correction), were inspected and verified to be authentic.
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.
In future blog posts, I may have to share some of my favorite interesting parts from the book and some of my “aha” moments. As many of you know, I’m preparing for some possible séance experiments coming up soon, and this is just one of the books I’ve been researching in preparation for this next experience.
*Correction: I discovered a piece of information that is incorrect in this post. I mentioned an apport of a newspaper that was verified to be authentic. It turns out this wasn’t an apport. It was actually the photo of a newspaper, ‘The Daily Mirror’, from 1936. It manifested on sealed photographic film during a sitting. The following is from the caption of the photo in the book: “A copy of the original was obtained. It was almost identical to the photograph, with some minor differences which indicated it might have been from another edition on the same day. The newspaper was tested and proved to be genuine wartime paper.”
I am about halfway through The Scole Experiment, a book that documents a 5-year investigation into life after death by The Scole Experimental Group. It all started in 1993 in a cellar in Scole, a Norfolk village in England. I don’t think there’s ever been anything quite like it since.
Below is a documentary of the experiment. If you’re not familiar with The Scole Experiment, be sure to at least watch the introduction. It’ll give you a good idea of what I’ve been reading for a few days now. I have another outpatient surgery tomorrow with some recuperating time this week, so I’ll get it finished in no time and report back.
Peace!
*The filmmaker has requested that I remove the link to the video. If you’d like more information on the documentary you can go to http://www.theafterlifeinvestigations.com/#! or simply search YouTube for several videos that are there.
I have purchased WAY TOO MANY books recently, but I’m just about set for summer reading! I’m so very excited! They’ve either arrived this week or they will arrive any day now. Have any of my readers read any of these books already? Do you have any suggestions for other books that are similar?
The Art of Mediumshiup by Elaine KuzmeskusThe evidence for life after death is overwhelming, and scientists, from Professor William James to Dr. Gary Schwartz, have validated after-life communication. In The Art of Mediumship, discover what really goes on in a séance. Find out how mediums such as Arthur Ford and Edgar Cayce, and psychic detectives such as Noreen Renier receive their information from the Other Side. Learn how to develop clairsentience, clairaudience, and clairvoyance through dreams, meditation, and a Spiritualist circle. Read about today’s ghost hunters who rely on electronic voice phenomena (EVP) and psychic photography as means of communication to solve mysteries. Learn how they capture spirit photos and spooky voices. Find out how to become a professional medium and the best ways to gain credibility with the public. Whether you just have an interest in the Other Side or plan to study the art of mediumship, this book demystifies the process with step-by-step instruction.
Explores the historic and technical development of ITC (instrumental transcommunication), perhaps the most phenomenal field of survival research in history, in which researchers and scientists today receive voices, text, and images from spirit colleagues through computers, TVs, radios, telephones, cameras, and other equipment. Focus is on the work of the Harsch-Fischbachs of Luxembourg; George Meek and Bill O’Neil in the US; Marcello Bacci in Italy; Ernst Senkowski, Manfred Boden, Hans-Otto Koenig, Klaus Schreiber, Adolf Homes, and Friedrich Malkhoff in Germany; and other pioneers in the field.
Conversations Beyond the Light: with Departed Friends & Colleagues by Electronic Means by Kubis & MacyConversations Beyond the Light provides the results of ITC’s (Instrumental Transcommunication) research, the first ‘hard’ physical evidence of life after death. Includes photos, line drawings and many spirit world descriptions by active, vibrant people — all of whom were former earth residents.
Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History by Lesley Pratt BannatyneLesley Bannatyne’s fascinating book . . . will be widely appealing to anyone who ever wondered where witches, trick-or-treating, and jack-o-lanterns really came from. It is by far the best book on the history of Halloween available today. Alison Guss, senior producer, The Haunted History of Halloween, The History Channel An excellent resource for research into the history of holidays . . . in the United States . . . Highly Recommended. The Book Report Halloween has evolved from the Druids’ celebrations of 2,000 years ago to become today the fastest-growing holiday in the country. This, the only book to completely cover All Hallow’s Eve, examines those ancient origins as well as its traditions and celebrations, from costuming to bobbing for apples. Jack-o-lanterns, black cats, and witches are explained. Ghosts, ghouls, and goblins lurk behind every page. The book traces the contributions of America’s immigrants to the holiday, documenting the beliefs each ethnic group has added to the mix. Related recipes, poems, songs, crafts, and photos perfectly complement the meticulously documented text. The result is the most educational and entertaining examination of Halloween, its myths, and its truths.
America’s leading authority on Halloween presents interviews with spooky rock groups, amateur vampires, haunted house creators, champion pumpkin carvers, and more, all in the quest of explaining the nation’s unique love affair with this holiday. The collection of essays and interviews explores the pop culture phenomenon that is Halloween, and why we celebrate it the way we do today.
The Scole Experiment: Scientific Evidence for Life After Death by Grant SolomonThis book chronicles the extraordinary results of a five-year investigation by a group of English researchers into life after death.
Seance 101: Physical Mediumship: Table Tipping, Psychic Photography, Trumpet Seances, and Other Important Phenomena by Elaine KuzmeskusSéance 101 explores the physical side of the spirit world and how contact with “the other side” affects you! Read this book to find out : • How spirits communicate with us by tipping tables. Learn the basics from the New England School of Metaphysics. • How spirits manifest on film and the methods for using Electronic Voice Phenomena to contact spirits. • Where to locate and safely open your third eye, that natural intuition that can be developed into a psychic tool. Learn to meditate and set up a seance. • The importance of psychic surgery, medical practices without tools, anesthesia or pain; trumpet mediumship, where spirits speak from megaphones; and percipitated painting, when spirits paint works of art , without the help of mortals. • How magic and mediumship are tied together via the spirit of Harry Houdini! The spirit lives. Will you become a believer?
Speak with the Dead: Seven Methods for Spirit Communication by KonstantinosUsing things you probably already own such as a camcorder, computer, or tape recorder you can contact departed loved ones or other spirits, record their images and voices, and establish two-way communications between the worlds. Speak with the Dead also details the more traditional methods of sance, trance, and scrying. This book will guide you to one of the most awe-inspiring experiences youll ever have.
Exciting News! Beyond the Scole Experiment!
The “Scole Hole”
A few days ago I got some exciting news through a comment right here at The Big Séance. Grant Solomon, one of the authors of The Scole Experiment: Scientific Evidence for Life After Death, informed me that the two mediums from the Scole Experiment were not only active again, but getting results. I was also informed that another book that follows the current experiment is in the works. How exciting is that?!
Grant suggested we all check out the following two sites (both on Facebook) to stay updated.
The Scole Experiment
Beyond the Scole Experiment
I’ve already found a ton of things there to keep me busy for a while.
Thank you, Mr. Solomon, for stopping by and keeping us informed!
Related Article
The Scole Experiment: My Review
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