The Paracast

October always seems to be a bit of a blur, but the best I can tell it's been about a dozen lectures since my last post. There's still a few to go, but the really hectic part has passed. I've met a lot of great people, and have received a lot of excellent leads on haunted locations, so I want to thank everyone who has come out to hear about this past years' investigations.

And if you weren't able to attend any of the lectures, you will have the opportunity to hear about some of them in the comfort of your own computer chair. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of taping an episode of the Paracast with Gene Steinberg and David Biedny. It's always refreshing to be asked intelligent, thought-provoking questions. Of course, whether or not I responded with intelligent and thought-provoking answers will be up to you to decide!

The episode will we available to listen to and download on November 5 at www.theparacast.com, or on the radio at KLAV-AM 1230 in Las Vegas, Sunday nights from 11:00 PM until 1:00 AM.

And rest assured everyone, I will be working on a lot of new cases of the restless dead, and in the coming weeks and months I will keep you posted. Until then Happy Halloween!

New England Ghost Conference

This past weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at the New England Ghost Conference held in Leicester, MA. Mike and I met some great people, and I always enjoy hearing from other researchers in the field.

From left to right are: Michael Sinclair, founder and president of Orion Paranormal (the host of this event) www.ORIONParanormal.com , yours truly, Derek Bartlett, Founder of Cape and Islands Paranormal Research Society, http://www.caiprs.com/, and Gary McKinstry, Medium & Host of American Paranormal Network, http://www.garymckinstry.com/ .

Hopefully, we will have the opportunity to do some investigations together next spring. And I urge everyone who has an interest in ghost hunting to get out to some lectures and conferences. It's a wonderful opportunity to network, learn and have a good time with people who have the same interests. Remember, we are not alone...

Be Careful What You Ask For

This year's book is barely a few weeks old, my busy lecture season is just getting into full swing, and already I have a new investigation worth writing about. This is actually a case Mike told about over a year ago and I had been anxiously awaiting a chance to personally investigate it. For better or for worse, this turned out to be a perfect example of being careful what you ask for...

This case involves one of the most common catalysts for a haunting--a suicide. This one was particularly tragic, as it was a man who by all accounts was a wonderful husband, father and friend, but had been cruelly suffering from a brain tumor and ended it all by shooting himself. There does come a point where life is just not worth living.

When a new family moved into this house several years ago, the children did not know anything about the suicide, so when the 4-year old boy started talking about seeing a man with a gun, and even knew the man's name, his parent's knew this was not a coincidence.

When Bob, Mike and I arrived one Friday night, we set up equipment throughout the house and quietly waited. There were one or two odd sounds, but nothing definitive. Towards the end of the evening, Mike and I went upstairs to the spot of the suicide, and I got the bright idea to sit on the exact spot and see if I could connect.

Well, not much happened for a few minutes, then I felt cold air swirling around me. Next, in my head I kept hearing the tune of an old religious hymn, to which I only knew the first line. It kept repeating, and I felt that this was an attempt to communicate some message. Then the psychic dam burst and I was flooded with heart-wrenching emotions. I compleltly broke down as I felt the suffering, remorse and guilt of a man who believed what he was about to do was terribly wrong, but also knowing that he couldn't stand it anymore and had to pull that trigger...

Let me tell you, this was one of the most traumatic moments of my life, and it wasn't even my life! The awful feelings passed as suddenly as they came, but I sat there in a daze for several minutes. Both Bob and Mike urged me to get off of that spot and get downstairs, and I agreed, but I could hardly move. Mike helped me to my feet, and I held on to Bob as I went down the stairs. When we got to the first floor by the front door, I thought I was okay and I let go of Bob. The next thing I knew everything seemed to spin and get fuzzy and I hit the floor.

As if there wasn't enough going on, just a moment before I went down Mike saw a dark figure looking through the glass of the front door. It was there for a second or two, then turned away and disappeared. This was not the first time a dark figure has been seen on the property, and it added an ominous note to an already very stressful situation.

This is definitely not the end of this story, there are too many unresolved issues. We will be back. It's a week later and I'm feeling okay now, but I know the memory of those feelings will never leave me.