As I stepped over the threshold of the Goldfield Hotel in 2007, I would’ve thought the notion of learning something from ghosts was preposterous. Heck, I didn’t even believe the paranormal existed. But after 12 hours of encountering spirits at almost every turn, I had a lot to reconcile with my views on reality and [...]
While at a recent literary event, a natty, elderly gentleman with a smile as wide as the Mississippi handed me my memoir to sign. He told me his name was Herbert.* As I wrote, he spoke softly into my ear so no one else could hear. “I agree with what you said. Love—it really does transcend [...]
Some TV ghost hunters sound like old time revival preachers: “There was a demon to my right, demon to my left, demons encircling me!” I disagree with this philosophy. Demons are not around every corner waiting to mess with us. I’d like to say they’re a myth, but when I see the evil in our [...]
As I wrote last week, historical data can deepen your investigation and help you to better relate to the spirits that may inhabit a building. So what should your team historian research? Here are my top six suggestions: Who lived, worked there? For homes: What was the owner’s income status and career? Did a family [...]
For me, the ideal ghost hunting team is comprised of at least three specialists: a technological expert adept at using investigative equipment and knowledgeable enough to detect false positives; an intuitive/psychic/sensitive who can detect energies and pick up spirit communication; and a historian, one who’s researched the site and can guide an investigation. Reasons historians [...]
Like other Christians, there have been times when I felt spiritually assaulted by the dark side. And, although it’s only happened a handful of times, it usually occurs when I’m on the cusp of an enlightening breakthrough. I’ve pondered how God, who loves us unconditionally, would allow Satan and other negative energies to prey on [...]
For decades after joining a church whose pastor preached a message of fear, I kept God at a distance, as I was frightened by the Almighty. Even though I only belonged to this congregation for a little more than a year, the preacher’s messages crowded out what I’d known instinctively by feeding into my insecurities. [...]
This excerpt, deleted from my final manuscript "A Reluctant Spirit," details the first day I fell ill with Post Viral Neurasthenia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome while exploring East Africa in 1989. To this day, that safari holds a magic for me, one not minimized by 18 years of illness. The wind whips my blue cotton [...]
See my related post from two weeks ago, “The Bible acknowledges the existence of positive spirits and ghosts.” I view our psychic abilities as a gift from the Holy Spirit, a divine energy that connects all of us—whether or not we still inhabit our bodies. While some denominations say that God only allowed prophecy and [...]
Philosophers as well as some Asian cultures believe the pineal gland (located in the lower back of our brain) is instrumental in our ability to intuit and, by exercising that part of the brain, we can further develop our psychic sense. Scientists know the pineal gland, which is found in vertebrates, as the source of [...]
