talkmagic.co.uk

Patrick Swayze was particularly rubbish

Yeh he didnt make a good ghost really.. I mean come on.. if Iwere a ghost stalkind Demi Moore.. Id be a around a lot more often to try and get a peek!!

May get freaky when shes in the shower and she wouldnt even catch on.

What does patrick do.. run around after Whoopi Goldberg, his priorities were messed up!!

I unmistakenly saw my friend get his head kicked in by a poltergeist.

Ok was that the Bruce Lee Poltergeist or the Chuck Norris one?

Poltergeists tend to be a combination of phenomena that typically apply to one person; either a very young child or someone moving into puberty that "has issues" as they say... remove the person and you remove the phenomena... if you saw some kind of violence along these lines, I'd say that someone in the room had major resentments towards your friend.


I saw a 'ghost' thing throw a wooden box my way on a building site..

Yea... they do tend to do that once they run out of Cigars...


and there was one time a 'white misty hand' grab my arm when there was no one around in at least 10 yards...

That sounds frighteningly close to something Paul Brook has worked out but baring that I can give you kudos for it in that such "death grips" have been reported for centuries and typically involve a familial spirit trying to warn you about something. I loathe the term "curse" but "Karma" definitely holds some sway when it comes to such tings.


Plus I often see things in mirrors that shouldnt be there.

If it's a young woman covered in blood, her name is Mary. She was originally a student at the Youngstown University in Ohio that committed suicide. There's been tons of interesting legends told around her.

On the other hand... Mirrors and all reflective surfaces have been used for Scrying -- kind of like Crystal Gazing -- for centuries and have been referred to a being an "in between" -- a portal between two worlds or dimensions. Some people, especially when young, are said to pull over "entities" or "energy" from the other side via such sources. In some of the ancient teachings it was believed that this is where most children find their imaginary friends who, in many instances, become a kind of guide and teacher to the child as well as a protector... then again, it is said that this is where the Jabberwocky came from as well...


Last night, when writing the above I felt cold chill and I heard footsteps.. speaking of footsteps..

Someone left a window (or the basement door) opened which caused a draft of cool air to come into contact with the warmer steps... wood stairs will pop and moan when this happens... it sounds a lot like foot steps. The draft (typically subtle) can cause a mild chill... nine out of ten times this or similar conditions are what cause said phenomena.


Another time I was sleeping over at my Sisters.. and in the middle of the night I heard something creeping up, sniffing me and laughing and when I looked round the room was empty. This repeated for about an hour.

I hate to break it to you like this... the first time it happened, it was a house mouse... the mouse went to told the cat (which you heard the second time around) and the third time it happened was because the cat mentioned to the dog who just had to see if it was true... as to what it was they saw and were laughing about... well, I leave that between you and them.


I never knew of anything but apparently it was Albert.. an old resident poltergeist playing tricks on me as it was the first time I had stayed over there..

Again, Poltergeists aren't the same thing as Ghosties or a Haunting. Older facilities are known to have resident spooks, most of which tend to have a mischievous nature but are basically harmless (other than giving one a good start every now and then.)


I also once saw someone in a pub loo.. sitting on the toilet door wide open.. fully clothed.. eyes closed, just sitting there. I was sitting not far from the toilet with friends.. he never came out after me..

You're lucky... Aqualung is typically on park benches eyeing little girls in their fancy clothes...


Im more a skeptic of science than supernatural stuff..

A wise person should be Skeptical of it all; allowing himself to weigh the data from ALL sides of an issue in order to make up his/her mind. If we base our views on just one side of a question, there is no way we are able to act out of wisdom or know any semblance of a truth. Then too, there are always more than two sides to any one issue, which is the stumbling block for most that try to make claims.


I believe in demons but do not believe in ghosts.

Well, that's a major philosophical thing but to sum things up, you're comparing apples to oranges in that Ghosts have nothing to do with demons and vice versa. The myth-information put out that links them came out of the Vatican long ago and has been perpetuated by all aspects of commercialized (and politicized) religion for eons, just to keep the worker bees fear-filled and underfoot. Your ignorance as to what it what and their relationships is not entirely your fault, it stems from a society that walks blindly for the most part and buys into the that wonderful lie about Ignorance being Bliss... if that were the case the U.S. should have known 7+ years of Utopia of late, not hate and war.


I believe in creation and completely refute evolution.

Now you're just being ridiculous, but to each his own.


I trust my senses and often ignore what the eye sees.

That's contradictory to an extreme... sure you're not part Ostrich?

Ignorance is a fixable condition... at least that's what my gramps used to say. Stupidity on the other hand, is not.

We are all ignorant in some way depending upon the topic in question; there are people on this forum that can run circles around me when it comes to card and coin magic or even working with birds, etc. Exceptionally few on this forum can touch me and my knowledge however, when it comes to grand illusions and mentalism... that's not a boast it's just how things are; these are my primary fields of study e.g. I know more about them than I do card tricks, etc. At the same time, I know squat about computers so when I have problems I have to ask one of my step-sons or the kid down the street or (god forbid) go to a computer store.

Just because you see something that's "unique" does not mean that it is a miracle... at the same time, we can't instantly assume that is isn't one either... it may very well be EVEN IF IT IS EXPLAINABLE through so-called "Scientific" Terms.

I'd love to deal with this a bit more but I'll leave things at that for now.

I actually knew a best selling author who wrote a book on ghosts. He said
"the book did my head in"
He is now a ghost himself since he decided to jump over a cliff.

In a strange coinsidence, I saw the little girl again last night. I woke up, opened my eyes and she was just standing there looking at me. She then just turned around and walked away.

When we bought the house, we were told that there was a ghost of a little girl who'd play in the garden. I've never seen here there (although Dave says he has) but have now seen her twice in the house. Strangely, neither time felt scarey at all.

I.D wrote:
I also once saw someone in a pub loo.. sitting on the toilet door wide open.. fully clothed.. eyes closed, just sitting there. I was sitting not far from the toilet with friends.. he never came out after me..

Ghosts wear clothes? That doesn't make sense. Sure a person "bashful" in life would likely make a "bashful" ghost (if there is such a thing?) but the clothes making it to the spirit world?

Maybe that's why cowboys want to die with their boots on.

By coincidence, I went on a 'ghost hunt' on Saturday. I do not remotely believe in ghosts or the supernatural generally, but I saw that a ghost hunt was being run locally (in a haunted house, natch) by people who regularly run events of this type and thought it'd be interesting to attend. I had no intention of (and absolutely didn't end up) going to be the Snorting Sceptic - hanging around picking at and mocking everything so that everyone could see how very, very clever I was. The reasons I thought it would be good to go were:
a) Simple curiosity about how these events are organised.
b) To quietly watch the (individual and group) psychology unfold.
c) To soak up the atmosphere - I enjoy ghost films and stories without needing to believe the films and stories are 'real' - and possibly get some inspiration for magic effects or plots.
d) However unlikely the possibility, it could be that I'm wrong and ghosts do exist and I'd witness proof of it - which, actually, would be absolutely ace.

I could bludgeon you into whimpering boredom by telling you about the event in detail, but I'll mercifully do just a few bullet points.
* I didn't see (hear, feel, 'sense') any ghosts.
* Others believed that they did.
* On every occasion (where I was present - which was mostly, as we were split merely into two large groups) where others had the above belief, they were mistaken(1), there was a *massively* more likely explanation(2), or 'Um'(3).
* One other sceptic there (there were a few - apart from me, all men having been brought along by their girlfriends - and we had to announce ourselves to the group; also we were told we'd be thrown out if we were 'troublesome') came over to me to ask how I felt about a planchette thing that had just taken place. It had shaken him, and he had no rational explanation for it. Interestingly, I'd found it fascinating because - again, I spare you the details - I'd watched it and it was an obvious and near-perfect example of the ideomotor phenomenon interplaying with an evolving group psychology. That is, it - *clearly* - *wasn't* supernatural, but it had pretty much convinced a declared sceptic that it was.
* Everyone there was genuine, in my opinion. There were times when the organisers controlled/distorted/etc. things in the way a cynical charlatan would have, but I believe that they absolutely and honestly believed in what they were doing, and wouldn't have seen it as lying, and, if they were deluding people, they were deluding themselves more.

I realise that this is a long post that isn't going to change anyone's opinion - "Just because you attended *one event*, Sex, and didn't have a ghost turn up and allow himself to be interviewed on video doesn't mean no ghosts exist anywhere." Still, we're sharing experiences here, and that was mine on Saturday.

(1) I do aikido. I have a bad neck due to a previous injury and aikido has a technique where, in effect, you're thrown by your neck. I'd been to a class on the afternoon before the hunt and had my neck, yet again, good and yanked. I was therefore (and was aware of this) stretching and twisting my neck frequently. At one point however, someone noticed this and said that it showed I had picked up on the spirit in the area who was a man who - recorded in local historical info, that I wasn't aware of, which proved the supernatural nature of my reaction - had been hanged. No. Wrong. Irimi nage.
2) It's 3am. We're in near total darkness anyway, but the organiser tells everyone to close their eyes, put their arms by their sides, and put their feet together. "You may start to feel yourself sway backwards and forwards... Slowly at first, but then more and more... that's the spirit energy moving you." Many of the swayers accepted that explanation, often fearfully.
3) A person saying something like, "I felt as though there was someone behind me."

Sexton Blake wrote:By coincidence, I went on a 'ghost hunt' on Saturday.

Sexton - can I ask who the company was and the venue? I work for these kind of companies a bit, and would like to know out of professional curiosity.

TIA

themagicwand wrote:Sexton - can I ask who the company was and the venue?

I'll PM you.

Ghosts wear clothes?

That actually brings up a good point. Even if you that a human being can become a ghost. How can clothes become a ghost? Becasue if you see a ghost wearing clothes, then the clothes most be 'ghosts' too. When the ghosts takes them off, do they still exist in ghost form...are there any sightings of a ghostly pair of pants lying on the floor!

John Edward doesn't see ghosts wearing clothes... he sees a "female figure... she's showing the letter M which could be her name, or the name of someone close to her, or the name of the town she lives in, or was born in. He sees she's to the right and slightly elevated... which could mean a mother, an aunt, an older sister, a grand mother". And a number 4... which could be "the 4th of a month, or the 4th Month (April), or that she is one of 4 children, or something happened relating to the number 4".

AndyRegs wrote:

Ghosts wear clothes?

That actually brings up a good point. Even if you that a human being can become a ghost. How can clothes become a ghost? Becasue if you see a ghost wearing clothes, then the clothes most be 'ghosts' too. When the ghosts takes them off, do they still exist in ghost form...are there any sightings of a ghostly pair of pants lying on the floor!

Well, if we accept the definitions as presented by themagicwand that (A):

themagicwand wrote:Ghosts are like video recordings of something that happened a long time ago. They are the kind of thing that are reported by various observers over the years, and generally do exactly the same thing. So a classic white lady walking down a corridor would be a ghost. You cannot interact with it, it has no intelligence, it is just like a recording being played over and over again. Sometimes refered to as "residual energy".

and (B):

themagicwand wrote:Spirits are the energy of deceased people who have passed over to heaven, summerlands, rainbow bridge etc. They return to earth to communicate with the living, and if you ask "Is there anybody there?" will reply (in theory) by knocking or something. These rarely manifest in classic ghost style but usually only make noises or touch people or produce spirit lights etc.

Then in the case of (A) the clothes are recorded in whatever way the image of the person is. The energy represents the events as they happened and therefore represents the figure clothed.

In the case of (B) the spirit is knowingly projecting/manifesting themselves in a visual way. themagicwand states that the spirits have an energy and are communicating with living beings. They are conscious and choosing to manifest and/or communicate. I don't think it's a leap to say that if they are representing themselves they would choose to wear clothes. If I were projecting myself in order to communicate with someone I would project some clothes along with me.

Woah Craig.. overload of info

Hey dont get me wrong Im a sceptic of the supernatural.. in that I dont believe in it. But these are things I saw / experienced.

I dont care much what the cause is attributed to. Im pretty certain it has a lot do with the fact Im probably not totally sane... but Im yet to face that possibility.

I do believe that ghosts and demons / poltergeists are different things entirely, but Ive seen both ( well, what appeared to be ).

I think that.. there is a scientific explanation for the majority of 'supernatural' phenomena.

I also think that religion / supernatural phenomena experts could argue valid points against some scientific theories.

I reckon.. that as someone rightly pointed out and my good friend John pointed out when we were 17..

Aliens are behind it all.. Only I dont belive in Aliens.. but I wouldnt be naive enough to state for fact they dont exist.

Point being... I dont have a belief system anymore.. which I why im happy not bothering to care who is right or wrong.

But with all due respect to magicwand, what basis have those explanations of ghosts have. Does it not sound like something someone has just plucked from thin air in an attempt to explain an experience.
And as for spirits, without turning the thread into a religious debate, if a spirit could return to earth, why would they only make knocking sounds etc. Why not something more substantial in order to differentiate them from fraudulent spiritualists who can recreate such phenomena.
Also, from the anecdotes given on this thread and others I've heard, a large amount of sightings dont fit that criteria, as they have been described as being somewhat sinister, mischievous, friendly etc.
On top of all that, with the amount of recorded sightings, and the technology now available (CCTV, video cameras etc), how come there isn't one decent recording of a ghost. And don't go on about bloomin orbs. I can make you some orbs by sprinkling dust in front of a flash camera. Whoever decided that these things were ghosts has just blatently made it up.

B0bbY_CaT wrote:John Edward doesn't see ghosts wearing clothes... he sees a "female figure... she's showing the letter M which could be her name, or the name of someone close to her, or the name of the town she lives in, or was born in. He sees she's to the right and slightly elevated... which could mean a mother, an aunt, an older sister, a grand mother". And a number 4... which could be "the 4th of a month, or the 4th Month (April), or that she is one of 4 children, or something happened relating to the number 4".

You're confusing the issue here... John is a Medium or "Sensitive" and he does not claim to "see" ghosts or spirits. Many times on either of his Tv series he's explained that what he "feels" or senses is equated to things he can associate with in his own life experience e.g. the reason things can at times seem vague. But then Skeptics love the vagueness of most psychic situations in that it lends to them an "explanation" as to why things aren't true or real... the information isn't pin-point accurate and carved in stone e.g. it must be fake.

I've yet to meet the individual who could, if given the opportunity to do so, view a 90 minute film that they'd never seen before or knew nothing of in less than a seconds' time... the full 90-minutes flashing before your eyes in less than one single second -- and then deliver perfect and accurate recall that has this pin-point sense of accuracy cynics seem to insist on when it comes to psychic revelations. But then there are numerous case studies revealing how inaccurate "eye-witness" accounts can be when it comes to witnessing an actual crime event... even by trained observers!

Yes, I'm quite familiar with how the "vague ploy" can lead to apparent hits but my mind isn't a rusted shut bear trap either... my observations from a literal lifetime in and around this stuff from either side of the proverbial fence, sustains for me the fact that there is much more to it all than science can presently explain. I stress that point in that I do believe in the cliche that the magick of our ancestors is the science of our present e.g. I believe a huge chunk of the psychic/paranormal issue has a validity to it but we've yet reached the technological levels that will allow us to better define such things vs. implying that it's all hokum and gullibility.


As to those attending a ghost hunt or whatever... well, as I've pointed out elsewhere, when you walk into a situation of this kind with your mind already made up that it's all bunk then you aren't honestly "open" enough to experience the subtle. I'm not saying to walk in with blinders on, only that when we live by a personal point of view that has become a "Personal Law" (as they say in NLP) then it is nearly impossible for us to let go of that position and thus, allow ourselves to see anything other than what we've conditioned our subconscious to accept and allow our conscious mind to process. In other words, we've created filters within our consciousness that would require a most uncanny sense of shock, to overcome.

Yes, the opposite is likewise true -- people that have convinced themselves that their dog channels the essence of Elvis (as an extreme example) will see every little twitch in the dog's actions as a direct line of proof -- the mirroring of "the King"... this is the same as certain religious fanatics seeing the devil everywhere but in their own cult. Fanaticism is just that and it doesn't matter which side of the "belief" line you stand on; we have our evangelic cynics just as we have those in the believer's side of things. It is however, in the middle of those extremes that we can catch a glimpse as to what is genuine and most likely -- an agreement of sorts, between the two schools of thought... call me a fanatic, but that's always been my position and oddly, it is an idea that's been taught for thousands of years within most of the world's great philosophies and most particularly the esoteric world -- BALANCE and understanding the "grey" areas is where one finds truth and wisdom, no matter the issue.

So before I allow my inner-sage to come out with a totally superfluous sermon on that issue, I think I'll call it a day...