DO I NEED A PROTECTION PRAYER WHEN I GO GHOST HUNTING?

     My personal opinion is that demons exist in several levels and powers. I have seen things to make me believe that they are working in many ways to influence people daily. I do believe some spirits are evil but only if they were evil when they where amongst the living. I also believe that there are Spirits called Trixters that will act like Spirits that some are trying to contact. I believe that they will follow you home from the haunted location for just about any reason they think of.

     So I say that a protection prayer before and after is better than anything else you could do to let them know were you stand. Also it wouldn't hurt to have some sort of object of your belief to reassure your belief that your Protection Payer will work. Its known as a comforter in times of need.

     Some will be wondering why ( I don't believe I need Protection ) I am in any danger of a spirit or demon following me from a Investigation. What You believe is just Your opinion and not fact. I decided when I started the Investigation the amount of time it takes to say a protective prayer at the beginning and at the end of an Investigation that I may as well do them. Plus if they really do prevent the spirits from following me from an Investigation then it is more worth the time and effort to do them.

     Not everyone will be comfortable saying a prayer if they don't believe in a Christian Way,  Actually for those that are of other Beliefs, I would do a Prayer of protection in your own way. It can save you some trouble by Just modifying one of these Prayers to fit your Belief. A few types of opening and closing prayer you can use for protection.

"Saint Michael the Archangel, Defend us in battle Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil May God rebuke him, we humbly pray And do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, By the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits Who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.” Amen.

"A closing prayer could be such as this, In the name of Jesus Christ, I command all human spirits to cross over into the Heavenly Light of Jesus Christ. I command all inhuman spirits to go where Christ tells you to go, for it is He who commands you"

Amen

For non- secular prayers, you can look online or talk to local people to come up with one of your own.

A Residual Haunt! Is it Considered a Ghost or Not?

     I have a posing question that I'm sure will spark some great debate today.  I encourage everyone to chime in on this one. I really want to hear your opinions on this.  A residual haunting is classified as the following.

 

     Residual Haunting: "When a Residual Ghost shares your home or  residence. A residual ghost appears at the same time and place over and over.  It may appear nightly, weekly, or even yearly. Whenever it does appear, it repeats the same patterns observed on previous sightings."  It is believed that residual hauntings make up the vast majority of an investagators reported experiences.  

 

     A residual ghost is the stuff legends are made of.  When generation after generation reports apparitions and ghostly behavior that repeats the same tasks each time, they are undoubtedly experiencing visits from a residual ghost.  The residual ghost does not interact with those around it.  It seems to be oblivious to your presence and continues with its nightly travels whether or not you are there to observe it.

 

      Generally, a residual haunting is associated with a traumatic event that replays the exact sequence of events at the same place to many different observers.  The theory is that a traumatic event can somehow etch itself into the fabric of time and attach itself to the setting in which it occurred.   It is not known how the image of this event is able to be recorded and replayed at a later time.  There appears to be  certain conditions that appear to be conductive to a residual ghost.  Most residual hauntings occur in locations that have been built over limestone, quartz, or water.  It is believed also that natural rock formations play a major role in the formation of a residual Image.  Buildings made of bricks and stones are also known to harbor residual ghosts.

 

 Many ghost hunters believe that the release of intense energy from the original event is somehow imprinted on the area in which it occurred. The weather conditions at the time of the event mayalso be connected to the imprinting of the image and thus, the resulting residual haunting. A residual ghost may appear as an apparition. Or, it may simply be the repeated sounds of a door opening and closing, footsteps, or even voices.  You may hear some unknown person singing mournfully or crying in the night. You may hear the quiet sounds of laughter coming from the hallway. Or even children playing in the hallway when there are no children present. 

 

    Residual ghosts always repeat the same actions as though it were a movie being replayed.  Residual hauntings do not always replay the traumatic event though.  Often these actions are from whatever the person or persons energy that they have left behind. Most often, it's something that was strongly tied to their life.

 

      What you are observing is simply a recording of the energy left behind. There is no real entity present.  It is more like a distant memory of events long ago that has somehow managed to imprint itself on the environment.  From the standpoint of the paranormal investigator, residual ghosts are completely harmless and are nothing to be afraid of. Because there is no real entity involved, a residual ghost can not interact with you or harm you in any way.  Another interesting point of interest is that it does not appear that a cleansing or an exorcism will have any effect on a residual ghost. 

 

    Essentially, there is no way to rid yourself of a residual haunt other than to move, but since they are harmless there is no need in that.

 

So, here is my question.  (Since a "Ghost" is thought to be something that is interactice and we can communicate with it to a certain extent. We can get it to move on or do a blessing and have it leave and things of that nature.)  

 

 Can a residual presence really be classified as a Ghost?!.....

There's a growing interest in the phenomenon of shadow people. What are they? Ghosts? Interdimensional beings? Time travelers? Something else?

     "What was that?" You were sitting comfortably on your sofa reading the latest issue of your favorite magazine or book in the dim light when movement across the room caught your attention.  It seemed dark and shadowy, but there was nothing there.  You returned to your reading - and a moment later there it was again.  You looked up quickly this time and saw the fleeting but distinctly human shape of the shadow pass quickly over the far wall... and disappear.
 
     What was that? Some natural shadow?  Your heightened imagination?  A ghost?  Or was it something that seems to be a spreading phenomenon - apparitions that are coming to be known as "Shadow People" or "Shadow Beings."  Perhaps this is an old phenomenon with a new name that is now being discussed more openly, in part thanks to the Internet.  Or maybe it's a phenomenon that, for some reason, is manifesting with greater frequency and intensity now.

     Those who are experiencing and studying the shadow people phenomenon say that these entities almost always used to be seen out of the corner of the eye and very briefly.  But more and more, people are beginning to see them straight on and for longer periods of time.  Some see like a "silouette", more times than not,and they wear a hat like a fedora and are wearing a trench coat and carry a cane.  Some experiencers testify that they have even seen eyes, usually red, on these shadow beings. The mysterious sightings have become a hot topic of conversion in paranormal chat rooms, message boards and websites, and it is given widespread attention on paranormal talk radio.
What are shadow people and where do they come from? Several theories have been offered.

THE IMAGINATION

     The explanation we get from skeptics and mainstream science - and who are usually people who have never experienced the shadow people phenomenon - is that it is nothing more than the active human imagination.  It's our minds playing tricks on us... our eyes seeing things in a fraction of a second that aren't really there - illusions... real shadows caused by passing auto headlights, or some similar explanation.  And without a doubt, these explanations probably can account for some if not many experiences.  The human eye and mind are easily fooled. But can they account for all cases?

GHOSTS

     To call these entities ghosts demands first a definition of what we mean by ghosts.  (See the article: "Ghosts: What Are They?")  But by almost any definition, shadow people are somewhat different than ghost phenomena.  Whereas ghost apparitions are almost always a misty white, vaporish or have a decidedly human form and appearance (very often with discernable "clothing"), shadow beings are much darker and more shadow-like.  In general, although the shadow people often do have a human outline or shape, because they are dark, the details of their appearance is lacking.  This is in contrast to many ghost sightings in which the witness can describe the ghost's facial features, style of clothing and other details.  The one detail most often noted in some shadow being sightings are their glowing red eyes.

DEMONS OR OTHER SPIRIT ENTITIES

     The dark countenance and malevolent feelings that are often reported in association with these creatures has led some researchers to speculate that they may be demonic in nature.  If they are demons, we have to wonder what their purpose or intent is in letting themselves be seen in this manner.  Is it merely to frighten?  Some say that they're not demonic at all.  If it is demonic in nature, it's only purpose in showing themselves in this form is to confuse you. Because they don't want you to know that they're demonic; they will try to fool you by maybe using a childs voice to fool you into thinking they are a child!  So is their main job to confuse you and make you fear?

WATCHERS

     We don't know why they're  here or why they're watching, but they tend to show up when something bad is going to happen or when there is chaos in an individual or a families lives;  (ex, drugs, alcohol abuse or emotional/physical abuse, or some kind of trauma, such as death or a natural disaster!)  There is no proof that they're the cause of any of these troubles.  They just tend to show-up and watch during these times.  It's also a thought process that has yet to be proven that our own energies draw them to us!

ASTRAL BODIES

     One interesting idea suggests that shadow people are the shadows or essences of people who are having out-of-body experiences.  According to Jerry Gross, an author, lecturer and teacher about astral travel, "we all travel out of the body" when we are asleep.  Perhaps, this theory says, we are seeing the ephemeral astral bodies of these twilight travelers.

TIME TRAVELERS

     People from our own future, another idea states, could have found the means to travel to the past - our time.  However they are able to accomplish this incredible feat, perhaps in that state they appear to us merely as passing shadows as they observe the events of our timeline.

INTERDIMENSIONAL BEINGS

     Even mainstream science is fairly convinced that there are dimensions other than the three we inhabit.  And if these other dimensions exist, who or what (if anything) inhabits them? Some theorists say that these dimensions exist parallel and very close to our own, although invisible to us.  And if there are inhabitants in these other dimensions, it is possible that they have found a way to intrude on our dimension and become, at least partially, visible?  If so, they could very well appear as shadows.  It has long been held by psychics and other sensitives that beings on other planes of existence are of different "vibrations."  Science is beginning to look at reality, on a quantum level, in the same way - that particles of the smallest size exist as vibrations.  Perhaps, some theorize, the vibrations of our existence are beginning to mesh with those of another dimension, which accounts for the increase in such phenomena as ghosts, shadow people and possibly aliens.

ALIENS

     The alien and abduction phenomenas are so bizarre that it's no surprise that extraterrestrials are suspects as the shadow people.  Abductees have reported in many cases that the alien grays seem to be able to pass through walls and closed windows, and to appear and disappear abruptly, among other otherworldly talents.  Perhaps, too, they can go about their alien agenda disguised in the shadows.
There's a good deal of overlapping among the above ideas, of course.  Aliens and ghosts could be interdimensional beings, or aliens could be time travelers - and some believe demons are responsible for all of these disturbing phenomena.

     There is no way to prove or disprove any theories about a phenomenon that is so mysterious, that happens so quickly and without warning.  Science finds it virtually impossible to catalog or study such phenomena in any methodical way.  All we can do, at present, is to document personal experiences and try to piece together what the shadow people phenomenon might be. Perhaps it's an old mystery becoming more recognizable... perhaps it represents a doorway to and from different planes of existence... or perhaps it's just shadows.  Let me know what you think!

     If you been liking my articles, then you'll love my books!  Check out my newest book; The Paranormal Dictionary.  With over 2,500 words and definitions covering the paranormal, ufology, crypto, and demonology!  It's the true paranormalist one stop reference book.  Buy it now before it release on the first week of December and have it autographed!! Here's the link, http://www.11thhourparanormal.com/online-book-store.php

Can Ghosts Hurt The Living?

     I have often been asked  whether ghosts are capable of hurting the living. On the face of it, it is a  simple enough question. However, like everything in this world of ours, it  carries with it some gray area. If I had to give a simple answer, I would have  to say that ghosts really cannot hurt the living. However, it is an issue that  must be looked at a little deeper.

     The first bit of gray area  involves what you mean by “hurt.” Certainly ghosts can have a terrible mental affect on someone. Living in fear is unhealthy, plain and simple. If there is a  ghost operating in a house, even one that means no harm, it can cause all kinds  of mental strain. Frightened people do not sleep well. They become extremely  nervous and often their diets suffer as well. All of this creates problems with  the jobs or schooling and that adds to the pressure they are under.

     If you take that a bit  further, prolonged fear and stress and all the results from it will surely have  a debilitating effect on the health of the person involved. So in that regard, a  ghost, even a well meaning one, can cause physical problems. Granted, it is not physically injuring the person but its actions are causing physical  problems. I told you it was gray area. However, there is something else to  consider.

Accidents And  Fear Reactions

     Many people who live in a  haunted house find themselves injured as a result of trying to get away from a  ghost. More than a few people have fallen down stairs in an attempt to flee the  ghost. That has resulted in broken bones and it is conceivable that someone  could be injured severely, if not mortally. Thus, it seems that the ghost hurt  the person. However, it must be pointed out that the person’s reactions are what  caused the injury, not the spirit itself. It may seem like a small distinction,  especially to the one who was hurt but you have to remember, it is quite  possible that the ghost meant no harm to the person.

     In that regard, fear was  the cause of the accident. Of course you can argue that the ghost caused the  fear but is that the fault of the ghost or the person who saw the ghost? If the  person involved knew the ghost meant no harm, he might not run from it. Okay,  you could argue that the ghost should have known he would scare the person but  remember, the ghost was a person and he may be desperate to have contact with  the living. Again, it is a tough one to call.

     Then there are the cases  where a nasty ghost has decided that he does not want anyone living in his house and makes every possible attempt to drive out the living residents.  There have been many documented cases where the living have been hit by objects  that were propelled by a spirit. Also, many people have claimed that they were  tripped, sometimes on stairs. That would be a direct attack and proof conclusive  that ghosts can indeed hurt the living. God knows there are more than a few  nasty spirits out there.

     Earthbound spirits tend to be in death exactly as they  were in life. The person who was mean and grouchy while alive is likely to be  equally mean and grouchy in death. For that matter, he may be a bit worse since  he may feel that he was gypped out of life. But can he really hurt someone? I  have always doubted that human spirits can actually hurt people. In my mind,  there are limits to what they are capable of doing on their own. However, they  may occasionally get a little help from their friends, so to speak.

The Bad Ones

     There are spirits out there  that are quite capable of causing severe harm but they are of the inhuman  variety. Demonic spirits do have the ability to cause serious injury of both the  mental and physical variety. However, attacks by demonic entities are extremely  rare, thank God, although they do take place more than most people realize or  are willing to admit. Still, your chances of encountering one are minute, unless  you delve into high-risk areas such as practicing the black arts or you live an  evil lifestyle that would be attractive to demonic entities.

     Far and away, the  most likely spirit you will encounter will be human. The overwhelming majority  of those spirits are benign and even benevolent. However, they are often  mistaken for being bad. It is my belief that where you have physical injury,  aside from the variety that results from a panic reaction, you can look for a  demonic spirit. Yes, there may well be a human entity involved but it is the  demonic spirit has the ability to cause the physical attack.

     If you have a situation  where there is a nasty human spirit, you can expect frightening phenomena and  attempts to drive you out of the residence. He may knock on your walls or he may  turn your electrical appliances on and off. He may even shake your bed. However,  acting alone, that is probably all the ghost can do. The situation changes where  there is a demonic spirit present. It is in this scenario where I feel physical  injury is sustained.

     Why would a demonic spirit be around? Well, the negativity  of the ghost might be such that it attracted the attention of a demonic spirit.  That spirit then moves in and uses the ghost as a puppet. Like I said, left to  his own devices, the human ghost probably can do little more than frighten. So why then do people fear ghosts?

     Ghosts have a bad  reputation. To the average person, seeing a ghost would be a terribly  frightening experience. This is often true even when the person knows who the ghost is. People have been taught that ghosts are frightening and dangerous.  They have been taught to view ghosts as aberrations, as things that should not  be around us. Yet we all will become ghosts. We may not all stick around after our deaths but we all will die and become spirits. Actually, I should say that we will revert back to being spirits. If you look at it logically, they have  every bit as much right to be here as we do. We exist; they exist. Why should one group have more right to be than another?

     People often ask me how I can do investigations. “Aren’t you afraid of ghosts?” I am often asked. Truthfully, I  am not or I could not do this work. There really is no reason to fear the ghost since it is simply a person in spirit form. In the overwhelming majority of  cases I have worked, human entities were the cause of the trouble. In the vast majority of those cases, the ghost meant no harm. In most cases, it was confused. With a little guidance, they can be helped across the line into their next dimension.

     In so many cases, the ghosts are pretty much lost and simply do not know where to go. Fear may be holding them back. The desire to remain where they were most comfortable may be holding them back. If you don’t mind my using a bad pun, eventually they will see the light.

     Today more than ever, people like to go ghost hunting.  They will take ghost tours, stay in hotels that are reported to be haunted or they will go to famous locations. I am often asked whether this is dangerous.  The answer is no. I have never heard of anyone being hurt by going to a reportedly haunting location for the sake of adventure. I will say that if you  go looking for ghosts, you will probably find them since they are all around us. 

     When you do find them, there really is nothing to fear. Doing a private investigation is a  little different because you will eventually come across a nasty one and  possible even a demonic one. However, going to a haunted location for the sake of fun is quite safe. Use a little common sense and take a few precautions and you can have a lot of fun. So, having said all of that, happy ghosting! 

The Balanced Home

     You know you don't have to be in the paranormal to want to have your house being the happy and safe refuge from all the chaos that life brings us.  When we come home, we want to be able to relax and enjoy our sanctuary we call home. But sometimes even our sanctuary becomes out of balance, due to bringing home unwanted negative energy from others that we had to deal with during the days and weeks and also from the negative energy from people coming into your house to visit. After awhile your home just out of balance.  So how do you get it back in balance so that you have that peaceful feeling back in your sanctuary again?

     Well this past weekend I was honored to be able to go to a class from a great organization called Casa Del Curandero (House of the Healer) and they taught a great class of how to do just that. So let me share with you what they showed me.  They had a nice little saying that I want to share, and that is Physical clutter means mental clutter which leads to spiritual clutter.  If you think about this, it's so true. It's like a snow ball affect. 

World Wide Views

     There are 3 common steps that cross most cultures that people do to cleanse, purify and bless their home. Lets take a look at these.

Cleanse: Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Almost all cultures worldwide agree that to have a spiritual clean home you must start with a physically clean home. That means de-cluttering, mopping, and washing those curtains! The common idea behind this is that energy can become stagnant. Dust won't settle in used spaces and neither will energy! The same corners that you battle dust bunnies will be the same places you need to focus while doing a spiritual cleansing. Just like the stagnant air, the energy becomes stagnant too.

Purify: the burning of sacred woods or herbs. using sacred waters or oils to anoint the space. Using light or sounds to move energy. Sounds can be anything from using a sacred drum, tuning forks, to clapping.

Bless: The burning of sacred woods or herbs. Using light and stating prayers or affirmations with the intent to bring back the peace and tranquility that your trying to bring back into your house. You know this is the biggest step that is not done properly or done at all.  You have to remember, you just cleansed and purified these areas, so now that space is void of anything, you now have to re-fill that space with something.  When you do your blessing with the proper intent, you know have re-filled that space with positive energy.  This to me is the most important part!

Common Practices

     Again, their are some common practices that people world wide do to cleanse their homes of the unwanted energy, so lets go over some of them.

Smudging: Smudging with sage has become the most common in many houses lately. White California sage is the most commonly used these days but there are other types of sage gaining popularity. The most important thing to remember is to rebalance after smudging with an energizing scent like Lavender or Cedar.
     When doing your smudging, remember to start in the eastern part of your home and then go in a clockwise manner, making sure you smudge in the corners and closets and around doors and your windows. You may say prayers or affirmations as you do this and even incorporate any other oils, waters, or symbols, (such as reiki) that are sacred to you.
     Common herbs and resins use for smudging include: Sage, Frankincense, Myrrh, Copal, Cedar, Sweat Grass, and Palo Santo.  You can also combine these different incenses and herbs for your own unique smudge.

Candles: A simple yet effective way to cleanse a house is to gather several small white candles (or whatever color resonates with you) and set an affirmation of a cleansed and purified home filled with love and light. Concentrate on your affirmation while holding the candle filling them with your energetic intention. When you feel satisfied with you work, light one candle for each room and let it burn completely. As the candle burns it will burn away the negative energy while filling the room with light. (Tea lights are perfect if you don't have time to wait for the candles to burn.)

Toning: Everything is energy and everything has a vibration. Sounds create high vibrations that are able to cut through the lower vibrations or stale and stagnant energy. This can be done using vocal toning, Om, singing bowls, tingshaws, drumming, or even clapping. Go to each doorway and corner and produce a sound to clear the energy.

Sacred Oil and Water: A very traditional Christian/Catholic practice. Every window and doorway is consecrated with the spiritual liquid by dabbing a small amount on the top of the sill, while saying your prayer or affirmation. When using water, make sure it's blessed  and for oils, be sure to use pure oils. Common oils that can be used are olive and vegetable in a pinch.  You want to use oils such as Frankincense, myrrh, lavender and spikenard.

Sacred Symbols: Physically drawing symbols on your walls with Holy water or oil and then simply envisioning them embedded into your space will help to purify your space. You can use Reiki symbols, the cross, sacred geometric symbols or anything else that is significant to you. These can also be drawn in the soil outside your house as well. You can also use actual objects as well, such as a hanging cross on the wall or placing a saintly statue in a room.

Crystal Grids: A simple grid can be done by placing an absorbing and clearing crystal at each corner of the house and even for extra protection, each corner of a room. You can even go smaller, such as the four corners of a table with a shrine or worship area. The absorbing stone/s takes in all the negative energy that comes to it while the clearing stone recharges the absorbing stone allowing it to work indefinitely. 

     The absorbing crystals include pyrite which is a powerful protection stone which shields and protects against all forms of negative vibrations. Other stones that you can use include selenite or rose quartz.

Schedule: While it is best to give your house a good smudging once a week, this will depend on your sense of the energy in the room.  Traditionally, the smudging is done on Fridays. Also you would want to do it on a full moon and any significant dates that you observe, which could be based around holidays, astrological events and even during tough family situations.

     I hope you enjoyed these ideas that I would like to thank Casa Del Curandero for.  On Thursday we'll go over Colors and the importance of them to getting rid of negative energies and how they help create peace and tranquility in your home.
If you'd like to see what other great things the people of Casa Del Curandero are doing, you can catch them at www.casadelcurandero.com   Look for part two on Thursday.

Hey if you've been enjoying my blogs, then please check out my newest book, The Paranormal Dictionary, coming out the first week of December.  If you want to pre-order your copy today for $10 off the normal price and have it autographed, you can go here to order it today.  With over 2,500 words and definitions covering not only the paranormal, but Crypto, Ufology and Demonology.  So order your copy today.
http://www.11thhourparanormal.com/online-book-store.php

A look at time-slips

     So here is the scene, imagine walking down a familiar road, one that you have walked down many times before.  You know the line of houses, familiar trees and bushes and perhaps even peculiarities such as gravel drives, iron railings and ornate doors. Then on this one particular day, you happen to take the same route and although things appear normal to you, somehow you feel ‘different.’  Maybe there is a peculiar feeling to the atmosphere; it might be unusually cold or warm for the time of year.  You do not hear the usual sounds of passing traffic or birds singing, there is a strange and eerie silence.  Suddenly, you look around and everything appears to have changed.  Houses have vanished; there may be unknown buildings and where there were streets and modern houses, now there are green fields and maybe even old cottages or farm buildings.


     You suddenly catch a glimpse of people, but they are not like the people you are familiar with.  Their clothes are maybe ten, twenty, thirty or even one hundred years out of date, or even more peculiar, they are wearing clothes and materials as yet, unknown.  There maybe distant voices and noises, but somehow everything sounds muffled and muted and there might be a feeling of oppression and strangeness. As quickly as this phenomena happens, it vanishes and again there is the comfort of familiar sights and sounds.  So what on earth has happened?  Well to those who have an interest in things supernatural or paranormal, you might just have encountered a time-slip, a 'blip' or 'loop' in time, which has allowed you to either experience the past or in some cases, the future.  It doesn’t happen to many people, but to those who have encountered a time-slip it is both a frightening and an amazing experience.

     Nobody really understands what a time-slip is and just as there are numerous theories about time itself, so there are various time-slip hypotheses.  For centuries, scientists and theorists have debated the subject of time and the great men of understanding such as Newton and Einstein both tried to explain their ideas regarding time, but as they are heavily wrapped up in physics and philosophy, it is often beyond the understanding of the man in the street.  But as humans, we are physically aware of time, as seconds turn into minutes, minutes into hours and so on. Looking back on photographs taken throughout a lifetime, a person rapidly becomes a living witness to the relentless march of time.  From the baby to an old person, human beings are the evidence of what time can do.  Once smooth and flawless skin gives way to wrinkles and hair turns grey as the years march on regardless.  Nobody can seemingly stop time; we are governed by it, so is it possible that some people can witness the past or the future without the aid of any man-made ‘time machine,’ such as the one portrayed in H.G. Wells’ science fiction book, "The Time Machine?"  Or are time-slips just the figment of somebody’s very ripe imagination?

      One of the most famous time-slips occurred in the summer of 1901, when Charlotte Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain two English women, travelled to France in search of the Petit Trianon, a small chateau in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles.  At some point during their visit, they report that they encountered a feeling of gloom and dreaminess and suddenly their surroundings changed and they believe that they met the figure of Marie Antoinette who was sitting in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.  They also encountered people who were dressed according to the 1700’s, including servants and commoners. Nobody could prove or disprove their account and as they were very distinguished scholars themselves, it is highly unlikely that they fabricated their story purposely, but maybe they became confused or as has been suggested, they encountered French nobility or high society and this would account for the elaborate dress.  These are all feasible possibilities, but nobody can account for the changes to the landscape, which the two women remarked upon.

     A more recent time-slip, made famous by a television program on the supernatural called "Strange but True", (video can be accessed on YouTube), retells the story of two British couples driving through France on their way to a holiday in Spain, who stop off at a very old fashioned and quaint rural hotel.  On their way back from their holiday, the couples decided to revisit the hotel, but to their amazement, there is no earthly sign of it, it had completely disappeared.  Both couples testified that they were puzzled by many irregularities that occurred on their first visit.

    Another remarkable time-slip was experienced by Alice Pollock, who visited Leeds Castle in Kent, UK.  Alice experimented by touching objects in a room to try and recreate or experience events from another time period.  For a while, nothing happened but then suddenly, the room changed, becoming cold and bare and a small log fire burned in the fireplace.  Alice noticed a woman dressed in a white dress, walking up and down the room and the woman appeared to be deep in thought.  Then as quick as it happened, the room returned to its original state.  Later it was discovered that Queen Joan of Navarre, stepmother to Henry V, was imprisoned in the castle’s rooms as she had been accused of witchcraft.

     So, was Alice Pollock’s mind recreating past history or did she actually encounter a loop in time caused by her intense desire to recreate the past?  Are human beings able to manipulate time through objects, by touching them and absorbing their past energy?  Dr. Joseph Rodes-Buchanan, of the Covington Medical Institute, was convinced that objects carried their history photographed in them and he wrote, 'the past is entombed in the present.’ 

     The art of touching objects and having a psychic link with them is called ‘psychometry’ and many believe that ‘standing stones’ such as Stonehenge, are in some way endued with psychic power and are able to connect us to the past and the present simply by touching them.  Can this act of psychometry allow us to form a link or bridge between past and present?

      Maybe time is like the sea, ebbing and flowing, never quite still and always restless.  Perhaps every now and then when a small eddy appears in the sea of time it allows humans to be caught up in a gentle whirlpool, where both past and present become one...Nobody can quite give us a plausible answer and nobody probably ever will. But for those who encounter a time-slip, it will always be a mysterious encounter, never quite understood and never quite proven to be true or otherwise, but nevertheless, an encounter that will always be remembered.

      Please tell me what you think!