Being called stupid during an night of “ghost hunting”.

Tatton Old hall in Cheshire, just outside Manchester. What followed was fascinating, yet frustrating night. Of which I shall summarize. Following a conversation with Nisi (Denise Mott) of Compass Paranormal Events, was invited as a guest to attend one of their events.

Hosting the event at Tatton Hall, were 4 hosts Karen, the witty and straight forward Barrie John and 2 in-house paranormal tech guys Ross and Lewis. Having shared the journey to the banter of Barrie John and Karen, atmosphere was good. People and the punters pardon the pun were in good spirits anticipating an night full of adventure and mystery.

The introduction saw something wholly unexpected almost three quarters of 46 attending held their hands up to having never been on a paranormal event/ghost hunt at all. This was to be their first experience.  Over half held their hand up to the reason they have come is they are expecting a message from the other side, perhaps a loved one. Which Barrie John to his good credit, said if they come through with something personal, which they may. That is not the purpose of the evening, so if there is a message it shall only be brief and nothing more.

What struck me about the place was its archaeological and historic significance, which may well have been all but lost to demolition. The Tatton Hall gift shop effectively became the hubroom. Armour, swords, displays, fabric adorned the room. Details of the areas part in stone age, anglo-saxon, norman, viking and tudor.  The main houses history the part it played during the training of paratroopers and early commandos during the second world war as well as family and ownership heritage information. Mike the steward of the hall, was a insightful guide. Whom I spoke with frequently throughout the night.

The core locations besides the hubroom were a large barn, the great hall and the main old hall house. Taking the guests for a tour with Mike and Barrie John. Then later into 3 groups to explore each area, and in turn rotate round.

When groups split down, it was easier to get into conversation with people. I wanted to get a feel of what was expected from the fact that 3/4 hadn’t ever been on a ghost hunt before. Many said they follow Compass events, some said they frequented their events for their professionalism. A couple said they wanted to try the competition. A few groups said they do ghost hunts annually. The majority commented that they are spiritually open-minded. General expectation was open to whatever happens.

I caught an video interview with Ross and Lewis. Who made mention that this was a favourite location for them, due to the amount of experiences they have had here. Of which they enthusiastically gave some examples.

Each group was allowed to take a selection of “ghost-hunting” equipment, Some usual suspects of k2 meters (7 of them were available) Night vision googles, sound amplifiers, temperature gauges…whilst dowsing crystals, Ouija boards, glass divination were demonstrated and touted as effective methods of communication with the “other side”

and last but not least a broken radio, franks box. Worrying I quote… “We get out best results from this”.

Of the evening 3 moments stood out 

The bat splat – Whilst doing glass divination in the great hall, to no response at all. A bat in the ceiling could not have aimed himself a better bullseye by letting one go and landing centre of the top of the glass. Sure to be well remembered.

Being called stupid – Whilst in the kitchen / dining room of the main hall, I walked into a broken radio franks box session being conducted. A table surrounded by guests and Ross, asking random questions. “Are you there?”, "Are you really there?”, “Do you want us to go?” “Are you William who doesn’t like women”, “Why does James I keep coming to mind"?”. The radio panning back and forth across the bands. Everyone was plucking out answers as the radio picked up words being spoken by stations it passed. There was awkward pauses as everyone was trying to work out, what answer fitted what answer and no one could really decide.

At which point, without wanting to be rude I sat down at the table. As the radio panned over the station, there was a distinct operatic singer. Counted how many stations there were until it came back round, and listened a few more times through to make sure. 19. The crowd were getting silly, do you know you are dead. What year did you die.

“O.K.” I spoke up “Let me get this right, are we under the belief that a person is giving us actual answers, when we keep asking questions over one another?, I mean for this to even exist, the ghost if he exists at all. Would have to be a time traveller”. Which everyone went quiet. “The opera singer, there is 19 stations between it coming back round. So the ghost is listening to each of your questions, going over to the radio station somewhere hundreds of miles away. Then because songs are part way through, have the insight to foretell your questions, go back in time influence the DJ to play a song with the relevant answer or say a word with the answer at that time you ask. Or how about when its half a word on one station, then the second part i.e. on another station. Let alone do this for the dozens of questions we are all asking. What this is a form of audio apophenia, seeing answers and patterns in randomness”. At which point, someone one of the guests speaks over me and says “Stupid. You’re stupid”. Apparently that’s what she heard on the broken radio, then other seem to join in. “That message was meant for you”. Facepalm…

The third was the close of the evening in the barn everyone in a circle bare in mind there is 46 guests, this circle is very wide. Barrie John conducted a human pendulum experiment. One of the guests, who was in a suggestive state of consciousness following some relaxation techniques. I don’t tend to give to K2 meters being used in investigation exercise other than their actual purpose of detecting where electrical cables are. But… we are in a barn, in the middle of nowhere. None of the buildings have any electricity. We are at least 2 miles from any road. Everyone’s mobile phones are off, or least should be… These k2s which are on the floor within the circle light up like its Christmas. And I don’t mean all at same time. One at a time. However no one is moving, we are all in a circle, all are linking hands. There is illumination from the bright moon to see everyone and the barn interior.

After the pendulum experiment where apparently a female, teacher to the children who lived there, in 1537 came through. Barrie John makes mention of an angry gentleman who is present too. The guest returns to the circle. The temperature seems to drop. The k2 at close to her feet, doesn’t stop fluctuating. As people start asking questions out, the k2 at her feet appears to be responding in a yes/no fashion. Karen speaks forward “Are you the man, the terrible man who was here before?”. All of the k2 meters light up to full simultaneously. “Are you looking for Denise, the lady who called you out before?” The k2s on the opposite side of the circle to myself illuminated up to full, repeatedly fluxing. The 3 on my side (if there is such as a thing as a side within a circle) nothing. “She is not here tonight?”. They all flash up to full, then all stops. Barrie John says “He has gone”. Karen speaks up to say, the last time they were here, Denise got quite annoyed with him, and told him to do something, choke one of them to which Karen felt hands around her neck and she couldn’t breathe.

Reflections of inspiration

Growing up, most influences come from the family and the people we interact with, friends, teachers, neighbours and those we see on the television. The late great Carl Sagan was an indirect inspiration. That is I kept hearing his words growing up, without realising who he was. As I came through into adolescence every boy dreams of going into space, I would read books, scan the newspapers for space and technology news to the bemusement of many others at school. While also paying increasing attention to books of archaeology. National Geographic, Readers Digest, Osbourne books and the like.

One particular book called Mystic Places Mysteries of the unknown published by Readers Digest in 1988 which my mother brought stands out in my memory. Must have read that book a thousand times. Vivid images of the mysteries of Stonehenge, Mary Celeste, the flying Dutchman, close encounters – indeed a picture was an artists impression of a silver-suited humanoid figure with large eyes looking through the car window at a terrified elderly couple haunted me for years, Mystic Places was my first encounter with what is known as the Ancient Alien theory. Including a detailed graphic of the sarcophagus lid from Palenque in central America, which took many years to excavate the earth which filled a single staircase going into the pyramid. The lid depicts what appears to be a figure, sat inside of a flying apparatus, his hands and feet manipulating instruments and complete with fiery exhaust.

 

At primary school where I attended Highlees Primary in Peterborough, in Year 4 (I was 8-9) my teacher was a wonderful middle-aged well spoken woman called Mrs Green and the adjacent classroom run by Mrs Jewitt would get together on a Friday afternoon. Bringing together the students and tell us a mystery and allow active discussion with the students. Stories such as the Bermuda Triangle, Mary Celeste, the U.S.S. Aldridge, Life on other planets and what it would be like, the pyramids of the Giza plateau. I am ever grateful for this time, can be certain that in todays education allows not room for critical thinking and open discussion of topics considered fringe – despite their place in the psyche, embedded into history and their yearning to be talked about.

As a child, prior to the discovery of books, the first source of an unusual encounter was from my mother, she would tell me of a vivid spectral visit she would experience regularly when she was around 12. My mother is the eldest of 4 children of Madge and Stanley Lander. My grandfather Stanley was in the forces as a young man, a chauffeur and driver to top brass. With the family growing up, he resigned during the late 60s. They moved to Turves, a village of only 16 houses of the time either side of a B road leading out of Peterborough towards Cambridge. They had made a swap with one of my Granddads friends in the Army, whose father was seeking a move. As his wife had recently passed away and the house too big, but perfect for Madge, Stanley and the 4 children. An ideal swap. Without going into a lot of detail. My mother would tell me, that during the night her door would open and being a light sleeper she would wake up to ask who it was, thinking it was her mother. This happened frequently. She also began to notice jewellery would disappear from her jewellery box on the mirrored dresser. One particular night, she woke up to find an elderly lady sitting on the bed. Mum said the lady said, “Don’t worry, I’m just doing the cleaning, just having a rest”. Mum described her vividly, was very keen to state she was as real as anyone else, and had touched her. She wore her grey hair in a bun, a polar jumper, a pinafore apron and a pair of checked slippers with fluffy pompoms on them. Upon telling the family in the morning, she was laughed at and no one believed her. It was noticed a handprint was left on the mirror of the dresser. Jewellery box open, and a number of jewellery were missing a St Christopher necklace, a mother of pearl necklace and a charm bracelet.  No-ones hand matched up to the print and no-one would own up to the jewellery.

Stanleys friends father Albert Palmer, whom the house was owned by previously would come over for Sunday dinner every week. The topic came up at the dinner table. When asked to describe the elderly lady, the friend was unanimous that it was a perfect description of his late wife. The following weekend, Albert came over again – bringing with him something quite unexpected. In Mrs Palmer Jewellery box, it was discovered to be the missing items from my mothers jewellery box. Whether the visits were the result of an over active imagination of a 12 year old girl, a dream which the brothers, her mum and dad had neatly labelled the encounters under. Jewellery somehow was transported from a house in Whittlesey to a residence in Grantham, which is around 30 miles away.

Suitably programmed to be looking into the curious from a young age. However the story of the spectral elderly lady was a huge impression, it’s not necessarily in the way you may imagine. My first question once I had heard the story when around 6, was regarding the jewellery. “How did the jewellery leave the “house?” My mind as immature as it was at the time devoid of the greater wide view of the world, was looking at the solid object and considering how it passes through the walls of a house. In my mind, I was seeing the image of the jewellery passing through the walls and across the landscape. Was it teleported? The handprint on the mirror, how and why did a ghost leave something well… physical.

It is the questions of the hows and whys does it happen, that are the most interesting. Which these are questions that run through my mind, when someone tells of an occurrence. Take for an example of the 8 common phenomena of a phantom hitchhiker. Why would an apparition appear at the side of a road? Then there’s the physical impression they have, they physically interact with the door, the car light when the door is open is “on” the person this means the photons were being reflected off something physical,  how did they have mass as they sat down in the car, have a “solid” appearance, then a short way down the road they disappear from the seat.

Often I’m asked “How do i become a investigator?”, “What do I have to do to become a researcher?” of which the answer is, build your knowledge base. How can one give structured sound advice, if one does not know the information surrounding the questions being asked.

In the last couple of years, we’ve somewhat stepped away from active investigations. But have become more an observer and trying to gain insight into the actions of alleged investigators. For instance, why are they using “x” piece of equipment? What data do they hope to gather? Of the data gathered during an investigation whether, video, audio, photographic, device data and recorded information how is this analysed? Is it available for review by external professionals? What are the groups intentions for the recorded data. Why is where we are today with Projects like Project WIRGOOT aiming to survey how groups conduct investigations, and what is done with the information gathered.

Giving presentations and talks around the county. Focusing as well on other aspects of the unexplained, rather than just ghosts, because there is more to the paranormal than just ghostbusting.

Kristian Lander.

Here sporting my Gold flyer pin badge and Giorgio Tsoukalos’ style hair.

Engima talk

Evening went very well, the goal of generating a lot of discussion across a wide spectrum was certainly realized.
Videos of Carnac, Mohenjo Daro and Darinkuju.

Psychical experiments of remote viewing and telepathic projection had interesting results.

Conducted a double blind telepathic experiment where 2 participants faced a non descript wall clear in mind to receive symbols from a zener card set, while the other attendees in the room focused on sending the symbol to only one of them. Of which the recievers didnt know, who was the “directed at” reciever.
Went through 3 randomly chosen cards.

Second experiment was remote viewing, where a sealed box with a object within was placed in an adjacent room. A guided mental exercise to go to the box and to “go inside” discover what the object is. Then come back to thr body and then describe what they saw. Yielded some interesting results!
With an agreement to get together to try some more at later date.

Presentation details and title screen

“Large sunken islands, tales of the ancient gods, preceltic history and artifacts.
Earth mysteries and ancient mythology, technology of the gods and the revelations of genetics.
Egyptian history and the strong connection between all of them”
Yes, my bad. It’s a long title. Really did try to make it smaller, but nothing seemed to encompass the areas at which we are going to look at and expand upon.



The presentation will be at the monthly Empryean meeting held at the Theosophical Hall, next to the Old Saluation Inn, on Maid Marian way, Nottingham.
January 4th 2012
Doors open at 7.30pm and talk starts at 8pm
On the door is 4pounds adult and 2.50pound the unwaged

http://www.nottinghamempryean.co.uk

Really hope you can attend,

“The unexplained and the paranormal is about more than just ghosthunting”

“Gold flyer” came yesterday

As you can see I’m now sporting the “Gold flyer” pin badge, as seen and worn by Giorgio A. Tsoukalos on History Channel’s ANCIENT ALIENS and UFO Hunters!

Mainstream archaeologists claim that these 1,500 year-old objects are nothing more than stylized figures of fish, birds, frogs, bats, or insects. But are they really? Doesn’t this shape remind of something else? A plane?

Clearly, these fascinating objects display aerodynamic features, complete with delta-wings, tail stabilizers and elevators, fuselage, and a rudder, none of which are found in the animal kingdom… Talk about a conversation starter!





Giogio Tsoukalos














Sylvia my partner brought it online Legendary Books

http://www.legendarytimesbooks.com for $25 plus shipping to UK obviously 🙂