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Showing posts from 2013

JOADJA ADVENTURE

October – I’m off on another adventure today. Heading to Joadja Creek a ghost town out past Sydney NSW in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales , Australia , in Wingecarribee Shire . Joadga was a mining town between 1870–1911 and home to around 1,100 people, many of whom were skilled immigrants from Scotland. It was connected to the nearby town of Mittagong by a narrow gauge railway that terminated adjacent to the main Southern Railway line in Mittagong . The town existed to mine oil shale from which kerosene was extracted by the Australian Kerosene Oil and Mineral Co.   By 1911 the process was superseded by conventional kerosene production from oil and oil shale mining became uneconomical. The town became deserted as inhabitants relocated in search of work. The property was auctioned off that year to a private buyer. The township is still recognisable, despite the state of its ruins. The sandstone school, the mine, houses, refinery and even the cemetery rem

Old Hag Syndrome

Old Hag' Syndrome is a terrifying sleep disorder that many people have experienced. Also known as 'sleep paralysis', sufferers often wake up in the middle of the night, unable to move or scream, but able to see, hear, feel and smell. It is often accompanied by strange smells, frightening sounds, apparitions of shadows or people, and a weight on the chest, making breathing difficult if not impossible - have you had such an experience? It can feel terrifying - as if you are being taken over by an entity that has total control of you. You cannot move, nor can you scream although you try as hard as you can. Often you can be sleeping right next to your partner but cannot reach out to touch them. You fell totally helpless. It is said to be caused by the hormones, which keep us paralysed while we sleep and thus preventing us from acting out our dreams, not ceasing function immediately when you wake up. It usually only lasts up to a minute.Although I have he

"I need your help"

Its not a good start to the day when you check your mobile phone and there is a message on it saying "I need your help". But, this morning that is what I found. I am glad that I can be of help. We ARE here to help in the best way that we can. Not only does Newcastle Ghost Tours do tours, events that are fun and entertaining bu t we have a serious side to the business too. Its also about offering some help to those whose lives are disrupted by ghosts who are being just too friendly or pushy and sometimes even nasty. For some people this sort of occurrence is very real and just sometimes it can get out of control and be very frightening. I have had two calls like this just this week. People asking for help..or just wanting to talk to someone about what they are experiencing. Sometimes the situation can be diffused by talking and understanding what is going on. It can be dealt with very easily, but, I always tell people that "its complicated". Its n

Helping Dad Move On.

This is a link to the Craig Weiler blog - here he talks about helping his father in law move on after his death. Its a great read. http://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/02/helping-the-dead-move-along/

Skeptics -we love you!

I personally love to speak with skeptics - as long at they dont try to convert me, ear bash me or become violent! A rabid skeptic is just as ugly as a religious zealot. So we dont all believe the same thing. But I can listen to your views with respect and you can listen to mine and maybe, just maybe we can both learn something new. Check out this blog - a great perspective on the positives of dealing with skeptics. http://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/the-healing-power-of-dealing-with-skepticism/

What is a ghost - a personal definition.

I have spent the last week focused in writing and research. In doing so I have also come across more wonderful books and articles on the subject of ghosts and the paranormal which I have not enough time to read. Which has led me back to the biggest question of all - what, in fact, are ghosts? The more I read the more I understand that the answer to that question is totally subjective one. It relies on ones personal experience, belief systems and education or lack thereof. And if I had 100 people standing in front of me, even if they were all ardent believers, I would find quite a large variety of different answers. But my understanding may be a little different and broader than many others, due to my work with historical sites and (again) my own personal experiences. According to one dictionary it is " An apparition of a dead person that is believed to appear or become manifest to the living, typically as a nebulous image." Another site says " A ghost - or

How can it be so hard??

I have organised with a local restaurant to host three evenings this winter of fine dining and guest speakers on some paranormal topics. It has taken me weeks to try and get three special guest speakers to agree to three dates. Firstly, it was sending off letters of proposal - as I had never done this before I was travelling blind. But in my moments of strength I went for it. The first event was settled smoothly enough but the other two became ever increasingly complicated as the demands rose with every email sent. From paying for accommodation and petrol costs to then dates that suited becoming unsuitable to then wanting to bring family members and arranging their accommodation too, to adding breakfasts. NOOO!!!!!!!!! I am not making any money on these already - I didnt also want to also be so hugely out of pocket !! SO I decided on the KISS approach. Keep it simple stupid - cancel the ones that were getting too demanding and get some others. I think I have done it. We

Staying passionate when the world thinks you're crazy.

Sometimes, when your passion is something a little less conventional, like lets say...paranormal investigating.. it can be hard to remain passionate in the face of criticism, ridicule and partners who may be telling you to "get a grip" on reality. Sometimes you can start to believe that you are not chasing ghosts but your own shadow, spending hours away from home, buying equipment that sparkles and shines only to realise that other people in other teams have more sparklier and shinier equipment - or worse still...nicer looking T shirts and logos! So thats when you have to REMIND yourself of why you are doing all of this - what led you down this path in the first place? Was it really to impress other people in a jazzy T shirt with the newest piece of equipment or was it because you had a burning question about the mysteries of life that just needed to be answered. Remember to: Keep grounded and remember that this world is the one where you currently keep your stuff,

Should children come on investigations?

Just to claryify our position on taking young children & teenagers on tours - we do take bookings from families who wish to escort their children (over 13 years) as long as they remain responsible for them during the tour. We will not however take bookings for children under that age - we do not wish to offend anyone who believes that their child may be used to such experiences or that they are able to handle them or that they have been on other ghost tours. Obviously each parent knows the limitations of their own child and we respect that but from a business perspective and our own guidelines we believe that some of our tours are not appropriate for this age group. Our East End Tours are historically based experiences which tell the story of Newcastle from its early days - we are walking along public roads where there is plenty of light and movement. These tours are quite acceptable for a younger age group along as they are supervised and know that its a very lon

A reminder that sometimes the good old things ARE STILL THE BEST!

http://angryghosthunters.blogspot.com.au/ I am passing on this blog link as I really resonate with what Ross is saying. Sometimes we get so caught up with stuff that flashes and rings that we forget that we are the most effective "tool" that we have in trying to sense the paranormal. It is so very subjective - we can all be in a room at one time yet be having different experiences. Don't baffle yourself with bullshit when all you need is to use your own senses - learn that first before you buy any tools.

Any time,any place..dont wait for midnight!

You dont need a haunted house at midnight to have a ghostly experience - in fact, it can happen anywhere, at any time, as I discovered today whilst in the middle of my local Woolies I had my own encounter. There I was at the deli counter with a long queue ahead of me ( Easter Saturday of course) and concentrating hard on hearing my number being called out when all of a sudden I felt a hand gently touch my hair and continue down to my shoulder. Not light, strong enough to feel very real. At that moment my tinnitus went to mega loud as if in my head a radio was trying to find a channel. It was all over in a few seconds but I swung around (the never satisfied skeptic in me) to find who it was that was being so "friendly" in the middle of a packed supermarket. But there was no one within kooee of me. Behind me was a gap of about three metres in all directions in an over filled supermarket. Did I just imagine it? No - it was too strong a touch. It felt like a live person touch

Skeptics - double standards?

http://weilerpsiblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/skeptics-and-left-brain-pitfalls/ Challenging read about skepticism - something for you to read and please go to the link above and copy and paste to read the whole article. Skeptics and Left Brain Pitfall - Craig Weiler Lately, I’ve been devoting some energy and time to understanding skepticism.  There is clearly some sort of process failure going on in the minds of people who demonstrate such overwhelming resistance to psi phenomena because the behavior that they display is so completely at odds with their intelligence.  In fact, skeptics are typically very smart people, which makes their behavior all the more odd.  It’s called pseudo skepticism and there are common traits associated with it: Denying, when only doubt has been established Double standards in the application of criticism The tendency to discredit rather than investigate Presenting insufficient evidence or proof Assuming criticism requires no

Social Ghost Hunting

 I found this great article today called "Social Ghost Hunting" by Steve Parsons (2013) ( http:// www.silentvoices.org.uk/#/ social-ghost-hunting/4573058274 ) It succinctly put into words the workings of many modern day ghost hunting groups. Here is an excerpt, but I suggest you read the whole link -  "But what has this revolution in social done for ghost investigation? These days when someone decides to form a paranormal investigation group they rarely, if ever begin by researching and investigating some interesting haunted location as a group. No, they are much more likely to start off (once they come up with a name) by designing their Facebook page, setting up their YouTube channel and then their Twitter account. They announce to the World that they exist and beg for 'likes' or 'follows' in order to establish themselves in a World bursting with other paranormal teams all doing the same. This isn't in itself a bad thing because quite simply they

The Haunted Stations of the London Underground

Check out Chris Halton's blog about the ghostly goings on in London's Underground railway stations. Enjoy! http://hauntedearthghostvideos.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/ghostly-stations-of-london-underground.html Here are a few of the stories - read the whole article at the above link. GHOSTLY STATIONS OF THE LONDON UNDERGROUND The now closed Strand Station on the London Underground The London Underground… over 50% of which is actually above ground… serves a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas in Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It is commonly known as the Underground or the Tube, the latter nick-name deriving from the shape of the system's deep-bore tunnels. It is not only the longest underground railway in the world by route length (over 250 miles) it is also the world’s oldest. The Metropolitan Railway Company opened its Metropolitan Line for business on 10th January 1863 and within months its trains were carrying over 26,000 passe

Pregognition? You knew I was going to talk about it didnt you!

http://truththeory.com/2012/11/02/confessions-of-a-precog/ Confessions of a Precog Articles Mystery — 02 November 2012 by Mark Heley Although acceptance of psychic phenomena has become much wider during the last twenty years in western society, some aspects of psychic experience are still either completely ignored, or inhabit a liminal zone at the margins of psychic study. Precognitive experience is one of these. One of the significant aspects of precognition that distinguishes from it from directed psychic activity is that is involuntary. Precognition happens to the precog. Normally, the experience is unsought and the recipient is passive. Experientially it feels like an awareness shift towards incoming data and images that are coming from ‘elsewhere’. For example, one of the more common forms of precog that I have experienced fairly often is the ‘just around the corner’ type of event such as ‘seeing’ a deer running o