Sunday, November 15, 2009
My Past Life Regression
When my sons were very little (I was in my late 20's), something in me stirred and I realized I wasn't giving them the religious background that I had which was probably not fair to them. So I went back to church for several years...then I didn't go for several...don't start that again! We joined a Lutheran Church in Greenville and the boys joined a local Awana's group at a Baptist Church closer to where we lived. I started teaching my sons about God...at least my understanding of God at that time. I restarted my search for my own answers.
Something still wasn't right. Every time I had ever started going to church again, it always came to my attention that while I believed what my Christian Bible was telling me about God, something inside me still didn't feel right. I would see people "getting saved" and look at the peaceful yet euphoric look on their faces and think "how many times do I have to 'get saved' before I get that 'just got saved' feeling?" So my search continued in much the same way as it always had. Go to church..don't go...etc., etc., ad nauseum!
During all these years of my search, I have learned of a couple of things that I know I am supposed to have learned during my time here on this Earth. Some of them are very personal and won't be shared. I do know that I am supposed to have learned ''patience" in this lifetime. I realized that about 20 years ago and knew it was true - that I really didn't have a lot of patience back then. I set to work on learning how to be a more patient person. I feel like I now have a good handle on it but know it will always be a lifelong journey for me.
But here is where I made my mistake. I assumed that because I have realized this and a few other things about myself over the years that I was done. While I have always attempted to keep my eyes open to learning new things, I have spent so much time being proud of what I have accomplished that I wasn't paying attention to the new things I should be learning.
One of the things I felt compelled to do recently was to talk to others who are also looking for answers. So I formed the AOP PRS (Anderson-Oconee-Pickens Paranormal Research Society) earlier this year (2009) to discuss all things "paranormal" with others who are also interested in the subject. It's been a lifelong fascination of mine. Not just ghosts, although I also got involved with a ghost hunting group in January - I almost felt called to do so. I want to help people who are frightened of things that are happening that they don't understand. I have so many things I have learned in the last 3 years that I look forward to an opportunity to help others with something it took me so long to understand. Little did I realize how much talking about the "paranormal" would increase my awareness of my own spirituality.
Which brings me to my past life regression session with Judi at Carolina Herbs and Nutrition. I met Judi and her husband, Larry, through the AOP group. They are a very spiritual couple with a lot of information that they love to share with others. I have learned a good bit from them during our discussions - both during the meetings and also when I would stop in their store from time to time to chat with them.
I have heard a good bit about past life regression and when I learned that Judi does these, my interest in the subject peaked. A friend that lives in another state does these, but it's not so convenient to run to another state to do this so I really never gave it much thought until now. Judi and Larry's shop is right here in the same city I live in. I spoke with her about it and she answered my questions until I became comfortable with the idea that I needed to do this and that God would be ok with it. I should tell you that my previous religious experiences have taught me that you should stay away from this kind of thing. But I am no longer religious, I am spiritual.
So I had my session with Judi on a Friday afternoon. It was very interesting. I was shocked to find out when it was over that the whole thing took an entire hour and a half. Wow, I was sure that it had only been maybe fifteen minutes or so. I felt like I had some memories of my session with her but in little snatches. Judi gave me a tape of the session; I thanked her and went home. I didn't listen to it until the following Friday. This is really odd because you would think that I would want to listen to it right away. But on the following Friday, my spirit guides were really nudging me saying "Why have you not listened to this recording yet?" So I dug out the only cassette player I had - a monster of a system that I had to hook up in order to use. (Ok, so call me lazy...you know that was part of the reason I hadn't listened to it yet.)
When I sat down to listen, I found myself fascinated by my own answers to some of Judi's questions. Hmm...I really did think that I remembered the most important parts but now I found myself hearing things that I didn't remember saying! Not bad things, just things about who I was in my past lives and the lessons I learned in those lives. But one of the things I found really interesting was my answer to the question of what I was supposed to learn in this lifetime. It was the same lesson that I had learned in a previous lifetime. So maybe I was supposed to have learned it in a previous lifetime and didn't? It made me wonder.
I do remember at the very end of our session Judi saying something about "you will be stronger, you will see things much more clearly in the days ahead". As astounding as what I heard out of my own mouth was, I am just as astounded by what has happened since that day. Since my session with Judi, my spiritual side has absolutely soared. So many things have happened to me in one week's time, my head is reeling but in a good way. Here is a chronological time line of what has happened since that session.
11/7/09 - The very next day was Saturday and my Ghost PRO team members and I went on a paranormal investigation. Nothing really spectacular happened during this investigation upon first impressions (with the exception of a ghost cat!); although we haven't reviewed the evidence yet so it is still too early to form a conclusion. On the way home, we talked about all the ghost shows on TV and I was telling them that I think we should have our own show as we have a very different approach to ghost hunting than all of the shows you see on TV. While we do take a scientific approach, we also allow our "sensitive abilities" to guide us as to where we should go next.
When I thought about this, I realized that I had been thinking about this for quite some time and that I was now being "nudged" by my guides to start researching how to contact TV producers. This was on Saturday night, one day after my past life regression session with Judi.
11/8/09 - I begin reading a book by John Edward called "Crossing Over". The book is basically about the years leading up to John having his own television show, with many stories about different readings he has given and how they impacted different lives. A phrase in the book that is a quote from John's aunt has really stuck with me - "Don't look at how far you have to go, look at how far you have come".
11/10/09 - On Tuesday, I get an email from Mariel at 7:48am that a TV producer has contacted the Ghost PRO info email (on 11/09/09) about a show he is producing and would like to know if we have ever had a paranormal case that dealt with an animal. He left his phone number in case we wanted to talk to him.
I called him that morning about 10am and spent half an hour on the phone with him. I told him about our "Paranormal Pup" case and he seemed very interested. He told me to contact the pup's owners and see if they would be interested in doing a show. How exciting! I emailed the girls right away to let them know what was going on and that I would keep them updated. I don't think any of us got any work done that morning!! I did my research on the guy to make sure this wasn't some type of scam and he seems to be legit - he actually did produce "Paranormal State" and "Psychic Kids" on A&E.
I spoke with one of the dog's owners and finally got in touch with the other one by Wednesday evening and got permission/consent to do a show using their case. I emailed the TV producer to let him know that we are definitely interested.
11/11/09 - I got an email from a woman who does astrological readings through About.com. I had contacted her about a month ago for my "free reading" as I was curious to see what she had to say. Not so sure how I feel about the stars but I am trying to keep my mind open to everything, especially lately. My guides have been "nudging" me a lot lately to step things up with some of my learning. So the reading she gave me was a very interesting one. She said that she normally doesn't get this strong a feeling about people, but I am getting ready to go through some huge changes soon - one in regards to my love life and one in regards to my career. She also said that this would begin on November 9th and last 88 days, incidentally (or not?) the same night that the TV producer emailed us.
I did not contact this woman back for the rest of my reading because the charge was $60 and I did not have the money; I emailed her to tell her so. She emailed me several more times and she even reduced her fee to $45, which made me feel bad because I did get the feeling that this woman was sincere in telling me that I really did need to know the rest of my reading so that I didn't miss out on important opportunities. The first fee was totally reasonable as I understand that this is how she makes her living and have no problems with that. As badly as I wanted/needed to hear what she had to say, I still didn't have the money.
So the email I got from the astrologist on Wednesday, two days after she said this transition would begin, was to say that it is still not too late for my reading. But she started out by asking me "Have you noticed any changes in your life in the past few days?"
It hit me then...things are really starting to happen in my spiritual life. Everything that has happened this past year has all been for a reason that I am now starting to understand a whole lot better. My involvement with the paranormal research organization that does paranormal investigations has really heightened my sensitive abilities, which was a pleasant surprise. My involvement with the paranormal research society that I started in search of others on their own spiritual journey has led me to a much better understanding of my own abilities. Both of these groups have led me to some really intense research in the paranormal which led to some really intense research into my own spirituality and what it is I believe.
11/12/09 - I called and left a voice mail for the TV producer. I also sent him a couple of emails letting him know we are still interested and also sent him some evp's from the pup case just in case he was interested in listening to them.
11/14/09 - I find myself getting a little discourage by the fact that we haven't heard from the TV producer but remind myself that they are probably very busy people. I am also finishing up John Edward's book and realize I have learned quite a bit about TV producers. Is it a mere coincidence that I am now reading this particular book about John's experience with them? I think not. My spirit guides nudge me again..."he's not the only TV producer"!! I will give this producer some time to get back in touch with me (as I have learned patience in this lifetime). Not sure how long, but if I don't hear something soon, I will start calling others.
11/15/09 - I had an epiphany this morning about another lesson I am supposed to learn in this lifetime. It h it me like a blow to the head. It is something my spirit guides have been advising me about for years but I wasn't paying attention. They sometimes give you subtle hints without telling you directly what it is you need to learn. They know you need to learn it on your own so the lesson will be that much more valuable. And I realized something about myself I need to change. It is a very personal thing so I won't give you all the sappy details. But it has me rethinking many other things as well. The epiphany I had this morning does have me rethinking about what has led me to this point in my life...and what else it is I am supposed to learn.
So I say all of this to say that I believe my past life regression with Jud has really opened up some spiritual doors for me. Way too much has happened this week for this to be mere coincidence. My new favorite word is "synchronicity". This entire past year of spiritual seeking has been absolutely amazing for me. I have never felt as close to my spirit guides as I do now. Since I realized that I have always had them (wasn't all that long ago) and that they were called "spirit guides", I have been paying attention to them like never before.
In comparing the relationship I had before the past life regression to the relationship I have with them (my spirit guides) now, there is a huge difference. Yes, in just one week. Although I didn't realize it before last week, my spirit guides always felt a good distance away even though I was seeking to learn about them and already knew they were there. I thought this was how it was supposed to be with spirit guides. Since my session with Judi, I feel like they are right next to me. I now know that I was the one keeping them from coming closer. I know they have always been there but it was always like they were across the room before.
I can feel their energy so much stronger. I want to scream it out but I am careful who I tell this to because there are some that misunderstand spiritualism and think it is dark and sinister, even evil. So I put it in this blog and only share it with those I trust...those who feel the same way I do about it and understand. But I will talk to anyone that wants to discuss it whenever they are ready!!
Being spiritual is so different than being religious. I don't say that to knock anyone who is religious. Most religious people are also searching for answers. I use to be religious. Everything that has happened this past week has confirmed for the things I have learned about being spiritual in very recent years. This is that "aha" moment that I have been waiting for all my life. It feels right in my gut. I finally got that "I've been saved" feeling!! I've actually been feeling this way very strongly for the last few months but this week's events confirm it in my mind and really pull it all together for me. I get it!! The light bulb has gone off...again!! I have had so many of those moments this past year but this most recent one is by far the strongest yet.
My session with Judi has also really opened up my thinking channels. I don't remember previously thinking as clearly as I have been thinking this past week. What I need to be doing and working on is becoming much clearer to me. I thank Judi and Larry for their part in helping me get to this point and look forward to learning more from them in the future.
Not only did I learn the actual names of who I was in my previous life but dates going all the way back to the 1400's. I also discovered what lessons I had learned in those lifetimes. This led up to what I think was the biggest benefit of this experience which is that it has opened up my spiritual side in a huge way. My thinking is so much clearer. Things that were previously confusing to me have suddenly become very clear. And I feel much stronger mentally than I have felt in years due to some of the things that have been shown to me this week.
The past life regression has really opened up my head in a way that is intoxicatingly refreshing. I realize what a fantastic journey my life has been thus far, even with all of the rough parts. They were all there for me to learn from. I am ready to move cautiously forward! I truly feel like I am in a "transition phase" as the astrologist put it.
I am also aware enough about this transition phase to know that nobody ever said that all of the things that would happen to me in the future would be good. But I now know that whatever happens, it will be the next learning phase for me and I feel so much more ready to face it now knowing that it will get me to my next level of existence and closer to what I want. I feel quite sure now that there will be more learning ahead...to the end of my days. But I am ready to face these future lessons with a much greater understanding. And I accept it.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
A Couple of Ghost Hunts
An investigation is what you do when you have received a call from someone who is having paranormal activity either in their home or business and are requesting your investigative services to try and help them figure out what is going on. Sometimes it is paranormal, sometimes it's not. A ghost hunt is what you do when you hear of paranormal activity at a certain location but have not received any calls, you've only heard the stories or rumors about the place.
On June 26, 2009, we went on a ghost hunt in Spartanburg County, SC. This took place on an abandoned road near an abandoned textile mill. In order to protect the privacy of the client who called us, I can't give too many more details about the location. But the rumors abound that you can hear people walking on this back alley way, right about 11pm each night, sounding much like they would if the mill were still operational.
We got there just as the sun was setting and wasted little time getting our gear set up. We said our protection prayer and off we went. There was a very heavy atmosphere, as if the air
On July 10, 2009, we went on a ghost hunt to the Poinsett Bridge. This is a very beautiful, old
bridge (see pic) built in 1820 in northern Greenville County near Ceasar's Head. At one time, prior to the highway being built, the road that traveled over the bridge was the only road that linked Greenville to Asheville. Rumor has it the place is haunted. The stories about the place abound and we heard a few different ones from visitors to the bridge that very night. Before it got dark, we did a photo shoot of the 5 of us, Janet, Mariel, Teresa, Katie and myself for the website. Will post one of those soon. Once we were done with that, we said our protection prayer and got our gear set up for some
Photo L-R: Kelli (Janet's daughter) holding a set of dowsing rods, me (in the fishing vest!) near the bridge, Teresa taking photos and Mariel, with her back to us using the other set of dowsing rods. Not shown are Janet and Katie as one of them is taking this picture!
Not long after this picture was taken we were doing some evp work. Mariel asked the question "Is this a place you've always been?" and you can hear the camera click, then a distinct disembodied male voice whispering very loudly "Guarding". I didn't even have to amplify or slow it down much, it was as if the person was standing right next to the microphone on my recorder. It gave me the chills and still does as I am writing this! I took this to be a direct answer to a direct question, indicating an intelligent haunting.
Mariel also got a really cool picture that we believe to be an "ectoplasm" or a possible spirit trying to manifest using the energy that was surrounding it. Take a look at this one at left. Wicked cool, huh?? It sure as heck ain't lightnin'!!We still have more video and audio recordings to go through yet, so this is just a little taste of what we have found so far. Hey, this is just a hobby. During the day, we lead so-called "normal" lives!! Although I have to admit, "paranormal" IS "normal" for some of us!! I promise I will post more pictures and evidence as I get it.
Well...off to listen for more evp's. Until next time! Cat
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Ghost PRO Life Goes On!!
Fellow team members Janet, Mariel, Teresa, Katie, Tina and I are all looking forward to our next investigation. We have a couple of really good leads so hopefully there will be one coming up soon.
I have to say that my experience investigating with this team has been invaluable when it comes to learning about ghost hunting. I think the other members would agree with me on that. We have learned many things through trial and error but it only serves to make us better at what we all love doing. Too bad you can't make a living at ghost hunting. I do believe though, that someday it will be a for-profit business and we will have a leg up on others because of our experience and knowledge. Not to mention the fact that the reputation we are creating for ourselves as a team and as individuals is very important to all of us.
You can keep a check on us on our website by going to http://www.ghostpro.org/. Mariel is our webmaster and she rocks when it comes to keeping that site updated for us.
Until next time! Catherine
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Through the Veil
And don't worry, between the 4 cameras (Sandra's, mine and 3 ladies from my ghost hunting group) that were snapping pics we have tons of them. I'll post links to them as quick as I can! I'm pretty sure everybody else is probably as worn out as I am; it was such a jam-packed weekend. Saturday's events began at 9am and didn't end until the seance ended at 1am!! And the breaks were pretty short, I might add! But man did we ever have a blast and we learned some things while we were doing it!
FRIDAY, June 5, 2009 - 7:00 pm
The opening ceremony was really cool, we were treated to belly dancing (behind the 10,000 veils) and a presentation by Paul Mercer who is a very talented musician. (Look him up and listen if you haven't heard him). Find out more about Paul and hear some of his cool music on www.myspace.com/paulmercer.
8:00 pm - Next we heard from Christopher (from the blue lagoon) Atkins about his spiritual journey. I had a hard time paying attention to that one cause he kept threatening to take his clothes off and run around naked and OMG is he ever HOT!! And funny!
9:00 pm - Rochelle Sparrow gave readings for a couple folks and gave some information about reading for people and being psychic in general. Cortney Kane does spiritual painting interpretation for the person while Rochelle is reading. She then explains the painting to the person, it was very interesting. Read more about Rochelle at http://www.rochellesparrow.com/.
10:00 pm - Sometime during the evening Sandra had talked to a lady named Mimi who stated that there was a ghost in the common area outside of the session rooms and was using her K-II meter. While she was talking to her, Sandra got a tap on the shoulder (and on the behind I think!) from someone. So when the sessions were over we met up with Sandra and since we were already planning on doing a little ghost hunting (there have been reports of some deaths there) we asked Sandra if she would like to join us. Because it was very noisy and we couldn't really do a regular ghost hunt, we decided to just see what we could pick up with the K-II meter in that common area.
HOLY COW!! Ghosts looooove Sandra, let me tell you. And the atmosphere was very heavy, I could feel its' presence. We started asking the usual questions and the K-II went crazy. We got direct responses to the questions we were asking and have it on film, both still pics and video. When Sandra would move away from the meter, the activity would stop but when we would move the meter back closer to Sandra, it would pick up again. It actually followed her around! When we asked it to stop making the lights go off, it stopped!
Now here's where it gets really strange. Sandra went home and downloaded her pics from her camera to her computer. You know how digital pics are all named, like DSC001, DSC002, etc., etc.? Well, when Sandra loaded those pics, the file names were all changed so that they read "lizzie001", "lizzie002", etc., etc. And they were not in the order they were in on her camera, they came in at some scrambled, random order.
SATURDAY, June 6, 2009
9:00 am - Shawn Sellers - Crossroads - Shawn is an author and founder of Southern Paranormal Researchers (SPR) and their specialty is dealing with those who feel they may have dark entities at their locations. Look him up at www.shawnsellers.com and you can click on a link from there to go to SPR's site. Pretty cool dude.
10:00 am – Tiffany Johnson - Past Lives: Then and Now - Tiffany did a seminar on reincarnation. She is a licensed hypnotherapist and does past life regressions. She told some very interesting stories about some of the past life regressions that she has done. Look her up at www.readingsbytiffany.com.
11:00 am – Stacey Jones – Forensic Parapsychology - Stacey Jones is a former police officer and founder of CNY Ghost Hunters in New York, founded in 1997 and which is the oldest ghost hunting group in New York. She gave chilling details of some of their best investigations and had photos and evp's too. Look up her and her group on www.gotghosts.org.
12:00 pm – Paulette Huff – Psychics, Mediums and Empaths – Paulette is CEO of Haunted Times Magazine and works with son Christopher Moon, President of Haunted Times. She talked about her empathic abilities and experiences and took questions from the audience. Learn more about Paulette at www.hauntedtimes.com/huffs.html.
2:00 pm – John Zaffis - Possessed Possessions - John Zaffis, considered “The Godfather of the Paranormal”, gave a very interesting talk about how items, not just people, can have attachments to them. Such is the case with the items in his paranormal museum. He showed quite a few photos of things in the museum and told the stories about how those items got there. John has 37 years of experience and is considered the foremost demonologist. Find out more at www.johnzaffis.com. You can find more links there to his paranormal research group as well as his museum.
3:00 pm – SHOCK Paranormal – Paranormal Evidence: The Truth Behind False Positives - SHOCK (Spirit Hunters of Central Kentucky) members gave information about paranormal investigating and how to tell the difference between legitimate evidence and false positives. Find out more about them at www.spirithunters-ky.com.
4:00 pm – Gallery Reading with Chip Coffey and Tiffany Johnson – this was interesting especially since I had never been to any kind of reading. They chose people from the audience who wished to know about loved ones who were passed on. I saw quite a few surprised faces and some were overcome with emotion. Very interesting.
5:30 pm – During the dinner break, my friend Mariel paid for a private session with Christopher Moon, President of Haunted Times magazine (http://www.hauntedtimes.com/) and main researcher of the telecommunication device Frank's Box, better known as the “telephone to the dead”. This is an absolutely amazing device and not only did Mariel's father come through, but so did her grandmother. I filmed it for her and asked her afterward if she actually recognized the voices that came through and she said without a doubt that it was her relatives. She said not only did the voices sound the same but their mannerisms came through as well. It is a little difficult to hear as it sounds sort of like an AM radio that is searching for a station continually. But when she would ask questions, you could hear the answers coming through in the midst of all the squelch. It was a pretty emotional thing for her and I am glad that I had the opportunity to film it for her.
8:00 pm – Patricia Squires – Non-Physical Beings and You – Patricia gave a presentation on non-physical beings and your relationship with them. Her website is http://www.patriciasquires.com/. She is a very interesting lady who travels with what she calls her "crew" meaning her spirit guides.
9:00 pm – Demonology Clinic with John Zaffis and Father Andrew Calder – this seminar was mostly composed of audience questions and answers. Father Andrew Calder, an ordained Episcopal priest (from Paranormal State) and John Zaffis, "Godfather of the Paranormal" gave initial information about dealing with these entities, how to recognize them and what to do if you come across them when you are investigating. They gave some examples of when something might be a demon versus just a nasty or negative entity. Read more about John Zaffis at http://www.johnzaffis.com/. Read more about Father Andrew at www.myspace.com/andrewcalder.
11:00 pm – Séance – this was a group séance with probably 50 people or more in the room. It was interesting in that they gave about 10 people a chance to tell about a paranormal experience and then they opened it up so people could freely give any impressions they were getting. Some of the impressions were quite vivid and right on target with some of the participants. I have to admit that I did not get many impressions, not sure if there were just too many people there for me to concentrate or what. My mind was sort of chaotic and I can't help but wonder if it is maybe because I was either tired or because I am empathic and just had TOO much stuff coming in! Interesting though, I had never been to a seance, other than the kind we did when we were kids!
SUNDAY, June 7, 2009
9:00 am – Demonology and Investigations with Father Andrew Calder – Father Andrew Calder (from Paranormal State) gave some information on demons and devils and how to tell the difference and what some of the signs of both are. He answered quite a few questions from the audience.
10:00 am – John J. Oliver, whom you may have seen on Court TV's “Haunting Evidence” was a really interesting guy. He gave tips on increasing your own abilities and I was a little surprised to find that in addition to being a psychic, he was a former astrology instructor and also owns his own martial arts school. Find out more at www.johnjoliver.com.
11:00 am – Speaker Panel with all of the speakers in an open forum who took questions from the audience. Totally rocked, they are all so cool!
12:00 pm – Keynote Speaker Chip Coffey – The highlight of the whole weekend and the moment everyone had been waiting for. This is when I got my autograph, pictures and hug from Chip himself. Chip addressed the topic of ghost hunting since there are so many out there that are now doing this and so many who are doing it in an irresponsible way. He addressed the issues of professionalism and responsibility to the clients and touched on some of the do's and don'ts. I loved hearing him speak and it was a perfect ending to a great weekend. Learn more about Chip at http://www.chipcoffey.com/.