Paranormal Investigators: Past and Present:Special Edition: Dan Aykroyd

Dan Aykroyd

"Is there something strange...in your neighbourhood, who ya gonna call?

Born in Ottawa Ontario, Canada, on July 1st 1952 (Also “Canada Day”) Daniel Edward Aykroyd would grow up to be one of Canada’s leading comedians and actors.

Dan has had an amazing acting career, spanning television, theatre and movies, he has also recorded albums with The Blues Brothers Band. Dan also received an “Order Of Canada” award on October 21st 1998.

It is reported that Dan, in his early years suffered from Tourrettes Syndrome and is also a victim of “syndactylism” a birth defect where several digits are fused together.

Dan was also born with another very rare defect, “Complete Heterochromia”, his right eye is blue and his left eye is brown

Dan Aykroyd grew up in a Roman Catholic family, his great Grandfather, Samuel Aykroyd was a mystic who kept in contact with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, both being involved in the Spiritualist movement.

Dan's interest in the paranormal and spirituality was natural and accepted in the family, Dan stated of his upbringing
 “All that stuff (spiritualism and the paranormal) was hanging around the old farmhouse I grew up in, so I was kind of steeped in it”

Many know that Dan Aykroyd began his Television career in Canada, and soon became a star in the U.S.A. via Saturday night live, from which was born many of Dan's recognised characters, but most of you will, of course, remember Dan Aykroyd best from "Ghostbusters", where he played parapsychology professor, Dr Raymond Stantz, but, did you know that Dan Aykroyd is also an avid investigator of the paranormal, particularly Ufology?

Dan Aykroyd produced his own DVD, titled ”Dan Aykroyd: Unplugged on UFO's" in 2005 where he is candidly interviewed by Ufologist David Sereda. In the documentary, Dan discusses various aspects of UFO phenomenon.

Dan, in 2009 wrote the foreword for his psychic investigator brother, Peter Aykroyd's book titled “A History Of Ghosts” which looks into his families historical involvement with the Spiritualist movement. The book's inspiration comes from handwritten notes by Dan and Peters Father and their Grandfather, found in a locked trunk in their family home. Samuel Aykroyd and Dan's father Peter (Snr), regularly took part in seances to try and make contact with the dead, Samuel always kept notes on all that was happening and being said, on a press junket to promote the book Dan is quoted as saying:

"If you ever wanted to know anything about seances, mediums, everybody from (spiritual investigators) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to Oliver Lodge to (Sir William) Crookes, (Emmanuel) Swedenborg, this is the encyclopaedia, this is the absolute definitive book for anybody who is interested in mediumship today or in the past."

Dan describes himself as a spiritualist in this quote;

“I am a Spiritualist, a proud wearer of the Spiritualist badge. Mediums and psychic research have gone on for many, many years... Loads of people have seen [spirits], heard a voice or felt the cold temperature. I believe that they are between here and there, that they exist between the fourth and fifth dimension, and that they visit us frequently.”

In 2007 Dan Aykroyd also made the news after reporting a ghost in his own Los Angeles Mansion. A home formerly owned by Ringo Starr of “The Beatles” and Mama Cass of “The Mama's and Papas”.

Dan believed at the time that it was Mama Cass haunting the property, moving items, turning appliances on and off, and even crawling into bed with him!

Dan Aykroyd also hosted the cult Canadian TV series “Psi: Factor – Chronicles Of The Paranormal” a scripted sci-fi/ paranormal drama dealing with cases based on the imaginary “Office of Scientific Investigation and Research", the show ran for 4 years spanning 88 episodes.

Recently Dan has been working on  Ghostbuster's themed games for various gaming consoles and helping write a new script for the much anticipated “Ghostbusters III”. Dan appears occasionally on U.S. Television talking about UFO-related phenomena and still continues his research and investigation into cases in Canada and the U.S.A.

http://naturalplane.blogspot.com.au/2009/10/dan-aykroyds-belief-in-paranormal.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/arts/31schi.html?_r=1

Researched and Written

By

Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

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