Keith Age - The Rock N Roll Ghost Hunter

Keith Age

Founder of Louisville Ghost Hunters Society, many of you know my next biography subject from his time spent with The Booth Brothers, Mr Keith Age.

Keith is a very well respected paranormal investigator throughout the world, not just the USA, his knowledge and approach is admired by many, as is his documentaries and other productions, like the Mid-South Paranormal Convention which has attracted the likes of Robb Demarest, Joe Chin, The Booth Brothers, Chris Fleming, Dustin Pari, Mark and Debby Constantino and many other well known international paranormal investigators – such respect is hard earned.

What got Keith, “The Rock N Roll Ghosthunter” started in the world of paranormal investigation?

In an interview with Amy Hansford for the examiner ( read the interview here: http://www.examiner.com/article/keith-age-the-rock-n-roll-ghost-hunter )

Keith Age: "I had just came off the road playing music and had met this girl who wouldn’t take me to meet her Mom and Dad, I thought it was because of the Rock-n-Roll look I had, but it was actually because they had a ghost and it didn’t like her boyfriends. I finally got to go over to her house for a party and where we were sitting on the couch you could see down the hallway and see our reflection in the mirror down the hallway. Something kept breaking our reflection, and I went down there several times but couldn’t find anything or anyone that would have caused it. So for the rest of the night, I kept teasing my girlfriend about the “big bad ghost, I didn’t believe in it, wasn’t scared of it and just calling it out in general. At the end of the night as we were standing inside, I went to kiss her goodnight, and felt a pressure on my left arm and then the next thing I new I was flying through the front door and landed about six feet on the front lawn, and I remember thinking as I was laying there, “That was so cool”."

Amongst making documentaries,. Hosting the TV show “Spooked” on Syfy channel, paranormal conventions and investigations, Keith has also found time to write a book, titled “ Out Of The Dark”, which I am sure will be the first of many.

To learn more about Keith Age, please follow the links below

Links: http://www.louisvilleghs.com/

http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/keith-age-midsouth-paranormal-convention#slide=1

http://www.examiner.com/article/keith-age-the-rock-n-roll-ghost-hunter

© 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

All content on “Eidolon Paranormal & The Haunts of Adelaide” sites, blog and corresponding media pages (eg Facebook, twitter etc) is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any means or process without the written permission of the author. © 2012, 2013

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Somphotos's used here on this site are sourced from The State Library of South Australia, and The National Library of Australia and http://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au - all photos are out of copyright and have no usage restrictions implied.

Karen Tiller - Paranormal Investigator at Eidolon Paranormal

Karen Tiller

On the 16th of October 2013, Eidolon Paranormal was approached by a year 11 student at Nuriootpa High School, Adam Robinson, with some questions regarding a research project into Paranormal phenomena he was undertaking. I felt Karen's answers to Adams questions were so great, that I decided (with Karen's permission) to make her answers her team profile for the website here...so without any further ado, I introduce to you my wonderful wife, Karen Tiller

- Allen Tiller

What got you interested in paranormal activity?

Well, I have always believed that ghosts do exist. I mean, I grew up in my Great Grandparents home, where whenever anything went missing or you couldn't find something but you were damned sure of where you put it, it was the resident spook Peter! It was always “Peter did it!” It was accepted that there was (paranormal) activity that occurred, and never really thought any more of it. There was one occasion, in particular, that was witnessed by a few family members, I was present also, that lead my Great Nana to seek an explanation of the activity. In short, it was believed to be my Great Aunty making contact with my Great Nana (Daughter attempting contact with her Mother)...

Like most people I imagine, I have always been enthralled by ghost stories and such but when it came down to it, I was pretty spooked by it all and didn't want to know about it. I always had the motto of “If they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone!” but that all changed when I met Allen Tiller and I was introduced to the big wide paranormal world. I never knew that people were apart of investigation teams let alone that they would go out and investigate supposed haunted locations and buildings or that there were TV shows out there such as Ghost Hunters International or Ghost Adventures etc.

And now here I am today, a full-fledged “Ghost Hunter” as many like to call us. 

If you could only take one piece of ghost hunting equipment on an investigation, what would it be and why?

One piece of equipment? That is so difficult...I would have to say that in order to capture any possible evidence and also, to record your own feelings, reactions, what you see and what occurs around you, a video recorder would be the best one piece of equipment to take with you anywhere. Now, that doesn't matter if it is an older video tape recorder or an 8mm or if it is a newer digital recorder. You do not have to have the latest and greatest in order to go out there and film yourself and what you are investigating.

Of course, a higher quality camera and clearer vision may help enable you to distinguish between paranormal activity and non-paranormal occurrences. Although no one can tell you the best camera to use, or which type has captured the most activity and evidence, I believe it is yet to be seen. There are many on the market, new and old, I think it can be a case of personal choice, find what you enjoy using, have fun with it, try different things and don't worry if others have a different opinion, it's OK, they're allowed to and so are you.

Where is the most haunted location you have ever investigated?

I think that I am yet to investigate the most haunted location, I am still waiting for that location that I unquestioningly believe yes this place is 110% haunted. Now in saying that, I do believe that I have encountered activity in certain locations and that they are indeed haunted but I have not had the privilege to investigate there.

Where is the one place that you haven't investigated that you would most like to?

Gosh...another hard question!

There are so many places that I would love to investigate. In Australia and overseas. The one place that does stand out is actually a cemetery. Grey-friars Cemetery Edinburgh. I first saw it on an episode of Ghost Adventures but it has stood out as a fascinating and beautiful cemetery. I love the old world Gothic architecture, headstones and tombs. I would really LOVE to investigate Grey-friars.

Have you ever gotten scared during an investigation and have you ever been concerned about your safety because of paranormal activity?

I have gotten a little scared at one area of an investigation. It is at the Gladstone gaol in South Australia. On each occasion that we have been to the gaol, I have really disliked an area in the kitchen/dining room, it is off to the side of the kitchen, it looks like 2 cold rooms side by side in a little dark area. The first cold room has shelving with bits and pieces of crockery on it from memory. I really don't like it, the feeling is hard to explain, it is kind of like dread mixed with fear...I just know that I don't like it at all and it is really dark in that section, no light gets to it. The last time we were there overnight, a guest on the investigation had the same feelings as I did he didn't like it either, it creeped both of us out. So we decided to go in and do some EVP sessions and investigate further. (Our attempts were foiled due to people in the distance, they could be heard on the voice recorder and the cameras, ruining any potential evidence.)

What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is new to paranormal investigating?

The one piece of advice would be to observe what goes on around you. Look and listen to everything and take notes. Do your research and don't rely on other peoples research. Find out things for your self. Check up on things because all of what you find, what you read or what you are told is not necessarily true. Investigate for your self what you want to know. By all means, ask questions and lots of them and ask different people what their views are, what their beliefs are, what methods they use and what equipment they have faith in because everyone is different and everyone has a different style of doing things. And a lot of people believe in a lot of different things.

People have been doing this for a long time but there are no set rules and there are no definite answers. If anything, it just leads to more questions and wonderment.

If you have the opportunity to stick around after you die, would you and who would you haunt?

I would watch over people. I would like to think that I would try to communicate with family or friends to let them know that I am there. If I could, if I was able to, I would protect them.

What paranormal locations are in the Barossa and surrounding areas?

There are a number of reported ghosts of the Barossa, whether they are indeed true or not leaves a lot to be desired really. Personally, I can't vouch for any publicly. Most are just hearsay and rumours. 

How can I find evidence to prove to others that paranormal activity exists?

This may be the hardest question to answer of all.

I think that we are all still trying that one actually. I think that most people who are out there taking photos, doing electronic voice recordings, setting up video cameras, setting up DVR (Digital Video Recorder) systems are all still trying and hoping to capture that piece of evidence that they can show to the world and go here, here it is, they do exist, I've got it!

There will always be the people that will believe that you have caught something and they will say “great catch, well done.” There will always be the people that will dispute whatever is placed in front of them and will not believe that you have captured anything at all, ever.

And then you will always have the people that look a little further, take a little time, dig a little deeper, take into consideration the surrounding conditions, the elements, the location, weather factors etc...

My point is to look further than what you can see on the surface, none of this is cut and dry and many people believe in many different things. Take a look at it all and learn, learn as much as you can and then decide for your self what is relevant to you and what resonates with you.

Allen Tiller - Paranormal Investigator of Eidolon Paranormal

Allen Tiller -  Paranormal Investigator at Eidolon Paranormal

My interest in the paranormal started at a very young age, I cannot tie it to one particular event, place or time, but one of my earliest memories is of reading a book written by Richard Winer called "The Devils Triangle", which I believe was my Grandfathers (He passed away before I was born)
 As a teenager, I watched the X-files and similar shows and started to follow the work of local UFO legend Colin Norris, as well as other local paranormal researchers.  I read and watched everything local Australian teams produced and spent a lot of time talking to people, and team members, about the things they discovered that didn't make it into the mainstream media. 
 I moved to Queensland in January 2002 and in that year went on my first "ghost tour". I was impressed with the history and stories but felt like I could find out more and possibly even debunk some of the stories with the use of research and common sense...I had already been doing this in my spare time in South Australia before moving to Queensland but in no official capacity
  Nudgee cemetery was close where I lived, and easily accessible for investigations, so I began by investing with a digital camera that had video, a temperature gauge and a compass...I experimented with different ways of doing things and slowly began to invest in more equipment - unfortunately I found nothing of the paranormal in this cemetery (however, that doesn't mean it isn't haunted, just that nothing happened for me).
 At the time I was also heavily into Genealogy and as part of that found myself at Lutwyche cemetery on Brisbane's north side, a cemetery with a reputation for the unusual, and happily, the stories I heard had some truth ...which piqued my interest even more!
Around this time I started unofficially using the name Eidolon Paranormal Research, often on forums, I would shorten it to EPR or Eidolon. I had already started to think about forming a team in Queensland but found it much harder than I had imagined, as there just didn't seem to be a public interest, and most teams were not interested in having new members - the same applied in South Australia
In 2006 I returned to Adelaide and started investigating solo, I got many cases through word of mouth alone, but was able to debunk almost every one of the hauntings just by the process of elimination, or through the interview process.
 I decided to start working on local legends and Urban myths, this led me back out to St. Johns Cemetery at Kapunda. I had visited St Johns in the late '90s, and walked through the then standing reformatory remains - even then thinking it would be a place to return to one day... 
 As I got closer to starting my team, I started testing the waters by taking friends out to cemeteries to see how they react to certain situations, for me it was a lesson about human nature, so I could better understand how people may contaminate evidence or a site without realising they are doing so, and finding out how people may react, or deal with their own fears...I also started watching other teams even closer and learning how they work internally, what their processes are, where their strengths and weaknesses lie, with the intention of adapting this information for my own use.
 I decided a team based on foundations of scientific research, rather than psychics and mediums would be the best fit for myself. From there Eidolon Paranormal Research became a formal Investigation team - without a team...
 I took the basic principles of other paranormal investigation teams and the Colin Norris UFO group and put my own spin on them. I wanted a much more public team than other groups. When I started out learning how to use electronic equipment and how to set up experiments and investigations, there was very little information available, just a few books and a little on-line - it was my aim to make more of this information accessible to the novice ghost hunter. Slowly I am starting to achieve this through the website. The idea is that, eventually, www.eidolonparanormal.com.au would be a hub of useful information for the novice getting started, or the seasoned professional, all easily accessible and in one place
In 2009 I started to search for people to join me to make Eidolon a team, it was in this year I also dropped the "research" part of the Eidolon Paranormal name
Whilst working on the legend of Schneider's Alley in the Adelaide Foothills, I came across Loz on a facebook group. We shared a similar point of view of hauntings and the paranormal in general. We began to discuss the history of the Schneider's alley area and the local castle and I became impressed by her approach and what she uncovered. It didn't take long to ask Loz to become a team member, and with her reply, Eidolon Paranormal became a team and not a solo project. (Loz left the team in early 2011 due to internal politics, as did many other members, causing the team to almost fold entirely )
 We also have had other members come and go over the past few years, and unfortunately, I got to see the darker side of human nature within my own team, that again left me without a team and investigations waiting. I asked my partner (now Wife) Karen, to join the team line-up and we haven't looked back since. A former team member, Jayde, also came back from her time travelling overseas, and, much like the phoenix from the ashes, Eidolon Paranormal was reborn a far more professional, stable, hard working, dedicated experimental team. 
 Another of my desires was to see a local paranormal discussion group in the Adelaide CBD.  At the time the only S.A. group was the X group that meet monthly on Wednesday night in the Adelaide hills - this wasn't possible for me to get too, and I am sure for others too. So, when I received an email about a location that would cost next to nothing, I asked the rest of the team what they thought, most thought it was a bad idea (In some ways they were right) - but knowing I wanted to get this idea of the ground, I decided to try the location, and my idea out anyway. The SA Paranormal Meet-ups began in June 2010, with only three people attending the first one, Myself (as Host), the person who helped arranged the location and a friend of his, I expected more, and could of ended the Meet-ups right there, but persisted, as I knew an audience would take time to grow.
 Eventually, the meet-ups were very successful when hosted in the Greenacres area near Adelaide, attracting a large number of loyal attendees, however, due to the premises usage being changed, and internal conflict in the team, we took a short hiatus from hosting the meet-ups. The S.A. Paranormal meet-ups have now returned, and are hosted in Kapunda "The Most Haunted Town In The Western World", the new format is much more relaxed, and is attracting many new and wonderful people, as well a lot of local Paranormal Investigation Teams

 S.A. Paranormal meet-ups became a monthly meeting point for like minded individuals to talk about their interests and experiences, and also a place for me to discuss methods, ideas and equipment. We have grown dramatically, the meet-ups now attracting teams from as far as Peterborough and Murray Bridge, and members of the public from Melbourne!
 I have a vision of where I wish to take Eidolon Paranormal, and I believe I have chosen the right people to help me achieve that vision...
I have been lucky in the fact that Eidolon Paranormal also has a strong network of supporters and friends that help us when they can, many choose to stay away from the public spotlight and have asked not to be named publicly - So with that in mind I want to state that your effort, support, interest and help never go unnoticed and unappreciated  -thank you (you know who are) - Allen

Most Recently my Journey has led me into Television alongside Robb Demarest, Gaurav Tiwari, Ian Lawman, Rayleen Kable and Ray Jorden on the Paranormal Reality television show "Haunting: Australia" which will air on Foxtel's "Syfy" channel in Australia in 2014
 Haunting: Australia: https://www.facebook.com/hauntingaustralia?fref=ts
Find me on Facebook  here: https://www.facebook.com/AllenHauntingAustralia?fref=ts

 

Paranormal Investigators: Past & Present: Mark Wallbank

Haunted AucklandMark Wallbank

This week we travel back to New Zealand to meet Mark Wallbank, founder and lead investigator of Haunted Auckland. Mark has been keenly researching the paranormal since the 1980's sometimes with other people, and at times by himself. 

I asked Mark how he became interested in the paranormal? 

“I've always been interested in everything outside of the 'norm'. Normal to me, was boring. As soon as I could read, my research began. UFOs, Cryptozoology, Ghosts and all of life’s mysteries. My world suddenly became a lot bigger and I found I had many, MANY questions that needed answering.”

Have you had anything paranormal occur in your life? (if so, what has happened? ) 

“A few things like a dark shadow approaching me, going through me and then disappearing behind me, many years ago....many experiences with super icy cold spots. Nothing I would consider life-changing or amazing though. Just a few neat experiences that made the moment that little bit more interesting to me.”

Why did you become an investigator/ researcher? 

“Because my questions weren’t being answered. My school teachers had no answers, my parents had no answers, so I had to go and seek out some answers for myself. I used to lead a small paranormal group back in the 80s. We were unofficially called "Auckland Ghost Hunting Group" (Yeah yeah, I know. A name like that these days would raise the anger of many paranormal groups. Ghost 'hunting' seems to be a well loathed phrase in this day and age!) We were young and naive but very enthusiastic! We roamed around cemeteries and old derelict buildings and houses taking photos and recording audio. It was fun. We hung around for a couple of years until fizzling and heading out into different directions. I went solo for about 20 years, which was actually quite satisfying and character building. Then in 2010, I got the urge to be a part of a group situation again and so started piecing together a team of researchers.”

How has becoming an investigator changed your life? 

“It hasn’t really changed me as a person, as I've always been passionate about the Paranormal. I guess as I've grown, I've learnt a lot more and the more I've matured the more serious, investigative and systematic I've become in my research

I'm also a bit more focused and hopefully a little less naive these days. My passion and enthusiasm is one thing that has never faded with age though. In fact, it's growing with every new thing I discover.”

Mark and his team have done some fascinating investigations, and work closely with other teams in the area, including Core Paranormal NZ, whose founder, George, I profiled in an earlier edition. 

One of the great things about the Haunted Auckland website is the detailed investigation reports of each place the team visits, these are a valuable reference tool for any other paranormal investigation team entering the same premises at a later date, or a learning tool for people just entering the field wondering how to go about writing detailed reports on cases.

Check out the Haunted Auckland website and Facebook pages at the following links 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Haunted-Auckland

http://www.hauntedauckland.com

© 2013 Eidolon Paranormal

written and researched by

Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

All content on the “Eidolon Paranormal Blog” site, blog and corresponding media pages (eg Facebook, twitter etc) is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any means or process without the written permission of the author. © 2012

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Paranormal Investigators: Past & Present: John Broeckelmann

Adelaide Shadow HunterJohn Broeckelmann

Today we visit a good friend of mine, John Broeckelmann, Co-founder of Adelaide Shadow Hunters, a paranormal investigation team based right here in South Australia.

John had his first experience with the paranormal at a young age when he saw the apparition of a man at his grandparent's house. John remembers clearly what he saw, a man wearing a cowboy hat and overalls with a blue checked, long-sleeve shirt underneath. His face appeared almost transparent with a grey hue to it, his eye sockets and nose were hollow spaces.

John remembers the ghostly image opening the bedroom door, staring at him for a few seconds before leaving.

Of course, this experience stayed with John as he grew older and piqued his interest in the paranormal, especially ghosts and hauntings. Eventually, John co-founded the Adelaide Shadow Hunters with Ben Bridges and began to investigate the possibilities of life after death, hauntings and ghosts.

My own team, Eidolon Paranormal, has worked closely with Johns team after meeting at St Johns cemetery in 2011. We told the A.S.H. Team about a few locations we thought they might like to explore and this led to them gaining their first A-class EVP at an abandoned house in South Australia's Mid North.

Via S.A. Paranormal, John and team were also invited to investigate the Capitol Theatre in Peterborough, a great experience for a newly formed team, and a great investigation which led to one of John & Ben's creepiest encounters.

Whilst stationed in the Antique shop next to the theatre, John & Ben heard footsteps approaching them, but no-one was to be seen. The disembodied footsteps were recorded on both video cameras the team had set up.

This isn’t the only time the team has come across disembodied footsteps, with a similar experience in a cemetery in the hills near Mt Crawford.

John lists his SB7-Spirit-Box as one of his favourite pieces of equipment and one that has verified information about a location for him before. Whilst investigating Kersbrook Cemetery a woman’s voice came through the ghost box and said what sounded like, “Ruth Rupoe”. After returning home, team member, Courtney did an online search of the names of people buried in the cemetery and found a lady named “Ruth Vercoe”...

John and team have been making videos of their adventures, some of which are available on the Adelaide Shadow Hunters youtube page, found here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ADLShadowHunters

More information about investigations and adventures with the Adelaide Shadow Hunters, including contact information can be found via their website at

http://ashunters.com/

or on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/AdelaideShadowHunters?fref=ts

© 2012 Eidolon Paranormal

written and researched by

Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

All content on “Eidolon Paranormal” site, blog and corresponding media pages (eg Facebook, twitter etc) is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any means or process without the written permission of the author. © 2012

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Some photo's used here on this site are sourced from The Sate Library of South Australia, and The National Library of Australia - all photos are out of copyright and have no usage restrictions implied.

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

All content on “Eidolon Paranormal” site, blog and corresponding media pages (eg Facebook, twitter etc) is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any means or process without the written permission of the author. © 2012

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Some photos used here on this site are sourced from The State Library of South Australia, and The National Library of Australia - all photos are out of copyright and have no usage restrictions implied.

Paranormal Investigators: Past and Present: Peter Underwood

"The Sherlock Holmes of Psychical Research"

Peter Underwood

 As probably the longest-serving paranormal investigator in the world today, Peter Underwood is well respected, admired and sought after for his vast knowledge on hauntings and other paranormal topics.

 A life member and president of “The Ghost Club Society” (founded in 1851, this being the third incarnation, founded in 1994) Peter Underwood has travelled the world recording anecdotes, stories, writing books and investigating the paranormal. To date, he has written over 50 books on hauntings and other phenomena.

Peter was born at Letchworth, Garden City in Hertfordshire, on the 16^th of May 1923. Privately educated, Peter Underwood was destined to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and one of the worlds leading experts on paranormal phenomena.

 It is recorded that Peter’s first supernatural experience was that of seeing an apparition of his Father on the day off his Father’s death, but it should also be noted that his Grandparents lived in a haunted home known as “Rosehall”, a 17^th century house that allegedly contained the ghost of a headless man – it is thought that this is the around the time Peter developed his interest in ghosts and other phenomena.

 

 Peter Underwood has investigated some fascinating cases, including Borley Rectory (Essex U.K.) with Harry Price, whom Peter would later become the executor of Harry’s estate.

 Other notable cases included The Church at Langenhoe, in Essex. The haunting included the Church, the Manor House and the surrounding yards, and is well documented in Peter Underwood’s book “Nights in Haunted Houses” (1994), the book also features another famous location that Peter investigated “The Queens House” at Greenwich

 

He spent 12 years, on and off, exploring the remarkable Langenhoe case of hauntings that extended to the manor house, the church and surrounding area; Peter thoroughly examined and researched the unique Greenwich ghost photograph - probably the best known "genuine" ghost photograph ever obtained, “The Tulip Staircase” photo (for more about this amazing photograph visit this link: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/about/history/queens-house/the-queen-s-house-ghost).

Another case of note investigated by Peter is the Police College “Bramshill” in Hampshire, built in 1621, which is said to house 9 spirits.

"Bramshill" build in 1621

 

 In his almost 50 years of investigating Peter has held many positions of importance including:

Life President, Ghost Club Society (founded 1851)

President, Unitarian Society for Psychical Studies

Patron, Paranormal Site Investigators

Patron, Ghost Research Foundation

Patron, Ghost Investigation

Life Member: Vampire Research Society

Fellow: Royal Society of Arts

Peter has also had memberships with The Society for Psychical Research, (SPR), Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP), The Society of Authors, just to name a few            

 

 Peter Underwood has also had extensive media coverage on radio and television. He has been seen on “Strange But True” and appeared in the TV film “The Ghost Hunters” (UK).

 

 Peter was married in 1944 to Joyce, who unfortunately passed away in 2003 after suffering Parkinson’s disease for 14 years. In 2004 Peter struck up a friendship with Marlena Sypniewska, of whom he travels the world.

 In recent years Peter has continued publishing books but has also become the patron of “The Ghost Research Foundation” which was founded in Oxford in 1992 and Patron of “Paranormal Site Investigators” in Swindon.

He was also featured in Jason Karl’s book “Illustrated History of the Haunted World” and is a contributor to a Boris Karloff biography.

 

In 2009, following the passing of his friend, the renowned parapsychologist Hanz Holzer, Peter was invited to write the obituary for The Guardian Newspaper.

 

In 2010 Peter was also featured in a 6-page spread in “Paranormal Magazine” written by John Stoker, who listed Peter Underwood as  "One of the most important figures in the paranormal investigation community”

 

In 2011 he published the book “Shadows in the Nave”

 

So far in 2012, Peter has released two books “Haunted Britain: A Gazetteer” and “Irish Ghosts: Ghost Hunters Guide” plus he has one book scheduled for release in 2013 “Haunted Farhnam” when he turns 90 years of age!

 

To contact Peter Underwood please write to:

 Savage Club, 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD.

  Further reading:

http://seminars.torontoghosts.org/blog/index.php/2007/04/18/weird_wednesday_with_chris_laursen_20

researched and Written by:

Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Paranormal Investigators: Past and Present: Guy Lyon Playfair

"Poltergeist Investigator"

Guy Lyon Playfair

Born in India and raised in England, by a Mother who was a member of The Society For Psychical Research, it wasn't hard for Guy Lyon Playfair to accept that there are things out there that cannot be explained.

In 1973, Guy joined The Society For Psychical Research himself, and in 2004 was elected to the organisation's council. Guy emigrated to Brazil and spent fourteen years as a freelance journalist there, whilst there he also became a member of Brazils IBPP research group.

The author of many books about psychic powers, the unspoken communication of twins, Uri Gellar and many other topics, Guy is probably best known for his book on the Enfield Poltergeist Investigation in 1977 – 1978.

A family of five, consisting of a Mother, two daughters and two sons were facing daily occurrences of phenomena in their house. Representatives of The Society Of Psychical Research, Maurice Grosse, and Guy Lyon Playford began investigating the house, and the claims of fraud associated it with it.

It was found by the investigators that at least 26 inexplicable occurrences happened that cannot be explained by current science. Included in these phenomena were; moving furniture, pools of water on the floor, flying marbles, physical assaults and fires which spontaneously ignited and extinguished themselves.

Amongst other phenomena, was one of the young girls using her false vocal cords to speak, for hours on end. Whilst apparently possessed by an entity named “Bill”. A man came forward who claimed to be Bill's son, recordings were made by the BBC, but when the film crew went to check their recording equipment they found the metal inside of their recorders bent, and their recordings erased.

Also during this investigation, Guy caught one of the young girls faking phenomena, to see if she could “catch out” the investigators, but not one try of trickery fooled either investigator.

There is plenty of controversies still about this particular case, for more information on the Enfield Poltergeist case, you can purchase Guy Lyon Playfair's book “This House Is Haunted”.

Much of guys work has centred around psychics and psychic powers. For over 30 years he has studied the concepts associated with telepathic communication and, written many comprehensive papers and books about the subject. One of Guys books, “Twin Telepathy” is written about the link twins have, where one can, in an entirely different hemisphere of the planet, feel the other's pain. The book delves into research conducted on shared emotions and thoughts, and even shared physical bruising!

Here is a short quote from Guy, after being questioned by Steve Volk on the Skeptico website

Steve Volk: “What’s your best guess, at this stage, after all these years, on what poltergeists, or ghosts, are.?”

Guy Playfair: ”The short answer is that there are two possibilities. Either they are some kind of discarnate entity – which I certainly don’t rule out – or else they are an entirely unknown force that emanates from the human mind. How it works we simply don’t know. We can only observe its effects. I think there’s quite strong evidence that it’s some kind of so-called spirit or discarnate entity, kind of drifting blobs of exo-intelligence, if you like. But that is an extremely controversial opinion and not many people share it.”

A few of Guys Books:

• The Indefinite Boundary.
• The Cycles of Heaven: Cosmic Forces and What They Are Doing to You.
• This House is Haunted: The Investigation of the Enfield Poltergeist
• The Haunted Pub Guide
• If This Be Magic
• The Geller Effect
• Twin Telepathy.
• New Clothes for Old Souls: World Wide Evidence for Reincarnation.
• Chico Xavier, Medium of the Century.

A documentary on “The Enfield Poltergeist”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7VpVbD8p_s

Researched & Written by:

Allen Tiller © 2012

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au