BORLEY GHOST SOCIETY

Welcome to the twelth edition of the Borley Ghost Society Newsletter. We are getting closer and closer to the one-year anniversary of the Society. This means the closing of Charter Memberships. After October 31, new membership will be restricted to "Associates" only.

"My name is John Boston. I am the editor of a magazine called The Sticks, which publishes editions in Suffolk, Essex, Cambs and Herts.
"I have been reading with fascination your excellent website on Borley rectory and feel it is a subject that would greatly interest our readers.
"Would you be willing to write an article for us? Or would you be prepared to let one of our writers come and talk to you? Or, alternatively, could we adapt something from the information on your website? In all instances, we would publicise the website.
"If this interests you, please let me know by return mail and we can discuss the matter in greater detail.
"I look forward to hearing from you.
"Yours sincerely,"
John Boston
Editor
The Sticks Magazine

Hi;
"Brilliant site.
"I run a UK film company. We are interested in doing the complete update story of Borley for a documentary.
"How do you feel about that? Is it something you may like to work with us on?
"I have a long history of interest in Borley, one of my researchers recorded some very interesting things in the church many years ago.
"Another has received apports in the church.
"Hope to hear from you soon."
Best wishes,
Martin Marshall

Dear Vince;
"During my last visit to Borley I found the church door firmly closed. Unfortunately my local enquires remained without any indications concerning the whereabouts of the church key or the keeper of the key. Therefore I'd be most obliged if you or any BGS member could kindly inform me on its location and how to receive it. With many thanks and my best regards."
Andreas Trottmann
[Ask the wardens, Col. and Mrs. Dorie. They live in the former stable cottage, which has been extensively remodeled. Don't mention ghosts if you want to be treated well. If you talk about geneaology or old churches, you will be very welcome.]

"Interest in Conjuring Up Philip seems to continue unabated. At the bottom of this message is a query from one gentleman who would like to see the experiment revived. I agree.
"Do you have any interest in such a quest? Do you know of someone else who might be?
"If you know of any organization that might be willing to sponsor such a project, will you please let me know?
"Also, I looked up a web site for a gentleman out in the desert somewhere, but I have lost the Internet address (URL). He is quite wealthy, and looks for paranormal projects to sponsor. I believe he is mainly interested in UFOs, but you never know....
"Thanks for your support."
Vincent O'Neil

"I am interested in the Philip Experiment, but perhaps I should call it frustrated. I have a longtime interest in the paranormal and am fairly well up on the current research, including that on micro-PK at Princeton's PEAR lab and the activities at the Rhine center, the SPR etc. All of these knew of Philip and not one of them has done any follow-up that I can find.
"I am convinced that Philip and its few imitators prove that macro PK is a function of the mind which can be replicated and studied under laboratory conditions, and why the paranormal world has not rushed to do so is a complete mystery to me. The problem with the Philip exercises themselves is that, except for two films and recordings of the taps, no physical measurements were attempted. There are many ways to measure and record the movement/levitation that would provide hard and quantified data on the forces involved that might in turn lead to a rational hypothesis of the process. It only requires a group that was able to perform at will.
"It needs to be done by a group that can devote the time over a several months or more and has the money and expertise to do the sensor design and set up. So that's my question and I would love to get your thoughts on where and to whom to go to."
Willam Stoney

"You're probably talking about Bob Bigelow for $$$. Yes, he likes mainly UFOs & crop circles.
"The Owenses are still around in Canada... other than that, the logical contacts are the Parapsychology Foundation and American Society of Psychical Research, the latter of which is broke. No $$ these days for parapsychology."
Rosemary Ellen Guiley

"Iris and George Owen told me that a number of groups have independently recreated and replicated the Philip phenomenon over the years.
"Tell your correspondent that he should join the American Society for Psychical Research. The ASPR publishes articles on PK (psychokinesis) in its journal, and the literature on the subject is vast. I don't know that PK has been demonstrated in the laboratory setting, though the work with random number generators of Robert Jahn at (is it?) MIT is very intriguing."
John Robert Colombo

"I have long wanted to re-do the Philip experiment, but its something a 'group' should do. Maybe a psychic center or even a circle of friends could do it. I believe this experiment could be replicated. But it would take six months with a meeting at least once a week - maybe more. I just don't have the time these days. A new character should be invented - maybe a woman. It's a grand project but I can't spearhead such a thing now."
Richard Senate

"Great movie... terrific ending. Really got us! Makes one feel rather silly to not catch the twist early in the movie. Willis did his best acting, don't you think?
"What do you think about all the chaos, pain and mischief caused by the ghosts? And the business about always feeling cold?"
Patricia Galbraith

"Try The Blair Witch Project. It's a scary movie in an unspectacular but surprisingly clever way. The literary tropes are the Lost Manuscript and the Lost Patrol. As an older viewer I found that the hand-held cameras became tiresome after the first hour and that the swearing is excessive, nor was I much interested in the characters (endearing though they were), but for all its many shortcomings, the movie conveys a real sense that at the heart of the woods there lurks evil. It shoves into the costly shlock spectacles like the last 'Dracula.'
John Robert Colombo

"You're right. This movie restores my faith in movie makers after that special effects study that ruins one of the best ghost stories ever made (I'm, of course, talking about The Haunting).
"A few more good movies..... Have you seen them?
*The Lady In White (Lots of special effects, yet, a wonderful story).
*The House That Would Not Die (Based on the book Ammie, Come Home).
*Sole Survivor (A late 60s-early 70s, made for T.V. movie based loosely on the Lady Be Good story, essentially a crashed B-25 is found in the desert in Libya. While the recovery goes on the ghosts of the crew attempt to lead the salvage people to where their remains are located).
*Lets not forget The Uninvited, the Ray Milland version, not the Fox Network one.
"Good ghost stories, in print and film."
WALTER H. APPEL

"I was with my friend and went to see Sixth Sense Friday night. She did not sleep all night and had a light on all the time. Scared her to death. I was not expecting the ending and thought it was really cool ending to the movie. Did not really give the beginning much thought after the movie got into it. Really got to me. Loved it!! Excellent ending!!!"
Cindy

"Thanks for recommending The Sixth Sense. On your recommendation my wife and I went to see it this evening. I could have kicked myself for not having seen the ending from the start! I thought the little boy was extremely good.
"There was a very interesting article in The Washington Post last Sunday on a 19th-century poltergeist harassment: The Bell Witch of Tennessee. I had not heard of it, but the details fit very closely with parallels from England. The Post article was one of the may spin-offs spawned by the astonishingly successful "Blair Witch Project." I saw it yesterday and can tell you that it was about as scary as Peter Rabbit. It was a poorly made movie about a poorly made movie, but the success of the hype would have made P.T. Barnum clap his hands in glee."
Ivor Noel Hume

[Another excellent ghost movie is Buried Secrets with Tim Matheson and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen. Two young women become close friends and try to figure out the circumstances of a mother's death. Only thing, one of the girls died several years back. Let me know about your favorite ghost movie.]

Vince,
"I have an article in the current issue of Fate Magazine (Aug. issue). It's called "Pennies From Heaven" and Karen Stevens bugged me into writing and sending it in. I was amazed they published it, but they did. Karen knew about the strange phenomena --- I find pennies out of nowhere quite often, and always in places they can't possibly be, like on top of a freshly made bed or laying on my computer keyboard in the morning, etc ... My dad collected pennies with a passion in life and Karen & Pat Cody suggested these pennies are apports -- from my dad. I don't know about that, but they really do appear out of nowhere."
Sue-Ellen Welfonder

[Loyd Aurbach also has a column in the August issue - Psychic Frontiers. He has been a regular columnist since 1991. He writes articles that appear in the even-month issues of the magazine.]