BORLEY GHOST SOCIETY

In reading this report and that survey about hauntings, I've run across many interpretations for various anomalies. The arguments for one particular study are debated, and then we move on to the next. The varying explanations for paranormal phenomena should make us pause and wonder, "If valid, wouldn't phenomena remain the same through the ages?" Would a ghost change his or her methods over the centuries just to please potential viewers?

It is fascinating to me to study the cases of Near Death Experiences and correlate them to hauntings. Almost without exception, the person experiencing a positive NDE has to be convinced by the spirits on the "other side" to return to the earthly plane. The subject would really not be interested in haunting any earthly place left behind, but is more anxious to learn and greet other similar spirits. Except for returning once to rely an important message - such as where a will is located - there are far more important things for the deceased to be doing than haunt former lodgings.

That leaves negative spirits. Not as many people with negative Near Death Experiences have their voyages chronicled. They may be too embarrassed, or are not contacted by the right author. If unhappy spirits and poltergeists exist, it makes reasonable sense to assume they would make up the vast majority of gloomy ghosts.

We next need to address the length of stay for our ghost. Whether happy or miserable, what would be the reasons for haunting an earthly residence or church over a long period of time? The positive spirit might deliver his or her message and be gone forever. The negative spirit might linger with rattling noises and cold spots simply because he or she has nothing better to do. There are few other explanations for spirits to linger century after century except for the idea that time has no relevance to the dead. There are no clocks in the hereafter.

Stuart Kallen offers an interesting observation in his book, How to Catch a Ghost. He suggests, "Apparitions of the dying usually last for only several hours. It is reasoned that when a person is dying, they think strongly of their loved ones, and telepathically send an image of themselves to those people."

In conversations with Loyd Auerbach, I found his assessments of anomalies fit in quite closely with my own. His various writings also seem quite correct, and I offer a few of his observations for discussion. In particular, many of his views tie in very closely with my study of Borley Rectory, even though Auerbach did not have that "most haunted house" specifically in mind during his remarks.

• Ghosts who have described themselves to Auerbach say "I think of myself in a particular picture and the viewer picks up that mental image" through clairvoyance. The ghost is usually clothed, and usually without feet, just as in most portraits. In his quarterly newsletter "Essex Ghosts and Hauntings," Wesley Downes writes about an overnight visit to Borley by four young men from London. At dawn, one of them saw a "biggish built man with a black beard, wearing a long black cloak, buttoned at the neck, and he had a pipe in his mouth." The others could not see the stranger. Once home, the witness spent some time doing research at his local library, and found a photo of Rev. Harry Bull. It was the same man, "and what was more, his grave was only a few feet from" where he was seen. (No. 2, Spring, 1994 p. 9)
• Ghosts have to learn PK so they can move things. Not all entities accomplish this objective, just as not all humans are able to use telekinesis at will. It has been suggested by various researchers, however, that many people have certain quantities of innate PK abilities. Even Shakespear had to learn his letters before he could write his magnificent works.
• Ghosts won't appear without some psychic ability of the viewer. That is why four people can visit a haunted house or pub, and only one will see a ghost. This has been repeated several times through the years at Borley.
• Strong people who are still alive can leave an imprint. Or perhaps, a person going through a strong emotionally period. At one seance dedicated to Borley, the spirit cursed Marianne. He was later identified as her disgruntled third husband who was still very much alive, fuming about his wife in a distant city.
• Our own negative energy can influence objects, like computers. In the case of Borley and many other paranormal sites, anger, frustration, or even emotional trauma can create some sort of physical force field. This ties in with the long accepted view that poltergeist activity is quite frequently associated with adolescent women going through puberty. While Marianne was in her 30's during her stay at Borley, she had both health and emotional problems. Likewise, seven of the Henry Bull children were young women. During all incumbencies, most of the household help at Borley were young women. Cameras and tape recorders are notorious for not working in a reliable manner at Borley. Could the person using them have been experiencing a bout of negative energy?
• Ouija boards aren't bad, per se, but as with anything, our obsessions can be bad. Many people talking on the Internet are afraid of Ouija boards, and tell tales that would frighten the strongest heart. Marianne was very reluctant to participate in seances because she feared the power of Satan and the witches of Endor. This was a very real fear with her, and it could be said that what we believe is true, is true for us. It may be the negative force field just discussed, or it may be the negative aura attracting negative spirits, but fearful things do happen.
• Unhappy ghosts have not yet "seen the light." The initial exorcisms at Borley were designed to get rid of evil spirits. They did not have comforting thoughts for the deceased about joining relatives who had gone on before. These exorcisms had little effect, and in fact, sometimes resulted in even more activity. The spirits didn't leave the Foyster's alone until they were given a "kinder, more gentle" approach. The mediums had not yet heard of "going to the light," but applied the same sort of reassuring attitude that seems to work best in most modern hauntings.
• Except for the "phantom" and "possession"sections, the movie "Ghost" presents the most accurate portrayal of the spirit world. Evil spirits and monsters are creations of movie directors, not real life.
• Poltergeists are most often the results of people under stress moving things around via PK. Remove the stress, and the activity goes away. Some chaos is caused by individuals in sort of a "reverse hallucination," by moving things around and not being aware of their own participation.
• Auerbach finds ghosts most often where people are, like restaurants. Why would ghosts want to hang around a gloomy cemetery? "We find ghosts where there are people," he said.
• Ghosts look just like people - not balls or streaks. Most first hand descriptions of the Borley ghosts describe a person. One photograph taken by Simon Marsden for his book "Haunted Realm," shows a glow instead of a person, but this photo has been challenged in recent years. Why would the released energy of a deceased human remain in a particular spot? Wouldn't it be in danger of becoming wrapped up with the total energy fields surrounding us? It would seem to me that such a "glob" would have difficulty conveying a message to those left behind? At the same time, I respect those who have done enormous research on this subject by going into the field and gathering reams of photos showing "something" that wasn't visible to the naked eye when the photo was taken. Their work deserves serious consideration. For now, I remain neutral on this question. What do you think?
• There is not one "primary witness" of a phantom hitchhiker. All stories about these people who disappear are told second hand. The legend itself goes back to ancient Rome. How many first hand accounts of hauntings are there?
• True psychics generally stay away from predicting the future. They can't really read our minds.
• Magnetic Field Detectors really work. They pick up disturbances in the electro-magnetic field invisible to the naked eye.
• We all have the ability for mind to mind telepathy. We just need to develop it.
• Most murders don't produce ghosts. We would be over run if they did.
• Places like Alcatraz are haunted by imprints, not ghosts.
• Ghosts are nothing to fear and they don't carry guns or other weapons.
• A vast majority of ghosts have a family message and go away within 48 hours.
• Most hauntings are probably environmental imprints; footsteps heard in the same place at the same time.
• Apparitions are most often see in regular hours, not night - when people are present.
• While his business is devoted to hunting for ghosts, Loyd Auerbach has never seen one.

Auerbach clearly attempts to debunk many causes, and many cases for hauntings or poltergeists. At the same time, he is a professional parapsychologist. He formed the Office of Paranormal Investigations in San Francisco with the expressed purposed of finding spiritual anomalies. In other words, while being skeptical, he is still open minded. He has "solved" many cases of spiritual phenomena by finding out about recent earthquakes or recent upheavals in the clients lives. But he still keeps on hunting for that elusive spirit.

So do I.