The second edition of my Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits is now out in a handsome package
produced by Facts On File, the leading publisher of reference books. I added dozens of new
entries and photos on cases, stories and legends, scientific investigations, Spiritualism and
mediumship, folklore, personalities -- and more!
As part of my research, I went to England in the fall of 1999 for five weeks. I had a multi-purpose agenda. Not only was I researching ghosts, I also was collecting information and photos for my forthcoming encyclopedia on saints, and was promoting my newly released book on angels on radio and TV. I also looked up some Witches and magicians who had helped me with my revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft, visited some of my ghost-hunting friends, spent time with healers and mediums, and attended some fascinating lectures on the cutting edge in paranormal research. I visited haunted places, stone circles and fairy havens and took part in a vigil at a haunted building.
Among the highlights were:
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A trip to a fogou in Cornwall. Fogous are stone chambers built into the earth, dating to the Iron
Age. No one knows what they were for originally, but many people report strange experiences
after spending time in them. Some are haunted. The one I visited (on private property, so I will
not give the exact location) definitely was a strange place!
[Photo by Rosemary Ellen Guiley.] |
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A trip to St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall. Located offshore near Penzance, the rock was home
to a Benedictine abbey, and was the place of a famous apparition of the Archangel Michael.
[At the stone pillar that marks the spot where the Archangel Michael appeared to fishermen in 495. Photo by Jo Holland.] |
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Other Cornwall delights included the Merry Maidens stone circle (reported to dance under a full moon), numerous sites, cathedrals and holy wells associated with Celtic saints; Tintagel, the ruined castle associated with Merlin and King Arthur lore; and St. Nectan's Glen, a cascading waterfall where the knights of Arthur were said to be initiated.
-- Places where Dion Fortune received her inspiration for her occult novels.
– A ghostly tour of Cambridge, hosted by Alan Murdie, chairman of The Ghost Club. Alan is a superb guide and story teller, and made Cambridge come alive with the unseen. Several of us in the group were interviewed by a reporter from BBC Radio.
– An afternoon with the esteemed ghost hunter and friend Andrew Green. Andrew is a walking encyclopedia! He toured me around the haunted Battle Abbey near his home. It was a cold day, and we finished with pots of hot tea and delicious scones in a nearby pub.
– A vigil at Charlton House in Greenwich with members of the Ghost Club, led by Alan Murdie. Charlton House has a long haunting history, and the Ghost Club has been there when interesting things have happened. Alas, this particular night was very quiet!
– Dinner with my longtime friends Tom Perrott, former chairman of the Ghost Club, and his wife,
Doris, at the Victory Club, where most of the Ghost Club meetings are held. Tom keeps a busy
schedule of lectures and interviews.
– A trip to Littlecote House – very haunted!
[Photo by Jo Holland, November 1999.]
– I spent several days in Lincoln visiting my friend, medium and healer Eddie Burks. We were able to visit and have tea with Sir Simon Marsden, whose excellent fine arts photography of haunted places is featured in the new edition of the encyclopedia, along with an entry on Simon himself.
– Excellent lectures: one given at the Ghost Club by eminent author Dennis Bardens, and one given at the Society for Psychical Research by Paul Devereux on the latest in earth energies research, plus an all-day workshop on alchemy given by David Goddard. I also was able to attend one of the SPR's study days, where I caught up with friends and researchers, among them Monty Keen and Guy Lyon Playfair. The center of attention at the SPR was the controversial Scole mediumship case.
– And last, but certainly not least, a visit to Borley, courtesy of Monty Keen, one of the chief
investigators of the Scole case. Monty's work made for fascinating conversation during a
weekend at his country farm. Among the guests was medium Jenny Eales. Not much to see at
Borley these days, but visiting there is always of interest. [Photo by Rosemary Ellen Guiley.]
You can read more about these people, cases and places -- and see lots of pictures -- in the new edition of The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits! And you are invited to drop by my website.