The Dark Side of the Wizard

Introduction:

For many years now, rumours have been flying all over the internet that there are some amazing connections between the classic 1939 film ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and Pink Floyd’s seminal 1973 album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’; connections that many people believe are more than just coincidence.

In 2004,  I was intrigued enough to do a little bit of in-depth research to see if the claims stood up to scrutiny, and wrote up my findings for the now defunct ‘Researcher Magazine’, a journal once produced by the Merseyside Anomalies Research Association. Here is a reproduction of the article, in a vain attempt to set the record straight once and for all……

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In the insane world of Rock ‘n’ Roll, there are plenty of rumors flying around about hidden meanings in songs, from the supposed backmasked satanic messages contained in Heavy Metal albums to the subtle drug taking references found on some Beatles songs. However, none of these are as big, or as widespread, as the rumors going around about the spooky connections between an iconic album and an equally iconic movie……Pink Floyd fans across the world are literally buzzing about the amazing coincidences that leap off the screen when you play ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ as the soundtrack to ’The Wizard of Oz’.

There are hundreds of websites dedicated to the ‘spooky synchronisations’ that people claim happen between the lyrics, & music and what appears on screen. It seems that the world and their dog have tried it, and many have been ‘blown away’ by the results.

For people interested in the real truth behind urban myths, this is the opportunity of a lifetime: an urban myth, or a music conspiracy theory if you like, that anyone can try out for themselves.

How does it work?

All you need is a copy of the original 1939 film and a CD of the album. Start the CD player and immediately hit pause. Start the movie, turning the sound down and wait for the MGM lion. Immediately after the final roar, take the pause off the CD. Sit back, watch and listen.

 What do you see?

Among the many coincidences claimed on the websites, the following are considered to be really startling:

During the first track ‘Breathe’ Dorothy teeters along a fence as the band sing “balanced on the biggest wave”

The Wicked Witch, in human form, first appears on her bike as the cacophony of alarm bells ring out at the start of the track ‘Time’.

During the track ‘Time’, Dorothy breaks into a trot to the line “no one told you when to run”

When Dorothy leaves the fortune teller to go back to her farm, the band are singing “home, home again”

Glinda, the Good Witch of the North appears during the song ‘Money’ as the band sing “don’t give me that do goody good bullsh*t”

A few minutes later, the good witch confronts the wicked witch as the band sings “and who knows which is which?” (witch is witch)

The song ‘Brain Damage’ starts just as the Scarecrow launches into his song “If I only had a brain”.

As Floyd sings “the lunatic is on the grass” the scarecrow begins his dance routine near a green lawn.

The line “got to keep the loonies on the path” comes just before Dorothy and the Scarecrow start skipping down the Yellow Brick Road.

'Got to keep the Loonies on the Path'. Dorothy & Co on the Yellow Brick Road

And there are many, many more. However, it is not only lyrical coincidences… Apparently, songs end when scenes switch and even the Munchkin’s dance appears to be perfectly choreographed to the song ‘Us and Them’.

However, the most startling synchronisation is when Claire Torry’s powerful vocal solo in ‘The great gig in the sky’ rises and falls in perfect time to the tornado scene.

And that’s not all! The films transition from black and white to colour, when Dorothy opens the door to the magical kingdom of Oz, is heralded by the sound of cash registers at the start of the track ‘Money’. Real fanatics are also quick to point out that side one of the vinyl version of the album is the exact length of the black and white portion of the film. And, of course, there is the famous cover…..a single beam of white light on a black background entering a prism, only to emerge on the other side as a rainbow, which many interpret as a symbolic representation of the black and white to colour transition of the film, not to mention Judy Garland’s classic song ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’.

The clincher for most people comes right at the end of the album as it tails out to the sound of a beating heart. At the same instant Dorothy presses her head against the Tin Man’s chest listening for a heartbeat!

Spooky coincidence? Some say ‘No, not a coincidence. It was planned’.

Dark designs

So, has someone unwittingly stumbled onto the secret meaning behind the most enigmatic album of the 20^th century? Fans certainly think so. But what does the band have to say on the matter?

The late Keyboardist Richard Wright, when interviewed on US radio, denied all knowledge of it, saying that if it was intentional he had not been party to it.

In a 2004 article in ‘Guitarist’ magazine, Dave Gilmore, legendary lead guitarist with the band, only had one word to say on the subject. Unfortunately that word is not repeatable here!

Such denials, however, are met with disbelief by the Oz-Floyd theorists, who cite the sheer number of ‘coincidences’ between film and album as concrete proof that the latter was modeled on the former.

Dark genius of synch? Roger Waters

In particular, one fan, Boston Deejay George Taylor Morris, is convinced that ex Floyd frontman Roger Waters planned the whole thing in secret without telling the rest of the band. “It’s too close. Look at the song titles. Look at the cover. There’s something going on there”.

Difficulties

As theories go, this is an interesting one, but for it to be correct presents too many problems. Firstly, there is the issue of timing.

To make music match up perfectly with film requires careful timing of scenes. Back in 1973 when the album was being recorded, the only way to do this would have been to screen the film itself and play the music alongside it to ensure a perfect match. This would have entailed obtaining the original movie and a projector, and to have it in the studio during the making of the album. So the theory of keeping all of this from your fellow band members is really stretching things a little.

Of course, it might have been slightly more feasible if Roger Waters had written all the music, as he could have seen screenings in private and made a list of timings, but unfortunately the album was very much a band effort. There is no way that Roger could have subtly influenced his band mates to write songs to specific lengths, suggest lyrics and tie-in sound effects, especially if he wasn’t letting them in on the secret.

Anyhow, let’s assume that Roger successfully kept his master-plan secret and managed to get over the hurdles of timing, synching the music to the image and ensuring that the final cut of the album matched the film perfectly. Are there still problems? Yes!

Way back in 1973 there were only three album formats available: Vinyl LP, Compact Cassette and 8-Track tape cartridges. The first two, as we pre-CD generation people will remember, have to be turned over in order to play the second side. A very important fact considering most of the ‘amazing synchronisations’ occur on music that was originally on side 2 of the album. This would necessitate stopping the LP, turning the record over, re cueing the needle and being able to ‘hit’ the first sound on the first track in EXACTLY 2 seconds (which is the time delay between tracks on a CD version) in order for the synchronisations to flow in the way that the Oz-Floyd theorists say they do. No mean feat!

Cassette tape also has it’s problems, as now you not only have to turn the tape over, you have to contend with the pesky leader tape, which has a run in time of about 4 seconds. 8-track, however, is a little different. These tapes play continuously in an infinite loop, so it is possible that, in this format, the synchronisations would be easier to achieve. But again, it would necessitate taking your bulky 8 track tape deck, amplifier and speakers to your local cinema to get the effect. And you’d have to ask the projectionist to run the film without sound. Hardly worth the effort really. Which leads us back again to the biggest problem…timing.

Framing the picture

Not a lot of people know this, but there is a time difference between the length of a cinema movie and its Video or DVD version. This is caused by the fact that cinema movies are projected at 24 frames per second. That is, 24 full images are projected off the film onto the screen every second.  All well and good, but a problem arises when a movie is transferred to video or DVD.

Because of the speed at which (UK) TV screens cycle (50 times per second), TV’s consequently show 25 full images per second. In short, if you played a movie on the TV without doing anything to it beforehand, you end up with a gap that lasts 1/25^th of a second, every second. This would produce an irritating flicker that would be very annoying to watch.

The way round this problem is to speed up the original film a little so that 25 images are displayed every second. The result: smooth flowing images, no annoying flicker…..and a reduction in the film’s length by 4%.

So, if Roger Waters had managed to get the music in perfect synch with the original movie, the minute the movie is transferred to Video and DVD means that the music would no longer synch up. This makes the claim of the ‘intentional synchronisations’ theorists all the more silly. I’m sure there are a few die hard people out there that will say Roger Waters is such a genius that he anticipated the arrival of the new technology (home Video Cassette Recorders and Compact Discs were not around in 1973) and made adjustments accordingly, but I think that this is really pushing the belief boat way out past the point of no return.

Conclusion

So, is ‘The Wizard of Oz’ the secret inspiration behind one of the greatest albums of all time? I really don’t think so. But the weird way that the music does seem to synch up to the movie is intriguing. However, under closer scrutiny, most of the cited links are, at best, tenuous. One synch however, the tornado scene with ‘the great gig in the sky’ as soundtrack, is uncanny.

Is it all just a weird coincidence then? Almost certainly! The laws of chance do allow for this sort of thing to happen.

So, does this tell us anything about the nature of the cosmos? Not really, but it does tell us that there are a lot of people out there with far too much time on their hands.

Try it for yourself!

How to synch up the album and the movie

1.         Obtain a copy of the original 1939 MGM version of the film.
Beware of  picking up the more recent restored version of the movie that contains  slightly different scene lengths.

2.         Obtain a CD copy of the album.

3.         Load the CD, then start the CD player and immediately press pause.

4.         Start the movie, turning the sound down a little.

5.         Wait for the MGM Lion.

6.         Immediately after the final roar, take the pause off the CD.

7.         Turn down the movie sound completely.

8.         Sit back, relax and watch out for the  spookiness!

Or alternatively, check out the fan made pre-synched versions of the movie that are available on YouTube.

Good Hunting!

The Ghost of Seat A5

Haunted Seat BB-27, North Pier Theatre, Blackpool, UK

The United Kingdom has an amazing theatrical heritage. In every major town and city you will find at least one impressive Victorian or Edwardian theatre nestled in its very heart. Over the years, their stages have played host to the world’s finest performers delivering unforgetable performances, which have charged the auditoriums with vast amounts of emotional energy. It is therefore no real surprise that most, if not all, the theatres that grace our small island are said to be haunted.

In my years as a lighting and sound engineer, I was fortunate enough to work in many of these amazing venues up and down the country. Without fail, every theatre I visited laid claim to its own resident ghost, or ghosts, that were seemingly doomed to spend eternity wandering around the aisles or lurking in the shadows backstage.

Whenever I visited a theatre for the first time, I always made time to speak to the resident staff; from usherettes to actors and stage technicians alike, to ask them about their own spooky encounters.

After a while, most of the stories relayed to me began to sound similar, with details so identical that it made me wonder if the tales were nothing more than urban myths that had been passed on from theatre to theatre. Indeed, if you visit only a dozen or so venues, you will come across at least one of these four familiar ghostly scenarios:

The Stagehand – who met with a fatal, and often gruesome, accident whose presence can still be seen and heard backstage, apparently still going about their earthly duties.

The Grey Lady – who is seen wandering around the stalls in an agitated state looking for someone or something.

The Edwardian Gentleman – who can sometimes be seen – but more often than not only heard – walking down the aisles, strolling with cane in hand, sometimes accompanied by a small crying child.

The ‘Haunted’ Seat – which appears to be the focus of the theatre’s paranormal activity, with accounts of staff and theatre goers alike, feeling cold and uneasy whilst sitting in them.

So what is really going on here? Is it possible that every theatre has copycat ghosts with no imagination or a limited haunting repertoire, or are they merely well travelled stories that take on a life of their own through a combination of overactive imaginations and fearful anticipation?

In some theatres the only ‘evidence’ in support of the activity is anecdotal, ie people relating their own experiences, which is sadly lacking in hard tangible proof to support their claims. However, there are a few theatres around the country where there appears to be some historical corroboration.

Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool, UK - Home of Haunted Seat A-5

One such venue, the Playhouse Theatre in Liverpool, (where all four of the above ghosts or effects are said to be resident), is one of them – and there is good historical evidence in support of some of the activity claimed to be experienced there.

In 1897, a stagehand called Elizabeth met with a horrible end whilst sweeping up on stage. The fire safety curtain (known as the ‘Iron’ in theatrical speak, due to the fact that they are constructed out of metal sheeting) came down unexpectedly and struck Elizabeth on the head, breaking her neck and knocking her into the orchestra pit where she died instantly.

Although her death was declared an accident, the safety curtain at that time was water powered and needed someone present to operate it. This fact was never satisfactorily investigated and consequently no-one was ever brought to task for causing the ‘accident’ to occur.

Ever since that fateful day in 1897, staff and public have reported seeing the ghost of Elizabeth walking around the stage and gallery level of the theatre. One of the most dramatic sightings occurred in 1996 when actress Pauline Daniels claimed to have seen a shabbily dressed Victorian lady slumped in seat A5 (Gallery Level), a place where many theatre goers had complained of feeling bitterly cold and/or had experienced feelings of dread or unease. Could this have been yet another sighting of Elizabeth? Pauline certainly seemed to think so.

Towards the end of the nineties, sightings of Elizabeth and spooky activity around seat A5 began to decline. That was, however, until the theatre closed for a major refit in 1999.

Whilst busy on the renovations, the contractors started to experience a number of odd things. The ‘unusual’ activity started off small, consisting of water taps turning themselves on in the toilets and the green room; and workmen’s tools began to disappear from the places they were put down just moments before, only to be found much later in the unlikeliest of locations.

As major changes began to be made to the fabric of the building, the activity intensified, so much so that the workmen eventually downed tools and refused to return until something had been done about it. One workman commented that ‘hearing the odd knock here and there was one thing, but hearing unearthly whispering, wailing and cries for help was something else altogether’.

The theatre was subsequently blessed by a local priest and work resumed. Although the activity had now reduced dramatically, there was still the odd instance of tools going missing and heavy fire doors opening and closing of their own accord.

Once the work was completed, the theatre opened its doors again to the general public – and activity around seat A5 increased. At the same time, the lesser reported apparitions of an elegant upper class woman wandering around the coffee bar, and the apparition of a gentleman dressed in a frock coat and top hat walking around the stalls, also became more frequent. It appeared that the renovations had stirred up more than just the old Victorian dust.

In 2006, I was fortunate (or unfortunate, depending upon your point of view) to be assigned seat A5 whilst going to see a play. Excitedly I decided to use this opportunity to conduct my own mini covert paranormal investigation.

Upon arrival in the theatre, I dashed into the auditorium and claimed my seat. Since I had declined to tell my friends what I was doing, they were a little bemused at my keenness to go and sit down.

Throughout the first half I sat with baited breath and waited for something spooky to happen. It didn’t.

During the second half, my mind drifted from ghostly matters to watching the actors, the set and the tech, all of which were superb. In no time at all I had completely forgotten about sitting in the ‘spookiest’ part of the theatre as my full attention became focused on the play. That was, however, until I started to feel a slight vibration coming from the seat. Could this be the start of the activity, I wondered? I waited with anticipation. However, after a few seconds, I identified the source of the shaking. It turned out to be coming from a woman sat to my right in seat A4, who was shivering involuntarily and complaining of feeling bitterly cold, despite having her coat on and the theatre being exceptionally hot and stuffy. Had the ‘Ghost’ of Seat A5 migrated to the previous seat along?

The woman and her partner didn’t last the second half, leaving with around 20 minutes of the play left to run. Since I hadn’t mentioned to the people I was with about my intentions to conduct a paranormal vigil in seat A5, I declined to move into the now vacant A4, but I did place my hand over the chair and experienced a momentary chill. Whether that was down to auto suggestion or a spooky encounter is something I have often wondered about, but whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t anything as intense as the experiences that others have so often reported.

I haven’t been back to the theatre since, but I have it on good authority that the various apparitions and spooky effects are still being experienced there on a fairly regular basis.

So, at the end of the day, are the theatre ghosts merely urban myths turned to reality by apprehension, or are they genuine paranormal experiences? Until someone can prove it irrefutably either way, to paraphrase a theatre maxim, “the spooky show must go on”.

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Other alleged Haunted Theatre Seats around the World:

Seat J-47, Hibbing High School Auditorium, Minnesota
http://myparanormal.tumblr.com/post/4511616488/myparanormal-j47ghost

Seat BB-27, North Pier Theatre, Blackpool, UK – Ghost Tours available from Supernatural Events:
http://www.supernaturalevents.co.uk/

The ‘Pushing Chair’, Upminster Theatre, Essex, UK
http://www.paranormaldatabase.com/reports/theatredata.php?pageNum_paradata=3&totalRows_paradata=110

The Ghost of Bob Crowther, Tyme Theatre, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
http://wiccalife.piczo.com/?g=24856874&cr=2

Seat C-5, Orphium Theatre, Memphis, Tennessee
http://johnnorrisbrown.com/paranormal-tn/orpheum/index.htm

21st December 2012: Apocalypse Now, or just time for the Mayans to chisel out a new calendar?

Unless you have been living deep underground for the past few years, or off-world on an obscure moon somewhere, you could not have failed to hear the rumors circulating that the end of the World is nigh. We are due a global catastrophe in the shape of a giant meteor strike, a sudden magnetic pole shift, the detonation of the Yellowstone Park Caldera, the unleashing of a killer solar flare from our sun – and dozens more apocalyptic scenarios too numerous to mention……and it’s all due to happen in December this year……or so we are led to believe by some sources.

The due date for this particular ‘end of the world’ has been derived from the Mayan Long Count calendar which runs out on the 20th December this year.  According to Mayan tradition, the 21^st December represents a move from one Mayan age to the next, in this case a move from the age of the fourth sun, an age of earthly materialism, to the age of the fifth Sun, an age of heightened spiritual awareness. With that change, say the Mayans, comes a brief period of change as the new paradigm sweeps away the old. Some interpret this as a sign of an impending apocalypse, upon which all the doomsday scenarios have been conveniently attached to.

All the above mentioned disaster scenarios are plausible, and one day will occur, but the reasoning behind pinning them down to a definite date just because the Mayan calendar is about to run out, in my humble opinion, contains more ‘bunk’ than a boarding school dormitory.  Any of the disasters listed could easily occur tomorrow, the next day, next week, next month or sometime in the next century. The only certainty is that one day, hopefully later rather than sooner, we will encounter a World shattering event.

If anything is to be learned from the sowers of doomsday scenarios, it is this; that we as a species are living in a very precarious universe and should thank our lucky stars for making it this far without too much incident. I dare say that if we are still around 5126 years from now to usher in the Mayan age of the sixth sun, our descendants will be doom spreading in much the same way as we are now.

As for me, the only trepidation I expect to experience in December will be that of going to the shops to purchase a new five year diary, as mine expires at the end of this year.  However, I do not attach any spooky resonance with that and the ending of the current Mayan age. If I am wrong, and it all does go phoom on the 21^st Dec, you have my full permission to say ‘told you so’ (if you can), but I suspect that it will be just another in a long line of apocalyptic deadlines that failed to transpire. Remember the Millennium Bug?

So here’s to a doom free ride to 2013, and (hint, hint) a new diary for Christmas.

Planet Preternatural Interview: Mike Jaega

As some people will be more than aware, there are a few dedicated investigators within the Paranormal community who shy away from the limelight, preferring  to concentrate on the things that matter: real research and honest investigation.  One of these people is Mike Jaega.

Mike has investigated the Paranormal for around 15 years and has made major contributions to formulating effective witness interview techniques and investigation protocol that have subsequently equipped many an investigator on their investigations of the unknown.

He has lost track of how many ‘ghost’ investigations he has conducted over the years -in anything from ’2 up 2 down’ semi’s to vast abandoned warehouses. He has also contributed to long term paranormal experiments such as a recreation of the ‘Phillip Experiment’, where, in the ’70s,  a team of Canadian parapsychologists successfully recreated a ‘ghost’ to order; and took part in painstaking analysis to better understand Orb Phenomena, helping bring it back to the realm of the ‘normal’.

Due to a recent bout of illness, Mike had to dip out of the world of investigation and research for a while, but is now back, firing on all cylinders, to do what he likes best – unraveling the mysteries of the unknown.

Planet Preternatural caught up with Mike during the opening night of Halton Lea Libraries ‘Paranormal Week 2011′ to ask him a few questions about his paranormal origins…and where he is going from here.

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PP = Planet Preternatural
MJ = Mike Jaega

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PP: Can you tell me a bit about your background?

MJ: I have worked for Victim Support and I’m a trained Counsellor. I have a lot of experience of working in the Mental Health field. I do public talks on various aspects of the paranormal and I’ve been a Paranormal Researcher for fifteen years.

PP: What first got you into the Paranormal?

MJ: My family were spiritualists when I was growing up, so I had an interest at a very early age. The subject always kind of scared me when I was young, and up until the age of about fifteen I wouldn’t even sleep with the lights off or the curtains open.

PP: What made you decide to seriously investigate the paranormal for yourself?

MJ: When I was young I slowly started to see a large amount of manipulation and trickery within the Spiritualist Church that my family attended. This made me question things more and I wanted to find out what drove people to want to be so manipulative. I also wanted to expose those people for filling me and others with so much fear. I suppose it was a way of beating my own fear, yet feeding my curiosity at the same time.

PP: What do you consider to be the milestones of your paranormal investigation experiences to date?

MJ: I think some of the best cases I’ve worked on are the ‘run of the mill’, two up two down houses rather than the so called Historic Haunted Mansions that the TV companies rave about. I can’t really go into detail but I’ve witness some strange stuff…. Not all Paranormal.

PP: Do you believe in life after death…and what is your take on the phenomena called ‘Ghosts’?

MJ: I don’t believe this life is the end, but I don’t hold a mainstream religious view either. I think belief systems can be very manipulative and damaging, and I think that most people that claim to be psychic probably aren’t.

I don’t believe ‘ghosts’ are dead people prowling the earth. I believe some apparitions are being replayed from the past, almost like a living memory held within a building or place. I also think that some are Time Anomalies. These apparitions exist in another point in time to us. Be it the past, present or future. I do believe in an afterlife but I think it communicates with us in a much more subtle and personal way than most people believe.

PP: What is your take on UFOs?

MJ: I think it’s crazy and arrogant to think that we are the only planet that exists with intelligent life on it. However, I also think that most UFO sightings can be explained, and I don’t believe in little green men or Alien Abduction. In my view, Alien Abduction is mostly Sleep Paralysis mixed in with a preconceived belief system.

I also believe that military technology is one of the main reasons for the continuing UFO sightings. In 1992 the military denied the existence of the sightings of a Stealth Bomber. In 1996 I went to an Airshow at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to see the same aircraft on public display for the first time…. One minute it doesn’t exist, next minute kids are standing next to one eating ice-cream and having their picture taken!

PP: Do you think psychology holds all the answers to understanding the paranormal?

MJ: No. I don’t think it holds ALL the answers, but I do think psychology plays, and will continue to play, a huge part in our understanding of the Paranormal and, most importantly, people’s need to believe in something.

PP: What do you think are the main reasons why mainstream scientists are reluctant to investigate the paranormal?

MJ: I think Paranormal research has been made to look a fool in recent years. People have swapped a need to want to know the truth for a need to be entertained, and this has had a massive negative impact on the scientific community too. No scientist wants to be associated with programs or publications that ridicule or make a mockery of a subject, and I don’t blame them.

It’s the job of serious researchers to want to prove that the Paranormal exists and stop just trying to get their faces on the TV. Then science will take the subject and the researchers seriously, but only then.

PP: What do you consider to be the best evidence to date in support of the reality of paranormal phenomena?

MJ: Events recorded on an investigation I was on in Chingle Hall in Lancashire. It was an EVP recordings of a person walking around a room in another part of the building when there was no-one in the room. This place was like stepping back in time, almost into another world – but not in the least bit frightening, just intriguing.

PP: What advice would you give to someone starting out on paranormal investigations from scratch?

MJ: Don’t just read books about the Paranormal and Hauntings. Read about psychology, sociology, religion and history. Have a basic knowledge of physics and remember that you must respect every witness and treat confidentiality very seriously. Though they won’t always like it, your fellow researchers will respect you much more in time. Also, never be stupidly stubborn, but stick by your basic principles.

PP: What is your pet paranormal Love?

MJ: Sceptics! Sceptics are generally more open minded than believers because they follow no-one and rely more on fact rather than belief. Believers are fine, but very few can leave their beliefs at the door. Sceptics want proof but believers are happy with word of mouth.

PP: What is your pet paranormal  hate?

MJ: Fake mediumship and an over reliance on psychics in research. Fake mediums are, at best, vastly delusional and at worse, dangerous! Another one I have to add is TV programs about the paranormal…..Mostly cringeworthy!… I never watch them!

PP: Who is your paranormal hero? And why?

MJ: Derren Brown or James Randi (Can’t choose between the two).

Derren Brown admits he isn’t psychic but has tricked many bogus psychics into thinking he is, just to show how easy it is. Not to mention demonstrating and proving the power of suggestion.

James Randi has exposed people like Uri Gellar and Sylvia Brown and has brought a very refreshing ‘Reality Check’ into Paranormal research.

PP: What is on the horizon for you?

MJ: I’m not sure really. I’ve been doing this for almost sixteen years and I guess I’ve become very picky now. I can see me working more on research and experiments now rather than individual cases. I’ve done my share of staying in haunted locations and interviewing witnessses. So I think I’d like to focus my attention on maybe writing or exposing fake psychics. The latter is because I feel we, as researchers, have a duty to protect those witnesses that give us such valuable information in the first place. I just think it’s time researchers looked at new ways of proving the existence of anomalies.

PP: How can people get in touch with you? 

MJ: I am happy for people to contact me via email:  mike.jaega@gmail.com

PP: Thank you very much Mike, and good luck for the future

MJ: It’s been a pleasure, thank you.

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Mike is based in the North West of England and would be very interested to hear from anyone who has had recent paranormal experiences. You can contact him via his email address: mike.jaega@gmail.com

A Brief UFO History of Halton (1957 -2003)

Way back in 2002, I produced a brief info leaflet for the first ever Paranormal Week at Halton Lea Library, Runcorn. I then updated it for 2003. Whilst sorting out my computer’s C:Drive I came across the document for the first time since then.

As a taster for the start of Paranormal Week 2011, (which starts tomorrow 24th October through to Friday 28th october) I thought I would reproduce it here. If some of the paragraphs look ‘familiar’, it is because my leaflet was ‘borrowed’ by someone in the press and the words found their way onto several news sites, followed by a few Paranormal Sites. They say that imitation is the best form of flattery……

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1957, Runcorn:

James Cooke claimed he was taken by aliens in a flying saucer from Runcorn Hill – and taken to their homeworld, a planet called Zomdic, orbiting a star light years away from our own solar system.

There he claimed to meet with the wise elders of the planet who instructed him to spread the word of “universal peace and harmony” to the rest of humanity. He was returned home 45 hours later.

After a later contact, this time on Frodsham Hill, James set up the Church of Aquarius in the town. It became so popular that a second “church” was opened. Here, James “channeled” information from the elders of Zomdic. The church ran for 10 years before James disappeared from public view in 1969.

1963, Runcorn:

RAF veteran Dick Newby saw a “huge blue star-like object” hurtle through the sky, just above the rooftops over Boston Avenue. He then watched as it burned a path over Halton Castle. He said: “I served for seven years in the RAF and I have heard pilots speak about these flying saucers after returning from operations.  I myself was very alarmed. I’ve seen plenty of shooting stars and airliners but this was neither. It looked nothing like a shooting star and was dead silent.”

1966, Runcorn: 

John Middleham of Runcorn saw a flying disc over Halton. From then on, armed with a cine camera, he constantly scanned the skies trying to capture UFOs on film. Three years later, he spotted a huge cigar shaped object, with two smaller discs underneath, in the skies over Runcorn.

1968, Widnes:

Police took chase in squad cars after a huge brightly lit flying cross was seen flying over Fiddlers Ferry power station. No explanation was given for the object which left the cars standing as it hurtled off at speeds in excess of 100 miles an hour.

1969, Runcorn:

Police received a report of a UFO landing on a playing field behind Pine Road.

1972, Runcorn: 

Julie Robson, Joyce Baxter and son Paul saw an unusual flying object over Halton Brow during daylight. They described it as “resembling a flying teapot without a lid.”

1978, Frodsham: 

A group of teenagers came across a large dome-shaped object sitting in a field near the Devil’s Garden in Frodsham. They saw “alien figures” examining cows in a field, using a “strange frame like apparatus”. The cows were completely motionless and silent, as though they had been immobilised.

1988, Preston Brook:
A woman on the A56 slip road saw a bright white light and experienced “missing time”.

1992, Frodsham: 

Graham Clamp saw a strange “pink ball of light” over the Mersey from Cottons Bridge, Frodsham. The ball slowly zig zagged across the sky and then shot off at great speed over Frodsham Hill.

1994, Frodsham: 

A major UFO wave was reported over Frodsham Hill during four evenings. More than 30 witnesses saw a huge “cigar shaped object” with shimmering coloured bands running down its side. The object returned later in the year and was seen by at least 70 people both here and over Chester and North Wales. Investigators could find no satisfactory explanation.

1995, Widnes: 

A woman saw a “bell shaped object” hover over the Mersey near Fiddlers Ferry power station. It appeared to be “sucking up a column of water” from the river. Six other passers-by also witnessed the event. This was the start of a two-month spate of sightings over Halton. Many witnesses saw all manner of unusual objects and lights, ranging from bright star like objects, flying discs and black triangles to huge wedge shaped objects which were described as being larger than two football pitches.

1996, Widnes: 

A Widnes man claimed to have seen a UFO overWidnes railway station. He reported that the bright spherical object made a sound like “a thousand wailing cats” and then fired bursts of flame at the ground which apparently burnt holes in some railway sleepers.

1996, Preston Brook:

A driver reports seeing a huge cigar-shaped object which he claimed was the size of a Boeing 747. It travelled alongside his car whilst he drove along the motorway in thick fog. Two other witnesses describe similar events whilst travelling to Frodsham and Helsby a few weeks later.

1997, Runcorn/Widnes:

There were numerous sightings of huge black triangular objects on a large section of the North West shoreline, stretching from North Wales to Morecambe. Residents in both Widnes & Runcorn reported numerous sightings including 3 flying triangles in formation that appeared to be hovering over the Runcorn-Widnes bridge. Several months later, one witness was pursued by a dark triangular object as she drove over the bridge at night.

1999, Runcorn/Widnes

Over 20 Halton residents report seeing strange luminous orange spheres in the sky over both Runcorn & Widnes. Paranormal investigators from across the North West converged on the towns, but no rational explanation could be found.

January 2003, Widnes

A Widnes woman and her daughter spotted a strange dark shape with green light emanating from it hovering in the sky over Widnes.

January 2003, Runcorn

Workers at the O2 buildings near Preston Brook had a rare daylight sighting when they spotted a strange cigar shaped object hovering over nearby village of Dutton.

March 2003, Runcorn

Several witnesses sighted a strange orange glow/sphere in the skies above the Mersey. After several minutes the glow faded out leaving a dark wedge/triangular shaped object hanging in the sky. Several minutes later the dark object shot away at incredible speed.

Paranormal Perambulations

A few weeks ago I decided to take a break from my busy writing schedule, so I headed off to Liverpool City Centre for a mooch around some of my favourite shops. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across two fairly new Liverpool based Paranormal Resources within the first half hour of wandering!

My first interesting find was a Merseyside based magazine called ‘Dead of Night‘ which, unbeknown to me, has been in existence for over a year.

Cover Image loaned from www.wppw.org.uk - Hope you don't mind

It’s strap-line, ‘Merseyside’s premier publication dealing with paranormal phenomena & tales from the realms of the strange and unusual’ sums up the magazine’s ethos beautifully. Inside there are tales of ghosts, UFOs, cryptid species and an assortment of Forteana, mostly with a Liverpool connection, but also containing accounts of paranormal happenings from further afield. The writing is intelligent, humorous and highly entertaining – and at a cover price of just three English pounds, it will not leave your pocket, wallet or bank account bereft of currency. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

The magazine has six issues a year and is currently available from the following outlets in Merseyside:

News From Nowhere – Top of Bold Street, Liverpool
World’s Apart – Lime St, Liverpool
Urban Myths – St John’s Market, Liverpool
The Wirral Psychic & Paranormal Workshop (www.wppw.org.uk)

Or via mail order C/O Dead of Night Magazine, 2 Orchard Road, Moreton, Merseyside, CH46 8TS

Subscriptions available: £15 for six issues

The magazine welcomes anybody who wishes to submit articles or Fortean news stories. Contact: Leewalker1964@yahoo.co.uk for more details.

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Urban Myths shop - Unit 22, St Johns Market, Liverpool, L1 1NN

The second find of the day was a new shop in St John’s Market called ‘Urban Myths’. It is shop which stocks all manner of paranormal, conspiracy theory and new age/mystical merchandise – from Books, DVDs, Tee-Shirts to South American Craft Goods – and everything else in-between. The owners are heavily involved with the local paranormal community, being the organisers of the popular ‘Beyond Knowledge’ Conferences held in Liverpool.

Urban Myths started life in Quiggins in School lane in 2006, but due to that buildings closure for refurbishment, they set up shop again in the relocated Quiggins in Renshaw Street, before moving to their new home at St John’s Market.

There is something to be said for specialist shops like this, which cannot be matched by internet stores – mainly the ability to pick up and browse through the books etc before you buy, which is something that is not as easy to achieve with on-line sellers. The shop carries titles that are unique to Urban Myths (including exclusive DVDs filmed at their Beyond Knowledge conferences) and friendly and helpful staff are there to assist you to find exactly what you want, be it books about Angels – to the latest information on Nicola Tesla.

Tony at Urban Myths - There to help with all your Paranormal, Conspiracy & New Age requirements

The shop is open Monday to Saturday: 10am – 5:30pm

Unit 22, St Johns Market, Liverpool, L1 1NN

Website: www.urban-myths.co.uk

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/UrbanMyths

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From Magazines and books we now move on to Merseyside’s airwaves… Since the demise of Roy Basnett’s very popular ‘Zone Unknown’ show on CityTalk 105.9 FM, there has been a dearth of decent Paranormal radio content in Merseyside – that is until earlier this year when Liverpool based radio station, Kensington Vision FM (KVFM) started broadcasting their monthly Paranormal Show ‘Tales of the Unexplained’ presented by the very able Peter Burcher.

Each month Peter invites people ‘in the know’ from all aspects of the paranormal community to discuss a particular topic. The show is broadcast live 8 – 9pm on the First Thursday of the month and is then repeated daily throughout the rest of the month.

Everyone around the World can can listen in on-line by visiting the following link: http://tunein.com/radio/KVFM-ONLINE-s134734/ 

or you can download the station’s ‘Tune In’ application for smart phones, also available from the above link.

Why not also pay a visit to KVFMs facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/56420026971/ or visit the shows podcast archive at: http://www.kvfmonline.podbean.com/  to get a flavour of what’s gone on before. Go on, you know it makes sense!

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These three amazing and very worthwhile paranormal resources need the support of us all if they are to continue and grow.

So, to paraphrase Timothy Leary, why not ‘turn up, tune in and drop lucky’ with three of the hottest paranormal media resources Merseyside has to offer.

Good Hunting

The Headless Horseman of Stockham Lane

The borough of Halton, which is comprised of the towns Widnes and Runcorn, boasts many myths and legends involving dragons, ghosts, poltergeists and UFOs. One such legend is the apparition of the Headless Horseman that is said to haunt an old abandoned stretch of road known as Stockham Lane, which runs through the middle of the green-belt called ‘the town park’ in Runcorn New town.

I would now like to take you back to a dark sinister night in 1982, where everything was not as it first seemed…

As a young boy growing up in Runcorn, I often overheard the seasoned elders talking about the many ghosts and spirits which were said to haunt the more older parts of the town. For instance, there were the tales of the ghostly monks which were often seen near the ruins of Norton Priory Monastery, the infamous poltergeist of Byron Street, the Witch’s grave in Windmill Hill Wood and, of course, the Headless Horseman of Stockham Lane.

Legend has it that on the night of the full moon, the ghostly apparition of a headless Cavalier, mounted on a phantom white steed, can be seen galloping like ‘a bat out of hell’ down the disused lane. It was rumoured that the sight was so terrifying that people who witnessed the spectacle often died of fright or became insane. In my formative years, I believed every word of it.

As the years rolled by, my childlike suspension of disbelief and general gullibility wore off whilst I went through the agonising phase in life called ‘growing up’. Somewhere along the line I began to realise that not everything told to me by adults was true.  Therefore, all things spurious such as Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and tales of wailing monks and headless horsemen were speedily consigned to the ‘fiction’ department of my mind.

In 1982, shortly after my 19th birthday, with all thoughts of spooky Runcorn long since banished to the back of my hormone addled brain, two seemingly unrelated events occurred that would inevitably draw me into my own terrifying encounter on Stockham Lane: I started dating a girl who lived on the opposite side of the town park to me; and an article in the local newspaper caught my eye.

‘I saw the ghost of a headless horseman’ read the headline.  The article related the experiences of a man called Chris who had missed his last bus home and decided to take a short cut along the old disused lane which cut through the vast grassy wilderness known as the town park. He reported that an eerie mist had settled on the road, illuminated by the light of the full moon, which made him instantly think of Hammer Horror movies. Beginning to feel unsettled, he began to walk briskly down the spooky lane.

Suddenly, he heard the distinct sound of horse’s hooves thundering away in the distance. At first he saw nothing as he peered into the eerie fog, but without warning the ghost of Stockham lane, the legendary headless horseman on his crazed luminous steed, hurtled towards Chris at a dizzying pace.

According to the newspaper, Chris froze to the spot, terrified, unable to move even a muscle as the phantom cavalier shot past him with all speed. Suddenly gripped with primeval survival instinct, he turned and fled in the opposite direction, running until his lungs and limbs could take no more.

It was a very chilling story, made more so because of the tales I had overheard when I was a small boy. Could the stories that I had discounted as ‘old men’s tales’ have been true all along? Myths and legends were one thing, but who could deny a contemporary account?

AS previously stated, the girl of my teen dreams lived on the other side of the town park to me. Most nights I would walk her home and then catch the last bus back to my side of town. On many occasions I only just made the bus, but on one lonely February night in 1982, the bus had decided to depart five minutes early. Completely stranded, I had no choice but to walk home. Since my spirits were high, I decided to take a short cut through the town park. After around ten minutes of walking, I reached the infamous Stockham Lane. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the recent news article out of my mind.

When my eyes had become fully accustomed to the dark, I began to notice a strange eerie mist which clung to the floor, illuminated only by the light of the waning moon. An instant later, I became aware of being cocooned in an unnatural silence. Normally you could expect to hear the sounds of distant traffic, the odd hoot from an owl and the occasional rustle of cats or foxes going about their business in the undergrowth, but on this occasion everything was deathly silent. It almost felt as though I was the last person on earth. I began to proceed down the lane at a brisk pace. After five minutes of rapid walking, my unease began to dissipate and my thoughts turned towards what delights the next day might bring.

Suddenly, my new found cheeriness became instantly replaced with utter terror as I heard the unmistakable sound of horse’s hooves approaching me from behind. Gripped with sheer panic, I ran as fast as I could down the lane, but the sound of the hooves edged closer. As I ran, I looked over my shoulder and, sure enough, caught a fleeting glimpse of a ‘ghostly’ white horse emerging through the mist. I instantly turned up the pace. As my feet pounded down the disused lane, my limbs began to ache and my lungs began to burn. Within minutes I was racked with so much pain that I was unable to run any further. Thinking that my number was up, I stopped in my tracks gasping for breath. I decided to turn and face my fate. The phantom horse galloped closer and closer.

As the beast was nearly upon me, I realised that this horse was rider-less, and as it slowed down and approached me, I realised that it was not a phantom, but very real.

The horse stopped just in front of me and nuzzled my hand. I was so relieved that I laughed out loud hysterically. Feeling simultaneously happy, yet completely stupid to have panicked so easily, I patted the horse and tore up some grass for it to eat.

Soon it was time for me to continue on my way, so I bade the horse a fond farewell. Unfortunately the horse was having none of it and began to follow me. I had obviously made an impression! After ten minutes of walking I came to the end of Stockham Lane and emerged into Runcorn New town, horse still in tow.

Despite my best efforts at trying to gently shoo the animal away, it stuck to me like glue. This presented me with a bit of a problem, as in what would my parents say if I came home with a friendly horse? I could picture their faces as I announced ‘Hi Mum, Hi Dad, look what I found in the Town Park’. Trying to accommodate a horse in our tiny bungalow wouldn’t have gone down well with the folks, especially in the wee small hours. So, with no other option available to me, I took it to the local police station and handed it in as ‘lost property’. You should have seen the look on their faces!

There is a moral to this tale, and it is this: Never ever let your imagination run away with you, no matter where you are. And if you do decide to venture out onto Stockham Lane in the middle of the night, don’t forget to take sugar lumps.

Stockham Lane in 2011, less remote now than in the early '80s

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Origins

No-one is certain where the Headless Horseman myths originate, but they appear as part of the paranormal cannon of many different cultures from around the World. The earliest recorded accounts hail from Danish and Irish Folklore, where a headless spirit called a Dullahan was said to ride an equally headless horse.

India too has its ancient Headless horseman – the terrifying Dund, whose head is attached to the saddle of his sinister phantom steed. It is said that wherever the Dund was seen, destruction would soon follow in his wake. Interestingly, a correspondent from The Times Newspaper, Sir William Russell, claimed to have witnessed the apparition of the Dund for himself whilst reporting in North India in 1857.

However, the modern Headless Horseman, which is now synonymous with spooky festivals such as Halloween, has its origins in the short story ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’, penned by Irving Washington in 1820. In it, the spirit of a Mercenary soldier, decapitated by a cannonball during the American Revolution, is doomed to spend the rest of eternity haunting the spooky township of the story’s title.

Paranormal Week 2011: Guests and Talks Announced!

It is with the greatest of pleasure that I can announce that the line-up for this years Paranormal Week has been finalised! It is going to be a very special event this year, not only because we have some amazing speakers and talks, but also because this is our 10th year! Watch this space for special 10th anniversary announcements.

The full programme will be available from Monday 19th September. To get your copy, send an email to: paranormalweek@gmail.com marked up  ’PW e-programme’

Here is a full list of details for the week:

Halton Libraries in association with Eximius & Planet-Preternatural proudly present

Paranormal Week 2011

at Halton Lea Library, Runcorn

Free Admission

Monday October 24^th to  Friday October 28^th

Doors open 6:30pm – Talks start 7pm prompt!

Timetable

Monday 24^th

Wonderland News
In 1990, paranormal researcher and author Jenny Randles nicknamed the district of Halton ‘Wonderland’ because of the numerous and diverse paranormal events that have occurred here for centuries.

Join researcher Mike Jaega & author Mark Rosney for a round-up of all the latest paranormal news from Halton, plus a special recap of the past 10 years of alleged spooky activity reported in this mysterious borough.

UPIA (Unknown Phenomena Investigation Association) Paranormal Clinic

Join the UPIA on a journey ‘through the looking glass’ to visit many areas of modern paranormal Investigation, including Paranormal Photography, Alleged EVPs, real life experiences and much more.

The UPIA’s Paranormal Clinic is an interactive presentation where the audience are actively encouraged to participate. The highlight of this session is an exclusive first from the UPIA – an in-depth discussion of one of their most comprehensive investigations to date.

For more info on the UPIA, visit: www.upia.co.uk

Tuesday 25^th

Kevin McCann -It’s Gone Dark: An Evening of Ghost Stories

Join award winning Poet & Storyteller Kevin McCann as he shares with us stories from his latest book, ‘It’s gone dark: Twenty Two Ghost Stories’

Kevin McCann is a Liverpool based poet & Storyteller who has seven collections of poetry for adults published to date. His latest work, ‘It’s Gone Dark’ is a collection of 22 Ghost stories which are not for the feint hearted.

www.lulu.com/spotlight/Mccangregorattalktalkdotnet

Night Vision Investigations - Making the Unbelievable – Believable

Join Vicky Morgan and June Gilbert for an exclusive multimedia presentation of Night Vision’s encounters with the unknown, featuring audio/visual evidence gathered whilst investigating some of Merseyside’s spookiest locations.

NVI is a Paranormal Investigation event company organising Ghost Hunts across the North West of England. They facilitate an experience like no other; a chance for you to become a ghost hunter for the evening, allowing you to view Merseyside’s most haunted locations, as you have never seen them before. www.nightvisioninvestigations.co.uk

Wednesday 26^th

Jebby Robinson - Nazis: The Supernatural Solution

Join Jebby Robinson from Para-Projects as he delves into the shadowy world at the very heart of the Third Reich – The Supernatural Solution explores the Nazi search for ultimate power.

Jebby Robinson is a member of Para-Projects, a North West based Paranormal Investigation team who have featured extensively on TV and radio. Jebby is co-author of the book ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Paranormal Investigation’

Mark Olly - UFOs – Featuring UK’s ‘Roswell’

Join TV Presenter Mark Olly as he gives us a brief overview of the last decade of strange sightings, unusual encounters & shares with us generally weird images that defy rational explanation; culminating in a discussion of the Wales UFO crash of 1983.

Mark Olly is a writer, archaelogist and TV presenter who has appeared on numerous TV productions including ITVs ‘The History Detectives and Granada TVs ‘Lost Treasures’.

Thursday 27^th

Twisted Tales Presents - An evening of Occult Horror

Featuring readings by:

Ramsay Campbell
Prolific, award winning author of ‘The Darkest Part of the Woods’, ‘Creatures of the Pool’ and ‘The Seven days of Cain’

Adam Nevill
Best-selling author of ‘Banquet of the Damned’, ‘Apartment 6’ and ‘The Ritual’

John Reppion
Co-author of graphic novels ‘Raise the Dead’ and ‘The Complete Dracula’ with Leah Moore and author of ‘800 Years of Haunted Liverpool’

Readings are followed by a panel discussion on the role of the Occult in contemporary horror fiction and a Q & A session.

Although this event is free, tickets are required for entry due to the high demand for seats. Email: paranormalweek@gmail.com to book your place(s).

Friday 28^th

Mike Jaega & Mark Rosney - 9/11 Redux

Researcher Mike Jaega and Author Mark Rosney take a critical look at the claims and counter-claims made by both Government sources and 9/11 conspiracy theorists surrounding the chilling events that unfolded in the USA on September 11th 2001. Was it an act of terrorism or something even more sinister? Join Mike and Mark to assess the evidence.

www.planetpreternatural.wordpress.com/

Zone Unknown Live

Join Award winning presenter Roy Basnett and his paranormal radio team for a live edition of the hit radio show Zone Unknown – the show that features prominent movers & shakers in the world of the
paranormal and conspiracy theories.

This show will feature both live and phone-in guests, and you will get the chance to pose your questions to paranormal celebrities and experts. Not to be missed!

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I hope that has whetted your appetite sufficiently, and that you will come along to Halton Lea Library in Runcorn w/c 24th October to celebrate all things paranormal.

Good Hunting!

Nostradamus and the end of the World

Over the years there have been many predictions for the end of the World. Luckily for us, none of them have proven to be correct.

Or have they?

Is it possible that one individual did accurately predict the end of the world and we just failed to notice it when it happened?

Sounds preposterous? Well read on…….

Back in the mid 1500′s an apothecary called Michel de Nostredame, or Nostradamus to you and me, scribbled his way to fame and fortune by writing a book that, in one form or other, has remained in print since it’s initial publication in 1555.

That book, Les Propheties, has been the source of much heated debate as to whether Nostradamus’ predictions of the future ever came true. To some, he correctly predicted events such as the Great Fire of London, the rise of both Napoleon and Adolf Hitler and, more controversially, the attack on the World Trade Centre on 11th September 2001.

So, according to Nostradamus, when did the World end? And why did we utterly fail to end with it?

Here’s the Verse……

Century 10, Quatrain 72

The year 1999, seventh month, [or simply "sept"]
From the sky will come a great King of Terror.
To bring back to life the great King of the Mongols,
Before and after Mars to reign by good luck.

So what happened in September 1999?

The Moon was blasted out of Earth orbit, hurled unmercifully into outer space by a huge nuclear explosion caused by humanity dumping nuclear waste in specially made disposal areas on the far side of the Moon.

Well, it did on Television, in Gerry Anderson’s most ambitious TV series to date – Space: 1999.

If the Moon were to be wrenched out of orbit, the Earth would be in big trouble. The gravitational upheaval would cause  major tectonic plate disruption, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions that would wipe us all out in an instant. That’s precisely what happened on our TV screens in 1975.

Let’s look at the Quatrain again. Is there more? Oh yes!

The reference to ‘King of Terror’ is very significant. Ask yourself who was in charge of Moonbase Alpha when the atomic waste dumps decided to go phoom? If you are too young to remember, Google it. You will be amazed!

The answer is: Commander John Koenig.

‘Koenig’ just happens to be the German word for ‘King’!  So essentially, he was the commander of all that remained of humanity, the survivors on Moonbase Alpha  - making him  ’The King of Terrans’!

And there’s more!

On the next line of the quatrain, the reference to the ‘King of the Mongols’ has traditionally been linked to Ghengis Khan, but I feel that what Nostradamus was really referring to was the ‘King of the Moguls’, which undoubtedly was Lew Grade, the then head of ITC and Gerry Anderson’s main financial backer.

Lew Grade, who incidentally was Russian born (loose link to Ghengis Khan there, who once ruled bits of what we now call Russia), brought many memorable productions to both the big screen and TV. He was THE undisputed ‘king of the media moguls’, so it is such a pity that a slight typo on the part of Nostradamus plunged that particular prediction into obscurity. Until now!

At the time that Space: 1999 was being mooted, the media empire of Lew Grade (and many others in the UK) was undergoing a bit of a slump, and many say that Gerry Anderson’s Space: 1999 actually saved Lew’s bacon. Essentially, Lew’s decision to make the show brought his career back to life.

The final line, ‘before and after Mars to reign by good luck’, can only refer to the fact that despite Mars PLC secretly making their chocolate bars much smaller (and hoping no-one would notice) their sales figures have not suffered in the slightest. If that’s not good luck then I don’t know what is.

Instead of predicting the end of the World, did Nostradamus instead foretell the coming of a spectacular ’70s TV series?

So, in summary, what Nostradamus really saw in one of his visions was not the end of the world, but instead, a great slice of TV history. I think that we should now disregard references to Napoleon and Hitler and instead look for Han Solo, Skeletor, Rolf Harris and Metal Mickey.

Finally, do I really believe that all of this is true?

No, it’s a load of bollocks. I’ve been deliberately wasting your time.

But it just goes to show how easy it is to manipulate Nostradamus’ predictions to make them fit anything you want them to – in a fashion not too dissimilar to hammering square pegs into round holes. If you hammer hard enough and long enough, the truth becomes distorted as it passes through a hole it was never designed to fit through in the first place, and lots of money can then be made by those who are willing to bend the truth enough in order to become ‘propheteers’.

And for my next trick……The Beano Code, anyone?

Cold Spots, Power Drainage and the Paranormal

When you go out to investigate alleged haunted locations, most seasoned investigators will tell you that the most likely things you will experience will not be full blown apparitions, demonic possession or furniture mysteriously flying through the air, but will be more subtle effects such as out of place smells, strange noises, cold spots and equipment failure caused by rapid power drainage from batteries.

Of all of these subtle but significant occurrences, Cold Spots and Anomalous Power Drainage appear to be the most commonly reported.

Many things have been theorised about these two intriguing effects, which have been accepted seemingly without question or scrutiny for many years. Ask most investigators and they will tell you that Cold Spots and Power Drainages are the early indicators of the presence of a ‘ghost’ or ‘spirit’ that is taking energy from the environment in order to help it to materialise.

On the surface, this sounds plausible, for if a ‘ghost’ (whatever a Ghost may eventually turn out to be!) is present in our environment, then it is reasonable to assume that it has to interact with that environment in some detectable way, which invariably means either removing or depositing energy in some shape or form.

Let us now look at each effect in more detail.

Cold Spots

Although I was previously aware of the existence of cold spots, I was completely unprepared for the strangeness of the experience when I first encountered one, on an investigation in a shopping complex in Liverpool, England. Within a few footsteps I felt as though I had stepped into a chilled meat locker. The cold was intense and came on in an instant. When I stepped back a few paces out of the spot, the bitter chill disappeared as instantly as it had appeared. After testing for floor level draughts and overhead air conditioning, I was at a loss to explain how it was possible to have a small space within a large room that could remain so cold with such rigidly defined boundaries. It defied all I had learned about air convection and heat transfer. The spot remained incredibly stable for around 15 minutes as I popped in and out of it in an attempt to map out its size and shape.

After my first encounter, I began to wonder what conditions were necessary in order to cause a Cold Spot to manifest. I also began to think of ways that they could be measured in a more meaningful and scientific way than just walking in and out of them. Over the next few years,  I armed myself to the teeth with all manner of temperature measuring equipment and went on the hunt for Cold Spots whenever the chance arose.

Temperature reading being taken in a Cold Spot in Chingle Hall. Although the air temp was above 25 C, the area felt incredibly cold.

My first surprise was that when measuring the air temperature both inside and outside of a Cold Spot, there was very little difference between the two, usually around 0.2 of a degree. Yet when inside the Spots I and fellow team members were feeling much colder. We concluded that whatever we were experiencing wasn’t the cold!

Once the air temperature for both inside and outside the Spots had been determined, I then measured team members skin temperature both inside and outside the Spots. I discovered that when a person stands inside a Cold Spot, their skin temperature drops by around 5 degrees the instant they enter the Spot. What is more interesting is that once they leave the Spot, their temperature instantly returns to normal. This indicates that the cold feelings experienced by a person within a Cold Spot appear to be a physiological response which is triggered, not by moving into a colder space, but by something else altogether.

The implication of these observations for the ‘materialising ghost theory’ is that energy is not being drained from the environment at all, as is attested to by the minute difference in air temperature between the inside and outside of the Cold Spot. The rapid drop in skin temperature that people experience inside Cold Spots is also highly unlikely to be caused by a ‘phantom energy drain’, mainly because the person’s skin temperature instantly returns to normal as soon as they leave the Spot. What is most likely occurring is some form of perception ‘fogging’ causing the body’s natural temperature regulation mechanisms to kick in.

It is interesting to note that body temperature in humans is regulated by a very ancient part of our brain called the Hypothalamus, which some parapsychologists believe is the part of the brain responsible for producing effects such as Extra Sensory Perception, Clairvoyance and Psychokinesis.

Anomalous Power Drains

Over the years, I and fellow investigators have suffered many anomalous equipment malfunctions, of which 99% of these have been caused by rapid Power Drainage from the devices batteries. One of the most dramatic examples that I personally experienced occurred during the filming of an episode of ‘Spook School’, a TV series that I was involved with a number of years ago. One of the camera crew began to complain that his broadcast quality camera, complete with professional power pack was starting to ‘misbehave’. When he consulted with other crew members, he discovered that most of the portable cameras on site were experiencing rapid Power Drainage. Luckily, not all the cameras were malfunctioning and he managed to capture evidence on video of the power life indicator on his camera jumping up and down erratically. To date, that was the only time that this particular piece of kit has malfunctioned in such a manner.

Battery indicator on professional camera going haywire. First it shows 120 mins life...

...next it is showing 351 minutes, before failing completely.

Again, like the Cold Spot phenomenon, Anomalous Power Drainage is popularly attributed to the presence of a materialising ‘ghost’ or ‘spirit’  ‘gobbling’ up energy in order to ‘manifest’. To test this theory, I devised a protocol for using battery powered devices in investigations, which required the use of fresh batteries for each investigation. Each battery was tested and labelled beforehand and regular temperature readings were recorded from all over the sites throughout the investigations. Whenever a rapid Power Drain occurred, the batteries were removed, voltage readings taken and checks made to see if the device had failed due to factors such as low temperature (low temperatures can cause batteries to drain more quickly).

I found that the batteries, when tested in situ, appeared to be completely drained, but when they were removed from the area in which they had been drained, their charge mysteriously returned. Once back home, the batteries underwent further trials, where they were left to run in the devices until they eventually failed, in order to eliminate the possibility that the batteries had made a temporary recovery. In all cases, the devices ran for the expected battery lifetime, which led me to conclude that the batteries had not been drained, but the flow of their power had been inhibited in some unexplainable way.

In conclusion, I still do not know what is really going on, but I feel that it has been effectively demonstrated that no energy is diverted to help the manifestation of a ‘ghost’ or a ‘spirit’. It does not mean that the peculiar effects that paranormal investigators experience on their investigations are not attributable to ‘ghosts’ or ‘spirits’ (whatever these eventually turn out to be), but it does throw some of the popular assumed notions held by many investigators into serious question. If we are to eventually find the answers we have been seeking for so long, I fear that many more ‘notions’ may also have to tumble.

The Truth, they say, is out there. But in order to reach it, we all need to question more and thoroughly scrutinise all available evidence.

Good Hunting.