Confessions of a Skeptic

How shall I put this? I do not believe in reincarnation. Not in this lifetime. I think Fitzgerald got it right; there are no second acts. One day I will die and that will be that.

Thus stands like a rock my unflinching opinion on the subject.

So, when my agent -- who believes in everything except me -- asked me to write a book about reincarnation, I said, "Sure."

Why pick a hard-core skeptic, a journalist, (for God's sake!), a Cassandra marinated in the smoky cynicism of H.L. Mencken to write a book about something as gauzy and hopeful as faith. It would be like turning the rationalist fox (no relation to the irrational media Fox) loose in the paranormal henhouse?

Obviously, he needed a doubting Thomas, a disbeliever, a cranky cynic to demonstrate that the fix wasn't in. Who better to vouch for the integrity of Disney World than a certified grouch?

And then there's this interesting other question: why would I take such a job?

The answer is simple. I don't know. I do like to look into forbidden rooms, I watch Hannity (just to scream at the set), I poke at a sore tooth. I once told Ed Koch how I thought he was doing; (he didn't appreciate the opinion, but as I always say, don't ask and I won't tell.)

Who should ghost the book? Bridey Murphy? Some gullible slave to the outré opinions of the occult?

No, me, a reliable nay-sayer. I saw my duty and backward into the past I marched.

There was, of course, a catch. In order to do this book, I would have to sort of "pass over," in a manner of speaking. That is, the child who is the subject of this book lived in Lafayette, Louisiana -- the Deep South -- a part of the country in which I have had more than one near-death experience.

In 1971, when I was a reporter for Newsday on Long Island, I rode with Charlie Evers (the brother of the slain NAACP civil rights leader, Medgar Evers,) as he campaigned for governor of Mississippi. We rode all over the Mississippi Delta and as we drove across the exposed highway, I heard the sound of bullets whizzing past our windshield. Snipers in the trees. Charlie kept a loaded pistol on the seat of the car in case we got a flat. A spare tire in that part of Mississippi in the early '70's was not enough.

So that's how I remembered the south. With fear and disbelief.

But this was 2007 and James Leininger lived in the quiet coastal plain of Louisiana -- a town called Lafayette. There were no Obama posters, but there were storefront poker palaces and fast-food stretches and a decent hotel. (At one chicken restaurant, as I waited in line for lunch, the manager loudly fired the entire staff, then came out and asked if anyone on the line wanted a job. I went to find a McDonald's.)

Bruce and Andrea Leininger were a handsome couple. Not unsophisticated. She had been a ballet dancer in New York and he studied political science at Columbia University under Zbigniew Brzezinski. Now he was working in human relations in the oil industry.

When I got down there, and we started to work on the book, they did not have a clear idea of how this story unfolded -- just that something miraculous had taken place to their son James under their roof. It was a painful and awkward process -- putting it all together, getting the sequences right, checking out the details, finding the right structure. Together, we drew up timelines and made charts and put it down on paper:

In the year 2000, when James had just turned two, he began to shout in his sleep -- not always coherent -- but it seemed to be about a World War II pilot killed in the battle of Iwo Jima. At first, it was just a kid having nightmares. But slowly, over a period of time, the child, James Leininger, began to deliver incredible accurate details, speak coherently, add uncanny facts -- minutiae about the pilot -- James Huston -- his life and history. The information he divulged was of such breadth and diversity that it became impossible to dismiss, and even now, even as I still do not believe in reincarnation, I have no reasonable explanation for that unwinding story.

I've heard people say, oh, he must have been coached, or influenced by watching TV. But this was a child in his diapers, still sucking on a bottle. How could he be coached to know the flight characteristics of World War II era fighter planes? How could he know the names of the ships and the sailors who had taken part in a certain battle at a certain time?  

James Leininger had been examined and tested by Carol Bowman, an authority on the subject of children who have supposedly experienced "past lives." She vouched for his authenticity. James had already appeared on television (a media vetting that has popular, if not scientific standing), and was recognized by the paranormal community as the most authentic case of an American "past life." Children experiencing "past lives" is a well-established (albeit controversial) field of paranormal studies. Several universities have departments devoted solely to its study.

It was always Bruce's intention to debunk his son's story. He was an evangelical Christian and thought that proof of reincarnation would damage his faith -- one life, one soul, everlasting. Andrea accepted her son's claims and didn't attach any particular religious significance to the whole thing. But Bruce was dogged. Over time, he found that there was an annual reunion of members of the ship that his son had named as his own in his sleep. If he could prove that there were no Corsairs (the plane that James insisted he had flown in the war), he would have made his case that the story was not true and his faith was safe. Bruce began to attend the reunions of surviving crew members of Natoma Bay -- an escort carrier that took part in the battle. He gathered up facts, all confirming the data fed by his son James, all also confirming that there were no Corsairs on Natoma Bay. He held onto that discrepancy as a holy chalice.

But something odd happened. During the course of his quest to debunk the story, Andrea tracked down the families of the dead crew members and eventually found James Huston's sister, Ann. The sister had never had any contact with the ship or with the reunions. Still, she was curious about James Leininger, and, finally, sympathetic to his claims to be her brother. She was old and it was hard for her to travel from California, however, so she sent a batch of photographs of her brother taken during the war. And in a couple of the photographs, there was James Huston standing in front of a Corsair.

There were other odd things -- when she sent James Leininger a drawing that her mother made of James Huston -- the child asked where was the other picture? The other picture -- buried up in the attic for sixty years -- was a drawing of Ann. Her mother had made two drawings when they were children. How could James Leininger have known that? Ann was stunned. No one knew about that other picture. Except her dead brother.

As I say, I don't believe in reincarnation. I hardly believe in carnation. I am a secular, rationalist skeptic. But I have no reasonable explanation for James Leininger/Huston.

©2009 Ken Gross, co-author of Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot

Challenges of Selling a Haunted House

Disclosure:

Disclosing whether a property is haunted or not can work for or against the seller. Some buyers are specifically looking for a residence with a ghostly presence, while others would turn tail and run at such a suggestion. Either way, if a seller knows something about a property and fails to disclose it, they are setting themselves up for a possible lawsuit. In some states, a seller must disclose whether a death has occurred on the property within the last three years.

Information that a home may be haunted can affect the value of the house and most certainly should be mentioned, since it's doubtful the buyer would make that discovery on his own before purchasing. The rule of caveat emptor, or buyer beware, can be used as an argument when the possibility of a home being haunted was not disclosed prior to a sale. Even if the owner has no solid evidence, if he cannot deny the existence of ghosts, it is enough for a court to declare a contract void and have the deposit returned.

Value: Generally a home suspected of being haunted is priced according to fair market value, and then adjusted depending on buyer interest. Such was the case with a Nottinghamshire property purchased in 2007. The family thought they had found their dream home when they bought Clifton Hall, a 52-room country estate dating back to the days of William the Conqueror.

The structure appeared innocent enough, until the family moved in. After enduring months of ghostly voices and bloodcurdling screams, the owners enlisted the aid of paranormal investigators. Even science couldn't intervene and the hauntings continued. Unable to share their home any longer with these creepy tenants, Clifton Hall was put up for sale about one year later for £2.75m, and almost £1m less than they originally paid. The property was finally sold, but never returned to its status as a residence, and is currently being utilized as a conference centre.

Haunted houses may take longer to sell:

Actor Nicholas Cage, knowingly purchased the old Lalaurie Mansion in New Orleans' French Quarter in December 2006 for $3.45 million. Built in 1832, this home was the scene of horrible violence and is known for its paranormal activity. Although the Cage family spent time in the house, they never stayed overnight. In the fall of 2008, the actor put it back up for sale for $3.55 million, and it remains unsold as of the writing of this article.

In some cases when there is a history of well publicized violence, homes don't even get listed. Such was the case In St. Catharines, Ontario, where the home of serial rapist and killer Paul Bernardo, was bulldozed and sold as an empty lot. On the other hand, home of Sharon Tate, the scene of the Manson Family murders, was sold at full value. The new owner tore it down and rebuilt a new mansion on the prime real estate site.

Although most people would not actively search out a haunted house, there are those who consider a such a residence a bonus.

An ad on the site for San Diego Paranormal Research states:

"The San DiegoParanormal Research Project will teamed up with your Professional Licensed Real Estate Agents to assist with the buying and selling of allegedly Haunted Houses and property throughout the United States. We will also handle requests for regular houses."

Apparently there is a market for haunted houses, and they will assist you in locating one that is truly authentic. Various hotels and inn's often gain publicity and added business from advertising the fact that their establishments are haunted.

The Cashtown Inn, built in 1797 was the scene of many deaths during the Civil War. The current owners make no effort to hide this fact and advertise such specials as "Ghosts of Gettysburg Weekend Investigation Package with MARK NESBITT and his Investigative Team," where guests can actually attend a ghostly investigation. During "Catch the Spirits Weekend," guests receive special tours of the Inn, including the basement, and learn about the ghostly happenings in the area.

Shaman Consciousness

If you thought being psychic or having some extra natural power was eerie, then it is time you change that outlook.  Today, there are researches and studies that go all the way out to prove that it is quite possible and feasible for the human brain to understand and know a lot of things that are above the normal limits.  Science and technology don’t give you all the answers and there are still certain themes and concepts that defy the common laws of logic and reasoning.  That is why there are still certain unexplored and unexplained facts that we see in our day to day life that is apart from our reasoning abilities.

ESP or extra sensory projection is one such common phenomenon that has been accepted worldwide as a special power that certain human beings do possess.  The most common explanation that we are able to provide for this is that they are able to get their brains and the mind function at an extreme frequency that most of the commoners are not able to even dream of and this is what in turns helps them receive the ‘signals’.

The ability of some of our very own folks to receive these signals in the first place and then decipher them to meaningful messages is indeed an art and is definitely praiseworthy.  Though there are quite a few paranormal abilities that can be a big study in itself, let’s limit ourselves to the discussion on the extra sensory projections.  All said and done, all these abilities lie in the efficacy of the process and the skill of the person to tune their brains to read the innumerable messages that are floating around that the normal public cannot comprehend.  Also important is the ability to hold your brain in the same frequency level for long intervals whereby the message transaction is complete and comprehensive.

Rome was not built in a day and you cannot expect to get to the highest psychic level the moment you start off.  However, this is very much possible and you can get to where you want, if you are keen to get there – with some help.  We are here to help you get to the state of extreme sense of paranormal abilities.  Our frequency modulators help your brain to tune it to the frequency that is required to get into, to receive and decode these mystic messages.  If you try it once, then you would know what a celestial feeling it is to be a psychic like this.

Though there are no complete explanations to these paranormal abilities, there are a lot of places where this skill is being capitalized on and it is definitely an asset if you are able to get yourself to that state.  Amidst the hassles of our everyday life this is indeed a new and unheard of experience and will play a vital role in getting your blood pressure and tension levels down.  Like they say – you need to see it to believe it, you need to try it to believe it!

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Hotel California Song Analysis

It has been speculated that the Queen Mary might be one of the most haunted places in the world. Hotel California Song AnalysisReports say that as many as 150 known spirits have taken up residence and lurk in various locations all around the ship.

The Queen Mary sailed her maiden voyage on May 27, 1936. Built in Scotland to be used as part of a two-ship express service from Southampton to Cherbourg to New York, the Queen Mary is 1,000 feet long, and in her day was said to be bigger, faster and more powerful than the Titanic. She also held the record for the fastest-ever North Atlantic crossing. The historic ocean liner's passengers included the most celebrated people of the time, including royalty, top entertainment figures and important world leaders.

At the start of World War II in 1939, luxury travel stopped and the ship was turned into a carrier ship that was used by allied forces to carry troops from March of 1940 to September of 1946. It was during this time that she would become known as "The Grey Ghost". By the end of World War II, the ship had carried more than 700,000 troops, traveled over 500,000 miles and played a significant role in almost every major Allied campaign. She also survived a collision at sea, set the record for carrying the most people ever on a floating vessel (16,683), and participated in the D-Day invasion.

When the war ended, the Queen Mary was refurbished and started up her elegant cruises again in July, 1947, with weekly service between Southampton, Cherbourg, and New York. By the early 1960's, the popularity of transatlantic cruises greatly decreased due to the increasing affordability of air travel. The ship attempted to revive its popularity, but without central air conditioning, outdoor pools, or other amenities offered on most other cruise ships, the attempt was unsuccessful.

In 1967, the Queen Mary was pulled from service and was sold to the city of Long Beach, California, to be used as a maritime museum and hotel. On December 9, 1967, she made her final voyage to Long Beach.

During her 60-year history, the Queen Mary was the site of 49 reported deaths, opening the doorway for potential spirits to haunt her. Reported hauntings include a young crewman in the engine room, swimmers in the first-class pool, a man in black, and a woman in blue. Some of the Queen Mary's most haunted places include the propeller box, engine room, boiler room, cargo hold and first class swimming pool.

One of these hauntings is thought to be the spirit of John Pedder, a fireman in his late teens who was crushed to death by a watertight door in 1966 during a routine drill. Unexplained knocking has been heard around the door, and a tour guide reported she saw a figure dressed in dark clothing as she was leaving the area where the young man had been killed. She saw his face and recognized him from his photographs. He was dressed in blue coveralls and sporting a beard. The young man has often been seen walking along Shaft Alley before disappearing by door number 13. This famous door was used in the filming of the Posiedon Adventure and has reportedly crushed at least two men during the ship's history.

The first-class swimming pool seems to be a hot spot for ghostly encounters. Wet footprints mysteriously appear even though there's not a drop of water in the pool. These footsteps lead from the deck of the pool to the changing rooms. Women in vintage bathing suits are occasionally seen stopping by for a swim ,even though the pool has been closed for more than 30 years. There have also been reports of seeing the spirit of a young girl carrying her teddy bear along with disembodied voices, laughter and splashing sounds.

In the second class pool area the spirit of another little girl named Jackie is often been seen and heard. The girl drowned in the pool during the ship's sailing days and doesn't seem to want to move on. Her voice and the sound of laughter has been captured in this area.

In the room that was used as the third class playroom, there have been reports of the sound of children crying in the nursery room. There is also a report that a single baby's cry has been heard. This crying is thought to be that of an infant boy who died there shortly after he was born.

In some of the first-class staterooms there have been reports of a tall, dark haired man wearing a 1930's style suit showing up in various places. In addition to sightings of the man, the faucets and lights get turned on in the middle of the night, and phones ring in the early morning hours but no one is ever on the other end of the line.

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There are several other reports of sightings about the ship including a beautiful young woman in an elegant white evening gown who dances alone in a shadowy corner of the salon, which was once used as the ship's first-class lounge. Another mysterious woman in white has been seen close to the front desk. She will usually disappear behind a pillar.

Other phenomena that has been reported throughout the ship include the sounds of knocking, doors slamming and high pitched squeals, drastic temperature changes, and the recurring smells of another time.

The Queen Mary has been investigated by a number of paranormal professionals, printed publications, television shows like Ghost Hunters and Most Haunted, and several others. In addition to portions of the movie "The Poseidon Adventure" being filmed there, the X-Files filmed a 1998 WWII era episode about a time warp in the Bermuda Triangle aboard the ship. That was a great episode - it was called "Triangle" - you should check it out if you missed it!

On the Ghost Hunters episode, what was thought to be a fantastic paranormal event caught on tape turned out to be not so fantastic as it appeared someone had tampered with the video camera. So is the Queen Mary really haunted or not? The Ghost Hunters are heading back out there in February of 2008 to see if they can find out. Hopefully there won't be any tampering this time and they can capture some evidence to support all the claims of paranormal activity on the Queen Mary.

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