Pros: A professional look into the paranormal activity of our world. Interesting
Cons: Very long
The Bottom Line: To gain understanding through personal testimony of nightmare or epiphany proving we are not alone, I highly recommend this. For pictures and people and persuasive educational reading.
sojournseeker's Full Review: Brad Steiger - Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and ...
Cases of cases of unsolved investigations, elements in each of control, power, imagination versus reality, plenty witnesses exclaiming there were scared children, mortified adults, less confused authorities but still the question arises, “what was that, really“ felt rather than always seen. The phenomenon this intriguing awareness tapped into creates is that something indeed did go ‘bump in the night’ and this fine piece of documentation is a good source now disclosed here with new illumination.
For what was once reserved for dark hallways, night-time walking, and moon-lit hiding in the shadows, that is past tense paranormal research, this is now investigative discoveries. I sense what the minds of many have tried to disprove for years: this book is quite indicative of evidence of the paranormal.
Being that the winter solstice is before us, the celebration of the harvest with corn, gords of all kinds specifically the pumpkin, the goblin, candy, treats and trickery too, the witches brew of Halloween fun--this foundation has been synchronistically been brought to me to share this intriguing venue. There is realness of supernatural energy all around, no matter what time of year and many know it. “ . . . within each of us there is a spiritual essence that is imperishable and eternal” says Brad Steiger, a wonderful influence on my life regarding the study of the paranormal from a very personal and human perspective. “
I saw her materialize into the small rocking cradle which seemed as if a chair in which she sat holding a cloth resembling a civil war-torn portion of a uniform stained with blood and being wrung over and over in old gnarled hands of a woman who lost touch with her husband.”
I was nine and my maternal grandmother had been diagnosed with colo-rectal cancer, second stage, operable but she was too consumed in her only son’s romantic affairs and an upcoming nuptial for those two. I was serving as a conduit for strange events and did not know it, then. It appears from reflecting on that now as vulnerable I was and fragile because being so extremely close to her, we connected strongly.
I was reluctant to turn off the channels of a higher communication because I was curious about the after-life should she die. How would I contact her and why should I ? Her life while we were together, which was thirteen glorious years, was blessed with a very inquisitive argumentative grand-daughter.
I was full of questions and strange out-of-boundary thoughts she managed to explain better to me. She used bits of sensory advisement while assuring I was certainly never alone. She was less prophetic or clairvoyant but influential; whereas my maternal grandfather was nearly 85% prophetic, clairvoyant and even sometimes clairaudient and completely in touch with my metaphysical stirrings of curious natures. It is unfortunate though that the ‘self-healing’ channel was not as easily perceived, it may have been coming in at a frequency of less than 10% when truly sensed, because he passed a decade following the loss of the ‘love of his life‘ my maternal grandma.
You ask now what does all this have to do with a book called Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits and Haunted Places--well everything actually because I like being somewhat of an authority when I review any of the products here at Epinions. This one is just a very personal favorite arena and the outlet is that Halloween-time accepts this stuff more readily than any other so here it is . . .
Steiger wrote this before 2003 already having fifty years into paranormal research behind him placing him well into the authority of such a man as great as J.B Rhine the forefather of paranormal research and the after-life question. Therefore, I take him as an expert on this sort of stuff. The book is split into chapters of helping the reader decipher what entities of other realms might be revered as and to appreciate them as signs that life does in fact continue, from an energy perspective.
He lists five specific ‘types’ of ghosts in Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places or apparitions or forms we think we see with vigor and authenticity. I found it wonderful that each story, each testimony, each personal nightmare or epiphany of every person interviewed was authenticated by a specific classification, one of the five types and purposes listed below engaging them and their performers in some type of paranormal activity.
1) Spirit Residue: These are those most frequent flyers in and out of dimensional boundaries, the most common known apparitions with ability to transfer sound and or light or heat from location to location by having been there before. When you hear rattling, tapping in your structural domicile and you are CERTAIN by professional examination i.e construction worker, exterminator, priest; if its not plumbing, wood settling, squirrels or other rodents scampering, ants chewing, or a faulty electrical system then what is unexplained is classically known as leftover spirit residue.
This debris, this reminder and remainder of said person involving just the energy that left the physical human-body host upon true death (I mean when you don’t come back and you did not have an NDE) which has somehow clung to and harnessed a human emotion, harbored it and is using it from the other side. There it can manifest any how it sees fit when viewed from this side by a believer or non-believer, as each interpretation will be different yet similar on some accounts. These ghosts maintain a “kind of independent existence” although they thrive and live as the fears and expectations of their human audience” (pg. xii)
2) Spirits of the Dead: These are spirit as survivors in which the intellectual component is retained in the energy form that has left the physical body-host upon true death. These ghosts appear to desire, longing for reprieve and resent their situation which can ultimately manifest in a haunting of interesting dynamics. I sense Brad is trying to differentiate between average ghosts and those that are using a more higher intellectual arena to entertain us through.
3) Poltergeists: This seems to be genuinely accepted from Hollywood as the prankster of apparitions, the “ghostest with the mostest”. However not recognized as always using the funniest approach to scaring the crap out of you ! I mean it, this one in reality can be a painful, hilarious, dangerous, subtle, cajoling, annoying but not menacing, and acting as a ‘real human’ would, reminder of what vengeance is like. As Steiger calls them “raucous entities”, I call them welcomed friends who as always in my personal experience with them, find humor in mind-over-matter sensitivity because I never antagonize an imbalanced entity (just the live ones who might need some attitude adjusting--hee hee).
4) Spirit Parasites: Are those that can definitely cause a person harm. Steiger claims these are the types of manifestations that convince him that unabashed evil lies within soil tainted with blood from murder. It squirms, crawls, and maybe claws its way around an area and taking up residence there as it had left to for eternity, “may become a repository for non-physical leeches of the soul”. I believe after reading this book completely that these apparitions manifest especially profound when victims are in an emotional state and somehow an act of incredible hate toward self or others in that structure will allow a repeated act of mercy or a seeking by any means, sanctuary.
5) Spirit Masqueraders: these are neither manifested as ghosts through left over emotional crap or communicating a message as their destiny such with Spirits of the Dead back to educate not haunt. The masqueraders according to Steiger are “the machinations of another order of beings we referred in the past to as faeries, elves, or nature spirits. (ooooh my favorite--did you know faeries are mean little girlies) Anyway, nowadays you are more likely to be visited by an extraterrestrial being rather than an elf but having interacted with human consciousness already by way of crop circles, speculated human abduction, and “deceiving man and woman kind about the truth of who they really are” -- this classification takes care of the rest of the unexplained, explained.
In thirty great chapters, roughly 40-60 pages each, that combine pictures and stories of personal testimony of a nightmare or epiphany, the reader is taken in by curiosity alone. You are overwhelmed no doubt as you read but if you have experienced ANYTHING similar, it is awe my friend that you are feeling. AWE is something the cosmic creator of the universe, not just ‘god or goddess’ of this planet, wants the entire universe, every solar system out there to share the common feeling of AWE !
Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits and Haunted Places is an exceptional treat to help get to that feeling as we delve into the supernatural by way of empiricism, romanticism, and skepticism. In 568 pages plus four Appendices A, B, C, and D and an introduction claiming that most people enjoy a good ghost tale, aren’t you the teensiest bit interested ? The title, Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places by Brad Steiger suggests that seeing IS believing, and even before reading the whole book, I already believed so this confirmed what I felt for quite some time now. Buy it just to see where your experiences fit in and I know many of you are curious if in your mindset can there be proof . . .
The thirty chapters are listed below with very brief detail:
1) Haunted Houses and Apartments--mills, country estates, attics, mobile homes, huge mansions, personal property of the dead left by them and found by the living, farmhouses, tiny upstairs apartments to crawl spaces this section sees paranormal activity within structural confines. In all countries accounts are made by families who had been haunted by a number of unusual but confined to the structure entities who made things happen. It is a collection of old 17th century to 20th century archived pieces of proof that we are not alone. *The Amityville horror house is mentioned and it is interesting to say the least and a list of a way a particular paranormal investigator uses to complete an investigation on all accounts. Leaves no room for doubt . . .
2) Encounters with Glowing Entities and Ghost Lights-- a collection of testimonies in which the entity takes on a different appearance than human or grotesque beast but somehow can alter the thermal, audio, and visual sense a sensitive might pick up on. A reader can be intrigued with orbs, ghost lights, and the professional and complex thoughts of medium Irene Hughes.
3) Poltergeists: Unwelcome House Guests-- as it says these are the ones that wreak havoc because that is all they attached themselves to when the spirit essence removed itself from the physical host upon true death. *CarolAnne in “Poltergeist” famous Hollywood movie is discussed.
4) Shadow Beings That Attacked-- here readers will be entertained primarily by the famous for us ghost hunters, the ‘bell witch’. She placed the Bell family near Clarksville Tennessee in near harms way several times between 1817 and 1822 roughly having a permanent negative effect on the eldest daughter, Betsy . . .
5) Spirit Parasites That Possessed-- readers meet a famous psychologist Wilson Van Dusen, Ph.D. who developed theories on explaining reality and mysticism, combined intellectually while retaining an open-mind imaginatively. You will hear about furniture and heirlooms and stuff that retains’ the energy of. You will read and be advised on not to use certain tools for contacting spirits without proper supervision and being aware that this stuff is possible should you be ill-prepared for what you may unlock consciously or sub-consciously. There is one piece on page 122 that is a particularly appropriate ‘time of year’ personal experience of a man named Michael. It is of a being encountered during the winter break which for many students is coming up real soon . . .
6) Spirits seen at Deathbeds and Funerals-- due to the atmosphere and the emotional conditions of people involved during physical death at the time, much is documented about certainly not being alone in this chapter. The reader is welcomed by the hands of fate and cajoled in not fear but exercising of higher intelligence to wade into the waters of an eternal swim as something other than a physical being. Sometimes comforting and sometimes ominous, these don’t have particular intent nor guidelines to follow. In five of the greatest and strongest religions a beautiful common thread is woven through this tapestry that gets tossed around way too much-- the soul or spirit is the VERY ESSENCE of the individual. Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Islamics can stand in the same room and agree that the soul is the spirit; therefore I wonder what all the darn fighting is about . . .? We read about angels also . . .
Anyway onto chapters 7-30 briefly !
7) Ghosts That Returned to Bid Farewell- those documents involving spirits who had a mission, were stripped of finishing it in their time, took a likening to being held in regard for educating on leaving the physical realm and entering this new one. But they must say goodbye first . . . Uses of electrical and communication devices are discussed in personal testimonies of those who had their lights flicker or phones ring when dead.
8) Ghosts that Warned of Approaching Danger of Death-- protector spirits of those that have passed on that may have been very close to the victim in question or a distant relative. Nevertheless, they look out for us and warn us in some fashion through sense mostly, that something dangerous is about to happen.
9) Inspirational Messages from the Other Side-- these have one mission and that is to spread hope or continuing belief in that there is hope past the physical death of going on. Although some of the intervention procedures such as knocking things over, rapping on doors, and literally scaring someone before opening their eyes to ‘something more’ can be equally frightening as a classic haunting without a message involved.
10) Ghosts that Gave Proof of Their Existence-- these are spirits sent to deliver the proof skeptics need as they no longer will have to carry as a burdensome cross across their shoulders, a need to believe. Readers might feel the hair on their arms raising up or their cheeks stinging from an unseen scratch or change in temperature because in this chapter, a spirit alters quite a bit of the realistic elements we can usually measure. But these can be elusive . . .
11) Speaking to Spirits: The Mystery of Mediumship-- for me there is no mystery, either you can and do talk to spirits or you just think you do. And believe me folks those are two different kinds of communication. Anyway, this chapter focuses on people with sensitive skills like clairvoyants and clairaudients who can see and hear into the future or past better than regular people who are out of touch with that gift.
12) Ghosts That Came Back to Life-- these are spirits who are classified as extensions of the living rather than simply dead. Readers are introduced to psychic abilities to astrally project ones essence into other dimensions. Steiger offers his valuable categories and conditions in which OBE (out-of-body experiences) would normally occur. Fabulous chapter on the ability to super-impose ones soul throughout the universe, by way of intense thought and direct action between physical host and energy held within. How a spirit maneuvers that energy when only partially human, incredible !
13) Apparitions of Religious Figures-- well somebody in ghost land has to come back as this to convince the non-believers and even assure some of the believers that there is an after-life. There is hope for when the physical body-host dies, that ‘life’ unbeknownst to some of us, does indeed, go on for eternity. . . A religious entity is controversially accepted or discussed and not necessarily placed in the holiest of light when you read the testimonies here. There are 24 particular ways a religious figure ghost would manifest under the strict list shared by Reverend Palmer, who had done extensive research into this type of materialization. Very interesting . . .
14) Ghostly Encounters of Famous Men and Women-- so each ghost is assigned a different arena in which to provide proof that we are not alone. In this category, the reader is introduced to famous celebrities, historical icons and GREAT people who come back for a variety of reasons and do a number of different things to the living, only to prove a point. From Napoleon Bonaparte and his sightings and later visits to Abraham Lincoln to actor Rudolf Valentino haunting a favorite place to the famous but terrible Joan Crawford (sorry Mommy Dearest fans) and her haunted homes--there is a great picture of Christina in here though . . .)
15) Animal Ghosts -Domesticated and Wild is reserved for those pets that went over and come back to help or hinder. The concepts of heaven and hell are described and whether animals go anywhere. It is an interesting contrast to humans that pass over.
16) Restored Scenes of the Past-- some spirits are meant to finish one particular thing, make sure something is followed through from beginning or end, or by way of some natural force not yet explained, have a temporary ‘ticket’ back into realness they must use. It is in this chapter one reads about energies being high in places where re-enactment is done. Camping in places where something unusual happened and having to live it over in some fashion to resolve an unresolved mystery perhaps.
17) Haunted Churches, Cemeteries, and Burial Grounds-- same reasons as number six shows. These are my favorite places to just sit and sense what I can. Engages reader in a subtle entrance to the other side without processing too much fear.
18) Haunted Mansions and Plantations-- much of the same pretense as chapter one talks of only there is deeper reasons into why a particular homestead with a long running history has these occurrences more frequently and regularly than just a typical haunted place.
19) Creepy Castles and Ghostly Royalty-- a different environment and different culture will produce its own special entities and this chapter offers a plethora of lore and legend now documented in personal testimonies of nightmare or epiphany of both believers and non-believers alike. Readers meet coachmen, watchdogs, brigands, and scoundrels from the darker ahes when illumination of the spirit world was still deeply hidden behind shadow and speculation. Very interesting chapter because I visited the infamous Tower of London and it does indeed hold a ghastly premiss for the supernatural recurrences to keep happening.
20) Phantoms on Roads and Highways-- these testimonies are reserved for culture after culture of translation from taxi drivers to hitch-hiker picker-uppers . . . Researcher Richard Crowe and his findings are introduced as he talks of a spirit jumping into vehicles and readers run down roads in the United Kingdom crawling with spirit energy. Galloping sounds, weeping of a women, and train racers . . .
21) Haunted Hotels, Motels and Inns-- these are where more than one family would be staying and either a spirit is there to harass or bring messages, these structures are designed for the supernatural to manifest itself in interesting ways. Much like chapter one and chapter eighteen, but at greater length.
22) Haunted Restaurants, Bars, and Theaters-- this chapter entertains with the places that held a remarkable interest for the body-host that left suddenly or ill-prepared and came back with a vengeance to that place of favorited night-spotting. It is full of testimony of places even you and I have frequented and it makes you think . . . “she was never at this bar, was she, I thought she died . . .?” Where you eat, watch a movie, shoot pool or drown your tears in your favorite drink, is this place viable for that kind of activity ?
23) Battlefields Where Phantom Armies Eternally Wage War-- a self explanatory title in which spirits here regret doing what they did for saving the grace of their country they fought so strongly to protect . . . In this chapter I reflect on hearing moaning at Gettysburg when I visited quite a few years ago. Mass tragedy cajoles these spirits to remind how awful their passing was and it can be torture for the living that sense this.
24) Ghosts in Civic Buildings and Prisons-- two arenas where social and psychological pain remind a lingering spirit of the injustice this system tolerates. Richard D. Hendricks is introduced and the reader engages in political and inhuman ways this country incarcerates its guilty before, if ever, proven innocent people. Those that die here, teach us from the here-after what cruelty lies ahead if we continue to discount the gift.
25) Phantoms Seen on Seas and Lakes-- is reserved for those spirits that contained themselves over bodies of water appearing as clouds resembling that before a tornado or hurricane and sometimes producing strange weather conditions. If not as part of the water then above it, this was a cool chapter on in my mind, returning to that which makes up most of our body.
26) Ghosts on Trains, Planes and Automobiles-- these modes of transportation have their own unique energies attached to them as the dead clings to a particular hobby, interest or occupation it longed to remain eternally attached to. These testimonies are encouraging if you travel plenty and hope to continue once your physical host dies and your energy gets to go to places for free ! Can you imagine traveling to Bali without spending money on airfare, food, clothing--heck ANYTHING ?
27) When Ghosts Visit Stores and Office Buildings-- yes these are reserved for those that in their past life was addicted to the shopping mall or the bakery or the office cubicle they worked day and night in. The spirits stay fused to someplace held in very high regard and get stuck here. It made a great premise for the “dawn of The Dead” re-make when all the zombies came to their favorite mall--ha haa had to bring that one in.
28) Mysterious Entities and dark Hooded Bedroom Invaders-- this arena is reserved for spirits who are clever enough to not be discovered, nor want to be, and really have no purpose but to lurk. An unusual chapter and was not a favorite.
29) Strange Beings That Masquerade as Humans-- reserved for those spirits that find it irresistible to be human when clearly they are not and fit into an independent entity of extreme strangeness, is how Steiger puts it. This also includes angels because we are not sure if they fit just one category and not grotesque but not altogether formed as a human would be, they too are in their own classification. 30) Ghosts from Outer Space-- reserved for the spirits that do not fit anything seen or experienced on this earth; therefore being extraterrestrial. A reader is introduced briefly to UFO’s, sky observances, witnesses claiming saucers and other strange flying things had landed or departed a particular place.
It is long, no doubt but as you can see quite thorough in Mr Brad Steiger’s approach to proving paranormal activity does in fact happen, world-wide. If the curiosity is there, this can fuel it, appease it and even engage it into further studying the subject since it only proves that we are not alone and that there should never be a doubt we ever will be . . .
Many websites as site references are listed throughout the book which allow readers to contact real people whom you can correspond with on any topic discussed in this book or outside of the paranormal box. It is a valuable resource to have on hand, not as a guide but a supplement to serious ghost-story telling.
ISBN 0-7808-0721-9 2003 by Visible Ink Press
Thank you for reading and
Enjoy !
*Brad Steiger has conducted investigations in 46 states, number of Canadian provinces, and foreign countries. He is world-renowed !
**entry in October 2009 First Review Write-Off Sweepstakes
More than a collection of true ghost stories, this book offers a defining work on spirit phenomena written by renowned ghost-writer Brad Steiger, who ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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