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lot of paranormal activity.

12. Have you, personally, ever felt threatened or in danger when photographing a location?

I have gone in on locations that have angry spirits, but we go in with respect and let them know why we are there. We always try to resolve the problem!

13. I am sure that over the years you have been doing this type of work that you have come up with some thoughts about why these events take place. Why do you think these types of events occur?

History! Things don't always get resolved. You should always check out the history of a house before buying!

14. Would you like to share any information about a particularly memorable case you have worked on?

I was called to a friends apartment who could hear violent screams at night. I went down to check it out and decided to spend the night. About 2 am I heard the screams coming from the kitchen area. I was terrified and I could not see anything. Seconds later the screams stopped. I reached for my camera to take some pictures and got them back the next day. I told my friend to MOVE! A violent murder had taken place in his apartment two years earlier. The landlord never said a word about it and gave my friend back his deposit! He had only lived there less than a week!


Buying a Haunted House: A Case of Let the Buyer Beware

If you suspect that you are sharing your home with an otherworldly resident, what can you do?

It is not unheard of that a new homeowner has to deal with an unpleasant surprise shortly after moving in. The roof or basement might leak or a family of raccoons might have taken up residence in the attic. While these occurrences are certainly unpleasant and the new owner will have to find the financial resources to rectify the problem, what happens in a situation where the unwanted inhabitants are not of this world? Does the purchaser have any recourse?

The short answer is probably not. Since the existence of a spirit can't be proved in a court of law, there wouldn't be any legal recourse.
A paranormal investigator will conduct an investigation to try to find an explanation for the happenings reported by the homeowner.

For example, cold spots can be the result of a draft; the insulation and windows need to be checked. Physical symptoms, such as headaches or lethargy, may be a sign of carbon monoxide poisoning. If the home does not have a working carbon monoxide detector, then this possibility needs to be ruled out by either a heating contractor or the local fire department.

Once all the possible physical explanations have been considered and eliminated, in some cases what we are left with is a metaphysical one. If the home is also inhabited by spirits, they can sometimes be encouraged to move on. If not, the homeowner then has two choices: they can move out themselves (and hope the entity doesn't follow them to their next home) or they can try to live with the spiritual presence and stay on.

In fact, in a survey conducted in 2005 by Britain's Portsman Building Society, two out of three people surveyed stated that they would remain in their homes if they found out they had an otherworldly roommate.

One wonders if people from other countries would be as tolerant.


Part II - Psychic Abilities

Types of Psychic Abilities

Should we consider those with psychic abilities as gifted? Or is it a curse?

When we think about psychic abilities, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it the person who goes into a trance to access information from the other side? Or someone who seems to be able to tap into impressions at all times? What about when we get a "feeling" about a person, a place, or a particular situation?

All of these are examples of psychic abilities, i.e, the ability to get information from something other than physical means. There are many different types of psychic abilities. The more common types are as follows:

Clairvoyance: A person with this type of ability can "see" things not apparent to others, like receiving a vision of events or a visual impression about a person.

Clairsentience: This is the ability to get information from impressions received. People with this ability are sometimes called empaths because they are able to "feel" the emotions of others.

Clairaudience: If you are able to hear angels or spirit guides, you are experiencing clairaudience. In this case, we are not talking about someone who is schizophrenic (different issue entirely) but rather the "quiet, still voice" that gives you information you need to know to stay on track or stay safe, as opposed to a voice that comes from outside your head telling you to do things.

Clairkinesis: Clairkinetics have the ability to feel the presence of angels or spirit guides. A physical sensation alerts them to the presence of an otherworldly presence.

Gift or Curse?

Would you want to have any (or all) of these abilities? On the one hand, it would seem like a valuable tool if we had a means to avoid dangerous, unfortunate, or hurtful situations. On the other hand, it's a lot of responsibility to have a vision, say, of an accident, or natural disaster, or simply a bad end to a friend's relationship and know that you are powerless to stop these events from happening.

Whether we see these abilities as positive or negative ultimately remains in the eye of the beholder, it seems.


Edgar Cayce: The Sleeping Psychic

American psychic Edgar Cayce had the ability to do readings while in a trance-like state.

American psychic Edgar Cayce was born in rural Kentucky on March 18, 1877. While a student he discovered that he possessed an amazing ability: he could learn the contents of his textbooks by sleeping on them! In his early twenties, Cayce developed a condition that over time was paralyzing his throat; as a result, Cayce was in danger of losing his ability to speak.

In an effort to find a treatment for his condition, Cayce entered the same trance like state that had helped him to learn his school lessons. While "asleep," Cayce could suggest a treatment that proved to be successful in treating his condition. From this point, Cayce could provide readings for other people.

Readings

Cayce could provide information about a number of topics during these readings. The vast majority of questions posed to Cayce were on medical topics. He was also able to provide answers to questions on dreams, reincarnation, and meditation. Each one of the readings provided to a client was concluded by Cayce saying, "We are through."

Edgar Cayce did over 14,000 readings from 1901-1944. He claimed that he did not remember what he had said while in a trance state while conscious. This would seem to support the idea that the unconscious mind has access to information that is not apparent to us in our waking state.

Cayce did more than 9,500 readings related to health and medical matters. The person asking for an evaluation of his or her medical condition did not have to be present to receive a reading; Cayce did need to know the person's physical location, though. The subject of the reading would get a diagnosis and Cayce would prescribe a course of treatment.

Life readings were also done. Here, a perso, a person's physical, emotional, and spiritual conditions were explained based on experiences that had occurred during that individual's previous life. Occasionally, Cayce would do a business reading to provide advice about business ideas and Stock Market predictions.

Evaluating Dreams

According to Edgar Cayce, everyone should take the time to interpret his or her own dreams and use this knowledge as guide in everyday situations. He thought that the symbolism in dreams is unique to each individual. In dreams, we are able to examine aspects of our own lives, consider events from past lives, and see visions of the future. Cayce also stated that these abilities could be learned by anyone.

Cayce's Predictions

Edgar Cayce successfully predicted the following events:

• The beginning and end of World War I and World War II
• The deaths of two American presidents while in office (Franklin Roosevelt died in April 1945; John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963)
• The end of the Great Depression
• The Holocaust

Cayce also mentioned the possibility of a Third World War. Hopefully, this is one prediction that will not come to pass.


Psychic Surgery: Healing or Hoax?

Psychic surgery involves the surgeon removing tissue from the patient's body using his or her hands. Is this a case of fraud or an alternative treatment form?

Psychic surgery is practiced in the Philippines and Brazil. Practitioners known as psychic doctors or psychic surgeons claim that they can remove tumors and other items (bones, pus, etc.) from a patient's body. They also claim to be able to use their hands to pass through the tissues of a patient's body.

Ze Arigo

One of these psychic surgeons was a Brazilian peasant named Ze Arigo (born Jose Pedro de Freitas). As a young adult, Arigo's sleep was broken by the sound of a mysterious voice accompanied by visions of a man wearing surgical clothes performing a great number of operations. This mysterious figure was also seen consulting with other physicians.

Dr. Fritz

In 1955, the spirit introduced himself to Arigo as "Dr. Fritz." Dr. Fritz explained that hwe was a German surgeon who had died during World War I. Arigo's career as a healer had begun. Arigo saw up to 1,500 patients each day. His office was small; all he had was a table and a chair. Of all the thousands of people treated by Arigo, no one died or experienced a worsening of his or her condition due to the psychic surgeon's treatment.

His methods were observed by local doctors, who were unable to explain his methods. They did, however, agree Arigo's treatment methods were successful. Arigo explained that he was not the healer. Instead, he was performing under the direction of Dr. Fritz. None of his patients were asked about their symptoms. The only information they were asked for was their name and address. If someone tried to explain the reason for their visit, they were told, "I already know." And Arigo was right. "Dr. Fritz" would never accept a fee from his patients.

The Other Side of the Story

The National Council Against Health Fraud has advised consumers not to consider psychic surgery as a viable treatment option. The Council warns that seeking treatment from a psychic doctor may cause harm by keeping patients from seeking "quality medical treatment."

Psychic surgery involves the surgeon removing tissue from the patient's body using his or her hands. No anesthetics are used. The incision is both invisible and painless. Skeptics view psychic surgery was nothing more than a slight-of-hand trick.

The "trick" is performed as follows:

The practitioner pinches or rolls the skin in the area where the operation is to be performed. The next step is to reach under the folded skin. This will look to an observer as if the surgeon is reaching into the patient's body. The surgeon will have palmed a small bag of chicken entrails. The entrails are shown to the patient and observers as the "diseased tissue" the surgeon has just removed from the patient's body.

In spite of the allegations of fraud associated with psychic surgery, some patients report an improvement in their symptoms after