I’ll never forget going to my daughter’s fourth grade winter concert and listening to the other moms talk about their Christmas vacation. The O’Hairs went to Walt Disney World, the Webbs went to the beach, and then it was my turn. I didn’t think my husband would approve if I told these women I stayed home and performed an exorcism, but I would have liked to have seen their faces, if I did share this news. I paused as I contemplated how much to say.
“Oh, you know, we celebrated Christmas, visited some historic sites, the usual.” I stopped there, and they all turned back to their conversation not really knowing how to respond to such a sad, uneventful story. But that’s the story of my life. My close friends love to hear about my adventures, but sometimes, I have to leave reality at the door for the good of my children, parochial school, and those who may not want their kids playing with a child who sees ghosts and doesn’t even care.
I like to watch CIA thrillers and pretend to understand how these agents feel, taking their children to swim meets and soccer practices, then rushing off in the middle of the night to detain terrorists at Dulles International Airport, and then back home to make pancakes with whipped cream smiley faces by morning. I live the most honestly deceitful life I know. And I love every minute of it.
If you’ve read the excerpt of my book, you know I live in a new house on an old plantation. When you read my book, you will know the horror of our first months here, and how I had to cleanse my house. It was a hard time for me, and for my family. The spirits didn’t all come with the house, but when word got out that I could hear them and see them, they came from all around to get my attention. In other words, I was haunted.
I can’t begin to tell you how many people have told me stories of unwanted hauntings, so I feel it is necessary to explain how to take care of ridding yourself of unwanted energy. I had to learn myself, and I hope to make it easier for others.
When you walk into a room where people have had an argument, you may be able to sense it. The energy feels different. When a friend is mad, you may be able to feel that too. Our emotions are energy, and we can leave behind this energy. When I say energy, this can be spirits or ghosts, or it can also be just plain energy, or emotions. Positive energy and positive thoughts attract positive energy, and negative thoughts (and deeds) attract negative energy. This is not necessarily ghosts, and it is not demons. It is just energy that is attracted to an energy source to live. It is parasitic and is often attracted to like energy, but can also wander in with guests, contractors, or those who may service or visit your home. Many people assign names to this energy, but in essence everything is just energy, and I define these by their nature- negative or positive energy.
If you are moving into a new house, you may want to remove the energy of anything which may have happened there before you arrived. It is always a good idea to cleanse your home whether you’ve lived in it for years or are just moving in, although rarely do people do this unless they find themselves with a haunting.
“Hurry and get over here! I have a demon in my closet!” If you’ve sent me an email with this line as the subject, take a deep breath. First of all, when you are sensitive, energies, entities, ghosts, or whatever is in your closet may feel malevolent. Only with experience comes the gift of discernment, so please don’t jump to conclusions if you are scared. Ninety-nine out of a hundred times, that scary thing in your closet is just a ghost, or the air conditioning unit. Just because something makes the hair stand up on your neck, does not mean it is bad. How would you feel if you died and ended up in someone’s closet? Well, you probably don’t want them chasing you around with sage and screaming at you. Ghosts are people too.
Second, Asking me for help won’t do the trick. I can come over and get rid of your ghosts, demons, negative energy and all the scary stuff, but it is your house and they know it. If you are not the one to cleanse your house, they won’t take you seriously, and they may come right back. You have to take control and do the cleansing yourself for it to work. Or, at least be part of the process and demand they (it) leave. You can have a sensitive with you if you need help in feeling if energy has changed, but ultimately, you have the responsibility to get the job done right. Ministers and priests can also help if you feel more inclined, but you must be the one to take control and keep control.
Control is the most important part of the process of expelling anything unwanted from your home. If your will is firm and unyielding, it will leave. If you are scared because you are hearing voices, seeing shadows, or feel things that go bump in the night, you need to tell them that they bother you and they must leave you alone. When you hear them, tell them you hear them, and that is NOT okay. Ask them to please leave you alone so you will not be disturbed. Be firm but not outraged. Remind them that it is your home and ask them to respect your wishes.
Don't try to figure out what or who is there. The more evp you get, the more excited they get, and more come. The more you talk with ghosts in your home, or attempt to talk with them, the more active they will be. More will come because you are trying to reach them. When more come, you’ll feel more, hear more, and see more. Don’t make this mistake. Your home is your sanctuary. Don’t treat it like a venue for your personal paranormal investigations, unless you like hearing and seeing them. In that case, you would not be reading this blog. Don't use a pendulum at home. Let them know your home is a place of immunity where you can be yourself, and you don't want to be bothered there.
Then, I would do the cleansing I've outlined below.
_________________
There are lots of Internet sites which tell you how to cleanse your house, but I have never found any which have given me as detailed information as I am going to give you. My friend and colleague, Sensitive Patty Wilson, told me how to do this when I started working on murder cases years ago, and I started getting “the icky stuff” in my home. It really works.
And before I go any further, I will tell you I am a Christian, and you must have faith in God for this to work. Prayer is highly underestimated, and it does work. We get what we ask for; we really do! You must have faith, and you will be protected. I have known a couple of very nice Wiccans who also cleanse homes. The cleansing has worked well by bringing the good energy of mother earth into several homes. However, I was contacted when a demonic entity could not be expelled this way. My theory is that the Wiccans were relying on that which was good and of the earth, not the creator of all things earthly. God is the ultimate good, and to Him we must go for all things pure and good. No matter what your religion, if you do not believe in that which is higher than yourself, this won’t work. Every religion has its own way of expelling negative energy, and asking the creator, the Universal being of love and light, to do the work. This is God, no matter what name She/He is given, and with faith it will work.
If you feel that a person is in need of an exorcism, that is reason to call the Catholic Church. There are dedicated priests and an arm of the church which deals with exorcisms. There are many stages, and an exorcism takes time, observation, and much documentation. My purpose here is to explain how to cleanse your home of negative energy.
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In preparation for the cleansing, you should be well rested. I cannot stress this enough. You may become exhausted doing this, depending on what you encounter. Working with spirits takes a lot of energy. Whether you realize you are expending energy or not, you are. Spirits use energy to communicate, manifest, and exist in this realm. Whether they hang out near a fuse box, a water source, or you, they are pulling energy to exist. Don’t be surprised if you are very tired after the cleansing.
What you’ll need:
A supportive friend
Sea salt
Prayers, hymns, Bible or prayer book
You may want some sea salt, or some people use sage. Holy water is fine too. But honestly, I’ve never seen an entity scared of sage, or sea salt for that matter. It is the prayer which works. However, I believe using these are metaphors for what you want to accomplish. Spirits will see and hear you and know your intention.
I am highly allergic to burning sage, so I never use it. I do use sea salt on occasion because sea salt is a cleansing agent, and that is the point of the cleansing. I have holy water, and I will use it on occasion to mark doors and entrances when I encounter a demonic entity, but that is not common.
The size of your house and your property will determine how much sea salt you will need, but for a three bedroom house on a half acre, you may want to put about 1/4 to a half cup of sea salt in a small open container to use. If you have a farm with a lot of acreage, you’ll need more, of course. We are going to make sure all of your property is cleansed.
Some people use the Bible, which is always a good source. I also use a book called Armor of God by Dave Juliano. Armor of God is a compilation of many prayers, used by a variety of Christian belief systems, to protect oneself and others from negative entities or evil spirits. There are prayers for personal protection and the protection of others, as well as prayers for spiritual welfare, exorcism and deliverance. You may want the book just as a good resource whether you are asking for protection as you sleep, or as an aid for spiritual assistance. However, this is not yet available as a download, so you’ll want to order it in time to receive it in the mail before the cleansing.
I like to have someone with me, and I have suggested you have a supportive friend.
Your support person can help you feel when the room feels lighter, happier, or has a different emotion. And, you have someone to help if you need it. I came across a situation where I needed help, and I was very glad to have the support. At the Tillie Pierce House in Gettysburg, I was checked into the blue room for the night. I walked in and right back out, as I could barely breathe. The owners of the inn explained they had a few “runners” from that room, or in other words, guests who literally ran out of the inn in the middle of the night, never to return. Of course, every innkeeper always thinks it is fun to put me in the haunted room. Fun for them, not me!
As I investigated the situation, I found a soldier who had never crossed over into Heaven. This ghost was not in his right mind, and he was hiding with no inclination that he was dead. He was a Union soldier behind Confederate lines, and he was scared he would be caught. When he heard my Southern accent, he roared at me to “GET OUT”, and then he just disappeared. I discovered he was going directly upstairs into the attic and hiding under the rafters. I couldn’t reason with him, and I did not sleep in that room that night. I like my rest and it is no fun to be demeaned. If I wanted that, I have teenagers at home.
The next night, a group of paranormal investigators came to film there, and they didn’t have a psychic, so they asked me to help them figure out what was going on. I was having an event at the Ghosts of Gettysburg Headquarters next door, so during a break, I stopped by the Tillie Pierce House with another investigator who I was working with for the weekend. I went into the attic, and the nasty spirit was once again hiding under the rafters, and he wouldn’t leave. He screamed at me to leave him alone, so I did not approach him, but I explained that I was there to help him. He calmed down, and relieved, I shifted my weight onto my left foot. The board was not nailed down and as my ankle turned, I fell straight down through the attic floor and into the room below. I looked like a wishbone as one foot was stuck above my head in the attic, and the other foot was hanging below the ceiling, well into the blue room below. I remember seeing the carpet come up at me. The other investigator with me was a burly 6 foot 3, and he reached down, scooped me up, and pulled me back into the attic. I think that was the paranormal feat in this story. The entire embarrassing moment was caught on film, much to my chagrin. So, another person is always helpful, if only for safety- or rescue!
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The Cleansing:
Before you begin, say a prayer of protection. Ask God to come around you and protect you, and that His angels may shield you and those with you from any negative energy during the process. You can also visualize a bubble of white light around you. Ask Him to help you to bring love, and expel any negative energy.
With a container of sea salt in tow, go to the bottom floor of the home, whether this is a basement or first floor. You do not need to go into a crawl space. You will walk room by room through the floor, and in each room, you will walk the perimeter and sprinkle a tiny amount of salt. While you sprinkle the salt, you will say in an assertive voice, “I command all destructive entities leave this person, this place, and this property, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Once you say this, begin saying it again. You will say it hundreds of times, by the end of the cleansing. Be sure to say it as I have because if there are negative entities, you don’t want to play semantics games with them. Ordering them off the people, place, and property makes it clear you want them gone from everyone and everything. I’ve made that mistake before, and that’s another learning experience I won’t discuss here.
Continue from room to room, and don’t forget the closets. You don’t want any energy to remain. Sprinkle salt behind dressers and around the perimeter of the closets and utility rooms.
When you have finished with that floor, say a hedge prayer from the Armor of God, and/or pray the Lord’s prayer. You will feel a sense that the room is lighter.
The hedge prayer asks God to put a hedge around the home to protect those within. I also pray that any energy may leave, but no new energy may enter. I tend to put the sign of the cross with my hand, above windows and doors and pray nothing will enter through those passages.
After step 3, I go to the next higher floor and repeat the steps, and then the next higher floor and repeat the steps until the house is cleansed. Then, walk outside and do the same around the perimeter of the house, and then again around the perimeter of the property. I pray and ask God to put angels at the corners of the property to keep everyone within safe.
Remember, these are spiritual prayers and God will make sure that unwanted spirits do not set foot on the property. So, please don’t be mad at me if your mother-in-law continues to drop in unexpectedly.
Throughout the cleansing, if you feel that you need extra help, more time in an area, or if there is something which still will not leave, please pray. Just stop anywhere you feel is necessary and let your senses be your guide. Say prayers, demand it leave and white light and angels come. I have called on archangel Michael in sticky situations with stubborn energy too. I have also been known to sing the children’s song, Jesus Loves Me when I can think of nothing else to say, or I’ve exhausted all the prayers I know.
On occasion, I visit locations where I feel something malevolent, and it is built up energy from arguing, rather than an entity. People at the location may have treated each other with anger and disrespect, and this energy becomes residual. If you are helping someone with the cleansing, and if you have reason to believe there is something malevolent and it is not your house, please be sure to instruct the owners to stand their ground and be assertive, without being violently angry. Some negative entities see anger as a smorgasbord and may hop on for the free meal. The energy which accompanies anger is strong, and it can fuel a negative entity instead of turn it away. Do not taunt the negative entity, and do not try to hold a two way conversation. In this situation, without the aide of a medium, use your senses. You do not need to know what exactly you are dealing with, if you do what I have explained. Do not try to use a pendulum, by any means, and do not try to get evp once you have determined its nature. Just tell it to leave, and call on God for help.
__________
Also, after the cleansing, there are things which can be done to make sure the house is light and has good energy, especially if there was good cause to cleanse the house to start.
Don’t argue
Play happy music to change the vibration, such as Hildegard Von bingan
Do not watch crime dramas or particularly violent movies
Continue to live peacefully, and continue to pray to God to be with you in your home.
Every night I pray and ask God for angels to stand guard around the beds of my children. And when I pray, they sleep at peace from other-worldly interference.
Once when cleansing my own house, I heard crying in a closet in my daughter’s room. When I went upstairs, I realized that the ghost of the little girl in our home was scared I was trying to make her leave. Since she was only six when she died, and she never crossed into Heaven, her child-like mind was without the ability to understand my intention. I explained to her that I meant for “destructive” entities to leave, and that meant bad stuff, and she was a good little girl. She was relieved, and I learned to be sure and explain what I am going to do before I begin.
I have learned from experience that ghosts are often confused about where to go, so I try to clarify. Since I live on an old plantation, I am the intruder, and I have told the ghosts who lived here previously, that they can stay. However, new ghostly visitors have to go. I want to know who is in my house all the time. Most of the time, the existing ghosts ask them to leave, but there are times when I have to actively take charge. You may want to do the same as you cleanse.
I often start the cleansing with a prayer to protect myself, and I may say a hedge prayer. Then I talk to all the ghosts and explain what my intentions are and why. I express what the owners want in terms of who must leave, and who can stay. I then tell the ghosts that if they want to go to Heaven, I will cross over everyone at the conclusion of the cleansing, and they can meet me at a specified location. I say this on every floor I cleanse, and I ask them to tell their friends. After I am done, I cross them into Heaven. And those instructions will be in another blog, if you so desire.
Good luck!
Many blessings,
Laine
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas!
"Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy."
Merry Christmas and many blessings,
Laine Crosby
Merry Christmas and many blessings,
Laine Crosby
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas!
“Every man feels instinctively that all the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single, lovely action.”
- James Russell Lowell (1816 - 1891)
I have felt there is one spirit of love which runs through our lives and touches us, bringing us together with those we love, and making sure that we are not separated from those we have lost. I miss my parents terribly this time of year, and I hold on to the memories of Christmas past, knowing that Momma and Daddy, and my adoring grandparents are not far from us all, especially in this season when love abounds.
This spirit of love is like a river, sometimes strong, and sometimes full of rocks and other obstacles, as I was reminded last weekend at our home. Rarely is there quiet time with the phone ringing, the dog barking, and my twins clamoring. I told myself I would never buy anything to add to the chaos, and then the Wii was created and the spirit of Christmas was in the air.
After searching every Target, Wal-Mart and gaming store in this part of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia- to no avail, I discovered the Wii Fit shipment arrives at our Target store on Saturday nights. I had planned to arrive at Target upon their opening on Sunday, but thankfully, my husband Chris volunteered and insisted. He is, after all, one of those morning people.
Chris arrived at Target at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, half an hour before the store opened. He parked amongst numerous idling cars in the lot, and upon exiting his Hyundai, he was alerted by the crescendo of mini-van doors slamming that he had better make haste before women of all shapes and sizes pummeled him on their mad dash to the entrance. Chris made it there fourth, and then waited a half-hour in the sub-freezing temperatures. Had I been there, I would have begun a diatribe to the group on the spirit of Christmas and my disgust at the human race. But not Chris. He was silently focused on his win. By 8:00 a.m., there was a line of 10 people on the top floor entrance (where electronics is located), and longer lines had formed on the other floors.
As the Target employee opened the doors, he pointed at each individual and counted, "One, two, three, four, five, six - all the rest of you have to come back next week- we only got six in the shipment," without asking anyone why they were there.
One of Chris’ competitors yelled, "I am buying TWO!," and the Target referee said, "You get ONE this week, and you come back NEXT week for the other one!"
One woman commented, “I don't know if I want one until I see it," and three people screamed, "I GET HERS!"
"Only ONE to a customer!" rang out in the chilled air as the doors were flung open and the race was on!
Everyone in line ran as fast as they could to break ahead of the others. A woman untrained in bargain basement sales ran for a cart, but she soon realized it was dead weight and shoved it down a gift wrapping aisle. Two competitors ran down another aisle to grab the Wii Fit from the display. They will have to return next Sunday.
Chris, being a man of logic, figured it would lack sound reasoning for Target to lock the Wii Fits in the display, so he made a beeline to the cash register in the electronics department. He ran as fast as I have never seen him run before. He may have jumped a cart and even slid, I don't know. Having been fourth in line, he had now jockeyed for the prime #3 position when he arrived at the register and found six Wii Fits lined up neatly for the top six seeded competitors.
As he was checking out, the other competitors were arriving from the lower floors. Those who had mistakenly waited for the elevator, those who rode the escalator, and those who ran up the "down" escalator to pass the others. The loud speaker was blaring, "WE HAVE NO MORE Wii FITS!.... WE HAVE NO MORE Wii FITS!... THERE IS NO REASON TO RUN ...WE HAVE NO MORE Wii FITS!"
Chris made it home before I even knew he had left. His hair was a bit messy, but he had a smile on his face and a Target bag in hand.
Some women love their husbands because of the roses they send, the romantic dinners, or the diamond anniversary bands. My husband beat the president of the PTA in a race in Target, just to bring home a Wii Fit for our children’s Christmas present. It doesn't get any better than that! May you all experience the true spirit of love this Christmas, and a holiday filled with all the love, hope, family, and chaos we’ll long to remember when we can no longer jump the aisles.
Merry Christmas,
Laine
- James Russell Lowell (1816 - 1891)
I have felt there is one spirit of love which runs through our lives and touches us, bringing us together with those we love, and making sure that we are not separated from those we have lost. I miss my parents terribly this time of year, and I hold on to the memories of Christmas past, knowing that Momma and Daddy, and my adoring grandparents are not far from us all, especially in this season when love abounds.
This spirit of love is like a river, sometimes strong, and sometimes full of rocks and other obstacles, as I was reminded last weekend at our home. Rarely is there quiet time with the phone ringing, the dog barking, and my twins clamoring. I told myself I would never buy anything to add to the chaos, and then the Wii was created and the spirit of Christmas was in the air.
After searching every Target, Wal-Mart and gaming store in this part of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia- to no avail, I discovered the Wii Fit shipment arrives at our Target store on Saturday nights. I had planned to arrive at Target upon their opening on Sunday, but thankfully, my husband Chris volunteered and insisted. He is, after all, one of those morning people.
Chris arrived at Target at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, half an hour before the store opened. He parked amongst numerous idling cars in the lot, and upon exiting his Hyundai, he was alerted by the crescendo of mini-van doors slamming that he had better make haste before women of all shapes and sizes pummeled him on their mad dash to the entrance. Chris made it there fourth, and then waited a half-hour in the sub-freezing temperatures. Had I been there, I would have begun a diatribe to the group on the spirit of Christmas and my disgust at the human race. But not Chris. He was silently focused on his win. By 8:00 a.m., there was a line of 10 people on the top floor entrance (where electronics is located), and longer lines had formed on the other floors.
As the Target employee opened the doors, he pointed at each individual and counted, "One, two, three, four, five, six - all the rest of you have to come back next week- we only got six in the shipment," without asking anyone why they were there.
One of Chris’ competitors yelled, "I am buying TWO!," and the Target referee said, "You get ONE this week, and you come back NEXT week for the other one!"
One woman commented, “I don't know if I want one until I see it," and three people screamed, "I GET HERS!"
"Only ONE to a customer!" rang out in the chilled air as the doors were flung open and the race was on!
Everyone in line ran as fast as they could to break ahead of the others. A woman untrained in bargain basement sales ran for a cart, but she soon realized it was dead weight and shoved it down a gift wrapping aisle. Two competitors ran down another aisle to grab the Wii Fit from the display. They will have to return next Sunday.
Chris, being a man of logic, figured it would lack sound reasoning for Target to lock the Wii Fits in the display, so he made a beeline to the cash register in the electronics department. He ran as fast as I have never seen him run before. He may have jumped a cart and even slid, I don't know. Having been fourth in line, he had now jockeyed for the prime #3 position when he arrived at the register and found six Wii Fits lined up neatly for the top six seeded competitors.
As he was checking out, the other competitors were arriving from the lower floors. Those who had mistakenly waited for the elevator, those who rode the escalator, and those who ran up the "down" escalator to pass the others. The loud speaker was blaring, "WE HAVE NO MORE Wii FITS!.... WE HAVE NO MORE Wii FITS!... THERE IS NO REASON TO RUN ...WE HAVE NO MORE Wii FITS!"
Chris made it home before I even knew he had left. His hair was a bit messy, but he had a smile on his face and a Target bag in hand.
Some women love their husbands because of the roses they send, the romantic dinners, or the diamond anniversary bands. My husband beat the president of the PTA in a race in Target, just to bring home a Wii Fit for our children’s Christmas present. It doesn't get any better than that! May you all experience the true spirit of love this Christmas, and a holiday filled with all the love, hope, family, and chaos we’ll long to remember when we can no longer jump the aisles.
Merry Christmas,
Laine
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A Beautiful Mistake
My fears over the past few years have changed drastically. I am now afraid I will be arrested. One of these days, I am certain a police officer will arrest me for erratic driving while inebriated, but she will be wrong. I will be driving while being a hot potato.
This is because when my twins are riding in the car with me, they demand to listen to the Wiggles. If you are unfamiliar with the Wiggles, they are an Australian Group of middle-aged men who dress up in Star Trek-like uniforms of various floral colors, and sing and dance. I saw them in concert once, but please don’t tell anyone. I felt guilty for laughing because somehow, they had to know, we parents were not laughing with them.
It’s not just the Wiggles I’m required to dance to in the minivan. B-I-N-G-O can send me fetching the Excedrin, and after those Christmas CDs in January, I have been known to relocate the wine to the top shelf of the fridge. Other moms seem to understand this. One of my best girlfriends is a little tea pot.
If you asked about my biggest fear on October 7, 2004, I would have told you it was being psychic. My psychic abilities came flooding into me that month, and I’ve never since been quite the same. I could see and hear ghosts just like Melinda Gordon, and then God added clairvoyance to the recipe and I was really half-baked. I couldn’t make it stop.
I asked God to take it all away, and if I was meant to have it, I asked Him to give it back as I could deal with it. Being able to see ghosts so vividly scared me the most, so I have only regained a portion of this ability, and I’ve accepted it kicking and screaming. I am writing my story for a book I hope to complete by the end of the year, but for many others who write me today with similar tales, I want to offer a lifeline.
I saw my first ghost when I was a little girl, and it scared me. When I told my parents, they told me I was imaginative and I should go sing Silent Night and not mention it again. Remember, this was an era when mothers didn’t worry about sending their kids to school without a gun, and married T.V. couples slept in separate beds and reproduced by being imaginative. So, I didn’t mention it again. I learned to ignore, make excuses, and fit-in. That is, for about thirty years, give or take a few.
I’m sure my parents shared the same ideals as the parents of others who write me now about their gift (it took me two full years to stop calling it a curse). When parents are not accepting of their psychic child, or are scared themselves, our perception as the psychic child is that the world will feel the same. I’m not sure that’s far off the mark, either. I also know that having psychic abilities suddenly, or having psychic experiences can be terrifying and very draining.
I didn’t want this, I didn’t ask for this, and more than anything, I wanted to get rid of it. However, I only found books on how to become more psychic. At the time, I found it humorous that so many people actually wanted this ability for themselves. To me, it proved there were a lot of people who were not in their right mind, and they were not the psychic ones! I even thought about moving, but then I heard a voice say I would have this ability no matter where I lived; it was now mine. I had no choice but to surrender.
Here is my best recommendation for your surrender:
Prayer. Prayer is highly underrated, and it works. I prayed to learn how to control this ability, and I was taught through feelings and experiences. I also pray for guidance, wisdom, strength, and protection.
There are those who ask me whether they should go to London or Paris, or if they should take out loans for their businesses, or if they should leave their husbands. My advice is always the same- pray. I’m no one’s On-Star, and I can’t guide folks through every turn just because I have psychic abilities, and I wouldn’t if I could. Prayer is the answer.
Have Faith and Do Not Fear. Fear is an emotion that is attractive to negative entities. When you begin to fear, make a conscious decision not to let it overcome you, and then put it out of your mind. If you pray to your higher power, and have faith that nothing bad will happen to you, you are protected. Faith and prayer are inextricably linked, and the application of faith and prayer goes far beyond protection.
Accept Yourself. We live our lives for a reason. The world is a university and a playground, and if we knew what to expect we would never grow and learn. Take the punches and grow wiser as a result. If your sister wants to shun you, remember, you can say,”I told you so” for an eternity.
Surrender. Inherent in surrendering is self acceptance, but it goes even further. We have to learn we can’t control everything in our lives, and we have to stop fighting what we can’t control. Doing so holds us back in reaching our goals in this life.
Take Control. While surrendering is letting go of our control issues, taking control of our abilities and surroundings is important and distinctly different. Many people who contact me have ghosts that won’t leave, or who frighten them. You can’t get rid of a ghost by asking it to leave if it is convenient for them. You must take control and tell the ghosts in a courteous, yet stern manner, they are not allowed to frighten you and that they have to leave, if this is a problem for you or your children. Remember, ghosts were people too, and you wouldn’t just let anyone in your house to hang out during dinner. Ghosts are not pets either, and most of the time, they get the message and move on. If it is not a human entity bothering you, that is cause for bigger guns which I will not discuss here.
Journaling. I would suggest keeping a journal to catalog what is happening to you. Writing about our experiences helps us to accept them, work through them, and let go. You will always have them to reflect upon and see how far you’ve come, and how you’ve grown. Experiences that do not make sense today may have clarity next year.
Meet Like Minds. Find people you can trust who understand your abilities and will listen. There are hundreds of groups on MySpace, FaceBook, IamHaunted and many other sites. You may meet people through paranormal groups, religious groups, or events. Share with those whom you trust and those who won’t judge you.
Read. The more you read, the more you’ll understand about the other side and what is happening to you. A great place to start is a trilogy by Elsa Barker. In 1912, this young woman was minding her own business when she became suddenly psychic. Through automatic writing, the spirit of an acquaintance, Judge David Hatch, took her pen and began to write through her hand. It wasn’t long before she could hear, and she scribed three books which were big news in the day, detailing life on the other side. You can download the books for free on my site at www.investigativemedium.com/resources . I also recommend authors John Edwards, Gary Schwartz, Betty Eadie, Raymond Moody, and of course my book, available in 2009.
Meditate. Prayer and meditation helps us make sense of the messages we receive. Although it can be difficult at first, meditation is important because it helps alter our state of consciousness to bring us closer to the other side. Meditation brings discipline, concentration and practice with our abilities, which helps us have more clarity and less confusion.
There are videos and documentaries you can also watch on the Ghost Channel (www.GhostChannel.TV), and I typically have my events and lectures posted on my site, investigativemedium.com, if you are ever interested in coming and learning more in the Mid-Atlantic area.
Just know you are not alone, and you can learn to control your abilities through prayer and meditation. You may soon find that like me, you are the beneficiary of a beautiful mistake, and I wouldn’t trade my gift for anything in the world.
This is because when my twins are riding in the car with me, they demand to listen to the Wiggles. If you are unfamiliar with the Wiggles, they are an Australian Group of middle-aged men who dress up in Star Trek-like uniforms of various floral colors, and sing and dance. I saw them in concert once, but please don’t tell anyone. I felt guilty for laughing because somehow, they had to know, we parents were not laughing with them.
It’s not just the Wiggles I’m required to dance to in the minivan. B-I-N-G-O can send me fetching the Excedrin, and after those Christmas CDs in January, I have been known to relocate the wine to the top shelf of the fridge. Other moms seem to understand this. One of my best girlfriends is a little tea pot.
If you asked about my biggest fear on October 7, 2004, I would have told you it was being psychic. My psychic abilities came flooding into me that month, and I’ve never since been quite the same. I could see and hear ghosts just like Melinda Gordon, and then God added clairvoyance to the recipe and I was really half-baked. I couldn’t make it stop.
I asked God to take it all away, and if I was meant to have it, I asked Him to give it back as I could deal with it. Being able to see ghosts so vividly scared me the most, so I have only regained a portion of this ability, and I’ve accepted it kicking and screaming. I am writing my story for a book I hope to complete by the end of the year, but for many others who write me today with similar tales, I want to offer a lifeline.
I saw my first ghost when I was a little girl, and it scared me. When I told my parents, they told me I was imaginative and I should go sing Silent Night and not mention it again. Remember, this was an era when mothers didn’t worry about sending their kids to school without a gun, and married T.V. couples slept in separate beds and reproduced by being imaginative. So, I didn’t mention it again. I learned to ignore, make excuses, and fit-in. That is, for about thirty years, give or take a few.
I’m sure my parents shared the same ideals as the parents of others who write me now about their gift (it took me two full years to stop calling it a curse). When parents are not accepting of their psychic child, or are scared themselves, our perception as the psychic child is that the world will feel the same. I’m not sure that’s far off the mark, either. I also know that having psychic abilities suddenly, or having psychic experiences can be terrifying and very draining.
I didn’t want this, I didn’t ask for this, and more than anything, I wanted to get rid of it. However, I only found books on how to become more psychic. At the time, I found it humorous that so many people actually wanted this ability for themselves. To me, it proved there were a lot of people who were not in their right mind, and they were not the psychic ones! I even thought about moving, but then I heard a voice say I would have this ability no matter where I lived; it was now mine. I had no choice but to surrender.
Here is my best recommendation for your surrender:
Prayer. Prayer is highly underrated, and it works. I prayed to learn how to control this ability, and I was taught through feelings and experiences. I also pray for guidance, wisdom, strength, and protection.
There are those who ask me whether they should go to London or Paris, or if they should take out loans for their businesses, or if they should leave their husbands. My advice is always the same- pray. I’m no one’s On-Star, and I can’t guide folks through every turn just because I have psychic abilities, and I wouldn’t if I could. Prayer is the answer.
Have Faith and Do Not Fear. Fear is an emotion that is attractive to negative entities. When you begin to fear, make a conscious decision not to let it overcome you, and then put it out of your mind. If you pray to your higher power, and have faith that nothing bad will happen to you, you are protected. Faith and prayer are inextricably linked, and the application of faith and prayer goes far beyond protection.
Accept Yourself. We live our lives for a reason. The world is a university and a playground, and if we knew what to expect we would never grow and learn. Take the punches and grow wiser as a result. If your sister wants to shun you, remember, you can say,”I told you so” for an eternity.
Surrender. Inherent in surrendering is self acceptance, but it goes even further. We have to learn we can’t control everything in our lives, and we have to stop fighting what we can’t control. Doing so holds us back in reaching our goals in this life.
Take Control. While surrendering is letting go of our control issues, taking control of our abilities and surroundings is important and distinctly different. Many people who contact me have ghosts that won’t leave, or who frighten them. You can’t get rid of a ghost by asking it to leave if it is convenient for them. You must take control and tell the ghosts in a courteous, yet stern manner, they are not allowed to frighten you and that they have to leave, if this is a problem for you or your children. Remember, ghosts were people too, and you wouldn’t just let anyone in your house to hang out during dinner. Ghosts are not pets either, and most of the time, they get the message and move on. If it is not a human entity bothering you, that is cause for bigger guns which I will not discuss here.
Journaling. I would suggest keeping a journal to catalog what is happening to you. Writing about our experiences helps us to accept them, work through them, and let go. You will always have them to reflect upon and see how far you’ve come, and how you’ve grown. Experiences that do not make sense today may have clarity next year.
Meet Like Minds. Find people you can trust who understand your abilities and will listen. There are hundreds of groups on MySpace, FaceBook, IamHaunted and many other sites. You may meet people through paranormal groups, religious groups, or events. Share with those whom you trust and those who won’t judge you.
Read. The more you read, the more you’ll understand about the other side and what is happening to you. A great place to start is a trilogy by Elsa Barker. In 1912, this young woman was minding her own business when she became suddenly psychic. Through automatic writing, the spirit of an acquaintance, Judge David Hatch, took her pen and began to write through her hand. It wasn’t long before she could hear, and she scribed three books which were big news in the day, detailing life on the other side. You can download the books for free on my site at www.investigativemedium.com/resources . I also recommend authors John Edwards, Gary Schwartz, Betty Eadie, Raymond Moody, and of course my book, available in 2009.
Meditate. Prayer and meditation helps us make sense of the messages we receive. Although it can be difficult at first, meditation is important because it helps alter our state of consciousness to bring us closer to the other side. Meditation brings discipline, concentration and practice with our abilities, which helps us have more clarity and less confusion.
There are videos and documentaries you can also watch on the Ghost Channel (www.GhostChannel.TV), and I typically have my events and lectures posted on my site, investigativemedium.com, if you are ever interested in coming and learning more in the Mid-Atlantic area.
Just know you are not alone, and you can learn to control your abilities through prayer and meditation. You may soon find that like me, you are the beneficiary of a beautiful mistake, and I wouldn’t trade my gift for anything in the world.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Communicating with Family!
Attached is an article by Janet Bernice Jeys which appeared in the September/October issue of Ancestry Magazine. Janet did a lovely job writing the article, and I am happy because it conveys what I feel is of great importance- remembering our personal history as well as our country's.
My father, C.P. Crosby, fought in the U.S. Army in World War II and later was a Civil War historian, and this week is his birthday. He is now on the "other" side, but I am sure he is pleased that perhaps others are inspired to set a place for their Daddy or Great-Grand Daddy to remember him at the dinner table from time to time. There will be peach cobbler at mine, and we will all be grateful to this man from rural Mississippi who made the world a better place.
I am also excited to see main stream media is becoming more accepting of the "fringe" science, as producer J.J. Abrams is calling it (for more information see "FRINGE" on www.ghostchannel.tv in the paranormal news section which premiered today!). As an aside, I've always said that science has not caught up with mediums yet, and Harvard is just about to prove me wrong with digital technology.
I have attached the article below in case you are interested.
Believe!
Lainey
Communcating with Family
by Janet Bernice Jeys
LAINE CROSBY IS A MOM. She goes to swim meets, attends church with her family, volunteers at the elementary school, and regularly burns pizza. She lives a completely ordinary life, except for one little thing; as an investigative medium, Laine does her family research for folks who contact her from the other side.
Though her roots lie in Atlanta, these days Laine, husband Chris, and their twins live in Maryland on property where a plantation from the 1700s once stood. One afternoon Laine saw several men in the field with straw hats, white shirts and suspenders. Later that day, in the midst of a fitful nap, Laine heard a sweet, soft voice say, "I had a son the same age as yours."
"He is my son and not yours," Crosby answered, realizing she sounded a bit unbalanced.
"I know he is your son," the woman said.
Now fully awake, Laine saw the image of a beautiful dark-skinned woman. She was peaceful, composed, and her name was Jannette. Crosby's search of records eventually revealed that Jannette was a slave of plantation owner William George Robertson. A nanny to his 11 children, she died giving birth to Robertson's twins.
This was only the beginning.
Living only an hour from the Gettysburg battlefield, Crosby has visited with both Union and Confederate soldiers, men who don't want to be forgotten or who have no sense that they have died. "No one is unimportant," Crosby says. "Love binds us to the next world. God is right there and answers prayers of all people, living or dead. Prayer is more important than most of us realize."
Crosby now works on missing person cases with police and families. She also helps authors, historians, and archaeologists uncover what happened long ago in specific locations. She and her business partner appeared on the "Ghosts of Gettysburg" episode of the Travel Channel's Mysterious Journeys. They also host an Internet talk show, Ghost Talkers.
But ask Laine and she'll say that she mostly takes orders from the "other" side. She describes herself as little more than a mouthpiece, not much different from a television or radio. Says Laine, "As I experience information, I do the best I can to make sense of it, define it, and pass it on."
My father, C.P. Crosby, fought in the U.S. Army in World War II and later was a Civil War historian, and this week is his birthday. He is now on the "other" side, but I am sure he is pleased that perhaps others are inspired to set a place for their Daddy or Great-Grand Daddy to remember him at the dinner table from time to time. There will be peach cobbler at mine, and we will all be grateful to this man from rural Mississippi who made the world a better place.
I am also excited to see main stream media is becoming more accepting of the "fringe" science, as producer J.J. Abrams is calling it (for more information see "FRINGE" on www.ghostchannel.tv in the paranormal news section which premiered today!). As an aside, I've always said that science has not caught up with mediums yet, and Harvard is just about to prove me wrong with digital technology.
I have attached the article below in case you are interested.
Believe!
Lainey
Communcating with Family
by Janet Bernice Jeys
LAINE CROSBY IS A MOM. She goes to swim meets, attends church with her family, volunteers at the elementary school, and regularly burns pizza. She lives a completely ordinary life, except for one little thing; as an investigative medium, Laine does her family research for folks who contact her from the other side.
Though her roots lie in Atlanta, these days Laine, husband Chris, and their twins live in Maryland on property where a plantation from the 1700s once stood. One afternoon Laine saw several men in the field with straw hats, white shirts and suspenders. Later that day, in the midst of a fitful nap, Laine heard a sweet, soft voice say, "I had a son the same age as yours."
"He is my son and not yours," Crosby answered, realizing she sounded a bit unbalanced.
"I know he is your son," the woman said.
Now fully awake, Laine saw the image of a beautiful dark-skinned woman. She was peaceful, composed, and her name was Jannette. Crosby's search of records eventually revealed that Jannette was a slave of plantation owner William George Robertson. A nanny to his 11 children, she died giving birth to Robertson's twins.
This was only the beginning.
Living only an hour from the Gettysburg battlefield, Crosby has visited with both Union and Confederate soldiers, men who don't want to be forgotten or who have no sense that they have died. "No one is unimportant," Crosby says. "Love binds us to the next world. God is right there and answers prayers of all people, living or dead. Prayer is more important than most of us realize."
Crosby now works on missing person cases with police and families. She also helps authors, historians, and archaeologists uncover what happened long ago in specific locations. She and her business partner appeared on the "Ghosts of Gettysburg" episode of the Travel Channel's Mysterious Journeys. They also host an Internet talk show, Ghost Talkers.
But ask Laine and she'll say that she mostly takes orders from the "other" side. She describes herself as little more than a mouthpiece, not much different from a television or radio. Says Laine, "As I experience information, I do the best I can to make sense of it, define it, and pass it on."
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Do It Anyway!
I have recently been inspired by a simple act, by a little angel.
When I pray, it doesn’t always turn out like I think it should, but I do it anyway. I really do, and I accept that and hope for the best. I am often told by folks who have recently lost loved ones, that there can’t be a God. God wouldn’t let bad things happen, and something terribly bad happened to the one they loved, so they no longer believe.
Suddenly, in a moment of pain, history is forgotten. When God wasn’t judged for Pearl Harbor or Hiroshima, or the Twin Towers, God is suddenly judged for Momma’s cancer or Daddy’s painful death.
God doesn’t make bad things happen, and I don’t have the endurance or understanding to explain away the trials of yesteryear, but I do know we can’t blame God for the bad when we don’t even recognize Him for the good most of the time. If we didn’t have the turbulent times, we would never realize the good times, and we would never appreciate the wonders of life. We would not be able to rejoice and feel the wonders of love if we lived with the absence of pain.
God is great; we have to remember that life is not always good. We pray and we love and we live anyway.
I know what it is like to be treated with cruelty, simply for waking up to find that God has given me an ability that is not the norm in this world. But I do it anyway because it helps to make this world a better place. We dream, we love, and we pray, because this is our journey and our path, and we must reach out to help others along the way.
I was inspired today by my son. It was a simple act, and no one who watched could have been impressed, but to me, he tore down the Berlin Wall. His twin sister is tall, strong, and swims faster than I can run. She drags me to swim practice four times a week with great enthusiasm, and much to my chagrin, she has no interest in letting me train her to be a basketball star instead. She found her sport and she is darn good. My son has taken lessons for four years, year-round, and a few months ago, he finally let go of the wall and lifted his feet off of the bottom of the pool. This feat was a bigger accomplishment than all his twin sister’s winning ribbons. He has autism.
He told me yesterday he wanted to be on the swimming pre-team so he could be near his sister to cheer for her at competitive swim-team meets. I was scared to encourage him and set him up for failure, but I was more afraid to deny him success, so I did it anyway. I told him I knew he could do it, drove to the pool, and wore my swim suit just in case. And, oh yes, I prayed.
To my great surprise, he swam the pool length without touching the bottom. The stroke was not a legal stroke on this planet, but he did it anyway. A simple lesson was taught to me by such sweet, simplistic means. He did it anyway!
I have felt like a candle caught in a hurricane these last two weeks, not knowing where to find air. In less than fourteen days, I’ve had a broken heart, and I have deeply grieved for a friend. I have celebrated my twelfth anniversary and seven birthdays, two graduations, and the joy of a friend’s new job. I have been ecstatic over a very exciting business decision for me, and the possibility of a very good career opportunity this summer. I have slaved over editing my show and my book and being a mom, chauffeur, and short order cook, and trying to catch some of the pieces before they crash to the ground. All the while, I’ve dreamed, and laughed and cried, and prayed, and done it all in spite of myself. And, when I’ve doubted or worried or forgotten what life was all about, I was brought back to earth by this little angel, who believed when I prayed.
Special Note: Don’t cry, my friend. I called this week to tell you what you already knew, and I hung up the phone inspired by you again. You have it on good authority the angels are with you; they’ve never left. I wish I had a magic wand and could make the world an easier place for you, and for all of us; but then again, I’m not sure what harm I would do. I don’t think this is supposed to be an easy ride, although I don’t think it is supposed to be this hard either. I do know that it doesn’t always turn out like we will it, but we’ll just pray anyway. We are all just praying anyway.
I Love you. We all love you both. You know, but I’ll say it anyway.
Lainey
Do It Anyway- listen here
When I pray, it doesn’t always turn out like I think it should, but I do it anyway. I really do, and I accept that and hope for the best. I am often told by folks who have recently lost loved ones, that there can’t be a God. God wouldn’t let bad things happen, and something terribly bad happened to the one they loved, so they no longer believe.
Suddenly, in a moment of pain, history is forgotten. When God wasn’t judged for Pearl Harbor or Hiroshima, or the Twin Towers, God is suddenly judged for Momma’s cancer or Daddy’s painful death.
God doesn’t make bad things happen, and I don’t have the endurance or understanding to explain away the trials of yesteryear, but I do know we can’t blame God for the bad when we don’t even recognize Him for the good most of the time. If we didn’t have the turbulent times, we would never realize the good times, and we would never appreciate the wonders of life. We would not be able to rejoice and feel the wonders of love if we lived with the absence of pain.
God is great; we have to remember that life is not always good. We pray and we love and we live anyway.
I know what it is like to be treated with cruelty, simply for waking up to find that God has given me an ability that is not the norm in this world. But I do it anyway because it helps to make this world a better place. We dream, we love, and we pray, because this is our journey and our path, and we must reach out to help others along the way.
I was inspired today by my son. It was a simple act, and no one who watched could have been impressed, but to me, he tore down the Berlin Wall. His twin sister is tall, strong, and swims faster than I can run. She drags me to swim practice four times a week with great enthusiasm, and much to my chagrin, she has no interest in letting me train her to be a basketball star instead. She found her sport and she is darn good. My son has taken lessons for four years, year-round, and a few months ago, he finally let go of the wall and lifted his feet off of the bottom of the pool. This feat was a bigger accomplishment than all his twin sister’s winning ribbons. He has autism.
He told me yesterday he wanted to be on the swimming pre-team so he could be near his sister to cheer for her at competitive swim-team meets. I was scared to encourage him and set him up for failure, but I was more afraid to deny him success, so I did it anyway. I told him I knew he could do it, drove to the pool, and wore my swim suit just in case. And, oh yes, I prayed.
To my great surprise, he swam the pool length without touching the bottom. The stroke was not a legal stroke on this planet, but he did it anyway. A simple lesson was taught to me by such sweet, simplistic means. He did it anyway!
I have felt like a candle caught in a hurricane these last two weeks, not knowing where to find air. In less than fourteen days, I’ve had a broken heart, and I have deeply grieved for a friend. I have celebrated my twelfth anniversary and seven birthdays, two graduations, and the joy of a friend’s new job. I have been ecstatic over a very exciting business decision for me, and the possibility of a very good career opportunity this summer. I have slaved over editing my show and my book and being a mom, chauffeur, and short order cook, and trying to catch some of the pieces before they crash to the ground. All the while, I’ve dreamed, and laughed and cried, and prayed, and done it all in spite of myself. And, when I’ve doubted or worried or forgotten what life was all about, I was brought back to earth by this little angel, who believed when I prayed.
Special Note: Don’t cry, my friend. I called this week to tell you what you already knew, and I hung up the phone inspired by you again. You have it on good authority the angels are with you; they’ve never left. I wish I had a magic wand and could make the world an easier place for you, and for all of us; but then again, I’m not sure what harm I would do. I don’t think this is supposed to be an easy ride, although I don’t think it is supposed to be this hard either. I do know that it doesn’t always turn out like we will it, but we’ll just pray anyway. We are all just praying anyway.
I Love you. We all love you both. You know, but I’ll say it anyway.
Lainey
Do It Anyway- listen here
Friday, April 4, 2008
Mark Nesbitt regarding Mysterious Journeys on The Travel Channel
The following post is from Author/Historian Mark Nesbitt. Mark has asked me to post this on his behalf to clarify misconceptions of our appearance on the Travel Channel.
Since the Travel Channel's Mysterious Journeys segment on the Ghosts of Gettysburg first aired in October of 2007, I have received a few e-mails that have voiced concerns, and dozens of others that were positive and asked for more information on paranormal investigations, equipment, etc. The concerns seem to be thematic with 1) how, as a historian, I work with our medium, 2) how programs are made for television and, 3) the historical research done for and by our medium.
As to how I work with Investigative Medium Laine Crosby:
One of the complaints was that our Investigative Medium, Laine, "didn't know her history" and I didn't correct her when her history didn't agree with history available on the world wide web.
First and foremost, I never tell Laine anything about the history of the site we are to visit. That would negate any real psychic information received at the site. In most cases, I try to set up classic "double-blind" experiments: I'll choose five or six historic sites, then randomly visit only two or three. That way, even I don't know where we will end up ... so there is no way she can "study-up" on the history of the site and "fake" getting historically correct information. I try never to react to what she comes up with during an investigation- sometimes to the point of not answering her questions and appearing rude. A classic way many well-known psychics get their "other worldly" information is actually by reading the reactions of their audience. If I were to react and "tip off' a psychic/medium when she was wrong historically, it would help her to eliminate what she "receives."
The fact that Laine "messed up" the history by appearing to say that Isaac Trimble had been shot in the side and died in that room is only proof that she hadn't studied about the Lady Farm or Isaac Trimble. But that is not what she said during the actual filming of the segment.
The editing process in television productions:
The production company for the Travel Channel spent two weeks in Gettysburg and shot approximately 70 hours of tape-all for a 45 minute (minus 15 or so minutes of time for commercials) program. It wasn't Isaac Trimble, the Confederate general, with whom Laine was speaking, but the editing done in California made it appear that way. What was edited out of Laine's reading was that after she got the name "Isaac Trimble," who was a relatively famous person who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, she went on to hear that the person with whom she was communicating was NOT Trimble himself, but had been commanded by Trimble, and was from Georgia. At Gettysburg, the man had been shot in the torso. Paranormal investigators must word their questions very carefully. I asked, "Did he die here in this room?" Laine became incredibly sad at that moment and said, "He didn't know he had died." I had committed a grave error in the field of paranormal studies: You never tell the spirit with whom you are communicating that they have died because many are not aware of that fact. That explained the look on Laine's face as she heard the man say, "You mean I'm dead?" (It is indeed a mysterious place, the land of the dead.)
The remarkable thing is that Laine came up with the name "Isaac Trimble," a name she'd never heard before. I remember her struggling with it as the information came to her: "Trem ... Tremble ... " A long pause. She asked, "What is the first name, please?" Another long pause as she listened intently. "Isaac? Isaac Tremble" She listened and that was the name she heard. (All of this was edited out.) I had heard of Isaac Trimble, of course, but didn't connect him with the Lady Farm. Laine also got "Earl." I thought she was saying "Ewell," but she may have been coming up with "Early"- Jubal A. Early, another Confederate officer associated with Ewell's 2nd Corps, and another remarkable psychic "hit" by Laine.
The drawbacks of using the internet for historical research:
The internet has given virtually everyone almost instantaneous access to general facts.
Unfortunately, not all historical sources are available there. After concern was raised about Trimble's psychic "presence" at the Lady Farm, I checked my personal library, compiled over the last 30 years as a writer and researcher and containing much from my 6 years as a National Park Service Ranger/Historian at Gettysburg. I found some interesting things.
According to Trimble's own Civil War Diary (located in the Maryland Historical Society archives and published in the MD Historical Magazine, Vol. XVII in 1922), he was operated on by "Drs McGuire, Black & Hays" (Trimble's quote) on Saturday, July 4. McGuire (Hunter H.) first served as a line officer with the 2nd Virginia, "Stonewall Brigade," then became Stonewall Jackson's surgeon until Jackson's death in May of 1863. During the re-organization of the 2nd Corps, McGuire served as Chief Surgeon for the 2nd Corps under Ewell at Gettysburg. Would he have bivouacked with old friends in the Stonewall Brigade (on the Lady Farm) at Gettysburg, just a few weeks after Jackson's death? I think it very likely.
We know McGuire was already in the vicinity because he visited another of Jackson's former staff members who had been wounded, Henry Kyd Douglas, at a farm on the Hunterstown Road, just a few miles away, on July 3. (I Rode with Stonewall, by H. K. Douglas). McGuire did not operate on Douglas or apparently spend much time with him according to Douglas; just a quick visit, then McGuire moved on.
A second confirmation to Trimble's diary is in McGuire's biography in the Southern Historical Society Papers. It states that McGuire amputated Trimble's leg. Dr. Harvey Black, who was named as one of Trimble's surgeons, was also one of Jackson's surgeons, serving in the 4th Virginia Regiment, Stonewall Brigade, Johnson's Division, which was bivouacked on the Lady Farm. Trimble, having been wounded in 1862, was without a command before Gettysburg. He attached himself to Ewell's Corps on June 28, no doubt re-acquainting himself with his fellow soldiers in the corps. Trimble had commanded a brigade earlier in the war in Ewell's Division and almost got the command of Johnson's Division before Gettysburg. We also know that on the evening of July 1, Trimble claims to have had a very famous contretemps with Ewell about attacking Culp's Hill wherein he threw down his sword and exclaimed that he refused to serve under such an officer, linking Trimble with Ewell/Johnson and Johnson's headquarters at the Lady Farm. Although Trimble was wounded in Pickett's Charge on July 3, would he have requested to be operated on by surgeons he knew and trusted? As a high-ranking officer he, no doubt, would have been accommodated.
According to Gregory Coco in his book, A Vast Sea of Misery, a guide to the field hospitals at Gettysburg after the battle, Trimble's leg was amputated at the Samuel A. Cobean Farm just north of Gettysburg on the Carlisle Road. What Laine had picked up on was someone talking about Trimble, perhaps the soldier who had been wounded in the side.
One e-mail correspondent was irate and insisted that Laine's picking up on Trimble's energy was impossible, because Trimble didn't die at the Lady Farm. Trimble did not get command of Major General William Dorsey Pender's Division until after that officer was wounded on July 2, and so was likely with his old division, at the Lady Farm, until then, or off petitioning Lee for the command he finally received. As an officer he would have had access to the Lady farmhouse. Did he leave a psychic imprint there? Perhaps. It is well known in paranormal studies, that one's psychic energy can be imbedded or imprinted on a site without one having to die there.
As well known as Trimble was in Johnson's Division, and especially with two of the three surgeons who had amputated his limb associated with the units bivouacked at the Lady Farm, it is very likely his name would have at least been mentioned there. If so, his men, some of whom he had once commanded, may have inquired about him, especially if they had once served under him. It was not Trimble's energy, but someone he had once commanded that Laine picked up on. (This, as I mentioned before, was edited out of the final cut.)
In addition, no one was more surprised than I when I first saw the program and they talked about G.W. Sandoe being a Confederate soldier and being killed near Cashtown. In reality, Sandoe, who was one of the first soldiers to be killed in the battle, was a Federal and was killed south, not west, of Gettysburg. The mistake is a result of filming in Gettysburg and editing in Hollywood, where there are precious few Gettysburg historians!
The film crew was a highly professional group and spent 2 weeks putting 70 hours of tape "in the can." However, in the editing process things got cut, turned around, and generally re-arranged.
Fortunately, most of the viewers (Travel Channel programs get some 77 million) understood the program for what it was: a program on the mysteries of paranormal phenomena. They also appreciated the good things that resulted from the program: Five never before filmed haunted venues in Gettysburg were brought to light; that Scott Crownover shared with them one of the biggest break-throughs in the field of paranormal research in decades: his technique of taking photographs of spirits in the daylight; that Laine accomplished the incredible feat of correctly identifying (by psychically "talking" to him) Mr. "Culbertson" a local soldier whose name appears in the historical records of the men from Gettysburg who fought in the Civil War; and finally, that Gettysburg remains one huge laboratory for paranormal research and not just an obscure historical event many people (sadly) merely gloss over.
The bottom line is that this was "Mysterious Journeys" on the "Travel Channel "and not the "History Channel." The emphasis therefore was more on the paranormal aspects of the story. Some historical latitude is in order. My philosophy is that whatever gets people interested in the history of Gettysburg and the Civil War is productive.
Mark Nesbitt
Since the Travel Channel's Mysterious Journeys segment on the Ghosts of Gettysburg first aired in October of 2007, I have received a few e-mails that have voiced concerns, and dozens of others that were positive and asked for more information on paranormal investigations, equipment, etc. The concerns seem to be thematic with 1) how, as a historian, I work with our medium, 2) how programs are made for television and, 3) the historical research done for and by our medium.
As to how I work with Investigative Medium Laine Crosby:
One of the complaints was that our Investigative Medium, Laine, "didn't know her history" and I didn't correct her when her history didn't agree with history available on the world wide web.
First and foremost, I never tell Laine anything about the history of the site we are to visit. That would negate any real psychic information received at the site. In most cases, I try to set up classic "double-blind" experiments: I'll choose five or six historic sites, then randomly visit only two or three. That way, even I don't know where we will end up ... so there is no way she can "study-up" on the history of the site and "fake" getting historically correct information. I try never to react to what she comes up with during an investigation- sometimes to the point of not answering her questions and appearing rude. A classic way many well-known psychics get their "other worldly" information is actually by reading the reactions of their audience. If I were to react and "tip off' a psychic/medium when she was wrong historically, it would help her to eliminate what she "receives."
The fact that Laine "messed up" the history by appearing to say that Isaac Trimble had been shot in the side and died in that room is only proof that she hadn't studied about the Lady Farm or Isaac Trimble. But that is not what she said during the actual filming of the segment.
The editing process in television productions:
The production company for the Travel Channel spent two weeks in Gettysburg and shot approximately 70 hours of tape-all for a 45 minute (minus 15 or so minutes of time for commercials) program. It wasn't Isaac Trimble, the Confederate general, with whom Laine was speaking, but the editing done in California made it appear that way. What was edited out of Laine's reading was that after she got the name "Isaac Trimble," who was a relatively famous person who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, she went on to hear that the person with whom she was communicating was NOT Trimble himself, but had been commanded by Trimble, and was from Georgia. At Gettysburg, the man had been shot in the torso. Paranormal investigators must word their questions very carefully. I asked, "Did he die here in this room?" Laine became incredibly sad at that moment and said, "He didn't know he had died." I had committed a grave error in the field of paranormal studies: You never tell the spirit with whom you are communicating that they have died because many are not aware of that fact. That explained the look on Laine's face as she heard the man say, "You mean I'm dead?" (It is indeed a mysterious place, the land of the dead.)
The remarkable thing is that Laine came up with the name "Isaac Trimble," a name she'd never heard before. I remember her struggling with it as the information came to her: "Trem ... Tremble ... " A long pause. She asked, "What is the first name, please?" Another long pause as she listened intently. "Isaac? Isaac Tremble" She listened and that was the name she heard. (All of this was edited out.) I had heard of Isaac Trimble, of course, but didn't connect him with the Lady Farm. Laine also got "Earl." I thought she was saying "Ewell," but she may have been coming up with "Early"- Jubal A. Early, another Confederate officer associated with Ewell's 2nd Corps, and another remarkable psychic "hit" by Laine.
The drawbacks of using the internet for historical research:
The internet has given virtually everyone almost instantaneous access to general facts.
Unfortunately, not all historical sources are available there. After concern was raised about Trimble's psychic "presence" at the Lady Farm, I checked my personal library, compiled over the last 30 years as a writer and researcher and containing much from my 6 years as a National Park Service Ranger/Historian at Gettysburg. I found some interesting things.
According to Trimble's own Civil War Diary (located in the Maryland Historical Society archives and published in the MD Historical Magazine, Vol. XVII in 1922), he was operated on by "Drs McGuire, Black & Hays" (Trimble's quote) on Saturday, July 4. McGuire (Hunter H.) first served as a line officer with the 2nd Virginia, "Stonewall Brigade," then became Stonewall Jackson's surgeon until Jackson's death in May of 1863. During the re-organization of the 2nd Corps, McGuire served as Chief Surgeon for the 2nd Corps under Ewell at Gettysburg. Would he have bivouacked with old friends in the Stonewall Brigade (on the Lady Farm) at Gettysburg, just a few weeks after Jackson's death? I think it very likely.
We know McGuire was already in the vicinity because he visited another of Jackson's former staff members who had been wounded, Henry Kyd Douglas, at a farm on the Hunterstown Road, just a few miles away, on July 3. (I Rode with Stonewall, by H. K. Douglas). McGuire did not operate on Douglas or apparently spend much time with him according to Douglas; just a quick visit, then McGuire moved on.
A second confirmation to Trimble's diary is in McGuire's biography in the Southern Historical Society Papers. It states that McGuire amputated Trimble's leg. Dr. Harvey Black, who was named as one of Trimble's surgeons, was also one of Jackson's surgeons, serving in the 4th Virginia Regiment, Stonewall Brigade, Johnson's Division, which was bivouacked on the Lady Farm. Trimble, having been wounded in 1862, was without a command before Gettysburg. He attached himself to Ewell's Corps on June 28, no doubt re-acquainting himself with his fellow soldiers in the corps. Trimble had commanded a brigade earlier in the war in Ewell's Division and almost got the command of Johnson's Division before Gettysburg. We also know that on the evening of July 1, Trimble claims to have had a very famous contretemps with Ewell about attacking Culp's Hill wherein he threw down his sword and exclaimed that he refused to serve under such an officer, linking Trimble with Ewell/Johnson and Johnson's headquarters at the Lady Farm. Although Trimble was wounded in Pickett's Charge on July 3, would he have requested to be operated on by surgeons he knew and trusted? As a high-ranking officer he, no doubt, would have been accommodated.
According to Gregory Coco in his book, A Vast Sea of Misery, a guide to the field hospitals at Gettysburg after the battle, Trimble's leg was amputated at the Samuel A. Cobean Farm just north of Gettysburg on the Carlisle Road. What Laine had picked up on was someone talking about Trimble, perhaps the soldier who had been wounded in the side.
One e-mail correspondent was irate and insisted that Laine's picking up on Trimble's energy was impossible, because Trimble didn't die at the Lady Farm. Trimble did not get command of Major General William Dorsey Pender's Division until after that officer was wounded on July 2, and so was likely with his old division, at the Lady Farm, until then, or off petitioning Lee for the command he finally received. As an officer he would have had access to the Lady farmhouse. Did he leave a psychic imprint there? Perhaps. It is well known in paranormal studies, that one's psychic energy can be imbedded or imprinted on a site without one having to die there.
As well known as Trimble was in Johnson's Division, and especially with two of the three surgeons who had amputated his limb associated with the units bivouacked at the Lady Farm, it is very likely his name would have at least been mentioned there. If so, his men, some of whom he had once commanded, may have inquired about him, especially if they had once served under him. It was not Trimble's energy, but someone he had once commanded that Laine picked up on. (This, as I mentioned before, was edited out of the final cut.)
In addition, no one was more surprised than I when I first saw the program and they talked about G.W. Sandoe being a Confederate soldier and being killed near Cashtown. In reality, Sandoe, who was one of the first soldiers to be killed in the battle, was a Federal and was killed south, not west, of Gettysburg. The mistake is a result of filming in Gettysburg and editing in Hollywood, where there are precious few Gettysburg historians!
The film crew was a highly professional group and spent 2 weeks putting 70 hours of tape "in the can." However, in the editing process things got cut, turned around, and generally re-arranged.
Fortunately, most of the viewers (Travel Channel programs get some 77 million) understood the program for what it was: a program on the mysteries of paranormal phenomena. They also appreciated the good things that resulted from the program: Five never before filmed haunted venues in Gettysburg were brought to light; that Scott Crownover shared with them one of the biggest break-throughs in the field of paranormal research in decades: his technique of taking photographs of spirits in the daylight; that Laine accomplished the incredible feat of correctly identifying (by psychically "talking" to him) Mr. "Culbertson" a local soldier whose name appears in the historical records of the men from Gettysburg who fought in the Civil War; and finally, that Gettysburg remains one huge laboratory for paranormal research and not just an obscure historical event many people (sadly) merely gloss over.
The bottom line is that this was "Mysterious Journeys" on the "Travel Channel "and not the "History Channel." The emphasis therefore was more on the paranormal aspects of the story. Some historical latitude is in order. My philosophy is that whatever gets people interested in the history of Gettysburg and the Civil War is productive.
Mark Nesbitt
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