Category Archives: Psychics

British Spiritual Medium Derek Acorah Dead at 69

05 Sunday Jan 2020

Posted by in Hoaxes, In the News, Psychics, R.I.P.

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Early today, Derek Acorah’s wife Gwen posted a tribute on FaceBook stating her husband was dead. Born Derek Francis Jason Johnson in 1950, Acorah died after entering a septic coma caused by contracting pneumonia. His death closes a chapter on one of Britain’s controversial psychics.

Nearly 20 years ago, Acorah began using his psychic gifts for entertainment purposes. In 2001, he landed the role of lead medium in a new TV show titled Haunting Truths. The show’s name was changed to Most Haunted the following year. Acorah appeared for 6 series. He was ousted after claims of fakery emerged from some crew members. The members fed Acorah “facts” about some purported spirits. Two were named “Rik Eedles” and “Kreed Kafer.” The names were anagrams for Derek Lies and Derek Faker. Acoroh was swiftly removed from the show.

In the past year, Acorah faced new allegations of deception by contacting families of recently deceased people claiming to be able to speak with the decedents. This violated advertising standards.

Not withstanding the above, Acoroh will probably be remembered as hosting one of the worst TV shows in recent history. In 2009, Acoroh live broadcasted Michael Jackson: The Live Séance, where he attempted to make contact with MJ’s spirit. According to media outlets, it was a car crash of epic proportions in bad taste.

Acorah is survived by his second wife, Gwen, and their two children.

Who Were the Fox Sisters?

10 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by in Famous People, Fox Sisters, Para Scammers, ParaScammers, Psychics, Uncategorized

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Hydesville House

Who Were the Fox Sisters?

The Fox Sisters are sometimes called the originators of Spiritualism in the United States. Here are some facts about the sisters and a quick overview of their lives.

  • Sisters were born in Canada. Family relocated to New York.
  • Margaretta “Maggie” was 14 and Catherine “Kate” was 11 when they began to perform in Hydesville, New York.
  • A rumor started that the sisters were aided by a murdered peddler. This story was never substantiated.
  • On April Fool’s Eve (March 31) in 1848, the sisters performed their unique abilities to a local 33-year-old neighbor. Their mother, Margaret, led the demonstration.
  • Maggie and Kate relocated to Rochester, New York to live with their older sister, Ann Leah Fox Fish.
  • Isaac and Amy Post rented the large public hall for the Fox Sister’s first public demonstration. Four hundred people attended the November 14, 1849 event.
  • Leah joined Maggie and Kate in the performances.
  • The sisters debuted in New York City at Barnum’s Hotel, located at Broadway and Maiden Lane. The hotel was owned by a cousin of P.T. Barnum.
  • Scientific American labeled the sisters “Spiritual Knocker from Rochester.”
  • A big toe demonstration brought their careers to an end. On October 21, 1888, Maggie was paid $1,500 to denounce their abilities. At the New York Academy of Music, she did indeed denounce; however, it was done to embarrass Leah, who was highly critical of Kate’s drinking.
  • Maggie and Kate began with apple dropping to create the knocks. Later, they were able to manipulate their body parts to make noises.
  • Leah died November 1, 1890 at the age of 77.
  • Kate died July 2, 1892 at the age of 55.
  • Maggie died March 8, 1893 at the age of 59.
  • Kate and Maggie are buried together in the Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.
  • In 1904, schoolchildren playing in their Hydesville home discovered bones in the walls. The house was known as the “spook house” by then.
  • In 1909, the bones were ruled a probable hoax.

 

Learn more about phony psychics at Dragon Con 2019!

Update and Clarification: I believe they had psychics gifts, but those gifts were either exploited by others or used for fraudulent gain. Look for my follow-up blog addressing these theories.

Dead Files Confronts a Psychic Vampire

27 Monday Feb 2017

Posted by in Psychics, Reality TV, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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Dead Files Confronts a Psychic Vampire

Amy Allan returned to Florida in Season 8, Episode 10 show titled “It Feeds—Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.” The husband contacted the shows’ producers claiming that he and his family were encountering some strange occurrences. Little did they know, they were in the presence of a psychic vampire.

Spoiler Alert! The following blog discusses some of Amy’s conclusions from the episode.

The new episode revolved around a family whose daughter experienced scratches and the son was possibly bitten. Surprisingly, it took the attack on the 18-year-old son for the father to reach out to Travel Channel’s popular paranormal show. At the “Reveal,” Amy addressed the mother stating that she was a psychic vampire.

Important Note: Psychic vampires are not the ones discussed by Internet conspiracy nutcase Alex Jones. Instead, they are people who physically and/or emotionally exhaust their family and friends. Psychic vampires (psy vamp for short) are also called energy vampires. It is a living person who drains, thus feeds off, the energy of another. The “vampire” sucks the life force from someone else. Often the vampire doesn’t realize she is actually draining the energy from another. A classic trait of the vampire is a self-focused individual who wants to be the focus of attention. She may be depressed, angry, and negative. She thrives on the chaos of constant drama.

In this case, Amy confronted the mother as the psychic vampire and recommended she seek psycho-therapy. The daughter was the unintended “victim” of the attacks. Here, Amy suggested the daughter pursue Reiki, a holistic healing technique from Japan. Time will tell, possibly on Dead Files Revisited, whether the treatments worked.

Characters with Psychic Abilities Mainstreamed on Popular TV Shows

10 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Crimes, Great Britain, Psychics, Reviews, TV Reviews, Uncategorized

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broadchurch

Characters with Psychic Abilities Mainstreamed on Popular TV Shows

British television detective mysteries are known for ensemble casts. The characters are eclectic and diverse representing a large swath of people. It’s quite refreshing to see actors playing “normal” people. Gone are the overly sexy, highly polished and poised characters coming out of Hollywood. When was the last time you saw a female police detective in a pencil skirt and 3-inch heels? Like never. Season one of Broadchurch went a step further by incorporating a psychic into the storyline. It was a positive, nearly honest, representation of a psychic in prime time.

willmellor

Debuting in 2013, Broadchurch is now in its 3rd and final season in the UK. The first season 8-episode run had 7-9 million weekly viewers, which is fantastic. (Fox attempted a US version, Gracepoint, which was cancelled after one season) According to IMDB.com, season/series 1 dealt with “[t]he murder of a young boy in a small coastal town bring[ing] a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.” As with most detective mysteries, nearly everyone in town was a suspect. And one stood awkwardly out: Steve Connelly, portrayed by actor Will Mellor.

“Steve” would have blended into the background and off of the radar of DI Alec Hardy (played by David Tennant—yes, as in “The Doctor”) and Detective Ellie Miller (played by Olivia Colman), except he felt compelled to share his visions with them. His psychic messages add to the colorful dialog (see below). Barring spoilers, you should give this show a chance and see for yourself. It is streaming on Netflix. Psychics have assisted police departments and families seeking answers, closures, and even suspects. It’s time they appear more as characters supporting the investigations.

dialog2

 

 

Because I Believe

01 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in Angels, Blogging, Blogs, Catholic Church, Churches, Extraterrestrial Life, Ghost Hunting, Paranormal, Psychics, Religion, Terminology, The Haunted Librarian, Ufology, UFOs, Uncategorized

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holytrinity2

 

Because I Believe

This past week I was approached and asked how a Christian could write a blog about the paranormal. Simply stated: How can I claim to be a “Christian” when I blog as The Haunted Librarian? Anyone who has read and studied the Bible knows of the vast array of paranormal activities it illustrates.

The “paranormal” is the unknown. According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, the paranormal is an adjective “designating or of psychic or mental phenomena outside the range of normal.” The paranormal is comprised of ghosts, miracles, angels, U.F.O.s, and the like. Anything that cannot be logically or scientifically explained falls into this category.

Initially, I was drawn aback by this question/accusation. My first thought was “What is the ulterior motive?” Unfortunately, I am skeptical about the honesty and intentions related to this question. Why is anyone interested in my blog as it relates to my personal life? However, I decided this would make an excellent topic for a blog posting.

I was stumped as to how this person or any person defines the word “Christian.” Webster’s defines Christian as “a person professing belief in Jesus as the Christ, or in the religion based on the teachings of Jesus.” I am a practicing Episcopalian. The Holy Trinity is a Christian doctrine acknowledging that God appears in three forms: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. See there? That word “ghost” means spirit—as in dead. If you speak to Jesus, who is dead, then you are speaking to a ghost. Moreover, The Holy Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, is God at work in the world, who leads me toward truth in Jesus and is an important part in my life.

The Christian population is large—very large. Worldwide, there are 2.2 billion Christians (http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/religions/christians). There are three main groups within Christianity: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestant. In addition there are three additional ecclesiastical blocs. In total, there are over 33,000 denominations. Yes, recent statistics state over thirty-three thousand denominations. That’s a lot of people with a lot of beliefs!

My blog is one avenue I use as a personal release to share my feelings toward experiences that are not “of this world,” and this includes spirits, angels, and also some topics that are based on assessing the experiences that others share. Some of this material that may not fall into what everyone considers the “angel” category. Furthermore, a lot of my writing focuses on exposing people who exploit the vulnerability of one’s spirit. As my sub-heading states: I research, investigate, and write about all things paranormal. If you don’t like it, don’t follow my blog. If you want to use my blog to judge me, then you are severely misinformed and misguided. You are not my judge—only God is.

Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone. (John 8.7)

A Genuine Amy Allan

24 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Animals, Famous People, In the News, Pets, Psychics, Reality TV, Scarefest

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Amy Allan

Amy Allan & Bella at Scarefest.

A Genuine Amy Allan

Amy Allan stood nervously in front of the 100+ people at Scarefest and was amazed. She was utterly surprised that all of these people wanted to listen to her. She was very popular and her Q & A quite informative.

Amy Allan is the psychic medium star of Travel Channel’s Dead Files. Together with retired police detective Steve DiSchiavi, Amy tours predominately residential houses helping the occupants understand the possible paranormal events occurring. The show is very popular.

Amy Allan comes from a lineage of psychics. Though Amy admits to difficult teen years, she eventually embraced her gifts and studied under Dr. William Roll. Early in her career, Amy apprenticed with Dr. Roll in the Haunting in Georgia case.

Initially approached in 2003, Amy declined an offer for the TV show because of contractual obligations with CBS. However, things changed by 2007 and Amy agreed to join the show…but on her terms. Amy works within a scientific background and demands certain methodology to ensure that the cases are not compromised. She is adamant that the rules be followed so that the results and data are not faulty—basically to preserve integrity.

Walk-through investigations take between 3-6 hours. They are physically draining. Afterwards, Amy meditates, orders a lot of food to help with grounding, takes a bath with oils and salts, and then she sleeps—a lot. Psychic work is tough on the mind and the body.

Amy travels “with a lot of dead people” who surround her and protect her during the walks. Amy calls her spirit guides “amazing,” stating “They have my back.”

Prior to arriving at a location, Amy conducts a partial opening. Understandably, the walk-throughs are edited and pared down.

Some additional factoids:

  • Ex-husband Matt removes the personal items; however, it takes 3-4 people to reassemble the house.
  • Amy travels 26 days a month, 8 months a year.
  • Amy agrees with most of the sketches; however, she prefers to work with a police sketch artist.
  • The sketches take between 3-4 hours to create with the longest taking 9 hours.
  • Amy thought the sketch from the Alaska investigation was a practical joke by the crew.
  • Amy has encountered dead family pets, as well as a cow.
  • Amy is working on 2 books.

Amy continued the Q & A session by telling the crowd the importance for the living to release the dead, especially children. Amy educates the attendees. Dead Files incorporates skeptics with a psychic medium supported by research. The most important aspect is to isolate the medium from the researcher. This eliminates contamination. Despite Internet gossip, Amy does use paranormal equipment. She would like to see it used more in scientifically controlled environments. Amy encourages paranormal groups to do more than use the tools; incorporate them into longer research endeavors.

Amy Allan was genuine and entertaining. Asked whether Dead Files was renewed for another season, Amy merely smiled. Wink. Wink.

Chip Coffey Is Not the Western Union for the Dead

16 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Famous People, Live Paranormal, Psychics, Scarefest

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Chip Coffey

Chip Coffey

Chip Coffey Is Not the Western Union for the Dead

The self-proclaimed “Southern, gay, Catholic, psychic,” Chip Coffey spoke before a lively audience at Scarefest 2014. His personal disclosure of the day: Aliens scare the shit out of him!

Coffey answered questions prior to his Gallery reading. At an early age, Chip could predict when and who was telephoning his house, describing himself as “an early form of caller ID.” He was in his early 40s when he discovered his mediumship abilities. Raised Catholic, Coffey loves the Catholic faith but not the Church stating, “Religion screws up so much.” He abides by two principles: 1) Do not intentionally harm yourself or others, including animals, and 2) Find what makes you happy. And Chip does. He is part comic, part medium. His stories are peppered with humor and swear words. Although he claims he drops the F-bomb most, he really prefers the word “bitch.” That’s how he rolls.

Chip helped redefined the paranormal. According to Chip, something is paranormal if 1) you don’t understand it, 2) you cannot explain it, and 3) you cannot deny it. Basically, if “the shit got real,” then it’s paranormal.

With a background in counseling, Chip considers himself a spiritual counselor, often providing life coaching in his readings. He believes in past lives. He does not do readings on himself or for people close to him. Although communication with animals is not his skill set, he does believe that animals have souls. He frequently auctions the scarf he wears at conferences with the proceeds going to an animal rights organization.

Chip controls the inter-dimensional communication by establishing parameters. He is not the Western Union for the dead. Chip unites people with the dead just on his terms.

Chip Coffey--Live Paranormal

Chip Coffey–Live Paranormal