ARE ARTISTS NATURALLY PSYCHIC?

What is it about the artistic mind that seems to allow the remote and intangible to filter through channels in our reality? Is it possible that individuals who are gifted in the arts tend to be more spiritual and—psychically attuned?

Individuals in the arts, seem to be at least mildly “in touch” with spiritual essences that are not immediately made available to the average person. But is this really a gift that many artists seem to have, or is it just the result of creative aspects working with the minds of certain personalities creating the sometimes-convincing impression of being gifted with special abilities?
There have been studies linking musical abilities with increased success in various other cognitive activities and theories regarding level of artistic or musical ability in relation to extra-sensory gifts. 

What constitutes “psychic” ability could stem from a general physical sensitivity a minority of individuals may possess naturally or have developed over time. Creative people separate themselves from the "crowd" and are often quite alone in their endeavors to express their work.  There is a meditative quality in the process of creating and when an artist, musician or writer are working they go into their own "zone".  

One of my illustrations for a opera singer client of mine for her program.

The processes used for obtaining psychic abilities are most often spiritual in nature, and thus things that, arguably, more artists, musicians, and generally creative people will gravitate toward.
Many times they report an almost out-of-body experience: where time, environment and hunger are not important and a spiritual connection to the invisible Universal Intelligence takes hold-there is only the musical score, the painting, the sculpture or the manuscript that is important and all consuming. 

I know of this creative process first hand. As a person who wanted to be artist since she could hold a pencil, art has been my life. 
One does not seem to have a choice. The creative fire takes hold of you at an early age and will not relinquish its hold on you. Inspiration takes over almost possessively and you must complete the work. I also personally have experienced psychic "abilities" of ESP/telepathy, precognition, and emphatic feelings all my life that I didn't think was anything special. I believed my extremely sensitive nature and temperament just went along with the territory of being an artist. I know different now. After writing my book, Estate of Horror, that has just been published, I have and even now confronting such unbelievable paranormal occurrences I never dreamed could be possible. So did my artistic nature attract the supernatural or did it come looking for me? 

When you ask an artist," is that your job?" we can only smile and say," its not a job, it's what I AM, its my life!"  Artists don't retire from their art. It's like air to us. I will stop being an artist when I stop breathing. They will have to pry the paint brush out of my cold, dead hand when I die! 
We can only hope our art work has left a meaningful legacy.
                   

In the case of the musical prodigy Mozart, who played the piano in public at the age of 4, composed his first sonata at age 6 and at the age of 14 had his first opera performed in front of the Austrian King. He was prolific in his short life (died at age 35) and produced 600 works:sonatas, symphonies, masses, concertos and operas, marked by vivid emotion and sophisticated textures.
Mozart spoke about the ability to tap into a higher source beyond the normal bounds of our world and receive the "Heavenly" music in its entire composition. Indeed, when historians research his written compositions they notice there are no mistakes or reworking of his musical notes. He wrote down the music flawlessly as almost it being dictated to him directly from a supernatural, creative force. 

I can't help but think this can compare with regard to those people with psychic gifts who “hear” information from unseen sources. 

Who can forget to include one of the greatest painters, inventors and the ultimate  Renaissance man-Leonardo da Vinci. At the age of 14 he began apprenticing with the artist Verrocchio. At 17 da Vinci worked on the religious painting, "The Baptism of Christ" which included an angel that his teacher Verocchio would paint and one by Leonardo. He promptly out-painted his teacher by producing an angel of such superior quality and of such an "other worldly", ethereal nature that master Verocchio threw down his paint brush and vowed never to paint again!  

Look at the exquisite angel to the far left that da Vinci painted compared to the "bored looking" angel his teacher Verocchio painted.

For six years, he learned a wide breadth of technical skills, including metalworking, leather arts, carpentry, drawing and sculpting. By the age of 20, he had qualified as a master artist in the Guild of Saint Luke and established his own workshop. Later he would produce some of the most ingenious inventions that were 500 year ahead of his time! What prophetic, psychic force was he tapping into?

In the end, perhaps it’s really just a case of which came first: the psychic chicken, or the cosmic egg itself, which holds the answer to riddles such as psychic phenomenon in the first place. Without one, we may not be able to fully understand the other; whether people with innate psychic abilities gravitate toward the arts, or study of the arts themselves are the impetus behind such talents, we may not be capable of discerning… for now, at least.

PARANORMAL PORTALS

Paranormal Portals -Is there one in your house?

Last week I wrote a blog about mirrors and the possible psychic phenomena associated with them. Apart from mirrors, portals are thought to exist in areas of entry/exit within the physical realm. For example, places such as doorways, windows and even cupboards/wardrobes are potentially portal areas.

What exactly are Spirit Portals?

Spirit portals are not a new concept and have been around for centuries. At their most basic level, they are thought to be a form of entrance and exit point for spiritual energy and other dimensions. 
While visiting the Navajo Nation on an anthropology tour with the Smithsonian Institute in the 1970's, I along with the others were fascinated when an elder of the tribe told us of their creation story/belief: that they came out of the Grand Canyon from a portal lead by divine beings who then showed them how to live on this earthly plane.

Recently this has been confirmed as something of a historic possibility. Recently on the TV show, "America Unearthed" it was reported that ancient caves had been discovered by an amateur explorer in the late 1920's holding a vast treasure, usual artifacts and even an Egyptian type pyramid. These caves were later excavated by the Smithsonian Institute (it was reported in the local newspapers a the time) but now that institute will not acknowledge any existence of this discovery and the objects they have stored. These caves are impossible to reach as they are in a remote and dangerous part of the canyon and the air space above that area is restricted by the U.S. government. So if there are pyramids, secret caves and even a portal to extra dimensions, it will be impossible at this time to further investigate. But talk to the elder of the Navajo nation and he will confirm that all this is true.

People who have allegedly seen a portal describe them as being similar to a whirl-wind or alternatively, an elongated swirling shape. I have first hand seen a more misty, opaque form where I was told I had portals in my house. More about this experience in a later blog.

Below are some of the characteristics of a portal:
*A portal is thought to be a hole or window in the energy fields that surround the spiritual realms/dimensions. Energy beings such as spirits can slip through these openings into the physical plane.

*Negative spirits frequently come through portals. This is believed to happen because the astral layer closest to the physical plane is an area where negative energy and entities reside. When a window opens up therefore, it’s more likely for negative energy to pass through first.*Most portals are believed to be a two way pathway for both entering and leaving the physical level.

*Very high levels of paranormal activity are claimed to be found near portals.


*Many believe that portals are found all over the world and there may even be certain hot spots.
Examples: Grand Canyon- Arizona, the Great Pyramid- Egypt and Delphi- Greece.

*Many believe that not only spiritual beings can use portals, but also beings/aliens from other dimensions.  

There are places in Bolivia where the remains of a built archway and Peru where a carved doorway into the  Incas mountains that are still worshiped by their shamans as "Doorways to Heaven". Their oral traditions, similar to the Mayans, Aztecs, and our own Navajo and Hopi tribes in the American Southwest, tell of "sky beings" as their honored brothers who taught them advancements in building, astronomy and medicine.

It is thought that there are special, but very rare, portals that are completely positive. No lower astral or dimensional beings can enter these unless they are spiritually advanced.Some psychics and those who are developing their spirituality, claim that not only can they sense portals, but they can also close and open them up.It is thought by many that portals and vortex are the same thing. However many psychics and investigators believe they are different. That a vortex is simply a pure band of energy, neither negative nor positive and is not a doorway. It can however, be used for meditation and other spiritual work.

It has been claimed that portals have been captured on film, usually photographs, but not all psychics and paranormal investigators believe that portals exist. Perhaps the ancient peoples of past cultures knew things that we can only imagine. In legends, there is often some truth to be discovered.

REFLECTIONS: PARANORMAL PHENOMENA AND MIRRORS

Mirror, Mirror on-the-wall....

Ever since human beings became aware of their own image, there has been fascination and fear of reflective surfaces. Folklore and legend have hundreds of stories relating to magic and haunted mirrors. History is filled with mirror superstitions, myths, urban legends, and bits of folklore that reflect the deeply rooted fears, beliefs, and hopes of different cultures and historical periods.

One of the most famous legends in Greek mythology was of Argus the hundred-eyed giant to the Gorgons whose faces would turn a beholder into stone. Greek mythology has stories that are told through the eyes. It's no surprise then that mirrored images play a prominent role in some of the most famous Greek myths involving their gods and heroes.
The best-known example is that of the beautiful Narcissus, who fell in love with his own water-reflected image.

But it was Perseus who made the cleverest use of a reflection: in combat with the Gorgon Medusa, Perseus watched her reflection in his polished shield and thereby cut off her head without becoming a statue.

And what child in western culture hasn't heard the fairy tale of the trials of poor Snow White, tormented by her narcissistic and cruel step- mother, who got her daily dose of being told- she's "the the fairest of them all" -by her equally sinister, enchanted mirror.

Here are a few of the beliefs about mirrors that have been around for hundreds of years:

*Mirrors have the ability to suck out souls. To avoid this happening mirrors were removed from a room where an ill or dying person lay. 
*When a person died in a room the mirrors had to be covered or turned to face the wall. Failure to do so would result in the deceased person's soul being lost.
This was something my Italian grandmother told me they would do in the old country.

*People were warned never to look into a mirror at night or by candle light. If you did, you would be certain to see ghosts, demons and portents of death - even your own!
*Mirrors with a solid backing placed in the same position for a long period of time, are thought to be more likely to become spiritual portals.

So what kind of experiences have people had with mirrors?

There are hundreds of documented cases of haunted mirrors and they tend to have similar characteristics. People have reported paranormal experiences when:

*An old mirror brought into the home from somewhere else.
(I know someone that this very thing happened. She was given an an antique mirror as a gift and has had some very significant paranormal experiences going on in her house with the seemingly ghost of a little girl attached to the mirror). She has taken the mirror up to her attic and covered it. She is in a quandary. Does she sell or get rid of it? She doesn't want anyone else to be haunted.

                                            (Artistic recreation)

*People, when moving into a new home, have had problems with mirrors left behind by the previous occupants.
*People have reported paranormal activity with their mirrors after using a Ouija board can also create portals. Mirrors nearby are often claimed to be the origin of the portal after a Ouija board session.

The most common manifestation is the formation of images of people/entities other than the people occupying the room. However, it should be remembered that natural distortions and curious light effects can create a number of bizarre effects. Added to this is the brain's phenomenal ability to create meaningful shapes and faces out of random patterns.

                                            (Artistic recreation)

But despite this, many of the reported cases of haunted mirrors were witnessed by more than one person at different times of the day, in various lighting conditions. Therefore, these cases may possibly rule out natural causes. Added to this, other forms of paranormal manifestations developed in addition to that connected with the mirror involved.


On a ending note the belief that saying "Bloody Mary", repeatedly in front of a mirror will summon a murderous female spirit, is probably the most persistent of contemporary urban legends. I haven't tried it as I prefer to drink Bloody Marys rather than recite them! 

*Next week more on mirrors as portals with spirits and the negative effects.

BEING HAUNTED WRITING "ESTATE OF HORROR"

When I first entertained the idea of writing a book, urged by my friends and family members after hearing of the unusual events and happenings at the estate of my deceased friend , I had no intention of writing it myself. I felt if I provided the story and the materials, even possibly be interviewed, then someone else could do a better job. Having no formal experience other than a creative writing classes in high school and a one-act play I wrote for a college assignment, ironically about a revengeful ghost, I was on the learning curve. 

But, after experiencing the horrific ordeal with the paranormal at my friend’s home, I knew I had to record these extraordinary haunted experiences other than a daily diary.  My son, and I along with other witnesses saw and heard (on our captured audio and visual equipment), extreme poltergeist activity, cold spots, black and gold orbs, an apparition, objects appearing and disappearing, non-human voices and endured physical attacks. I knew if I didn't write my book I'd regret it for the rest of my life. Even now, with the publishing of my debut book, Estate of Horror, (the terrifying telling of my real-life encounters with ghosts after becoming the Executrix of a dear deceased friend’s estate in 2009), I don’t regularly think of myself as an author. As my background is of a professional artist for the last 47 years, my art work has always been my visual method of telling a story.

My original pastel on paper  "Spirit Warrior"

Not thinking myself as an author? This may seem strange coming from someone who is has scored a literary agent, Laurie Hawkins of Collage Literary, who has been a real rock of support and always held an unwavering belief in me. Laurie signed me to a contract in summer of 2011. This was a brave act for her as she has since been the recipient of some very strange paranormal activity since taking on my project. (nothing like having your client's manuscript being printed out and the machine spits out a metal clamp over your head and across the room!)

Even with the crazy background of the recent haunting I had just experienced, I never expected to be haunted the whole time writing my manuscript.  My anthropologist friend left me many items in his will, which I  stored in my basement. This turned out to be a very bad decision. Someone or something transferred to my house and was now acting up with major poltergeist activity. My once safe haven, where I spent years as a single parent raising my son, where I worked in my home art studio, enduring economic and personal hardship, caring for 2 critically ill parents, and proudly handling  it all, was now a battle ground for spirits. 

Actual images of a Shadow Man on our front door taken July 6, 2012 while filming our book trailer. http://youtu.be/kA2_q6GWJjQ

The psychological and physical toll on me and my family have been enormous. We have gotten used to living a paranormal life everyday but it's not easy. You never get used to looking over your shoulder or being scratched while taking a bath or think you've seen a shadow floating on the ceiling or wall while watching TV or hearing a horrible growl or the door rattle to your basement. Even the sudden bouts of nausea and stabbing pains (psychic) in the stomach while moving boxes in the basement did not deter me. I felt that the best defensive was an offense!  I decided that others needed to know what happened to me, and the ghosts needed to be put in their place. This was MY home and they were not going to frighten me away!

So specters beware. My story will be told!  It's published. It's up for sale! Readers-leave your lights on!

UPDATE! 5 STAR REVIEWS! Read this book and find out why people can't put it down or won't read it before going to bed!

Amazon http://amzn.to/1drPw49
Kindle http://amzn.to/1hMElnz
https://www.createspace.com/4480712
Please stop by my website: www.estateofhorror.com

My agent told me before we started that today authors have to very pro-active in marketing themselves and her advice and my efforts have paid off. I have met such wonderful and supportive people on Facebook, Twitter, Linked in, thoughtful responses to my 47 blogs (with over 11,300 page views) and made some great and lasting connections to thousands of paranormal communities.

I have been interviewed on many paranormal radio shows including: 
PZTV’s Do You Believe with Norene Balovich (Aug 2012), 
PSI FI Radio with S.J. Wells (Oct 2012),  
Joint interview renown author, lecturer and minister Bill Bean (and now a dear friend) on KGRA/Project White Paper with Chase Kloetzke (April 2013), 
Just Say’in with Mary Gasparo of PEN network (June 2013).

INTERVIEWS- 2014

Previously in March 10th, I was on Jim Harold's Paranormal Podcast  www.jimharold.com

I did 3 radio shows in a row!

March 27 Did a joint radio interview with renown paranormal author, minister and international media personality, Bill Bean on "Looking into the Unknown" for ztalkradio.com

March 28th-Interview with David Allen Kirch for his premiere "Night Terrors" radio show. www.donaldallenkirch.com

March 29th-Interview with Carol and Pat hosts of The Fringe Radio Show on KTKK AM630 out of Salt Lake City.

www.thefringeradioshow.com

April 30th- I was on  Darkness Radio NEWS TALK RADIO AM1130 with internationally known radio host David Schrader. www.darknessradio.com

May 5th-Interview on  Beyond the Edge of Reality with Radio Host Evans Jensen. 8 PM EDT/ 5 PM  PDT  

Beyond The Edge Of Reality

www.beyondthedgeofreality.com

I interviewed  May 16th -10 PM EST Friday with Brett Watson for his Beyond Paranormal radio show in Australia! They go by PST so it's 7 PM for them.Great show and he was a delightful host!

Interview with Norene Balovitch for May 18th @9 PM Sunday night via SKYPE on her show "Do You Believe."

This video from that Sunday night's show "Do You Believe" has gone viral!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJWimc9-1qE&feature=share

Shortly after the show aired, Norene contacted me and told me listeners of the show were hearing many EVPS- talking over me when I was being interviewed . The chat room was filled with posts written in the German language! She sent a draft of some of the EVPs and what they said and we were horrified! There was direct spectral interaction with our whole conversation during the show.
My son Chris spent 2 hours yesterday listening and transcribing the show. He put his cell phone up to his ear and listened to the show that way to make out the words. He wrote down 70 EVP's!!! He was physically and mentally drained after doing this!

He did not know what the other person had copied down. His EVPs match some of hers!  Norene sent me this morning some of the translations of the German chat room feed and it relates to what listeners heard. There was a man and woman with German accents  who were talking over me. They were saying horrific things about the Holocaust and so much of the  foul language was threats directed at me. I was warned not to publish this book! Guess what ghosts? Heads up!  I'm writing the sequel!
Now you know why I'm called the haunted author!
June 12  Interview with The Farside Podcast with Bob Bain for his show to be prerecorded between 9 AM - 3 PM CST

July 24 with Royce Holleman radio show interview for 2 hours  at 2pm - 4 pm EDT

July 28th -Monday  at 9 PM with Sherri Emily for her radio show WLOR Life Omni Radio that is broadcast world wide!

My story isn't over as my haunted journey continues and I am now writing a terrifying sequel. Please stay a fan and join me on my unique ride of living a spirited life. You won't be disappointed! 

BIRTH OF SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY

As a photographic restoration artist for over 35 years and dealing with thousands of images, I have come across my fair share of torn, moldy, faded, damaged old photos and have had some very bizarre requests for photo projects.
With knowledge of restoration comes a understanding of the techniques, materials and learning the age of the photos I've had in  in my possession for a short time. Some times I've been able to clear up are family mysteries; like the time I had a client not understanding why a group photo of her father, grandfather and great-grandfather could be in the same picture together with different period of suits on them. "How could they be wearing such different and outdated outfits if the photo was taken at the same time?" she asked me.
"That's because the group photo wasn't taken at the same time," was my reply. 
Very simply, I explained, the photographer had 3 different photos of the men (through the different eras spanning 40 years) and superimposed or made a vignette of them together as a group, making them appear the same size and same sepia tone to match and unify the composition. In fact, I pointed out the remains of a background near her grandfather's leg with a pedestal that didn't belong there (that the photographer missed cropping out).

She was surprised that photographers years ago (the birth of photography dates to the early 1840's) had the ability to do that and indeed they had great talent and abilities with the materials and methods (some lost to the ages) at their disposal and some adopted clever tricks with their equipment to gain success and fame. One of the most popular of them was Spirit Photography which has a strong history dating back to the late 19th century.

What is Spirit Photography?
It is a type of photography whose primary attempt is to capture images of ghosts and other spiritual entities, especially in ghost hunting using the current camera equipment of the time.

Spirit photography was first used by William H. Mumler in the 1860s.  Mumler discovered the technique by accident, after he discovered a second person in a photograph he took of himself, which he found was actually a double exposure. Seeing there was a market for it, Mumler started working as a medium, taking people's pictures and doctoring the negatives to add lost loved ones into them (mostly using other photographs as basis).
One of Mumler's most famous images, purportedly showing Mary Todd Lincoln with the ghost of her husband, Abraham Lincoln.

In my artist's opinion Lincoln looks to be more of an artist's charcoal drawing rendered onto the background after the first image of Mrs. Lincoln was taken.The high quality cotton rag paper used at the time for photographing images would lend itself a perfectly surface to the medium of charcoal and the whites of the hands could be another person's hands-double exposed or sketched with white pencil or chalk. Mumler's fraud was discovered after he put identifiable living Boston residents in the photos as spirits. Not a very smart thing to do!

Other spirit photographers also started to sell their "other worldly" photographs. A later spirit photographer was Fred A. Hudson, who took many spirit photographs for spiritualists in 1872. Through the 1880s into the early 20th century spirit photography remained popular, with notable proponents such as Arthur Conan Doyle (famed author and creator of Sherlock Homes) and William Crookes.William Stainton Moses, another spiritualist, claimed that spirit photography operated by means of a fluid substance called ectoplasm, in which the spirits take form.

One of the later spirit photographers was William Hope (1863–1933).

An early photo by William Hope pro-portly showing a spirit forming out of ectoplasm or he's having a really bad hair day!.

A psychical researcher Harry Price revealed that the photographs of Hope were frauds. Price secretly marked Hope's photographic plates, and provided him with a packet of additional plates that had been covertly etched with the brand image of the Imperial Dry Plate Co. Ltd. in the knowledge that the logo would be transferred to any images created with them. Unaware that Price had tampered with his supplies, Hope then attempted to produce a number of Spirit photographs. Although Hope produced several images of spirits, none of his materials contained the Imperial Dry Plate Co. Ltd logo, or the marks that Price had put on Hope's original equipment, showing that he had exchanged prepared materials containing fake spirit images for the provided materials.

This image shows two Welsh mediums sitting for a photo in 1920 with the image of their deceased grandmother above them – or supposedly so. (poor man, looks like he could suffocate.) The mediums claimed that it is the only image of their grandmother there was. Hope is likely to have just superimposed a photograph of the woman over theirs to create the illusion.

Another example we see the eerie appearance of an ethereal woman's face to the right of the man, a ghost said to be the man's deceased first wife. Many believe Hope either already had a picture of the woman or asked the man for a picture to help him contact her in the 'ether-world' of the spirits.
William Hope continued his work all his life but had another major denunciation in 1932 when Fred Barlow, a former supporter, gave a speech to the Society for Psychical Research, concluding that he was fraudulently placing other images over the people seated in his photographs. Hope died in 1933, so it is hard to say if this had any effect on his reputation at the time.

Here we have a group in the middle of a seance, taken in about 1920. It's spooky effect makes it look like the table is levitating, though the most likely scenario is that the image of a mystical arm has been double exposed onto the picture.

In his book Fifty Years of Psychical Research, Price listed many spirit photographers who had been exposed as frauds. Price who had spent most of his life studying psychical phenomena wrote that "There is no good evidence that a spirit photograph has ever been produced." Which is also the view of most psychical researchers today, but research in this field is being taken very seriously by members of the paranormal a community and likely to advance to unexpected discoveries with the advent of new equipment and techniques.

Who knows? Perhaps William Mumler,William Hope and the others really did find that there is more to life than we can see with the naked eye! Although unlikely, they did a good job in the days before digital photography to conjure up "ghosts"!

CAN PAINTINGS BE HAUNTED?

Haunted house stories abound, but tales of haunted paintings are far less common. It seems most ghosts prefer spacious mansions and sprawling cemeteries to the limited space found in a framed portrait or painting. However, not all ghosts limit themselves to traditional haunting grounds. Here are four haunted paintings and the paranormal activity that made them famous.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - this is one of the earliest writings(classic) that deal with a haunted painting. The book tells the story of a beautiful, innocent young man's seduction, moral corruption, and eventual downfall. When painter Basil Hallward and his close friend, Lord Henry Wotton, are discussing the subject of Basil's newest painting, a gorgeous young thing named Dorian Gray. Basil and Henry discuss just how perfectly perfect Dorian is – he's totally innocent and completely good, as well as being the most beautiful guy ever to walk the earth. Lord Henry wants to meet this mysterious boy, but Basil doesn't want him to; for some reason, he's afraid of what will happen to Dorian if Lord Henry digs his claws into him. However, Lord Henry gets his wish – Dorian shows up that very afternoon, and, over the course of the day, Henry manages to totally change Dorian's perspective on the world. From that point on, Dorian's previously innocent point of view is dramatically different – he begins to see life as Lord Henry does, as a succession of pleasures in which questions of good and evil are irrelevant. 
     As the years progress Dorian lives a hedonistic life that includes the cruel breakup of his engagement to Sybil Vane, a young, beautiful and talented actress which results in her suicide, the later murders of the painter, Basil and Sybil's brother, the painting that is now hidden but documents this turn for the worst is the portrait, which alarmingly begins to exhibit the inward corruption of Dorian's soul; the beautiful image changes, revealing new scars and physical flaws with each of Dorian's dastardly actions. 
     As years pass, the man in the picture grows more and more hideous, as Dorian himself stays unnaturally young and beautiful. 

Dorian decides to destroy the picture, the visible evidence of his dreadful crimes, and the closest thing to a conscience he has. Dorian slashes at the painting with the same knife that killed Basil, trying to destroy the work as he did the artist.
      A terrible cry alerts the servants and they go upstairs to check it out, and are horrified by what they find: a portrait of their master, as beautiful as ever, hangs on the wall, and a mysterious, grotesquely hideous dead man is lying on the floor with a knife in his heart. Upon close examination, the rings on the dead man's hand identify him as Dorian Gray!

Notice the Egyptian Cat that was suppose to have granted Dorian's wish to remain young forever

The film was shot in black and white but views of the painting were shown in color. For the final view of Dorian’s decayed portrait he commissioned the hyper-real artist Ivan Albright (1897–1983) whose shockingly grotesque picture (below) provides a memorable climax to the film. That painting now resides in the Art Institute of Chicago

MORE UP TO DATE HAUNTED PAINTINGS:
Portrait of Bernardo de Galvez

A number of spirits reportedly haunt The Hotel Galvez in Galveston, TX. However, the stories surrounding the portrait of Bernardo de Galvez are some of the most chilling.

Born in 1746, Bernardo de Galvez was a Spanish military leader who aided the American colonies during the Revolutionary War. Bernando, who died in 1786, is also Galveston’s namesake.

A portrait of Bernando de Galvez hangs at the end of a downstairs hallway at Hotel Galvez. Legend has it the portrait’s painted eyes follow guests as they walk by. People who approach the painting often feel chilled or uneasy. The portrait’s haunted reputation naturally appeals to tourists who try to photograph the painting. However, it seems guests can’t get a clear photo unless they ask Bernando for permission. A paranormal investigation team snapped a picture of the infamous portrait, but the photo was marred by a skeletal image. Perhaps they forgot to ask the long-dead Bernando for his consent to be photographed?


“The Hands Resist Him,”
a.k.a. the “eBay Haunted Painting” is one of the world’s most haunted works of art by Bill Stoneham. The painting features a boy and creepy doll standing in front of a glass paneled door. 

Stoneham created the painting in 1972, and The Godfather actor John Marley purchased it a few years later. A couple in California eventually acquired the painting and put on eBay in February 2000. Though the painting is creepy, the story behind it is even more so.

According to the couple, the figures in the painting moved around at night and even left the canvas altogether. However, the boy and doll didn’t simply disappear from view. They entered the room in which the painting was displayed. It seems the artwork’s curse didn’t just affect the owners. People who viewed the painting online reported feeling sick and faint. Some people claimed their children ran away screaming after seeing “The Hands Resist Him,” while others claimed to be gripped by an unseen entity. One person tried to print a downloaded image of the painting, but their brand new printer refused to cooperate.

An art gallery in Grand Rapids, MI purchased the painting for just over $1,000 and eventually tracked down Bill Stoneham. The artist was surprised by the haunting stories, but did note that the gallery owner who displayed the “The Hands Resist Him,” and the art critic who reviewed it, both died within a year of viewing the painting. Stoneham has since painted two sequel works, “Resistance at the Threshold” and “Threshold of Revolution.”
BBC, Wikipedia


The Anguished Man -Artist Unknown

In 2010, a man named Sean Robinson reported strange activity in his home. Sean blamed the eerie events on a painting known as “The Anguished Man” and set up a camera to share the paranormal activity with viewers.

According to Robinson, his grandmother originally owned the painting and believed it was cursed. She told Sean she saw dark figures near the painting and heard moans and cries in the night. She also claimed the artist had committed suicide after finishing “The Anguished Man” and that he had mixed his own blood with the paint. Sean inherited the painting after his grandmother’s death and experienced the strange events for himself. Videos Robinson uploaded to YouTube show slamming doors, rising smoke, EVPs and the painting falling from a wall. 
Many viewers, however, are far from impressed. Robinson uploaded the last video on December 15, 2011. 
Did the activity die down or was it all just a hoax? You decide?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e61Uy4utv-4

Reflections of an artist

As an artist myself I deal with the wonderful creative and tactile aspect of putting paint to canvas, or pencil to paper to illustrate or convey my emotional approach to a subject I decide is worth further exploration perhaps in a way other people may never seen before. The process is a mysterious one of putting yourself into a "zone" of creative burning fire that takes over you as you loose track of time, loss of appetite and the desire to eat and even wearing the same old paint splattered clothes with no thought of fashion. People look everyday at the world and all the things around them- but do they really see. 

Portraits are a powerful statement even if you don't know the person. Their spirits could still be attached to this great moment of triumph of recognition. They are frozen in time and for all history. Think of a self portrait by van Gogh, or by Rembrandt, or the Mona Lisa. We view them even today and feel a powerful even visceral connection to their lives.Who are we to think that the artist, the environment and gift of creative energy bringing an emotional psychic connection between artist and the subject share- just dissipates after the commission? Perhaps not. Creative energy can never be destroyed; it continues it's journey in the Universe looking for it's next Muse!

                                 

CAN SPIRIT ATTACHMENT BECOME MALEVOLENT?

Last week my blog on Spirit Attachment generated a lot of interest among my readers and some the questions I received were very interesting and from a reader's first hand experience.
Several of the more fascinating questions dealt with how people can be "haunted" and not just a place being "haunted", how long could a spirit attachment last and if a newly deceased person can possibly inhabit the body of one of its own family members.

As written about in last week's blog, an attached spirit is when an earthbound spirit is attracted to a living person and then begins to "hang out" with the living person.  After a while, the spirit finds that they become emotionally attached.  Often the spirit will feel safe or even complacent about being with the person. In most cases attached spirits don't have any ill-will and they don't mean to harm the person.

"Does Spirit Possession really happen?" 

My first contributor to the discussion on last week's blog, a long time paranormal researcher, who indeed confirmed that he and his team explore cases that are brought to their attention, of "haunted people" Their goal is to try helping them to identify this phenomena of either suffering either partial of full possession. They believe that they have found a far more higher ratio of personal haunting than haunted places; like abandoned schools, hospitals, and state penitentiaries. So, it does seem to happen.

In most cases the person won't even know that there's any spirit attachment.  Generally speaking, life is pretty normal.  But when a situation or event happens that triggers or annoys the attached spirit, it's as if something seems to "take over".

Such seemed to be the situation with our second contributor to the discussion as she has felt that there has been spirit attachment and its been going on all her life. She couldn't be specific when originally started to happen but she can sense something not quite right with her and her surroundings at different times.

On a more personal level, my son Chris was  directly affected at times when we were cleaning out my deceased friend's estate, The real Estate of Horror. We were not aware of it at the time, as we were very naive about paranormal situations, but he would  have terrible bouts of nausea and stomach upset at the house-some times running to the bathroom just in time or running outside and vomit. He would sense something almost stabbing him in the stomach with pain. He would feel better once we left the house for the day, but we experienced a spirit attachment to him several times when we were on our way home in the car and then at our house. You'll have to read this in my book to find out what happened.
www.estateofhorror.com

What is a Spirit Possession?
A spirit possession is when a spirit is able to either temporarily or permanently take over the thinking and/or body functions of a living person. They will have the feeling that when the spirit possession happens there's a feeling like, "it wasn't me doing it."   And effectively it's not.  

This question of spirit possession came up of a family member being possessed by another family member from a third contributor to our blog discussion, who shared with us his recent tragedy of the sudden death of a loved one. His girlfriend who had passed also had a twin sister. This twin is acting so much like his late girlfriend it spooked him. He asked, "Is it possible that the life energy from both sisters is in the same body?"


My response to him was that although I am not any type of expert on this, I have experienced personally with this type of phenomena. I am also a twin (fraternal twin-a brother-which means 2 separate eggs fertilized at the same time) and there is a special bond that is closer than with other siblings in the same household. My mom told me once that we even had our own secret language as children and no one else could understand us. Here is my personal opinion. If the girlfriend's twin sister is displaying character traits like her deceased twin this is very possible a spirit attachment going on and it may be temporary. If they were identical twins-(which means they were split from the same egg and thus have the same DNA) there is scientific evidence of strong psychic connections that identical twins have to each other-and this may be going on with this remaining sister.This is something that should be addressed by a professional in the field of parapsychology who can help her and him too in order to help heal them both.

For brief moments attached spirits can sometimes affect the behavior of the person that they're attached to.  This is sometimes referred to as Partial Possession because the spirit isn't in full control at all times. What's more common though are spirits that will influence people but not take possession of the person.  These spirits are still attached, but will not take over in the way that a possession happens.

Several options and methods are available to the person that is experiencing either Spirit Possession or Attached Spirits.  Traditionally, the removal of spirits has been dictated to the church or religious organizations. Most mainstream religions have their own way of dealing with spirit possession and releasing attached spirits.

In the movie, "The Exorcist" brought the Catholic Exorcism ritual into mainstream awareness. This is something that's been performed in the church from ancient times but was not shared with the public due to the extreme subject matter.

Recently on the internet news-feed Pope Francis has actively sought and put a call out to more priests to learn the rites of exorcism as he has been made aware of the increasing demand for this service and demonic possessions taking place world wide. This ritual is based on the belief of Demonic Possession.  In order to receive a Catholic ritual the person must first be witnessed having signs such as speaking in unknown languages, aversion for the name of God, Jesus, the Saints, etc. The Catholic church must first approve all request for the ritual to take place.  Request will typically not be approved for a person (only) having symptoms of Spirit Attachment.

Another Christian-based form of Spirit Release is known as Deliverance Ministry, which is similar to the Catholic model but without as much formal ritual. It doesn't require the person to be a specific religion only the willingness to be open to the possibility that they are being affected by a spirit attachment and they can be helped. 
One of the most respected people in this field of demonic possession and spirits causing havoc at a location and with people is Bill Bean. www.billbeanministries.com 
He has been helping people free of charge from some of the most horrific cases of this type you can ever image. He is a true soldier in this field and has the battle scars to prove it. He is a living testament to the power of good over evil as he himself is a survivor of one of the most terrifying cases of haunting/spirit attachment and demonic possession that you will ever read in his books, Dark Force and his second book, Delivered.

There are many who can help in spirit attachment and even worse spirit or demonic possession. There are many websites, books and other tools out there to educate yourself. First you have to be aware of the signs and that is why people in the paranormal community write articles, share their knowledge and even write blogs to help and spread the message that no one has to feel alone.



UPDATE: For those loyal readers who have made this blog one of then most read with over 2300 views please stay tuned for more on this phenomena and my continued haunted experiences in my sequel Dark Transference coming out in September 2016!  You can visit my Facebook page for more information. www.facebook.com/darktransference