A. Most of the time I'm switched off unless I'm doing a reading as otherwise I pick up everybody's energy but sometimes I'll pass someone or they will be sitting nearby and their energy is so strong I'm tuned in whether I like it or not.
Q. Are there animal spirits?
A. yes I believe there are. Many people have reported seeing a much loved dog or cat and I have even heard of a horse coming back to say hello. Pets can also be psychic.
Q Are Ouija boards a good idea?
A. I advise people to NEVER touch Ouija boards as they can be very dangerous. I always compare it to leaving your front door open so anyone can wander in. If spirits are summoned in this manner a bad one can easily impersonate someone else (i.e. the person you are trying to contact) and if 'released' can be extremely difficult to get rid of. I'm not trying to frighten anyone because if a spirit is contacted in the right way via a psychic medium for example, that is a much more controlled environment.
Q. Why do you do paranormal investigations?
A. I've had psychic abilities since I was very young and I also love old buildings and beautiful architecture so it combined two interests for me. I sometimes get to see places not open to the general public if they require an investigation to be carried out.
Q. What kind of places do you investigate and how can I book you?
A. I mainly carry out investigations in London and the South East. Anywhere that has suspected activity, interesting history or strange occurrences. Please e mail me for further details.
Q. Do you ever get scared during an investigation?
A . Rarely but it has happened once or twice. I encountered a terrifying black ‘thing’ that was about 7’ high and 5’ wide which moved from side to side during an investigation at the Drop Redout Fort, Western Heights, Dover. It followed me and I could hear it breathing, I didn’t stick around to find out what it was and legged it back up the stairs two at a time!
Q. I live in Scotland but I'd like a reading, is this possible and how much does it cost?
A. Of course. I do most of my readings from photographs so it doesn't matter where in the world you are based. If you can post or e mail me photos I can do a reading for you. Readings are £40.
Q. How can I book you for an interview / TV / book review?
A. Please e mail any media enquiries and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
Q.You're a parapsychologist, what is that?
A. Parapsychology is the study of psychic experiences and paranormal phenomena. I do a lot of this type of work in old buildings including photographing or videotaping and analysing the results. My favourites include Highgate cemetery and St Pancras Chambers in London, Newstead Abbey and the Bestwood Lodge in Nottingham, Canterbury Cathedral and the Necropolis cemetery in Glasgow.
Q.You're also a Reiki therapist, how does that work?
A. Reiki is a 2500-year-old non-invasive Tibetan healing therapy based on the idea that all living things contain a universal life force. It is accessed by the practitioner and used to balance and energise the body. It can also be used to treat a variety of ailments and activate the body's ability to heal itself. Reiki can also be used on animals and also sent distantly.
Q. What is past life regression?
A. Past life regression is a therapy, which explores emotional and physical feelings, in order to recognise past life problems that are connected to present life issues. After being hypnotised and regressed I was able to recall several previous lives. I'm not sure I believed them all but one in particular where I had drowned as a young boy struck a cord with me as I have a fear of deep water and am unable to swim in this life. One of the side effects of the sessions was that I could recall many long forgotten things from my childhood, even silly things. The down side was that I had disturbed sleep patterns for at least two months.
Q. When you see spirits what do you see?
A. I may see clear outlines, shadows or sense spirits. I can usually give enough information about them for them to be recognisable to others.
Investigaton in Dover
At St James Church ruins in Dover I took a quick walk around and also held a piece of stone which I found on the ground to see what I could pick up from it (and returned it to where I found it afterwards.)
The local newspaper sent a photographer along and when he arrived and unpacked his equipment and one of the first questions he asked me was if I ever have any trouble with cameras during paranormal investigations? I said it often happened and asked him why? He showed me a photo his camera had apparently taken by itself whilst on his way there. It showed a streak of yellow light across a darker background. It wasn't from anything inside his camera bag and there was no obvious explanation!
On moving along the chapel aisle I detected the presence of a woman called Lucy or Agnes who appeared to be around because she was mourning the loss of someone buried there, it was quite emotional in that spot, very sad and I could have easily cried. When we left I picked a daisy and left it in the area where I had sensed her.
Further along I felt as though there had been some kind of dual fought, a man called Richard with a connection to the Cinque Ports had been involved and I felt like laughing because they had set down their weapons and got into a fist fight almost like a pub brawl / punch up!
In the corner I found the lovely energy of two Victorian children running in and out playing games and hiding. They were dressed in drab dark clothes the little girl wearing a bonnet and the boy a cap. The energy next to it by the archway was not so nice. Someone had been killed there, stabbed twice, once in the back and once in the thigh. He died from loss of blood to the thigh wound and I felt a searing pain in my leg and as someone pointed out, seemed to be walking with a limp for a minute or two.
Next we moved on to the White Horse, to see if I could find another spirit, no, not vodka or whisky, I mean 'George' as the locals refer to him. He is believed to be the ghost of a previous Landlord. There were also stories that the place had been used as a temporary morgue or for carrying out autopsies. I had a quick wander around and got the name "Edward" not "George" whom I'd been looking for. He seemed most annoyed that I wanted George and kept repeating "I'm Edward". I felt like he was keeping an eye on things. Chatting to the current Landlady later, she revealed that there had been some poltergeist activity with things being moved around but like me didn't feel it was in any way malicious, more playful.
I sensed a few bodies had been laid out for a wake but didn't get a feeling that there had been any autopsies carried out there. A few of us went out to the patio and were amazed when we spotted lights which seemed to be moving. A couple of people noticed it in their camera monitors. At first I wondered if they were street lights but they went from one side to the other as we watched. I also managed to capture some orbs in one shot. I felt the spirits were around and amused at what we were doing!
Click here to add your text.
Outside the church ruins.
A curious onlooker!
Grave Symbols
I am often asked about the symbols on graves and what they mean, here are some of the common ones:
Anchor. Hope or at rest, an early Christian symbol.
Angel. The agent of God often pointing heavenwards also guardian of the dead.
Bed. A deathbed sometimes only illustrated by a pillow.
Book. Symbolises faith.
Chair. Commonly known as a vacant chair left by the deceased.
Column. A broken column signifies mortality, the support of life being broken.
Dove. The Holy Spirit or peace.
Gates. The entrance way into heaven.
Hands. When clasped this is a symbol of farewell.
Horse. Strength, courage or the swiftness of the passage of time.
Hourglass. The traditional symbol of Father Time who also carries a scythe.
Lamp. Immortality, knowledge of God.
Laurel. Fame. Often of a literary or artistic figure.
Lion. Courage, strength and the resurrection.
Obelisk. Eternal life from the Egyptian sun-worshipping symbol.
Phoenix. Christ's resurrection.
Rocks. The church or Christen steadfastness.
Rose. Associated with the Virgin Mary or paradise.
Scythe. Passage of time and death.
Ship. The Christian church symbolically carrying the faithful through the world.
Skull. Mortality.
Snake. With its tail in it's mouth means eternity.
Water. A hand pouring water from a flagon may occur on Jewish tombs of the Levites whose duty in the synagogue is to pour water upon the hands of the priests.
Torch. Immortality, upturned means a life extinguished.
Urn. Draped and empty symbolises death.
Wheat. Fruitfulness harvested.
Willow. Grief and mourning.
Yew. On account of it's dark colour and its association with churchyards.
