Houdini and the Psychics
Harry Houdini was a world-famous magician and for his time, he did a number of amazing feats, some of which have never been duplicated to this day.[1] When his mother died, he nearly lost the will to live and wanted to know if she was still alive in another form or truly gone forever. He desperately hoped that his mother could send him a message assuring Houdini she was alright. In an attempt to communicate with his mother, Houdini started visiting psychics and mediums around the world, but he was not successful in his efforts. According to his diary, the great magician and escape artist did not find a single genuine psychic. From there on, he made it his personal mission to expose fakes so they could not prey upon those who were similarly emotionally distraught after losing a loved one.
Houdini was a master of illusion and using this knowledge was able to expose fakery during a séance. To his dismay, Houdini found the psychics of his time so unscrupulous that he was shocked that they would manipulate grieving people out of their hard-earned money. He also discovered that most of these so-called mediums were using cheap parlor tricks and illusions to deceive their victims into believing that contact with the other side had been achieved. Houdini went to psychic after psychic and found them all to be frauds. Their deception made him so angry that he began a crusade to expose charlatans who would prey upon the naïve and grieving to make easy money. At first, he focused his attention on well-known mediums and joined in their séances. In the middle of the session or manifestation, Houdini would jump to his feet and reveal the tricky. Of course, this resulted in the medium losing every client and Houdini making many enemies. Houdini’s crusade was so successful, psychics all over the world were worried he would expose them next. Because of this, Houdini had to resort to disguises—most mediums would not allow him to join their sessions. When I discovered this about Houdini, it seemed very familiar—it is exactly what happened to me. To this day, I am no longer invited to any channeling sessions or group psychic readings by most, if not all, well-known psychics in New England.
I should reiterate: my goal is to find the truth, not to discredit anyone. It is interesting to note that although Houdini’s standards for proof were much higher than mine, we did get similar results. While Houdini was very successful in his crusade to expose fake psychics, deep in his heart he always wished for one authentic medium to come forward and prove his or her ability to communicate with the dead to him beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Picking Up Where Houdini Left Off
I began a study in 1997 lasting to 2007 to determine if the many people out there who claim to be psychics actually have this ability and if they do, to what extent. When choosing a psychic, one must be careful—some are in fierce competition with each other and will claim extraordinary abilities to get your business. To start out, it is best to talk to people who’ve had experiences with the psychic to see what he or she has to say and if the professional possesses the specialty you seek. Before your visit, ask for references; a few are willing to give you names and phone numbers of past clients. I found the average cost to see a psychic was anywhere between fifty and two hundred dollars an hour; some well-known individuals charge more than a thousand dollars! Some psychics charge more than a professional therapist. Perhaps I should have become a psychic rather than an educator, but alas, I was always better at teaching science than trying to predict the future or contact the dead.
Of the thirty-six psychics tested, only three convinced me of any psychic abilities beyond a shadow of a doubt; the remaining thirty-three I have to label as inconclusive. My testing success rate represents only 8 percent of the total number of those in my study, but it may not necessarily represent the true percentage on a global scale. On occasion, I would go to a session with fabricated information strongly placed in my mind. In more than one case, the psychic was able to read the information from my thoughts. This convinced me that some may be telepathic and are not getting their information from the other side, but from their clients’ minds. In most cases, the psychic may not know he or she is telepathic and would instead assume information is coming from a “spirit guide.” After one session with a well-known Connecticut psychic, I told her the information she related to me was totally accurate but made up in my mind. I told her the accuracy of the fabricated information she related was amazing. This psychic now informs people she is telepathic and to ensure the accuracy of the information coming from the other side, she has her clients meditate before the reading to try and clear their thoughts.
A Real Psychic
I met a psychic named Loretta Chaney during my investigation; Loretta was able to give me information about my father who passed away in 1995. The things she told me were so accurate, I was very surprised. Amazingly, some of the information was very personal and unknown to me at the time; I was able to confirm the information later. Loretta has dozens of testimonies and letters from a variety of people she’s helped. One of the things that impressed me most about Loretta is that she keeps a low profile. Loretta is not looking for publicity; and she is not trying to sell books and doesn’t have her own television or radio show. Loretta is very selective about her clients and will only use her abilities if she believes she can help the person. Loretta and her husband, Scott, work as a team doing not only psychic readings but also healing. The following letter is one of many testimonies that give credit to Loretta’s amazing abilities. It involves a young girl named Chrissy who was murdered by a person she met in an Internet chat room. In a touching session with Chrissy’s mother, Shelley, Loretta was able to contact her from the other side.
A letter from Shelley to Loretta
“Five months after my niece Christina died, I attended a Body, Mind and Spirit Expo where Loretta Chaney was lecturing on the subject of life after death. During her lecture, Loretta did brief readings for some of the people in the audience, including myself. But as Loretta began to ‘tune in’ on my niece for me, she suddenly stopped and said that she wanted to talk to me about my niece after the lecture. At the time, Loretta didn’t know who I was or that my niece was named Christina (‘Chrissy’ as she’s called in this letter). I later learned that when Loretta had first heard of Christina’s death on television and learned that she lived nearby, she prayed and asked God to bring her parents to her in the hope that she could be of some help to them. Chrissy’s primary parent most of her life was me. For that reason, I believe God brought me to Loretta.
“When I caught up with Loretta after the lecture, she immediately felt compelled to do a reading for me. Her very first words were, ‘Chrissy is telling me that you always wanted her to call you Mom, but she never did.’ That blew me away immediately: only Chrissy and I knew that very personal fact. Loretta asked me not to respond, just to listen, because she said Chrissy was talking very fast and she wanted to concentrate on what Chrissy was saying. Loretta gave me details on how Chrissy died that matched the official police and FBI report. The media was reporting the wrong information so the public, including Loretta, did not know the real truth.
“Through Loretta, Chrissy described my deepest emotions and thoughts. For example, I had been going to the crime scene and going over the crime itself obsessively. Chrissy asked me to stop that behavior because it was affecting both of us in a negative way. Chrissy had a wonderful sense of humor and could make anyone laugh. Loretta was able to let that identifying sense of humor come through and at several points she used mannerisms only Chrissy would. Loretta described in detail artwork of Chrissy’s I had framed after she died . . . no one knew about that. Loretta described activities I did while Chrissy was missing. She also described meaningful activities Chrissy and I did before she died. There was so much detail in this reading, I was convinced I was talking to Chrissy. By the time Loretta was done, I was in awe. I was now a definite believer that there is life after death, which took a huge weight off of my physical and emotional being. I was able to continue with my grieving process in a much h
ealthier way.
“However, six months after the reading, I was at an emotional low point again. I was blaming myself for not getting involved in Chrissy’s life the first three years after her birth, which are so critical and key in a child’s basic, overall development. I felt that maybe if I had gotten involved with her life, she would not have made the fatal decision to meet her Internet contact at the mall. I was beating myself up mercilessly and while I was at this low point, Loretta called me on the phone to see how I was doing! Several minutes into our conversation, Loretta said that she felt Chrissy’s presence around me. She told me Chrissy wanted to speak with me again. Through Loretta, Chrissy told me to stop worrying about her. (I was worrying if she was OK and in a safe place.) She said that she was fine and very happy. Chrissy also told me to stop worrying about not being with her in the first three years of her life. She explained I wasn’t supposed to be there then. My not coming into her life when she was three years old was as it was supposed to be.
“Then Loretta told me details of the surrounding area where I was standing in my house. Remember, we were talking on the phone and Loretta had never been to my home. This part of the impromptu telephone reading was validation from Chrissy that she was and is always with me when I need her. Chrissy, through Loretta, told me that my prayers and others’ prayers are strengthening her, and my actions on this earth are helping her where she is now. This information was an invaluable gift to me because it means I can still take care of Chrissy even now with my actions here on Earth. A primary need of a mother is to be able to take care of her child. Chrissy, through Loretta, gave me back my will to live and to be productive in society again because I now realize that through prayer and helping others, I am helping Chrissy too.”
I could present letter after letter just like the one above that give testimony to Loretta’s incredible ability, but I think the point has been made. The number of practicing fake psychics is like an overcast sky blocking out the sun on a warm day, but Loretta is a break in those clouds and has allowed the light to shine on this skeptic’s face making me believe that although very few psychics are on the level, some are legit. If only the great Houdini was around today, I feel his view on the subject would have been considerably less negative after meeting
Loretta. Loretta and her husband became very good friends of mine and often assist me in my paranormal investigations.
Psychic Channeling of Angels
Some people who do psychic readings claim to channel “higher beings.” My research has convinced me that some of these individuals are channeling nothing more than their own imaginations. Many enjoy having an audience and being the center of attention and some like to have a following because it makes them feel very important. Although I have sat through a good number of channeling sessions, the one I will present is from a woman in New York who claims to channel the archangel Gabriel. There must be at least a hundred psychics in the New York area alone who claim to channel this angel . . . Gabriel must be a busy guy! Speaking through the psychic, Gabriel asked the small group if anyone had any questions. I raised my hand and asked a number of basic scientific questions and all I got were very long answers filled with spiritual interpretations, none factually correct. Finally, although seemingly getting very annoyed, “Gabriel” allowed me to ask one more question. I asked a simple one; out of the blue I said; “What’s the capital of North Dakota?” Well, Gabriel didn’t know the answer to that one either and it seemed strange to me that an archangel couldn’t answer questions my sixth-grade science class could. The channeling of angels, extraterrestrials, and other beings is very complex and more of a contact experience. My investigations into this phenomenon will be covered in a future book.
The Strange Case of John Gray
Sometime back in 1979, a number of people involved in paranormal research told me of a very interesting man named John Gray who lived in Greenfield Hills, Connecticut. It wasn’t until 1982 that I finally gave him a call and said that I wanted to meet with him. It was quite difficult understanding John—over the past several years he had suffered two strokes that left his vocal cords partially paralyzed. Despite this handicap, however, I was able to understand every word he said. It felt as if our communication was taking place on a higher level . . . perhaps telepathy was being used.
I made an appointment to visit his home that weekend and had four days to prepare but something unusual took place. In the days preceding my meeting with John, I felt a presence as if something was trying to probe my mind. Looking back, I compare the feeling to the Pink Floyd lyrics “There’s someone in my head bu it’s not me!” At night, I had vivid dreams of meeting an old man with a white beard in some mountain temple. Every time, he would walk over to me and touch my arm and then I would wake up. This dream recurred over three nights and by the third time, I knew it was not just a dream; someone was trying to contact me, perhaps using psychic projection and remote viewing.
Saturday, our meeting day, was still a couple of days away so I spent some time trying to get background information on John Gray. The only bit of information I found on Mr. Gray was a Fairfield, Connecticut, police report made in 1981 concerning prowlers on his property; other than that he seemed a blank slate. Then I got a lucky break: a reporter for a local newspaper, The Fairfield Citizen recognized the name and found a story written about John Gray in 1970.[2] It seems the paper selected Mr. Gray as Citizen of the Week for his past accomplishments in science and the arts. It’s important I present at least part of this story because it will show that although John Gray made some very incredible claims, he was not crazy or mentally unstable. He was a very credible man who had the respect and admiration of many.
An Accomplished Gentleman
Mr. Gray was a Briton who lived in Canada for many years before coming to the United States. He was an expert engraver, artist, engineer, philosopher, and inventor—truly a Renaissance man. Mr. Gray was not just a dabbler in many pursuits; he was very well trained in all areas of his expertise. Over the years, he has contributed cutting-edge technologies to industries in a number of fields. I found it very extraordinary that a single human being could achieve all of this in one lifetime. From 1945 to 1970, John was a consultant for the American Bank Note Company, the largest firm of its type in the world. There, John worked as the only engraver who made embossed dies, a highly specialized skill. In 1945, Mr. Gray engraved a picture of King George V of England later placed in a British palace. Queen Mary sent John a letter congratulating him on his excellent work and remarkable likeness of the image.
During World War II, John established the John Gray Company in which he manufactured critical equipment for the English armed forces. He made range finders for the Royal Navy and invented a barrel gauge locator for anti-aircraft guns that improved the efficiency of shooting down German aircraft. This device was considered one of the keys in English victory during the Battle of Britain. Another of John’s crowning inventions was a periscope that could be used in tanks. This allowed soliders to stay in the protective armor of the vehicle and safely spot their targets. This device is still in use today by the United States and its allies in Iraq.
My Visit
My first visit with John Gray was in the summer of 1982; at the time his wife had just passed away and his granddaughter was taking care of him. I arrived at his home in the late morning on a warm August day, knocked on the door, and was greeted by his granddaughter. She led me into the living room where her grandfather was waiting and introduced me. John was sitting in a chair with his back to me but as he got up and turned around, I was shocked—this was the man who had appeared in my dreams! John had two strokes over the past year and although he was able to get around quite well, his speech was greatly affected. As we sat, John opened up with a strange revelation: “I am not the original soul in this body; I walked into it in 1935.” I was taken by surprise—John was claiming to be a walk-in. According to a Hindu belief, a walk-in is a perso
n whose original soul has departed the body and been replaced with a new soul. It supposedly takes place when the human body is injured, ill, near death, or when a person loses the will to live. The soul agrees to leave the body and a new one is placed into it by a higher being, usually angelic in nature. Deep emotional trauma and suicidal desires are said to be suitable settings for a walk-in.
After entering the body, the walk-in may behave differently and have a totally new personality. She or he may speak in an unknown language, respond to a different name, be disoriented, or have a greater spiritual awareness. In popular New Age writings, the walk-in exists to carry out a task in the physical plane. This mission may involve one or large numbers of people, and it usually entails the teachings of wisdom and matters of spirituality. The “new” soul inside the body may claim he or she is an angel, or an ascended being; some claim to be extraterrestrials here to save the world. Many walk-ins claim heightened psychic sensitivity and may become healers or ministers. In John Gray’s case, the walk-in soul is a great Tibetan master who lived more than a thousand years ago and now has come to the physical plane to teach a number of apprentices the secret arts to battle forces of evil. Although John seemed to be a man of peace, this would explain his contributions during World War II that helped the allies be victorious.
Files From the Edge Page 18