The year was 1988, and Claire Sylvia (47) was dying of primary pulmonary hypertension. Her career as a professional dancer was coming to an end, as she had abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries of her lungs, which made the right side of her heart work harder than normal. Her only hope of survival was a heart/lung transplant. She was referred to Yale University for consideration of the procedure, which at the time had never been performed in New England. She was accepted and the surgery was a complete success.
..it was a whole new rhythm, a whole new feeling, little did I know that my journey was just beginning..
Claire was the first person in New England to undergo a hear/lung transplant, and was now a celebrity. As the reporters drilled her with questions in her hospital room, one asked, "Now that you've had this miracle, what do you want more than anything else?" Claire immediately answered, "Actually, I'm dying for a beer right now." What was shocking to Claire, besides her rather flippant answer, was that she didn't even like beer. But yet she was craving it. Where on earth did THAT come from?
One month later, Claire left the hospital and moved into a medical halfway house a few miles away. Now that she could eat like a normal person, she found, bizarrely, that she'd developed a sudden fondness for certain foods that she hadn't liked before: Snickers bars, green peppers, Kentucky Fried Chicken nuggets, and of course, beer.
Claire began noticing other changes as well. Her handwriting changed, her personality was becoming more assertive and aggressive, almost more masculine. She stopped getting colds, and her daughter even noticed her walk had changed. "Why are you walking like that? You're lumbering - like a musclebound football player".
And then came the dream.
In it, I was in a grassy outdoor place, it was summer, and I was with a tall, thin young man with sandy-coloured hair. I thought of him as Tim L. We seemed to be good friends. I felt like Tim and I would be together for ever. When the dream was over, something had changed. I woke up knowing that Tim L was my donor and that some parts of his spirit and personality were now within me.
Claire asked the hospital for information on her donor. The coordinator told her this was confidential information, and that she should stop trying to open a 'can of worms'. "Please don't pursue this". Not taking no for an answer, Claire started piecing together what little information she had. Her donor, she knew, was a young 18yr old man who had been killed in a motorcycle accident. She soon found the obituary matching the description. His name was Tim Lamirande.
After a series of additional dreams involving Tim, Claire soon wrote to the young man's family and arranged a meeting. What she discovered, was nothing short of amazing. Tim was always full of energy. He was rarely ill. He loved beer and green peppers. Tim's sister said, "...he really loved Chicken Nuggets." Claire knew this was the young man who's heart and lungs were now inside of her. Somehow, a part of his personality, including memories, had been transferred to her.
While some scientists are still trying to explain how this is possible, I believe Dr Bruce Lipton has the answer. In his book, "The Biology of Belief", Dr Lipton explains that all cells in the body have special antennae on them called "self-receptors". Self receptors are used by the immune system to distinguish between 'self' and invasive organisms. Some people do not take organ transplants well. Their 'receptors' are not compatible and the body will reject it.
In Claire's case, her body accepted the new organs. And they still contain Tim's 'self receptors'. And if a self receptor is nothing more than an antennae...... then Tim, although gone from this world, is still broadcasting.
Oren Peli hopes so. His new movie is about to hit the screen, and it is being touted as one of the scariest movies of all time. In the screenings, people left the theater literally shaking. Will you go see it? I'm not a scary movie fan, so I may just sit this one out. In fact, I think the last scary movie I went to was The Ring, and my daughter had to drag me to that. Didn't sleep very well afterwards I might add. No, I think if I want to see ghosts on the screen, I'll stick to one of the ghosty reality shows scattered across TV Land.
Speaking of TV Land, judging by the pure number of these paranormal shows, people can't seem to get enough of them. Almost every channel has a ghost or paranormal themed show, like Medium, Paranormal State, and Ghost Hunters. Ghost Whisperer begins it's 5th season this year. Why the sudden interest? Surely it's not ALL about Jessica Love Hewitt....is it?
Maybe (unlike the trailer you watched above, which is pure fiction by the way) - the television shows have a hint of truth in them? And perhaps that is why people are interested? They want to discover for themselves if this phenomenon is real. For instance the show Medium is actually based on the real life medium, Alisson DuBois. For the skeptics, the real Allison has been extensively tested by a number of different investigation teams in scientific conditions and in controlled laboratory examinations, all of which proved her psychic abilities - and with extraordinary results.
While popular mediums such as John Edward and James Van Praagh claim they communicate with spirits that have already crossed over ( or "gone into the light") , Mary Ann Winkowski says she can only talk with ghosts stuck on this plane. Her ability helps these wayward spirits find their way to the other side. Mary Ann's ability became the inspiration for CBS's The Ghost Whisperer.
Whether we believe, or not - apparently sometimes we just like to get the crap scared out of us, which is why the new movie Paranormal Activity will do just fine. Here's some interesting trivia, the film was shot in Peli's own bedroom, in 7 days, on an $11,000 budget, with a crew of 3 and a minicam. So far is has opened in a few selected cities.
And the scariest movies of all time?
In no particular order:
Psycho
Rosemary's Baby
Halloween
Nightmare on Elm Street
Jaws
Silence of the Lambs
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Exorcist
The Shining
John Carpenter's The Thing
Alien
Poltergeist
Poltergeist.
Now here's a classic. This movie seriously freaked me out. It was only rated PG so I never thought it would be THAT scary. Was I wrong. In the beginning it was really cool with the balancing chairs and all the ghosty parlor tricks, but when it came down to the end, that darned tree.....and the swimming pool scene? Nope! Just can't do it. I cannot, and have not watched it again. Ever. Call me a wimp, that's ok.
Ok, here's a side note.
While I'm writing this - I am learning there was, shall we say, "a history" in making these movies, Poltergeist I, II and III. Some actually say the show was cursed. Real paranormal activity? Making a movie about Poltergeists? Who'd have thunkit.
Here's some Poltergeist trivia - I'll let you decide what you believe.
Dominique Dunn who played Dana Freeling, the oldest teenage daughter, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, John Thomas Sweeney, just nineteen days before her 23rd birthday.
Oliver Robins played Dana's younger brother, Robbie Freeling. While filming the scene where the clown doll comes alive and tries to pull him under his bed, Oliver actually did go through a near-death experience. When the puppet arms wrapped themselves around his neck, he was unable to breathe and began choking. Steven Spielberg thought he was acting (he even yelled "Keep going! You're doing great!"). It was not until Spielberg saw his face turn blue that he realized the young actor was in trouble. Spielberg ran over and pulled the puppet off, saving Oliver's life.
Heather O'Rourke played the youngest daughter Carol Ann Freeling. "They're Here." During the filming of Poltergeist III, she suffered flu-like symptoms. The symptoms were a result of congenital intestinal blockage, which ultimately claimed her life. She died while on hiatus from filming PIII, her final movie, which is dedicated to her memory. She was replaced with a blonde stand-in.
Zelda Rubinstein played the tiny little psychic - Tangina. During the filming of Poltergeist III, she was doing a photo shoot when she paused and lurched. Director Gary Sherman was present and asked her what was wrong, she responded with a comment like "I don't know, was just a jolt. I'm fine." Several minutes later Sherman was pulled aside and told they would have to let Rubenstein go from the film -- her mother had just died. After developing the film from the photo shoot, it was discovered that every photo had come out fine, except one, which had an inexplicable cloud of light clouding into the photo from Rubenstein's left, covering half of her with a semi-transparent haze.
Real Corpses There was a scene when Actress JoBeth Williams slid into the swimming pool, searching for Carol Ann. Apparently the whole development was built on an existing graveyard, so we see corpses bobbing up from the bottom of the pool. Those were real skeletons. It was cheaper to buy real skeletons that to have them made. True story. Look it up.
Paranormal? Ghosts? Corpses? Curses? I think I'll just switch back to Scooby Doo. I can handle him.
“airplane crash on fire - little man can’t get out”
James Leininger was fascinated with airplanes. He was actually quite the expert, especially with WWII planes. One day he received a model airplane as a gift, to which his mother noted the bomb underneath. "That's not a bomb mommy, that's a drop tank".
James was 2 years old.
Now you have to understand, that according to his parents, Andrea and Bruce Leininger, James had absolutely no exposure to anything involving planes or WWII. His bedtime books were the same books that most 2 year olds go to sleep with, and his daytime television consisted of Barney and the Teletubbies. But even his crayon drawings showed the same theme: American WWII planes being shot down by Japanese Zeros, with details down to the insignias.
Where was James getting his information?
What's even more remarkable about this story are the dreams James had. Or should I say nightmares. Just after his 2nd birthday, James started having the same recurring nightmare several times a week. His parents would find him flat on his back, screaming “airplane crash on fire - little man can’t get out” and pushing upwards with his hands and feet. Concerned, Andrea asked her mother for a clue as to what may be happening. Her mother suggested he may be remembering a past life. Her husband, a devout Christian, replied, "Baloney!".
Regardless of his beliefs, Bruce agreed to allow an expert in the field of Children's Past Lives, counselor Carol Bowman, interview little James. Immediately the nightmares decreased in frequency. And, as the dreams faded, more memories bubbled up to the surface. And with more and more details popping up, it did indeed seem that little James was remembering a past life, where he was a WWII pilot. James told them his previous name was also James. (In fact, he signed all his drawings (at 2yrs old) with the name James 3. When asked about the number 3, little James would simply say, "I'm the third James".)
He also remembered that his plane had been hit by the Japanese and crashed. He also told his father that he flew a Corsair, and that - "They used to get flat tires all the time." James also mentioned the name of the boat he took off from — Natoma — and the name of someone he flew with — "Jack Larson." Determined to debunk this story and stop all this nonsense about past lives, Bruce began to do a little research. What he found, is nothing short of amazing.
Bruce discovered that both the Natoma and Jack Larson were real. The Natoma Bay was a small aircraft carrier in the Pacific during WWII. And Jack Larson was part of a squadron that flew from the Natoma Bay - and he was still alive and well living in Arkansas! After contacting Jack, Bruce learned the news that would change his beliefs forever. That their was indeed a pilot from the squadron who was killed at Iwo Jima - and his name was James.
James M. Huston Jr.
"It was like, holy mackerel," Bruce said. "You could have poured my brains out of my ears. I just couldn't believe it."
Andrea and Bruce also discovered that little James remembered having a sister Ann, who - big surprise - was also still alive - and just as shocked as everyone else. The 87 yr old said she believes the boy's accounts. "It's very hard to describe, but I just can't help but say it has to be true," she said. "He knows too many things. For some reason, he knows these things."
For example, Ann gave little James a portrait of James Huston. James and Ann's mother drew the painting when they were small children. After thanking her, James asked Ann, "Where's the one mother painted of you?" The painting, as it turns out, was in Ann's attic, where it had been collecting dust for over 60 years. And the only 2 people who knew that it even existed was Ann ............ and her brother James.
Unbelievable? You bet. But if you do a little research on your own - you'll soon realize that this is just one of hundreds of stories involving little children remembering their past lives.
This just reinforces my own belief that we are in fact, more than just a body. Remember our physical body only amounts to 1% of 'who we are'. The rest - that invisible 99% of us - is pure thought and energy. And that energy never dies, it just changes form.
Kind of gives a whole new meaning to the teacher's great words when he said we must be 'born again', doesn't it.
They say they always come in 3's, Celebrity deaths - that is. But in this last month I think we set a new record. First there was David Carradine. Then Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Billie Mays, and now Karl Malden. It's a busy month - for somebody.....
But of course, and not surprisingly so, Michael's death trumps everyone when it comes to media coverage. I have a feeling we will be hearing about this for a long time. Court battles, custody hearings, estate wars, you name it - if it has MJ attached to it, there will be coverage.
So - change of topic. Do you believe in ghosts? That's something we've never really discussed here before. What happens when you die? Do you go to heaven? hell? purgatory? nowhere? everywhere? return to source energy? do you "cross over"? What do you think happened to Michael Jackson? Do you think he accidentally killed himself with al the pills he was taking? Does that make a difference in whether we become a ghost or not? One prominent psychic, who can communicate with the dead offered this in her reading of Michael Jackson,
"At the time of his passing he was very surprised to find himself standing next to his own body. He was confused initially. Eventually he understood that he had died, but this didn’t happen immediately. I think up until he got to the hospital he thought he might be able to get back into his body."
So why do I ask all these questions about death, ghosts, Michael Jackson, you ask? An interesting YouTube Video of course. It's a realtime interview with Larry King filmed in Michael Jackson's bedroom in Neverland. Watch the back wall. Is this Michael coming back to make a real life Thriller? Who knows. But you have to admit, it is an interesting video.
Supernatural
