 |
 |
 |
 October 2004 Recently, Georgia of For The Witch In You was invited to take part in a paranormal vigil with Rachel and Diana's PSI investigation team. The following is an email interview conducted on 28th September 2004.  FTWIY: When
was PSI formed and how did it come about?PSI: Di: We met as friends in 1999 when Rachel wandered into the shop that I ran at the time. We found we had the same interests and experiences and as we had been involved with investigations before, we decided the time had come to form our own local group, concentrating on our hometown. FTWIY: What does PSI stand for? PSI: Psychic and Spectral Investigations. We specialise in investigations but also offer disturbance assistance for both public and private individuals - our name is synonymous with what we do. We aren’t all believers and we aren’t all sceptics, our group looks at both the scientific and the psychic. FTWIY: Within the team, who is responsible for what? PSI: Di is the medium; Rachel does the historical research and takes care of the scientific side - although that isn’t set in stone: Di uses the equipment at times too and Rachel does occasionally use ‘the gift’. FTWIY: What’s the scariest experience you have ever had?  PSI: Di:
One in particular stays with me. I was with a group of friends
who had got the opportunity to investigate Netley Abbey, near
Portsmouth. I was designated driver, very tired and not really
that keen at all – I just wanted to go home and go to sleep.
Everyone else got into the swing of things, but I decided that
I wasn’t going to do any mediumship and just let them get
on with it.The group decided to do an EVP – which stands for Electronic Voice Phenomena and is where a speaker asks questions of any entity present and leaves gaps on the medium used, (usually a Dictaphone but in this case it was a digital Dictaphone, which is even better). I thought that most of the ones I had heard about that ‘worked’ would be either stretched tapes or old tapes and counted for nothing. I had always said I’d only consider them if I saw them set up and heard the results for myself. I most certainly did! The recording had been done in complete silence and there were no external noises at all. When the machine was played back and ‘a year’ was asked for, a clear ‘53’ in a gruff male voice answered on the machine and even clearer, when asked ‘What can we do to help you’ was the response . . . ‘LEAVE!’. At this point I was terrified but the evening continued with lots of unexplained photographic anomalies, disembodied screams, many of the group being sick when entering a certain room and culminated in a presence rushing at me (with an accompanying whoosh and groan) and effectively ‘possessing’ me. I went from a quiet spoken individual to a sobbing, screaming, gibbering idiot. I got out of there as soon as I possibly could and would not go back for a very large sum of money. Very, very large sums of money may be considered - if there are any offers, just email . . .  Rachel:
There are several that will always stay in my mind.Derby Gaol I found to be terrifying, although I know other people who have been there and they said they picked nothing up. From the first unexplained loud bang at about 10pm until I virtually passed out in the garden at daybreak, (I think in relief at making it thought the night!), it was frightening – there was one medium without whom I don’t know how I would have made it through the night. He held the group together through those short but scary small hours. I only found out later that day that one of my ancestors had been hanged at the Gaol, and they did the executions in what is now the garden…! I did say afterwards I would never go back again, but last time I was asked if I wanted to go I automatically said “yes, sure!”. I must be a glutton for punishment! On another occasion, I went round some of the underground city in Edinburgh. There was one room we had to walk past and I flattened myself against the opposite wall and edged past. I wasn’t the only one, and none of us could explain what it was other than complete and unutterable evil. When we talked to the guide at the end of that particular walk, she said we weren’t the first to say that, and we probably won’t be the last. It was pretty scary seeing my first full apparition on an overnight, in the Golden Fleece in York. I have seen things in séances before, but this was the first time the apparition looked back at me. If anyone thinks they can cope with a night at the Golden Fleece, we have places during York Ghost Festival – see our website Ghost Finder General for details. FTWIY: What do you need to create a psychic investigation? PSI: Ghosts! A good sense of humour, a group of at least 3 people (with a medium included if at all possible) and some basic equipment such as thermometer, camera or camcorder, gauss meter (EMF meter). Basic human needs should be considered and include a thermos of hot drink, high energy snacks, (chocolate, chocolate and perhaps even chocolate), toilet roll and sleeping bag if no accommodation is provided. Dress warmly, take safety measures and a mobile phone just in case. Comfortable underwear and comfortable shoes are a must! Ghost hunting is NOT sexy! You can find out how to conduct your own ghost hunt in the first issue of Vision magazine which launches December 9th 2004, for which Diana is Paranormal Columnist and Rachel is the advisor. FTWIY: What are you up to at the moment? PSI: We're working on the first York Ghost Festival. It runs from 26t This month For The Witch In You Coven Column brings you an exclusive interview with Psychic and Spectral Investigations. Visit their web site Ghost Finder general.FTWIY: Where would your dream investigation take place? PSI: Di: I think it would have to be Hampton Court. Recently there was a lot of media attention about an image caught on camera that couldn’t be explained away and it has a long history of ghost sightings. It’s also a fantastic place to visit. As an alternative I’d accept any armed forces outpost with sightings – if there weren’t any ghosts there will be lots of men in uniform to keep my camera busy. Maybe I could read their palms if I got bored . . . Rachel: The Treasurer’s House in York, where our patron, Harry Martindale, saw the spectral return of the Roman ‘lost’ Legion IX, and there are several castles my ancestors built. I would love to investigate . . . despite my experiences at Derby Gaol! I would also be first in the queue to hold Di’s bag while she's palm-reading the military. FTWIY: What would your advice be to people who are looking to hold a ghost hunt of their own? PSI: Most of the above! Be sensible, get permission, have an open mind and consider safety above all else. Take into account any neighbouring buildings and have respect for other people and also the location you visit. DO NOT give ghost hunting a bad name – better not to go than to leave an impression behind that's worse than the ghost story you're investigating. |