Thursday, February 5, 2015

Antiques, Energy and What VSPI Does...

Did you know that some antique items can retain energy of its past owners?  VSPI found this to be true in a recent investigation.  A new client contacted us concerning activity in his home.  He was concerned for his wife, who had been ill, and wanted to understand what was going on.  During our telephone interview, I received important information.  The client works from home with his “antique watch repair” business.  This had me thinking, what if energy attached to the watches was affecting his wife?  Without disclosing my feelings to the client, I made an appointment for VSPI to visit.

I called on a team member (with "medium ship" abilities) to join me.  Careful not to share details, I wanted to see what she would pick up during our walk through the home.  From the moment we stepped out of the car, I could feel a “pop fizz” feeling rising up my legs from my feet.  I have come to know this feeling as that belonging to “residual” energy.  That is to say, energy which does not interact with the living, but replays itself over and over in the right situations.  Often this type of energy is found in places such as arenas, coliseums, theatres, fire stations, hospitals, old houses and more.  Wherever there has been a large amount of people and animals passing through, the area/building(s) may retain the energy left behind clinging to its walls, floors, ceilings, stones, earth, furniture etc..  When the atmosphere is right, it may release the energy, often causing “paranormal activity”.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Thank You! .. and What Comes Next...

Hello Friends!
Happy New Year!  “Thank You” for your amazing support throughout 2014. You have been most kind to us, and have helped us to carve a new path into 2015.  We wish to Thank some very special people who have entered our lives, and look forward to their continued friendship and connection.:

Jules Stirling – who lent us her personal time in 2014, gave VSPI support with several private investigations that required extra assistance and use of her truly amazing gift, and she recommended a few clients our way. She has now joined our team full time, and we cannot be more pleased. Thank you Jules!  You truly astound us each and every time we meet and go adventuring with you, and look forward to working with you closely.

Anne Bannerman – from Salmagundi West, a curio shop in Vancouver’s Gastown, who opened her store to us in the evening hours and welcomed us with open arms.  She allowed us to set up a late evening investigation, in which an employee joined us and shared her special gift (Patricia Cosgrave). Thank you! We have since discovered some interesting evidence and will be sharing it in the upcoming weeks, first with Anne and then with you.  We truly love the curio shop and always have a great time visiting. I encourage you to visit the shop for a unique experience! Check out their SW Facebook Page for more information.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Happy Holidays!


It’s that time of the year again, when most of us rush around to finish this and that, complete our shopping, wrap up projects, and ensure everything is in place for the Holiday Season.  If you are anything like me, you procrastinate a little and end up finishing things in the last minute.  When will I learn?

I remember, as a child, my father would take my siblings and me, in the early hours of a November morning, down to the fish docks.  We’d wait in long line ups, with other families, to fill our buckets with freshly caught herring.  I can see some of your noses crinkling, but until you have tried this delicacy the way our family serves it, you truly don’t know what you’re missing.  We’d fill at least 5 big buckets (I would say a good 100 of the tiny fish) and enjoy the smell of the sea filling the car on our trip home.  I would then assist my mother in the washing and cleaning of the fish; removing the innards and filleting them.  They would then get layered with coarse salt in big ceramic pots and sit in the dark of our basement cellar for weeks.  The salt would cook the fish, so the end result would be to wash them off, and cut them up to ready them for salads.  My mother always made a most delicious Herring Salat (German).  It was mixed with cooked potatoes, pickles, hard boiled eggs, sliced apples and cooked red beets, and seasoned with vinegar, salt & pepper, and dill weed.  I would always try to steal a few mouthfuls before it was served to the family on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve was the special evening of celebration with a family gathering and a pot luck meal.  Mom would always invite friends who found themselves alone at this time of the year.  After a short retirement to our bedrooms, we’d hear a bell ringing, calling to us to come to the living room to see the wonderment of a Christmas Tree and all the lovely presents underneath.  Now mind you, we had to work for those presents.  My siblings and I would have to prepare a poem, act out a skit, perform with instruments, or tell a story before any of us would be able to partake in the merriment of gift opening.  Then we sang a number of holiday songs while some of us played recorder or the piano.  The wait for that moment was always so long and arduous. I would often shake in fear that I would say something wrong, or play my recorder with mistakes, or would simply forget my presentation all together.  However, I always succeeded.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

A Necessary Trip (A Reminder of Why I Ghost Hunt)...

A good friend contacted me asking for help.  She was experiencing frightening activity.  Although she could not see anything (shadow people, anomalies etc.), she knew that something was surrounding her from time to time in what she thought was her safe haven.  This not only added to the stress in her life, but it frightened her about the future.   Her boyfriend, however, was not feeling anything and had no idea how to resolve the issue.

In order to protect their privacy and confidentiality of my friend, I’ll call her ‘Star’ and her boyfriend ‘Moon’.

VPL, Special Collections - Circa 1916 Robson St.
I performed some light research of the area and took the time to visit this lovely friend, her partner, and of course their adorable cats!  I noticed immediately that there was high electromagnetic field readings in her apartment, because my body felt as if it was being charged and it was constant.  So I took a reading with my meters and determined it was due to old wiring (an old oven & refrigerator were the main culprits, while in the bathroom an old lighting fixture raised alarms).  Star and Moon live in a small one bedroom apartment of a high-rise building in Vancouver’s West End.  I determined Star must be hyper sensitive to the amount of energy emitting from these appliances.  I asked her simple questions to help determine what she was feeling, where she frequently sat etc.  This revealed an enormous amount of information to assist me.  I showed them both, explaining in simple terms, what was going on and what I recommended they do.  To learn this was something they could work with and correct, provided much relief from the anxiety Star was carrying.

A few days later, I heard back from Star, telling me that things had gotten much better.  She no longer sat in an area that was immersed in high EMF waves, and had found a way to cope with the energy in the bathroom.

A few months later, I heard from Star again.  This time she was experiencing activity in other areas of the apartment, thus believing it was due to spirit visitations.  She shared photos taken which had light streaks across them.  Star had become extremely concerned and once again was feeling extra stress in her life.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

The Ghosts of Salmagundi West...

Circa 1935 - Cordova & Cambie (photo courtesy VPL Archives)
By now most Vancouverites have heard of, visited, and even experienced the spirits of Salmagundi West, a curio shop in the city’s Gastown area.  The incredible eclectic collection of unique items Anne Banner sells in her shop, help lend to the entire “paranormal” claim.  Salmagundi West may also resolve some of your “I don’t know what to get so & so for Xmas” troubles.  If you have not dropped by, please do so @ 321 Cordova St West.  Tell them VSPI sent you.

For Vancouver Spooks, this shop is certainly one of mystery and chills.  However, during our first investigation (end of July 2014), an early evening one and not the usual overnight exposure, we did not collect paranormal evidence to prove the claim of “spirits”.  This doesn't lend to the fact that some team members had personal experiences, which cannot be presented as proof.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

VSPI @ ColdCon 2014

VSPI will be at ColdCon 2014! Don't miss out.. here are the details:
When:   Sunday, November 9th
Time:    Starting at 5 pm
Where: The Columbia @ 530 Columbia St, New Westminster, BC
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/coldspotters-paranormal-convention-sunday-nov-9th-tickets-12844140169

Drop in, visit with us at our table. Chat, get to know us, and visit with other vendors and teams. It's a great day to explore the Paranormal!
VSPI will have a fundraiser (proceeds go to pay for upkeep of our equipment & travelling expenses) - Use your psychic abilities! Join in to win!

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Research Brings Gifts...

Hi Tante Kati (German for "Aunt Kati")! I just moved into a new place and was told by the downstairs tenants that apparently our suite is haunted! One room specifically. The house is definitely old, probably at least 70-80 years. Do you know how I would go about learning more about the history of the place? Maybe you could come over and investigate it! I haven't noticed anything unusual going on, but I have only slept there one night so far since they are currently renovating it." Natasha, my niece, messaged me through Facebook one Thursday evening.

Of course I was intrigued, and wondered if the renovations would kick up activity. I would have to know more. With a few messages back and forth over the next few days, I received the address of the home and began my trek through the wonderful world of research. I let Natasha know that if anything unexplained occurred over the following week, to write it down, text me any time, and I would help as best as I could. I promised to get back to her within a week. A few days later, Natasha let me know her doorbell had rung with no one there, and she witnessed a shadow person, possibly a woman, looking at her.

Occasionally I receive visitations from spirits in my own home, usually the week prior to an investigation. It seems as if they know I am coming. Sometimes I get a feeling of whom it is, and other times I’m not sure. When I hear the footsteps on my bamboo runners, or the glass smashing in my kitchen, or knocks on my walls, I always rule out the obvious (living in a cement building transmits less noise than in other structures – I check thoroughly regardless). With the upcoming investigation at Natasha’s, I received a visit from what I felt was a female spirit informing me she was looking for someone. I read out the names of the families I had researched and landed on one that made absolute sense. I kept this information to myself.