Posted on 10/23/2004 4:37:00 PM PDT by CurlyBill
HUDSON -- A headless man in a fine blue officer's uniform floats above the Fort Meadow Reservoir day and night, but his ghost is seen only by women.
"The Blue Man," as he is known, is so crisp that the weave of his coat and the gold on his buttons are clearly visible, said ghost hunter and story teller Nancy McMillan.
Another ghost, who some recognize as a former Marlborough mayor, peers up at those on the Fort Meadow Reservoir docks.
"It looks like he's peering up at you from under a sheet of ice," said McMillan, who will lead a free discussion of "Historical Ghosts of New England" on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the First Federated Church Hall at 200 Central St. The event is being hosted by the Hudson Historical Society.
McMillan not only leads ghost tours and writes novels during her spare time, she also heads her own ghost detective agency called "In Spirit." It investigates supposed paranormal activity free of charge.
"I don't see dead people," McMillan said with a laugh.
But her business partner does.
McMillan investigates possible hauntings with a friend and silent partner who is "sensitive," a medium who can tap into spirit energy.
McMillan said she approaches ghost hunting as a science to prove spooky phenomena have natural explanations, like power surges or loose floor boards.
"I'm a skeptic," McMillan said from her home office on Lincoln Street. "I go in more to prove there isn't, rather than there is."
Of the 20 or so hauntings "In Spirit" has investigated since its inception two years ago, only two or three were not explainable phenomena.
One such haunting occurs at Stones Public House in Ashland, well known for its haunted happenings. McMillan said she and her partner recorded evidence of the ghost of a little girl there, capturing her in light images, and recording "Electronic Voice Phenomena" of the girl saying "I am not dead."
McMillan said she would not discuss investigations at private homes and businesses, even if they turned out to be easily explained.
A ghost history could affect the value of a house and how sane neighbors think you are, she said.
"The confidentiality is as strong as if you were doing a counseling session," she said.
McMillan, a psychotherapist and non-denominational minister, said he has always been drawn to help people. Her investigation of the paranormal is simply an extension of that desire and her interest in the afterlife.
She began thinking more about life after death when she was ordained by the Universal Church.
"People would ask me, where do I go after I die?" she said. "Nobody can really answer that question, it's a matter of faith."
McMillan's first ghostly encounter took place in the historic Wayside Inn in Sudbury 17 years ago, when a mysterious presence visited her in the night.
McMillan was writing a romance novel at the time, and chose the picturesque inn as the book's setting.
Then, laying alone under the covers in the middle of the night, "I felt someone standing next to me," she said. "It was just like someone was there, looking down at me."
McMillan frantically turned on the light, she looked under the bed, she looked in the closet. She found nothing.
After climbing back into bed, "I felt a touch on my cheek and the name John came to mind."
To her surprise, another guest had had a similar experience, and the innkeeper said "John" was a former proprietor who liked to check in on the guests from time to time.
McMillan would not necessarily determine the Wayside Inn harbors a ghost on that experience alone.
"Is there evidence? That is the key word," she said.
McMillan's ghost-detecting kit includes infrared video cameras, digital cameras, tape recorders and electromagnetic field detectors to record ghost activity.
Before "In Spirit" sets up the equipment, McMillan's partner interviews the clients about their experiences and the history of the house, and asks them to keep a journal of the activity. Strange occurrences are easily explained when they take place at the same time or during the same weather conditions, McMillan said. Then, "In Spirit" researches the property and its history through town records.
The vast majority of haunting are tricks of light and shadow, hallucinations, peculiar atmospheric conditions, geological or electromagnetic influences and animal noises, according to McMillan. Some are pranks and others could be displaced psychic energy.
Most people have suspected a haunting or know someone who has seen a ghost, McMillan said.
"I think a lot of people have experienced this, they just don't want to let people know."
McMillan, as well as "In Spirit," New Beginnings S.O.U.L. Clinic and the Tree of Life Spiritual Center, can be reached through nancymcmillan.net.
"Ghosty" sorts of things are very much NOT my preference and I rarely bother about them at all.
I consider them virtually invariably to involve demonic forces.
I lost my father 3 years before my last child was born. I remember being so depressed that my daddy wouldn't be here for his birth as my father always made a huge to do over the births of his grandchildren. One night right before I gave birth I had an extremely vivid dream which is very unusual for me. I don't feel comfortable calling it a dream as it seemed more like a vision of sorts. In the dream my father walks through a hospital door carrying a blue blanket. He hands me the baby and smiles the most beautiful smile and says "He's the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. God chose him just for you". The next morning was a Saturday and I gathered up all of the girlie things that we had bought and made rounds to the department stores to return them for boy items. My husband and mother thought I had lost my mind. Without explaining to them why I went on with my mission. See, up until this point we had been told that my son was going to be a girl. That morning though I knew in my knower that I was having a boy. The following week I gave birth to my son. The first words out of my mother's mouth were identical to the ones my father spoke to me. She said "he's the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. God chose him just for you". It was then that I told my mother about my dream. We both cried. Sometimes my now 8 yo son says "I wish Papa could see me". I simply tell him that he does.
I understand what you are saying and tend to agree with you. However, I do not discount the appearance of a dying person's loved ones at the time of death or sometime before to be demonic. I believe that God can allow anything to happen and that He knows what will ease and comfort His own better than we.
dying person's loved ones = dying person's already deceased loved ones...sorry
Heard a rumor that his supposed 'knee' surgery and 'by-pass' were really not that at all. Knee surgury was supposedly a cover up for prostate surgery.
Well, by then they should all have had time to vote.
No. Not my reality.
I don't believe it's anyone's reality.
I believe it is VIRTUALLY ALWAYS (not 100%)
demonic forces impersonating relatives etc.
Demonic forces have plenty of information from living eternally past from any point in the generations before of any numbers of people involved to impersonate anyone they wish to impersonate.
People give openings to such forces in various ways or such openings have been passed down through generations through some chronic sin or other serious spiritually key issue or problem.
Thankfully, the Blood of Jesus and sufficient prayer and fasting on the part of key people--especially those gifted and experienced in dealing with such problems can usually solve such phenomena mysteries and prevent reoccurances.
This is essentially the explanation for supposed reincarnation 'proof's,' too.
When I was a little girl, there was this very strange song about a "little blue man" who was always following the female singer and he "scared me right out of my wits!" This must be him! :-)
I do agree that God can allow manifestations of all manner of things CONSISTENT WITH HIS NATURE AND PRIORITIES . . .
Some things He seems to wholesale prohibit in Scripture. I doubt He'd be likely to do at least some of those prohibitted things.
Yes, I believe He has sent images of departed loved ones for comfort.
I think images is a more correct term than ghosts. God is better at virtual reality than we are.
When I was a kid I remember telling my Grandma that once I'd seen a man sitting in the chair by the window with an eye patch on and a crutch, wearing a beige uniform of some sort with a name tag sewn on it. Mom and Grandma looked at each other kind of funny. Later I found out that it sounded like Uncle James, except he'd been dead for 4 years. I dunno.
Then how would you explain someone's grandmother who sees her own mother standing by Jesus hours before she dies. Know that this grandmother is completely coherant and not of feeble mind. How would you explain the look of wonder and awe on her face as she names additional family members who she sees by her Lord and takes great joy in knowing that they will be reunited and have eternal fellowship with their Lord? I am sorry but I do not believe that these are demonic forces. I am not ignorant of the activities of hell's future occupants. I believe that God can allow anything that He sees fit to allow. Were Moses and Elijah on the mount demonic impersonators? No. As for the "ghost stories" I don't believe that the spirits of the deceased roam the earth and haunt people. But I don't discount all "spiritual" appearances. Especially without discernment of the time and context (etc) of the "visit".
Now that I agree with and of course, you said it better than I.
THANKS MUCH.
I might should have read your posts more in sequence/order and more thoroughly before responding. Sorry.
I quite agree that God sends angels, visions, dreams etc. to comfort people.
It is even conceivable to me that he sends some spiritual essence of a believer deceased to a living loved one.
But the business about lazarus and the gulf between etc. leads me to suspect that God is not likely to do something that that Scripture says is impossible. Therefore, I believe God does virtually all such things in terms of images--essentially virtual reality in our current terms.
I don't know that there's any "of course" about me supposedly saying things better than you.
You said things very well. I just didn't read them in sequence and not thoroughly enough. So sorry.
Thanks for your graciousness.
Blessings,
About 4 years ago, my Grandmother was very ill. She thought she had bone cancer (actually a fracture) and she was giving up. Anyway, she said that one night, she saw my Grandfather up in the corner of the hospital room. She said "D.R. what are you doing there" and he said "I've come to take you home." She said "Home?" He said, "Are you ready yet, I've come to take you home." Shar said the she was not ready yet. And said, "when you're ready I'll be back." My Grandfather had been dead 3 years.
When I have more time, I'll tell you about the house we lived in when we were stationed in England. The house was in Bury St. Edmunds and it was 700 years old. We lasted about 9 months before we moved out and onto base housing.
Even worse, they continue to tax them!
That would be cool! A 700 hundred year old house is something that just doesn't exist here in the US... I would LOVE to spend a few nights in such a house!
Yup!! With the Rats, I guess they figure if they can get them out to vote, they might as well tax them!
thanks for the ghost ping.
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