Embracing the Spirits: True Stories of My Encounters With the Other Side

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Publication date: October 2013

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Price: $14.99 U.S.; $17.50 CAN

Pages: 264

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Trim size: 53/16" x 8"

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ISBN: 978-0-7387-3679-2

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PARKS

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About the Author

Barbara Parks (Kalamunda, Western Australia) is a microbiol-

ogist and podiatrist with her own private practice. She has spoken about poltergeists on the radio and is frequently sought out for paranormal investigations. She lives in Australia with her husband and three children.

embracing the

s p i r i t s

true stories of my encounters

with the other side

B A R B A R A P A R K S

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Embracing the Spirits: True Stories of My Encounters With the Other Side
© 2013 by Barbara Parks. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Edition

First Printing, 2013

Cover art © : Victorian paisley background: iStockphoto.com/ShutterWorx Woman walking through hall: iStockphoto.com/Özgür Donmaz

Cover design by Adrienne Zimiga

Editing by Andrea Neff

Interior photographs provided by the author

Llewellyn Publications is a registered trademark of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (Pending)

ISBN: 978-0-7387-3679-2

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public.

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Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific location will continue to be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to authors’ websites and other sources.

Llewellyn Publications

A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

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Woodbury, MN 55125-2989

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Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Introduction / 1

The Night of the Poltergeist / 5

Repercussions / 19

Matilda / 25

Matt / 29

Gary / 37

Lover Girl / 43

Robert / 53

The Heritage Hotel / 57

The Kalamunda Hotel / 65

Ouija / 75

The Girl in Room One / 83

The Boys / 91

The Haunted Theaters / 101

Steve / 111

x Contents

Laurie / 117

Stan / 127

Deb / 133

Seance at the Clinic / 143

Shirley’s Funeral / 149

The Interactions of Others / 155

Austin / 183

Ghostly Guardians / 197

Marnie / 203

Cliffside / 211

New Norcia / 219

Elliott / 227

Out of Body / 233

The Michelin Man / 239

The Ghost of the Government House / 243

A New Chapter Begins / 251

I n t r o d u c t i o n

The spirit world has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are replete with the ghosts

who lingered by my bedside; their radiant, kind faces sooth-

ing me to sleep. Back then, I considered these visitations to be comforting and normal. I had no reason to suspect that my

nightly visitors were anything out of the ordinary.

It took some years for me to realise that my bedside entou-

rage were ghosts, and when I did, a crippling fear was quick to set in. My fear began to dull my sensitivity, and later as a teen, it fuelled what were to be a series of terrifying visitations. And now, almost three decades on, I am still waging a battle to be entirely free of its clutches.

My experiences as a teenager have a lot to answer for, inas-

much that I found myself sharing a house with a persistently

nasty poltergeist. Although my reactions to paranormal phe-

nomena have become more tempered over the course of my

1

2 Introduction

forty three years, ghostly visitations still set my heart racing. It’s an ingrained response that I struggle to keep in check.

As time goes on and my encounters with the other side

become more prolific, I have, however, discovered that the

spirit world is rarely malicious. Accepting this realisation has helped me forge ahead with the development of my clairvoyance, despite the occasional fear-fuelled setback. I’ve come to realise that by keeping negative emotions (particularly fear) at bay, it’s possible to minimise the likelihood of negative paranormal experiences.

Projecting a sense of positivity and love attracts positive

interactions, whereas negativity attracts the same in return. In addition to actively trying to suppress my fears, I believe that by embracing my clairvoyant abilities, I have invited the spirits to be around me. As such I seem to have attracted an upsurge in

visitations, most of which have been uplifting and positive.

Whilst the first part of my life was about learning to cope

with my otherworldly experiences, I feel that the next phase is about making the most of the clairvoyant abilities I was born with. The spirits are still seeking me out, more than ever in

fact, and I’m generally comfortable encouraging these inter-

actions. I have learnt that spirit visitations are a blessing, and have reached a point where I am comfortable facilitating contact between spirits and their loved ones. I no longer feel

targeted by unseen entities; I feel privileged to have their attention.

In order to maximize my potential as a clairvoyant, I have

explored ways in which to develop my mediumship abilities

and establish a reliable mode of communication with the spir-

its who seem to be perpetually around me. My clairaudience

still remains muted, so I have focussed my attentions on dows-

ing with a pendulum, orb photography and table tipping. The

stories within these pages document my journey towards

developing these skills, and the wonderful spirits who have

helped me along the way.

I have been privileged to meet the delightful twenty year-

old Gary, who managed to redeem himself after our “shaky”

start. Gary first commandeered my attention by waking me

up by shaking my bed, an unacceptable trick I was quick to set him straight on!

I was touched to meet a very active spirit gent named Lau-

rie, who was desperate to make amends for the pain he had

caused his family by taking his own life. Laurie wasted no time in physically manifesting; first by placing his hand on his niece, Lane’s shoulder. He went on to move my pedestal table, all

the while presenting himself as a glowing, iridescent orb. His grand finale came when Lane asked for something undeniable;

an irrefutable sign that he was really there. Lane’s request was met by a shattering of broken glass, as the glass candle holder on the table beside her spontaneously shattered with a loud

crack.

Not quite as endearing was the poltergeist, Ted, who

announced his presence by pelting me with a smattering of

small gravelly stones. His angry banging and accompanying icy

chill were almost enough to send me scampering for cover. I felt as though I could easily revert to being the terrified girl I once was, and that all my hard work of the past few years would be

undone. It took all my courage and resolve not to allow this,

and turn a potentially damaging experience into something pos-

itive.

As recently as a few years ago, these same experiences would

have paralysed me with fear, whereas now I know enough to

4 Introduction

realise that the spirits mean me no harm. They still have the

ability to set my heart pounding, but I can retain enough presence of mind to calm myself and work out what it is they want.

I have discovered that spirits are reaching out to me for good reason. I feel it’s my responsibility to establish what that is and to do my best to help them.

I would like to think that as time goes on, not only will

my abilities become more honed, but the last remaining sker-

rick of fear will be eradicated forever. Maybe then the spirits’

voices will finally manage to come through.

So from my earliest memories of the ghostly entourage

who surrounded my cot, to the terror of my teenage haunt-

ing, I find myself purposefully marching forward on my jour-

ney towards connectedness with the spirit world. So even in

those times when I falter, there is no choice but to continue

moving forward. And as I keep marching onward, I trust that

you, my readers, will continue the journey with me.

T h e N i g h t o f t h e

P o l t e r g e i s t

To conquer one’s fears one must face them;
it’s something I’ve known for as long as I can remember. Putting the theory into

practice however, is another matter altogether.

Of all the entities I’ve come across in my lifetime, it’s poltergeists that scare me the most. I know too well how vio-