Due to raising numbers of cases of covid-19 in Manatee County all ghost tours are on hold again. Stay safe everyone.
Welcome back guest writer, Jenny Holt! She has written on our site quite a few times. Feel free to check out her other articles! If you would like to hear about a certain topic, please reach out and we will do our best to accommodate.
Over a quarter of people believe that humans have psychic abilities, but does that mean that each and every psychic has the same quality ability as the next? While you may visit a psychic in hopes of receiving answers, guidance, or even a paranormal reading, it’s possible that you could walk away from a session wondering exactly how good the psychic’s abilities actually were. With that said, it’s worth knowing how those abilities work in order to understand what separates a good psychic from one of a lesser quality.
Psychic abilities explained
A psychic is much more than just a fortune teller, and contrary to popular belief, they can’t simply read your mind and tell you what you want to hear. Those who are genuine rely on the special ability of extra-sensory perception (also known as ESP), an extraordinary phenomena that allows the psychic to sense and then read energy that others can’t generally see for themselves. In using this ability, a psychic can give you information about your future regarding an array of subjects. And, while many genuine psychics charge a decent fee per minute for a good quality session, others might leave you questioning the quality of their abilities.
Are they all the real deal?
There are many genuine psychics out there that have ESP, are enthusiastic about their work, and provide a great experience for their client. After all, psychics have been around for thousands of years and many have great reputations. However, in the past many people without the supernatural abilities of a genuine psychic have taken advantage of clients looking for the real deal – in fact, several people have even gone to jail over the matter, by impersonating a psychic and then committing crimes such as fraud or larceny. With that in mind, it’s important to do some extensive research before you jump into booking a session, as doing so can allow you to find a real, genuine psychic who can give you a quality session for your money.
Booking a genuine psychic
If you’re considering visiting a psychic anytime soon, there are a few ways that you can ensure that your psychic of choice is the real deal and nothing less. For example, one way to plan ahead is by doing your research before you book. For example, starting out by searching psychic readers near me and then looking at past ratings and reviews (along with other general information, like how long they’ve been practicing their skills) can prove to be very helpful when looking for a psychic online or in person. If your research doesn’t convince you, then there’s no harm in asking if there’s a possibility of getting a few free minutes to get a feel for the psychic’s abilities (after all, the worst they can say is no). While in person (or face-to-face or online), it’s important to take a mental note of signs, such as if the psychic is enthusiastic about their job and if their personality seems genuine, as this can also give you a major clue as to their caliber.
Going to a psychic can be a great experience for anyone who is looking for answers or guidance in their life. However, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s possible that not every psychic is as genuine as they should be. With that said, it’s always a good idea to do your research ahead of time before you book a session.
Join us Wednesday, October 23 in North Port for the SWFL Paranormal Panel. Doors open at 5:30pm and event begins at 6pm To register, click on the photo below! Can’t wait to see everyone!
Our guest blogger, Jenny Holt has written for our website a few times. Check out the recent article she shared with us. Thank you, Jenny!!
Higher IQs Mean Better Psychic Abilities
The link between a person’s quick thinking and potential psychic powers has been a topic of research for years. But with the advent of more in-depth ways of studying the human brain, recent years have seen the establishment of a standard measure known as the Intelligent Quotient, or IQ. As a mathematical measure of one’s brain, IQ may be the missing link in measuring psychic abilities.
What Are They?
The first thing to note is that a person’s IQ is the measure of their ability to quickly analyze and comprehend new knowledge. That doesn’t mean having a high IQ means they are, as the saying goes, book-smart. Instead, scientists believe IQ allows one to handle new or alien knowledge with a calm demeanor, allowing them to accept things faster than those with a low IQ. We’ve even standardized IQ tests enough to use them to test robots or AIs to see how they think.
On the other hand, psychic powers are the ability to unlock the latent talents of the mind. Most professionals in the field of parapsychology (studying the mind in ways normal science cannot) agree that everyone has psychic talents. Due to either the stress or foreign nature of them, we suppress these new feelings and stifle any psychic abilities before we know what we are capable of. Thus, meditation or exercises to clear one’s mind can help to awaken dormant powers.
Mind And Body
It stands to reason, therefore, that having a higher IQ allows one to endure this phenomenon of the mind easier and learn to control it quickly. Psychic abilities are most often reported in those who constantly attempt to expand their understanding of the world, and a correlation between this pursuit of knowledge and rapid thoughts or high IQs have been drawn
.
Another commonality that has been drawn is stress. Those who grew up in medium to high-level stress environments tested higher on IQ tests, possibly because they learned to focus and tune out the stress present around them. Focusing the mind is similar to a muscle; the more you practice it, the better you become. Not only that, those who report control over their psychic powers have also reported having their talents jolted awake by a traumatic or stressful childhood.
Likewise, reports have cited overly stressful environments where subjects couldn’t cope with their surroundings as causes for lowered IQs anddisappearing psychic powers. It may be that wellness of mind, a critical factor in both quick thinking and awakening the dormant parts of the mind is an integral link between them. When one becomes overwhelmed, they can’t control their thoughts properly, and in the modern environment causes of stress have only grown in number.
Give It A Try
Psychic powers have been reported in cultures all over the continent, from past to present. While anyone could awaken to them, the reality is that many have drawn a connection between the ability to quickly solve problems in a clear and concise manner, and psychic powers. The modern term for this is a high IQ, and if you happen to be blessed with this tool, you may find yourself tapping into your psychic talents sooner rather than later.
By Kristin Swain – October 30, 2018
You might find her a little creepy or kooky, maybe a bit mysterious or spooky, but one title it’s hard to deny Liz Reed is the queen of the local paranormal.
With her leadership of the Paranormal Society of Bradenton, a group which she founded with her husband, Ron, in 2013, a new book and a burgeoning ghost tour business, Reed is closer than ever to realizing her dream of studying the paranormal on a full-time basis.
“I love doing what I do,” she said. “I wish I could do it full time.”
In her new book, “Haunted Manatee County,” Reed explores the ghosts and history of what was historically Manatee County, including De Soto, Glades and Hardee counties. She said the book took about three years to research, including the research she did for The Original Downtown Bradenton Ghost Tour and it’s Bradenton Beach counterpart, and two years to write.
The hardest part, she said, was finding period-specific photographs of the places she and her team encountered paranormal activity for inclusion in the book. She said writing it and using many of her own photographs in the book helped realize two of her lifelong goals – to be a professional author and photographer.
Rather than reaching out herself, Reed said she was contacted by publishers Arcadia Publishing and The History Press to write the book based on her popular ghost tours. Soon she’ll have a second book published on the haunted history of Sarasota County.
In her Manatee County book, Reed uncovers the stories of the ghost of famous mobster Al Capone, who occasionally rides the elevators at the Hampton Inn, the history of the Cortez Village and the fishermen who lost their lives at sea, the ghosts of a woman and girl who play hostess at The Sign of the Mermaid and the shades seen frolicking on Bridge Street.
One of her most active Anna Maria Island ghosts, she says, is the spirit of George Bean Sr. whom she said likes to flirt with some of the ladies on the ghost tour, going so far as to mischievously take one lady’s glove, which was never recovered. Reed said Bean likes to follow along with the ghost tours, and she believes he roams the Island to keep a watchful eye on things.
On the downtown ghost tour, she said her favorite areas to explore are the Hampton Inn and the old location of the Manatee Players theater, now a construction site for a new hotel. She said that site is very active due partially to the Native American burial grounds that were used as fill in the area.
When the new hotel opens, Reed said she hopes to be one of the first to check in.
The information for Reed’s book and ghost tours comes from various sources including the spirits themselves. Her paranormal investigation team has several ways of communicating with the ghosts. While some members of her team are especially sensitive to the spirits and can see and communicate with them just like they’re talking with the living, others rely on the electronic equipment they bring with them on paranormal investigations including video cameras, digital voice recorders, voice boxes, K-2 meters and other devices.
Sometimes, she said they find nothing on these investigations. Other times they may think they haven’t found anything but get home and hear voices on recordings and see orbs of light and fully developed spirits walking past their cameras as they record. When they record evidence of spirits, Reed often posts the recordings on the group’s social media or website for the public to see for themselves.
When told a legend of a haunted place, encountering a new spirit or preparing for an investigation, Reed says she attempts to verify stories through historical documents. When the investigators know they’re going to a new place, Reed studies the history of the building to help better prepare for what might be found there.
Her fascination with the spirit world is born of her own experiences and attempting to find an answer to the age-old question of what happens when we die.
“We’re all made of energy so where does that energy go after we die?” she asked.
Reed said she believes that some of that energy stays here, some of it crosses over to whatever lies beyond this life and she’s fascinated by all of it.
“There’s no explanation for what we have found,” she said of the paranormal investigations, adding that she loves being able to explore the history of the area and verify stories from the past. For the naysayers, she offers guests on her ghost tours the opportunity to use some of the equipment that her paranormal group uses on investigations to allow them to experience the spirit activity for themselves.
“They just want to be known, that they’re still here,” she said of the ghosts she encounters.
As for the book, she said it was an interesting project and she hopes that readers will enjoy it.
“I want five ghosts, not five stars,” she said.
“Haunted Manatee County” is available through local retailers, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
To schedule a ghost tour or to follow Reed’s paranormal investigations, visit the Paranormal Society of Bradenton online and on social media, or call 941-704-0621.
Posted on October 31, 2018 by Bailey Tietsworth
Check out the interview we recently did with Bailey from New College.
A quick peek into the basement in College Hall.
As the night of fright looms ever closer, people crave the adrenaline which accompanies the haunting sensations of Halloween. Ghost stories provide the perfect outlet for that feeling, as they allow for the listeners to immerse themselves in the suspense while in the safety of their own comfort blanket. Haunted mansions and spooky corridors exist in the realm of narration and lie far away from the safety of our own beds … or do they? The shadows of unknown figures lurk in the windows of buildings just around the corner. Come along on a journey around campus and explore the stories of paranormal interactions from days gone by.
College Hall, a majestic mansion whose pink exterior complements the colorful Sarasota sunsets, stands on the bayfront side of campus. Built in 1926, College Hall served as the Florida residence of Charles Ringling and his family. Charles did not live in the building that long after construction finished; unfortunately he died on Dec. 3, 1926. His wife, Edith Ringling, maintained residence in the mansion with their children, Robert and Hester, after he passed. Edith carried on in Charles’ administrative responsibilities to manage the progress of the circus. Edith’s notable impact on the circus’ continuous success earned her the nickname “Mrs. Charlie,” after a similar epithet, “Mr. Charlie,” affectionately given to Charles.
Faculty, staff and students now use College Hall as a place for work and study, but the Ringlings are not as absent as they seem. Liz Reed, one of the co-founders of the Paranormal Society of Bradenton FL (PSOBFL), along with PSOBFL members and volunteers from New College, investigated Old Caples and College Hall on Aug. 25, 2015. Both buildings received “haunted” certifications. Reed has extensive knowledge of the history of the Ringling family, and always greets Edith and Charles whenever she and her husband enter the front entrance.
“We always walk in now, even when we’re just visiting the property, into his house, and we always say, ‘Hello Mr. Charlie and hello Mrs. Charlie,’ because of the story of her saving the circus after Charles died,” Reed explained.
The investigation unearthed multiple pieces of evidence of paranormal activity, some of which occurred in the Music Room in College Hall. Aside from interactions with Edith, Hester and Robert, Reed reported some supernatural findings from the organ.
“We’ve picked up someone sitting at the organ, and activity going off on our meters, but you know that’s in plexiglass, nobody can be sitting there and nobody can be playing with it, and that has no power to it,” Reed stated. “So it wouldn’t set off any equipment because it has no power. So it’s still being used by somebody.”
At one point, the equipment caught two shadows upstairs, one smaller in size than the other, which they assumed belonged to one of the parents and one of the children.
“The little one went by and then the bigger one went by,” Reed said. “Maybe they were tucking them in for the night.”
The spectral forms of the Ringlings live on in their mansion, according to Reed, because they enjoy the time they spent there and want to remain in their home.
“I think that they just love it so much that they don’t want to leave it,” Reed said. “So they’re just going to continue enjoying it. That’s the feeling that we get from it, that it’s not harmful. They just enjoyed their house so much that their energy and everything is going to stay there.”
Along with College Hall, Reed investigated Old Caples with the same group of people that night. Old Caples has attained a notoriously frightening reputation since students and alums have spread stories about their night-time scares. The Caples building, along with the Carriage House, was built in 1930 for Ralph and Ellen Caples. Ellen passed the estate on to New College in 1962 and lived there until she died in 1972 at 98 years old.
“We communicated with Ralph Caples,” Reed stated. “You could actually feel the change in the room when he entered; a chill went through the room. [He] was a very business, stern-type man, but he was joke-y. It was only in his office.”
She also described an interaction with an unknown presence when she was sitting with one of the volunteers, former New College employee Andrea Knies.
“We were sitting in a room that’s downstairs, I think it used to be the dining room in Ralph Caples’ house, and I was sitting on one side and she was on my left side and neither one of us realized that we were messing with ourselves, because I felt like my necklace was falling off and actually what happened was it was being pulled outward to the side. At the same time, she felt like her hair was being pulled on that side. So it was like somebody was standing between us. We didn’t know it until I walked out of the room, and I said, ‘It felt like somebody grabbed my necklace at some point, a lot,’ and she said, ‘Something was moving my hair.’ Then we watched the video and you could actually see it happen on video.”
Moving further inland, the Palmer buildings have also generated stories of unsettling encounters. Alumna Shane Donglasan (‘10), former Catalysteditor, spent many nights in Palmer E where the Catalyst office was located in the spring semester of 2012. Donglasan experienced two different events while working in the office on seemingly normal occasions. The first time happened to her while she was alone one night.
“I went to use the bathroom, which was right across the hall,” Donglasan explained in an email interview. “I turned the light switch on to the restroom. Normally I turned the lights off as well when I leave the bathroom but knowingly left them on because I knew it was going to be a late night and I would use the bathroom again soon. Next time I went in, the lights had been turned off. I was 100 percent certain no one else was in the building and who would have turned the light switch off? Anyway I turned the lights on again to use the bathroom and that’s when they started flickering. It didn’t spook me too much at the time because it’s an old building and sometimes these fluorescent lights will flicker for a while before turning themselves on all the way. It never stopped flickering. Even when I turned the light switch to off. I flipped the light switch on and off for a while but it just kept flickering. That’s when I hauled ass and left the building.”
Donglasan and other Catalyst members learned after they moved into the office that Palmer E was condemned and that nobody should set foot inside the building.
After hearing these stories, any brave soul that feels compelled to carry out their own paranormal investigation should be prepared. Reed encourages that people bring a friend, cell-phone and a digital camera.
“But don’t antagonize, show ’em respect, always show ’em respect and they’re going to respect you back,” Reed said. “When you leave the area say, ‘Thank you,’ and ‘Goodnight, I enjoyed talking to you.’ Whether they get a response or not they should always do that because there’s someone there listening. I don’t care what anybody says, there’s always a spirit around.”
Information for this article was gathered from wikipedia.org, sarasotahistoryalive.com and NCF Admissions staff member Cliff Lundin.
Liz Reed appeared on our local station in Sarasota, FL to discuss her new book, Haunted Manatee County, and also talk about her investigation at Linda Carson’s house! Check it out below!
