The DJINN are in the spotlight… Bigfoot and pukwudgie expeditions in PA and MA… and demons at the Haunted America East Coast Con in August! All in a paranormal day’s work as summer speeds on by. This month’s special feature in honor of a new book deal – “Psychomanteum: Mirror-Gazing to Contact the Dead.”

NEWS

Djinn
Phil Imbrogno and I launched our publicity campaign on the DJINN with appearances on Coast to Coast AM with George Noory and Para-X Radio with Dave Jones and John Zaffis. The publicity boosted pre-orders for our upcoming The Vengeful Djinn, vaulting the book into a top spot on the Amazon.com list. The book will be out in March from Llewellyn. Meanwhile, visit our Djinn page on my website, http://www.visionaryliving.com, for archived media, information, articles and upcoming events.

Bigfoot
I’m always researching a variety of topics. I had two major research trips last month that yielded a wealth of material for the book on interdimensional portals that Phil and I are doing next. Eric Altman, president and founder of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society, organized an expedition in Fayette County, PA for me. Despite intensely hot and muggy conditions, our group trooped through heavy woods to visit the sites of encounters. I interviewed eye-witnesses who had some amazing stories to tell. Fayette County has a long reputation as a paranormal “hot” zone, and it lives up to its reputation!

Pukwudgies
At the end of July, Phil and I traveled to the Bridgewater Triangle in MA, another major hot zone. Milder weather prevailed this time, fortunately. We had some excellent help from John Brightman of New England Paranormal Research (NEPR). One highlight was our hike to the Assonet Ledge, a high and sheer cliff where legend holds that the pukwudgies lure people to plummet to their deaths in the rocky water below. The pukwudgies are mischievous creatures, similar to fairies, who can manifest as lights that lead people astray. They are comparable in that respect to the will-o-the-wisp. For more information on these mysterious beings, visit http://www.masscrossroads.com.

Salem ghosts and hauntings
I wrapped up my research in Salem, MA on the area’s ghosts and hauntings legacy, for a book for Stackpole, which will be published in the spring of 2011. Salem is known for its witch history, but it has plenty of haunted places, too!

New book deal
I have signed a contract with Red Wheel/Weiser to co-author a book on contacting the dead and necromancy with Christian Day, one of Salem’s leading Witches and the proprietor of the Hex and Omen shops in town. An exciting project!

UPCOMING EVENTS

August 28 – Troy Taylor’s Haunted American East Coast conference in West Barnstable, MA. I will present on “Everything You Need to Know About Demons.” Some great haunted tours and cruises are offered, too! West Barnstable sits in the middle of one of the most haunted parts of Cape Cod. And what a great place to end the summer! http://www.americanspookshows.com/cape.html

September 3-6 – Dragon Con in Atlanta. This will be my fourth year at Dragon Con to give panels and programs for Derek Tatum’s Dark Fantasy track and now the new Paranormal Track, under the direction of my agent, Marc Tetlow, Ideal Event Management. John Zaffis and I will be making a marathon drive down the East Coast for this event. Watch out! You never know what trouble Johnny and I will get into! I’m looking forward especially to the premiere of John’s film, John Zaffis: The World Within. I have a part in it, discussing demons and the Djinn with John. Dragon Con is always a blast!
http://www.dragoncon.org

Announcements for 2011 events
I am pleased to be joining the Phenomenology 103 conference in Gettysburg in March 2011, the EPIC Con in Virginia Beach, VA in March 2011, and Troy Taylor’s Haunted America West Coast con in San Diego in February 2011, and his Midwest con in Jacksonville, IL in June 2011.

FEATURE ARTICLE

The following can be reposted provided the copyright, byline and website information are included. Thank you for your courtesy.

Psychomanteum: Mirror-Gazing for the Dead
By Rosemary Ellen Guiley
Copyright Visionary Living, Inc.
www.visionaryliving.com

Want to contact the dead? You can buy, invent and create high-tech gear said to do the job – or you can try one of most reliable tools since ancient times that hangs right in your home. A mirror.

Well, not just any mirror, but a black mirror that has been coated with black paint on the reverse side. Used in a certain way, the mirror becomes a “psychomanteum” – a Greek term for a place where one communicates with the dead.

Modern interest in the psychomanteum is credited to Dr. Raymond Moody, who pioneered research of near-death experiences. In the 1980s, Moody became interested in ancient techniques of scrying – gazing into shiny surfaces to see into the future, and to open portals to the realm of the dead. He thought that a psychomanteum could provide help in coming to terms with grief over loss of a loved one.

Moody turned a walk-in closet in his home into a psychomanteum. He covered the floor, walls and ceiling in black carpet. He propped a large mirror against one wall, with its bottom edge resting on the floor. Across from the mirror, he placed a comfortable armchair with its legs removed, so that the body of the chair rested directly on the floor. Behind the chair was a tiny lamp with a dim bulb. A person sitting in the chair could look into the mirror without seeing any reflection of himself, the chair or the lamp. In dim light, the mirror turned into a pool of infinite darkness. After gazing into it for a while, a person’s eyes became fatigued, and visions were likely to appear.

Moody called his psychomanteum the “Theater of the Mind.” He spent several years conducting research involving contacting the dead in this manner as a way of resolving grief. In his book Reunions, he describes a wide variety of experiences, from seeing visions of the dead to holding conversations with them. Today, many therapists and after-death communications researchers use the psychomanteum.

A closet or small room such as Moody designed is an ideal setting for a psychomanteum, for it minimizes distractions and creates an atmosphere that aids altered states of consciousness. However, even a small black-coated mirror can be used as a portable psychomanteum. You can set it anywhere in a dimly lit room.

Prop the mirror so that you can look into it without seeing any reflections. Prepare yourself for concentration. If you feel the need, you can invoke spiritual protection for a benevolent experience.

You can set your intention to contact a specific person who has passed over, or to contact whoever wishes to speak to you. Center yourself and gaze into the mirror. After a few minutes, images may arise in the mirror or in your mind’s eye, as well as thoughts. Allow them to surface. You may wish to keep a recorder running so that you can make verbal notes in order to remember everything. Ask for messages, or to be shown something of importance to you for your benefit.

A session may last just a few minutes or much longer, but eventually you will feel the energy wind down or suddenly “go.” Close the mirror session by visualizing a curtain drawn over the mirror. Thank any communicators, and be sure to instruct them to depart.

Spend some time reviewing your session and assessing your results.

Looking for the dead can be psychologically unsettling. If you have emotional issues involving the dead that are unresolved or that trigger sensitivities, it’s advisable to use a psychomanteum only with the support of a trained person who can guide the process. Some psychologists and counselors are familiar with the psychomanteum.
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