GHOSTVILLAGE.COM NEWSLETTER #77 - January 16, 2008

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Dear Ghostvillagers,

Happy New Year! In the past, we've spent a great deal of time discussing human ghosts and spirits. But what about our four-legged friends? Can animals stick around our earthly plane even after their death? The Ghostvillage.com Encounters section has many accounts of witnesses who believe they've experienced the ghosts of their cats, dogs, even horses and birds. One witness I spoke to believes her cat hung around for a few months after his death. She told me that her cat died at the end of November one year. A few weeks later, she and her husband were decorating their Christmas tree and they had a sad moment when they realized they could hang ornaments on the lowest branches this year because they no longer had a cat who would bat them around and break them. The afternoon after their tree was up, they saw their low-hanging ornaments being knocked around by an unseen force. In the weeks that followed, she also saw a shadowy cat figure darting around her house. She felt her pet stuck around for a bit longer to be with the family he loved.

To some, the idea of animal spirits is natural. They believe that all living things possess some kind of spirit energy -- so why not animal ghosts? Others who subscribe to a religious belief system may be offended at the notion that animals would also contain some version of a "soul." This month on Ghostvillage.com, we're going to look at animal ghosts more closely. Are these furry encounters simply residual (just as some people report seeing ghost trains, planes, etc.), or can our pets and other animals stick around after their bodies stop working? We invite you to share your own animal ghost encounters, thoughts, and opinions on this fascinating subject in our message board of the month.

Now that it's 2008, and winter has settled on the Ghostvillage.com world headquarters, we're hunkering down and working on a slew of new features and content for the new year. We recently updated our site's search engine -- you can now search every page of Ghostvillage.com including the message board posts from one engine. We added a new Webcast of Paranormal Journeys -- this month we travel to the haunted Lizzie Borden house in Fall River, Massachusetts. And in the coming months we'll be adding a new section to Ghostvillage, adding some new writers, and we'll be bringing you even more of the great features you already love.

In 2008 I'll be getting out to quite a few speaking engagements as well. February 7-9, I'll be at the Tombstone Ghost Conference in Arizona (there are still some tickets available if you'd like to go); in March I'll be at the Ghost Rush Conference in Volcano, California; and the rest of my year is already filling up quickly with conferences and paranormal lectures all over the United States (and hopefully a few overseas). I love having the opportunity to get out and meet so many Ghostvillagers. Be sure to introduce yourself if you're at any of my talks. I'd be glad to show you the secret Ghostvillage handshake.

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter below.

Supernaturally yours,

Jeff Belanger
Mayor of Ghostvillage.com



Monthly Contest
Congratulations to Connie Chrobot of Pontiac, Illinois, who was last month's winner of an autographed copy of Jeff Belanger's new book, The Ghost Files, a Ghostvillage.com window sticker, and a Ghostvillage.com t-shirt!

This month, we're doing the contest again, but we ask that you first click this link: http://www.ghostvillage.com/index.shtml#winner. If it says, "The search is on" then we don't have a winner yet and go ahead and send in your answer. If you see today's date and "We have a winner!" that means you weren't the first to email us. Sorry, please try again next month.

On to this month's question: This question can be answered by reading a page on Ghostvillage.com. The first person to reply to this email with the correct answer will win this month's prize.

According to author Christopher Balzano, what is the best road in the state of Massachusetts to crack your oil pan on?

Once we have our winner, we will announce them on our home page as soon as possible. Good luck! (Only Ghostvillagers who have not won a prize from us in the last year are eligible.)

This month's prize: We're giving away an autographed copy of Jeff Belanger's latest book, The Ghost Files, a Ghostvillage.com window sticker, and a Ghostvillage.com t-shirt!


Didn't win? Want to buy a copy? Click on the graphic.



Supernatural Calendar
The Supernatural Calendar is the place where thousands will learn about your events of interest to the supernatural world. The service is only available to registered members of the message boards, and it's free! Ghostvillage.com now syndicates our calendar of events so other Web sites can also display these supernatural happenings at no charge! To learn more about installing our calendar of events RSS feed, please visit our syndication page. Adding your own local events to our calendar is more important than ever!

January 19: Las Vegas Paranormal Conference, San Francisco Conference-Forever Family Foundation
January 20: Jeff Belanger on Ghostly Talk Radio
February 2: Jeff Belanger on Exploring Unexplained Phenomena
February 7: Tombstone Ghost Conference - Arizona - Jeff Belanger will be speaking at this event
February 9: Your New Life Attitude With Rick Hayes
March 1: A Haunted Evening in London, Ontario

Who's Who in the Village?
Get to know some of your fellow Ghostvillagers.

>>peepers<< - member since August 4, 2006

What is your name?
Lisa "peepers" Barrett

How old are you?
37.

Where do you live?
Augusta, Georgia.

What do you do for a living?
Study, sing, and write! I'm finishing up a BA in music (classical voice) with a minor in professional writing, and am working toward my certification in music therapy. I'm a singer/songwriter and freelance journalist with the desire to continue on to grad school, pursuing biomedical research in music/neurological music therapy.

What got you interested in the paranormal? Have you had an experience yourself?
I was born into a haunted situation. The large home was shared by my grandmother's family, her sister's family, and my parents. The previous owner had hung himself in the attic due to being rejected by his mistress. For the fourteen years prior to my birth, multiple family members witnessed objects being tossed out from behind locked doors, disembodied footsteps, apparitions, lights going on and off by themselves, unaccounted voices, a man's face in the attic window, heavy weighted doors opening and closing on their own volition, etc. When moving day came, my father brought along with us to our new residence an antique book that had been found in the attic of the old house. It was Goethe's Faust. It was written in the German language and had beautiful color plates depicting the tale of Dr. Faust selling his soul to the devil.

We were now living in a new apartment building. Odd things kept occurring, Dad chalked them up to new construction or noisy neighbors. A year later we moved again, my parents had purchased their first home. But, it soon became obvious that the haunting had followed. The paranormal activity increased. Mom couldn't keep a babysitter. The entity would "play" with my brother's toys along with the light switch game, door slammings and footsteps every time we were left with the sitters. My own aunt wouldn't stay alone with us. The neighbors reported seeing a "man" sitting in my father's chair through the house's front windows when we weren't home. Then, at age 5, I saw it. It was my first full-bodied apparition. "It" had the body and clothing of a man. But, it had a head like a hideous beast. The experience was one of those things that doesn't wash out of your memory. Shortly after, my parents attended one of Ed and Lorraine Warren's lectures. The Warrens advised them on the situation and my father found an owner for the book.
Have you ever encountered an animal spirit?
Yes. A favorite pet cat who had passed away many years ago. Her spirit visits from time to time. After several occurrences, I have come to acknowledge that her appearances are a type of warning or alert.

What was the make and model of the first car you ever owned?
A 1987 Ford Thunderbird XL.

Last Month's Theme - Featured Content
Our last month's theme was demons. Here's what you missed if you haven't checked in since last month:

Feature: Shadows Of Evil by Rick Hayes
Discussion: Devils and Demons - Do You Believe?
Feature: Exorcism: Vanquishing Demons


Shopping at Ghostvillage.com
Have you checked out our Ghost-Mart and Ghostvillage U.?

Ghostvillage U.: "Professor Paranormal" Loyd Auerbach and the HCH Institute's Distance Learning Certificate Course on Parapsychological Studies is now available through Ghostvillage.com. Ready to take paranormal investigation to the next level? Check out the online courses.

Ghost-Mart:
Digital Voice Recorders: Going for EVP? Think DVR.
Paranormal Books: Ghost-Mart has many of the leading paranormal titles.
EMF Meters: Check out our line of EMF meters from cell sensors to tri-field.
Closed Circuit TV: From inexpensive to the high end, we have them all.


Supernatural Library
Ghostvillage.com's book reviewer, Lee Prosser and the staff have brought you several new book reviews and author interviews since our last newsletter.

This past month's Library additions:

Dark Woods by Christopher Balzano [AUTHOR INTERVIEW]
Seduction and the Secret Power of Women by Meri Lao
Gems From The Equinox By Aleister Crowley selected by Israel Regardie
Books on Fire by Lucien X. Polastron


Ghostvillage.com Advertising Opportunities
Each month Ghostvillage.com reaches tens of thousands of people interested in the paranormal. We offer the most effective and best-valued advertising and sponsorship packages of any paranormal media outlet. Please visit: http://www.ghostvillage.com/advertising.htm for details.

If you're ready to put Ghostvillage.com to work for your company or organization, send us an email to get started.

Recent Encounters
We receive personal encounters from all over the world. Many are scary, some are touching, but they are always profound. If you would like to share your own experience, please click >>here<<. Since our last newsletter, we added the following new encounters:

A Little Girl at Stone's Public House - Ashland, Massachusetts
Bones in the Basement - Kansas City, Missouri
A Woman's Voice - Richmond, Virginia
A Dark Mist - Barbers Point, Hawaii
The Hanging Soldier - Nyack, New York
Shadows in My Home - Tijuana, Mexico
Marlene and My Daughter - San Leandro, California
Dad's Still Watching Over Us - Randolph and Milton, Massachusetts


News
This is the place to find press releases and news items on paranormal happenings around the world. If you have a news item you'd like to submit, please see our guidelines.

WANT THESE HEADLINES ON YOUR SITE FOR FREE? Syndicate our news! If you have a Web site or blog, you can syndicate our news feeds to your site for free. Join the growing list of Web sites who carry our news by visiting our syndication page.

Spooky Goings-On to Mark Battle Anniversary - Mid Devon Star - Taunton, England - January 11, 2008 [EXTERNAL NEWS]
HVRN Corporation Launches Web site Honoring the Late Sarah Estep

Mysterious Object Captured On Camera - KIRO TV - Seattle, Washington - January 3, 2008 [EXTERNAL NEWS]
The Night I Talked to a Ghost Called Dave - This is Local London - London, England - January 2, 2008 [EXTERNAL NEWS]
Ghost Hunters Check for Spirits at Lafayette Hotel - Marietta Times - Marietta, Ohio - December 17, 2007 [EXTERNAL NEWS]


Features
Our "Features" section is a place for editorials, research articles, open letters to our readers, and other content of interest to Ghostvillagers. If you have a topic on your mind, agree or disagree with something you read recently, we want to hear from you! For guidelines, click here.

New features added since our last newsletter:

Ghost Cat - by Lee Prosser - January 15, 2008 [Column]
The Lizzie Borden House - Paranormal Journeys - January 11, 2008 [Webcast]
Russian Ghosts - Ghost Chronicles - January 9, 2008 [Podcast]
Shadows Of Evil by Rick Hayes - January 4, 2008
Haunted Devon, UK - Ghost Chronicles - January 2, 2008 [Podcast]
Magickal Rings - by Lee Prosser - January 2, 2008 [Column]
Table Tilting with the Witches of Salem, Massachusetts - Ghost Chronicles [Podcast]


Jeff Belanger's Upcoming Events
This is the place to find out where author and Ghostvillage.com founder Jeff Belanger will be speaking on the subject of the supernatural. If you're interested in booking Jeff for a conference or other event, please email us for more information.

Events Scheduled:

Tombstone Ghost Conference - Tombstone, Arizona - February 7-9, 2008

Ghost Rush 2008 - Volcano, California - March 28-30, 2008

Cape Cod Community College - West Barnstable, Massachusetts - May 30, 2008

Mid-Atlantic Paranormal Conference - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - June 27-29, 2008

MASS Monster Mash - Watertown, Massachusetts - October 18, 2008



Hot Threads and the Ghostvillage.com Community
In the past month, hundreds of new people registered for free to join our supernatural discussion! Have you?

If you have registered for our message boards but haven't validated your account yet, it's simple to do! Look for the email that was automatically sent to you when you registered and click on the account activation link in the email (note: some bulkmail filters may block this email, so you'll need to check your bulkmail folder if the validation email didn't immediately come through). There are always great discussions going on in our huge message board community. We hope you'll get involved. It's free to register if you're not already a member. Here are some of the hot topics this month:

Set Up/Breakdown Time on Paranormal Shows
http://www.ghostvillage.com/ghostcommunity/index.php?showtopic=22478
Wondering if anything paranormal or unexplained occurs when investigative shows do their set-ups and breakdowns?

Religion and ghosts
http://www.ghostvillage.com/ghostcommunity/index.php?showtopic=4869
What does your belief system say about the paranormal?

Doppelgangers
http://www.ghostvillage.com/ghostcommunity/index.php?showtopic=2629
Did you just catch a glimpse of somebody familiar? Maybe yourself?

Animal ghosts?
http://www.ghostvillage.com/ghostcommunity/index.php?showtopic=22360
Do animals come back in spirit to comfort you?

Haunted locations
http://www.ghostvillage.com/ghostcommunity/index.php?showtopic=22497
An old Salem jail.

What do ghosts feel like?
http://www.ghostvillage.com/ghostcommunity/index.php?showtopic=22443
Can you literally feel their presence?

Skeptics
http://www.ghostvillage.com/ghostcommunity/index.php?showtopic=22496
Can magnetic fields cause paranormal phenomena?

Spirit video?
http://www.ghostvillage.com/ghostcommunity/index.php?showtopic=21776
A possible capture.


Board of the Month -- Animal Spirits
http://www.ghostvillage.com/ghostcommunity/index.php?showforum=27
Can our animals come back after they've passed on?

Ghostvillage.com Quick Stats:
252,667 Messages in the Town Square Message Boards
19,629 Members in the Town Square
719 "Personal Encounters" published on Ghostvillage.com
899 Paranormal Web sites in the Ghost Links directory
24,858 Subscribers to this newsletter *The reason for the drop in subscribers is that we cleaned out our mailing list of dead addresses.
6,069,667 Total Web site "hits" for Ghostvillage.com in December


Support Ghostvillage.com
Ghostvillage.com is the Web's largest supernatural community, the central place where people come to share their experiences, thoughts, and research. Please help us continue to grow by buying a copy of The World's Most Haunted Places, Communicating With the Dead, The Encyclopedia of Haunted Places, The Nightmare Encyclopedia, Our Haunted Lives, Ghosts of War, The Ghost Files, or shopping in Ghost-Mart. Every little bit helps run our servers and helps the site get bigger and better! Please also click on our banner ads and support our advertisers -- when you do business with someone who advertises with Ghostvillage.com, let them know you saw their ad with us and thank them for the support.

Please email us anytime at info@ghostvillage.com. Your comments, questions, and feedback are always welcomed.


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