Best Occult Ghosts & Haunted Houses

Unfortunately, the property came with a million necessary repairs. If you like Darcy Coates, Shani Struthers or JL Bryan, then you will love the Witches of Palmetto Point Series by Wendy Wang! My granny’s property was next door to an old churchyard and you could see the headstones through the trees separating the two properties. Well, like most of my characters, she just popped into my head one day and wouldn’t shut up. I also have family that’s a lot like hers – all up in your business but that loves you fiercely. Anyone who loves a good scare, a little humor and a crazy southern family full of witches.

More than an hour's drive from the nearest town and surrounded by forests, the aging mansion is ideal for someone seeking solitude. As Elle explores deeper into the house, she begins to unravel the property's dark and dangerous history. "Whether you seek pure supernatural, or human monstrosity, or some inevitable combination of both, The Haunting of Gillespie House has your shudders covered.

What about if you watched your son die, but an exact replica appeared and asked to come home with you? This diverse collection of short horror stories includes Demons, monsters, psychopaths, undead, mad experiments and paranormal - no matter what makes your heart race, you're guaranteed to face your fear with these terrifying tales. Hundreds – no thousands of gossamer spider webs holding up her body like a marionette doll. His skin was perforated with a thousand holes, and spiders were crawling in and out of them as they carefully partitioned and wrapped each piece for consumption. His eyes blinked at me, although I don’t know if that was a sign of life or simply the successful attachment of yet another internal strand.

Don't miss the extraordinary romantic contemporary novel that is leaving readers breathless from a shocking ending they never saw coming. Just weeks after eighteen-year-old Erin tragically loses her best friend, she is brutally betrayed by her high school crush. Plagued by crippling panic attacks and disconcerting visions of her dead friend, Erin travels to Los Angeles, searching for a sign that life is still worth living. As they explore Los Angeles together, Ben reveals shocking secrets of his tragic childhood and helps Erin believe that she can heal from the wounds of her traumatic past. LOST IN LOS ANGELES will appeal to readers of IF I STAY and JUST ONE DAY (by Gayle Forman), HOPELESS (by Colleen Hoover), THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN (by John Green), 180 SECONDS (by Jessica Park), ALLIE AND BEA (by Catherine Ryan Hyde), THIRTEEN REASONS WHY (by Jay Asher), and REASON TO BREATHE (by Rebecca Donovan). LOST IN LOS ANGELES gives us an insider's L.A. travel guide wrapped in a story of healing and hope, with an ending you won't see coming. Her pain was so real and it broke my heart ... You have to read this book! --Susan, Goodreads. " I have read many books and I don't think one has moved me as much as this one did ... My eyes are welling up and my heart aches. It has definitely won one of the slots for my favorite book s." -- Tiffany, Goodreads. " If you are looking for a story ... to make you believe in the magic of love ... Lost in Los Angeles is it. ". " I found myself falling in love with Ben and Erin and the city of LA ." An excerpt from Lost in Los Angeles: Ben pulls himself out of the hot tub and sits on the edge. His chest is rippled with perfect muscles, like a model's, but his skin is marked all over with scars. Ben holds my gaze for a long time, then he exhales and says, "Do whatever you need to do." I close my eyes and wrap my arms around Ben as tightly as I can. I feel the heat radiating from his skin to mine.

In this poignant and disturbing memoir of lost innocence, coercion, survival, and healing, Dianne Lake chronicles her years with Charles Manson, revealing for the first time how she became the youngest member of his Family and offering new insights into one of the twentieth century’s most notorious criminals and life as one of his "girls." Joining the group with little more than an old note from her hippie parents granting her permission to leave them, the two years that followed were a mixture of sexual manipulation, psychological control, and physical abuse, as the harsh realities and looming darkness of Charles Manson’s true nature revealed themselves to the impressionable teenager. Drawing upon never-before-told stories, Dianne delivers an inside account of how Manson’s paranoid volatility grew over time, mixing dangerously with his con-artist sensibilities and fondness for using physical violence to poison the group, culminating in the final chaotic months before the horrific Tate-LaBianca murders brought the idealism of the 1960s to a stunning conclusion.

A chilling and highly convincing account of possession and exorcism in modern America, hailed by NBC Radio as "one of the most stirring books on the contemporary scene." “Malachi Martin ... was the greatest expert on the subject of possession and exorcism in the English speaking world.” (M. Scott Peck, M. D., author of Glimpses of the Devil ). A chilling and highly convincing account of possession and exorcism in modern America, hailed by NBC Radio as "one of the most stirring books on the contemporary scene."

Wiccans celebrate and share many of the same beliefs our ancestors held, with practices that honor the old ways while being compatible with contemporary life. The divine is worshipped as both masculine and feminine, with a focus on balance and harmony with Nature, and a recognition of the magical power inherent in the Universe as well as in ourselves. Whether you're just looking to learn more about the Wiccan way of life, or you want to start practicing Wicca yourself, you will have a solid understanding of the essence of Wicca after reading this book: The history of Wicca: its modern foundations as well as its ancient inspirations An introduction to the God and Goddess and their multiple aspects The Wiccan holidays of the Wheel of the Year: the Sabbats and the Esbats Core elements of Wiccan ritual, including an overview of ritual tools Principles of magic—both ancient and modern An overview of Wiccan covens, circles, and solitary practice Example ritual and spellwork suitable for beginners Sample tables of correspondence identifying the magical properties of selected colors, crystals, herbs and oils. Lisa is very unbiased, and uses a very practical approach in her books, which I absolutely love! -- Amazon Customer "Lisa's style is easy to read, packed with information that is usable and actionable. My sister and I love Chamberlain's books and recommend them to any beginner searching for knowledge!!" Although I am no longer a beginner, I still learned a great deal from this book and I really love how the author kept reinforcing how personal and flexible this path is." -- Jessica Kruzinski, Good Reads "As a fledgling Wiccan/Witch, I found Lisa's book to be very concise and simple. The author provides straightforward descriptions of the major points of Wicca, while making it absolutely clear that there is no one true way."

Backed by documents newly declassified through the Freedom of Information Act, Colonel Corso reveals for the first time his personal stewardship of alien artifacts from the crash, and discloses the U.S. government's astonishing role in the Roswell incident: what was found, the cover-up, and how these alien artifacts changed the course of 20th century history. Hesemann and Mantle are young UFO researchers who have visited Roswell and spent several years collecting documents and eyewitness testimony from people reputedly involved in either the crash recovery or its cover-up. Like Hesemann and Mantle, he asserts that the Cold War was a cover to develop "alien technology" that superpowers USA and USSR could not only use against the other but against the threat of extraterrestrial invasion. The most memorable passage in either book, however, is Hesemann and Mantle's suggestion that President Clinton induced the warring parties to make peace in the Bosnian war only by showing them proof of that alien menace.

Bardon leads the student step by step through exercises providing detailed training in the entire arcanum of magic, from basic techniques in thought control to advanced teachings in astral travel, and much more. In contrast to other books on the subject of magic, Bardon focuses his attention on the practical training necessary for all true magical attainment. The author leads the student step by step through exercises providing detailed training in the entire arcanum of magic, from basic techniques in thought control and imagination to advanced teachings in astral travel, the use of talismans and magic mirrors, and much more.

For fans of TLC’s Long Island Medium and anyone interested in the big questions of life, death, and finding out what’s important in between, New York Times bestselling author and medium Theresa Caputo shares how she discovered her gift and her many encounters with Spirit. There’s More to Life Than This lends insight on how Theresa’s mediumship works, what happens to your soul when you die, what Spirit says Heaven is like, what the deceased want you to know, the importance of living a positive life, and the many roles that your family, friends, angels, guides, souls of faith, and God play here and in the afterlife. I wasn’t born in the back of some gypsy wagon, and I didn’t grow up reading fortunes on the Bayou. I grew up on Long Island in a town called Hicksville, with my mom, dad, and younger brother, Michael. We have a gate in the back that connects our two yards, and Dad likes to use it so he can futz around in both our tomato gardens. When people come for readings, they sit at my dining room table, which looks out onto the back. I had nice friends, got good grades, and spent a lot of free time with my family. On Thursdays, we’d have spaghetti and meatballs at Nanny and Pop’s house; on Saturdays, I’d paint ceramics with Auntie G; and on Sundays, our whole extended family would go to Gram and Gramp’s house after church to spend the afternoon eating, laughing, and telling stories. It was like the Long Island Italian version of Leave It to Beaver, but with a twist that literally kept us all up at night. At the time, we lived in my dad’s childhood home, which is right near the Hicksville Gregory Museum, a former 1915 courthouse that also had jail cells for prisoners in it. Some people think old buildings like prisons, with their history of pain and suffering, can hold on to Spirit. Anyway, I’d have a recurring dream where, from a window on the second floor of our house, I’d watch a man pace on the sidewalk out front. It’s more like those Bible stories where people invite in the poor, and then later find out the person’s an angel. I now believe a hobo is the unassuming image that my guide took so that I’d understand the Sunday school reference and feel okay when he called my name. I was raised Roman Catholic and still practice this today, so I think my guide presented himself through my frame of reference, a little like how Spirit shows me signs and symbols during a reading now. At night, seeing, hearing, and sensing one made me cry out like I was being violently attacked. Most people at the site were lucky to have a tent with a Bunsen burner; we had this awesome trailer with a shower, kitchen, a screened-in porch so the bugs wouldn’t get at our food, everything. My grandmother made scrambled eggs and French toast in the mornings, and in the afternoons, we’d have bicycle races and go tire swinging into the lake. At night, we’d play pinball at the rec hall, roast marshmallows, and sing campfire songs. But no matter how much fun we had during the day, or how relaxed I felt, my night terrors would strike like they did at home. My grandparents even warned our fellow campers in advance—if you hear someone screaming bloody murder, it doesn’t mean there’s a bear or maniac on the loose! I’d be sitting on our green tweed sofa, watching Romper Room, when a person would pass by and then fade out. I also remember getting a kitchen set for Easter one year as a kid, arranging my pots a certain way when I was done playing house, and when I came back to them in the morning, they were in a completely different spot. When I was out with my friends at the mall or the bowling alley, I’d ask if they saw a man walk by or heard someone call their name, because I secretly had, and they’d go, “Uh, no. Doctors have always said that our bodies are built to adapt; if a feeling or experience goes on for long enough, the brain learns to disregard it, work around it, or just treat it as normal. (Mom recently joked that my abilities give a whole new meaning to when I used to say there was a monster, imaginary friend, or ghost in my room!). And for as many times as friends didn’t agree with what I’d heard or seen, I did have family who had similar experiences because they’re also sensitive. But at the time, all Lisa and I knew was that we had unusual, shared experiences that made encounters with what we now know is Spirit just part of our lives. As for my smart-aleck cousin Johnny, he was living in my grandmother’s house ten years later and saw her standing in the hall when he was coming out of the shower. Between the ages of about twelve and fourteen, I began to feel less comfortable with what was happening around me, mostly because of how people reacted to my observations. Nobody hears or sees things the way you do!” What once seemed normal now wasn’t, so I decided to block my experiences out altogether. By the time I was sixteen years old, I was lucky that I hadn’t lost a lot of loved ones, but this also means that I didn’t have recognizable Spirit visiting me. After she passed, my dad’s older sister, whom we call Auntie, had a psychic come to Nanny’s house. I felt Nanny’s energy and soul near the window, and my family kept asking me why I was by the drapes when everyone else was at the kitchen table. When I think about this memory now, I can physically smell Nanny’s house and see everything in it—the plastic-covered furniture, marble end tables, her sparkly dining room chandelier, a painting of The Last Supper, and those gold drapes. And as I tell this story, I get a vision, like a quick filmstrip, of Nanny standing at the stove, smoking her cigarette all the way down to a really long ash that’s dangling over a bubbling spaghetti pot. My uncle Julie died during my senior year of high school, and around that time, my anxieties began to get much worse than they’d been. Instead of waking up screaming, I’d jump out of bed, feeling like I couldn’t breathe to save my life. When Auntie had the psychic over that first time I saw Nanny’s soul, he told me I was going to meet someone much older than me with a beard and mustache. Back then, I thought the psychic was being a wacko, since I was dating someone at the time and didn’t even like facial hair. I dreamed of becoming a hairdresser or legal secretary, but that meant commuting into Manhattan for the good jobs, which was way too overwhelming for me—trains, elevators, skyscrapers, traffic jams . Larry tells me he used to look forward to coming to work to see what I was wearing, because I was in my Madonna stage. I used to wear skintight pants, big belts, a fishnet top that draped off my shoulder, and fingerless gloves. Sometimes I saw figures or heard things, but at this point I was in such denial that I was fully convinced my mind was playing tricks on me. But the guy couldn’t give me one good medical or psychological reason why I felt as severely bad as I did. I couldn’t keep my anxiety attacks and laundry list of phobias from Larry for too long, especially when we were in the car or other enclosed spaces. Then I’d scream bloody murder, and even if the car was moving, I’d beg and plead with Larry to pull over so I could get out right away. My husband says that although I made us take the hospital stairs instead of the elevator when I was in labor with our son, Larry Jr., I was unusually calm and in control during childbirth. I thought smoking cigarettes would relax me, even though it seemed to make my chest feel heavier, which only increased my anxiety. Even when the kids were young and brought home nasty germs from school, I rarely caught their colds or flu. When I channel Spirit, I do it from a place of the highest good, and that requires my body, mind, and soul to be healthy and pure. Looking back, I wouldn’t have been able to develop my abilities if I continued to fuel my body with anything negative, like cigarettes. When I was pregnant with our son, Larry and I were walking out of a Chinese restaurant and had one of those surreal conversations that reminded me of when I was a kid. I suspect the MSG helped trigger my vision because it’s a chemical, and when people alter their chemistry, it can do some crazy stuff to their soul. My therapist called this “anticipatory anxiety,” which is when you anticipate future events in a way that causes you to feel anxious, and that interferes with your ability to function in everyday life. Mom’s friend Pat Longo is a spiritual healer and works with people who have physical or emotional ailments, including chronic anxiety; she also teaches classes about living a balanced, positive, and fulfilled life that includes meditation and healing. She put her hands over my head and began to channel healing energy from God. But when I called to make an appointment, Pat told me I didn’t need another healing, that there was nothing for her to mend within me. She asked if I wanted to take her spiritual awareness class instead to give me some perspective and balance in my life. I put on a good face for friends and family, but I was still fragile on the inside and wouldn’t have felt safe with just anyone. I think Spirit made it rain to help me break through my fear, on my way to honing my gift. There was a monsoon during my son’s baby shower and my daughter’s Communion, and Hurricane Hugo hit on my wedding day. Even when I taped The Tonight Show a few years ago, which was intimidating and such a big deal for me, it poured cats and dogs. Leno’s producers assured me that it never rains that much in LA in October, and wouldn’t you know, the minute I was done shooting at five p.m., the sun came out. Ideally, it enters through the crown, or head, chakra, flows through my entire body, and then releases through my words. But when Spirit was trying to deliver a message, it would channel through my crown, and I’d block it in my chest, which would cause my heart to race or give me those crazy palpitations. Pat explained that I’m “empathic,” which means I feel Spirit most, and use my other senses to fill in the blanks. For instance, a message might begin with me feeling very restricted in the throat area, which means there is a soul that would like to tell me that they passed via a death connected to the throat, that they were unable to communicate prior to their passing, or they did not get to say good-bye (one symbol for me can mean a lot of things—more on that later). So I’d be having a normal conversation with someone at the grocery store, say, and all of a sudden I’d feel like I couldn’t breathe or that I was being strangled. I also thought some places felt better than others because I had random anxieties, but it was really the energy changing in each spot, often based on Spirit’s presence. My Catskills camping memory contributed to my tent phobia, and riding in cars or being silent in an elevator forces me to sit still without distractions, which is when I’m most open to Spirit. During a past-life regression, I also learned I was a prisoner on a ship during a torrential storm, which explains why I’m afraid of rain. I felt calm at her house, since I knew that if anything scary happened, Pat could make me feel better. In class, I began to give people messages from loved ones, and right away, channeling made me feel normal. Larry saw a difference in me, and I told him channeling Spirit seemed to be a big part of the answer. If you think talking to dead people makes you feel better, keep doing it.” Larry was also raised Catholic, so I’m not sure he believed in Spirit, and was more likely appeasing me, but he was supportive, which is what ultimately mattered. Cell phones were still new at the time, and I insisted on taking one in the car in case I needed to call Pat to talk me off a ledge. She died a few years ago, but whenever I get over anxiety-related hurdles—like taking a tour bus across the country or sitting in a tent in my backyard—Spirit makes me remember Gram standing at that window, beaming with pride. To help control the energy around me, Pat taught me that I had to set some boundaries with Spirit that I still use today. I can’t dictate which guides, angels, or dead people talk to me, or what they want to say, but I can control whether I acknowledge them and how I do that. When I first started reading others, I’d be brushing my teeth, look up, and suddenly see a man standing behind me in the mirror. So I told my guides that if I was supposed to embrace this gift, they’d have to find other ways to show me things. I don’t mean negative “shadow people,” or the scary dark masses that whisked away the bad guys’ souls in Ghost. In fact, because I only want to serve the highest good, I don’t see negative Spirit and try to avoid them at all costs. I don’t like Halloween parties or historic haunted houses, and you couldn’t pay me enough to touch a Ouija board. In the same vein, I’m always asking that things be protected in God’s white light, so I never even get negative information during readings. Though I only liked giving readings in class, one day I let it happen in real life. I’d established with Spirit that this is a sign that someone’s passed from the chest—heart, lungs, breasts, a filling up of fluid, or a drowning even. At one time, I would’ve gone into a tailspin—abandoned my cart in the middle of the aisle, hightailed it out of the store, sped through stop signs crying, and beat myself up for the whole drama once I got home. But at that moment, I knew Spirit would continue to place people in my path who needed to hear messages from their loved ones, like this woman. After taking Pat’s classes for five years, and reading her students, it was time to share my ability with others. Pat suggested I make business cards and get a separate phone line for my venture. The last four digits of this number were 6444, which I thought was perfect because I was born in the month of June (6), and I believe 444 is a sign of the angels. If people asked my kids what their parents did for a living, they’d say, “Dad owns a business importing Italian foods, and Mom speaks to dead people.” So natural, like I was a teacher or something. Now, if he feels anything “strange”—like déjà vu, gut instinct, chills, good timing, coincidences, or even a hand on his leg or tug on his shirt, he knows it’s Spirit. My favorite change in Larry, though, is that my tough, tattooed, motorcycle man has become more emotionally sensitive to everything for some reason. But I still don’t like elevators or enclosed spaces, and I’m deathly afraid of the dark (no pun intended). As someone who doesn’t exactly hide her big personality, I’ve found it fun and interesting to channel souls that have distinct characters and stories. I love meeting new people, and being a medium can make me feel like the hostess at a really important gathering. I’m glad that I can share this gift with other people, though my family likes to joke that I don’t give them much of a choice when I stop them in the gym, dentist, or at the mall! After suffering anxiety for most of her life, Theresa met with a spiritual adviser who helped her realize her ability to communicate with Spirit. She has appeared on Good Morning America , The View , The Dr. Oz Show , and Ellen and has helped countless people heal and find the closure to embrace life without their loved ones.

As featured on Oprah’s “Super Soul Sunday,” the classic bestseller on a true case of past-life trauma and past-life therapy from author and psychotherapist Dr. Brian Weiss—now featuring a new afterword by the author. Dr. Weiss, who was once firmly entrenched in a clinical approach to psychiatry, finds himself reluctantly drawn into past-life therapy when a hypnotized client suddenly reveals details of her previous lives. However, it is hard to dispute that this well-respected graduate of Columbia University and Yale Medical School has discovered a personal truth that has led him to be an enormously popular speaker, author, and leader in the field of past-life therapy. --Gail Hudson In 1980, Weiss, head of the psychiatry department at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, began treating Catherine, a 27-year-old woman plagued by anxiety, depression and phobias. When Weiss turned to hypnosis to help Catherine remember repressed childhood traumas, what emerged were the patient's descriptions of a dozen or so of her hitherto unknown 86 past lives, as well as philosophical messages channeled from "Master Spirits."

Wiccans celebrate and share many of the same beliefs our ancestors held, with practices that honor the old ways while being compatible with contemporary life. The divine is worshipped as both masculine and feminine, with a focus on balance and harmony with Nature, and a recognition of the magical power inherent in the Universe as well as in ourselves. Whether you're just looking to learn more about the Wiccan way of life, or you want to start practicing Wicca yourself, you will have a solid understanding of the essence of Wicca after reading this book: The history of Wicca: its modern foundations as well as its ancient inspirations An introduction to the God and Goddess and their multiple aspects The Wiccan holidays of the Wheel of the Year: the Sabbats and the Esbats Core elements of Wiccan ritual, including an overview of ritual tools Principles of magic—both ancient and modern An overview of Wiccan covens, circles, and solitary practice Example ritual and spellwork suitable for beginners Sample tables of correspondence identifying the magical properties of selected colors, crystals, herbs and oils. Lisa is very unbiased, and uses a very practical approach in her books, which I absolutely love! -- Amazon Customer "Lisa's style is easy to read, packed with information that is usable and actionable. My sister and I love Chamberlain's books and recommend them to any beginner searching for knowledge!!" Although I am no longer a beginner, I still learned a great deal from this book and I really love how the author kept reinforcing how personal and flexible this path is." -- Jessica Kruzinski, Good Reads "As a fledgling Wiccan/Witch, I found Lisa's book to be very concise and simple. The author provides straightforward descriptions of the major points of Wicca, while making it absolutely clear that there is no one true way."

Something twisted and evil lives in her house, and Adrienne must race to unravel the decades-old mystery… before she becomes Ashburn’s latest victim.

For the first time in history, the Illuminati has broken its silence with Illuminatiam: a testament of this planet's future, wisdom previously available only to elite members, and your life's guide to all that is ahead. Join the thousands of people from all walks of life who've committed themselves to the betterment of the human species as a whole - Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Hindus, Buddhists, and believers of all kinds. Illuminatiam introduces time-tested mental processes that many attribute to increasing wealth, overcoming hardships, and finding happiness. Chapters: The Age Of Illuminatiam. The White Room. Methods Of Mind Control. How You Are Watched. The Need For Hardships. The Secret Of Power. The Future Of This Planet. The God Conundrum. How To Join The Illuminati. A Beacon For The Light. Finding Purpose. "No matter what walk of life you come from, you will find shelter in the light that this book provides."

Finally, the bestselling series is now a movie, starring Henry Czerny ( The Pink Panther and Clear and Present Danger ) and Ingrid Boulting ( The Last Tycoon ). Who does this man think he is, claiming to speak directly to God?! Jesus did it, Muhammad did it, the Jewish prophets did it, but none of their Gods had the sardonic wit or raw verve of Prophet Walsch's God. Neale Donald Walsch isn't claiming to be the Messiah of a new religion, just a frustrated man who sat down one day with pen in his hand and some tough questions in his heart. The result, far from the apocalyptic predictions or cultic eccentricities you might expect, turns out to be matter-fact, in-your-face wisdom on how to get by in life while remaining true to yourself and your spirituality. Suppose you could ask God the most puzzling questions about existence - questions about love and faith, life and death, good and evil. Suppose God provided clear, understandable answers. In vocabulary so common, you cannot get lost in the verbiage. Or the whisper of the next river, the next ocean, the next breeze that caresses your ear - all these devices are Mine; all these avenues are open to Me.

For fans of TLC’s Long Island Medium and anyone interested in the big questions of life, death, and finding out what’s important in between, New York Times bestselling author and medium Theresa Caputo shares how she discovered her gift and her many encounters with Spirit. There’s More to Life Than This lends insight on how Theresa’s mediumship works, what happens to your soul when you die, what Spirit says Heaven is like, what the deceased want you to know, the importance of living a positive life, and the many roles that your family, friends, angels, guides, souls of faith, and God play here and in the afterlife. I wasn’t born in the back of some gypsy wagon, and I didn’t grow up reading fortunes on the Bayou. I grew up on Long Island in a town called Hicksville, with my mom, dad, and younger brother, Michael. We have a gate in the back that connects our two yards, and Dad likes to use it so he can futz around in both our tomato gardens. When people come for readings, they sit at my dining room table, which looks out onto the back. I had nice friends, got good grades, and spent a lot of free time with my family. On Thursdays, we’d have spaghetti and meatballs at Nanny and Pop’s house; on Saturdays, I’d paint ceramics with Auntie G; and on Sundays, our whole extended family would go to Gram and Gramp’s house after church to spend the afternoon eating, laughing, and telling stories. It was like the Long Island Italian version of Leave It to Beaver, but with a twist that literally kept us all up at night. At the time, we lived in my dad’s childhood home, which is right near the Hicksville Gregory Museum, a former 1915 courthouse that also had jail cells for prisoners in it. Some people think old buildings like prisons, with their history of pain and suffering, can hold on to Spirit. Anyway, I’d have a recurring dream where, from a window on the second floor of our house, I’d watch a man pace on the sidewalk out front. It’s more like those Bible stories where people invite in the poor, and then later find out the person’s an angel. I now believe a hobo is the unassuming image that my guide took so that I’d understand the Sunday school reference and feel okay when he called my name. I was raised Roman Catholic and still practice this today, so I think my guide presented himself through my frame of reference, a little like how Spirit shows me signs and symbols during a reading now. At night, seeing, hearing, and sensing one made me cry out like I was being violently attacked. Most people at the site were lucky to have a tent with a Bunsen burner; we had this awesome trailer with a shower, kitchen, a screened-in porch so the bugs wouldn’t get at our food, everything. My grandmother made scrambled eggs and French toast in the mornings, and in the afternoons, we’d have bicycle races and go tire swinging into the lake. At night, we’d play pinball at the rec hall, roast marshmallows, and sing campfire songs. But no matter how much fun we had during the day, or how relaxed I felt, my night terrors would strike like they did at home. My grandparents even warned our fellow campers in advance—if you hear someone screaming bloody murder, it doesn’t mean there’s a bear or maniac on the loose! I’d be sitting on our green tweed sofa, watching Romper Room, when a person would pass by and then fade out. I also remember getting a kitchen set for Easter one year as a kid, arranging my pots a certain way when I was done playing house, and when I came back to them in the morning, they were in a completely different spot. When I was out with my friends at the mall or the bowling alley, I’d ask if they saw a man walk by or heard someone call their name, because I secretly had, and they’d go, “Uh, no. Doctors have always said that our bodies are built to adapt; if a feeling or experience goes on for long enough, the brain learns to disregard it, work around it, or just treat it as normal. (Mom recently joked that my abilities give a whole new meaning to when I used to say there was a monster, imaginary friend, or ghost in my room!). And for as many times as friends didn’t agree with what I’d heard or seen, I did have family who had similar experiences because they’re also sensitive. But at the time, all Lisa and I knew was that we had unusual, shared experiences that made encounters with what we now know is Spirit just part of our lives. As for my smart-aleck cousin Johnny, he was living in my grandmother’s house ten years later and saw her standing in the hall when he was coming out of the shower. Between the ages of about twelve and fourteen, I began to feel less comfortable with what was happening around me, mostly because of how people reacted to my observations. Nobody hears or sees things the way you do!” What once seemed normal now wasn’t, so I decided to block my experiences out altogether. By the time I was sixteen years old, I was lucky that I hadn’t lost a lot of loved ones, but this also means that I didn’t have recognizable Spirit visiting me. After she passed, my dad’s older sister, whom we call Auntie, had a psychic come to Nanny’s house. I felt Nanny’s energy and soul near the window, and my family kept asking me why I was by the drapes when everyone else was at the kitchen table. When I think about this memory now, I can physically smell Nanny’s house and see everything in it—the plastic-covered furniture, marble end tables, her sparkly dining room chandelier, a painting of The Last Supper, and those gold drapes. And as I tell this story, I get a vision, like a quick filmstrip, of Nanny standing at the stove, smoking her cigarette all the way down to a really long ash that’s dangling over a bubbling spaghetti pot. My uncle Julie died during my senior year of high school, and around that time, my anxieties began to get much worse than they’d been. Instead of waking up screaming, I’d jump out of bed, feeling like I couldn’t breathe to save my life. When Auntie had the psychic over that first time I saw Nanny’s soul, he told me I was going to meet someone much older than me with a beard and mustache. Back then, I thought the psychic was being a wacko, since I was dating someone at the time and didn’t even like facial hair. I dreamed of becoming a hairdresser or legal secretary, but that meant commuting into Manhattan for the good jobs, which was way too overwhelming for me—trains, elevators, skyscrapers, traffic jams . Larry tells me he used to look forward to coming to work to see what I was wearing, because I was in my Madonna stage. I used to wear skintight pants, big belts, a fishnet top that draped off my shoulder, and fingerless gloves. Sometimes I saw figures or heard things, but at this point I was in such denial that I was fully convinced my mind was playing tricks on me. But the guy couldn’t give me one good medical or psychological reason why I felt as severely bad as I did. I couldn’t keep my anxiety attacks and laundry list of phobias from Larry for too long, especially when we were in the car or other enclosed spaces. Then I’d scream bloody murder, and even if the car was moving, I’d beg and plead with Larry to pull over so I could get out right away. My husband says that although I made us take the hospital stairs instead of the elevator when I was in labor with our son, Larry Jr., I was unusually calm and in control during childbirth. I thought smoking cigarettes would relax me, even though it seemed to make my chest feel heavier, which only increased my anxiety. Even when the kids were young and brought home nasty germs from school, I rarely caught their colds or flu. When I channel Spirit, I do it from a place of the highest good, and that requires my body, mind, and soul to be healthy and pure. Looking back, I wouldn’t have been able to develop my abilities if I continued to fuel my body with anything negative, like cigarettes. When I was pregnant with our son, Larry and I were walking out of a Chinese restaurant and had one of those surreal conversations that reminded me of when I was a kid. I suspect the MSG helped trigger my vision because it’s a chemical, and when people alter their chemistry, it can do some crazy stuff to their soul. My therapist called this “anticipatory anxiety,” which is when you anticipate future events in a way that causes you to feel anxious, and that interferes with your ability to function in everyday life. Mom’s friend Pat Longo is a spiritual healer and works with people who have physical or emotional ailments, including chronic anxiety; she also teaches classes about living a balanced, positive, and fulfilled life that includes meditation and healing. She put her hands over my head and began to channel healing energy from God. But when I called to make an appointment, Pat told me I didn’t need another healing, that there was nothing for her to mend within me. She asked if I wanted to take her spiritual awareness class instead to give me some perspective and balance in my life. I put on a good face for friends and family, but I was still fragile on the inside and wouldn’t have felt safe with just anyone. I think Spirit made it rain to help me break through my fear, on my way to honing my gift. There was a monsoon during my son’s baby shower and my daughter’s Communion, and Hurricane Hugo hit on my wedding day. Even when I taped The Tonight Show a few years ago, which was intimidating and such a big deal for me, it poured cats and dogs. Leno’s producers assured me that it never rains that much in LA in October, and wouldn’t you know, the minute I was done shooting at five p.m., the sun came out. Ideally, it enters through the crown, or head, chakra, flows through my entire body, and then releases through my words. But when Spirit was trying to deliver a message, it would channel through my crown, and I’d block it in my chest, which would cause my heart to race or give me those crazy palpitations. Pat explained that I’m “empathic,” which means I feel Spirit most, and use my other senses to fill in the blanks. For instance, a message might begin with me feeling very restricted in the throat area, which means there is a soul that would like to tell me that they passed via a death connected to the throat, that they were unable to communicate prior to their passing, or they did not get to say good-bye (one symbol for me can mean a lot of things—more on that later). So I’d be having a normal conversation with someone at the grocery store, say, and all of a sudden I’d feel like I couldn’t breathe or that I was being strangled. I also thought some places felt better than others because I had random anxieties, but it was really the energy changing in each spot, often based on Spirit’s presence. My Catskills camping memory contributed to my tent phobia, and riding in cars or being silent in an elevator forces me to sit still without distractions, which is when I’m most open to Spirit. During a past-life regression, I also learned I was a prisoner on a ship during a torrential storm, which explains why I’m afraid of rain. I felt calm at her house, since I knew that if anything scary happened, Pat could make me feel better. In class, I began to give people messages from loved ones, and right away, channeling made me feel normal. Larry saw a difference in me, and I told him channeling Spirit seemed to be a big part of the answer. If you think talking to dead people makes you feel better, keep doing it.” Larry was also raised Catholic, so I’m not sure he believed in Spirit, and was more likely appeasing me, but he was supportive, which is what ultimately mattered. Cell phones were still new at the time, and I insisted on taking one in the car in case I needed to call Pat to talk me off a ledge. She died a few years ago, but whenever I get over anxiety-related hurdles—like taking a tour bus across the country or sitting in a tent in my backyard—Spirit makes me remember Gram standing at that window, beaming with pride. To help control the energy around me, Pat taught me that I had to set some boundaries with Spirit that I still use today. I can’t dictate which guides, angels, or dead people talk to me, or what they want to say, but I can control whether I acknowledge them and how I do that. When I first started reading others, I’d be brushing my teeth, look up, and suddenly see a man standing behind me in the mirror. So I told my guides that if I was supposed to embrace this gift, they’d have to find other ways to show me things. I don’t mean negative “shadow people,” or the scary dark masses that whisked away the bad guys’ souls in Ghost. In fact, because I only want to serve the highest good, I don’t see negative Spirit and try to avoid them at all costs. I don’t like Halloween parties or historic haunted houses, and you couldn’t pay me enough to touch a Ouija board. In the same vein, I’m always asking that things be protected in God’s white light, so I never even get negative information during readings. Though I only liked giving readings in class, one day I let it happen in real life. I’d established with Spirit that this is a sign that someone’s passed from the chest—heart, lungs, breasts, a filling up of fluid, or a drowning even. At one time, I would’ve gone into a tailspin—abandoned my cart in the middle of the aisle, hightailed it out of the store, sped through stop signs crying, and beat myself up for the whole drama once I got home. But at that moment, I knew Spirit would continue to place people in my path who needed to hear messages from their loved ones, like this woman. After taking Pat’s classes for five years, and reading her students, it was time to share my ability with others. Pat suggested I make business cards and get a separate phone line for my venture. The last four digits of this number were 6444, which I thought was perfect because I was born in the month of June (6), and I believe 444 is a sign of the angels. If people asked my kids what their parents did for a living, they’d say, “Dad owns a business importing Italian foods, and Mom speaks to dead people.” So natural, like I was a teacher or something. Now, if he feels anything “strange”—like déjà vu, gut instinct, chills, good timing, coincidences, or even a hand on his leg or tug on his shirt, he knows it’s Spirit. My favorite change in Larry, though, is that my tough, tattooed, motorcycle man has become more emotionally sensitive to everything for some reason. But I still don’t like elevators or enclosed spaces, and I’m deathly afraid of the dark (no pun intended). As someone who doesn’t exactly hide her big personality, I’ve found it fun and interesting to channel souls that have distinct characters and stories. I love meeting new people, and being a medium can make me feel like the hostess at a really important gathering. I’m glad that I can share this gift with other people, though my family likes to joke that I don’t give them much of a choice when I stop them in the gym, dentist, or at the mall! After suffering anxiety for most of her life, Theresa met with a spiritual adviser who helped her realize her ability to communicate with Spirit. She has appeared on Good Morning America , The View , The Dr. Oz Show , and Ellen and has helped countless people heal and find the closure to embrace life without their loved ones.

Within its pages are 9 key insights into life itself -- insights each human being is predicted to grasp sequentially; one insight, then another, as we move toward a completely spiritual culture on Earth. The story it tells is a gripping one of adventure and discovery, but it is also a guidebook that has the power to crystallize your perceptions of why you are where you are in life and to direct your steps with a new energy and optimism as you head into tomorrow. Find out for yourself why virtually everyone you know has this book, described as an "adventure in pursuit of a spiritual mystery", on their coffee table. The saga begins when the unnamed middle-aged male narrator whimsically quits his nondescript life to track down an ancient Peruvian manuscript (pretentiously called the Manuscript) containing nine Insights that supposedly prophesy the modern emergence of New Age spirituality.

Thousands of people have had them, but many in the scientific community have argued that they are impossible. A highly trained neurosurgeon who had operated on thousands of brains in the course of his career, Alexander knew that what people of faith call the “soul” is really a product of brain chemistry. NDEs, he would have been the first to explain, might feel real to the people having them, but in truth they are simply fantasies produced by brains under extreme stress. Today he is a doctor who believes that true health can be achieved only when we realize that God and the soul are real and that death is not the end of personal existence but only a transition. He writes that he attended his Episcopal church even as he questioned how God, heaven, and an afterlife could exist, yet the heaven he describes seeing certainly seems like a biblical one; a typical line is, “the visual beauty of the silvery bodies of those scintillating beings above.” His story includes interesting asides about past struggles with alcohol and with adoption. It ends with a request to support Eternea, Alexander’s nonprofit that has as its mission, “increasing global acceptance of the reality of our eternal spiritual existence . --Karen Springen "Eben Alexander brings a unique perspective to the sacred world combining a glorious, personal vision of spiritual consciousness with patient, insightful scientific inquiry. His honest struggle to make sense of this unforgettable journey is a gripping story, unique in the literature of spiritual experiences, that may well change how we understand our role in the universe."

A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho. "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." The charming tale of Santiago, a shepherd boy, who dreams of seeing the world, is compelling in its own right, but gains resonance through the many lessons Santiago learns during his adventures.