Song: When The Sun Sets
Thank you for listening to our song When the Sun Sets. Ghostly encounters, the paranormal and other-worldly experiences have intrigued us for eons. It seems that when the sun sets, this phenomena amplifies, as if the darkness opens the flood gates to the unseen and sometimes highly unexplainable.
As the sun set and night fell, Daryl anxiously stocked the cooler with smuggled in beer. Daryl insisted that he would need the ounce of courage if I wanted him to come to this crazy place where they speak to dead people. I am blessed to have an open-minded husband who encourages my interest in all that is supernatural. Daryl holds a healthy curiosity mixed in with a little fear of the unseen world and I was determined to show him a good first time down in Lily Dale in New York. I put in a good word, asking spirit to grace us with experiences that would prove without a doubt that spirit lives on. After reading the book and watching the documentary “No One Dies in Lily Dale”, Daryl was ready for the adventure. That’s right, the dead don’t die, they flit among the trees and stroll along the streets and through the Victorian homes occupied by five generations of Spiritualists.
Yes, it’s true that spirit energy can zap camera batteries and flashlights. Just like clockwork as we approached the museum, people on the ghost walk tour started gasping “My camera is dead and my flashlight is out!” Now Daryl’s adrenaline is pumping as his extrasensory perception is dialing up. “someone just poked my shoulder” Daryl whispered. With the air full of mystery and intrigue, I zoned in to what was surely a ghostly crowd that seemed to usher us along. Once back to our room at the notoriously haunted Maplewood Hotel our group of giddy seekers were buzzing with the mysterious vibes. Like little kids sneaking about, we snorted with laughter on tip toes, hoping to see my EMS meter respond in this spirit-filled establishment. Within a few minutes, I was delighted to see the meter spike. My clairvoyance confirmed a flashing image of a strong Victorian female presence in the stairwell that my curious group of students and friends also verified as we scurried back to our rooms.
That night Daryl and I laid quietly in bed with our flashlight on and shinning onto the ceiling. “I wish I could contact my mother in spirit”, Daryl sighed. I assured him that he would get a message from his mother, especially because he was holding an intention to call her in. I said, all you have to do is ask. Just as I said this our flashlight started to dim. We stared at the ceiling in amazement as the flashlight went out completely! I asked “Is that you Barbara”? Then the flashlight slowly came on to its full brightness. Daryl jumped up and shook the flashlight to see if it was faulty but it served us without fail for the rest of our ghostly adventures. I gave him a hug and smiled “and this is just our first night”!
The next day we attended the Inspiration Stump where mediums before large groups of hopeful seekers channel messages from loved ones in spirit. “May I come to the gentleman with the blue hat”? I leaned in to Daryl and nudged “the medium is looking at you”. Daryl timidly nodded yes and received a love-filled inspiring message from his mother. The medium ended with “and your mother shows up in flashing lights, just so you know”.
“Guess where we are going tonight lover?” “We have tickets for the Victorian Séance!” As Daryl nervously stocked the cooler, I laughed and joked that he better have an extra pair of shorts packed…if you know what I mean. That night delivered more than even I as the psychic medium had dreamed could unfold. In bridging communication between this world and the next, our dedicated medium ushered us to the table with a grin. “Do you want messages from spirit or do you want to have a real adventure?” Of course we chose adventure. Little did we know that we got to sit at the table with this famous medium who was well known for table tipping. Table tipping can be easy to fake, but in this case it was impossible to rig. This was a fantastic demonstration of physical mediumship where we got a first hand experience that will be imprinted on our souls for some time. In her bossy tone, the medium insisted that we start singing happy children’s songs to bring in spirit energy. As we raised the vibes with our finger tips propped loosely on the over 50 Lb and 8 foot round solid oak table, we could feel the table start to shift. Daryl, in his healthy skepticism peered underneath the table to see if it was rigged. “No minions under here” he joked. Then the table wobbled from leg to leg making us kick back out of our chairs and stand up. Now the table starts spinning clock wise, picking up speed to the point that we were running around with our fingers barely touching the table. Spinning and heaving from leg to leg, the table carved deep grooves in the auditorium’s hardwood floor. We were stunned as we sang Row Row Row your Boat hysterically, while laughing and running around the spinning table in amazement. Again, we had no doubt that there was a supernatural force at play. Once back to our hotel room and beer on ice, we truly wondered what the hell just happened.
It took a while for Daryl’s eyes to settle back into his sockets as we laughed about his new-found enthusiasm for the unseen. “Time to charge the camera and go for another ghost hunt!” Daryl exclaimed. We gathered by the lake with my small group of open- minded students and set an intention to call in spirit energy. Daryl intuitively snapped his camera and in no time he was capturing hundreds of spirit orbs and even a unique entity somewhat resembling a fairy in his collection of photos.
With our adrenaline pumping we tuned in to the sound of drumming off in the distance. “Must follow drum beat” I droned. Like school kids ditching class, we sleuthed our way through the forest, following the rhythm of the drums. As we approached a clearing, I witnessed three women drummers perched on a log and laying down a heavy rhythmic groove. “Man I wish I had my drum with me”! As we clapped along, I desperately searched for a make shift instrument. Tinking on the table with my found sound stick, I soon graduated to the garbage can lid, commanding a syncopated beat that lit up the drummers. As the small rhythm section fell into entrainment we became entranced as one. We were sure we had ancestral spirit group gathering around us to take in the vibrations with approval. In my trance-like state of euphoria, I could hear an eerie hum in the background. The sound rang a familiar chord within me, bringing me back to the late 60’s when our local air raid siren sounded to mark noon everyday in our small town. Nope, I didn’t do the brown acid! As I eased up on my can lid to lean in to this sound, I realized that Lily Dale’s air raid siren was sounding for real! Was there an eminent threat of some kind in the works? Was it possible that we were the imminent threat? I think maybe so… as the cops pull up with their lights flashing and search light blinding us. Like a deer in the headlights my heart leaped into my throat. Here I was as a model teacher of all that is spiritual, yelling “let’s make a run for it”! Pulling our hoodies up in disguise, we ran like bandits back to the safety of our room and cooler of spirits. I’m guessing that the resident mediums were not as passionate about the power of the drum as we and our ancient ancestors were.
Daryl and I made many annual trips to this sacred hub of spirituality…and yes in a more toned-down manner. Throughout our adventures Spirit never failed to show up for us in this vortex of light.
Are you tuned in to the things that go bump in the night? Do you believe that within this earthly dimension and beyond, it is teaming with the energy of the unseen? Contact Psychic Medium Bonnie at info@bonnieross.com for your inspiring reading.