Derek Acorah’s Ghost Towns. Derek Acorah
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and usually it’s before nine. I know that people, particularly the elderly, may not be keen on letting strangers into their home, and that’s fine. It’s up to them. The message is there, but if they don’t wish to receive it at that time, that’s their choice and I respect that. A person did once refuse on religious grounds, but most people do agree and get something of value from the reading.
‘We do make sure before the reading that the person hasn’t just lost someone the night before, that they aren’t suffering from a heart problem or a mental illness, and also that they understand what a psychic reading is. We need to ensure that they know what’s going to happen and that they aren’t going to be traumatized by it.’
Natalie
‘Doorstep divination is a real test for Derek – nothing’s prepared, he’s going in cold and yet he comes up with so much information, it’s unbelievable.’
Angus
Now we have taken doorstep divination a step further and done it live! I was so excited to be part of it.
‘The best thing is doing the doorstep divination live – we have no control over it at all. It’s the most stomach-churning thing, because it’s all on live TV and you just don’t know who’s going to answer the door.’
Natalie
Our first live show was in York in January 2006 – and we certainly weren’t disappointed!
Where are we now?
‘In less than eight months since the show has been commissioned, we’ve completed two series and two live shows, and the third series is about to start … It’s an exciting journey we’re all on and it’s been an amazing adventure for all of us.’
Paul
At the time of writing, I have just completed the second live show, which took place in Halifax. The second series is on air and a third series is underway. The show is going from strength to strength and I’m loving every moment of it!
Wherever we’ve been, we’ve had fun, had fascinating experiences and, I hope, helped people to understand the world of spirit. Our ‘open-minded sceptic’ has certainly had a lot of food for thought.
‘It’s hard to be sceptical, because Derek can often prove you wrong. And in a way it’s easy to dismiss things and it’s often more difficult to believe, because then you have to work out why something’s happening and what it means.’
Angus
But where next? My mediumship has already taken me to America, Canada and New Zealand, and I would love to take this show there too – and even further afield. It has already been sold to Canada, the United States and Iceland.
‘Ghost Towns is a roller-coaster ride of a show and the fun’s only just begun … Our aim is to take Derek to the world – and beyond! – and to keep the Ghost Truck rolling.’
Paul
As for the future, we’ll see. But now, let’s go back to the very first series that went out on air…
‘I’d heard that Faversham had a lot of stories, a lot of spiritual activity. I was expecting something. I wasn’t quite expecting this much.’
Angus
As I arrived at Faversham, I wondered what spirits still haunted these old streets. The ancient Kentish town lies between the Downs and the sea. One of the famous Cinque Ports, it has a picturesque market square, a traditional brewery and many fine historic houses. But what else would we find there?
The Ghost Truck arrived at about nine in the morning and it wasn’t long before it was packed with residents telling stories of strange phenomena and ghostly sightings. By midday we had hundreds of reports. There were many haunted places to choose from for our investigation, but when the Ghost Towns team heard the legend of a local pub, the Shipwright’s Arms, they knew we had to start there.
‘I felt really privileged to be part of that, with that activity going on.’
Danniella
Neil Cole, who lives at the Shipwright’s Arms, and Honda Rye and Trisha Philpot, who work there, told the Ghost Towns team that there had been many strange events in the old pub. A customer had disappeared right in front of the barmaid’s eyes, a gas lamp had flown across the room, mysterious phone calls had been made from the pub when no one was there – it just went on and on. The level of activity had been constant over a long period of time and had been witnessed by many people.
Even as we were in the Ghost Car travelling to the pub I found I was picking up energy. It often happens that as I approach a property I am able to start sensing the energies present. If there is negative energy there, I feel a kind of anxiety or depression and know I have to prepare myself. In this case, I could feel a pull of psychic energy and I knew we were going to encounter spiritual activity.
Once we had arrived at the pub and been made welcome, we decided the easiest way to find out what was happening would be to hold a séance.
Séances
The word séance is French for a ‘sitting’. A séance is when a group of people gather together to make contact with a spirit or spirits. It is not absolutely necessary for an experienced medium to be present, but I always consider it to be advisable. The people taking part in the séance arrange themselves in a circle, often around a table, place both feet on the floor and either hold hands or, if a table is being used, place their hands palms down upon it with the little finger of each hand touching the little finger of their neighbour on either side to form a chain of energy.
It is often a good idea to place a lighted candle in the centre of the table, as the flickering of the flame can indicate a spirit’s movement through the atmosphere.
Everyone then closes their eyes and empties their mind of all thoughts, whilst the medium recites a prayer of invocation and protection for both themselves and the people taking part in the séance. Protection is highly important, as it is impossible to predict what sort of spirit or spirits will come to the group. Before I start any kind of psychic work I always perform an ‘opening up’ meditation to ask for protection from any negative energies. I call this my‘spiritual waterfall’ and I visualize white light cascading down on me and protecting me from any negative energies.
During a séance, once contact with the spirit world has been made it is no longer absolutely necessary to maintain physical contact with the neighbouring person and people may rest their hands on their lap or on the tabletop if they wish, palms upwards to keep the energy field of the physical body open.
Although the medium leads the communication with the spirit or spirits, anyone can talk to them or ask questions of them. Participants are also encouraged to say how they are feeling at any time and to just go with the experience.
A séance should end with the medium ‘closing the circle down’ by thanking the spirits for their presence and offering a prayer of thanks and protection to help them to return to the spirit realms.
Séances can be a very useful way of getting