Embracing the Spirits: True Stories of My Encounters With the Other Side by Barbara Parks (best ereader for graphic novels txt) 📗

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Publication date: October 2013

UNCORRECTED

Price: $14.99 U.S.; $17.50 CAN

Pages: 264

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PROOF

Trim size: 53/16" x 8"

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ISBN: 978-0-7387-3679-2

Paperback original

Llewellyn Publications

e spirits

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Woodbury, MN 55125-2989

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UNCORRECTED PROOF

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PARKS

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About the Author

Barbara Parks (Kalamunda, Western Australia) is a microbiol-

ogist and podiatrist with her own private practice. She has spoken about poltergeists on the radio and is frequently sought out for paranormal investigations. She lives in Australia with her husband and three children.

embracing the

s p i r i t s

true stories of my encounters

with the other side

B A R B A R A P A R K S

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Embracing the Spirits: True Stories of My Encounters With the Other Side © 2013 by Barbara Parks. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Edition

First Printing, 2013

Book design by Donna Burch

Cover art © : Victorian paisley background: iStockphoto.com/ShutterWorx Woman walking through hall: iStockphoto.com/Özgür Donmaz

Cover design by Adrienne Zimiga

Editing by Andrea Neff

Interior photographs provided by the author

Llewellyn Publications is a registered trademark of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (Pending)

ISBN: 978-0-7387-3679-2

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public.

All mail addressed to the author is forwarded but the publisher cannot, unless specifically instructed by the author, give out an address or phone number.

Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific location will continue to be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to authors’ websites and other sources.

Llewellyn Publications

A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125-2989

www.llewellyn.com

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

to come

Contents

Introduction / 1

Chapter 1:

The Night of the Poltergeist / 5

Chapter 2:

Repercussions / 19

Chapter 3:

Matilda / 25

Chapter 4:

Matt / 29

Chapter 5:

Gary / 37

Chapter 6:

Lover Girl / 43

Chapter 7:

Robert / 53

Chapter 8:

The Heritage Hotel / 57

Chapter 9:

The Kalamunda Hotel / 65

Chapter 10:

Ouija / 75

Chapter 11:

The Girl in Room One / 83

Chapter 12:

The Boys / 91

Chapter 13:

The Haunted Theaters / 101

Chapter 14:

Steve / 111

xContents

Chapter 15:

Laurie / 117

Chapter 16:

Stan / 127

Chapter 17:

Deb / 133

Chapter 18:

Seance at the Clinic / 143

Chapter 19:

Shirley’s Funeral / 149

Chapter 20:

The Interactions of Others / 155

Chapter 21:

Austin / 183

Chapter 22:

Ghostly Guardians / 197

Chapter 23:

Marnie / 203

Chapter 24:

Cliffside / 211

Chapter 25:

New Norcia / 219

Chapter 26:

Elliott / 227

Chapter 27:

Out of Body / 233

Chapter 28:

The Michelin Man / 239

Chapter 29:

The Ghost of the Government House / 243

Chapter 30:

A New Chapter Begins / 251

I n t r o d u c t i o n

The spirit world has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are replete with the ghosts

who lingered by my bedside; their radiant, kind faces sooth-

ing me to sleep. Back then, I considered these visitations to be comforting and normal. I had no reason to suspect that my

nightly visitors were anything out of the ordinary.

It took some years for me to realise that my bedside entou-

rage were ghosts, and when I did, a crippling fear was quick to set in. My fear began to dull my sensitivity, and later as a teen, it fuelled what were to be a series of terrifying visitations. And now, almost three decades on, I am still waging a battle to be entirely free of its clutches.

My experiences as a teenager have a lot to answer for, inas-

much that I found myself sharing a house with a persistently

nasty poltergeist. Although my reactions to paranormal phe-

nomena have become more tempered over the course of my

1

2Introduction

forty three years, ghostly visitations still set my heart racing. It’s an ingrained response that I struggle to keep in check.

As time goes on and my encounters with the other side

become more prolific, I have, however, discovered that the

spirit world is rarely malicious. Accepting this realisation has helped me forge ahead with the development of my clairvoyance, despite the occasional fear-fuelled setback. I’ve come to realise that by keeping negative emotions (particularly fear) at bay, it’s possible to minimise the likelihood of negative paranormal experiences.

Projecting a sense of positivity and love attracts positive

interactions, whereas negativity attracts the same in return. In addition to actively trying to suppress my fears, I believe that by embracing my clairvoyant abilities, I have invited the spirits to be around me. As such I seem to have attracted an upsurge in

visitations, most of which have been uplifting and positive.

Whilst the first part of my life was about learning to cope

with my otherworldly experiences, I feel that the next phase is about making the most of the clairvoyant abilities I was born with. The spirits are still seeking me out, more than ever in

fact, and I’m generally comfortable encouraging these inter-

actions. I have learnt that spirit visitations are a blessing, and have reached a point where I am comfortable facilitating contact between spirits and their loved ones. I no longer feel

targeted by unseen entities; I feel privileged to have their attention.

In order to maximize my potential as a clairvoyant, I have

explored ways in which