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Features Archive:

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2008 Archive:
Spirits of Christmas and Holidays Past By Edward Shanahan
December 19, 2008


Don't Bark At Me, I'm Not The Dog In The Mirror - by Lee Prosser
December 14, 2008

Column - regular feature

Welcome to Your Psychic Life By Tiffany Johnson
December 1, 2008


Fresh Paths to the Paranormal By Beth Brown
November 26, 2008


The Journals of Willard David Firestone: American Indians - by Lee Prosser
November 21, 2008

Column - regular feature

The Haunted Cemetery - Ghost Chronicles
November 12, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Jeff Belanger and Who's Haunting the White House? - Ghost Chronicles
October 24, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ectoplasm - by Lee Prosser
October 20, 2008

Column - regular feature

Salem Witch Shawn Poirier - Ghost Chronicles
October 15, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Most Famous Phenomenon by Jeff Belanger
October 8, 2008


Haunted House Diary - Ghost Chronicles
October 1, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Paranormal Journaling: A First Step by Jeff Belanger
September 30, 2008


More Horrific Predictions - by Lee Prosser
September 26, 2008

Column - regular feature

Francis Thompson (1859 - 1907) - by Lee Prosser
September 18, 2008

Column - regular feature

Evolution of an Entity by Danielle Lee
September 12, 2008


Into the Abyss: Ancient Rites of Exorcism by Bishop Daniel Garguillio
September 2, 2008


Lee Prosser and Jill Peacha - by Lee Prosser
September 1, 2008

Column - regular feature

An Open Letter to the Paranormal Community by Peter James Haviland
August 28, 2008


Return to Mystery Hill - Ghost Chronicles
August 20, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Ghost of Cameron Mitchell at Branson, Missouri - by Lee Prosser
August 8, 2008

Column - regular feature

Confessions of a Grief Councilor - Ghost Chronicles
August 6, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Residual "Jiggle" by Jack Roth
July 31, 2008


Farwell to Chris Balzano - Ghost Chronicles
July 23, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

A Matter of Respect by Patrick Burke
July 21, 2008


Economic Collapse and Depression in the United States - by Lee Prosser
July 14, 2008

Column - regular feature

The Portsmouth Lighthouse - Ghost Chronicles
July 9, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Legends Set in Stone by Beth Brown
July 3, 2008


Investigating the Pukwudgies - Ghost Chronicles
June 25, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Sensitive - by Lee Prosser
June 20, 2008

Column - regular feature

Ghost Hunting Etiquette 102 by Danielle Quinlan Lee
June 13, 2008


Allup, Leiru, Ligil, Uriel, Pulla - by Lee Prosser
May 23, 2008

Column - regular feature

Ohio's Haunted History by Sherri Brake-Recco
May 19, 2008


Weird Massachusetts - Paranormal Journeys
May 9, 2008

Paranormal Journeys - webcast

Water Ghosts: Theory of the Bobbing Heads and Floating Bodies - by Lee Prosser
May 9, 2008

Column - regular feature

The Shadows Know by Edward Shanahan
May 2, 2008


Weird Massachusetts with Jeff Belanger - Ghost Chronicles
April 23, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

American Negro Civil War Ghosts - by Lee Prosser
April 14, 2008

Column - regular feature

Landmark Ghosts By Beth Brown
April 3, 2008


The Lizzy Borden House - Ghost Chronicles
April 2, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghosts of Hollywood - Ghost Chronicles
March 19, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

On the Nature of Group Dynamics By Rick Moran
March 19, 2008


Billy The Kid - by Lee Prosser
March 12, 2008

Column - regular feature

Women in the Paranormal: Donna LaCroix
March 5, 2008


Women in the Paranormal: Amy Bruni
March 2, 2008


Women in the Paranormal: Ursula Bielski
February 28, 2008


Women in the Paranormal: L'Aura Hladik
February 25, 2008


Women in the Paranormal: Allison Andrews
February 22, 2008


Haunted Cape Cod and the Islands - Ghost Chronicles
February 20, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Women in the Paranormal: Rosemary Ellen Guiley
February 19, 2008


Women in the Paranormal: Lorraine Warren
February 16, 2008


The Ghosts of Tombstone - Paranormal Journeys
February 14, 2008

Paranormal Journeys - webcast

Valentine's Day Special - Ghost Chronicles
February 13, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Magick and Magic, What is the Difference? - by Lee Prosser
February 13, 2008

Column - regular feature

My Theory on Spirits of the Paranormal by Edward Shanahan
February 1, 2008


Investigating the Sance with U.K. psychic Gavin Cromwell - Ghost Chronicles
January 30, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Electronic Voice Phenomena is affected by Solar Weather by Tom Ginther
January 21, 2008


The Concord Colonial Inn - Ghost Chronicles
January 16, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghost Cat - by Lee Prosser
January 15, 2008

Column - regular feature

The Lizzie Borden House - Paranormal Journeys
January 11, 2008

Paranormal Journeys - webcast

Russian Ghosts - Ghost Chronicles
January 9, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Shadows Of Evil by Rick Hayes
January 4, 2008


Haunted Devon, UK - Ghost Chronicles
January 2, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Magickal Rings - by Lee Prosser
January 2, 2008

Column - regular feature



February 19, 2008

Women in the Paranormal: Rosemary Ellen Guiley

 Rosemary Ellen Guiley - Women in the Paranormal. Rosemary Ellen Guiley is one of the most prolific women writers focusing on the paranormal today. To-date, she's penned 31 books, including eight single-volume encyclopedias, on a wide range of topics. Her work has been translated into 13 languages. In addition to her books, she is a columnist for TAPS Paramagazine; a consulting editor of FATE magazine; an associate editor of JAR, the Journal of Abduction-Encounter Research; a blogger for the Arts & Entertainment site, Paranormal Insider; and consulting editor of Mysteries, Legends and Unexplained Phenomena, a large line of nonfiction books for the young adult audience. She writes for other publications as well.

Rosemary makes numerous conference and college presentations and media appearances, and is featured in documentaries and docu-dramas. She is a member of the League of Paranormal Gentlemen, a group of experts working with Spooked Television Productions on paranormal docu-dramas. She consults with various paranormal investigation groups, and participates in many investigations of haunted places. Rosemary is on the advisory board of The Paranormal Source, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization, serving as Advisory Director of Paranormal and Spiritual Research. She is a past board member of the International Association for the Study of Dreams and the Academy of Spirituality and Paranormal Studies. She is president of her own company, Visionary Living, Inc. She lives near Baltimore, Maryland.

Ghostvillage.com caught up with Rosemary recently to ask her about her perspective on the field of paranormal research today, and the challenges that women face.

How did you first get interested in the paranormal?

Rosemary Ellen Guiley: I was drawn into the paranormal in childhood via three avenues. Psychic ability runs in the family. I think most children have a variety of psychic experiences, but they usually get downplayed or discouraged by adults, and as a child grows older, these experiences fade into the background. In my case, I was fascinated by them. In particular, my mother had dramatic precognitive dreams, which stimulated my interest in exploring the psychic side of dreaming. I wanted to know why people have uneven experiences with the paranormal, and especially why skeptics write the paranormal off as fantasy. It was always quite real to me.

Second, I was passionately interested in astronomy from a very young age, and had an early ambition to be an astronomer. I devoured books on astronomy and did telescope sky gazing well into adulthood with my father. Astronomy brought me into contact with mind-expanding concepts and ideas about what's "out there," and about time, other realities, life in the universe, and so on. My interest in astronomy led me into ufology.

Third, I was a voracious reader, and I especially loved science fiction, fantasy and horror, all of which deal with the paranormal. So, I have always been immersed in the unseen.

I didn't set out to be an expert on the paranormal, but I became one in the course of pursuing my art and vision. After a head-on crash with math, I had to abandon my ambition to be an astronomer. I had always loved writing and was very good at it, and one of my other ambitions was to be an author. Except, I thought I was going to be a novelist. (I have written fiction, both short story and novels.)

After a career in journalism, I quit to write on my own, and within a few years was writing nonfiction books on the paranormal, including encyclopedias. I had found my calling. I love what I do. I spend my time pursuing knowledge in fields that fascinate me, and I write about what I discover. As an artist, I love writing. Those are what drive me -- a quest for knowledge and a love of writing.

I've done a lot to further my own understanding of the paranormal: besides my usual voracious reading (I have a library of about 4000 books), I attend lectures, conferences and classes. I took a lot of training in psychic and intuitive development, and energy healing, and I worked for years as a professional psychic and energy healer. (Note: I don't do readings or energy work professionally anymore.)

Do you feel that because you're a woman you have had to overcome some hurdles in your pursuit of the paranormal? If so, what were they?

I wish it weren't so, but yes, women often have to work harder than men for the same authority status. Sometimes even work harder for less. Not just in this field, but in almost any field. Women have certainly come a long way, but we're not equal.

Unfortunately there are still pockets of chauvinism, no matter what a woman accomplishes. A male conference organizer once told me that audiences come to hear "guys" talk, not women. I do not think that is true at all, and my calendar every year belies that. In fact, I hear from men and women equally in terms of appreciation of my work.

I think that most of the people, male and female, who are the true leaders in the paranormal are not gender-biased.

What unique challenges do women face in the field of paranormal research today?

In general, women have been conditioned to fall into supportive roles, to let men be in the spotlight while they help from the sides. Women are less likely to seek attention than men, and consequently many of them don't get noticed as much. I'd like to see women get bolder about showcasing their work and owning their authority.

Have you encountered certain instances during your work where you feel that being a woman has helped you in your research?

Most definitely. Women are more open to the psychic side of the paranormal, and are more willing to talk about it and their own experiences. Men favor equipment and statistics. Actually, it takes both -- hard and soft data -- to understand the paranormal. If you investigate the paranormal, you will have experiences of a psychic and subjective nature regardless of what you'd like to think about the term "psychic." Women are more willing to embrace that.

Consequently, I feel that women are more likely to have a holistic understanding and appreciation of the paranormal. We're less likely to reduce it to statistics and measurements as the only legitimate perspective.

The paranormal is blurry, subjective, experiential territory. Some of it can be measured and documented, but not all of it. The late Rhea White, an esteemed parapsychologist and the founder of the Exceptional Human Experience journal (she coined the term), is one of my heroines in that regard. She appreciated the science, but she advocated turning more attention to the experiential end -- how and why people have these experiences, and what they do with them, i.e., integrate them, reject them, etc., and in turn, how that influences our culture: our folklore, myth, religion, etc.

My own work has always been oriented toward the subjective -- the how and why of human paranormal experiences throughout history. I'm not a scientist, but I do follow the scientific research and I think it is very important. It is only one aspect on the paranormal, however.

What is the biggest misconception about women who are interested in paranormal research?

That we are not competent investigators. I'm referring to lay investigation, not scientific, because that's my arena. I don't work in academe or the lab. I wince when I see programs on television where the "girls" are sent home or excluded from entering a haunted location because the "boys" say it's "too dangerous." Or, the women are the sole persons on a team who are always assigned to secretarial work or historical research.

Fortunately, there are women out there who head teams and do an excellent job at investigating, and I have had the pleasure of working with teams where the men and women are on an equal footing.

One other thing: I am weary of television shows about the paranormal that always show females screaming and running. Quite often, the production companies instruct the women to do that. Please, stop it. We're not like that.

In writing your many books, and conducting lectures all over, do you find some areas of the United States where women seem to be more accepted in leadership roles within paranormal organizations?

I can't say that I see any noticeable geographic patterns. I find women leaders in organizations everywhere.

Do you think women are becoming more prominent in the paranormal compared to five years ago? How much is still left to be done until you think there's truly an equal footing?

Yes. The explosion of personal and media interest in ghosts and the paranormal have encouraged that. Not only are more women joining the field, they are taking the helms, starting their own groups. I say this to women -- and to men too -- if you don't like how the game is being played, start your own game.


Rosemary's Web site is www.visionaryliving.com, and she is on MySpace at: www.myspace.com/rosemaryellenguiley. Both sites have her calendar of events.





2014 Haunted New England Wall Calendar by Jeff Belanger photography by Frank Grace
Check out the 2014 Haunted New England wall calendar by Jeff Belanger and photography by Frank Grace!


Paranormal Conferences and Lectures
Don't miss the following events and lectures:

Jeff Belanger and “The Bridgewater Triangle” at Dedham Community Theatre - April 6, 2014 9:00PM

The Spirits of the Mark Twain House - Hartford, Connecticut - April 12, 2014

Paracon Australia - East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia - May 10-12, 2014