Chapter Five. Part III.

The Glass Chronicles

Chapter Five continued ...

The Pages 2

The Glass Chronicles

It wasn’t long before the questions started to develop ever so slightly. Here (chapter one - part 2) I ask whether or not there’s such a thing as sexual gender on ‘the other side’. I’d always imagined that this would be something only relevant to the mortal plane, so if indeed there was such a thing as a non-physical plane, then how on earth could there be any need for reproduction. However, when asked, Stan says, “Male and female here”. 

Another curious feature was why no one we contacted would ever reveal their surname, or anyone else’s, come to that. Stan tells us, “Don’t have ‘em here - one community”.

Above: You can see that I decided to make a note of some of the questions asked; this was something I soon gave up on. It was fine when the glass moved slowly, or if we repeatedly stopped allowing me to catch up with things, but eventually I figured it was not only too much work, but it also interfered with the general flow of events. 

John tells us that murderers don’t end up in hell in the way we might imagine, but that they ‘suffer’ as ‘tormented souls’. I ask if there’s such a thing as God, and the Devil? - his reply: “You don’t want much do you!”. 

Again, I couldn’t equate the idea of those in the spirit realm having a position in a ‘physical’ sense, yet John says, “Above you”, when asked about it. 

Below: One of the more amusing interactions (chapter two - part 3). Could it be that Abdul and Brian are the same person? It certainly looks as though someone’s having fun with us.

They’d often speak about each other, sometimes in very complimentary ways, but not always, though never damning. Also, it was explained that it was difficult (or impossible) to make contact with some of those on their side, as they resided on a lower or on a higher plane.

Above: Brenda manages to briefly sneak in, possibly with the blessing of Frank. She speaks of “encroaching on Frank’s time”.      

Below: One of the most striking of contacts to have come through was Tanina. I recall an earlier conversation that prompted me to specifically ask for her return, and return she did. 

Here was a new feature - now ‘I’ was being asked questions, “Do you believe a little more now?” she asked. 

Explaining my dilemma of belief, and how, regardless of what takes place in front of me I still constantly try to explain away our Ouija experience in ‘logical’ terms, she responds ‘[I] appreciate your position’. 

She then reveals something that takes me completely by surprise, saying, “We need to believe also to enable us to speak to you”.    

I express bemusement, “Surely, that can’t be the case - aren’t you in the privileged position of being able to see us, yet we can’t see you?". 

She replies, “Take nothing for granted”, and that it is ‘only those open to the concept totally’ that we can speak with, “otherwise you would be inundated”.   

She bids us goodbye, the glass comes to a standstill, and Carol and I sit back discussing in detail what’s just taken place. I’m not sure how much time elapsed, but when we did eventually return our fingers, without a moments hesitation the glass spelled out, “Enjoyed the debate, enjoy your life. By again, Tanina”. 

From one extreme to the other. I’m finishing with a session that has ‘spoof’ written all over it. 

Very much in the same vain as the Abdul and Brian contacts, we now have Tommy, a magician who hated his hat, and who died on stage - all quite intriguing. 

It’s easy to think you’re talking to Tommy Cooper here until you examine the details he gives. The date of his death: September 1986? it was in fact April 15th 1984. Where he lived: Woking, Surrey? The real TM actually lived in Chiswick, Middlesex. 

As is explained in a later session - some spirits, although they cannot harm, are mischievous. 

Nevertheless, his core message is worth noting: “Keep your values - [it’s a] sad life without them”.

The Pages 1

The Pages 1

As promised in chapter one, here are some of the pages documenting our sessions in their original form. These pages do leave something to be desired from an aesthetic point-of-view, but nevertheless give an idea of how most of our attention was focused on everything other than the handwriting. 

I’ve previously described how at times the speed of the glass’ movement would not afford whoever was recording the events onto paper (usually me) the pause or the space to allow a quick understanding of when one word ended, and the next began, something that’s evident even on the very early sessions. Conversely, there are moments when the end of a word is mistakenly anticipated leaving a pre-empted space; an example of this is seen below, where “CALL ED” is written, when actually the one word, “CALLED” appears to be intended. 

The nature of these early sessions is quite basic with the simplest, although perhaps understandable of questions being asked - such as, “When did you die?” and “where did you live?”. 

I’m beginning at 4th January 1994; and to see how I subsequently edited, included the questions that were asked, and commented on these notes, you can refer back to the earlier chapters that they correspond to.

Above: Dennis tells us to hurry, as his time is short (Ch.1), then Jane appears to indicate that meningitis caused her death.
Below: (Ch.1) Certainly one of the more memorable sessions. When I asked Zak if he’d materialise for us in the kitchen where we were sat, he exclaimed it was a “loaded question” and that it would “scare u shitless”. Still, I was insistent. So he asked us to “name your place” (I suggested he appear by the sink) and to “hold the glass”. We waited and waited, eventually getting bored, and placing our fingers back onto the glass; with a jolt it suddenly spelt out the words, “made u look, made u stare”. 

One thing I did learn on that evening was not to write with a marker pen on both sides of A4.

When I asked Sam (below) to appear before us, he said it was "not on" and inferred that he needed to trust us more. He continued, "I ain't livin' in this kitchen", and told us to "find a good book or something".  

Thinking that the conversation with Sam had probably finished, we took a short break and left the room. The cat must have wandered in whilst we were out. We returned (with new writing implement), placed our fingers back onto the glass, and I clearly remember the following leaving us  crying with laughter ...  

Sam became a regular visitor.

Below: I ask Theresa if she's familiar with Sam. She describes him as "full of shit" and as "black as the ace of spades". 
When I posed the question of whether it was necessary to believe in an afterlife in order to experience one (as in biblical terms), her response was, "If that's the state, then there would be no one here". Then she tells us she's run out of time and is getting pushed.    

The scribbling and aimless doodling seen here would take place as we chatted, waiting for any movement from the glass.

Chapter Five. Part II.

The Glass Chronicles

Chapter Five. Part I.

The way in which the glass would suddenly lose its momentum at the conclusion of any conversation with Brenda, carried an energy as striking as all that preceded it. 

Once again, so much food for thought. I’d certainly heard the driving analogy used before in relation to the idea of taking control of ones life, and here, for me, was a hard hitting example, hard because it seemed so personal and pointed towards an uncomplicated and innocent time; a time when there was so little to concern oneself with. Now the notion of redeploying this once naive, uncluttered principle into a present of unforeseen obstacles reminded me that if you are going to manoeuvre (as we do anyway) you may as well manoeuvre with intent. 

Chapter Four. Part VII

Chapter Four. Part VII

Without a doubt I would say that my family had one or two behavioural issues, which to some degree or another I see many families of those 40s/50s post-war years as having. It might well have been a time notable for its talk of togetherness and new beginnings, but to me those early years growing up in the north-west of England seemed quite grey, bleak and love-less. 

Just as the WW2 soldier had few places, if anywhere to go with his post traumatic stress (a term not even invented until the 1980s), other than that of a cheery nature, there was little room for emotional or individual expression; more than anything else it was just a case of getting on with things. Without going into all the details here, much of what happened in those early and important years resulted in a good number of issues and personal challenges, not just at the time, but also later on–and far more profoundly.   

Naturally, these inherited issues, this baggage, though often accepted initially without much thought  when young becomes more of an apparent burden when one goes out into the wide world, as life scenarios and relationships become chronically problematic.  

As a consequence the inevitable struggles that follow are regarded as bad, negative; things you could really do without. They are seen and spoken about as problems - that often feel quite unresolvable, obstacles - that often feel immovable.

Brenda's words that follow marked the beginning of something for me - a seed was planted in my mind. This was an idea that had never occurred to me before, not exactly in this form, anyway.

The old saying, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", is to some degree a truism, and now, that very principle was to be given a much wider and far-reaching gravity. 

This is a subject that will become something of a theme to many of the sessions that follow; a principle that seemed so logical and credible on one hand, and yet would at times involve issues of such trial and tribulation to the human experience, that there couldn't be anything other than a reluctance to accept the merits of the principle.  

The view that hardship itself was something you can't do without, if indeed you want to evolve, was a new and intriguing perspective. 

This is not a case of enduring hardship just for the sake of it, but more as a self-presented opportunity to surmount and overcome the challenges of hardship, and to grow spiritually in the process. 

More than anything, it did all seem to make sense.

Could it be that the very obstacles that we are bound by are also, potentially, the keys to our freedom?   

Addressing our difficulties, she says ...    

     

Chapter Four. Part VI.

Chapter Four. Part VI.

There was just one more contact on this evening of the 11th when once again Brenda introduced herself. Some of our discussion was nothing more than friendly chit-chat, and other subject matters are unclear. Her words cover more than two sides of A4 paper, so I’ll pick out what I see as the more significant passages.   

It’s obvious that I must have asked her if she knew someone, someone on her side that I imagine we’d spoken to. Whoever it was, she says, “HE’S OK IN SMALL DOSES”. Could it have been Ian? Or Sam, maybe? - I can’t recall.

She tells me, “DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF YOUR GOAL”, and to “WRITE A SONG FOR ME IF YOU HAVE THE TIME AND ENERGY” - even offering a title, “STILL WITH YOU AGAINST ALL ODDS”. I’m afraid I never did get round to writing it.

From some of the conversations we’d been having with our contacts, I started to develop a notion that, contrary to how many of us would imagine an afterlife of floating around aimlessly on clouds, in fact it had been mentioned that they had work to do. Tanina had often talked of being busy; Uri told us that he counsels, and Ian mentioned the art he was producing (and exhibiting). So I asked ...  

Though the words on paper appear slightly disjointed in parts, the topic of conversation started to develop in a way that had, and still does have a profound resonance for me. 

Beginning as we did with the idea of expressing and passing on those things that are relevant to the events in one’s own life, Brenda goes on to speak of the trying and painful times, those times that we feel we could, or should do without. Most of us would  naturally tend to view those experiences as negative or bad, but here, she now presents me with a whole new angle on this subject.

TBC ...