summoning elementals in Utica
March 17, 2018 10:50 AM Subscribe
Can you tell me the real story about a ghost tale I read as a kid about a house in Utica, New York?
The story was in this book, which I don't have anymore. Most of the landmarks were inns or restaurants, places you could visit, but the house in Utica was, IIRC, not listed with an address because the new owners wanted privacy.
The story was bananas even by the standards of the book. Apparently there had been black-magic rituals in the attic, since the residents could hear ghostly chanting and clacking. "Thought forms" appeared as black objects at the foot of the bed. An elemental manifested as a column of dark energy in the front yard.
Being a kid, I was particularly spooked by this story, especially the part where a "thought form" could exist because you were incredibly scared of it. Today it sounds to me like the work of a psychic scammer. Whatever it is, it must have been at least locally famous. Can anyone tell me what was actually behind this?
The story was in this book, which I don't have anymore. Most of the landmarks were inns or restaurants, places you could visit, but the house in Utica was, IIRC, not listed with an address because the new owners wanted privacy.
The story was bananas even by the standards of the book. Apparently there had been black-magic rituals in the attic, since the residents could hear ghostly chanting and clacking. "Thought forms" appeared as black objects at the foot of the bed. An elemental manifested as a column of dark energy in the front yard.
Being a kid, I was particularly spooked by this story, especially the part where a "thought form" could exist because you were incredibly scared of it. Today it sounds to me like the work of a psychic scammer. Whatever it is, it must have been at least locally famous. Can anyone tell me what was actually behind this?
Best answer: Posting, without any quotation marks used or assumptions drawn:
Searched keywords within in the book via Google Books, turned up the names of the paranormal investigating team, Nancy (a spiritual medium) and Roger Pile. I found out the homeowner, Karen Armstrong, had been interviewed by the Weekly World News in 1981. The Piles also authenticated a haunted lighthouse in New London, Connecticut.
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:23 PM on March 17, 2018 [4 favorites]
Searched keywords within in the book via Google Books, turned up the names of the paranormal investigating team, Nancy (a spiritual medium) and Roger Pile. I found out the homeowner, Karen Armstrong, had been interviewed by the Weekly World News in 1981. The Piles also authenticated a haunted lighthouse in New London, Connecticut.
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:23 PM on March 17, 2018 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: Whoa, that's a great pull! Thank you! That's exactly what I had remembered reading about. "Columns of negative energy"! What made this so memorable to me was that it didn't just talk about ghosts but about demons and other kind of magical entities, which was terrifying. It was the '80s and that kind of thing was in the air.
I can't quite find anything else, which is probably for the best; it's more likely that the next owners did get their privacy.
posted by Countess Elena at 4:52 PM on March 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
I can't quite find anything else, which is probably for the best; it's more likely that the next owners did get their privacy.
posted by Countess Elena at 4:52 PM on March 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by sarcasticah at 1:51 PM on March 17, 2018