On one of my several guest visits on Matthew Schulz’ late-night Queen Mary para tours, I had an intuitive moment, if you will, communication that ensued between little Jackie and I.  As Matt was setting the live audio listening with his Paranologies’ Phonopod, I was walking around the upstairs/starboard side of the former first and third class pool, anxiously hoping that Jackie would appear around the corner. Then, I heard these little footsteps, almost sounding as if someone was running, as opposed to walking.  I did not think much about these little footsteps until after the experience I am about to share.

With the Phonopod and live listening system ready to go, Matt started the session by asking questions of Jackie.  Almost immediately, I got an image in my mind’s eye, rather strong by the way, of a little girl, strongly resembling that of Jackie (as I have seen her apparition before).  I was looking down at her and she was looking up at me, her arms stretched outward. Then, I noticed, in my mind’s eye, that she was holding a big shiny blueish/greenish bouncy ball; you know, like the ones they sell in the bins at Rite Aid or Walgreens. I then got the words, “I want the bouncy ball; can I have it?”  Needless to say, I interjected and told Matt that I believe Jackie wants the blueish/greenish bouncy ball.  Now, I knew Matt had a ball in his equipment bag, but I had no idea the color of it.  The only reason I sensed it being blueish/greenish is due to the image of Jackie holding the ball.  That’s it. 

“Oh, she does?”  “I actually have a blue one in my bag, ”  Matt said.  Matt’s ball for Jackie so appropriately has the words, “Jackie Ball” written on it.

Did Matt say, “blue”?  How did I know, out of all the colors, that Jackie wanted the “blueish/greenish” one.  Well, I tend to be intuitive from time to time.  However, I believe there is more:  Jackie and I have built a solid rapport with each other over the years.  She knows when I am there, and I know when she is there.  I also feel that there is some sort of telepathic connection there, too. Jackie is one of the most beloved and intelligent spirits that I have ever come across.  I am still exploring why I have a strong connection to this little spirit of love.  Could we have a past life together?  Could it be possible that we are somehow related, somehow connected to the same familial line? The questions go on and hopefully one day, I will have my answer.

As for the little footsteps I heard, I do believe they came from Jackie.

The paranormal field has been studied for many, many years.  To this day, no one really knows why ghosts and hauntings exist.  What does exist, however, are developed theories as to why the world experiences the paranormal.  In my opinion, in order to come closer to understanding what constitutes the supernatural realm, one must study and examine aspects of a person’s metaphysical being.  Understanding concepts, such as consciousness and personality, will lay the groundwork for coming closer to the questions that man has had since the dawning of time:  “What are ghosts, why does a place become haunted and how does personality survive death?”  Learning about the nature of human existence will inevitably help us in comprehending the spiritual world. 

    I will share with you some of the common theories as to why the Queen Mary is haunted as well as delving into my own personal beliefs as to why the ship is reported to be one of the most haunted places on this planet. Again, these are only proposed theories.  It is perfectly okay that some readers may not agree with my personal theories for why the ship is a paranormal hot spot; however, I do want to share them.

     As a paranormal investigator and researcher, I firmly believe that you simply cannot separate a location’s history from its ghostly activity.  Usually, the paranormal events surrounding a location coincide with its history.  Thus, historical impressions have been retained in the environment and hold imprints from the past.  For example, battlefields are known to be some of the most paranormally active places on earth.  Just imagine all of the emotion and death that are associated with battlefields.  We are not talking about the death of one or two people, but hundreds to thousands of people have died on battlefields.

     Over time, several prevalent theories have been developed that might explain why ghosts and hauntings occur in the living world.  Ghosts and spirits seem to be attracted to places that have experienced a lot of emotion, tragedy and death.  The RMS Queen Mary is not exception. Hospitals, convalescent centers, battlefields, prisons, sanatoriums, cemeteries, crime scenes and churches have all experienced scores of paranormal activity.  On the other end of the spectrum, paranormal energy seems to be attracted to places full of happiness and euphoria.  This can possibly explain why places such as, theatres, taverns, weddings, dance halls, hotels and theme parks have been known to have ghostly activity.  The Mary, has a rich history on the seas, complete with the polar opposites of tragedy/death and happiness/success.

     Another theory as to why places become haunted has to do with ionic energy and the Electromagnetic Field Spectrum.  Many paranormal investigators use equipment that can produce ions because it is thought that ionic energy helps a spirit to manifest.  It is also thought that a high Electromagnetic Field or EMF contributes to the growth of ghostly energy.  It is theorized that electromagnetic energy can be a foundation for paranormal activity.  Ghosts seem to be attracted to places that have high areas of electromagnetic energy.  There are many EMF meters on the market, and it is one of the most invaluable tools that an investigator should have in his arsenal.

      Loyd Auerbach is one of the world’s most respected and experienced paranormal investigators.  In his book, Ghost Hunting: How To Investigate The Paranormal, he discusses how Dr. Michael Persinger of Laurentian University in Canda examined how the magnetic field can influence humans and their behavior.  Persinger found correlations between psychic experiences and the changing magnetic field.  As the magnetic field increased or decreased, people would report psychic experiences.  Furthermore, Persinger found that the temporal lobes seemed to be most affected.  He developed a helmet for research subjects to wear, that would generate magnetic fields, which would then cause them to experience a variety of psychic phenomena. 

     Antiques and personal belongings may also explain why a location becomes paranormally active.  It is theorized that some ghosts are attached to a particular object.  Thus, wherever the object is, the ghost will most likely be right beside it.  People who have had emotional bond to their items want to be near them or make sure that they are kept safe and preserved.  This can possibly explain why some homes, museums, antique stores and libraries become haunted.  There are various Art-Deco memorabilia still present on the ship.  In the early 1990s, the Mary housed the RMS Titanic exhibit, complete with authentic artifacts from the vessel.  Could this be why some people have had experiences with former Titanic passengers?  It must also be mentioned that the RMS Titanic and RMS Queen Mary are often compared to each other.  On the Mary’s 1936 maiden voyage, the ship sailed past the exact spot of the Titanic’s demise, and stopped for a few moments to offer its condolences. Could this also explain why some Titanic passengers are seen and felt roaming the halls of the Mary?

     Places that contain portals and vortexes are also known to house ghostly energy.  Portals and vortexes are kind of difficult to explain and understand.  Generally speaking, a portal allows spirits to travel from the living world to the spiritual world.  Think of it like a bridge connecting two planes of existence.  Many paranormal researchers define a vortex as having a lot of spiritual energy.  Vortexes are also thought to be one of the steps of spiritual manifestation.  Vortexes basically look like a tubular funnel containing mass amounts of orbs.  They resemble the shape of ropes and camera straps.  A vortex assists the entity in being continuously charged with energy.  The Queen Mary’s former First and Third Class Pool’s dressing area is purported to house a portal.  Many people experience odd feelings and sensations when inside these dressing room areas.

     Unfortunately, many entities are earth-bound and are unable to move on for various reasons.  For example, a person who experienced a sudden and violent death may not know he or she is dead and continues to perform life’s duties.  Ghosts are also stuck in our world simply due to unfinished business or completing a mission.  Furthermore, some entities make the choice to stay on our plane of existence.  Then, there are those who can travel to and from our world when they need to help a friend or loved one.  There are many aspects that can explain why an entity becomes earth-bound as opposed to finally going home.  Many resident spirits of the Mary are happy to call the ship “home.”  And, sadly, others are stuck, continuously searching for their exit off the ship.

     Ley Lines and water may also explain why places become haunted.  It is theorized that Ley lines themselves may contribute to or cause paranormal activity.  Water is a natural conductor of electricity.  Locations that contain a lot of water have been known to experience paranormal activity.  If ghosts and spirits use electrical energy to manifest, than it could explain why places on or near water become haunted.  The RMS Queen Mary is currently moored in the waters of Long Beach harbor.  Additionally, her iron hull and 56 varieties of interior woods may retain spiritual energy, further alluding to the ship’s mysticism.

       The ship sees scores of visitors each year from all walks of life.  You better believe that when they step foot on the Mary’s decks, they want to experience the paranormal.  Thus, could this have something to do with the ship’s paranormal side?  Is it possible that the mind can project its wishes onto an object and thus, influence that object?  I think it may be possible, of course, especially when thousands of people are involved.

And, then, there are the elusive aspects to why the Mary is one of earth’s most haunted gems.  Perhaps there are other theories, still to be unearthed, that can explain the ship’s mysteries.  Regardless of the proposed theories, perhaps, man is to never know exactly why a place or location becomes a magnet for spiritual energy.  

By,
Nicole Strickland

    

    

Childhood Laughter

As mentioned in the beginning pages of this book, my very first visit to the RMS Queen Mary, took place in 2007.  It was on this very premiere visit that I had one of the most profound paranormal encounters while touring the former first and third class pool room.

     On my very first Haunted Encounters tour aboard the Mary, I was excited to traverse some of the paranormal hot spots located in the vessel’s lower decks.  Our tour guide was awesome and displayed a passion, excitement and love for his job.  I distinctly remember him saying that if anyone referred to the Mary as a boat, he would gladly throw them overboard.  Of course, he was being humorously sarcastic.  The point he was trying to make was that the grand vessel is a ship and not a boat.

We commenced the tour in an area next to the massive exhibit hall.  As we all sat eagerly awaiting the start of the expedition, my friends and I talked amongst ourselves about some of the legendary ghost tales that circumvent the ship.  As our escort arrived, introduced himself and explained some of the haunted history, we all journeyed to our first stop:  the former first and third class pool room.

My initial glimpse of the pool was via a webcam of the pool room on my computer, trying to see if I could catch any ethereal specters from my apartment setting 90 miles away.  To actually be standing inside the grand pool room was surreal, to say the least.  I immediately imagined, as I looked at the empty pool, what it was like to be a cabin or first class passenger on the Mary, getting my towel and taking a swim in the luxurious salt water pool.

As we all positioned ourselves around the pool’s slide, our guide shared some of the encounters that he has had while working on the Mary.  He went on to reveal the time when he remembers feeling a small child’s hand grab onto his, while he was leading a crowd on an excursion to the former first class pool.  I remember him saying that this experience is what enabled him to believe that ghosts do exist on the ship. 

As our time neared its end in this paranormal hot spot, I remember telling my friend, “I want to stay down here so bad.”  I also had an Olympus digital recorder running as well.  Right after I told my friend the above statement, you can clearly hear a young female child’s creepy laughter.  Mind you, there was no child on the tour and no child within a close vicinity of the pool room.  Thus, I could not figure out where this laughter came from as it sounded as though it was in close proximity to my recorder. 

After doing numerous investigations in the former first and third class pool room, I can clearly tell when a voice is stemming from inside the structure as opposed to happening outside its walls.  Sounds have an echo quality to them when they occur from inside the pool room.  This child’s laughter definitely had this reverberation quality and since it occurred in adjacent immediacy to my recorder, I was therefore not able to logically explain this voice as being anything other than paranormal. 

At the time of capturing this electronic voice phenomena capture, or EVP, I was only mildly aware of the famed ghost girl named Jackie.  So, at the time of obtaining this audio piece, I was not aware that this angelic voice came from Jackie.  As the years progressed and I conducted numerous other research projects on the ship, I soon found out that Jackie and I would develop a strong rapport.  I have seen, heard and sensed her many times throughout the ship’s inner walls. 

 

The Cigar Follows

My mom and I frequently travel to the RMS Queen Mary to simply enjoy its ambience, history and delectable cuisine. About a year ago, both my mom and I had an interesting encounter, which occurred right at the base of the Promenade Deck stairs located on the starboard side, which leads directly up to the Sun Deck.

As we started to proceed toward the upper deck, both my mother and smelled a powerful cigar, however there was no visible cigar smoke or anyone puffing on one for that matter.  I quickly ran down the stairs to see if anyone had lit a cigar on Promenade Deck.  Not surprisingly, no one was present with such a smoke.  Then, I rapidly ascended the stairs to see if anyone was present outside on Sun Deck with a lit stogie in their mouth.  Again, no one was there to fit that description.

My mom and I looked at each other, pondering where the strong smell was coming from.  The smell was so powerful and it seemed to be located on the stairs.  One such specter who has often times been sensed with a cigar is none other than the late British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.  Amazed, I wondered if we encountered Churchill, on one of his ethereal strolls on the Mary.  In my heart, I would like to think so.

The saga continues later on as we decided to take a walk by the Winston Churchill Suite.  Again, that strong permeating cigar smoke hit our nose, right when we came upon the front entrance door leading to the stateroom appropriately named after Winston.  Furthermore, we both heard a conversation between two people, but the room was empty as the lights inside the room were definitely in the off position. Just to make sure, I double-checked with the hotel front desk, and it was confirmed that the Churchill Suite was unoccupied at the time.  So, where did that same cigar smoke come from?  Who was talking inside the room?  Was it a residual disembodied conversation from Churchill’s sojourn on the ship during her World War II days?

This encounter seemed to point in the direction of being paranormal, as other visitors to the ship have also reported that they have heard disembodied conversations emanating from the suite, as well as smelling phantom cigar smoke while walking right past the suite’s entrance door.

There is one more layer to this story:  later on, as my mom and I sat at one of the wooden tables, located in front of the small coffee shop outside of the Promenade Café, we noticed, once again, that same cigar smoke.  At this point, I was convinced that someone was following us around the ship.  Was Churchill following us around the ship?  Or, was it a lonely soldier or former passenger wanting some company?  Interestingly, I have surmised that this ghost liked being in the presence of my mom’s energy.