Psychic research is closely affiliated with parapsychology.It gets a bit of a bad rep with scientists, who generally regard "the discipline as pseudoscience because parapsychologists continue investigation despite not having demonstrated conclusive evidence of psychic abilities in more than a century of research."Fortunately, there are people like Dave to uphold the cause. I mean, how can you argue with a guy who asserts, "I am a psychic investigator, and I simply don’t swallow fiction, whether it be forthcoming from skeptics, charlatans, or other investigators involved in my own field."
Thanks to his interview for The X-Factor, we've also got an insight into his investigative methods and application of scientific rigor to the cases he investigates:
What's a protective talisman?
I am not really allowed to go into that. It was just a talisman containing certain symbols of protection, used to counteract or rather reverse psychic energy. some people would argue that the only meaning it has is symbolic, rather like the Christian cross is used to ward off vampires, but it does work in some cased and if it does it has fulfilled its purpose.
Bugger TriField Meters and all that other junk!
And what kind of 'protective work' did the Society carry out?
At the initial stages, I asked the woman to send me an object that was closely linked to herself - a necklace or a ring - as this helps us form a psychic link with her. Once this was established, I was in a better position to try and reverse the energy of whatever it was that was attacking her.
Geiger counters? Ion detectors? Pfft!
How did you do this?
There are certain methods I can't really talk about. But the Society get together to form a psychic chain and direct the psychic energy towards the person in question., a bit like an exorcism. We very rarely do this unless its a very serious case, and this was a very serious case.
We're clearly dealing with a man who knows his [bleep]!
Why can't you talk about it?
There are certain things we're not supposed to discuss and, even if we did, people wouldn't really understand them. But there are certain talismans, symbols and words that contain power if they are utilized in the right manner. Its nothing sensational, but its kept secret because some of them have been known for centuries and have been handed down. One of the reasons for secrecy is that if they become known, they'd be abused.
And vampires? Yeah, he's got that covered too.
I just noticed an eerie coincidence in terms of David's latest reports on the Highgate Vampire being "active" again.In 2005, David was interviewed by Marc Mullen for an article called "Vampire Active Again, Claims Occult Expert"."Coincidentally", this timed well with the reformation of his Highgate Vampire Society, as discussed in the article.And now, shortly after the publication of his autobiography, In the Shadow of the Highgate Vampire (2009), his January 27, 2010 blog entry mentions the following:I have been asked to give another Talk soon on latest reports about a ‘vampire-like figure’ that has been sighted again in and around Highgate Cemetery. These reports seem to have escalated again in recent years, but luckily I have most of these witnessed experiences on record, with appropriate permission to use them for future books, Talks, etc.
To paraphrase Marcellus in Hamlet, something is rotten in Highgate.
David's been resorting to his usual tactic when I confront him with his claims regarding "never believing" in vampires, as well as his continued use of the term.
You know, that whole "why dig up a 40 year old case" business and crap like this:
I am really not interested in that particular case anymore, Anthony, It is DEAD (excuse the pun!) there are far more many genuine cases of psychic phenomena to be investigated apart from that one!
It's funny, because all one has to do is check out his blog to see how "DEAD" he considers this case to be:
I have been asked to give another Talk soon on latest reports about a ‘vampire-like figure’ that has been sighted again in and around Highgate Cemetery. These reports seem to have escalated again in recent years, but luckily I have most of these witnessed experiences on record, with appropriate permission to use them for future books, Talks, etc. This is what I shall be doing at the end of March during this next Talk, although I’ll keep everyone informed with more precise details nearer the time. For the moment though, here are a couple of newspaper articles to give the basic background.
Not to mention getting all defensive when I point out that for someone who doesn't believe in vampires, and doesn't like being associated with them, he sure likes using the tag:
I told you then, as I’m doing again here, I do NOT believe in ‘vampires’ – full stop. If the Press chose to term the phenomenon a ‘vampire’ in the distant past, the , so what? That had nothing to do with myself. If two of my books are titled “Return of the Vampire Hunter” and “David Farrant – In the Shadow of the Highgate Vampire”, then ‘so what?’ again.? I did not chose the titles; the editors did as a point of reference. And why not? That’s what that particular entity at Highgate Cemetery had become termed as publicly.
It's also funny that he tries to wash his hands of the term's use in those book titles, which would be understandable...if it wasn't for the fact that his own publishing house (British Psychic and Occult Society Press) was responsible for them.
I decided to finally activate my registration with Arcadia yesterday and made my first post on that forum.
It was a rebuttal concerning Dave's usual insistence of never thinking the Highgate Vampire was a, y'know, vampire.
You would obviously have noticed that I've been letting my blog languish for a while.The reason for this is quite simple: the sheer tedium and pettiness evinced from both sides of the Highgate Case can get a bit overwhelming.So, I took an extended break from it.That's not to say I've been completely dormant. After all, I've been making regular contributions to my other blog.
At this point, there's not much left to pursue, vampirologically, with this Case. The feuding will continue between these two "gentlemen" and their associates for their duration, from the looks of it.
It's still good to see that JBC is interested in some form of reconciliation (or a damn cease fire) from the two main parties, as indicated in his "Fancy a Pint?" entry.
The proposition held that David and "Demonologist" (Dennis Crawford) were to have a meeting at Highgate's Woodman Pub.
Did this meeting come to pass?
Nooooo, of course not.
Yet again, it was stymied by the usual flimsy excuses.
Dennis expected David to rock up to the pub within a 13 hour duration. When he didn't, he canceled the meet.
From there, it lapsed into an argument about the pub's opening times and Arminius hinted that he wasn't a Christian.
Probably so his continuous attacks wouldn't reveal hypocrisy.
And so, the battle rages on.
