Phone Calls From the Dead with Angie Breeden

It took her two years, but Angie Breeden, the founding force behind the St. Albans Paranormal Discussion Group, finally took to the podium herself and gave an OUTSTANDING talk about a topic that has personally fascinated me for years. As the group's regular year wound down, the focus on September's meeting was Phone Calls From the Dead!

Ever since telephones have existed, there have been calls received by very confused individuals who have wondered just who or what was trying to reach them. Short, static-filled communications with the voice of someone you know is deceased, talking in a far-away, monotone voice. Long conversations with family and friends, only to find out later that the person who called couldn't have---because they were already dead at the time. Even phone calls from LIVING persons, giving very specific information despite the fact that it was proven they never picked up the phone and dialed. All of these types of cases and more are explored in the 1970's book, Phone Calls From the Dead, by D. Scott Rogo and Raymond Bayliss. 

The work of Rogo and Bayliss made of the basis of the presentation and examples of their cases found in the book were shared and explored. Angie talked about the different types of paranormal phone calls, and even some theories about just how or why these things could be happening. But, as phones evolved from the standard land lines that most homes had when the book was written, into cordless, and then cell, and then smart phones, the types of communication evolved, too. And, of course, we had to discuss some recent cases as well. We learned about the case of Charles Peck, a man who was killed in a horrific train accident in 2008. His cell phone continued to call his family for a staggering 11 hours until his body was found.  A REALLY spooky case, complete with audio, that we discussed was the 2018 case where 911 call came in from a funeral home in Colorado. The operator called the number back, and someone actually answered, but the only thing that came across was an eerie man's voice, seemingly asking for help. 

Just as the phone technology and types of communication have evolved over the years, so have the research and man's quest to actively create a way to call back! From Thomas Edison's Spirit Phone to Gary Schwartz's modern work with the Soulphone, it seems as if we aren't really too much closer in understanding how a being without a physical voice box can manifest a voice through our available electronics. 

These two books were recommended. 
Luckily, I have them in my personal library!

As Angie wrapped up the presentation, she asked the group if anyone had any personal phone calls from the dead. It took a few moments for someone to speak up, but after that first story, the related stories continued to flow. Although it doesn't seem like anyone had a classic, textbook example of one of these phone calls from the dead, plenty of people had experienced other unexplained phone anomalies, and other instances of spirit communication, through dreams and a variety of ITC methods. I even got to share my own experience of a dream of a phantom phone call (Gary's Phone Call). 

It was a great presentation on a really cool topic, and has probably been one of my top 3 favorite talks so far! I'm sad to see the year winding down. September was the final 'lecture' meeting of 2023. Our annual Halloween Party will be held on October 25th, and we'll be taking November and December off for the holidays. I can't wait to see what great new speakers and subjects are in store for the new year, and look forward to meeting even MORE fellow paranormal enthusiasts and having some great conversations!

Please come follow the St. Albans Paranormal Discussion Group on Facebook for more information on the upcoming schedule. The group meets at the St. Albans Historical Society building on the last Wednesday of each month. We'd love for you to join us for the Halloween party. Come in costume, bring a dish to share, and have an evening of spooky fun...and then come back in January! 

Gary's Phone Call--A Personal Spirit Communication

I believe that spirits can communicate with us in a variety of ways, including dreams.  In fact, I think that dreams are a rather safe way for them to reach out to us---dreaming about a loved one that has passed is far less scary to most people than actually seeing their apparition, and it allows for a more direct form of message communication than subtle hints and signs left during the waking hours that might be ignored or misinterpreted. 

Over the years, I've had plenty of dreams about those who have gone on before me, mostly my grandparents offering words of encouragement or advice. But one dream in particular stands out as potentially being an actual spirit communication. It was the time when I dreamed my uncle called from beyond the grave to ask a very special favor. 

My uncle Gary passed away when I was still in high school. It was my mom who actually found him, after going over to his house to help him with some paperwork stuff he had asked her to help with. Gary lived alone at the time with his big orange cat, Mozart. He loved that cat, and spoiled it like crazy. Whenever he'd have to go out of town, he'd pay me and my boyfriend to go over and feed Mozart and clean his litter box. So, I kinda assumed that after Gary had passed away, we'd be taking Mozart home to live with us.

There was a lot of stuff to do, however, to settle Gary's estate and clean out his house. Much of that responsibility was left to his daughter and her family. It was decided to leave Mozart at his home until everything was over.  When his daughter wasn't there, my boyfriend and I or my mom and I still would go over there to feed and take care of him. Then one day, deep into this process, I had the dream.

In my dream, the phone rang. It didn't sound any different---just a normal ring---and I answered it as I would normally do. It was Gary on the line. In my dream, I KNEW he had died, but for whatever reason it felt perfectly normal that he'd be calling. I wasn't at all concerned that I was receiving a phone call from someone who was no longer alive. He called me by his nickname for me, and asked if my mom was home. When I told him no, that's when his voice took on a sort of desperate tone.

He said that he had been trying to reach her but couldn't and that I needed to give her a message ASAP. He said that she needs to go get Mozart. Mozart needs her. PLEASE go get Mozart. 

I promised to give her the message, said goodbye and hung up. That's all I remembered of the dream, and at the time, it didn't really seem like a big deal. In fact, I wasn't going to say anything about it to anyone, but the next day, something told me that I should bring it up. Sort of in passing, I casually asked my mom when we were going to be able to bring Mozart home. She got a weird look on her face and said that we weren't going to be adopting the cat after all. Gary's daughter and grand kids had decided they wanted to keep him instead.

I was hesitant to tell her about the dream, but I went ahead and she got pretty shook up and told me some details that I had no idea about. Before Gary died, he showed a lot of signs that he knew his time was coming to an end---including asking mom to help him with the paperwork that she was at his home to complete when she found him. He had also asked her that if anything should ever happen to him, please take Mozart and take care of him. He had even set aside some money in his will for Mozart's care. My mom had promised him that she would take care of the cat, so when Gary's daughter told her that her family was taking him, my mom told her of the promise she'd made. She even told her that she didn't want the money in the will---just that she had made a promise to Gary that she had to fulfill. It didn't matter. Mozart did not come to live with us, and I never dreamed of Gary again.