The Paranormal

Stubborn Spirits

The Rev Philip Steff is proud of his work. Small wonder, for he has a significant number of achievements to his name. It is not simply that he is an ordained minister of the Spiritualist Church, nor that he regularly lectures on Spiritualism. It is not that he has been featured on TV and radio, nor that newspapers and magazines have shown interest in his work. What seems more important is that Philip Steff is a practical man in such matters, one who accompanies psychic researchers when they investigate hauntings, for it is less easy to deceive someone with the power to 'see' ghosts. Furthermore, he is regularly called upon to release souls stuck in the limbo between this world and the next, as well as to exorcise evil entities from ordinary houses. He is more often successful than not, though the tales that follow tell of a couple of his failures in Kent during June 1999, within a week of each other. He says: 'It isn't always simple, you know.'

The first case was that of Graham Hammond, a retired civil engineer, who lived in Sittingbourne and who was desperate when he persuaded Philip to help him. He had made several attempts to rid himself of an unwanted spirit in his house. He was of the view that the spirit had come with him from south-east London where he had formerly lived.

On Monday, 7th June 1999, Philip and his assistant of twenty years, Derek Goodson, set out on the excursion from his home in Bath to Sittingbourne. From what Hammond had said it seemed that there was no need for an exorcism. It was more likely in this case that a release was called for. Having already released over one hundred souls of people trapped in limbo between this earth and the after life, the two mediums were optimistic of success.

Of course these spirits are no evil, although their presence can be frightening. Sometimes they announce themselves by mysterious footsteps. On other occasions objects are moved from one place to another. Frequently, rooms in houses they occupy are cold and no amount of extra heating seems to raise the temperature.

'It's their way of telling you they are there. They are really drawing attention to their plight. You see, spirits do not always reach the Spirit World,' Philip explains, 'and this may be for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they are murdered or they are suicides. It may be that they are too attached to their possessions in this world. Some appear to be men or women who just failed to accomplish something or to complete it before they died.'

It always gives Philip and Derek pleasure to release the earthbound. 'Although they can see, feel and think,' Philip says, 'there is one thing they fail to appreciate. They do not realise that they are dead. They really need help to leave this place. They don't belong here. They need to understand that they no longer have a physical body. They have a spirit body now. Our task is to persuade them of their situation. I suppose that we're needed to tell them that they are dead - as far as this world is concerned, anyway.' So this, it seemed, was what they were to do in Sittingbourne. To persuade a spirit ('George', Graham Hammond had called him) to move on from his earthbound condition.

They arrived at Hammond's two-story house on the main road just after lunch. Graham Hammond, fit and active for his years, told his visitors almost on arrival that he believed that he had psychic powers. At least that had been suggested to him, but he appeared to have no wish to use them. This information was interesting in view of what transpired.

Philip and Derek were quite convinced that Hammond was being pestered by a spirit which was certainly mischievous but not evil. He played tricks which were infuriating but not malicious. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, Hammond would be roused by the ringing of the telephone. It was almost as if the instrument were in the bedroom when, in fact it was downstairs. At other times, there were sounds of scratching under the pillow or even knocking inside the pillow. The old man was wakened by what at times seemed like electric shocks, the same sort of sensation that is experienced when the funny bone gets a knock.

Hammond said that he had once glimpsed 'George's' head and shoulders. That was the only occasion that he had seen his tormenter. Philip said that at this point he interrupted Hammond and asked him not to describe the face as it would colour his mind. He continued: 'You see, good mediums don't like this information in advance.'

'George' apparently had a tendency to interfere with the TV and sometimes the screen would go blank. He seemed particularly biased against BBC2. On at least one occasion Hammond had peremptorily ordered 'George' to put the picture back on and his order was obeyed almost immediately.

After having been given a detailed account of the spirit's behaviour the two mediums next went to every room in the house. They stood silently in each one, absorbing the atmosphere. They were soon persuaded there was work to be done. Each of them experienced a tingling sensation in the hands and spine in every room they entered. As it was clear that this was a release and not an exorcism, no further preparations were required. No alter was set up and no protective circle was deemed necessary.

In the presence of Graham Hammond, Philip went into a trance. Derek linked into him, giving off psychic energy to increase the chances of a successful release. At this point there came into Philip's mind the figure of a bearded man in dark and drab clothing, a man dressed in Victorian fashion. He had about him a disreputable air. He might not have looked out of place as a low-life villain in a Dickens novel.

Now Philip learned the man's story, communicating with him not in words but by the exchange of thoughts. He had hanged himself, the man told Philip. He had committed a crime of which he had felt ashamed. With a partner, he had broken into a house but he had kept the bulk of the money. He had escaped capture but his partner had gone to prison where some years later he had died. The old villain was consumed with guilt. And now, though he did not know it, he was in that hopeless Nowhere!

Philip's message was to persuade this strange figure that he was now dead and that he could not remain earthbound. Despite some hesitation, the man finally appeared to accept his position, and to accept that he ought to move on.

Out of his trance, Philip told Hammond and Derek what had occurred. When he heard the description of the 'villain', Hammond was sure that Philip had met 'George'. Oddly enough, it transpired in the course of their conversation that some years earlier Graham Hammond's wife had hanged herself. There is, in Philip's opinion, however, no apparent connection between this sad event and 'George'.

On the way back to Bath both men felt optimistic about the outcome. They were sure it had been a good day's work. One sign was the state of Derek's hands. At the end of their sessions Philip always asks Derek what his hands feel like. Usually while he is working his hands are warm. If, after they have completed a release or an exorcism, Derek's hands cool down fairly quickly they are quite confident of their success. On this occasion Derek's hands were giving off the most encouraging symptoms.

'To my concern and astonishment,' Philip says, 'Mr Hammond phoned a few days later.' Apparently, 'George' was still playing up. It was baffling and disappointing for Philip as it was his first unsuccessful release. What could have happened? 'George' had given no indication that he would not move on 'into the light.'

Philip's advice to Graham Hammond was simple. It looked as if 'George' was not going to leave so easily. Could it be that he was aware of the psychic powers that Hammond claimed to possess? For if he did have some psychic capacity it might be that 'George' was stirring him up to do something about it. Possibly 'George' was urging Hammond to use his powers , to take up release work. Perhaps he intended to stay with Hammond until he got the point. After all, it would not be the first time that a spirit had 'blackmailed' his victim in this way. Philip urged Hammond to join his local Spiritualist Church and to start using his powers.

At the time of writing Philip has not heard from Graham Hammond for several months and so he does not know if his advice has been taken, or, for that matter, if 'George' is still at it. It was a less satisfactory conclusion than had been hoped for.

The second case involved Walter Banks, a retired accountant, living on his own in Rochester. In a phone call to Philip, Banks said that he was being pestered by a spirit. The disturbances had been going on for a considerable time. In fact, he had left his previous home near Canterbury to escape the incessant pressure, the fear which he had lived with daily. For some time he had stayed in a guest house and had then come to Rochester. But there was no escape. Whatever was haunting him accompanied him to his new home. Now there were noises in the house, terrible, loud noises which terrified him, noises as loud as thunder. And sometimes there was what seemed like a woman in his bedroom. He could sometimes hear the rustle of her dress.

Some nights, some terrifying nights, as he lay alone in his bed, there was loud whistling; there was unaccountable scratching sounds at the window, and there were more deep-sounding rolls of thunder through the darkened house. And sometimes there was a weight on his chest, pressing down on him so that he could scarcely breathe. Other times he would hear the swish of the dress of the phantom woman and this was always followed by the most enormous, the most deafening crash.

Banks had tried other exorcists, some of them highly recommended, but nothing they did seem to work. At least, whatever they did had no lasting effect. For a time there would be a period of calm and then the trouble would start all over again. Nothing they did was effective. Finally Philip Steff agreed to visit Kent from his home in Bath.

What Philip knew in advance was that some years earlier Walter Banks had use a ouija board. Whether this had been for fun or for some serious spirit message was not clear. In any case, as far as Philip was concerned, Banks had involved himself in something potentially dangerous. The ouija board is not a toy. It is not a party game. It has the capacity to invite something into the house and that something is not easy to get rid of. And it may be something of profound evil. This playing the ouija board, Philip was certain, was the origin of Bank's troubles. Somewhere in the house were entities of ill-intent, what Philip Steff calls 'phantoms of the night', demonic and possibly at times, dangerous.

At the same time, Philip had the idea from his phone calls with Banks, that perhaps the unsuccessful exorcists were not totally responsible for the failure of their ministrations. Perhaps Banks was the kind of man who did not co-operate with those he had called in to help him.

On 14th June 1999, a week after the foray to Sittingbourne. Philip Steff went from Bath to Rochester. This time, and contrary to practice, he was unaccompanied. Neither Derek nor anyone else could fit in the trip to Rochester with him. As he entered Walter Banks's small, neat bungalow, Philip at once experienced a strong tingling in both of his hands. From long experience he knew what that signified. There was certainly something there. And he sensed that it was decidedly nasty.

Philip set up a small alter on the bedroom table on which he also placed candles, a crucifix and a model shrine made of cardboard and of the appearance of a church. There was even a stained glass window illuminated by a candle standing behind. Next, he took out of his bag a large ring of calico on which were written in large letters the names of the four archangels - Uriel, Michael, Rafael and Gabriel. Walter Banks was seated in a chair inside the ring. After prayer and a reading from Ephesians 6, Philip called upon the four archangels to help him with the task of cleansing the house of its evil spirits. His Spirit Guide, his 'doorkeeper' Serenghi, was always present.

But at the end of it all, it had not gone well. Philip was aware of that. Before he lest Rochester he had considerable doubts about the effectiveness of his afternoon's work. No doubt he was exhausted, his own psychic batteries in need of recharging and he was less than pleased with Banks, who during the long and draining exorcism had contrived to fall asleep! Had the entities themselves made him doze off, he wondered? And had the entities as they sometimes do, hidden during the exorcism? Had the done so, they would have escaped.

Two days later a disgruntled Banks rang to say that nothing had changed. And why, he wanted to know, had Philip bothered with all that religious rigmarole? That was no use, Banks said. Well, Philip told him, he ought to be patient. Sometimes after an exorcism the evil spirits have a brief period of retaliation before they go. Walter Banks was less than impressed with that answer.

Some weeks later, however, Banks rang Philip once again. The thunder had stopped, he said, and he was keeping the entities away by leaving on his TV at night for they are known not to like the light. And Philip Steff was able to smile wryly. Not a total success, he thought, but perhaps not a complete failure.