“The elephant in the room is death — we’re all going to die, it’s the one guarantee you get in life.”
Jeff Belanger always manages to be spectacularly upbeat and positive about something that, for most people, is quite a negative topic: death. Few have been as productive and valuable in the paranormal and spirit-communicating scene as Jeff has. Not only is he the Emmy-nominated host, writer, and producer of the New England Legends on PBS, he is also the writer and researcher for the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures, and the host of the widely popular Web and cable talk-show 30 Odd Minutes. He has written sixteen books to date, all revolving around the mysterious, the paranormal, and the supernatural, ranging from haunted locations and spirit communication, to the Bermuda Triangle, UFO investigating, and even experiences such as climbing Mount Everest.
“A ghost is a connection to the past…it’s a way for the past to commune with the present.”
While we’re on the note of climbing mountains, Jeff actually very recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro (this interview took place before the climb), which he did in order to raise money and awareness for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). He even speaks a little Swahili, which he used to get by there, no kiddin’. Yes, this guy has done it all.
Anyway, during this episode of West of The Rockies, we pick his brains as regards to one of his first books, namely, Communicating With The Dead: Reach Beyond The Grave, which was published in 2005. We ask him all sorts of questions, from how he first got into researching ghosts, to what his definition of a ghost even is. We talk about how funeral rites appear to be a means for humans to maintain a connection to their loved ones that have passed on; we explore the idea of there being more than one type of phenomenon that people may be experiencing when they are making contact with “something else”; and we question him about his own paranormal experiences, his scariest moments, and what made him a believer in the first place.
We also delve into the various methods and tools used in communicating with the dead, such as ITC devices, Ouija boards, and even Thomas Edison’s attempt at inventing a device that might be able to communicate with spirits.
It was a fun and informative interview, without a doubt, and we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did!
Keep up-to-date with Jeff by visiting his website and ghostvillage.com.
