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Many people know of these pop culture icons from the\ntheaters, but a lot of people don\u2019t know that they are based on real people and\ntrue events. Ed and Lorraine Warren were very real, and so is the Annabelle doll\nthey kept locked up in their occult museum. As a society, we enjoy\nfictionalized versions of ghosts and spirits, but we hardly ever think about\nthe reality of them. I\u2019m here to bring that reality to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\n may know a little about the Warrens because of the movies, but there\u2019s \nso much more you should know about them. Ed and Lorraine Warren were the\n pioneers in the supernatural realm. Their son-in-law, Tony Spera, \nreferred to Ed Warren as, \u201cThe Godfather of the paranormal.\u201d They \nfounded the New England Society for Psychic Research<\/a>\n in 1952 with the goal of helping tormented people deal with paranormal \nevents that they couldn\u2019t handle on their own. The Warrens worked on \nmany major cases such as the Amityville horror case, the Snedeker case \n(known from \u201cA Haunting in Connecticut\u201d), and the case of the Annabelle \ndoll. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, decades later, their legacy lives on through their son-in-law,\nTony Spera, and his team at the New England Society for Psychic Research\n(NESPR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was blessed to get to visit the Warren\u2019s Occult Museum and\ninterview Tony Spera, Chris Gilloren, and Dan Rivera about their work, their\nbeliefs, and how NESPR is making the world a better place one case at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNESPR\u2019s mission is to help people that need it- those\nbeyond help because they don\u2019t know where to turn.\u201d Tony explained, \u201cIf you\nhave a burglary in your house, the police come out and try to find the\nperpetrator. In our work, the criminal is invisible, intangible, and sometimes,\ndemonic. And people who are tormented by this phenomenon don\u2019t know where to\nturn. So, they call us because we know how to handle it. We go in, investigate,\nand gather evidence. Our mission is to document what\u2019s going on, record it,\nphotograph it, and gather this report and bring it to the proper authorities. In\nmost cases the proper authorities are through religious means- the clergy-\nwhere we will decide what the family needs. Do they need to bless the house? Do\nthey need to bless the people? Do they need counseling? Do they need an\nexorcism of the person or the house?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tony, Chris, and Dan dedicate much of their lives to carrying on Ed and Lorraine\u2019s work. They have families and work daily jobs, yet they still find the time to help people in need. With their expertise, they are trained to tell the difference between human spirits<\/a> and demonic entities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something that stands out about their group is their belief\nin God, which is applied to their work at NESPR. People seem to be surprised\nthat they combine the idea of paranormal spirits with religion, but there is an\nobvious connection between the two. \u201cGod is a spirit. God is our creator.\u201d Tony\nexplained, \u201cWe are spirits walking around in physical form. So, it\u2019s not\nuncommon or unheard of to conjure a spirit. There are troubled spirits in the\nworld that when they pass from this earth, they want to tell people what\nhappened to them or they want to remain near their belongings. Spirits are real\nbecause God is real. God is a spirit. God created us in his image.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dan added, \u201cIt says it in the bible, too. When Jesus was\nwalking on the water, Peter asks, \u2018Is that a ghost?\u2019 So, ghosts were mentioned\nin the bible. And you can\u2019t ignore the Father, son, and holy ghost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many people lack the ability to believe in what they can\u2019t see or touch for themselves, but Tony has a message for them, as well. \u201cYour mind is real, but you can\u2019t put your finger on your mind. You can put your finger on your brain but not your mind. That\u2019s where the creator comes in. That\u2019s where God comes in. Our belief system is the foundation of our society. If we didn\u2019t believe in God, we wouldn\u2019t be doing this work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the NESPR team investigates during a case, they are\ncareful to go in and show caution. They don\u2019t want to stir up or provoke\nanything to make it harder for the family experiencing problems. Dan explained,\n\u201cIt\u2019s about going in there and observing. We want to go in there and live it. We\ndon\u2019t try to conjure things up. If it\u2019s going to happen, it\u2019s going to happen just\nby you sitting there and observing it. That\u2019s the exact way the family\nexperienced it. They weren\u2019t asking if someone was there with them. Instead,\nthings just happened to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While their work is noble, there are times where they have\nto focus on their own mental health, as their work can be draining. \u201cAs\ninvestigators, we deal with a lot of negativity and evil.\u201d Chris said, \u201cWe have\nto know when to step away sometimes. When we have negativity in our daily\nlives, we have to know when to take a break and step away from it. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSometimes, the better part of valor is retreat.\u201d Tony\nadded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, even when they can\u2019t get together and make it out to\ninvestigate, the team at NESPR spends time counseling those who need it over\nthe phone. They try to be available at least in that capacity for those\nsuffering at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow can you ignore people who are hurting?\u201d Tony asked, \u201cChris\nis a police officer. When he gets a call to go somewhere, he goes because he\nknows that person needs help. It\u2019s his job. Well, this is our job- to help\npeople. When we get a call, we do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was truly inspired by all the hard work that NESPR does to\nhelp people. Tony, Chris, and Dan give it their all, helping people with\nparanormal accounts around their daily lives and jobs. They never stop, and\nthey go above and beyond in any way they can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can follow the New England Society for Psychic Research on Facebook<\/a>, and if you want to meet the NESPR team and Annabelle yourself, sign up for An Evening with Annabelle!<\/p>\n\n\n\n YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experience the History and Lore of the Winchester Mystery House<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"the-real-annabelle-doll-at-the-warren's-occult-museum-malorie-mackey-nespr\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fashionisers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/the-real-annabelle-doll-at-the-warrens-occult-museum-malorie-mackey-nespr.jpg\")
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