As odd as the title may suggest, this has actually happened. Now I saw the story online recently and made the decision to leave it be, but on Monday I listened to the Supernaturelle Chat Show with Gemma and Jo as they interviewed the woman; and found myself considering the possibilities here. In fact the subject was so engaging that the Parasearch Radio Channel dedicated two shows to the matter; the first was an in-depth interview and the second a discussion on the Paranormal Concept show. Both shows are well worth a listen, but be prepared as they dive into the depths of the story, which isn’t quite the romance you may think it to be.

This case and anumber similar to it that have hit the media over the past few years havebecome known affectionately by me as ‘Mongoose Cases.’ This refers to thefamous case in which Harry Price took to investigate a talking mongoose. Thepoint being that, although the possibility of an actual talking Mongoose soundsridiculous, as investigators of the odd we shouldn’t make our conclusionswithout first studying the facts. This case and in a similar light the recentcase of a woman that stated she had sex with ghosts, falls categorically intothe ‘Mongoose Case’ file.

Our initial reactionto these cases are often to reject them and label the individual as being alittle unstable. Which is totally understandable as a sexually intimaterelationship with a ghost completely contradicts our comprehension of what arelationship equates to. The lack of a physical partner isn’t right inaccordance to our understanding of any type of relationship. We immediatelybelieve that this would mean that without that physical contact there could notexist a relationship of any kind. This is what I was brought up to understandand indeed what I’ve looked for myself. A relationship with a ghost, or spiritas they are supposed to be capable of intelligent communication, screams mentalhealth or perhaps trauma of some kind.

The woman who married a 300 year old ghost has certainly got a very complex story, which at its depth is just plainly unbelievable. In all fairness the radio show interview actually seemed to highlight a number of the more intimate facts of the case, asking some really hard questions. Check out Parasearch Radio’s The Supernaturelle show here..

Amanda Sparrow spokeabout her interest in Witchcraft or Wicca traditions, which meant she was moreopen to probable spiritual communication in my opinion. However I equally foundit interesting that Amanda also used to be a pirate impersonator. Given shemarried a pirate ghost called Jack Sparrow (aka John Teague) her case reallyisn’t helped here. The name Jack Sparrow and also Edward Teague are both nameslinked to the popular pirate films ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ What is alsointeresting is that in the films Edward Teague isn’t just Jack Sparrow’sfather, but is also similar looking to how Amanda describes John Teague, herghostly pirate. This obviously may not help Amanda’s case, but doesn’tnecessarily discredit her story.

Now as much as thedetails of the case are really interesting, rather than explore those right nowI would prefer to look at this concept of relationships with spirits.

Now when you firstbegin to talk about individuals having relationships with spirits on variouslevels our acceptance changes dramatically. Ghost hunters, for example, andindeed some Mediums will visit many locations and attempt to communicate withthe resident spirits. This is in my opinion one level of relationship,especially if those ghost hunters claim to have detailed communication with thespirits about their lives. Whether you agree or not, it’s a variation of arelationship.

The next level up on this is probably group or individuals that perhaps hold regular sittings and communicate with the same spirit during these sittings. Mediumship circles or indeed seances would be an excellent example of this as they often involve communication with particular spirits. I’ve experienced this first hand during my investigations and work with those at the Royal Oak Pub in Swanage, which recently featured on Paranormal Lockdown UK. Those at the pub that have held spiritual circles and also random people have experienced interaction with spirits possibly related directly to the Royal Oak’s own history. Effectively they have a relationship of a kind with these probable resident spirits.

Moving up a leveland next up are the spirits that many Mediums take advice from during theirspiritual work and sometimes in their general lives. Now as someone that is assensitive as a brick, spiritually speaking, I will not pretend to know the in’sand out’s of this area. I will leave that to the Mediums of which I know a few.The point being here that in order for a Medium to trust and accept advice froma particular spirit, then there must be trust. Trust is something often foundto be important in any relationship, be it friendship or more. In this caseoften the Medium will refer to the spirit that gives them this advice on aregular basis as a guide. In my opinion to attribute such a title and to allowthat spirit to influence life choices and advice for others means that thoseMediums must have an important relationship with that spirit.

Hopefully I’ve nowoutlined in some really basic steps, how relationships with spirits for somecan be considered relatively important to the individual. This could be fromprobable detailed communication during a ghost hunt to those importantspiritual guides that many Mediums take advice from on a regular basis.

Now for many Mediumstheir spiritual guides can be integral to their lives and they will conversewith them on a regular basis. Something which could also be compared to highlyreligious individuals that pray to their God on a daily basis. This also bringsus back to Amanda’s case, as she took to regular communication with the spiritof John Teague. Prior to having sex with her ghost and taking her relationshipto the next level, her situation wasn’t much different from the previouslymentioned relationships with spirit.

In the Parasearch Radio interview Amanda does explain in more detail that sex with a spirit isn’t just a case of masturbation. She highlights that its more about feeling the energy and that can also sometimes feel physical. To me this does sound like a highly meditative state or perhaps a trance state, that may allow her to experience a connection of this level. However when we think about it though, we have heard of dramatic contact with spirits more often than we care to recall. Poltergeist cases may include reports of individuals being touched, pushed, etc. Many TV shows in recent times have stated similar experiences as the poltergeist cases, but also added in more darker aspects like scratches too. I personally have heard accounts from ghost hunters of similar too.

Granted all thoseexamples don’t include sexual links, but there have also been cases. So, inthis context is Amanda’s story really that out there that we should ignore it?Probably not, it actually isn’t a million miles away from other examples here.The only two things (possibly three) that set it apart is the mention of sexwith the spirit and that she married the spirit too.

In any case such as this we must equally consider fraud as an explanation too. This is simply as we must look at all possible angles. In this case Amanda’s wedding to her spirit groom was at great expense to her and incidentally at the point of the Parasearch Radio interview she admitted that she was separated from John Teague. The separation was based on the fact he lied and wasn’t quite what he said he was apparently. Amanda then likened the situation more towards possession than a loving relationship. However what certainly helps to add to the fraud case here, including the expense the relationship has cost Amanda, was the mention of her autobiography that she’s writing. Nothing like plugging a money making scheme to make my ears prick up. However in contrast I was reminded (thanks KG) that as she had potentially had a remarkable experience, then why shouldn’t she share it. Especially as she appeared to admit that mistakes had been made and warnings ignored.

There is certainly a heck of a lot more to this story than I can possibly document here. Check out the Supernaturelle Chat Show for the extended interview of Amanda Sparrow and then the Paranormal Concept Show for a discussion on the interview, both very inciteful. Both on the Parasearch Radio Network.

Oddly as mad andpotentially fraudulent this case sounds, it does spark my interest! It’scertainly a ‘Mongoose Case’, which I wouldn’t shy away from finding out about.I’m sure there is much more to this story, whether it’s a true spiritualconnection or fraudulent poppy-cock, I honestly don’t know. I’m more swayingtowards the latter, but not enough to be conclusive here. More data isrequired!

What do you thinkabout this case? Fact or Fiction, but why?