Probe International Conference.

Saturday, 25th of March, 2006.

The morning of the 25th arrived and I was up at 5.30, fussing. I couldn't wait to get to St Annes. This is my first Probe conference and I had no idea what to expect. Michael and I arrived in time to set up the UFO Data stall and settle in before the unusual suspects filed in through the doors. Eventually, when everyone was seated and technical difficulties were ironed out, the show began.

The first speakers were David Cayton and Robert Hulse, with their ‘Circles of Confusion’ talk. They outlined the differences between real and unexplained crop circles and the manufactured type. The evidence was certainly compelling. The talk consisted of a run down of most of the circle formations in the past seven years, with detailed analyses of radiation readings and an in-depth look at the major differences, which included blown stems in wheat fields, perfectly-matted stalks and impossibly intact flowers where circles were created in rapeseed fields in the instance of genuine formations. The evidence presented to show the anomalies of formations, which were manmade, detailed broken stems, markings from the planks and, generally, an untidy flattening of the inner parts of the designs. Photographs and videos were shown by way of demonstrating their findings.

The most interesting point brought up for me (having already looked into the phenomena at length) was that when the circles are being formed, the energies responsible seem to be tuned into one crop only. As an example, a field of wheat has a complicated formation, yet a stray rapeseed plant has begun to grow in amongst the other crop. It is the only standing plant in the formation, having been untouched when the formation was being created, yet everything around it is completely flattened. As this is a common phenomenon in cases where there are other anomalies to support the belief it is genuine, this is a common occurrence. A very interesting observation.

Questions followed the talk. Someone asked what the patterns mean, what are they trying to tell us? The theory is that these designs are supposed to link us to ourselves and extraterrestrials in the past. Another lady asked if they thought that crystals in the soil may help direct the energy of whatever was creating them, amplifying or possibly being the reactor for the circles to form. Disappointingly this question was met with almost contempt and was dismissed without a second’s consideration. I couldn't help but wonder, if crystals are no good in the transference of information and energy, how on earth do our LCD monitors and other technological gizmos actually work? I think that particular concept was due more consideration than it was given, yet the explanation of ley lines was more plausible? Overall, a very interesting talk, which also left me wondering if the manmade designs were somehow "inspired" and that the communicators of genuine circles are managing to get the point across without physically having to do anything!? Just a thought...

The second Speaker was Mark Olly, who arrived on stage looking like Bill Hicks on his Revelations tour, and to much applause. He came on and announced we were about to hear the sermon that has never been preached… and this was the truth! A very funny and engaging speaker who made the Bible look like a less daunting read in a matter of minutes, breaking it down into sixty-six interesting stories, rather than one long, monotonous book, which can send even the most dedicated to sleep. He covered giants, dinosaurs and winged creatures, which are all in the bible if you look in the right places. He highlighted the floods and Noah’s ark, defining exactly how it would be possible to create such a craft and how you could store the animals. Also covered were abductions, spacecraft, the Ark of the Covenant and the Bible code. The Da Vinci Code was mentioned and explained away. If it were true, there would be no cause for a court case. So there you go…

After listening to Mark talk, it gave me and others a new insight into how the Bible was created, rewritten and misinterpreted. A very funny and thoroughly enjoyable talk, with a lot of subjects covered and a whole new approach to Bible matters. Unfortunately, his time was up way too soon, but it did make for a very lively discussion in the bar at the end of the day!! An extremely enjoyable and informative talk. Definitely one to look out for.

The next speaker up was Bill Downie, with his Frozen Snowflake talk. This is where the small projector screen and the PA system seemed to be lacking in size. I must admit, I didn't have a very good view of the screen and therefore a lot of the information was difficult to grasp as I missed most of the information displayed and we couldn't hear what he was saying properly!! Therefore, after a while, it might as well have been a 747 passing overhead. Sorry, Bill! Speaking to members of the audience since, they were extremely impressed with the information passed on, which was quite in-depth and complicated for the amount of time allotted! I was unaware that I should have swotted up on my alphabet times tables before we went… :)

The final speaker of the day was Annie Mochon, former MI5 agent. David Shayler was meant to be taking the stand but unfortunately had suffered an accident (nothing suspicious!) and Annie stepped up. From the word go, she had everyone’s attention. You could have heard a pin drop as she explained how she and David came to disclose to the public the underhand and inept way our intelligence officers run their practices, which are allegedly in place for our well being. Annie covered the Qadhafi assassination attempt, which actually led to her and David revealing all to the public and subsequently going on the run. Then she went on to talk about the Bishopgate bombing, which could have been prevented and the Newcastle mainline bombings. How could these have been prevented? Simple, the van that drove around collecting CCTV footage and other compiled evidence, only does the rounds every two weeks to collect the information and drive it back to HQ in London. Even Postman Pat moves quicker than that and he manages to help several members of his community whilst doing his rounds too! If they had used any other method of delivery, they would have seen all of the activity on the tapes and would have been able to make arrests and prevent the situation. By the time the information was received, it was too late. Just one tiny example of what goes on. I think I’ll leave this one here, but let's just say Annie was the only speaker the entire weekend to get a standing ovation. Check out www.nineeleven.co.uk for more information.

The Saturday evening rounded off with a get-together at the hotel where the guest speakers were staying, which comprised of a tour of all the local food establishments for directions and a three-mile walk, in the wrong direction, in the pouring rain. Eventually we found the Ellinghurst and shocked the whole reception when what appeared to be three bedraggled and soaked alien creatures walked through the door.

Sunday kicked off with Malcolm Robinson. True to form, he took to the stand like a duck in a pond, kicking off with his usual brand of humour and engaging style of delivery. He was covering the Loch Ness Monster and all of the evidence ever presented. All the classic pictures came out along with some wonderful black and white footage of previous attempts to catch our dear beastie. I decided to sit right at the front today, leaving Michael sitting on his own (poor lamb), just so I wouldn't have a repeat of Bill Downie’s speech.

The photographs shown were the usual ones but with more of a level-headed approach to what they might be. For example, one famous Nessie pic is really a photo of a dog with a stick! A run down of all the Nessie hunters that ever were, including Malcolm as a child and teenager (nice flares, Mal!) and then Malcolm’s very own plans for a Nessie trap. It's definitely got wings... But unfortunately, I didn't see anything that would convince me that Nessie is real, all the evidence having been faked by the looks of it... One thing that was suggested is that the loch was connected to the sea at one time, and if a family of plesiosaurs were to have been caught in the land shift and trapped in the loch, it would not be totally impossible for them to have survived to this day.

Next up was Jane McCarthy and a wonderful talk about orbs and energy lines. Certainly an eye-opener and leaves me in no doubt that not all orbs are particles of one kind or another floating about in the air. Having had experience of them myself, trying to get the point across that some people sense them, and even see them is not an easy task! However I think even some of the hardened sceptics would have raised an eyebrow at Jane’s pictures. She covered spirit orbs, interdimensional orbs and energy lines with a slide show that was breathtaking.

I loved the pictures of energy lines... they are definitely something other than camera flare. I wouldn't like to stick my neck out and say what they were exactly, but Jane’s explanation of a healed space and a once-again flowing energy line seemed a plausible enough explanation. How these light streaks occur when every other part of the photograph is perfectly in focus makes you think there is definitely something to it. See for yourself at www.psychicinvestigators.net. Also for further reading on the matter check out John Pickering’s new book "Beyond Photography", out in October.

Jason Andrews was the next speaker to take the stand. I am fascinated by Jason's experiences and have been since I first saw him and Anne at the Great British UFO Show in October last year. What that family have endured beggars belief, but after listening to them and talking to them, you just know it's true. You may have difficulty accepting their claims at face value, but they are an ordinary family trapped in extraordinary circumstances and Jason's knowledge far exceeds his years leaving little doubt in your mind to the veracity of their claims.

Whilst Jason was speaking, several members of the audience, including myself were witness to a strange phenomenon that was happening around him, namely a large blue aura that seemed to take the shape of a tall human and what seemed to be a small grey just in front of it. Yes, I know I sound like a loon, but I can assure you, I can't even convince my doctor I am mad! Also on the Sunday evening, two members of the audience say they were visited by Jason whilst at home resting. If they did not have the exact same stories, I would not have believed them, however, their experiences were identical. Make of that what you will. A real must-see if he's at any future events.

The final speaker was David Coggins, who delivered quite an interesting summary of his methods while using regression techniques. I have often considered regression, but I still feel it comes under too much scrutiny, and for the right reasons too I might add. David told the story of a friend whose life was deeply affected by the revelations of a man he had never met before, but whom he listened to. The ensuing nightmare ended in near tragedy, but left David knowing that there must be something really going on as far as the UFO phenomenon is concerned. Unfortunately, none of the speakers seemed to have enough time... even though there is an infinite amount of it. David ended his talk by saying, "If you have a moment of missing time and you want to know about it, I want to know about it". So if anyone reading this article is concerned about such an issue and would like to talk to David, his e-mail address can be found on Jane McCarthy's site. He is such a sweet and unassuming gentleman that you would definitely trust your granny with him!

As for the interludes, well, what can I say? Such an eclectic mix of people. The energy in the room was incredible. I was running around like a chicken with six legs in between every speaker. I spoke to all of the speakers and lots of the attendees. Not a single one of them could be considered ordinary. A wonderful mix. Sam and Jean did a sterling job organising such an interesting bunch of speakers and stall holders. There was a beautiful crystal stall with I’m sure what was a real pixie working behind the counter. I bought a copy of the ‘Mothman Prophecies’ for £2.00 from a second hand book stall. I also had my aura photographed at the aura energy photography stall and a reading, which I have never done before, so that was extremely interesting. It's red by the way...!?! Speakers had their stalls too, displaying pictures and books for sale. I also heard that there was an encounter with an alien in the corridor before the final speaker, which unfortunately I missed, but I will definitely be attending this conference at any future dates, aliens or not. It was a jolly good show and it was lovely to meet everyone there.

The next probe conference will be the weekend of the 7th and 8th of October. See you there!

Sacha Christie.