Julie Rieger Simon - The Ghost Photographer: A Hollywood Executive’s True Story of Discovering the Real World of Make-Believe

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Copyright 2018 by Julie Rieger

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Enliven Books/Atria Books hardcover edition October 2018

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any other kind of personal professional services in the book. The reader should consult his or her medical, health, or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.

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Interior design by Dana Sloan

Jacket design by The Book Designers

Jacket photography Shutterstock

Author photo by Richard Radstone

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Rieger, Julie, author.

Title: The ghost photographer : a Hollywood executive discovers the real world of make-believe / Julie Rieger.

Description: First Enliven Books hardcover edition. | New York : Enliven Books, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018016449 (print) | LCCN 2018035439 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501158919 (eBook) | ISBN 9781501158896 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781501158902 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Rieger, Julie. | ParapsychologyBiography. | OccultismBiography. | Ghosts.

Classification: LCC BF1027.R485 (ebook) | LCC BF1027.R485 A3 2018 (print) | DDC 130dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018016449

ISBN 978-1-5011-5889-6

ISBN 978-1-5011-5891-9 (ebook)

Certain names and identifying characteristics have been changed.

This book is dedicated to my mom, Margaret Hadley. Heres the only way I know how to characterize this dedication: Its a love letter from a daughter to a mother.

Mom, I will never forget the day you said to me, I knew exactly who you were the minute you were born. Im pretty sure we have both always known that this wasnt our first lifetime together. You showed me unconditional love, effortlessly. I miss you being here. I miss your wit, your intelligence, your compassion, your love of Consumer Reports and Cat Fancy, and your unwavering love of Neil Diamond. I miss sitting across the table from you in full view of your refrigerator magnet that read: A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.

You taught me to be kind; even when the other person didnt deserve it, you assured me that they needed it. The pain of losing you is so enormous that it cant possibly disappear entirely. The pain is just a part of me now, like an appendage.

What made you such an extraordinary mom is that you loved me for exactly who I am, for just existing on this planet. I can only hope we get to do this again. I would be your kid all over again, and againfor infinity.

But once you have a belief system, everything that comes in either gets ignored if it doesnt fit the belief system or gets distorted enough so that it can fit into the belief system. You gotta be continually revising your map of the world.

ROBERT ANTON WILSON

Freedom is whats left when the belief systems deconstruct.

DANA GORE

S hit happens. We all have stories about events that changed our lives, but its the big onesthe life crises, the serious wake-up callsthat fundamentally reconstruct who we are. Grief was the dark alchemy that shook up my world. It blew open a door to the Other Sideand yes, I am talking about ghosts, spirits, and etheric creatures that looked like theyd pranced right out of a movie.

People come into their psychic powers in different ways. Some people are born with them. Others have to die first and actually come back to life. And some folks develop psychic powers after theyre literally struck by lightning. Well, ghost photography was the lightning rod that set my previous life ablaze, but thankfully I didnt get electrocuted in the process.

My transformation was not as dramatic as that, but it certainly was strange and scary. I sometimes felt like I was at the summit of a giant roller coaster, looking down at the puny diorama of life on earth below and thinking: Uh, excuse me? Can you get me the hell off this thing?

Of course, theres no turning back.

If grief was the catalyst that kick-started my journey, ghost photography was the path that led me into the cosmic wilderness. I had the good fortune of finding an exquisite psychic Sherpa who guided me through this strange wonderland, though I didnt knowingly seek her out. And while theres no argument now that could ever convince me that the physical world is all there is, Im still the least likely person to be into anything alternative or spiritually woo-woo. I may live in La-La Land, but I grew up in rural Oklahomaand those roots go deep, my friends.

In fact, for most of my life I didnt even believe in ghosts. My family was not particularly religious or godly, either, though I was raised Episcopalian. (Episcopalians are the stepchildren of the Catholic Church.) I was also an acolyte, which meant that I walked down our church aisle wearing a white robe and carrying a cross. I had no idea why; my mom me told me to and I was an obedient kid. I think only boys were supposed to be acolytes back then; I had shaggy hair, and a few of the old churchgoing geezers actually thought that I was a boy. Talk about a real cross to bear.