Philip's birth

TSPR, under the direction of Dr. A. R. G. Owen, assembled a group of eight people from among its members, none of whom claimed any paranormal abilities. Known as "Owen's Group," the group consisted of the doctor's wife, a woman who was a former president of MENSA (an organization for people with high IQs), an industrial designer, a bookkeeper, a homemaker, an accountant, and a sociology student. Psychologist Dr. Joel Whitton also attended the séances as an observer.

The group's first task was to create a fictional historical figure. Together, they wrote a short biography of a person they named Philip Aylesford. Below are excerpts from that biography:

Philip was an English aristocrat who lived in the mid-17th century, during the time of Oliver Cromwell. He was a supporter of the king and a Catholic. He was married to a beautiful but frigid wife, Dorothy, the daughter of another aristocrat.

One day, while exploring the boundaries of his estates, Philip stumbled upon a Gypsy camp and saw a beautiful, dark-eyed, raven-haired girl named Margo. He immediately fell in love with her. He persuaded her to live secretly in a gatehouse near Diddington Manor, his family home.

For a time, he kept his love for her secret, but eventually Dorothea realized he was in love with someone else, so she tracked down Margo and accused her of witchcraft and of seducing her husband. Philip also feared the loss of his reputation and property if he protested Margo's trial, and she was found guilty of witchcraft and burned at the stake.

Philip was later tormented by his conscience for not trying to protect Margo, and in despair he stood on the Diddington parapet. Finally, one morning, his body was found beneath the parapet, from which he had jumped in a spasm of remorse and agony.

Owen's group asked one of their members to create a portrait of Philip. As the portrait's creation and appearance became etched in the members' minds, the group then began the second part of the experiment: contact