Do Why do we have a fascination with spirits , poltergeists and the paranormal ? You have probably even watched some of the many shows devoted to the field , Most Haunted , Ghost Hunters , Paranormal State , Derek Acorah’s Ghost Towns and my all time favourite The Scariest Places on Earth . What compels a person to want to investigate these strange happenings ? Is it a need to know why these things exist , or purely a morbid curiosity ? I guess the best way to tackle the subject is to start from it’s humble beginnings .
It all started as a term used in Victorian Times called Psychical Research . The term was attached to Spirits , messages from the deceased , Metal - bending and Poltergeist activity . The new scientific term for the Scientific field of study is called Parapsychology . The Oldest and most renowned institution that deals with investigations into the field of paranormal phenomena is the Society for Psychical Research or the SPR in England . Many of it younger and highly qualified members call
Themselves Parapsychologists . The SPR is funded by ordinary British Universities to continue studies . Today , there is even a Chair of Parapsychology held by Professor Robert Morris at the University of Edinburgh .
The supporters of the strange science include biologists , such as Sheldon Drake , psychologists such as DR. Carl Sargent of Cambridge University ; Mathematicians such as David Bohm , physicist Professor John Hasted of London University ; the astronomer Professor Archie Roy of Glasgow University and a host of non - academic notables from Steven Spielberg to Prince Charles .
The young science has many well connected friends but has a great many more enemies some of which are even in the SPR itself . The biggest problem is that in order for you research to be taken seriously by Skeptics and colleagues you must first catch your spirit and put them through scientific tests to prove the investigations legitimacy . As we all know nobody has ever trapped a spirit in a box . It doesn’t mean that they don’t exist .
Establishing test and rules for the field of paranormal investigations is a constant battle . Most scientists feel that the field is a lost cause . You can train a rat to show off your theories , but to harness a spirit to do the same is hard to do . A poltergeist by it’s translation means noisy or mischievous ghost and will do its best to wreck your experiments and controlled environments without anyone being present to witness the happenings . So should the field even try to become a recognized science ? Should we as investigators keep trying to prove ourselves to the scientific community knowing that skeptics will remain skeptics and believers believers ? This is the daily struggle that a Paranormal Investigator faces .
The SPR was founded by a group of Cambridge Scholars on January 5 1882 many of whom belong to the Cambridge University Ghost Club . It’s first fields of study were conducting experiments into telepathy . The interest was sparked at the time when Spiritualism had swept the USA and Europe during the mid 19th Century .
Three of the SPR’s founders Edmund Gurney ,FWH Myers ,and Frank Podmore in the early days questioned 57 ,000 people about apparitions of the living and the results were published in 1886 under the title Phantasms of The Living . The journal revealed that of 300 cases investigated in crisis apparitions , appearance of spirit to the living at the moment of death due to a crisis , 80 related to people who had died at that time .
In 1889 The Census of Hallucinations was produced by Henry Sedgewick . He was assisted by his wife Eleanor , Alice Johnson , FWH Myers , AT Myers , and Frank Podmore . The census consisted of a single question : “ Have you ever , when believing yourself to be completely awake , had a vivid impression of seeing or being touched by a living being, inanimate object or hearing a voice ; which impression so far as you could discover , was not due to any external physical cause?” The SPR received 17,000 replies of which 10 percent answered yes . There were 352 reported sightings of apparitions of the living and 163 reported sightings of the dead . These findings of the SPR had been condemned by the Spiritualist movement due to the suggestion that telepathy between the living might account for spirit or paranormal activity . Over the next few years the founders added to the SPR research on survival of death or the precursor to the Near Death Experience .
One of it’s founders FWH Myers was a man that really pushed the studies on . After his death in 1901 several well known mediums began receiving Automatic Writing messages from Myers while being in a trance . Each mediums writings seemed to be jibberish but also held a name of another medium whose writings held the next clue to the puzzle . A highly literate and brilliantly conceived jigsaw emerged bearing the distinct characteristics of the living Myers .
Over the years the documents grew . Mediums were enlisted to the network from Europe , India and the USA . Most times they couldn’t understand what their individual messages meant and contained classical allusions and poetry . As a compilation the documents make the most baffelling case for a life after death . Skeptics say that the documents are cross correspondences by means of unconscious telepathy between the mediums . More than 3,000 documents from an ever changing group of mediums for over 30 years have been produced . I believe that there aren’t many frauds that would be so dedicated for so long .
As the SPR’s archives grew the members were dedicated to an intensive study in the field of mediumship , and pioneered the use of modern equipment like infrared cameras to detect frauds . The mediums under testing would produce genuine physical phenomena one minute and blatant frauds the next . These experiments set the rules for the modern day science known as parapsychology .
As the studies continued into levitation and moving objects , which were previously connected to mediums powers the SPR opened its doors to new possibilities for the strange phenomena . Psychokinesis or PK was the ability to move or manipulate objects with the power of the mind not invisible spirits . The President of the SPR from1945 to 1946 , an electrical engineer GNM Tyrrell , designed a machine to test ESP or Extrasensory Perception . Using a sequence of lights in a box , and producing an automatic trace the invention recorded some very astonishing results . Other studies into ESP and Paranormal Phenomena followed and still continue to this day . Since the birth of the SPR many new Groups have been formed and have even produced new fascinating and compelling proof of the existence of spirits and paranormal phenomena.
The true pioneer of paranormal investigation was Harry Price of the UK . He was a magician and using he knowledge of trickery would investigate haunted locations and decide whether they were frauds or not . After many years of investigations he finally concluded that spirits do exist and during the 1930’s became the most famous Paranormal investigator in the world . He discovered several hoaxes manufactured by lonely people and was also the first person to use modern technology in his spirit investigations .
His most famous investigation occurred when he took over the Borley Rectory in Essex where he created a laboratory and conducted tests using 48 volunteers . The Rectory is said to be one of the most haunted houses in England . Harry Price claimed that the hauntings included strange whispers including a women’s voice that moaned and then shouted “ Don’t Carlos Don’t !” , phantom footsteps and the spirit of a nun who had been seen by almost everyone involved . Price concluded that the haunting had been increasing in strength over the last 50 years. The investigation recorded banging doors ,
Footsteps , disembodied voices , wall writings , choir singing , music , light anomalies ,
And strange odors . People would report of been touched by invisible forces , portions of the house would spontaneously combust , mysterious smoke would be seen in the garden , spirit rappings and even communication while using a Ouija board . Price himself heard bells ringing and even witnessed paranormal activity in the form of objects being thrown down stairs . His findings were published in the book titled The Most Haunted House In England , and claimed for many years after that he had been witness to Spirits and paranormal Phenomena first hand .
Paranormal Investigators look for all possible reason for a haunting . It could include natural causes such as wind causing vaccumn effects , mechanical causes like machinery ,
Lights and road noises and even personal causes like tricks or effects invented by people.
Investigators eliminate these possibilities by thoroughly evaluating a site . They will stay in a location both day and night taking into consideration historical research , geological conditions , renovations at the time and any press accounts of the haunting .
Three basic techniques are used by the investigator . Witnesses are interviewed separately about accounts ,and their background ,state of health , and understanding of the paranormal . A medium or psychic is then brought in to either prove or dispute the witness’ story by their own impressions of the location . The medium is asked to walk through the premises and relay information be it cold or hot spots, historical references or even paranormal or spirit activity . In some cases a seance may be performed for further information . The detection technique involves using equipment both scientific and ancient methods to record the phenomena . An investigator may lock off certain rooms , or use age old methods like dusting , table tipping or trigger objects to stimulate paranormal activity .
As a paranormal investigator for 15 years I have lived in and walked through many alleged haunted locations . Sometimes a person , like myself , is a spirit magnet and actually attracts entities to the place . It could be a psychic stain left on the area that has a hold on all who visit . The haunting can be attributed to a violent past or episode . In rare cases even renovating a place can stir up paranormal activity because spirits don't like change . If you live in a century home and have done repairs you might be able to relate . Even your pets and little children can see spirits . They are the first ones to let you know if anything strange is lurking in the shadows .
In rare instances a Vortex or doorway has ripped a portal between our earthly plane and the astral plane or spirit world . This gateway allows spirits to come and go at will . It is also possible to create a vortex .The most common way is by use of a OUIJA board . If the individuals playing with this device doesn't close the session by moving the planchette to the goodbye position , this leaves a portal open for spirits to pass through . A very dangerous game that can lead to horrifying results .
When I conduct a paranormal investigation of an alleged haunting I use both scientific and ancient equipment to get evidence . The scientific equipment are EMF detectors which measure the change in electro magnetic fields . Any presence living or dead that enters a location alters these frequencies . Laser thermometers measure swings in temperature . It is said that a spirit will suck the energy out of a place to manifest themselves . When they do this it leaves a cold or hot spot . Digital Voice recorders are used to pick up EVPs or Electronic Voice Phenomena . During playback you may hear a spirits voice recorded answering your questions . Cameras and Video recorders and black or UV lights pick up orbs or light anomalies that are in the infra red spectrum naked to the human eye .
Ancient methods are another way to collect information . Spirit or dowsing rods are used to locate entities . When the rods cross a spirit is near . Trigger objects are used that belonged to the deceased in an effort to get them to move . Dusting is used by laying down a light layer of baby powder to pick up footprints . A quartz crystal on a string or a pendulum is used as a form of communication for if they spin in a clockwise direction a spirit is near . I also enlist that help of a Medium and Psychic to communicate or extract information from the area or spirits .
Most reports included seeing shadows , levitation of objects , strange smells or noises,
Hot or cold spots , objects that disappear and reappear hours or days later , voices and in rare cases seeing or being touched by an apparition . Some people even say that they don’t like the feeling of certain areas in the location complaining about mood swings or becoming ill . Once you rule out all natural , and mechanical causes your are only left with the possibility of paranormal phenomena .
I explained about the equipment paranormal Investigators use and the reasons for having them . From EMF detectors to Video Cameras . What criteria needs to be researched before investigation begins . And how to Analyze data collected . It can be an expensive hobby with some equipment
Like a thermal video recorder costing from 3,000 to $5,000 to buy . It is also a challenging field of study , long hours , mental and physical demands , level headedness , coping with fear and patience are key factors in every investigation . The main thing is a willingness to scrutinize all findings and test all possibilities . It is all volunteer work with no asking for money to do investigations . The possibility of new evidence , to help answer plaguing questions , and overall to help ease the minds of those effected .
Now it’s time to tell you about some tricks of the trade used during an investigation . It’s been said to always use many ways to collect data to either confirm or disprove paranormal activity . Over the course of time since the field was started new ways of detection have been tested and
added to an investigators bag of tricks . These are some of mine , Trigger Objects , Dusting , motion detectors , Spirit rods , table tipping and sometimes even opening a portal . Many of these methods you may have heard of before , or maybe not .
Trigger objects is a method used by many investigators as a way to get a reaction to stimuli in a locked off , active environment . Spirits still have a connection to their items after death . One of the most reported event in a haunting is about items disappearing and then reappearing later . To gather evidence of a paranormal event we coax the spirit into touching or moving objects of theirs . I would enter the location and start by taking temperature and EMF readings . I would use witness interviews to test their happenings to be either natural causes such as wind causing vaccumn effects , mechanical sounds or items , Lights and road noises and through their personal testimonies I would be able to prove if they were faking situations for attention or if the haunting was genuine . By thoroughly evaluating a location both day and night and investigate historical references , geological conditions , renovations at the time and any press accounts of the haunting .
After I recorded all information I will then set up trigger objects on a table in the middle of the room . Motion sensors will be set outside and inside doorway . I will set up a video camera to record room and table with objects . I put Trigger Objects on piece of white paper and trace their outlines on it . When I set table with paper and objects set into their traced spots , I will start recorders . I lightly dust the area with a fine layer of baby powder . Sometimes you can catch hand , foot or even finger prints left by a spirit . You have to make sure that the room is totally locked off from all
Entrances so no physical being will contaminate evidence . This method can yield some amazing results that you have hopefully achieved by recording your controlled environment . I have had results from minor movement of an object , vibrational patterns setting off motion detectors , charged batteries being sucked dry only 15 or 20 minutes into recording , and even a lone set of powdered footprints .
Dusting is another way to capture evidence under controlled situations . I will spread a light layer of baby powder on the floor by all windows and doors , and table holding trigger objects . This light layer of Dust will pick up any foot, hand or finger prints left by anyone who enters the room . That is why you Lock off the room so nobody can tamper with the dusting . Also set a video camera in room to see if anything happens during lock off . If the controlled environment stays secure , you may be able to capture something unexplainable .
Motion detectors are sometimes more of a hassle then a help . It can also lead to a lot of confusion . Always replace with new batteries and carry extras before every investigation . In a case sometimes spirits have been known to only inhabit certain areas of a location . With the use of motion detectors you can set them in a known path and lock off the area . If they get tripped you’ll know you’re not alone . Another great way to collect evidence . Beware though , vibrations sometimes will trip off detectors .
Spirit rods , Devining rods , or Dowsing rods call them what you will , have been used by many ancient cultures for thousands of years . There still isn’t a scientific gadget made that can detect with ease Earth , and spirit energies. I use the ancient power of dowsing or bio-location. Just like the Universe that surrounds us , it and everything in it including yourself , are all made up of energy . It is a vibrational energy that we connect with as sensitives. Every living thing be it animal ,plant ,or human has an Aura or life energy . When we die it is a common belief that we are still energy or spirit on the Astral plane . Sometimes these spirits energies can be located .
Spirit rods can be a foot to 3 feet in length . They can be made from many different materials but copper is great . As you put rods in handles , hold your arms as you would be driving and rods pointed straight out from you about a 8 inches apart . As you travel through the location walk slowly but evenly scanning with rods . When the rods cross a spirit is near. Be aware that water pipes may be in walls . You will feel the pull on the spirit rods as they cross . Make sure to step back and test spots over and over with positive results . Bring a friend with a video camera to record the results which can be reviewed and retested later . Be sure to look for light anomalies and orbs in playback of recorded dowsing where rods cross . This retesting will also be recorded at same spots to see if negative response is achieved , if so you will be able to eliminate the possibility of pipes and may have a case of a paranormal event .
Table tipping is a form of channelling . The basic idea is to use a small uneven table to coax a spirit to move . Make sure your medium , a video camera , a digital camera , and voice recorder are present . You will also need the extra people to operate items . To make table uneven , extend foot or prop one leg higher and opposite leg lower , so that table is free to rock on sides . Place medium on one side of table with another team member directly across from medium . Both will lightly place fingertips on table so as not to cause table to tip . As the medium starts to ask spirit to join and other questions the table may start to tip and slowly rock back and forth . Be sure not to be the one tipping the table . This may be a spirit presence coming to the table to interact with the mediums questions . Sometimes table tipping can produce scary , and unexplainable events . Be sure the person with video recorder has nerves of steel . Tables have been known to move and jump very fast as the energy increases and the spirit becomes playful . If possible a second camera recording from a stable spot on the floor to show that no human contact moves table , like legs pushing , feet kicking , knees lifting etc .
There are even times when I’ve been asked to do a cleansing for an area .This is an extremely labour intensive ritual but when done right the results can be astounding . I must be mentally prepared . It involves a lot of salt , Spells , chants , blessings and eventually opening a portal for the spirit to cross over through . I will seal all entrances , doorways , window panes and sills , and electrical outlets by sprinkling a special mixture to drive out negative energies . It is a protection barrier . I will than seal all window glass with spells , and drawing signets to raise barriers strength . Next is when I open a portal for the spirit to pass through . After I feel the spirit cross I will close the portal and White light the premises with candles blessings and chants .
In June 2008 , I was called to do an investigation into a presumed haunting in Belleville , Ontario . It was a house that was in the family for 3 generations . It ’s original stone foundations had been around since 1898 . The problem was , something or I should say someone was tormenting the previous and new tenants . Interviews with the people had many of the same reports , the stain on a ceiling that keeps appearing even after numerous repairs , being pushed by an unseen force , hot and cold spots , pets acting strange , bathroom not a nice place !! I went through the house with my camera and took 78 pictures and not a thing . I began to wonder if I was being tested by the owners . I started to talk to the spirit calling it’s name in the bathroom , which had originally been his bedroom and was where he had died . I was about 2 days into the investigation when I finally felt the presence . It was angry and didn’t like strangers . I started to talk to the spirit again and I felt the bathroom get instantly hot . I told the spirit that it didn’t own the house , it wasn’t his bedroom anymore , you have to leave for being so mean and you can go 1 of two ways . The first is you go willingly into the light on the other side of the portal I open , or I confine you to a space where you can do no harm and if you cross the barriers you will be forced back . I then closed my eyes and created a door . I opened the portal and a huge stream of white light pours out from the other side . I then told the spirit it’s time to go and waited .The bathroom got hotter I could feel pressure in my chest . I said again hurry and go . I waited for a couple of minutes and felt a rush of energy. The room started to cool . He was gone . I closed the door , made it vanish and gave thanks . The house became very cool and was commented on first by the owners . I said that I felt the spirit cross over and that everything should settle down for the sale . The problems have still ceased and as far as I have heard all is peaceful .
As a Paranormal Investigator I wanted answers to my own events and the journey has led me to aid others in dealing with hauntings . I have always been different in my way of thinking and open mindedness of the paranormal . People ignore the strange and unusual , I myself am strange and unusual to most . I know what I’ve experienced and until it happens to you , you can never understand what it’s really like .
It all started as a term used in Victorian Times called Psychical Research . The term was attached to Spirits , messages from the deceased , Metal - bending and Poltergeist activity . The new scientific term for the Scientific field of study is called Parapsychology . The Oldest and most renowned institution that deals with investigations into the field of paranormal phenomena is the Society for Psychical Research or the SPR in England . Many of it younger and highly qualified members call
Themselves Parapsychologists . The SPR is funded by ordinary British Universities to continue studies . Today , there is even a Chair of Parapsychology held by Professor Robert Morris at the University of Edinburgh .
The supporters of the strange science include biologists , such as Sheldon Drake , psychologists such as DR. Carl Sargent of Cambridge University ; Mathematicians such as David Bohm , physicist Professor John Hasted of London University ; the astronomer Professor Archie Roy of Glasgow University and a host of non - academic notables from Steven Spielberg to Prince Charles .
The young science has many well connected friends but has a great many more enemies some of which are even in the SPR itself . The biggest problem is that in order for you research to be taken seriously by Skeptics and colleagues you must first catch your spirit and put them through scientific tests to prove the investigations legitimacy . As we all know nobody has ever trapped a spirit in a box . It doesn’t mean that they don’t exist .
Establishing test and rules for the field of paranormal investigations is a constant battle . Most scientists feel that the field is a lost cause . You can train a rat to show off your theories , but to harness a spirit to do the same is hard to do . A poltergeist by it’s translation means noisy or mischievous ghost and will do its best to wreck your experiments and controlled environments without anyone being present to witness the happenings . So should the field even try to become a recognized science ? Should we as investigators keep trying to prove ourselves to the scientific community knowing that skeptics will remain skeptics and believers believers ? This is the daily struggle that a Paranormal Investigator faces .
The SPR was founded by a group of Cambridge Scholars on January 5 1882 many of whom belong to the Cambridge University Ghost Club . It’s first fields of study were conducting experiments into telepathy . The interest was sparked at the time when Spiritualism had swept the USA and Europe during the mid 19th Century .
Three of the SPR’s founders Edmund Gurney ,FWH Myers ,and Frank Podmore in the early days questioned 57 ,000 people about apparitions of the living and the results were published in 1886 under the title Phantasms of The Living . The journal revealed that of 300 cases investigated in crisis apparitions , appearance of spirit to the living at the moment of death due to a crisis , 80 related to people who had died at that time .
In 1889 The Census of Hallucinations was produced by Henry Sedgewick . He was assisted by his wife Eleanor , Alice Johnson , FWH Myers , AT Myers , and Frank Podmore . The census consisted of a single question : “ Have you ever , when believing yourself to be completely awake , had a vivid impression of seeing or being touched by a living being, inanimate object or hearing a voice ; which impression so far as you could discover , was not due to any external physical cause?” The SPR received 17,000 replies of which 10 percent answered yes . There were 352 reported sightings of apparitions of the living and 163 reported sightings of the dead . These findings of the SPR had been condemned by the Spiritualist movement due to the suggestion that telepathy between the living might account for spirit or paranormal activity . Over the next few years the founders added to the SPR research on survival of death or the precursor to the Near Death Experience .
One of it’s founders FWH Myers was a man that really pushed the studies on . After his death in 1901 several well known mediums began receiving Automatic Writing messages from Myers while being in a trance . Each mediums writings seemed to be jibberish but also held a name of another medium whose writings held the next clue to the puzzle . A highly literate and brilliantly conceived jigsaw emerged bearing the distinct characteristics of the living Myers .
Over the years the documents grew . Mediums were enlisted to the network from Europe , India and the USA . Most times they couldn’t understand what their individual messages meant and contained classical allusions and poetry . As a compilation the documents make the most baffelling case for a life after death . Skeptics say that the documents are cross correspondences by means of unconscious telepathy between the mediums . More than 3,000 documents from an ever changing group of mediums for over 30 years have been produced . I believe that there aren’t many frauds that would be so dedicated for so long .
As the SPR’s archives grew the members were dedicated to an intensive study in the field of mediumship , and pioneered the use of modern equipment like infrared cameras to detect frauds . The mediums under testing would produce genuine physical phenomena one minute and blatant frauds the next . These experiments set the rules for the modern day science known as parapsychology .
As the studies continued into levitation and moving objects , which were previously connected to mediums powers the SPR opened its doors to new possibilities for the strange phenomena . Psychokinesis or PK was the ability to move or manipulate objects with the power of the mind not invisible spirits . The President of the SPR from1945 to 1946 , an electrical engineer GNM Tyrrell , designed a machine to test ESP or Extrasensory Perception . Using a sequence of lights in a box , and producing an automatic trace the invention recorded some very astonishing results . Other studies into ESP and Paranormal Phenomena followed and still continue to this day . Since the birth of the SPR many new Groups have been formed and have even produced new fascinating and compelling proof of the existence of spirits and paranormal phenomena.
The true pioneer of paranormal investigation was Harry Price of the UK . He was a magician and using he knowledge of trickery would investigate haunted locations and decide whether they were frauds or not . After many years of investigations he finally concluded that spirits do exist and during the 1930’s became the most famous Paranormal investigator in the world . He discovered several hoaxes manufactured by lonely people and was also the first person to use modern technology in his spirit investigations .
His most famous investigation occurred when he took over the Borley Rectory in Essex where he created a laboratory and conducted tests using 48 volunteers . The Rectory is said to be one of the most haunted houses in England . Harry Price claimed that the hauntings included strange whispers including a women’s voice that moaned and then shouted “ Don’t Carlos Don’t !” , phantom footsteps and the spirit of a nun who had been seen by almost everyone involved . Price concluded that the haunting had been increasing in strength over the last 50 years. The investigation recorded banging doors ,
Footsteps , disembodied voices , wall writings , choir singing , music , light anomalies ,
And strange odors . People would report of been touched by invisible forces , portions of the house would spontaneously combust , mysterious smoke would be seen in the garden , spirit rappings and even communication while using a Ouija board . Price himself heard bells ringing and even witnessed paranormal activity in the form of objects being thrown down stairs . His findings were published in the book titled The Most Haunted House In England , and claimed for many years after that he had been witness to Spirits and paranormal Phenomena first hand .
Paranormal Investigators look for all possible reason for a haunting . It could include natural causes such as wind causing vaccumn effects , mechanical causes like machinery ,
Lights and road noises and even personal causes like tricks or effects invented by people.
Investigators eliminate these possibilities by thoroughly evaluating a site . They will stay in a location both day and night taking into consideration historical research , geological conditions , renovations at the time and any press accounts of the haunting .
Three basic techniques are used by the investigator . Witnesses are interviewed separately about accounts ,and their background ,state of health , and understanding of the paranormal . A medium or psychic is then brought in to either prove or dispute the witness’ story by their own impressions of the location . The medium is asked to walk through the premises and relay information be it cold or hot spots, historical references or even paranormal or spirit activity . In some cases a seance may be performed for further information . The detection technique involves using equipment both scientific and ancient methods to record the phenomena . An investigator may lock off certain rooms , or use age old methods like dusting , table tipping or trigger objects to stimulate paranormal activity .
As a paranormal investigator for 15 years I have lived in and walked through many alleged haunted locations . Sometimes a person , like myself , is a spirit magnet and actually attracts entities to the place . It could be a psychic stain left on the area that has a hold on all who visit . The haunting can be attributed to a violent past or episode . In rare cases even renovating a place can stir up paranormal activity because spirits don't like change . If you live in a century home and have done repairs you might be able to relate . Even your pets and little children can see spirits . They are the first ones to let you know if anything strange is lurking in the shadows .
In rare instances a Vortex or doorway has ripped a portal between our earthly plane and the astral plane or spirit world . This gateway allows spirits to come and go at will . It is also possible to create a vortex .The most common way is by use of a OUIJA board . If the individuals playing with this device doesn't close the session by moving the planchette to the goodbye position , this leaves a portal open for spirits to pass through . A very dangerous game that can lead to horrifying results .
When I conduct a paranormal investigation of an alleged haunting I use both scientific and ancient equipment to get evidence . The scientific equipment are EMF detectors which measure the change in electro magnetic fields . Any presence living or dead that enters a location alters these frequencies . Laser thermometers measure swings in temperature . It is said that a spirit will suck the energy out of a place to manifest themselves . When they do this it leaves a cold or hot spot . Digital Voice recorders are used to pick up EVPs or Electronic Voice Phenomena . During playback you may hear a spirits voice recorded answering your questions . Cameras and Video recorders and black or UV lights pick up orbs or light anomalies that are in the infra red spectrum naked to the human eye .
Ancient methods are another way to collect information . Spirit or dowsing rods are used to locate entities . When the rods cross a spirit is near . Trigger objects are used that belonged to the deceased in an effort to get them to move . Dusting is used by laying down a light layer of baby powder to pick up footprints . A quartz crystal on a string or a pendulum is used as a form of communication for if they spin in a clockwise direction a spirit is near . I also enlist that help of a Medium and Psychic to communicate or extract information from the area or spirits .
Most reports included seeing shadows , levitation of objects , strange smells or noises,
Hot or cold spots , objects that disappear and reappear hours or days later , voices and in rare cases seeing or being touched by an apparition . Some people even say that they don’t like the feeling of certain areas in the location complaining about mood swings or becoming ill . Once you rule out all natural , and mechanical causes your are only left with the possibility of paranormal phenomena .
I explained about the equipment paranormal Investigators use and the reasons for having them . From EMF detectors to Video Cameras . What criteria needs to be researched before investigation begins . And how to Analyze data collected . It can be an expensive hobby with some equipment
Like a thermal video recorder costing from 3,000 to $5,000 to buy . It is also a challenging field of study , long hours , mental and physical demands , level headedness , coping with fear and patience are key factors in every investigation . The main thing is a willingness to scrutinize all findings and test all possibilities . It is all volunteer work with no asking for money to do investigations . The possibility of new evidence , to help answer plaguing questions , and overall to help ease the minds of those effected .
Now it’s time to tell you about some tricks of the trade used during an investigation . It’s been said to always use many ways to collect data to either confirm or disprove paranormal activity . Over the course of time since the field was started new ways of detection have been tested and
added to an investigators bag of tricks . These are some of mine , Trigger Objects , Dusting , motion detectors , Spirit rods , table tipping and sometimes even opening a portal . Many of these methods you may have heard of before , or maybe not .
Trigger objects is a method used by many investigators as a way to get a reaction to stimuli in a locked off , active environment . Spirits still have a connection to their items after death . One of the most reported event in a haunting is about items disappearing and then reappearing later . To gather evidence of a paranormal event we coax the spirit into touching or moving objects of theirs . I would enter the location and start by taking temperature and EMF readings . I would use witness interviews to test their happenings to be either natural causes such as wind causing vaccumn effects , mechanical sounds or items , Lights and road noises and through their personal testimonies I would be able to prove if they were faking situations for attention or if the haunting was genuine . By thoroughly evaluating a location both day and night and investigate historical references , geological conditions , renovations at the time and any press accounts of the haunting .
After I recorded all information I will then set up trigger objects on a table in the middle of the room . Motion sensors will be set outside and inside doorway . I will set up a video camera to record room and table with objects . I put Trigger Objects on piece of white paper and trace their outlines on it . When I set table with paper and objects set into their traced spots , I will start recorders . I lightly dust the area with a fine layer of baby powder . Sometimes you can catch hand , foot or even finger prints left by a spirit . You have to make sure that the room is totally locked off from all
Entrances so no physical being will contaminate evidence . This method can yield some amazing results that you have hopefully achieved by recording your controlled environment . I have had results from minor movement of an object , vibrational patterns setting off motion detectors , charged batteries being sucked dry only 15 or 20 minutes into recording , and even a lone set of powdered footprints .
Dusting is another way to capture evidence under controlled situations . I will spread a light layer of baby powder on the floor by all windows and doors , and table holding trigger objects . This light layer of Dust will pick up any foot, hand or finger prints left by anyone who enters the room . That is why you Lock off the room so nobody can tamper with the dusting . Also set a video camera in room to see if anything happens during lock off . If the controlled environment stays secure , you may be able to capture something unexplainable .
Motion detectors are sometimes more of a hassle then a help . It can also lead to a lot of confusion . Always replace with new batteries and carry extras before every investigation . In a case sometimes spirits have been known to only inhabit certain areas of a location . With the use of motion detectors you can set them in a known path and lock off the area . If they get tripped you’ll know you’re not alone . Another great way to collect evidence . Beware though , vibrations sometimes will trip off detectors .
Spirit rods , Devining rods , or Dowsing rods call them what you will , have been used by many ancient cultures for thousands of years . There still isn’t a scientific gadget made that can detect with ease Earth , and spirit energies. I use the ancient power of dowsing or bio-location. Just like the Universe that surrounds us , it and everything in it including yourself , are all made up of energy . It is a vibrational energy that we connect with as sensitives. Every living thing be it animal ,plant ,or human has an Aura or life energy . When we die it is a common belief that we are still energy or spirit on the Astral plane . Sometimes these spirits energies can be located .
Spirit rods can be a foot to 3 feet in length . They can be made from many different materials but copper is great . As you put rods in handles , hold your arms as you would be driving and rods pointed straight out from you about a 8 inches apart . As you travel through the location walk slowly but evenly scanning with rods . When the rods cross a spirit is near. Be aware that water pipes may be in walls . You will feel the pull on the spirit rods as they cross . Make sure to step back and test spots over and over with positive results . Bring a friend with a video camera to record the results which can be reviewed and retested later . Be sure to look for light anomalies and orbs in playback of recorded dowsing where rods cross . This retesting will also be recorded at same spots to see if negative response is achieved , if so you will be able to eliminate the possibility of pipes and may have a case of a paranormal event .
Table tipping is a form of channelling . The basic idea is to use a small uneven table to coax a spirit to move . Make sure your medium , a video camera , a digital camera , and voice recorder are present . You will also need the extra people to operate items . To make table uneven , extend foot or prop one leg higher and opposite leg lower , so that table is free to rock on sides . Place medium on one side of table with another team member directly across from medium . Both will lightly place fingertips on table so as not to cause table to tip . As the medium starts to ask spirit to join and other questions the table may start to tip and slowly rock back and forth . Be sure not to be the one tipping the table . This may be a spirit presence coming to the table to interact with the mediums questions . Sometimes table tipping can produce scary , and unexplainable events . Be sure the person with video recorder has nerves of steel . Tables have been known to move and jump very fast as the energy increases and the spirit becomes playful . If possible a second camera recording from a stable spot on the floor to show that no human contact moves table , like legs pushing , feet kicking , knees lifting etc .
There are even times when I’ve been asked to do a cleansing for an area .This is an extremely labour intensive ritual but when done right the results can be astounding . I must be mentally prepared . It involves a lot of salt , Spells , chants , blessings and eventually opening a portal for the spirit to cross over through . I will seal all entrances , doorways , window panes and sills , and electrical outlets by sprinkling a special mixture to drive out negative energies . It is a protection barrier . I will than seal all window glass with spells , and drawing signets to raise barriers strength . Next is when I open a portal for the spirit to pass through . After I feel the spirit cross I will close the portal and White light the premises with candles blessings and chants .
In June 2008 , I was called to do an investigation into a presumed haunting in Belleville , Ontario . It was a house that was in the family for 3 generations . It ’s original stone foundations had been around since 1898 . The problem was , something or I should say someone was tormenting the previous and new tenants . Interviews with the people had many of the same reports , the stain on a ceiling that keeps appearing even after numerous repairs , being pushed by an unseen force , hot and cold spots , pets acting strange , bathroom not a nice place !! I went through the house with my camera and took 78 pictures and not a thing . I began to wonder if I was being tested by the owners . I started to talk to the spirit calling it’s name in the bathroom , which had originally been his bedroom and was where he had died . I was about 2 days into the investigation when I finally felt the presence . It was angry and didn’t like strangers . I started to talk to the spirit again and I felt the bathroom get instantly hot . I told the spirit that it didn’t own the house , it wasn’t his bedroom anymore , you have to leave for being so mean and you can go 1 of two ways . The first is you go willingly into the light on the other side of the portal I open , or I confine you to a space where you can do no harm and if you cross the barriers you will be forced back . I then closed my eyes and created a door . I opened the portal and a huge stream of white light pours out from the other side . I then told the spirit it’s time to go and waited .The bathroom got hotter I could feel pressure in my chest . I said again hurry and go . I waited for a couple of minutes and felt a rush of energy. The room started to cool . He was gone . I closed the door , made it vanish and gave thanks . The house became very cool and was commented on first by the owners . I said that I felt the spirit cross over and that everything should settle down for the sale . The problems have still ceased and as far as I have heard all is peaceful .
As a Paranormal Investigator I wanted answers to my own events and the journey has led me to aid others in dealing with hauntings . I have always been different in my way of thinking and open mindedness of the paranormal . People ignore the strange and unusual , I myself am strange and unusual to most . I know what I’ve experienced and until it happens to you , you can never understand what it’s really like .
DPARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS : SCIENCE OR SCIENCE FICTION ? An Article By John Boyd .
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