Ghosts

So I was looking at a cartoon that featured a little drawing of a ghost this weekend. It was just a typical bedsheet ghost, but seeing it got me thinking. Why on earth do we draw ghosts like that? Where did it get started? I’ve spent a lot of time studying ghosts, but I’ve never given much thought to the iconic image we use to portray them. I had to do some googling.

What I found was pretty interesting. While some cultures portray ghosts as mists, or psychic energies, many think of them as physical beings. American culture (and some other cultures as well) tends to show them wearing clothing they wore while they were alive or what they were buried in.

The bedsheet ghost is believed to come from a time when people were sent to the grave in a burial shroud. The ‘sheet’ is what they would have risen from the grave with. Somehow that image has been carried over into our lives and culture. Just about every drawing or comic featuring ghosts has one of these little guys. A lot of ghost hunting groups use them as logos for their groups.

If you want to know a little more about it, here’s a site I found that talks more in depth about it. 

Ghost Story

There have been several times in my life where I’ve seen ghosts. It’s a hard experience to describe, because there’s really nothing like it. Today, I’m going to share one of those experiences.

I went with another group member to scout a site we thought might be haunted. We like to look at places in advance to make plans for our investigations. As we pulled up, there was one of those little ticket booths where people collect money for parking. I noticed a lady sitting in the booth so as we slowly drove up the driveway, I started rolling down my window.

The person driving asked me what I was doing. “I’m rolling down my window to give some money to the lady,” I said.

His response? “What lady?”

As soon as he said it I turned and looked. We had just pulled up to the ticket booth-and no one was in it!

I didn’t want to look completely crazy so I started looking around, thinking maybe she had stepped out or ducked down. “The lady in the booth,” I said in defense. “She was wearing a red shirt.” But the more I searched the more I realized there was no way someone could have left without us knowing. The booth was tiny and in a large open area.

To this day I have no idea who the woman was. I just hope she isn’t stuck working in a ticket booth for eternity.

Can Ghosts Steal Things?

While I was ghost hunting this weekend, the owner of the property mentioned that a toy ball had gone missing. They believed the ghost of a little girl had either moved it somewhere, or taken it into some other dimension. The day after our investigation, the ball showed up mysteriously outside the house.

I had never heard the idea that ghosts might be able to take things into their own physical space, but I think it’s an interesting theory. We once had a piece of equipment on a hunt move outside to the porch without any explanation (we had placed it in the attic.)

 I’ve seen plenty of objects move on their own, but I’ve never seen anything vanish. The theory would explain where all those random missing objects might be going.

Do you think it’s possible that ghosts might be able to move and take things in our world?

10 Reasons Being a Ghost Would Be Awesome

1. Unlimited free movies. Just walk into the theater and take a seat.

2. You could attend any exclusive party or event you felt like. No one can see you anyways. Hollywood red carpet events, late night after parties, anywhere you want to be is no problem. Want front row seats to see your favorite sports team? Just be a ghost. Who is going to stop you if they can’t see you?

3. Spying on people. You could see what old lovers are up to, or find out what celebrities, politicians and world leaders do in their spare time.

4. Scaring people. Come on, you can’t deny it would be a little fun giving people and occasional startle. Or just creeping them out if it’s someone you don’t like.

5. Having all the time in the world to do whatever you want.

6. You wouldn’t have to worry about dying.

7. Not being tied to the laws of physics. Who doesn’t want to be able to float?

8. You wouldn’t have to worry about doing, or saying something embarrassing. No one can see you anyways.

9. Not having to bother with that whole sleeping thing.

10. You could travel all over the planet and see things you wanted to see while you were alive. I’d definitely want to see what’s really inside Area 51.

Feel free to add your own reasons to the list!

Phantom Music

One thing that sometimes comes up during a ghost hunt is phantom music. It can be the sound of a piano playing in the distance, an unseen voice singing or humming, or even the sound of a radio playing a familiar song. No matter what form it comes in, it’s always a little unsettling to hear. Usually, if we hear music during a hunt, we will go to great lengths to see if we can hunt down a logical source for the sound. But sometimes, we just can’t find an explanation.

In some ways, it makes sense. If ghosts are really people who once lived, I imagine they would still enjoy music and still want to hear and create it. Some ghost hunters even play music from older eras in attempts to attract ghosts from the past. When you hear phantom noises, It’s hard to say whether the sounds are being created by intelligent spirits or just residual noise that exists in our world. Either way, I love when I get to hear it!

Have you ever heard music you couldn’t find a source for?

Spotting a fake:photos part 2

Camera straps cause a lot of confusion in the paranormal world, especially for something so small. I often see paranormal sites where what looks to be a camera strap is listed as a ‘spirit’ or ‘vortex.’ They aren’t really trying to fool people (I hope) but the fact that black straps often appear white tends to confuse people.

Spotting camera straps is actually fairly easy if you know what to look for. A lot of investigators chose to remove them to prevent problems, but as long as you’re careful, they aren’t hard to deal with.

Some things to watch out for include

-          white blurs or a line across a photo

-          linear shadows

-          misty areas in the corner of a shot

                                    A white shape and shadow caused by a camera strap

                                  A shadow created by a camera strap

                              

                                    A close up of my camera strap

I often take multiple photos of the same thing while investigating to help me determine what I’m looking at. It’s important to try and figure out any anomalies visible as quickly as possible. If you take a photo and see something weird-take another shot of the same spot and then try and determine the source. Check for anything that might be obstructing the lens (straps, thumbs, etc.) or creating strange lighting. If you still can’t find a cause for the anomaly than get a friend to take a look to see if what you caught might actually be paranormal.

October Haunts

Every year I go to a haunted house. Not the kind with actual ghosts and spirits but the kind where people dress up in ridiculous costumes and jump out at you from behind dark walls. It’s kind of an annual tradition. It’s fun. It’s silly. It gives me a break from thinking about much of anything. These kind of haunted houses give people the chance to escape from reality for a few moments and enter a world where they are engulfed in nothing but pure emotion. Even if the haunted house isn’t actually scary, there’s a good chance someone will jump out and startle you. It’s not actually paranormal, but it’s a safe outlet for people with an interest in ghosts and monsters to have a good time.

As pointless as these things sound, there’s something almost addicting about the surge of excitement you get going through. It starts out with a little bit of anticipation and nervousness because you never really know what to expect. Then you get an opportunity to be scared without ever having to feel like you are in any real danger. Adrenaline rushes through your system as you make your way through. Or you get to laugh at the people your with when something scares them. Either way, it’s win-win. When you emerge you’re granted a brief moment of satisfaction on finding your way though and surviving. You’re in on the joke then. You can laugh at the lines of squealing young girls about to enter because you know that there is nothing to actually be afraid of. And they probably know it too, but it’s all part of the fun.

The new trend in these attractions is using actual ghost stories to lure visitors in. If they tell people they might encounter a real ghost, it adds a level of excitement and maybe even a small edge of danger. People line up in massive numbers in the hopes of being frightened by something scary. In a really well done haunted house, there are brief moments where a scene or creature seems too real. And people usually leave satisfied, because how are they ever going to know if something they see in those attractions is real? You can only go in hoping to have a good time. Maybe someday I’ll hear a story about a real ghost encounter in one of those things from someone besides the staff. I’m not holding my breath though.

Weekly News Round-up

Here are some fun links to check out :)

Psychology today has an article discussing whether there is scientific evidence to support psychic phenomena

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-social-thinker/201010/have-scientists-finally-discovered-evidence-psychic-phenomena?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+C2C-InTheNews+%28Feed+-+Coast+to+Coast+-+In+the+News%29

An article in BBC news about the use of pychics to solve crime

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8369369.stm

AOL News has an article about the search for the Yeren

http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/china-hunting-for-dollars-to-hunt-bigfoot-cousin-yeren/19668926

And just for fun, Paranormal New Central has an article to help you decide if your house is haunted

http://www.paranormalnewscentral.com/hauntings/related-topics/top-lists/555-top-10-signs-your-house-is-haunted

Ghost Hunting and the Scientific Method

Many ghost hunters claim to be scientific. They use tools and equipment to measure what happens around them. They take recordings, create theories and try to be as objective as possible. Sounds great, right? Right?? The problem with using the scientific method in ghost hunting is that science requires results to be repeatable. And anyone who has spent any time looking or ghosts knows how unpredictable they can be. They have a tendency to show up exactly when you aren’t prepared, when a camera is set down. When you are looking in the other direction. Sometimes it seems like it’s on purpose. Maybe it is.

Ghost hunters haven’t figured out how to get responses perfectly on cue and until they do, we're left with what we can capture on cameras and recorders. Of course any kind of equipment can (and will) fail. And it doesn’t help that there are so many people willing to fake evidence. A ghost hunter is only as good as their reputation. In the end it all boils down to whether or not you believe what they are telling or showing you.

The positive side of this is that people are working on finding better ways to capture information. Equipment is constantly evolving and I think that someday we will have a much more reliable way to find evidence of their existence. Ghost hunting is a relatively new field which means there’s a lot of room for growth.

Perhaps one day we really will be able to capture ghosts and interact with them. For now we will have to settle for whatever evidence we can find. Whether it’s a blurry picture or a garbled voice recording, it’s still one step in a good direction.

So you want to be a ghost hunter

Just about every tv-watching person in America has caught at least a glimpse of those shows about ghost hunters. There are tons of them out there-shows with weird looking cameras and gadgets, shows were people stand around waiting for a bump in the night, shows where people run away in fear whenever anything actually happens, well you get the idea. And for the most part, they are hugely successful.

 There’s just something intriguing about the unknown. You can’t help but get a little pulled in on the idea that these people might be discovering something truly amazing. They take the viewers on that journey with them every time they venture into some dark, creepy place. So it’s natural that a lot of people want the chance to experience the excitement first hand. And it’s not as hard as it might seem. So here are some tips to help someone who is thinking about testing the waters of paranormal investigation.

-The easiest way to get started is to contact a local paranormal group. There are tons of them around. They aren’t hard to find most of the time. Google is your friend. Use it. Many groups welcome new members. It doesn’t hurt to shoot off an e-mail and find out.

Just make sure you look for a group with similar ideas or preferences. Every group out there does things differently so it’s best to make sure the group is a good fit before you invest time and energy in it. That doesn’t mean you have to share all the same beliefs or ideals as the others members-variety is a good thing to have. It just means you have to be able to work with these people.

-If you can’t find a group near you or at least find one that’s a good fit, you can always start your own. Talk to your friends. Your family. Random people you meet. You might be surprised who shows an interest when you start mentioning ghosts. Do your research and know what you want to accomplish before you start. It’s a lot of work but totally worth it.

-Expect a lot of hard work. Despite popular belief, ghost hunting isn’t easy. There’s always equipment to set up, wires to run, interviews to do. It often means spending time in dark attics, dirty basements and much less pleasant locations. You get very little sleep.  You can’t be afraid to try new things. There’s also a lot of standing and walking involved so it also doesn’t hurt to be in good shape.

-Be ready to learn. Try and research as much information as you can. Read books. Checkout websites. Attend conferences even. Yes, they really do have ghost hunting conferences.

-Have an open mind. This field is full of surprises so you need to be ready for them!

A day in the life of a ghost hunter

To celebrate the launch of the blog i'm doing two post on the same day. Yes, you heard right-two. So, just for fun, here's a day in the life of a ghost hunter

 9am- Wake up. Charge batteries
.
10am- Eat breakfast. Check equipment. Check that batteries are charging.

12pm- Eat lunch. Reorganize equipment. Check batteries. You never can be too careful. Spend next six hours doing as little as possible.

6pm- Pack equipment. Including batteries.

7pm- Arrive at site. Set up equipment. Talk to everyone possible. Swap a few good stories while waiting for dark to actually arive.

8 or 9ish- Begin investigation!! Surely, this will be the one to remember.

10pm- Camera batteries die. Recorder batteries die. Blame the ghosts for sucking up all the energy. Replace.

11pm- Giant crash in attic-time to check it out. Followed by disappointment when it's discovered to simply be a noisy vent.

12pm- Sit. Wait. Repeat. Something must happen soon...

1am- Someone saw something! In that dark room in the back there may have been a shadow they saw out of the corner of their eye. Everyone goes to investigate.

 2am- Ok, there was a shadow. For real. And a noise. Somewhere. I swear.

3am- The exhaustion hits. Team members begin to actually resemble ghosts.

4am- Clean up time. If only I wasn't so tired...

5am- Stuffs packed. Batteries are drained. Must drive home...

6am- Home at last! Time for bed. Wait, I really need to see that thirty seconds of footage where something may have happened. I just can't stand to wait till tommorow.

8am- Evidence found. Now i'm too tired to actually watch it.

9am- Bedtime. Well, once I recharge those batteries...