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Quantum Paranormal 004

Jun12
by BeyonderBill on June 12, 2010 at 8:38 pm
Posted In: Author-Don S. Wilson, Investigator's Log, Paranormal Investigation, Theoretical

~Written By Don S. Wilson~

     While I still stumble across the hard headed paranormal know it all investigator from time to time, it is nice to know that we can still experiment with our various ideas about how this all may work. I recently have been involved in an investigation that included several trips to the same location. Over and over again I seemed to be getting the same results. EVP was off the charts, Photo evidence although not great, was there, and EMFs were showing correspondence. What was lacking was the personal experience. Nobody felt or heard a thing during the time we were there.
 
     Usually someone feels something during the amount of activity that was apparently happening while we were there. Seems the only person who felt anything was the owner. I became suspicious. I asked the owner, who by the way claims to be a sensitive, if she would allow me to wire her home for sound and video at a time she wasn’t there. She agreed to this after my explaining to her that I simply wanted to see if the paranormal events would occur without her there.
 
     In order to make sure that she wasn’t slipping into her home during the time of my investigation, I invited her to our house for an evening knowing that my wife would make her comfortable and entertained. I proceeded to net the house, and make sure that all equipment was working properly. I made sure that all EMF readers were in camera view, all recorders running, video on, Windows shut, power off, (except outlets) and doors locked.
 
     When I walked out the front door it was 10:37 PM. I didn’t get back to the house until almost 6:00 AM because I overslept. I retrieved all my equipment and let the owner have back her house. I went home and slept several hours. The next day I reviewed as much audio as I could. the video would have to wait till the next day.
 
     As I reviewed this data I realized that my suspicions of the owner were totally unfounded. It was absolutely amazing the amount of activity that was going on in that house with no one there.
In some respects, it was as if an entire other family was living there in a different time. The really cool thing was that you could hear happiness.
 
     As far as video???  All I can say is that it did reveal some strange interference at times when EVP was close by. Almost as if someone was walking past the camera as they were speaking.
This is one of those special locations that seem to be random yet organized in its activity. As for EMFs, well unfortunately, every time there was interference the EMF meter went blurry and prevented me from getting a reading.
 
     So as you can see, it doesn’t take a quantum physicist to study the paranormal. Just a good idea and an open mind can take you leaps and bounds. I do still believe however, that quantum physics will eventually show us how these events work.

4 Comments

5 Rules & 5 Steps To Becoming A Paranormal Researcher

Mar20
by BeyonderBill on March 20, 2010 at 11:44 am
Posted In: Author-BeyonderBill, Beyond Endorsed, Editorials, Ghost Hunting, Paranormal Investigation

~Written By Bill Stone~

5 Rules & 5 Steps To Becoming A Paranormal Researcher

This article, is an attempt to help newbies get acclimated to ghost hunting, or paranormal investigation without getting trapped in the drama, the bad ethics, the hero worship, flaming skulls, the back stabbing, the competition, the orbs, the merchandising, the media propaganda, the spiritual brainwashing, the scientific brainwashing, the ego, and the greed that has jaded so many of us for many years in this field. This article is all about your frame of mind, attitude, and putting it all together to get started.

For those of you who are interested in becoming a paranormal investigator, or a ghost hunter (there’s a difference) I’m hoping that this little guide will help you avoid most of the things that have had a negative impact on the field, and have even made some of us want to walk away from it. For those of you that have been in the field a while, become jaded by all the negativity, and possibly need a big, or even permanent vacation, I hope that you can somehow get something out of it as well. You wouldn’t be jaded if this stuff didn’t bother you. Because of that, we need you to stick around.

Rule 1: Keep An Open Mind
First off, you have to understand what it means to have an open mind. A lot of paranormal researchers think that believing in ghosts means that you have an open mind. This is not true. I’ve found that MOST people that believe in the paranormal, have minds that are as closed as a cynic who says, “there’s no such thing”.

Quick Example… Someone hears a story about a haunting by a girl, supposedly named Jill. They go into the house, and THINK that they saw an apparition. If they come out saying, “I just saw Jill,” I immediately know not to trust a damn word they have to say from that point on. They blindly believe things, leap to conclusions, and and their credibility is gone.

That person came to a conclusion without even considering other possibilities. When you come to a conclusion, in your mind, the case is closed, and there’s nothing left to learn. It’s over. It’s a very closed minded way to think. In paranormal research, thinking like that makes you useless.

On the other hand, if they come out of the house saying, “I think I might have seen something. I have no idea what it was,” they’ve shown me that their mind is open to possibilities. Always be looking for other possibilities, and question everything.

Rule 2: Forget What You’ve Read, Heard, Or Seen On TV
Everything in books, or on websites, has been written by people that have no clue… Including me! I know that I’m clueless. I have no illusions about that. Yet, I make no claims either. Many DO make claims. A lot of websites, and books come from the position that they have an understanding about what’s out there in the beyond. They’ll tell you about orbs, vortices, mediums, Ouija boards, sensitives, and spirit guides. They’ll talk about how ghosts leave cold spots in the air, or drain batteries. Where did these people get their information? You need to know that MOST of the things you read are nothing more than people guessing about what they think MIGHT be going on. Either that, or they’re using their own religious, or spiritual beliefs to tell you what’s what.

Don’t let ’em do it. You have to deprogram yourself of these things.

Don’t trust paranormal reality programs to give you accurate paranormal information either. Since when is a reality show REAL? If it were, I would be forced to believe that 30 women less than half his age will to do anything imaginable to get busy with Flavor Flav… 3 times! Television’s job is to make money. TV Shows do entertaining things to get ratings. Ratings bring bigger, and better sponsors. Bigger, and better sponsors award bigger paychecks. EVERY show is suspect to doing anything possible to get that job done. They’d be stupid not to. It’s business.

I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with these TV shows. They’re entertainment, and that’s a wonderful thing, but how do you trust it to be paranormally accurate? Watch them. Enjoy them. Above all, be careful what you THINK you learn from them. Do your own research, and once again, question everything.

Rule 3:  Ignore Armchair Ghost Hunters
There are many websites around the web that are dedicated to what are commonly called ‘Armchair Ghosthunters’. Many of these sites are paranormal based social networking sites, or sites that have many ‘Ghost Cams’ for people to watch, and engage in discussions about some of the ghosts that they see on the feeds. Armchair ghosthunters LOVE the paranormal field. they watch a lot of Paranormal TV, and many of them visit a lot of paranormally themed discussion boards to discuss their ideas, theories, and stories about the paranormal.

Many of them have never been out working in the field. Their views have been corrupted by bad information they’ve found on the Internet, and what they’ve learned from TV. I know that there are exceptions to every rule, and I’m sure that most of them are wonderful people, but all that they do is regurgitate crap that you were supposed to have forgotten in step 2. This is very damaging to the field because more, and more bad information is being spread. Don’t be a carrier of bad information.

Rule 4: Claim Nothing
Thomas Edison once said, “I don’t claim anything, because I don’t know anything…” When working in paranormal research, I live by that. The most surefire way to making yourself look like a fool in this field is to make claims regarding the paranormal. You don’t know anything. I don’t know anything. That guy down the street who claims to be a medium doesn’t know anything.

Claims, and declarations once again leave no room for new possibilities, and you’re gonna get called out. Your best bet is to keep your thoughts open, and flexible so you can roll with the punches, as opposed to locking yourself in.

Rule 5: Allow Yourself To Be Wrong!
Regardless of what I’ve just said, you’re going to go around to different websites, watch a lot of TV, and develop your own theories, and ideas of how you believe things are regarding paranormal research. You need to be ready, willing, and even excited to be completely wrong about everything you think. This is another aspect to being open minded.

Your theories, and ideas are nothing more that your ego. You can’t allow them to take precedence over your open mind. Listen to what others have to say, assuming you believe them to be clear thinking, and open minded themselves. Be ready to consider their ideas even if they go against yours. It’s one thing to consider yourself knowledgeable about things, but its completely different to be so entrenched in those ideas that you won’t listen to reason. I’ve said ‘question everything’ a few times already in this article. Make it a habit of questioning yourself.

To fight against this process is nothing more than your ego. FAR too many people in the field allow their ego to control their actions. Don’t be one of them. You’ll look like an ass.

The next section is 5 steps to getting started. If you remember these 5 rules while you move through each of these 5 steps, you should be well on your way with credibility, and respect.

Step 1: Visit Paranormal Websites, And Watch TV
I know that this kinda goes against Rule #2, but I’m not telling you to believe everything you read, or watch. Unfortunately, there’s really no better way to get started than using these resources to understand how the work is done, and common ideas in the field. Keep the rules written above in mind, and don’t allow these sites, or shows to tell you what to believe. Simply use them as a guide to give you an idea of where you think you may fit into the paranormal field. Are you going to be the type that simply enjoys the investigations, and ignores the research side? Maybe you’ll be a bookworm simply doing the research. Are you going to be the type that loves the electronic gadgets? If so, you’re going to need to be familiar with the toys commonly used.

You need to learn your place, and the best way to contribute.

Also, when I say, watch some TV… I don’t just mean Paranormal shows. Turn on Tru TV and watch some “Investigators” and “Forensic Files”. It might help you learn a bit about actual investigating. Maybe you could talk to a cop, or something too.

Step 2: Spiritual, Or Scientific? PICK ONE!
Rules 1 & 5 still has me waiting for someone, or something to change my mind, and I know this one’s gonna get me some hate mail, but…

Look, ya can’t have it both ways. Are you more into fact finding, looking for clues, data analysis, and debunking, or do you prefer the sensitives, mediums, dowsing, or the spiritual way of doing things? Scientist or spiritualist? Find out which one you are, and simply be that.

I’ve heard all of the arguments. “Psychic investigators, and sensitives work great with scientific gadgets, and methodology!”

I gotta call shenanigans.

The spiritual side of things cannot be accepted as scientific. Anything is possible in faith. Scientific law just does not apply. To use science to try to prove, or disprove someones spiritual belief is disrespectful, and pointless. It’s not going to change someones faith in it, and you’re going to come up empty. For those of you that have a religious or spiritual belief in ANYTHING , you know that you don’t have to explain why you believe what you believe. That’s why its called faith. It’s a wonderful thing. It’s very personal.

The scientific side of things are bound by physics, and scientific law. The universe has made the rules for us to follow. Things either ARE, or they ARE NOT.  To someone who follows these laws, and sees them as paramount, spiritual beliefs are virtually worthless. To introduce those spiritual beliefs into the mix would make their job meaningless. Its NOT personal. It’s the proved way of the universe.

For a spiritualist to try to prove their stuff scientifically makes them lose spiritual credibility. How can you trust a medium that feels the need to be fact checked through scientific research? What about scientists who say that ghosts are around because they can somehow ‘sense’ it with some sort of Extra Sensory Perception?

You can have spiritual beliefs, and set them aside to remain scientifically objective. You can also be a scientifically minded, yet open skeptic that prefers a spiritual ghost hunt over a hardcore investigation.

Neither side is right, and neither is wrong, but ya gotta pick one. Not to sound like a broken record, but when you DO pick one, rule #1 should remain in your thoughts. There are shades of gray.

Step 3: Make Like-Minded Connections
Once you’ve figured out where you stand on the scientific, or spiritual side of things, you’ll want to find others in the field that may think the way you do. It’s not gonna hurt to learn about the other side as well, so you can be more open minded. The Internet is your best way of doing this. There are about a billion different paranormal websites on the net, and there are a ton of potential friends out there. Join some newsgroups, or paranormal discussion boards. On those forums, I suggest you really spend some time there talking to people, and genuinely getting to know them. You’ll hear their personal thoughts, and ideas and it will help you gain a better concept as to what you want to accomplish in the field..

Step 4: Get out there!
I DO NOT recommend that you prepare to start your own ghost hunting, or paranormal investigation group this early in the game.

I recommend that you look around for already formed teams in your area, and make friends with them. In step 3 I mentioned joining message boards. MOST teams have their own. Join the forums of the teams in your area. Again, as in step 3 make friends with them. It doesn’t matter if you agree with their methods or not. Go on a few investigations. See if their ideas, and beliefs are in line with yours. You may find yourself a home. If you can’t find a team to hunt or investigate with, you can always go solo for a while, and later if you feel that you’re in this thing for the long haul, you can think about possibly starting your own team. You may now have experience with other teams, and maybe they’ve shown you their methods, and team structure. You’ve learned what you believe works well in a team, and what doesn’t. You MAY now have a better idea of how you should go about it.

Step 5: Start Your Own Group
I’ve added this last step ONLY for people who can’t seem to find anyone they enjoy going out into the field with. I STILL recommend joining an already established organization.

Starting your own group is an extremely difficult thing to do. You will find that most of the people that sign on right away will be people that don’t even agree with how you want to handle things, yet you’ll take them because you need members. This will lead to disagreements, and arguments. Someones going to quit. Will it be you? If it isn’t you, the odds are that they’ll be taking other members of yours with them to start their OWN thing. Then there will be bad blood.

This IS NOT the direction you want to go in.

There are far too many teams that have the “Get the hell off my street corner! This is OUR territory” mentality. PLEASE don’t add to it. Don’t be territorial, and don’t be competitive. Assuming that they aren’t petty, or childish themselves, the other teams in your area, should be supportive, and friendly if you followed step 4 correctly.

If you go this route and start your own thing up, it’s gong to be a real challenge.

The next thing you’ll need to do after this is learn how to set up a team, make rules, and protocols about procedures, and all that other crap. You’ll need a website, and content to put on it. But… All that’s another article altogether.

Notice that in this article, I never mentioned paying for paranormal courses, and getting ‘certified’. You don’t need all that useless, and fraudulent crap, and you’ll have more credibility without it. If you can get through all of these steps while keeping the 5 rules in mind, “Step 6” will be second nature to you… You’ll have a damned good idea of where you want to take things, and how you want to go about doing it .

I wish you the best.

4 Comments

Ghost Hunting & Paranormal Investigation: Truths & Stereotypes (Part two)

Mar15
by BeyonderBill on March 15, 2010 at 10:43 am
Posted In: Author-BeyonderBill, Beyond Endorsed, Editorials, Ghost Hunting, Paranormal Investigation

~By Bill Stone~

If you’re just now joining us, you’re late. Go stand in the corner.

If you must know, I’m in the process of explaining to the world the difference between Ghost Hunting, and Paranormal Investigation. This is the second one. If you missed the first one, you’re welcome to go read it by clicking HERE. I’ll wait.

…

…

…

Alright, we’ve successfully broken down the good and bad stereotypes of the Ghost Hunting field, so now it’s time to tear Paranormal Investigation apart .

Paranormal Investigation
Paranormal Investigation IS a pseudo-science, but serious investigators do everything they can to stay within the realm of scientific law. Like I said in the first part, Paranormal Investigation is a completely different sport from Ghost Hunting. The difference lies primarily in the methodology, and the basic reasoning behind it, which all boils down to evidence and proof.

Ghost Hunters, for the most part are in it for the enjoyment of the experience. They see their ghosts. They’re happy, and it’s all the proof, or evidence a Ghost Hunter ever needs. It’s more about what I call “Personal Proof”. A well adjusted ghost hunter doesn’t care if anyone believes him. He KNOWS what he had experienced, and it was proof enough to him.

A Paranormal Investigator looks for quantifiable facts… Not ghosts. An investigator KNOWS that his/her personal beliefs, or feelings mean absolutely nothing. It’s all about what he or she can PROVE beyond doubt. Because of this, Paranormal Investigators WANT their evidence scrutinized. They WANT their evidence shot full of holes by skeptics because on the VERY rare case when their evidence remains solid, and without holes, then and ONLY then will their claims hold water.

THAT is the moment of victory.

Investigators know that evidence not analyzed to death, or scrutinized over is nothing but unreliable garbage to other serious people wanting facts. Because of that, they work within scientific methodology. They make a hypothesis. they test it to prove or disprove it. Feeling is irrelevant. Opinion is irrelevant. This method is done repeatedly to obtain consistent information in order to become scientific law.

At this time, nobody has succeeded in making any paranormal based scientific laws.

The Good
1.
Skepticism is the default position in science. Because of that, no conclusions are leapt to, and all things are scrutinized over. If any lasting progress is going to be made in the field, it will be done scientifically through investigation, experimentation, and analysis. Paranormal Investigators will be the ones to make it happen. The random, and inconsistent methods of Ghost Hunting just won’t cut it.
2. Paranormal Investigators do not allow their personal beliefs, or feelings to sway their findings. Because of this, they are so much more accurate in diagnosing whether they’re dealing with a natural phenomenon, or a supernatural phenomenon.
3. Paranormal Investigators do not use any types of paranormal based tools in their investigations. Ouija Boards, mediums, dowsing rods, sensitives, and so forth are all unproven methods and are OFF LIMITS for anyone in it for the science, or real evidence. No cynical argument can later be made about their unproven methods, or tools.
4. Paranormal investigation is bound by scientific law, and fact. All SERIOUS investigators worldwide follow these rules, and principles creating standards and consistency.
5. When an investigator finally gains a piece of evidence that passes all of the rigorous tests, analysis, and scrutiny, they REALLY have something worth talking about. The thrill of victory is so much more sweet due to the fact that it’s such a rare occurrence.
6. Progress & discovery can take place. Real progress can happen when new things are scientifically discovered, and studied. With the study of these new things, there is potential for so much discovery, and that, in my opinion is the most exciting thing there is.

The Bad
1. Skepticism is the default position in science. For progress, that’s a wonderful thing, but for someone like myself who grew up loving spooky stuff, and thriving on paranormal experiences, the hard lined skepticism in paranormal investigations tends to numb that initial sense of wonder and excitement. Sometimes I wish I had just stayed a Ghost Hunter.
2. Many investigators become like robots. Their personal beliefs are buried so deep that they’ve lost their ability to see beyond their black, and white rules, and methodology. They can become a bit closed minded.
3. Despite all of their scientific methodology, and sticking to their rules, they’ve still made no progress whatsoever in the field.
4. Many Paranormal Investigators get discouraged due to lack of results, or lack of heart, and instead of just trying to enjoy things, they simply give up.
5. Investigation can be boring. I’m not talking about sitting there on the investigation, and waiting for something to happen, because I personally consider that to be fun. I’m talking about AFTER the investigation. It doesn’t happen often when you REALLY have anything substantial in the line of experiences or SOLID evidence to show off or talk about.

The Ugly
1. A BIG problem with paranormal investigators is that MOST of them are in fact Ghost Hunters who only THINK that they’re Paranormal Investigators. They use bad methodology, mediums, K2 EMF meters as a spirit communication device, and generally believe in their methods so blindly that they cannot see that they’re making no progress. They make us all look bad.
2. Many investigators let this sort of work go to their head, and have delusions of grandeur. They forget that this is supposed to be fun, and get so serious about it to the point where it becomes unhealthy. Many feel that what they’re doing in the field is so much more important than what everyone else is doing, and that they deserve more respect for it. In come the ego problems which are parallel to the Ghost Hunting side.
3. Above, I mentioned delusions of grandeur. Many investigators believe that they are doing such a great service to the world that they deserve monetary payment for their work. Some charge for investigations while others teach “Paranormal Investigation Certification Courses” to pass on their glorious knowledge and make a buck in the process. MANY actually believe that taking peoples money in such a way is actually doing them a favor.
4. Many investigators are only in this field for fame and fortune. It’s creepy, but you have no idea how many leaders of investigation teams I’ve spoken to that THINK that they have a television or movie deal around the corner. I blame TAPS on this abomination.
5. Many investigators feel immense pressure from their peers in the field to produce something of value. This can lead to dishonesty. It happens a lot where a team of investigators get started, and capture absolutely no evidence for a very long time. They get frustrated with how empty their website looks without anything to display on it. Then, they do something unthinkable to the honest investigators out there. they fake evidence to make themselves look good. Either that, or they lower their value by putting pictures of orbs all over their website. Very ugly.

Again, these, like the points made in the Ghost Hunting portion of the article, are merely stereotypes based on years of observation on the paranormal field. Some you’ll agree with, and other’s you’ll just chalk up to me making things up. That’s alright too. If you’re familiar with my writing at all, you know that MOST of what I write has a lot of tongue in cheek aspects. This is no different, but even if you do not agree with these stereotypes, I hope that this article has given you something to think about regarding your own place in the field, and what you’d hope to accomplish.

Ideally, I hope that it might help you avoid some of the common ‘personal pitfalls’ that I’ve seen a lot of Investigators & Hunters struggle through.

Thanks for reading!

2 Comments

Quantum Paranormal 003

Mar12
by BeyonderBill on March 12, 2010 at 9:10 pm
Posted In: Author-Don S. Wilson, Theoretical

~Written By Don S. Wilson~

As I usually do, I present this writing as a thought. A suggestion, not to debate, only to hear your thoughts on the most mysterious science known to us.
And this time I have chosen to ponder dimensions and try to understand how we might perceive them. How they might fit in with our reality.
 
If we reside in a universe that consists of three dimensions of space and one dimension of time, don’t we basically live in four dimensions?
We can move up/down, side to side, and front to back, and each movement requires a period of time to do so. But are we four dimensional beings?
 
What can we really do? We are two legged creatures that walk upright on a plain according to its elevation. We have no wings, therefore up and down is really only a superficial
credit to ourselves thanks to the ability to fly by artificial means. In all actuality, we are only two dimensional beings living in a four dimensional universe. Physically all we have the ability to do is walk to and fro, side to side.
 
So how are we ever going to perceive what a fifth dimension would look like? or a sixth? According to M-theory/ string theory, There are at least eleven dimensions for us to ponder.
What roll do they play in our reality if any at all? Are they important to us and how do they relate or effect us?
 
If I take into consideration that nature has a habit of creating things in the shape of a sphere, “I think of bubbles.”
The sphere is the most common shape in the universe as we see it. Also one important thing to remember is that any element will take the least path of resistance either as a flow or as a breaking point. If I were to imagine our four dimensional universe as a bubble floating in space I would simply see it as that, but it would be so transparent that I would never be able to see the boundaries of it. The wall of my bubble would be infinant as far as I was concerned. But there are boundaries , and it would consist of the matrix, or Zero Point Field. A limit of absorption for the energy within.
 
This is a storage point in our four dimensional universe. If energy can nether be created or destroyed it must then be stored in the ZPF. It’s renewable energy. This is exactly what today’s top scientists are trying to tap into. If we go on to other dimensions, we probably would see that each one has it’s own ZPF. The question is…. can we, or do we occasionally see them?
 
From a paranormal researchers perspective, I feel that we have a long way to go to answer those questions. But I also feel that understanding quantum physics will help us find those answers.
I feel that the answers are at the palm of our hand, not quite at our fingertips. Although quantum physicists are not searching to answer the same questions we are, they are succeeding in doing just that.

2 Comments

Ghost Hunting & Paranormal Investigation: Truths & Stereotypes (Part one)

Mar01
by BeyonderBill on March 1, 2010 at 2:41 am
Posted In: Author-BeyonderBill, Beyond Endorsed, Editorials, Ghost Hunting, Paranormal Investigation

~By Bill Stone~

There are many different attitudes, and styles that people have in the paranormal field when it comes to how they go about investigating or hunting for the unexplained. Two very distinctly different styles usually get classified together, and confused not only by “armchair ghosthunters”, but by those of us working in the field as well. What I’m referring to is the difference between Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Investigators… And there IS a big difference.

One is more work, while the other is more play, and BOTH take their jobs WAY too seriously.

I am the founder of a Southeast Michigan based group called Beyond Paranormal Investigations. We investigate reports of paranormal activity in private homes and businesses. We investigate. We’re not “Ghost Hunters”. Granted, every now and then, we’ll go on a ‘ghost hunt’, but it’s not what we would consider to be our teams purpose. It’s just something fun to do.

Ghost Hunting
Ghost Hunters do exactly what their name implies. They look for ghosts. PERIOD. This is the one, obviously that I would consider to be more ‘play’ than ‘work’. Please don’t get me wrong. Me saying that it’s ‘play’ is not a putdown, and I’m not knocking ‘Ghost Hunting’ in ANY way when I say that. Play and recreation is just as important as work if you plan on leading a healthy life. We need it or we’ll go insane. I call ‘Ghost Hunting’ ‘play’ because it’s simply too much fun to consider it otherwise.

Ya gear up. You go out into the graveyard, back in the woods, or an old building (with written permission from the owner, of course), and you look for anything you can find that’s remotely spooky, or unexplainable. While you’re there, you get goosebumps, your hair stands on end, and many of us get freaked out, or scared.

It’s not ‘Paranormal Investigation’, but there’s certainly no wrong in it.

Here are some points about Ghost Hunting, and/or Ghost Hunters. I’ll let you guys decide what you believe to be a false stereotype, and what’s really the truth.

The Good
1.
Ghost Hunting is a fun & PERSONAL pursuit that is often done with a lot of heart by those that are involved with it. This is how we all start out. Looking for ghosts is a good thing, and SHOULD be encouraged.
2. Ghost Hunters will employ everything they can think of from cameras, Ouija Boards, dowsing, rods, EMF detectors, and mediums to find ghosts, or the unexplained.
3. There are no rules, or laws in Ghost Hunting. You can do whatever you want, or whatever your imagination can come up with to find what you’re looking for, and YOU decide if you’re successful.
4. The thrill of victory is felt more often with Ghost Hunting. Because Ghost Hunters go into a hunt with such an open mind, more often than investigators, they come out of it with experiences that they will never forget. Coming from someone who has experienced this stuff first hand, I gotta tell ya that there’s nothing like it. If you haven’t experienced anything paranormal, or unexplained, you better get out there.
5. A Ghost Hunt can be a great precursor to an actual scientific investigation. A ghost hunting team goes in, and helps a more scientifically minded team decide if it’s worth a second look.
6. In Ghost Hunting, the spiritualists & spiritual methods get their due. Because mediums, Ouija Boards, psychic abilities, and dowsing rods have no scientific credibility, and are completely invalid when it comes to scientific investigations, many investigators simply ignore them. They fail to realize that in ‘Ghost Hunting’, these things are worth their weight in gold.

For example, assuming that a Ouija Board actually does what we’ve all been told that there’s supposed to do, if you use it correctly, it’s POSSIBLE that you can actually summon a ghost or paranormal activity AT WILL.

If it works, as a Ghost Hunter, you’ve done your job. You’ve found them!

Controversial? Yup.

Dangerous? Yup.

Fun? I think so!

Can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, right? Well… Ya can if you use the ones that come in the carton, but those ones taste like butt.

The Bad
1. Ghost Hunters DO NOT look for facts. As stated before, by definition, they look for ghosts. More often than not, they WILL find them, whether they exist or not.
2. Most “evidence” captured by a Ghost Hunter is often based on his/her opinion, or perception (or Extra Sensory Perception)of what they believe it to be, but will not be backed up by anything solid, or factual. Unfortunately, it is usually met with resistance, and not taken seriously in the field.
3. There are no rules, or laws in Ghost Hunting. I know I already used this one as number 3 on the ‘good list’, but theres a flipside to that coin. If there are no rules or laws, there are no standards. A LOT of Ghost Hunters will call any old dot, or blemish in a picture, ‘a ghost’. Why? Because there are no rules. They can say anything they want. With no rules or standards, things captured, and opinions are all over the place. In a field without rules or standards, religious zealotism, and half brained pseudo-scientific theories have already become commonplace and widespread. There’s no consistency in any of it.
4. Many Ghost Hunters have simply watched too much TV, and have jumped on the bandwagon. As someone trying to navigate & drive that bandwagon, that’s how I see it anyway.
5. Ghost Hunters often employ mediums, psychics, and sensitives in their work. This in itself, as stated before is a positive thing. There is an underlying problem in this however. If you’re planning on using someone with any sort of Extra Sensory Perception you need to somehow make sure that they are the REAL DEAL. That’s a hard thing to do. It’s hard to find the real deal in a field where you can go to any paranormal based website message board, and 90% of its members CLAIM to have these abilities.It’s very hard to know who to trust, because it’s POSSIBLE that a few of these people are accidentally exaggerating about what they beLIEve their abilities to be.

The Ugly
1. Lets talk about the 2 thousand pound elephant in the room. Many ghost hunters are nuts! As stated before, Ghost Hunters are very passionate about their ‘work’. When we paranormal geeks get together, it’s not like an investment bankers reception. Have you ever noticed that paranormal studies IN GENERAL seems to attract some of the LEAST mentally stable people on the planet? Bankers reception? It’s more like an orgy of psychos. Combine the lack of mental, and emotional stability with the passion, and add a little bit of a cause that they can rally behind. Hijinks ensue.
2. The Ghost Hunters good open mind that was once a positive thing becomes a negative. There are a lot of different viewpoints in the field. Many of us disagree. When we disagree, we believe that we’re right. Sometimes that belief in being right remains, and fills our egos to the point that we can NEVER be wrong. This makes us closed minded to possibilities.
3. I mentioned a Ghost Hunter with an ego in number 2. Throughout this article, I’ve talked about spiritual belief, and having a passion for ones work. This is a very bad combination. This is someone who goes on their Ghost Hunts and find what THEY would consider to be CLEAR ‘evidence’ of the paranormal based on their own beliefs and opinions. These beliefs and opinions are followed like a religion. Their ego makes it IMPOSSIBLE for them to be wrong about it. They then go to website after website showing everyone their glorious evidence. When someone questions the validity of what they’ve captured, even if it’s done in a friendly way, they take it as a personal insult, and start a fight about it. I’m not making this up. I’ve seen it a THOUSAND TIMES. People are creepy. I’ve SEEN hijinks ensue.
4. Sheep. Many Ghost Hunters, are sheep that just follow the leader. Usually it’s the person mentioned in number 3 because their voice is the loudest. They take the zealotism of said leader, and rally behind their flag, contributing nothing of their own to the cause, yet going out of their way to tell the world how great their leaders are. It happened in the 70’s with Ed & Lorraine Warren, and it’s happening today with TAPS, and a few others.
5. WAY too many Ghost Hunters THINK that they’re actually Paranormal Investigators, yet in true Ghost Hunter fashion, they have no consistent standards. Orbs, fog, or even smoke from a cigarette will be submitted as paranormal evidence by these guys. They take pictures of faces they see in a pattern in the bark of a tree, in the granite of a tombstone, or even a reflection. The problem is, Paranormal Investigators WANT, and NEED for their evidence to be torn to pieces, and scrutinized over. It’s the only way that they can feel like they have something worth looking at and lasting. In most cases this particular Ghost Hunter allows their ego, and personal belief to cloud their judgment when it comes to their captured evidence. The scrutiny that Paranormal Investigators take as a necessary and enjoyable part of the job becomes too much for the Ghost Hunter to take. Hijinks ensue.

Now that I’ve offended a lot of you with my observations, ya gotta know that this was designed to get you to think, and HOPEFULLY want to discuss some of the things I’ve brought up here. Maybe you agree with it, maybe not. It wasn’t meant to call anyone out. And of course NONE of these things apply to ALL Ghost Hunters. It’s just something that I haven’t seen discussed by intelligent people in an open forum… Yet.

Alright… That’s Ghost Hunting. What about Paranormal Investigation, and Paranormal Investigators? They’re a completely different animal than a Ghost Hunter. That’s another story altogether, and a brand new can of worms.

Stay Tuned!

 

Click HERE if you’re interested in reading Part 2 of this thing!

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