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| Ghost Photography: Orb Photos | April 2, 2005, 1:27PM |
 by: AnimaSoucoyant |
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It seems almost every paranormal/ghost investigator now a days gets orb photos. They're said to be the easiest shape for spirit energy to form into, which may be true.. but they're also the most common form of false evidence. In general, orb photos are always iffy, even for the seasoned professional investigator who's been at it for years and years.. There's so many things that can cause orbs on film (dust/moisture close to lens, reflections, glares, etc..). Just by looking at an orb photo it's sometimes hard to say for sure if it's spirit related or not... but a good way to help tell a spirit orb from dust / reflection / glare / etc.. is comparison. Take photos on purpose of dust, moisture, etc.. Learn what it looks like on YOUR camera(s) (since some camera's capture things differently then others). The more you do this, the better it can help you distinguish the two. Even then though, sometimes it's still VERY hard to tell the difference. An example of "seeing what it looks like on your camera" is: I've found that the Sony Cybershot camera seems to sometimes capture dust/particles near the lens as diamond shapes. The Sony Mavica FD7 does this sometimes as well (see image below): www.ghosttracker.com/photossection/SchoolNumber4/SchoolNumber406.jpg If you get these diamond shapes on your photos, it probably dust. Notice how there's lots of them in the photo as well. Most of the time, if there's LOADS of orbs in the photo, it may be dust. Lots of things can cause massive dust in an area, like: taking photos outdoors on dirt roads; taking photos in an area where people have recently been walking around alot; taking photos in a location where a ceiling fan is on (or regular fan, or outdoors when it's very windy), etc.. I mean, think about it.. seems if there was that much spirit energy in an area, you'd be getting more then just photos, right? Things would be moving by their self, people would be getting touched, etc... And if that's the case, then hey, your photo of loads of orbs maybe have merit.. but usually photos with loads of orbs are just dust. This brings up an interesting topic though.. if ghosts are physical as we believe them to be from research.. if they can touch people, move things, open/close doors, etc. Then they should also be able to stir up dust, right? So maybe in your photos with loads of orbs in it.. some are spirit related, and some are dust (stirred up by the spirit activity)? So the question then turns into "What caused the dust to stir?" If you're in a completely controlled environment, with no one walking around, no one stirring up dust, etc. then what caused the dust to stir? But proving that nothing 'explainable' caused dust to stir is usually hard to do.. you'd have to be in a completely controlled and closed off environment.. but it's interesting to think about. Photos with single orbs in them are usually more believable as possibly being spirit related. But, with any orb photo, it's hard to say just from a photo alone most of the time. See this page for more on 'Fake' orbs: www.ghosttracker.com/photos-Fakes.html As a side note: One trick we do on indoor investigations, if the area is dusty, is we bring along a spray bottle filled with water. We set it to a very light spray (don't want to soak everything or else in your photos you'll capture moisture orbs) and we spray down the area. This will help the dust settle. After you spray the area, leave for 15-45 minutes or so, enough time for the water and dust to settle, then return and take your photos. This usually helps alot with dust situations in dusty locations. But the best way to say, and prove whether an orb is spirit related is to capture more then one form of evidence. As I just said, just looking at an orb photo it's sometimes hard to say. But by capturing more then one form of evidence like: anomalies on video at the location; fluctuations in EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) and/or Thermal (temperature) readings in the area; capturing EVP in the area at the time (Electronic Voice Phenomena - Capturing of spirit voices on audio that's usually not heard at the time), etc.. Or even something you saw/felt/heard at the time, then we have a better chance of saying the orb is spirit related. This is what makes the research in paranormal research tricky. There's so many different things that can cause the same effect (orbs especially) that sometimes it's hard to say if it's spirit related or not. Before we can say if it's spirit related, we first have to rule out all 'logical' explanations. By capturing these other forms of evidence to go along with it, it helps to prove that it very well may be spirit related. "But, if it's proven that these airborne partials and reflections produce orbs, why do you still associate them with spirit?" most people ask.. Well, I can blow a candle out on my desk with my breath, does that mean the wind outside doesn't exist? No, It just means there's more then one explanation for what happens/how it happens. We tend to get alot of orbs in places known to be haunted.. we also tend to get them in locations of EMF/Thermal meter fluctuations, we have captured video of them going around people/objects and even through objects (doors/walls/etc..), have captured them setting off motion detectors, have captured them doing what we ask (showing intelligence, comprehension and compliance), some have seen them with the naked eye, and we have even captured video of them hitting the blade of a ceiling fan (turned off) and making a "ping" sound each time. Dust and other particles in the air can't cause these things that we have seen/captured. So really.. the best way to say an orb is spirit related is to capture other forms of evidence to go along with the orb photo to help prove something paranormal was going on there.. There are some orb photos though that do make you sit back and think. Like: orbs captured without using the flash; orbs in motion (long trails behind them, showing motion); and orb photos that are partially obscured by another object (showing dimension and depth, which helps to prove that that it wasn't just dust near the lens). An interesting photo of a possible orb obscured by another object can be seen at: www.ghosttracker.com/photos-04-11-07SuzyPITT.html and another one at: www.ghosttracker.com/photos-03-03-07OrbDimensionDepth.html Of course, there's always the chance of the mind/eye playing tricks on you. Orbs are usually white, so if the suspected object that's obstructing the orb is also white, it may look like the orb is behind it, when in reality the orb is just blending in with the color of the object. So always inspect your photos thoroughly. Orbs in motion (leaving very long trails behind them) also must be inspected thoroughly. One of the common false evidence of these types of 'orbs in motion' (sometimes called supercharged orbs, or energy ribbons) is a camera with a slow shutter speed set. This will cause any lights in the area to "blur" and streak all around the photo if the camera is moved, causing what some think to be paranormal. For more info on False Evidence / Orbs in motion, see this article: http://www.ghosttracker.com/articles-energyribbons.html | |
topic: Philosophy | |
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| Solar Data and Paranormal/Ghost Research | April 2, 2005, 1:13PM |
by: AnimaSoucoyant |
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Why monitor solar activity? What does it have to do with paranormal research? Well first, to explain more about solar data: Solar X-Rays: Basically, this is when a solar flare is thrown from the sun and then is crashed back onto its surface. When this happens, solar x-rays and other radiation is forced out towards the Earth at very high speeds. Geomagnetic Storm: A geomagnetic storm happens when charged particles from the sun (or solar wind) hit the Earth. Geomagnetic storms effect all types of magnetic fields, and can even interfere with radio transmissions. Moon phases: The moon's position has an affect on magnetic fields that even controls our ocean's tides. Near or on a full moon seems to be a good time to get results out in the field, plus having everything lit up by the light of the moon just looks creepy, yet nice. :) So, Why monitor solar activity? During geomagnetic storms, researchers usually get good results out in the field. Why? Well, it is believed by many that ghosts are a form of energy, and that sightings/encounters increase in both strength and clarity under certain atmospheric conditions that help conduce that energy... so solar weather may play a part in what we encounter/how we encounter it. We often find that spirit "feeds" off electrical sources such as electrical appliances and batteries to get this energy, but on days when the air is full of excess energy due to a solar storm, they have lots of energy around to 'tap into'. So, always keep a look out for Geomagnetic storms when planning on searching out spirit. Also, while we're on the subject of heightened activity: throughout history the equinoxes and solstices of every year have been believed to be very contributive to supernatural occurrences. Seasonal Shifts: Vernal Equinox - March 20th Summer Solstice - June 21st Autumnal Equinox - September 22nd Winter Solstice - December 21 The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. On December 21-22, winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere and summer begins in the Southern Hemisphere. Cosmically, these times of the year are extremely important, so in terms of paranormal research they may be important as well. It's believed by many that the whole winter season itself is a very active time of the year for paranormal activity also. The cold, dry air creates an ambience of static electricity. You can feel this when you rub your socks on a carpet then touch a doorknob and get shocked. It's thought that when these static electrical conditions are present, the more ghost encounters take place because of that energy in the atmosphere. So grab your equipment and head to a haunted location! It may prove very productive in the winter, and/or when solar activity is high. For more info on Solar Data and Paranormal Research, visit: http://www.ghosttracker.com/solar.html | |
topic: Philosophy | |
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| Graveyards and Hauntings | April 2, 2005, 1:07PM |
by: AnimaSoucoyant |
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Why do graveyards seem to have ghostly activity? There's lots of ideas and theories about this. Some are: * That there's a strong urge for those that have passed to stay close to, or at least visit and keep watch over their past remains. Kind of like if you owned something that an old family member gave you years ago. You may never use it, or even be able to use it, but you still keep it around and look at it every now and then to make sure it's okay. It's precious to you and/or brings back memories. * Cemeteries are like meeting places for spirit, and a place where there's usually not alot of living people roaming around. Think of how crowded the mall is around Christmas. Now imagine that same setting if no one could see you. People would be bumping into you all the time. This may be what spirit has to put up with on a regular basis since we can't always see them. But locations like cemeteries where living people don't roam around alot are good places to avoid this type of contact. * It's believed that spirit 'feeds' (for lack of a better term) off energy. This can be solar energy, electrical energy, and even emotional energy. Think of all the people who go to cemeteries to mourn the loss of their loved ones. Think of all the energy that's put out there from this. If this theory is correct, then cemeteries would be a good spot for spirit to hang out. * Some theories are that cemeteries only get activity if something has happened there to make a spirit go there. This could be digging up a grave, or breaking a persons gravestone. (And NO! This doesn't mean you should go breaking gravestones to try to enhance activity!) These are just a few of the ideas that are out there, but whatever the reason, cemeteries do seem to have activity. So grab your camera and head to one and see what you can capture! (Of course, just don't trespass!) | |
topic: Philosophy | |
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| 'The Darker Side' of Ghost Research | April 1, 2005, 10:43PM |
by: AnimaSoucoyant |
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by: Matt Ferrell North Florida Paranormal Research, Inc. Ghost Tracker Investigations (March 26th, 2005) ----------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: I'm a skeptical person but am open minded. The paranormal itself is a iffy subject and everyone has their own thoughts/beliefs about it. There's just as many thoughts/theories about paranormal activity as there are people who seem to have encounters.. so the info below is not "set in stone" information and is just what I've put together from what I've encountered and learned over the years. Some may agree with it, and some may disagree with it, which is fine. It's all basically just thoughts and theories at this point in time.. but it may be worth at least keeping it in the back of your head. ----------------------------------------------- Over the years, I keep hearing and receiving more and more E-Mails, phone calls and info from people who seem to be having "not so nice" encounters. This may be because more and more people are getting interested in the ghost research/paranormal field (some being inexperienced and/or just in the wrong place at the wrong time), it may be that the veil between our world and the 'spirit world' is thinning (as many believe), or it may just be that, as ghost research becomes more popular, people are feeling it easier to talk about such experiences. Whatever the reason, the amount of people that are encountering "The Darker Side" of ghost research seems to be increasing. Of course when hearing peoples' encounters/experiences, we have to take into consideration a possible mental illness of the person, medications taken, as well as maybe the person was just spooking themselves from seeing "The Exorcist" one to many times. Anything that may cause them to 'create' the events just in their mind. You also have to take a step back and look at the situation. If it is a paranormal entity there, and something is tossed in your direction, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are mean or not nice. Maybe they were just trying to get your attention? Or let you know they were there? If the activity gets harmful though, and the harmful actions keep happening over and over, then it's probably wanting to do more then just let you know it's there. If the people who encounter it seem to be level headed, if no illness/medication is found in the subject to cause their experiences, and even better, if other data is captured to back up that something strange was going on at the time, then we can't just throw these "bad" encounters out the window like they never happened. Many people do this because they don't want to believe it can happen.. so if they totally dismiss it and don't believe in it, then they feel it won't happen to them. But if this activity does in fact occur, then whether you believe in it or not, it will happen. You can call it evil, call it demonic, or call it just an angry human spirit, but Ghost Tracker stands by the belief that not everything you may encounter while doing this line of work may be nice and welcoming. Just as there are "not so nice" living people, there may also be "not so nice" things in the paranormal realm as well. Listen to/read Ghost Tracker's possession case, or this Exorcism in Russia and make your own decisions on them: http://www.ghosttracker.com/evp-04-04-04Possession.html http://www.ghosttracker.com/evp-05-03-26RussianExorcism.html Activity wise, Ghost Tracker doesn't do "not so nice" cases.. so we're no where near being an authority for information about this stuff. We're out to research and investigate paranormal activity, but if the safety of our team ever is jeopardized, we pack it up and call it a night. We're not trained for anything that extreme, and the safety of our team always comes first and foremost, rather then capturing evidence. That's not to say that we pack it up and leave the owners to defend for themselves though. Half of our job as researchers/investigators is to capture data to help prove a haunting or find 'logical' causes for the activity, yes. But the other half is dealing with the owners of the location. We're there to try and provide peace to the owners if needed. We have many contacts of people who deal with the "not so nice" paranormal activity that we can contact when things seem to be getting a bit to much for us.. and if the owners want that help, then we'll do our best to provide it through those contacts. Even if you try and stay away from the 'bad' cases though, you still may run into something you may not be able to handle (like what happened to us on the "possession case" link above)... so how can you stay safe? Of course the first thing that comes to mind is, if you're afraid the lion might get you, then don't go in the lion cage. Meaning if you feel you might not be able to handle what you may encounter, then maybe this line of work isn't for you. Many people think this is all fun and games, and they go to supposed haunted locations just for fun, or they get out their Ouija Board to try and 'make contact'. Although these acts seem innocent in their self, it's like opening the cage door wide open and walking in, not knowing what you may encounter. But even with the right mindset and intentions, you still may encounter something bad when investigating. So, although it won't be 100% foolproof in keeping you safe (as it can happen whether you're investigating or not), it may at least help a good deal if you just try and stay away from intentionally investigating/putting yourself out there (in known haunted/active locations) all together if you feel uneasy or like you can't handle what you may encounter. Okay, so you've thought about the above, and you really do want to investigate possible paranormal activity, but still want to do your best to stay safe.. so now what? For something (paranormal/ghost/spirit wise) to effect you, many believe it mainly comes down to either how well you have control of yourself and/or the things you do. "Spontaneous Possession" doesn't usually occur. If something is going to effect you, it's believed that you either are not at your best physically / emotionally / mentally wise, or you may have made some form of bond/connection/invite with the spirit allowing it to effect you without you being able to control it. Some examples of not being at your best, and making that bond/connection/invite are: * If a person is very open (by being tired, sick, drunk, on drugs, having low self esteem, being sensitive to energy or emotions around them and not being able to handle/control it, etc.).. all those things can open a person up. It lowers their guard and their resistances. If something "not so nice" is in the area, it could take advantage of that. Never do investigations if you're not at your best. It could harm your focus on collecting and recording data, and most importantly could cause harm to yourself if something was to take advantage of it. * If the person and the entity have some form of bond/connection, like an invitation. Something as simple as saying "Can you let me know you're here?" or "Can you make yourself known?" may be asking for more then you can handle. Many investigators introduce themselves at a location before investigating. They believe that if you introduce yourself to "whoever" may be at a location before you investigate, and let them know why you're there, what you're doing, etc. that you'll get better results while there.. which does seem to hold true in most cases. But there's a strong difference between introducing yourself, and inviting 'whoever' may be there to introduce themselves to you as stated above. Ouija Boards are another form of invitation. Although the board itself isn't believed to be "bad", it's the actions of inexperienced people using it that can lead to trouble. When using it, it's just like leaving your front door wide open, you never know who may walk in. There's some people who are trained to deal with "contact" like that (usually from years and years of learning), but for the everyday researcher/investigator, it's best to just keep your guard/resistances up and keep that door closed. If you keep your guard/resistances up, and don't open any doors by making bonds/invites, then for the most part hopefully you will stay safe. Having faith may also help. Everyone has their own beliefs/faiths, but whatever it may be for you, having that faith may change your mindset, help you put your guard up, and just all-in-all make you stronger. But what if something does happen? Then what? Ghost Tracker has encountered numerous times what we call Emotional Transference. Although this doesn't seem to be an attack from spirit, it still can be something that the person effected won't easily forget. One second they'll be fine, then all of the sudden it will be like hitting a wall of emotion. They may loose balance, start crying uncontrollability, etc. Of course (like mentioned before), a mental illness, medications taken, or even just a fear beforehand in general that may have led up to it/caused the person to freak out must be ruled out first.. but after everything is ruled out, one idea as to what it could be (paranormal wise) is, the living person may be picking up on energy in the area (residual energy).. or spirit in the area may be sending (transferring) energy to the person, usually in the form of emotion (possibly as a way of communication). If that transfer of emotion gets to strong though, to where the person affected really can't handle it, then yes.. it very well could become harmful.. both mentally to the person it's happening to and physically to the affected person and others if the event gets too intense/out of control. From these encounters, we learned that removing the person from the location, getting them to eat/drink something, talking to them, asking them questions, etc. Anything to get their mind thinking differently and off of what ever may be occurring usually helps. Again, like I mentioned earlier, it seems to be a matter of how well the person is in control of their self. Doing these things and changing their mindset to one that they can relate to may help in bringing them back and helping them regain control, whether it be emotional transference, or something worse trying to 'take over'. Now, if you do encounter something "not so nice", and nothing seems to be working/helping, then try visiting our friend Denice Jones at The L.I.F.E. Foundation (http://www.paranormalhelp.com/story.htm). L.I.F.E. stands for 'Living In Fear Ends', and Denice has many contacts to people who deal with the "Darker Side" of ghost research who may be able to help. As written on her website: "The L.I.F.E. Foundation is a non-denominational association. Even though we cannot prescribe any religious practices, we will offer the following generic non-sectarian advice listed below. If you have questions beyond what is covered here, please contact us immediately! 1. Don't be Afraid: Although paranormal events are frightening, the actual number of demonic possessions is infinitesimal. Remember that you are in control of the events that occur in this dimension. Keep your head! 2. Document: I realize this is time consuming and most people don't want to do it. However, in order for you to get the help you need, you will need some type of documentation. Record in a journal or log: Day - Date - Time and Event! Be sure to include as much detail as possible! Take photographs, use tape recorders, check room temperatures! Investigators will need this information to help decide many factors. Additionally, very rarely will a clergy assist you without documentation. 3. Act: If this is a case of a simple haunting - frightening but not ominous - take the initiative yourself! Simply TALK to the spirit, explain nicely that this is now your home, and that it is not welcome. Help guide it to the light and perform your own house blessing by using prayers and meditations from your own religious affiliations. You will be surprised and delighted at the results. Although you may have to do this several times, the spirit will eventually get tired of being asked to leave and will most probably not return. Get Help: There are some cases that are resistant to all "home remedies". If you are experiencing bizarre and unusual activity, or an ominous feeling, and if there seems to be just one or two areas that are experiencing heavy activity - then it's time to get help! Use of an Investigator: Using an Investigator actually has many benefits. First they can help determine what type of haunting you are experiencing (environmental, active, ghosts or demonic). An experienced investigator will then collect data for you and know where to turn to get spiritual help. Most investigators are aware of the sensitivity of your information and are highly professional in regards to your privacy. For help in locating an experienced investigator please contact The L.I.F.E. Foundation" So visit L.I.F.E., review the pages contained within, and if you feel you need help, contact them and they will do their best to help out. Another option might be to visit this page as well (http://www.hollowhill.com/guide/ifghost.htm). There are many ideas and theories there that are thought to be able to 'get rid of ghosts'. Although some may seem strange, anything is worth a try when you're at your wits end with it all. Be cautious though. If you do indeed have something "bad" or harmful at the location you're at, it may be best and safer to just contact experienced organizations like L.I.F.E. and their contacts, rather then trying to deal with it yourself. Even if you don't believe any of the stuff above, that's fine. I too find myself many times going "Pffft, yeah right.. come on!" to many things 'paranormal'. But then I look at what all I've encountered/experienced and the many cases/experiences others have encountered around the world.. and know something has to be up. So even if you don't believe any of what is above, hopefully you will at least keep the info in the back of your mind and stay safe. Like I mentioned at the start of this article, Ghost Tracker doesn't do cases of this nature, so we are in no way an authority of this stuff. But hopefully the info posted here will be helpful.. and if things do get hectic, know that with the help of organizations like The L.I.F.E. Foundation, you're not alone. | |
topic: Philosophy | |
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| Ghost Research: 'Baiting' for Better Results/Captures | April 1, 2005, 10:32PM |
by: AnimaSoucoyant |
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By: Matt Ferrell North Florida Paranormal Research, Inc. Ghost Tracker Investigations (October 27th, 2004) Your first objective as a paranormal investigator is to find any and all "logical" explanations for a 'haunting'. This includes everything from a creaky house settling, to unbalanced hinges on the doors causing them to open/close, to even possibly the events just being in the residents head from fear, medications, etc. Once you've done this, and are still left with unexplained events, then you may have a real haunting taking place, in which case you can try "Baiting". Researchers and Investigators have two main jobs: * One is to either try and find logical explanations for a haunting, and if you can't, then you can try to capture paranormal data to help back up that something strange is going on there. * The other job is to care for the owners of the location having the experiences/encounters. Whether it's paranormal or not, the people are still experiencing strange happenings, and they may be afraid, angry, sad, etc. In a way, we're kind of like counselors. Finding 'logical' explanations may help them cope with it better, but what if you find evidence that the place does have something odd going on? Will they be able to handle knowing that? We have to help them through it and to understand what may be going on. The "Baiting" technique deals with the capturing of evidence side of things. It also deals with intelligent or genuine hauntings, rather then residual hauntings. "Baiting" is just what it sounds like. Putting things out into an area (objects, music, conversation, etc.) that may interest something/someone there, and hopefully provide better results for what you're trying to capture. I'll start from the beginning though. When you enter a location to investigate, I think it's nice to introduce yourself. Let 'whoever' may be there know who you are, and why you're there. You can either do this out loud, or in your head (since it seems from investigations that spirit reacts to what people sometimes think, showing in a way that they may be able to 'read minds'). Think about it. If someone just walked into your house and turned off all the lights, set up equipment and walked around with audio recorders asking questions, and snapping photos.. how weird would that be? You would probably either get really mad and get them out of there, or stay away from them altogether, not sure what to do. Neither of those are what we, as ghost researchers, want (we don't want to be chased out by an angry spirit, and we don't want to not capture any evidence at all). We want whatever's there, if there is an entity at the location, to be comfortable.. which in turn may provide some nice evidence. So go in. Make yourself known, let 'whoever' may be there know why you're there, and introduce yourself. -------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT NOTE THOUGH: There's a strong difference between introducing yourself, and inviting 'whoever' may be there to introduce their self to you. One thing I've learned first hand from research and investigation is, bad things can tend to happen when: * the person is either very open (by being tired, sick, drunk, on drugs, has low self esteem, etc.).. all those things can open a person up. It lowers their guard and their resistances. If something "not so nice" is in the area, it could take advantage of that. Never do investigations if you're not at your best. It could harm your focus on collecting and recording data, and most importantly could cause harm to yourself if something was to take advantage of that. * if the person and the entity have some form of bond/connection, like an invitation. Something as simple as saying "Can you let me know you're here" or "Can you make yourself known" may be asking for more then you can handle. Ouija Boards are another form of invitation. It's just like leaving your front door wide open, you never know who may walk in. There's some people who are trained to deal with "contact" like that (usually from years and years of learning), but for the everyday researcher/investigator, it's best to just keep your guard/resistances up and keep that door closed. If you introduce yourself first, you may find you'll get better results then just walking in, setting up and seeing what you get. -------------------------------------------------------- Now, back to "Baiting". Alot of researchers go to a location, set up their video camera's and audio recorders.. then just record, seeing what they may get. Which is fine, and it works. But I usually like to take it further then that. If you're going to have a video camera sitting there filming a wall for hours on end, at least put something out there that may interest the entity to come out.. which may provide better evidence. Do your research on the area. Find out who used to live there and/or who it's believed may haunt the place. From the info collected, you can decide what form of "baiting" you want to do. Just as a certain form of bait may bring better results for a certain fishing spot (like for freshwater fish compared to others), the same goes for 'ghost hunting'. Although we're not catching the spirit, we're just trying to collect evidence, but the same rules still apply for the most part. A few examples are: * If it's a child that's believed haunts the place, set out toys. Outline them with chalk (chalk is easy to clean up) so you can note any movement, and place a video camera on them as well. * If the person who is said to haunt the location liked to play cards/poker (which was very popular years and years ago), then set out a deck of cards, and maybe even play some cards with another member of the team while videoing it and recording audio. Even try setting out some cards to an 'empty' chair. Like attracts like, so if the entity there sees people playing cards, they may join also (hopefully providing some good evidence to back it up). I've been doing this for years.. sometimes I get good results, and sometimes I don't.. but the point is to at least try it, and see what happens. There's many reports of "baiting" producing good results, so sometimes you just have to be at the right place at the right time. Myself and two other members, Rick and Glenn, just investigated an old theatre near Central Florida about a month ago. A little girl has been reported walking around, and other activity that a child might do has been reported. So in the dressing rooms backstage (which from reports, seemed to be an active area) I set up some toys on a table and outlined them so I could monitor any movement. Jewellery of the staff has also gone missing alot, only to be turned up later on in an area that was searched many times and is easy to see. No cause for it to have went missing and then reappeared later on. So I also set up some jewellery on the table and outlined it as well, and put a video camera on it that was recording. Since theatres are also known for the seats going up/down, I went around and put every seat in the theatre in the upright position, which I monitored throughout the night to see if 'anyone' would have a seat (some of the seats wouldn't stay up, so I marked them by taping a piece of white paper to them so I'd know they were already down). That isn't so much "Baiting" though, as it is just setting up a controlled setting and seeing if anything changes. Although none of these experiments turned up any activity, we at least tried. It doesn't always have to be setting objects out though. Do research on what kind of music was played in the time period that the person who is said to haunt the location lived in. Then bring along some of that music and play it. Many people are moved deeply by music. It's a very powerful thing.. so if someone is there who hears music from their time period, maybe it will interest them to come out, maybe dance in front of a video camera? Or maybe even sing/hum a tune on your audio recorders? Never know. Also, even conversation may spark an interest in the entity there. Again, do your research and find out what topics were popular in their time period. Who was president? Was there any wars going on? Any big stories taking place? Take any info collected, and while investigating, start talking to other investigators about the events collected. Just as with the music, if someone is there who hears the conversation and it sparks an interest for them, they may come out to join in.. maybe you'll get some interesting audio recording of more then just the investigators talking? Tonya of the group GHOULI brought up another interesting idea which I'll share also: This is an example of bringing psychology into the ghosts/hauntings realm. From research and investigation done into ghosts/hauntings, it seems that the entities encountered still retain their personality, intelligence and emotions.. So they're the same as a 'living' person, they just don't have their physical bodies any more. If this is true, then their thoughts, and urges that they had when they were 'alive' are probably still there. From research done of human behavior, there's some objects/sounds/etc. that draw humans to them. One example being balloons. If, in a mall, a balloon is set up at a location, a very high percentage of the people that walk past it WILL touch it. Some may poke it, some may slap it, some may grab it, etc. But for some reason there's a very strong urge for most people to touch the balloon (kids especially, but the urge seems to be there for almost any age group). What if we "baited" with a balloon in a haunted location? Would the spirits still have that urge to touch it? From research and investigation, we already know that spirit is very much physical. They can open/close doors, touch people, move things, etc.. so it seems that touching a balloon should be no problem for them. Try setting up a helium filled balloon on a string in a room. A red balloon may work nicely since it's a stand out color, may attract easier. Put something on the string to weigh the balloon down so it won't float off. Let the balloon hover about waist level, and set a video camera on it to monitor it. Of course, don't put the balloon in a room with open windows, a fan or an AC unit, etc. You want the air/balloon as calm as possible. It's also preferred that no one else be in the room to stir the air around (if you have a monitoring station, monitor the camera from another room). Trying this at a location where many spirits are thought to haunt the location (old hospitals, schoolhouses, the Queen Mary!, etc.) may of course work better then at a location where only one spirit is thought to haunt, since you'll have more 'people' there to possibly interact with the balloon. But you never know, try it out anywhere! This could provide a few results: * Just a slight swaying back and forth of the balloon would probably be inconclusive. If an orb or other anomaly is captured at the time of the swaying, that would be a bit more interesting. * If the balloon darts to one side as if someone walked past it quickly, that would be an interesting capture if nothing was in the area to cause it. And if an orb or other anomaly is captured along with it, even better. * And also, if the balloon darts downward (as is someone poked it from above) that would be a great capture! And of course, anomalies around the balloon at the time would be great also. * And what if the balloon popped? And an anomaly was captured going by it at the time? All this would be interesting to capture. And if you were to capture EVP, EMF readings, Thermal readings, etc. to help back up the data, that would be a great! These are just a few examples of 'baiting'. Some are more pointed towards certain personalities (children, card players, etc.) and some are more general (like the balloon experiment). Just do your research and find out what may work best for the location you're at. What may interest the entity that may be there the most? There's no 'set in stone' laws about what works and what doesn't work. There's loads of things you can try.. and you never know what may work, so try anything! I think this method is alot better then just setting up equipment at an empty space and hoping to capture something, and it doesn't hurt to try it. At least with 'baiting', you're throwing something else into the mix, something that may interest the spirit, make them more comfortable, and that may help to obtain more or better results / captures / evidence. Give it a shot! | |
topic: Philosophy | |
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