Sorry to be so late with posts

The advent of the New Year has really screwed up my regular posting schedule, but I should be back on a daily basis starting tomorrow, Monday.

The REAL Dangers of Ghost Hunting

From IHuntGhosts.com: The REAL Dangers of Ghost Hunting

There is a lot of discussion about dangers encountered in the paranormal field. I have touched on them myself in various blogs and articles.

But how dangerous is it?

If a demon was lurking in every darkened corner and nasty spirits were following people home from the mall wouldn’t it have warranted a story on Fox News by now?

It is actually a very difficult question to address. The truth is that the dangers - real and perceived - greatly seem to be a matter of bias and outlook.

From the viewpoint of the skeptic: Since there is no conclusive or even convincing proof of the paranormal there can therefore be no quantifiable dangers beyond those inherent in walking about dilapidated buildings in the dark.

From the viewpoint of the believer: There are ghosts and worse wandering about that want nothing more than to follow us home, feed on the human life-force, and promote general physical and spiritual mayhem in our lives.

They can’t both be right, can they?

Those of us trying to balance a belief in the paranormal with the goal of not jumping to conclusions have a particularly hard time. Not only do we have to weigh our own concerns that are based on our own experiences and perception, if we are responsible, we have to find a balance in what we present as fact and opinion.

The television shows only add to the confusion.

The crew at Ghost Hunters seems to never experience anything nasty or even particularly scary. There is no talk of needy spirits following them home. They take no precautions that we are told about.

The guys at Ghost Adventures present us with a demonic presence in nearly every episode. They challenge that which would be called evil. Momentary possessions seem almost a day-to-day occurrence. Despite the dangers that they face weekly, they live happy, successful lives and apparently their walls are not bleeding.

So…is it safe or not?

My opinion is that ghost hunting is NOT a completely safe activity. HOWEVER, statistically it is obviously not much more dangerous than other activities or it would be included on life insurance questionnaires.

The greatest danger that paranormal investigators face is not to ourselves, but instead to the mental and spiritual well-being of our clients.

A while back, a skeptical researcher decided to test some of his “colleagues“. Living in a fairly old house, he invited various teams from around the area to investigate the occurrences (unexplainable sounds, fleeting shadows, the odd item that apparently has been moved though no one moved it…you know, the usual stuff) that he and his family were experiencing.

Upwards of ten teams did their investigations of the property if I remember correctly. Every single team reportedly found evidence of paranormal activity. For some it was just a few scratchy EVPs or orb photos. Others claimed to have found more. One stated conclusively that there were demons literally swarming about the attic and that a home cleansing if not a full blow exorcism was in order with all haste (which of course would be performed for a fee).

The catch? The homeowner had lied. He and his family had never experienced anything that even remotely resembled paranormal activity.

But the teams (and I never got an answer as to whether the teams were invited randomly or if he had searched out teams that seemed less than reliable) obviously “found” activity that did not exist. In their zeal to be “THE TEAM” that proves life beyond death once and for all, they collected bad evidence, presented misinterpreted data, and on occasion fabricated or at least imagined things that were not there.

What if this had been a real family that was really scared? Instead of calling in an exterminator to remove a couple of squirrels from the attic or getting an electrician to properly ground some faulty wiring, we have just led them to fear their own home. Instead of helping them, we have added to the stress factor caused by the unknown in their lives.

I don’t do a lot of residential cases for just this reason. The responsibility involved overwhelms me. What if I am the one that mistakes a passing car’s headlight for a shadow person and misses the build-up of carbon monoxide from a malfunctioning furnace? What if the EVP that sounds like “kill you” was instead a moth crawling across a microphone?

Worse, as a believer who has been told that he has the natural ability to both attract and influence spirits, what if my visit triggers activity or invites something into the home that was otherwise happily dormant?

As paranormal investigators we can operate under the assumption of ‘assumed risk”. I have “seen” things that I perceived as negative - one can argue whether they were imagined or not. I believe there are truly threatening and even evil things lurking about.

I try to educate myself. I try to prepare myself. I do what I see as necessary to protect myself and my team in the same way that a skydiver wears a helmet or a welder wears a welding mask. Few activities are without risk, and ghost hunting is no different.

But when it comes right down to it, you are more likely to trip over a table in the dark and break a leg than you are to encounter one of Satan’s minions. Neither is desirable, though I will confess that I would rather break my leg.

But let’s all make sure it is our own leg we are breaking.

How to Ghost Hunt-Ghost Seeker Field Guide Vol: 1

From Creature of the Day: How to Ghost Hunt-Ghost Seeker Field Guide Vol: 1
Visit www.amazon.com to purchase: The Ghost Seeker field guide, Book 1 is the ultimate guide for newbies…that will teach you and your team,how to ghost hunt like a seasoned Professional. These ghost hunting books are jam packed full of tips and training information with clear and easy to understand instructions to get you up to speed and working with clients in no time at all.

You’ll learn:
* How to get that much needed permission from the property owner
* How to follow protocol and keep a checklist
* Ghosts what exactly are they?
* What researching a ghost adventure is all about * What mindset you need to be in while interviewing witnesses
* Our personal step by step team process
* Top Notch tips on Capturing Great EVP’s *
The best EVP questions to ask during your session And most importantly, how to build a credible and long lasting relationship with all your clients by being respectful,tactful, and just plain professional…

You will see,if you follow all the protocols listed in this field guide to the paranormal, you will be light years ahead of every other Ghost Hunting team out there, that are just winging it, And probably burning some bridges along the way… good luck to you and your ghost hunters team on all your ghost adventures

Paisley, UK: Ghost hunt in Paisley

From the Paisley Daily Express: Ghost hunt in Paisley

I’VE never felt comfortable in the dark.

Perhaps I’m still spooked by the creepy man I spotted lurking in the shadows outside my old house when I was six years old or maybe my mum is to blame because she didn’t keep those Nightmare on Elm Street video tapes in a locked drawer.

Whatever the reason, when the lights go out, I’m always suspicious of what’s making that noise.

Many a party has taken place at which the dreaded “how can you be scared of the dark?” question has been popped, leaving me squirming while others present are allowed absurd, yet seemingly acceptable, fears of their own, such as spiders or even a trip to the dentist.

I’ve always argued that my discomfort with the dark has nothing to do with tall tales about ghouls or haunted homes.

So, when the Scottish and British Paranormal Association paid a visit to Paisley, I was determined to reclaim my masculinity and prove that I ain’t afraid of no ghosts.

This small group of dedicated ‘believers’ had been invited to the Scottish Spiritualist and Holistic Church, in Argyle Street, Paisley, to carry out a Ghostbusters-style stakeout in a bid to discover if anything is going bump in the night.

Far from just switching the lights out and hoping for the best, the well-equipped investigators turned up a couple of hours before midnight, armed with an arsenal of cameras, flashlights, monitors, noise detectors and even an electro magnetic field (EMF) device.

If Slimer was hiding in those walls, we were going to find him!

And it didn’t take long before I experienced my first otherworldly encounter as ‘orbs’ – a technical term for small blobs of light – appeared on the flatscreen TV mounted on the church wall which was recording proceedings in the empty room next door.

Dedicated Scottish and UK Paranormal Association member David Roy, from Paisley, revealed: “They say that 99 per cent of orbs can be explained by dust in the air but it’s when they start omitting their own light that we know they are orbs and that is the first sign of the manifestation of a ghost or spirit.”

Not content with that success, we were soon split into three groups and, armed with two torches and a dictaphone, I joined Glasgow pals Cecilia Connelly, below, and Suzie Gibson, as well as Paisley grandparents Tam and Cindy Leitch, who became interested in mediumship and paranormal activity following the tragic death of their son Mark in 1996.

The five of us headed into a former studio for an hour, hoping to make some recordings of our own in the dark.

We joined hands in a bid to build up the energy in the cold room as we prepared to get in touch with the ‘other side.’

However, the spirits weren’t in a co-operative mood and, despite repeated polite requests to make contact by switching on the light, changing the temperature or even knocking on the wall, we had to make do with Cecilia reporting the sensation of a dog running around her feet and Tam suffering a chilling tap between the shoulders, which he took as proof that we’d overstayed our welcome.

I even found myself getting carried away with the experience, barking orders at our lazy spirit hosts to show themselves before we gave up on them and continued our hunt elsewhere.

A short time later, we teamed up with investigation organiser Ian Williams’ group as we all placed a finger on a glass tumbler which was at rest on a wooden table.

The tumbler gently eased away from the centre of the table when Tam enquired “is there a child in the room and are you happy?”

Monitored

However, any hope of further conversation vanished as piercing screams broke the silence in the old recording studio and the spiritualist room being monitored by the cameras.

We hurried into the main room, where two women were standing, visibly shaken.

If I hadn’t been such a startled wreck myself, I might have taken more time to appreciate what Ian explained was “something truly amazing.”

He added: “Two people were simultaneously taken over by a bad spirit or shadow and we had to get them both out of there and out of the building as quickly as possible to give them a chance to recover.”

The two women who fell victim to ‘the shadow’ were 23-year-old Kirsty Taylor and Paisley woman Steph Roy.

After regaining their composure, they told me all about their spooky experience.

Kirsty said: “There’s a bad, bad man in that room and he wanted us out, so he channelled through me to get his way.

“It has happened to me before, when I was much younger, and I was able to use that experience and push him away.

“That sort of thing can be really frightening. I once had a spirit follow me all the way home but I’m strong enough now to control them.”

And, with that, the gloves were off.

Ian had warned me earlier, during my paranormal activity crash course, that there were a variety of spooks we might encounter, ranging from relatively-harmless poltergeists to demonic entities.

He had feared we could be dealing with a shadow that night and explained that would be “quite bad” as they could be trapped in limbo because they were a murderer or child abuser in life.

Nevertheless, with a full weaponry of cameras, our EMF device, torches, walkie-talkies, a sonic ear, two flashing cones and even a baby monitor, we all piled into the spiritualist room for a 2am stand off with our nasty host.

Now accustomed to the fact that everything had to happen in the dark, I grew in confidence as I had a number of seasoned paranormal veterans on my side.

I almost felt sorry for the ghost we were up against ... even if he was a bad guy.

However, the mood changed as Cecilia was targeted by ‘the shadow’ and she quickly bolted to the safety of the kitchen, while Kirsty repeated determined chants which were designed to keep him at bay.

Meanwhile, the bold Tam became frustrated by the ghost’s unwillingness to let the rest of us in on the action and started goading him with insults of “coward” and “scum”, without getting the reaction he was hoping for.

After a while, it appeared we had managed to overcome the evil in the building and those who stood on the frontline in the battle were recognised for their brave efforts before we all had a round of coffee to celebrate.

Personally, I was proud to go the distance on my first paranormal investigation ... even if I did end up holding hands with the others the entire time!

PA: Holiday spirts: Team of ghost hunters takes on Pottstown’s Ballroom on High

From Potts (PA) Mercury: Holiday spirts: Team of ghost hunters takes on Pottstown’s Ballroom on High
OTTSTOWN — It doesn’t matter whether you believe in ghosts. What matters is if you are curious.

That’s the philosophy of Jesse Donavan, an investigator with Extreme Paranormal Investigators, a group of ghost-hunting enthusiasts based in Morgantown.

Donovan was among the four-member EPI team that conducted an overnight investigation Wednesday of the five-story building that houses Ballroom on High, 310 E. High St.

From 9 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday, the team endeavored to record audible and visible phenomenon at the building.

To begin, the EPI team — Donovan, Brian Sload, founder, Sandra Dee Guillen, co-founder, who also teaches ballroom dance at Ballroom on High, and Phil Mauro, lead investigator— set up a command center on the first floor of the building.

Next, they did a walk-through, wired up infrared and full-spectrum cameras, and set up audio, according to Sload. Next, they took measurements for Electronic Voice Phenomenon and other sounds. Sload explained that EVP are noises the human ear can’t hear.

“We try to go about it objectively and scientifically as well,” Sload said.

The building was built in 1908, subsequently demolished and then rebuilt in 1928, according to Sload. In its heyday, the building with a stately columned facade was home to an exclusive men’s organization called the Eagles Club. “This was a men’s club that originated in Washington, D.C. From what I understand, this was like the top location of the Eagles Club in Pennsylvania,” Sload said. “They held lots of dances here.”

The investigators set out in teams to record what they saw and heard in each room as well as the original and still functioning elevator with a wire cage. But there is a 30-minute period later in the night when each investigator is on his or her own doing an “EVP session,” all the while maintaining radio contact, Sload said.

“That’s where my heart gets moving really fast,” said Guillen. Continued...

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First, however, they did something many folks on a ghost hunt might not be comfortable with — they killed the lights.

“The whole investigation is in darkness, except for what we can see in the (infrared) cameras,” Sload said.

Once the set-up has been taken care of, the EPI team says a quick prayer to St. Michael to protect them from the Devil and “all evil spirits.”

Why the Ballroom?

Guillen said weeks before this investigation was planned she and Sload and two others explored the top two floors of the old building late at night, after she had finished up her dance classes.

Those two floors, notably, do not have electric lights.

While on the attic level, Guillen and Sload, both of Morgantown, said they got the distinct feeling that they were not alone.

Sload said “We went upstairs and heard what we call an Electronic Voice Phenomenon. We actually did catch a voice that wasn’t mine” on tape.

They said they heard a voice that was unmistakably male saying “I’m here.”

Prior to that, Guillen said she had sensed a presence in the building. Continued...

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“When I close at night buy myself, I have the feeling of someone there,” she said. “Just walking into the building you can feel it.”

Wednesday’s investigation was an attempt to get “more scientific” about the process, according to Sload, who works as a professional videographer.

Guillen said she and Sload began investigating paranormal phenomenon after a cemetery visit two years ago. But that wasn’t her first experience with the unexplained.

“What pushed me was when I was younger, I had things happen in my home in Texas. To this day I wonder how was that possible? Is there really an afterlife? It fascinates me,” she said.

Not a profession, a passion

EPI doesn’t charge for their investigations. Sload says no paranormal group should, although some people do try to make a living of it.

For the folks at EPI, the pursuit of the paranormal is more of a passion than a profession. All of the EPI teammembers have day jobs, and they pay for their own equipment.

“All of this is out of pocket. We have about $7,000 to $9,000 of equipment,” Sload said. “And we do it in our spare time.”

With costs going up as they do more investigations, EPI has come up with ways to raise some money. The conducted a seminar in Twin Valley in October, in which participants paid $75 each for a firsthand look at a paranormal investigation. Additionally, EPI is producing a DVD of their investigation of the “Ghosts of the Brandywine” River.

Eastern Pennsylvania with its many Revolutionary War battlefields is ripe for paranormal investigation, according to Mauro. Continued...

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“We’re trying to put together a project called ‘Ghosts of the Revolutionary War’,” said Mauro.

Other EPI investigations have included Seven Stars Inn, East Vincent, and Joanna Furnace, Morgantown. More information about EPI and their investigations is available on their website, www.extremeparanormalinvestigations.com.

Making contact

Asked if anyone on the team ever felt a physical presence of a ghost, Donovan spoke up. During EPI’s Brandywine investigation, while lying on a slab “It felt like someone put their hand on the back of my neck,” Donovan said, noting he was pretty freaked out. Sload was with him and felt nothing, he said.

With some resignation, Sload admitted he’s not particularly sensitive to paranormal phenomenon. Others on the team see and hear things before he does, he said.

“We’re out on the Brandywine, and these guys were hearing cannon shots, and they even heard a musket shot. I didn’t,” he said.

Sometimes spirits need to be prompted, according to Sload. Glow sticks or even a ball have been used as trigger objects. In the case of Ballroom on High, the EPI team brought cigars, hoping to draw out some of the good old boys from the Eagles Club.

That’s the spirit

An initial walk-through of 310 E. High St. revealed what remains of an old bowling alley. In the years since the Eagles Club used it for recreation, the large space has been divided into various rooms and has become a catch-all for odds and ends of furniture.

“This makes it fun and interesting,” said Donovan when he sees the bowling alley.

The second floor ballroom, with its expansive polished wood floor, is currently used for dance instruction and hall rentals.

The dark third floor appears to be just as large as the ballroom, with smaller rooms off to the side. Up a thin set of stairs is the dark attic floor where Guillen and Sload first encountered the disembodied male voice.

“Hopefully there are some spirits here,” Sload said. “We’re trying to find spirits.”

He noted, however, that the team attempts to rationally explain any noise or other phenomenon before terming it paranormal.

“If I experience something, I try to troubleshoot it,” he said. “We depend on our equipment a lot. We look for environmental changes, such as temperature or humidity.”

Not every investigation reveals something out of the ordinary, Sload said.

“There’s times we don’t catch anything,” he said, noting it’s not like the ghost hunting shows on TV. “On a lot of these shows, you see a lot of stuff that’s fabricated.”

Results?

We won’t know until their investigation is complete what, if anything, the EPI team found in Pottstown. “To do a full analysis takes weeks and weeks,” said Sload.

However, at 3:43 a.m. Thursday, Mauro tweeted: “Some crazy s**t going on this last hour! I can’t wait to go through our audio and video!”

So we do know they had fun looking.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Regular blog postings begin on DECEMBER 26, Monday.

Monticello has ghost tour for New Year's Eve

From Tallahassee.com: Monticello has ghost tour for New Year's Eve