Words I'd Like to Never Hear Again on Paranormal Shows

I've been watching the old standards in Ghost Hunting shows like GhostHunters and Ghost Adventures.  I like Celebrity Ghost Stories and have watched some of the newer shows like My Ghost Story and Hauntings on animal planet channel.  Some are watchable, some like Paranormal Witness are abysmal and unwatchable.  No matter what show, but especially the newer ones where psychics or paranormal groups have been consulted, there seems to be an increasing use of 3 words I hate to hear: Vortex, Portal, and Orbs!!! While I obviously believe in ghosts and hauntings I do not believe that there are vortexes where energy flows in like a whirlpool from another dimension or "beyond". Neither are there portals: tunnel like pathways for spirits to enter and leave at  will to a specific site.  And orbs - don't even suggest that they are not due to slow speed night digital cameras creating "orbs" out of dust, insects and sometimes nothing at all but a miscommunication to a digital processor!

Ghosts On the Underground documentary

I came across a reference to a documentary called "Ghosts on the Underground" which is about hauntings in the Tube, the underground subway in London. It's well done and very interesting. Here's a site where you can watch it online: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/ghosts-underground/

I'm glad I came across it, and hope you enjoy it!

Graveyard Tour of Concord MA

Cemeteries can be spooky, creepy places but they can also be peaceful landscapes that reflect a town's history. Below is a video tour of three graveyards in Concord MA, a town steeped in history and the site of the first shots of the Revolutionary War. It was also the home of many famous authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott and Henry Thoreau.

"I feel a presence...."

How many shows with investigators or psychics have any of us watched where at some point comes the inevitable "I feel a presence"? This statement always elicits a mental response from me of "Oh, please..." It's easy to feel like something is hovering in a dark corner or just out of sight in any place that is creepy to begin with. I have certainly experienced this unnerving sensation in such situations, but does that mean that there really is a paranormal presence there? I don't think so (and many people will certainly disagree with me). It's so subjective, and so hard to prove or verify.

Having said this, I will admit that there was one time that I experienced this feeling in a way that does make me give it more credence than I used to. I do real estate photography and have done hundreds of houses. In one house the realtor was downstairs with the seller while I was shooting the master suite. The suite had a long hallway into the actual bedroom area with double closets on one side and the master bath on the other. I was shooting an office area off the back of the bedroom with my back to the hallway into the room. I thought the agent had come up and was walking in, and I turned to see nothing. Mentally shrugging I aimed my camera again, and I definitely sensed her walk in and up behind my left shoulder. I actually said, "one more second - almost done" and after taking the photo, turned with my mouth open to say "okay, all set" to see no one. I went out to the landing and heard the agent and seller talking downstairs. Could have been a spirit, could have been my imagination. There's no way to ever really know. And that's my point (problem) with this type of "evidence". It's not true evidence at all.

Market Ghost Tour in Seattle

While I was in Seattle recently I went on the Market Ghost Tour which is run by Michelle and Mercedes, two very personable women. The guide for my group was Michelle, who was a very good storyteller. The tour lasted a little over an hour, and covered the Pike Place Market area. We visited about four places that we stopped and heard about at length, but there were also other places that were referred to as we went along. The first mortuary in Seattle was definitely the most intriguing site, but all of the tour was interesting. Michelle gave us a lot of the history of Seattle and the Market as well as talking about the paranormal goings on, and made it entertaining as well as informative. My only disappointment was that we were not able to go into any of the sites - the Market Theater was having rehearsals going on, and the mortuary building has been in the process of major renovations for a year or two and is not accessible. If you are visiting Seattle, I would recommend this tour as one of your activities!

What happened to making NEW Halloween specials?!

I'm assuming if you're reading this "haunted blog" or came from my Haunted Travels web site you too love the Halloween season. I look forward every year to an increase in books, movies and TV shows on the paranormal, especially ghosts and hauntings. However, it seems that each year the specials are the same ones from the late 90's, taken from the vault and dusted off. Here's hoping that this year maybe there will be some new shows.

There's big buzz around the movie "Paranormal Activity" that's coming out in very limited release. If anyone's seen it, care to share an opinion? No spoilers please!

Ghost Lab

Wow, how disappointing was the new ghost hunting show, Ghost Lab?! They threw around lots of scientific sounding theories, phrases and techniques, but when it came down to it they didn't show us anything different from other shows. What they did and and their results actually seemed lacking rather than more thorough than other ghost hunters on the air.

Their throwing around the phrase Parallel Universes and Era Cues not only got very irritating, but their understanding of each and how they relate to each other and to ghost hunting seemed very superficial. (For a fascinating read about parallel universes and how it relates to hauntings read the book Psience by Marie D. Jones.) One episode of this show was enough for me.

for another lengthier (and well written) review go to http://gnostalgia.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/my-first-at-ghost-lab/

EVPs

Anyone else out there getting tired of International Ghost Hunters' obsession with EVPs? It seems like their technique of choice lately. Whereas Jason and Grant's investigations used it at times, this team seems to always have their trusty mini recorders on and asking questions. The strangest aspect to this is that many of their investigations are in countries where the deceased they're trying to communicate with wouldn't know English!!! I find also that their EVPs are even more vague than usual and yet they think they're clearly saying what they want to hear in them.

Personally, I have always been very skeptical of EVPs. There are so many air waves carrying radio, TV, cell phone, and computer communications it would surprise me if a tape recorder left running didn't pick something up. The day an EVP has a voice speaking clearly in sentences relaying information very unique to the situation/question I'll be impressed.

Has anyone gotten an EVP that is clear, is more than a word or two and is specific to the situation? What do others think about this technique as a tool for investigating the paranormal?

I like the TV show Ghost Hunters but I wish they'd.....

In general I enjoy the show Ghost Hunters on SciFi Channel. I appreciate many aspects of the TAPS group. Their approach of scepticism while hoping to get something that can serve as evidence of a haunting is an attitude I share. While I definitely believe in ghosts and hauntings, I do think that many sounds and occurrences assumed to be ghosts have another explanation. Another aspect of their investigations that I REALLY appreciate is the lack of talk about demons and possession!

However, I do have a short list of things that I'd like to see done differently:

1. Could they have SOME low level light during the investigations? Since the ghosts are seen/heard during the daytime by their hosts pitch black is obviously just for "good TV." It's very frustrating to hear an investigator say "I just saw something down there" and point down the hallway in front of them and we can only see the 3 feet their flashlight illuminates.

2. Could the videographers actually swing their cameras around the ROOM now and then, especially when the investigators say they saw something "over there" instead of always being on the investigators' FACES?!

3. With the budget they must have by now, could they get more cameras? Which also leads to....

4. How can anyone analyze videotape for visual anomalies that may be subtle when they are watching 4 tapes at once on a split screen. They should have more human viewers or take more days to really analyze their findings.

5. And last, but not least, one night is not enough to declare a site haunted or not. I would like to see the group spend two nights in each location to really create a better chance of experiencing something and catching some evidence.

Although the show (for me) has these shortcomings, I do enjoy it and think it is far and above the best of the ghost investigation shows on TV.

Any thoughts?

Ouija Boards

When I was young ouija boards were a part of many sleepover parties. Now there are warnings throughout paranormal articles, books and TV shows about the dangers of using one. The predominant opinion seems to be that they can "open a door" for evil spirits to come through. I guess it's best to take the "better safe than sorry" approach. Although my experiences never resulted in any horrific or lasting results, it seems that others have had very negative experiences.

Are ouija boards' movements performed by spirits at all? Could most or all of the answers from beyond be from our own subconscious? If previously unknown facts are offered, couldn't ESP be a factor and the board a vehicle for the psychic ability of an individual?

If anyone has any ouija board experiences to share or thoughts about its validity and how it works, please comment!

Ghost Hunting Groups

It seems like there are more regional paranormal investigative groups than ever, and more springing up all the time. Are any of you starting your own ghost hunting groups? Looking for like-minded people to start one?

Information on what tools you use and how you get clients would be interesting. Also, feel free to let the rest of us know about any of your unusual experiences.

Welcome

Hi, welcome to my Haunted Blog. I hope you've enjoyed my web site with places to visit, and reviews of books and movies. This is a place to post thoughts and share responses.

Some of my general opinions on the paranormal: I believe in ghosts and also in ESP. I do not believe that "orbs" in photos are ghosts or spirits and I also do not believe in demonology. The book Psience is the most fascinating book I've read lately about the paranormal and I am so excited that people are starting to think that quantum physics may hold some answers that explain what we now call paranormal events.

You can email me your stories and experiences and I will "paste" them in here as posts so others can read them. Again, welcome and feel free to share your thoughts!