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Are Ghosts Real?
It is our belief at Carolina Paranormal Research Society that they are. Whether you seek help to document the pressence of spirits, get greater understanding of "the other side", or assistance to clear a location of ghostly activity, you can findassistance from us at CPRS. We apply knowledge of the paranormal in connection with instruments and techniques to learn more about supernatural activity. Spirits create changes in the normal enviroment. We pinpoint these changes to gain new meaning of any phenomenon which is present at a location. We use subjective and objective information. Most spiritual encounters are evaluated by the five physical senses alone. This makes most information about ghosts subjective (dependant upon an observer's limited perception). Objective evidence (dependant upon external, unbiased measurement, equally obtainable by all) is the foundation of scientific knowledge. We don't automatically jump to conclusions based on subjective data, we don't rule out the conventional. Though our sensory perspectives are unique, we use a definite standard by which to document reality, through scientific methods. The scientific method is founded on using objective evidence to establish a set of facts about any given phenomenon. However, humans have been experiencing things that cannot be explained for thousands of years. Most of the world's religions are based on the concept of a spiritual world, or an invisible dimension of existence that transcends our own. Even in the Holy Bible, chilling encounters are described, like this passage from the Book of Job (4:15): "Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up". At last, the centuries of "entity encounters", are still unexplained. This is exactly why science is necessary. If we are to grow in our understanding, we must use tools of our newest technology to separate documented facts from rumor and myth. Despite what some believe, there is indeed scientific evidence that supernatural manifestations are real. We at Carolina Paranormal Research Society are here to help you with any questionsor concerns you may have or activity you may be experiencing. Just e-mail us and we will get back to you ASAP! By Angie Windom
What are Ghosts?
Also called spirits, phantoms, wraiths, visions, shades, specters, haints, and
apparitions, we can loosely define a ghost as some paranormal aspect of the physical form and/or mental presence that appears to exist apart from the original physical form. Webster's defines a ghost as "a disembodied human spirit". Likewise, a ghost does not always cause ghostly activity. We here at Carolina Paranormal Research Society believe that lots of spectral manifestations surround us each day. Most are hidden in realms outside of the naked human perception. A sharp mind is necessary to process all possibilities.The pursuit of ghostly activity is often called "paranormal" research. The prefix para means "beyond". The term refers to studying any events beyond the realm of normal occurrences. How do we define normal? Normal is any phenomenon that can be satisfactorally explained by known and widely accepted physical laws and standards. If an event cannot be fully explained by known scientific laws or information, it falls into the category of the paranormal.
The "Boo Factor"This is what I call people that go to graveyards, old buildings, railroad tracks, or even a private residence just like paranormal investigators do but are doing it to get scared or play around. Those type of people are in it for the fun of getting "spooked". We here at CPRS donot go about paranormal investigations that way at all. You should respect the paranormal just as you would a living person. Also what I think about is the family members of the ones that have passed before us. Would they like us making light of their loved ones death? Would you want someone to do that to someone you may have lost? Alot of the tv shows that are on today about ghost hunting are just that a show.
In my opinion alot of the time they are acting and being dramatic. They run around screaming and act terrified if they here a little bump. It really does make the people like us and others that are serious about this type of thing look bad. Don't get me wrong I think everyone likes a good ghost story or a little scare because it can be fun and exciting. That's innocent enough, sitting at home or wherever telling ghost stories is fine. Going to locations where you have heard there is activity and being disrespectful is another. Oh, and by the way there is a show or two that I myself happen to watch sometimes. Not all are like that. Every paranormal group or investigater goes about things in different ways.
Every one is different and unique in there own way. One of my favorite words when it comes to the subject of the paranormal is RESPECT. Respect for the spiritual world and for your fellow group members. People that really want to learn and experience the unknown take things very seriously. Carolina Paranormal Research Society has very much respect. Again, don't get me wrong we like to have fun too and we do. We definently would love to have new members to join us!
If you are interested please let us know.By the way, if you haven't checked out the first article I did, "Are Ghosts Real", you might wanna check it out. Since we are just getting started I decided that I would go ahead and do these two so you can see more of what we are about. We want you to get to know us and we want to get to know you as well. Wednesday, November 1st, I will have a new article for you and try to have a new one every Wednesday. If there is anything you would like me to talk about or you have any questions e-mail me at:
Looking forward to it,
Angie
Why Does An Entity Stick Around?
Entities are human beings in another form. They are mind and energy that still retain individual personality. There are many reasons why a spirit may stick around. If a person dies young, especially violently, it is likely that a ghost will remain. This means that they are here because of "unfinished business". It is a young person's natural tendancy to live a full and natural life. When that life is cut short, maybe they are resisting moving on. Based on research done by paranormal experts some parents encounter their child's spirit at some point. Oftentimes, a young person's spirit will stay for a period of a few years, then eventually move on.
Of course, unfinished business is most common among older people. Usually, when an older person chooses to stay after death, its because of a strong connection to the physical world. Some people simply dont want to leave their home behind. It's a place where thet grew to feel comfortable. Maybe owning the property was a lifetime acheivement and just think of the memories they have there. That may have been where they watched there children grow up.
Also, there are some people who stick around because they don't want to leave someone behind. Maybe they just want to visit there loved ones to see how they are doing. It seems they like to watch the person go about there daily life and even do things to be noticed by there loved ones. Sometimes it can be something that right when it happens you just know it had to be them.
Those with a guilty conscience may choose to stay as well. They fear the consequences of possibly moving on to a place of judgement. As it's been said, for every action, there's an opposite but equal reaction. Likewise you reap what you sow. If you weren't a good person in life you maybe more fearful of having to take responsibility for your behavior.
It seems that some spirits stay around because they truly do not realize that they are dead. If you seen the movie "The Sixth Sense," then you saw that was the case.
I read that after the World Trade Center fell, people talked about paranormal experiences taking place around the location. People who lived near the site would sometimes see apparitions of people in business suits and wandering around as if in a complete daze. Do these people know they are dead? Or are they still in shock?
Determining why a ghost stays around is one of the most challenging questions facing us as paranormal investigators. In our world of the living, its hard for us to understand the motivation of people. That's why it's even more complicated to try to figure out why a spirit is still around. There are some therioes we at Carolina Paranormal Research Society have about questions like this one. But, there is still phenomenon that is hard to explain. CPRS is determined to learn more and dedicated to help others understand as well.
*Angie*
Note: Have any responses to the any of the three articles so far? Go to the forum and start a topic about it! We welcome your opinions!
Orbs vs. Dust
The debate is still on going about Orbs. Orbs are balls of light that are caught on camera film as well as digitial. On digitial sometimes the person may see the Orb when taking the picture through the view finder. Digital cameras can see into the infrared light specturm that the human eye alone cant see. To prove this take your tv remote and look at it throught your digitial cameras view finder. Push a button on the remote and look for the light at the top of the remote to come on. You will be able to see it. Now try it without the camera and you cant see the light. This proves that the camera can see and pick up things that you cant.
Not all balls of light are Orbs. They can be dust, moisture, insects, pollen, etc. So how do we tell what may be paranormal? It takes some training to be able to know the difference. Sometimes even I have a hard time with a picture and have to rule it out if im not certain. I can only tell you what to look for and you will have to practice with you camera in different situations and enviromential extremes.
Take picture in the daylight as well as night. Take them whens its dry and after a rain. Try and take pics when insects are out to see how the look on camera. The key is practice. Just take pictures. It doesnt cost you anything to take digital. When I go to an investigation I usually take no less than 150 pics.
I will give you some examples of dust and true orbs. All of the orb pics in the pictures page of the site are believe to be explainable or real. We may not be able to say that a picture is 100% real but we can be pretty close. Just as some we can surely rule out.
The above picture is exactly what we want to look for in a true Orb picture. This was taken in daylight with a digitial camera. As you can see it is bright and seems to give off its on light. It appears to be (in motion) moving when the picture was taken. These pictures are rare but very hard to rule out.
Now i will tell you how to know how to spot dust, etc. Dust will show up in the pictures as dim balls of light that most of the time you can see through. There usually is serveral in one picture but could be just one. It can be very dim or may be somewhat bright depending on how close it was to the Flash. Insects are not truely round and they may look like a fairy in some pics. In daylight no need to use a flash. Also watch for reflective materials or street lights in the background of your pics. Dont take pics in the sun. The sun should be at your back.
These are just some tips when you are trying to capture Orb pictures. Like I said before practice is the key. If you are unsure about a picture have some look at it before saying it is paranormal. If you dont know then rule it out. Like I said before true Orb pics are rare and we dont want to put fakes on our sites for the skeptics to tear us apart. If we do then we lose our reputation and then no one we believe any of our evidence.
David CPRS Founder
Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVPS)
This is a guide for the people who are newbies who wish to know more about EVP'S. Its not hard to find out more about this field. Doing a little research, one can learn alot just by reading off the internet. But we here want you to get the most accurate and up to date information possible on all topics related to the paranormal. This is for newbies so it will be basic. EVP has been around for decades but has increased in popularity in recent years. They are voices that come from an unknown source and are possibly the voices of the deceased communicating with us. The recording parties hear nothing unusual while they record, yet the voices are mysteriously on the tape at playback --most oftenly faint and muffly sounding (from being mixed in with mic static or other static), yet sometimes amazingly as clear as a bell. There are three levels of EVPs, Class A being a clear voice that can be heard as well as can be understood what is being said, (rare). Class B a voice can be heard but people will not understand or agree whats being said. Class C is a very faint voice even a whisper that can not be understood.
I remember the first time I was skeptical but wanted to go out and try it just to see what would happen. My sister and myself went out to a local cementery in broad daylight. Went went to the tombstone of a young guy that we knew that had died of a car accident. We were using a audio cassette with a external mic in which I was holding. My sister called him by name and ask if he was there. Of course we heard nothing at the time. But when we got home and played it back we had a answer to our question. A male voice said "HERE" and I was the only male around at the time. It was a class A and to say the least we were shocked. Since then we have had others sometimes answering our questions and sometimes just speaking when none of us are talking. We always both have audio to compare later.
Now I know there are sketics out there because I was one of them. But now I see things a little different. Am I satisfied 100% no thats why I still do investigations. But I have came along way from being a total skeptic and have kept an open mind. I think skeptics are not all bad. They keep us honest despite the bad apples out there.
Well now some of you may know a little more about what an evp is, though basic, I recommend, if interested, to do more advanced research on your own. If you have some activity and all you have is orbs, then I would try to get and evp to go along with the orb. I feel that good evp's are harder to dismiss than orb pics. Both together only makes your case stronger.
Here is my recomendation when trying to capture evp's. First try to eliminate anything that may interfere such as a radio, tv, too many people in the room, etc. Have no more than two people in the room and both speak into the mic so both voices are recorded. Dont wisper and talk normal. If you are in a bad mood dont try to get a evp you are wasting your time. Negative energy will affect everyone and including spirits. I have found that you can capture them day or night. Keep a recorder handy when you have something happen in your home and try the evp then. If you are taking pics, it is my experience that most of my evp's happen right after I take a pic. Are they some how using the energy from the camera or flash? Who knows.
Information before becoming a Ghost Hunter
There is some information that one should know before one enters this kind of research, work, hobby or whatever you wish to call it. First and most inportantly you should be somewhat serious about learning more about the paranormal and not just have a casual curiousity about it. If you are just a little curious then I would suggest you watch it on TV or read about it in books. Even being serious about it does make you suitable for this kind of work. I am not trying to discourage anyone but I can tell you that this kind of thing is not for everyone. Also there is no way to tell who is until they have learned more and experienced things that they cant explain.
My team consist of around 10 members and I can say that all of them are suitable for this line of work and have done very well. They have been consistant and dedicated to the group and on investigations and get excited when we capture something we cant explain. Some people will try it and decide its not for them and thats what they should do if they feel that way. Other people will tell you up front that they are not into the paranormal for whatever reason. Some people are just curious but wouldnt dream of going into a haunted house. Most of these people like a good scare and thats about it. There is no room for them when you are trying to use science and instruments to prove that ghost are real.
My suggestion for anyone that is really interested in the paranormal is to first have a open mind and do some research first. When I say an open mind I mean dont already make your mind up either way that ghost are real or not just dont assume. We all are and have been a skeptic at some point. Again do research especially online now. All of the good teams have websites that have information and even offer help if needed. Find a group in your area and learn more about them and what they do.
Most teams are open to new members but are looking for a certain type of person and for good reason. Sometimes this field attracts the werido's and no one wants that on there teams. But find a good team and find out more about them to see if what they do is in line with what you are comfortable with. A small number of teams do things that I would not feel confortable with and I wouldnt associate with them personally.
One more note to touch on is that what your family, friends, associates, will think of you if and when you decide to become a ghost chaser. From my own experience to my suprise, most everyone has given me positive feedback. Notice I said most but not all. Some people will think that you are crazy,werid, etc. I am making you aware of this ahead of time before you decide to proceed in this field. Again I have gotten some good feedback and with the paranormal being in the news and on TV these days I think has helped bring us out of the dark so to speak. The paranormal field has came a long way in recent years and the public is more educated to it, which helps us out alot.
Well I hope this has given some insight to anyone that has been thinking about joining a team or is serious about learning more about the parnaormal. I welcome you to this field as it is in need of some dedicated people that are willing to work hard toward finding and proving what is unknown and making it known.
David
CPRS Founder
This article is for those of you that think that your house may be haunted. There are certain things to look for when you think that is may be true in your home. You may here footsteps, strange noises, muffled voices, strange smells, cold spots, the feeling of being watched. You may also hear your name being called or find personal items disappear then reappearing. Seeing Orbs or shawdows out of the corner of you eyes is a good indicator.
A home, apartment or building does not require a death to take place for it to be haunted. Many new homes are haunted because the ghost or ghosts like the home and have decided to dwell within. Yes, the spirits think and respond just like we do. Some times the land is where the spirit is attached and not the house. Most often the spirits move about without restrictions as to where they died or where they lived. Any place new or old can have activity. Most people dont want to hear that they may have something they cant explain in there home. They may be fearful or feel threatened by the unknown or paranormal. Some always think that it is demons. Ghost are not demons. Demons were never human. We are talking about human spirits and there is a big difference.
Ghosts are people without bodies, complete with their attitudes, personalities and emotions. They will be as they were in there physical bodies. If they were nice people here then guess what? They will be as a spirit as well. If they were mean here then yes they may be as a spirit. These are the ones I feel are mistaken and labeled as demons sometimes. I will talk more later about real demons. Why are they here? Well I have been asked this question before and I think it is because of some unfinished business or they stay around to protect of look after loved ones. They may be attached to a location and dont want to leave it. I feel most of these spirits eventually move on to where ever they are suppose to be.
Well what do I do about a ghost in my home? This is a good question that even the experts cant really answer. There is no sure way to get rid of the spirits. Real life ghost busters do not exist and no one can promise you they will get rid of the problem. You can have a place blessed but its not a cure all. I always make people aware of this up front before I conduct an investigation of someones home. But what I can do is educate people about the paranormal and help them understand what is going on and hopfully this eases some of the fears they may have about paranormal activity.
If you feel you have activity then look for the clues I have talked about. Also take pictures and do some basic audio in the house to see if something can be captured. If you have children the look for clues that may involve them. Often in a haunting the activity will happen around the children. Why? They are more tuned to it and the spirits can sense that. Do some research of the home and that too could give clues as to what history is in the home. If you are having serious activity or problems then seek the advice of an paranormal investigator.
There are serveral things to keep in mind while trying to obtain evidence at any location. First it will help if you know where the hot spots are. This will save you time at the investigation if you know where to look. Most places have a certain area the activity is occuring at. Check with the client or do a pre-investigation to determine the hot spots. In an investigation time is not on our side. We are most of the time on a time limit and that time doesnt need to wasted by searching for these areas. You should already have some idea. Try and get a feel for the place and not just go by the instruments. You sometimes can get a different feel in a certain area than in others. Ok I will give you a couple of secrets that I should save for a book. Look for rooms that feel thick, take pics in hallways, stairs, around children. You and your team members are new to the area and the spirits will be curious so take pics around your partner. Knowing where to take pics is better than just taking pics and hoping to get lucky. Its the same with any other evidence.
Evp's are still more rare than people think. I do feel like some people are somehow more "In tuned" to evp's than normal people. Do I think I has this ability, or have I just gotten better at doing it? I really dont know. But i feel like anyone can better their chances if they do there homework and apply some of the inside secrets I have talked about. Over time you will get better, why? I dont know but you will if that makes sense. You will find out too that you will develop an "ear" for it when listening for evp's and you will pick them up when the average person will not.
I have found that the evp's that I get are just as good as any of the other groups that are out there. So I can say that my techinqes work, although alot of sites or articles out there are alot different when it comes to evp's. They say limit your audio recordings to 2 mins intervals. I disagree with this and feel like you are limiting yourself and missing alot of good evp's. I think the ones that say that are just to lazy to want to have to go back and listen to there audio. Trust me it is worth letting the audio run. The best evp's are when you least expect it. The spirits will speak when they feel like it not when you want them to.
Something else I would like to touch on is the mental state of the person doing evp work. If you have a closed mind of are having a bad day it will affect your results. You are wasting your time if you are upset, mad, or just not feeling up to it. Better to save it for another day. Also if someone is with you is a strong skeptic it could also have an effect. Becareful of the content of your conversation while doing evps. Spirits often are listening to you and will often make comments. Hope this will help the next time you go out and maybe it will help you to make the best of your time.