When folks ask me, as a paranormal ghost detective ,writer and researcher, if I believe in ghosts, my answer is, "yes" They are often surprised by this answer, considering I've had my websites and blogs for over 13 years writing about such things and I have spent the better part of 20 years researching ghosts and hauntings. So I explain to them that I do not believe in such things without proof and without seeing for myself. Rather, my research and investiations have led me to the conclusion that there is something to the phenomena of ghosts and hauntings that warrants me to study and investigate further.
I do not know what ghosts are (no one does, despite proclamations of certainty), but there is enough anecdotal evidence (experiences of people), recordings, pictures, and videos of interest to justify scrutiny of that evidence to try to find out what's going on.
But it does no good to believe in ghosts, psychic phenomena, or creatures like Bigfoot. To my mind, belief is the acceptance of an idea without evidence. And where's the sense in that? Why would anyone believe in something for which there is no evidence? That's called "self delusion". And when it comes to many areas of the paranormal, there's no need for this self delusion. There is enough evidence for ghost phenomena, psychic experiences, and Sasquatch (to take just three paranormal examples) for the open-minded person to say that those are worth looking into.
SHADOWY EVIDENCE
Yet, let's be totally honest about this: the tangible evidence for these things is not really strong. With few exceptions, we do not have the kind of solid evidence that we can bring into a science lab for dissection and repeat experimentation:
- With ghosts we mostly have the experiences and sightings by people. What's compelling is the sheer number of reports over thousands of years. Yes, ghosts have been reported and written about for almost 3,000 years! How can that be ignored?
- Poltergeist activity also has its witnesses, sometimes by groups of people, including such good first-hand witnesses as police officers and academics.
- Psychic phenomena is also mostly anecdotal, although there have been scientific experiments suggesting its reality by persons such as Rupert Sheldrake and even university labs such as the now-defunct Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) lab.
- With Bigfoot we have many compelling sightings by credible witnesses, as well as detailed footprints and peculiar hair samples that do not correlate with any known primate.
To the curious, open-minded person, however, the evidence is enticing enough to explore. In fact, the implications that these phenomena hold if they can be proved or at least better understood are so potentially far-reaching and profound that it seems ridiculous - even insane - to dismiss them out of hand.
DON'T BELIEVE - EXPLORE
There is no need to be blind believers, but there are very good reasons to be explorers, investigators, and questioners.
Blind belief, when it comes to the paranormal, is practically useless. The paranormal should not be a belief system. Believing that orbs are spirits, that ghosts are dead people, that Sasquatch comes here from another dimension, that a person is possessed by a demon - to state these things as facts as part of a belief system is counter-productive to serious paranormal research. If you're a believer, you already have your mind made up, and if your mind is already made up about this stuff, you're probably wrong.
The truth is we do not know the absolute nature of these things. These are mysteries. Maybe ghosts are dead people; I don't know; maybe they are something else entirely. Maybe Sasquatch is an unknown animal, or maybe it does warp here from another dimension; I don't know. Maybe some UFOs are extraterrestrial craft; I don't know. No one knows the definitive truth about these things. Yet.
OPEN-MINDED SKEPTICISM
So we need to collect, examine, and follow the evidence wherever it takes us. We're interested in the truth, not what is fun or convenient to believe in. That's not to say you cannot have opinions about these subjects. I certainly have strong opinions, ideas, and suspicions about many facets of the paranormal, but we should not be inflexible about these opinions when we are confronted with conflicting evidence or alternate theories.
Yes, I'm going to use the "S" word - we must be skeptical. We must be open-minded skeptics, willing to consider and question every photo, video, EVP, story, and feeling. We need to be rigorous in our examination of these things. Otherwise we're just deluding ourselves.
Don't be a blind paranormal believer. Be a paranormal explorer. What has been labeled the "paranormal" is an amazing world of mystery and possibility. That's why I do this website and I'm sure that's why you come here.
Perhaps we'll never fully understand these mysteries, but delving into them is a really exciting, fun journey. Coming to terms with "the unexplained" will give us a fuller understanding of life, ourselves, our minds, our existence, and perhaps of reality itself. I'd say that's worthwhile.
Here's How:
- As soon after the experience as possible, find a way to record what you saw or experienced. It's important to do this as quickly as possible, while the experience is still fresh in your mind. Be sure to include these aspects of your experience:
- Record your location. Write down exactly where you were when the phenomena took place. Be as specific and thorough as possible. If at home, where in your home, etc? Out in your car? Where, as specifically as possible?
- Record your situation. Were you standing? Sitting? Lying down? Were you alone? If others were with you, how many? What were they doing? Had you been drinking or taking any kind of drugs or stimulants? Were you tired or wide awake? Do you wear glasses - and were you wearing them?
- Record the circumstances. If outside: Was it day - sunny or cloudy? Was it night - moonlit, artificial lights. Record any other weather conditions. If inside: was it dark, dim or well-lit?
- Describe what you saw. In as much detail as possible, describe what you saw. By your best estimate, give its size, dimensions, weight, colorings, apparel, transparency, etc. If the phenomena wasn't something you saw, describe the experience. Include what you felt, heard, smelled and sensed.
- Record your proximity. If it was something you saw, by your best estimate, how far away from you was it?
- Describe its action. If it was something you saw, was it moving? How? How quickly? Record in as much detail as possible the behavior of what you saw. Again, be sure to include any noises or sounds that accompanied the experience.
- Record the timing. How long did the phenomena take place? At what time did it begin to occur? At what time did it end? (Was their any "missing time"?)
- Record the number of witnesses. Were you the only one who experienced the phenomenon? If there were others, how many? Was their experience with the phenomena the same as yours or different? If different, how?
- Submit your report to a local and/or national paranormal research organization. (See Related Resources below.) Encourage other witnesses to do likewise or to at least co-sign your submission.
Tips:
- Be sure to provide basic information. Although including your name, address and other such personal information is often optional, you should include your gender, age and other such information about yourself that might be relevant.
- Make a drawing. In some cases, making a drawing of what you saw or the circumstances of your experience can be helpful. If outdoors, a map of the place can clarify the situation.
- Take photos. It should go without saying, but if you have a still or video camera at hand when the incident occurs, take pictures. (You'd be surprised at how may people forget to use their cameras in the excitement of the moment.) If you didn't have your camera at the time and it's a sighting of a creature or something, consider returning to photograph the area.
- Be accurate and truthful. Paranormal experiences are difficult enough to believe, so it's very important to be accurate and honest in your report. Do not exaggerate or make assumptions about your experience. Report only the facts. Do not make false reports or claims.
What You Need:
- Still or video camera.
- Tape recorder.
- Pen and paper
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