|
You've heard strange noises at night or felt a sudden flash of cool air, but no windows or vents are open and no drafty doors or windows. Maybe you've found yourself doing a double take because you swear you saw someone standing...watching you off in your peripheral vision, you turn and no one is there...
According to many paranormal experts, a sudden sensation of cool air, phantom movements in your peripheral vision, and hairs standing on end at the back of your neck are all good indicators a spiritual presence is manifesting itself. These sensations were briefly mentioned in the Bruce Willis Movie the Sixth Sense and other movies in the genre. As I’ve mentioned before, despite the mainstream success and popularity of such shows like Ghost Hunters, Paranormal State, and Ghost Adventures; the existence of ghosts remains widely controversial.
Having said that, some of the questions we're often asked is - if ghosts are real, why are they here, why do the haunt the places they do? What are spirits? Are they or were they human? Why do they stay earth bound?
To those in the paranormal community, the reasons for why and who they are varied. They could be spirits who met an untimely death or it could be a spirit who has unfinished business or are destined to remain earthbound until their debt has been repaid. The presence of paranormal activity could be an imprint of energy left over from a traumatic event. When investigating a potential site for paranormal activity, researching the site's history, the people who owned or lived on that property and the events that might have occurred there; will be a big step towards possibly identifying who might be haunting that location and if in fact it is haunted.
Assuming, you find that you're on to something and you have evidence of some possible paranormal activity; the next question would be then, what kind of haunting is it? Is there a way to classify a haunting? As luck would have it, there is a classification system for identifying types of hauntings.
There is one basic fact in the scientific and paranormal communities that exists; that they agree on and that has to do with energy. While energy can be created, it cannot destroyed, but it can be converted from one form to another or in this case, left behind. It is believed that there is a direct connection between a tragic, violent or untimely death and a haunting. An untimely death robs that person of their future, of reaching his or her aspirations or goals in life. It may have taken them away from someone or something he or she loved without having had the opportunity to say goodbye. The shock of this sudden and unexpected departure can be so intense that it leaves an imprint on the location and therefore may lead to a haunting. Then there are those who may not realize they are dead.
Having said that, Hauntings can either be Residual, Intelligent or Demonic and are defined below:
Residual Hauntings - In essence Residual Hauntings are sort of a loop of some past tragedy or event that left its imprint; playing itself over and over for all time. There is no interaction with the living, the ghost does not see or hear you because the ghost is not actually present only his or her energy is present. Liken it to a video left in a loop to play over and over again. Some researchers believe that over time the energy from these hauntings may diminish to a low enough level of energy that is undetectable by human perception. (Remember energy can't be destroyed, it either dissipates or changes form.) Intelligent Hauntings - If you recall the movie "The Sixth Sense" Haley Joel Osment's character could see, hear and interact with the ghosts around him. These were human spirits who had not crossed over and had some unfinished business with the living or some message they needed to deliver, before they could move on. The reasons for this type of haunting are wide and varied, The spirit is either so emotionally connected to his loved ones that he refuses to pass, or his death happened so quickly that he has not yet realized he is dead, and thus continues to live as though he were not. These ghosts will sometimes unlock doors and open windows, run the faucets and even interact with you directly because they are an "intelligent" presence. These spirits are often much like they were when they were alive, meaning they retain their personality. If they were kind and had a sense humor, the will likely be the same in the afterlife and they might even like to play a practical joke or two. If they weren't very nice when they were alive, they’re not likely to be any nicer as ghosts. Some researchers and witnesses have even claimed of having had physical contact with a spirit. This is a rarity, but many have claimed to have experienced the phenomena.
There have also been reports of people who could see interact and touch a person who they knew or later discovered had passed away. The difference between what is usually seen and these reported encounters; is that witnesses stated they looked and felt alive.
The third type of haunting, while very rare, is without question the most frightening. These are known as demonic or inhuman spirits. In these types of hauntings, the entity is similar to an intelligent haunting, because it is intelligent and exists in the present with you. However, the emotion that is holding this spirit earth bound is usually anger and its intentions are often malicious. It should be noted these types of entities are not and never were human.
These entities are dangerous and can cause you harm. These situations should be regarded with the utmost respect, so our best is advice is, do not taunt or challenge these entities to engage with you. Instead get qualified help from an ordained priest, minister or experienced spiritual leader to deal with these situations. Do not attempt to intervene on your own. An encounter with a demonic presence can often coincide with a possession and that has to be dealt with on a much higher level.
While we realize that today Ouija boards and Séances are for many a form of entertainment, they are not and shouldn’t be used; as it is believed they can serve as portals for demonic or malevolent spirits. Think of it this way; would you keep your back or front door open, for anyone to wander in off the street? You just never know who might decide to wander in or what their intentions might be.
The same holds true when simply conducting an investigation, which is why we suggest tagging along with an experienced group to get your feet "wet" and you should never do this by yourself or without fully researching the area you are going to investigate. So when conducting an investigation, stick to more traditional methods of gathering evidence and common sense. Whether or not an entity is demonic, never show fear; any entity can choose to feed on that and that can make for an unpleasant experience. Always remember to be respectful; they will appreciate it and so will you.
I’ve mentioned this several times before as well, no matter what your belief system might be or how skeptical you might be that a spirit world exists or that it can interact with the living, it doesn’t hurt to say a protection prayer before and after your investigation. Copyright 2008-2009. Allrights Reserved. The El Paso Alternate Reality Project.
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form