Orbs

Let's talk about "Orb Photography". I am a skeptic in this area. I honestly have never seen anything in a photograph that could not be explained by snow, rain, dust, reflected light, lens smears, etc. This is not to say that it could not happen. Frankly, I would just need to be hit in the face by it to be convinced.

Unfortunately, it is the hot topic where media are concerned, often seen as the potential for smoking-gun evidence of otherworldly phenomena and, let's face it, who wouldn't want to be the one lucky photographer to catch something uncanny on film or memory stick?

The media would be bored stiff by the necessary hours of listening to and watching various recordings. I am actually behind in doing this so my week ahead is well-planned now.

Investigation, Private Residence

Early this morning, I was requested to do a private-residence investigation. Someone is about to move into a house and the owners have told him that it is haunted. I requested that no details be given to me.

I will be doing this tonight.

This has been a busy weekend but this is one of the benefits of being a freelance sensitive: I am under no obligation to be exclusive to one group. So, I generally reserve private investigations for myself or, in the case of another one coming up, work with another psychic of my choosing. I don't think that I could have it any other way.

This way, too, I also own my files: they don't have to be stamped by anyone and can't be claimed as personal or business property by anyone else.

Tonight's Investigation

It was the best I have ever been on. I had unprecedented access to a closed historical site. What is more, the operators were more than open-minded and did their best to ensure a great environment. I barely noticed the equipment being used.

Anyway, I PROMISE to blog more about this but I need to finish writing an unrelated article that I swore I could deliver by next week.

Sleep, Sleep...Where Hides Sleep?

I have a huge investigation~~probably the biggest one that I will ever do~~and it's fewer than 12 hours away. I cannot sleep. I have tried everything, including counting sheep.

I realize that stress is here involved but it really shouldn't be. I mean, it's just an investigation, right? I've done so many already. It's not as if my ability to "see" things is suddenly, without reason, going to fail. It's not as if I don't enjoy these events.

I don't know what it is: perphaps I am excited about the investigation?

I need sleep!

Still Recovering

I am still exhausted after the last investigation and I have a few days to catch up on my sleep, etc. Sometimes, they really take it out of me. I was searching for a helpful article on the subject but failed to turn up anything very useful. If anyone has any leads on this, I would be grateful. If any psychics out there have any advice, that would also be very much appreciated.

More about the last investigation....

Sometimes, it is easier to deal with the dead than it is with the living. While my nascent investigative career is very interesting, it also tests my ability to navigate group dynamics. (Though I have been providing readings for 15 years, it has only been since the latter 6 months of 2003 that I have charged for readings/investigations.)

This last group of investigators: Burke, the "audio guy"; Ben, the "video guy" and Christina, the "reporter". As we went along the walkabout (def. a walk around a purported haunted property to gather psychic impressions), I have to deal with Burke. He makes me feel like a ventriloquist: every time I open my mouth to say something, he speaks. He is actually supposed to be there to record what I say and what the owners say. Sometimes, I feel like walking out of the room to centre myself (as, in fact, I have done.) I find it difficult to deal with the domineering personality.

I have done my level best to be flexible about things and this is the only sticky point for me. I shall have to say something soon.

Post Investigation

Well, my eyes were half-bloodshot yesterday afternoon and now, after many hours of investigation, they are completely red. I cannot believe that this is normal.

Anyway, as I said, there were many hours of investigating in this third and final stage of things. Equipment gets set up rather quickly but then there is the waiting. Waiting to see if anything happens. People get impatient, tired, bored.... I only got tired. And cold. The temperature must have fallen to -40 C. with the windchill.

I have several hours' worth of recordings to sift through: my job is not over, not by a longshot. There are video and audio data as well as maps, etc. to sort. Then, there is making sure that everyone gets copies of everything, that our files are the same. Everyone contributes to the report and this report gets a stamp of approval from the owners of the property. The report is subsequently published in written form. Everyone is happy. This is the way that things are supposed to go.

I know all of you will be waiting for some details, any details, to justify the time you've spent coming to my site. I can only urge you to be patient.

I also know that most people want the chairs-on-the-ceiling experience to happen. I understand this wish. I think that I would be out of a job if this kind of thing always happened. It doesn't. Sometimes, most times, you just hear the sounds of the plumbing or the whrrrrr-ing of machinery. On the one hand, you arrive hoping to contribute something to a body of knowledge; you leave realizing that the body of knowledge is smaller than the head of a pin. Nobody knows anything. On the other hand, you really love your job.

Off To Work I Go...

Well, I'm off to my investigation. It is the third and final stage of an investigation of a large property.

Recap:

On my last investigation people became intensely frightened without cause (this is why I prefer not to have non-investigators on site). I ended up reassuring people about perfectly ordinary, explicable events. My attempts to explain the Reticular Formation and pattern recognition fell on deaf ears though. It seems people want to be right about such things. I actually felt bad having to let them down.

It was -38 with the windchill and my double layer of clothing kept me almost comfortable. There was little heating anywhere that we went.

I was able to pick up the salient historical facts about the property, including particularly bad accidents, a hanging and other suicides as well as descriptions of previous owners and their names (that is, surnames).

Continuation:

The next part of the investigation involved speaking to local residents and asking for anecdotal histories. Everybody wanted to recount the sometimes-gruesome tales but not one person stated a belief in the supernatural or owned up to a belief that the place was haunted.

Interestingly, this is how the conversation would go:

"Do you believe that this place is haunted?"

"No, I don't. But someone hanged himself from those rafters over there. I have heard doors shut by themselves. I've heard footsteps..."

So, the direct approach is useful in getting a conversation started. Nobody wants to admit to a belief in the supernatural but most people want to speak about it.

I picked nothing up because there were too many people around for me to relax enough and I wasn't really there to get impressions.

The Final Stage? Upon my return or soon thereafter...Wish me well. It is -25 degrees Celsius outside.

News Item: The Bassetlaw Ghost Research Group

In all my experience, I have never encountered any objects thrown at me or at anyone on an investigation. This is not to say, of course, that it does not happen. I think that I am fortunate in this respect.

In my one city with which I am familiar, there was a story of a haunted house. The house was on a very busy street and is now boarded up. The information that I gathered those many years ago: a "poltergeist" made the life of a teenage boy and his family very uncomfortable. The ghost did not, apparently, mind performing in front of peoole. There is one report, verified by I don't know whom, that the boy was transported to the ceiling while still sitting in his chair. It would not surprise me, if this did happen, that the child might have sustained bruising, scrapes, etc.

I have added a "Dear Ghostie Gurl" section, kind of an "agony aunt" of the paranormal....



Coming soon: More New Features!

What To Take On An Investigation

Some of these items are good if you are not the only "tool" of divination/detection. All of them are good ideas for a kit.

Flashlight
Digital/SLR Camera
Digital Voice Recorder
Notepad (Weatherproof)
Pen (felt-tip, not ballpoint)
Handheld computer
Extra batteries for everything
Tylenol (cold, damp or dusty areas can cause headaches)
Lip Balm (there is more time outside than one might think)
Hand Sanitizer (plastic containers, not foil because of time involved in removing wrapper)
Comfortable Shoes (preferably waterproof or hiking quality)
Extra Sweater (esp. in winter or after midnight)
Extra Socks (sometimes you muck through puddles, etc.)
Mittens & Gloves (mittens go over gloves in extreme cold)
Scarf (in winter)
Pendulum (or other tool(s), including (but not limited to) EMF readers, etc.)
Mini Toolkit (in case malfunction of equipment)
Tape Measure (you just never know)
High-calorie snack (replace some calories after long time)
Bottles water (2)

What Not To Take On An Investigation

Friends
Spouse/Mate
Children
Pets
Cellphone Turned On
Favourite Book

As you can see, there isn't much that you shouldn't take with you. Taking your friend, spouse, child or pet might be really fun, but it would be too distracting. While they might appreciate the gravity of the situation, there tends always to be a certain amount of whispering. Taking your favourite book to while away the long hours of equipment reading, etc. is just wrong because it sends the wrong message to the owners of the property and to anyone else for that matter.

The Non-Fictional Ghost Story

Initially, I considered using this space to discuss my readings in the "personal accounts" genre. Unfortunately, there is one problem: I rarely read anything in this area. First, I read these accounts for at least two decades and, obviously, after a period of time, there is not much left to read. Secondly, the thrill is not there anymore. I believe that it is because I now investigate hauntings and because I am so accustomed to haunted areas/phenomena.

What I can do, however, is share titles of books that I have enjoyed (sometimes more than once). I have many shelves' worth sitting right beside me so there is no excuse for not doing this.

Spirit vs. Ghost

To me, this is an interesting point and people ask me often. I disagree with Sylvia Browne and probably most of the "psychic community".

Sylvia Browne states that there are, at least, three realms: ghosts, spirits, angels. She defines them as follows: a ghost represents a deceased individual who is unaware that he/she is dead; a spirit represents a deceased loved one or relative who may visit you. An angel, however, belongs to an entirely different "phylum" of entities; these are beings that never incarnate as humans but which can take any form (including human) that is needed to help humans.

Well, I disagree with Sylvia Browne on this front: I believe that a ghost is a spirit and a spirit is a ghost. Angels are another topic altogether: I suspect that these are ghosts, too. It is simply based on my experiences and on my intuition. (What do any of us have in this area but our experience and intuition?)

I also believe that a poltergeist is simply a ghost, though there may be a connection to teenagers, too. A poltergeist is simply a noisy ghost, one that is not seen.

An apparition is simply a ghost, one that is seen.

Gadget Gurl

I just bought a Digital Voice Recorder with USB connectivity. I am so pleased with it! It will make my life so much easier; in fact, investigations will be automatically recorded and stored on my computer. No transcription will be necessary.

Next Two Investigations

I think some of you out there are reading this blog surreptitiously because there are no new links to me! Thank you to the sites that have b*linked to me.

At any rate, my next two investigations are on the block and they promise to be pretty intense. Well, the latter does, anyway. The first one, this upcoming weekend, will involve lots of whirring of equipment for hours on end and is merely the third and final stage of an investigation of a particular property.

The second one is a historical site that has never been professionally investigated. There may, in fact, be media coverage afterwards, I am told.

Recap:

On my last investigation people became intensely frightened without cause (this is why I prefer not to have non-investigators on site). I ended up reassuring people about perfectly ordinary, explicable events. My attempts to explain the Reticular Formation and pattern recognition fell on deaf ears though. It seems people want to be right about such things. I actually felt bad having to let them down.

It was -38 with the windchill and my double layer of clothing kept me almost comfortable. There was little heating anywhere that we went.

I was able to pick up the salient historical facts about the property, including particularly bad accidents, a hanging and other suicides as well as descriptions of previous owners and their names (that is, surnames).

Continuation:

The next part of the investigation involved speaking to local residents and asking for anecdotal histories. Everybody wanted to recount the sometimes-gruesome tales but not one person stated a belief in the supernatural or owned up to a belief that the place was haunted.

Interestingly, this is how the conversation would go:

"Do you believe that this place is haunted?"

"No, I don't. But someone hanged himself from those rafters over there. I have heard doors shut by themselves. I've heard footsteps..."

So, the direct approach is useful in getting a conversation started. Nobody wants to admit to a belief in the supernatural but most people want to speak about it.

I picked nothing up because there were too many people around for me to relax enough and I wasn't really there to get impressions.

The Final Stage? Tune in next time, my friends...

The Missing

I honestly don't know where Spalding Gray is. Even if I did know, who would believe me? Stop looking at me like that! I just don't know.

It is reported that he was depressed over the holiday season and grave suspicions loom. I do have impressions but I would rather not record them here.

Digital Voice Recorder

I have decided to break down and purchase a digital voice recorder. I realize that I need one: I have been in denial about this. I am presently researching all models available right now and I have come to one conclusion: I need one with a USB terminal in order to connect it to my PC. That is one spec that I can't overlook.

In Your Neighbourhood...

Who are the people in your neighbourhood? Well, according to my "ghost-dreams", more than I thought. Last year, sometime in the middle of 2003, a blonde ghost came to my dream. She pointed to the ground and said that she was buried there. Unfortunately, it is a cemented area. My impression is that she was buried some time before the cement was poured.

In discussing this with my husband, I indicated the difficulty in dealing with such a situation. First, would this be a crime scene? Secondly, if so, what made it a crime scene? Thirdly, is there actually somebody missing and, if so, does her description match that of the girl who appeared to me? Finally, but not least of the concerns, who on earth would believe me?

If There's Something Strange...

Last night, I went on an investigation and discovered quite a few things about myself. First, apparently, I am a natural in front of the camera. (I had always avoided cameras in the past.) The group with whom I worked was quite happy to discover that I spoke to the camera as if it were an actual audience and that I did not display any signs of nervousness. It was very much a surprise to myself. It kind of felt like a "Pilot Guides" episode, but for ghosts...

As I spoke, I was very much aware that this footage would be archived and available for public consumption, since the owners of the property were quite happy to share the results of the investigation. I was undaunted. In fact, at all points where everyone was frightened (including myself), I was also undeterred from my purpose. I did not mind going into areas that put me off or frightened me (this is just how I always am.)

Secondly, thankfully, having gone in "cold" to the investigation, I was, according the owners and the liaisons, 100% accurate in the impressions that I received. (The owners had done research about the property and all of the names that I mentioned were actually historically accurate. The liaisons were told about the experiences reported by the owners, so they knew, too.)

I did two "walkabouts" while the audio-visual guys set up all their equipment. Each walkabout included my blurting out impressions.

I ended up explaining, whenever there were multiple interpretations of events, what my particular beliefs were and why. Also, I had to explain to people why I could receive impressions about a place which, according to the equipment, did not seem to have activity: there is a difference between getting an impression of a ghost and "seeing" the past. I do both.

Now, I am preparing a report of the experience.

I have been forewarned that I will, at some point, be barraged with media coverage since there are some very big investigations coming up in the future. Furthermore, I have been asked to represent the company as a psychic and to consider some interesting business propositions.

All in all, it was a very positive experience for me, though the other investigators thought that we had not spent enough time there. They were also concerned that they had not accompanied me on the two walkabouts. I was, however, told that the investigation should proceed as I thought best. Frankly, the equipment hinders my ability to pick things up (the noises, the whispering) and the others were only interested in one area (which, in my opinion, was the wrong area.) At any rate, we discussed it all and I am confident that we can come to some compromises in the future.

Over and out.

New Investigation

I have been contacted about an investigation this month. I do not know what the owner of the property has reported (and this is good) but it is a series of unused buildings. I have already made a few notes about my immediate impressions and I will record these tomorrow.

I will definitely look forward to my dreams over the next little while and I promise to record these, too.

Rune for the Day

Hagall:

link to the primal forces in the universe

rewarded faith

occasional frustration

unpredictability

need to understand precise limits

Rune for the Day

Peorth:

closely allied with all things hidden

finding lost possessions or lost inner knowledge

The Reluctant Psychic

Usually referred to as a gift, being psychic can seem like anything but a gift. A friend of mine recently said, "Most psychics I know never wanted to be psychic." This is so true! She pointed out that she knew me for a year before I let her know. (Now, she hands out my cards every chance that she gets and is a regular customer of mine, refusing to allow me to give her a reading free-of-charge.)

As a teenager, I had access to reams of information that frightened me and caused me stress. Moreover, there is the sense of alenation that teenagers normally experience coupled with just one more thing preventing me from "fitting in." I never spoke of it.

Even as a young adult, only close family and friends knew about the so-called "gift." Still, prescient dreams caused me stress as I helplessly watched them play out second-by-second in real life. They protected me, buffering between my self and harsh events, by giving me foreknowledge. The events still hurt but at least I could see them coming. Also, I often foresaw even minor air crashes and world events.

Now, I mostly consider it to be a gift. The dreams don't plague me and I am happy if I can help someone. As mentioned before, my dreams now feature ghosts who want to reach out to people I know or come into contact with and offer details that I could not have possibly known:

"My name is Joe. Tell Lily I saw her and I understand why she didn't come into the hospital room. Tell her it's ok."

"Ok," I reply. I wonder, who is Lily?

The next day, I have a client named Jane come to see me. I have never seen her before and I know nothing about her. She hasn't said anything but I somehow know that she has lost her father recently.

"Was your father's name Joe?"

"Yes..."

"Is your mother's name Lily?"

"Oh, my god. Yes!"

"Your father asked me to tell your mother that he saw her in the hospital and he understands why she wouldn't go into his room at the end. She needs to know that it is ok."

That is often how things go. In fact, it happens with such regularity, that I now know when not to expect to see people: no ghosts came the night before!

Rune for the Day

Thorn:

protection

helping hand of fate in bad times

Rune for the Day

Is:

signifies rest for the purpose of regeneration, restoration

Motivations Behind Investigations

The reader may be wondering: just who does go to an investigation? I think I can help. There are several categories and subcategories, let's break it down. (Caveat: the categories are broad and the lines sometimes blurred)

First, there are the curious:

those who want to believe and want to be convinced

those who don't want to believe and don't want to be convinced

those who wonder what it is like to be in a haunted place

Secondly, there are the skeptics:

those who could believe and would with their own idea of evidence

those who could never believe and no evidence would be enough

Thirdly, there are the investigators:

those whose methods and equipment are completely electronic or digital

those whose methods and equipment are not concerned with science: pendula, dowsing, psychic impressions

those whose methods and equipment and beliefs combine both kinds of data gathering

those who believe and require only psychic impressions

Any team member could belong to more than one of these categories: someone who wonders what it's like to be in a haunted place can also have a lot of electronic or digital equipment just as someone who could never believe and for whom no evidence would be enough could also have a lot of "scientific" equipment.

But, regardless the motivation, everyone wants to be there. Everyone brings his/her own agenda and keeps it secondary to the goal of the team involved: gathering data that can (1) be analysed as to category of experience and (2) be repeated (or verified independently). For example, if at a particular site, I get impressions of a family of five that died in a fire, I need to be able to provide details and to have this verified through historical documents.

At any rate, this is a sketchy outline of who could be expected at an investigation.

Cancelled Investigation

Unfortunately, I am afflicted with a flu bug that is buzzing around North America at the moment. Being sick is the worst state in which to conduct an investigation. Gathering psychic impressions takes a good deal out of me and my body is already weakened.

There should be more very shortly!

Pending Investigation

I am looking forward to the investigation tomorrow night. I use only my mind so I will not have to lug cumbersome equipment to the site. It will be cold, too. The group that I'm accompanying this time has received much media exposure in the past but this event will not be televised (thankfully).

Of course, my voice will be recorded and everyone will look to me for information. That is the difficult part for me: having people stare at me while I gather impressions. I am growing accustomed to it. (At the last investigation, the digital voice recorder was working well but it did not record my voice!)

I have to remember how to "ground" myself, to shut out information when I am done, to shake the tensions that I pick up in other people because it is not mine. I have been taught well how to get rid of energy after an investigation but recalling such information in the midst of everything is sometimes difficult.

Rune for the Day

Ansur:

communication

poetry

learning

personal magnetism

social skills