The Quiet World of the Paranormal
The paranormal section of this site is a little sparse and the reason for this is simply because I have a dedicated website on the subject. I'm not an expert, but I've learnt some stuff and experienced stuff over the years. The information below is fleshed out in more detail at Hauntedland.In the beginning
Although I claim to be a sceptic, it is a claim based on the fact that I don't believe all strange activity is to do with spirits and ghosts. I want to believe life continues on another level and faith is too big a jump to accept what I cannot see. I want evidence. What form that evidence takes I cant say - but when I see it I'll know. Meanwhile the search goes on.
After reading back over my work I often wonder why I don't believe when some of these situations were quite scary or intense. Perhaps it is down to evidence. Where is it? It's all in my head, not on photo, video or other witnesses. This also turns out to be the crux of most paranormal situations - it's in the head of one, occasionally two people. Nothing physical or unquestionable. Even when there is some really convincing images etc, doubt still lingers because simply - you were not there to see it for yourself. Looks like it will be a paradox for most people who are searching for the truth.
Talking to the dead
Some investigations invite mediums and psychics to provide a communication link. Some investigations are purely scientific and employ a range of measuring gadgets to capture evidence. Some incorporate both methods to get a balanced view.
There are a number of ways in which people believe they can communicate with the spirit world, a number of them are listed below. These are further explained on Hauntedland.
Calling
A person will simply call out to the room and ask if there is a spirit present who is willing to communicate.
A pendulum can be used to answer simple questions. A pendulum is often a light chain with a stone or crystal attached to the bottom.
Dowsing Rods
Two equal size ‘L’ shaped rods are held steady in the hands of the dowser. It is believed that a spirit can use its energy to move the rods in answer to questions put to it.
Ouija Board
Feared by a lot of people, the Ouija Board is another tool for communicating with ‘spirits’. Some say the board attracts evil spirits and bad luck; others say if used properly they are fine.
This is similar to a Ouija Board except a glass is used as a planchette and there is no lettered board, just a smooth surface.
Table Tipping
A group sits or stands around a table with their fingers lightly placed on the top. Someone requests that if a spirit is present to move the table in response to questions or tip it, raise it or shake it.
Seance
A group sits in a circle or around a table, usually holding hands to form an unbroken chain or with hands flat on the table with hands touching their neighbour. Often a medium will call out for a spirit to make itself known.
A medium is person who claims to be able to contact and receive messages from people who are dead and are now in spirit form.
Automatic Writing
This is when a person takes a writing instrument and paper and allows a ‘spirit’ to control their hand in order to write or draw on the paper.
EVP - Electronic Voice Phenomenon
It is believed by some that the voice of a spirit can be captured on a recording device. In order for this to work, a person would ask a question out loud and leave their recording device on to capture what some people may perceive to be a response.
This is when a person stares into a glass, window, water, a mirror, or any shiny, transparent or reflective object to induce self-hypnosis (crystal balls come under this method).
As you can see, there are many ways in which to communicate with the spirit world. Whether you believe any of these are plausible or just purely ridiculous, they have all been used for many years and continue to leave people wondering about their authenticity and accuracy.
Article continued Here.
Boo!
Characteristics of the poltergeist are many and these include:
- Sounds – banging, knocking, thuds.
- Temperature changes – both hot and cold.
- Changes in atmosphere – breezes, being watched.
- Smells – offensive odours or just unusual.
- Levitations.
- Doors slamming.
- Lights and electrical items switch on and off.
- Water appears from nowhere.
- Fires ignite and extinguish.
- Furniture moves or is stacked.
- Objects are thrown across the room or disappear.
- Sightings of vague apparition-like forms.
- Personal injury from attacks or thrown objects.
- It often centres on a particular individual.
- It is usually temporary, from hours, days to a year or so.
This list doesn’t cover all of the characteristics but it gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect. Although there are only a few recorded incidents of terrible injuries to people, they do happen. Most of the time though, it tends to be a show for the horrified audience.
There has been a phenomenal amount of research into the poltergeist and the general conclusion attributes the reason ‘mostly’ to teenage girls who maybe going through a personal trauma that results in R.S.P.K. or Recurrent Spontaneous Psycho Kinesis. Simply put, this means the poltergeist is not an external spirit, but an internal manifestation of stress and anger or other kind of internal repressed emotion. Eventually the agent expresses these repressed emotions in the form of psycho kinetic energy that causes the classic bangs, crashes and objects being thrown. While this is happening, the agent is unaware that it is actually they who are causing the disturbance and therefore reacts to the situation with as much shock as anyone else would.
Article continued Here.
Orbs
- I have a load of photos containing orbs and
- The possibility of what orbs could be.
Now let me stress the words possibility and could from the last paragraph. As a sceptic on par with Dana Scully from the X-Files, I don’t automatically believe that these are spirits or pre-manifested entities. The idea that these could be and that they can be captured on camera is what interests me. Orbs have increased in popularity mainly due to the fact that digital cameras have become more affordable, are of a higher quality and are now used by the majority of people, thus pushing the traditional 35mm camera into the ‘dark ages’. The benefits of digital cameras over film are simple: instant review, delete snaps and storage convenience. Film can be considered expensive, time-consuming when it comes to developing pictures and lacks the ability to review shots unless you’re prepared to fire off loads of rolls for that one great shot. The benefit of film though, is the all-important negative. The negative can be of great benefit if you capture an unusual image as faking a negative is far more complicated than faking a digital image, thus promoting its credibility.
Orbs are said to inhabit haunted locations, but then where isn’t haunted? Most of the photos I’ve seen have been anywhere from your average cemetery to an ordinary living room. Does that mean that everywhere an orb is photographed the location is haunted?
It has been claimed that orbs exist in a slightly different light spectrum, namely infrared and ultraviolet. As digital cameras are claimed (though some people disagree due to complex filtering systems in the camera) to capture more infrared light on its CCD (Charge Coupled Device - an image sensor used in digital cameras) they have a better chance of capturing something that exists in that field – which film cameras do not. That is not to say film cameras do not capture orbs. There have been reports of orbs being captured on both Polaroid and film, but their occurrence is not as common as digital. On a few rarer occasions still, they have apparently been seen with the naked eye!
Detailed article continues Here.
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Never one to shy away from an opportunity to experience paranormal activity, I booked myself and Luke on the City of the Dead ghost walk as they claim to have exclusive access to the Covenanters area of the Kirkyard and have highly recommended reviews about the tour itself.
The tour began outside of St Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile. Our guide for this walk was Morag who provided a brief history of the area before we walked down through the Cowgate then into Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Morag then gave us a quick ‘reality’ version of the Greyfriars Bobby story. She explained why the gravestone of his master is not actually his master’s grave, but that of someone with the same name and that the real master is buried two miles away in another cemetery. The site of the dog’s body is unknown too and Walt Disney, who did their usual spin on facts when they created the film of the wee dog, misinterpreted the accuracy of the story. Some people in the crowd were clearly disappointed by such earth shattering revelations.
We walked further into the cemetery. It was very dark now and the crowd stood closely together. Many nationalities were in the group and a majority of them were American. Morag gave us a grim history of the Kirkyard and the names of famous people connected with it before moving on to the Covenanters Prison section, which remains locked at all times except to these tours and the local council.
As we waited for Morag to unlock the gates, she asked if anyone had any health conditions that may affect them in the event of an attack. She then warned us of what could happen if things went terribly wrong. I could see some concerned faces in the crowd but once the gate were open, we all went inside.
We walked about 60 meters to a mausoleum that was an apparent hotbed of activity. Morag ushered us inside then continued to talk about ghosts and the violent history of the deaths of the poor souls buried here. As we all stood in the mausoleum two burly Americans had to leave and made claims that they felt ‘freaked out’ by the atmosphere. The tour ended when a man wearing a mask and sheet jumped into the mausoleum to give everyone a fright and relieve the tension through laughter (apparently).
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The tour now over, we headed out of the Covenanters. I took a few snaps on the way in the hope of getting some evidence. Once the gates were locked behind us, everyone went their own separate ways so Luke and I went on our own exploration of the dark kirkyard to get some more photos of the unusual and interesting gravestones.
As we walked down the slope of the kirkyard we came across a crypt with a small iron gate that, on closer inspection, was found to be unlocked. I snapped some shots of the inside and asked Luke to open it and go inside. He opened the gate but didn’t want to go in. As the entrance was small and the ground wet, I decided not to either. But, I suddenly felt a shiver run up my back and the feeling that I was no longer alone.
The temperature seemed to plummet and I could feel the chill on my hands. We continued to walk down the path and head for the exit. I continued to take snaps of graves as we passed them but I was made aware of something else. I asked Luke to stop and remain quiet. I was sure I could hear something following, like a shuffle of feet on the loose stony path. I shrugged the suggestion off and carried on though I felt even more acutely aware that the temperature was really cold now and something definitely felt close by that was unseen to us both. Luke said he didn’t feel anything and I felt fairly excited that something might happen.
There have been stories of people fleeing the kirkyard with various scratches and burns caused by some invisible assailant. This was not the confirmation of spirit contact I wanted, but a visual or auditory sign would do me just as well. We were now standing by the church and again as we walked I was a convinced footsteps shuffled behind me, the sensation of being accompanied by something unnatural was immense and exciting. I snapped the camera and asked for a sign but sadly my request remained unfulfilled. I noticed the gates to the cemetery were closed and wondered if we were now locked in, yet another unexpected twist to the evening.
Before trying the gates Luke and I walked over to the large crypts for a few more pictures and to look more closely at the infamous crypt where the Mackenzie Poltergeist is said to originate from. Maybe this would be the moment when my curiosity would be satisfied? We peered through the doors of the crypt and asked for a sign or something to happen but it seemed whatever the poltergeist was doing right now, it was not interested in entertaining us. The sensation I had previously had also evaporated and the chilling bite of the cold had climbed the temperature ladder up to plain old night chills.
We headed for the gates and found them to be closed, not locked as I’d hoped to myself. If we were being followed it no longer seemed to be the case. But all in all I had a camera full of photos, visited a now off limit area of the kirkyard and had a somewhat unusual experience. For me that was a good evening out and the City of the Dead walk is one I’d recommend to anyone.
There are a number of companies offering ghost walks in Edinburgh and I've provided a link for the company who provides this walk below.
Links
For the rest of my investigation reports click Here.
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Invisible Patients
The second of my Sue Ryder creepy moments involved a late shift one evening on the upstairs ward. The upstairs wards consisted of two single-bed rooms, one three-bedded and two four-bedded rooms, a nurse station, treatment room, kitchen, bathroom and toilet.
I was sitting at the nurses’ station going through some files when I heard one of the patients in the three-bedded ward behind me (who had only been in a couple of days) talking to someone. I knew ‘Tom’ was alone in the room, as the two other beds in there had been vacated a few days before he had come in. The previous occupants had passed away.
Anyway, I walked into the room to see if someone had gone in there without me noticing, to find Tom having a full-blown but one-sided conversation. I asked Tom to whom was he talking to. He said these two men and pointed to the side of his bed and to the empty bed over by the door - where I was standing. I felt a shiver run down my spine.
I asked Tom to describe them to me. He looked at me with a curious expression, as though I was joking with him. Well ‘Jimmy’ here is wearing a red paisley dressing gown, is quite tall, and has a dark moustache and grey hair. ‘Ken’ is over by you in his wheelchair. He said to say thanks. I shivered again and I felt cold. Tom went on to say Ken is wearing green pyjamas and has short dark hair (the details, names etc. have eroded with time but you get the idea). I felt the hairs on my nape stand up as he said this. I asked if he fancied a cuppa to which he replied he did but Jimmy and Ken declined. I said I'd leave him to his conversation while I went to put the kettle on.
When I reached the kitchen, I felt a mixture of excitement and concern. I asked the senior staff nurse, “Do you remember Jimmy and Ken in room 5 who died last week?”
The staff nurse said yes, she did. She was on shift with me when Ken had died.
“Well, that new guy Tom, who came in on Monday, is lying in his bed talking to both of them!”
The staff nurse didn't believe me. I said that Tom described them to me and knew their names. I added that Tom said Ken wanted to thank us. She stood outside the room while I went back with Tom’s tea and she heard Tom talking for herself.
Tom could not have known about Jimmy and Ken, as he had not come in until a few days after they had both died. But he described their appearance perfectly and knew their names. Tom was on a lot of morphine and other pain inhibitors, but maybe that helped him to ‘see’, as this was too accurate to be a hallucination.
Unfortunately, I never saw anything, but I always sensed, felt and often smelled things especially in the upstairs ward.
And yes, Tom travelled down the dark corridor a few days later.
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