Hauntings

"I think I have a ghost in my house. What should I do now?"

First - Don't Panic!!

In many situations there is a very common and non-paranormal explanation for what you are experiencing. A great many things are misinterpreted as being paranormal. This is made even more common by people today being more aware of the paranormal.

Presuming there is in fact some kind of paranormal activity happening on the whole there is very little reason to be concerned. In spite of many celebrated reports, movies, books, television shows etc. reports of actual harm (much less serious harm) from ghosts is extremely rare.

Click here to read an article about 'can ghosts hurt you?'

Second - Keep a log.

Keep a detailed and accurate record of all activity you experience. Be sure to list:

* The date and time something happens.
* Exactly where in your house (or other location) it happens.
* Who it happens to or who is around when it happens.
* Exactly what happened.
* Any other details about the incident. No detail is too small or insignificant!

Click here to download our free Paranormal Activity Log sheet to help you keep a record of activity.
(PDF format 75kb - requires Adobe Acrobat or compatible reader.)

Third - Contact a Paranormal Investigator.

Look for a paranormal investigation group in your air. Be sure to find out how things like:

* How many years they have been in service performing paranormal investigations.
* How many people are in the group? How long have they been with the group?
* What type of education and training do the group members have?
* Are they a scientific/technology based group? Or a spiritual/psychic group?
* What are their rules/requirements for coming to your home? (ex: a minimum of people in the house during the investigation, no pets or animals around, can come during the week or weekends only, etc.)
* Will they give you a written report of their findings or just tell you?
* Do they charge for an investigation? (all reputable groups will not charge to investigate. Some may ask for a donation to help with operating and travels costs but should be willing to do the investigation without a donation).



These are the main points to consider if you think you are experiencing paranormal activity in your home or business. Each case is different and will almost certainly have different aspects and requirements for the investigation. But these 3 items are generally standard for the initial part of an investigation.

source:

liparanormal investigators

Is your house haunted? Here are some signs that may indicate if your house or an area you frequent is haunted.

1. Unexplained noises - footsteps; knocks, banging, rapping; scratching sounds; sounds of something being dropped. Sometimes these noises can be subtle and other times they can be quite loud.

2. Doors, cabinets and cupboards opening and closing - most often, these phenomena are not seen directly. The resident either hears the distinct sounds of the doors opening and closing (homeowners get to know quite well the distinctive sounds their houses make) or the experiencer will return to a room to find a door open or closed when they are certain it was left in the opposite position. Sometimes furniture, like kitchen chairs, are perceived to have been moved. Very rarely will someone actually witness the phenomenon taking place.



3. Feelings of being touched - the feeling of being watched is one thing, and actually feeling like you are being touched is quite another. Some people feel something brush past them, something touching their hair or "a hand" on the shoulder. Some feel a gentle poke, push or nudge. Some have even experienced the sensation that an energy (not their own) has gone right through them.

4. Other physical evidence - unexplained writing on paper or walls; handprints and footprints.



5. Lights turning off and on - likewise, these events are seldom seen actually occurring, but the lights are switched on or off when the person knows they were not left that way. This can also happen with TVs, radios and other electrically powered items.

6. Items disappearing and reappearing - Others have called this "the borrowers" phenomenon. It is the familiar experience of not being able to find a regularly used item - say, a set of car keys - which one believes they placed in a spot they routinely place them. But they're gone and one looks high and low for them with no success. Some time later, the keys are found - in exactly the place you normally put them. It's as if the object was borrowed by someone or something for a short time, then returned. Sometimes they are not returned for days or even weeks, but when they are, it's in an obvious place that could not have been missed by even a casual search.



7. Strange animal behavior - a dog, cat or other pet behaves strangely. Dogs may bark at something unseen, cower without apparent reason or refuse to enter a room they normally do. Cats may seem to be "watching" something cross a room. Animals have sharper senses than humans, and many researchers think their psychic abilities might be more finely tuned also.

8. Mild psycho-kinetic phenomena - hearing a door open or close is one thing. Actually seeing it happen is quite another. Similarly, actually seeing a light go on or off by itself is greater proof that something unexplained is happening. This could be a radio or tv turning on and off. Or perhaps when a child's powered toy begins to operate on its own. Doors and windows are locked or unlocked. Some people report that when they are in bed they can feel and/or hear something sitting on the bed.

9. Cries and whispers - on occasion, muffled voices, whispering and crying can be heard. Sometimes it's music from some unknown source. People hear their names being said. This phenomenon gains more credibility if more than one person hears or sees the same thing at the same time.

10. Cold or hot spots - cold spots are classic haunting symptoms, but any instance of a noticeable variance in temperature without a discernable cause could be evidence.

11. Unexplained smells - the distinct fragrance of a perfume or cologne that you do not have in your house. This phenomenon comes and goes without any apparent cause and may accompany other phenomena, such as shadows, voices or psycho-kinetic phenomena. Unfortunately it is not always a pleasant scent, but a foul odor which is perceived.

12. Feelings of being watched - this is not an uncommon feeling and can be attributed to many things, but it could have a paranormal source if the feeling consistently occurs in a particular part of the house at a particular time.



13. Unexplained shadows - the sighting of fleeting shapes and shadows, usually seen out of the corner of the eye. Many times, the shadows have vaguely human forms, while other times they are less distinguishable or smaller.

14. Moving or levitating objects (severe psycho-kinetic phenomena) - dinner plates sliding across the table; pictures flying off walls; doors slamming shut with great force; furniture sliding across the floor.

15. Physical assault - scratches, slaps and hard shoves. This kind of personal assault is extremely rare, but obviously highly disturbing.

16. Apparitions - physical manifestation of a spirit or entity. These phenomena are also very rare and can take many forms: human-shaped mists, orbs or forming mists of some indistinguishable shape, transparent human forms that disappear quickly, and most rarely, human forms that look as real and solid as any living person, but that disappear into a room or evaporate into thin air while being viewed.



source: squidoo

The Basics of Residual Hauntings

The most common type of haunting is a residual haunting. A residual haunting can be described as an image that has been recorded in time and played back in a continuous loop over and over again through the years. Additionally, there is no intelligent ghost, spirit, or other entity directly involved. You may see the same scenes all the time, hear the same noises repeatedly, or even smell the same smells, usually at the same time of day. The image you are seeing will not even realize that you are there.

Although you might think you're seeing a spirit, it isn't really an actual spirit. It's not even there; it's just the leftover energy of an event in the past; like a recording. This repeated scene that plays over and over is usually a very significant event, life-altering event, or even a common event of a person or place. Usually the sounds and images recorded are related to traumatic events that took place at that location and caused some sort of disturbance or "psychic impression" to happen there. Traumatic events like beheadings, great battles, murders, or even a celebration can be the focus of a residual haunting.



In most cases people may hear the sounds of screaming,crying, breathing,phantom footsteps walking on the stairs or through hallways, or even odd, repetitive sounds like tapping or slamming. Although these images may manifest themselves Visually, they won't interact with the living and will just continue to repeat the same actions over and over again. It's just like rewinding a movie and watching the same scene over and over. The activity, whether sounds or sightings, will be random.

Although research is ongoing, some theories on residual hauntings have been suggested. A common explanation for this type of haunting is the energy has, in a way, become part of the dwelling it once occupied. This can be explained by the fact that some building materials, such as the slate that was used to build old castles and stone structures along with iron nails used in many of the same buildings, have properties similar to audio or video tape which have a tendency to make "recordings" of things that happen near them. The energy of these occurances imprints itself into the atmosphere of the place and cannot be erased. The materials store the energy created by these traumatic events and play them back at a later, random time. In some cases, the images have been created by events or actions that were repeated over and over again, which causes an impression. In older places like Europe, it has been suggested that the porous stones of castle walls soak up the energy and that's why there are so many haunted old buildings there. Some of the most famous hauntings appear to be residual ones. The Tower of London's ghost of Anne Boleyn and the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall are two famous examples of residual hauntings.



There is usually very little that can be done to stop this kind of haunting. This type of haunting is not dangerous at all so if you or someone you know ever has to deal with the situation, understand what is going on and realize that there is really no danger. Someone who is in this situation will have to learn to live with it or relocate.

squidoo

Ghost Hunter Residual Haunting

ParanormalNewEngland | September 11, 2010

Residual evidence from the Huguenot house in East Hartford, CT



Are Residual Ghosts Imprints From the Past?

If you ever lived in a haunted house and witnessed or heard paranormal events that occurred at regular intervals and repeated the same serious of events each time; you have probably already experienced a residual haunting. It is believed that a residual ghost is an image or sound from a prior time that has been imprinted on the surroundings due to an emotionally charged event. This imprinted event acts as a recording that replays through out time.

Exactly how this happens is not known; but it appears that the presence of certain substances, like water and stone, in combination with an emotionally charged event, somehow cause the event to be recorded and played back at future point in time. The residual ghost does not react to you because it can't. It isn't a living entity, merely an image from the past destined to replay for eternity.

At least that's what the experts tell us; but I'm not so sure. There is one teeny tiny flaw that prevents me from accepting this explanation. If a residual haunting is the result of an emotionally charged event that has imprinted on the environment, why then do we not see residual ghosts of those who are still living? Plenty of people have survived emotionally charged events and plenty of residual ghosts repeat events that were not related to death. Why then must one die before their residual ghost can appear?

source: squidoo

TAPS Captures Evidence of Residual Haunting
Compare the sound of the cannon to residual sounds recorded.

Limestone, Quartz, and Magnetite
and Their Ability to Generate a Residual Haunting

Theory: Limestone, Quartz, and/or Magnetite deposits can supposedly hold information, such as an event in history, and when the information is released a residual haunting may occur.

Testing the theory that Limestone, Quartz, and/or Magnetite can generate a residual haunting is almost impossible to do in a lab. One way to test the theory is find out were residual hauntings are taking place and log them down. Then you have to see if the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has ever done a field survey on that location. If they did a survey then you can see what rocks/minerals are present at that location. If you look at the facts about each rock/mineral, then you can base any possibilities that a residual haunting can even occur. The first thing that should be looked at is how the rocks are formed. In the rock cycle you can see how each rock type; igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks are formed. Here is an example of the rock cycle.



The big question is: How is the information stored in these rocks? What has to happen? I believe that for any kind of information whether it being physical properties or any type of energy present to be stored in these rocks that it would have to take place when these rocks are forming.

Putting the rocks/minerals to the test. Is it even possible that Limestone, Quartz, and/or Magnetite able to hold any kind of information? Also by checking to see what makes up these rocks/minerals should be able to give you an idea if this theory is even possible.

Limestone: Limestone is a sedimentary rock that usually forms in lakes, streams, rivers, oceans etc. Most Limestone is deposited in warm shallow seas, on carbonate shelves etc. Limestone is a carbonate rock mainly made up of calcite precipitated chemically or by organisms, and lime. Since lime can react to hydrochloric acid, Limestone dissolves and re-crystallizes very easily. In humid climates, Limestone weathers rapidly, and in arid climates it weathers slowly. Limestone is made up of many things such as, shells, compacted crystalline rocks, plant and animal matter, and decaying algae. Limestone is a great source of fossils. Examples of some Limestone are coquina, and chalk.

From what I can see here, I do not believe that Limestone can generate a residual haunting because Limestone is mainly made up of organic matter. When looking at Limestone there is a lot of physical information you may get from it, but there is no sign that Limestone can hold any type of light energy. The release mechanism is there, because Limestone reacts to hydrochloric acid, but due to what Limestone is made up of I don’t think that it is possible.

Magnetite: Magnetite is a mineral that is mainly found in igneous rocks, but also found in metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. The sand on the beaches of Long Island New York contains magnetite. If you take the sand and put it on a paper plate and put a magnet underneath it, the magnetite will move around. Magnetite is highly magnetic. In the paranormal field there are a few theories that are based around magnetism.



One of the theories is that when a ghost/spirit manifests it will alter the magnetic field around that area. Another theory is that if there is a high magnetic field around, the ghost/spirit can draw in the energy from the magnetic field using the energy to manifest. The theory that magnetite can generate a residual haunting isn’t as far fetched as it may seem. There is no way to test to see if a magnetic field holds any kind of past events in them, but we do know that high magnetic field have a lot of energy in them. There are many theories related to high magnetic fields. One of the theories is the Bermuda Triangle theory. In the Bermuda Triangle there are high magnetic fields that are present. Some of the stories that are linked to the Bermuda Triangle is that some ships, and planes that go through the Triangle have disturbances on there electronic equipment, such as radar, fuel gauges, altimeters, barometers, lights, etc. Some of the ships and planes that enter into the Bermuda Triangle never come out of it. Some say that they are lost in time. There was one story that I heard about a plane that was flying from Bermuda to Florida. The plane was about 20 minutes off of the coast of Florida. The pilot could actually see the coast of Florida. He had communications with the airport. The airport in Florida picked his plane up on radar. A few minutes later his electrical equipment started acting up, and the gauges of his plane started spinning around, and he disappeared off of the radar screen, and lost communication with the airport. The pilot didn’t panic and he just kept heading towards the coast of Florida because it was in his vision. Two hours later he gained communications back with the airport and he popped back up on the radar screen. The airport stated that when he popped back up on their radar screen that he was in the same spot that he was when they lost him off of radar. 20 minutes later the plane landed with no problems. For 2 hours the plane did not move an inch. The Magnetic fields that exist in the Bermuda Triangle must fluctuate if these stories are true because every day planes and ships pass through there with no problems at all.



The US Navy had supposedly done an experiment using high magnetic fields, but they deny that this experiment ever took place. The name of the experiment was called the Philadelphia Experiment, or the Montauk Project. They took a ship and equipped it with a high magnetic field generator. The name of the ship was the USS Eldridge. The idea was to make the ship disappear and then reappear at another location. When the ship disappeared it would also disappear off of radar as well. Supposedly the Navy had done a few tests with this and for the most part it worked. They were successful in making the ship disappear and reappear using high magnetic fields. The experiment took a plunge when they did a test with a crew on board. They were able to make the ship disappear with no problems, but when the ship reappeared the crew that was on the ship became part of the ship. For example some crew members were embedded into the floor, some of them were part of the walls and the railings etc. Many died but there were some survivors. If this experiment really did take place and the stories of the Bermuda Triangle are true then I would say that magnetite could possible generate a residual haunting, based on these other theories.

Quartz: Quartz is one of the most common minerals that are around. Quartz forms a significant part of most igneous rocks. Some facts about quartz are as follows.

"When crystal quartz is cut at an exact angle to its axis, pressure on it generates a minute electrical charge. This effect makes quartz of great usefulness in radio, television, and radar. The supply of natural radio quartz is so limited that methods for growing quartz crystals in the laboratory have been developed. Quartz transmits short light waves (ultraviolet) better than glass. When not of radio quality, crystal quartz is melted to form blanks to make special lenses and prisms." (Source: Rocks and Minerals 1962, Zim and Shaffer, page 77)



I would say that Quartz has the properties to possible generate a residual haunting. Quartz is a basic transmitter for radio, television and radar. An interesting thing about quartz also is that doubly terminated quartz crystals are often found in Limestone cavities. So it may be possible that people thought that it was Limestone that was creating a residual haunting when it could have been quartz that was really causing it to happen.

Sources


The following sources were used as reference for this article:

* Historical Geology 4th Edition 2004, Reed Wicander, James S. Monroe
* Physical Geology 8th Edition 2001, Charles C. Plummer, David McGeary, Diane H. Carlson
* Discovery Channel, www.Discoverychannel.com
* History Channel, www.Historychannel.com
* Rocks and Minerals A guide to minerals, gems, and rocks 1962, Herbert S. Zim, Paul R. Shaffer

Conclusion

If there is any truth behind the theory that Limestone, Magnetite, and/or Quartz can generate a residual haunting, I would think that Quartz and Magnetite best fits that profile. Long Island Paranormal Investigators is currently researching this theory. We are in contact with the USGS to answer any of our questions, and to look at their field surveys on certain locations that have been said to have residual hauntings, such as the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park Colorado, and Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania.

By Michael Cardinuto
Founder/Lead Investigator
Long Island Paranormal Investigators

Source site: liparanormal investigators