Category: Theories

When Houses “Look Haunted”

Victorian house looks hauntedCan a house look haunted? Can its appearance attract spirits?

Or, can that trigger residents’ anxiety so they merely think their home is haunted?

Unless someone is unreasonably afraid of ghosts, I don’t think a house that “looks haunted” is enough to make someone call paranormal investigators.

But… maybe it is? I’m not sure.

A friend sent me a link to a MetaFilter thread about Victorian architecture and other cues suggesting a haunted house.

Of course, many (most?) people think about ghosts now & then. A door that slams shut due to a breeze, or seasonal creaking of floorboards… many things can trigger thoughts about ghosts.

That’s normal, and – once the initial fear passes – there’s usually a normal explanation for whatever-it-was.

But… could ghosts be attracted to houses that “look haunted”?

Ghosts and Where They Haunt

Few ghosts change locations. (The ghost of Judith Thompson Tyng is an exception. She haunted the two men she blamed for her death, and then she killed them, one by one.)

In many cases, if ghosts thought they could leave the sites they haunt, they would.

Other ghosts, such as the feuding brothers of Greycourt Castle,  have unfinished business. Neither of the brothers is willing to abandon his claim to the buried treasure.

Those kinds of ghosts choose to remain in our realm, until that business is concluded.

And then there are the “green lady” ghosts, who protect their former homes, and the famous Irish banshees who protect families.

The question is: Do some ghosts choose the locations where they remain?  Is there some reason why some ghosts haunt cemeteries, others haunt houses, and a few haunt the locations where they died?

Or, Do “Haunted Looking” Houses Create the Right Environment?

A more tangled question is whether people expecting ghosts – at spooky looking houses – create the ghosts.

I’m thinking of the eerie results from the Conjuring Up Philip experiments. I had the amazingly good fortune to spend time with one of the original “Philip” group, and talk with him about his experiences. He was a little cryptic about his views, but also confirmed that – yes – what was reported, actually happened.

Here’s a 12-minute video that describes the experiment. (The broadcast was filmed a long time ago, so it’s a bit blurry.)

And, if you can find a copy of the original book, read it.  It’s likely to change how you think about ghosts and haunted places.

IMPORTANT: If the following video won’t play in this window, click through to see it at YouTube. In my opinion, every ghost hunter should know about the Philip experiments.

https://youtu.be/X2lGPT2J1cc

That YouTube video of the Philip Experiment is at: https://youtu.be/X2lGPT2J1cc

I’m interested in your thoughts about these topics. I hope you’ll leave a comment at this website. A dialogue about this could be fascinating.

Stormy Weather and Ghost Hunting

It was a dark and stormy night.Stormy Weather and Ghost Hunting

That’s a famous line used seriously – and sometimes comically – in different contexts.

But, for ghost enthusiasts, it can trigger a few deliciously eerie images of haunted places and the spirits they harbor.

Of course, few of us are foolish enough to investigate outdoors during thunderstorms. Between the soaking rain and risks of lightning strikes, it’s better to ghost hunt indoors.

However, a recent article raised a few questions worth considering.

Is there a connection between ghostly phenomena and weather? It may not be “just in your mind.”

Here’s part of the article,   A Dark and Stormy Night: Does Weather Affect the Paranormal?

The idea is not entirely far-fetched. After all, if ghosts, spirits, and other such entities do exist, then they must use some form of energy…

For example, it is thought that ghosts sometimes utilize the ambient heat in a room for energy to manifest, leading to cold spots as this energy is abruptly absorbed.

…There are various types of atmospheric activity that could possibly affect the paranormal activity of a location, with the most common image of this being thunderstorms, so how would these storms be able to exert an influence on supernatural entities?

…Perhaps the biggest factor is simply the sheer amount of electrical and electro-magnetic energy charging the air during storms.

That’s an interesting theory. I’m eager to hear if anyone has first-person experience with stormy weather increasing ghostly activity.

That same article raises other questions about other atmospheric conditions, too:

…A good example would be solar activity from our sun, which sometimes releases solar flares that set loose X-Rays, intense doses of UV radiation, and create what is called “solar wind.” This solar wind is composed of highly charged plasma particles that can lash out to reach all the way to Earth, where it’s electromagnetic energy is powerful enough to cause disruptions in the planet’s magnetic field called geomagnetic storms.

If you’d like to compare investigation results and solar activity and geomagnetic storms, NOAA offers Alerts, Watches, and Warnings. (I prefer the visual displays on the NOAA homepage.)

Then, the article continues with skeptical notes:

… it is also important to look at other natural explanations for why the weather might produce more reported paranormal activity. The most obvious one is that simply the spooky and rather ominous quality of storms… make for an atmosphere in which people more susceptible to perceiving perfectly mundane things for being supernatural.

I agree, especially if an investigator is new to paranormal research, or is feeling unusually stressed. “Dude, run!” moments can happen to anyone. It’s really embarrassing when the cause is debunked.

The following, one-minute video doesn’t claim to show a ghost, but the face-like image in the clouds is fun.

https://youtu.be/BwTOU8HAZX8

Finally, the storms article delves into the topic of infrasound, as well. It’s a topic worth considering, and something I check before any investigation.

Paranormal activity witnessed during storms may also be caused by phenomena other than the supernatural. The most obvious example would be ultra-low frequency sound waves, called infrasound.

But, ruling out the emotional impact of storms and infrasound, I’m very interested in any connections between thunderstorms, geomagnetic storms, solar flares, and surges in paranormal activity.

Also, has anyone noticed an increase in psychic activity (your own or others’) during extreme weather?

I’ll admit that – aside from dashing between the car and the investigation site, dodging rain, snow, or sleet – I’ve rarely paid much attention to the weather.

If you’ve experienced anything connecting paranormal activity and weather, I hope you’ll leave a comment to share your insights.

Source

Read the full article here – A Dark and Stormy Night: Does Weather Affect the Paranormal?

Notes on What Are Ghosts Made Of?

What are ghosts made of?What are ghosts made of, and why do ghost hunters notice EMF surges at active, haunted places?

That’s the topic of a June 2018 article at Higgypop, What Are Ghosts Made Of?

It’s an unusually good article, though I heartily disagree with some claims in it. (I’ve written a general review at my author blog, FionaBroome.com.)

But, certain parts of the Higgypop article are worth repeating for ghost hunters.

The first is how the Higgypop writer distinguishes intelligent (active, sentient) hauntings from residual energy hauntings:

There’s a belief within the paranormal world that some ghosts are intelligent and capable of interacting with their surroundings, and then there’s residual hauntings which are said to be merely events from the past being replayed.

Residual hauntings are thought to be an imprint of energy that has been left behind by someone who suffered a tragic, traumatic, premature death, usually a murder, suicide or execution.

I agree with most of that, but I don’t believe all residual energy hauntings connect directly with someone’s death. (Update: See Higgypop’s clarification in the comments below.)

In the past, I’ve recommended singing “Happy birthday to you” in dining rooms and kitchens, to see whether anything happens. You could try “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” in front hallways, dining rooms, and immediately outside the front entry to an estate, too.

Neither of those have anything to do with death or even trauma. Both songs have triggered ghostly results at a surprising number of haunted sites.

The Higgypop article also shares an interesting insight related to residual energy hauntings:

The phenomenon is known as “stone tape theory” due to the belief that energy is captured and stored like a video recording in the surrounding bricks, woodwork, stone and possibly even the soil. When the conditions are right, these materials release this energy and you sense or see the event occur in exactly the same position as it did years ago.

But then, I disagree with the next part of that article:

As residual hauntings represent nothing more than a reflection of the past, you can’t communicate with them. The visions seen are not aware of their surroundings. They cannot interact with you and are not aware of your presence.

For me, “communication” means anything my team or I do, which results in a cause-and-effect reaction at the haunted site.

While residual energy hauntings don’t seem to interact with us as a sentient, “intelligent” ghost would, I believe that changes in the surroundings – an anniversary, a time of day, etc., as well as triggers used by  researchers – can create a cause-and-effect result.

Yes, maybe I’m delving too deeply into semantics.

Mostly, I don’t want new researchers to write off residual energy hauntings as something that are entirely hit-or-miss. Some of them are far more predictable than that. Triggers can work with residual energy hauntings.

Most of the next part of the article is good:

When it comes to intelligent hauntings it’s a little different. These types of hauntings are the classic “ghost”, they can reportedly move objects, push or touch people, slam doors and even throw objects across a room. So clearly when they manifest there is some kind of physical force behind them.

However, since some people seem to be able to move matter with their minds (psychokinesis), I balk at the idea that ghosts “clearly” have a physical force behind them.

Despite my ambivalence about some claims in this article, I agree with the conclusion:

Perhaps the truth is, it doesn’t really matter. While some ghost sightings can be written off as hoaxes, the majority of ghost sightings come from people who genuinely believe they have seen something supernatural. So whether ghosts are electromagnetic energy, a reflection of the past, or a trick of the mind, you can’t take the experience away from someone who has witnessed a ghost.

You can read the full higgypop article at:

https://www.higgypop.com/news/what-are-ghosts-made-of/

Also, I’m interested in your thoughts about these topics, especially as they relate to ghost hunting.