Voices from beyond the veil. Edison, Raudive, Jürgenson and Spiricom.

Talking to the dead, voices from beyond the veil. Is it really possible to hear the spoken words of the deceased? We look in brief at Edison, delve into early EVPs, research of Konstantin Raudive, Telephone calls from the dead and the history of Spiricom. In the redeux of Sounds from the veil from Beyond The Line Issue 4.

Looking back through the history books

Edison with his phonograph

Thomas Edison during his life saw a need for technology to connect to the other side. Spiritualism was growing and then when the science community were also looking with curious eyes – looking to develop a means by which spirits might try to contact us. Depending on who you read and who you talk to, he strove to make contact through some sort of phonograph device in the mid 1890s. Then, in the late 1920s, he tried to make contact with the souls of the departed by means of some sort of special chemical equipment. It is claimed that spirit voices were first captured on phonograph records in the year 1938, which was seven years after he left his mortal coil.

There’s an app for that – iPhone, Android and Ubuntu devices to come with software to talk to the other side! Only £19.99. Speak to your ancestors today!

Whilst not a reality, imagine if that were true? In our early podcasts you can listen to the “Ghost in the machine” audio feature where we report on a first hand account of a mother whose five year old was playing, as children do, when he said “The phone is ringing”, though the mother admitted she couldn’t hear it. She said, playing along “Are you going to answer it then?” Her son went and did so, the lady had headed into the kitchen to check on the dinner and called back to her boy
“So who is on the phone?”.
Her son replied “It’s grandma”
“What does she want?”
“She wants to talk to you, she wants to say goodbye”.
His mother took the phone and anxiously put it to her ear, but she heard nothing. I can only imagine what was going through her mind. She explained that her mother had died five years earlier, whilst she was pregnant. She had never told her son about grandma, as she felt he was too young to understand concepts like death. He had not even mentioned her name until that moment.

So perhaps there is a way for spirits to use the phone?

Telephone calls from the dead.

“Telephone calls from the dead” by Cal Cooper is worthy modern reading. The question of does this really happen was looked at in detail in 1979, in a book entitled Phone Calls from the Dead, written by D. Scott Rogo and Raymond Bayless. Thirty years on, Cal Cooper takes up the mantle of research into the subject of anomalous telephone communication. New reports, experiences and accounts have been researched, new history has been considered, new findings are presented and alternative theories for how such events take place are discussed.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Telephone-Calls-Dead-Callum-Cooper/dp/0957107412

Keeping with the theme of the passed over speaking to us directly, without the middle person of a medium.
Let’s imagine for a moment that you are the dead person, that your body has died, but your conscious mind is aware and lives on. You are as they say an “energy field” you will want to tell people, especially the friends and family you have and prove to them you still exist! What would you do?

Firstly you wouldn’t have a voice box therefore you cannot speak. You have no limbs nor any means of moving things. Perhaps you could you reach the people you love and want to nudge by interference with devices that rely upon other energy fields, a light, a radio or tape recorder as good examples.

Personally would like to see the getting rid of the yes and no, one rap two raps in favour of Morse code!

What if you were able to generate some kind of sound on a tape recorder, would anyone even detect it, or pay attention if they did? Bringing us nicely to electromagnetic voice phenomena or EVP.

It was with Friedrich Jürgenson who lived from 1903 to 1987 that the studying of EVP began, Jürgenson was a man of many interests an archaeologist, a philosopher, a linguist, a painter, a singer and recording artist, and a film maker. Jürgenson’s interest in Electronic Voice Phenomena apparently began quite by accident when recording bird songs with a tape recorder for film sound effects, when he played his recording he could hear human voices on the tapes, even though there had been no one in the vicinity of when he did the recordings. This as you might guess naturally piqued his interest, and he turned his attention to making more recordings, recordings specifically made with no one around. Yet he continued to detect voices on these tapes, and his studies led to the 1964 publication of his book Rosterna fran Rymden in Europe, “Voices from Space”. It is said he began to recognize some of the voices that his tapes had picked up, he was knocked for six when his mother, deceased for a number of years, called him in her voice and began using her pet nickname for him!
It seemed natural to him to assume that she was communicating from beyond the grave. Thus, he came to the conclusion that all the voices that he had recorded were voices of the dead, In 1967, he published a new book: “Radio-link with the Dead”, a title I found under the original name “Sprechfunk mit Verstorbenen” available for around seven euros.

Dr Konstantin Raudive (1906-1974), a student of Carl Jung, a psychologist who taught at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, read Jürgenson’s book, “Voices from space”, and was so impressed by it that he arranged to meet Jürgenson. He then worked with Jürgenson to make some EVP recordings in controlled environments, but their first efforts bore very little although they believed that they could hear very weak voices. Raudive in later experiments was impressed by a personal message which he goes into great detail in his book “Breakthough” that encouraged him to spend the rest of his years researching and working with EVP.

EVP has moved forward, mainly with its accessibility to make recordings, thanks to developments in technology and electrical device manufacturing. Reel to reel to cassette to digital storage media, digital and tape based dictaphones are tools of the trade in the modern day ghost researchers tool kit. The general consensus to using them on an investigation is either leaving them recording in a room known to have activity, or by a conducted session where questions would be asked with around twenty seconds time given to receive an answer before the next question.

Spiricom

A somewhat forgotten chapter in EVP is the Spiricom device which had five incarnations, Mk 1 – Mk 5 respectively each a major improvement over the other previous design. developed during the 60s ’til officially ending in 82.
Research for Spiricom came from the “Metascience Foundation”, formerly based in Franklin, North Carolina, on the development of a system of communication with the dead. Two inventors, George W. Meek and William J. O’Neil, supposedly developed a machine containing sophisticated audio electronics that allowed actual two-way conversation with the afterlife. They called it Spiricom. Unlike EVP, where an investigator has to wait and playback a recording to hear disembodied voices, the Spiricom device allowed real-time two-way communication (or “Direct Voice”) from beyond the grave. The project was officially defined as “An electromagnetic-etheric systems approach to communications with other levels of human consciousness”. The theory was, if a ghost could record itself to magnetic media such as video cassette or audio tape via manipulating electromagnetic frequencies, the entity could manipulate the electromagnetic fields produced by the Spiricom machine and create a synthetic voice over a speaker through the oscillator of the noise generator.Which in theory makes a sort of sense, but yielded varying results, though nothing conclusive, It is said proponents insist that the best reported contact was on April 16, 1980. Meeks and O’Neil claimed they were able to talk to a very clear voice of a deceased physicist, Dr. George Jeffries Mueller, who died on May 31, 1967 from a heart condition. Mueller claimed he was once an associate professor of engineering and mathematics at Orange Coast College, in Costa Mesa, California, and had also worked for a time with NASA. Mueller had existed and worked exactly where he claimed, which they went and found out afterwards. Mueller’s voice sounded like a robot, buzzing through hissing background noise. Over time, his appearances/voice became sporadic and eventually ceased thus research in Spiricom ended. It must be said that amateur investigators on the wiki site of the Spiricom device claim to have had success using the design.

There are dialogues and sound clips of conversations of the spiricom http://www.worlditc.org/k_06_spiricom.htm

So what are your thoughts on Electromagnetic Voice Phenomena?

Always look on the bright side of life

“Always look on the bright side of life!”

Its the 22nd and we’re still here… well arguably the 3 days of lowest sun lasts 3 days til it moves one degree North on morning of 25th. So the soothsayers and doomsday merchants preaching everything like a new spiritual awakening, mass UFO landings, pole realignment, faux events like project bluebeam being activated to simulate alien attack. The galactic alignment ripping the earth apart or exoplanet Nibiru crashing into us.  2 days left!

One truly has to wonder where people came up with this shit? Ahhh the culprit, their own fears and need for control.

Being called stupid during an night of “ghost hunting”.

Tatton Old hall in Cheshire, just outside Manchester. What followed was fascinating, yet frustrating night. Of which I shall summarize. Following a conversation with Nisi (Denise Mott) of Compass Paranormal Events, was invited as a guest to attend one of their events.

Hosting the event at Tatton Hall, were 4 hosts Karen, the witty and straight forward Barrie John and 2 in-house paranormal tech guys Ross and Lewis. Having shared the journey to the banter of Barrie John and Karen, atmosphere was good. People and the punters pardon the pun were in good spirits anticipating an night full of adventure and mystery.

The introduction saw something wholly unexpected almost three quarters of 46 attending held their hands up to having never been on a paranormal event/ghost hunt at all. This was to be their first experience.  Over half held their hand up to the reason they have come is they are expecting a message from the other side, perhaps a loved one. Which Barrie John to his good credit, said if they come through with something personal, which they may. That is not the purpose of the evening, so if there is a message it shall only be brief and nothing more.

What struck me about the place was its archaeological and historic significance, which may well have been all but lost to demolition. The Tatton Hall gift shop effectively became the hubroom. Armour, swords, displays, fabric adorned the room. Details of the areas part in stone age, anglo-saxon, norman, viking and tudor.  The main houses history the part it played during the training of paratroopers and early commandos during the second world war as well as family and ownership heritage information. Mike the steward of the hall, was a insightful guide. Whom I spoke with frequently throughout the night.

The core locations besides the hubroom were a large barn, the great hall and the main old hall house. Taking the guests for a tour with Mike and Barrie John. Then later into 3 groups to explore each area, and in turn rotate round.

When groups split down, it was easier to get into conversation with people. I wanted to get a feel of what was expected from the fact that 3/4 hadn’t ever been on a ghost hunt before. Many said they follow Compass events, some said they frequented their events for their professionalism. A couple said they wanted to try the competition. A few groups said they do ghost hunts annually. The majority commented that they are spiritually open-minded. General expectation was open to whatever happens.

I caught an video interview with Ross and Lewis. Who made mention that this was a favourite location for them, due to the amount of experiences they have had here. Of which they enthusiastically gave some examples.

Each group was allowed to take a selection of “ghost-hunting” equipment, Some usual suspects of k2 meters (7 of them were available) Night vision googles, sound amplifiers, temperature gauges…whilst dowsing crystals, Ouija boards, glass divination were demonstrated and touted as effective methods of communication with the “other side”

and last but not least a broken radio, franks box. Worrying I quote… “We get out best results from this”.

Of the evening 3 moments stood out 

The bat splat – Whilst doing glass divination in the great hall, to no response at all. A bat in the ceiling could not have aimed himself a better bullseye by letting one go and landing centre of the top of the glass. Sure to be well remembered.

Being called stupid – Whilst in the kitchen / dining room of the main hall, I walked into a broken radio franks box session being conducted. A table surrounded by guests and Ross, asking random questions. “Are you there?”, "Are you really there?”, “Do you want us to go?” “Are you William who doesn’t like women”, “Why does James I keep coming to mind"?”. The radio panning back and forth across the bands. Everyone was plucking out answers as the radio picked up words being spoken by stations it passed. There was awkward pauses as everyone was trying to work out, what answer fitted what answer and no one could really decide.

At which point, without wanting to be rude I sat down at the table. As the radio panned over the station, there was a distinct operatic singer. Counted how many stations there were until it came back round, and listened a few more times through to make sure. 19. The crowd were getting silly, do you know you are dead. What year did you die.

“O.K.” I spoke up “Let me get this right, are we under the belief that a person is giving us actual answers, when we keep asking questions over one another?, I mean for this to even exist, the ghost if he exists at all. Would have to be a time traveller”. Which everyone went quiet. “The opera singer, there is 19 stations between it coming back round. So the ghost is listening to each of your questions, going over to the radio station somewhere hundreds of miles away. Then because songs are part way through, have the insight to foretell your questions, go back in time influence the DJ to play a song with the relevant answer or say a word with the answer at that time you ask. Or how about when its half a word on one station, then the second part i.e. on another station. Let alone do this for the dozens of questions we are all asking. What this is a form of audio apophenia, seeing answers and patterns in randomness”. At which point, someone one of the guests speaks over me and says “Stupid. You’re stupid”. Apparently that’s what she heard on the broken radio, then other seem to join in. “That message was meant for you”. Facepalm…

The third was the close of the evening in the barn everyone in a circle bare in mind there is 46 guests, this circle is very wide. Barrie John conducted a human pendulum experiment. One of the guests, who was in a suggestive state of consciousness following some relaxation techniques. I don’t tend to give to K2 meters being used in investigation exercise other than their actual purpose of detecting where electrical cables are. But… we are in a barn, in the middle of nowhere. None of the buildings have any electricity. We are at least 2 miles from any road. Everyone’s mobile phones are off, or least should be… These k2s which are on the floor within the circle light up like its Christmas. And I don’t mean all at same time. One at a time. However no one is moving, we are all in a circle, all are linking hands. There is illumination from the bright moon to see everyone and the barn interior.

After the pendulum experiment where apparently a female, teacher to the children who lived there, in 1537 came through. Barrie John makes mention of an angry gentleman who is present too. The guest returns to the circle. The temperature seems to drop. The k2 at close to her feet, doesn’t stop fluctuating. As people start asking questions out, the k2 at her feet appears to be responding in a yes/no fashion. Karen speaks forward “Are you the man, the terrible man who was here before?”. All of the k2 meters light up to full simultaneously. “Are you looking for Denise, the lady who called you out before?” The k2s on the opposite side of the circle to myself illuminated up to full, repeatedly fluxing. The 3 on my side (if there is such as a thing as a side within a circle) nothing. “She is not here tonight?”. They all flash up to full, then all stops. Barrie John says “He has gone”. Karen speaks up to say, the last time they were here, Denise got quite annoyed with him, and told him to do something, choke one of them to which Karen felt hands around her neck and she couldn’t breathe.

Equipment (Are we as paranormal investigators our own worst enemy)

Equipment
This forms the second part of our series of pieces with the theme of “Are we as paranormal investigators our own worst enemy?)

Ghost investigators in particular seemingly have quite the repertoire of gear that is commonly regarded as spirit finding tools. EMF meters such as a K2 meter, laser grid torches, cameras, audio recorders and suchlike. When it comes to the equipment in which we investigate, shouldn’t the first rule of the thumb be to discard immediately what we know for certain does not work. Such as pendulums, dowsing rods, table tipping, laser grids, ouija/spirit boards which have been debunked in every kind of way.
What is amazing to consider, is many marketed paranormal event/ghost hunts tend to use them! For those that do, its a hit or miss as to whether there is fair explanation of their use or practise.
The reason they are they being used may be down to that they are expected, much like props. They have no value or worthy information to be gleaned other than “looking” like it’s what they do on the telly. Whilst this doesn’t go completely for every investigative group.
Certain practices that are being employed in investigative exercises, such as at residential homes you have to raise an eyebrow or two in wonder at what groups hope to obtain using tools and methods that can only be described as dubious. Further self-deception is generated and thus a trap of expectation and basing foundations of nothing that holds any weight.

We can see to a certain extent why some equipment are being used despite the contrary and conflicting views, such as an EMF meter. To be used to measure the electro-magetic fields of the environment, its original purpose, not as a pseudo-scientific dowsing tool. Which is also how the K2 meter is presently being employed by many investigators. Often being labelled as “Ghost Communicators” by some of the companies retailing them! Those companies selling them are often ghost hunt event and investigative groups themselves.

In searching the internet in search of a couple of images to use for the this journal piece, the results to searching for EMF meter picture wise, on the front first page of which there were 55, every one belonged to ghost related website! Checked them all manually. :-S However Greater Manchester Skeptics Society did make me chuckle,

You get into a conversation with a potential customer. He asks you about Infrared Thermometers, so you begin to demonstrate one you just happen to be holding. At this point he asks you if you sell EMF meters, and the alarm bells go off. You’ve got yourself a ghost wanker! What would you do? I have absolutely no idea, and each time it happens I’m almost at a loss for words.

http://www.gmskeptics.org/?p=19

Certifibly haunted

Certifiably haunted

Went into a pub a few days back, in the former mining town of Hucknall, which is located north of Nottingham. Whilst sharing drinks and conversation with friends, I caught sight of a framed picture on the wall. Without naming names.
Within the frame is a certificate with the words to the extent that this location has been officially acknowledged as being a haunted premises as investigated by” ******** paranormal investigation team”. Glad to know there is a team out there who actually know what a ghost is and can as such “certify” its existence and activity at a location. While seemingly everyone else in the world doesn’t have this insight.

This forms the initial of a series of articles with the over arcing theme of “Are we as paranormal investigators our own worst enemy?”

Reflections of inspiration

Growing up, most influences come from the family and the people we interact with, friends, teachers, neighbours and those we see on the television. The late great Carl Sagan was an indirect inspiration. That is I kept hearing his words growing up, without realising who he was. As I came through into adolescence every boy dreams of going into space, I would read books, scan the newspapers for space and technology news to the bemusement of many others at school. While also paying increasing attention to books of archaeology. National Geographic, Readers Digest, Osbourne books and the like.

One particular book called Mystic Places Mysteries of the unknown published by Readers Digest in 1988 which my mother brought stands out in my memory. Must have read that book a thousand times. Vivid images of the mysteries of Stonehenge, Mary Celeste, the flying Dutchman, close encounters – indeed a picture was an artists impression of a silver-suited humanoid figure with large eyes looking through the car window at a terrified elderly couple haunted me for years, Mystic Places was my first encounter with what is known as the Ancient Alien theory. Including a detailed graphic of the sarcophagus lid from Palenque in central America, which took many years to excavate the earth which filled a single staircase going into the pyramid. The lid depicts what appears to be a figure, sat inside of a flying apparatus, his hands and feet manipulating instruments and complete with fiery exhaust.

 

At primary school where I attended Highlees Primary in Peterborough, in Year 4 (I was 8-9) my teacher was a wonderful middle-aged well spoken woman called Mrs Green and the adjacent classroom run by Mrs Jewitt would get together on a Friday afternoon. Bringing together the students and tell us a mystery and allow active discussion with the students. Stories such as the Bermuda Triangle, Mary Celeste, the U.S.S. Aldridge, Life on other planets and what it would be like, the pyramids of the Giza plateau. I am ever grateful for this time, can be certain that in todays education allows not room for critical thinking and open discussion of topics considered fringe – despite their place in the psyche, embedded into history and their yearning to be talked about.

As a child, prior to the discovery of books, the first source of an unusual encounter was from my mother, she would tell me of a vivid spectral visit she would experience regularly when she was around 12. My mother is the eldest of 4 children of Madge and Stanley Lander. My grandfather Stanley was in the forces as a young man, a chauffeur and driver to top brass. With the family growing up, he resigned during the late 60s. They moved to Turves, a village of only 16 houses of the time either side of a B road leading out of Peterborough towards Cambridge. They had made a swap with one of my Granddads friends in the Army, whose father was seeking a move. As his wife had recently passed away and the house too big, but perfect for Madge, Stanley and the 4 children. An ideal swap. Without going into a lot of detail. My mother would tell me, that during the night her door would open and being a light sleeper she would wake up to ask who it was, thinking it was her mother. This happened frequently. She also began to notice jewellery would disappear from her jewellery box on the mirrored dresser. One particular night, she woke up to find an elderly lady sitting on the bed. Mum said the lady said, “Don’t worry, I’m just doing the cleaning, just having a rest”. Mum described her vividly, was very keen to state she was as real as anyone else, and had touched her. She wore her grey hair in a bun, a polar jumper, a pinafore apron and a pair of checked slippers with fluffy pompoms on them. Upon telling the family in the morning, she was laughed at and no one believed her. It was noticed a handprint was left on the mirror of the dresser. Jewellery box open, and a number of jewellery were missing a St Christopher necklace, a mother of pearl necklace and a charm bracelet.  No-ones hand matched up to the print and no-one would own up to the jewellery.

Stanleys friends father Albert Palmer, whom the house was owned by previously would come over for Sunday dinner every week. The topic came up at the dinner table. When asked to describe the elderly lady, the friend was unanimous that it was a perfect description of his late wife. The following weekend, Albert came over again – bringing with him something quite unexpected. In Mrs Palmer Jewellery box, it was discovered to be the missing items from my mothers jewellery box. Whether the visits were the result of an over active imagination of a 12 year old girl, a dream which the brothers, her mum and dad had neatly labelled the encounters under. Jewellery somehow was transported from a house in Whittlesey to a residence in Grantham, which is around 30 miles away.

Suitably programmed to be looking into the curious from a young age. However the story of the spectral elderly lady was a huge impression, it’s not necessarily in the way you may imagine. My first question once I had heard the story when around 6, was regarding the jewellery. “How did the jewellery leave the “house?” My mind as immature as it was at the time devoid of the greater wide view of the world, was looking at the solid object and considering how it passes through the walls of a house. In my mind, I was seeing the image of the jewellery passing through the walls and across the landscape. Was it teleported? The handprint on the mirror, how and why did a ghost leave something well… physical.

It is the questions of the hows and whys does it happen, that are the most interesting. Which these are questions that run through my mind, when someone tells of an occurrence. Take for an example of the 8 common phenomena of a phantom hitchhiker. Why would an apparition appear at the side of a road? Then there’s the physical impression they have, they physically interact with the door, the car light when the door is open is “on” the person this means the photons were being reflected off something physical,  how did they have mass as they sat down in the car, have a “solid” appearance, then a short way down the road they disappear from the seat.

Often I’m asked “How do i become a investigator?”, “What do I have to do to become a researcher?” of which the answer is, build your knowledge base. How can one give structured sound advice, if one does not know the information surrounding the questions being asked.

In the last couple of years, we’ve somewhat stepped away from active investigations. But have become more an observer and trying to gain insight into the actions of alleged investigators. For instance, why are they using “x” piece of equipment? What data do they hope to gather? Of the data gathered during an investigation whether, video, audio, photographic, device data and recorded information how is this analysed? Is it available for review by external professionals? What are the groups intentions for the recorded data. Why is where we are today with Projects like Project WIRGOOT aiming to survey how groups conduct investigations, and what is done with the information gathered.

Giving presentations and talks around the county. Focusing as well on other aspects of the unexplained, rather than just ghosts, because there is more to the paranormal than just ghostbusting.

Kristian Lander.

Here sporting my Gold flyer pin badge and Giorgio Tsoukalos’ style hair.

Spirit photography

As many who seek the answer to perhaps what is the most thought about question in all of human history – “Is there anything beyond our physical life?” It is also the question that drives us to look in wonder at all the multiple ideas and theories out there in the world, and we want so much to believe there is. Our minds, our thoughts, our experiences, we don’t want to believe they will be lost forever. When logic and reason comes into play we are confronted by a wall and a clear answer of no, there is no afterlife, no continuation of the consciousness, you will die, and that is that.

There are glimmers which shine out like beacons to those seeking to cling to idea that life may indeed continue in some form. One of these is the idea of ghosts and spirits, which indeed some of been caught in front of the camera many stand up to reason that they are not forgeries and done in a way to manipulate others. They just simply are. And what has been taken in front of the camera, was in front of the camera.

Spirit photography has been around for over a century the technique of recording manifestations was developed in the mid 1800s. William Hudson who lived in the United States. Who began to build a photographic record of working with mediums in séance using flash photography, which proved ultimately destructive at the séances with mediums suffering terribly from the likes of heart attacks. (Allegedly due to bodies substance being given in order to create ectoplasm, but that’s another story) to quote Fred Gettings author of a number of occult book publications

“Images of complete materializations of spirits, of partial manifestations and related phenomena are certainly more frequently obtained than is generally realized.” Genuine mediumship, beset as always by extensive fraudulent practice, resulted in highly sophisticated techniques which were the subject of intense scientific investigation. Perhaps the most famous of the 19^th century spirits to be photographed in a materialized form was “Katie King” who had manifested through the mediumship or renowned Florence Cook, who was studied by Sir William Cookes, under laboratory conditions. The materialization of Katie King was photographed with Sir William Cooke. Who wrote in his conclusions: “Photography was inadequate to depict the perfect beauty of Katie’s face, as words are powerless to describe the charm of her manner…”

 Spirit photography was done using Radiograph (which is similar to how an x-ray is performed and results in a similar style of image) Skotograph (a single shot piece of film that is in a sealed package to prevent tampering or fraudulent alterations. This concept was proposed and devised by Felicia Scatcherd, of Society for Psychical Research).

Another form of spirit photography is Kirlian photography, It refers to a form of photograph achieved with a high voltage current. It is named after Semyon Kirlian, who in 1939 accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a source of high voltage created by the strong electric it gives a corona like effect, around objects and even people! In recent times this form has been redubbed “Aura photography”. Of which there is research of how different colours of said “aura” do indeed change dependant on mood of the respondent. I was present when a Kirlian photograph was taken of a pregnant woman (Festival of Fire – University of Nottingham March 09). The photo appears to have a shaft of light seemingly coming from where the foetus is developing in the womb. I took a photo on my camera of said Aura photograph,

Polaroid instant print cameras, have been around a while and are popular amongst paranormal researchers and photographers offering proof that the image wasn’t tampered with. High quality digital cameras come reasonably cheap at varying resolutions, images are quickly stored to an internal memory or externally removable card, ported to a PC and printed out, in the comfort of your own home. Whilst that is great, its open to the skeptic and debunker to say whatever you caught on camera wasn’t caught on the camera but instead took a trip into the realms of paint shop pro and photoshop – and was added (however a quick look at the metafile of said digital image will tell you exactly where its been).

One of the most famous photographs of an alleged ghost is the ‘Brown Lady’  taken in 1936 at Raynham Hall in Norfolk, is the apparent spirit  of Lady Townshend. Who it is recorded was never allowed to leave the house by her overbareing husband Lord Charles Townshend.

 

Spirit photography regardless of how it is done will always under scrutiny, if it is not the photograph itself – it is aimed at who took it, the photographer, how, when, why did you take “x” shot, what do they seek to gain from it? Can it be recreated? Does it prove the afterlife exists? No. Does it give that glimmer? Playing devils advocate here, yes. The glimmer is shining, it is now a matter of discovering what it is, that is being illuminated.

Engima talk

Evening went very well, the goal of generating a lot of discussion across a wide spectrum was certainly realized.
Videos of Carnac, Mohenjo Daro and Darinkuju.

Psychical experiments of remote viewing and telepathic projection had interesting results.

Conducted a double blind telepathic experiment where 2 participants faced a non descript wall clear in mind to receive symbols from a zener card set, while the other attendees in the room focused on sending the symbol to only one of them. Of which the recievers didnt know, who was the “directed at” reciever.
Went through 3 randomly chosen cards.

Second experiment was remote viewing, where a sealed box with a object within was placed in an adjacent room. A guided mental exercise to go to the box and to “go inside” discover what the object is. Then come back to thr body and then describe what they saw. Yielded some interesting results!
With an agreement to get together to try some more at later date.

The Paranormal Network supports the protest against SOPA.

The SOPA acts goes against everything the internet stands for and its future.
The internet is the last stand of freedom of speech, expression and peoples voices against tryanny. If i wish to mention the word “google” or “the new york times” potentially just the mere mention of the word without permission and copyright fees paid, is enough to have your websites, blogs removed. Even your very access to the internet recinded completely. By laws no-one wants wants, no one agreed with. In the illusion of protecting data.
This is an outright step to complete draconian law by corperations and is politically motivated by people behind the scenes of governments who share seats on the boards of these mega companies.

Its maybe that Paranormal Network isnt large enough of its own for people to take notice, but unless we all show support and community to the likes of wikipedia, reddit, yahoo and the many others that are, we do not accept of want SOPA.

Paranormal 101 – How to be a investigator on a budget.

Was asked a question recently which was from a friend called Sarah.  Who asked “I cannot go on ghost hunts, because I cannot afford it anymore. How can I still be investigator?” We take up the challenge of looking at different areas of the paranormal and how to do them on budget!

It’s a question facing many  people who have an interest in the fields of curious experiences and phenomena in our economic climate, a climate which shows no signs of loosening its grip. So what can one do?

Anyone who has visited our site in the last year, will have seen a graphic, a message and a facebook page entitled Investigating the paranormal isn’t just about hunting ghosts? Because there really is so much more to the amazing colourul landscape of the unexplained.

Areas such as remote viewing, psychometry, precognition and telepathy are easily examined, with a small number of people.

How? Simple experiments using Zener cards which you can make your own. Take a photo, make sure no one sees obviously put it in an envelope and pass it around seeing if others can pick up, draw and write down information they get just by touch. Put an object or a message in a room and see using remote viewing what it is. Arrange a psychical fun night in.

Prep work: paper for notes, create/buy Zener cards, get envelopes, get some peeps over.
Cost – Very little.

Ghost, stories, myth and legend discovering!

Theres always places with myths and legends attached. Monks, grey ladies, strange figures, anniversary hauntings. Roman roads, cross roads, former battlefields, standing stones, sacred sites and hanging trees even. You’ll find them some of them in various books of the subject.

Take up the research side, head to your local studies library. You will find lots of stuff and places to look at. Discover more and even go visit. A great example close to us here in Ye Olde Nottingham is the stories of black George, the very road takes its name from the entity Georges Lane. A lonely and eerie stretch of rural road heading to the small township of Calverton. Many encounters of a black figure chasing cars, a number of situations where late night drivers on the road report a figure or being appearing in the back seat of the car! Not in there few either. Local taxi drivers reputedly avoid the road at night and others plan routes around Georges Lane. Brilliantly simple place to investigate, with the structure and scenario already in place required to do an investigation.
Take a car drive along at night.

Prep work: create a log, times, direction etc
Cost: It’d just be a tank of fuel.

On location of investigation. Example being a ghost inv.

Taking a logical equipment set suited to the investigation. Pen, notebook, >wristwatch, camera, torch (it may be dark), talcum powder, thermometer and a compass.
All of which bar the camera are relatively inexpensive. A tape/digital voice recorder is very useful though. EMF meters and thermal cameras sure look cool and striking. They are more about monitoring the environment rather than tracking down ghosts.
Which is our advice to any team. Use the principle – “K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple, Stupid.” Sure there are advantages to having infra red beam alarms securing areas off, CCTV set ups monitoring when there is multiple locations. But are generally they not needed.

Don’t waste time, money and effort on reports which aren’t current events. For instance, it may that Mary who experienced the windows rattling, cold spots and the TV turning off 22 years ago without an explanation. Simple isn’t viable, for the structure and perimeters of an investigation. But many people have reports they just want to talk about, which is fine in terms of conversation as some are fascinating.
However a simple way is just ask them straight, does it occur today?
Refer them to local studies library, city archives, paranormal database, ASSAP, SPR archives to see if there any other reports that have appeared at the location.

UFOs – a frequent subject of the strange

Have a look at local reports in the press, local studies library and the internet. Whilst many of the reports are from individuals viewing and recording are often nothing more than the crafts in passing. Rather than close encounters.
There is logical things investigators can do like making a call to CAA to see if there was a craft of more earthy origin at that time.

Cost: a phonecall. And log the report.

Hope these have provided food for thought in terms of lowering the outlay whilst being an effective investigator of the unexplained.

Paranormal Networks

Paranormal 101: Practical steps of the investigating the paranormal.