>>>>>>           http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/30/
>>>>>> ghost-hunters-halloween

>>>>>>>>> How Britain became a nation of ghost hunters
>>>>>>>>> Ghost-hunting events are on the increase, and not just at  
>>>>>>>>> Halloween. Rachel Dixon asks why we became so interested in  
>>>>>>>>> the paranormal - and whether we're wasting our money



>>>>>>>>> Rachel Dixon
>>>>>>>>> guardian.co.uk, Friday 30 October 2009 11.00 GMT



>>>>>>>>> Oxford Castle, the spooky setting for the ghost hunt.  
>>>>>>>>> Photograph: PR

>>>>>>>>> Midnight on Friday. Thirty people are crouching in a dark  
>>>>>>>>> castle crypt, silently waiting for … what? A ghostly  
>>>>>>>>> apparition, or an otherworldly sound - a communication, in  
>>>>>>>>> short, from beyond the grave. Suddenly, a woman screams.  
>>>>>>>>> "Something just hit me on the head!" The tension broken,  
>>>>>>>>> everyone starts talking at once and turning on their torches.

>>>>>>>>> We are on a ghost-hunting event at Oxford Castle, one of a  
>>>>>>>>> growing number of paranormal-themed experiences springing  
>>>>>>>>> up around the country. Fright Nights, the company behind  
>>>>>>>>> the evening, organises ghost hunts at 170 locations in the  
>>>>>>>>> UK, scaring - or trying to scare - 1,000 customers a month.  
>>>>>>>>> While it claims to be the "undisputed number one ghost  
>>>>>>>>> hunting company in the UK", it has certainly spawned a lot  
>>>>>>>>> of imitators - Haunted Happenings, Dead Haunted, Let's Be  
>>>>>>>>> Spooked - all making a living from our desire to be  
>>>>>>>>> frightened.

>>>>>>>>> Martin Jeffrey founded Fright Nights 10 years ago. At the  
>>>>>>>>> time, there were no public ghost hunts in Britain, but  
>>>>>>>>> interest in the paranormal had been piqued by TV programmes  
>>>>>>>>> such as The X-Files. Jeffrey, who carried out his first  
>>>>>>>>> investigation into the supernatural when he was 14 years  
>>>>>>>>> old, began by taking groups of friends on informal ghost  
>>>>>>>>> hunts. A business idea was born, and Fright Nights now  
>>>>>>>>> employs around 40 full- and part-time members of staff and  
>>>>>>>>> has a turnover of more than £500,000.

>>>>>>>>> Ghost hunts, as you'd expect, take place in old buildings  
>>>>>>>>> that are thought to be haunted. Members of the public are  
>>>>>>>>> guided by a medium or 'parapsychologist' through vigils and  
>>>>>>>>> seances, 'glass divination' and gadget-checking. Some  
>>>>>>>>> companies place the emphasis on fun and frights, while  
>>>>>>>>> others pride themselves on a more scientific approach. The  
>>>>>>>>> event I attended was aimed at sceptics, so the opening  
>>>>>>>>> remarks from medium Ian Doherty were a little surprising:  
>>>>>>>>> "I'm like the little boy in the Sixth Sense: I see dead  
>>>>>>>>> people."

>>>>>>>>> And indeed he did. Dozens of ghosts paraded before Doherty  
>>>>>>>>> throughout the night, all described by him in impeccably  
>>>>>>>>> accurate historical detail. Unfortunately, none were seen  
>>>>>>>>> by the rest of the group, though some valiantly reported  
>>>>>>>>> feeling "a bit cold" from time to time. The fact that we  
>>>>>>>>> were spending the night in a draughty 11th century castle  
>>>>>>>>> may or may not be connected with this strange phenomenon …  
>>>>>>>>> To be fair to Doherty, he was certainly entertaining.


>>>>>>>>>  Nothing to be scared of?
>>>>>>>>> Ghost-hunting participants vary enormously, from devotees  
>>>>>>>>> of the paranormal to hen parties looking for something  
>>>>>>>>> different. On my visit, several sceptical-looking groups  
>>>>>>>>> clearly found it nothing more than a bit of a laugh (I  
>>>>>>>>> overheard one woman's no-nonsense description of Doherty:  
>>>>>>>>> "Full of shit!"). Others took it deadly seriously. Tony,  
>>>>>>>>> the 'believer' of the group, plied the experts with  
>>>>>>>>> questions and took their answers about 'spirit energy' and  
>>>>>>>>> 'alpha waves' at face value. In return, he regaled them  
>>>>>>>>> with tales of spooky experiences of his own - and his  
>>>>>>>>> friends, and even a relative's cat.
>>>>>>>>> An analysis of Fright Nights' customers found that they are  
>>>>>>>>> "a complete cross-section of society", says Jeffrey. They  
>>>>>>>>> vary in age from 18 to 85; they have different religious  
>>>>>>>>> beliefs; some come in couples, some in groups. But many of  
>>>>>>>>> them have one thing in common: gender. Seventy per cent of  
>>>>>>>>> ghost hunters are women. "Maybe men are more sceptical?"  
>>>>>>>>> posits Jeffrey tentatively.
>>>>>>>>> Ghost hunting has become a popular pastime. According to Dr  
>>>>>>>>> Ciaran O'Keeffe, a parapsychologist from Living TV's Most  
>>>>>>>>> Haunted programme, there were 150 amateur ghost groups in  
>>>>>>>>> Britain in 1999. Now there are 2,500 and counting. Ghostly  
>>>>>>>>> experiences can be purchased as gifts online, and sales of  
>>>>>>>>> "ghost-detecting equipment" are soaring.
>>>>>>>>> The recession has done little to dampen the public's  
>>>>>>>>> enthusiasm for the supernatural. (And ghosts, presumably,  
>>>>>>>>> are unaffected by the credit crunch, having no fears of  
>>>>>>>>> eviction.) Since the end of July, Fright Nights' bookings  
>>>>>>>>> have been up 20% on the same period last year, previously  
>>>>>>>>> the busiest year ever. Interestingly, August is the busiest  
>>>>>>>>> time, not Halloween.
>>>>>>>>> What has caused this surge in popularity? Television is  
>>>>>>>>> credited with bringing the paranormal into the mainstream,  
>>>>>>>>> from America's Ghost Hunters to Britain's Most Haunted. On  
>>>>>>>>> the latter, spooky experiences happen to 'ordinary' people,  
>>>>>>>>> from cameramen and makeup artists to members of the public.  
>>>>>>>>> This, says O'Keeffe, "has made an interest in the  
>>>>>>>>> supernatural more socially acceptable."
>>>>>>>>> The success of Most Haunted, which is currently on its 13th  
>>>>>>>>> series, seemed to be a major trigger for the setting up of  
>>>>>>>>> new ghost-hunting companies. Jeffrey complained about the  
>>>>>>>>> "sense of commercialism" that informs the later additions  
>>>>>>>>> to the paranormal marketplace. "People with no previous  
>>>>>>>>> experience have started companies", he says.
>>>>>>>>> His own company can hardly be said to lack commercial  
>>>>>>>>> instinct. The night at Oxford castle, which ran until 5am  
>>>>>>>>> but included no food other than biscuits, cost £75 a head.  
>>>>>>>>> Jeffrey defended his prices - this was a premium event -  
>>>>>>>>> and argued that Fright Nights deliver a good value and  
>>>>>>>>> "fulfilling" experience. "Even if there's no recognisable  
>>>>>>>>> paranormal activity," he added.
>>>>>>>>> There's clearly a difference between watching a spooky  
>>>>>>>>> television show and wanting to spend the night in a haunted  
>>>>>>>>> house. What drives this desire to experience fear?  
>>>>>>>>> Psychologists refer to this contradictory impulse as the  
>>>>>>>>> "paradox of horror" - seeking out that which should be  
>>>>>>>>> unpleasant.
>>>>>>>>> One theory that attempts to explain this paradox is that  
>>>>>>>>> horror provides a relatively safe thrill, akin to bungee  
>>>>>>>>> jumping or riding a rollercoaster. Jeffrey describes ghost  
>>>>>>>>> hunting as "the new extreme sport". The fear is largely  
>>>>>>>>> simulated and safe, and therefore enjoyable. In Oxford,  
>>>>>>>>> people were positively determined to have a frightening  
>>>>>>>>> experience. "My fingers are a bit tingly", said one woman,  
>>>>>>>>> more in hope than certainty. "My arms are heavy", said  
>>>>>>>>> another, prompting much excitement and jostling to stand in  
>>>>>>>>> her spot.


>>>>>>>>>  Woman in white. Photograph: Maria Pavlova
>>>>>>>>> Another theory is that people are looking for answers to  
>>>>>>>>> existential questions, and are willing to take risks in  
>>>>>>>>> order to find them. They want tangible proof of life after  
>>>>>>>>> death. O'Keeffe agrees. "Ghost hunting is the new  
>>>>>>>>> religion", he asserts, tongue only slightly in cheek.  
>>>>>>>>> (Ghost-hunting experts secondary mission seems to be to  
>>>>>>>>> appear in Private Eye's Neophiliacs column.) During our  
>>>>>>>>> 'glass divination' session, when we tried to contact the  
>>>>>>>>> spirit world via a beaker and six fingers, some  
>>>>>>>>> participants were practically begging the unseen spirits to  
>>>>>>>>> make contact. The glass didn't move for me, but the  
>>>>>>>>> hectoring tone of medium Mandy Taylor may have put the  
>>>>>>>>> ghosts' backs up: "Spirit! Can you move the glass, please!  
>>>>>>>>> Move the glass please, spirit!"
>>>>>>>>> Jeffrey points out that people look for evidence of the  
>>>>>>>>> supernatural in times of loss and grief. "One of our  
>>>>>>>>> busiest weeks ever was after 9/11. It was incredibly sad  
>>>>>>>>> and disturbing," he said. He advises those suffering trauma  
>>>>>>>>> to seek proper counselling, not a medium.
>>>>>>>>> It might be assumed that ghost hunting is an American  
>>>>>>>>> import, as Halloween is such a big celebration in the  
>>>>>>>>> States. Certainly it has taken off there too, but Jeffrey  
>>>>>>>>> believes there is something peculiarly British about this  
>>>>>>>>> strange pursuit. "It has always been in the British  
>>>>>>>>> psyche", he said. "We have the greatest ghost story writers  
>>>>>>>>> in the world - including Charles Dickens."
>>>>>>>>> Indeed, Charles Dickens was a member of the Ghost Club,  
>>>>>>>>> which is thought to be the oldest paranormal research  
>>>>>>>>> organisation in the world. Ghost hunting is nothing new,  
>>>>>>>>> then, but it is only in recent years that it has become  
>>>>>>>>> easy for the average amateur to pursue it. Gadgets and  
>>>>>>>>> other merchandise have become affordable, and websites and  
>>>>>>>>> forums allow people to share their discoveries. Professor  
>>>>>>>>> Chris French, co-editor of The Skeptic magazine, which  
>>>>>>>>> takes a sceptical look at claims of the paranormal, says  
>>>>>>>>> the demand has always been there. "In the past, we had  
>>>>>>>>> ghost stories around the campfire," he says. "Now, people  
>>>>>>>>> can actually get involved."
>>>>>>>>> If it is a simple case of supply and demand, is there  
>>>>>>>>> anything wrong with charging up to £100 for a ghost hunt,  
>>>>>>>>> as some companies do, even if there is little chance of  
>>>>>>>>> witnessing any supernatural activity? (In 20 years of  
>>>>>>>>> investigations, O'Keeffe has only witnessed two incidents  
>>>>>>>>> that he was unable to explain; French has not witnessed  
>>>>>>>>> any.) Ghost hunts, frankly, can be rather boring - we sat  
>>>>>>>>> around drinking coffee and waiting for something to happen  
>>>>>>>>> for much of the time. Worse, though, are the groups that  
>>>>>>>>> deliberately fake paranormal activity. "Some ghost-hunting  
>>>>>>>>> groups - not all - are deliberate con artists who are just  
>>>>>>>>> ripping people off for their own benefit," says French. "A  
>>>>>>>>> lot of people are being ripped off."
>>>>>>>>> O'Keeffe agrees. "The huge majority of ghost groups are  
>>>>>>>>> operating unethically," he says.
>>>>>>>>> EU regulations that came into force in May last year have  
>>>>>>>>> tightened up the rules in this area. The emphasis is now on  
>>>>>>>>> the medium to prove they did not mislead the customer,  
>>>>>>>>> rather than the customer having to prove the medium was  
>>>>>>>>> fraudulent. Jeffrey welcomes the change in the law. "There  
>>>>>>>>> has been a huge increase in fraudulent mediums [in recent  
>>>>>>>>> years]. It saddens me. It's the biggest lie you can tell."  
>>>>>>>>> Fraudulent mediums must be exposed, he says.

>>>>>>>>> guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009

>>>>>> Is Ghost Investigation Dangerous? – One man’s story

>>>>>> October 26, 2008 by drywind
>>>>>> http://drywind.net/blog/ghosts/is-ghost-investigation-
>>>>>> dangerous-one-m...

>>>>>> The following account is not secondhand or in any way  
>>>>>> fictionalized.
>>>>>>  This is a personal account of my own experiences.

>>>>>> A group of people enters a old building, armed with all sorts of
>>>>>>  electronic equipment and digital cameras. They come from all  
>>>>>> walks of
>>>>>>  life, a college student, a grandmother, an engineer, but they  
>>>>>> all
>>>>>>  share in common one purpose: to discover evidence of ghosts and
>>>>>>  therefore a paranormal world. This activity takes them out of  
>>>>>> the
>>>>>>  mundane, depressing ordinary world of the physical existence.
>>>>>>  This scene is played out hundreds of times each night across the
>>>>>>  western world with the newfound “hobby” of ghost hunting  
>>>>>> or paranormal
>>>>>>  research. The popularity of this activity has been heightened  
>>>>>> by such
>>>>>>  high quality radio programs as Coast to Coast a.m. and  
>>>>>> television
>>>>>>  programs as “The Ghost Hunters.”
>>>>>>  This pursuit used to be one I participated in with great  
>>>>>> zeal.. Armed
>>>>>>  with the latest Digital Video camera and audio recorder, I would
>>>>>>  cruise locations ranging from historical graveyards to modern-
>>>>>> day
>>>>>>  office buildings in search of evidence of a life beyond our  
>>>>>> physical
>>>>>>  existence. I most certainly did come away with evidence.
>>>>>>  The interesting thing was the more I searched the more I  
>>>>>> found. At
>>>>>>  first this phenomena would only occur at the locations I was  
>>>>>> visiting.
>>>>>>  However, the phenomena began to follow me home. At first,  
>>>>>> there were
>>>>>>  strange movements I would see the corner of my eye. The  
>>>>>> phenomena
>>>>>>  began to elevate and until not only I was experiencing these  
>>>>>> things,
>>>>>>  but other people were experiencing them as well.

>>>>>> The problem was these experiences were no longer fun. Shadow  
>>>>>> people,
>>>>>>  semitransparent dark blurry forms of human like shapes, would  
>>>>>> be seen
>>>>>>  regularly running down my hallway towards my bedroom. Family  
>>>>>> members
>>>>>>  began to have bizarre dreams and incredibly vivid nightmares.  
>>>>>> If these
>>>>>>  manifestations were only happening to me, I could’ve passed  
>>>>>> it off as
>>>>>>  vivid imagination. When precious family members began to be  
>>>>>> negatively
>>>>>>  affected I realized the seriousness of the situation.
>>>>>>  The height of this activity reached the pinnacle shortly  
>>>>>> after there
>>>>>>  was an unusual murder in the otherwise quiet suburban  
>>>>>> neighborhood in
>>>>>>  the third most safe city in America according to the FBI. We  
>>>>>> also
>>>>>>  began to have UFO sightings, and incredibly bizarre buzzing or
>>>>>>  whirring sounds flying over our neighborhood. My son while  
>>>>>> walking on
>>>>>>  a trail near our house, saw an upright red-cloaked creature with
>>>>>>  animal-like legs as clear as day.
>>>>>>  Several teenagers in our neighborhood had been experimenting  
>>>>>> with
>>>>>>  occultic conjuring on a hill above our neighborhood. Occultic  
>>>>>> symbols
>>>>>>  that I was familiar with due to my research, began to be  
>>>>>> painted like
>>>>>>  graffiti on one of the high-voltage transmission line towers. A
>>>>>>  feeling of dread enveloped the area.
>>>>>>  The only thing I did know was that I and my family were  
>>>>>> oppressed by
>>>>>>  some very dark forces. The spiritual world was very real to  
>>>>>> me. All of
>>>>>>  the “happy thoughts” and New Age appeals to the  
>>>>>> “protecting light” had
>>>>>>  no effect on this activity. I cannot tell you how terrible and
>>>>>>  dreadful some of these experiences were.
>>>>>>  In desperation, I appealed to the son of God, Yeshua, known  
>>>>>> in the
>>>>>>  Western world as Jesus. After I gave my life to Yeshua, the  
>>>>>> oppressive
>>>>>>  activity stopped. Activity continued, and to some degree  
>>>>>> continues
>>>>>>  today, for the others in the neighborhood. However, for me  
>>>>>> and my
>>>>>>  family, we are at peace. While it may sound corny or hokey to  
>>>>>> you, I
>>>>>>  know for certain that when I pled the blood of Jesus and  
>>>>>> asked for the
>>>>>>  forgiveness of my sins, this unleashed a far greater  
>>>>>> restraining power
>>>>>>  over these dimensional experiences.
>>>>>>  I can’t say for certain that all the activity we experienced  
>>>>>> was
>>>>>>  caused by my paranormal research. Clearly there are those in the
>>>>>>  neighborhood who were practicing Occultic worship and perhaps  
>>>>>> even
>>>>>>  overt Satanism. However, I do know one thing for certain. If  
>>>>>> you seek
>>>>>>  communication with the spirit world you can very well open  
>>>>>> the door to
>>>>>>  negative entities that masquerade as dead humans. Ghost  
>>>>>> research is
>>>>>>  very much like a Ouija board; it is a vehicle of communication.

>>>>>> Ghost researchers often see the danger in séances and Ouija  
>>>>>> boards.
>>>>>>  However, the very act of this hobby-research is reaching out  
>>>>>> in hopes
>>>>>>  of communication with this spirit world. When you run a digital
>>>>>>  recorder in hopes of Electronic Voice Phenomena, you are  
>>>>>> inviting an
>>>>>>  entity to talk to you. In my opinion, opening up yourself to the
>>>>>>  spirit world in this manner is akin to putting a fresh steak  
>>>>>> in the
>>>>>>  middle of the jungle full of hungry, cunning and deceptive  
>>>>>> tigers.
>>>>>>  Lots of ghost research websites promise protection via happy  
>>>>>> thoughts
>>>>>>  and mysticism. For example:

>>>>>> The first most important thing to do is to envision oneself in a
>>>>>>  “Christ like” white lights, . . . Also remember that it is  
>>>>>> important
>>>>>>  that you believe that God and his angels will protect you  
>>>>>> because this
>>>>>>  protection is only as powerful as you believe in your heart  
>>>>>> it to be.
>>>>>>  - http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/deliverances/dangers.htm
>>>>>>  Instead of saying strictly Christian based prayers, we gave her
>>>>>>  prayers of protection based on Michael the Archangel
>>>>>>  - http://ezinearticles.com/?Does-Religion-Play-A-Part-In-
>>>>>> Ghost-Research...

>>>>>> In my experience, “visualizing” yourself being surrounded  
>>>>>> by imaginary
>>>>>>  light is not going to cut it in protection. Despite what you  
>>>>>> may hear,
>>>>>>  human beings cannot use mental power against multidimensional  
>>>>>> entities
>>>>>>  of incredible potency and cunning, anymore than you can use  
>>>>>> mental,
>>>>>>  positive thoughts against an oncoming locomotive. The  
>>>>>> spiritual world
>>>>>>  is very real and can manipulate our physical world. As for the
>>>>>>  conjuring of Angels, the Bible is very clear that good Angels  
>>>>>> do not
>>>>>>  respond to prayer and worship; it is the fallen angels who seek
>>>>>>  worship.
>>>>>>  Ghost research for the sake of science is one thing, but most  
>>>>>> people
>>>>>>  are not doing it for science; they are hoping for experience.  
>>>>>> So if
>>>>>>  you’re so inclined to want to experience the spiritual  
>>>>>> world, I would
>>>>>>  invite you to seek God through Yeshua. I know that He makes the
>>>>>>  spiritual world for me very real now in a very positive way.  
>>>>>> I don’t
>>>>>>  need to creep into darkened buildings to know that there is a  
>>>>>> world
>>>>>>  beyond my physical reality. Now instead of dark oppression, I  
>>>>>> have
>>>>>>  daily amazing things happen to me that could not be  
>>>>>> coincidence, and
>>>>>>  are very positive. I still maintain a research into this  
>>>>>> world that
>>>>>>  most people don’t believe in. However, now I am not on my  
>>>>>> own, but
>>>>>>  relying on God in his infinite word for guidance. For me, all is
>>>>>>  supernatural now. – DryWind

>>>>>> Are you being bothered by fallen spirits,  alien entities or  
>>>>>> other
>>>>>>  paranormal and related phenomena? Many troubled  contactees,
>>>>>>  abductees and others now can get help. The following  
>>>>>> researchers and
>>>>>>  their websites may be able to help you or provide councillors  
>>>>>> who can.

>>>>>>        Joe Jordon       http://www.alienresistance.org/ce4.htm
>>>>>>  and       alien Resistance HQ <alienresistanc...@gmail.com>

>>>>>>        Click the following link to watch Joe Jordon's talk in  
>>>>>> Roswell
>>>>>>  New Mexico July 2009
>>>>>>      "UnHoly Communion: The Spiritual Nature Of Abduction  
>>>>>> Reports"

>>>>>>      http://vimeo.com/5902168

>>>>>>        Jim Wilhemsen         http://paapsi.org/

>>>>>>>> Isa.8,    [ 19] And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto  
>>>>>>>> them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep,  
>>>>>>>> and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God?  
>>>>>>>> for the living to the dead?,

>>>>>>>>> 1Tim.4
>>>>>>>> [1] Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter  
>>>>>>>> times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to  
>>>>>>>> seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;