Hunting Ghosts

It all looks like fun, with a surge of adrenaline to add to the excitement. Apparently serious young adults, armed with the latest in technology (EMF meters, thermometers, digital cameras and recorders) prowl darkened buildings, looking for ghosts. It appears so easy to do, perhaps requiring an investment of less than a thousand dollars. There is the chance to make a name for oneself, to take the definitive ghost photo or catch an especially discernible spirit voice. But I wonder how many of the searchers ever ponder precisely why they have become investigators.

As suggested above, the ego-lure of becoming famous or notorious is probably the worst motivation for exploring the world of spirits, especially if one discovers an entity that is very negative. More on that later.

When I went on my first ghost hunt in 1976, our group was motivated by the attempt to show that the house’s activity was not a ghost, but instead, ordinary building activity. Fortunately, we had three professional psychics in our group. I have since concluded that all ghost hunts should proceed in this fashion. If one wants to find a ghost, then he or she will undoubtedly find enough “evidence.” But, it is one thing to kid others with a tale, and even worse to kid oneself.

There should, first, be a lack of bias on the part of the searchers. One must be willing for there not to be a ghost or ghosts before the hunt begins. Step One, then, would require the best ghost hunter to be absolutely objective. In the snippets of television ghost programs that I have seen, that seldom seems to be the case.  As with every important activity in life, a person needs to be absolutely honest with self as to his or her underlying motives. And a lot of investigators aren’t up to that.

There is no problem with taking along equipment, but the teams that I assemble use the bare minimum. Our motivation is to discover if a soul is hovering in the “in between,” and then to discover, if possible, what its problems are. Why has this soul or spirit not gone on into heaven or paradise or dissolution? And electronic devices are incapable of discovering those answers. My teams use “human devices” which means their innate psychic or intuitive powers. Only on that super-human level can we make contact with a personality and discover who they are or why they remain to “haunt” a location, or why they have remained with a physical object.  Machines have not yet been built that can penetrate the emotions of the deceased.

Gadgets can tell us there is a sudden temperature drop in that corner there, or a sudden temperature rise in the center of the room. Cameras can provide imagery of colorful orbs, swishes of presumed ectoplasm, and occasionally, humanoid shapes. Wow! And in rare instances we can return from an expedition with a facial image, though it seldom belongs to an identifiable person.  Many amateur investigators, I believe, get into “ghost hunting” for precisely this experience—to gather greater evidence of another world or a greater certainty that some part of human beings does survive body death, and even may be able to communicate with the living.  For certain, such “proof” is not commonly available in our institutions of higher learning (most of which disdain research into these matters) or in our houses of worship. The latter is a curious thing, because religions have a goal of providing assurance of a future life. Yet, science or investigation of any kind (though St. Paul urged us to “test the spirits”) is not offered by churches to corroborate the prospect our consciousness surviving body death. Religions expect their adherents to accept such promises on faith alone. It seems to me that formal religion must one day bring in all the information available to assure people that their physical death isn’t the end of anything, but only a transition to another school of learning. Only Spiritualist churches offer anything close to my ideal in their services, though most of their “evidence” comes in mediumistic or channeled messages.

Why do the television ghost hunts usually take place at night? I often suspect that this route is taken simply to add to the mystery (or is it terror that they want to foment?) of the program. The only advantage of night investigations is that the civilized world’s energies are a bit lower because fewer people (energy) are around, or there is less  human activity (energy) flowing in that spot. Ghosts are present 24/7, though they may not act up or reach out to the living continually. Something has trapped these beings partially in this world and they can’t move on. Other than an occasional chat with the spirits, I have not seen a television ghost hunter who has compassion for the deceased, or a hunter who wants more to liberate the trapped beings than getting a good photo, recording or meter reading. For me and for my compatriots, the helping of souls is the only reason to set out on a ghost hunt, because there are dangers that lie in waiting.

Now, a second item to consider. When my researchers (who vary from intuitives to genuine psychics, to water [spirit] dowsers, to sensitive photographers) go on a “hunt,” we put on spiritual protection before entering a place. Susan, a longtime sidekick, usually spends time in meditation on the day before an investigation, attempting to sense what will happen the next day, and especially “is it safe?” The procedure isn’t complicated. One must ask for protection from the Highest Forces (whoever or whatever you consider to be the greatest power in the universe). For many adventurous young ghosthunters, this activity may sound wimpy or, even worse, “too religious,” but I urge you to read Tick Gaudreau’s Spirit Rescue: A Dowser’s Ghostly Encounters. Gaudreau, a longtime friend and scientific sensitive will quickly familiarize you with the world of spirits; showing that some of these are kept in the earth plane because they will not release some very negative (even aggressive) energies…usually destructive thought patterns. Think for a minute what consciousness a serial killer takes into the afterworld. What mental patterns do you think an embezzler or con-man/woman takes into spirit? If they were users of human beings in body life, what transformation do you think they accomplish in the simple act of dying? An old friend of mine says, “If they were an SOB while alive, they’re going to be a SOB when they’re dead—until someone or something changes them.”

Many of the deceased (especially those hung up between worlds) are so consumed by their own misdeeds, negative or destructive emotions, or “evil” that they will not or cannot surrender to a Higher Power. And it is precisely this surrender that is required in order to fully pass on. The deceased have to do some analysis of the life just past. How many of the living people that you know are unrepentant or unwilling to acknowledge their faults? When they pass over, what level of awareness or consciousness do you think will attract them? Will they be drawn upward or find themselves unable to escape our world of illusions and materiality?

If you have read this far, I think you may become a good investigator, because you are willing to stay with the subject that proposes that we’re all essentially energy beings or spiritual creatures (use your own terminology). Many aspiring investigators don’t want any form of religion or spirituality to be involved if there is to be a “fun investigation.” This concept or realization seems to be lacking in the commercial television programs that so many people watch “religiously.” This principle is the missing link in fully understanding why the once-living haven’t gone much of anywhere since their body died. They remain among us, occasionally throwing tantrums.

Gaudreau’s book gives clear evidence (from his years of experience) that devious and aggressive spirits (who are entirely focused on themselves, still centered on their own gratifications and in no way anxious to be your buddy) can do damage to you unless you are “armored” by some form of protection.  My greatest fear for you and your wellbeing is that you will get possessed by such a negative energy that you will then not be able to get out of the darkness without professional assistance. The worst part of it is your personal ignorance of what is entailed when one chooses to make contacts with the dead. Every one of your own negative tendencies will sooner or later come to light, making your life more difficult in some way unless you pay attention to this issue.

I once had the good fortune to interview author Malachi Martin, a knowledgeable former Jesuit priest who assisted in four major exorcisms for the Catholic Church. There are dark forces in the spirit world—just beyond the visible world. And they can and will ferociously use their power to keep you from sending them away. See if you can find Martin book from the 70s titled, Hostage to the Devil. It sure is instructive.

Let’s say you discover an energy in an old house on one of your group’s investigations. Okay, who is it? Or doesn’t that matter to you? If there is an intuitive or channeler in your group, a person who appears capable of getting information from the spirit being, what makes you think the spirit will tell you the truth?  Many, many young people (and even a few oldsters) use Ouija boards uncritically, taking every message as the truth. A devious or evil spirit will not tell you the truth; they will bring you along gradually, seeming to be your friend, until you have come to trust them implicitly. Then, they have a way of possessing you—a trap that you cannot escape without psychological or especially spiritual rescue. Ghost hunting is no kid’s game. There are other ways of getting an adrenaline surge—try sky diving if you must.

The world of spirits, though it is real, is laughed at by many academics and folks who live in the strength of their egos (which is a false strength because it assumes that a person can live self-sufficiently apart from the great energy that is One). Don’t look for universities to shed any light on this subject anytime soon. Most religious groups aren’t capable of changing their manner or methods of teaching about eternal (spirit) things. Most condemn all spirit contacts as “demonic.” So much for objectivity. Don’t expect you clergyperson to have much enlightenment about spirits and their behaviors.

So, here is what I have to say to beginners in the ghost-hunting business: There is no reason to go into ghost hunting (after all, how many orb photos are “enough?” How many creaky floorboards are “enough?” How many unclear sounds—are they voices? are enough to assure you that the dead speak to us?) unless you have a higher purpose than self-gratification.

There is marvelous, exciting work to be done in helping to liberate the souls of the troubled deceased ones, (and there are some religious clergy that do precisely that, though they keep a low profile. There are also many lay people who do the same.) But have you studied any spirituality? Spirituality isn’t always the same thing as religion (which can be quite confining at times, as to what you must or must not believe). But you must accept that your present person is still imperfect and that you are vulnerable. You must protect yourself from spirit energies that would ravage you physically, mentally or even spiritually. Are you willing to engage in self-study so that you can be really strong and a genuine help to those passed over? Or will you choose to remain in a world of phenomena and self-worship?