Afterlife Specialist

I like that title better than "ghost hunter". I don't feel as if I'm hunting them as much as trying to understand and communicate with them. Everyone goes into afterlife research for their own reasons but more often than not, it starts with a paranormal experience. When that happens you really just want to know who, why, and how it's even possible. I started at a young age after a pretty significant experience and haven't looked back. I really just look at life and the world in an entirely different way now. I don't care about reality tv, celebrity hair, or who's dating who. That's all just noise to me. Life is about so much more and the mystery of what happens after death is always on the forefront of my mind. If you drown out all of that mindless media static, you really start to open your eyes and see the world. You realize that what we see with our eyes isn't even scratching the surface of what's here around us. I love having a connection with the afterlife and I certainly don't think anyone has to go hunting for ghosts...they're all around us. It's up to you to decide if you want to open your mind, shut out the world, and see what (or who) is around you.

Telling a spirit to leave.

This is something that has been driving me crazy lately. I hear someone talking about paranormal activity and someone who "knows it all" tells them that all they have to do is tell the spirit to leave. "Its just that simple. Duh"

No. It doesn't work like that. Do you think your voice is a ghost repellant and you can make them disappear by telling them to? A ghost doesn't care what you want or what you ask it to do. It doesn't bow to you. It will leave when it's ready or if it's even able.
I've heard some people tell some horrifying ghost story and then say, "Well, I told it to leave and I never had another problem."
Well, then.
Some people make themselves believe that their house is haunted. They will turn any sound, any shadow, into a ghost. They believe it so much that they've created an entire ghost story in their heads. Once they tell this "ghost" to leave, they now believe that it worked so their imagination no longer turns natural noises into something paranormal. If telling a ghost to leave works, it was probably just a product of your imagination.
If telling an entity to leave actually worked, people would have no cause to call paranormal investigators as a last resort. Don't you think those terrified people have tried asking it to leave a few hundred times? I know I tried that approach when I was little and it never worked. Nor has it worked for anyone I've ever spoken to or in any investigation I've been on. We are dealing with paranormal activity in our house right now and my mom kept asking it to leave her alone so she could sleep. What did it do? It got worse. Yep. Sounds like those people really know what they're talking about.

The truth about ectoplasm

      I hope you're sitting down, because I'm about to burst your ectoplasmic bubble. Is that a word? Ectroplasmic? Let's pretend I didn't just make that up for the sake of this blog.
First a little history: Ectoplasm was "discovered" in the late 1800s and was described as a substance in which a medium excreted from an orifice (nose, mouth) during a seance. These mediums claimed that the ectoplasm was "light sensitive" and could only manifest in complete darkness. However, it was later discovered that the darkness created a shield in which the medium and her cohorts could place "ectoplasm" around her nose and mouth. It was usually made up of tissue paper or  a mixture of gelatin, soap, and egg whites. It sounds incredibly disgusting and probably pretty startling for the clients of said medium. The medium would also sometimes swallow a substance and regurgitate it during the seance and amaze her clients with her skill. So ectoplasm is a hoax? Yep. A pretty gross one, at that.
                                                 Sorry, Ghostbusters.

      With that said, I do believe that ghosts can sometimes leave behind traces of themselves within and on us. I like to call it "energy ectoplasm". This energy can leave behind an electrical slime, which sticks to our energy like paranormal glue. Once touched by a spirit, you know it absolutely. There's no mistaking the strange feeling you have after a brush with an entity that resides on the other side. It's almost as if the touched part of your body was transported to the dead realm. You feel as if you were electrocuted with a vibrating aftershock. That vibration can last for what feels like eons and lasts until you shed the energy that has made your body it's temporary home.

      So, no, ectoplasm doesn't exist in the traditional definition but it does exist in it's own certain way. Paranormal history, hoaxes included, is extremely fascinating. If you guys get a chance, definitely check it out.

Technology and ghost hunting

I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I love that I can find info or catch up with family and friends with my iPhone but sometimes it can really cloud your mind.
Ghost hunting has come such a long way over the years but I'm not so sure it's for the better. I'm just as impressed with new ghost hunting technology as the next ghost hunter, but now we tend to just rely on electronic beeps and flashes to tell us what our sixth sense should. A few years ago, if in the presence of a ghost, our hair would stand on end, our ears would ring, or our bodies would react in a certain way to let us know, "hey, there is something supernatural in the room." Now I think most ghost hunters are completely disconnected to the physical symptoms of a ghostly encounter. We rely solely on what our equipment says. We walk around a location looking like The Ghostbusters and lugging around bags of things we "need". I don't believe most of those things are really needed. (they are fun to at with though!)
I believe everyone has the ability to have a sixth sense. Everyone has that part of their brain open from birth and as we get older, it shuts down. This is caused by many reasons...parents telling us, "there is no such thing as ghosts.", technology turning us into mindless slugs, or even just life.
Now don't get me wrong, some ghost hunting equipment is necessary such as- a camera, a camcorder, a digital (or tape) recorder, and a flashlight. The rest is just stuff. Is it cool? Sure, it's cool. I have a few unnecessary tools myself but for the most part, I just use the basics. I got into ghost hunting to understand what I saw as a child and to possibly learn the answer to the age-old question of what happens when we die. I don't do it to prove to anyone that ghosts exist...people will believe what they want regardless of what's right in front of them.
I guess what I want to do now is change my old ways. Stop using so many electronic tools and start opening my mind. I'm just as guilty as others when it comes to overdoing it with technology. Ghost hunting has changed in so many ways and has even impacted tv (don't even get me started on ghost hunting shows). It's time for a different and more natural approach. I plan on chronicling my journey from tech-savvy ghost hunter to a more natural ghost hunter.
It's time to get back to real ghost hunting.

I swear I'll keep this up more!

Life is busy...what can I say! I do plan on keeping this up more. I miss writing this blog and sharing my stories/theories.

"Can ghosts hurt people?"

I hear this question a lot either directed at me or someone else. More often than not, I'll hear someone answer that ghosts can not hurt people. I wonder why anyone with ghost experience would say that. People who ask are looking for an honest answer. Why lie? Ghosts can and have hurt people. They can push, slap, hit, or throw things at you. While its unlikely that they will kill you, it's critical to understand that ghosts are powerful. They don't just rattle chains and moan in attics. They have emotions and those emotions can range from loving to evil. Just like a living person. So should you, like I've seen people do, randomly go to a haunted location and provoke, don't be too shocked if you find yourself in a physical confrontation.
Have I been hit? Yes. I've been slapped in the face and it hurt just as much as if a living hand did it. I wasn't even provoking. I just came into contact with a hostile ghost. It happens.
I don't write this so people will be afraid. I just want people to understand that it *is* possible for a spirit to cause harm. I get a little annoyed when I hear people refer to themselves as "seasoned" ghost hunters and claim ghosts are harmless. It's irresponsibly inaccurate. Maybe they should do a bit of research before opening their mouths...and, no, watching Scooby Doo doesn't count as research.

It's back...

Or it never left. Either way, our resident ghost has decided to show itself again after a long absence. I'm not going to lie, I've missed it. Let's see how long it stays this time. So, I got little miss M to sleep and decided to take a quick shower. When I was finished, I got out and started getting dressed. Suddenly I heard a whirring sound...I opened the shower curtain and M's bathtub bubble machine that's attached to the wall was on. It only turns on when a button is pressed. I turned it off and said, "well well, welcome back." As I turned away, it turned back on again. I turned it off again and stood to watch it but it didn't do it again. It seems as if someone is trying to communicate with me...time to break out my ghost hunting gear...