Last night Cheryl was laying on the sofa, and I was in bed. She told me today that last night while she was drifting off to sleep waiting for me to come out to the family room (she didn't know I had turned in for the night) she heard what sounded like a cup being set down on a saucer. This was a new sound for us. Other than that, it was a quiet night. So I thought I would write about some of the other activity we've experienced in this post. 

In a typical haunting, what most "investigators" would call a "residual haunting," certain sights and sounds repeat themselves over and over again. We have had a variety of different events. For instance, what sounds like furniture being moved in our basement is only about 2 weeks old. 

Before that, one of the anomalies we've seen is a light that flashes at all times of the day. Cheryl first saw it in one of the windows above the piano. She wrote it off as headlights but then realized that there is no way it could be headlights. For one thing, our house sits on top of a small hill. Secondly, the lights go on and off very quickly, like a camera flash. 

I first saw it one night when I was going into the master bath to brush my teeth. The lights were off, and before I could turn them on, I saw a bright light flash under the mirror. My first thought was, "I wonder when Cheryl put the night light in?" Then I realized that if it were a night light, why wasn't it still on?

I turned on the lights and looked all over the counter for a possible source of this light. I told Cheryl about what I saw and she suggested it might be the light which blinks when our electric toothbrush is recharging. It took me a couple of tries, but I finally got her to understand that the light came from behind the toothbrush, and it wasn't blue light the recharging light was. It was a bright white, and large. 

I saw the light again outside the sliding glass door that leads to the deck. My first thought was that it was a car's headlight. I looked and there wasn't any car. Then when I reconsidered the angle, I realized that it wasn't possible because it flashed in front of the wood railing of our deck. Again, I mentioned it to Cheryl and she told me she had seen it flash there many times before. I remembered her telling me that, but I always assumed she was seeing car headlights. 

I can't tell you how many times after that I would watch cars turn the corner onto the street behind our house, but I've never seen the flash Cheryl and I saw.  

Another anomaly we would hear every night for several months was what sounded like things were being moved inside of our cabinets. When we heard the sounds we would look, and since we can see the cabinets from our bed, we knew nothing was causing the sounds. At least nothing we could see.

Cheryl often feels as though someone is watching her when she's in the bathroom, especially when she's taking a shower. She describes the entity as a young male.

Speaking of which, our bath is open. There's the shower, the tub, and our double sinks. When you walk in, there's a walk-in closet to the immediate left. Next to the closet is a small room with the toilet, what Australians would call a "dunny." Anyway, one night I was using the toilet and I stood up and suddenly the fan came on. I thought to myself, "What the …? Did Cheryl install an 'odor meter?'" That thought made me laugh. 

I looked, and sure enough, the switch for the fan was on. I turned it off and wondered how in the world I could have turned it on without knowing it. I sat down on the toilet, stood up, spun around, did everything I could think of but stand on my head. 

When the paranormal investigating team came over, I told them about this. They were doing EVP (electronic voice phenomena) experiments and they asked, "Are you the one who turned the fan on when Anthony was using the toilet?" 

When they played it back we could all hear the voice of a young male say, "Yes, I did it." We all laughed, but a part of me didn't find it all that funny!

Like most everything in astrology, the aspects are an often debated topic. Astrologers have basically all agreed upon the mannerisms of aspects, but the types acceptable, the orb, and the power of the aspects are topics that will probably never be resolved, leading the individual astrologers to make up their own minds based on what they read and understand from various other authors, as well as what they have themselves observed through their own astrological career. This is rather unfortunate, really, as there are so many better things astrologers could be bickering over. However, like many things in astrology, the foundation is either ignored or forgotten, and I think that's the best place to start. It is my astrological opinion that all new things in astrology must be founded off of the tradition of astrology as the basis of the entire art. There is a philosophy for everything in astrology, and I feel that "add-ons" to the system are welcome, but they must obviously follow the rules of the original astrological philosophy to be applicable. After all, all of the "original" members of the set had to follow these rules, so why should any new additions be exempt from following the rules of the team?

The Major Aspects

The "Ptolemaic" aspects are the Opposition, Inconjunction, Trine, Square, Sextile, and the Semi-sextile. These aspects are based off of the Signs themselves and how they view one another. You can see an illustration of this below. However, to call these aspects Ptolemaic is a misnomer, when in fact they are handed to us by Marcus Manilius from even more ancient sources. The origin of these aspects is based on numerology and geometric figures inscribed in the sky by the casting of the aspectual contact. It is a misnomer to call the conjunction an aspect as the word aspect comes from a Latin word meaning "to regard", however, similar words were used to describe the way planets viewed or saw one another. As far as the conjunction is concerned, the planets do not see one another, but are actually physically joined. The opposition is based off of the shape of the geometric line, a symbol of division by two. The opposition is interpreted as two opposing forces that are in constant disagreement. It is a very strong and direct aspect, as the two Signs involved have a clear and direct view of one another.

It is also a misnomer to call the semi-sextile and inconjunction aspects, in that Signs that share this relationship are literally unable to see one another. The semi-sextile is considered slightly fortunate, but since the line of sight between the Signs involved is obscured, it is not as fortunate as it could be, and in fact it holds no sway over judgment without any other factors to back up what the semi-sextile is suggesting. Planets five Signs apart are in an inconjunction aspect, however, since there is no geometric figure that links these Signs together, they seek to avoid one another. Houlding states: "Such a relationship was considered unfortunate or 'alien' and the signs were said to turn away from each other, indicating an almost malevolent lack of sympathy. In classical literature the term ablepton meaning 'not seen' or 'blind' is frequently encountered, as is asyndeton meaning 'unconnected', aversum 'turned away from', and alienum 'unfamiliar'." The trine is based off of the number three which is a number that is often associated with harmony, and in fact with find Holy Trinities all of the world in various cultures and philosophical systems, whether they are the Holy Trinity of the Christian faith, or a trinity regarding the balance of mind, body, and spirit many philosophical and occult studies hold, the harmony and balance implied in the shape of the triangle is almost universal. The harmony this aspect allows gives the planets the ability to sympathize with one another, but the idea that the trine is always beneficial is incorrect, it just allows the planets to work well together, and sometimes there are planetary pairs we don't want working in cahoots. The square is a forceful and brunt aspect based on the shape of...a square! This is not an entirely negative aspect as - after all - it is better to have planets in square than in no aspect whatsoever. The reception between the planets involved can bring about very fortunate outcomes, but it seems the power flowing between the planets is overwhelming, which often leads to the undesirable end.

The Minor Aspects

Now, let me introduce to you to the modern aspects. There are really quite a few of them, however, there are three that are a bit different than the rest. The quintile, bi-quintile, and sesqui-quadrate were all originally developed by Johannes Kepler. It seems that Kepler took a page out of Ptolemy's book and continued his thoughts on the aspects being connected with notes in a musical scale with a conjunction being the same notes played in unison, the sextile being a minor third, square a perfect fourth, trine a perfect fifth, and opposition an octave. Once he was able to break from focusing on the Zodiac Signs, Kepler was able to come up with more aspects that continued a musical correlation. The quintile became associated with a major third, the sesqui-quadrate with a minor sixth, and the bi-quintile with a major sixth.

Other aspects don't have such a famous and ancient origin from Kepler, as the other modern aspects attempt to finish off the rest of the circle, dividing it (or more correctly, forcing it to divide) by other numbers. The quintile (72°) is a division of the circle by five, however, apparently it is "totally in line" with harmonic theory to continue to divide by multiples of five and get the biquintile (144°, division by 2.5), vigintile (18°, division by 20), decile (36°, 10), and quindecile (24°, 15). Other numbers include an attempt to divide the circle by seven which gives us the Septile aspect of 51° degrees, the semi-square (45°) is a division by eight, now by dividing by nine we get the novile of 40°, we also get the undecile (32°) in an ugly attempt to divide by 11, and an even uglier attempt of dividing the circle by a third (3.333) gives us the tredicile aspect of 108°.

So, what do all of these aspects mean exactly? That's a very good question. About the quintile and bi-quintile, Sue Tompkins writes: "Hamblin has isolated and promoted the notion of ‘style' as being descriptive of the quintile aspect, so that a quintile aspect will say something not only about an individual's personal style, but also about the style and technical quality of their creative work." It is apparent that the derivation of the number five is important in the character of the aspect. Also, the idea that Mercury is also associated with the number five in numerology has been used to come up with ideas as to what the quintile could possibly mean. The quintile has become associated with artistic manifestiation, creative impulses, how we communicate and how we give form to our mental processes. I can find no differentiation in the interpretations of the rest of the quintile family.

The septile (division by seven) can apparently be either beneficial or negative depending on the Signs and planets involved, however it is said its focus is on perfecting something. It is also suggested that a septile is a consequence, reaction, or an effect. The semi-square maintains its parent aspect's (the square) association with frustration and conflict, though to a lesser extent, and it seems the sesqui-quadrate joins it in these associations. It is said also that disruptions the semi-square and sesqui-quadrate cause are more deeply buried in the psyche, which apparently makes them more outwardly explosive in terms of events that cause their revelation. The novile (40°) is considered a constriction between the planets involved and can be used to unlock an area of self-enhancement. The tredecile (108°) is associated with a social creativity and a need to withdraw and inspect oneself for external originality. Finally, the undecile (32°) is associated with social consciousness and the ability to reach beyond oneself for assistance. There are, of course, other minor aspects, but they are so minor that they don't even have special interpretations, but are, instead, interpreted off of their parent aspect. So we won't get into them here.

Orbs

Lately there has been a huge push to constrict the effect of orbs. Obviously this is the work of modern astrologers and proponents of the modern/minor aspects. After all, they've nearly tripled the number of aspects in astrology, so having the orbs that were allowed in classical astrology still applicable would make the same pair of planets in a couple of different aspects. This would obviously lead to confusion about which aspect is more applicable, and would make the new, minor aspects seem superfluous (as if they didn't appear that way already).

The Faculty of Astrological Studies has handed down a suggested table for aspectual orbs. These orbs are based on the importance and supposed power an aspect has in some sort of hierarchy of aspectual power. The table is as follows:

I suppose this table could be useful to some, but I find it a bit ignorant of a few traditional points. In traditional astrology, the orbs are based on the planets involved, not the type of aspect formed. These orbs were based off of the luminosity of the planet itself when viewed as stars from Earth. For example, the Sun was given an orb of 17° as this 17° mark is when planets disappear in the light of the Sun and are invisible to us on Earth, this is when a planet is visibly obscured and gave rise to the condition of Under the Sun's Beams. Luna was given a 12° orb as it is 12° after he conjunction with Sol (the New Moon) that we are able to see her as a waxing crescent once more. The other planets seem to be based off of helical obscurity, or when a planet first appears as a morning or evening star (far away enough to shine just before the sun rises or just after it sets). Adjustments were later made for the superior planets (Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), and the inferior planets (Mercury and Venus) which ended up giving us an orb of 8° for Mars, 9° for Jupiter and Saturn, and 7° for Mercury and Venus. This means that, in all, the planets get twice the amount of the orb I've written as the orb goes of influence envelops them wholly, which mean it shows on both sides of the planet. So, while I've stated that Sol has a 17° orb, in reality he holds a 34° orb as he has 17° on either side of his body.

These huge allowances for orbs may make the jaws of some astrologers drop, but don't worry, we're about to get a bit smaller. Dariot wrote that application of planets did not begin until the moiety (meaning middle) of the planets' orbs began to meet. So while the orbs of the planets are based on the halo of visible light surrounding the body, the moiety is half of this and so we start to get the physical body of the planet involved as well. While planets are in aspect the moment they come within orb of one another, they do not produce recognizable effects until the middle of these orbs touch one another. A table is given below for orb and moiety of the individual planets.

The way you figure out if planets are in orb is to take the mean of their moiety. So, an aspect between Sol and Saturn is 8 ½ + 4 ½ = 13, then divide 13 in half to get 6 ½°. Whereas an aspect between Saturn and Venus would call for a smaller orb as the mean of their moieties would obviously be smaller (3 ½ + 4 ½ = 8, divided in half gives us 4°). This system is obviously more complex, but takes into account things that modern astrology leaves out, the differing levels of planetary importance and Earth-based observations among other things.

Arguments: Point One

So then, where did things go wrong? One of the biggest deviances, I feel, is the idea that the aspects were based off of numerology. While this is partially correct, it is more correct to state that the aspectual relationships were based off of the geometric figures inscribed in the heavens. Obviously, the conjunction did not share this, but since the conjoined bodies appear as one body in the sky, they are based off of the unity implied by what they saw. The opposition, however, is where we begin to see this take form. The opposition splits the sky in half by a line, this is where the idea of division and conflict arise. A completed sextile pattern creates two hexagons which are related to a weaker trine aspect, completed square patterns form three different squares, and completed trine patterns form four different triangles. Now, the semi-sextile and inconjunction are considered to be minor-major aspects because (while they do meet one criteria) they fail to create a significant geometric figure, while this may seem silly to some, it is the geometric figure that sets the tone for the aspect's influence. The semi-sextile pattern forms a dodecagon, which was seen as unimportant, and the inconjunction forms a dodecagram (twelve-point star) which isn't a real geometric figure as the lines cross up. Also, with these two patterns it is impossible to create another set using different Zodiac Signs as they are all used up. You can see the aspect charts for the Ptolemaic aspects below.

Opposition, Sextile, Square, Trine, Semi-Sextile, and Inconjunction charts.

So, it would seem that the modern aspects must inscribe a closed geometric figure that is capable of being reproduced using different Signs of the Zodiac without using the same ones twice. Let's see if any of these aspects do that. With the quintile, it is possible to create a geometric figure (the pentagon) twice without doubling up on Signs, however, if I were to start one with Aries and another with Taurus, I would leave Pisces and Libra excluded and if I did start another pentagon starting with Pisces (as Cancer has already been used), the Signs of Taurus, Cancer, and Sagittarius would be used twice. The bi-quintile forms a similar pattern excluding Pisces and Libra and doubling on Taurus, Cancer, and Sagittarius, except this time we are forming a pentagram which is not a geometric figure as it closes in on itself with the lines crossing. The sesqui-quadrate forms an octogram who is not a geometric figure as the lines cross up, and again Signs of the Zodiac are left out (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) and to do it a second time has Signs doubling up on Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. The vigintile automatically doubles up on Aries and forms a figure I'm not sure what to call, though it seems closer to a circle than anything. The decile seeks to skip Pisces and Virgo, and doing a second pattern doubles on Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn. The quindecile repeats the mistakes of the vigintile. The septile completes a septagon in the Zodiac, however it is impossible to make a second with the Signs left over from the first (Gemini, Leo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces) without doubling on Aries, Cancer, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Aquarius. The semi-square acts very similarly to the sesqui-quadrate except forming an octagon instead of a star, and leaving out and doubling on the same Signs. The novile aspect forms a neat little nonagon, but fails to include Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces, when a second is done to include them, all but Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are doubled. The tredecile creates a decagon, but excludes Pisces and Virgo, while doubling up on just about everyone else when making a second pattern to include them. The undecile basically creates a big circle, looping around the Zodiac numerous times before finally closing. The patterns can be seen below.

Quintile, Bi-quintile, Sesqui-quadrate, Decile, Septile, Semi-square, Novile, and Tredecile charts.

None of the modern aspects are able to produce a geometric figure that includes all of the Zodiac Signs without doubling up on any of them in a way similar to the major, Ptolemaic aspects. The trines, squares, and sextiles are able to operate independently of one another, without the same Sign being placed in two different triangles or two different squares, however, it is obvious that the modern, minor aspects are unable to carry this on, as each displayed an inability to create independent shapes whilst including the entirety of the Zodiac.

Arguments: Point Two

Something else that has differed in the classical and modern times is that the modern aspects are no longer based on the same number. In other words, the classical aspects were all based off of the number 12, the number of Signs in the Zodiac, and the important aspects were based off of numbers that are prominent for one reason or another in the Zodiac. The conjunction aside (we've discussed why this one is different earlier), the opposition is based off of the number two, the number of polarities (masculine and feminine) in the Zodiac, this give us the number six (as twelve divided by two is six), which is the number of oppositions that can form. The trine is based on dividing the Zodiac by the number three which is the number of modes or qualities in the Zodiac (Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable), this division leaves us with the number of four (12 / 3 = 4), which is the number of triangles that can be formed in the Zodiac (giving us the Fire, Earth, Water, and Air Triangles). The square is derived from the division of the Zodiac by four which corresponds with the number of elements (Fire, Earth, Air, and Water) and it leaves us with the number 3, which gives us the number of possible squares we can inscribe in the Zodiac (which gives us the Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable squares). The sextile is based off of the number six, which represents the number of Signs involved in each polarity (Masculine: Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius. Feminine: Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces), this division leaves us with the number two, which is the number of hexagons that can be formed out of the Zodiac with the sextile aspect, linking the members of the same gender. The semi-sextile serves to represent the number twelve itself, which just links the twelve Signs of the Zodiac together in a semi-helpful fashion. The inconjunction, however, is a very different aspect as there is no important association with the Zodiac and the number five, it's this lacking that has given this aspect its strange qualities.

Now, the modern aspects are all based off of the number 360, which - obviously - is how many degrees are contained within the circle of the Zodiac. This move here represents and interesting switch in perspective. The focus used to be the Signs of the Zodiac, now the focus is the degrees of the Signs of the Zodiac. It shows an interesting trend in the modern perspective to put more emphasis on the individual degrees of the Zodiac. You can find this trend echoed in various techniques that I won't go into here, but I thought it was an interesting correlation. However, the very idea is that the modern aspects are using the wrong base number as the emphasis in tradition and the classical era has always been on the unquestioned power and significance of the Signs is a bit strange. Especially when compared to the questioned and debated topic of degree influences, after all, is there really any difference between 9° Taurus and 10° Taurus in terms of significance? I don't think so. However, the differences between Taurus and Aries are obviously apparent.

Arguments: Point Three

This point only works with some of the aspects, but I feel it's enough to get some thoughts going. If we were to use the traditional orbs of moiety, then we would find that some of the minor aspects are, in fact, major aspects. Case in point, the bi-quintile of 144°; if we were to get a planetary duo whose mean moiety was 6°, this would be an inconjunction. The basic ideas of these aspects are contradictory, the bi-quintile being harmonious and the inconjunction being nasty. So I find this idea bit difficult to believe. This is echoed in the idea that the decile (36°), quindecile (24°), and undecile (32°) are really just semi-sextiles (30°).

Sources

Wikipedia. Astrology Notes: Septile. 1 Mar. 2006.

<http://astrologynotes.org/wiki/Septile>.

Wikipedia. Astrological Aspects. 8 Aug. 2008.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_aspect>.

Houlding, Deborah. The Classical Origin and Traditional Use of Aspects. 1 July 2004. <http://www.skyscript.co.uk/aspects.html>.

Tompkins, Sue. Aspects in Astrology: A Guide to Understanding Planetary Relationships in the Horoscope. Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books, 2002.

Weitere Phänomene des Sanatoriums

Es gab im Sanatorium etliche Spukerscheinungen, die von diversen Zeugen bestätigt wurden. Während Zimmer 502 und der Todestunnel mit dem Krankenhaus sofort in Verbindung gebracht werden, gibt es noch eine "typische" Erscheinung - die des Kindes, das schlicht als "Timmy" bekannt ist.

Es ist nicht viel über das Schicksal des Kindes bekannt, doch wird es berichtet sein Geist liebt es Spiele wie Verstecken zu spielen.

Ein weiteres Phänomen sind die plötlzlich auftretenden Temperaturschwankungen. Menschen empfinden dort sowohl einige Räume oder Bereiche als kalt, oder laufen wörtlich in "Kältepunkte". Dies kann man wunderbar bei dem Ghost Hunters Video beobachten. Als ein warmes Wesen im Koridor vorbeischwebt, schwebt seinem "Kopf" ein sehr kalter "Ball" hinterher.

Ebenfalls gibt es Berichte von einer älteren Frau mit blutverschmierten Händen, die um Hilfe bittet. Andere, die ausserhalb des Hospitals blieben, berichten wiederrum von kurzen Lichtblitzen in den Räumen, obwohl das Krankenhaus schon lange nicht an das Netz angeschlossen ist.

Ebenfalls bekannte paranormale Aktivitäten des Sanatoriums sind Schattenmenschen, Orbs(Leuchtende Kugeln, die scheinbar aus dem Nichts erscheinen und ebenfalls verschwinden) und EVP(Electronic Voice Phenomenon).

Von Schattenmenschen(menschenförmige materielose Gestalten) gibt es sehr viele Berichte. Sie schweben meist die Koridore entlang und sind in der Lage etwas vom Licht zu absorbieren, wenn man einen Laser Pointer auf sie richtet. Meist kommen sie in den oberen Stockwerken vor.

Dasselbe wie für Schattengestalten gilt im Grossen und Ganzen ebenfalls für Orbs. Sie sind meist nicht mit blossem Auge zu erkennen, sondern sind erst auf Film-, oder Fotoaufnahmen zu sehen.

Die EVP-Aufnahmen wurden von vielen Geisterjägern durchgeführt. Oft waren auf diesen Aufnahmen Phrasen wie "Get out!" oder "What kind of hospital is this?!" zu hören. Die Filmemacher von Death Tunnel und Spooked  haben viele Aufnahmen solcher Stimmen gemacht, auch wenn die Seriösität beider Crews angezweifelt wird.

Was denk ihr über diese Erscheinungen? Sind sie echt, oder versucht man mit einem Mythos Leute hinters Licht zu führen? Schreibt mir in den Kommentarbereich!

It will be held on Sunday, October 5th from 4-6 pm. Admission is by donation. There will be plenty of time to view and shop Bill's amazing inventory.

Crystal Bill's Showroom
http://www.elegantcrystals.com
407 Ash Street
Mill Valley, CA
(415) 381-6627 (RSVP appreciated)
Cost: by donation

Map Quest Map of this location

Here are some images from our previous events. Including an amazing orb!

We arrived at Rolling Hills Paranormal Research Center on May 16th of this year. For those of you who don't know much about Rolling Hills, check out the links below.

Many ghost hunters do have times where they have personal experiences but are unable to catch these on EVP, pictures, or videos. Neither of us had a personal experience (except being a bit freaked out), but we did get some solid physical evidence. So without further ado; here are the best pictures we have:

This one was taken in the basement boiler room; there are orbs in the doorway and towards the top of the picture:

Staying with the basement, this picture comes from one of the many hallways. We were told when we come up the hallway to make sure we turn around and snap a picture to see if any apparition or orbs had followed us (apparently they have a tendency to do so):

The following picture was taken on the first floor. You can easily see orbs floating in the doorway:

These next two were taken on the second floor (aka the infirmary). The story around this area is that there was a man who had purchased the building and was planning on turning it into a retirement home. He had built himself and area to live in where the hallways met so as to work all week and not have to leave the building. Normally this man would come home and visit with his family on weekends but one weekend he didn't come home. His family went to seach for him and found that he had died in that spot. These pictures were taken where those hallways meet. Several orbs come from the ground up:

Finally the coupe de grace. Brady took this picture while on the third floor using his Cannon Rebel 2000 EOS. If you look in the middle windows of the door you can see a child's face:

Next we'll be posting our even more creepy (and exciting) EVPS! keep tuned!

-Jess and Brady

Especially if your a no mark, untrained, saddo, most haunted wannabe or an orb chasing, mist picture displaying barmpot, who runs around pretending to be a paranormal investigator or a medium or some such drivel, charging unsuspecting members of the public to attend 'invos' or 'vigewals'or whatever you call them, where everybody sits around a table pushing a glass, or a planchette, or wobbling the table and claiming the ghost of great uncle Albert is actually causing the movement - thus causing the very few surviving real serious investigators not to be taken seriously..

And while we are on the subject - question for the media? why do you always print the barmpot reports and not contact real researchers to give an accurate opinion??? stop filling the publics mind with crap and start reporting some bloody sensible explainations! okay - deep breath..

The reason for my rant? or inane ramblings as some may perceive this little essay.. Ive just being updating the paranormal news section of the sypr forum, and yet again what do I find?? go on.. I'll give you three guesses.. okay, I'll just tell you. A load of crap, thats what I find..

Dont get me wrong here.

South Yorkshire (which is where I come from, incidentally) is absolutely jammed to bursting with the type of "paranormal Investigation" groups that partake of the activities listed above, it had absolutely no para related news whatsoever, slightly surprising considering the recent UFO flap.

But some of the other stories.. jeez..

Take for example, the recent photograph taken by some para group at a battlefield somewhere - supposed to be a ghost soldier? looks more like a light shining through a hedge to me..

I believe there were three seperate groups charging members of the public for 'ghosthunting nights' - this really bites my er.. well.. What are the public actually paying for here? no, thats a serious question - if you know can you let me know? As far as I can see, the venues they were meant to be investigating actually had no real evidence of being haunted anyway - how do I know?

Because there IS no real evidence that anywhere is haunted.

You have to apply logic here... centuries of scientific research has failed to come up with anything at all to prove that anything lives on after the earthly body dies, so how can anyone truly say they have evidence of a haunt? well, they can't, can they?

And the UFO reports? caused by the release of MOD files, (Very cleverly predicted by my best mate Dave Sadler, who is a proper paranormal investigator, and who actually said there would be a flap as soon as he heard the files were being released) The release of these files brought people out of the woodwork to either a, report their sightings cos they feel more comfortable reporting them now everybody else is or b, make up sightings to report because they saw a UFO related report on the news..  (seem far fetched? sadly not, Im afraid. Ive been actively investigating the paranormal for eight years now, and I can guarantee that if certain films - Poltergeist, Sixth Sense etc. are shown on tv, we'll get at least one report of someone witnessing similar phenomena..)

But lets delve a little further..

Have you ever noticed, if you watch the popular tv series, or read the papers just how these investigations are conducted?

Typical scenario: Group of people sit around a table, one of them usually calls themself a medium. Everyone puts their hands on a table / glass / planchette if they are using a ouija board and they call out for 'any spirits in the room to make themselves known.' 

Point one. If I was a spirit Id be sat in a corner laughing my head off at this point.

At this, something generally happens. Either the glass, table or planchette moves.

Point two. If I was a spirit, I wouldnt move anything.. Id still be laughing me head off at all these weirdos sat around a table concentrating.

Point three. Something I have noticed here is just how many spelling mistakes there are if the group are using a ouija board.. especially if everyones got their eyes shut.. hmm..

After a few moments of the 'medium' giving some long, drawn out account of someone (who no one else can actually see) birth, life and usually violent end..

Point four. This account usually takes one of two forms, either its easily looked up on the Internet or you cant find records of the person they are waffling on about.

..then everyone goes home and looks at their photos that they took on the night.

Which brings me nicely to 'Orbs'

Im not even going to try to explain, Ill just let you look at the false positives section at www.sypr.co.uk and let you make your own mind up, but just for your information - I took all the photos on there, so Im either right when I say they are caused by natural means, or Im in control of the spirits.. which Im not..

And anyway, orbs can be another rant for another day... :-)

Are there spirit orbs out there? Sure, it’s possible, and we aren’t discounting that. However, chances are if there’s an orb, it’s dust or something else in the air. We catch tons of them in photos and video. Orbs should be used for training and to teach people that while spirit orbs and energies masquerading as orbs can and do appear on occasion, the majority of orbs can be explained in a mundane way.

Does that mean there are NEVER orbs of interest? Not at all. But we are aware that if you capture orbs in photographs, chances are they can be explained by environmental or other factors - such as lens flare.

To see examples of orbs, we’ve posted a lot of them in our pictures section.

To read more about orb phenomena, there are tons of links you can find on the internet. Just Google the word ’orbs’ and read away.

In my personal opinion, I trust Class-A EVP phenomena more often than anything else. What I mean is clear, viable EVP captures that aren’t audio matrixing, but actual, discernable voice phenomena that cannot be attributed to mundane means in which the setting the EVP was captured.

Just my two cents,
Bev

What makes me psychic?

Truly, without being rude, I thought to myself ~ I don't know what makes me intuitive or psychic or any of the other things. I just am.  Maybe it's the   dead people at the end of my bed ~  I don't know ~ But seriously....

I answered:  "God".  God is what makes me psychic. It is a gift from the Spirit.

I see, hear, smell, taste, feel and sense things that others who are not like me, do not.

We're all born with the "gift".  We're all born with different abilities.  Some are just more sensitive and open to them, more aware of them.  What one chooses to do with their gift is entirely  their choice.

There has been so much activity with this painting, that if I were to chronicle everything that went on this week, I would have to be at the computer for hours on end. I hope to catch up and post some updates over the weekend. In the meantime, please enjoy this video and feel free to forward it to any people you know who have an interest in the paranormal.

I've been shooting hundreds of digital photos hoping to get orbs around it, but came up empty until today, when I caught a large gold orb near the side door of the house. This is the first time in a long time that I have captured a gold orb. I don't know much about what the specific colors represent, but I recall reading that gold orbs represent positive or higher entities. The orb showed in only these two out of the approximately 100 photos that I took. It looks like it is actually headed through the door, since it drops its height as it nears the door.

The other thing I have been trying to photograph is the activity in the windows of the house. As I've mentioned before, various figures dart in between the windows from time to time, especially in the evening hours. It's difficult to photograph these, as they are slightly transparent and move very quickly. Below is a photo that somewhat shows a face looking out the window, but it not nearly as clear as what I hope to capture. I will continue taking photos to see if more of the phenomenon surrounding this painting can be caught on film.

IMPORTANT: I have chosen to include a photo of the haunted painting at the end of this post rather than the beginning, in order to issue the following warning. If you are particularly sensitive to metaphysical phenomenon or spirit energies, please USE CAUTION WHEN VIEWING THE PHOTO OF THE PAINTING. Many people have had very uncomfortable reactions to this painting both in person and in viewing photos of the panting via e-mail. At least 4 people have reported severe migraines, and many people have complained of a general sick feeling after viewing the painting. It also tends to evoke a paranoid feeling in the viewer. That said, please try to be in a peaceful and positive state of mind before scrolling down to see the painting...and if you tend to be particularly sensitive, you might want to avoid it all together. I'm sure your curiosity has been peaked either way because of this warning, but please view with caution and definitely not for a prolonged period of time. If you do experience similar reactions, please feel free to comment. I am looking forward to other opinions and reactions regarding the paranormal qualities of this painting, which is a big part of why I am chronicling it here. In all of my posts, I will be sure to include photos of the painting at the very end of the post for these reasons.

I suppose I should start with the story of how I came to acquire this painting, and the history that was given to me from the shopkeeper. I had seen this painting hanging in a local antique shop that I often enjoy browsing around in. The painting had been there for the past two years, in an odd location, far away from most of the other items in the shop. I had always thought the painting was unusual, and it seemed to have a very strong presence about it. Other items in the antique shop came and went very quickly, but this painting always stayed, probably because it is very eerie looking and I cannot imagine anyone would consider it charming enough for display in their living room! It also was rather expensive for such a creepy thing, and at $700 no one seemed in a hurry to claim it as their own. On the other hand, it is a beautifully rendered painting with no damage and the antique frame is very beautiful and in pristine condition, so the price was actually fair. I was surprised one weekend to see it missing from its usual spot in the back room. I was even more surprised to see it reappear in it's original spot approximately one month later.

I inquired with the shopkeeper and told him how I thought the painting had sold and I was surprised to see it there in the back room again. He told me that it had indeed sold, but that the purchaser had returned two weeks later demanding a refund and insisted that the shop  take the painting back. "If I were you, I'd burn the thing", the man told the shop owner, and proceeded to tell him that the painting was haunted. He had brought the painting back in a large box within a box sealed all around in layers and layers of packing tape. "It took me nearly an hour to open the thing", the shopkeeper told me. He said that the man looked frantic and pale as a ghost, and refused to go into details about what had happened as if he were too afraid to talk about it. The shopkeeper didn't seem to believe very much in the paranormal, but he informed me at that time that the reason why the painting had always been in the back room was because his wife was terrified of it. He stated also that when it was out in the front room of the shop where his dog often is, the dog would have periods where he would bark and bark at the painting non-stop and he couldn't "take the ruckus anymore." I had always thought the painting was peculiar, but as a lifelong student of the paranormal, and a collector of bizarre objects....my interest was immediately peaked and I knew I wanted to take the painting home and see for myself if there was high activity on it.

I was offered the painting for $200 less of the original price he was asking, so I put out the $500 and took the painting home. I figured even if it wasn't haunted, it was a very interesting and well done painting nonetheless. I have only had this painting for one week now, and have experienced more paranormal activity with this item than any other object I have ever had in my collection. I want to experiment with taking photos of it to see if any activity can be caught on film (orbs, mists, etc.), and I would also like to get access to an EMF meter to see what the read is on it. I have some experiences to share from just this week alone, but will get to that in future posts.

Here is a photo of the painting: