tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20880979426142086082024-03-13T08:11:37.925-07:00The Shore "The ocean is vast, deep and dangerous with her mysteries hidden under her raiment of waves. Death like the ocean hides her secrets, and we who stand on the shore, catch only an occasional glimpse."Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-84091991431831015852019-04-18T15:17:00.000-07:002019-04-18T15:30:02.860-07:00What To Do If Your House Is Haunted<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"></span></b><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By Robin M.
Strom-Mackey, author of <i>On the Hunt for the Haunted,</i> &<i> Anatomy of a Ghost; A Guide to Analyzing the Dead. </i></span></div>
<u><span style="color: #000120;"></span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I did an investigation for a client, and we’d turned up
ample evidence that something paranormal was indeed occurring at their
residence.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And now the homeowner turned
to me and asked what could be done about it.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I think I had a deer in the headlight’s moment.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I’d spent a decade studying what these things
were, and neglected the essential step of how to rid a property of unwanted
beings.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was like the medical student
that studied the onslaught of disease, but neglected studying the cure.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The majority of my clients, once they
understand what is going on, are happy with the results.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I hear the phrase often, “I’m just glad I’m
not crazy.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And our group looks for
natural explanations first, before assuming paranormal activity.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>But I have had investigations where a spirit
is of an angrier disposition, and the residents just want it out.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our team tries to employ scientific methods
to determine if a property has paranormal activity or not.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Such cures tend to be of a more touchy-feely
in nature, based on ancient rituals and substances.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I didn’t want to tell clients I use
scientific methods and then tell them to rattle chicken bones. You see my
dilemma.Then I realized the old analogy of chicken soup when you had a
cold.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Would chicken soup actually cure a
cold? It might, it might not, but either way it wouldn’t hurt. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">First, however, I would try to determine whether the
property actually has paranormal activity. Once someone suggests that a
property is haunted, then everything immediately unexplained gets blamed on the
ghost, and tensions start to mount.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>But
if you can take a proactive versus a reactive approach, you’ll often find that
you begin to feel far less afraid.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Definitely keep a log of events when they occur. Write down the date,
time, witnesses and the weather pattern.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>And always, try to rule out natural explanations first before jumping to
the conclusion that you have paranormal phenomena. Know that even in cases
where a haunting is occurring it’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">extremely</i>
rare for anyone to be physically hurt.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You
can also play amateur ghost hunter. Put out a recording device for a few hours
and see what you find upon review. If all else fails call in a reputable
investigative group. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Haunted Objects may be the easiest to excise.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In my book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On the Hunt for the Haunted</i>, I wrote in particular about one house
we investigated.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The previous owner had
died in the house.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When the house
finally went for auction the unlucky lady who purchased it found the house
still full of the previous owner’s belongings, including a ratty old
recliner.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This recliner had been where
the gentleman had spent most of his final days.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>The new owner’s boyfriend reported odd things happening to him when he
sat in the chair. I tentatively suggested removing the chair from the premises.
He did so with gusto, burning the chair in a bonfire.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The negative activity ceased thereafter. So,
if you bring home that precious antique or thrift store find and suddenly start
experiencing strange things, it may be a good idea to take it back where you
found it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Performing house cleansings are popular as well. Certainly,
smudging with white sage is common.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Holy
water can also be used. Frankincense is also an effective agent, and smells
divine.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>A smell bell can also be used in
lieu of these other substances, by ringing it in the corners of the room. The
most powerful agent, however, may be asafoetida.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When burned as an incense however it gives
off a foul odor of onions and Sulphur, so it’s best kept as a last resort.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>There are multiple articles on the web that
describe how to perform such cleansings in more detail. It’s usually suggested
that you start at the top story of the structure, enter every room, hit every
corner working from high to low and ending at the front door. You can also say
a short prayer as you do this. This may not work the first time, so be prepared
to do it more than once. You can also put out a shallow dish of vinegar. This
weak acid is thought to dissolve etheric energies, as does salt.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Put the salt in the corners of each room or
just spread it on the floor, and leave it there for a couple of weeks before
removing it. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can also have a conversation with the
spirit.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Be firm but not aggressive.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Set the parameters with the ghost.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I met one woman who felt she had spirits in
the house. She told them they could stay, but were to stay out of her
bedroom.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It worked.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You can also tell them to leave completely,
if you feel that strongly.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I think,
truly, the strength of any of these methods is two-fold.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>First, is there is a spirit or spirits it
reminds them to watch their manners. But even more powerful, it allows you to
feel once again that you’re in control.</span></span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-72431659666771107112019-04-18T15:09:00.000-07:002019-04-18T15:09:30.925-07:00Voices of the Universe; Conducting the EVP Session<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">By Robin M. Strom, author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On the Hunt for the Haunted</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">As discussed in the book,<i> On the Hunt for the Haunted,</i>
the voice on the audio recorder was both clear and clearly exasperated.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The first said simply “Get out,” and then a
few seconds later the female voice directed us to “Get out now!”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Both voices were female, and both were caught
in an empty room.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We had been in the
residence for several hours, and she had tolerated us up to that point.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>But like the house guest that will not leave,
we had clearly worn out our welcome.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>That’s why I love EVP.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Those
inexplicable voices are remarkable, provocative and sometimes simply brimming
over with personality.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our paranormal
team uses EVP techniques on all of our investigations.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>But you don’t have to be a paranormal
investigator stomping around a haunted asylum to enjoy EVP, as I’ll explain at
the end of this article. First, I’ll explain electronic voice phenomena (EVP)
and discuss the various types of techniques our team adheres to on our
investigations. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Brief
Explanation of EVP</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">The quickest definition of electronic voice phenomena
are voices or sounds caught on recording devices that the person or persons in
the room did not hear with their own ears.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>They’re detected by someone only on playback of the device.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The question as to how a spirit might be able
to speak and be heard on a recording device has long been a contentious debate.
How does a spirit record sound on a recording device if they have no mechanisms
with which to make sound, no vocal chords through which air is passed, no lungs
to pump the air? One of two ways have been proposed. The first is that they
imprint their thoughts onto the recording device via psychic abilities. The
second that they mold the environmental noises to their whim in order to create
sounds resembling human speech. It has been noted among those who study EVP
seriously that the voices recorded, when there are at least two or more
recording devices in a room, will show up on only one.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Thus, they cannot be accounted to
environmental noises alone, because if they were, they would be recorded on all
of the recording devices in the same vicinity.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Analysis made by experts in voice phenomenon also note that such
recordings exhibit a frequency shift which is outside the frequency range of
the human voice. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Equipment
Requirements</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">The equipment needed to capture EVP is actually
limited. The first item obviously is some type of device that records
audio.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tend to invest in mobile,
studio-grade audio recording devices that have excellent microphones built into
the unit, which also allow me to add extraneous microphones if needed.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I have many on my team that buy inferior
audio recorders designed to record audio in large classroom or auditorium
settings.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The results of these devices can
be shocking. The audio is so loud, the pickup so sensitive, that a toilet being
flushed one floor down is unmistakable. These devices tend to record as much
machine noise as anything else. While this sounds bad, there are some in the
paranormal field that contend that the machine noise of the cheaper devices may
actually be beneficial, as it adds an element of white noise to the recording
which a spirit may be able to manipulate in order to make a sound.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>At the very least an audio device should
either have SD card memory capability or be capable of USB downloads.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Audio recorders, obviously, are not the only device
capable of recording sound. We have caught as discarnate voices on video
cameras as well. Computers can also be utilized to capture sound. In the end,
anything that can record audio can be utilized. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In order to capture EVP of course, one has to
have the capability of listening to the audio recorded.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>A good set of headphones, plugged directly
into the audio recording device can be utilized for real time analysis.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>If doing analysis after the recording session
it’s best to use a computer, again a good quality set of headphones and audio
editing software.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our team uses the free
Audacity editing software. It’s extremely user friendly, and the audio can be
easily boosted.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">White
Noise Generators</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">There are many in the field that believe the cleaner,
more concise the audio recording, the more white noise needs to be emitted into
the environment.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This would allow the
spirit to use the sound in order to manipulate it into recognizable speech
patterns.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Experts have suggested such
generators as running water, fans blowing in rooms or computerized white noise
generators as possible sources of white noise.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Still others have staunchly stood by such things as ghost boxes, which
scan radio frequencies in the hopes that a spirit can manipulate radio frequency
static.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our group does not utilize such
devices as ghost boxes for fear that these devices will give false positives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">To date, we have not documented a decrease in EVP
phenomena, despite the fact that we have started using better audio quality
electronic recording devices, and not used a white noise generator per se.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Then again, our modern buildings are rarely
if ever without some type of white noise. If not the hum of the furnace in the
winter, it’s the whine of the AC unit in the summer.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Wash machines, dishwashers, any and all of
our modern appliances make a constant mechanical hum that we for most part tune
out. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Active
versus Passive EVP Sessions</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">There is certainly a debate among investigators about
active versus passive EVP.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The active
EVP session is when investigators are actively in a room conducting a
session.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Normally such sessions last
about twenty minutes, throughout which time the investigators will ask a series
of questions, normally not scripted.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They
tend to be mundane questions. An investigator might ask a question such as,
“what is your name?” Then, they wait in silence for ten seconds in case
something responds. Then they proceed with another question.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The philosophy behind the active session is
that the entity or entities wish to respond to the questions being asked. The
problem is, if the spirit isn’t interested in your line of questioning, then
they’ll respond or not, as they wish.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">When possible, I try to use more provocative
questions.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In order to do this, one
needs to have some idea who they’re questioning.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>By provocative I’m not talking about
provoking, which is when an investigator actively tries to anger a spirit into
responding, at debatable practice at best.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>What I mean by provocative is finding a line of questioning which is
personal and interesting to the spirit.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>For example, we investigated an old home that had reportedly served as a
brothel during the Civil War.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Legend had
it that one of the patrons had been a young soldier who committed suicide in
the home because he’d been a traitor, or was afraid of being tried for a
traitor.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>One of the questions that I
asked that night was, “Did you kill yourself because you were afraid that your
fellow soldiers would see you as a traitor?” playing off the fact that soldiers
are supposed to have a sense of honor. Immediately after that question on the
recorder the team caught a distinctly male sounding voice saying, “Yes.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>If I believe the spirit to be that of a child,
I have been known to tell stories, or talk about things that children like to
do. Trigger objects work well.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Music
from the era you believe the spirit might have lived again can work very
well.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When we do play music, we keep the
clips short, however.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We don’t want to
be playing a waltz for five minutes over any possible EVP’s we’ve caught. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">The passive session is when investigators are not
actively asking questions.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Instead a
voice recorder is left in the environment.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Windows and doors should be closed so that as little outside
contamination is possible.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Controlling
the environment is extremely important. Voices in another room, or sometimes on
another floor of the building, can literally be picked up on recorders, the
devices are extremely sensitive.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The
philosophy of the passive session is that a spirit will inadvertently leave a
response while it goes about doing what it normally does. I usually begin such
a passive session by hitting the record button and then instructing the spirit
about what the device does and then setting it down and leaving it recording
for the rest of the investigation. The scripted tag usually begins with, “This
is Robin and it is March 3<sup>rd</sup> 2019, we are in the Seaford house, 2<sup>nd</sup>
floor rear bedroom, it is 7:15pm.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>With
me tonight are… (and I name all the investigators that are with me on the
investigation).”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I then place the
device somewhere within camera range and I instruct the spirit about what it is
and what they should do if they wish to make contact with us. It usually sounds
something like, “I’ve placed a device on the chair over there.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Do you see the red light?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It will record your voice. We may not hear it
tonight but we’ll listen to the recording. Please let us know what message you
wish to leave the home owner.” I then depart the area and let my recorder do
its work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">The debate comes in as to which of these two
approaches are better.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Many new
investigators believe one has to be actively involved in order to receive a
response.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This is under the assumption
that whatever entity or entities are on a property wish to communicate with you
actively.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I’ve actually found the
reverse to be the case.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As often as not,
a spirit or spirits seem to go out of their way to actively avoid
investigators.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It may be that they find
the investigative group to be intrusive, and their questions uninteresting. They
may have a message to impart, but they’re bored with the tenth time they’ve
been asked, “what is your name?” Among the most remarkable EVP’s that my group
have captured were of the passive variety.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Device
Placement</span></b></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Device placement is extremely important.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It should be placed in a position where it
isn’t likely to pick up extraneous sounds. Case in point, my team did an
investigation at an old house. It was myself and two investigators who were new
to the whole investigative process.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
was busy setting up our four-camera surveillance system.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>One of my investigators asked me where I
wanted her audio recorder to be placed.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Off handedly I told her that I would like it in an upstairs bedroom, and
went back to the infuriating process of running cables and setting up
cameras.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>She dutifully took the recorder
to the upstairs bedroom. The house was under massive renovations, and there was
literally no furniture in the building at the time. Not wanting to set her
audio recorder down in construction dust, she instead set it on a window sill,
hit record and left.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The house was in a
residential area, and what the device recorded was every neighbor passing by,
all the cars driving by, kids playing on the street.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The entire night’s recording was wasted.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Set up your audio device in a quiet spot,
near an interior wall, keeping it away from windows and doors as much as
possible. Do not walk about with the device in hand. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Tagging</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">When investigators move about or make sounds, they should
tag such on their recorders with a statement such as, “that was me
knocking.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Likewise, extraneous sounds
should be tagged. For example, if the voices of children are heard playing
outside or a car drives by, those sounds should be tagged as well.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Investigators should also be diligent about
tagging when they enter or exit a space.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Such entrances and exits are diligently logged in the investigator’s log
book.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In that way we can chronicle who
was in the room – or not - when the voice was captured. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As I said before, sometimes voices from
another room are picked up, and they may be misinterpreted as an EVP. For
example, I have a very soft voice, and the team has countless times picked up
what sounds like a soft whisper, which is the way most EVP’s tend to come
across, and it turns out it was me in another room.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>If you’re performing EVP with a team of
people it’s important to caution everyone to avoid whispering.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Speak in a normal tone of voice. And when it
comes to the integrity of EVP’s, the more team members on an investigation is
not the merrier.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tend to keep my team
very spare on investigations so keep the amount of vocal contamination to a
minimum.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Silence is golden.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Conversations should be kept to break time. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Evidence
Review</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">When reviewing audio, one needs to be very careful to
listen to all of the audio, from the moment you hit record to the moment you
hit stop.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We have found that we get a
prevalence of passive EVP’s especially at the start of an investigation.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The entities appear to be curious as to our
intentions. Whereas by hour five in the investigation they tend to be as bored
with the process as we are. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Any
possible EVP’s are logged in our log books and isolated into smaller clips
which are shared among the members. It’s important to get several opinions
about a possible EVP.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>For one thing, we
want to eliminate any false positives, such as team members in another room, or
animal noises that may be misinterpreted as EVP.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Case in point, we did an investigation at a
home with several cats.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>One of the cats
made the strangest meow sound I’ve ever heard.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>At first, we thought it was a voice, but then we noticed on our video
cameras that the sound only occurred when this particular feline was in the
room. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Machine noises can be pesky as
well.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Understandably, it’s depressing
when you feel you’ve found the perfect EVP, only to find you’ve misinterpreted
the hiss of the refrigerator. However, it does nothing for your credibility to
present a clip that you feel is paranormal, only to find out that it’s the
resident owl. Which leads me to my next point, classes of EVP.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Obviously not all EVP’s are of the same
quality.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The founder of the American
Association of Electronic Voice Phenomenon, (AA-EVP) Sarah Estep, established a
simple three step tier system to classify EVP’s that is still in much use
today. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Class A EVP: are of the variety we all dream of
capturing.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They can be heard without
headphones.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They are clear and distinct
as to what words are being spoken. Without being prompted or told, anyone who
hears the EVP will be able to understand what is being said or heard. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Class B EVP: Is a voice or sound that is fairly loud,
still loud enough to be heard without the use of headphones.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>People with normal hearing will still be able
to hear the EVP and interpret it in the same way without being told what the
EVP says, if they’re told what to listen for. Those who have been trained to
listen for EVP will hear the EVP without prompting of any kind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Class C EVP: Would require headphones to hear.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This type of EVP will be faint and will
probably come across as a whisper or a soft sound.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The words being spoken may not be
decipherable.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The sound may have a
mechanical quality to it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>People
listening to such would not all decipher the EVP in the same way, or would
require prompting to interpret it. Many investigators would disregard this type
of recording as flawed. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>At best they’d
archive such for future reference, but withhold presenting it. There is the ever-present
danger with this type of sound that it is environmental nature, such as that
pesky cat with the weird meow.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Beyond a
doubt it is the Class C EVP’s that cause the most hurt feelings among
investigators.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>One investigator will
distinctly hear someone calling them by name, another will interpret it as machine
noise.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I always try to keep the T.A.P.S.
(The Atlantic Paranormal Society) motto in mind, “when in doubt, throw it out.”
Remember, if you didn’t collect an EVP today, there’s always next time. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">EVP
at Home</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">But say you don’t have a crack team and a haunted site
to try out EVP for yourself. With a little discipline, you can conduct EVP
sessions at home.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Even if the home
doesn’t have paranormal activity, you can send an invitation out to the spirit
world that you wish to communicate, much as people do who experiment with Ouija
boards. What you should do is find a time when the home is quiet with as few people
in the building as possible.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It’s best
to set up a schedule, so that an entity or entities will know when you’re going
to be conducting the sessions. You may wish to write up a set of
questions.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And yes, you can ask for a
particular person or persons to make contact with you, such as a departed loved
one. Set up your audio equipment, make sure to also wear a good quality headset
while recording so that you can hear real-time if and when a voice comes
through. You may also wish to review the recordings after the recording
session, just to be sure you didn’t miss something. Again, discipline is
key.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You should stick to your schedule
as closely as possible, and realize that it may take many such sessions before
you actually capture anything. In the end, however, the voices of the universe
are all around us, and you too can capture them, if you dare.</span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-42313981674123931232019-02-20T10:27:00.001-08:002019-02-20T11:11:41.226-08:00Paranormal Photography; The Ghost in the Machine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
by Robin M. Strom, author of Anatomy of a Ghost; A Guide to Analyzing the Dead, and On the Hunt for the Haunted (April 2019, Llewellyn Worldwide)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkr-8x-MHUWKGt6mNcoXf2zI5M1w5Yw1MDtwcN4ErbT2gJpIu7I4C1x8NO3DJ1VboqoQQi1hsjQoGGkslnik0nTEbEbzXq9XFu6Mis3JJdUQ3e6A_yi_SbvkbrASd-6jQqLuLuvt5LGwO/s1600/orb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #cc3300; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="orbs caught on film" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkr-8x-MHUWKGt6mNcoXf2zI5M1w5Yw1MDtwcN4ErbT2gJpIu7I4C1x8NO3DJ1VboqoQQi1hsjQoGGkslnik0nTEbEbzXq9XFu6Mis3JJdUQ3e6A_yi_SbvkbrASd-6jQqLuLuvt5LGwO/s400/orb.jpg" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-image: none; border: 0px rgb(204, 51, 0); box-shadow: 1px 1px 5px rgba(0,0,0,0.5); padding: 8px; position: relative;" title="Orb Photography" width="223" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The team often receives questions about photos and videos in which supposed paranormal anomalies are caught. Most of the time, these can be fairly easily explained. Below is a series of anomalies that we were able to debunk. Our team works under the caveat that that which can be explained or recreated isn't paranormal. But then, sometimes, we can't find a rational explanation for an image. That of course is when we get truly excited. The photo at the end of this article is a case in point. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Orbs</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Knowing the weather conditions and or humidity when taking a picture is important. Notice the "orb" by my son's face as he was working on his snow fort. This isn't a spirit trying to communicate with him, but a rain drop. The snow had stopped this particular night, and it had begun to rain. I was using the flash setting on my camera to take pictures because it had gotten very dark. Later, on review, I noticed, I had an orb! What actually happened is the flash reflected off a rain drop resulting in a really cool orb shot. Snow, rain, dust, pollen and bugs are all capable of creating the orb effect in a photo, especially when used in conjunction with a flash. </span></div>
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Similarly, dust, bugs, humidity, pollen, rain, snowflakes, all are extremely reflective in a camera with an IR setting, such as night-time surveillance cameras. I can't tell you how many orb questions I receive from people capturing such on their surveillance cams. To date, I've still never witnessed an Orb photograph that I seriously considered the real thing. Remember, for an orb to be an orb it should emit it's own light not be reflecting light, as is the case in this photograph. I have had some credible witnesses that have seen orblike balls of light with their own eyes. Still, things like car lights and the lights from airplanes should be considered. These may also create the illusion of shadows, or shadowy forms that may seem to move. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Strange Fogs</span></h4>
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The two photos below of a strange fog are actually cigarette smoke, with the smoker placed behind the camera. This had none of the wispy, curly features that other texts had suggested would take place with cigarette smoke, but instead produced a most believable odd fog effect. The one the left is thick to the point where it might even be mistaken for a spirit coalescing. So before you consider spirit, you might want to find out if there are some sneaky smokers getting in a quick drag. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In pictures taken outdoors one must be especially careful of fogs. Other than cigarette smoke a fog might have a natural cause. Take into consideration the temperature at the time the photo is taken. Changes in temperature can cause the condensation in the air to appear. Digital cameras can also capture carbon dioxide which is released by trees and vegetation in swampy areas, even if the area appears dry.<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 13.53px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A couple caveats about making too much of "faces" seen in a mist- a tendency called pareidolia. If you are also witnessing the fog while you're photographing, make note of its changing density and watch to see if it appears to be following you about. And do what photographers do, bracket your photos. In other words, take a series of pictures. If you notice something strange on one photo, take successive photos of the same scene. Check photos before and photos after. Does the "fog" move or stay the same? Is it in all the photos or only one? Something paranormal will likely appear and disappear quickly, or move about seeming to follow the action. Something natural like a fog will stay longer, dissipating much more slowly. Having said all that, I did receive one picture of a fog that I thought was interesting. This one caught in a cemetery seems to be contained in a very small area, and not close to the ground or near trees. Still, we can tell the evening was chilly by the amount of clothing the subject is wearing, so certainly condensation could be the issue. Humidity is reflective and we know the camera was using a flash, because we can see the light on the tombstone. </span></div>
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The Ghost in the Details; Slow Shutter Speeds</span></h3>
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This strange effect was caused by a slow shutter speed in a low light situation. I dislike the flat effect of a flash, so I avoid flash as often as I can. But a slow shutter in low light causes ghosting effects in subjects whenever they move. Notice in the first shot just the hand seems to be fuzzy. In the second the entire head of the subject appears semi-opaque. Is it a ghost? No, it's my son who is in perpetual motion. A strong indicator of this anomaly are lines of light. Notice the line of light on the right side of the second picture. The light lines can also appear jaggedy or look like lightning flashes. If you take such a picture and don't examine it immediately, and then look at it later you might believe you captured a ghost. I say this in all honesty, having just watched a recent episode of Ghost Hunters where a photographer did just that. The picture seemed to show a ghostly form, but also displayed the lightning flashes of light that would indicate camera movement in a low light situation. Photography students are taught to tripod any photos using a 60 shutter speed or less. But whoever listens to what their photography instructor taught them?</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The Evil Eye</span></h3>
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Recently the team was contacted by a family whose teenage girl was worried. Being a typical teenager she took multiple selfies of herself using the flash on her phone camera. Her photos often showed what she described as an evil eye. She was so unnerved by the evil eye that she purchased a new phone. But even with the phone she kept getting the evil eye effect. So I turned the flash on, and took a selfie of myself with my phone reflecting off the mirror. And voila, I too got the evil eye effect. It turned out the "evil eye" is actually a reflection of the IR light on the camera. The camera focuses with an IR light. The IR light is sent out and when it hits something solid it bounces back. The time it takes to bounce back allows the camera to determine the distance between camera and subject. It then focuses for that distance. Using the flash and a mirror illuminated and reflected that IR light which would normally be invisible to our eyes, complete with a ghosting effect around the light at the center, creating what looked like an evil eye....imagine evil laughter here. </span></span><br />
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Notice the evil eye effect in the photo below, on the shoulder of the team's Co-Director - in yellow hoodie. It can also occur when there's strong light sources in front of the camera. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Fireflies and Traveling Spiders</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sometimes it takes me awhile to work these things out. A woman sent me several pictures. It was a summer evening, and she had been taking pictures of her family when she noticed small, green orbs showing up in her pictures. She sent them to me and I scratched my head. On the one hand they did act like orbs should act, a ball of light illuminated from within, not being reflected from without. And then it dawned me, it was summer night at dusk and the photos were being taken in a grassy area. Fireflies! Mystery Solved.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another inquiry took me longer. A gentleman had set up a deer cam in the forest near his house. Deer cams shoot video when something moves in the frame. In this case the video was filmed at night, using the camera's IR setting, with a lovely doe munching by a tree calmly when this filmy, guazy string floats by over her head. I admit I was somewhat at a loss on that one, until I stepped out on my back porch one day and saw a newly hatched spider floating by on a wisp of gossamer web. That's how newly hatched spiders find a home. They hatch from a nest, throw out a bit of web, which catches the breeze and floats them off to a new locale. Cobwebs and spider webs are both eerily reflective on an IR camera. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Reflections and Pareidolia</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A gentleman sent in this picture. He felt he'd captured a ghost in the window of this quaint little shop in Rehoboth Beach. (1st story window to the right of the door) In the window he saw what he thought looked like a ghost wearing a hat. The building had a reputation, apparently, for being haunted, which probably increased the confusion. But the form in the window isn't a spirit but a reflection off the window. Notice that just above the figure is the perfect outline of the tree branch which has the same light quality. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is a case of pareidolia. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21.28px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Pareidolia is defined as a psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus (an image or a sound) wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern of something where none actually exists.</span><span style="color: #b00000;"> </span></span>Our minds do this naturally, they're hardwired to try to make order out of chaos. That's why we see pictures in the clouds, or the face of Jesus in a water stain. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kS55VUhh7lUeHiRhHJbeDOR1BEyiUe0a5RXwH1pU0IEXe0wGFBOrJT9Zz7MqJNV8BJexKLgneVpdy6w9EtZ9Aim3oh_TzK7dwUMYIPuOQw_lYN6cm5CMTcjYJJgCk0cqX9tphbMT3O7c/s1600/bewitched-ghost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #cc3300; margin-left: 13.53px; margin-right: 13.53px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kS55VUhh7lUeHiRhHJbeDOR1BEyiUe0a5RXwH1pU0IEXe0wGFBOrJT9Zz7MqJNV8BJexKLgneVpdy6w9EtZ9Aim3oh_TzK7dwUMYIPuOQw_lYN6cm5CMTcjYJJgCk0cqX9tphbMT3O7c/s640/bewitched-ghost.jpg" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-color: white; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position-x: 0%; background-position-y: 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 51, 0); border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-image-outset: 0; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 100%; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: 1; border-left-color: rgb(204, 51, 0); border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 51, 0); border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 51, 0); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; box-shadow: 1px 1px 5px rgba(0,0,0,0.5); padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Ghosts Caught on Film</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8nj2neR2ctIwLI_2ddnoW5kyT3xzYu5UFPu0HAdRdG4pN80Kh5KKpjZDlikAKUR6HK2OILHriV3QOZZ_WM5j-8ONj2K6mZaCx_d0jwl-CauqCfHqakCOwuLus7QilF2pFMAOJsywnGiJ/s1600/received_10211810319350424.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Still sometimes I get a picture that simply can't be explained by camera malfunction or reflection. Case in point is the photo below. The young mother who took this photo had gotten up during the night and left the room where her young daughter was sleeping in her toddler bed. Mom took the baby monitor and her cell phone with her into the other room. Looking at the baby monitor she was astonished to see a figure of a woman that seemed to be leaning over or floating above the child's bed. She quickly took a photo of the image with her cell phone. The next day the family were amazed at the picture Mom had captured. They had the really good idea to try to recreate the effect the next night. With the child in bed asleep, and the lighting the same, the family took a picture of the monitor with the cell phone. No ghostly image. Furthermore, the recreated image clearly showed items behind the toddler bed, which were occluded in the first image. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">(The image on the right is the recreated image.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I really felt was fascinating about the image of the woman is that when you enlarge it the female image appears to get sharper instead of dissipating in a cloud of pixilation. Further, when I asked and received a photo of the young mother's grandmother, who was recently deceased, the facial similarities were remarkable. I also was very happy the family tried to recreate the image, under similar circumstances. What cannot be recreated is that much harder to explain.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKftUcI-94HrOYSmYc7fzXcGYKBDrfzorb2JtnZ-v7LM6EIYyglyleJcZdogRLwymiOLLs1eFoE_X4NZeFsKvfDTLgNyWdcF3Wj6jQye9EvZZFQ3SrSmbDjYNAqqlF08aA7QxdlvON-Pns/s1600/received_364921770912929.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1560" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKftUcI-94HrOYSmYc7fzXcGYKBDrfzorb2JtnZ-v7LM6EIYyglyleJcZdogRLwymiOLLs1eFoE_X4NZeFsKvfDTLgNyWdcF3Wj6jQye9EvZZFQ3SrSmbDjYNAqqlF08aA7QxdlvON-Pns/s320/received_364921770912929.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XT6ffOT3XYpBNWJG4z38u_wy4hbm7LpNb3yxmnxDDNvEjvQ0549oTqJMwkPQDdFIQDxkChZUlUBt3qubWe1l23o2qGpYhmUrAOD8dLWCf33vsmbxxLb7afHNY7u6WTVzvsT4KM_BluWt/s1600/received_10211810319350424.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XT6ffOT3XYpBNWJG4z38u_wy4hbm7LpNb3yxmnxDDNvEjvQ0549oTqJMwkPQDdFIQDxkChZUlUBt3qubWe1l23o2qGpYhmUrAOD8dLWCf33vsmbxxLb7afHNY7u6WTVzvsT4KM_BluWt/s320/received_10211810319350424.jpeg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-29998608163178704672019-02-20T07:52:00.003-08:002019-02-20T07:52:38.544-08:00The Haunted White Swan Tavern<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gsEenhOJ7JE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gsEenhOJ7JE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Delaware Paranormal was recently invited to
investigate the historic and haunted White Swan Tavern Inn in Chestertown, Maryland. Find
out what staff and guests have experienced over the years at the White Swan as Sarah takes the team on a tour. From seeing a lady from the second story window, to voices, footsteps and
objects moving on their own. And in the Lovegrove Room, a full-bodied apparition
was caught in a most compromising situation. Find out what you can expect if you stay the night at the White Swan Tavern Inn. </span></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-81844002794487906112019-02-20T07:42:00.001-08:002019-02-20T07:44:25.833-08:00A Haunting in Long Neck<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8LsJRkASVBU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8LsJRkASVBU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Written about in the book, <i>On the Hunt for the Haunted</i>, (Llewellyn Worldwide) the team's investigation at the residence in
Long Neck was one of our most astounding ever. In this video I explain a few of
the best pieces of evidence we obtained from the initial walk-through and the
subsequent investigation of the property. From a disturbing male spirit, to a Victorian era apparition to a child ghost who enjoyed finger painting, this besieged couple were up to their ears in strange goings on. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><i>On the Hunt for the Haunted</i>, by Robin M. Strom (April 2019) available at www.delawareparanormal.org, Llewellyn Worldwide https://www.llewellyn.com/ Barnes & Noble, Amazon and indiebooks.com</span></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-21113541555549163812019-02-20T07:28:00.004-08:002019-02-20T07:28:54.544-08:00Haunted Fort Delaware<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cPLVYll1ijc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cPLVYll1ijc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In 2008, the now defunct Delaware Ghost
Hunters (of which I was a member) did an exclusive investigation of Fort
Delaware, on Pea Patch Island. Ten years later, it still remains one of the
most intriguing investigations of my career. So intriguing, in fact, that I
devoted a whole chapter to Fort Delaware in the new book, "On the Hunt for
the Haunted," due out in April 2019 with Llewellyn Worldwide Publishers.
An incredible "dousing rods" session where the EMF detector also
responded to yes/no questions as often as not, started our night of activity.
But the session in the Officer's Kitchen capped the night with a bang -
literally. Not incidentally, the bang was reminiscent of the sound recorded by
the TAPS team during their investigation at the fort, while in the same
kitchen. On haunted surveys of the first state, Fort Delaware always tops the
list as number one most haunted location. And it was, it truly was.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On the Hunt for the Haunted, by Robin M. Strom, April 2019. Is available at www.delawareparanormal.org, Llewellyn Worldwide https://www.llewellyn.com/, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, indiebooks.com</span></span></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-58047942842154910952019-02-20T07:15:00.001-08:002019-02-20T07:17:41.580-08:00A Haunting in Hartly, Delaware Part II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">In this video the director of Delaware Paranormal
Research Group describes the evidence they captured at their third investigation of the Hartly house, </span>As explained in the book, <i> On The Hunt for The Haunted, (LLewellyn Worldwide) </i>the Hartly House was a location with an outstanding level of activity. From the lurking male
apparition witnessed in the hall closet, to the female spirit who watched over
the couple's young son, and broke up marital disputes. The team investigated
the property no less than three times, and every time came away with evidence
that suggested that there was something paranormal going on at the Hartly
House. See first hand some of the evidence the team captured and know that
sometimes the most haunted location may just be the house next door.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the Hunt for the Haunted, by Robin M. Strom, April 2019. Available at www.delawareparanormal.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.indiebooks.com and <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #006d21;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">https://<strong style="font-weight: 700;">www.llewellyn.com</strong></span></span></span><a aria-haspopup="true" aria-label="Actions for this site" href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=llewellyn+worldwide&form=EDNTHT&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&refig=1afdcfea9b554e13c3a3fa7719297d90&PC=HCTS&sp=-1&ghc=1&pq=llewellyn+worldwide&sc=1-19&qs=n&sk=&cvid=1afdcfea9b554e13c3a3fa7719297d90#" role="button" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #001ba0; font-family: "Roboto",Helvetica,Sans-Serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; touch-action: manipulation; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a></span></span></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-75830987201060810132019-02-20T07:03:00.000-08:002019-02-20T07:17:12.204-08:00A Haunting in Hartly, Delaware Part I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In this video the director of Delaware
Paranormal Research Group describes the evidence they captured on two
investigations at the Hartly house. Written about in the book <i>On the Hunt for the Haunted, </i>(published by Llewellyn Worldwide) the Hartly house is an extremely active location. Over the course of several years, the team has
investigated the property three times. Find out what the team found, and listen
to actual EVP's they captured. Sometimes the most haunted location may just be
the house next door.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>On the Hunt for the Haunted</i>, by Robin M. Strom available in April 2019 at www.delawareparanormal.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, indiebooks.com and Llewellyn Worldwide <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #006d21;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">https://<strong style="font-weight: 700;">www.llewellyn.com</strong></span></span></span><a aria-haspopup="true" aria-label="Actions for this site" href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=llewellyn+worldwide&form=EDNTHT&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&refig=1afdcfea9b554e13c3a3fa7719297d90&PC=HCTS&sp=-1&ghc=1&pq=llewellyn+worldwide&sc=1-19&qs=n&sk=&cvid=1afdcfea9b554e13c3a3fa7719297d90#" role="button" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #001ba0; font-family: "Roboto",Helvetica,Sans-Serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; touch-action: manipulation; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a></span></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-37020554698487128162018-03-19T10:40:00.000-07:002018-05-06T11:31:48.958-07:00What Dreams Might Come: Ghosts and Dreaming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8J-tVtJToaJW-m2Y28_IY7_cGRyxasYGg9Qvrrzqo_GOF0qKl8Pwvfm-OhQsIFENfLbIGNVufADyNaFyPZ9aFpc_EHD0OOnJSlaaqHFYzW9i9E_pN-49TF-Ws-18UtvOgAVSDeGsTPW8H/s1600/dreamer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8J-tVtJToaJW-m2Y28_IY7_cGRyxasYGg9Qvrrzqo_GOF0qKl8Pwvfm-OhQsIFENfLbIGNVufADyNaFyPZ9aFpc_EHD0OOnJSlaaqHFYzW9i9E_pN-49TF-Ws-18UtvOgAVSDeGsTPW8H/s1600/dreamer.jpg" /></a>The following is an excerpt from the book <i>Anatomy of a Ghost; A Guide to Analyzing the Dead pgs. 93-97</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
by Robin M. Strom-Mackey<br />
<br />
<br />
I include this story not because I'm fully certain whether the event was normal (and just weird) or paranormal, but because it demonstrates how widely opinions can vary between expert paranormal investigators. On the one hand, look how very far out on a limb one investigator goes in order to explain the situation in rational terms. Then again, another seems to accept it as paranormal out of hand. My husband and I who experienced it have never been able to make up our minds about the event one way or another. For me, honestly, it remains an unsolved mystery.<br />
<br />
CRITTERS THAT FOLLOW YOU HOME<br />
<br />
I was getting ready for an investigation. I’d done the phone interview with the client, and then did an initial walk through. It’s a fairly mundane procedure, done during daylight hours when I determine whether there is enough reported activity to actually warrant a full investigation. It also allows me to figure out where the activity is occurring and where I will need to have my team set up equipment. I was comfortable with the client, Lindsey, who honestly seemed more curious than frightened.<br />
The Thursday night after the walk-through was serene, I did the walk-through after work. There were no problems that night. Friday was a normal workday with no untoward stress. Friday night, however, was one of the most bizarre of my career. When I woke the next morning, while memories were still sharp I recorded what had happened. Here is what I wrote:<br />
<br />
October 10, 2014: Around nine pm we were putting my son to sleep. He has a small sugar bear [glider] named Hiccup. We had Hiccup out and we were playing with him. Sugar gliders are like tiny flying squirrels. He’ll run up your arm or leg and then leap to another person and land on their head or back, run around, jump to someone else... My husband, son and I were all in on the little adventure. Eventually we put Hiccup back in his cage, tucked my son into bed, and went to bed ourselves.<br />
<br />
It was around 11:30 – midnight. I had been sleeping, but then I noticed that my husband had come up to the foot of the bed. We were talking about something, but as soon as we stopped talking about it I seemed to forget what the conversation had been. I thought this odd at the time. I wondered to myself, “Why can’t I remember what we were just talking about?” I didn’t have time for further reflection because I realized that my husband, had brought Hiccup in with him. The little creature leaped off Gene and was running around on the bed. I followed his movements, because I didn’t want him to get loose and lost. Hiccup ran up the furrow in the covers close to me and I cupped my hands around him in preparation of gently lifting him up and containing him. As I was cupping him my husband put his headlamp on [he keeps a small flashlight, head-lamp by the bed at all times]. As the light beamed down on my hands Hiccup seemed to disappear. I thought he had burrowed deeper into the sheets so I was ruffling the covers trying desperately to find him when my husband asked me in a very bewildered voice, “What are you doing?”<br />
<br />
Slightly exasperated I replied, “What do you mean what am I doing? I’m trying to find Hiccup.”<br />
<br />
“Hiccup isn’t in here. He’s in his cage,” Gene said.<br />
<br />
“No he’s not, he’s right here. I just had him in my hands,” I explained starting to get confused and still talking to my husband at the foot of the bed. “You were the one that let him loose. Help me find him.”<br />
<br />
“What are you talking about? I’ve been here asleep the whole time, I haven’t been playing with Hiccup.”<br />
<br />
At this point I may have been struggling to wake up fully, because it slowly dawned on me that Gene was in fact beside me in bed, and that I was playing with an imaginary Hiccup, and sitting up in bed conversing with…no one. “If you’ve been asleep the whole time, then who was I talking to?” I asked.<br />
“ That was your son, he got up to go to the bathroom,” my husband explained. “I just saw the bathroom light turn on.”<br />
<br />
“It was not our son. He’s not been out of his bed.” How I knew this fact so adamantly I cannot explain. After all I'd just been playing with an imaginary critter. But somehow I felt absolutely sure that our son was tucked up in his bed fast asleep.<br />
<br />
My husband didn’t agree. “I’m pretty sure it was your son. I saw a dark figure at the foot of the bed when I woke up, and saw him turn around and head down the hall to the bathroom.”<br />
<br />
We discussed this possibility a little further, until my husband finally got out of bed and went to my son’s room. Our son was predictably in his bed sound asleep, and no one was in the bathroom. Gene did note that the light was still on in the bathroom. Not an alarmist, he came back to bed wryly pointing out, “I think you brought something home from your walk-through.” With that said, he turned over and went back to sleep. Gene is not easily rattled, as you can see.<br />
<br />
It was hot in the room, however, and I realized that I was too warm to sleep comfortably without opening a window. In order to open the window, I needed to get up and turn my back to the bed and doorway. There are two reasons I didn't want to do this. The first I just mentioned; the idea of turning my back to whatever might be in the house was unnerving. The second was because we have a large four-poster bed that stands about 2 feet off the ground. It’s easily high enough for an adult to crawl under. Eventually I realized that I was being paranoid, and opened the window.<br />
<br />
The cool air helped, and I fell back asleep. But this time I had a distinct dream that the blanket I was sleeping under was slowly being pulled off me by a force from underneath my bed. I jerked awake. I’m now realized, quite vividly, that whatever was playing with me was reading my thoughts. Somehow, I’d conveyed my worries about what could be under the bed, and it had used that information, just as it had fabricated the incident with the imaginary sugar glider.<br />
<br />
I managed to go to back to sleep again. Once again, I had a very vivid dream that felt like it was being manipulated from outside myself. This time I got the cliché’ haunting experience, the feeling of being held down in bed. I know it to be a dream and I also recognize my own sleep paralysis as something separate from the sensation. Groggily I finally woke up enough and told the entity verbally to, “Get off, get off me.” I was no longer panicked so much as exasperated at that point. I was annoyed because I had started to understand that something was toying with me, perhaps trying to scare me, but that the creature was a bit of a buffoon.<br />
<br />
That was the third time I’d been awoken that night by crazily vivid dreams. I was annoyed, worried and wide awake. As I was lying in bed I heard the creaky step outside in the hall squeak as if someone was on the step. Then I heard another small noise I couldn't identify. I nudged my husband awake again, and asked him if he had his handgun with him [lest we had a human invader]. He assured me he did. This was the final experience I had that evening. Each successive incident seemed like it was losing energy.<br />
<br />
We did ask my son in the morning if he had heard or seen anything, or been out of bed that night. He said no to all three. He did remind me of the time he himself had a dream that Hiccup was loose on his bed. His calls had awoken me and I had gone into his room and woke him up. He, like I, had been adamant that Hiccup was loose. I had forgotten that incident.<br />
<br />
*** End of Account ***<br />
<br />
<br />
Being a paranormal investigator, I find this story extraordinary on so many levels. And I can say that I can pick it apart now, only because of the amount of time that has gone by, without any further re-occurences. It’s much easier to be critical when you’re not actually emotionally involved. But let me start with the easier answers.<br />
<br />
The third occurrence, when I felt like an entity was holding me down on my chest and arms is probably the most easily answered. Indeed, I answered it at the time I wrote it, chalking it down to sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is something that occurs naturally in mammals. It’s a type of protective tendency that sets in when an organism is in its deepest sleep, causing a temporary paralysis of the limbs. In this way if I dream I’m fleeing from an assailant, I don’t actually start flailing in bed. In the same vein if my poodle, Uther, is dreaming that he is chasing a squirrel he doesn’t actually take off running and throw himself inadvertently off the balcony. Its nature’s way of keeping our bodies safe when we’re in our deepest, most vulnerable stages of sleep.<br />
<br />
Sleep paralysis (SP) is a physiological response, quite natural. Coupled with this I apparently had the “Old Hag” syndrome experience – old hag meaning a witch. The Old Hag was known for visiting victims at night and sitting on their chest. What actually happens is that because my chest and arms were paralyzed it felt as if something was holding me down. Because I was only partially awake, my body was still not responding, instead feeling like it was under spectral attack. SP is a fairly common phenomenon. I might also have experienced a hypnogogic or hypnopompic hallucination which are also common with SP. Such acute episodes can be caused by stress, fear, being overtired. They also occur more regularly if someone is sleeping on their back or on their stomach.<br />
<br />
The second dream as well is easily dismissed as a nightmare. I was already emotionally distressed, and probably had a bad dream because of it. I didn’t for instance actually see the sheets being pulled down.<br />
<br />
That leaves the first incident. Obviously, the night left me bewildered and I sought the advice of two experts I knew in the field. Greg Pocha, Director of Parapsychology, Afterlife and Paranormal Studies for the Eidolon Project Canada (eidolonproject.org) theorized that I had experienced a somewhat rare sleep anomaly called a False Awakening (FA). An FA is the polar opposite of an SP in that the person is not paralyzed but moving about freely, acting out their dream. They feel like they’re awake, but they’re sound asleep. In my FA I was sitting up in bed, conversing with my husband and chasing an imaginary critter. I didn’t actually wake up until my husband turned on his headlamp and started asking me questions.<br />
<br />
Pocha speculated that I had a Type 2 FA which is accompanied by sensations of confusion, tension, stress, apprehension, feelings of foreboding, feelings of heightened expectancy and feelings of ominous oppression. Apparently Type 2 FA’s can also produce hallucinations, such as seeing people that are not there; husbands standing at the foot of the bed, for example, or imaginary sugar<br />
gliders running around on the covers. FA’s are more common in lucid dreamers as are SP’s. Until that night I’d never experienced either an SP or an FA.<br />
<br />
Pocha pointed out that I likely have a telepathic connection with my son, which he speculated was common among mothers and their children. Note that my son had had a similar dream about his sugar glider getting out. This is one of his first pets, and required specialized care. Hence, especially when the animal was new to the house, my son would often suffer bouts of anxiety. I’ve always considered myself about as sensitive as a rock, so this suggestion surprised me. And then he spent a night away at a friend’s house. He left me to take care of his pet, which I did. However, I awoke in the middle of the night in a panic over whether I had fed Hiccup his nightly apple slice. I was so concerned that I went down stairs and got him another, just in case. Hiccup ate well that night. When my son came home the next day I asked him how his night away had been. He said it had been fine, except in the middle of the night he had awoke in a panic, thinking he’d forgotten to get Hiccup his apple. Had his panic over his pet radiated to me?<br />
<br />
Pocha’s answer seemed to tie up the experiences I had in a nice, neat scientific bundle. I might have been subconsciously anxious about the upcoming investigation and that anxiety created not one, not two, but three lucid dreams resulting in an SP and an FA experience – all in one wild ride of a night. I didn’t know I was feeling terribly worried about the investigation, but that’s why we call it subconscious or below consciousness.<br />
<br />
For skeptics this appears explanation enough, except for two minor details…. First my husband saw a similar dark figure at the foot of the bed, which in a stretch we might say was a shared telepathic hallucination. Second, the dark figure we saw at the foot of the bed turned around, walked out of the room, down the hall and tripped the motion sensor night light in the bathroom. Pocha’s response, “I will have to agree with your husband’s first, and most logical conclusion, that it was indeed your son that was seen at the foot of the bed. Why? It must be fairly obvious that you were suffering from episodes of sleepwalking. Thanks to chromosome 20 (the exact gene is still unknown) there is a genetic link passed down, so the likelihood of your son suffering the same noctambulistic fate is better than average. I can safely surmise that the chances are excellent that your son was indeed sleepwalking, being silhouetted from the light of the motion detector that he had just set off. In your words the figure turned around and headed back down the hall. Apparitions tend to take the easy route and just fade out. As well you state that you were struggling to wake up, apparently your husband was in the same state, as apparently you woke him up. This gave plenty of time for a sleepwalking boy to return to his bed and be asleep - because he was never awake.”<br />
<br />
This is not to say that Pocha dismissed the idea that a spirit could follow someone home. In fact he vehemently warned me to take some precautions against such a fate. He just felt it unlikely that on an initial walk-through I would have caught the attention of something that would be so interested in me as to follow me home. I wasn’t doing anything provocative enough to garner attention. Incidentally, I also asked another acquaintance who had studied parapsychology about this particular incident. His explanation was more to the point. Heck, he could have tweeted it to me. “Yup,” he said, “it sounds like something followed you home. “<br />
<br />
Post Script<br />
<br />
Before this incident neither my husband or I had ever witnessed our son sleep walking. However, sometime after the incident my husband decided to check on our son late one night and found him standing behind the door of his room, fully asleep.</div>
Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-51315143836011917342018-03-17T13:00:00.000-07:002018-03-17T13:00:50.756-07:00Lilburn Manor; Another Chapter in a Haunted Past<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">By Robin M. Strom-Mackey</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><i>Author of Anatomy of a Ghost: A Guide to Analyzing the Dead</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><i>"But it was five years later that I just started having this gnawing feeling that I just had to get there.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Overlooking
historic Ellicott City, Maryland is the stately Lilburn Mansion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Already notorious for its haunts, the aging
mansion built in the likeness of a castle has a tragic past of loss and
sadness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enter a young, impressionable
woman with a love of history and you have a recipe for a ghostly obsession that
lasted years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
my collection of interviews I came across a case where a person became an
unwitting mouth piece for an entity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
case doesn’t appear to be a case of the more sinister form of possession, but a
case of spiritual obsession.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obsession
by a spirit is somewhat different from possession. In this case a living person
can become obsessed, or fixated on an idea or behavior that is obviously out of
character and sometimes self-destructive. They can be urged to do compulsive
acts, but they don’t lose sight of themselves. In other words they may feel the
need to do something, but they don’t black out or lose control. They realize
what they’re doing, and understand that the compulsion comes from without and
not within themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Judy’s case
she remained aware of what she was doing, and understood that the compulsions
she was experiencing were not of her own choosing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Now
retired and living near the beach in Maryland, Judy had been a hardworking
career woman all her life. She ran a restaurant and a catering service for many
years before giving up the long days and nights in the kitchen for
semi-retirement as a book keeper. She recounted for me an episode in her life
in which she seemed to be obsessed by the tragic spirit of a woman and the
stately remains of an edifice of tragedy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
an interview I conducted with her, Judy recounted how it began. “I was between
eighteen and twenty-five at the time when this happened, and it was really what
started my interest in the paranormal. But you know you grow up, you raise
kids, you have a job and you just don’t have the time to pursue it. I know this
is going to sound weird, maybe not to you because you deal with this, but it
certainly sounded weird to all my friends at the time. I used to live in
Clarksville at my brother’s. I used to love to walk in Ellicott City. There
used to be a place called the Phoenix which was right on the corner of
Cranberry Avenue and Market Street. My girlfriends and I used to go down there
and have lunch all the time. One day we just decided to go riding around and seeing
what the houses were like. So we drove up there and that’s when it started.
This house looked like a Castle, it was up on Cranberry Avenue, up where the
railroad used to be. You’d have to go up a hill to get there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“We
were up there and I thought, wow, what a cool house. At the time it wasn’t
inhabited but there were no trespassing signs everywhere. And we thought, we
can’t go in here. So we took a couple of pictures of the outside of the house
which is really cool. Around six months later we saw an ad in the paper that
the house was for sale. They were asking a million –three at that time and that
was 1980 to 1982 maybe. I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">certainly</i> didn’t
have that. Not too long after that it sold to a person, I don’t remember who
but I have it on my timeline. Then after that it sold to the doctor who owned
it for a long time. So we took a couple pictures of it, as I said, and then we
drove back down to Ellicott City, and I said I want to go back to the Phoenix
and ask about that house.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And
I did, and they said, 'Ooh. That’s the haunted house in Ellicott City. So I
asked, ‘well what happened up there?’ They said, ‘oh, well there’s someone up
in the tower. There was a fire there and children had died, and it’s had many
owners. But everyone stays away from that house because it’s supposedly
haunted.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
captivated by the house did Judy become, that over the course of the next
couple of years she would research the property extensively. The following are
from the notes that she made and kept all these years later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
building is not a house in actuality, but a mansion of some 7000 square feet.
Built in the 9<sup>th</sup> century Gothic and Romanesque Revival style with
stone and granite, it boasts twenty rooms, a four story medieval style tower,
twelve foot ceilings and seven fireplaces with marble mantels and surrounds.
The property also boasts a three-story carriage house and the only three-story
smoke house ever built in Howard County.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It
was built in 1857 by Henry Richard Hazelhurst. Originally from Abington,
Berkshire England, who moved to Ellicott City after making a fortune in iron
works. Henry had lost his first wife in 1848, but remarried a second time to
Elizabeth Virginia McKim. The family moved to the area around 1857 with their
two children, Maria and George. Soon after the mansion was finished a third
child, Catherine, was born. Soon after Catherine’s birth, however, tragedy
struck the family. Maria, aged three years, died of a childhood illness.
Throughout the course of the next five years Elizabeth delivered three more
daughters, Margaret, Julia and Elizabeth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">During
the Civil War the Hazelhurst’s allowed the mansion to be used as a hospital for
wounded soldiers. Following the war, the family’s financial interests may have
taken a down-turn, as Henry apparently was forced to sell off several acres of
land surrounding the mansion, which was distressing to the family. The original
plot of land was 2500 acres, eventually it was whittled down to eight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Elizabeth
reportedly suffered bouts of depression for twenty some years. Judy’s notes
suggested that the depression was brought on by the loss of daughter Maria. The
loss of a child is a tragedy beyond words, even in an era when such losses were
common. The birth of later children apparently did nothing to assuage the loss.
Elizabeth passed away in 1887. She was fifty-nine years old when she died of an
unspecified illness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Her
daughters would be even less fortunate. Indeed, none of Elizabeth’s daughters
would live to reach the age of forty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Catherine
the third child, and the first to be born in the mansion, was reportedly very
close to her mother. She died only four years after her mother’s death. She was
thirty-three when she passed in 1891.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Only
two years into her marriage, Julia died in childbirth in 1893, at the age of
thirty-one. She was laboring in the tower of the mansion trying to deliver her
first and only child when she died.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Not
much is known about Margaret, only that she died in 1895 at the age of
thirty-six. Henry, who was losing his family one by one is quoted as saying
that the mansion was “A place of tragic memories.” Still Henry lived to old
age. Accounts vary, but he either died in 1890 or 1900, either at the age of
seventy-five or eighty five. He was laid to rest at St John’s Cemetery of
Howard County next to wife Elizabeth. The last and final daughter, Elizabeth,
followed her father to the grave five years later in 1905.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
first born, and only surviving child, George sold the mansion in 1906. He moved
to Catonsville, Maryland and died in 1919.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A
waspish man by the name of Wells bought the mansion next, and inhabited the
mansion with his family into the early 1920’s. Apparently a bit of a character,
Wells earned a reputation with the town’s folk for his petulant demeanor. He
was known to snap at anyone that attempted to speak with him. One who valued
his privacy, Wells had a seven foot hedge planted around the front of the
property. The Wells family stayed mainly in the house, emerging only on Sunday
mornings to attend church. Wells was found dead one day in the mansion’s
library.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">John
McGinnis and family were in residence in the mansion by 1923, when a
devastating fire destroyed much of the interior. The family managed to escape
the blaze, but were forced to rebuild. During the renovation they added the
medieval style battlements to the roof of the tower, replacing the steeple
gothic roof that had been the original design.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Apparently
the mansion earned its haunted reputation with the town around that time.
According to Judy’s research, activity in the mansion included the sounds of a
small child crying in an upstairs bedroom, and an apparition of a young girl
wearing a chiffon dress who was reported as playing in several rooms of the
mansion. There were also reports of an apparition of a man and a small child
walking hand-in-hand down the hallway. A male apparition was also reported
standing in a doorway. The aroma of cigar smoke, a habit not uncommon in
Hazelhurst’s era, was smelled and sometimes witnessed in the library, a curling
cloud of smoke wafting toward the ceiling in an otherwise empty room. The
chandelier in the dining room was said to swing with vigor at times, once
during a family gathering. Footsteps, sometimes heavy footsteps, were at times
heard around the building, and on the tower stairs. And once, a vase full of
flowers was said to elevate off its stand, pouring water and flowers out onto
the floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Windows
in the manse appeared to be uncooperative, refusing to stay closed. This was
especially true in the tower. One owner attempted to tie the errant windows
down with rope. By the time he got outside to inspect his handiwork, however,
the windows of the tower were open again, the ropes lying on the floor beneath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Judy
commenced her story, upon learning that the mansion was up for sale. “Right
then I thought I want to buy that house. But I couldn’t.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one-million dollar asking price was
inconceivable to a woman who waited tables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her dream mansion was such that, she had to concede, just a dream.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“And
then years later, I think it was five years later when I lived with my brother,
that’s when that started happening to me. I had taken other friends around and
we would look at it and just ride around the streets. But it was five years
later that I just started having this gnawing feeling that I just had to get
there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I
thought at the time, this is weird, but I’ve got to go [to the house]. And I
would go, and I would sit and I would bawl my eyes out.” She admitted that she
had no idea why she was crying, but that she was simply overwhelmed with,
“complete sadness.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
her research she had found accounts of tragedies, any one of which she might be
tapping into. The house had burned down. A lady that had lived in the house had
lost three children. Owners of the property had come and gone with great regularity.
For all its grandeur it hadn’t been a house of joy for its inhabitants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I’ve
got loads of stuff, I went to Ellicott City, the historical society and I
gathered so much information. I always wanted to explore this home. Years ago
in the early 2000’s a couple were trying to make the house into a bed and
breakfast, but Ellicott City wouldn’t allow them to do that. But it’s still,
it’s lived in, but there are many, many stories about it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“For
some reason I connected with a woman in the house, who was very, very sad. I
could be at my brother’s and it could be any time. Every two or three months,
it could be three o’clock in the morning or it could be noon. If I was asleep I
would wake up and I’d have this insatiable desire, I had to get to the house.
I’m surprised no one ever called the cops on me. Because I’d go and I’d sit
outside the house in my little car and I’d bawl my eyes out for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>an hour. And then it was done, and I went
home. But it was reoccurring and it would happen every two or three months with
regularity for three years, and then it absolutely stopped.” Judy admitted that
she probably repeated the ritual a dozen times over the three year period while
she shared a grief so terrible with an unknown woman that it communicated
beyond the veil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I
did, I thought I was cracking up, but the feeling was just so strong in me, and
I went, and I would have this experience and I would go home, and then I was so
relieved. And then it wouldn’t happen again until a couple of months later. It
was weird, but it was cool. So I decided that I needed to find out more about
this house, and the owners, and the timeline. The stack of papers [she
accumulated] is probably this thick [around two inches] and I wrote down a
timeline of when the fire was, who owned it, who built it, how many acres it
was. That was so interesting for me to go and do that kind of research.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“So
that was why I did so much research on the home. I don’t even recall now the
name of the woman that lost the three children, but I always felt a connection
that maybe she was the one that did that. I don’t know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I
knocked on the door one day, there was a doctor living there, a lady, and I
kind of introduced myself and I told her my story and I asked her if I could
come in. But she didn’t know me, and I don’t blame her for saying no. It was
just so fascinating.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“My
brother thought I was crazy, my friends thought I was crazy. So I really didn’t
[share it with anyone] because it was personal to me. It felt very personal
that someone was reaching out to do that. I just went with it. When it stopped,
I was kind of sad that it stopped. I realized it had been six months or so and
I realized, wow, I haven’t been to that house in a long time. And it <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="mso-comment-date: 20170918T1117; mso-comment-reference: AG_1;">never
happened again.”<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="mso-comment-continuation: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">What is fascinating to me about this
account is the fact that Judy never actually entered the dwelling, and had no
knowledge of its history at the onset. She apparently made an immediate
connection to the property, though, obvious by the fact that she took pictures
of it on the first encounter and went downtown to inquire about it immediately.</span></span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Final Analysis<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Why
was she the one of the whole band of friends that was affected in this way? Can
we assume that she was the only one with the empathic ability to tap into the
tragic energy? I wonder also if the energy, the sadness she apparently was in
tune with, was actually a consciousness or just a type of residual sadness that
lingered about the property.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
episodes Judy underwent certainly didn’t seem to have had any purpose beyond
the sheer expression of pain. This energy appeared to require nothing but
expression. The expression of sadness, expiation, all those years after. The
death of a child, three children, a woman in childbirth…Judy would go on to
become a mother herself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did the spirit
sense a bond? Was it Elizabeth still mourning the loss of Maria? Was it one of
the later residents who also experienced tragedy in the mansion? We will never
know, beyond the fact that death and loss left an imprint on a place that
transcended the passage of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-28223060364760443912017-10-07T10:40:00.000-07:002017-10-07T11:31:46.973-07:00Foiled by a Field Mouse, Ousted by an Owl; Sounds of the Night (Normal versus the Abnormal)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
by Robin M. Strom-Mackey<br />
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This post is intended for paranormal investigators, performing evidence review. I post this because I was getting ready to pull the evidence from our last investigation together, and I was sitting soundly on the fence about one clip.<br />
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In the clip you see our two investigators discussing an odd smell. Then at 00:35 you hear an odd wailing noise. We don't appear to hear it, because we make no mention of it. However, it's clearly on the sound recording.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwA5X9xCpQFpq9nzKCpjdB3GI_8TMC3a2iuuDoump5vc75rCrM4mStc8lIcW9mGfnnvFLmqT4wZ1ncrH9d8Eg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I was confused as to whether the sound was human or animal? I've been fooled by owls before. Their otherworldly calls can sound very like a wail or a moan, especially when filtered through walls. The area around the building we were investigating was heavily wooded, making the owl theory even more likely.<br />
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So I did some digging on YouTube, because I didn't want to come away, once again, foiled by a critter of the night. Below are video recordings of both foxes and the great horned owl, the owl I felt most closely matched this particular wailing sound.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>Fox calls:</b> Pay attention especially to the section entitled Bark and Scream which begins at <b>1:38</b></span></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/J6NuhlibHsM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J6NuhlibHsM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DJ6NuhlibHsM&source=gmail&ust=1507483608773000&usg=AFQjCNEkpUKf5xb9uqQXiYZWO6BrY1RaHg" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6NuhlibHsM" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=J6NuhlibHsM</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>Great Horned Owl:</b> Note Mr. Owl hoots at around <b>2:28</b> in the clip, and if you listen a little before and after you hear a distant owl that appears to be answering him. Notice how close the wailing in the video sounds to the more distant owl. </span></div>
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<u style="color: #0000ee; font-family: georgia, serif;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4CRqJJW6S8</u><br />
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As I gather evidence, obviously I want all of our time and effort to amount to something, I want it very much. . But obviously that something doesn't matter at all if I start labeling owls as paranormal. Paranormal Investigators, please weigh in. What is your opinion?</div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-33749638024788755532017-09-25T10:02:00.000-07:002017-09-25T10:17:40.541-07:00What Are Ghosts: A Tri Philosophical Discussion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;"><b>What Are Ghosts</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">By Robin M. Strom-Mackey</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6l8Gg44-0Zw1OALMqR0bkyB0XSf3iWcWMiylltvhlNZo3BArYsDFk90Dkm2QEgBU8NztNCn0ZjTQ-rZWsoIhXz44yZF47NVGonz9aexsDyfOS29_Gqr2K8ELoj_Id0nZ4B7QSc4YtnGB/s1600/headstone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6l8Gg44-0Zw1OALMqR0bkyB0XSf3iWcWMiylltvhlNZo3BArYsDFk90Dkm2QEgBU8NztNCn0ZjTQ-rZWsoIhXz44yZF47NVGonz9aexsDyfOS29_Gqr2K8ELoj_Id0nZ4B7QSc4YtnGB/s1600/headstone.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
attended a speaking event one evening with a Parapsychologist. I remember distinctly that a woman in the
audience asked him if ghosts were the souls of a dead people. He hedged from admitting that bold statement. Then the woman became combative, basically
halting the presentation so that she could pepper the speaker with questions. She believed ghosts were the souls of the dead
and why wouldn’t he confirm that? Why? Why? Why wouldn’t he just say it? It
amazed me just how emotionally invested she was in the belief, that if anyone
dissented, especially if a subject matter expert on the subject disagreed, that
she would get that upset. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As rude
as she was, I wondered if she hadn’t lost someone close to her. When this happens this question becomes far
less academic, and far more personal. Because if ghosts exist (A), and they’re
the soul of a dead person (B), then my loved one might come back to me as a
ghost (C). And there you have the spiritual ABC’s. People often believe in this premise simply
because they want so strongly to believe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I was
taking a course in Psychology, while working on my latest degree. The professor
had all of the students stand up and introduce themselves, tell the class what
your major was and a little about yourself etc.
I was one of only three older adults in a large class of essentially
teenagers. When my turn came I did the
requisite, “hi, I’m Robin and I’m studying…and in my spare time I’m a ghost
hunter.” You would have thought I had
said my made my living pole dancing, by the sea of shocked and disgusted faces
I had looking back at me. One young man
was even so bold as to announce to the class that there is “no such thing as ghosts.” Old, slow, and now apparently a freak as
well, I didn’t find my classmates overly friendly throughout the rest of the
course. (However, the professor, was fascinated and we would often converse
about our experiences.) I learned more
than just psychology in that course. I learned to pick and choose carefully who
I told about my passion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I share
these two stories to demonstrate either extreme of the spectrum, between those
are completely closed to the idea that anything paranormal could ever be real
versus those who so vehemently wish to believe that ghosts are proof that we
survive death that they resist any other theories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">For the
true skeptics the question of the paranormal is absurd, because there are no
such things as ghosts. Not surprisingly, most staunch non-believers never have
a paranormal experience, because they’re vehemently closed to the very idea. I’ve often attributed this to the sheep-goat
theory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Very
briefly, Professor of Psychology at City University of New York, Gertrude
Schmeidler first coined the phrase in 1942. She was trying to explain the
disparity in psi test results between people who believed in psi (formerly
extra-sensory perception or ESP) or were at least open to the idea versus those
who denied the very possibility of psi. The subjects that believed in psi she
called sheep. The sheep, when given an
ESP card test tended to score statistically above chance by a significant
margin. Goats, who said they did not believe in psi tended to score statistically
below the level of chance, again by a significant margin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">When it
comes to belief in the paranormal adamant non-believers (goats) of psychic
experiences rarely have such an experience. They deny or block their otherwise
natural psi abilities. I’m talking about psychic abilities now because
researchers have suggested that when someone experiences something paranormal
they’re actually experiencing it via their sixth sense – their psi ability
which parapsychology researchers believe we all possess to some degree or
another. Thus if you see an apparition
of a woman in white, you’re not actually seeing it with your eyes, but with
your mind. This helps explain the anomaly where not everyone in a group sees a
ghost, but only one or two do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This also
accounts for the fact that children, especially small children, appear to have
more experiences with the paranormal than older adults. I.e. that imaginary
friend may be more than simply imaginary. Children have psychic experiences
because they haven’t yet been conditioned to the idea that they can’t have
them. (Also, it is believed that psi abilities are stronger in the young, and
decrease as we age.) Thus young Caiden in Chapter Five playing Peek-a-boo with
his grandfather is not uncommon - despite the fact that Grandpa is deceased. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">One
learned psychologist, a skeptic, suggested that ghosts existed only in one
place, a person’s mind. He speculated that
we made up ghosts to fill a need within ourselves. In one of his cases he met with a young
married couple who felt their house was haunted. The wife kept seeing a child
apparition in the home. It turned out the young woman was desirous of having
children of her own, and when she became pregnant the child apparition
disappeared. Poof. How neat and tidy is that explanation?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Of
course psychologists have also suggested that when we get caught and punished
for a crime, it’s because we wanted to be caught. Hence, when I get stopped by
a cop and handed a very expensive speeding ticket I make sure to always thank
him for fulfilling my unspoken need. (By
the way it hasn’t escaped my notice that I got far more <i>warnings </i>when I was in my twenties, and far more <i>tickets</i> when I was in my forties,
despite my vast pole dancing fame.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
digress. Back to the learned psychologist that suggested that ghosts were
purely a figment of our imagination created to fill a need. I have met people that want so very much to
have an experience that they grasp at anything and everything as evidence. Whether they just crave the thrill or have
lost a loved one with whom they wish to connect. But while this may be true in some cases, I
disagree that it’s true in all cases. Just as I don’t honestly need another
speeding ticket, not all of my clients desire a haunting. The sometimes
panicked voices I’ve heard on the phone imploring me to, “please come as soon
as you can. I’m afraid to stay in my own house!” These are people, not seeking attention, but
relief. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">For
many Christians a ghost is a demon. All souls get dispersed of course, upon death,
and either take the escalator up or down, you either get household goods or
women’s lingerie depending on your proclivities. Hence anything of a paranormal nature gets
labeled as evil. I once had such a person request membership in the group. He
made it through two investigations before having a major melt down. I felt bad
for him. How could you have that belief system and ever knowingly walk into a
building that you believe was haunted? It would have to be terrifying. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ghosts
may also be a series of misinterpretations of natural phenomenon. One of my investigators, Maya, often recalls
moving into a new house, where when the wood floors made a crazy popping sound
every time the temperature changed. It
took a couple of sleepless nights before she and her husband figured out that
it was the floors and not an interloper in their house. The banging of pipes, loose windows that
rattle, things that fall over because of gravity and not a ghost, all these can
be labeled a ghost. I have a haunted house theory which suggests a snow ball
effect. Many people, once they think a building is haunted, henceforward
believe that everything that happens is because of the ghost. And of course
each new bit of evidence gets weighed in with the old as the mound of misinterpretation
mounts. I once had a woman ask me to do an investigation because she’d seen an
orb in a picture, and a small child in the home would walk up to the staircase
and put his hands out like he wanted to be carried up the stairs. Now that’s a
mole hill and not a mound of evidence. Of course she started the conversation
by telling me when such and such family member passed. So I guessed we were
talking about a combination of soul of the dead guy and misinterpretation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So what
is a ghost? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">a)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A figment of our imagination<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">b)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A figment of our imagination created by our
imagination to fulfill a need<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">c)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The soul of a dead guy who somehow became
earthbound<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">d)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A demon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">e)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Misinterpretation of natural phenomenon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">f)<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Other<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Let’s
consider F for a moment. In my own
studies, readings and writings, I’ve found a strong correlation between what
the ancients believed about ghosts, (in particular the Egyptians who as we all
know made the afterlife their main area of focus) what parapsychologists
suggest about ghosts, and what those in the magical studies propose a ghost to
be. It was a revelation I had one day,
that these three disparate groups, while labeling them with different names,
were essentially all saying the same thing.
After more than a decade of study, debate and writing I found that while
the terms vary greatly, the ideas at their basest elements were very similar. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Dead of Egypt<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">No one
can deny that one of the most supernaturally predisposed culture was that of
the ancient Egyptians with their elaborate traditions of mummification and
their monolithic pyramids filled with treasure built to shelter the pharaohs in
their never ending afterlife. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">For the
Egyptian’s no human was merely physical, but consisted of several elements.
Each human had a body or physical presence as well as a shadow, a double, a
soul, a heart, a spirit, a name, a power and a spiritual body. After death the
shadow departed, and could only be brought back with a mystical ceremony. There were subtleties to the different
entities that are hard to describe with our western terms such as soul. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
double or ka (the double or image or character) of the deceased lived with the
body in the tomb, or didn’t if ceremonies were not performed properly. So it was the ka that was the immortal
dweller of the tomb, and was believed to be the one to inhabit the statue of
the deceased. A statue closely
resembling the deceased was thoughtfully left for that purpose. So important to
keeping the double satisfied that special priests, called priests of the ka
were called in to minister to the ka, and there was a special room of the tomb
set aside for the ka, called the house of the ka (3). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It was
the ka, who if not properly maintained became a wandering spirit after
death. Apparently the ka had an
insatiable appetite and needed to be fed with offerings of meat and drink. Should the offerings not be performed, the ka
might depart the tomb in search of food. Apparently the ka did not have a refined
palette and would consume any dung or filthy water it came across. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The ba
(or soul) resided in heaven with Osiris or Ra.
It was capable of returning to the tomb at will, however, and could also
partake of the offerings of food and drink that were left for the ka. It could assume a material or semi-material
form sometimes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> At times the ba and ka might become united,
into a being that was called the Akh or khu or akhu, which was an enlightened
being. Earlier Egyptians believed that
only Pharaoh could achieve this union, but later interpretations declared that
people of higher moral character could as well.
To become an akh or enlightened spirit one must be judged just. These souls were allowed to live among the
gods or among the pole stars which never set.
However, the akh spirit could interact with the living as well, and it
was the akh that returned as an unhappy spirit to harass the living. If proper burial rites had been neglected or
if someone close to the akh had sinned against him or her, then the akh could
return briefly to the Earth to seek restitution. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Notice
the disparity between the ka and the ba.
The ka, while sharing some of the characteristics of the deceased, served
more as a kind of caricature of the deceased.
It really didn’t exhibit sound critical thinking skills, choosing to
drink fetid water and eat poo. The ba, which did go to a type of heaven, could
come back briefly only to redress issues, and then had to return. Most ancient cultures believed that the soul
of a person departed to some other plane of existence after death, especially
if the burial rites were performed properly.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Magical Disciplines<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Students
of the magical disciplines are taught as well that a human is an entity
comprised of several elements or levels.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Physical Level<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">On the
lowest level is our physical being. The body is the densest and lowest of the
levels of existence. We perceive it with our five senses: sight, smell,
hearing, touching or tasting, although I wouldn’t suggest you start licking
people, nor eating poo for that matter. (And you thought you’d get no sage
advice from reading this book!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Etheric Level<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
etheric level is our life force, that energy that animates the clay of our
bodies. Often associated with the breath, it is also the organ of subtle
energies. It is our aura the mediums often talk about, that energy that
surrounds us and emanates from us. The etheric plane is limited to time and
space as the body in the physical plane. Entities in the etheric plane are tied
to the body while the body lives and cannot have an independent existence
outside the physical body, but occupy the same space and are the same shape as the
body. Sometimes the etheric body can be spotted by those sensitive and/or
trained in the art. When they do appear, away from the body, they look like
gray shadowy figures in the form of the person they represent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Astral Level<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">At this
level is our concrete consciousness. It is the realm of our dreams, our
imagination, our creativity, but also our ordinary mental activity. This level
of existence is bound to space and time, but not limited by them. Everything that exists on the physical plane,
every rock, tree, frog or person has a corresponding astral body as well. But
the astral level is more malleable. The power of willful thinking can reshape
the astral body, though it eventually returns to its natural appearance. Now
this is starkly in line with some quantum theories, which suggest that the mind
and willful consciousness can shape reality, or our perceptions of reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Mental Level<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This is
the level of abstract consciousness, a dimension which is both timeless and space
less. Such fundamentals such as the laws of math and the fundamental pattern of
the cosmos exist on this level. For a human, this level is where our
fundamental and immortal pattern of ourselves exists. One this plane one can view the past and also
view possible futures. The building
material in the mental plane is fluid and changeable; shaped by mental will. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Spiritual Level <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This is
the level of primal unity, from which everything in the universe emanates and
to which they return. At this level is
our monad or spiritual body, which sheds its individuality to become one with
the universe, the transcendent core of the self.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
order to keep this brief we will content ourselves with a quick discussion of
the etheric level. The etheric level
being the closest to the physical level, it is a level of existence that is
limited by time and space. It is close to the material world, matter, and can
affect matter. The energy of the etheric realm can be focused and directed and
shaped for that matter by conscious will. They can also be focused or diffused
by different methods. When in concentration these energies can take on almost a
physical solidity. They can be felt, for example, by the nerve endings of human
skin. Hence the hair raising heebie jeebies we sometimes feel when in a haunted
location. They may coalesce into a visible shape that appears solid or nearly
solid. They can exert energy on matter, affect physical objects, and appear to
have mass and inertia. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
diffused, however, the energies become intangible and difficult to detect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Magical
teachings also talk about the three levels of death. The first of course being
the death of the physical body, separating the etheric body and the attached
other levels. Slower deaths can cause a gradual separation of the etheric body
from the physical that last weeks or even months. Abrupt or violent death
causes an abrupt separation and confusion.
The second death normally takes from one to three days, before the etheric
body disintegrates allowing the other levels to disperse. It can be delayed however, depending on the
strength of the etheric body and the attitude of the dying person. The third death involves the disintegration
of the etheric body and the release of the astral body to the astral plane. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
etheric body is mortal and weak. Sunlight causes further disintegration. Often
within three days the etheric body will decay, the astral body will separate
from it and return to the astral plane. Now the etheric body is a shell without
real intelligence (think ka again) but with a desire towards preserving
itself. It is a ghost, in effect. Sometimes it will remain near its physical remains,
where it tries to glean energy for survival from the body that housed it and
fed it in the past. Other times it will return to a favored place, attempting
to reassert itself, and gleaning energy from the people that now live in the
space – trying to prolong its existence.
Eventually it disintegrates fully. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This
may seem a bit extraordinary to someone not of the magical sphere. However,
studies of Near Death Experiences indicate a similar progression. When a person dies, the etheric body, like the
ka, is separated permanently from the physical body. In accounts of Near Death
Experiences (NDE’s), one of the first things reported by respondents is seeing
their body from another location. They almost always report looking down at
their lifeless bodies from somewhere near the ceiling. What’s even more remarkable is that many of them
accurately recall events that were going on around them when they were
clinically dead (I.e. they had no detectable brain functioning). The magical disciplines also speak of this,
noting that the etheric body will stay awhile near the physical body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Those
that recall a deeper NDE experience, report going through a dark tunnel, and
arriving at another plane of existence, just as magical philosophy teaches that
we ascend to a higher level of existence, the astral plane. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But
what happens when all does not goes as planned?
Apparently an entity can stall out between the first and second deaths,
according to magical teachings. And this is when ghostly activity occurs. Most
of the time the etheric body is in a kind of dream state, and doesn’t interact
with the living. Sometimes, however, the
sleep state is disrupted. If the etheric
body feels it has tasks yet to accomplish, messages to impart, it may linger to
perform them. Messages delivered it then
departs. This accounts for the number of
people that report having their departed loved one make one final appearance to
say goodbye. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But
sometimes the etheric body gets trapped for a longer period between the second
and third deaths. Sudden or violent
death, especially if the deceased is feeling strong negative emotions, causes
the etheric body to be torn from the body while it’s unadulterated. A dying person who is experiencing very
strong emotions such as fear, anger, extreme pain, sadness can also, unwittingly
forge a link with etheric ally receptive objects in the environment. Similarly
if they spend a long period of time in one location and they’re fixated on
negative emotions the bond between etheric body and object can be made. In
effect the dying person becomes anchored in the material world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Finally,
sometimes only the emotions, usually strong emotions, can imprint on the
environment, long after the person or persons have died. This then is a
residual haunting, which is merely a replaying of past events recorded into the
environment. The events never change, never deviate, the apparition if one
appears never interacts with the living. Many former battlefields and
hospitals, mental institutions, places where people have suffered therefore are
often imprinted in this manner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">What Parapsychologists Suggest<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">You may
be wondering what a parapsychologist is, and why I keep bandying about the
term. Parapsychology is actually a branch of psychology which attempts to
scientifically study paranormal and psychic phenomena. Begun during the
Spiritualist Movement in the 1880’s, parapsychologists originally investigated
hauntings, tested psychics and studied such things as clairvoyance,
psychokinesis, Near-death experiences and the like. In the 1900’s they turned their attention
primarily to the study of psi abilities, because these could be studied in a
laboratory setting under careful scrutiny.
Remember Dr. Peter Venkman (played by Bill Murray) in Ghost Busters? In
the first scene of the movie Murray is performing a test for psychic abilities
by holding up cards (called Rhine cards after J.P. Rhine who invented them) and
having the students try to guess the symbol.
Venkman and the boys were parapsychologists. Under constant disdain and ridicule from the
rest of the scientific world, which considers anything that can’t touched, seen
or tasted as a fabrication of the imagination, sadly, parapsychology appears to
be a dying breed, with the youngest parapsychologist in his 40’s. (Don’t start licking scientists either,
though they might have it coming.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
hypothesis of Psi Projection has been suggested by many in the parapsychology
field using various terms but basically suggesting the same end. The hypothesis
suggests that strong emotions may cause an imprint in the environment and that
an aspect or aspects of a personality may be able to imbed themselves as a form
of replication at a location. If enough
of a person’s personality is able to imprint on a location after the person
dies or perhaps remains after the person leaves, it may have enough personality
to actually behave in a seemingly intelligent manner. Incidentally, death may not even be a
contributing factor to the copying that occurs.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
theory reminds me of my computer has this pesky idiosyncrasy when I try to
delete photos. I’ll highlight the photos to delete them and it will make copies
of them instead, and where I had one bad photo to delete, now I have two – the
original and the replica. This theory is
also reminiscent of the Egyptian belief described in Chapter One of the
ka. The ka wasn’t actually the soul of
the person (the soul going onto Auru, the Egyptian heaven), but a replica of
the person’s personality – the ghost – that stayed with the body. It is also
starkly similar to the etheric body described by those involved in magical
studies, the etheric body being basically a lower level, unintelligent being,
who can get imbedded in an environment or stalled between the second and third
death cycle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In the
“psi projection theory” the personality replica would be able, on a limited
basis to interact with people. It might
be able to answer simple questions such as what is your name, or did you live
here? Quite possibly it would be able to make auditory sounds or even manifest
visually upon request. And in some
limited capacity it might even be able to effect matter, move an object
etc. But not being the actual soul of a
living person, it would not be able to change, or understand the changes going
on around it. It would probably not have
a memory and not be able to learn new things such as the year it is now. It might be able to interact, but never to
remember new experiences. One can again
we see the similarities to the poo eating Ka, and the semi-sleep state of the
disembodied etheric entity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So how
might such an imprint or copy be made?
Quantum physics offers an explanation.
If you know nothing about Quantum Physics, it is an area of study that
is an offshoot of Physics, which is a study of the natural, material world. Hence
Quantum Physics is to physics what parapsychology is to psychology, only
quantum physicists get far more respect (probably because they never mention
ghosts.) Quantum physics as a research
study really began with the discovery that light acts both as a particle and a
wave. As such sometimes it flows as a wave does, but its flow can be staunched
until light dribbles out through a blockage one particle at a time. This was a miraculous discovery at the time
with two heated factions claiming that light was either a wave or a particle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Within
the brain human thought appears to move as waves as well, with electrical
impulses flowing across neurons at lightning speed and varying
frequencies. We know this to be true
because we can test brainwaves with an electroencephalograph or EEG machine. We might speculate that thought like light
might move as both a particle and a wave.
And if this were true we could theorize that our bodies would be
constantly surrounded by a sea of thought particles, think the multi-colored
auras reported by mediums who may not have been too far off. This idea of a psi field has been accepted
for decades by parapsychologists, and is further suggested by consciousness
studies. Think Carl Jung and our old
friend William James for theories on a collective and an ever present stream of
consciousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The psi
field extends beyond the organism and saturates the environment around it. It
is capable of interacting with the psi fields of other organisms and perhaps
even objects. Consider your childhood science
experiment with the metal shavings and the magnet for a moment. Remember how
the magnetic shavings would immediately line up in the direction of the
magnet. The molecules of a magnet are
aligned or distributed in one organized direction. Therefore, if a magnet is
introduced into an electromagnetic field the field will realign to this new
magnet. Accordingly, if a strong emotion
or emotions is interjected into the environment it will act as a magnet, and
reorganize or realign the thought particles.
Do recall that all thought patterns in the brain are fueled by a low
level of electro-magnetic energy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Parapsychologists
use the analogy of tapes, although this metaphor is somewhat dated with the new
technologies emerging. Audio or video
tape depended on a coating of easily magnetized particles to make recordings. The
tape itself moved through a device which produced magnetic impulses. These
magnetic impulses caused the particles on the tape to realign into a pattern
that matched the magnetic impulses, which resulted in a recorded image or sound
– or both. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Supposedly
a very strong emotion, or many strong emotions, sent out into the environment
over time could cause the thought particles in the environment to realign in
patterns that matched the original thoughts, and that could be perceived by
someone with a suitably developed psychic ability. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Psychic
ability seems to be easily equated with the strength of an individual’s
antenna. Some may only be equipped with
the stupid rabbit ear antennas that sat atop televisions until recently, and
needed constant readjustment. Other people may be equipped with the large, roof
top antennas that brought in far more channels, while still others were
receiving images from satellites in space and could receive all the channels –
all for free. Lucky dogs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But
what does the antenna actually detect? It may be that individuals with
heightened psi abilities may be sensitive or hyper sensitive to electromagnetic
fields. Thus if they enter an area with
unusual amount of electromagnetic fields they will feel uneasy, or
watched. They may even have
physiological reactions such as becoming nauseous or ill. This hypersensitivity may allow them to pick
up on electromagnetic resonance or anomalies in the area more readily than a
person without this sensitivity.
Anomalous electromagnetic fields can be natural, as in areas with seismic
activity, or manmade such as buildings located near power lines. They may also pick up on electromagnetic
resonance which is one theory as to how a spirit may communicate with us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Traumatic
events would cause stronger imprinting upon the environment, thus sites where
murders, suicides or battle occurred would have stronger impacting
projections. Think of the most haunted
sites you remember, mental hospitals, prisons and battlefields always surface
at the top of the list. Sites with
unusual electromagnetic or geomagnetic properties are more likely to be
regarded as haunted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Such
sites with seismic faults or underground water sources may further create a
“containment zone” for activity that holds paranormal activity for longer
periods of time. Water in particular
appears to have an ability to record or retain information. Although haunting phenomena does tend to
decrease in both regularity and intensity over time, when the particles are
eventually scattered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">These
hypothetical thought-particle imprints might carry either a telepathic or
psychokinetic charge – meaning they might be perceived more subjectively or
objectively as thoughts or impressions or as physical disturbances. Telepathic imprints would result in more
subjective phenomena, such as seeing an apparition, feeling cold spots, hearing
sounds of footsteps or voices or merely sensing a feeling of being watched. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
psychokinetic impulses would result in more objective phenomena such as
recordable sounds like footsteps or knocking, objects actually being moved or
manipulated such as in poltergeist cases.
Poltergeist activity could be explained by the dynamic changeability of
a human agent who is present and constantly changing the psychic thought
patterns. Residual haunts could be explained
by a type of “psychic residue,” phenomena that is repetitive and
non-interactive, left over from a former resident. And these random
thought-energy particles may hold the essence of consciousness – or as I have
suggested – a copy of the personality of an agent. Remember my computer making a copy of my
photo as I try to delete it, this would be more like copying the entire hard
drive of the computer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In the End<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I think
in the end we can see the similarities between the three, very disparate,
fields of study concur. While the
terminology is different, the effects appear to be the same. At the most basic
level of haunting, a residual, and the paranormal activity is merely an
imprint, a recording of past events that does not interact with the human world. At the other end of the spectrum, the
intelligent haunt will and can interact with its environment and the
inhabitants therein, but, and I apologize to the rude lady, they’re still not
the soul of our dearly departed, but just a more complex or more completed copy
of the departed’s personality. Having said that, hauntings are still enormously
fascinating to investigate. Best case scenario, the careful investigation of
hauntings may lead us to a better understanding of the human condition,
consciousness, and the extension of life after death. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-78889242533721871502017-09-15T10:54:00.001-07:002017-09-15T10:54:55.219-07:00A Demon in Delaware; There's No Place like Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-style: italic;">“The only thing I can ever say is, have you ever had the experience of walking into a place and saying, this is holy? It’s maybe a church or something like that? This was the opposite. It was desecrated. It was evil.”</span><br />
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Recently I was sitting with a young couple who were at the time applying for membership with the group. I began the interview with my usual first question, “So why do wish to investigate the paranormal?” I wasn’t prepared for the answer.</div>
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“Well, one reason is we saw a demon.”</div>
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A startled me asked quickly, “You what? What do you mean you saw a demon?”</div>
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“Yes, we were at our friend’s house playing board games and we saw a demon. Clear as day. Both I and the woman who lived there saw him.”</div>
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I halted the interview right there and ran for my audio recorder, as I didn’t want to miss the details. They agreed without hesitation to my recording and writing about their experience. And what I heard was a harrowing story of a young lady’s struggles to keep home and family together in the midst of evil.</div>
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The account began innocently enough. A young couple with a three-year-old daughter had rented an apartment in a newer complex, once again defying the belief that only older buildings with a tragic past can have paranormal activity. The husband worked for the Department of Corrections in Georgetown, Delaware at the time, working nights. He’d depart for work around three or four in the afternoon and wouldn’t return home until later in the morning. Often he would work double shifts, and hence was absent a lot. </div>
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The wife, for anonymity’s sake we’ll call her Jessica, was a stay-at-home Mom who spent most of her time with her daughter Anna. It was a two bedroom apartment, one bedroom for the couple and one for their daughter. A family room and kitchen area led off the hallway to the bedrooms, with the hallway visible from the kitchen. In Brianna’s estimation the activity didn’t begin immediately, but started four to six months after the couple rented the apartment.</div>
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Predictably the activity was first experienced and reported by the daughter. This is the norm in demon cases, where a demon will first begin by ingratiating themselves with the child or children. Anna started repeatedly telling her mother about a door in her room, only it wasn’t actually a door anyone could see. The child would tell her mother, “door, Mommy, door,” meanwhile pointing at the wall above her doll house. Not having any idea what the little girl was talking about, Jessica brushed it off at first. Then Anna started reporting that she would see a man and she would see a monkey, meanwhile pointing at the corner of her bedroom and saying, “door, Mommy, door, door. Monkey wants to play.” </div>
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Jessica had been a very close friend of Brianna’s, and because her husband was gone so often Brianna and Carl spent a lot of time with Jessica and young Anna to ease the loneliness. They started hearing about the strange stories that Anna was telling her Mom. And then Jessica confided that she had started to notice odd things herself. In the bathroom above the tub, near the ceiling, Jessica noticed small grimy hand prints as if a child hand had put their hands in ashes and then placed them on the wall. Only Jessica had no conceivable idea how Anna could have reached that high. She also started to hear scratching noises in Anna’s room on the wall where the supposed “door” was located. Carl and Brianna were staying the night one evening, camped out in the living room/kitchenette when they also reported hearing scratching noises on the wall that separated them from Anna’s room. </div>
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Jessica also started noticing objects moving unaccountably and the sinister occurrence of the number three. According to Brianna, Jessica had coasters she kept in the kitchen. She found the coasters on day on her kitchen table in a triangle of three. She would sometimes hear three knocks on the wall. Carl agreed, “She kept getting these constant three, three, three, and I told her this isn’t good. And she didn’t want it, anytime I brought it up she didn’t want [to hear it].” </div>
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Other items were moving as well, according to Carl. Items from the laundry room would be in the kitchen. Things from the bathroom would be in the bed. They were all small objects, objects that a child could move. Only the items would be moved when her daughter was asleep, or when they were out of the apartment. There didn’t appear to be any logical reason for the items to be where they were found.</div>
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Jessica started noticing that Anna had odd bruises, about the width of a finger that would appear on the back of her neck, right under her hairline. Carl said, “She wouldn’t have them when she went to bed. She’d wake up with them. It looked awfully funny.”</div>
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Carl and Brianna both admit that the apartment felt oppressive and that after leaving the apartment they often felt exhausted. Brianna concurred, “It was draining. And they were newer apartments.” </div>
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Sadly, Jessica’s husband of the late nights and double shifts was rarely home. He was also a reservist, so he was often training in Virginia on weekends when he might otherwise have been home. When he was home he didn’t experience any of the weird phenomena that Jessica and Anna were experiencing. Hence he didn’t believe Jessica when she tried to explain the strange things that were happening to her and Anna. Worse, Carl noted that he was fiercely skeptical. In Carl’s estimation, the husband could have experienced the phenomena first-hand and still not believed it, he was so fiercely skeptical. A rift was developing between husband and wife, fueled by their constant time apart, and fed by his denial of what was happening to his own family.</div>
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Brianna and Carl spent every Wednesday night with Jessica and Anna, it was their standing date. One particular Wednesday evening the three adults were playing a board game in the kitchen at Jessica’s pub-style kitchen table. Brianna was sitting with her back to the hallway, but Jessica was sitting facing the hallway and Carl was standing in the kitchen facing the hallway and both clearly saw a figure right out of a nightmare. Brianna could tell there was something going on by the, “look on their faces. I could tell there was something wrong, and I asked them, what did you see? And Carl just said, ‘we’ve got to get out.’”</div>
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In Carl’s own words, “I saw a figure, completely [black], blacker than black, walking at me. And this thing was like six foot six [inches]. The grin…and teeth it showed… The only thing I can describe it as, it just wanted to make your soul want to scream. You knew it was just pure evil. The eyes weren’t a distinct color but they were long to the side, kind of like a fish. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Carl reported that he noticed no distinguishable clothing as the rest of the figure was simply a dense black.</div>
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Carl also recalls a feeling of fear that went beyond simply seeing the creature. “It’s one thing to walk into a place and feel it’s creepy. You walked into it…sigh. The only thing I can ever say is, have you ever had the experience of walking into a place and saying, this is holy? It’s maybe a church or something like that? This was the opposite. It was desecrated. It was evil. Seeing it made you physically sick. I wanted to throw up.”</div>
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“I just remember the eyes and the grin, and the teeth. And I turned to Jessica and she looked at me and she just wanted to vomit. And she said, ‘you just saw that, right?’ I said, get the kids out, because they were all just sitting there watching T.V.” Jessica’s niece and nephew were over visiting that night as well.</div>
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I asked Carl if he any other recollections of the event hearing anything odd, smelling anything? Carl did recall a strange odor in the apartment that he couldn’t actually identify. But then he noted that there was an apartment of Haitians above them. “And they were all the time cooking very strange things. And they were all the time playing extremely strange music.”</div>
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Brianna added, “They were always stomping around. She [Jessica] had had to make several complaints. It would be like one or two in the morning and they would be up there stomping or dancing, or whatever they were doing up there. She actually went up there herself at one point. She said there was no furniture in the place. She said there were quite a few of them. I don’t remember how many there were, but she said there was no furniture. She said it was very, very odd.”</div>
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The account was starting to take on similar overtones to other accounts I had researched where practitioners of voodoo (also known as vudun, vaudin, voudoun, vodou or vaudoux) had, whether knowingly or unwittingly summoned something dark.</div>
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It appears that Haiti was the birth place of voodoo around 1724. Borrowing aspects of Western African religions, voodoo intermingles many of the Catholic saints and rituals into its practice. The religion was brought to Louisiana in the early 1800’s when Cuban plantation owners began importing Haitian slaves.</div>
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While practitioners of voodoo believe in one higher being, they believe that God is so far removed from their everyday lives that they must invoke other spirits for favors. Basically for the voodoo practitioner there are three categories of spirits from which they can invoke, the spirits of beloved ancestors, the spirits of the dead who were unloved and unclaimed, and the Twins which are the twin forces of good and evil. </div>
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Voodoo rituals are steeped in secret magical language (often Latin), animal sacrifices, spirit possessed dancing and trances. The object of invoking the spirits may be to communicate with their deceased loved ones, or they may be for darker purposes. The more sinister practices are used to cast curses and spells on enemies, and yes, to summon evil spirits (1, 2).</div>
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Demonologists insist that demons cannot enter a premises without being invited, either knowingly or through negligence such as living a life steeped in violence and deceit. It may be that Jessica’s Haitian neighbors had not only rung the bell on this particular demon’s door, but had invited him over for a nice long visit.</div>
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After Jessica and Carl witnessed this creature in the hall they decided they must immediately vacate the apartment. It was very late in the evening, and the only thing they could think to do was take everyone out for ice cream. “Friendly’s in Seaford was still open at that time. So we went in. When she was ready we took them back [to the apartment. It took a while, and we, for a long time just sat in the car and talked. And when she was ready to go back we went back. She didn’t really want us with her. She basically said, ‘you know what, it’s late. You guys just go home. I’m just going to go to bed.’” Later in the night Jessica heard scratching on the walls, as she had before.</div>
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In Carl’s estimation, the activity started to escalate quickly after the sighting. Anna started refusing to sleep in her room, demanding instead to sleep in Jessica’s bed. Further Anna started reporting, “Monkey and man” and pointing to the left-hand corner of her mother’s room. Jessica became scared, and mother and daughter were sleeping on the couch in the living room. Carl notes that the little girl was suffering from horrific nightmares. “The nightmares that she was having. Things that a child that age shouldn’t have. Monsters killing her.” Brianna added, “Screaming, ah, she went to bed about seven or seven-thirty, and she [Jessica] would lay her down and the monitor would be out with us. And she was just so restless. Crying in her sleep. And she [Jessica] would go running into her room. We’d be watching T.V. in the other room and her daughter would just wake up screaming. And she’d run in. And she really didn’t say a whole lot, because she really didn’t want to talk about it. She got to a point where all this stuff was happening and it’s my home.” Jessica was at a loss. It had taken them awhile to find the apartment in the first place, and now it was their home. She simply felt she had nowhere else to go.</div>
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Carl and Brianna felt they had to seek help. Brianna asked her father for assistance. Being Native American, Brianna’s father was friends with a shaman named Little Bear who would sometimes conduct cleansings for friends who asked his assistance. They contacted Little Bear and he agreed to come to the apartment to assess the situation and if necessary to cleanse the apartment. When he arrived, Little Bear initially left his gear in his car, telling Brianna he simply wanted to go in first and find out what he, “was dealing with.” He had brought Brianna’s father and his wife and two other friends along as well. According to Brianna there was some hesitation at the door of the apartment, when the two companions decided they would rather not go in to the domicile. “Little Bear’s friend refused to enter the apartment saying, “We’re not going in there. Another said, ‘I’m just going to stay back and kind of watch.’”</div>
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Brianna said that without being told anything of the situation, Little Bear walked into Anna’s room and pointed to the space above the child’s doll house and said there was, “in essence, a doorway or portal through which the demon was coming through. He said it’s a doorway to the other side and that’s not the side you want to go to.” Little Bear explained that being a child, Anna was more susceptible to the creature, and finally added that possession of the child’s soul was a demon’s ultimate aim. </div>
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The shaman collected his tools which consisted of a turtle shell, eagle feather and sage. He directed them to open all the windows and the doors, and had Jessica and Anna vacate the apartment. Brianna narrates, Little Bear said, “We’re going to go through and we’re going to smudge everything. We went back out and he blessed us before we went back in.</div>
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Alone in Anna’s room, Little Bear said a prayer and smudged the area. He came back out and directed them to bring Anna, “back in. Because it’s not going away. We brought her back in and he said, ‘honey, what do you see?’ And she said, ‘door.’ She said, ‘that’s the door.’ She said, ‘monkey, man, play with me.’"</div>
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Little Bear took more time working the room. “It took a while. After, when we were able to go back in it was like it was out of there. It was like you would walk in and you just kind of felt tensed. Now it was more relaxing.” But Little Bear made some predictions. “He said, “it’s not out of the house, but right now it’s out of the room.”</div>
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Carl, Brianna, Little Bear and Jessica were standing in the hall after Little Bear’s ministrations in the child’s bedroom. “And when we came out of the room, and Little Bear was in front of us.” As the group was walking toward the living room the group was startled. “He was still smudging, going into the living room when this big ball of light looked like it had just gotten thrown at us and at the same time there was this high pitched sound like a squeal.” Carl added, “It was the most primal scream I’ve ever heard in my life.” The ball of light appeared to be coming at them right at face level, it was soaring at them one moment, and gone the next. Having no other explanation the group spotted a smoke detector in the hallway and wondered if the smoke from the sage if it had set off a light in the gizmo. Upon taking the detector apart, they found no bulbs in the unit. The group was never able to come up with a plausible explanation for the ball of light.</div>
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After the cleansing, Little Bear felt that he had rid the building of the demon. For the first time in a very long while Anna was able to spend the night in her own room, and the little family had a few weeks of respite.</div>
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Sadly a few weeks of peace was all they would get, before the odd happenings began again. Anna reported that the door was back on the wall of her room, and started sleeping with Jessica again. On another night when the group was together playing a game at the table Brianna distinctly felt her hair tugged. Thinking at first it was Carl who had yanked her ponytail, she realized that his hands were cupping a soda at the time. Not only did Brianna feel the tug, but Carl said he distinctly saw the ponytail rise up into the air on its own. </div>
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And then things started to get “weird” between Jessica and her friends. Jessica didn’t want any more help, and she indicated to the couple on a few occasions that with Brianna’s Native American heritage perhaps Brianna had somehow brought on the bad things. She further started displaying emotional problems of anxiety and depression. Jessica eventually broke ties with the couple.</div>
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Jessica’s marital problems were escalating as well. In a strange stroke of fate, three months after the house cleansing, Jessica’s husband moved to the mid-west, taking Anna with him and leaving Jessica alone in the apartment. Brianna said, “I thought that was weird because she had been inseparable from this child. They were tied to the hips since she was born. And then she goes and lives with her Dad.” Roughly six months after Little Bear’s cleansing Brianna saw a posting on Facebook that Jessica had finally escaped the apartment herself. “She had made that apartment her home,” Brianna surmised, “and it really wasn’t.”</div>
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Demonologist Ralph Sarchie in his book, Deliver Us from Evil notes that he often gets an indication that a demon has left the premises. He describes times during exorcisms when he’ll suddenly hear a loud banging or popping sound, usually from another unoccupied part of the building. Having forcibly thrust the interloper from Anna’s room, I wonder if the ball of menacing light and the squealing sound that both Carl and Brianna reported wasn’t just that, the demon’s announcement that he had left the premises. </div>
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In order to do a thorough and complete exorcism of the property, however, the exorcist needs to have access to all floors and all rooms of the building. In Jessica’s case, Little Bear could only gain access to one of the several apartments. Thus while his rousting of the demon was successful in the apartment, all the creature had to do was hide somewhere else in the building until such time as he could regain access to his doorway into Anna’s room, which he eventually did.</div>
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I think the most tragic part of this tale is Jessica’s plight. While resilient little Anna moved out and away, Jessica stayed, losing her husband, daughter, friends and home. Her mental state deteriorated. I’m sure the fact that she was both frightened and isolated were a double dose of poison that eventually broke down her reserves. This is another classic sign of a demon haunt. It’s a divide and conquer strategy where the person who is being terrorized or afflicted is afraid to tell other people of their experiences for fear of being labeled foolish or mentally ill. Instead they withdraw into themselves and try to battle the bizarre on their own. Jessica’s husband was without a doubt not a supportive influence in her life. And eventually Jessica saw even her friends as her enemies. Not long after the cleansing Brianna admits that Jessica had started showing signs of crumbling mental health. As she had experienced bouts of both anxiety and depression before, Brianna admits it had never been as bad as it got when the creature returned. This is what a demon desires; fear, self-doubt, self-loathing. This is a breeding ground for the first stage in a demonic haunt, known as infestation.</div>
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I'm often asked at places I've investigated whether the paranormal activity is demonic. Demons are very much on the minds of Americans lately, although such manifestations are rare. In the accounts I have personally collected, it seems that those who have honestly encountered such evil spirits immediately <span style="font-style: italic;">know</span> the difference. There is a sickening, gut-wrenching, instantaneous knowing that what you're encountering is evil, which is unlike a traditional haunting by a human ghost. But remember, a demon can't come in, into your home, or your life, unless you invite them in.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Resources</span></div>
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Anonymous (2016) Voodoo Religion – The History. AllAboutTheOccult.org. Retrieved January 16, 2017 from www.allabouttheoccult.org/voodoo-religion.htm</div>
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Anonymous (2015). Haiti; Magical Country of the Caribbeans. BlackMagicWorld.com Retrieved January 16, 2017 from http://www.blackmagicworld.com/haiti-magical-country-of-the-caribbeans.html</div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-10995189681098255272016-12-24T07:49:00.002-08:002016-12-24T07:52:05.008-08:00Where the Imaginary Ends and the Dark Begins; Children and their Unseen Friends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6pZ9XhocQ3BbiMUPmOjvBHzgiJ_4XgUVGYS2FHBDMrQmpiXjwZMOKa3zlDKu3JiJ_wEQB4gkC1hWt-PoKEYkvRCq0LxkfuKp3H4PW95wu41yQRaL7Ho-ztbxbjjbbSrqi1UQA8l4rb81/s1600/dark+child.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6pZ9XhocQ3BbiMUPmOjvBHzgiJ_4XgUVGYS2FHBDMrQmpiXjwZMOKa3zlDKu3JiJ_wEQB4gkC1hWt-PoKEYkvRCq0LxkfuKp3H4PW95wu41yQRaL7Ho-ztbxbjjbbSrqi1UQA8l4rb81/s640/dark+child.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">By Robin M. Strom Mackey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">If you’ve ever been around a
small child you’ll probably recall that they chatter all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They chatter to their toys, they chatter to
their parents, they make strange noises over and over and over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s necessary to language development of
course, though it may drive you crazy after awhile!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when and if they start chattering to a
friend that only they can see, a parent may start to become uncomfortable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">There are some theories to
suggest that children are more open to paranormal experiences than their often more
cynical parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some believe that children
may be more telepathically astute. The mere fact that they haven’t been told that
there is no such thing as telepathy might make them more open to the
experiencing of it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">They may also be more telepathically attune because of their dependence on their parents. The mere survival of a youngster is contingent on the adult caregiver, and thus a telepathic bond with a parent evolves, which may dissipate as the child develops skills and becomes more independent. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It is believed that telepathy is stronger in the
young, dimming with age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has been
suggested in the study of psychokinesis or poltergeists cases, where the human
conduit is usually an adolescent or young adult, an age when the mix of
swirling hormones and adolescent angst help spur their already innate abilities.
Along those same lines of thinking, does being telepathically more attune also
make children more susceptible to spirit communication?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact that many children have wonderfully
active imaginations creates another problem. As a parent one begins to wonder,
where does the imaginary end and the dark begin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In an email recently I received
an inquiry that intrigued me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lindsey
wrote:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I
have resided in my home for a little over a year now. I have a two-year old
[daughter] and a one-year old [son].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since we have moved here my daughter has acted a little off. Since she
has grown older she is now carrying on conversations with something only she
can see….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.3in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Two
weeks ago<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> it</i> [my emphasis] gained a
name - Jesse. No one we know or interact with has this name. One of my brothers
is named Jesse, but he does not even live in Delaware, and she has never had a
relationship with him.” His name rarely comes up, so it’s odd that she just
randomly started saying that name. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.3in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“I
have asked her who Jesse is and where he/she is, and within seconds of me
acknowledging<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> its</i> [my emphasis] name
my dog started growling at something, which has never happened before. My dog
does not have a mean bone in her body.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She growls only at strangers, and usually only at male strangers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.3in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">My son
who is one has now started pointing at things that I believe they see, and I do
not. Toys will go off; singing in their bedroom when no one is in there. It
doesn't seem to be anything violent, but it is becoming more frequent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.3in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">And
as any mother would be I am getting a little worried about the intentions of
whatever this spirit may want. I'm just wondering if you have any advice as to
how I can maybe make a connection of this name with someone who may have lived
here in the past or what steps I could take to do so. The property has been in
my family as a rental house for a long time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However my grandmother does not believe in the
paranormal.” She is not open to listening to me or helping in any way </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">(used
with permission).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">My first question was, would a child
of two be too young to have developed an imaginary friend?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consulting child development experts suggests
that it was young, but not impossible. According to one source, typically
children develop such friends from three to eight years of age. Yet another
source suggested that children are becoming conscious beings, alert to their
own identity, from the time that they can recognize themselves in a mirror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further, from the first time onward that a
child makes a Choo Choo noise while playing with a toy train, or holds a doll
and babbles out dialogue it can be assumed that the child has now developed the
ability at abstract play (Turgeon, 2009). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Without any further background
knowledge or an investigation into the property I wrote Lindsey back suggesting
she could consider the situation in two ways, believer or skeptic:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">1.
Skeptic:</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From a skeptic's point
of view we might assume that your daughter has an active imagination and has
created a friend for herself. We may have only heard you mention your
brother Jessie in a telephone call. Or maybe she heard the name on a TV
program. Perhaps she seized onto the name because she liked it. I
remember doing the same when I was a little girl. I had the names of my
sons picked out by the time I was five. Maybe she's created her
make-believe friend because she's lonely? In which case maybe some play
dates with other kids could be tried, something that would let her socialize
with kids her own age more and creating fictional friends less. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">My son when he was younger had a
lot of electronic toys. I found they would often start by themselves in
his closet, especially when the batteries were low. Try replacing batteries, or
taking them out entirely if the toy is not used often. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">2.
Believer:</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> From the standpoint that you might have an entity trying to
speak with her. Again I would suggest that the same thing. Try to get her
out of her room more and playing with other kids<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I wouldn't forbid her talking
about her friend Jessie, but I wouldn't actively encourage the behavior either.
In other words, don’t greet her every morning with the words, “what did the
ghost say to you last night?” I’ve seen parents do this to children, thereby
encouraging their children in the belief that there is a ghost and only they
can communicate with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or worse yet,
in the case of children who are easily frightened, scaring the children by
making them believe that there actually<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
is</i> a ghost in the house, and it’s trying to communicate with them despite
the fact that they want nothing to do with it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But I also wouldn't take the hard-core
stance that there's “no such thing as ghosts”. This suggests that whatever the
child might have experienced is all in their imagination, and worst case
scenario might suggest to the child that they may be punished or rebuked for
admitting so. It also effectively shuts down the lines of communication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve read accounts by adults who experienced
truly frightening phenomena in their houses as children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they tried to tell their parents they
were shunned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some cases these same
children had to endure often terrifying activity in silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s terrible to imagine a child being
victimized in this manner, and even worse to imagine them doing so in isolation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In-home
Investigation<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">On the market now are all types
of nifty surveillance cameras and equipment. Many standalone cameras can
connect to a smart phone. I would definitely get one that also has
audio. I would suggest that you set one up in her room so that you could
see and hear what's going on for yourself. That would hopefully give you some
piece of mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Motion sensor night lights in
hallways and public spaces might also help you feel a bit more secure. They are
available in both plug-in or battery operated. I've placed them all over my
house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">To find out more about a property
and its history I would start at a local library or historical society -
if you have one in the area. Don't be surprised if you find no mention of a
Jessie, however. I think that's simply the name your daughter gave her
friend. These things rarely work out that neatly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Paranormal
Hypochondria<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A parapsychologist acquaintance
admits that with all the attention the paranormal has gotten in the media of
late that many of us now have developed what he calls paranormal
hypochondria.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In every odd situation we
now experience we are programmed to read in paranormal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lost a loved one, the need becomes even
greater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I once had a conversation with
a woman who wanted me to perform an investigation for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conversation started with I lost Dad in
200X and my brother in 200X. She continued, I saw an orb on my surveillance
camera and my toddler walked up the stairs and held his arms up asking
something that I couldn’t see to pick him up and carry him up the stairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(First of all, don’t get me started on orbs!)
All in all, I told her this was pretty slim pickings in the way of evidence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Third Route<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Instead of actively encouraging
or discouraging, I would try the third route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If the child wants to discuss what they experienced try to calmly and
openly listen to her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listen attentively
when she talks to you about her new friend, but don’t bring the subject up with
her yourself. That's just giving her the green light that any such
imaginings are just fine with you. Young children are very in tune with
their parent's opinions and will take their cue from your attitude as to how to
feel about the situation. You want to be open to listening and remain calm. Ask
questions and try to make no formal pronouncements. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lyndsey’s
Experiment<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A client of mine, also named
Lyndsey, came up with her own solution to a sticky problem. Lyndsey’s home is
quite active.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our team has actually
investigated the site three times with another investigation tentatively
scheduled for next summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time we
investigate Lyndsey’s house we come away with multiple EVP’s, most often by a
speaker who seems to be a woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
corresponds with what Lyndsey has told us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She has confided that she often feels a matronly personality in the
home, one that appears to be attached in particular with their very young
son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a baby monitor in the
child’s room and they often hear the little boy communicating with someone or
something that they cannot see. And they often detect strange sounds through
the monitor. The activity had always been harmonious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, right after our third investigation
in early November I got a disturbing email from Lyndsey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">She said that the activity in the
boy’s room had taken a turn for the worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He had awoken one night screaming that he had seen a ghost, and
demanding to be let out of the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
long nights afterward he insisted on sleeping with them in the master bedroom
and refused to enter his own room even during the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What was she to do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave her the same advice that I’ve written
about in this article, suggesting she find some way to speak with the boy
calmly so as not to scare the absolute bejesus out of the tyke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What she did next I thought was brilliant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She made it into a game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Using one of the pool soakers –
the kind that have the noodle bodies and suck up the water only to shoot it out
in a long stream – she told her son that they were going to play
ghostbusters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walking through the house
he was to tell her where he had seen ghosts and she would suck them up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He dutifully showed her where he had seen
entities and she sucked them up and took care of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidentally, the boy indicated the same
spots that we had determined to be active in our investigations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This activity did a number of
things worth noting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, it pointed
out to a concerned mother where her son was seeing apparitions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact that it appeared to correspond with
her experiences and with investigation results is validating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, she took her son seriously neither
encouraging him to make things up nor discouraging him from communicating with
her. But third, and I think this is the most important, is that it gave mother
and son the power back. I’m sure they both felt like they were much more in
control after the activity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Fourth, although some experts in
the paranormal community disagree with me, I think Lyndsey’s exercise was a
good way to communicate with the spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have always felt that if a spirit is in some way an essence of a
deceased human, than they are bound by the same upbringing and courtesies with
which we were raised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, you
can communicate and attempt to set parameters with an unseen house guest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think Lyndsey’s game also went a long way
toward doing that, indicating to the spirit that she had been seen, that she
had overstepped the boundaries by frightening the boy and that such behavior
was not acceptable. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It wasn’t immediate, but Lyndsey
eventually got the little tyke sleeping in his own room again, and as far as I
know, peacefully. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Final
Thoughts – Imaginary Friend or Other<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Obviously without a lengthy
interview and investigation I can’t say, or even speculate, as to whether
Lindsey’s daughter is simply a very precocious and imaginative two-year old, or
whether something is truly communicating with the child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I said earlier, it has been theorized
that very young children are more open to telepathic communication with the
spirit world. They may see spirits because they don't know they shouldn't be
able to. The ability decreases with age<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This is also an age when children
are developing the ability of imaginative play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And this is not something to be discouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same child development sources suggested
that imaginative play has some very positive outcomes. Recent studies have
indicated that children who developed imaginary friends weren’t, as had been
speculated, lonely and isolated children, but highly creative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those that developed these “friends” were
both more creative and socially adept than other children. In language studies
such children were found to use complex sentence structures and developed
advanced vocabularies. Overall, they were more socially adept at getting along
with their classmates. The explanation seems to be that children with a
developed imaginary friend got a chance at role playing both sides of a
conversation. They developed better abstract thinking skills and were better at
creating original ideas. The recently released book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nurture Shock</i> even cites research that seems to indicate that
children who spent extended time in abstract play often demonstrated leaps in
school achievement (Turgeon, 2009). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Resources<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Turgeon,
Heather (2009).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imaginary Friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Babble.com (A subsidiary of Disney Inc.)
Retrieved November, 27, 2016 from </span></b><a href="https://www.babble.com/toddler/imaginary-friends-early-child-development-imagination/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.babble.com/toddler/imaginary-friends-early-child-development-imagination/</span></span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</div>
Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-18350534563519307642016-09-27T13:19:00.000-07:002016-09-30T11:56:44.927-07:00Joining a Ghost Group; Notes from H.R.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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by Robin M. Strom-Mackey<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s
officially fall this week. The kids are starting back to school and the stores
are displaying Halloween decorations. We’re putting away our summer
pursuits and beginning to think about other things, like…ghosts and haunted
houses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the season when the SPCA
stops adopting out black cats (I got mine in the spring).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the Christmas season for paranormal
investigators, and the season when I become deluged with applications from would
be ghost hunters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually get at least
one a week, most of whom a mismatch to what my group is actually
looking for in the way of applicants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
if you’ve found that you’ve got a spooky itch to join a paranormal group
this season, please read this article <em>first</em>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Joining a Ghost Hunting
Group; Notes from HR<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
first group I joined I filled out the online application and then hovered over
the SEND button. I think I filled out the application three times, on three
successive nights. I asked myself repeatedly, “do I have the time for this
commitment? Can I actually fulfill the tasks they’ll ask me to do? Am I really
committed? When I actually hit the send button I still had a gulp moment when I
thought to myself “What did I just do?” And then I waited, and waited, and
waited without hearing back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got no
word at all that my application had gotten received let alone accepted. So then
I emailed the director, and I emailed him again. Then I wrote and laid out a
plan as to how I could produce a weekly podcast for the group. I was a
broadcaster and a broadcast instructor and I figured that a podcast would go a
long way toward promoting the group and thus my skillset was unique and
valuable. In other words I laid out for the director <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just what it was I could do for them</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t long before I heard back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fast
forward ten years, and now I’m a director of my own group. And I have to admit
one of the worst parts of the job is finding and recruiting new members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no lack of applicants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are roughly twice as many people
seeking membership in my group as requests for actual investigations. However,
I’m often left scratching my head at the strange applications I receive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’d like to propose that if you’re serious
about submitting an application for membership with a paranormal investigation
group – any group mind you – that you think of it in the same way as you would
if you were applying for a job. Follow These Steps:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Do Some Soul Searching – Do you Really Want to be a Paranormal
Investigator?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
got on the phone recently with a potential applicant. It was a name and number
supplied by one of the members of the group. Supposedly this gentleman was very
interested in applying for membership but I just had to give him a call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was looking to fill a couple of positions
on the group and looking to schedule some interviews to do that, so I
eventually called the man in question, despite the fact that we do have an
application process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh, hello,” he said, “thank you for calling. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to your website to fill out your
application but I couldn’t figure it out.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">“O.K.”
I conceded, wondering just how difficult it could possibly be to fill out an
online application, but playing along. “Would you like me to send you an
application?” I asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh, yes,” he said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While grabbing a pen and paper to take the
man’s information I asked off hand, “Why do you think you want to join a
paranormal group?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh,”
he stalled, “I don’t really know if I do want to join a group. I was just thinking
about coming out and seeing if I’m interested in that sort of stuff.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
interview process was finished at this point. Not only could the gentleman not
be bothered to go through the simple procedure of filling out an online
application, but he didn’t even know if he was actually interested in being in
a paranormal research group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently
he was looking for some cheap entertainment and hoping I would be kind enough
to provide it for him for free. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">If You’re Not Sure, Try This First: Paranormal Entertainment<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">If
you would like to experience the paranormal to see if you are interested in the
subject there is a whole tourist industry available to you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">strongly</i>
suggest you try one of these venues first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are haunted hotels, haunted tours and even ghost hunts for the
avid novice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my own state there are
ghost hunts at the local Civil War era fort every Halloween season and walking
tours in our historic downtowns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Halloween is the season of all seasons for those interested in all
things ghostly, but historic locations such as Gettysburg for instance, don’t
limit themselves to just one month a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you want to experience your own thrill, it’s available to you for the
price of admission. Book a stay and talk a walk and find out for yourself if
the paranormal is something you’re interested in pursuing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the vast majority of people who have an
interest in the paranormal this will be enough to scratch the itch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">If You’re Still Interested: Research the Organization<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Any Human Resources person can
tell you that if you apply for a job, and especially if granted the ability to
interview for the position it’s important to know something about the organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What type of an organization is it, and do
your interests and skills fit the mix? Every group website I know has some type
of mission statement. Usually short, and to the point, they spell out quickly
the group’s methodology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">On
our homepage it reads:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.3in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">DPRG is dedicated to using <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">scientific methods</i> to collect empirical
evidence to either support or refute paranormal activity at a location. Knowledge
is power, and it’s empowering for people to know whether they are experiencing
something with a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">natural </i>explanation
or something in the paranormal realm….Being scientifically bound, DPRG <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">does not perform house cleansings, blessings
or smudging. We do not, “send things into the light.”</i> However, we can
offer suggestions or issue </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">referrals</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> should the situation
warrant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The first sentence is the give
me. Using scientific methods means that we use equipment (most of it some type
of electronic recording or measurement system) and documentation to collect
evidence, and that we try to find <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">natural</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rational </i>explanations first. We
don’t hold séances or wander around a location talking about our feelings. We
don’t assume a location haunted, simply because someone has told us it is. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">And when applicants fill out an
applications telling me they want to ghost hunt because they want to know how
to perform exorcisms and help “the lost souls go into the light” it’s obvious
to me that they haven’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">read the mission
statement</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I actually got one application
from a self-proclaimed psychic who explained that I should consider her for
membership because she’d been born with a caul over her face (an old
superstition - people born with part of the birth sac over their face were
destined to have psychic abilities).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was profoundly perplexed as to how she felt this in line with scientific
methodology. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Ask not
what the Group Can do for You: What do You have to Offer? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
a director of a group do bear in mind that we have a few things to do besides
peruse applications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from setting
up investigations, performing investigations, reviewing evidence, and
presenting evidence (as well as work full-time etc.) there are also group
maintenance issues, marketing tasks, meetings to set up… in other words we’re
busy people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew one director that
likened the task of running a group to having a second full-time job. So if
you’re seriously thinking about applying for a ghost hunting group I have a few
tips for you; do’s and don’ts from someone who actually looks at the
applications and calls potential members. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Remember
my story at the beginning of the article. I wrote to the director and explained
what I could offer <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">him.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I receive far too many applications
curtailing what I can do for the applicant. What skills, what expertise or what
knowledge do you bring to the mix? Like any job application, we’re looking for
skill sets. Do you have knowledge of electronic equipment? Do you mind pouring
through dusty documents in search of the history of a property? Do you have the
time to sit through the mind-numbing process of watching six hours of video of
an empty room?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you a social-media
aficionado? Do you have experience with home construction and are able to
explain to us if the banging in the walls is due to the heating pipes or
plumbing system?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are things we can
use, and need desperately. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Know the Grind: Be Realistic<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Most
would-be ghost hunters burn out within the first year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You should know the grind right up front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Investigations are usually exceedingly boring
– you’re usually in an abandoned building to all hours of the night talking to
the walls with nothing happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re
tired and bored, and you’ve got to break down all the equipment and ride home
in the dark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">And
then when you get home you’ve got hours of video and audio to go through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
literally mind-numbing</i> work listening to hours of audio or video. You can’t
miss a moment for fear of missing something and yet…there’s so much to
peruse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Simple Math<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Case
in point, we have a 4-camera surveillance system that we run at investigations.
If we do a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2-hour investigation</b> with
all 4 cameras running that is 8 hours of video that needs to be watched; with 8
hours of audio that needs to be listened to and evaluated. Then I usually run 2
handheld cameras, and my team member also has a small handheld camera as well.
So that’s an additional 6 hours of video.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For a two hour investigation that equals <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">22 hours of butt-busting review.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Add in any photos or other documentation that we might have to peruse,
and then consider in that those hours of painstaking boredom may yield
absolutely no useable results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
really no wonder most team members don’t make it past the first year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In truth, it usually takes my team 1 ½ - 2 months
to fully sort through all the evidence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Consider Logistics<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
recently got an application from a would-be team member that lived in
Wilmington and didn’t drive or own a car. Needless to say it was a short
application process. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I operate
down-state, in Dover, yet most of my applicants are upstate. There’s an hour to
a 1 ½ hour distance between us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means if
we rap an investigation up at 1am, those investigators still have an hour to 1
½ hours of travel time in the dark and the dead of night to go home. I
dutifully warn every applicant about this, and yet I always get arguments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Know where your group operates and assess, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">honestly,</i> whether you have
transportation to get you there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not,
find a group that operates in your area and apply to them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Psychics: Everyone Knows One<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
get more applicants claiming to be psychics than from any other group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My group is more liberal than most groups in
that we actually bring on some members who claim to be psychic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we still require our members, even
the psychic ones, to buy the necessary equipment and pull their weight in
evidence review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone who proclaims
to be psychic may or may not have those abilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes careful testing to determine if a
person’s abilities are genuinely telepathic, and I find that most who claim
this talent are resistant to testing. Overtime, I’ve realized that I don’t
really care. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What I need most are people
that pull their weight, suspend judgement, consider rational explanations and
act like good teammates.</i> What I don’t need are the notoriety seekers, the rock star wannabes, who want to make my group their spring-board to fame. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">One further note about psychics, while I listen to what my psychic members tell me, I don't present anything to a client unless I have strong evidence to back up their claims. For example, on a recent investigation I had an audio recording of one of our investigators claiming that she had felt a chill. A few seconds later the other investigator reported a .2 jump on the EMF gauge they were using. And then a few seconds after that the recorder captures an apparent EVP - another voice saying something that neither had heard at the time. Now that's a neat little package of events that I can present to a client. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Application that Wasn’t<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve
seen groups that require applicants to jump through incredible hoops to
join.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One group in particular required
members to be at weekly Tuesday night meetings that started at 10pm and ended
at 1am or some such nonsense. Others that require elaborate disclosure
requirements, meaning that any and all recordings you make on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your</i> equipment becomes<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> their</i> property, under pain of death
undoubtedly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still others have elaborate
hierarchal positions of power, with each position given its own fancy
name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You would be astounded how people
will fight over a meaningless title as if their very existence depended on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve
realized as I’ve gotten older that simple is usually better. So I make my applicants
fill out an application.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This simple
procedure usually tells me volumes. It tells me what information they are willing
to share and unwilling to share.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
case of the gentleman who couldn’t figure out how to fill out an application,
it told me he’d probably be lost with the electronic equipment. Then there was
the guy who filled out an application but left me no address, phone number or
email. Not only was I confused as to how to get back to him, but I had to wonder, where's the trust? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I very
often get these strident email messages that say something like, “hey, I want
to join your group. Lot’s of experience. Here’s my number.” I email them
back with the link to the application form and I never hear from them again. Case
closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you can’t fill out a simple
application what else will you be unable to do? Again, what I really need in an
applicant<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> are people that pull their
weight, suspend judgement, consider rational explanations and act like good
teammates.</i> You should also have an analytical mind, a tolerance for minutiae and an iron butt. </span></div>
</div>
Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-23952402253980446052016-02-26T16:14:00.001-08:002016-03-21T08:30:01.497-07:00The Spiritualist Movement; D. D. Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF9eb42pM3cTxg2fN6vLD2o6ohg9pFDs-jNtO6haNSfv9AJTQ9oD5WFfcslw-fDtYJsO9n0qgFkPurOGQWVmrBhjT4Et1eQa5vv3cNnf-zypZd-xRhwT2gqJYOSDKA2wAGRjGigcV0tVb/s1600/d.d.+home.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF9eb42pM3cTxg2fN6vLD2o6ohg9pFDs-jNtO6haNSfv9AJTQ9oD5WFfcslw-fDtYJsO9n0qgFkPurOGQWVmrBhjT4Et1eQa5vv3cNnf-zypZd-xRhwT2gqJYOSDKA2wAGRjGigcV0tVb/s320/d.d.+home.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><strong>The following is an excerpt from a book discussing the more famous of the spiritualist mediums of the 1800's.</strong></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">D.D.
Home<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">At the height of the spiritualist movement emerged the era's most talented physical medium, Daniel Douglas Home. A few things separated Home from his medium
colleagues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For one thing he never
insisted on holding his séances in the dark, he never balked at skeptics that
would examine his sessions for fraud, he was never publicly caught or denounced
for fraud, and he never accepted payment for his séances. The last point is
astounding, as Home was the invited guest of the most of the royalty of Europe
at one time or another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">He reportedly conducted séances
for the Czar of Russia, the king of France, the king of Naples, the queen of
Holland, the king of Bavaria and the German emperor, just to name a few!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He met and married his first wife,
Alexandrina de Kroll, the sister-in-law to Count Koucheleff-Besborodka while in
Rome. He had Alexandre Dumas as a groomsman, and Count Alexis Tolstoy the
writer and Count Bobrinsky, a chamberlain to the emperor, as invited guests to
the affair. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet he lived most of his
life on the brink of poverty, relying on the largesse of devotees, roaming from
one country to another as his welcome wore out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Daniel Douglas Home (pronounced
Hume) was of rather questionable descent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>According to a footnote in Home’s own autobiographical book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Incidents in My Life</i> (1863) his father
was the “natural son” of Alexander, the tenth earl of Home, and his mother, a lass
of the Highlands, claimed to be descended from the Brahan clan descendants
of Kenneth MacKenzie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From birth, Home
was said to have special powers, being able to rock his own cradle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During his childhood, Home was considered to
be of nervous disposition and poor health, and was at times not expected to
live to adulthood (19). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">He passed his early childhood in
Portobello, Scotland, but moved at the age of nine to the U.S. when he was
adopted by a childless aunt, a Mrs. McNeill Cook. He lived for a time in
Greeneville, Connecticut and Troy, New York.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Reportedly he was a sensitive child with a keen memory and strong
observation skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had his first
vision at the age of 13, when a deceased school mate named Edwin visited him in
his home in Troy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four years would pass
before his second vision when Home predicted to the hour, his mother’s death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When strange rappings and tappings started
occurring around the house, his aunt first attempted to have Home exorcised and
then finally evicted from her home (19, 20).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Aside from being able to speak
with spirits via a spirit guide, he was able to produce rapping sounds on
command, strange lights and spectral hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One ghostly hand appeared at a séance with Napolean III which was able
to sign his name on a piece of paper producing the signature of Napolean I (20).
Home was able to call forth music on ghostly guitars and move objects about the
room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later he was able to elongate his
body as much as 11 inches to a height of 6 ½ feet, and then to shrink to five
feet while onlookers saw his shoes disappear under his trousers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He often had onlookers hold his frame to
prove that he wasn’t faking it, and he allowed those present to measure the
differences, all again in a lighted room to disprove fakery (19).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">At the age of 19 he developed the
ability to levitate, at first bobbing up and down a few feet off the ground
before gently floating up the ceiling (21).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He later was able to hone his skills and onlookers swore that he could
fly. Home swore his abilities were made possible with the aid of friendly
spirits, the most frequent of which was Bryan (19).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Home was as much loved as
despised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was criticized as being
tempermental, with bouts of anxiety and depression, and to have homosexual
leanings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was also described as vain
and somewhat simple. He disdained contact with other mediums with whom he felt
he had nothing to learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only medium
with whom he had a friendship, ironically, was Kate Fox. His gifts were at times
considered sinister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Italian populace
found him particularly loathsome, accusing him of witch craft and sorcery. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When Alexandrina de Kroll died in
1862, the family attempted to withhold Home’s inheritance. Home was forced to
wage a long legal battle, during which time he had no steady income.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tried to become a student of sculpture,
going to Rome for a time to study.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
was forced to leave the city after a somewhat extended scuffle with the Papacy
who accused Home of sorcery. He them emigrated briefly to the U.S. to attempt
his hand as stage orator. It is said that his recitations of Howard Brownell’s
poems were well received by audiences, but he left before long to return to Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout his career there were at least two
attempts on his life, and he took knife wounds to the abdomen and the
hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly it is hard to imagine a
psychic that was as famous as infamous, as punished as rewarded for his gifts
(20).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Ill health eventually forced Home
to retire. He married a second time, to a wealthy Russian widow, Julie de Gloumeline
and declined public séances thereafter. He traveled for the rest of his life,
dying of tuberculosis while in Auteuil ,France in 1886 (19).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">During a time when skeptics were
actively attempting to disprove psychic mediums, there was never any substantial
evidence revealed to prove Home a fraud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Certainly skeptics suggested trickery, often after his death when fraud
could not proven one way or another, and yet some of the sharpest minds
couldn’t figure out how he produced his great feats. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>He even cooperated with psychical researcher
Sir William Crookes in an experiment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Crookes could detect no foul play and announced Home’s abilities as
true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The skeptical Frank Podmore
grudgingly admitted that, “Home was never publicly exposed as an imposter;
there is no evidence of any weight that he was even privately detected in
trickery.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although Podmore did not
concede that Home had mediumistic abilities, he neither refuted his abilities
either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the great Houdini couldn’t
figure out how he produced the results he did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whether truly a medium of outstanding abilities or a very clever
conjurer is still disputed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He remains
therefore, the greatest medium of the age (19, 20). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Resources</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">19. Cheung, Theresa (2008). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Element Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Hauntings</i>. Barnes and Noble,
Inc. in cooperation with Harper Collins Publishers. pps 211-214.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">20. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Melton,
Gordon, Editor (2001).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Encyclopedia of
Occultism and Parapsychology; Fifth Edition. Gale Group, Inc. Farmington Hills,
MI Volume 1 A-L pps 737-740.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-6318310223668109512016-01-17T14:50:00.003-08:002016-01-20T13:24:27.077-08:00Ghost Hunting 101: Conducting the Session <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
Teachable Moment<o:p></o:p></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
By Robin M. Strom-Mackey</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I
started with my first group there was very little training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all just kind of bungled around in the
dark and tried to pick up tips and tricks from one another. I learned my
favorite thermometer technique from one of the directors (two brothers) who I
realize in retrospect, were more knowledgeable in investigating than training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really wanted someone to tell me how to do
it properly, but learned most of what I know in self-study, research and trial and error.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Listening to the audio from the last investigation, I realized that our team still needs to address some very fundamental issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A session the team did recently became the perfect teachable moment, a recorded segment to dissect and discuss.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Honestly, a lot of what good investigators do is just
common sense – once you think about it. However, you’ve got to run your finger
over the microphone a couple of times before you stop causing yourself sudden
deafness while<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wearing headphones (did
it) and not claim someone whispering “flash” is actually an EVP instead of someone
taking a photo and announcing it quietly to the team members (also me).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, we learn from the mistakes,
and therein lies the teachable moment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This article is intended to be interactive with links to the soundbites discussed throughout the article. If the links do not work for whatever reason, all the soundbites with their associated file names are available on SoundCloud.com - search under Delaware Paranormal Research Group <a href="https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group">https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
Evidence
Contamination<o:p></o:p></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let me start by saying one of the biggest obstacles in
investigations is obtaining access to a building with little or no outside
contamination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I once went on an
investigation to a house whose owners had decided they’d use the opportunity to
throw a party – a boo-irthday, as the female homeowner called it, complete with
birthday cake and snacks. Children and adults waltzed into and out of the house
at will, and ran around the yard with cameras taking flash photographs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m quite sure that at one point I was literally
frothing at the mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In a best-case scenario the team would set up the command
station outside the building, allowing only 1 team of two or three individuals into a building
at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some investigators will set
up recording equipment and environmental monitoring equipment and then vacate
the property entirely, at least for a portion of the investigation. I read an
account by one investigator that was so determined to catch the “company ghost”
on video that he set up surveillance cameras and ran them all night, every
night, with a feed at his home, while no one was in the building. He ran the experiment for a month or so until he finally caught the apparition on
film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s blasted determination. (Lesson one; have patience grasshopper.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
The investigation<o:p></o:p></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So in the situation I’m writing about the team was honored
to have the entire building to ourselves for as long as we desired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It being winter, we were forced to setup the
surveillance monitor/command station in one room of the house, with one person
left behind to monitor cameras while the two other investigators were
performing a session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, aside
from the outside neighborhood noise, we had a fairly pristine environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Two investigators, M. and R., did a session together
while I stayed behind at the command post and monitored cameras. Below is an audio segment of the session.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>Soundbite 1: Triad of Doom</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/triachy-of-doom">https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/triachy-of-doom</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The team was excited to be collecting evidence, so excited that I don't think they considered the contamination situation they were creating for themselves.. There are at least three areas of
contamination in this scenario a veritable chaotic cacophony (I can't resist an opportunity for alliteration, please forgive). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>First,</strong> the person
setting up the audio recorder, not wanting to place it on the dusty floor
(understandable) placed it instead on a window sill. The unfortunate part is
that the audio recorder picked up street noises (dogs barking, people talking,
cars and motor cycles driving by, etc. etc.) Sadly, we can’t really be sure
what might be actual paranormal activity and what is contamination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>Soundbite 2: EVP or Contamination</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/evp-or-contamination">https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/evp-or-contamination</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A better alternative would be to set the audio recorder
somewhere in the center of the room, perhaps on a box. An <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even better</i> idea would be to set the recorder up on a box somewhere
in front of the surveillance camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Entities have been known to move or manipulate objects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it’s on a window sill no one can see what
might be happening to the machine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also
most investigators insist that you not use the recorder inboard mic, but mic
the recorder with an external mic, as many of the cheaper recorders produce a lot
of machine noise that further distorts sounds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
The Toys We Love<o:p></o:p></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>Second,</strong> there is a ghost box running, performing its endless
amount of white noise, which is basically what the device is designed to do, as
it scans the radio waves in the area. Honestly, I have to admit, I don’t have a lot of faith in this piece of equipment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think anything that purposely scans radio
frequencies (i.e. radio stations) is prone to produce false positives by its
very design. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnCu_Syiq4Gzd3Hu0FkB5anfH5Mhou0MMnOHxyTB0ww8jia_L5eUgHQWN0FA0d1JIvqm51hMZZiZwKoae7KmpLoRyFRdHEqgGRS_mz6JgRMqFQNLbwxFP1p1OXHXVYUJPa2koPp06VP7k/s1600/mist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnCu_Syiq4Gzd3Hu0FkB5anfH5Mhou0MMnOHxyTB0ww8jia_L5eUgHQWN0FA0d1JIvqm51hMZZiZwKoae7KmpLoRyFRdHEqgGRS_mz6JgRMqFQNLbwxFP1p1OXHXVYUJPa2koPp06VP7k/s400/mist.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author on an investigation using her dousing rods. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now, I use dousing rods during investigations, though I know many
investigators don’t approve of their use. I like to think of it as ghost
hunting for those with ADD. The rods give me something to do with my hands
during long hours of talking to empty rooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I do feel they help me find hot spots, which I can then probe with more
reliable pieces of equipment. For example the rods may be active in an area, so
I move in an EMF detector and voice recorder or snap off some photos… But I
never go to a client or homeowner and tell them I think a place is haunted or
not because of what the rods told me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So, while I understand wanting to experiment with the Ghost Box,
I wouldn’t call its burblings reliable evidence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For that to happen it would have to be
shockingly clear, like a ghost saying, “Hey, I’m a ghost and I’m talking to you
through this device. Believe it B^%#!.” So while I understand wanting to experiment with such a device, I wouldn’t suggest using it for long sessions and consider it as collecting
reliable evidence. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><strong>Soundbite 3: Workmen Clear As Day</strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/sb7-workmen-clear-as-day-01-18-04">https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/sb7-workmen-clear-as-day-01-18-04</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>Third,</strong> one of the team members decides to play music
loudly, and for a really long time. The entire music/ghost box/EMF
session goes on for over 30 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
during this time one of the members decides to
attempt to dance with the entity while holding onto an EMF detector.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, here’s one of those teachable moments,
the idea of playing music is a good one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Trigger objects such as a toy car or doll, old coins from the time when
the building was erected, revelry calls on a battle field, and music of a
certain era, any of these might help to fuel paranormal activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">However, the playing of the trigger object shouldn't
become the focus of the session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you’re going to play music at an investigation, choose a segment of a song, or
one whole song and then go quiet. We use these
objects as a starter to the paranormal conversation, not the conversation itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do realize that the sound you’re broadcasting
might be destroying your evidence. After the song is over, shut down and go
quiet. Scan the room with eyes and ears to see if your trigger has caused any
reaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
t may not be a good idea to "dance" with a spirit while holding an EMF meter either, and here is why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Holding this instrument and moving it vigorously around the room </span>can cause false positives as you inadvertently move close to and then
away from electrical sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly,
we need to reconsider our absolute faith in these
devices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were designed to detect
either natural electromagnetic fields that the Earth produces or man-made
electromagnetic fields such as our toaster uses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Trifield Gauss meter which is a natural
EMF detector is actually so sensitive it can detect thunderstorms several miles
away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Remember, one stray EMF spike does not a
ghostly encounter prove.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During set-up
the EMF meters should be used to determine areas in a room which are giving off
EMF so as to avoid putting meters in locations that will give off readings.
Then during a session it’s a better practice to set the meter down in a
location away from these sources and invite something to interact with the
meter. If necessary, an investigator can hold a meter in their hand and slowly
sweep an area for hot spots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also keep
in mind your other senses, if you’re staring constantly at the EMF meter in the
center of the room, you’ll possibly miss the dark shadow moving on its own down
the stairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a tool, but it’s not
the only tool in the arsenal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
The Spirit Arrives<o:p></o:p></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When the team finally did go quiet, things got really
interesting!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">EMF Soundbite4: EMF Conversation 12-15</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/smyrna-house-emf-conversation-12-15">https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/smyrna-house-emf-conversation-12-15</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I almost feel like this spirit may have been jumping up and
down trying to get some attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The detector is going off quite consistently.
This is the perfect opportunity for a yes/no question and response
session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, M. asks, “Do you
have a favorite color?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>M. notes she
sees the color red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>R. says she thinks
yellow, but that’s because it’s her
favorite color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither ever ask the spirit.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is how the question/response might have gone. The team
members come up with their color choices and then one of the team members puts
it to the spirit, “Is your favorite color red?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wait 10 to 15 seconds for a response. Then ask, “Is your favorite color
yellow?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wait 10-15 seconds for a
response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a response is noted, it’s
always a good idea to ask for confirmation, such as, “We think you said your
favorite color is red. If that’s true can you make the meter go off
again?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you get no response to either
red or yellow try other colors like blue or purple. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Joni Mayhan, author of <em>Ghost Voices</em> also suggests designating someone as session leader (Mayhan, 2015). This person would designate who would be asking the questions for a period of time. When that person had asked their questions they would "pass" the questioning to the next person. This system would alleviate the problem of team members talking over one another. During the controlled Q and A, she also suggests team members find a place to sit down, as people standing will inadvertently make shuffling noises and other sounds which might during review be interpreted as being of a paranormal nature. It's a good idea to also put the EMF detector down also, often a few feet away from investigators, lest a spirit be disinclined to come too close. If there is an extra voice recorder or other type of sensing device it can be placed next to, or near, the detector. Now you've hedged your bets. If you get an EMF spike that's one small piece of evidence. Get an EMF spike and an EVP that's two pieces of evidence. Get an EMF spike, an EVP and note a temperature fluctuation or a change in barometric pressure, now you've got 3 sources of evidence and your case is stronger yet. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some topics during a session will elicit a greater response, probably
because it’s a subject that’s important to the entity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this Q and A the members got a quick and
vehement response on the subject of her fine Sunday clothes, but no response to
the question of hats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The engaged
investigator will follow the Sunday clothes line of inquiry, as it appears to
be of interest to the entity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And if you are a self-proclaimed medium, please remember;</span> even the very best sensitives are only accurate around
50% of the time, according to Parapsychologist and author Vince Wilson (Wilson, 2012). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>An impression,
feeling or sensation is only that unless it’s tested and
verified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>M. said she visualized red,
but she never seeks confirmation that her visualization is correct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The clothing questions were on the surface fairly shallow
questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the team gets to the
question about who else might be in the building – now I’m on the edge of my
seat…and the team drops the subject almost immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <em><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">¡Ay, caramba!</span></em></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This portion of the session might have gone something like this…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">”Is there another entity that lives in the basement?” Wait
10-15 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Is it male?” Wait 10-15 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Is it female?” Wait 10-15 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Did she or he live here?” Wait 10-15 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Is she/he hiding in the basement?” Wait 10-15 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Is she/he angry?” Wait 10-15 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Is she/he confused? Wait 10-15 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Lost?” Wait 10-15 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Sad?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Does she/he ever come up from the basement?” Wait 10-15
seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Is that the shadow figure that the workmen reported
seeing?” Wait 10-15 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Let me confirm that there is a male that is living in the
basement because he’s hiding from someone.” Wait 10-15 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Oh, and also, make sure to entreat the entity to also speak
into the recorder by saying their name, tell you the year etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I think you get the point. When you’ve got an entity actively engaged, you need to dig, dig, and dig. Rack your brain for
questions. Have the patience and persistence to really communicate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And ride that pony till it bucks ya! In other
words don’t stop the session and walk away until you’re sure you’re not getting
any more responses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Remember Minerva's words in <em>Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil</em>, "If you're going to understand the living you have to commune with the Dead (Berendt, 1994)." By all means, please commune.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>Teachable Moment
Positive</strong></span> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the positive side one of my members had the brilliant
idea of comparing sounds in the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She found a segment of audio recorded in a room where the investigators
were present and banging on a wall. Then she found the same segment on another
recorder that was actually stationed in the attic of the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She edited both segments so the team could
compare the sounds, i.e. figure out what banging on the walls in the bedroom
sounded like when recorded in the attic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In this way the team had a much better idea of what sounds were made by
the team, and which sounds might actually be paranormal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I intend to work this into our setup protocol
in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During set-up when we’re
taking readings we’ll also bang on walls and stomp on floors and walk up and
down the stairs meanwhile verbally tagging the audio as to our movements and
then compare the sounds during evidence review, contrasting them to any sounds
that don’t appear to fit.</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Now that's good investigating. </span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Soundbite 5 and6: Renne short audio knocking, and, Renne knock attic audio</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So here is R. knocking in the room.</span><br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/renne-short-audio-knocking"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/renne-short-audio-knocking</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And this is what the same knock sounded like on the other side of the building in the attic.</span><br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/renne-knock-1-19-44-atticaudio-comparesoundlevel"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">https://soundcloud.com/delaware-paranormal-research-group/renne-knock-1-19-44-atticaudio-comparesoundlevel</span></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><strong>Resources</strong></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";">Mayhan, Joni (2015) <em>Ghost Voices. </em>Available on Amazon.com</span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";">Wilson, Vince (2012). <em>Ultimate Ghost Tech; The Science, History and Technology of Ghost Hunting.</em> Cosmic Pantheon Press. cosmicpantheonpress.com</span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
</div>
Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-77433393682545970952015-10-26T13:24:00.001-07:002018-05-03T06:10:20.079-07:00How to Edit EVP's for Beginning Paranormal Investigators <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By Robin Strom Mackey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sometimes I think the worst part of paranormal investigating
is trying to learn all the new technology, especially if you’re not naturally
tech savvy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My new team has been
struggling with their introduction to evidence review and audio editing lately, and the growing pains have been...painful. When I had three new team members try
to send me hours of raw, unedited audio. I realized I had a big problem, a
really big problem, because if they didn’t review their audio, it left me to do
it, and I don’t have twenty free hours to spare! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So I decided to put some training together to help them, me, and
perhaps you, through the process. This is an article for beginning
investigators and much of the information is rudimentary or just plain common
sense. But trust a former broadcast and radio production instructor, sometimes the
rudimentary needs to be explained, and common sense vocalized. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Audio Editing
Software<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I recommend the free <em>Audacity</em> Audio Editing download to my
new members. The price is right and software easy to learn and use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recently one of
my new members asked in despair whether he should buy a sound board and
expensive editing software package because his audio quality was so poor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve worked in broadcasting and radio in the
past, and <em>I</em> use the free Audacity software. It produces
good quality audio, as long as the initial audio is of decent quality. So, I suggest you
save the money for expensive software packages and instead buy a decent audio
recorder.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Voice Recorder<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’ll reiterate, buy a decent audio recorder in the first
place and you’ll not need a whole lot of editing savvy on the back end. When
looking to purchase an audio recorder, make sure it either has a USB port
onboard, or comes with a USB cable. In other words, you need to have some way
to move the raw audio in the voice recorder to a computer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the cheaper voice recorders are all
in one units, so beware.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Avoid dictation
recorders and recorders that use proprietary software, as they won’t play well
with other file types.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the team members recently purchased an Olympia unit
that was very easy to use, recorded six hours of audio without a hitch, and
which she was able to purchase off the shelf at Walmart. You gotta love it when
devices actually do what they’re supposed to do. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the higher end of the price range, I love my Zoom unit,
and I realized after I purchased the machine that Zoom recorders are what the
T.A.P.S. team uses for their wireless audio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My unit produces excellent quality audio that is a breeze to transfer to
the computer. My only complaint is that the playback function on the unit has
malfunctioned, which forces me to review the audio on the computer. But then, you really ought to do your audio review on the computer anyway. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Audio Recorders in
the field</span></b></div>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s a good idea to record a short segment and play it back to make sure the unit is working as it should.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On an investigation it’s better to put the unit down versus carrying it around. Any clothing or fingers rubbing across the speaker will cause noise and/or distortion on the recorder.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you’re using an audio recorder outside on a windy day, use a windscreen if one is provided, and know that depending on the amount of wind the audio will likely be un-useable. Mics and wind don’t mix well.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Every time you move rooms or locations get in the habit of tagging the audio as to time, location and team members present.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tag any sounds, by making a verbal comment, that might be mistaken for an unexplained audio.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Beginning the editing
process<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Create a new folder on your computer with the name of the
investigation or date in a location you will remember. I usually put all of my
audio files in my Music Folder. I create a new folder folder for every investigation. The date is important, especially if you do multiple investigations at one location. An example folder name is below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Seaford Jones investigation 9.9.17</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Instead of simply dumping all my willy nilly in my folder, I usually place folders inside the main investigation folder. This is especially helpful if you have multiple devices, or if you move your device to multiple locations during the course of the night. Example folder names are below. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jones investigation kitchen Raw audio 9.9.17</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Jones investigation master bedroom Raw audio 9.9.17</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I always designate when files are raw or edited so I know what I'm looking at. Now you can dump your audio in the appropriate folders. Your unit will number them, For the moment I would leave them as they are. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I then open Audacity and pull up the first file. My unit records audio in 3 hour segments, which is simply too big a file. So the first thing I do is chop the raw files up in 1 hour increments and rename them to make them more useable. I suggest you number them in chronological order. Example below. Again I always designate the investigation and the date, the room the audio recorder was in and whether it's raw audio or edited audio. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Jones investigation 9.9.17 kitchen raw audio 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Jones investigation 9.9.17 kitchen raw audio 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Jones investigation 9.9.17 kitchen raw audio 3</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Get the best quality headset you have and find a quiet place
to begin the listening session. Again I would save your money on expensive software packages and instead purchase the best quality headset you can afford. EVP's when they do occur are usually very soft, often no more than a whisper that you'll completely miss if you don't have a decent headset. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Audio Technica and Sennheiser are two brands that I recommend. And of course there's always Bose. A team member of mine bought a Bose headset and we compared my Sennheiser to his Bose, and found they were pretty equal. </span><br />
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In order to catch anything anomalous you will have to listen
to the audio from the beginning all the way to the end, <em>ever minute, every
second</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>EVP’s often show up when an
investigator least expects it, like during setup or break down, or when you
leave the room to get a snack. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The video below will help acquaint you to the Audacity
workspace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are other tutorial videos
available on YouTube as well.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZK_wVgxhPTg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZK_wVgxhPTg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Your first EVP<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
As you’re listening you find something you feel might be an
EVP. You, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">A.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Get up and do a happy dance, it’s Christmas and
you’ve got a little package under the tree</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">B.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Jot the file number and location of EVP using
the timecode at the bottom right hand of the screen as a guide.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">C.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Isolate the area by highlighting it and playing
it several times </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">D.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Copy and paste the highlighted area into a file
of its own and export it as a useable file type to share with team members and
possibly client.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">E.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Continue on with the listening process, you’ll
return to it later when you have more time</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">F.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->All of the above except E</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sadly most beginning investigators do E, and then have no
idea where they heard what they heard! It’s very aggravating and a terrible
waste of time. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The correct answer is
F</i>. My first suggestion is <em><strong>get a notebook and use it </strong></em>to jot notes,
impressions, evidence, timecodes etc. And if you do feel you have an anomalous
sound recorded, don’t just continue on! It will take you twice the time to find
it again. Instead listen to it several times. Try to be objective. Have as many
other people listen to it as well. If you feel it’s the real deal, highlight
the area and copy it over to a file of its own. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But before do all that, <em>jot it down in your log book</em>. Below is a picture of my log book, which I've had for ten years now. It's always along on investigations and it's always beside me as I review evidence. Anything I think may be of interest is recorded in the log book - and don't forget to also note which file you were listening to at the time (the same is true for any video you watch. I start the log entry with the name of the investigation and the date. I also record who was present at the investigation, and I log when investigators enter and leave a room. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Notice the numbers on the left side of the logbook. Those are time codes - very important if you want to be able to find that interesting segment of audio again. The time code in Audacity is at the bottom right screen. Time code simply tells you how far into the file you are. It lists the hour (if you've hit the hour mark) minutes and seconds. For example, 1:22:15 would indicate that you are 1 hour, 22 minutes and 15 seconds into a file.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">See the video below for how to isolate clips.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/s8BdU3K0KS4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s8BdU3K0KS4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> So if you found what you believe is an EVP, or simply want to get other team members opinions on a segment, it's usually easiest to isolate a small segment of the audio. These isolated segments are then small enough to send as an attachment in an email. Again, I create a new folder in the investigation folder indicating that it's possible evidence. </span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";">Jones Investigation 9.9.17 Possible Evidence</span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";">I dump any of my edited files in there as well as well as other edited footage that my team sends me. After all the audio and video have been reviewed and anything we find interesting has been isolated, these clips become what I present to the client. </span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><b>Video Editing</b></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";">The procedures for simple video editing, i.e. isolating a small clip of video with audio is much the same procedure. The group is using Windows Movie Maker for the reason that it's a free download and a simple program to use. A comprehensive video that demonstrates how to use Windows Movie Maker is below:</span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3D7GREeD2icUo%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&source=gmail&ust=1525439344101000&usg=AFQjCNFI8P5fiVoJFJ_Awj1tEBWbR3sg2g" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GREeD2icUo&feature=youtu.be" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=7GREeD2icUo&feature=youtu.be</a></span></o:p></div>
</div>
Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-52113574864103629912015-10-04T10:42:00.001-07:002015-10-04T10:42:58.127-07:002011 PRG Study: Transliminal Personalities and Paranormal Experiences<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">By Robin M. Strom-Mackey</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The young man on the phone seemed distraught. He had left one residence where he had experienced paranormal phenomenon only to move to another residence where he began to experience strange phenomenon. “Why did these things always seem to happen to him?” he asked. I wasn’t sure he’d like the answer. But if you, like me, have ever wondered whether there was a type of person that seemed more prone to believing in and/or experiencing paranormal phenomenon, the answer according to a recent study appears to be yes. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Transliminality</strong> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“Transliminality, Paranormal Belief and Paranormal Experiences at a Reportedly Haunted Location” is the summation of a year-long study conducted and published by Dave Schumacher, Director of Anomalous Research for the Paranormal Research Group. Schumacher notes that his study supports the increasing body of evidence that people who report experiencing paranormal phenomenon tend to be transliminal personalities. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Transliminality was a term coined by the late Dr. Michael Thalbourne, Parapsychology Professor, University of Adelaide. The term was first used in Thalbourne and Delin’s 1994 paper where the researchers described a personality type that appeared more in tune with both external stimuli and their own internal subconscious (see also the article Transliminality, August 2010). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This type of personality was able to pick up environmental cues more easily, and was also able to move information more easily from their unconscious to their conscious minds. In other words, a transliminal personality would be able to pick up on things in the environment that others wouldn’t perceive. Certainly we all pick up environmental details all the time, thousands of tidbits of information such as the sound of the train going by, or the wafting smell of popcorn from the kitchen, or the influx of heat once the furnace kicks on. The transliminal personality might also note the scratch of a skateboard out on the sidewalk and the spider in the corner. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A study conducted at Goldsmith College, London, found that those who scored high on the transliminality scale were able to perceive flashed subliminal messages far more frequently, than those who scored low. (An interesting aside, high transliminals did not score significantly higher on ESP scores, than their low transliminal counterparts.) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As pointed out earlier, someone who scored high on a transliminality scale would likely pick up on subtler environmental clues than those who scored low and they would be able to move that information more easily from the unconscious to the conscious part of their brain. Thalbourne noted that these people had, “an openness or receptiveness to impulses and experiences whose sources are in preconscious (or unconscious) processes (Thalbourne, 1991).” </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In a 2007 interview, Thalbourne went even further, noting that high-transliminals had a “hyper-sensitivity [my emphasis] to psychological material coming from the unconscious…and stimulation from the external environment (Williams, 2007).” These two traits led to a set of personality characteristics that are very specific to the highly transliminal, including creativity, a belief in magical ideation, a tendency toward eastern philosophies, new age ideas and a belief in the paranormal and assertions that they have personally experienced something paranormal. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Houran and Thalbourne suggested that highly transliminal people may be characterized by a hyper-connectedness of the temporal-limbic structures with the sensory association cortices of the brain. Lying deep within the lobes of the cerebral hemispheres, the C-shaped limbic structures are the older and more primitive structures of the brain associated with more visceral emotions, memory and motivation. Specifically, the amygdala attaches emotional significance to sensory input. Also, olfactory input is processed in the limbic system, which explains why certain smells elicit an immediate emotional response. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Therefore, a person scoring high on a transliminal scale would not only be extremely sensitive to sensory stimuli in the environment, but would also be more likely to attach emotional or symbolic significance to the stimuli. Schumacher notes that, “the limbic system has been postulated to be the source of material for apparitional and visionary experiences (Schumacher, 2011; Houran & Thalbourne, 2001lb; Thalbourne et al., 1997).” This would explain why those scoring high on a transliminal scale would be more likely to believe they experienced something paranormal. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Podmore & Tyrell; Theories as to how one Perceives Ghosts</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Schumacher notes that the theory of transliminality may also help explain older hypotheses of how people perceive hauntings. Society of Psychical Research member and author, Frank Podmore, speculated that apparitions were the result of a telepathically received hallucination. G.N.M. Tyrell, psychologist, paranormal researcher and author, elaborated on Podmore’s theory, suggesting an “idea-pattern model” The “idea” is created by the ‘agent’ and sent telepathically to the percipient. The information is perceived first in the subconscious or unconscious mind, where it undergoes processing, becoming an apparitional ‘drama.’ </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tyrell suggested a mid-level of consciousness that did the processing, and that was “responsible for elaborating on the basic telepathic message. This would eventually lead to the construction of an appropriate visual image to convey the message. This is the point when the material moves from the subliminal/subconscious to conscious awareness (Schumacher, 2011, Tyrell, 1953).”</span></div>
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<br /><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2011 Study</span></strong></div>
<strong></strong><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The year-long study conducted by the Paranormal Research Group basically primed, taught and studied groups of volunteers in paranormal research. Small groups of volunteers signed up. They were then indoctrinated in the basics of paranormal research via a classroom session. Afterwards they were set loose to investigate a purportedly haunted location with the only caveat being that they had to submit to a battery of three tests later in the evening. Being thus primed, it’s not surprising that the majority of participants reported having had paranormal experiences. Again, the experiment was designed to test the theory that people who scored higher on a transliminal scale would report more paranormal experiences than those subjects that tested low on the scale, when both groups investigated a site that was purportedly haunted. </span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>The Tests</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The PRG team gave the groups a battery of survey tests that measured for slightly different belief subsets. The first was the Rash-Revised Transliminality Scale (RRTS). The original Thalbourne survey was a survey of 29 true/false questions. Many of the questions have been eliminated due to age and/or gender bias. Thus the Rash-Revised scale is a 17 question survey with the more “yes” responses indicating a higher transliminal personality. </span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The group also administered The New Age Philosophy (NAP) and the Traditional Paranormal Belief (TPB) Subscales of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (RPBS). The Paranormal Belief Scale was designed so that separate scores could be categorized into different categories of paranormal belief, which included: traditional paranormal belief, Psi, precognition, witchcraft, superstition, spiritualism and extraordinary life forms.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The final survey was an EXIT Questionnaire which consisted of 20 items which measured whether specific anomalous sensations had occurred to the participants during their investigations. The responders were allowed a three point scale from which to answer which included a 0=Never, 1=occasionally, 2=frequently. These were tallied for an overall score.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What is not remarkable is the fact that people primed to believe they were investigating a property reported to have paranormal activity actually experienced paranormal activity. What is interesting in noting is that the types of experiences were differentiated into two groups. </span></div>
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<br /><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Results</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The experiences were roughly broken down into physical phenomenon and psychological impressions. The physical phenomenon includes measurable phenomenon such as temperature changes, auditory experiences, physical manifestations, olfactory experiences and objective events in the environment (Persinger and Cameron, 1986, Houran et. al. 2002 ).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Among phenomenon under the psychological category are feelings of being watched or sensed presences, physical sensations, emotional responses, visual apparitions and related visual imagery. Psychological experiences might be viewed as more subjective and less measurable. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Undoubtedly the two categories include much grey area. Schumacher notes that many of the phenomenon could be listed in both categories, but that the differentiation depends on whether there was an environmental cue for the experience or whether it correlated instead with “perceptual-personality variables (Schumacher, 2012).” Is a smell, for example a psychological experience or a physical experience? This may depend on whether more than one person experiences the smell and whether there were verifiable environmental cues, i.e. smells. For example if several people report smelling a strong perfume and someone present is wearing a strong perfume then smell would be categorized as a physical experience. If only one person reported the smell of strong perfume while no one present was wearing such and no one else present smelled perfume, then the phenomenon would be listed in the psychological category instead. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Conclusion</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What the PRG noted during the year-long study was that those who scored high on a transliminal scale, while conducting paranormal investigations tended to report many more experiences in the second category, i.e. feelings and impressions of entities, and far fewer in the first category of measurable phenomenon. The study did not correlate the experiences with evidence collected recording devices. Overall, those scoring higher on the transliminal scale did report more experiences after an evening's investigation, thus supporting PRG's premise that that they would. Schumacher concludes, "Despite the limitations of this study, it does add to the overall evidence that transliminality and belief play a role in paranormal experiences at a reportedly 'haunted location (Schumacher).'"</span></div>
<strong></strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>References</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hesselink, J.R. MD, FACR. The Temporal Lobe & Limbic System. Retrieved November, 3, 2012 from </span><a href="http://spinwarp.ucsd.edu/neuroweb/Text/br-800epi.htm"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://spinwarp.ucsd.edu/neuroweb/Text/br-800epi.htm</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Houran et al. (2002). European Journal of Parapsychology. 17. 17-44.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Persinger, Cameron (1986. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research. 80, 49-73.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Schumacher, D. (2011) “Transliminality, Paranormal Belief and Paranormal Experiences at a Reportedly Haunted Location.” Paranormal Research Group, Red Lion, Pennsylvania </span><a href="http://www.paranormal/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">www.paranormal</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> researchgroup.com.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Strom-Mackey, R. (2010) “Transliminality.” The Shore. Delawareparanormal.blogspot.com. Delaware Paranormal Research Group.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thalbourne, M.A., Delin P.S. (1994) A Common Thread Underlying Belief in the Paranormal, Creative Personality, Mystical Experience and Psychopathology. Journal of Parapsychology, Vol. 58, March 1994.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thalbourne, M.A., Delin, P.S. (1999) Transliminality: Its Relation to Dream Life, Religiosity, and Mystical Experience. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion. 9-1 (pp.45-61)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thalbourne, M.A. Interview with Robyn Williams. ABC.Science.com; Radio National. June 4, 2006. </span><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/incon/stories/s1607944.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">www.abc.net.au/rn/science/incon/stories/s1607944.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Retrieved August 12, 2010.</span></div>
Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-3342525715255443702015-08-02T11:27:00.001-07:002015-11-23T07:11:01.494-08:00Helen Ackley's Haunted House on the Hudson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVTPd3sRqMeFbHqQY0FWZBilPFHc4S4h_U2nP6ayVm5l0WarhwkHxyLEqXhFYigr2wsEpURJGRbxjWvSRP5_EUWwgWonlKGx3ZdiU7VkYOKgEyTgsIwvZazfX1iWvKFcZBehZltghZ0tz/s1600/La-Veta-Place-Featured-Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVTPd3sRqMeFbHqQY0FWZBilPFHc4S4h_U2nP6ayVm5l0WarhwkHxyLEqXhFYigr2wsEpURJGRbxjWvSRP5_EUWwgWonlKGx3ZdiU7VkYOKgEyTgsIwvZazfX1iWvKFcZBehZltghZ0tz/s320/La-Veta-Place-Featured-Image.jpg" width="241" /></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">By
Robin M. Strom-Mackey<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">“’Ackley
is estopped to deny their existence and, as a matter of law, the house is
haunted (The Honorable Israel Rubin, <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">N.Y. Sup. Ct. App. Div. 1991)(</span>Trull,
Kachuba).’”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span></o:p></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Ackley’s Haunted House on the Hudson<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When George and Helen Ackley
purchased a rambling 18 room Victorian on the end of a dead-end street in
Nyack, New York, they undoubtedly knew that they would have a challenge on
their hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ramshackle mansion
measuring some 5000 square feet, not including full attic and basement, which
afforded a view of the Hudson River, had been standing vacant for seven
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old house, which sits 20
miles north of New York City, must have seemed like a wonderful place to bring
up the family’s several children. Granted, pesky neighborhood children warned
the family as they were moving in that their house was reputedly haunted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That didn’t stop the family from taking up
residence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it was soon after moving
in, according to Helen Ackley, that the family realized the house was inhabited
by a host of rambunctious spirits whose acquaintance the Ackley’s were soon to
make.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">During her tenure there, Helen
Ackley made no secret that she believed the house to be haunted by
“poltergeists.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She even went so far as
to write and submit her own article to Readers’ Digest describing the haunting
experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, the 1977
article by Helen Ackley entitled “My Haunted House on the Hudson” is difficult
to locate, as the library system in Delaware only retained magazines starting
from the 1980’s..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, an article by
Helen Ackley’s son-in-law is still available online. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The second husband of the Ackley’s
daughter, Cynthia, recounts second-hand sources and describes his own
experiences in the house in the article entitled, “The Ghost of Nyack.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark Kavanagh, makes no excuses for the
area’s haunted history noting that Tarrytown is directly across the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just outside of Tarrytown is the famous
Sleepy Hollow, the area made famous by the Washington Irving story, “The Legend
of Sleepy Hollow.” Kavanagh notes that many of Irving’s stories were based on
legends originating around the lower Hudson Valley, an area of reputed
paranormal activity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Ackley’s Unseen Guests<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Even before the family moved in,
according to Ackley, a plumber working in the basement reported hearing
footsteps on the floor above him when no one else was in the house. On windless
days light cords would swing for no apparent reason, and then stop in mid-swing,
defying gravity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently a set of
French doors was also known to burst open for no apparent reason. Guests of the
family were often surprised when windows would slide up on their own. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, of course, the ubiquitous voices and
ghostly footsteps were reported. Helen Ackley enjoyed telling the story about
seeing a ghost who looked on with approval, as she painted the living room. The
spirit, she felt, approved of the color choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Cynthia Ackley, Kavanagh’s wife,
reported that her bed would often shake on school days seconds before the
bedside alarm was set to go off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
spring break arrived, Cynthia informed the ghost before going to bed that
tomorrow was spring break and she did not have to get up early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reportedly, the bed did not shake that
morning, allowing the young student to sleep in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrG4n5OmHYa74WjLtKm6ZR9Fb-Tj72suuwwswRAaBHtua6kgqcW3XWL-2xEsNWaos5GDikm-enBRUAiGEUFhg8DfUOdPWZMjs-VhsRHLT64jkgmZt2a4h_pWLTY0BQ6v2emRMFRiQEFah/s1600/haunted+Nyack+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrG4n5OmHYa74WjLtKm6ZR9Fb-Tj72suuwwswRAaBHtua6kgqcW3XWL-2xEsNWaos5GDikm-enBRUAiGEUFhg8DfUOdPWZMjs-VhsRHLT64jkgmZt2a4h_pWLTY0BQ6v2emRMFRiQEFah/s200/haunted+Nyack+house.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Helen Ackley told stories of
“gifts” that appeared and then disappeared. Cynthia Ackley apparently received
a pair of silver sugar tongs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
grandchildren received baby rings. An older brother’s wife received coins. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Ackley went on the say that three
ghosts had from time to time been observed about the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trio included a woman in a red cloak who
was often witnessed descending the stairs, a sailor in a powdered wig and an
elderly man who was often seen levitating four feet off the floor in the living
room. Ackley believed all three spirits were from the Revolutionary War era. She
went on to describe one of the ghosts as being, “cheerful” and “apple cheeked,”
noting he reminded her of Santa Claus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The
family took their houseguests in stride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ackley is quoted in the Reader’s Digest Story as saying, the ghosts have
always been, “’gracious, thoughtful – only occasionally frightening – and
thoroughly entertaining…Our ghosts have continued to delight us (Perkins,
2003).’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Apparently
the sprawling structure became somewhat of a family compound, with adult
children moving in with their spouses and children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kavanagh reports that he moved into the house
with his fiancé several months before their marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Supposedly the spirits were concerned with
Kavanagh’s fitness for marriage to Cynthia, and decided to check him out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He recounts the first instance on Christmas
Eve. He had been left alone in the house to put together toys for the younger
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to Kavanagh, “…I
kept hearing muffled conversation coming from the dining room,” which was
around the wall from the living room. He reports that he got up and inspected
the dining room several times, finding no one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Beyond the muffled conversation he also felt a compelling sensation that
he was being watched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In response he turned
on every available light, but to no effect. The low sound of talking continued,
unnerving the poor man, until his future brother-in-law started pounding on the
front door; a resounding sound that nearly sent young Kavanagh out of his skin
in alarm (Kavanagh, 2010).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The
second encounter for Kavanagh occurred in the bedroom he shared with his fiancé
Cynthia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently Cynthia was already
asleep. Kavanagh, who was drifting, was lying on his side with his back to the
door. He recounts hearing the door creek as if opening and then hearing the
floor boards squeaking as if someone was approaching the bed. Rather abruptly
he felt the bed depress near his trunk as if someone had suddenly sat down; and
then a pressure as if that same someone was leaning against his torso. He tried
to turn his head around to see who had come in. He reports seeing, “a womanly
figure in a soft dress through the moonlight of the bay windows. I felt she was
looking straight at me. After about a minute the presence got up and walked
back out of the room (Kavanagh, 2010).” Not being acquainted with such
nocturnal visitors, he reports then shaking his fiancé awake and acting like a
toddler who, “just had a nightmare (Kavanagh).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Taxes, Spooks and New York
City Buyers<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">According
to Kavanagh’s article, in the late 1980’s property taxes rose in Rockland
County egregiously, making keeping the family home on a fixed income
inconceivable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>George Ackley had passed
away several years before and the widow, Helen, began to dream of warm winters
spent in Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ackley put up the old
estate on the market at an asking price of $650,000 and a New York City buyer
decided to nibble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeffrey and Patrice
Stambovsky put in an accepted offer, and paid Helen Ackley $32,500 as a down
payment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, the Stambovsky’s
were from New York City where Jeffrey was a bond trader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not being up on local lore, they had no prior
knowledge of the property’s haunted reputation. <br />
<br />
A local architect was the “nosy neighbor” in this case, telling the Stambovsky’s
that they were buying the “haunted house.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to later court documents, Jeffrey
Stambovsky told the court that he himself didn’t believe in such things, but
felt his pregnant wife would not be comfortable in the home. The Stambovsky’s
did not appear at the house closing making the agreement null and void.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, that also meant that Helen Ackley would
retain the earnest money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ackley refused
to return the money and the Stambovsky’s took her to court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Historic Courtroom Decision: Stambovsky
vs. Ackley<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The
first court decision sided with Ackley citing caveat emptor (or buyer beware)
as just cause for not returning the deposit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Stambovsky then appealed the case to the Appellate Division of State
Supreme Court where a panel of five judges heard the case. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Stambovsky
told the justices </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">"My feeling is that Mrs. Ackley is a very neat old
lady who likes to spin tales. But if my wife is influenced enough by that stuff
to feel uncomfortable, that's a good enough reason not to sink our life savings
into the place."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He concluded that
they had been the victims of “ectoplasmic fraud (Maull, 1991).”</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">A
narrow 3 to 2 decision sided with the Stambovsky’s. Justice Israel Rubin who
wrote the majority decision whimsically declared that Helen Ackley had promised
the Stambovsky’s that the property would be vacant when they took possession,
which was obviously not true. Caveat Emptor did not apply, reasoned Rubin, as
he speculated that all potential buyers would have to call in the Ghostbusters
along with home inspectors before buying a property. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">"’[A] very practical problem arises with
respect to the discovery of paranormal phenomenon: 'who you gonna call?' as a
title song to the movie Ghostbusters asks. Applying the strict rule of caveat
emptor to a contract involving a house possessed by poltergeists conjures up
visions of a psychic or medium routinely accompanying the structural engineers
and Terminix man on an inspection of every home subject to a contract of sale.
In the interest of avoiding such untenable consequences, the notion that a
haunting is a condition which can and should be ascertained upon reasonable
inspection of the premises is a hobgoblin which should be exorcised from the
body of legal precedent and laid quietly to rest.’”</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">He
reasoned that Helen Ackley had gone out of her way to promote the house’s
haunted reputation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The house had been
featured in two articles in the local paper, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nyack News and View</i>s, and in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Reader’s Digest</i> article already mentioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had even been featured in the Haunted
Nyack walking tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently Ackley
had told everyone that the house was haunted, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">except</i> the Stambovsky’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rubin
concluded, “Whether the source of the spectral apparitions seen by Ackley are
parapsychic or psychogenic, having reported their presence in both a national
publication (<i>Reader's Digest</i>) and the local press (in 1977 and 1982,
respectively), Ackley is estopped to deny their existence and, as a matter of
law, the house is haunted (Trull, Kachuba).”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He concluded that he was moved, “by the spirit of equity,” into deciding
with the Stambovskys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Rubin apparently
has a spirited sense of humor.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The
Stambovsky’s eventually got most of their deposit, although different sources
give differing amounts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to
Kavanagh, Helen Ackley retained $5000 of the original amount, while another
source noted Ackley retained $15,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helen
Ackley eventually found another buyer and moved to Florida. Cynthia Ackley
Kavanagh and husband Mark relocated to Oregon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two owners have owned and inhabited the property at 1 LaVeta Street in
Nyack, New York since Helen left, and neither report ghostly activity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Helen Ackley has the Last
Word<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Helen eventually found a buyer
for the home and moved to Florida in 1991.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ackley must have felt life in Florida somewhat dull without her unseen
houseguests, or perhaps she missed the notoriety of being the woman who owned
the haunted house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around 1993 Ackley
was contacted by Portland, Oregon paranormal researcher, Bill Merrill, who was
interested in meeting her regarding her Nyack friends. Merrill indicated that
he worked with a medium, Glenn Johnson, who had purportedly already made contact
with her spirits, and asked Ackley to meet with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ackley was more than willing as she could
visit with Cynthia and Mark at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Apparently the material produced
at these meetings<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was extensive enough
for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Johnson and Merrill<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>publish a book in 1995 entitled, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sir
George, The Ghost of Nyack</i> (Deer Publishing, Beaverton, Oregon) – still
available on Amazon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Johnson was
purportedly able to make contact with two of the spirits who identified themselves
as Sir George and his wife the Lady Margaret who had lived in the region prior
to the Revolutionary War. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to
Mark Kavanagh Sir George and Margaret divulged many otherwise obscure facts
about the area along Rockland County between Nyack and a region called Upper
Nyack and Hook Mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unspecified
Rockland County local historians were asked to confirm the presented
information. And again, according to Kavanagh, much of the historical
information was determined accurate; and other obscure facts deemed highly
possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The spirits complained to Ackley
that they were not as fond of the new owners, and indeed they were rather bored
with the whole arrangement and thinking of moving on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ackley herself moved on in 2003, and her
former son-in-law speculates she is probably back at 1 LaVeta Place in Nyack
with her friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
True Significance of Stambovsky vs. Ackley <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The enduring significance of the
Ackley story is the landmark decision for the Stambovsky’s that would
thereafter be on every property law student’s freshman syllabus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What lost Ackley the case was that she
consciously and repeatedly promoted the house’s reputation, sometimes for
monetary gain, to everyone but the buyers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rubin determined that Ackley could not say it was haunted and then deny
the haunting to the buyers, thereby Ackley was estopped from denying that the
house was haunted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He further
speculated that promoting the house’s haunted reputation would attract every
thrill seeker and would-be ghost hunter to invade the Stambovsky’s privacy, and
decrease the house’s value overall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A shallow interpretation of the court decision
would be that those selling haunted houses need to make full disclosure
(reporting) of such reputed haunts to prospective buyers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a surprising twist of fate, the
haunted house case, as well as other landmark court decisions in the late 80’s
and early 90’s prompted many states to reconsider their state laws in regards
to stigmatized property – properties with a dark past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the courts tended to side with the
buyers of such properties, lawmakers came out solidly on the side of the sellers
and especially the sellers’ agents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Shortly
after the Stambovsky vs. Ackley court decision the state of New York passed
what came to be known as the “Haunted House” statute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the lawmakers’ attempt to clarify what
information should be disclosed (presented) to a prospective buyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the law was called the “Haunted House’
statute, it actually never mentioned haunted houses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather New York, as did the majority of
states that also passed statutes on stigmatized property (property that has a
dark history for one reason or another), determined that information about a
house’s ghastly past <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">need not be
disclosed</i> to potential buyers, and that sellers and their agents were under
no obligation to do so, nor could have causes of action (law suits) brought
against them for non-disclosure. The only provision New York property law made
to possibly worried buyers was that they could make a inquiry in writing which
asked the seller about a property’s history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sellers could choose to respond or not to such an inquiry..(Interested
in reading more about the history and writing of stigmatized property laws? See
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Shore’s</i> article entitled “3 bedrooms,
2.5 Baths and 1 Ghost) (N.Y. REAL PROP. LAW §</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"> 443-a </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">(1)(a)).)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Resources<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Kavanagh,
Mark (2010). The Ghost of Nyack. Kavanagh Transit System. Retrieved July 28,
2015 from </span><a href="http://www.ktransit.com/Kavanagh/Ghost/ghost-background.htm"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">http://www.ktransit.com/Kavanagh/Ghost/ghost-background.htm</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Kachuba,
John B. (2007) Ghosthunters: On the Trail of Mediums, Dousers, Spirit Seekers
and Other Investigators of America’s Paranormal. Pg. 128.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Maull,
Samuel (1991). “</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Spirit of Law Recognizes 'Haunted House”</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. Retrieved July 14, 2015 from <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Rubin,
Israel (1991) <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Stambovsky v. Ackley <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">572 N.Y.S.2d 672 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. App. Div.
1991) as appears at MHeducation.com Retrieved July 28, 2015 from
http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/dl/free/0072933992/336388/ch13_Stambovsky_vs_Ackley.html</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Tull,
D. Enigma Editor “Ex Ghost Facto.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="mailto:dtrull@parascope.com"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">dtrull@parascope.com</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">. Reprinted without permission by Kavanagh,
Mark at </span><a href="http://www.ktransit.com/"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">www.ktransit.com</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-10721756427072196462015-07-04T15:42:00.001-07:002015-08-02T11:13:59.822-07:003 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 1 ghost; What Sellers don't want you to know<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
by Robin M. Strom-Mackey<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oPPUO1GVZWqYc_D7Vq_0uEYoH40j082BFf5bMCZ7SUsdc9JBTG9PMBfrckh8Qu6C05X6f4wocC9Jsc50vkurNaevJLQwmsSdrOzRwBHIKTSuu9Rw-EwlWykOsRz0HIsLHUYbWSEOVJ_p/s1600/old+house+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oPPUO1GVZWqYc_D7Vq_0uEYoH40j082BFf5bMCZ7SUsdc9JBTG9PMBfrckh8Qu6C05X6f4wocC9Jsc50vkurNaevJLQwmsSdrOzRwBHIKTSuu9Rw-EwlWykOsRz0HIsLHUYbWSEOVJ_p/s1600/old+house+2.jpg" /></a></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“A prevailing theory among
law makers appears to be that stigmatized properties are only stigmatized
because of buyers’ superstitious predispositions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because stigmatization does not affect the
real value of the property, it need not be disclosed.”<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">You
hold your breath as the woman on the screen turns and…sees the apparition with
the bulging eyes and green skin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her
clothing in tatters and her hair standing on end, she reaches, reaches for you.
You shut your eyes and shudder in delight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For many of us the thrill of a haunted house is a wonderful indulgence
into the macabre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We love to be titillated
by television shows and movies about the unknown, because it’s a controlled
environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know when the creepy
music begins someone’s going to get it, and you know when it’s over you’ll be
turning off the set and heading to the safety of your own bed. But while many
of us enjoy watching shows about hauntings on TV, most of us would rather not
live in a haunted location ourselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
fact Renters.com conducted a survey of their readers and found that 31% of
renters would not live in a haunted house for any price.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conversely, 51% of the respondents said they would
live in an apartment with a ghost if the rent was free, and 27% said they would
live in a haunted location for half price, and more males than females felt
living with a spirit was acceptable if the perks were good enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice that most people would only put up
with a spirit for a decrease in rent, and therein lies the rub for the landlord
or homeowner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does one do if trying
to sell a property with a troubled past (Wakefield Research, 2009)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Following
two landmark cases in the 1980’s and 90’s states got busy writing statutes in <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>knee jerk reactions, to prevent themselves
being caught in the middle of messy property disputes. Prior to this time
sellers and their agents didn’t consider it necessary to disclose psychological
impacts working under the premise of caveat emptor or buyer beware, believing
that anything about a property that needed to be known should be discoverable
by a savvy buyer conducting an inspection of a property. But the premise of
caveat emptor was slowly being eroded by judicial decisions which appeared to
be favoring buyers who felt they had the shroud pulled over their eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reed vs. King<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> C</span></o:p></span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">alifornia
was faced with its own property conundrum in 1983 with the Reed vs. King Decision.
Dorris Reed, an older, single lady unwittingly purchased a house from Robert
King.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr. King sold her the home for
$76,000 making no mention that ten years earlier a mother and her four children
had been murdered there. Not only did King nor his agent tell Reed about the
murders, but King further asked a neighbor not to mention the fact. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
was only after Reed had bought the property that the neighbor made the
information known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
the first court case King and his agent were able to stave off rescission and
restitution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But upon appeal the case
was reversed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The court decision noted
that not only had King not made any disclosure, but he’d gone out his way to
make sure the information didn’t reach Reed, by his clandestine agreement with
the neighbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The court judged that
while there was nothing materially wrong with the property, they did admit that
the amount Reed paid was more than anyone else would have offered, because of
the psychological stigma. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">California
State of Appeals, Third district’s judge, J. Blease, admitted that he was concerned
about his decision, fearing that any buyer who felt their property was
stigmatized in the future would be filing for restitution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the court’s written decision,
“The paramount argument against an affirmative conclusion is it permits the
camel’s nose of unrestrained irrationality admission to the tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If such an “irrational” consideration is
permitted as a basis of rescission the stability of all conveyances will be
seriously undermined (Leagle, 2014).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Stambovsky v. Ackley <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">New
York State’s Appellate Division of State Supreme Court faced a similarly shadowy situation in the
Stambovsky v. Ackley case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr.
Stambovsky, being an out-of-towner from New York City, agreed to purchase Ms.
Ackley’s lovely waterfront home, a rambling historic Victorian on the shores of
the Hudson River, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for a whopping
$650,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He made good on his promise by
placing a deposit of $32,000 down. Then he found out from a local architect that the house was
haunted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now
it shouldn’t have been hard to find out the information as it seems Ackley had
been capitalizing on the home’s reputation for some time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The home had been written about in the local
newspaper and it had also become a stop on the Nyack, New York’s haunted
walking tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in 1977 Ackley
received $3000 for telling her story to Reader’s Digest in an article entitled
“Our Haunted House on the Hudson.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently she forgot to mention the ghosties
to Stambovsky, however, who when he did come up to speed, sought rescission of
his contract and recovery of his down payment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ackley of course balked at returning the money, and the whole hot mess
ended up in court. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
brief of the State Supreme Court’s decision is a pun-filled, tongue in cheek argument against
the whole ghastly situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The court
did protect the realtor and seller for fraud, stating they had no legal duty to
disclose the ‘phantasmal reputation of the premises (Loweringthebar.net)’” But
then they did agree that Stambovsky should be able to seek rescission because
the omitted history of the property might affect the property’s overall value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They summarized that the seller, “having both
hidden and promoted the facts was, ‘offensive to the court’s sense of equity
(Edmiston, 2008).’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Burden of Owning a
Stigmatized Property<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LDo0MH2JUqzTTVFj1rzrG8o3IZy5AXgqluCaFtNRRqNSCX6xuXZeHeWjLZFvqy-oabO4NVnSZmt8V-o9U6xiJvlp1KofA2cNWd7opot_DkKEedD3b83kYUQWFZlLWEJBzf81wJ8NB1k4/s1600/old+house+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LDo0MH2JUqzTTVFj1rzrG8o3IZy5AXgqluCaFtNRRqNSCX6xuXZeHeWjLZFvqy-oabO4NVnSZmt8V-o9U6xiJvlp1KofA2cNWd7opot_DkKEedD3b83kYUQWFZlLWEJBzf81wJ8NB1k4/s1600/old+house+3.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">So
what if you’re a prospective home buyer? Do you have any legal right to find
out if a property has an unsavory past or a ghost in the attic? For example
would finding out if a murder, suicide, or felony occurred at an address make a
difference in whether you purchased a home?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What if someone simply passed away in the home?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what about the sticky prospect of alleged
paranormal or supernatural occurrences? Having this type of history places a
property in the category of a stigmatized property. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">A
stigmatized property or a property with a psychological impact is a property
that may have absolutely no physical defects but has acquired, for whatever
reason, a psychological or emotional stigma which therefore may reduce its
value. For example, properties where a grisly murder occurred or where someone
committed suicide are examples of stigmatized properties. Two Wright University
professors conducted a study on stigmatized properties and found that such
locations typically remained on the market 50% longer and netted a price tag
2.4% less than comparable properties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the 2.4% may be overly optimistic. Susan Funaro cites a California
appraiser specializing in diminution value issues who speculated that a highly
publicized murder lowers a property’s value 15-30% (Funaro 2010).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Appraiser,
Randall Bell, notes that the devaluation of a property where a murder took
place decreases with time, but noted that it took 10-25 years for this to
occur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the appraisal experts agreed
that the devaluation varied with the type of stigmatization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A home where a burglary occurred may be
exempt from loss of value, whereas a property where a triple homicide occurred may
sit on the market for years and sell at far below fair market value.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Of
course on the opposite side of the spectrum, at times a resident spook can be
good for business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few years ago a
ghost group with whom I was working got asked to meet with the director of a
civil war era fort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The director’s idea
was to raise money to refurbish the fort by capitalizing on its resident
spooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one month, with weekend tours
to the island, she hoped to raise $100,000! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed just about any older town or hamlet in
the country has its share of walking ghost tours, or haunted house tours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A resident ghost can, under the proper
circumstances, be a financial gold mine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Stigmatized Property and
State Laws<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">With
Stambovsky vs. Ackley and Reed vs. King decisions weighing on their shoulders more
than half the states quickly passed some type of stigmatized property
laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the laws they enacted materially
serve and protect in particular the brokers and agents selling stigmatized
properties from non-disclosure of psychological stigmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many states also include the sellers/owners
of properties in an umbrella of protection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">A
prevailing theory among law makers appears to be that stigmatized properties
are only stigmatized because of buyers’ superstitious predispositions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because stigmatization does not affect the
real value of the property – the walls, roof and floors – a superstitious bias
has no grounds in valuation. In other words, if you feel skittish about buying
a property where a murder-suicide occurred, it’s your problem for having
archaic superstitions in the first place, and not the responsibility of the
broker or seller to disclose (Edmiston, 2011).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">And
if you find yourself locked into an agreement to purchase a property that you
find has a stigma, you have no recourse in many states to get out of the
deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there’s the idea that you may
have overpaid for a property that has a lowered value because of the stigma, as
Reed vs. King demonstrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what do
you do when you try to sell the property?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Personally, I find this stance exceptionally pompous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Apparently
law makers do not realize that the vast majority of Americans (82% of the
population) still profess to be Christian, and some 85-90% declare a belief in
God or a higher power, according to two surveys conducted by the Baylor
Institute for Studies of Religion (2005, 2008). God, Christ and the Holy Ghost,
believing in something not of the flesh is<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
in </i>the organization’s slogan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore,
I’d disagree with lawmakers that nearly all of the populace is archaically
superstitious, and just need to get over it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edmiston does argue that while law makers take
a hard stance against superstitious buyers, the courts have tended to support
the buyers in certain landmark cases over the sellers who did not disclose. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">And
yet lawmakers make a case too, that what happened on a property in the past
should in no way hinder a current owner’s enjoyment of a property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Case in point, we found out, from neighbors
after we had purchased our house that our property had once been the site of a
suicide. A terminally ill farmer jumped from the roof of his barn which had
been located at the south edge of our yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Barn, roof and farmer were all long gone by the time the house was
built. For us it became part of the local folklore versus something we worried
about. When we do, as we often do, come across old tools or pieces of glass we
display them on a shelf as memorabilia of times gone by. The history of the
property doesn’t in any way detract from our enjoyment of the pool, for example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has become for us more a conversation
starter than a deal breaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">But
then there are different levels of stigmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example, finding out that Farmer Brown jumped from the roof would be
different than say finding out that the property had once been the site of a
multiple homicide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then there’s the
Maryland case in which homeowners found out, after the fact, that their
property was a graveyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(So much for
enjoying the pool on that property!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hickman vs. Carven<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3vLLTQHd7MGqRhNscx8NQguC-ty1LstL8tuskOpxP1haprKh0vMWQJ9M66IOgJ7W332x_owjknNWmRyPT5wjeX7mWZpN0dkfJY0ueHO4itqDNstZyLE1JM-UTOaamvVhxlFh9zdz7sWy/s1600/good+wide+angle+cemetary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3vLLTQHd7MGqRhNscx8NQguC-ty1LstL8tuskOpxP1haprKh0vMWQJ9M66IOgJ7W332x_owjknNWmRyPT5wjeX7mWZpN0dkfJY0ueHO4itqDNstZyLE1JM-UTOaamvVhxlFh9zdz7sWy/s320/good+wide+angle+cemetary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Former
Worcester County Commissioner, Louis Hickman, acquired a 200 acre farm in the
1960’s in Bishopville, which he intended to turn into 150 residential lots,
known as Holiday Acres. Whether Hickman knew of the cemetery located on lot 96
when he procured the farm is unknown as Hickman passed away in 1997, before the
case came to court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course it is
interesting to note that it appears it was the graveyard where his own
ancestors had been buried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to
court records, before selling lot 96 Hickman apparently used a bulldozer to
remove the headstones of a family cemetery that included deceased members of
the Hickman and Beauchamp families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tom
and Deborah Carvens purchased the lot in 1986 they submitted their plans for a
home to Louis Hickman who approved the building plans. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hickman never told the couple of the cemetery,
and a recorded plat map No. 2 showed no cemetery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Carvens worked with a general contractor and performed much of the building of
the house themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During
construction, with the digging of a septic system or the laying of underground
utility lines no suspicious bones were reportedly found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The couple also reportedly did extensive
landscaping, putting in trees and shrubs without incident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually one of Ms. Carven’s business
associates informed her that her house was built on an old cemetery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not long after, Ms. Carvens was digging out
an old yucca plant and came across some bones and a metal handle which she took
to be the handle off a casket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two
county sheriff’s deputies found further bones in the same hole when called in
to investigate. The Carvens admitted to a reporter that they were uncomfortable
with the cemetery, and desired to move, but feared no one would buy the house.
Instead they decided to take the case to court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They also admitted that they feared their house was haunted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
case was tried under the Maryland State statute </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>§ </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">5-108(a) which precludes a cause of action for
personal injury or injury to real or personal property that results from the
defective and unsafe condition of an improvement <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or is over 20 years old (Findlaw).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Court determined that the cemetery did
not in fact cause an unsafe condition and the case had exceeded the 20 year
mark. Strictly interpreting </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§ </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">5-108 the way its writers’ had intended
meant that the Carvens would have had to been in some physical danger from the
improvements, the roads, bridges, etc., that Hickman had paid to put in place,
and a strict reading of the law indicated that the Carvens were not in fact in
any physical danger from such unsafe conditions on the property. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Unhappy
with this result the Carvens appealed the matter to the Maryland Court of Special
Appeals which reversed the first verdict, saying in effect flattening a
cemetery and then hiding the fact was not something that </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>§ </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">5-108 had been written to protect against.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Court of Appeals allowed the Carvens the
ability to sue the Hickman estate. The judges further admonished the Hickman’s
for having decimated a cemetery in the first place, a property that should be
seen as sanctified ground (Desmon, 2000).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">State Law and Stigmatized
Property <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">So
if you’re concerned about what the stigmatized property law is in your state I’ve
enclosed a state by state break down. But to summarize briefly no state yet has
proposed that psychological stigmas be disclosed to interested buyers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The majority of states agree that disclosure
of psychological stigmas are not material fact and thus not necessary to
disclose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What this means in layman’s
terms is this, the seller and certainly not her agent are legally responsible
to tell you about a stigma (moral obligations notwithstanding).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Law makers have taken the hard tack that a
stigma in no way detracts from the value of a real value of a property, the
walls, roof or floors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you buy a home
and then later find out there is a psychological stigma you cannot file a cause
of action – in other words demand a deposit back or annul a contract or sue
them in a court of law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
laws are written to protect primarily brokers and real estate agents who
arguably might get caught in the middle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many states cover only brokers and agents, and say nothing about
protecting the seller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few states,
like my own state of Delaware, make some concession to a potential buyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In these states a buyer can make written
inquiry about any psychological stigmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In most states that allow this provision the buyer or buyer’s broker can
either answer or refuse to answer, which is a type of answer as well; the
refusal to answer an inquiry is a sign of guilt on the seller’s part and thus
some indication that there is a stigma that has not been disclosed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And several states with statutes that protect
against disclosure do have a caveat that sellers and their agents cannot
misrepresent a property, or in effect lie about a stigma. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have listed a few of the more interesting
state laws directly below, just to give you a taste. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">California<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">California’s
disclosure law could be labeled death on a deadline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When buying in California, if a death
occurred on a property within 3 years of selling the owner is responsible for
disclosing the fact. After 3 years, however, all bets are off. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recall the appraiser that noted it took 15-30
years for the value of a stigmatized property to rally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Illinois,
Michigan, Montana, and Texas, Missouri<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Goudy",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">While many state stigmatized
property statutes protect the brokers in a transaction, five states in
particular shield <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> the broker
from non-disclosure. Nevada and Texas protect brokers from disclosing deaths by
HIV/AIDS and other types of death on the property, except when the death was
caused by a condition on the property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus, if the roof came down and killed someone this would be an item to
be disclosed. Missouri covers only real estate agents and brokers, failing to
mention sellers at all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Delaware,
Connecticut, Georgia and New York<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">A few states protect brokers and
sellers from disclosing psychological impacts but do make allowance for a
concerned buyer to at least make an inquiry about a property’s history.
Delaware for instance allows for written inquiry to be made. Should an owner
receive such a written inquiry about crimes or deaths on a property they are
directed by law to answer honestly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tellingly,
Delaware law protects only agents from nondisclosure, but makes no mention as
to a seller’s protection for failure to disclose stigmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Connecticut, Georgia and New York have
similar processes, but allow for a seller to answer or refuse to answer an
inquiry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thought behind such laws is
that a seller’s refusal to answer a direct question is in itself an admittance
to a psychological stigma on the property.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Indiana, Ohio, Rhode Island and South Carolina<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Several states
make no provision for disclosure, but do add the caveat that sellers and agents
cannot make a misrepresentation of facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So in other words, if you ask and they lie you should be able to get out
of the agreement. Ohio law in particular suggests that if a seller
misrepresents a property’s history they are materially responsible for the
financial hardship such misrepresentation caused. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Caught in the Cross Hairs: Real Estate Agents and
Stigmatized Property Laws<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“The
immediate response of the real estate agent was, ‘Oh, you don’t want that
house….Take my word for it honey, you don’t want that house.’” This excerpt
from Mark Spencer’s book A Haunted Love Story, Ghosts of the Allen House
chronicle the odd behavior of an agent when he and his wife enquired about
purchasing an old home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New to the
neighborhood, the couple couldn’t figure out why the agent was so reluctant to
sell them a house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They found out later,
from neighbors, about the home’s ghostly reputation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">UCLA
Law Review Senior Editor, Stuart C. Edmiston notes that many agents will
disclose more about a property than the law requires out of a sense of fair
play, as we see in this example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While
real estate agents may not be required to make disclosure on stigmatized
properties, many brokers apparently feel compelled to say something anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many believe that maintaining a reputation of
honesty and integrity outweighs the quick sale of an undesirable property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or perhaps with the courts’ decisions leaning
in favor of the duped buyer, agents feel cagey, caught in the middle of an
unsustainable slippery slope (Edmiston, 2011). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Is a Buyer to Do?
Meet the Neighbors apparently. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Edmiston
goes on to say that if the agent says nothing, the neighbors certainly
will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He notes several cases where a
nosy neighbor informed buyers of a less than desirable property history. So if
you’re looking at properties take the time and walk next door. Ask a few
questions about the neighborhood and the house and you may glean more
information than you thought possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Real estate agents have also suggested that a buyer do a Google search
of a property if they feel they have reason for worry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between the two approaches hopefully you’d
find out what you needed to know before signing on the dreaded dotted line. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br /></div>
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Below is a state-by-state breakdown of stigmatized property statutes, and a quick guide of legal terms that may help you make sense of them. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>State By State Breakdown</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Quick definition of Legal Terms used Below.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Causes of Action:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Are a set of facts sufficient enough to justifiably allow a party to sue to gain money, property, or action against another party. A plaintiff (the wronged individual) can bring about a suit in court for a breach of contract, for example.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Caveat Emptor:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Latin for buyer beware. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before the 1980’s it was assumed that a careful buyer could glean enough information about a property with an inspection on the premises.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Disclose or disclosure:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The act of revealing something otherwise unknown or secret. Written information about a property that is given to a potential buyer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Material Fact<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In real estate transactions a material fact is a fact that if known might have made the buyer make a different decision whether to stay in an agreement or reduce the amount paid for a property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example if a property was on a flood plain and had a history of flooding, as a potential buyer you would expect to be told this fact. And it would probably factor into the amount you offered or whether made an offer at all, flood insurance being what it is. Most states have disclosure laws where material facts (information against the property) is required to be disclosed to a potential buyer. If disclosure does not occur then a buyer can take an agent or seller to court, or pull out of a deal altogether. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rescission</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is the cancellation of a contract.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such cancellations can be one-sided, as when a single party cancels a contract because of a breach of contract by the other party. Rescission can also occur when both parties mutually agree to cancel a contract and discharge any and all remaining obligations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sellers</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> the person or persons who own the property and are selling it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sellers’ Agents</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Anyone with whom the seller contracts in order to complete the sale of a property, usually just the listing real estate agent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Buyer’s Agent</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The real estate agent or broker that is working with the party that is buying the property.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></o:p></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Arizona<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Arizona is no friend to buyers of stigmatized property. Arizona amended the statute in 1996 which protected only sellers’ agents. The amended law now includes any “licensee which acts on behalf of a seller”, thus also including the buyer’s agent as well. The law prevents causes of action against agents and sellers for failure to disclose psychological stigmas against a property including failing to disclose homicide, felony, suicide or natural death on a property. HIV and AIDS or other diseases not likely communicable by occupancy. Further, the law prohibits rescission of a sale for failure to disclose. In other words, buyers cannot request a nullification or cancellation for later learning that a property has a psychological stigma attached (Brown, Thurlow, 1996)(ARIZ. REV. STAT. ANN. § 32-2156(A)(1)).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">California<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Following the notorious Reed v. King Decision, California rewrote its law to include the three year rule. Reed sued for rescission and damages upon finding that a mother and her four children were murdered on the property ten years before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>California does now require disclosure of a death on a property <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">of a former occupant,</i> but only up to<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> three years following the death.</i> The law protects buyers’ and sellers’ agents and sellers from actions against disclosure beyond the three year mark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does make clear however, that while failure to disclose a stigma is not cause for action, sellers and agents cannot intentionally misrepresent facts regarding death(s) on a property following a direct inquiry (Cal. Civ. Code § 1710.2(a)). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Colorado<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"></span></b></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Colorado’s law argues against disclosure by indicating that information about a property is not material fact if it leads to psychological impact. It lists several of the usual suspects leading to stigmatization such as a former occupant having AIDS or HIV, homicide, felony, suicide etc. The list is not exhaustive, but suggests that other facts could lead to stigmatization and thus the law could be applied. Subsection 2 of Colorado’s law protects real estate agents from actions. Interestingly, it does not extend the same for sellers (COLO. REV. STAT. ANN. § 38-35.5-101(i)).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"></span></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Connecticut<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Connecticut’s law does not require disclosure of information that leads to a property’s stigmatization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such information not being considered material fact, agents and sellers are therefore safe against causes of action by buyers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">However, Connecticut does make provision for buyer inquiries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A potential buyer, upon making a bona fide offer on a property may notify the seller in writing that the offer is contingent upon the property not being stigmatized. The seller or sellers and their agents must also respond in writing or may announce their refusal to disclose such information. Of course a refusal to disclose information is considered an admittance that the property<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> is </i>stigmatized in some way. (CONN. GEN. STAT. ANN. § 20-329cc to -329(ff)).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Delaware<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"></span></b><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Like Connecticut law, Delaware makes provision for written inquiries to sellers and seller’s agent in regards to known psychological stigma on a property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Agents cannot disclose information about psychological stigmas verbally, but are required to reply to written requests truthfully, to the best of the owner or agent’s knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently refusing to disclose in writing is not an option under Delaware law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no obligation to disclose, however, if a written request is not made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">In the case of disease however, agents are expressly directed to make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">no disclosure</i>. The law makes no mention of the buyer’s responsibility in this case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Delaware protects not only sellers and agents, but also the buyer’s agent and the appraiser. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Delaware’s law lists psychological stigmas including homicide, felony, suicide AIDS/HIV, and any other diseases not communicable via occupancy. The stigma list does not include arson. Delaware law requires disclosure of arson (DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 24, § 2929-2930(f) (2005).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">District of Colombia<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">The statutes are written to reflect the opinion that psychological stigmas are not material fact in real estate transactions and therefore sellers and brokers are not obligated to disclose them. Section 45-1936(f)(1) of the District of Columbia law prohibits causes of action being brought against sellers and agents who fail to disclose said psychological impacts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Florida <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Florida has perhaps the least comprehensive stigmatized property statute of any state that bothered to write one. The statute concerns itself only with former occupants who had contracted HIV/AIDS, warning brokers that it is a non-material fact that should not be disclosed to a prospective buyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Causes of action are prohibited against sellers, sellers’ agents and buyess’ agents for nondisclosure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The statute covers no other communicable diseases nor crimes such as homicide or other felonies </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">(FLA. STAT. ANN. Ch. 689.25).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Georgia<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Georgia protects against causes of action against sellers or sellers’ agents for failure to disclose stigmas which it lists in the statute’s subsections. HIV/AIDS and other types of communicable diseases not felt easily transferred by occupancy are nondisclosure items as well as stigmatizing crimes such as murder, suicide or other felonies. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Georgia’s law does make clear that an agent or seller cannot make false representation in regards to the history of a property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law stipulates that an owner or agent<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, if asked</i>, must answer truthfully about the history of a property, although an owner does have the option of keeping silent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course an owner who refuses to divulge information about a property is in effect confirming a stigmatized history merely by refusing to answer (GA. CODE ANN. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 44-1-16(</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">1)).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Hawaii<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Hawaii’s property statute was rather significantly changed in 1996. What hasn’t changed was the provision that protects agents from non-disclosure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to Hawaii state law, anything that doesn’t affect the structure or physical property need not be disclosed. Thus a suicide or murder need not be disclosed because they have no effect on the physical building or a property’s improvements (HAW. REV. STAT. ANN. § 508D-8).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Indiana<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Indiana has an extensive stigmatized property statute listing not only crime and death impacts and disease impacts, gang activity on the property, the firing of a firearm on the property that involved the police, and manufacture of illegal drugs on the property. Such activities can affect a property beyond a simple psychological stigma. Keep in mind that, not knowing that the ownership of a property has changed, a gang may continue to have activity in the area. Or a now defunct meth lab may have leaked chemicals onto carpeting that burns the new residents (which did happen to an unwitting new homeowner). </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Indiana lists all these impacts and then exonerates the seller and sellers’ agents from voluntarily disclosing the information to potential buyers. They are also not liable for disclosure if they refuse to disclose information to a buyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As many state law does, it does reiterate that sellers and sellers’ agents may not intentionally misrepresent facts concerning psychological impacts if a direct inquiry is made by a potential buyer (IND. CODE. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§ 24-4.6-2.1-2</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kentucky<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Like Florida, Kentucky’s statute concerns itself only with former occupants with HIV/AIDS. Kentucky law states that such illness is not a material fact and thus does not affect the value of a property. Therefore there is no requirement to disclose such information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law also protects sellers and sellers’ agents and buyers’ agents against causes of action (KY. REV. STAT. ANN </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 207.250(1)).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Louisiana<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Section 1468(A) of Louisiana property statute lists, “facts or suspicions” that might cause a property to be considered psychologically impacted. It lists the usual AIDS/HIV or diseases not likely transmittable by occupancy or death via homicide or suicide or other felony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The statute declares that such stigmas are not material fact impacting the value of the property and therefore do not need to be disclosed. The law prohibits causes of action against sellers and sellers’ agents for failure to disclose psychologically impacting information (LA. REV. STAT. ANN. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§ 37:1468</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maryland’s stigmatized property statute appears in two separate but nearly identical entries in the Property Code and also the Business Occupations and Professions Code. The first subsection lists information that is not considered material fact for real estate transactions. The usual suspects are listed, although Maryland also lists natural death along with homicide, suicide and felony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The statute protects seller, sellers’ agents and buyers’ agents from civil or criminal liability should they fail to disclose psychologically impactful information. The Business Occupations and Professions Code also stipulates that brokers and salespersons are immune from disciplinary action and personal liability should they fail to disclose such information (MD. CODE ANN. REAL PROP. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 2-120; MD. CODE ANN., BUS. OCC. & PROF. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§ 17.3221)</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Massachusetts<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> M</span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">assachusetts is a caveat emptor state, a fancy way of saying buyer beware. And if you’re buying in Massachusetts you better beware, because according to the state statutes brokers and sellers <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are not</i> legally required to inform perspective buyers of suicides, homicides, felonies or alleged paranormal activity (Vetstein). They are also not required to inform a potential buyer of illnesses of former occupants such as HIV or AIDS or any other illnesses that are not considered easily transmittable by occupancy </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93, section 114).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The law goes on to state, “…No cause of action shall arise or be maintained against a seller or lessor of real property or a real estate broker or salesman, by statute or at common law, for failure to disclose to a buyer or tenant the real property is or was psychologically impacted (MASS. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">ANN. LAWS ch. 93, § 114).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nevada<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nevada law is interesting for a couple of different provisions it makes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevada has all the usual wording; dividing the psychological impacts into two neat categories disease/AIDS/HIV and Death/Suicide/Felony stigmas. However, Nevada also lists death by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">any cause</i> making it only one of four states to include death on a property by any means as a psychological stigma against the property. An exception in Nevada’s stigma law are deaths caused by a condition of the property (NEV. REV. STAT. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Subsection 44.770(1)).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sellers and sellers’ agents are exempt from causes of action for failure to disclose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sub-section also provides protection to the buyer’s agent unless “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">otherwise provided in an agreement between a buyer and his agen</i>t [my emphasis] (44.770(3)).”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevada’s law makers undoubtedly felt that it was only a very sophisticated or an extremely nervous buyer that would demand such an agreement beforehand. It is also highly unlikely that the buyer’s agent would suggest signing such an agreement before entering into an agreement with a buyer (NEV. REV. STAT. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Subsection 44.770(1)).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">New Hampshire<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">New Hampshire’s stigma statute lists only death and crime type psychological impacts, making no mention of communicable disease whatsoever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law states that sellers and sellers’ agents are not required to disclose that a property was the site of a homicide, suicide or other felony <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">unless</i> the potential buyer makes a request for the information and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">if</i> the seller or the seller’s agent has knowledge of such a stigma. Thus, buyers in New Hampshire should be prepared to ask the question, if stigmas are a concern. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The law protects sellers and sellers’ agents from causes of action for failure to disclose such information about deaths or crimes on the property, and further protects them from causes of action should they disclose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A further subsection (II) suggests that sellers and seller agents can negotiate “contractual rights of disclosure.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wording, I speculate, is meant to encourage sellers and their agents into coming to some type of pre-agreement on the subject (N.H. REV. STAT. ANN. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§ </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">477:4-e(I)(b).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Section 47-13-2 of New Mexico’s property statute includes “’the seller, lessor or landlord of real property, including a participant in an exchange of real property and any agent involved in such a transition (Thurlow, 1996).’” These people have no sworn duty to disclose psychological stigmas and are not held liable should they not disclose such stigmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>47-13-3(A) protects the persons mentioned from any cause of action that might arise for failure to disclose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And 47-13-3(B) notes specifically that failure to disclose is not grounds for rescission; in other words a buyer attempting to back out of a deal. The statute goes on to list psychological stigmas in a comprehensive fashion including natural death, homicide, suicide, felony including battery and sexual assault. It also includes the HIV/AIDs transmittable diseases exception (N.M. STAT. ANN. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§ </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">47-13-2).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Passing their stigmatized property statute in 1995, it became hailed as the “Haunted House” statute, though nowhere in the language do the law makers mention haunted houses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead they state the usual protections mentioning disease type stigmas and death/crime type stigmas and stating that neither is a material defect; therefore not anything that would affect the value of the real property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They list homicide, suicide but also mention death by accident or natural cause or the committing of any crime considered a felony under the statute. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law prohibits the filing of causes of actions against owners, occupants and their agents should they fail to disclose. Real estate agents and brokers are also protected from any disciplinary action for failure to disclose stigmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">New York, however, does make provision for potential buyers to inquire via written inquiry about possible psychological stigmas attached to a property. The buyer or their agent must present the written inquiry to the seller or the seller’s agent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The seller has the option of whether or not to respond to the inquiry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they choose to respond, the seller answers similarly in writing which is then returned to the buyer or buyer’s agent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again the idea is, that should a seller refuse to respond they are in a way admitting that a property has a psychological stigma by their refusal alone (N.Y. REAL PROP. LAW </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">§</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"> 443-a </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">(1)(a)). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">North Carolina<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">North Carolina’s brief stigmatized property statute merely states that the fact that a former occupant was either seriously ill or died on a property is not a material fact in a real estate purchase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only provision to buyers is the caveat that a seller or seller’s agent cannot make false representations regarding a former occupant (N.C. GEN. STAT. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§ 39-50</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oklahoma<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oklahoma handles their stigmatized property law under their real estate code.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law notes that property stigmas are not a material fact in a real estate transaction, and therefore do not need to be disclosed to potential buyers. Psychological stigmas are listed as, but have a caveat that they are not limited to, past occupants that had contracted HIV/AIDS or another disease not easily transmittable by occupancy or that the property was the site of a homicide, suicide or other felony. Causes of action for nondisclosure are prohibited against sellers and sellers’ agents (OKLA. STAT. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 858-513 (1991).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ohio<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Ohio has limited protection for nondisclosure of psychological stigmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the seller is not required to disclose psychological stigmas, she/he is liable for the harm caused by misrepresentations (OH Homeowner Disclosure Law, 45 Case W. RES. L. REV. 1149, 1180-82).</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oklahoma<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oklahoma’s law notes that psychological stigmas are not a material fact in the property transfer and do not need to be disclosed to an interested buyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It lists the usual HIV/AIDS/disease and homicide/suicide/felony distinctions under psychological impacts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law protects sellers and sellers’ agents from causes of action against them by a buyer, should they fail to disclose (OKLA. STAT. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§ </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">858-513(A)).</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oregon </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oregon’s statute is quick, concise and to the point. It notes that psychological impacts are not material facts in a transaction and that owners and agents are protected against causes of action. Oregon lists death of a prior occupant by murder or suicide or the fact that the prior occupant had contracted HIV or AIDs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The statute notes that a seller nor sellers’ agent should disclose that an occupant had contracted or had died of HIV/AIDS, citing the chapter entitled “Civil Rights; Unlawful Employment Practices. (OR. REV. STAT. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§ </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">93.275(1)).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rhode Island</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rhode Island’s statute remunerates that psychological stigmas are not material facts in a real estate transaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The statute then defines such stigmas as AIDS/HIV/diseases not easily communicable by occupancy or places where a homicide, felony or suicide occurred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sellers and their agents are protected from causes of action in such suits where disclosure was not made. Rhode Island does make the point that while disclosure is not necessary, the law does not allow for false statements or conscious misrepresentations regarding the history of a property (R.I. GEN. LAWS </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 5-20.8-6).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">South Carolina<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Similar to Rhode Island’s law, South Carolina’s stigmatized property statute states that psychological stigmas are not a material fact in a real estate transaction. They list the psychological impacts as, “the fact or suspicion” that a former occupant had contracted HIV/AIDS (or other disease not transmitted via occupancy) or had died on the property from the disease (Thurlow, 1996). Causes of action against sellers and sellers’ agents for failure to disclose are prohibited (40-57-270(B). The law stipulates that sellers and their agents must still disclose physical conditions of a property, that being considered material facts. Further, the fact that they do not have to disclose psychological stigmas does not exempt them from making conscious misrepresentations about a property (S.C. CODE ANN. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 40-57-270(A-C)).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tennessee<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tennessee covers sellers and real estate agents in their statute, all whom they say are protected from causes of action for failure to disclose psychological stigmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tennessee considers HIV/AIDS or other diseases not easily transmitted by occupancy under their stigma law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law further defines psychological impact as “(1) an act or occurrence which had no effect on the physical structure of the real property, its physical environment or the improvements located thereon (2) [a] homicide, felony or suicide (Thurlow, 1996)(TENN. CODE ANN. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§ </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">66-5-207).”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Texas<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wSn06KFcZzqo6KNlGsI2oMZ_WjM7_da4gBgv4HhXEi7AEytUNw07TBoRuGC0Qs1x9dfW1B5RlN12FY-ZxIgyuUAvKFyiCV_lhiHgS0w5Y6WagsBCEmHVIZsMkd6icHnWL_M6tImoNS3Y/s1600/old+house+on+hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wSn06KFcZzqo6KNlGsI2oMZ_WjM7_da4gBgv4HhXEi7AEytUNw07TBoRuGC0Qs1x9dfW1B5RlN12FY-ZxIgyuUAvKFyiCV_lhiHgS0w5Y6WagsBCEmHVIZsMkd6icHnWL_M6tImoNS3Y/s1600/old+house+on+hill.jpg" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The state of Texas made provision for psychologically impacted property in their real estate law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Protected from disclosure under the law are people who have contracted HIV/AIDS while occupying the property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law also covers death that occurred on the property through natural causes, suicide, or deaths caused by accident on the property not caused by the condition of the property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Texas’s law makes the curious statement regarding agents listed as brokers, salespersons and sellers; remonstrating them that an agent really has no “duty to inquire about or disclose” psychological stigmas listed under the statute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The interesting admission appears to be written in order to protect buyer’s agents in particular, who are after all working on behalf of the buyer and thus working in their interests (TEX. REV. CIV. STAT. ANN. Art. 6573a </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">§ 15E</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Utah<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Utah takes the now redundant stance that an owner’s failure to disclose psychological stigmas is not a material fact in a real estate transaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, owners and their agents are not liable for failure to disclose a stigma. Utah law defines stigmas as both disease (read HIV/AIDS) not easily transmitted via occupancy and death or crime that occurred on the property (read suicide, homicide and felony) (UTAH CODE ANN. § 51-1-37).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Virginia<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Virginia’s stigmatized property statute is nearly identical to Tennessee’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Owners and real estate agents are protected from causes of action against them for failure to disclose stigmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Included are revealing that a former occupant was infected with HIV/AIDS. They are further protected from disclosing that a property was the site, “of an act or occurrence which had no effect on the physical structure of the real property, its physical environment or the improvement located thereon:” homicide, suicide or felony (Thurlow, 1996). Virginia law protects owners and agents against causes of action for failure to disclose such stigmas to an interested buyer (VA. CODE ANN. § 55-524(A) Residential Property).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Wisconsin<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Wisconsin’s statute comes out swinging with a warning to real estate agents, brokers and salespeople that they must not disclose any information that would constitute discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. Thus previous occupants with AIDS/HIV have their privacy protected by the statute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law continues that agents are not liable for failure to disclose anything that does not affect the physical condition of the real property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The statute then goes on to state that real estate agents also need not disclose any nearby “adult family home” which seems to be a bizarre addition to the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why lawmakers felt a nearby nursing or adult home would or could affect the market price of a property is anyone’s guess (WIS. STAT. ANN 452.23(2) (a)).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Resources</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">State Statute Listing<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;">Arizona <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">36 ARIZ. L. REV. 757, 768 (1994)</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Arkansas<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ARK. CODE ANN. § 17-10-101 (Supp. 2009).</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">California<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>CAL. CIV. CODE § 1710.2(a), which initially protected nondisclosure </span><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy-Italic;">only </span></i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">of an occupant’s HIV/AIDS status, was enacted in 1986.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Colorado<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>COLO. REV. STAT. § 38-35.5-101 (2009).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Connecticut<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>CONN. GEN. STAT. ANN. § 20-329ee (West 2008). ANN. § 20-329dd<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Delaware<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 24, § 2930 (2005).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">District of Columbia<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>D.C. CODE ANN. § 47-2853.198 (LexisNexis 2007),<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Florida<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>FLA. STAT. ANN. § 689.25 (West 2008)</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Georgia<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>GA. CODE ANN. § 44-1-16(a) (1)(B) (Supp. 2009).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Hawaii <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>HAW. REV. STAT. ANN. § 508D-8 (LexisNexis 2006).S.B. 3266, 18th Leg. Reg. Sess. (Haw. 1996<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Idaho<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ID 38 IDAHO L. REV. 251 (2001).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Indiana<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>IND<b>. </b></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">CODE § 24-4.6-2.1-2(1) (1995);</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Kentucky<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>KY. REV. STAT. ANN. § 207.250 (LexisNexis 2007).)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Louisiana<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>LA. REV. STAT. ANN. § 37:1468 (2007).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Maryland<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>MD. CODE ANN., REAL PROP. § 2-120& amp;. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">MD. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">CODE<b> </b></span>ANN. Bus. Occ. & PROF. § 17-22.1(a)(2)</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Massachusetts <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>MASS. ANN. LAWS ch. 93, § 114 (LexisNexis 2005).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Michigan <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>MICH. COMP. LAWS § 339.2518(a) 1996.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Mississippi <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>MISS. CODE ANN. § 89-1-527 (1999)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Missouri <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>MO. ANN. STAT. § 442.600 (West 2000). § 442.606<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Nevada <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>NEV. REV. STAT. ANN. § 40.770(1)(b) (LexisNexis Supp. 2006).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">21.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">New Hampshire <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>N.H. REV. STAT. ANN. § 477:4-e (2001). <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">22.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">New Mexico <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>N.M. STAT. ANN. § 47-13-2 (LexisNexis 1995).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">23.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">North Carolina <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>N.C. GEN. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">STAT. § 39-50 (Supp. 1995);</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">24.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">New York <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>N.Y. REAL PROP. LAW</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">§ 443a(1); </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">NY 572 N.Y.S.2d 672 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">25.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Ohio </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ohio's <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Homeowner Disclosure Law, </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">45 Case W. RES. L. REV. 1149, 1180-82 (1995); Ohio r<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">evised Code Section 5302.30: Real Property Transferor Disclosure</span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">26.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Oklahoma<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>OKLA. STAT. § 858-513(c)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">27.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Oregon <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>OR. REV. STAT. § 93.275 (2009).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">28.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">New Mexico <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>N.M. STAT. ANN. § 47-13-2(B) (LexisNexis 1995).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">29.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Rhode Island <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>R.I. GEN. LAWS § 5-20.8-6 (2004).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">30.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">South Carollina <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>S.C. CODE ANN. § 27-50-90 (2007).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">S.C. CODE </span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ANN. § 40- 57-270(A)</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">31.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">South Dakota<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">32.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Tennessee<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>TENN. CODE ANN. §66-5-207 (19996)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">33.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">Texas <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">TEX. REV. CIV. STAT. <b>ANN. </b>art. 6573a, §15E(2) (Vest 1996</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">34. Utah <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>UTAH CODE ANN.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>§. 57-1-37 (1994).<br /> 35 Virginia <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>VA. CODE ANN. § 55-524(A)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;">36. Wisconsin <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>WIS. STAT. ANN. § 452.23(2)(a)(West Supp. 1996).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Goudy;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anonymous
(2008) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baylor Survey Finds New
Perspectives On U.S. Religious Landscape</i> Baylor College of Arts and
Sciences. Retrieved September 4, 2013 from <a href="http://www.baylore.edu/artsandsciences/index.php?id=59330"><span style="color: white;">www.baylore.edu/artsandsciences/index.php?id=59330</span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Blease, J. (1983). Dorris Joni Reed, Plaintiff and
Appellant, v. Robert J. King et al. Defendants and Respondents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Court of Appeals of California, Third
District. July 21, 1983. Retrieved on June 28, 2015 from Leagle. </span><a href="http://www.leagle.com/decision/1983406145CalApp3d261_1390.xml/REED%20v.%20KING"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">http://www.leagle.com/decision/1983406145CalApp3d261_1390.xml/REED%20v.%20KING</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Desmon, Stephanie<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(2000). “Couple who says their lot contains graves can sue. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Appeals court allows action vs. developer”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Baltimore Sun.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: whitesmoke; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Edmiston,
Stuart C., Senior Editor (2011) “Secrets worth Keeping; Toward a Principled
Basis for Stigmatized Property Disclosure Statutes. UCLA Law Review, Volume 58.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Funaro,
Susan (2009). “Ghoul Disclosure: Most Home Sellers Disclose Paranormal
Activity? LegalZoom.com Retrieved May 5, 2015 from </span><a href="https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/ghoul-disclosure-must-home-sellers-disclose-paranormal-activity"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/ghoul-disclosure-must-home-sellers-disclose-paranormal-activity</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<u><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Hickman Hickman v. Carven (2001).</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> </span></span><span style="color: #0563c1;">Court of Appeals Maryland. Findlaw.com.
Retrieved July 3, 2015 from </span></span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://caselaw.findlaw.com/md-court-of-appeals/1418251.html<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kimmons,
James. (2015). “Material Fact In a Real Estate Transaction.” About.com
Retrieved June 28, 2015 from </span><a href="http://realestate.about.com/od/mo/g/defmaterial.htm"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">http://realestate.about.com/od/mo/g/defmaterial.htm</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anonymous
(2008). Case Law Hall of Fame: “As a Matter of Law, the House is Haunted.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Loweringthebar.net. Retrieved June 28, 2015
from </span><a href="http://www.loweringthebar.net/2008/09/case-law-hall-o.html"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">http://www.loweringthebar.net/2008/09/case-law-hall-o.html</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Spencer,
Mark (2012).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Haunted Love Story: The Ghosts of the Allen House</i>. Llewellyn
Publications, Woodbury, Minnesota. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thurlow,
Thomas H. III (1996). “Buyers Beware: Statutes Shield Real Estate Brokers and
Sellers Who Do Not Disclose That Properties Are Psychologically Tainted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nova Southeastern University – Shepard Broad
Law Center. brownron@ nova.edu<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wakefield
Research (2009). Rent in Peace: Avoiding Common Rental Horrors” Rent.com
Retrieved June 28, 2015 from </span><a href="http://www.eresidential.com/rent.com+RIP"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">www.eresidential.com/rent.com+RIP</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Zotter,
Frank Jr. (2011) “Judicial Follies: Not a Ghost of a Chance.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daily Journal Local News. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-84011776823615424512015-04-06T06:53:00.001-07:002015-10-25T07:48:43.744-07:00The Hartly, DE Investigation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">By Shawn Hank</span></h2>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">My first investigation with Delaware Paranormal Research Group occurred at
a residence in Hartly, Delaware in February, 2015. I came with a flashlight and
digital camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I arrived half an hour
early, and spoke with both homeowners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The husband, a skeptic, did have a few interesting stories to tell. Some
of his experiences included having heard a piano playing three notes in rapid
succession. And after an initial investigation, the couple found that the
drawers of a dresser were pulled out barring their entrance into their infant
son’s bedroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they finally got
into the room they found the boy<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tightly
wrapped in a receiving blanket.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">My first investigation proceeded without influence from the
homeowner’s perceptions. My approach was to take photographs randomly during
certain questions that were asked or repeated; and to observe, which is quite
familiar to me because I have a degree in Chemistry; and I am working on a
Master’s in Accounting. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri Light;">The Investigation Begins<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouCKVEzuX-WsIWSHE2H02hNzD0L_5ixXbghgpyK_oZycEnmbb_EOhtfSgbyLcGQScRXm18cAOlclsvjcHSaEF0Oq7W5q7jb3q39Vk-kl65DGw6wtL3IUE7zeiPugjttUMVs3uRmEZ6LOM/s1600/mist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouCKVEzuX-WsIWSHE2H02hNzD0L_5ixXbghgpyK_oZycEnmbb_EOhtfSgbyLcGQScRXm18cAOlclsvjcHSaEF0Oq7W5q7jb3q39Vk-kl65DGw6wtL3IUE7zeiPugjttUMVs3uRmEZ6LOM/s1600/mist.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">The members included Robin, Gene and myself. We started
upstairs in the “Man Cave” and art studio. Gene monitored and recorded
temperatures. Robin asked the questions. I took pictures with my new digital
camera. The second room was a storage room across from the baby’s room. Nothing
out of the ordinary occurred, although Robin’s dowsing rods<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>appeared to cross several times in response
to Robin’s requests. The third room was the daughter’s room. Robin continued
using the rods, and was getting responses to some of the questions she asked by
prompting the rods to be crossed. It is in this room where I experienced a
brush on my pant leg. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">The investigation continued to the living room and furnace
area. Robin was filming at this point. Gene continued monitoring temperatures.
Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to occur until Robin was near the furnace.
She started receiving EMF readings from one particular wooden post and no
readings from the other posts. It was around this time frame where the digital
camera I used captured what looks like a mist taking some sort of form. The
mist was not present in any other photograph.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" unselectable="on"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">My analytical side allowed my participation to be unbiased
even though I had heard the owners’ personal experiences. The mist taking form
remains unexplained. Robin captured two EVP’s. Gene did not capture unexplained
differences in temperature, but verified the EMF readings on the wooden post
near the furnace. A scientist like an investigator wants to deal with tangible
evidence. However, the evidence collected appears to go beyond the current
scope of science, logic and math. My personal experience prompts me to state
that there is a realm that remains invisible to all of us, yet can choose to
interact with us, or not. I feel that unbridled interaction with this realm can
be potentially detrimental. Anyone or thing that will attempt to harm a baby
has the ability to inflict harm on adults as well. Though my first
investigation went well, the evidence captured is not conclusive or definitive.
The scientist in me wants everything to be beyond a reasonable doubt. The
accountant in me wants the phenomena to fit nice in charts, graphs and tables.
However, maybe the best evidence is that which is randomly captured in an
environment unknown to us in the course of our time in that environment. It
will be this kind of evidence that will support and substantiate further
investigations into the unknown.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;">“</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;">We
dance round in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and
knows.” (Robert Frost)</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-76492116562486443052015-02-02T16:49:00.001-08:002015-07-07T12:32:56.685-07:00Animals and the Paranormal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Q3lLfomlCa_8QpOkVPxoFwrZv8LnsS9vWxEBflhM3rkDUbYiF_l6sFxRlCc0C3PXMYc92fd7BWWwbI_wcPQiZcEz84Qp0CE-PZo-kVPTYnwNtRLJa6qbWC4DxWnBAFAMGirZamqIr13s/s1600/dog+through+glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Q3lLfomlCa_8QpOkVPxoFwrZv8LnsS9vWxEBflhM3rkDUbYiF_l6sFxRlCc0C3PXMYc92fd7BWWwbI_wcPQiZcEz84Qp0CE-PZo-kVPTYnwNtRLJa6qbWC4DxWnBAFAMGirZamqIr13s/s1600/dog+through+glass.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">By Robin M. Strom-Mackey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“While
there is a prevailing belief that animals can sense things paranormal, I would
suggest you first seek out explanations based in the, well, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">normal<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> first.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m asked more often about pets
and the paranormal than any other topic of discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is Fido acting afraid in the kitchen or
barking at the wall in the den?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could,
should we consider the paranormal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
always leaves me in a bit of a quandary because I’m a paranormal researcher,
not an animal behaviorist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I hit the
internet and the books for evidence for and against.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will speak primarily of dogs, with no
disrespect to cat people, but the last three inquiries were specifically about
dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My line of questioning was simply
what can make an otherwise normal-acting animal start to act weird? What I
found is that there are many sources for anxiety in animals, one of which may
be sensitivity to the paranormal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Egg
on your Face<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The worst thing I feel a
paranormal investigator can do is to label something paranormal before
exploring the more rational explanations. If you come out on the side of the
paranormal when something normal is proven you look all the more like an idiot.
Case in point: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Animal Planet</i> channel hosts a television show entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Haunted</i> which “chronicles” the
haunting experiences of animals and their terrified owners. One particular
episode is about a young couple who move into an older home with their beloved
pet rabbits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This particular couple was
very free with their furry friends, letting the rabbits out of their cages to
roam free about the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not long
after moving into the home they noticed that the rabbits were becoming sick and
dying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saddened beyond words at the
tragedy unfolding, the couple concluded that negative spirits in the home had
tragically killed their beloved bunnies one by (big sigh) one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Now, I thought this was a rather
abrupt leap of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, it’s
common knowledge that houses built before the 1950’s are famous for lead
paint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Undoubtedly the lead paint has
been covered over with fresh new paint. But what do rabbits do naturally? They
chew. Happily, gleefully, these fuzzy rodents love to chew on anything, but
especially wood – or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wood work</i>.
Wouldn’t it first make more sense to seek out toxins in the environment, before
assuming evil spirits were killing the animals?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The show producers of course never even suggested this explanation.
After all lead paint poisoning does not drive up ratings, evil demons do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s much more exciting, though less
plausible, to suggest something sinister. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">While television shows such as
this one make for a half hour of spine tingling entertainment, they do nothing
to promote rational thought. Still, when the family dog or cat suddenly starts
acting bizarrely I can see why people would seek out an otherwise irrational
explanation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there is a prevailing
belief that animals can sense things paranormal, I would suggest you first seek
out explanations based in the, well, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">normal</i>
first. So below, I’ve compiled the most comprehensive list I could as to what
may make an otherwise normal animal start acting abnormally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Fido
may be Feeling Funky<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">On the Doggit discussion board of
Reddit.com I found an interesting exchange between dog lovers who were having
similar problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first suggestion
made was to take the animal in question to the veterinarian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An animal may develop a hearing or sight
problem unbeknownst to their owners that would cause them to start acting
skittishly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having spent my youth among
horses I can recall having dealt with horses that have lost eyesight in one eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These animals become very skittish when
approached on their blind side. It makes sense, as they can’t see anyone
approaching, and then suddenly you’re there touching them. Another of the
writers recounted how her dog had developed pain in its hip. It began to act
afraid of her, somehow connecting its owner with the pain it was
experiencing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Animals don’t reason
through situations, but react to the stimulus present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The article, “7 Signs that a Dog
is in Pain” offered some telltale signs of doggy pain. Such symptoms such as
limping or crying are no-brainers. But the author also mentions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Excessive salivation</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
(salivation above the norm that is) along with obviously diarrhea, constipation
and vomiting as signs of gastrointestinal discomfort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Whining and whimpering</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> for no
apparent reason can be a sign of pain, though knowing where the pain originates
may be harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Temperament changes</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> could be
a sign that your dog is ill. An otherwise gentle dog may bite for no reason,
while others may seek out more attention than is usual. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Strange and unusual behaviors</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> that may
indicate a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">neck or back injury</b> are a
refusal to go upstairs, or to lower their heads to eat. They may stop jumping
up on the couch or a favorite chair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Loss of Appetite</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
especially if they’re experiencing oral pain, such as a toothache.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Excessive Licking </span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">especially
if a localized spot may mean the area is sore or tender.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 3pt;"><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Panting
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">can
be a sign of pain in dogs. Dogs in pain may pant excessively; sometimes
trembling at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author
suggests you watch for panting at odd times, such as the middle of the night,
when the animal normally would not be panting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Strange
Smell or Sounds<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxtvGn2UhHfDptPI65vw5n_ypPvNCY958rB-cIQDQ99NWxM-Cz7HCcJnfQex6qtQvUmM5PGyOBz_UF5M76_s1EWS5NtFnz6Ya1qIBkPaiQJO2Dn-2tYQt3e8VYf6mU0KIGvUa3j0KXMTh/s1600/dogs+with+paws.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxtvGn2UhHfDptPI65vw5n_ypPvNCY958rB-cIQDQ99NWxM-Cz7HCcJnfQex6qtQvUmM5PGyOBz_UF5M76_s1EWS5NtFnz6Ya1qIBkPaiQJO2Dn-2tYQt3e8VYf6mU0KIGvUa3j0KXMTh/s1600/dogs+with+paws.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A veterinarian on the radio talk
show recently pointed out that smell is a dog’s most developed sense. In fact
the sense of smell is 1000 times better in a dog than a human, especially dogs
who are trained to track (Gilbert) Think of it this way, humans see the world
through their eyes, but dogs “see” the world through their nose. If a dog
begins to react to one spot of the house in particular, barking, growling,
backing away, it might mean they’re getting a whiff of something worrisome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is true too that dogs can have visceral
reactions to a similar stimulus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">For example, if a dog got the
losing end of a tussle with a raccoon she might retain the memory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If she later encountered another raccoon – or
caught the scent of said coon –she would remember the episode and recoil in
fear. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always think of raccoons because
they’re stubborn creatures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For years
now, my parents have had a problem with raccoons making nests in the attic
crawl space above their garage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every
spring my parents have the creatures forcefully removed, and every fall a new
family moves in. By now I’m sure the scent of raccoon is pungent throughout the
property. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I postulate that if a pest
or pests find a way into a house, the scent may be sending Rover into fits of
fear. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check for telltale signs of pests,
such as feces in the attic, holes in an outside wall, foot prints in snow or mud
that appear to stop right at the foot of the house etc. There may be sounds as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the raccoons have moved back
in for another winter foray, we will hear them scrabbling overhead or pitter
pattering in the walls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Hearing is another sense in which
dogs excel. Dogs can hear sounds that humans simply cannot detect, especially
high pitched noises. Take the phantom sounds of the dog whistle for instance. I
postulate that a dog may act oddly, therefore, to a high-pitched whine in a
building that humans are otherwise unaware of. Electrical appliances, lighting
fixtures, ceiling fans, televisions; all such appliances may create a
disruptive hum when malfunctioning. Or perhaps the dog is reacting to the
chattering of a critter living in the wall that we cannot otherwise hear?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Architectural
Fears<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We’ve certainly all met people
who won’t cross a bridge or fly in an airplane. It makes no difference that far
more people die in automobile accidents than aircraft crashes in a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fear is still there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It appears that dogs can develop irrational
fears just as humans can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The T.A.P.S.
team investigated a house where the dog was afraid of the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dog appeared to avoid the area by the
back door for no plausible reason, so the family assumed something paranormal
was to blame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>T.A.P.S. brought their own
dog to the investigation, and the dog was perfectly calm in this area of the
house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The team noted that the flooring
in the kitchen by the back door was rather slick, and concluded that the dog’s
fear was probably due to the fact that it couldn’t get a sound footing on the
floor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">For years our family dog had a
similar fear of storm drains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would
take him out for a family jaunt and everything was fine, until he hit that
storm drain grate. Then without warning the dog would take off in the opposite
direction sometimes hauling us after him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We finally figured out that the dog didn’t like that echo-ish sound the
grates made when walking over them. He probably feared he’d fall in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally after many grates had been traversed,
he got over his fear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">If an animal appears afraid of
one area of the house but not others, than it may behoove you to do a little
investigative reasoning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are the
floorboards creaky in this area, or the flooring slick?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might also try some training techniques.
Put the dog on a leash and take him into the area calmly. Have him lie in the
area for a while. Use your best calm and assertive behaviors and always reward
the actions that you wish to see repeated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When the animal acts calmly give him a treat to reinforce the calm
behavior you wish him to exhibit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Storm
Phobias<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvMO7v_YALgjGJTJ1gCbYX8CeRCrEzoMZV1tRg-f-Ouh5uBTJ_6ReXiKLGRDBjezpSQ1Vhha8M12N-NhqCs1UTJk5A7RxfsudOZRhFK1W9zv4lkwlFJFhbbGHZbwNynjfveGeTZQhbAMS/s1600/collie.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvMO7v_YALgjGJTJ1gCbYX8CeRCrEzoMZV1tRg-f-Ouh5uBTJ_6ReXiKLGRDBjezpSQ1Vhha8M12N-NhqCs1UTJk5A7RxfsudOZRhFK1W9zv4lkwlFJFhbbGHZbwNynjfveGeTZQhbAMS/s1600/collie.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Storms are a common source of
distress for many dogs, and they can undoubtedly sense an oncoming storm before
we can. I spoke to one gentleman who said that his dog spent every thunderstorm
cowering in the bathtub. In the article, “Why do Dogs Act Weird when a
Rainstorm Comes” Animal Behaviorist, Nicholas Dodman admits it isn’t really
understood how an animal might sense an oncoming storm; whether it be sensed
changes in barometric pressure, or changes in the odor of the air, or rising
static electrical fields which herald an onslaught. Dodman did say that in some
dogs the polarized ion buildup that occurs before a thunderstorm can cause the
fur to become statically charged. In other words, Zippy may be taking some
uncomfortable zaps of electricity, and it may be these dogs that develop the
worst storm phobias.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the way, dogs
that take refuge in bathtubs, sinks, shower stalls or behind toilets do so for a
reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently these spots are
non-conductive and help dissipate the static electricity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The terror that some animals
experience due to storms is real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>According to a 2005 study in “Applied Animal Behavior Science” the
cortisol level, a stress hormone in dogs, spiked 207% in the tested saliva of
dogs with storm phobias. And the cortisol levels stayed high for hours after
the storm had passed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Dodson continued to speculate
that storm phobias in animals may be triggered by more than one element, and goes
on to suggest that it may symptomatic of a “general noise phobia.” During
storms the panic attack may be triggered by high winds, thunder, and rain
pounding on the roof…. At times when there isn’t a storm their phobia may be
triggered by noises that are similar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
check the barometric pressure and bar the door, for a storm may be brewing and
Rover is way ahead of the Doppler radar reports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Dogs
and Electromagnetic Energy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Paranormal investigators are
extremely fond of anything to do with electromagnetic energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I found no studies on the effects of
high EMF’s on household pets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, a
2013 study that has gained notoriety on the internet examined the polar
electromagnetic sensitivities of pooping pooches. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Czech
study, which appeared in the Journal, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frontiers
in Zoology</i>, examined 70 dogs comprising of 37 different breeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dogs were allowed a free area to roam and
were not leased. After watching the animals poop and pee over 6000 times the
study found that when the polar electromagnetic field was calm dogs preferred
to align their bodies in a north-south pole when defecating. Apparently a calm
magnetic field is not all that usual. The researchers noted that during the
study the field was only calm around 30% of the time. And when there were
electromagnetic field disturbances all bets were off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The researchers admitted they had
no idea why the animals behaved this way, whether they perceived the fields
through their senses or whether the animals simply felt more comfortable at a
vegetative level when pooping to the north is unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The researchers also raised the question as
to how a magnetic storm would affect an animal’s behavior. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">What is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">also</i> unknown is why a researcher would want to watch dogs poop for two
years and then admit it in public!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
ashamedly, after reading the study results I did start watching my own dog who
I noted predominantly faces south, and poops with his rear-end facing
north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, I speculated, is what becomes of a
person who reads too many scientific studies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">So the question is raised, if a
dog can sense electromagnetic fields, are they also similarly <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sensitive to fluctuating or high EMF fields
within a domicile?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could an area in a
building with an abnormally high electro-magnetic field also perversely affect
a canine? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Young
Female Animals &p; PMS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Young female dogs especially,
going through their first heat may start acting anxiety ridden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Animals that are normally independent may
start acting clingy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others may be testy
or even become aggressive. When hormones surge, especially for the first time,
females of many species will act differently. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Obsessive
Compulsive Disorders<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Obsessive Compulsive Disorders,
yes dogs can exhibit such symptoms too. I blame our schedule-driven, immobile
society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dogs like humans used to have
tasks to do. Hunting dogs pointed, groused and fetched. Herding dogs kept the
other farm animals at bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My own dog
now lies leashed twelve hours of every day so that he doesn’t destroy the house
while we’re gone earning our kibble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Intelligent animals with very little to do can develop obsessive
compulsive disorders. Some of the symptoms listed include:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Self-mutilation especially around the forepaws,
tail and back legs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Tail chasing, tail biting, whether bobbed or not<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Staring
into space<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">A
behavior that intensifies over time and cannot be interrupted, even with
physical restraints<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Circling behaviors<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Biting at imaginary flies, or chasing imaginary
light<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Sucking on a toy or on a part of their bodies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">As animals age their playful
behaviors decline, and that is when compulsive behaviors will often begin. As
the animal ages so the behavior may progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For our own dog, it often results in tail biting and carpet licking. The
author notes that while such disorders can occur in dogs they are not all that
frequent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She adds that the behaviors
are labeled compulsive when they become an exaggeration of normal behaviors,
they are exhibited for long periods of time and are repeated at times which
appear to be abnormal and happen out of context of the situation (Radosta,
2015). </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Compulsive behaviors in dogs are
developed during times of stress, high anxiety or frustration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Separation
Anxiety<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It probably comes as no surprise
to animal lovers that some animals – especially dogs – can develop separation
anxiety. Such behaviors can include urinating, defecating, howling, barking,
chewing, digging or attempts at escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>According to WebMD such attempts at escape can be truly destructive
especially at egress points such as doors and windows and may result in animal
injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So while you may think you have
a poltergeist at work, it may be Rover just trying to get the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">heck</i> out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Adolescent
Dog Anxiety <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">There is even a theory that young
dogs have periods of high anxiety as they mature. This theory is as highly
debated as some of the paranormal theories I’ve read, with veterinarians
suggesting there are no such periods and enthusiasts swearing there are. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dogs especially are pack animals, and pack
animals as they mature must vie for positions of authority in the pack. Some
adolescent animals may become anxious, therefore, as they age, worrying what
their position may become in the pack- much like middle-school children begin worrying
about their future contribution. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Cats
and Low-Light Vision<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EKEFj8T3DHNsrQeon65mvqgQhyWSdfOEgtn1IyhUeVsT78QTTynWgZTZ9WMyM-46SQFInNpYazPaSDcalf5Q9ZjtaJmnrTkQdpstNNfF_DGeDPxrdSkkeZEzgzpXAgd-QpolJYidRxcI/s1600/cat+eye.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EKEFj8T3DHNsrQeon65mvqgQhyWSdfOEgtn1IyhUeVsT78QTTynWgZTZ9WMyM-46SQFInNpYazPaSDcalf5Q9ZjtaJmnrTkQdpstNNfF_DGeDPxrdSkkeZEzgzpXAgd-QpolJYidRxcI/s1600/cat+eye.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cats
are by nature nocturnal, thus their vision is adapted to low-light situations,
which makes them different from both humans and dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While they see better in low-light situations
they cannot see in total darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
of the anatomical differences are obvious just by looking at the eyes of a
cat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pupil is a vertical, elliptical
shape, which allows it to bring in more light into the eye. More light means
better vision in low light situations. Another important feature is the tapetum
lucidum a membrane within the eye that is reflective. This membrane literally
bounces available light onto the retina; think tinfoil reflecting sunlight. Cat
eyes are also comprised of more rods than cones. Rods are better at absorbing
light than cones. Thus nature has prepared the purrfect (couldn’t resist) eye
for these nocturnal hunters, allowing them to see far more detail in the dark
than humans could ever hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This might
account for them seeing something in the dark, such as a spirit or a mouse,
that we do not perceive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Animal Hearing<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
appears that the hearing of dogs and cats is somewhat different on the spectrum
than what humans hear. According to one source humans typically hear from
64Hz-23,000Hz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dogs’ low tones start at
67Hz but top out at 45,000Hz. Those account for those higher tones, like a dog
whistle, that humans simply cannot hear. And cats can hear both lower tones and
higher tones starting at 45Hz -64,000Hz. Thus we explain animal’s hearings
something we cannot. </span><span style="color: #555555; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Animals
and the Paranormal<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I realize that this article was
purportedly about animals and the paranormal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The prevailing public opinion is that animals are more attuned to the
paranormal than humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But public
opinion may not always take into account that animals sense the natural world
differently, which may make them appear to have preternatural abilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance, dogs and cats, and birds for
that matter, appear to have the ability to sense impending earthquakes. Is this
ability clairvoyant or do they sense earthquakes through sound, smell or
vibration?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also appears that dogs can
smell certain illnesses in people, just as they can sniff out drugs or
chemicals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But can they sense the
paranormal, and more to the point for parapsychologists, do animals have a
sixth sense?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Parapsychologists have long
speculated that we detect paranormal activity, not with our eyes or ears, but
with our physic sight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Obviously studying this premise
is difficult at best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t make
paranormal activity happen on cue, let alone study it in conjunction with
animal behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While particular
animals with apparently highly developed psi skills have been studied, none
were studied in conjunction with paranormal phenomenon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Ernesto Bozzano attempted this
feat in his study of 69 collected accounts involving animals, humans and
paranormal activity. He published his study in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Annals of Psychic Science</i> in 1905 and again in 1926 in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Animaux et Manifestations Metaphychiques </i>in
which animals as agents induce telepathic hallucination; in which they act as
percipients simultaneously with, or previously to, human beings; in that they
see human or animal phantoms, collectively with human beings in which phantom
animals are seen in haunted spots or periodically appear as a premonition of
death<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>(Melton, 2001).”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Of the original 69 cases he determined
that in 13 cases the animals, “were subject to supernormal psychic perception
in precedence [before] to humans, and in 12 they perceived things that the
persons present were unable to see (Melton, 2001).” In over one-third of the
cases, therefore, animals appeared to have better faculties for detection than
their human counterparts by either seeing the phenomenon first or seeing it
when the humans could not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">He believed that animals, “’besides
sharing with man the intermittent exercise of faculties of supernormal psychic
perception, show themselves further more normally endowed with special psychic
faculties unknown to man (Melton, 2001).’”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Among these he listed as their abilities at direction and migration and what
he felt was their precognitive ability to predict earthquakes and volcanoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A highly developed psychic sense he
attributed to instinct, which all animals, except man, appear to have
developed. But one study is hardly conclusive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Greg Pocha of the Eidolan Project
Canada takes a different view of animal abilities. He makes a distinction
between true psychic ability in humans and animals and “gut feelings” for which
he notes there is a physiological explanation. Pocha writes,</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I believe that true human medium
or psychic ability is found very, very rarely. Intuitiveness is more common
- the so called "gut feeling". But there is a physiological
reason for that instinct that dates back to our cave man ancestors. Scientists
have discovered a second primitive "brain" located in the tissue
around the stomach, small intestine and colon, which recently lead to the
science / study of gastroenterology. This "brain" is connected to our
survival instinct, and may account the feeling that one gets in places of no
noticeable danger or threat. Its original function was to warn us of impeding
dangers, such as a predator in the neighborhood. It may be what a
"sixth" sense would be based upon. There is no reason that the
ancestors of dogs and cats would not still have the remnants of such an organ
as well. But this primitive brain does not explain psi abilities, only
reactive, instinctive "gut feelings”. If the ratio for other animals
is about the same as for humans, then only a handful of animals have a psychic
ability (Pocha, 2015).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This instinctual response to
danger might then explain why horses especially appear to be able to predict
avalanches. Or how dogs and cats sense earthquakes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pocha points out that much of what we
know of animal reactions is anecdotal, but that it doesn’t make them untrue. He
writes “….Recently I have heard from a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police regarding one of their dogs who got spooked at the doorway of a room and
nothing could get him to enter that room. This is a trained police dog that was
frightened of something "not there". Was it merely reacting to its
handlers’ fears? No, the officers entered the room without issue or problem
(Pocha, 2015).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I guess that the conclusion we can
reach, based on the evidence at hand, is that SOME humans and animals may have
psychic abilities whilst the vast majority do not. So what exactly are
they reacting to when they seem to sense a presence or follow something about a
room etc? It’s likely something perfectly natural but out of sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is what I think most of the reported
stories are. Some may be psychical in tone, but most I believe are merely dogs
and cats being dogs and cats and their actions being misinterpreted [or sought
after verification]as evidence that there is paranormal activity in a home
where paranormal activity may or may not actually exist... and that is a human
fallacy (Pocha, 2015).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">So can Fido tell when a ghost is
near? It appears that some animals may have psychic abilities, and some may
have more highly developed skills than others – just as humans do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess I would have to admit a grudging yes…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">maybe.</i> Before I label something
paranormal, however, I still believe we need to explore the other
possibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has the home had
paranormal activity in the past for instance?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have other members of the family
experienced anything unexplainable? Was the activity recent? Is it possible
that Rex got into the bag of Easter candy and now is having an all-holy gastro-intestinal
attack? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Resources<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Anonymous
(2013). “7 Signs your Dog is in Pain.” Pawsitively Pets. Retrieved January 27,
2015 from </span><a href="http://www.mypawsitivelypets.com/2013/01/7-signs-that-your-dog-is-in-pain.html#.VMfXaDg5DIU"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">http://www.mypawsitivelypets.com/2013/01/7-signs-that-your-dog-is-in-pain.html#.VMfXaDg5DIU</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Anonymous (2015) “Separation Anxiety in Dogs.” Web MD.
Retrieved January 31, 2015 from </span><a href="http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/separation-anxiety-dogs"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #336699;">http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/separation-anxiety-dogs</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Anonymous. (2015) “Night Vision in Cats.” Cat Health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved January 31, 2015 from </span><a href="http://www.cathealth.com/vision/night-vision-in-cats"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #336699;">http://www.cathealth.com/vision/night-vision-in-cats</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Bragg, Rebecca (2015). “Why do
Dogs Act Weird when a Rainstorm comes?” On Demand Media. The Daily Puppy. Retrieved
January 27, 2015 from http://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/dogs-act-weird-rainstorm-comes-7958.html<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Discussion
Board Doggit (2013). “</span><a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/comments/1hmxx6/please_help_my_dog_is_suddenly_skittish_and/"><span lang="EN" style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-themecolor: text1;">My dog is suddenly
skittish and scared for no reason.”</span></a><span style="color: white;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-themecolor: text1;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reddit.com Retrieved January 25, 2015 from </span></span><a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/comments/1hmxx6/"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">http://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/comments/1hmxx6/</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Gilbert,
Joe (2013).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“My Dog Is Acting Weird,
Like She Is Scared Or Worried, What's Wrong?” Official Site </span><a href="http://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=CIIll4d7HVJ-HK8zVfO_WgLAMnKy-pwasu76sGYSyu4hlEAEg_7SuB2DJ9qaM0KTkD6ABgMD--gPIAQGoAwHIA8IEqgTMAU_QSErtoUnQfWPxjmPGPswq4rYu-2dV72W5Xcevl8zCw5OgpUiupg22M1zBS1ktIpHny1Q8LM4j734v8DNtIpuTISRfcoGRQBVFmA9mLoPxRcdJer1FMdI4NO3JG5hsDJnUsgzya6n5Jvg5L1C9Y1r4mQivYyKqezlHR7w0A6wCQaFz1k5xJ7gHuE60bdvP5iKBQDaKkag7j1DvhPRt6Gwoq2FLcd8j846QPfcq9Eu8ekoJKhKYwT0pEKlzM_D2y-G-3IuhaRYIQpfXtYgGAYAH6L-BBQ&num=1&cid=5GgR2W11-n21gv06tUTcduW6&sig=AOD64_2Onmt21tVVlQGysfYSzI0HsT-h6g&client=ca-pub-1549962111268759&adurl=http://www.vetionx.com/anxietrex_dog.php%3Futm_campaign%3DVIRMKT%26utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dppc%26utm_term%3D%26adused%3D6708839092%26s_kwcid%3DContentNetwork%7C6708839092" target="_top" title="vetionx.com/Anxietrex-for-Dogs"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;">Anxietrex™ </span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="color: white;">Melton, Gordon J.
(2001).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Encyclopedia of Occultism &
Parapsychology; 5<sup>th</sup> Edition Vol. 1. Pgs. 37-38.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;">Pocha, Greg
(2015). In response to Query Animals and the Paranormal. Eidolan Project
Canada: Parapsychology and Paranormal Research and Investigation. Edmonton, Red
Deer, Calgary, Alberta Canada. </span></span><a href="http://www.eidolonproject.org/"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Http://www.EidolonProject.org</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;">Pocha, Greg
(2015). In response to Query Animals and the Paranormal. Eidolan Project
Canada: Parapsychology and Paranormal Research and Investigation. Retrieved
February 2, 2015 from </span></span><a href="http://www.allexperts.com/"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">www.allexperts.com</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="color: white;">:
Ghosts and Hauntings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Radosta, Lisa D.V. M., D.A.C.V.
B. (2015) “Can Dogs have Compulsive Obsessive Disorders?’ Pet.MD. Retrieved
January 30, 2015 from </span><a href="http://www.petmd.com/dog/behavior/evr_dog_behavior_compulsive_disorder"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #336699;">http://www.petmd.com/dog/behavior/evr_dog_behavior_compulsive_disorder</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Scuiletti,
Justin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(2014).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Dogs Poop in Alignment with Earth’s
Magnetic Field, Study Finds.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PBS News
Hour Retrieved January 26, 2015 from </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/dogs-poop-in-alignment-with-earths-magnetic-field-study-finds/"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;">http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/dogs-poop-in-alignment-with-earths-magnetic-field-study-finds/</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="color: white;">Published
article originally from the Journal, Frontiers in Zoology.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-84085590227595209262015-01-25T06:08:00.001-08:002015-02-02T05:36:04.655-08:00Famous People and the Paranormal VII; Abraham Lincoln<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC3eko_YlGqYiDyu5HUTUwD9tmjPAO9lGbDNCAyIluOc7zVxlNpodTRrX3qnBEagc0JHpQzfZA9JjS3YMlhhUclHWPe-V1TxGxpTPu6iF2K7rXm22Rn2fQRdwA4wOCI60ddwvjrmjELBk/s1600/lincoln.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC3eko_YlGqYiDyu5HUTUwD9tmjPAO9lGbDNCAyIluOc7zVxlNpodTRrX3qnBEagc0JHpQzfZA9JjS3YMlhhUclHWPe-V1TxGxpTPu6iF2K7rXm22Rn2fQRdwA4wOCI60ddwvjrmjELBk/s1600/lincoln.png" height="320" width="259" /></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">By Robin M. Strom-Mackey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">President, Abraham Lincoln, aside
from being one of America’s greatest leaders was also probably the country’s
most accepting of the spiritual realm. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honest
Abe, as he was nicknamed, was a man of great personal convictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He left a lucrative career in the law to
enter politics in order to halt the spread of slavery, a practice he felt
abhorrent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was as equally invested in
maintaining the union, and felt the country should not be divided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Civil War became his personal cross to
bear, and accounts describe his dejection at the loss of so many lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who knew the president best verify that
he felt the division of the country and the loss of life due to the Civil War
keenly, as if each boy lost were his own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lincoln’s personal life was no
life as no less riddled with tragedy and loss. It was during his presidency
that he lost his own son; young Willie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All
told, his presidency was a period of extreme personal duress, and sleepless
nights and stress quickly took their toll on his already craggy
countenance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">As the war progressed the
president appeared to withdraw further into himself, and was described as
acting melancholy and silent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A man
bearing the loss of so many souls could only be searching for answers to the
universe’s deeper mysteries, and there is evidence that he did seek out
guidance in those years from well-known spiritualists, many of whom were
invited to the White House by the first lady herself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Personal
Loss<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lincoln’s personal losses were
both devastating and life-changing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
mother died when Lincoln was only a child, struck down by a frontier-epidemic
called “Milk Sickness.” The willowy, Nancy Hanks Lincoln nursed family friends
Tom and Betsy Sparrow who had succumbed to the illness, at which time she
herself was infected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nancy died shortly
after, leaving a husband and two children behind. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lincoln, devastated by the loss, reportedly
helped to build her coffin, and lower it into the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Afterwards, Lincoln buried his head in his
hands and wept for hours, despairing that he was now, “completely alone in the
world.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lincoln funneled his despair into
hard work, laboring at odd jobs to pay his way through college and law school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was in the law that Lincoln developed his
greatest talents. He had both an ability for political maneuvering and a genius
for oration and debate. Once he established his career he met his future wife,
the young Mary Todd. After a rocky courtship beginning in 1839, Lincoln finally
married Mary in 1842. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMm4U2Fjt4fvMewS0X68nSP8KOum8L0W_6dRCZqaXhTY9IAJ9_zJF-SCJmrp598fIaOpQcPM8euRrV5k2jCwQzn28so2q_vuYbz70C5vQ5Fr3W4rwkwrW0_WM4OqH10mMkT9nbddZMsBOj/s1600/mary+todd+lincoln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMm4U2Fjt4fvMewS0X68nSP8KOum8L0W_6dRCZqaXhTY9IAJ9_zJF-SCJmrp598fIaOpQcPM8euRrV5k2jCwQzn28so2q_vuYbz70C5vQ5Fr3W4rwkwrW0_WM4OqH10mMkT9nbddZMsBOj/s1600/mary+todd+lincoln.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Todd Lincoln</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The early years of their marriage were
strained, however, with Lincoln’s constant and lengthy absences from home as he
traveled on business. Nevertheless, Mary gave Abe four sons, Robert Todd
Lincoln (1843-1926), Edward “Eddie” Baker Lincoln (1846-1850), William Wallace
“Willie” (1850-1862) and Thomas “Tad” (1853-1871).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eddie lived only to the age of four, and died
shortly before the birth of Willie. Incidentally, Robert was the only son of
the four to survive to adulthood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would
follow in his father’s footsteps and became first a lawyer and eventually
Secretary of War and Minister to Great Britain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oddly, Robert was probably the son least close to the president. He was
born at a time when the Lincoln was constantly away on business and had very
little contact with Lincoln as a child. When Robert turned 16 his father won
the White House, but Robert was departing for school. Robert later reported
that he had had about 10 minutes of the president’s attention while Lincoln was
in the White House, as the President was constantly preoccupied.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSlqAda4mGo62ub0TAMC24oVq4VKVQ6DT13lOdhl8fphyphenhyphenCSWT0HDADOarDa88Gl4iUNLYpcz9fmU4SPwXT7usGnQGN43EJQREJWrkQzazsSpTqpeEP5DJUhWNSGmLp3lLOgRiHWFYUSwW/s1600/robert+lincoln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSlqAda4mGo62ub0TAMC24oVq4VKVQ6DT13lOdhl8fphyphenhyphenCSWT0HDADOarDa88Gl4iUNLYpcz9fmU4SPwXT7usGnQGN43EJQREJWrkQzazsSpTqpeEP5DJUhWNSGmLp3lLOgRiHWFYUSwW/s1600/robert+lincoln.jpg" height="200" width="148" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Lincoln</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lincoln dedicated most of his
early years with his own education in the law, and later at establishing his
reputation as a lawyer. His law practice was extremely successful, and the more
successful he became the further afield he went, trying cases the length and
breadth of Illinois. He’d served a stint as a Congressman in the early 1840’s,
but gave it up because of the demand on his time. He was adamantly against slavery,
but he was satisfied with the Missouri Compromise which made slavery illegal anywhere
west than the line drawn by the Louisiana Territory, as he felt that the future
of the country resided to the west. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When that same compromise was
challenged by a congressional act spearheaded by an old rival, Stephen Douglas,
Lincoln felt that the time had come for another run at politics, he threw in
his hat for Douglas’s senate seat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
fiercely contested campaign ensued in which Lincoln and Douglas squared off in
several heated debates, so heated in fact that they aroused the attention of
the news media across the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lincoln
displayed his finest oratorical talents in eloquent and passionate arguments. At
a time when passions throughout the country were running high, Lincoln spoke for
reason and compromise. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though he lost
the seat to Douglas in the 1858 election, he had garnered the attention of many
political pundits including the newly formed Republican Party. In May 1860, in
Chicago, Illinois, Abe Lincoln became the Republican Party’s candidate for
president.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lincoln won the presidency
handily in the Electoral College.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
popular vote, however, revealed a different story; a story of a country
divided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lincoln gained just 40% of the
popular vote, and the numbers were even grimmer in the south, where Lincoln won
none of the popular votes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He became a
minority president. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In his home state of Illinois,
however, the day of the election had a carnival atmosphere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a parade which wound its way past
Lincoln’s house and lasted for hours. Later there was a picnic with tubs of
lemonade and roasted whole steers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Clearly Illinois was proud of their presidential hopeful. An evening
dinner was held with political allies, and then Lincoln repaired to the local
telegraph office to await last minute messages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the very early hours it became clear that Lincoln had won the
election in the Electoral College. After an intense and tiresome twenty-four
hour marathon, Lincoln returned home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Prophetic President<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lincoln was exhausted. Too tired
to remove his clothes, he lay down on the first flat surface he could find, a
small settee. Near the couch was a bureau with a mirror on top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lincoln was shocked at his appearance in the
mirror. His face looked wan and thin and bleached of all color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he later recounted this to his friends
they suggested he grow a beard to hide the narrowness of his countenance and to
give him a more presidential image. It was then that Lincoln felt he had his
first vision, what he felt later was a vision of prophetic import. He realized
that when he looked in the mirror what he saw was two distinct images of
himself superimposed. He could tell there were two images because they didn’t
quite align with one another, and he could tell distinctly that the tip of one
nose was about three inches beyond the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As he stared in the mirror the vision disappeared, but reappeared a few
moments later more strongly outlined. Staring at the dual images he realized
that one of the images was far paler than the other, as pale as the face of
death. The vision disappeared again and Lincoln dismissed it to sleep
deprivation and the excitement of the last few days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">He did, however, recall the
visions to his wife Mary, who felt she knew the significance of the two
faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The healthier face, Mary felt,
was the face of her husband during his first term as president. The fact that
the face had more color and appeared healthier she felt indicated that he would
live out his first term as president.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>According to legend, Mary interrupted the second paler face to indicate
her husband’s second term of office. She felt he would achieve a second term,
but would not live to see it through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Over the course of the next few days, Lincoln apparently tried to
recreate the vision in the mirror, which he was able to do on several occasions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">He did scoff at the notion of
prophecy later to friends and colleagues saying that it must have been an
anomaly in the glass or a hallucination brought on by lack of sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, this apparently was not his only
prophetic moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly before winning
the election Lincoln apparently was talking to a group of friends when he said
about the probability of the Civil War, “Gentlemen, you may be surprised and
think it strange, but when the doctor here was describing the war, I distinctly
saw myself, in second sight, bearing an important part in that strife (Taylor, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2003).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">According to union war documents,
late one night during his presidency Lincoln burst into a local telegraph
office demanding information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told
the operator to immediately contact Lincoln’s union commanders as he was quite
sure the Confederates were about to cross federal lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the stunned operator asked the president
how he had obtained such information the president blurted out, “My God, man, I
saw it!”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMbAdKO8ARHtoDskbk1ZEec_mvvKn08mpgbde-Uog1ZMARcqymAW-eKpPmBhaQ_PpGgn0NU7OljU9tZRzfpoGlirJ3dzYcZ1-_QUWx1Jib1FSa3rw25ZVV-pFn01aJ2gkjrRyoiwbY88O/s1600/willie.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMbAdKO8ARHtoDskbk1ZEec_mvvKn08mpgbde-Uog1ZMARcqymAW-eKpPmBhaQ_PpGgn0NU7OljU9tZRzfpoGlirJ3dzYcZ1-_QUWx1Jib1FSa3rw25ZVV-pFn01aJ2gkjrRyoiwbY88O/s1600/willie.png" height="200" width="164" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willie Lincoln</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Tragedy
Befalls a President<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Mary and Abe’s second son Edward
had died in 1850, but it was the death of Lincoln’s third son Willie in 1862
that nearly derailed the president.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Willie was the son that most resembled his father, and therefore was his
parent’s favorite. He was reportedly reading and writing proficiently by the
age of eight, while his more athletic brother, Tad, did not achieve such
distinction until the age of twelve. William Wallace, named for a doctor in
Springfield, Illinois, had been a quiet and thoughtful child who excelled in
reading and academics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a wonderful
memory, Willie had been able to recite whole bible passages by rote, and often
told his parents that he intended on becoming a minister when he grew up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">While so many Americans were losing
their own sons to the war, perhaps the death of Willie was a tragedy that
resonated with the populace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the Confederate President, Jefferson
Davis, sent condolences after the death of the boy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The loss was exceptionally
painful to the president. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lincoln
reportedly locked himself in his office for several hours after the death and
would not answer the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boy’s
body was supposed to be sent to a grave in Springfield, Illinois. However, a
family friend, William Thomas Carroll, offered a place in his family’s tomb where
Willie’s body could be put temporarily while Lincoln remained in Washington,
and later moved back home. Apparently Lincoln could not suffer to let the boy
be too far from him. Reportedly Lincoln returned on two separate occasions
demanding the casket opened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
embalmer apparently had done a good job, and Willie looked as if merely asleep.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It is said that after Willie’s
death that the President withdrew further within himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the gloom of the Civil War upon his
back, coupled with his own loss, some speculate that he might have contemplated
suicide shortly after the death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was
often said to work at his desk with one eye on the door as if waiting for
Willie to come in and give him a hug, as the boy had done in real life. He also
began to speak about how he felt the boy’s presence lingering in his office and
bedroom. It was perhaps his concerted love that kept the spirit of the boy
connected with him throughout what remained of his presidency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Spiritualist Movement<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It is not surprising that Lincoln
would have distanced himself from the Spiritualist Movement of the day, seeing
such involvement as being damaging to his political career. Mary Todd Lincoln,
however, was a firm believer in the Spiritualist movement and furthermore had
lost two children prematurely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Todd Lincoln
is often cited as having mediums to the White House for séances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lincoln, was never officially claimed a member
of such, but private diaries and accounts by attendees indicate that he at
least occasionally attended. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Some historians have postulated
that Todd Lincoln’s involvement with the spiritualists may have caused her
mental instability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly the death
of two sons would have left her seeking solace from whatever source available.
It is noted that after Willie’s death Todd Lincoln never again entered the
guest room in which the boy had died, nor would she enter the room in which the
viewing had been held.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is reported
that she had increasing bouts of headaches, mood swings, and irrational
exchanges of temper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It was during this time that she
began to invite mediums to the White House. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nettie Colburn Maynard, a celebrated medium,
was invited to the White House on several occasions. During one sitting, Maynard
began playing the grand piano in the room when it began to levitate off the
ground. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to accounts, both
Lincoln and Colonel Simon Kase climbed on top of the instrument only to have it
buck and shake, causing them to climb back down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He later referred to the event as, “proof of
an invisible force (Taylor, 2003).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lincoln may have consulted with
mediums at the White House, asking them about the war. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He appears to have questioned them for
tactical information and troop movements, and noted that sometimes the
information they gave him correlated with his own precognitive visions and the
events as they happened. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Entering his second term Lincoln
appeared to fear some type of doom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Besides his own premonition there were constant death threats that kept
his bodyguards on constant alert and himself on edge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At another séance with the celebrated Nettie
Colborn Maynard, Maynard reportedly told the president, “The shadows that
others have told of still hang over you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lincoln apparently replied that he had received letters from mediums all
over the country that warned him of the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Maynard prepared to leave the president
graciously extended an invitation for the following fall. Maynard accepted with
some hesitation saying, “I shall come of course, that is…if you are still among
us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Premonition
of Death<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Ward Hill Lamon had been a
colleague from Illinois and close friend of the President for many years.
During his White House years Lincoln appointed Lamon his personal head of security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tireless Lamon was said to take his
duties very seriously, often chiding the president for not taking proper
precautions when he left to go to the theater or out to dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lamon, unfortunately, was on an errand for
the president in Richmond, Virginia on the night of the Ford’s Theater
assassination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many historians have
speculated that the assassination may have been thwarted had Lamon been on
duty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it was, Lamon felt bitter
regret and personal responsibility for years after the assassination,
especially as he had been forewarned of the event by the president himself. Years
after the assassination Lamon would recount Lincoln’s words:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.2in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">“About
ten days ago I retired late, and soon began to dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There seemed to be a deathlike stillness
about me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I began to hear subdued
sobs, as if a number of people were weeping. I thought I left my bed and
wandered downstairs. There the silence was broken by the same painful sobbing,
but the mourners were invisible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went
from room to room; no living person was in sight, but the same mournful sounds
of distress met me as I passed along.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">It
was light in all the rooms, every object familiar to me but where were all the
people who were grieving as if their hearts would break? I was puzzled and
alarmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What could be the meaning of
all this? Determined to find the cause of the state of things, so mysterious
and so shocking, I kept on until I arrived at the East Room which I entered.
Before me was a catafalque, on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments.
Around it were stationed soldiers who were acting as guards; and there was a
throng of people, some gazing mournfully upon the corpse whose face was
covered, others weeping pitifully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.2in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">“Who
is dead in the White House,” I demanded one of the soldiers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.2in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">“The
President,” was his answer. “He was killed by an assassin.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.2in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Then
came a loud burst of grief from the crowd, which awoke me from my dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I slept no more that night; and although it
was only a dream, I have been strangely annoyed by it ever since (Taylor,
2003).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">At eleven in the morning of the
day that Lincoln was to attend the play <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Our
American Cousin</i> at Ford’s Theater, April 14, 1865, Lincoln called a cabinet
meeting. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The union was close to winning
the war. Just days before General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to Union
General, Ulysses S. Grant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lincoln was
awaiting word from North Carolina of a further surrender by Joseph E. Johnston.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Word was in the morning paper that Lincoln
was to attend the play that evening with General Grant and his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prophetically, Grant’s wife supposedly felt a
foreboding of the night’s events, and begged her husband to break the
engagement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lincoln would instead invite
Major Henry Rathbone and his fiancé Clara Harris.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton
missed the first twenty minutes of the cabinet meeting, and arrived with the
meeting in full swing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Afterwards in a
conversation with Attorney General, James Speed, Stanton noted that the meeting
had been very productive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speed
undoubtedly gave Stanton a peculiar look before stating, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.2in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">“But
you were not her at the beginning. When we entered the council chamber, we
found the president seated at the top of the table with his face buried in his
hands. Presently, he raised it and we saw that he looked grave and worn. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.2in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">“‘Gentlemen,
before long you will have important news…I have heard nothing, but you will
hear tomorrow. I have had a dream. I have dreamed three times before; once
before the Battle of Bull Run; once on another occasion; and again last night.
I am in a boat, alone on a boundless ocean. I have no oars, no rudder, I am
helpless. I drift!”</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">One of the members of Lincoln’s
security team, Colonel William H. Crook begged the President not to go the theater
that evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lincoln had shared his
prophetic dream with Crook, and Crook who was doggedly protective of the
President felt he should not discount the meaning of the dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The President, however, said that he needed a
night away, and that he had already promised his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crook who had already worked a full day, then
offered to accompany Lincoln to the theater himself, but Lincoln refused
telling Crook he couldn’t possibly work around the clock. Crook would later
recount that Lincoln would always wish Crook, “good night,” upon retiring. But
on this fateful evening, upon leaving for the theater Lincoln instead said,
“Good bye, Crook.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When Crook got word of the
assassination hours after, the President’s fateful words took on a new
significance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.2in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">"It
was the first time that he neglected to say ‘Good Night’ to me, and it was the
only time that he ever said ‘Good-bye’. I thought of it at that moment and, a
few hours later, when the news flashed over Washington that he had been shot,
his last words were so burned into my being that they can never be
forgotten."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lincoln had further informed
Crook that there would naturally be a guard outside the presidential box at the
theater. And there was. Police guard John Parker was stationed outside the door
to the box. A notorious drinker, shortly into the first act started Parker left
his post to go across the street to get a drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was sometime in the third act that the
assassin, John Wilkes Booth approached the unmanned door to the President’s box
and finding it unguarded let himself in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He approached the president unencumbered, put
a derringer pistol to the head of the president and shot him. Dropping the gun
he then took out a knife and stabbed Major Rathbone, slashing his arm to the
bone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In trying to depart, Booth got the
spur of his boot caught in a flag. He fell over the railing of the box and
crashed to the stage floor, breaking his leg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Somehow he still managed to escape out a back stage door, despite
Rathbone’s demands he be detained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The bullet entered Lincoln’s
skull just behind his left ear and traveled across his brain, mortally wounding
him. Alive but unconscious his body was carried across the street to the
Peterson House.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several surgeons were
called to attend him. One such doctor broke the news to Secretary Stanton that
Lincoln would not survive the night. Indeed, he passed away sometime in the
early morning hours of April 15<sup>th</sup>. The first coherent statement Mary
Todd Lincoln made following her husband’s assassination was regarding the
accuracy of his dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lincoln’s body
was displayed in the East Room to hundreds of mourners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Ghost of Lincoln<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">His haunted existence and his
failure to finish the war might account for Lincoln’s continued presence at the
White House.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are other spirits
that apparently continue to reside in the edifice, but none have made so many
appearances as the late president. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Winston
Churchill, during a stay at the White House in 1941, had just come out of the
shower wearing nothing but a towel and a halo of cigar smoke. Emerging into
what is now known as The Queen’s bedroom, he found Lincoln leaning against the
mantel of the fireplace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With his usual
aplomb, Churchill responded, “’Good evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me
at a disadvantage.’” After the odd encounter, Churchill started sleeping in the
bedroom across the hall. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mxMC1XBNrjkUsjeXBW1e2z9Tn8ntdh6giYwg63MVYz5B1dCNek7d-2FXEjNB3-vKdbohVk5llQf0cl_Xn3fRD3_TVAE3MFQI0Z5iHikDEfWRP8TwmiqMY9TcJYMVoSK6dh6iD_CO4h5-/s1600/queen+willhemena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mxMC1XBNrjkUsjeXBW1e2z9Tn8ntdh6giYwg63MVYz5B1dCNek7d-2FXEjNB3-vKdbohVk5llQf0cl_Xn3fRD3_TVAE3MFQI0Z5iHikDEfWRP8TwmiqMY9TcJYMVoSK6dh6iD_CO4h5-/s1600/queen+willhemena.jpg" height="320" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Queen Wilhelmina of the
Netherlands also noted seeing Lincoln in her bedroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Queen was sleeping when she was awoken by
a knock at the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon opening the
door she found Lincoln looking back at her from the hallway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve found no mention whether she asked to be
moved, although Lincoln did have the decency to knock first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lincoln has most often been spotted
in the aptly named Lincoln bedroom, though this is not the only place he has
been seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should be noted that the
bedroom was actually Lincoln’s office during his tenure at the White House, the
Oval Office and entire West Wing of the White House being a later addition
started in 1901 by Theodore Roosevelt. I speculate that this may account for
its activity, this being the room in which he spent the most time ruminating
over the war which was ravaging the nation. Lincoln actually slept in the room
now referred to as the ‘Master Bedroom’, with Mrs. Lincoln sleeping in an
adjoining room which is today a private living room. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">People that have witnessed
Lincoln in the now famous Lincoln bedroom include Claudia ‘Lady Bird’ Johnson,
Grace Coolidge and Eleanor Roosevelt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Coolidge also reportedly witnessed Lincoln in the Yellow Oval Room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reagan regaled a room-full of dinner guests
in 1986 with a story about his dog, Rex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rex was discovered barking unaccountably in the Lincoln bedroom, upon
which he backed out of the room refusing to enter it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rex also ungraciously interrupted an evening
of television watching by barking furiously at the ceiling for no obvious
reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it was Reagan’s
daughter Maureen and her husband that actually saw a ghost. They both reported
seeing a transparent form in the Lincoln bedroom, oddly on different occasions.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lincoln’s specter has been seen
by other witnesses at the White House as well, by both ordinary household staff
and celebrities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tony Savoy, Whitehouse
Operations Foreman in the 1980’s witnessed Lincoln in the hallway outside his
office and gave a rather detailed account in an interview on the official White
House Website. Savoy who was watering plants on the second floor happened to
run into Lincoln rather unexpectedly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“’When I turned the light on one
morning, he was sitting there outside his office with his hands over the top of
each other, legs crossed, and was looking straight ahead (Ruickbie, Belanger).’”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Savoy’s account was quite detailed.
He noted the late president was wearing, “’a grey, charcoal, pin striped suit,
and a pair of three-buttoned spats turned over on the side with black shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was sitting there, and he startled me, and
I stopped. And when I blinked he was gone. And I left there and went down the
stairs and told Assistant Usher, Nelson Pierce, what I had seen. And he said
I’m just one of the other ones that had seen him throughout the house over the
past years.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Other
Sightings<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lincoln’s ghost is a restless
spirit, however. Aside from the White House reports he has reportedly been
sighted at his home in Springfield, Illinois and also at his tomb. He has also
been reported at Fort Monroe, Virginia and Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Resources<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Belanger, Jeff (2004). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The World’s Most Haunted Places</i>. Fall
River Press. NY, NY.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Eye Witness History (1999,
revised 2009).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Death of President
Lincoln, 1865.Retrieved on January 21, 2015 from http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pflincoln.htm<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Haining, Peter, editor (2008). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mammoth Book of True Hauntings</i>.
Constable and Robinson Ltd. London, UK. Pg. 74.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Robert
Todd Lincoln. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 02:52, Jan 18, 2015,
from </span><a href="http://www.biography.com/people/robert-todd-lincoln-20989843"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">http://www.biography.com/people/robert-todd-lincoln-20989843</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Melton, Gordon J. editor (2001). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology</i>.
5<sup>th</sup> edition. Gale Group, Inc. Farmington Hills, Michigan. Vol. 1 A-L.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pg. 924<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Steiger, Brad (2003). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits and Haunted
Places</i>. Visible Ink Press. Canton, Michigan. Pg. 288.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Taylor, Troy (2003) Séances in
the White House? Lincoln and the Supernatural. The Haunted Museum. Ghost of the
Prairie. Retrieved January 2, 2015 from http//www.prairieghosts.com_lincoln.html<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088097942614208608.post-45216505871681548472014-10-11T14:31:00.001-07:002019-02-20T09:20:06.885-08:00Outdoor Paranormal Photography<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEips65i0C3yIYM4eLBYiLA0LyOJNvloKkko2W4IVMinKsDCbSDBFBNFCB3jmGdcLkpFG43ikS_rTc-8BGS2hm8uQ5BHZcAB9ig9l5LMPs0_D4l4UGm9uMueGNMfhBBmnxywJaRS5r1usPfk/s1600/fog+in+graveyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEips65i0C3yIYM4eLBYiLA0LyOJNvloKkko2W4IVMinKsDCbSDBFBNFCB3jmGdcLkpFG43ikS_rTc-8BGS2hm8uQ5BHZcAB9ig9l5LMPs0_D4l4UGm9uMueGNMfhBBmnxywJaRS5r1usPfk/s1600/fog+in+graveyard.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Frank from <strong>Delaware Bikes Organization</strong> wrote with this question: </div>
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We did a night time bicycle ride for skeptics. I took this photo in Nov. 2011, at the X cemetery in.... B. is on the right in the photo. He was examining the monument before walking toward me as I captured the image. Initially, we thought that it was caused by breathing in front of the lens, however, we were unable to recreate anything remotely close.<span class="text_exposed_hide">..</span></div>
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I never bothered to do anything with it, since it's impossible to prove. However, perhaps there are features of the image you have witnessed before?</div>
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<strong>Frank</strong><br />
Chair,<strong> Delaware Bikes</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.delawarebikes.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.delawarebikes.org</a></div>
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(some names and actual locations have been omitted)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyc4yrui4RpSrN5kttfImZqW49fez2tv6EewAHGRdQv3N0GGmpqQVcM-KUu2r8Gxg5PrMi38F9pFISk7C6FSzCVTVRw86_KxU3qfnUvILeXje9JkqaBXR_MA6mMD0wvVlPNv3EqGAsFaJH/s1600/skeptic's%2Bbiker%2Bride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyc4yrui4RpSrN5kttfImZqW49fez2tv6EewAHGRdQv3N0GGmpqQVcM-KUu2r8Gxg5PrMi38F9pFISk7C6FSzCVTVRw86_KxU3qfnUvILeXje9JkqaBXR_MA6mMD0wvVlPNv3EqGAsFaJH/s1600/skeptic's%2Bbiker%2Bride.jpg" width="320" /></a> <strong>Robin from DPRG replied:</strong> Thanks for the inquiry. That is an interesting photo. Outside photography is tricky for so many natural reasons. I would suggest smoke, BUT that usually twirls around in wispy circlets. It is interesting the way it's all in one fairly tight mass. I wouldn't therefore think fog either - because of the close configuration. </div>
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I love a skeptic. I'm more of the school of hard knocks myself. I like to first like to look for a rational explanation, and if not we might assume something was going on. Having said that, I checked a resource of mine which does show a photo of smoke, as from tobacco. And it was like I described at first, whirly and twisty, and not at all like your mist. The resource goes onto suggest a fog as being the next most logical explanation. </div>
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I realize the photo is a few years old, but if you do notice an anomaly in a photo there are a few things you could do at the time of the shooting. First, document the temperature if you can, and also note the changes in temperature during the preceding hours. Fall nights do get chilly, with temperatures dropping abruptly, which would lead to the condensation appearing.</div>
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The source also remarks that a good digital camera can capture carbon dioxide which is released by trees and vegetation in swampy areas, even if the area appears dry.</div>
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A couple caveats; the author cautions about making too much of "faces" seen in a mist - a tendency called parediolia. If you are also witnessing the fog while you're photographing, make note of its changing density and watch to see if it appears to be following you about. </div>
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And do what photographers do, bracket your photos. In other words, take a series of picture. If you notice something strange on one photo, take successive photos of the same scene. Check photos before and photos after. Does the "fog" move or stay the same? Is it in all the photos or only one? Something paranormal will likely appear and disappear quickly, or move about seeming to follow the action. Something natural like a fog will stay longer, dissipating much more slowly.</div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">False Positives</span></strong></div>
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Orbs</h3>
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Knowing the weather conditions and or humidity when taking a picture is important. Notice the "orb" by my son's face as he was working on his snow fort. This isn't a spirit trying to communicate with him, but a rain drop. The snow had stopped this particular night, and it had begun to rain. I was using the flash setting on my camera to take pictures because it had gotten very dark. Later, on review, I noticed, voila, I had an orb! What actually happened is the flash reflected off a rain drop resulting in a really cool orb shot. Snow, rain, dust, pollen and bugs are all capable of creating the orb effect in a photo, especially when used in conjunction with a flash. </div>
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Similarly, dust, bugs, humidity, pollen, rain, snowflakes, all are extremely reflective in a camera with an IR setting, such as night-time surveillance cameras. I can't tell you how many orb questions I receive from people capturing such on their surveillance cams. To date, and I've been doing this a long time, I've still never witnessed a n Orb photograph that I seriously considered the real thing. </div>
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Cigarette Smoke and Strange Fogs</h4>
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These two photos below of a strange fog are actually cigarette smoke, with the smoker placed behind the camera. This had none of the wispy, curly features that other texts had suggested would take place with cigarette smoke, but instead produced a most believable odd fog effect. The one the left is thick to the point where it might even be mistaken for a spirit coalescing. So before you consider spirit, you might want to find out if there are some sneaky smokers getting in a quick drag. </div>
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The Ghost in the Details; Slow Shutter Speeds</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsae_YRQPoYO4WgHH-fxrvmp2Ai8Yid88EoSTyTKmkAMIlcxRrpBTSo5wm_cN2xE9-qreb3N_pe80s_4BH1q4Zyx30ZnNpZ0TtaSeWzE2tZ53ncXtQsrDEa1lzE0OLpLpvt9aujxk7H2o9/s1600/DSC03964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsae_YRQPoYO4WgHH-fxrvmp2Ai8Yid88EoSTyTKmkAMIlcxRrpBTSo5wm_cN2xE9-qreb3N_pe80s_4BH1q4Zyx30ZnNpZ0TtaSeWzE2tZ53ncXtQsrDEa1lzE0OLpLpvt9aujxk7H2o9/s320/DSC03964.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This strange effect was caused by a slow shutter speed in a low light situation. I dislike the flat effect of a flash, so I avoid flash as often as I can. But a slow shutter in low light causes ghosting effects in subjects whenever they move. Notice in the first shot just the hand seems to be fuzzy. In the second the entire head of the subject appears semi-opaque. Is it a ghost? No, it's my son who is in perpetual motion. A strong indicator of this anomaly are lines of light. Notice the line of light on the right side of the second picture. The light lines can also appear jaggedy or look like lightning flashes. If you take such a picture and don't examine it immediately, and then look at it later you might believe you captured a ghost. I say this in all honesty, having just watched a recent episode of Ghost Hunters where a photographer did just that. The picture seemed to show a ghostly form, but also displayed the lightning flashes of light that would indicate camera movement in a low light situation. Photography students are taught to tripod any photos using a 60 shutter speed or less. But whoever listens to what their photography instructor taught them?<br />
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<h3>
The Evil Eye</h3>
Recently the team was contacted by a family whose teenage girl was worried. Being a typical teenager she took multiple selfies of herself using the flash on her phone camera. Her photos often showed what she described as an evil eye in the photos. She was so unnerved by the evil eye that she purchased a new phone. But even with the phone she kept getting the evil eye effect. So I turned the flash on, and took a selfie of myself with my phone reflecting off the mirror. And voila, I too got the evil eye effect. It turned out the "evil eye" is actually a reflection of the IR light on the camera. The camera focuses with an IR light. The IR light is sent out and when it hits something solid it bounces back. The time it takes to bounce back allows the camera to determine the distance between camera and subject. It then focuses for that distance. Using the flash and a mirror illuminated and reflected that IR light which would normally be invisible to our eyes, complete with a ghosting effect around the light at the center, creating what looked like an evil eye....imagine evil laughter here. <br />
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Notice the evil eye effect in the photo below, on the shoulder of the team's Co-Director - in yellow hoodie. It can also occur when there's strong light sources in front of the camera. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Fireflies and Traveling Spiders</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sometimes it takes me awhile to work these things out. A woman sent me several pictures. It was a summer evening, and she had been taking pictures of her family when she noticed small, green orbs showing up in her pictures. She sent them to me and I scratched my head. On the one hand they did act like orbs should act, a ball of light illuminated from within, not being reflected from without. And then it dawned me, it was summer night at dusk and the photos were being taken in a grassy area. Fireflies! Mystery Solved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Another inquiry took me longer. A gentleman had set up a deer cam in the forest near his house. Deer cams shoot video when something moves in the frame. In this case the video was filmed at night, using the camera's IR setting, with a lovely doe munching by a tree calmly when this filmy, guazy string floats by over her head. I admit I was somewhat at a loss on that one, until I stepped out on my back porch one day and saw a newly hatched spider floating by on a wisp of gossamer web. That's how newly hatched spiders find a home. They hatch from a nest, throw out a bit of web, which catches the breeze and floats them off to a new locale. Cobwebs and spider webs are both eerily reflective on an IR camera. </span></div>
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Reflections and Pareidolia</h4>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A gentleman sent in this picture. He felt he'd captured a ghost in the window of this quaint little shop in Rehoboth Beach. (1st story window to the right of the door) In the window he saw what he thought looked like a ghost wearing a hat. The building had a reputation, apparently, for being haunted, which probably increased the confusion. But the form in the window isn't a spirit but a reflection off the window. Notice that just above the figure is the perfect outline of the tree branch which has the same light quality. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is a case of pareidolia. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #444444; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21.28px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Pareidolia is defined as a psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus (an image or a sound) wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern of something where none actually exists.</span><span style="color: #b00000;"> </span></span>Our minds do this naturally, they're hardwired to try to make order out of chaos. That's why we see pictures in the clouds, or the face of Jesus in a water stain. </span></div>
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Robin M. Strom-Mackeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668968297314721428noreply@blogger.com1