Halloween... The night of ghosts, ghouls, and most things that go bump in the night.

It is no surprise that many paranormal investigators love Halloween, or at least this time of year. Many believe that it is the one time of the year that the veil between the dead and the living is at its weakest. Many others believe that its a night of evil rather than good. So, who is right, who is wrong? To better answer this let's look at where the idea of where Halloween came from.

The Origins of Halloween

In ancient times, Celtic speaking countries  many had pagan (Middle English, from late Latin 'paganus' country dweller)  roots and belief system that marked the end of the harvest time and the beginning of winter. The festival known at Samhain (pronounced 'sah-win') was the time where they would honor their ancestors, have a great feast, dance, play games, and give offerings from the last of the harvests to their goddesses and gods. They would hollow out turnips, pumpkins or what ever they could carve a face on in hopes that the eerie face would ward of an evil that may be lurking near. This was considered the best time to contact the dead. The celebration would be an all day event, and by the night fall, candles were lit and rituals preformed to help honor the memory of their loved ones that had passed during the year and those before. 

It was not until 609 AD that the celebration of All Saints Day was moved to November 1st from May 13th  by Pope Gregory IV. Scholars believe that he moved the day to help counter the pagan festival. There would be a Mass that would honor the saints who did not have their own day, so that all that were considered 'hallowed' (regarded as holy; venerated; sacred) would be honored. The day before became known as All Hallows Eve. During this time, it was felt by many Christians the pagan festival was bringing forth evil spirits, and the devil. It is thought that in the 12th century,  people would put on masks and costumes so that they would not be spirited away or influenced by the dead. They hope it would conceal their identity long enough till midnight, where they felt the dangers were over and unmask themselves to prove that they were truly one of the living.

By the time the twentieth century was in full bloom both celebrations were practiced, but mostly by the Irish and Scottish immigrant communities. People were dressing in costumes, wearing masks, carving pumpkins, holding dances, going to church, and still honoring the dead.

From Samhain, to All Hallows Eve, to Halloween, started with pagan roots, re-routed by Christians, and then settled into the holiday of Halloween as we know it today. This Halloween many of all ages will dress up in costume and either trick or treat, go to parties, go to a harvest festival put on by a local church, or participates at a haunted house or maze. There are some that just stay at home and hand out candy to the trick or treaters perhaps while watching a scary movie.

Halloween has also been the theme for movies over the years. The theme varies from the gruesome to the light at heart. Many take the Halloween traditions to the extreme, and some follow the traditions of both Samhain. Very few follow the theme of All Saints Day.

Movies for the adults:

Halloween

The Houses October Built

House of 1000 Corpses

Trick r' Treat

                  Some movies are for the young at heart or just for kids:

                                                 Nightmare Before Christmas

                                                 Halloween Town

                                                 The Halloween Tree

                                                  Hocus Pocus

Even television stations have Halloween specials or Halloween themed shows. 

So who is right and who is wrong? Nobody.

It is up for the individual to decide what they believe about Halloween. There is only one question left to ask: What will you be doing this O' Hallow's Eve?

For more information about Halloween and its traditions feel free to visit these sites.

The History Channel

Wikipedia on Halloween

Samhain

All Saints Day

So what's a cleansing anyway?

There is no right or wrong way to cleanse a home or person, just right or wrong intentions.

So what is a cleansing anyway?
I am not referring to dusting and vacuuming your home, nor am I referring to getting rid of old furniture, clothing, or the garbage that has littered your home. Cleansing in this case means to either bring in positive energies, or removing negative ones.

I am often asked "How or why would any one require or want this done?"
Majority of my clients want to feel safe and feel peaceful in their homes. When the house feels stale, empty, or negative; people want those feelings to disappear. Sometimes people of religious faith want to have the home blessed and have a removal of any evil that may be lurking within.

Now I am asked, "What about haunting, negative feelings or evil beings?"
People that claim to live in a haunted home might have a spirit or ghost that is playful, helpful and kind. In these cases, the people would like to have what ever is there to be calmed and relaxed. Most are okay with sharing there home with spirits, ghosts or beings that lurk in the shadows. Now when it comes to a spirit or ghost that is constantly noisy, poking, or pushing people and things; a client wants these things to stop or to away. As far as evil beings such as demons, majority of people would rather move from their home than have it dealt with. In any case, each is treated accordingly to the wishes of the home owners. Unfortunately there are no guarantees.


When I prepare for a cleansing there are a few herbs I like to use.


Sage

The use of sage is for healing. The smoke is used to bless, cleanse and heal the person or object. Sage is used to wash off' the outside world when one enters a home. Objects are likewise washed off with sage smoke to rid them of unwanted influences. 

Cedar

Cedar is an herb of protection. Cedar is often used to cleanse a home or an apartment when first moving in. This will help unwanted spirits to leave and the cedar will help protect a person, place or object from unwanted influences.  

Sweet Grass

Its sweet aroma reminds people of the gentleness, love and kindness; this is why Native people pick it and braid it in 3 strands representing love, kindness and honesty. Sweet grass is used for smudging and purification of the home and individual person. When Sweet grass is used, it has a calming effect on people and the area around it. It is said that it attracts the good energies. It can also be use it to call in spirits.

Other herbs

Herbs for calming and bringing in positive energies:

lavender, chamomile, rose, gardenia, lilac, and flowers that give off a light scent that is pleasing.

Herbs for protection and making you feel rooted:

cinnamon, mint, caraway, dill, and any herb that is earthy scented.

  

Herbs for banishment and getting rid of negative energies:  

rosemary, garlic.cloves, juniper, wormwood, and any herb that has an unpleasant scent.

       

These are items I like to use for blessings and banishment.

Sea Salt: used to sprinkle across thresholds and windows of your home. Known for keeping out negative energies and unwanted spirits.

Holy Water: used manly in christian belief system, the ideas behind it are relatively  the same. It has many uses across many modern religions to protect, banish, heal, curse, cleanse, purify, and the list goes on and on.

Rose Water: used to bless the living and/or the dead.

In some cases I tend to use candles.
White Candles: to help bring in positive energies
Black Candles: to help absorb the negative energies










Like others who preform cleansings, I tend to use an array of "tools" to help with focus.

crystals: amplifies whatever energy or intent that is needed. 

stones: helps to give a sense of strength and balance

mirrors: reflect light, and help spread energies around














Here is an example of a simple cleansing I would do in a home:

1. light a white candle
2. prepare a charcoal burner for the incense I made for the situation of the home
3. open the front door and leave it open.
4. go room to room starting in the back ringing a bell to start to help knell the energies within
5. take the incense burner from room to room making sure to waft the smoke to every wall, across every window and anything that might be considered and opening to the unknown world.
6. while using salt water, holy water, rose water, or my own concoction  I chant a blessing or a banishment depending what is required.
7. I ask the clients to please come with me from room to room and tell them that they need to vocalize that this is their house and what ever has been dwelling within to either respect their wishes and is allowed to stay or to leave and not return.
8. take sea salt from room to room and sprinkle it across the thresholds and windows and any other opening in the room.
9. light a black candle and go from room to room asking only good remain and all negative energies to go into the candle.
10. gather up the remaining incense, the little bit of water used, and the black candle and take it out the front door.
11. at the edge of the front of the property I dump out the incense, poor the water on it, and then blow out the black candle away from the house.
12. when I return to the front door I sprinkle the threshold with salt and then blow out the white candle.
13. I then (depending on client) give them the white and black candle, a pouch of the incense. I tell them to light the candles (white for positive, black for negative) when they feel they need a sense of calming or peace. The incense may or many not be used by them, but i like to give them what I used (tends to give them a sense of empowerment)

DISCLAIMER
Each cleansing is different depending on the need of the client/s. Each cleansing is unique and carters to the client/s beliefs and /or religion. I have great faith in what I do, but I do not guarantee that a cleansing or banishment will work, especially when the client starts to have doubts or questions if any thing I do will work. I am upfront with all the herbs I use; this allows the client a chance to say what they want or do not want, or perhaps they may have an allergy to a certain herb. I do not go against the client/s wishes. If they want a follow up, I am happy to comply. My views and opinions are my own.

Dream Visitation

What is dream visitation? Well, it is thought to be when a love one, that has passed away, comes back and visits you.
Wow, what a thought of having loved ones who have past to visit while you are sleeping! To grieve and get that chance to once again talk with them and hold them. To feel that love and know they are there with you. Such a wonderful feeling!

I had not heard of dream visitation until someone had posted an article on a group on Facebook. I read the article and realized wow, so this is what I have experienced most of my life off and on?

I had on occasion looked up sleep paralysis but the description and others experiences were nothing like what I have experienced time and time again. Imagine being a young kid, lying in bed, just dozing off still aware of the sounds and smells in the room when you get this overwhelming feeling that someone is coming... you look and see a figure coming towards you. The best way I could describe the figure is someone wearing a dark cloak. You think you are awake because you see your room as it was when you went to bed. The only difference, at this point, is you have this figure coming towards you from the door. You try to scream for help, but nothing comes out. You try to move, but can't. You then realize that you are not awake. I had this happen from time to time from Jr. high until current. When I did manage to wake myself I would go talk to my grandmother who, has always been there for me during these strange occurrences.

 Fast forward to about 10 years ago.... I had moved in with my now husband and for a while had nothing happen. Then when I started taking naps during the day, weather it was in bed or dozing off on the couch, I would start having these occurrences happening again. I could hear and smell everything, the feeling of fear came over me, and once again I saw this figure come towards me. I would struggle to wake knowing I was in a cat nap type state. I never wanted to really see what it was that would come towards me. I started to think maybe it's my subconscious trying to tell me something? I was researching dream paralysis, just anything I could think of.

  One day I came home from grocery shopping, came in, put my bags on the table, and went back out to get the rest of the groceries. At the time we had an indoor dog that was part Doberman and Rottweiler. I was talking with him when all of a sudden I heard a man's voice come from the bedroom area that said "Get out!" I was so frightened! I mean crap, was there someone in my house? How did he get in? Why is the dog just sitting next to me looking in the direction of the voice but doing nothing? There is no way someone got in with the dog in the house. Could that have happened? Honestly I was frozen with fear! I couldn't move. The layout of the house is simple, it goes in circles of sorts. I was afraid of going towards the front door. I was afraid that a guy would be standing near the first bedroom. Not even within 2 minutes of hearing the voice my husband which, was boyfriend at the time, pulled up and walked in. He opened the door and looked at me. I was so frightened! Tears were filling up in my eyes because I was so scared. He said, "what's wrong"? I asked him to please just go look in both rooms to make sure no one is in the house. He looked at me funny, but did go and there was no one. There were no TV’s on, none of the windows were open, and no fans were on. I know for a fact what I heard. I don't live in a busy city, I live in the mountains, and our neighbors are quiet. We have a lot of elderly neighbors. I couldn't make sense of it, neither could my husband.

A couple of nights later, as we were in bed watching TV, I started dozing off to sleep. I could feel the warmth of his body next to mine and I could hear the program still on the TV. Then I started getting that feeling again and looked towards the door to see this figure once again coming towards me. I knew I was in a sleep like state not fully awake. I thought to myself that I needed to look at it not be frighten, see what it is...
Well, I looked at the foot of my bed and saw a man... yes a man! He had jeans on, no shirt, skinny build, light brown hair, pale blue eyes, and he was so sad. You could see the pain in his eyes. So you know, I do believe in spirits/ghost whatever you might call them. I believe that sometimes they get lost or don't pass on.

I looked at the man and said, "you don't belong here, you need to leave, you are not welcomed here." He looked at me and said, “I can't leave." I asked him why? He looked at me and said, while pointing towards the hallway, "I hung myself out there, I can't leave." I then told him, "all you need to do is forgive yourself and move on." He looked at me like oh, that's it? He walked to the hallway and was gone. After that I woke up and asked my husband if I acted strangely while laying there and how long was I asleep. He had told me no and I wasn't out very long. The reason I wanted to know if I acted strangely is when I get frightened I try and shake my head or a part of my body in hopes to wake up. This only confirmed that even though I thought I was moving, in reality, I had not moved a muscle. I told him what happened. Of course, he didn't know what to say. I still didn't know what to think. Was that my imagination or was it something else? I hadn't watched a movie or program that had something like that so, it couldn't have been brought on by that. So I just considered it to be just my icky dreams. That's what I would call these episodes. Years later I joined a paranormal team. I love the thought of helping people, the living and the dead. Well, the founder of the team had told us how she has, since childhood, dealt with dream paralysis so, once again, I looked into it, but it wasn't what I would experience.

Then one day that article was posted about dream visitation. It talked about recently decease loved ones coming to help you, to help give you messages. The way it was described was high frequency of love. Then it talked about earth bound spirits and how they give off a low frequency which, tends to frighten people. That they come to people for help, to not be afraid, and to know that you are in charge. After reading the article I was like wow so this is what I've been experiencing. Granted, we have moved into a new house and not much has happened here. If in fact this is what my experiences are, the occurrences could also correspond to location. Last residence seemed more active, but the house was old. Really makes one wonder, Doesn't it? So now with a little in-sight of something different, I have been looking more into information on dream visitation. Now I have a new journey for myself to try and find more information. I am not saying that is what I fully experience, but it is a more plausible explanation of my experiences.

There are so many articles out there about dream visitation and really dreams who knows, right? All I know is that I have written down all the individual experiences from the past and present. With each new one I experienced I have been keeping record of weather, stress levels, what I have eaten, had to drink, and the time. Just about everything I can remember just to see if there are any similarities other than my nap time. These visitations are never in a middle of a dream, in some type of magical world, and someone I know pops in and it feels real. I did have one of those which was my dad visiting, but that is the only one that was full of love and reassurance. All the others ones are just in the house, as if I am awake, and witnessing people and feeling frightened. 

I guess I am putting this out there to see if others experience anything similar. All I know is what I experience and it's real for me. You decide.

Nyctophobia: A Paranormal Investigator's Worst Nightmare

 

Nyctophobia is a fear of extreme darkness or extreme fear of the dark. Normally this is a fear that one may find associated with a child. The child grows up and the fear disappears. Not in my case. It followed me into my adulthood. My name is Jennifer Furgerson and I have Nyctophobia.

Symptoms of Nyctophobia

"If you have a phobia of the dark, you are likely to become nervous in any darkened environment. You may sleep with a nightlight. You might be reluctant to go out at night. You will likely experience an increased heart rate, sweat, shake and even feel ill when forced to spend time in the dark. If your nyctophobia is severe, you may attempt to run away from dark rooms and avoid being outside at night. You might become angry or defensive if anyone tries to encourage you to spend time in the dark."

about phobias (Nyctophobia)

I am uncertain of when my fear actually started. Most fears are created from an event or an object. I can only assume that somewhere in my past I had a traumatic experience being in total darkness. I must have been forced into total darkness. I am now 38 and I deal with this every night and any place I go that is completely void of light. So why am I a paranormal investigator? One would think that I would never seek this line of work and stay in the light as much as possible, and yet, I have been doing quiet the opposite. I take cave tours, and I star gaze. I joined a paranormal team. 

Nyctophobia can be mind paralyzing. My mind races, and attempts to make sense of what it cannot see. My mind blanks of any rational thought, my heart starts to beat rapidly, and I begin to panic. I tell myself, "nothing is there which is not there in the light", but my brain plays tricks, and my ears become more sensitive to the sounds they may hear. At times I feel helpless and alone. I kept my fear to myself for many years always afraid to tell anyone why I may freak out, or not be comfortable in a darkened room. 

When I first joined ALPS, I made it quite clear that I had Nyctophobia. I figured it was not the time to be shy about it. Each member since I have joined have been more than understanding with my fear. The first time we were on the USS Hornet and my fear reared its ugly head to my fellow teammates. We were in a part of the ship in which the only light came from the flashlights. We decided that we would go dark (all lights off) and sit in the silence before conducting an EVP session. I stood with my back against the cold metal wall. I thought, "I can handle this, its just the dark, and my team is near by". Instead, my mind began to close down, and the panic began. I felt paralyzed and venerable. No one until that time had any idea how bad my Nyctophobia was. Thankfully teammate Anna was near me and was able to talk my mind into logical sense of thinking. I remember thinking, "someone understands, and I can get through this."

 There were a few other places that I thought my fear would get to me, and I thought I would not be able to do my job as a paranormal investigator. In Tonopah, Nevada I had my teammate Jim next to me while we were sitting on a cold wooden floor. In this case there was more light, but it was dim and inconsistent. At times I had trouble discerning pitch black with the light dimming in and out. I thought for sure my Nyctophobia was about to play tricks on me, until Jim said he saw what I was seeing. Poor Jim, I was gripping his arm so tight I had thought I may have tugged it right off. 

I am not afraid to be in a haunted location. I am certainly not afraid of the ghosts that may reside there. What I am afraid of is not knowing what else could be in a vast amount of darkness. After getting back from Tonopah, I decided that I need to rid myself of this fear and asked the help of my teammates. I no longer wanted this fear to control me. 

Over the two years that I have been with ALPS I have a better grasp on my Nyctophobia. Its slowly getting easier. I even find myself laughing instead of being pinned in fear. I started out making sure I had night vision with me no matter where we went. Yet, as it was recently pointed out, that I have not had it with me on the last few places our team had been. I also used to keep my flash light on, but covered in my hands. This gave me a sense of comfort. This too has changed, the flashlight is still with me, but off and in my pocket. Over time I have had help from all my teammates. I used to have to be right next to one of my teammates, but now if they are within hearing distance, I know they are not far away. They have become my other sense of comfort. 

Nyctophobia is a fear that I plan to conquer, and I know it will take time. Looking back at how far I have come, and how silly I may have seem to those who had no idea I held such a fear in my mind, makes me realize that this fear is just that, a fear to shed from my mind.

So what's my next step? Eventually I would like to be able to be in a dark (void of light) alone and to be able to either be the first in or the last out of a dark place we have been investigating. By forcing myself into this darkness, I have already taken the step in attempting to control my fear.

For those wanting to now more about Nyctophobia please feel free to check out the links below.

 Wikipedia on Nyctophobia

 Nyctophobia and sleep

 Fear of the Dark

 more on Nyctophobia

 



You Decided to Become a Paranormal Investigator, Now What? Part II

Let’s re-cap a bit from Part I. You now know that being a paranormal investigator can be very time consuming. You also know that it is a good idea to talk to your family and significant others about your choice to become a paranormal investigator. Next, I discussed not investigating in your own home and how it’s not safe to rush and investigate on your own. Finally, I talked about how important it is to educate yourself in all things paranormal before you meet your first team. Now, let’s talk about one of my favorite things, equipment.

If you do a search, on the internet, for paranormal equipment or ghost hunting equipment, you’re going to come up with all kinds of results from eBay, amazon, online paranormal stores, and even individual groups that sell equipment. 

You will find every type of equipment imaginable. From the basic K2 to thermal (FLIR) cameras that cost thousands of dollars. While a thermal camera is very cool and many investigators would love to have one, you’re new to all of this so, let’s start out with the basics.

Before I go into the “basics,” let me tell a little story why it is important to start here. A while back our team went to an event that allowed new investigators and experienced investigators to investigate in one incredibly historic location. Everyone was broken up into groups. Our group consisted of our entire team as well as some new to investigating. When we arrived at our second location we were all forced to stay in a relatively small area. I noticed one of the less experienced investigators with us had a relatively advanced piece of equipment. It was obvious to us that the person wasn't exactly sure how to use this equipment. At one point one of our team members had to explain to them why it was doing what it was doing. At another point an alarm on the device began to go off and this person had no idea how to turn it off. It was very distracting to the rest of us and, I am not sure if the person knew it or not, but it was taking away from their own experience. That's why it is better to start out with the basics.

I understood why this person bought this device. It was cool and we all want to show up for an investigation with a cool piece of equipment. I was the same way when I first started. Lucky for me, I couldn’t afford much so I was forced to start out with the basics. What I didn’t know at the time was that was the best thing I could have done for myself.

So, what are the basics? Our group asks all our investigators to start out with a minimum of four pieces of equipment. We ask that they have a flashlight, a digital voice recorder, a digital camera, and some sort of EMF (electro-magnetic Field) detector. 

The flashlight doesn’t need to be anything special. I would suggest that you find one that has white, red, and or blue light. Red or blue light is easier on the eyes when the lights are out. You can buy a handheld version or one like I carry that has a strap that fits around your head. It is one less thing you need to carry.

Just about any handheld voice recorder will work. There are a lot of companies that make them. Just make sure that you can connect it to a computer so that you can download your audio files. A recorder that has the capacity to record 1GB of audio would be more than enough space for any investigation. Just as long as you delete the audio off your recorder after you download it to your computer.

If you own a professional camera set-up, by all means, bring it with you on an investigation, so as long as you know how to use it and it won’t disrupt your ability to investigate. If you don’t, a normal digital camera will do just fine. I would suggest doing some research about settings and taking pictures during an investigation. I would also suggest that you learn some of the conditions that can cause your photos to contain what you may think is something paranormal when actually it is something normal like reflection, refraction, dust, or improper settings causing anomalies in your pictures. 

Finally, we have the EMF detector. You can spend anywhere from $25-$200. I wouldn’t suggest the $25 model. It is very limited in detecting EMF. I also wouldn’t suggest spending $200. That is overkill for a new investigator. Your best bet would be to start out with a K2 meter, which costs about $60-$65. If you’re able to spend a little more money, I would highly suggest you purchase a MEL Meter. The basic MEL-8704R measures EMF and temperature. It is highly accurate and will filter out a lot of the natural sources of EMF. It will run you about $100. This device takes a little time to get used to so, you will want to mess around with it before you use it on an investigation. It’s really not that difficult to use. It is one of my favorite devices because it is so accurate and it was built specifically for paranormal investigations.

K2 Meter

MEL 8704R Meter

Once you get all of your equipment, learn how to use it! Don’t go out on your first investigation and fumble around with your equipment. Your first priority should be learning how to investigate. You can’t do that if you are spending 20 minutes worrying about how to turn your voice recorder on. Now that you have your equipment, it’s time for the most important step to becoming a paranormal investigator, finding a group.

Finding a group, in your area, that you would like to join may be one of the most important things you do on your journey. At this point you need to ask yourself what kind of group you want to join? In my opinion, there are two basic types of groups that would take on brand new investigators. 

One group investigates the paranormal in order to have experiences and capture evidence. This group will typically investigate places like hotels, businesses, and other public places. They may occasionally investigate residents, but that isn’t necessarily the primary goal. 

The other group is primarily concerned about investigating residents and helping people. This group will also investigate hotels and businesses, but this isn’t the primary goal. Our team would be in this category. We focus on helping people first, but we do enjoy going out and having the experience to be able to investigate some of the more well-known locations.

Once you have an idea about what kind of group you would be interested in joining, do a search, on the internet or Facebook, of paranormal groups in your area. Read their pages over and find out what their mission statement is. If there is a section with details about their investigators, you may want to read it to get an idea what the members are like. Another thing you may want to look at his how often the page is updated. If it hasn’t been updated for two years, they probably aren’t a very active group.

Once you find a group that interests you, look for contact information. If there is an e-mail address on the page, send them an e-mail and tell them that you are looking for a group to join. Let them know that you don’t have experience, but also let them know that you have some knowledge of the paranormal and that you own your own equipment. This will show you’re dedicated and despite your lack of experience, you will be willing to learn and do the work needed to become an investigator.

Another place to look for local teams, and this may seem strange, is Craigslist. Both of the teams I have been a part of have advertised on Craigslist and this is where we found a majority of our investigators. Look under “Groups” or “General” and you may find a group in your area that is looking for new members.

As I said before, this isn’t the end all be all for becoming an investigator but, I am very confident that if you follow these steps, you will be well on your way to becoming a great investigator. The rest just takes time, learning, and getting some investigations under your belt. 

So, you decided to become a paranormal investigator, now you know what to do. The rest is all up to you!