It’s October.
It’s Hallowe’en season.
It’s my favorite month, my favorite
time of year and Hallowe’en is my favorite holiday. And it’s a time when I
think about one of my hobbies.
Paranormal investigations.
Yes. It’s a hobby of mine.
Alongside astronomy, history, collecting old science fiction/fantasy books and comics,
photography and a few other things. For the month of October, The Rogue Free
Press will be delving into Southern Oregon’s paranormal and occult lore,
urban legends and other high strangeness. The following installment is from The
Midnight Eye, my own blog that will be resurrected this month.
If you have any stories you wish
to share, contact me and let’s talk.
So.
Here we go . . . .
==========
A few years ago, I remembered how
livid I was watching “Darkness Falls,” the eighth episode of Paranormal State's
fourth season, where Ryan Buell and his Paranormal Research Society
investigators go to West Virginia State Penitentiary -- allegedly,
Buell had been there six months earlier and encountered “something dark and
evil” – and it scared him, apparently.
The episode was all about Buell returning to the old penitentiary to confront
the Big Bad and overcome his fears, I guess. He drags along the usual PRS crew
yet he tells them nothing about his earlier experiences or what they could
possibly face.
In fact, the team talks amongst themselves and speculate upon why Buell brought
them to WVSP. Buell does his best Robert Pattinson angsty pout -- minus the
sparkling -- and says nothing whenever he's asked by the team why they're at
the site or what had happened before.
Buell has a hissy-fit when the PRS share a laugh and he decides not to tell
them anything until they take the situation "more seriously."
And, earlier on, Buell takes issue with the "Shadow Man" picture that
investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson debunked when TAPS went to the
prison. Allegedly, Buell had others debunk the debunking, alluding that the
photograph was real. I don't buy it. I've seen shapes and shadows, mixed in
with poor lighting, produce "Shadow People" phenomena. I would have
loved to have seen the "debunking" but it was never shown.
After a while, Buell takes the crew to the “Warden’s Tower,” where Buell had
the Big Bad Encounter . . . the crew find an inverted pentagram *gasp*.
In typical Buell fashion, he postures and rants about Satanism and hints that
there must have been a satanic conspiracy among those who worked at the prison.
Michelle Belanger supports his statements.
In disgust, I switched off the TV.
A few things. Paranormal State is entertainment and it’s not how an
investigation should be conducted. Case in point how Buell melodramatically led
his team into the prison. I’m sorry, but if I had encountered some “Big Bad”
and was taking my team to where it had happened – it’s my duty and
responsibility as a lead investigator to keep my team informed, for their
safety’s sake.
Then again this is Ryan Buell, who supposedly was stalked by a demon . . . and
during that time, he allegedly went on investigations, dragging that bloody
baggage into people's homes -- as if the clients had enough to worry about.
I don't really know how much was real and how much was “for the show” . . . .
But if Buell is like that during actual investigations, then I'm not impressed;
if anything, I'm more concerned for the other investigators and the clients.
Especially the clients.
Now for the “inverted pentagram.”
Sigh.
http://www.munroe-falls-paranormal-society.com/blog/?p=269
The above the link is a great resource of information about pentagrams and the
like and I highly recommend it to paranormal investigators.
In fact, I highly recommend it to Ryan Buell and Michelle Belanger.
But I digress.
What of the prison and the “pentagram?” It’s nothing. There's nothing satanic
or occult about it, there wasn’t a coven of Satanists at the prison and so on.
In fact, these symbols can be found on many older buildings -- even churches --
scattered throughout the world. Again, nothing dark and sinister.
I'm disgusted by this episode. Shoddy investigation and shoddier research,
enabled by Buell's narrow-minded views. I was never impressed by Paranormal
State and I would never recommend it to people.
Unless I wanted to illustrate to people on how not to conduct a paranormal
investigation.
Now . . . some Q&A . . . .
How much do you charge?
Nothing. Our services are free.
We do this because we want to help our clients and also to learn more about the
paranormal. Our goal is to help people understand what is and isn't paranormal
and to put their minds at ease.
How accurate are those
paranormal reality TV shows?
In my opinion, not very accurate.
Some of those shows exaggerate claims of paranormal activity. About 90 to 95
percent of cases are actually normal activity misidentified as something
paranormal. Environmental issues or even structural issues surround the house
can cause people to feel that they're experiencing paranormal activity. Even
things such as medication use can contribute to the situation.
A good paranormal investigator looks for any and all answers. Not
all things are paranormal.
Also, if there is paranormal activity, it's rarely negative.
Unlike what you see on many paranormal reality TV shows, "demonic" or
"negative" activity is rare. No one has ever been killed by a ghost
-- only in those movies does something like that happen.
What you see on those shows is done solely for entertainment.
Yes. Some of the things presented on those shows are staged.
What about psychics?
First off, no "psychic" has ever solved a crime. The FBI
and Scotland Yard have no records of anything like that. Only in books and
movies does something like that happen.
Some groups use "sensitives." A sensitive might get
impressions on things in the area. Impressions or feelings. Those impressions
might corroborate the client's claims . . . or not.
There can be a case when you have two sensitives in the same area
and get two separate interpretations.
I've worked with the best sensitives in the field. People like
them are of a rare caliber.
Sensitives are helpful. However, not always necessary to an
investigation.
How do you prepare for an
investigation?
After being contacted by a prospective client, a preliminary
interview and investigation is conducted. It gives us the chance to meet the
client and gives the client a chance to get to know. It also gives the investigators
a chance to check out the property and assess things for a possible
investigation. After that meeting, a formal investigation is set up, with a
date set that is agreeable to both the investigators and the client.
Before the investigation, investigators will do some historical
research, check for seismic activity, even checked space weather websites for
increased electromagnetic activity in the area. Those things can factor into an
investigation.
During the actual investigation, the investigators will come in
and set up their equipment and start the process. We do not ask the clients to
leave their home during the investigation. It is the client's home and we feel
that the clients need to be a part of the investigation.
We set up video recording equipment. Digital voice recorders. We
do sweets with the electromagnetic field detectors. We go over the notes about
the client's claims of paranormal activity and attempt to replicate them. We
look for possible natural answers for claims of the paranormal. Again, many
things occur naturally that can be easily mistaken for paranormal activity.
After the investigation, the data is analyzed and we take it from
there.
If you do find something paranormal,
how do you resolve it?
There are things we can research and do what can help. It's a case
by case situation and it depends on what is going on.
Do you respect the client’s privacy?
Yes. We have confidentiality agreements and other release forms
for clients to sign.
If the clients do not wish us to post photographs of the
investigation, then we will not.
I hope this helps out. This is just a sample of questions I have
heard over the years. I'm always open to talking to people about what I do.
As I said before, I’ve spent a number of years working with
members of American Paranormal Investigations and now Medford Paranormal
Investigations. We’ve helped a number of people over the years and I'm looking
forward to helping many more in the future.