INDUSTRY STANDARD

Whenever I hear someone say "Industry Standard", I get a little sick to my stomach. I realize that every group of paranormal investigators has to start somewhere. I also understand that most have started because of the popular television shows. There is nothing wrong with that at all. But it would seem that because one group that does something, another must do the same or feel cast out. We all know that there are certain tools that work. We all use most of them. Most of us in the field even investigate the same way. But to say that because something was not done by "Industry Standard", so it is wrong, is ridiculous. People in this field need to realize that until someone has a one on one on camera with a spirit, there is no wrong way. Don't be one of the heard. Do it however it works for you. Do something different. That's how new things happen and new discoveries are brought to the field. Forget "Industry Standard" or you will go to your grave knowing you have done nothing but follow others. 

Lack of Dedication sucks.

I am having a hard time believing that it has become so hard to find reliable people to join SLGHS. Are the rules too hard? Show up, go over evidence and be part of the team? Well I guess it is more fun to join a group that doesn't have the responsibility of dealing with so many private homes. There is less pressure when going over the evidence for tourist locations. They are more fun that way. I hate the fact that we actually have to turn away investigations. The people who request us hate it as well. But being a small group has it's good as well as bad. One of the best parts is less contaminated, higher quality evidence. We get great evidence. One of the bad, if we are down two people non stop, less evidence gone over and longer wait time for the client. We still have our share of events set up. But like I stated before, we receive no money for the events. It makes them much more fun for us. But still the meat is the private resident. Events and tourist locations are easy. The private homes are the scary stuff. I think maybe that's it. People are afraid of the reality of it all. Or maybe it's just too much evidence to go over. Who knows? All I know is that this sucks the way it is. When we have people down, the task is left to myself and who ever else is left. I have never missed  an investigation. I have only postponed a few because of really bad weather. But I am an exception to the rule. I live it. This is what I do. I wish I could find some others that are not flaky and live it the same way. But people seem to just want the thrill of the hunt. Not to actually help those who are in a messed up situation. But to find a way to market what they do and cash in one way or another. Now I am rambling about the same old crap. Bottom line is, well, there is no bottom line. Dedicated people are hard to find. And everyone burns out eventually. We have had a great group group for some time now. But being human, we all have the need for self preservation and comfort. If there is no way for you to give this 100%, just don't bother. If you feel you can, hit the "JOIN US" page on the website. 

Halloween

So I have spoken about this before and my view has not changed. We started doing events for a few reasons. One was to make a little cash so we could buy new equipment. We lose the stuff, we break the stuff and people steal the stuff. And in this industry, technology in equipment has taken leaps and bounds. So the upgrade is necessary. Another is to let those see that what what we do is real. It doesn't take very long to get the dog and pony TV shows out of your head when something real is actually happening to you. The locations we do our events at are active. We also educate people on how this activity can have a lasting affect on their lives. It changes peoples views on what is going on. We also do it as a bit of help for the locations that we hold these events at. They gain a little cash as well as publicity for whatever they are trying to do. I use to love doing the events. But now it seems everyone who has ever gone on an investigation is trying to make money at it. It is no longer novel. What was once a really cool thing to do is now tainted by a flood of over charging, under charging to cut the competition and advertisements for greed. We are right in there with everyone else at the moment. But when our events are over for this season, I highly doubt that we will do this again. Seems some have lost the meaning of what a Paranormal Investigation is. T-Shirts, coffee mugs and DVDs seem to be the meaning anymore. Careful marketing and cool flyers have always been keys in sales for every product. I don't want to be one of the groups that concentrates most of our efforts on sales. This is not why we do this.  

Searching For Live People

In the never ending quest for serious people to join our paranormal investigation team, I think i have finally figured out why it is so hard. The commitment level we ask for is high. There is no doubt about that. But I see that as only a filter for those that we do not want. I think that most have realized that being lazy in this field is easy. It's easy to join a group where only certain people go over the evidence. As well as a lack of serious evidence gathering. What I mean by that is, that what we do is record from start to finish. And we all take our own stuff home and go over it. That is not just recorders, it's also video. Most groups do "EVP SESSIONS" that are not very long at all. This cuts down on evidence review. And it's not hard to blend into a group that is large enough in where you will never get noticed. Laziness come from the individual thrill seeker posing as a paranormal investigator. Anyone can "GHOST HUNT". This can be done by however it fits the lifestyle of the individual or group. So the occasional walk through a cemetery or visit to a popular haunted location can be done anytime, by anyone. No real evidence review is required. To be one of us is definitely not for most people. The bar that is set is higher. We thrill seek. But we are also in it to help those that need it. You can not help if you are concerned with your popularity status. By flaunting the fact that you are an expert and know everything paranormal is not what it's about. We learn something new on every case. We are not in it for fortune or fame. Sure we do media stuff every now and then, but you don't see it posted on our web site. Because it doesn't matter. So we rule out those that are in it for money and status. The only status we have is paranormal investigators. We are not experts. The only experts are the dead. I guess the last issue is really just time. Yes, every week is what is required. Most who say they want to join, say this is the issue. Well, it's a choice. It's something you have to choose. If you don't have a serious passion for the paranormal, then you will never have the time. It is all consuming.   
Oh and I should just throw one more thing in there. It's a little offensive to some, but oh well. If you are trying to join and tell me you are a sensitive or medium or you could see spirits your entire life,  or any thing like that, first I will be offended. This shows me you never looked at the web site. Because if you did, you would not bother. Then you will be ruled out by default.      

IR FUN

So pretty much any team whose been investigating has used a DVR system. You know normal night vision IR lighting trying to catch a glimpse of the otherworldly way you possibly can. Well it's kind of funny sounding but don't cross the beams. So one night we had an investigation going and there were a couple of people sitting in front of the monitor. One of them happens to catch a flash of a shadow on the floor in a very odd position. So they were caught off guard and rather stunned being this doesn't happen often and called everyone to check it out. So we remind the DVR back to the spot where this incident had happened and started playing it back. Now the shadows were crazy looking like nothing else I'd ever seen. The first one looked like a man standing moving his arm up and down. The second one looked like a large mouse holding a butcher's knife. The third one I can't even describe it was just crazy. So thinking that we caught something rather special we were all overjoyed and a little freaked out. Well it being in the middle of the night and everyone's a little tired, it's really hard to make a firm decision on what you've experienced. So the next evening I went over the DVR footage and was freaked out again the entire time right up until I got to the very and of that portion. That's when I realized what it was. So the shadowing was nothing more than created by one of our own team members. You see the way we had our IR cameras set up in this area there were two almost facing each other. This is a no-no. IR shadows are always crazy and you can never jump the gun and thinking that something's paranormal when you're using IR cameras close together. You would think we would know this by now but we still have a tendency to set up how we want to see stuff. But you always have to be careful even when taking pictures around IR cameras because the shadows that you create most of the time look like something that shouldn't be there.

Cleansing

Lets get a few things straight. Yes I will troll through other groups info and check out what new places they have gone to or what new evidence they have. We all do. It's interesting. But now I keep seeing claims all over the place about cleansing. We have gone through this before. Most people that claim they can clear a house or property, of spirits, are simply full of crap. In "most" cases that I have seen, cleansing piss thing off just as much as any other tactic out there. In others I have been told things calmed down right away but then after a week or so the spirits came back with a vengeance. Telling them to go away sometimes works. In some cases it does not. Religion is another subject. When a Priest come out to Bless your house, that is what they are doing. They are not getting rid of anything. Ask them. It's not the same with every religion. Most of what people say in this field is nothing more than theory. Fact is very hard to come by. Anyone who claims to be able to cleanse your home should have some pretty strong references and proof of many positive outcomes. I am not saying it can not be done. I am saying I have never met anyone who has lived up to the claim

Social Paranormal Media

So without a doubt Social Media plays a big part in what all of the paranormal groups do. It is used to let everyone know you are there. It lets people know when you are investigating. It lets them know about your evidence. It has a great number of  ways it is used. You have Facebook, Twitter, My Space and a few others. You get cases from these different networks. People look at what you do and how you handle thing. They also check out your profile to see if you are crazy or just someone they would not want in there home or business. Facebook is the best for this. Google+ is also a great source. So most groups use these to advertise. There is also Craigslist. The unfortunate part about using Craigslist, other groups can "flag" your post. This means they can have it removed for no valid reason other than spite. Bummer. On Facebook, of course, they can't really flag you. But they can talk bad about you and then block you so you have no chance to rebut. Fan base has become a really big thing on Facebook. I think that most seem to think that if you have more fans, your group is better? There is a bunch of "you like my page and I will like yours". There is nothing wrong with this, if you want your entire audience to be other paranormal groups.  I think we get most of our clients from word of mouth. We have had a few from Facebook and from Craigslist. And then there are those that just find us from their favorite search engine. Social Media is a good tool but it can also make you look like a real ass.We all do it from time to time. It's not about how many fans you have, it's about what you do and how you act. Be a Paranormal Investigator.

SELLING OUT ?

What we do is special. I am by no means saying we are special. The task is. At this point I am pretty sure none of our group do this with the goal of becoming rich or famous. I can not say that about most groups that I run across. We have been approached more than a few times by certain shows that have asked us to show our best evidence and reveal our scariest stories. This will not happen. For allot of groups, this would be a chance of a lifetime. And I completely understand the need to be recognized. But to be recognized in this fashion is also to be ridiculed in the same. I know for at least myself, when I watch the shows on TV and they start showing the evidence, I am for the most part disappointed in what I see. Once you go on a show, you become a target for all of the other groups who think they know and can do better. In most industries, any "PR" is "Good PR". Not in this one. Once you have been outed by more experienced and seasoned or just jealous  investigators, it is hard to come back and redeem your group. You had better have a very strong and loyal fan base that is willing to stick by you and your group during your very short lived "Fifteen Minutes of Fame". This is not the part that keeps us away from the dark side. The bigger
 part of course is the money. Selling out is an even harder thing to recover from. Greed seems to get in the way of a large amount of paranormal groups. Yes it is easy to set up a successful event that helps your cause. But when you start flat out asking for donations or pushing your t-shirts or dvd's of what you would call a documentary like you were supporting the entire homeless population with the proceeds, look in the mirror because you have failed. Back to the TV shows. If the deal is a good one, what do you do? Take the money and sell out knowing that it will be a short lived and quick fail for your name and group name? Greed rules many. Personally, I think even your well established fan base would not forgive such a poor and greedy choice. What are the odds that you will be another one of the very few shows that people make a living off of? It has been tossed around for us. We have discussed TV,radio and internet shows. Most fail. So maybe it's a fear of failure or maybe it the simple fact that, we know better. The occasional  news story or magazine interview is all we will do. We are not one of those groups that are in it to win it. We do not care to compete with the orb chasers. The money would be nice and make what we do much easier. . And we are in it to help. We would not be able to help if we were side tracked by media and camera crews. So if you sell out in this industry, it's over for you. You will not retire on a fail. You can retire a successful Paranormal Investigator.       

Spirit Eradication

Seem to me that there are a number of  groups and individuals that claim to be able to eradicate or get rid of spirits. I have yet to see this work. This is an issue for the clients. The client does not know what to expect so they are being taken advantage of  for the sake of a  personal and selfish need to investigate by people who do not know the first thing about what they are doing. We do not claim to get rid of spirits. We do claim to be able to calm the situation down. And we do. We do not go to someones home just for an adventure into what could be paranormal, we do it to help the client. We have plenty of places we can investigate just for fun. This field is so full of  groups that want to be rich and famous that it gets in the way of what true investigators are trying to do. I hear the same stories over and over, "We had a group come and things got worse. Then we called a priest and nothing changed." You have to look at it in a different light. If a spirit does indeed feel that a place is his/hers, where are they going to go? If someone comes into your home and tries to put you out, what would you do? Most would not lay down and take it. You would fight it at all cost. There is the other side to this. If you or someone has invited something into your place that truly does not belong, then you have a shot at making it go. We seem to have an even amount of both we deal with. But in any case, you still have to identify what you are dealing with before you make a deal. All the Sage and Holy Water in the world will not get rid of something that belongs.  

A SIMPLE RANT

I do not even know how to start this rant. In this cut throat industry, there are many different types of groups and people. With ours like many others, we are in it to find out what is going on within the other side as well as help people understand what is going on to them. Yes there is thrill in. Much thrill. Nothing get you adrenalin pumping like something you cant see speaking to you from just a foot or two away. Or having something walk right through you. Your senses are at their peak during the investigation. There are some groups that are here just for the thrill ride. They claim not to be but that is fine. There are the groups that are in it for the fame and fortune that they might acquire. I know a couple and they are doing well. This is also something I do not have a problem with. There are a few others that are kind of hard to categorize. Still I have no issues with them. I use to have issues with everyone who did not see exactly eye to eye with me or what I believed in. No longer the case. I do not care anymore. All that counts to me is what our group does, so that is what I pay attention to. Our clients come first. The pay off for us is finding evidence or not and being able tell them one way or another, what is happening. I do not care about "paranormal unity", because this will never happen. There are too many groups going in too many directions. We share what we are able to put on our web site. We hate no one. We have a healthy respect for most. With all of this being said, some of the people in this industry just suck. We take crap from people all of the time. If it's not from a drunk, bible thumping hillbilly, it's from someone who is non-stop removing the ads that get placed on Craigslist. Or could be hearing third party about some half baked want to be wizard that we are nothing more than black shirts wandering around in the dark. Or from a members relative who is friends with another group who lets us know they are talking crap about us. Or knowing that a former team member is trying out of boredom to tarnish our reputation. It goes on and on and on. But I have said it before and I will say it again. In the long run, nothing that you do will stop us from doing what we do. Because we do what we do very well. You can't change the outcome of something we have already accomplished. It's too late. Hate us if you will. You are still watching us. Just do the right thing and leave us alone if you don't like us.

Dead Ends Of The Dead

We are often asked by our clients "Who is haunting us?". That is always a question that is asked during the investigation over and over. Every now and then you get the answer. We do what we can by way of research but are not always successful with the results. Unfortunately this is not an easy task. We start with the internet and most of the time that where we stop due to time restraints. The resources are usually out there. Most being at your own library or assessors office. We always suggest you do as much research as you can. Chances are you will come up with more information than we will. So then on to the investigation. We ask all of the questions we possibly can. Sometimes we get no answers that would tell you who this is. You have to keep in mind, even if the house has been there a long time and you have all of the information on every person who ever lived and died  there, it still might not be any those people. You also have to remember that there could have been something else there before your house was there. People could have lived there and no records were kept. There is a ton of unwritten history. This is obviously information only the dead will know. After all, people have been dying ever since there have been people. 

My Thoughts on Shadow People

I had recently received an email from someone concerning "Shadow People". My personal belief on shadow people is that they are nothing more than a different form of ghost. Meaning that they are just taking on a different form than an apparition. I do not see them as being demonic or evil, just a different form of scary that lets you catch a little more than a glimpse of them sometimes. The sizes and shapes are not always the same. Our group members have seen many ranging from about 3 feet  to 7 feet tall. Some with well defined human shape and some with more of a blob like shape. I have personally witnessed  them peeking around corners at me. Standing in doorways and walking into a closet. We have seen so many of them. When children see them, it is also a little different. I have one story of two children seeing one at the same time. One child sees it as scary and the other sees it as pleasant of even funny. Like I said, I think they are nothing more than ghost in different form. You only see what they want you to see.

Investigation Aftermath

You don't really hear allot about what happens after the investigation with most groups. The aftermath of the investigation is different for everyone. When we are doing a residential case, we always tell the homeowner the same thing. Be prepared for an increase in activity that will usually last for a couple of days. Sometimes it happens and sometime it does not. But its good to let them know. Now for the investigators it's a completely different scenario. And these are things that the newbies do not understand until after it happens to them. In some cases it's pretty insignificant. Everyone walks away a little drained. Sometimes it's like you just had the life sucked out of you. Then you have the ones that for some reason or another, for the next week or so, you have nightmares or sleep like you have not slept at all. For some their entire attitude changes. Their home life take a turn for the worse. They are no longer caring about investigations and completely deny having any issues. There is also the possibility that something has followed you home. That one is a little on the scary side. Do not forget about the physical damage, Anything from scratches to back pain. Headaches to muscle cramps. There are so many different things that happen to the investigators that is hard to explain to outsiders what it's like. It becomes a mental roller coaster at times. A very recent investigation that we were on for only three hours, seemed like it lasted eight. And drained everyone. There are so many different things that happen to the investigators during an investigation that affect them.We have lost several due to aftermath issues. But at least now we have a little better understanding as to what is happening to our investigators. So if your a newbie or someone who has been doing this for a while and has not experienced it, you will. Everyone does. If they say they have not, then they have never been to a true haunted location. Now just picture what a home owner goes through. They live with it. I have lived it. We do what we do to help identify why this (haunting) is happening and try to figure out how to put the location and the residence at ease.

Do They Growl At You?

We almost always think of a growl as being something bad when we are in the field. We all get them from time to time. Some are more intense than others. Sometimes other things are happening at the same time. But I don't think that every time we hear them they are a bad thing. I think that sometimes they are just a form of communication. We have had a growl come across as something completely different when going back over the audio. This has been more than a couple of times. I think that sometimes it is their way of letting you know they are there if they can not do any thing else at the time. On the other hand there are those that are with out a doubt intended to scare or warn you. Most of us in our group are pretty stubborn when it comes down to the growling. They usually catch us off guard but our reaction back more of a stand your ground type of reaction just in case it is just communication. I had one experience where Adam and myself were in a small house and we separated. We each took a bedroom. We had multiple devices running. The claims here were nothing more than a boy died in the house and sometimes he lays on the bed. Not too scary. The first thing I heard was a loud growl. Then I smelled what I can only describe as a rotting flesh smell. Then it went away. Nothing else happened. The next morning I was at my computer with my shirt off and my daughter ask me what I had done to my arm. I had a few deep scratches. I never felt them when it happened. Going over the evidence there was nothing captured. What about the growl? What did it mean? Was it a warning? We do not know. We have had them much louder and much more sinister than that one and no one was scratched. We do find it a good time to ask questions. Sometimes they respond.  I am sure we will encounter more and we will approach the situation  the same way. Stand your ground and ask questions. They only hurt you if you let them.   

HELP ME ?

Some of the first EVP's I  ever got were "HELP ME". Back then they really disturbed me. They still do to a certain degree. What should you do?  I searched for the answers everywhere. Hit all the web sites asked others that had been investigating. It was a real mix of answers. Is someone trapped? Or is someone trying to bring you back to them again? I think that most of the time it's just trying to draw you back. It seem like now they know better. It seems like they know what we are doing right away.  But still how do you evaluate the situation? What other EVP's did you get along with this? Are you in a place that has had other groups in and out over and over? Are you in a place that has never been investigated? Is it a location where the activity is not friendly? I guess how you handle it really comes down to your own personal preference.You just have to keep in mind that it is very easy to fall into a situation that you do not want to be in. They will trick you. I do not think we have been in a situation where we actually had one that was in need. Most of what we run into are those that just seem to want nothing more than to torment the living. That's a subject all on it's own. There are plenty of opinions and stories you can check out on the web. Search out you answers. Try and find what closest matches you own experience. And never assume that they really need or want help. We always ask and the answers are usually more along the lines of "Get Out".

A DEBATE ABOUT ORBS I HAD TO SHARE

I enjoyed this debate so much on Face Book that I had to share it even more.

PARANOID PARANORMAL

I really like this link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orb_%28optics%29 There are so many people that think ORB's are something paranormal. It has been said over and over, if it doesn't come up to you and shake your hand and tell you it's paranormal then it's not. I thought they were something once. But it still comes down to proving it.

Orb (optics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org

The term orb describes unexpected, typically circular artifacts that occur in flash photography — sometimes with trails indicating motion — especially common with modern compact and ultra-compact digital cameras.

· · Share · Yesterday at 4:49pm

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    James Hunter Ever had a spirit come up and shake your hand? Orbs will always be debated with never a positive answer either way. Science does not and cannot explain everything away in the universe because science is created by man and there are some things that man has absolutely no understanding of.

    23 hours ago · · 2 people
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    Dodie Albertson Clelland Great article! I would like to share this on my page,,,, although I do not believe that all "orbs" can be scientifically written off,,,it is good to know every different possible cause to look at when going over evidence. Orbs are hard, and anytime we are faced with science vs. faith, just belief,,, there is bound to be differences in opinions.

    23 hours ago · · 1 person
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    Ginger Johnson awwww, one myth I had having debunked...

    23 hours ago ·
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    PARANOID PARANORMAL The entire point is that is is not a way to take a picture and call an orb paranormal. And if they do not introduce themselves and identify themselves as the orb you are taking a picture of, then you picture is nothing except what you believe it to be. So if you post a pic of an orb, expect to have it called nothing paranormal.

    21 hours ago ·
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    James Hunter You cannot say that.

    20 hours ago ·
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    James Hunter That is just your opinion, not scientific fact.

    20 hours ago ·
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    PARANOID PARANORMAL I can say that, and I did. Prove otherwise and did you not read the link. Why would you even argue the point. Do you base a haunting on pictures of orbs? When is the last time you saw an orb turn into a full bodied apparition and got pictures or film of that happening? Me neither. And have never seen that. Dust, bugs, rain and other crap floating through the air. Not Paranormal.

    20 hours ago ·
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    James Hunter I have read tons of stuff on orbs. Did you read my earlier post on this thread? Have you ever held an orb in your hand and positively identified it as a bug or dust, etc? No, I have never seen an orb turn into a full-bodied apparition. I have taken photos in barns with a ton of stuff floating through the air and none of it has appeared as orbs in my photos, except for one orb in one photo. I will never say that orbs are definitely proof of the paranormal. But my point is that it might just be possible, in my opinion, that 1% out of 100 just might be something that we can not explain. We will never understand the paranormal, so I do not believe that we can say anything about it as a definite. We just do not know. Of course everyone can have an opinion about it but I do not believe that a person should get in anyone's face about it and say no, you don't have anything. No one is an expert on anything in this field and it is folly to think so.

    18 hours ago ·
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    James Hunter Thank you.

    18 hours ago ·
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    PARANOID PARANORMAL You cant explain how an orb is paranormal. I gave you a link on how they clearly are not. All you have is opinion. And pictures of dust.

    16 hours ago ·
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    James Hunter The very first sentence states that orbs occur in FLASH photography, or a very close light source. How then do you explain orbs showing up in photographs taken during the daytime with no flash being used? You are delving into the paranormal yet you have such a closed mind to the slim POSSIBILITY that an orb might be something other than what the scientists say. You do not even know who wrote that article yet you are taking it's word for it that orbs are nothing.

    9 hours ago ·
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    James Hunter All you have is opinion as well. When you hold an orb in your hand to do physical scientific experiments on it then come talk with me.

    9 hours ago ·
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    PARANOID PARANORMAL Digital photography has made leaps and bounds when it comes down to quality. When using a high end camera your chances are slim at catching anything unless you you change the settings into the negative. Other cameras pick up all kinds of dust and junk. Your argument is flawed. I am a firm believer in the paranormal. What I am saying to you is that you can call a photo of an orb anything you want, but expect people to call it dust. When YOU hold an orb in your hand and prove it to be paranormal, then give me a call. Have you checked out any of the orb shots I put in the Paranoid Paranormal photo album? I put them there so people can see how very common it is to get the orb shot. Not one of those pictures of orbs can be called paranormal. You know why? Because you can not PROVE it. http://photos.paranoidparanormal.com/GalleryThumbnails.aspx?gallery=209347#4 Start with page 4

    

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    photos.paranoidparanormal.com

    No one was smoking

    6 hours ago · ·
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    James Hunter I hope we are having a good debate here. I understand what you are saying without a doubt. I am just open to the slim possibility that one orb out of a hundred, maybe more, might be something interesting. Like I said earlier, I do not ever look at an orb and say it is proof of the paranormal. I am looking for something more. The thing about this debate about orbs is that it will never be positively proven either way. Just for us to be dealing with the paranormal is to be dealing with the mysterious and unknown. Just like our scientists might try to explain UFO's and their alien technology with only our earth-based. human knowledge which doesn't work either because we have no knowledge or understanding of something so totally alien to us.

    5 hours ago ·
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    James Hunter Thank you for this good debate, my friend. I wish you luck in your paranormal journey!

    5 hours ago · · 1 person
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    PARANOID PARANORMAL Same to you sir.

    5 hours ago ·

Paranormal Unity...Really????

I have read many post and blogs about "Paranormal Unity". These groups calling for this are the same groups chasing orbs and gallivanting through the graveyards. Asking for this so called paranormal unity is the same thing as asking for world peace. Never gonna happen. I see nothing wrong with collaboration every now and then and that is still hard to do. There are too many people disagreeing about too many things. Too many groups claiming territory. Too many people with power issues. No one will ever get together about ORB's. And the separation of science and religion. There are too many opinions and too many options.  I am a firm believer in separation. We share all of the time. We post evidence.    

Live people get in the way.

Being a Paranormal Investigator you run into all kinds of people. Everyone wants to tell you about their paranormal experiences. All the stories are great. But when you are on an investigation, it seems they all want to be part of it. This is a difficult situation sometimes. Every now and then you have people that will not let you do what you are there for. As a general rule our group keeps religion, psychics/sensitives and magic of any kind out of our investigations. As usual, after we set up and have the DVR running, the home owners are on every little speck of dust flying through the air. Most of the time you can explain and move on. But when they are not buying your explanation it becomes a problem. So you try and carry on, doing what they have called you in to do. Investigate. Then you start hearing the talk about being able to see everything and feeling everything no one else can. This is when you know it is going to be a problem. We all know the importance of being quiet when the investigation is going on. But in some cases, the home owner does not care. You ask nicely the first three or four times. When we got to this point, we still didn't feel all was lost, yet. It was only a matter of time before we were upstairs doing a little EVP work when the owner came up with a candle and another person and went into another room. So trying to explain, we are there to do more of a scientific approach did no good. She was determined to run the investigation her way. So here it is an hour and a half into an investigation that we drove an hour and a half to get to. What do we do? Let her go. Yep, that's what we did. We actually did have activity in the beginning before she flipped on us. That is where in my opinion, we made a big mistake by staying and trying to still investigate at all. It got late and was time to finish up. We did all that we could do. We tried to thank her for having us out but she was more angry at us for not being on the same page as her. I have tried to call her a few hundred times but no response. Needless to say it was a disappointing yet humorous investigation. Yes we do run into some interesting people. But in a case where they are taking over your investigation, you really need to figure out what to do fast. We will not let this happen again. As paranormal investigators, we are here to do the task we were called in to do. Our way. It's alright to let whoever get involved but you really need to limit their role. If you do not, then you are just there for their amusement. You have no shot at collecting any kind of credible evidence. You have no shot at actually helping them understand what is going on. Unless of course your group consists of candle magic orb chasing dowsing rod using  sage burning sensitive physics, then you should feel right at home with this type of situation.     

Two things you should already know.

Two little things to rant a bit about. You ORB CHASING SISSY. Look, there have been enough people on Facebook and on television and on web sites telling everyone their opinion about ORBS. If it doesn't shake your hand or speak to you, don't call it paranormal. You know this. I am not going to define optical orbs because you should already know this. So stop posting pictures and videos of them. Everyone gets excited to see photos and videos of paranormal stuff and then gets let down right after they click on it and see nothing but dust bunnies traveling across the screen and splotchy photos.  So stop it!!

My second issue. I watched a video of a group doing some sort of K-II session and they were also trying to get something to move or spin a top. Well they had two K-IIs on. Then I noticed what they had the top on. It was an I-Pad or something similar. They also had a ghost detector application running on this. The excitement factor was there but they had no clue. I have also seen something like this happen in person during an investigation. Someone had a cell phone with the same application going and it was sitting next to the K-II. She claimed to have been investigating for 7+ years. I can only say, this is one of those things that the newest of newbie in the game should know. What is a K-II Meter? It is an EMF Detector. EMF = Electric- Magnetic- Field , Detector.  So if you are on an investigation and you have your cell phone of any other device that gives off a pulse or receives a signal when you are walking around trying to get something to spike your EMF meters, think again before getting excited.  Someone else I know that runs PTF (Greg} brought up a good point in another post. You can also hear the electronic signal on your audio when you play it back. It doesn't always happen on the video sound. That is one way to know if you actually have true hits. Our group has a good habit of leaving our cell phones at base and some of us turn them off. But when ever any of us gets any kind of spike, all of us ask the same thing right away, Who has their cell phone? If you do this very simple thing, people won't make fun of you and give you thumbs down on your video's.

Whats with the name?

It's kind of funny how our name is taken out of context. St. Louis Ghost Hunters Society.  It is only a name. We do not hunt ghost. We also do not represent a society of ghost hunters. It is only a name. We started with a different name and well, it's politics. It's a long story and someday I might tell it but not now. We do not hunt ghost. We are paranormal investigators. Now there are some groups that there name does in fact reflect their mentality.  Have you ever tried to chase a ghost or run after a shadow. Good luck with that. I haven't ever tried to cast a ghost net, but I hear people do that. Well look up a paranormal directory and just read the names and then their stories. I am sure there are some very good groups that actually spend time and investigate and go over ALL of the evidence. Just not very many. Most are too focused on how to make their catchy group name into a cool looking logo. But no matter what we would call ourselves, people would still slam us for our web site content. Evidence.