You awaken at night to hear footsteps walking up the stairs. Kitchen cupboards are left open, but you know they were closed when you were in there last. Lights turn on by itself. Your keys have disappeared, yet you know that you left them on the table. You smell the perfume or aftershave of someone, but no-one in your house uses that fragrance. What is going on?
All these may be indications that your house is haunted.
In most cases these strange happenings can be rationally explained. The footsteps may be nothing more than noisy water pipes, someone may have left the kitchen cupboard open, faulty electrics could cause lights to turn on by itself, you mislaid the keys when distracted and the smell may be coming in from a breeze wafting past a clump of flowers outside.
The first thing to do if you suspect a haunting is to check whether the cause is something explainable.
Check to see if the phenomenon occurs at the same time each day. This will usually narrow down your investigation. What were you, and other people in the house, doing prior to it occurring?
If you hear knocking or footsteps immediately after someone has taken a bath, it could just be the water pipes or water heater.
In the case of cupboards being left open, make sure that they are all closed. Double check each one, ensuring they are well closed. Then close the door to the room, making sure that everyone in the house knows not to go into it overnight. Are they open the next morning?
Some of the main causes of 'ghostly happenings' are merely pets or animals. People forget that cats and dogs could be responsible for a large majority of spooky events.
Cats like jumping and stretching on things. Often this may cause drawers or cupboards to open. They also knock things off tables or sideboards. Dogs are also known to open doors and knock things over. Dogs walking up stairs or along passages could also sound like footsteps - particularly with the bigger breeds.
Other animals like mice, rats, squirrels, possums or many other animals could also be the cause of unusual sounds or activity. Check to see whether any of these animals have set up home in your roof, walls or garden.
The second thing to do is now get a friend to check out the house for you. Often we live in a 'comfort zone'. so it is easy to overlook things. Explain what you are experiencing and then get a friend to see if they can find an explanation.
If an explanation is still not found, then you may indeed have a ghost in the house. If it is bugging you, you may now want to call a professional ghost hunter. A ghost hunter usually has access to specialist equipment which could still track down a natural, explainable cause.
STRONGER SIGNS OF POTENTIAL HAUNTINGS:
* UNEXPLAINED SHADOWS: You see shadows moving in the corner of your eye, but when you look, there is nothing there. Sometimes these shadows may appear human-shaped.
* PET BEHAVIOUR: It seems that pets are able to 'see' ghosts a lot better than humans. Do your dogs bark at something you can't see? Do your cats stare at a blank wall? this could indicate a ghost.
* BEING WATCHED: Are you alone at home, but yet feel like someone is watching you? It usually happens only in one part of the house and usually only at a particular time.
* BEING TOUCHED: This is often linked to the feeling of being watched. You can feel a very light touch on your arm or face. You feel like someone has their hand on your shoulder. Sometimes people report something tugging on their hair or clothes.
* COLD SPOTS: Nearly everyone has heard of this. As you walk across a room or down a passage, you pass through an area where the temperature is noticably colder or warmer. (Check that there is no aircon on or hot water pipes that go under the floor!)
* VOICES: You sometimes hear muffled voices, a child crying quietly or hear whispers. People also report hearing their names being said.
DEFINITE SIGNS OF PARANORMAL ACTIVITY:
* MOVING OR LEVITATING OBJECTS: furniture moving, crockery sliding across a table, pictures falling off the wall, books being thrown from a bookshelf.
* PHYSICAL ASSAULT: scratches that appear on your body with no explanation. Hard slaps or hair pulling, yet no-one is around.
* APPARITIONS: Seeing a ghostly entity appearing in a room, seeing a mist-like shape moving about, seeing small balls of light moving around the room.
If the ghost hunters have not found clear evidence of the phenomena being of natural origins, the could call in a medium to try and contact the entity. In extreme cases, an exorcist or priest may be called on to cleanse the house and banish the entity.
Don't let your imagination take over! Let common sense prevail!
For the latest news on all things paranormal, head on over to Strange News Daily. For stories and articles on ghosts, haunted houses and other strangeness, pop on over to the Strange News Daily Blog, a place that collects strange stories from the world of the mysterious, unexplained and unknown.
James is an author and explorer with a deep interest in all things paranormal. When not travelling the world in search of the strange, weird and bizarre, he writes about his experiences and the research he has done.
Keywords: real houswives pay ghost world ghost shows belief about orb photos appear camera why camera argentine nazi dark youth paranormal final shuttle continues
Scientists have used state-of-the-art 3D computer technology to create what they say is the first true likeness of William Shakespeare.
The image shows every wrinkle on the playwright's face and the figure's haunted stare is radically different from existing images which purport to be of the Bard.
The warts-and-all image is featured in a TV documentary called Death Masks. (U.K. History Channel on 9/13)
Director Stuart Clarke said: 'The results from this forensic examination are startling.
'They show strong evidence both forensically and historically that this 3D model may be, in fact, the way Shakespeare looked in life.
Clarke's team have also produced 3D likenesses of Napoleon, Julius Caesar, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
The recreations are based on scans taken from death masks - and in some cases masks made during life.
The producers of the show claim that the images will challenge viewers' perceptions of what some of history's most famous figures looked like.
The image of Napoleon is said to be significantly different from that which the French have become accustomed to, while the 'real' face of Washington is nothing like his image on the dollar bill.
But the recreation of Shakespeare is likely to cause the most controversy. The Bard's true likeness has been the subject of speculation for centuries and many experts dispute that the death mask used in the programme is Shakespeare's.
It was found in Darmstadt, Germany, in the 1840s and German scientists linked it to Shakespeare after carrying out a series of tests.
They say it proves the writer suffered from cancer towards the end of his life.
Forensic anthropologist Dr Caroline Wilkinson insisted there were 'a large number of consistencies' between the 3D image and portraits of the writer.
But Shakespeare Birthplace Trust chairman Stanley Welles rejects the validity of the new image and the death mask, adding: 'Shakespeare was not a national figure at the time, not in the way he is today, and it is unlikely a mask like this would have been made.'
NOTE: this production was aired in the U.S. last year...it has been updated a bit and will air in the U.K. on 9/13. Very interesting documentary...Lon
Keywords: choosing capture sounds stories learn hunters ghost hunting father sacrifices tips ghosts house ghost haunts how presence ufo phone jim morrison fake
A Texas store may have captured a ghost in action - or maybe just a freak earthquake. When employees arrived in the morning to open the shop they discovered that several blankets had fallen off their shelves. They consulted the security footage from the night before, and were surprised to see a clear shot of the blankets falling seemingly on their own. Assuming that the shelves were perhaps just unstable, the employees then tried to duplicate what they saw on the recording by shaking the shelves up and down, but to no avail. The remaining blankets sat firmly in place.
The footage was filmed while the store was locked, and no one came in or out during that time. However, it may be that this unusual happening had nothing to do with spirits. The town in which the store is located experienced a small earthquake over the weekend, which is the first thing I would look into if I were investigating this case. The video report does not mention whether or not the falling blankets happened at the same time as the earthquake - and if they did, that's probably the answer right there. As for the blankets remaining on the shelves when shaken up and down, it should be noted that the shaking produced by many earthquakes is from side-to-side and might be difficult to duplicate in the manner demonstrated in the video.
So this one probably is not a ghost. The footage, though, is particularly good because the blankets in question fell right in front of one of the store's cameras, and I can easily see how individuals unused to earthquakes might assume that this was the work of a disembodied spirit.
Keywords: short youth chica station
Mark and Lauren Keyes of Lackawanna County take their paranormal seriously.
They're team leaders for the Pennsylvania Paranormal Association (PPA), featured on the Animal Planet TV show "The Haunted."
Your chance to meet the members of the PPA team is Saturday at the "Spirit of Dessin" fundraiser being held at the Historic White Mills Fire Hall in White Mills, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The cost is 5 per person with all proceeds benefiting the Dessin Animal Shelter's Spay and Neuter Program.
Event organizer Toni Lehutsky says it's lining up to be an exciting evening.
There will be demonstrations of ghost hunting equipment, talks about paranormal investigations, and a chance to meet Ben the PPA's K-9 Police trained mascot and ghost hunter.
A personal friend of her husband's, Lehutsky said Mr. Keyes takes a scientific approach to researching the paranormal.
"Mark is into quantum physics," she said.
"They don't charge the clients," she said. "They go into houses and debunk things."
Though sometimes a noise might be attributed to a loose pipe, etc., Lehutsky said the Keyes have come across the paranormal.
In Delaware County, they went to a home where something went flying across the room. "You hear this thing and it was a quarter that went flying and no one was in the house," Lehutsky said. "So they do have stuff like that that happens, but it doesn't happen in every home."
As for Ben, the ghost hunter, Lehutsky says, "A dog is more sensitive, in-tune to things. He'll see things they don't; he'll hear things they don't."
Psychic readings and photos with Ben are available for an additional charge.
Lehutsky says the psychic will also check the historic fire hall to see if any old firemen are hanging around.
Saturday's event is a way to get the word out about the PPA and raise money for the Dessin Animal Shelter's Spay ">GHOST HUNT BRINGS CLOSURE FOR FAMILY
journalstar - The ghosts of Nebraska Wesleyan University didn't materialize Friday but a call to spirits eased one survivor's guilt.
Carol Ready of Scribner has carried guilt since two sisters died more than three years ago in a rollover.
The 18-year-old frets over little things -- why didn't she play with them when they'd asked?
Days before the accident, Carol told her tomboy sister Beth, 11, she'd teach her how to put on makeup "later."
Well, later was too late, Carol said.
The girls died April 14, 2007, en route to Concordia University for its "Gathering of Talents." Beth and Erin, 7, were to sing solos at the festival.
"I felt like they died because I pushed them away," Carol said. "I thought it was God's punishment."
Carol's mother, Ruth Ready, carries guilt for losing control of the Suburban that flipped twice on Nebraska 79 near North Bend.
Closure has been hard for the family. Carol said there's a void that can't be filled.
But those who say they spoke with Beth and Erin Friday have this message -- the girls are happy on the other side and want their mortal family happy too.
Carol was able to "talk" to her two sisters with the help of paranormal expert Chris Moon, who was at Nebraska Wesleyan University Friday night.
Moon claims to have the ability to talk to the dead through a spirit phone, a device he says uses sound waves to convey messages between worlds. He travels the United States going into historically haunted houses to talk to ghosts.
It's rumored that Wesleyan's Old Main building and Johnson Hall are haunted. Multiple people say they've seen, heard or felt paranormal activity there throughout the years.
And it just so happens that Carol lives in Johnson Hall.
She didn't really believe in ghosts until Friday, when Moon used the spirit phone to talk to ghosts on her floor.
Moon asked people to start asking questions. Carol asked if Beth and Erin were there. Through the phone they said, "Yes, here."
"Is there a girl that's 7?"
"Yes."
"Is there another girl that's 11?"
"Yes. We are at home. Safe."
"Beth? Beth Ready?"
"Me. Hi. This is odd. We're cool," she giggled.
Carol started shaking; tears streamed down her face.
"That was Beth's voice and giggle. I will never forget that sweet voice," Carol said. "I remember one morning I woke her up by putting my hand on hers and she said, 'Hi!' That was the same hi I heard that morning."
Ten minutes later, the sisters asked for Carol. Carol hadn't said her name to the spirit phone, but a girl's voice asked to talk to Carol.
Carol asked, "Are you mad at me for not spending time with you?"
"No, we understand."
"Are you mad at Mom?"
"A little, because she is blaming herself and holding guilt."
"Every day Mom thinks about you girls."
Carol cried harder. Other students crowded around. Chris Moon teared up too.
Carol grabbed her cell phone and called her parents, who aren't big into ghost tales. But Carol didn't care, she needed to tell her mom to stop feeling guilty.
"It feels so good to know that they weren't blaming me for not spending time with them before they died," Carol said.
The idea that the dead can communicate with humans is weird until you've experienced for yourself, said Joe Pritchard, a Wesleyan student who stayed overnight in Old Main on Friday with about 30 people waiting for the ghost of Clara Mills to appear.
Brittany Gunther, another Wesleyan student, claimed she talked to her cousin and aunt through the spirit telephone.
"She recognized her cousin's voice right away, Pritchard said. "You have to be there to understand what we heard and saw."
Keywords: ghosts air spirit serving ale searching riders museum still died stress disorder demon ghost hunting admiral byrd ufo manhattan alien
