In 1997, rock historian Brett Meisner visited late Doors frontman Jim Morrison's grave at Paris, France's Pere Lachaise cemetery. His assistant took a photo of him at the grave, and that was that.
But five years later, he looked at the photo and saw something kind of frightening: A very faint image in the background that looked like Morrison.
The image made its way onto the internet and is also discussed in a new book, Ghosts Caught On Film 2: Photographs Of The Unexplained.
The book says researchers can not account for the faint image in the background. They've decided it can't be a trick of the light, and have also ruled out the image being manipulated (Photoshop, etc.) in any way.
Maybe Morrison's "ghost" is to blame for all the vandalism on his grave that caused authorities to put a fence around his tombstone?
Or not.
At any rate, Meisner says the Morrison photo screwed up his life.
"Part of me wishes that I never stepped foot into the graveyard in the first place," he told the Daily Express.
"I'm partly to blame for talking about it in the first place. I should have kept it to myself.
"I've had strangers come to my home at all hours of the night wanting to talk to me saying they had messages from Jim.
"At first it was sort of interesting to see how many people felt a spiritual bond with Jim and the photo, but now the whole vibe seems negative."
In fact, Meisner literally wants to remove the negative from his life. He now says he plans to donate the photo and negative to an organization.
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Hungry Ghosts may be understood in terms of Buddhist cosmology or psychology: Whereas one makes them hard to believe in, the other is undeniable because it's us.
WHAT DOES THE BOOK TITLE "IN THE REALM OF HUNGRY GHOSTS "MEAN?DR. GABOR MATE: It's a Buddhist phrase. In Buddhist Psychology, there are a number of realms that human beings cycle through. All of us. One is the Human Realm, which is our ordinary selves. The Hell Realm is that of unbearable rage, fear, terror, you know, these emotions that are difficult to handle. The Animal Realm is our instincts and our [hate] and our passions.
Now, the Hungry Ghost Realm, the creatures in it are depicted as people with large, empty bellies, small mouths, and scrawny, thin necks. They can never get enough satisfaction. They can never fill their bellies. They're always hungry, always empty, always seeking it from the outside. That speaks to a part of us that I have, and everybody in our society has, where we want satisfaction from the outside, where we're empty, where we want to be soothed by something in the short term. But we can never feel that, or fulfill that, insatiety from outside.
The addicts are in that realm all the time. Most of us are in that realm some of the time. And my point really is, is that there's no clear distinction between the identified addict and the rest of us. There's just a continuum on which we all may be found. They're on it because they suffered more than most of us.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE BIOLOGY OF ADDICTION?
DR. MATE: Sure, you see, if you look at the brain circuits of addiction -- and that's true whether it's a shopping addiction, like mine, or an addiction to opiates like the heroin addict -- we're looking for endorphins in our brains. Endorphins are the brain's feelgood, reward, pleasure, and pain-relief chemicals. They also happen to be the love chemicals that connect us to the universe and to one another.
"A visit to the Hungry Ghost Realm, circa 1969, with petas" before they became horribly disfigured by their all-consuming addictions. Now, that circuitry in addicts doesn't function very well. As the circuitry of incentive and motivation, which involves the chemical dopamine, also doesn't function very well. Stimulant drugs like cocaine and crystal meth, nicotine and caffeine -- all elevate dopamine levels in the brain -- as does sexual acting out, as does extreme sports, as does workaholism, and so on.
Now the issue is, Why do these circuits not work so well in some people? Because the drugs in themselves are not, surprisingly, addictive. And what I mean by that is, is that most people who try most drugs never become addicted to them. And so there has to be susceptibility there. And the susceptible people are the ones with these impaired brain circuits. And the impairment is caused by early adversity rather than by genetics...
WHAT DO YOU MEAN "EARLY ADVERSITY"?DR. MATE: Well, the human brain, unlike any other mammal, for the most part develops under the influence of the environment. And that's because, from the evolutionary point of view, we develop these large heads, large fore brains, and to walk on two legs... LISTEN TO MORE (4:20)
REAL BUDDHIST GHOST STORIES
The Stories of Ghosts ("Petavatthu") is a Theravada Buddhist scripture. It is included in the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Pali Canon's Sutta Pitaka. It is composed of 51 verse narratives describing how the effects of bad actions can lead to rebirth in the unhappy world of hungry ghosts (petas). Such rebirth takes place in accordance with the doctrine of karma. It also highlights the teaching that giving alms to very moral individuals in particular and monastics in general might benefit one's relatives who have passed away.
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Ghost hunting followed a renewed interest in spiritualism caused by two young girls that claimed to speak with a dead peddler. Forty years later one revealed that the noises heard during his "presence" were fake, but by that time, such a resurgence of interest occurred that no one cared. The first group that devoted it's time to the search for disembodied souls was a society devoted to ghosts at Cambridge University in 1851. London's Ghost Club started 11 years later. These pioneers provided the beginnings for today's avid ghost hunters.
There are really only three forms of ghost hunting:
The first uses psychic methods to make contacts. Sensitive's walk through a home and make communication with the ghost or go into a trance. Others may use Ouija boards or other channelling tools to make contact.
The second type of ghost hunter uses something known as "ghost buster" tools. These can consist of Infrared cameras, tape recorders and energy measurement tools like the electromagnetic field meter. Pictures of orbs, ectoplasm and spirits represent their proof.
The third type of ghost hunting uses the scientific method. They gather all data and evidence of a haunting and search for normal, natural scientific explanations. If they can find none, then these investigators look to the paranormal for answers.
In their introduction to ghost hunting, The American Ghost Society tells the future ghost hunter's that some of the cases that they investigate are frauds and pranks perpetrated to make the ghost hunter look foolish. Other cases without merit are people that, out of fear, mental illness or some other reason, mistakenly believe that their house is haunted. These ghost hunters search for the truth and understand that the scientific community does not accept their work but make it their duty to find evidence of true hauntings.
Most ghost hunters seek the adventure of the unknown or simply want answers to age-old questions. Some, however, are more dubious and their desire is for personal fame. With the fame and claims of ghost hunting come the fat cheques for the books they authored, or ironically, had authored by ghost-writers. Television guest appearances and movie contracts add to the bounty. These types of ghost hunters usually have spectacular stories, later debunked by further investigation. The public seldom learns of the misinformation and prefers the gripping tale told originally.
The unfortunate effect of the professional attention seeker is that true ghost hunters receive not only a bad name, but further dismissal from the scientific community. Most impassioned ghost hunters want substantial proof that what they believe they experience while hunting spectre was real. The stories aren't spectacular but interesting and as any good ghost story, they can send a chill up your spine.
Across the world, people have the opportunity to join the ghost hunters by paying a small fee to joining a ghostly walking tour of haunted areas. Many times ghost hunters lead these tours and give important historical information as well as relaying stories of ghost sightings at the sites that they have visited.
Keith Ward is the Founder and Director of the Circle of Professional Clairvoyants, which offers Psychic Readings with fully qualified Senior UK Clairvoyants and Psychics.
Real-life ghostbusters are needed to uncover ghoulish goings-on at a former medieval manor house, said to be one of the UK's most haunted buildings.
The vigil and ghost hunt takes place at the former Manor House Pub, Hydes Road, West Bromwich, on June 30 and organisers want to contact the many spirits believed to be present.
The Manor House is a magnificent, Grade I listed, timber beamed property that dates back in places to 1270. It was extended and added to during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Chris Arnold, boss of paranormal events company Eerie Evenings, said the venue, now a museum, was one of the spookiest the organisation has ever visited.
He said: "The Manor House was the setting for some of our first ever public events and always proved very popular with the public. Now, after lying empty and unused for some time, it has been given a new lease of life."
During previous ghost hunts at the venue a succession of spooks have been spotted.
Mr Arnold explained: "Several of the team members had their most convincing experiences there, including balls of light floating across the room, heavy footsteps belonging to no-one, the full apparition of a monk, exploding light bulbs and slamming doors."
Apparitions include a bearded man, a grey-haired old lady and a cloaked figure gliding down stairs and through closed doors. There has also been sightings of a young girl peering from a top, inaccessible floor and frequent tales of a black cat darting through people's legs on the staircase leading into the great hall.
This moggie spirit has been seen several times since The Manor House reopened as a museum.
The event will include psychic readings and a tour of the building. Once darkness has descended, the vigil will begin and guests will be able to take part in various paranormal experiments.
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