Ghost Hunters, Syfy's hugely successful reality series, has announced a trio of special guest investigators. Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Sheree Whitfield, NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak are on the case at the historic Rhodes Hall in Atlanta, GA as they join Jason, Grant and the rest of the team for an unforgettable investigation. The episode is slated to air on Syfy this fall.
Since the series debuted in 2004, viewers have flocked to Syfy on Wednesday nights at 9pm to catch the latest hair-raising cases from the files of TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society), led by Rhode Island plumbers Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. The first half of season six (airing spring 2010), averaged a 1.9 Household rating, 2.6 million total viewers, 1.6 million Adults 18-49 and 1.6 million Adults 25-54. Its spin-off series, Ghost Hunters International and Ghost Hunters Academy, have continued to cement the Ghost Hunters brand as the top paranormal franchise in cable.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta is an up-close and personal look at fabulous women from Atlanta's social elite as they juggle their burgeoning careers and busy home lives with the whirl of the south's hottest city. These driven and ambitious women prove that they're not just "housewives," but entrepreneurs, doting mothers and feisty southern women.
See Also: Scare The Crap Out Of Your Kids With Illustrations Of Creatures From Japanese Mythology / GHOST ADVENTURES - Zak Bagans, Nick Grof And Aaron Goodwin At Comic Con 2010 / A New Book That Explains How To Hunt Ghosts, Monsters And UFOs / Join The Cast Of "Ghost Hunters" In An Investingation OF The Ripley's Museum / Ghost Hunters Scores Another Number One For Sci Fi / Ghost Hunters International Scores Big Ratings For Sci Fi / Ghost Hunters: New Generation To Air On Sci Fi / Paranormal - Real Life Tales Of The Unexplained / Ghost Hunters Invites Fans To Join The Hunt / The Ghost Hunters Are Set To Go To College / Ghostly Images Appear In The Jennifer Tilly Film Return To Babylon / If Your looking For Ghosts Go To The Aokigahara Forest In Japan / Ghost Hunters To Continue Their Paranormal Investigations For An Exciting 5th Season
Source: NBC / Universal (Press Release)
Do you hear bumps in the night? Does your hair stand on end when you walk into a room? Maybe you feel as if someone is watching you or perhaps you think you see someone out the corner of your eye, but when you turn to look no one is there? What you may be encountering in those unsettling moments is a ghost. So before you go running out of your house screaming, let's take a moment to talk about ghostly encounters and those that investigate this phenomena.
A ghost is believed to be the spirit or soul of a person who has remained on Earth after death. When a ghost has taken up residence in a location, it is referred to as a haunting. There are two different ways in which a ghost inhabits a location. The most common type of haunting is a residual haunting. A residual haunting is typified by ghostly energy that is static or goes through a number of movements over and over again. It can be likened to watching a movie clip that repeats itself or a record album that has a skip in it, causing the needle to jump back to an earlier point on the album and begin again.
The second classification of haunting is the classic haunting. In a classic haunting the ghost displays intelligence and interacts with the people in the environment. It is not uncommon during a classic haunting for items to be moved around, for lights or electrical appliances to turn on and off, to hear voices our sounds out of nowhere or to be touched, tickled, stroked or even shoved. These ghosts often reflect the personality of an individual, even after their death. With this type of haunting, the aroma of flowers, perfume, cigarette smoke or other scents that are associated with the individual are often detected.
So whether you think you are being haunted by a ghost and want to have a group of trained professionals to come to your home or are interested in investigating all that goes bump in the night, but don't know where to begin, here's some information that can help you get started.
It is held that ghosts are electro-magnetic in origin and they create these fields when trying to manifest into this dimension. The energy that is given off by a ghost causes disruptions in the locations magnetic field, thus making it detectable by specialized equipment and psychics alike.
Because the presence of a ghost can be detected by specific types of equipment, a ghost hunter can become well equipped with a number of affordable pieces of equipment, many of which you may already own. From basic to advanced, there are many different types of equipment you can use to detect an otherworldly presence. For someone thinking about participating in an investigation, this doesn't mean you have to own every piece of equipment in order to perform a reliable investigation. It does mean that you should at least possess a basic set of tools to use.
Basic Equipment
35mm or Digital Camera - For a beginner, having a camera is probably the easiest and least expensive way to begin. Pictures, whether digital or recorded on film can capture paranormal activity, activity that is often invisible to the naked eye. This is especially true in the case of documenting the presence of orbs and ectoplasm.
Notebook & Pen or Pencil - Simple as this may be, it is always a good idea to have something to record any notes, findings or experiences you may have during an investigation.
Flashlight - Many times an investigation will take you to a dark or foreboding location such as a cemetery, old warehouse, abandoned building or other place that is dark or without electricity. In these instances you will need to have a portable light source.
Extra Batteries - Depending on the paranormal activity of a location, batteries oftentimes will mysteriously and unexpectedly lose their charge leaving you in the dark. Regardless of the type of equipment you use, make sure you bring extra batteries along to replenish depleted ones.
Intermediate Equipment
EMF Detector - The Electromagnetic Field Detector is probably one of the most important pieces of equipment to own if you are serious about doing an investigation. In addition to detecting the energy fields of ghosts, it is a key tool to use when taking baseline readings of a site. A baseline reading is a preliminary evaluation of a location, where investigators identify any existing or man made electromagnetic fields such as those created by power lines or electrical appliances.
Digital Video Camera - Video cameras can be a useful investigation tool. Unlike still cameras, a video camera will document any activity in its entirety including the length of time the phenomena occurs, the surrounding conditions, as well as the phenomena itself. A tripod to rest the video camera on is also helpful, especially if it is going to be left in a stationary position to record the activity in a specific location.
Tape Recorder with an External Microphone - There is no better way to capture EVP's (electronic voice phenomena) than through the use of a tape recorder. Whether using a traditional tape recorder with high quality tapes or a digital recorder, an external microphone should always be used. A detached mic will eliminate the sounds of internal gears and turning wheels that can contaminate your recording.
Advanced Equipment
Motion Detectors - Motion detectors can be used to sense the movement of unseen forces. Many need to be plugged in to an outlet, but battery operated ones are also available. Before you go out and buy one, decide which type will best support you investigatory needs.
Thermal Scanner - A thermal scanner or non-contact thermometer can be used to detect rapid temperature changes. A change of ten degrees or more from the ambient temperature (the temperature of the surrounding area) can indicate an ethereal presence.
Psychics - As An Investigative Tool
In addition to tools such as cameras, meters and gauges that are used by ghost hunters, many groups also utilize the services of trained psychics as a means of gathering information about a site. This is the role I play when working with ghost hunting groups.
Finding a true psychic to work with can be a real asset to the quality of your investigation. They can play an invaluable role in supporting the efforts of any paranormal investigation. Like a good piece of equipment, a psychic can help to detect anomalies as well as provide additional insights into the nature of activity encountered.
If your group decides to include the use of a psychic as part of the investigation team, there are a few items that should be considered. To maximize the objectivity of the investigation, it is critical that the psychic go into a location "cold". This means that they do not know the details of the location or of any activity that may have been encountered by other members or the property owner. Telling the psychic the history of a property can cause the individual to become "contaminated", which can make it difficult for them to differentiate what they perceive from what they have been told.
Conducting An Investigation
With at least a basic kit of equipment in hand, you are now ready to explore the world of paranormal phenomena. Before you begin, there are a few ground rules to consider. First, never go on an investigation alone, in addition to personal safety, you never know what may happen. Next, consider the fact that ghost hunting groups are often judged by their behavior and professionalism - so always try to be respectful of the people, places and situations you may encounter.
To do an investigation, the first step is to select a location. Locations can include cemeteries, old buildings, historic sites, private homes and businesses. Always get permission to be on a site. This will keep you from getting in trouble for trespassing. Before you begin a formal investigation it is a good idea to do some research on the site. Talk to the owner, check out old newspapers, or contact the local historic society to see if anything happened there in the past. It is also a good idea to evaluate the terrain for potential hazards or/or to identify places where you can setup stationary video cameras, motion detectors or tape recorders.
Most investigations occur after dark, between the hours of 9pm and 6am. These hours are considered the "psychic hours" and are believed to be the best time to record paranormal activity.
When you get to the selected location, walk around to get a feel for it. Next, set up any stationary equipment and take baseline readings of the site. Then let the investigation begin. Take pictures, shoot video, record for EVP and take meter readings. Take them everywhere and anywhere, especially if you feel something or get a reading on another piece of equipment. When you are done walking around a site, turn your stationary equipment on and let it run while you and your group are out of the area.
When you have finished collecting your data, it is time for analysis. Here each picture, video and tape is reviewed for evidence of a haunting. This is probably the most important part of any investigation. As you review your materials, be skeptical. Look for earthly causes of any phenomena. Was someone smoking in the area? Was the room or location dusty? Where there reflective surfaces that could be the cause of the anomaly in your image? It is important to make sure your evidence will stand up to scrutiny by eliminating any other explanations. This will give your data more credibility.
As you pore over your data, what you will find is that not every location you go to will have ghostly activity. You may discover that many of the things you initially detected during your investigation actually have real world explanations as opposed to supernatural ones. What keeps many ghost hunters going is that one-in-five chance that this investigation will be the "real" thing.
When your analysis is done, presenting your finding to the home or property owner or sharing your results with others is often done. Many groups also post the results of their investigations on their group's website, thus share the outcome of their investigation with the rest of the world.
If you are interested in ghost hunting or think your have a ghost hanging around in your local, there is a plethora of information available on the worldwide web. Here you can find articles about ghost hunting in general, stories of other people's ghostly encounters, places that sell ghost hunting equipment and even sites hosted by ghost hunting groups in your geographic area.
So if you think you are hearing bumps in the night, don't be afraid - it just might be a ghost!
(c) Copyright Body, Mind & SoulHealer (www.soulhealer.com) 2006. All rights reserved.
By: Dr. Rita LouiseArticle Directory: http://www.articledashboard.comDr. Rita Louise, Ph D is a Naturopathic Physician and the founder of the Institute Of Applied Energetics. It is her unique gift as a medical intuitive that enlivens her work. Let Dr. Rita assist you bringing health, healing and wholeness back into your life. Visit www.soulhealer.com or www.appliedenergeticsinstitute.com for more information.
Although skeptics insist ghosts are unreal, there are many ghostly encounters that seem to present startling evidence to the contrary. One such incident is presented in the book "The Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales" by Ruth Ann Musick (1965, 28-30). The story is indeed spine-tingling, but is it true as well? I first began to investigate the case for my book "Entities: Angels, Spirits, Demons, and Other Alien Beings" (1995).
"Help"
Musick's narrative, titled "Help," relates how "Doctor Anderson" was awakened by a knock at the door "just past midnight." He found on his doorstep a girl of twelve or thirteen who was dressed in a blue coat and carrying a white muff. She implored him to hurry to "the old Hostler place," where her mother was desperately ill, and then she darted down the road. Anderson picked up his doctor's bag, quickly saddled his horse, and hurried on his way until "he saw the glow of a lamp in the old Hostler house."
Finding a bedridden woman inside, the physician put wood on the dying fire and set to work to treat her fever. When she had rallied, he told her how fortunate she was that her daughter had fetched him. "But I have no daughter," the woman whispered. "My daughter has been dead for three years." Anderson described to her how the girl had been dressed; the woman admitted that her daughter had had such clothing and indicated where the items were hanging.
Thereupon, relates the narrative's final paragraph, "Doctor Anderson strode over to the closet, opened the door, and took out a blue coat and white muff. His hands trembled when he felt the coat and muff and found them still warm and damp from perspiration."
How do we explain such an event? Well, first we remember to apply an old skeptic's dictum: before attempting to explain something, make sure it really happened.
Another Version
As it turns out, a book by Billy Graham contains a remarkably similar story (1975, 2-3), wherein the implication is that the little girl in the tale is not a ghost but rather an angel:
Dr. S.W. Mitchell, a celebrated Philadelphia neurologist, had gone to bed after an exceptionally tiring day. Suddenly he was awakened by someone knocking on his door. Opening it he found a little girl, poorly dressed and deeply upset. She told him her mother was very sick and asked him if he would please come with her. It was a bitterly cold, snowy night, but though he was bone tired, Dr. Mitchell dressed and followed the girl....
As "Reader's Digest" reports the story, he found the mother desperately ill with pneumonia. After arranging for medical care, he complimented the sick woman on the intelligence and persistence of her little daughter. The woman looked at him strangely and said, "My daughter died a month ago." She added, "Her shoes and coat are in the clothes closet there." Dr. Mitchell, amazed and perplexed, went to the closet and opened the door. There hung the very coat worn by the little girl who had brought him to tend her mother. It was warm and dry and could not possibly have been out in the wintry night....
Could the doctor have been called in the hour of desperate need by an angel who appeared as this woman's young daughter? Was this the work of God's angels on behalf of the sick woman?
Graham provides no documentation beyond the vague reference to "Reader's Digest", which in any event is hardly a scholarly source. In fact, I soon discovered that the tale is an old one, circulated in various forms with conflicting details. For example, as "The Girl in the Snow," it appears in Margaret Ronan's anthology of "Strange Unsolved Mysteries". While Graham's version is of implied recent vintage, that by Ronan is set on a "December day in 1880." Whereas Graham states that the doctor was "awakened by someone knocking on his door," Ronan tells us "the doorbell downstairs was ringing violently." Absent from the Graham version is the suggestion that the little girl was a ghost, not an angel; for example, Ronan says the child looked "almost wraithlike in the whirling snow," and that "at times she seemed to vanish into the storm...." In Graham's account, the doctor is credited with simply "arranging for medical care," while Ronan insists Mitchell "set about at once to do what he could for her" and "by morning he felt that at last she was out of danger." Although both versions preserve the essential element that the woman's little girl had died a month before, Graham's version quotes the mother as saying, "Her shoes and coat are in the clothes closet there," while Ronan's has her stating, "All I have left to remember her by are those clothes hanging on that peg over there." Indeed the latter account does not describe a coat and shoes but states: "Hanging from the peg was the thin dress he had seen the child wearing, and the ragged shawl" (Ronan 1974, 99-101).
S. Weir Mitchell
Variant Tales
There are many other versions--or "variants" as folklorists say--of the proliferating tale. Of the five others I discovered, all feature the physician S. Weir Mitchell, but only two suggest the time period. Unlike the Graham (1975) and Ronan (1974) versions, which have the garments in a "clothes closet" and hanging from a peg, respectively, four of the other five variant tales say the clothes are in a "cupboard"; one has them in a "shabby chiffonier" (Edwards 1961, 52). There are differences in the clothes: Colby (1959) lists a "little dress" and "tattered shawl"; Edwards (1961) a "heavy dress, hightop shoes," and "gray shawl" with a "blue glass pin"; Hurwood (1967) "all the clothes the child had worn when he saw her earlier"; Tyler (1970) that exact same wording; and "Strange Stories" (1976) "her shoes and [folded] shawl."
No doubt there are still other versions of the story. Variants are a "defining characteristic of folklore," according to distinguished folklorist Jan H. Brunvand (1978, 7), since oral transmission naturally produces differing versions of the same story. In this case, however, Brunvand notes that many of the variants are explained by writers copying others (Tyler from Hurwood, for instance) but adding details and making other changes for literary purposes (Brunvand 2000, 132). In any case, Brunvand (1981, 21) observes that when there is no certain original, the multiple versions of a tale provide "good evidence against credibility." But was there an identifiable original of the Mitchell story?
Brunvand (2000, 123-36) followed up on the tale (with some assistance from me). Eventually he turned up a couple of versions that supposedly came from Mitchell himself. One was published in 1950 by R.W.G. Vail, then-director of the New York Historical Society:
One day in February, 1949, Dr. Philip Cook of Worcester, Mass., while on a visit to New York City, told me this story which he had heard the famous doctor and writer S. Weir Mitchell tell at a medical meeting years ago. (Dr. Mitchell died in 1914).
"I was sitting in my office late one night when I heard a knock and, going to the door, found a little girl crying, who asked me to go at once to her home to visit a very sick patient. I told her that I was practically retired and never made evening calls, but she seemed to be in such great distress that I agreed to make the call and so wrote down the name and address she gave me. So I got my bag, hat, and coat and returned to the door, but the little girl was gone. However, I had the address and so went on and made the call. When I got there, a woman came to the door in tears. I asked if there was a patient needing attention. She said that there had been--her little daughter--but that she had just died. She then invited me in. I saw the patient lying dead in her bed, and it was the little girl who had called at my office."
Brunvand (2000, 123-36) also turned up an interesting letter from the Mitchell papers. Dated November 2, 1909, it had been written to Mitchell by physician Noel Smith of Dover, New Hampshire. It read:
S. Weir Mitchell, M.D.
My dear Doctor:--
Please pardon my intrusion upon your valuable time, but--as I should like the truthfulness, or otherwise, of what follows established, I have taken the liberty of addressing you.
A travelling man, a stranger, accosted me a few days since at one of our principal hotels, knowing that I was a physician, asking me if I believe in the supernatural, communications with the spirits of departed friends, etc.--I assured him that I had never experienced any personal observations or manifestations that would lead me to any such belief. He then related to me the following story, vouching for its authenticity.--He was a member of some organization, I think, in N.Y., and they had lectures now and then upon various topics. One evening it was announced that prominent men were present who would in turn relate their most wonderful experiences. You was ["sic"] the first called upon, and you stated that you could tell your most wonderful personal experience in a few words. You went on to say that you were engaged in writing late one evening in your library when somebody knocked three times upon the library door. This was thought to be very strange, as electric bells were in use. Upon opening the door, a little girl, about 12 years of age stood there, having a red cloak for an outer garment. She asked if you were Dr. Mitchell, and wished you to go at once to visit her mother professionally, as she was very ill. You informed her that you had given up general practice, but that Dr. Bennett lived diagonally across the street, and that you would direct her to his door, which you did. In a few moments the raps upon your door were repeated, and you found the girl there a second time. She could not obtain Dr. Bennett's services, and urged you to accompany her home; and you did so. She conducted you to a poor section of the city and up a rickety flight of stairs into a tenement house. She ushered you into a room where her mother lay ill upon a bed. You prescribed for the sick lady, giving her some general directions for future guide, and assured her that it was only at the very urgent and persistent efforts of her daughter that you were prevailed upon to come to her. The woman said that that was strange: that she had no daughter--that her only daughter had just died and her body reposed in a casket in the adjoining room. You then looked into this room & viewed the remains of a girl about 12 years of age, while hanging upon the wall was a red cloak.
I am curious to know, doctor, whether you ever had any such experience, or any approach thereto. Hence these words. Let me say right here that Mrs. Smith anxious believers and disbelievers in the supernatural assail him with letters. He has written some fifty to lay this ghost. How could he predict a day when he would be taken seriously?
So there we have it: Mitchell's oblique confession that he had simply conjured up a ghost tale, filled it with literary verisimilitude (semblance of truth), and sent it forth. Later, as Brunvand (2000, 129) notes, Mitchell was "chagrined to find the public believing that he was presenting the story as the literal truth." Mitchell--like the Fox Sisters whose phony spirit communications spawned the modern spiritualist movement (Nickell 2007, 39)--discovered that the genie could not be put back into the bottle.
References
Brunvand, Jan Harold. 1978. "The Study of American Folklore". New York: W.W. Norton.
. 1981. "The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings". New York: W.W. Norton.
. 2000. "The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story!" Chicago: University of Illinois.
Colby, C.B. 1959. "Strangely Enough" (abridged). New York: Scholastic Book Services.
Edwards, Frank. 1961. "Strange People". New York: Signet.
Graham, Billy. 1975. "Angels: God's Secret Agents". Garden City, New York: Doubleday.
Hurwood, Bernhardt J. 1967. "Strange Talents". New York: Ace Books.
Mitchell, S. Weir. (1891) 1909. "Characteristics". New York: Century.
Musick, Ruth Ann. 1965. "The Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales". Lexington: University of Kentucky Press.
Nickell, Joe. 1995. "Entities: Angels, Spirits, Demons, and Other Alien Beings". Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books.
. 2007. "Adventures in Paranormal Investigation". Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky.
Ronan, Margaret. 1974. "Strange Unsolved Mysteries". New York: Scholastic Book Services.
"Strange Stories, Amazing Facts". 1976. Pleasantville, New York: The Reader's Digest Association.
Tyler, Steven. 1970. "ESP and Psychic Power". New York: Tower Publications.
