Below i am giving you a short description of Ghosts, Poltergeists, Haunted Places
Though ghost sightings and ghost pictures are often dismissed by scientists, ghost stories date back thousands of years and span numerous cultures. In fact, one of the first documented ghost sightings occurred in Athens, Greece, around 50 A.D.
Ghost sightings have also been documented in religious texts. For instance, the Bible and the Hebrew Torah both contain references to ghosts.
In this section, we'll discuss ghosts. We'll take an in-depth look at haunted houses, apparitions and poltergeists. Our articles will also examine the history of ghosts and provide information on ghost skeptics.
Haunted Houses
When ghosts are said to inhabit houses, the houses are referred to as haunted houses. Always popular attractions during Halloween celebrations, haunted houses are considered by many to be real and potentially threatening.
Some believers in the paranormal content that apparitions can often be seen in locations that they frequented when they were alive. Thus, it would make sense that a ghost would choose to visit his former home. Often, such tragic events as murders and suicides have occurred in haunted houses. Accidental deaths have also been associated with haunted houses.
Unexplained incidents, such as the unaided movement of objects or the slamming of doors, are often said to occur in haunted houses. Some of the scariest ghost pictures are also taken in haunted houses.
The house located at 112 Ocean Ave. in Amityville, New York, is one of the many famous haunted houses.
Apparitions
To many people, a ghost and an apparition are the same thing. However, for others, the term "ghost" refers to a disembodied soul, which may be revealed as a mist or a cloud, while the term "apparition" refers to a supernatural spirit that most often appears in human form.
Thus, an apparition of a deceased person will likely look much like the person did when he was alive.
Interestingly, though many people associate apparitions with the deceased, apparitions may also take the form of people who are still currently living.
Poltergeist
When people hear the term "poltergeist," many immediately think of the scary movie trilogy of the same name. However, the word "poltergeist" refers to a spirit that is generally mischievous and occasionally malicious.
The word, which comes from the German words "poltern" (to knock) and "geist" (spirit), refers to the spirits' tendency to make noise. Poltergeist activity often includes throwing and moving objects.
Essentially, a haunted house is a place in which ghost sightings or ghost activities have been reported. Ghost activity includes an extremely wide range of paranormal events, from noises such as speaking, screaming and footsteps to poltergeist activity during which doors slam shut, objects move and people think they see ghosts.
For a house or building to gain a reputation for being haunted, all it requires are tales of ghostly goings-on. In fact, a haunted house rarely receives any scientific corroboration. Like urban myths, haunted house legends are typically spread through tales and stories told from one person to another.
Famous Haunted Houses in the U.S.
Athens, Ohio has been called one of the most haunted towns in the world by the British Physical Society. Athens boasts a vast number of ghost stories. There are five cemeteries in Athens, and, when connected by a line, they form a pentagon (an occult symbol representing magic and power) with Ohio University in its center.
Ohio University itself is reportedly one of the most haunted college campuses in the United States. The University owns most of the land around the building that used to be the state hospital, a building with many ghost accounts. Athens is said to be a haven for Satanists and occult followers. In the 1850s, the town was home to a large number of spiritualists.
Haunted Andleberry Estate
One of the more famous haunted houses in pop culture is the Andleberry Estate, in Clovis, California. This mansion is reportedly haunted by residents of the sanitarium, of which the mansion used to be a part. The owner says he has heard ghost activity and has felt ghosts breathing on him.
Many different groups, including paranormal investigators, LiveSciFi.TV and a local news station have all visited the mansion. In total, paranormal investigators at the site have recorded:
* doors that slam by themselves
* electronic voice phenomenon (EVP), a paranormal event recorded by some form of electronic media, like a tape recorder
* over 22 different spirits.
For many people, EVPs are proof that ghost activity is real and not fabricated legend.
Haunted Everything Else
Alcatraz, located on an island in San Francisco Bay, no longer operates as a maximum-security prison but is open to visitors interested in its history. Many visitors report hearing screams, cell doors slamming, footsteps and other ghostly activity.
Hotel Chelsea, in Manhattan, is one of New York's more infamous landmarks due to its rich history of deaths and reports of ghost activity. Guests tell tales of seeing the ghost of Sex Pistols band member, Sid Vicious, in the elevator. Sid was suspected of brutally murdering his girlfriend in the hotel and later died of a heroin overdose.
Sid's friend, Dee Dee Ramone, recounts a feeling of unease in the hotel after Sid's death. Other Hotel Chelsea ghosts include the writer Thomas Wolfe and poet Dylan Thomas. One wonders how they get on with Sid.
Visiting Haunted Houses
A number of different Web sites list the details and locations of supposedly haunted houses (and haunted everything else, for that matter). Those interested in haunted houses across the United States and throughout the world can see haunted house pictures on the Internet. The Internet provides a great alternative to the high expense of traveling to different sites. And, it just might be safer too.
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Michael Jackson may have passed away three years ago, but some of his former neighbors claim that the King of Pop's spirit still lives on.
Jackson, 50-year-old pop star who was pronounced dead on June 25, 2009 after an overdose on the surgical anesthetic propofol, has reportedly been scaring neighbors of his former Beverly Hills mansion. A source recently told the Daily Star that neighbors have heard the pop star's music recently along with his singing.
"It has freaked everyone out. When he was living there, Michael would regularly look through the curtains and see who was around," the source said. "People have heard his music coming from the house and even singing. Everyone thinks that Michael's ghost walks around the house."
One neighbor reportedly told the publication that Jackson took an interest in the afterlife, which may explain the return of his spirit.
"It is so weird. The world knew that Michael was obsessed by the afterlife, from his songs like Thriller," the neighbor said. "He believed in spirits - now his own has returned."
Although no members of Jackson's family have confirmed any belief of the pop star's spirit haunting his former mansion, many people celebrated his life on Monday by taking time to tweet about his memory.
"Three years ago today the world lost a legend. RIP Michael Jackson," rapper Wiz Khalifa tweeted. "Your music lives on for you. Thank you for everything!"
Spike Lee, film director, producer and actor, also tweeted his condolences to the late singer.
"On this day, June 25, in the year of our Lord 2009 Michael Jackson left us in his physical state," Lee tweeted. "May the almighty continue to bless him."
Paris Jackson, 14-year-old daughter of the late singer, also joined in on the "RIP Michael Jackson" Twitter trend that took place on the three-year anniversary of the singer's death.
"Dad you will forever be in my heart," the young Jackson tweeted. "I love you." - christianpost
Michael Jackson: The Afterlife Experiences III: The Confessions of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson is Being Harassed in Heaven"
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I snapped this on Holloween Evening. Last night was a cold rainy, horrible night dominated by witches, warlocks, elves, trolls, vampires, pixies, space aliens, zombies, various Star Wars characters in search of a sugar fix. I saw very few children trick or treating last night. Some parents were helping their children by driving them from house to house. A few braved the elements with help of umbrellas.
Our family made a night of it by eating out. The Chinese Buffet we went to was somewhat empty, but the Chinese waiters, busboys, and host were all very happy - almost giddy, to see our party dressed up in gothic, vampire-type costumes. The hostess told me that China doesn't celebrate Halloween, but she did offer me some candy.
I consumed a few pieces of Hersey's chocolate, and a mini-mounds bar. Just a bit more candy this year than last. Last year I gave in, and ate one, and one half very small pieces of candy!
Last year was special because I recorded the entire outing on video, and our family went with our neighbors - a total of over ten children all together! Sadly, the family we went with last year moved out just this week. We already miss them, but they had outgrown their home, and Springfield, Illinois. Good luck in Virginia!
About the Photo: Taken from within my car on Halloween night this photograph was obtained in downtown Springfield, Illinois. I altered the hue to fit the Halloween theme. The raindrops are evident, as well as the green traffic light. I've titled the photo - The Gate, and had planned to write a fictional short story - a scary one for Halloween, but I fell asleep before I got the chance! And it's too late now.
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The newest on the docket for ghost hunting shows is "GHOST LAB" ON TUESDAY NIGHTS ON DISCOVERY CHANNEL. I admit that I sighed and rolled my eyes, especially after hearing these guys had one year's experience. "Huh?"
I admit to being thrilled when "Ghost Hunters" show came to TV. I was out in the field ghost hunting by debunking and coming up with theories much as they did. I didn't realize there were like-minded hunters. I really hadn't researched the field so I wouldn't be too biased to believe one way or the other about the best way to go about it. I was mostly possessed by experiencing more phenomenon and documenting it or explaining it away.
Unfortunately, the problem with "Ghost Hunters" is that nowadays, after all these years of running, it's not only stale, but it's "inbred". Same people. No experts helping out. No new equipment or theories. Same five or six people sitting in the same places, doing the same things, saying the same things, and looking positively bored out of their minds. They don't seem at all excited about ghostly encounters any longer. "The bloom is off the rose". In fact, I don't even record the show anymore. They need new blood, they need new theories, they need new equipment, and for pete's sake, they need to talk to experts so they don't sound like fools talking about things they don't know anything about.
So, I did give "Ghost Lab" a try. I'm glad I did. Admittedly, they are an example of your typical ghost hunters in the field nowadays, the kind of guys who would ("if not ghost hunting") chase storms. They like the tools, they like to think they're tough in dark scary places, and like to think they're kicking ghost butt. They're loud, they're know-it-alls, and they ("for God's sake") wear matching T-shirts ("the epitome of indignities"). I consider them the Nascar pit crew meets SWAT team of the ghost hunting field.
That said, the idea behind it is a very sound one. In an ideal world, the team would be made up of scientists and engineers and maybe a meteorologist and geologist, but we're stuck with this "I'd rather be grilling and drinking a beer in the backyard" good old boys team from Texas "(oh, and one girl for bait, what else?) "
I'm willing to overlook their personalities to appreciate the concept of taking a van fully equipped into a place and using new techniques, new equipment, and referring to experts. I've wanted to find ways to find out if emotions imprint in a place and if the combination of geology and electrical storms can stimulate activity, and what role waterways might have on activity. They come up with some inventive ways to try and test these theories and then show them off in a dramatic "Minority Report" touch screen way.
Dramatics and personalities aside, they are probing ghost hunting in a way we haven't seen yet. And, even though I wish they used real scientists instead of the "Everyday Paranormal" team, I'll settle for something new and fresh in the ghost hunting genre which is surely reaching the end of its popularity, thankfully. ("Newbie teams out in the field have made it nearly impossible to access once friendly sites because of their antics, unprofessionalism, and sometimes outright trespassing ways").
"Ghost Lab" is worth watching. They blew some fresh air on the field of ghost hunting and are showing a trend that it should take in the future should scientists ever decide to jump into the fray. It can be so frustrating in this field. Admittedly, there's plenty of anthropologists and primate experts searching for Bigfoot, even pilots and astronauts looking for UFOs but, alas, ghost hunting is the poor man's field. Perhaps this show is just the thing to finally get the guys with the brains interested in figuring out the phenomenon to join ranks.
The "Ghost Lab" team admittedly gets very lame evidence, but they do come to some interesting conclusions about the phenomenon and the physical properties of it. I think their syndrome is a bit like "Ghost Adventures" in that they're so damned abrasive and rude that they scare things off. I think the folksy shooting-the-breeze method of Jason and Grant has shown a much better response and should be the industry standard. I, too, have found it to be remarkably effective. I readily admit that ghost phenomenon seems to have the instincts of a dog and they can tell when someone is insincere and/or untrustworthy.
So, don't watch the show for evidence, but please do watch it for the theories that I talk about on my blog being put to the test. I've got my Tuesday nights marked for Discovery Channel to see which theory they work on next. Enjoy the sample video above.
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The idea of legend tripping has been around for thousands of years. There's a good chance you've already done it. Remember sneaking off into that cemetery at night as a kid to see if there were any ghosts? Remember hearing there was a monster lurking in that old abandoned building and wanting to check it out? Or hearing about a UFO landing site and wanting to plan your next vacation in the area so you could stand where the craft was said to have left its mark? That's legend tripping. But it can be so much more. We can become part of the story. Today people still seek out these legends in record numbers in an effort to touch the unexplained. In Jeff Belanger's new book and accompanying DVD, Picture Yourself Legend Tripping: Your Complete Guide to Finding UFOs, Monsters, Ghosts, and Urban Legends in Your Own Back Yard, he explores how to find, experience, and chronicle these legends.
Legend tripping offers a unique and inexpensive vacation opportunity for those with a big sense of adventure, and it's an activity that can be done alone or in groups. You don't need complicated or expensive equipment, just your human senses and a sense of wonder.
"Legends are real," said Jeff Belanger, author of Picture Yourself Legend Tripping, "They are born, they can travel, spawn offspring, and they can die. For millennia humankind has told stories of ghosts, creatures from distant planets, monsters, and religious legends to each other as a way to connect with the past and explore the future. These legends can be experienced almost anywhere, and oftentimes they are based on more than just stories."
Any television program you've ever seen that explores haunted places, ancient mysteries, UFO sightings, or strange creatures is legend tripping. First there was a story: a legend that was born and grew because people had unexplained experiences and shared what they saw, heard, and felt.
Belanger draws on over two decades of legend tripping experience to show readers how to find these legends close to home or in their travels. When a person stands where the legend is said to have stood, when they interview eyewitnesses, there's a transformation that often takes place: stories become real, and sometimes, if you're lucky, you catch a glimpse of something paranormal.
"The journey is everything with legend tripping," Belanger said. "Imps, fairies, aliens, bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Bloody Mary, ghosts, demons-it's time to start believing."
In addition to the new book, Belanger also announced today the launch of a new Web site: http://www.legendtripping.com/ an online resource for legend trippers that includes a directory of paranormal legends from around the world. Belanger said, "The goal of the Web site is to have legend trippers everywhere submit their local legends and tell our readers about their own experiences while out hunting the paranormal."
Source: PR Web (Press Release)
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I FIGURED I'D CATCH UP ON SOME READER EMAILS....THE FIRST IS FROM MY CLAIRVOYANT FRIEND, SUNNY:
Hi Lon,
I thought you might be interested in what I experienced last week, concerning a ghost.
On Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010, I was in a meeting held at the public library in Ranger, Texas.
It was after the meeting and I was in the foyer talking with some of the other ladies, when the Librarian came out of her office and asked if any of us smelled cigarette smoke.
"Oh, that's the spirit. You do know you have a ghost, don't you?" I remarked, to which the Librarian replied, "So I have been told but I've never seen or heard it."
One of the other ladies remarked that it was an old building and had been someone's home. It was about that time that I felt a sharp chill as the spirit passed right though me on it's way into the next room, where our military veteran husbands were in a meeting.
I turned to the Librarian and said, "The ghost is a man in uniform (Khakis), smoking a cigarette." She then told me how strange that was, that the building had been part of some old military barracks. I had no idea that the building had anything to do with the military, other than we were part of a group meeting of veterans and wives that had just started meeting there two weeks prior.
I'll be investigating this incident more, as we will be having our meetings there twice a month. Maybe I can find out what this man's name was, how/when he passed over to the other side and why he remains, or if he is just "visiting".
On a side note: the Librarian told me that her house is haunted, so perhaps she will be willing to allow me a walk-thru of her home. She doesn't seem upset that ghosts may reside in her home, which is evidently a good thing.
Take care and Happy All Hallow's Eve.
Sunny Williams
THE NEXT EMAIL IS FROM A 'PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS' READER:
Hello, my name is Jordan Lok and this is my story of a close encounter when I was about 17.
It was a Friday night in Phoenix, Arizona...believe it or not it was raining heavily and the clouds were very low. Me and 4 other people were at a friends house watching a movie trying to kill time. My friend Daniel and I were getting hungry so we had both decided to walk to the gas station and get some snacks. I walked outside and the clouds were extremely low. I have never seen them like this before...they were just above the street lights to give you an idea. As Daniel walked outside he exclaimed, "What the hell is that!?". He pointed to the house right across the street and it looked like there was something on the roof. As I got a better look at the object it looked like a balloon floating in the wind right above the house. But as I stood there looking at it, it stopped in mid air just floating there almost as if it were staring at us. That's when I knew this was no balloon, because balloons cant just stop and hover.
We approached it and I got a better look at it. It looked like a robotic jelly fish, if that makes any sense at all. It had a blinking red light on it. There were various things hanging down, what looked like tentacles. It was probably a little bigger than a basketball. Daniel grabbed a few rocks and threw them at the "balloon"...that's when the object zipped behind a tree faster than anything I have ever seen. I was extremely frightened as was Daniel when we realized that what we were dealing with was intelligent.
We both took off running down the street, I was looking behind me with every chance I got and I could see the blinking red light behind the tree. The thing was watching us...I knew there was something operating it. My friend, whose house we were at, had also seen the same thing but was in denial that it was a UFO. This experience changed my life forever. You hear of big UFO sightings but I have never even heard of a sighting like mine. I was so close to it, it was amazing. After much thought (many years) I believe that it was a probe used for surveillance. I have never seen anything like that again, until i looked up flying humanoids in Phoenix, AZ. I believe that they are kind of similar but not completely. I would love to have a reasonable explanation for this event in my life!
THE FOLLOWING IS AN EMAIL I RECENTLY RECEIVED FROM A READER:
Hi Lon,
I really enjoy your blog but honestly, it scares the hell out of me sometimes. I wanted to relay a weird experience told to me a while back that I have only told to one other person...my wife. When I was with the police department in a jurisdiction near Ames, Iowa in 1988 a deputy told me about an experience he had one evening while driving down an isolated country road. The area was new to him as he was covering for another off duty officer. He told me it had just finished raining at about 6:30 pm when he drove past a cemetery on his right. About a quarter mile down the road he noticed a girl walking on the side of the road. He stopped his cruiser to offer the girl a ride to wherever she was going. She accepted his offer and sat in the back seat during the ride. The deputy remembered how pretty she looked dressed in beautiful pink prom gown. She explained she was on her way to her school prom and after about two miles down the road, asked to be let out on the dimly lit corner at an old filling station. He dropped her off then proceeded down the road to continue his tour.
It was a dark evening and he got concerned about the girl's safety so he turned around and went back to where he had dropped her off but she was no where to be found. He passed the old abandoned filling station and continued back down the road to the cemetery and a small house located next to it. He parked his cruiser in the dirt driveway and knocked on the door. An old man answered the door and the police officer described what had happened and he had wondered if the girl possibly came to his house. The old man just smiled and said to come inside and he would explain.
It seems that the girl the deputy picked up that night, was killed on her way to her school prom back in the 1940's by a drunk driver. The old man stated that several times a year she walks down that same road trying to get to her prom. He took the deputy into the cemetery and showed him the girl's gravestone. After shaking off the shivers the deputy returned to his cruiser and began his tour again. He was driving on the same road but at the corner where the old filling station was located there was just an open field with trees. The deputy asked me to never tell anyone about this experience.
I no longer live in the area but I have been told that the pretty girl still frequents the old country road searching for a ride to the prom.
Jim Carr
Springfield. MO
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In the past, I have written posts on spooklights and their mysterious origins. Here are a number of locations, which may be close to where you live, where these strange lights can be seen.
Anson Lights -- "Abilene, Texas"
Bragg Road/Big Thicket/Saratoga Ghost Light -- "Between Saratoga and Bragg, Texas"
Brown Mountain Lights -- "Brown Mountain, North Carolina"
Belfast Light -- "Belfast, Virginia"
Bingham Light -- "Dillon, South Carolina"
Chapel Hill Light -- "Chapel Hill, Tennessee"
The Cohoke Light -- "West Point, Virginia"
Codgell Spooklight -- "Codgell, Georgia"
Crossett Light -- "Crossett, Arkansas"
Dover Lights -- "Dover, Arkansas"
Gurdon Ghost Light -- "Gurdon, Arkansas"
Haldeman Light -- "Haldeman, Kentucky"
Hansell Road -- "Bucks County, Pennsylvania"
Hornet/Joplin/Seneca Ghost Light -- "Missouri/Oklahoma Border"
The Maco Light -- "Wilmington, North Carolina"
Marfa Lights -- "Marfa, Texas"
Ontario Lights -- "Ontario, Canada"
Oxford Light -- "Oxford, Ohio"
Paulding Light -- "Watersmeet, Michigan"
Scugog Island -- "Ontario, Canada"
Senath Light -- "Arbyrd, Missouri"
St.Louis Light -- "St.Louis, Saskatchewan, Canada"
Surrency Spooklight -- "Surrency, Georgia"
The above list was found at Obiwan's UFO-Free Paranormal Page
Here are a few locations outside of North America that I found.
The Min-Min Lights-Boulia, Queensland, Australia
Longendale Lights-Longdale Valley, Derbyshire, UK
Hessdalen Valley Lights-ROROS, NORWAY
Dovedale Light-River Dove, Dovedale, UK
After looking into each of the stories behind these mysterious lights, I found a lot of railroad workers who lost their heads here. Are some of these unexplainable? Yes. Could some have an origin that is paranormal? Yes. However, I feel that in a number of these cases it is nothing more than atmospheric conditions causing the phenomenon.
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