I have been
involved in paranormal research
for many years. Because I am the
only researcher in my local area,
I am always receiving e-mails and
other claims of ghostly activity.
What I usually have to remind people
is that I am a researcher but not
an investigator of paranormal activity.
However, one claim came into my
e-mail box that I could not ignore.
An
elderly lady wrote begging for my
help, claiming that her deceased
husband was trying to kill her.
Normally, I would refer her to a
professional investigation team,
but this time I picked up the phone
and called her to schedule a time
to visit. My intentions were to
simply discuss the situation with
her and to offer some alternatives
that might possibly help ease her
mind.
When
I entered her house I immediately
felt uncomfortable. There was a
certain atmosphere to the house
that was sickening, almost breathtaking.
We sat in the kitchen around the
dinner table as she poured out her
feelings to me and explained the
basis of her claims. I then decided
to walk through the home alone,
trying to pick up on any negative
energy.
I
noticed that the lady’s cat
was following me through the house,
in and out of each room. As I opened
the door to the bedroom where the
woman claimed to see the spirit
most, the feline stopped and refused
to go any further. I found this
strange and picked the cat up in
my arms, carrying it into the room
with me. The air in the room was
stiff and I felt as if someone had
knocked the breath right out of
my body. I started feeling dizzy
and very ill. I placed the cat on
the bed and sat down for a moment.
Every hair on the cat’s body
was fringed and his eyes were enormously
dilated.
Although
I did not see anything paranormal,
I definitely felt “something”
that gave me a very uncomfortable,
uneasy feeling. I suddenly remembered
a part of the woman’s e-mail
in which she had stated that the
day she and her husband were married
he had told her that even in death
he would never leave her. So I decided
to ask a few questions aloud: Even
though I had no recording devices,
I was hoping for some sort of physical
reply.
My
first and only question was, “Are
you unhappy that your wife is not
with you?”
Within
mere seconds of this question, the
cat sitting beside me hissed loudly
and jumped from the bed to the window,
approximately 5 feet away. The cat
kept watching the area behind me
as if someone or something was there.
I turned to look and a puff of icy
air swept across my body.
I
stood up to leave the room and the
cat was ahead of me leading the
way. I explained to the troubled
woman that she was in need of a
professional investigation team
and should locate one as soon as
possible. But she refused the suggestion
of any such help. A few days later
this lady was placed in the hospital,
suffering from dehydration, and
later went to live with her daughter
in another state.
Months
later, I received another e-mail
from the same woman telling me that
the spirit had followed her and
was now taking up residence in her
daughter’s home. A new family
had moved into her former home so
I decided to ask them if I could
visit the house one last time. They
were eager to allow me access to
their home and curious to know whether
or not I felt the same stressful
feelings I had encountered there
months before.
As I walked into the bedroom the
air was light and fresh, nothing
like the heavy, almost malevolent
atmosphere I had sensed on my first
visit. Overall, the home felt much
different and nowhere did I encounter
negative feelings or anything that
made me uneasy about being there.
About
a year later I received a phone
call from the daughter of the elderly
woman. She told me that her mother
had passed away peacefully in her
sleep and that, since her passing,
the paranormal activity that had
plagued the house had ceased. This
culmination of events created many
questions in my mind from the standpoint
of paranormal research. For instance,
can cats and other animals truly
sense a paranormal presence? Does
paranormal activity actually follow
or pursue certain individuals? Can
spirits come back to wait for and
collect those they have left behind?
I
have spent seemingly endless hours
discussing these questions with
reputable investigators, digging
into a deeper level of research.
I have concluded that there is only
one answer for each of the questions
at hand:
Yes,
it has been proven many times that
cats and other animals are much
more likely to sense unnatural forces
surrounding us. Why this is true
has not been determined satisfactorily,
but the fact remains that many investigators
and scientists have observed heightened
animal sensitivity to extra-normal
events before humans in the same
situation ever notice anything out
of the ordinary.
Yes,
restless spirits can and will follow
individuals from place to place.
It is suggested that this is the
case primarily because of the attachment
the recently dead feel for the person
and for surroundings that may have
provided comfort and security in
life. Sometimes, in most cases,
in fact, the spirits will move on;
some move quickly, in a few months,
others may linger on for a year
or more. Still others are less able
to break their connection to the
world of the living and to the pleasant
company they knew while still alive.
These spirit beings are more apt
to linger and cause a haunting situation;
feeding on their frustration, they
often become angry and create a
palpable negative atmosphere with
their very presence. And these entities
will follow individuals to whom
they feel a strong connection, so
if your house is, in fact, haunted
by a spirit of this sort simply
moving will not end the activity.
And,
yes, spirits of deceased loved ones
can and do come back for many reasons.
Sometimes they simply do not know
they are dead and continue in their
normal habits and the patterns they
knew in life. For them, they are
simply carrying on with life as
they normally would. In other instances,
these souls may linger because they
feel the need to guard or protect
the ones they have left behind.
It is also very common for spirits
to manifest when someone they loved
dearly is ill or near death. Many
experts believe this is because
spirits are always nearby, ready
to escort their loved ones to the
“other side” when the
time of their passing is near; often,
when the threat of death or illness
has passed, many recall a comforting
presence that stayed with them throughout
their ordeal. This is the presence
of loved ones who have preceded
us in death; they are often nearby
to comfort their loved ones in times
of sickness or fear. Still, there
are other negative attachments that
keep some spirits lingering among
the living. For instance, some souls
are not prepared for life on the
other side, nor are they at all
prepared to let go of their connections
to the tangible, living world. In
this case, they can and often do
linger around their loved ones as
a sort of psychic vampire; without
meaning to, their overwhelming desire
to stay connected can actually cause
the strength of the living to diminish
and ultimately to fall victim to
illness and even death.
The
list of questions about paranormal
activity is constantly growing.
Most of these questions can be answered
with scientific facts and basic
debunking techniques. Others are
more compelling and often do not
lend themselves to natural or reasonable
explanations; some of these can
only be explained as obviously paranormal.
In any case, investigation and research
into the world of the paranormal
is not a game and should not be
treated as such. It is always important
to seek out people who understand
and who are knowledgeable in the
field. In investigative situations,
never attempt to provoke or anger
a spirit, this can lead to serious
and even dangerous circumstances.
One
last word of caution: Never turn
to a Quija board for answers. There
are dangers inherent to the use
of the Quija board that are hard
to avoid, even by experts, because
the board is like an open channel
allowing it to be used by any “lower
spirits” or malevolent entities
that remain earthbound. Such spirits
can include those of criminals who
continue to be angry and hostile
on the other side, lower elemental
spirits that find contact and control
of humans extremely amusing and
useful, and even higher, more malicious
spirits who have never possessed
a physical form and who have no
good intentions whatsoever to share
with the human race. You have no
control over who or what will respond
to your use of the Quija board,
and ill-intentioned spirits will
do and say anything to convince
you that there is nothing to fear
from them: they will even communicate
as saints or as dear old Aunt Sue
in order to get your guard down.
Quija boards can open doors that
the average, curious human may never
be able to close, compounding an
existing haunting, or, worse, creating
an infestation of such a negative,
malevolent nature, that even experts
will be daunted in the face of it.
Finally,
if you need assistance, there are
many legitimate groups and individuals
across the US who are considered
experts in the paranormal. When
seeking help, always look for credible
teams with a proven track record,
and don’t be afraid to ask
for references. I am always happy
to assist with referrals of qualified
investigators for people who find
themselves in a paranormal situation
or who are in need of help.
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Since
her childhood Rebecca had a passion
for writing. Pouring her thoughts
and feelings onto paper was something
done almost daily. As a teenager she
began writing poetry and music. At
the age of seventeen several of her
written song lyrics were sold.
Each
day lived only added to Rebecca’s
ability to write, contributing deeper
and more personal meaning day by day.
Due to her belief that she had experienced
encounters with the paranormal, Rebecca
also developed the interest to study
and learn about the unseen world around
us. Taking the criticism and jokes
of detractors in stride, she soon
became one of the most knowledgeable
and experienced individuals in the
field of paranormal studies.
Now
combining her writing skills with
her lifelong interest in the paranormal,
Rebecca has become a published writer
of articles dealing with the subject.
Her writings range from fiction to
non-fiction and are currently viewed
by upward of 1000 readers a day online.
Through
these writings readers have the opportunity
to read and learn about real-life
paranormal events experienced by Rebecca
and others who reach out to her for
help and support. Rebecca’s
talent for fiction creates scenes
that, though not based on actual events,
nevertheless leave readers on the
edge of their seat. Through her writing,
Rebecca entertains as well as informs,
and she’s never above producing
a good scare!
Rebecca’s
writings are not limited to things
that go bump in the night, however,
and she is still a very active writer
of poetry, music and other disciplines
that have won her several notable
awards such as an Editor’s Choice
Award and the 2005 Commendation Award.
Rebecca
makes it clear that she is not a paranormal
investigator, which requires a thorough
knowledge of the science of parapsychology
and its investigative techniques.
She describes herself as an avid paranormal
“researcher,” more concerned
with the gathering of information
related to paranormal events and sharing
this information with others, while
providing experts in the field with
a bulk of verifiable information as
reference.
Rebecca
is always more than happy to assist
in finding reputable and professional
investigators for those who feel threatened
or in need of help.
Comments
and suggestions are always welcome.
Feel free to contact Rebecca. When
referring to written material and
publications, please be sure to include
your name and company or organization.
