Ghost Files

Ghost Files

3.9.5

Greetings and salutations to all of you paranormal junkies out there. Welcome once again to this experiment in insanity that I like to call, Ghost Files. Hot off the heels of last week’s ‘Files, I’ve got some more daemonic subject matter as well as a look into equipment you may have around the house that can be used for paranormal research. I’m currently battling a rather nasty flu, so in the spirit (no pun intended) of recuperation, I decided to take a more comical (read sarcastic) tone to this weeks report.

Time to open the Files…

:: Top Story ::

In searching for poignant and relevant articles to present, there’s one subject that appears dominant in paranormal research—daemons.

Houston Couple Fights 'Demons' With Christianity

Copyright 2005 by Click2Houston.com.

Quote:

HOUSTON -- A Houston-area couple uses their Christian beliefs to fight what they call demons living among us, but some local religious leaders don't believe it, Local 2 reported Monday.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/4238961/detail.html

I must admit that the allure of Keanu Reeve’s Constantine was too great for me to resist. While I thought the movie was fairly well done, the highly religious and daemonic plot seemed quite fantasy-like to me.

Maybe it was closer to the truth than I thought?

Quote:

"I am amazed at how Hollywood has oftentimes gotten what some of us that can see from the spirit realm into the physical realm. How accurate some of their evaluations are," Smith said.

The thing I liked best about the article was some of the vivid or otherwise frightening imagery. For example:

"At the time what I saw had yellow eyes. (It was) shiny, but I have also seen in the demonic realm, it looks leathery, almost like it has fur."

And then there's

Local 2 talked to at least five people who described grim reaper-like figures haunting them.

And who could forget…

They had an 8-foot brown ghost, which was nothing more than a demon that was in their house…

I don’t even know what that means. I can judge the size, as my ceilings are roughly 8ft tall. But brown? How does a ghost take colour? Oh, and it wasn’t a ghost, just a measly little (or should I say tall?) daemon.

I’m getting visions of a wispy Chewbacca materializing in my bedroom. I must now move on before I lose my last lingering thread of sanity.

:: Haunting ::

Ah, small towns, our last great bastion of ghost stories.

Raymond investigators take ghost of a chance

TOBY HENRY Sunday News Correspondent

Quote:

RAYMOND — local paranormal investigators believe unexplained noises and strange phenomena that has been reported around town is the work of specters, and are hoping to document their findings on film.

http://www.theunionleader.com/articles%5Fshowfast.html%3Farticle=51305

It’s a pretty standard set-up for a good ol’ American ghost hunt.

The article is an archetypical look into a small town and the spirits that rest within it. It was almost entirely uninteresting save for one rather peculiar sentence…

The pair said they came up with the idea to research and document local ghost stories on video while attending a Tai Chi class last autumn…

What a very interesting statement. Normally I get my best thinking done on the porcelain throne, but perhaps I should look into Tai Chi…?

:: Ghost Hunting ::

Whenever I think of ghost hunting equipment, my mind immediately goes to the PKE devices used in Ghostbusters. This handheld device would begin to beep whenever a ghostly apparition was near. While it’s not that easy in the real world, there are some tools that can help detect the paranormal.

The first of these is a camera. Both 35mm and digital will do. You use it to take photographs of particularly spooky locales and study them for signs of Ghosts. The main drawback with 35mm film is you must develop it at a later time to investigate your findings. Digital cameras solve this problem with LCD displays, but many reasearchers will argue that digital just isn’t the same. Perhaps spirits show up better using the analog technology.

Another great piece of equipment is a tape or voice recorder. This of course is to catch elusive EVP’s. Although there is a device in works to allow near instantaneous playback of recorded sound, in most cases you must listen to your recordings away from the test sight—which prevents any serious conversations to occur.

A compass may also come in handy. Not only will it help you find your way when lost, the compass will also react to strong electromagnetic fields that ghosts may give off.

There are also more powerful (thus more expensive) devices such as EMF and air ion detectors, but such tools are needed only by serious researches or filthy-rich amateurs.

:: Dead End ::

The trail has come to an end, and it is time for us to once again part ways. I hope you enjoyed this week’s installment. Now its time for me to finish my orange juice before the Nyquil renders me unconscious. Happy health and happy dreams!

~Khyron, 2005.