of Syracuse
Ghost Hunt - going to a place were there have been no sightings of ghosts and trying to catch some on film, recording sounds, or eye witnessing.
Ghost Investigation - going to a known haunted place and recording data (video, photos, audio, temperatures), notes, interviews and other evidence to prove/disprove the haunting and to assist the owners and the spirits in moving on and leaving the place if they want that. Our assistance can be
either directly assisting the owner with the situation or putting them in contact with experienced groups
or individuals that will try to resolve the situation. Our assistance can be something as simple as to
educate on what is going on and their options. There are generally 2 types of spirits we may encounter. One was a human at one time and it has remained on this level for some reason. It may not know it's
dead and is a intelligent haunting which may be held here by unfinished business, guilt, etc. These
spirits are like the person was when they were alive, so they could be good or bad, just like the living,
but not normally dangerous. The spirit may try to interact by communicating through voice, equipment, sounds, or moving or using objects. This human spirit is the type we will encounter 95% of the time. We could also witness a residual haunting which is just a playback of a past event. This is just like watching
a video from the past playing over and over. The other type of spirit we may encounter were never
human and are generally bad news. You must be aware of this type but not obsessed with them, the chances that we will encounter them in a regular ghost hunt are slim.
Terminology:
Anomaly: Something that is different, abnormal, peculiar or not easily classified within a scientific aspect.
Apparition: Manifestation of a spirit visible to the eye.
Clairvoyance: Either an internal or external vision of present or future events, objects, places, and people.
Cold Reading: A psychic reading given with no prior knowledge of the sitter.
Collective Apparition: A ghost or spirit sighting simultaneously by more than one living person.
de·bunk (d
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Ectoplasm: It is said to be the energy of a spirit that is present in a medium's body before any manifestation occurs. It is usually a milky white color.
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP): EVP is the attempt to capture a ghost or spirits voice on audio recording tapes. Typically there is no voice heard to the people present in the recording but after
reviewing the tapes there are strange voices recorded.
Electro-Magnetic Field (EMF) Detectors: Hand held scientific instruments that can pick up electronic and magnetic fields over different frequencies. They can read changes and distortions in the normal
electro-magnetic fields.
Ghost :The soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness the soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness.
Haunting: A materialization/appearance of an often unexplained happening, which is repeated often
and over a long period of time. A haunting is usually connected to a certain place or residence.
Omen: A foretelling of a future event.
Oracle: A seer who can communicate with ghosts, spirits and Gods to obtain information.
Orb: A mass of energy in the shape of a ball, there are several classifications depending on size, ghostly apparitions are usually always associated with an orb and are present.
Ouija Board: A board with letters and numbers used by people who are attempting to communicate with ghosts or spirits.
Out-Of-Body (OBE): Also called Astral Projection. The phenomenon in which a living person's spirit can
exit their body, travel the earth and other spiritual worlds and then return back to their bodies.
Paredolia: A type of illusion or misperception involving a vague stimulus which is perceived as clearly being something. A psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (usually an image) being mistakenly perceived as recognizable. Common examples include images of animals or faces in clouds, seeing the man in the moon, and hearing messages on records played in reverse.
(See: Simulacra)
Paranormal: Beyond the normal.
Parapsychology: The scientific study of unusual events associated with the human experience and PSI subjects.
Percipient: A living person who sees a ghost, spirit or paranormal event.
Phantom Animals: Ghosts of deceased animals.
Plasma: Plasma is defined by bluish-white light caused by the ionization of the surrounding area. The ionization process releases photons from the bond of atoms causing a visible glow, and when these
contact our retinas, the brain interprets the interaction as light (henceforth we have sight). Plasma may
be created when an invisible electromagnetic force or high energy field moves invisibly through an air
mass.
Poltergeist: "Noisy Ghost." Poltergeists are invisible masses of spirit energy that may or may not be connected to a living human Agent. Some of the most common poltergeists activities include loud unexplained noise, levitations, the moving of objects, and electrical problems.
Psycho kinesics (PK): Mind Movement. Psycho kinesics (PK) is the apparent ability to influence the environment by intention alone.
Purgatory: The place where the souls of those who have died must go to be cleansed of all their sin
before they can be admitted to Heaven.
Radio Voice Phenomenon (RVP): The voice of a ghost or spirit communicating through a regular radio.
Simulacra: Also known as simulacrum, and recently referenced in the paranormal research field as matrixing. The definition of simulacra is to make like or to put on an appearance of. (See: Paredolia)
Sixth sense: Popular term for ESP. Sleep Paralysis: A frightening state of seeming to being awake but unable to move.
Soul: The spiritual life force or essence, carrying an individual's personality and consciousness of all actions.
Specter: A ghost or apparition.
Spirit: Often used to define the soul of a person, but it can also be used to represent places such as sacred lakes or objects, shrines, and elemental entities.
Spirit Detection: The reading made by scientific equipment (EMF Detectors, Temperature changes, etc) when a ghost or spirit is present.
Spirit Photography: Photographs of figures or faces, believed by some to be those of deceased
persons.
Spirit Profile: Researching the background and history of the ghost or spirit, then determining it's consistent patterns as a result of the findings.
Spiritualism: Belief systems that ghosts and spirits can and do communicate with the living.
Telephone Calls From The Dead: When a person receives a telephone call from someone who is
dead. The person may or may not know that the caller is deceased.
Teleportation: Paranormal transportation of an object from one location to another, even through solid objects.
Vortex: A opening or doorway between our world and the spirit world.
Wraith: A ghost that comes back to avenge its own death. Considered an omen spirit.
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How to determine if you have a haunting:
Hearing noises? Seeing shadows? Objects moving? Uneasy feelings? It could be anyone of these things or
a combination of them all. Or, it could be nothing at all and just be normal. How do you know if you have a haunting and what
should you be listening and looking for. Hopefully we can help you figure that out and determine if you will need our services.
The paranormal field has many unanswered questions and is always developing with each and every case that is
investigated. Determining if you are experiencing legitimate paranormal activity, is the first step of the investigation and
research process. The subjects listed below may help you make that determination.
Possible activity or phenomena's you may be experiencing:
Unexplained Noises- Hearing knocks, footsteps, scratches, banging and dropping noises.
Doors opening and closing- Mostly heard and seldom seen, swinging doors, interior and exterior doors
moving, and cupboard doors banging.
Items disappearing and reappearing- Items that you commonly use and are set in their usual location
and mysteriously go missing. Searching for the item that is not found, only to have it reappear where you
originally left it.
Lights turn on and off- Lights will turn on or off on there own. Lights that you turned off to only find them
turned on later. This will also happen to radio's, TV's, and other electrical appliances.
Feelings of being watched- Not uncommon when you think you are experiencing paranormal activity.
You need to document when and where the activity occurs and determine if it is in a particular area of the
home or business.
Shadows- Seeing shadows out of the corner of your eye or in various locations that are not caused by Orbology ! The term orb describes unexpected, typically circular artifacts in photographs. Sometimes the artifact leaves a trail, indicating motion. The technical photographic term for the occurrence of orbs, especially pronounced in modern ultra-compact cameras, is backscatter, orb backscatter or near-camera reflection. Modern compact cameras, especially digital cameras, the distance between the lens and the built-in flash has decreased, thereby decreasing the angle of light reflection to the lens and increasing the likelihood of light reflection off normal particles. The orb artifact can result from reflection of light off solid particles (e.g., dust, pollen), liquid particles (water droplets - or rain) or other foreign material within the camera lens. The image artifacts usually appear as either white or semi-transparent circles, and may occur with whole or partial color spectrums like purple fringing.
There is a controversy concerning orbs in regards to authenticity. Although a lot of them are believed to be authentic, there are still many showing up as a result of airborne particles (dust) at the time of the flash. There is no official way to determine authenticity of an orb within a photo but here are a few things to keep in mine when looking at orbs: 1. A bright orb is more likely to be real than a faded one. 2. Multiple orbs in a single photo are most likely dust particles. 3. Bright orbs that show a vibrating effect within the photo are likely to be real. 4. A slight trail is also something to look for in determining true orbs.
interior or exterior lights.
Strange animal activity- Dogs or cats act strangely. Cats may act like they see something, dogs will bark
and both animals may coward and hide when nothing is visible to the human eye.
Feeling of being touched- The feeling of being pushed, grabbed, brushed, nudged, poked, hair pulled,
touched on hands or shoulders. In rare occasions injury from scratches or slaps.
Voices- Whispers or talking heard audibly. Recorded voices EVP's (Electronic Voice Phenomena), hearing
a name called out.
Smells- Smells of tobacco smoke when nobody is smoking, perfume, cologne or fragrance not worn by
anyone.
Cold and Hot spots- Obvious temperature change with no explanation. The area usually free floating and
is higher or lower than the normal room temperature.
Moving or levitating objects- Items that lift and move on their own, come off walls, furniture that moves,
and doors and objects slam hard on their own.
Apparitions and Mists- Visually seeing a human like solid form or mists trying to create a human form that disappears
quickly, or transparent human forms.
Since the human mind can be easily fooled and emotions can run high when someone feels they are
experiencing paranormal activity, rational explanations should be considered first before contacting
Paranormal Investigators. After you have attempted to find explanations to your phenomena and you
can not explain them away, if possible, try to document your findings by keeping notes, along with
photograph or video taping the activity, and record noises and voices that can help a Paranormal
Investigation Team during their research.
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Hopefully these tips will help you determine if you caught an actual orb or just dust. Until we have an effective means of determination, all potential orbs will remain just that, potential, and can not be used as solid evidence in determining paranormal activity. This does not mean we should abandon orb research, just the contrary, we should continue to study them more and seek a resolution.
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