Ghost, The Supernatural and the Paranormal

When you sit watching your favorite ghost hunting or paranormal investigations program on TV you see them using a variety of expensive and advanced high tech equipment.

The shows creates the illusion that the only way you can capture any kind of paranormal activity would be to have all sorts of these advanced techno tools.

Just because you don’t have high dollar ghost hunting equipment does not mean you can’t have an effective paranormal investigation. A lot of people make that assumption when they first think of going on a ghost hunt.

This is a myth and simply not true, don’t let the lack of the high tech equipment be the one reason that holds you back from trying something you may enjoy.

On the flip side, what if you invested 100’s or 1000’s into ghost hunting equipment and dicovered it wasn’t your cup of tea.

Here’s my point…

95% of all successful ghost hunts comes down to one main factor, “Being in the right place at the right time”.

In order to capture that great photo or record that fantastic EVP you have to find yourself in a specific place at an exact second, as we all know Ghost don’t appear on command.

There are no magical paranormal investigations tools or electronic ghost hunting equipment that will “make things happen” in an investigation. The only way to get the great photo or EVP is to be persistent in your quest and hunt things down.

So let’s get to the basics and discuss what you really need verses what you’ve been trained to believe you have to have.

The following list is very short and I think you will be very surprised how easy it is to get started.

(1) A disposable Camera with flash - around $12 dollars or less
(2) A digital recorder or mini cassette - $25 to $48 dollars
(3) A flashlight - with batteries - under $5 bucks
(4) EMF detector. Not needed right away however runs about $40 dollars and up.

That’s about it…

Cameras:
If you own a “Film Camera” use it, if you have a digital camera…use it, but do it with integrity and don’t add, subtract or manipulate the actual photo in anyway.

Recorders:
Cassettes, digital recorders and even MP3 players….Yes, I have even used an MP3 player to record with and had very good luck. If you have one of these …use it!

Flash lights:
More than likely you already own one but later down the road you may want to upgrade to a GOOD L.E.D. hand held version.

I use a L.E.D. headset it has 3 white L.E.D. lights and with the flick of a switch can go to red for night vision. You can snag one for yourself in the sporting goods dept. at Wal-Mart for around $15 bucks.

EMF detectors:
Helps detect any electromagnetic fluctuations or disturbances in a given area. The disturbances do not necessarily have to be paranormal. EMF or Electromagnetic Fields can be found anywhere that has electric wiring or requires electricity to work.

High EMF can cause a variety of effects, symtoms like nausea, headaches, skin irritations and rashes. Often when placed in confined spaces people report mood swings, feelings of being watched and overall uneasiness.

Using a good EMF detector may help to find “probable causes” of many paranormal events and could enable you to give an alternative scientific explanation other than something paranormal.

On the other hand should something paranormal try to manifest itself the EMF detector will tell you if an locations magnetic field is, or has changed thus making you aware of the possibility of paranormal activity.

One of the “Best” ghost hunting tools I HIGHLY RECOMMEND is also the most affordable… It’s a computer software program that is made\created just for Ghost Hunting and Paranormal Investigations.

It’s called ‘The P.L.A.N.” The ghost hunting software is for people who explores a location where any type of paranormal activity is reported.

The P.L.A.N Ghost Hunting Software was made specifically for paranormal research. Ghost hunters and paranormal researchers can easily keep track of vital data gathered at the haunted locations.

The software saves you hours in making a final report as well as creates highly professional reports of your complete paranormal investigation from start to end. Anyone can use it and best of all it has video tutorials.

With that said I hope the lack of expensive unnecessary ghost hunting equipment is not what hold you back from pursuing this fun and exciting hobby.

Till next time,

Dennis / http://www.simplyghost.com/
Mountain Valley Paranormal Society

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Hello ladies and gents,

I need you help in gathering information…

I have been doing paranormal investigations for many years now, and have found it to be very exciting fun and wellllll, over time very expensive.

There are many out of pocket expensive that we all have to endure while participating in hobby or activity that goes without saying.

As  the founder of a Paranormal investigations organization known as MVPs or Mountain Valley Paranormal Society  I have found several ways via our web site, to create small streams of income to help offset the cost of our FREE investigations. (in which all of ours are)

I don’t know how many of you have web sites, but there are ways you can link to affiliate site and receive a commission for anyone who is sent from your site and buy’s from an affiliate site.

Affiliate sites such as Amazon.com, Clickbank and Commission Junction are great for creating income provided your web site has a large number of visitors, and getting visitor traffic… well that’s another can of worms as most of you already know.

Google Adsense is also often used to generate additional streams of income and just about every web site you visit has Adsense or some other contextual advertising posted on their sites.

Our organization as I’m sure yours as well,  is always adding new equipment, and there’s always the constant need for batteries, film, tapes both cassette and camcorders type, not to mention travel expenses like gas, food and on occasion, lodging.

So here what I’m after….

What I’m looking for is MORE, and Creative ideas of ways to help offset the expenses incurred while conducting investigations that can be shared with others so we all, in turn can help those whom need our Help and our Services without our organization going broke.

Here’s what ask, from you…

What are the creative ways or ideas do you or your organization currently use for helping to offset some of the investigations cost?

I have posted this request at many other paranormal forums. I will be compiling a list of all the creative ideas collected from all the forums and will be posting my results here in this forum as well as the all the others.

Again I hope the information gathered will assist all of us paranormal enthusiast in providing the best possible service to all whom are in need, without breaking the bank.

I’ll be looking forward to your ideas and suggestions…

Thanks, Be safe and God bless,

Dennis / www.simplyghost.com

Hey Guys,

I’m finally getting back to letting all of you know how the Cooper Homestead investigation went.

As mentioned in the last post it was snowing hard and even with the gas heater in the livingroom blasting on high it was colder than a well diggers a** , ummm … colder than a witches ti%.. well suffice it to say,  it was pretty “Dang” cold.

The temperature in the front of the house maintain about 60 degrees but though out the rest of the house depending where you were, hovered around 40 degrees  Burrrrrrrr and made it senseless to try and capture and record any thermo readings.

Tonight’s we had 3 investigators, Markus, Craig and yours truly and for the size of this home 3 were almost too many.

By time we had all the equipment set up it was around 8:30 or so when we went “lights out”.

At that time none us knew that unexplained voices had already been captured, this wouldn’t be revealed until we began reviewing the EVP recorders, cam corders and mini DVD.

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The candle previouly mentioned turned out to be quite entertaining and you’ll also be able to see some of what we captured on film by going to: http://www.simplyghost.com/mvps/cooper

During the 6 and 1/2 hour investigation several intresting things happened the battery operated candle turned on twice in the kitchen and once in the back “master” bedroom.

Craig, MVPs co-founder heard thought out the night a short whistle sound, always the same whistle but never real loud. As f or me, I’m somewhat hearing impaired and never really heard (for sure) any whistling sounds.

Other than that I would say the house was a very sound and solid structure as the floors other than the kitchen did NOT creak, the hose did not crack and creak due to settling and was in very good condition.

Now if you wondering rather or not I believe it’s HAUNTED…

Your going to have to read my official review at: http://www.simplyghost.com/mvps/review/cooper

Until next time, keep it real !

Dennis /  MVPs Founder

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Hey Guy’s…

Tonight’s going to be a blast, it’s snowing heavily the temperature is expect to be hover around the 15 degree mark and were suppose to have occasional wind between 10 to 15 miles an hour out of the NW.

A perfect night to do a “Ghost Hunt” which is exactly what I’ll be doing tonight!

Tonight my (Mountain Valley Paranormal Society) or MVPs team and I will be investigating an old house located on what is known as the “Cooper Homestead”

The original homestead has been torn down and no longer exist but, a new home was built in the 1940’s and this will be the subject of the investigation.

There have been several reports of apparitions and other strange occurrences going on in the 3 bedroom Stucco and cinder block home.

Last night, 01/11/09 we did the preliminary (Lights On) investigation. By that I mean we walk though out the home including going down beneath the home to it’s dirt floor cellar.

What we were doing was checking each room for possible reason that would create noises, drafts or any other reason that would make one feel uncomfortable.

We checked windows for drafts and wiggled them to see if they rattled.

In this case the old home had no heat source other than one gas stove in the living room so there were no heat ducts that could possibly create a sudden draft or water pipes from a boiler to make noise.

Currently the home is being used for storage and use to put up guest that come to visit the residence from out of town.

The owner’s built build a new much larger home 2 years ago (2007) within 25 yards of the 1940’s home and rarely even enter the home except to prepare for a guest or to place (or retrieve) something being stored.

With this home only being used mainly during the summer, all the water to the home has been shut off and the home has been winterize.

This fact will eliminate any sounds of running water or the chance for pipes to pound with any water flow.

We then went down to the dirt floored cellar and checked for electric wiring that might create a “Fear Cage” effect.

It was found the wiring was very minimal as well as any “EMF’s” being emitted, leaving us to conclude that none of the wiring would create any Electro Magnetic Field disturbance.

Upon leaving the home we left a Digital recorder on to record though out the night and left the building.

Now I will tell you this…

During the time all this took place we had several things happen, batteries in two cameras and one mini DVD were drained of power.

A strange 1 second blackout on the HDD camera where everything went from normal to negative  and then went back to normal view again. Check it out below!

A  battery operated candle that had not worked in two years, had dead batteries and a bulb that had been un-screwed was brightly burning in the window seal of the kitchen after we locked up and left the house.

Hummmmmm, sounds like the “Lights out” investigation tonight could be very interesting at the very least.

Stay tuned and keep checking but I’ll keep you posted.

Also I will be posting the findings and any evp’s or video to the website check here… http://www.simplyghost.com/mvps/cooper

See ya soon hope your nights as fun as mine.

See Ya,

Dennis

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Hey fellow ghost enthusiast,

How many time have you been watching a movie or your favorite paranormal TV program…or maybe even read something somewheres and wondered ” What the %*!! does that mean” ?

There are tons of  uncommon words being used when it come to ghost, hauntings and the paranormal. There are many terms used to describe the paranormal and paranormal investigations.

Some of the phrases and abbreviations can be very confusing to someone unfamiliar with ghosts and the paranormal.

At http://www.simplyghost.com/terms  you will find an easy to use and extensive list to help you understand some of the more common terms, phrases, and acronyms commonly used to describe ghosts, spirits and paranormal activity.

The list is alphabetically listed and bookmark so all you need to do is click on the letter that your word starts with and you’ll instantaneously be taken to that section.

If you feel we have missed a word, please let us know either her or email us at the address found on the “terms” page and we will be happy to add your term.

Be safe till next time….

Dennis

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The difference between a simple ghost hunt and a full on paranormal investigation is that the ghost hunt is just for fun, but the investigation is conducted with the main intent of obtaining meaningful scientifically documented evidence with which to prove the existence of ghosts.

For many the first and most obvious question come to mind…..

Where to begin looking for Answers ???

In many small towns and rural areas the local library and the courthouse should be good sources of information. The library will have many newspaper articles and often some books on past residents and their activities.

The local courthouse will have death certificates, property records which would include past and present land owners, police and court records. Be sure to have full names and/or address’s handy as any “Real” information you have will help speed your search.

Another place that may bear fruit is contacting local historical society’s. Many older communities have them and are comprised of folks who have historic, documented fact about a given community and the areas surrounding them.

In large cities, the county recorder’s office and the library branch closest to the site you are investigating may also have information that dates back as far as you may need, but it might be a bit more difficult to access than in a small town.

When doing your research be sure to bring along a notebook and several pens. You may also choose to bring along a laptop, Be sure you have plenty of cord and batteries are fully charged.

and one more suggestion…Have plenty of change for the photocopy machine.  : )

Research by personal interview:

Research that is done in the form of interviews can be quite productive if you know whom to ask. In small communities the residents of the local retirement or nursing home can often be the just the people you need to speak to.
These older folks have knowledge of events that can stretch very far back in time, often re-told to them by their parents and sometimes by their grandparents.

Please note:
When speaking to these elderly individuals, they should at all times to be treated with the utmost respect.

While they may have known the individual who is suspected of being responsible for a haunting, be careful how you communicate such things to them. They were brought up in a different time and may have strict religious backgrounds or views that consider ghosts to extremely taboo.

Also, please be sensitive when discussing anything related to the subject of death, as it can be a particularly unpleasant topic for the aged.

The Initial Interview:

During your initial phone or “in person” interview, pay attention to how the clients sounds (i.e., inflections in their voice).

It is also important to be aware of their demeanor and body language. Do they look you in the eye as they speak? Are their arms or legs crossed?

Do they lean away from you, or look away from you occasionally or constantly. You want to be dealing with a serious potential client and not a flake.

Do not be too quick to make an appointment to meet, or to visit the site. In other words, don’t seem too excited to get going. Allow a few days to pass before a second contact.

Once you are relatively convinced that the person you are interviewing is genuinely seeking your assistance, you can begin your detailed questioning process.

Most of the questions you will need to ask are on the forms included in this guide, but here are some professional tips to remember:

Always try to be mindful of the wishes and beliefs of the individuals you interview.

Put the interviewee as ease by answering any questions they may have honestly, and to the best of your knowledge.

You may be casual, but always remain professional. Assure your client that the information they are giving you will remain confidential, and then ensure that it does!

If you encounter the situation where one spouse, partner, or family member is supportive of conducting an investigation but the other is not, remain polite. Try to find out why the other person does not want to proceed with an investigation.

Sometimes it can be useful to focus on the scientific aspects of the investigation so they will view you as a professional, and not a flake or a “woo-woo”.

If a client ultimately decides not to do an investigation, remain polite and professional. Often, if their activity persists, they may get back to you.

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Want More Information???

Visit My Web site:

http://www.simplyghost.com

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You might be surprised at what surrounds us in our everyday lives.

Would you like to find out?

You may have contact with ghostly supernatural or paranormal spirit in your own home or you may encounter such spirits as close as next door or perhaps even where you work.

This site www.simplyghost.com , can help you understand, appreciate, locate, and teach you How to tune into these mysterious ghostly paranormal phenomena’s.

This site will help strip away the extraneous fluff and get’s down to the “Knitty Gritty” of ghost hunting in its most simple form … but with a level of understanding, caution, and compassion that will set you apart from the crowd.

Here just a sample of what you can expect to find:

How to safely locate what you are searching for.

How to identify and better understand whatever you may encounter.

How to conduct a proper, safe, and legal ghost hunt or investigation.

How to decide, on the spot, whether or not it is possibly dangerous to communicate with what you have encountered.

How to identify and better understand any paranormal experiences you may have had in the past.

How to better determine if it’s real, mistakenly identified or an out and out fake.

Many people continue to firmly believe that there are no such things as ghosts or the paranormal.

Skepticism is healthy; closed-mindedness is not. Firm disbelievers typically have several things in common
They have simply never encountered any form of paranormal experience themselves.

Belief in the paranormal runs counter to their religious upbringing or personal philosophy on life.

Belief in the paranormal or encountering a paranormal experience would completely shatter their perception of reality as they know it.

There’s no doubt about it… If there’s is anything that can mess with your current concept of reality, it’s a brush with the paranormal.

For most people, encountering the paranormal for the first time is truly a life changing experience from which they typically emerge forever changed. I sure was.

Please feel free to add your comments and suggestion or request below as I want this site to be YOUR resource in finding answers to any question you may have with regards to ghost and the paranormal.

Help is here…. www.simplyghost.com

Dennis / Founder and Administrator