Ghost Hunting for Beginners

Ghost Hunting is by no means an exact science and in fact is actually an unknown science at the moment. In February 2007, I attended a Ghost Hunting workshop in Boaz, AL by the Northeast Alabama Paranormal Society (NAPS). While I don't have access to the amazing and extraordinary photographs they brought to show us, I do have my notes from the class to share with you. The following article is full of information to help the novice Ghost Hunter get a great start.

Basic Guidelines

- First thing's first, never hunt alone. This is for two reasons. One, if you see or experience something, it is best to have something else there for evidence sake. It's more likely that someone will believe you if you have someone there to help back up your story. Second, if something were to happen to you (say you fall in a hole), you will have someone there to either call for help or go get help. Better safe than sorry as the old adage goes.

- Have a well-prepared Ghost Hunting Kit. This kit should include: a flashlight that uses manual battery changes, extra batteries, a camera (this can be digital or 35mm, whatever is easiest for you to afford), a magnetic or digital compass, walkie talkies, digital thermometer, digital audio recorder, dowsing rods (not required, but wouldn't hurt. You can make your own from metal coat hangers to save money), a poncho, a K2 meter and an EMF meter.

- On the subject of orbs, NAPS told us that there are three main causes in photographs that many mistake as spirit entities. One, dust particles. This happens when the air is dry and they normally show up as transparent and have no color. Two, moisture. This is of course caused by humidity in the air. These will appear to have a bluish tint. Third, pollen. True orbs are normally multicolored, brilliant and you can see some sort of facial features sometimes. You can also have orbs caused from glares on reflective surfaces.

- A vortex shows up in a photograph as a spiraled trail.

- Probably wouldn't hurt to own a copy of Harper's Encyclopedia of Mysticism and Paraphenomenon.

- NAPS also informed us that the four key signs to a demonic presence are: One, disruptive activity; Two, your belongings are being hid; Three, the entity likes to tear things up and four, you smell foul odors (normally Sulphur/rotten eggs). If you experience these, I would definitely see if you can find a local experienced paranormal investigator before trying anything yourself.

While this is a great starting point, it's best to talk with fellow Ghost Hunters or Paranormal Societies that are local to you and perhaps see if they allow tagalongs on their hunts and get some experience and knowledge before attempting this yourself. If you would like to discuss any of the above information with my source, please visit their link under Resources at the bottom of this article.

A Few More Guidelines

Below are a few more tips and bits of information that I myself have gathered over the last couple of years, from books and television.

- Keep in mind that when you see a spirit that is constantly doing and redoing the same thing over and over again, that this is not a "true" ghost. This is simply an energy imprint left on the location. You'll hear this referred to as a "residual haunting" on SciFi's Ghost Hunters.

- There are times when spirit activity is more prevalent than others. The old myth of spirits coming back from the dead on Halloween does have some truth to it. The veil between our world and the world of spirits, is significantly thinner on nights (and days) like Halloween, making it that much easier for spirits to be seen by the living.

- Poltergeists are not "real" spirits. Granted, there are movies that may make you think differently (which seems to the be sole mission of horror movies, to program us to think ghosts are out to do nothing by torture the living), but poltergeists are actually telekinetic energy created by a stressed out/emotional person (normally a teenage girl).

Recommended Books

As Ghost Hunting is placed more and more in the mainstream light, numerous books are being written on the subject of hunting and of spirits themselves. A book that I myself think is great for any amateur ghost hunter is Ghost Worlds by Melba Goodwyn (Llewellyn Publications, 2007). Melba is a twenty-year veteran at ghost hunting and has a wealth of information here for readers, from what types of spirits you may come in contact with, to how to record successful EVP and even pages upon pages of the most likely places to find spirits and even more things for your ghost hunting kit. This is an invaluable book!

If you are interested in perhaps helping any trapped spirits you may find (what some refer to as Lightworking), I would suggest reading Spirit Rescue by Wilma Davidson (Llewellyn Publications, 2006) and When Ghosts Speak: Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits by Mary Ann Winkowski (the consultant of CBS' Ghost Whisperer, Grand Central Publishing, October 2007) is also another fantastic one. Mary Ann does a splendid job at demystifying the realm of earthbound spirits. She takes you through the fact and fiction of the spirit world, why some stay behind and also great information like how to keep ghosts away from your house and how to banish negative energy or "curses" from your life. This belongs on the shelf with all the aforementioned titles for its incalculable plethora of information. I do also suggest reading my entire book review on it as I do have some caveats with this particular book.

Conclusion

While Ghost Hunting can be exhilarating as well as frightening, please remember that it is not something to be taken lightly and if you only follow one of the guidelines given above, please make sure it's at least the first one; never hunt alone. Be safe, have fun, and happy hunting!

Also, if you live in the Northeast Alabama area, SSAT (Southeastern Supernatural Assistance Team) has a free workshop on the paranormal every third Wednesday of the month at The Sacred Paths in Boaz, AL.