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Real ghost hunting - not that fake stuff on TV

WENCY LEUNG

Special to The Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 4:16 PM EST 29/07/08

Popular shows have brought a legion of new people to the pastime, but most of them are going about it all long ...Read the full article

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  1. kel fitz from Canada writes: Long ago, I moved into an apartment. Still unfamiliar with the lay-out, I got out of bed to get something to drink, and did not turn on a light. As I was walking from the bedroom to the kitchen, I walked by the stairs in the hall-way. The stairs had a right-angle, which mean one could trip into them. Suddenly I felt something gently push me opposite of the stairs. Startled, I turned on the hall light and realized I was prevented from falling into those stairs.

    I don't know. If there are ghosts, then they're not all bad.

    (Also, I got a deck of Tarot cards for a gift once - my friend promptly threw them in the trash).
  2. M V from Toronto, writes: 'We're not doing anyone any favours going around saying everything's a ghost,' Ms. Gregory says.

    And you're not doing anyone any favours by saying ANYthing's a ghost, honey. It's hilarious how these self-named 'legitimate ghost hunters' look down on the tarted up TV shows.

    What makes Ms. Gregory and other paranormal investigators like her more valid? Because, as she claims, she's 'skeptical'? If she were truly skeptical she'd have realised by now that ghosts are for children to believe in. Notice my use of 'belief' which is the only manner in which these apparitions 'exist'; that is, only in the mind and absent of evidence.

    Truly stupid is the notion that you can take equipment (cameras, audio recorders) designed to record natural phenomena and use it to capture so called supernatural (translation: 'beyond nature') phenomena. By it's very design if the equipment captures anything, it is a natural effect, hence, not a ghost.
  3. James Thomas from Halifax, Canada writes: I would think more people would believe in ghosts considering the amount of people who believe in religion. What is an angel but a ghost that made it to heaven?
  4. Joe Black from Canada writes: James Thomas from Halifax, Canada writes: 'I would think more people would believe in ghosts considering the amount of people who believe in religion. What is an angel but a ghost that made it to heaven?'

    In my opinion its more logical to believe in a ghost or earth bound spirit than accept all the many tenets of a particular religion but thats just me. Ghost hunting sounds like a harmless hobby to me, just stay skeptical and try not to take yourself too seriously.
  5. james cyr from Balmertown Ontario, Canada writes: I would say that 99.99 % of all things that go bump in the night can be fixed with a hammer or screwdriver. The remaining 0.01 % can be fixed with other tools.
  6. Craig Cooper from Toronto, writes: Gimme a break.

    'In one case, the group's investigators failed in repeated attempts at photographing a child's handprint that could nevertheless be plainly seen on the ceiling of a new apartment complex in Delta, B.C.'

    That means nothing. I once spent days with a very good professional photog shooting a ceiling fan with glass blades.

    In every shot, the blades appeared solid even though they were translucent.

    The camera just 'sees' differently than the eye.

    No ghosts. Just silly people.
  7. Rollo T from 8>), Belgium writes: Lesson No. 2: Ninety-eight per cent of things that go bump in the night can be fixed with a hammer or a screwdriver.

    Or duct tape.
  8. Ms. DeMommies from Halifax, Canada writes: I knew something was terribly wrong BEFORE the phone rang the next morning telling me that my 23 yr. old brother had died in a boating accident the previous night. At 10 pm - the estimated time of death, he appeared to me at the foot of my bed and threw his head back and laughed his contagious laugh. I was startled because it was as real as I am sitting here typing this. I even called out his name and asked what was going on. That was in 1966.

    My mother recently died and I could not bear the thought of her body lying in that cold, dark, hole. It made me physically tremble. A week after her death as I was about to fall asleep, when a vision appeared in my mind (not physically like my brother's appearance) with a ghostly figure at peace and all in white. No facial features were visible, just the outline of my mother's stature. I knew she was ok.

    While I could easily explain my mother's vision as it was post mortem and I was so very upset by the burial ritual, I could never explain my brother's appearance. I believe in ghosts because I saw one.
  9. blair anderson from barrie, Canada writes: Its been nearly 2 years since my brother died. As much as I'd like to believe in ghosts or spirits, I find it extremely hard, and I'm still pretty skeptical. Although my mom has had a few encounters I think. Until I see or experience something thats the only way I'll know for sure
  10. dave moore from Canada writes: I wanted to address this to MV, I don't know what article you read but this person sounded pretty rational to me. You sound pretty aggressive. I read an article which sounded to me like a sensible way to try and investigate the possibility of paranormal activity. Do you have a television program you are trying to protect? I didn't get the sense that these people were putting down programs on ghost hunting just telling people that real ghost hunting didn't happen the way it did on the tv. Sounds fair to me.
    How do you know what is and isn't truly stupid. Do you just believe what you are able to see then? I used to be very sceptical and then something happened to me that caused me to question the experience i had. I don't think i was truly stupid for having the experience. I think you have just shown a great deal of unfairness here. Even the ghost hunter says...'take everything with a grain of salt including what i say'. Sounds like a reasonable honest person to me.
  11. shawn mckenzie from ottawa, Canada writes: well said dave
  12. The Phantom from Canada writes: In my opinion people who suffer these childish delusions should be asked to relinquish their drivers licenses and prohibited from operating power tools. It is only a subtle grey area between the belief that there are ghosts and other "paranormal" phenomenon, and the delusions of paranoid schizophrenia. The James Randi Educational Foundation has a standing challenge to anybody that can prove under proper controls the existence of any "paranormal" phenomenon they will pay $1,000,000 dollars. This challenge has existed for years and nobody has taken the prize. If anyone can prove that homeopathic remedies are anything other than water He will pay them a million bucks. If anyone can prove they have "healing hands" and are able to feel the "energy fields" of another human being they will win a million bucks. Psychics, ghost hunters, faith healers, astrologers, etc, prove that you can do what you claim you can do and you will win one million dollars. You would no doubt also receive a Nobel prize and do great things for your area of research.

    http://www.randi.org/joom/content/view/38/31/
  13. Eat your Weedies from Canada writes: It's one of those things. I don't understand economics and some will never be sensitive enough to other planes.

    I get a kick out of the TV shows and find them entertaining. Does it matter that one believes or not? Does the Incredible hulk have to exist to be entertaining?

    Hey- when you can't prove otherwise I think one should admit the supernatural- eh?
  14. The Phantom from Canada writes: Eat your Weedies from Canada writes: It's one of those things. I don't understand economics and some will never be sensitive enough to other planes.

    I get a kick out of the TV shows and find them entertaining. Does it matter that one believes or not? Does the Incredible hulk have to exist to be entertaining?

    Hey- when you can't prove otherwise I think one should admit the supernatural- eh?
    ___________________________________________

    Well if I was your psychiatrist, I would think it mattered very much whether or not you believed that the Incredible Hulk was real. You clearly have a rather skewed understanding of the scientific method. If something cannot be disproved is no reason to believe it exists at all. Science requires their to be evidence of a phenomenon and not the reverse. For instance you cannot disprove to me the existence of the flying spaghetti monster any more than you can disprove the existence of the easter bunny, but the fact remains that there is no evidence to provide reason to believe in these things. So if you want to claim that the Incredible Hulk is real and at the same time you do not want to be thought of as insane, then you need to provide evidence to support your belief. You cannot expect people to take you seriously if you say you believe in "whatever" but that you demand people should prove why "whatever" is not real inspite of your complete lack of evidence.
  15. Eat your Weedies from Canada writes: Phantom- Good point! Problem is that there is plenty of evidence but it only presents itself to the "sensitive"! (Or the crazy- wink!)
  16. kel fitz from Canada writes: This is fascinating! Only in a G&M forum can we find posters literally at each other's throats over something as benign as this article. It's a special interest story, guys. I'd be more interested in testimonials - you know: maybe a sharing experience without the politics.
  17. The Phantom from Canada writes:
    kel

    I am a dowser with over six hundred years of experience. I can and have diagnosed diseases such as syphilis, cancer, and subluxations of the spine with no more than a pendulum and a crudely drawn picture of my patient. I personally found the underground spring that filled the fountains in the Alhambra. While living in 14th century Granada I studied astrology and became quite adept in the psychic arts. Today I am a center for quantum human vortexes searching to understand the deeper mysteries of the seven planes of spiritual existence. As a small testament to my awesome powers I will give you a short reading.

    -You have a deep yearning for spiritual knowledge.

    -You are quite artistic and very good at working with your hands.

    -You live close to water and I sense tall trees near to your dwelling.

    -Water holds a deep spiritual significance for you.

    -Your third energy vortex is very slow, indicating a loss. You have been mourning the loss of something or someone.

    -I can say no more.
  18. Jack Flack from Canada writes: LOL,

    Do ghosts exist? At the moment there hasn't been any scientificaly validated evidence to prove it.

    Does GOD exist? The verdict is still out on THAT one as well.

    As an agnostic I'm up to believing in either IF it can be proven.

    Until that happens lets just try and make this a better place and not insult, oppress, and go to war over such silly things.
  19. kel fitz from Canada writes: Hi, Phantom -very cute (loved the attachment too). You do realize you're taking yourself too seriously.

    (Troll alert)
  20. The Phantom from Canada writes:
    Troll alert?

    Why is it that when you challenge the rationality of peoples beliefs in the paranormal, you are always considered to be a party pooper. Children are raised in cultist and abusive belief systems all the time and they are victims of this inane and irrational thinking. It does them immeasurable harm. We as a society need to do more to defend scientific thinking and marginalize magical and anti rational beliefs.
  21. dave moore from Canada writes: The ghost hunter even says (because I did read the article) she didn't know if ghosts existed or not but could attest to some very strange things happening. The footstool following a child around the kitchen would have been pretty strange to see.
    I believe the Randi challenge is directed towards psychics and why should a paranormal investigator be bothered by such a challenge if they are not claiming ghosts and only trying to understand what might cause such a phenomena?
  22. Fish Lips from Canada writes: some people are prone to "magical" thinking. i consider it a result of human evolution. it's been adaptive for us since we first crawled out of our caves, as it helped us to explain events that were beyond our capicity for understanding. and since our brains our primed to develop "reasons" for life events (no matter what you believe) then this evolutionary trait makes sense from an anthropological perspective.

    Only in the last 100 years or so has education been consistent enough (in developed nations) to help "reshape" the way humans think: ie, we now have explanations that are grounded in science, rather than in magic or myth.
  23. Eat your Weedies from Canada writes: Wow phantom. You weirded me out. I choose not to indulge such New Age thoughts but I somehow do grasp, easily, the thought of being an "old soul". You have gone down a dangerous road and are vulnerable to -influences-. Take care.
  24. Eat your Weedies from Canada writes: Can I do a "Phantom by phone" reading? hahahaha
  25. The Phantom from Canada writes:
    Eat your weedies

    Have you not heard of David the healer? He is from Vancouver and does energy healing over the phone for a substantial fee. He has a significant following and had spoken at seminars along side other "alternative" healers like Gabor Mate and Andrew Weil.

    I do not understand what process you use to decide which beliefs are ridiculous vs which beliefs are plausible? "Old Souls" are as lacking in evidence as ghosts, psychics, or any other Paranormal silliness.
  26. R. Wallace Hale from Canada writes: I'll believe in the supernatural before I'll believe in psychiatrists, missionaries or the NDP.
  27. The Phantom from Canada writes:
    R Wallace

    If you'd like a reading I accept all major credit cards.
  28. R. Wallace Hale from Canada writes: Credit card? OK, Phantom, just happen to have one from the Left Bank of the Meduxnakeag.

    (grin) The grin probably won't appear.....
  29. The Phantom from Canada writes:
    R Wallace

    The Spirits are angered. You should never mock the "old souls" now they will not help you. The other world will remain invisible to you until you have cleansed your aura with an organic espresso enema.
  30. R. Wallace Hale from Canada writes: At this season, I prefer to cleanse my aura with a hefty G&T. Works a treat!
  31. john smith from toronto, Canada writes: You sound very sceptical Phantom but let me tell you about my experience. I once entered an old desserted house where I was accosted (is that one 'c' or two?) by seven gorgeous,young, nubile ghosts and we proceeded to have phantasmagorical sex non-stop for a full week. Perhaps that will convince you!
  32. The Phantom from Canada writes:
    John smith

    That will make you go blind if you do it for a full week. Pace yourself man.
  33. Stan W from Winnipeg, Canada writes: I too find the idea of ghosts and reincarnation more a plausible afterlife than current Christian beliefs, but there is no high quality evidence for either.

    I appreciate these folks investigating ghosts, and I hope if they think they've found one, a team of engineers, physicists and chemists will offer investigate more closely.

    In the UK, they've found many locations where "ghosts" are seen are near rooms or hallways that naturally resonate at subsonic frequencies, and that airflow causes subsonic vibrations that may be affecting the focus of our eyes.

    And in Northern Ontario a researcher has found he can cause religious and psychic sensations in subjects through strong electrical fields. Similar electric fields are created when earthquakes break rock containing quartz.

    It was only 15 years ago that we discovered who to create "ball lightening" in a reliable replicable way. Up until then it was thought to be a myth, a myth that hundreds of people had seen over the decades, but of which there was no firm evidence.

    I'd more research into this kind of unknown phenomenon.

    It won't tell us how the universe works.

    But it will give a greater understanding of how our bodies work and how are minds can be fooled. I think it is worthwhile research.
  34. Nassar Ben Houdja from Canada writes: Boo!
  35. Great Caesar from Valley High, Canada writes: There has to be ghosts and pretty scary ones at that. I recently saw some ghost called Dion on TV...really scary! I hid my wallet...and then another ghost from the past..a guy called Rae spoke up.....I must sprinkle holy water all across Canada!
  36. Stude Ham from Outremont, Canada writes:

    real ghost hunting? huh? there's such things as ghosts? oh yeah... or else how would anyone be able to spot elvis at the local kwik-e-mart?
  37. kel fitz from Canada writes: Good one, Great Ceasar - but you forgot Trudeau. Now that's a ghost that gives me nightmares.
  38. C J from Canada writes: I like this one: a stool followed an eight-year-old girl around the kitchen in her Chilliwack, B.C., home like a dog

    But why wasn't it reported in the news?
    Because it's damn fake !!
  39. skylow at twilight from Canada writes: A ghost is a spirit that may not realize it's host is deceased. This usually happens when a person is killed instantly or with inconsolable anguish or regret. From a Buddhist perspective , all emotions not reconciled during the death process can manifest in the spirit 10 times over. If you could imagine someone taking their own life in a fit of despair, that very emotion may carry through to the next stage of reincarnation and prevent the spirit from "awakening" to the realization of freedom from the body. This "echo" may remain for hours or days, even longer if left to themselves. Sometimes that cool burst of air in a still room is your first indication of such.

    In the event of sudden death , most of the same forces are at work.
    One second a person is riding along in a car, a half second later their consciousness and sub-consciousness ceases to exist due to extreme trauma. All that is left is spirit. This spirit may not realize it is free and may linger in the area for a time before noticing other entities about. Hence, another ghost.

    Roadside memorials........Bad idea. If a ghost is trying to figure out were it's body went the worst thing we, as the mourning participants , could do is set up a memorial to the victim at the location of death. All raw emotion for the victim will resonate with the spirit and keep him or her at that spot longer than required. Let them go, say a prayer to the God and Goddess for the successful delivery and awakening of the spirit.

    If you encounter a ghost that you know, gently and with love , tell them they are free to move on as their bodies no longer exist.

    To those that do and don't believe, Blessed Be.
  40. Matt Ostergard from Canada writes: The Globe & Mail is getting so pathetic in its attempts to appeal to a larger audience. Ghost hunting? Come on.
  41. Robert Rivers from France writes: "I'm tired of people doing it the way they do it on TV," Ms. Gregory says. "All they do is give ghost hunting a bad name."

    Sarcasm, right?

    I was ghost hunting once, I almost shot me a five pointer but it was spooked by my stepping on reality then diapered.
  42. M V from Toronto, writes: Don't know what's going on with the moderation on these boards. I wrote a response to Dave Moore and my comment was posted then removed. I'll try again. This is for you, Dave. Dave Moore wrote, "Even the ghost hunter says 'Take everything with a grain of salt including what I say.' Sounds like a reasonable honest person to me." Well, Dave, to me that sounds like a person who knows the source of her income. Jan Gregory offers a service but it's not like she isn't profiting from posing as an "authentic" ghost hunter. She has to furnish that "medieval lair" of hers so naturally she's going to cut down any business competition by declaring her techniques to be genuine. Ms. Gregory is no different from those abominable second-floor walk-up tarot and crystal ball psychics who take advantage of weak people. Perhaps, like some of those psychics, Jan Gregory actually believes what she is selling but her dellusions only perpetuate the public belief in spirits, superstitions and the supernatural. Those are beliefs that should have long ago disappeared after the enlightenment and rise of scientific inquiry but people like Gregory actually encourage adults to entertain such childish nonense as being "real". Say I set up a "monster-hunting" service. I promise to rid your neighbourhood of all vampires, imps, and yetis. I'm armed with all the proper equipment: holy water, silver bullets, really big nets. And for a reasonable fee, your neighbourhood can be monster free! Or, if you prefer to take matters into your own hands, I have a 3 month course on monster hunting. Credit cards accepted! Do you see my point, Dave? You're thinking, "How ridiculous! There are no such things as monsters!" Yet credibility is given to ghosts and spirits. Why? If you believe in one, you should accept the other. But, no. People take the anecdotal evidence of ghosts as true which leaves a huge business opportunity for people like Jan Gregory. "Reasonable and honest"? Hardly.
  43. Andrei Vidal from New York, United States writes: Don't know about others, but I find something rather quaint and provincial about some commentators' naive and earnest belief in "Science" and "Reason", and that what cannot be proven with the Scientific Method in the beginning fo the 21st century does not exist - as if Voltaire and Comte are new discoveries and Newton's physics opens up a new world. Welcome to the 19th century!
  44. M V from Toronto, writes: Andrei,

    What, pray tell, can be proven with tea leaves and tarot cards?
    Science and reason allow conclusions to be based on evidence rather than belief. Science does not say that anything not studied does not exist because science is an approach (a "method" as you correctly put it), not an authority. But it does allow humans to examine the natural world in an unbaised manner.

    Newton's physics DID open a new world, one less reliant on superstion which explains nothing.
  45. kel fitz from Canada writes: This is getting stupid.........
  46. The Phantom from Canada writes:
    kel

    No kel it started out stupid. Ghost hunting courses are about as stupid as it gets. Sad really... Grown ups believing in this nonsense and expecting people to take them seriously. Ignorance is a very dangerous indulgence.
  47. Travis Martin from Kimberley, Canada writes: Stupid - all of it. Nina, you should be ashamed. Another ridiculous scam to get people's money, by exploiting the mentally ill and others who "see and hear things". One word - clozapine!
  48. C A from Canada writes: i'm exhausted from reading these comments.

    you're all a little stupid... at least thats what "they" tell me

    goes back to her sayance
  49. kel fitz from Canada writes: You're right, Phantom: rooking vulnerable idiots of their $$$ is deplorable. Especially for something like this. Think maybe these people lost some-one and are trying to figure ways to re-connect? Just a thought.

    Messing with this stuff could be dangerous.
  50. kel fitz from Canada writes: ...to your pocket-book, at the very least.

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