At Amazing Ghost Seekers, we are going to examine what is ghost hunting, how to engage in it and what equipment is needed to conduct the investigation.
What is Ghost Hunting?
According to Wikipedia, ghost hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts. A ghost hunt team will try to collect evidence to support the paranormal activity. Ghost hunters may be referred to as paranormal investigators.
Most ghost hunters attempt to collect evidence of paranormal activity by taking pictures or utilizing other equipment to detect the presence of spirits. When taking pictures, take a minimum of three photos to compare the results in the event that you capture some activity.
Ghost Hunting Is Not For The Faint-Hearted
Have you ever wondered if ghosts are lurking in the twilight, waiting to remind us that they have unfinished business to conduct, wrongs to right or scores to settle? At one time or another you will encounter the paranormal, no matter who you are.
You may feel a sudden chill of goose bumps, hairs rising on your neck or someone or something is watching you, as you hurry from a dark room, building or forest. A physical response of fear to these actions cannot be controlled once your adrenaline starts to flow through your veins and your heart starts to race.
The thought of a ghost, spirit or apparition can be disturbing, because these entities are a fragment of a soul trying to move forward but is trapped eternally from its own dreams of violence, betrayal and pain. However, some may stay on this plane for love. According to paranormal literature, haunted sites are places where human drama both good or bad have occurred and spirits that remain have their own agenda.
Are Ghosts/Spirits Real?
Cultures around the world believe in spirits that survive death to dwell in another realm. Belief in ghosts is part of a larger view of paranormal beliefs, including near-death experiences, life after death and spirit communications.
Some people believe that ghosts are spirits of the dead who get lost on their way to the other side. Others believe that ghosts are telepathic entities projected into the world or strong emotions somehow recorded and later “replayed” in the environment.
Albert Einstein proved the possibility of ghosts with his “First Law of Thermodynamics” which states that if energy cannot be created or destroyed but only change form, then what happens to our body’s energy when we die? Could that energy somehow reappear as a ghost.
How Do You Know Where To Find Ghosts?
The first step in conduction a paranormal is to find a site to investigate. Usually, leads come from family, friends or through your research. An old quaint farmhouse or cornfield may seem completely normal. But ghost hunters and psychic investigators know that old mansions and civil war battlefields are more likely to have the ghostly remnants lingering there.
Being the spirits of the dead who are emotionally connected to a particular location and if their passing over was violent or accidental, the spirits of the departed may linger in some form. There is a greater chance that ghostly remnants may linger there, the older the property.
Some locations where you may find ghosts are:
- Battlefields and Historic Sites
- Cemeteries and Graveyards
- Schools and Churches
- Jails/Prisons and Hospitals
- Theaters and Museums
- Private Residences
How Do You Conduct The Investigation?
Whether you believe in ghosts or are a skeptic looking for proof, ghost hunting can be a fascinating experience that blends spirituality and science. Becoming a paranormal investigator or ghost hunter requires you to be objective, patient, courageous, honest and have strength of character.
If the site that you are going to investigate is not owned by you, you should get permission to investigate the site. Preferably, you should get written permission. Being a public location would enable you to investigate during normal open hours. After hours, investigations would require you to get written permission.
A private residence would always require written permission. Trespassing could result in you being arrested, if you do not have written permission to investigate the property.
Conducting research of the property involved could identify why the hauntings are being encountered. If the property has some violent actions in the past or death of previous owners, it could explain why the ghosts are there.
After conducting the research of the property history, you should conduct interviews with the people that have witnessed the paranormal activity. All interviews should be very confidential and recorded electronically or manually on investigative report forms.
Use you own intuition to determine if you feel that the witnesses are being truthful, during the interview. If some witnesses are reluctant to participate in the interview, it should raise a red flag about their possible involvement in the activity or knowing something about the issues.
After completing the interviews, you should visit the site during the daytime to see if some paranormal activity can be explained naturally. This could include cold spots from air conditioning, doors closing from drafts created by opening other doors or water pipes making noise, when toilets are flushed. Also, you could see any hazardous areas where the investigative team might be injured.
All investigations should be conducted with a team of two or more members. You should never investigate alone. In the event you become injured, they could help you or get help. Also, if you encountered some paranormal activity they would be a witness to verify the activity. In addition, ghost hunting with a group can be more fun and exciting.
Depending on budget considerations, you should have adequate equipment to conduct the investigations. You do not need a lot of electronic equipment to verify the paranormal activity.
After conducting the investigation, you need to review your findings and report them to the owner of the property, if they are interested. The investigation should be conducted in a professional manner and the results should be presented in a logical professional manner.
What Ghost Hunting Equipment Is Needed?
The ghost hunting equipment that you will need to conduct your investigation depends on your budget. If you are just getting started, the equipment needed is very basic. However, if you are going into paranormal investigations on a full-time basis, you should invest in some additional equipment.
The first tool that you need is your common sense. You should be able to judge, if paranormal activity is occurring or if it can be explained naturally!
Basic Equipment:
- Flashlights – At least 2 per team member and one should preferably be a head lamp so your hands will be free to operate other equipment or take notes.
- First Aid Kit – for those unexpected scrapes, cuts or minor injuries in old buildings with deteriorating structures.
- Compass – A manual type to identify directions and possibly tell if paranormal activity is occurring, if the hands are moving.
- Camera – A point and shoot camera to capture any paranormal actions (cell phone camera, tablet camera, digital camera or video camera). When taking pictures, you should take a minimum of three photos of any activity.
- EVP Recorder – An Electronic Voice Phenomenon recorder or Spirit Box to capture paranormal voice activities. Also, you can use your cell phone recorder, tablet recorder or video camera recorder.
- Binoculars – They will help to identify anomalies or movements at a distance.
- EMF Meter – Electronic Magnetic Field Meter to identify changes in the magnetic fields around you (ghosts/spirits are believed to increase the magnetic fields, when they become active).
- Batteries – Extra batteries for each flashlight and each piece of equipment that you use (active ghosts/spirits are believed to be able to drain the energy from batteries).
- Cell Phones – For communication with other team members or emergency personnel in the event of an injury.
- Other Luminous Items – Other than flashlights, such as candles or kerosene lanterns.
- Walkie Talkies – to keep in touch with other team members who are not with you.
- Investigative Report Sheets – To record the location of the ghost hunt, start date and time, ending date and time, team members on the investigation, site observations, equipment used, any paranormal event, the investigation timeline log, evidence reviewed and the summary/conclusion of the investigation.
Conclusion:
Ghost hunting for the proof of the existence of paranormal activity is a fun and exhilarating hobby. Don’t forget to take care of your evidence after your investigation, analyze your data and report the results to frantic homeowners and other distraught individuals. Never agree to conduct an investigation, unless you are willing to dedicate yourself to complete the data analysis and the follow-up reporting.
If you are not ready to conduct an investigation on your own, you can use your computer to locate paranormal investigative teams in your area who will allow you to participate with them on their investigations. Also, older cities have ghost tours that you can be a part of. Above all, be safe and be careful.
If you have any questions about this post or have comments, please provide them below and I will get back to you, as soon as possible.
All the best,
Eddie
Founder of Amazing Ghost Seekers
amazingghostseekers.com