The Supernatural - side of things. Whoever said we can’t be super and natural?

What are people thinking?

1/3 of people believe in Ghosts and UFOs, which translates to 34% of the U.S. population exceeding the 19% of people who believe in the existence of spells and witchcraft and is…more accepted by urban dwellers, minorities and lower-earning people. Hmm…

 23% of people say they have actually seen a ghost or believe they have been in the presences of one.

Not to get personal here but are you Single or Catholic? If so you might just be a likely candidate for such a visit including people who have never attended religious services.  3 in 10 have awakened sensing a strange presence in the room and singles are more likely than married people to talk about it.

On a political note, 31% to 18% of liberals than conservatives report seeing a ghost. Democrats were more superstitious than Republicans over opening umbrellas indoors, while liberals were more superstitious than conservatives over four-leaf clovers, grooms seeing brides and umbrellas.

 48% believe in ESP (extrasensory perception), of that percentage 51% of them are college graduates compared to 37% with a high school diploma or less.

14% of people, mostly men and lower-income people — say they have seen a UFO.

1 in 5 people say they’re at least somewhat superstitious. Young men, minorities, and the less educated more likely to go out of their way to seek luck.

 26% of urban residents, which is twice the rate of those from rural areas, said they are superstitious.  While single men are more superstitious than single women by 31% to 17%, respectively.

Ghost Caught on Tape?

Are these psychic protections? Real spirits caught on tape? Hallucinations? Big imaginations? Mind games? CGI? Magic trick or Hoaxes?

Loyd Auerbach, Parapsychologist, “just because the phenomenon goofy or sensational doesn’t mean it’s not real.”…”All that I can make of it is that it’s just as likely …It’s probably more likely that it’s not real, then it is that it is real because of how goofy it is, but I know from experience that some ghost have a sense of humor.

“just because the phenomenon goofy or sensational doesn’t mean it’s not real.”…”All that I can make of it is that it’s just as likely …It’s probably more likely that it’s not real, then it is that it is real because of how goofy it is, but I know from experience that some ghost have a sense of humor. “

In 2003, the fire exist doors at Hampton Court Palace of King Henry VIII, are caught on security cameras being flung open by an apparition that was translucent but very much there and committing a “worldly action” of opening a set of very heavy metal doors. It is stated to be one of the best videos out there of an apparition on video.

 In July 2002, an apparition was seen by an employee on their security cameras at Puckett’s Wrecking Service in Oklahoma, OK.  She said the figure was moving erratically.  The cameras frame rate is slow so the erratic movement is normal but the figure was also translucent and “floating-like”.

 In 1992, Rev. James Michael Stanton of Remnant Warriors Ministries, video taped what he claims is a demonic presences that is reflected in the glass of a clock.  He said the demon also talked and mocked him.  At one point, he states he puts the video recorder down to get more tapes and the camera floated up in the air and slammed down on the ground breaking it.  He states that the demon then began to laugh.

I think that if you ever see a skeleton on video and believe it’s a “real” ghost caught on tape then you should stop reading this blog now! Who dies and comes back with only their skeleton?

Hoax séances with real people on camera pointing or looking in the “general” direction of the computer generated image.  Just watch where their eyes are looking, how their body is positioned, where they are pointing, and if they are looking directly at the image.  Honestly, if something appeared in the same room as me and stayed long enough for me to see it, I’d be looking right at it, not near it or above it or in the “general” direction of it.  Dr. Richard Wiseman conducted an experiment to show how easy it is to create a hoax during séances.

Guang Yang and Chris Hollosy are two college student animation students at CA State University Northridge who use computer software to generate an apparition for a project. They filmed Hollosy walking past a hallway in slow motion during the daylight hours.  They then used suite animation software to edit and animate the image. Getting the stride right was very important to the students so they worked hard at making sure it would look “real”.  Another video of a translucent mist coming down a stairs could very easily be mistaken as a “real ghost” caught on tape was also generated by a student filmmaker.  The emerging technology is making it hard to tell the frauds from the real deal because of their ability to generate such realistic images.

 Dr. John Hutchinson, Physicist, believes that natural and supernatural forces come into play during poltergeist activity.  He uses electromagnetic forces to experiment with his idea by moving items and bending them with electromagnetic energy.  He calls it the Hutchinson Effect- the artificial way that natural creates it on it’s own.

 In 1989 Daniel Hobbit, videographer, shot a video of a black mass in a family’s home during an investigation. “You can’t explain it, you just know it’s real.”  They were experiencing strange things in their house such as crying, doors closing and opening, and voices.  The black transparent mass caught near a picture on the wall on the video is also reflected in a mirror. The family moved out of the house and never returned.

 Dr. Barry Taff, a Ghost Expert, (investigated the infamous case that sparked a book and movie, The Entity in 1974). Dr. Taff analyzed the video and ruled out that the reflection in the mirror was real because of the positioning of the black mass.  He said it would have been in the opposite position in the mirror.

 I always wanted to know what made a person a “ghost expert” but I suppose in the case of Dr. Taff I can’t really argue, he is an expert of well, something.  He holds a doctorate in psychophysiology with a minor in biomedical engineering.  He is a world-renowned parapsychologist who worked out of the UCLA’s former parapsychology department from 1969-1978 as a research associate. He investigated over 4,000 cases of ghosts, hauntings, poltergeist and conducted extensive studies in telepathy and precognition. He has consulted for government agencies and businesses, as well as law enforcement agencies, such as CIA, ONI, NSA, DLI, DIA, DARPA, FBI, Interpol…the list goes on.  Nuff said.

Orbs…are they souls that represent life after death?

In 1999, a ghostly mist was caught on video and thought to be haunting an abandon home in Illinois at the McPike Mansion. It is stated that many McPike family members and servants have died at the mansion. There is a long history with the home and it has been featured on many Paranormal Shows to date.  It was also listed as one of the top 10 Most Haunted Places in America. During the investigation that the mist appeared on video, it was said to be 95 degrees outside and no draft in the basement but the investigator began to shiver and felt the temperature drop drastically.  She states that she turned the corner and the mist engulfed her.

 When analyzed by video and special effect artists they stated this video looks more authentic because of the amateur video shooting style and footage. Also the fact that they are paranormal investigators could lead one to believe more in the authenticity of the video.

Doors, cabinets, chairs, drawers that open and close by themselves can be debunked easily if you cannot see the top or the bottom of the entire item. If you there can be a natural explanation then it may not be paranormal. “It is easy to manipulate something in front of the untrained eye”, according to Dr. Taff, a Ghost Expert.  The mind tries to justify what it is seeing to make sense of it. This is often why we see faces or human figures reflected in places where there really isn’t one and it was just a leaf, the lighting, dust, a bug, or our own imagination.

 So, can we trust any paranormal videos with claims of poltergeist activity, ghostly figures, translucent faces of dead children, demonic entities caught on camera? I think it will depend first on your own personal beliefs then on approaching it with a scientific and technological viewpoint.  Quality of the footage is one of my top priorities because if I can’t see it then how am I suppose to understand what it really is and how it did what it did?  Next is lighting, position, frame rate, pixels…you will get more into the technical side of editing when you analyze footage.  But I do try to live by a simple rule that if there is a plausible (natural or man-made) explanation then it’s most likely not paranormal.  I think it is when you cannot explain how it occurred, recreate the action, or even begin to find a cause that it could be in the realm of a paranormal experience. However, it is becoming much harder to weed out the real deals from the frauds.

Blog Entry by provisional MGH Support Staff  MGH-SharaE

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