The field of paranormal investigating encompasses a large scope of interests, experiences, and theories, and DSGI encourages the flow of ideas and information that can help all of us to become more rounded investigators. This page is designed to do just that and is a kind of “guest editorial” forum where you can reach out to others in the field, to advance new concepts, or to discuss matters relevant to our studies.
If you would like to contribute to this page, send your editorial to DSGIhauntline@gmail.com or send through our Contact page for review. Editorials should focus on a specific subject. If we choose to publish your editorial, you will be contacted by email. Editorials should be limited to 1000 words and will be posted verbatim; we will not edit your work, or make spelling or grammatical corrections. Be sure to include your name and paranormal group affiliation and position within your team, and a functioning link to your group’s website or other social media outlets.
and are not necessarily the views of DSGI or its members.
Kyle Herring
Bull Run Paranormal
Scientific Consultant/Historical Researcher
November 2014
A PARANORMAL COPERNICUS
Just imagine, for a moment, that it’s the mid-1600’s and for centuries now man and Earth has dominated the Cosmos. The Earth is the center of the Universe, after all, with the Sun, the Moon, and all the visible stars revolving around it. We even have the evidence to prove it! It’s obvious that these celestial bodies are revolving around the Earth; we can see it every time we look up at the sky. Not to mention, if the Earth was moving through space, we would clearly fly off… Right? Sure, the experts have their different models and theories, Aristotle had Aristotelian Physics and Ptolemy had his Ptolemaic Model, but they all fit nicely into this geocentric universe. Scientists and philosophers alike had bought in and were selling it, until it all came crashing down in the 16th century.
Suddenly the Renaissance mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus bursts on to the scene and provides a fully predictive mathematical model of a heliocentric system proving that the Earth was indeed moving, and in fact revolving around the Sun along with all of the other planets. This sent shockwaves through the science community as it proved all the other “experts” wrong, leading to the Copernican Revolution. While Copernicus technically can’t take all the credit, and it clearly didn’t happen quite so simply, his willingness to wonder and question what was “right” was the catalyst for a paradigm shift in our understanding of the cosmos.
If you have hung in there this far, I am sure you are asking, “What does this have to do with paranormal investigating?” Well, if we truly want to advance paranormal investigation, legitimize the field, and do what we love while claiming it in the name of “scientific research,” then it has EVERYTHING to do with it. This classic account should serve as an analogical warning to a startling and disappointing trend I believe is developing in the paranormal field. We, as paranormal investigators, have become too comfortable in our equipment and our explanations. For a field full of people claiming to be “open-minded” we have become a pretty closed minded one-trick pony.
I, by no means, am a grizzled paranormal investigating vet. I don’t claim to be an expert, I don’t have a T.V. show, or even a book deal (yet…). In fact, I have been out of the ghost-hunting game for some time now and did most of my investigating within a small tri-state radius. However, at one point I was a key member of what is still to this day one of the longest tenure, best organized, and most successful paranormal groups on the East Coast. I have given public tours, taught classes, been brought into people’s homes, and advised historical landmarks all with the understanding that I might have some idea of what was going on, and I certainly thought I did. I gladly played my part.
When the K2 blinked red I gleefully explained “Well, it’s because of electromagnetic fields or as we call them, EMFs.” I rambled about how this could be caused by power lines, bad wiring, or the energy given off by a ghost and it even could sometimes make you feel funny. When I was asked why some ghosts seem to interact and others couldn’t I eloquently spoke of the differences between residual energy and intelligent haunts and what may cause them. Countless times I retold tales of the popular notion of ghosts hanging around with unfinished business, what I now call the Casper Effect, or of sudden traumatic deaths leaving a chilling imprint on our world. Each and every tour I laid out my equipment and explained the reasoning behind each piece’s use. “If a ghost is a ball of energy, it may give off thermal heat so, alas, here is a thermal camera…” “Ghosts may not be able to communicate on frequencies that humans can detect so we use this voice recorder…” The list goes on. I found myself often discontent though, not having an explanation for my explanations…
We have all done it, and for good reason! These explanations make sense, fit the bill, and have been tested, repeated, and sometimes…. Perhaps even verified? I fear, however, we have become too content with our “main stream” and “accepted” answers. People, in the field and out of it, hear it on T.V. and in movies, read it in books, and love it. Maybe it’s because it’s scary, provides a link to our past, or is just easily understandable. It all even has the tint of spirits, demons, and angels; themes people already comprehend. It all seems to make sense and everyone else agrees, even the “experts.” So much of it truly is science based and has so much evidence supporting it…. But so did our idea of the Earth at the center of the Universe, right?
It is time we challenge ourselves to once again think outside of the box and consider, “Maybe the Earth DOES move through space?” It might not, but unless we are proven wrong we will never progress in our understanding. We need to begin to try and disprove other theories, as well as our own, to advance what we actually know, not just cling to what we think we know.
Do not get me wrong, the present theories we have make sense and are simple, and in science short and sweet is always the best option. But, do they explain everything? Perhaps there are other explanations for paranormal phenomenon out there that explain the things we can’t. Perhaps we will eventually even find the Holy Grail “Theory of Everything” that will unify all paranormal phenomenon. But how do we know if we don’t look, don’t branch out, or don’t keep thinking?
So often it seems that paranormal investigators are scared to embrace science, with the opposite holding true as well. I recently saw a show on television about a paranormal investigation where the team brought in their “science expert”, a physics PhD from some local university I believe. Of course, the lead investigator and the physicist were pitted against each other as the show progressed with neither wanting to accept each other’s conclusions. This, despite being an obvious television dramatization, really struck a chord with me, and bothered me. There is so much to be learned from both fields that could answer so many more questions.
Just as I do not claim to be an award winning Ghostbuster, neither am I a Nobel Prize winning physicist or cosmologist. However, I have cultivated a passion for these fields for some time with a library, as well as personal hero list, containing the likes of Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, Neil Degrasse Tyson, and so on. The one thing I have taken away from these studies is that people do not realize that Science Truly is Stranger Than Fiction. Science has taken leaps and bounds in our understanding of reality, who we are, where we have come from, and how our complex Universe works on so many scales. As I read these scholars’ books, I cannot help but think of the connections and implications they could have for the future understanding of paranormal activity. Maybe they are not ghosts, maybe they are? Maybe they exist in some realities, while not in others? I do not have the answers, but I know that the laws of physics rule everything in the Universe. These laws of physics also allow for some pretty spectacular and mind-boggling phenomenon to occur, many we still cannot explain.
So, in conclusion I can only suggest that we keep our minds open, look for inspiration and understanding in new and different places, humble ourselves a bit, and just keep learning and searching.
Kyle Herring is the Scientific Consultant and Historical Researcher of Bull Run Paranormal, in Haymarket, Virginia. “Like” and follow them on their official Bull Run Paranormal Facebook page.
Mike Wolfer
Diamond State Ghost Investigators
Public Case Manager/Investigator
October 2014
AFTERLIFE ETIQUETTE (or HOW NOT TO OFFEND AN ENTITY), PART I
In my six years of experience as a paranormal investigator, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with both novice and experienced investigators from many different teams, as well as paying customers on public investigations. Usually, at some point on every investigation I attend, I feel a bit of unease, or even embarrassment and regret, all stemming from the actions of myself and others in the “ghost hunting” profession. Why? Let me put it this way: Imagine sitting in your own home, on your bed, relaxing and thinking deep thoughts, when several strangers enter your bedroom, stand around demanding answers to personal questions while waving electronic devices you’ve never seen before and ordering you to “make the lights turn on.”
Does that sound like a good time or a home invasion? To me, it sounds like a nightmare. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what so many of us do when we’re investigating.
The nature of paranormal investigating requires that we enter the personal domains of others, and since it is our assumption that the space is possibly occupied by an intelligent entity, displaying the proper attitude toward our hosts is vital. Further, since we can’t even see our hosts, we certainly have no way to gauge their moods or dispositions. We are trespassers, and possibly unwanted or viewed as a threat, therefore discretion and apologetic respectfulness are the best introduction we can offer. Common courtesy suggests that we introduce ourselves in the least aggressive way possible, ask permission to enter, or explain why we are there. Remember, our assumption is that we might be communicating with intelligent entities, just like us. And that’s where things get sticky, at least for me…
Let’s backtrack just a bit, and be totally honest: In the history of communing with the dead, there has never been one single case where a living person has asked, “Can you hear my voice,” and a disembodied voice has replied, “Yes, I can hear you quite clearly. What do you want?” We get blips on EMF detectors, or flashlights flicker on and off; we hear taps or knocks or get single, whispered words on digital audio recorders, or coincidental words spring out of “ghost boxes.” That’s it. There’s no meaningful conversation going on. Sure, psychics and mediums claim to relay complete messages, but there is absolutely no way to validate that scientifically. Without concrete measurable, recordable, documentable communication, we have no way of really knowing who or what we’re talking to, and we also have no idea what kind of reality our hosts perceive.
Think about that.
What is an entity’s perception of the world around them? Have they been living an (after)lifetime of fear, loneliness, and confusion? Do they understand that they are no longer alive? And who are we to assume that they’re even dead? Couldn’t the “spirits” we’re searching for be beings of energy from another dimension, from our past, or even our future? Okay, that’s going out on a limb, so let’s stick with the dead people theory.
I would imagine that if I died and was trapped in a dark basement for all of eternity, talking about my death might be the most upsetting thing that I could do. And what if I had no idea that I was dead, but was similarly trapped? If a stranger walked in and spouted, “So tell me how you died,” it might be the most heartbreaking, horrific realization I ever had throughout my torment. Let that sink in. Yeah. The carelessness of our words could have devastating, emotional consequences on an intelligent being for whom we proclaim to show empathy. I never, ever refer to an entity as being deceased. Rather, I talk to them as I would talk to someone (living) who I know. I ask about their life, I ask about their emotions, or their likes; I offer my help if they’d like it, and I ask them to explain their condition, if possible. But in making those queries, I try to never come off as demanding. If it feels like you’re interrogating someone, you probably are, and it’s never fun to be on the receiving end of that. I’m not bragging (much), but some of my teammates refer to me as a “ghost magnet.” I seem to experience a lot of unexplainable activity around me, and that’s probably because of my attitude and the questions that I ask. You won’t find me shouting, “Private Jones, report to the Mess Hall!” If I was Private Jones, I’d say “Screw you, I’m on break.” But you will find me asking, “Hey… Do you like peach cobbler?” You’d be surprised at the eager responses I sometimes receive.
I guess the bottom line is that we must always tread lightly, and check our preconceived notions of superiority at the door before entering the domain of others. If we disrespect our neighbors in their own homes, they at least have the physical ability to throw us out. But if we do the same in the home of a paranormal entity, we could be doing irreparable, emotional damage to an innocent, who might want nothing more than to be understood, or to have a friend.
As for the detection and communication devices that we employ in our investigations and how we ask our hosts to assist us… That’s a topic for a whole, other editorial (Part II).
Mike Wolfer is a professional comic book writer and artist, as well as a paranormal investigator.
Mike Wolfer
Diamond State Ghost Investigators
Public Case Manager/Investigator
September 2014
Integrity.
It’s the hallmark of Diamond State Ghost Investigators, and should be likewise for every paranormal investigative team the world over. While integrity is important on an individual team level, the ramifications of our claims have an overall impact on the entire paranormal field when we consider that those in the “ghost hunting” community are all members of one large, extended family. We put ourselves out there and make our beliefs and evidence public record on the web, social media, newspapers, television shows and podcasts, and we present our findings for the general public to scrutinize. We want to share, and we want the world to know about the sometimes incredible events which we witness. And we want them to believe, just as we do.
But that’s where integrity comes into play.
I have been involved with paranormal investigating for nearly six years, and have seen, heard, and experienced a lot, and I’m not talking about paranormal activity. Wording is so very important, and it is how we as paranormal investigators misinterpret or carelessly phrase things that can quickly derail our best intentions. But it is also how some teams do phrase things that derails the intentions of every honest investigator in the field.
We are currently, and have always, fought an uphill battle against the legitimate scientific community to conclusively prove the existence of the paranormal by producing concrete and irrefutable science-based evidence. Now, anyone with rudimentary computer skills can falsify and concoct hoaxed audio, photographic, and video evidence. Fortunately, anyone with a shred of skepticism can easily see through these spoofs, but unfortunately not everyone viewing them has the same investigative approach and many take what they see at face value. It is their desire to believe that overrules common sense, because after all, it’s more fun to imagine the incredible than to concede that, in the cold light of truth, what they’re viewing is a completely natural occurrence or has been somehow doctored. And that attitude is fine. Everyone is entitled to their own personal beliefs. However, a true paranormal investigative team should strive to present only their most irrefutable evidence to the public, rather than things that can be easily debunked. This is where wording comes in. If you say, “This is a ghost in this photograph,” you’re making a claim that cannot be substantiated, because anything can now be faked with Photoshop. You can present the photo and supply a background story for it, but the truth is that unless you took that photograph yourself, have corroborating witnesses, and other forms of scientific evidence collected at the time of the event, well… You just have an anomaly on film which cannot be labeled a “ghost.”
You’ll notice that in the DSGI Evidence Vault, we specifically state, “DSGI has not conclusively confirmed the absolute validity of some of these sound files, and we do not proclaim them to be irrefutable evidence. However, each has gone through a primary ‘debunking’ review, and these remain as intriguing and unexplained.” None of our EVPs have notations that read, “You can hear an entity speak at the 5 second mark,” or, “Here’s the voice of a ghost.” Sure, there might be an unexplained noise or voice captured, but we cannot legitimately and without a shadow of a doubt proclaim, “This is a ghost.” That would be irresponsible and could even border on deceptiveness. We’re not going to make claims which cannot be substantiated, because we care about how the public views the paranormal investigative community, our extended family, and we want to further the efforts of the entire field in any way we can.
And we, and you, can’t do that by making wild claims.
Because, you know… Integrity.
Mike Wolfer is a professional comic book writer and artist, as well as a paranormal investigator.