What
is a Ghost?
When
the ethereal body leave’s this world (i.e. Flesh, bone, muscle, and blood), the
energy, residue or soul remains from the spirit and some times can become
trapped here on earth, though what a spirit is made up if is energy, emotion and
memory. Though determining exactly what ghost
really are, will take time to study and understand, our main questions are “why
do they stay, what holds them here”.
There
are three worlds for spirits….
1….
Is earth?
2….
Limbo
3….
Heaven, Hell or the other world
Why stay?
Sometimes
the reason it’s trapped is due to some un finished business or is it the
attraction of a place or a person, it’s also a memory that holds them to the
area, maybe they don’t want to give up their past and except what has befell
them, or maybe they can’t give up their memories until business is settled.
More
than likely it’s for tragic reason, such as….
- Suicide
2. They
were murdered and are waiting to seek revenge on the perpetrators.
3. Waiting
on a lost love that never returned, for whatever reason.
4. The
loss of a child.
5. Wanting
to find something of theirs that they were meant to be buried with.
Communication
from the departed
Ghost’s have a strange way of
communicating, banging, rapping, thing’s moving, even sometimes psychical (like
touching and brushing against someone) but this is their way of letting us know
that they have something they need to say. Though some don’t seem to know they
have crossed over and go on as if still alive, these spirits need to be helped
cross to the next realm. Ghost contact the living through frightening actions
(well to us they are) and we misinterpret that as a fear or a harm reaction.
What do
GHOSTS look like?
The
first thing to know is that Ghosts
are not always figures in cloaks, dismembered heads under arms, in white
rattling chains and what Hollywood tell us.
There
are many forms to a Ghost; they can
appear as streaky lights (which are known as Ghost Light’s).
Orbs; are round balls of light,
that come in all shapes and sizes, different colours, they move around in swift
motions one minute and then slow down as if they are letting us know they are
here, they gather in numbers when in contact with humans, they go through
walls, doors, up from floors, exit from ceilings. They mainly stay to area’s
that are a traffic area (hall, doorways, staircases etc) this is the main
phenomenon captured by most people.
Mists, Ectoplasm;
this is a strange phenom; this is one that needs more study to understand what
the make up is of the spirit. This misty form will appear in camera just like a
fog, but only different, fog settles, Ecto move around in directions within the
mist it self, Ecto mist leaves no trace of condensation on the camera, and one
does rarely see it with the naked eye. We are trying to understand what part of
the manifestation chain is it on. It seems to move differently than fog or
breath.
Manifestation;
All those bangs, bumps, footsteps, doors opening, scratching, cold spots etc,
the spirit world is different from this one, and the only way of communicating
is through means that would scare us to death. They can leave odors that are
sweet and repugnant, then only to vanish just as quickly as they appeared. Ghost will manifest into figures, but
this takes an extreme amount of energy from the spirit, and when they appear
it’s only for a few seconds. Though when a spirit starts to communicate, the
sounds and voices are soft, but sooner or later they become extremely
noticeable.
Apparitions; When
a spirit forms turns into a figure like specter this are called an apparition. This is a rare form of
spirit, for a spirit to manifest into this form like figure it takes an extreme
amount of energy to manifest, this is the least captured phenomena, even to see
one with the naked eye is a ultra rare occurrence (around 1% of all human life
has seen an apparition). Though over
the years a small amount of photos and video images have been recorded with
apparitions on them (Real images), some have been phenomenal, some we find are
a little skeptical….
What to do in the company of a ghost?
- Use your mind and wits to figure out first if it is a ghost, go through all
possibilities first…is it just the house settling, was it the wind, am I
sleepy etc
- Respect at all times, Offer respect to the memory of
the ghost and to their presence
and ask for a safe passage through the night and that moment, though if
it’s in your own house, let them know you want them their and hopefully
they don’t mind you being there either, ask the spirit to bang or tap on the
walls…once for yes, twice for no.
Ask questions in hope of an answer, but if nothing happens don’t be too
worried, the spirit is comfortable with your presence.
- Never desecrate or take anything from a place, spirits
don’t like their items touched, plus it’s respectful and shows manners not
too, if this does happen they will follow you and make your life hell if
you don’t return and undo your crime.
- Tell the spirit
the reason for you being there,(As a respect to their forgotten memory),
you admire the place, you just want to take some pictures, you will leave
things as you found them.
- Or if being in that area is over bearing with activity
then just leave and offer an apology.
Can you see a ghost?
Yes,
though they can be seen front on with the naked eye, but they only last when
you blink or move from a spot to another.
They
are mainly seen from the corner of your eyes, (Moving shadows, flickering lights, abnormal shapes.)
But
we feel them more than seeing them (The
feeling of cobwebs, or an icy touch over the face, arms, back.)
Those
who see an apparition are in a small
group, some paranormal teams will only glimpse one in their whole time of being
a paranormal investigator, and some many never at all.
Can you sense a ghost?
This
is the most common way of knowing if you are in the company of a ghost. Most people fell like they are
being watched; some feel a sensation of cobwebs over the skin, cold spots that
appear from nowhere. Humans have 5 basic sense’s (Hearing, sight, taste, smell
and touch) these are a good tools to help…. but so is an open mind, during our
investigations our minds have been open even more, doors that have opened that
we never knew existed, it’s hard to explain unless you are a ghost finder your self. Though the most
common sense we use a lot is hearing.
Why do ghosts stay?
Mostly
it’s an attraction to place and person. Some are unable to go to the next
realm, due to UN finished business or are not allowed in to the next stage, due
to a violent crime committed.
With
a place it’s mainly there last spot of death or a part of their daily lives, in
which they enjoyed themselves there and not willing to give up on the place
just yet or the memories they have cherished. They can also haunt a place until
their business is finished there or their message has been heard.
People
on the other hand, are a different matter, some Ghost get attached to a person almost a fascination and once they
are attached it’s hard to get rid of them, and if they go ignored they can
become violent, but this is a very rare case. Mostly it’s to stay with loved
ones as guardians, protectors, or to give them a message and once done they
leave, or go into some sort of hibernation, only to be awoken by renovation and
people they don’t like or another person they are attracted to.
The
un finished business, is mainly to tell the loved one they love them, or to
find something of there’s that’s missing or to find those who committed wrong
(death) to them, when a person is murdered in life, their spirit (not always) will
seek revenge, this makes them stay and wait, most time the person who committed
the crime will have passed on themselves, making the vengeful spirit unaware
that they are waiting for no reason now. In the spirit world, time has no
specific meaning, leaving a spirit to wait (sometimes) for centuries. This can
make the spirit become more violent and it’s usually the living that will
suffer the wraith. When this happens normally some one will come in and
exorcize the home to release the spirit, these people are called psychics or
mediums, some times priests also bless houses to ward off noisy spirits.
Releasing a spirit does not always work, in some cases making the spirit
extremely violent, which can cause some serious harm to you and your family.
Though when a spirit is released, there’s a change in the atmosphere, the place
becomes warm and safe. Remember 99.9% of most hauntings are messages and once
understood this should release the spirit.
Questions that need answering….
Can
a spirit duplicate sounds and smell that they witness from us living beings?
Can
a spirit over take someone’s mind that is a strong willed in nature?
How
much energy does a spirit use to manifest?
Common ghosts
APPARITION
Ghost,
wraith, spirit, form, and phantoms etc… They can appear and disappear in a
blink of an eye; some can be described in great detail, from the clothes and
facial features. An apparition appearing is also believed to be a bringer of
bad news or death. Though some apparitions have been known to be a guardian
only to appear when danger is ahead and to protect those they loved.
ENERGY
The feeling around you, this is where your
sixth sense comes into operation, you just get a feeling of being watched, as
if something is brushing past you or you feel depressed when you were just
happy a moment ago, cold chills, hairs standing on the back of your neck, this
is due to the energy a spirit produces.
GHOST LIGHTS
Are streaky lights, they look like glowing
worms, we have our thoughts in what they could be, is this a stage of
manifestation or are they like this all the time, but the sight of one from a
picture is an amazing sight, they form weird patterns and come in other
colours. We would like more information about these wonderful phenomena.
CRISIS APPARITION
This phenomenon happens when a loved one is
away and has just passed into the afterlife, this is a person’s way of saying
goodbye, not long after witnessing one, they receive word their loved one has
passed away. Thou some have been known to appear and come home alive and well,
it’s a strange phenomena.
FORLORN SPIRITS
A
presence that leaves a sad or depressed feeling over those who come into
contact with a spirit.
MISCHIEVOUS
These spirits like to play games, move items
around and hide them in weird places; these spirits could be children, who once
had a connection with the place.
FRIENDLY
A spirit who watches over the
place and the family…. If seen leaves a calming feeling with the living, often
seen in luminous blue or white colour, they are some times seen watching over
small children, these spirits are not to be afraid of, count it as a blessing.
SAD
To have a sad spirit
encounter they usually leave a person with a feeling of great sorrow,
depression, some people have even cried as it has a deepening effect on some
people.
WARM
This is the kind of
spirit to have around you, when people see these spirits they are not over come
with fear, but a sense of protection, affection, kindness, and love. These
spirits are the one who seem to watch over children as they sleep, so no harm
will come of them while they are under the spirits watch.
POLTERGEIST
a poltergeist main
objection is to drive you insane, they bang on walls, open and close doors
violently, move items across tables, some poltergeist activity can become
violent, but what a poltergeist wants is the place to themselves, to drive you
out, they will do most of the manifestations to rid you from their dwellings.
They start by making you think your going insane i.e. “Did I really see that
man disappear, why won’t anyone believe me, people tell me its in my head, but
I did see that glass fly across the room” these types of responses, a priest
can cleanse your house and hope it moves on the spirit to the next realm, also
psychics can commune with them to understand why they are here and what they
want, but this a very delicate operation to try, it may back fire causing the
poltergeist to up the activity.
ENTITY
This is a violent
spirit, filled with one desire (to destroy) these phenomena are known for very
violent attacks, leaving bruises, cuts, scratches, they also take great
enjoyment out of sitting on someone’s chest and crushing the air out of them,
the person wakes to find they can’t breath, some times waking to find hands
around neck almost strangling the person, but attacks happen when the person is
awake and mostly alone, males and females have been known to be raped by entities, though this is a small case
but it does happen. There’s not much that can rid an entity but if you do try and it goes wrong, this will make the entity extremely deadly, they can also
kill a person if they are violent enough.
Old Hags are the most common form of entity; these are what attack’s
men. There is another shape that is recognized “The Shadowman” who only
seems to attack women in their bed and come out at night, so it has been
written, but ghosts are not racist or sexist, they haunt, even attack anyone,
it just depends on the person.
In all investigations we have conducted, we have yet come
into contact with a violent spirit, though we have recorded a number of angry
manifestations, is it a warning to us, it may be but who knows? Some of the
places we have captured the manifestations, we have not been back for a while,
we have to go back some time soon to explore the possibilities. Though if they
turn out to be very unrestful and angry ghosts, then we will give our respects
and leave, I will not risk psychical harm to the team, the greatest piece of
ghost footage is not worth risking injury or death to a team member.
But not every ghost is of a violent nature; most
manifestations (we have been extremely lucky to capture) have been nothing less
than “WOW”
OTHER TERMS USED
Corpse Candle
Corpse Light
Min Min Lights
Apparitions
Ghost
Wraiths
Phantoms
Orbs
Ghost lights
Manifestations
The Old Hag
O.B.E. (Outer body experience)
Hauntings/ Haunted
E.V.P. (Electronic Voice Phenomena)
Ghoul
Poltergeists
Entities
Spirits
Phenomena
Ectoplasm
Residual Hauntings
Spectral Phantoms
Souls
Deceased
Specter
Ignis Fatuus
Umbra
Revenant
Will o Wisps
Crisis Apparition
Possessed
Banshee
Strigoi’s
Paranormal
Spooks
Shadow Men
Manifest
What is an orb?
Orbs are round ball shapes, that can be any size,
from small as golf balls to the size of a car wheel, but what makes an orb. Energy, Orbs are full of energy plus it’s the way a spirit travels around
its own dimension, it’s easier for a spirit to travel around as an orb, they can move at tremendous speed
and in a blink of an eye they can be floating around at a very slow pace, as if
they want you to know they are there.
Orbs cannot be seen from the naked eye, (that has
been written) but in our experience’s we have glimpsed them from the corner of
the eye and very quickly from in front, they show up on video cameras and still
cameras (roll of film or digital).
They
also come in a variety of colours i.e. White, yellow, red, pink, blue, orange,
even green, though we have yet to figure what these colours mean, does a
certain colour mean a certain thing?
Orbs can move through walls, glass, even through
the human body, most orbs when inside a house or building gather in heavy
traffic areas i.e. hallways, doorways, kitchens etc, and gather in numbers when
human presence is about. Plus they are one of the most common phenomena in
photos and video.
Orbs have a habit on changing direction and
following the human presence about, that’s if they are attracted to a single
person, but mostly they will go around a human as if trying to avoid you.
The
size can be anything from the size of a pea to the size of tractor tyre. The
main size taken is about a tennis ball, and there are three main sizes of orbs….
Pea size
Tennis ball size
And Basketball size,
How
much energy these phenomena have inside we may never know, but they are what
could be the first signs of manifestation.
What
do the colours mean?
1-White;
Have departed in a peaceful way, and in happiness
2-Blue:
maybe drowning, or flying
3-Yellow;
Sickness for some reason comes to mind.
4-Green;
those who have died in a car crash, or rock climbing accident or some sort of
extreme event.
5-Orange
and Red: maybe those who passed away from a fire or a violent death i.e.
Murdered, Pain.
6-Black;
we have never seen a black orb and we don’t know if anyone has ever captured
one, but if there is its nothing but pure hate and destruction and death.
We
will never know exactly how and in which way manifestations start and finish,
so we put together a stages part in a guide to help us understand a little
better if this is the way it happens…. What we wanted to know do all these
stages link together somehow, this is all guess work.
Stages
of Manifestations
Step
one; Orb
Step
Two; Ghost Light
Step
Three; Mist or Ectoplasm
Step
four; Sounds, your bangs and footsteps
etc
Step
Five; Voices and screams
Step
Six; The manifestation of an apparition
Step
seven; Moving things about
Step
eight; Attacks on the living
Remember
you make up your own mind about these phenomena.
Where to look for spirits
1- Your
home, if you’re starting out, your home is the best place to start.
2- Cemeteries
3- Churches
4- Ruins
5- Mansions
6- Historical
Homes or places
7- Castles
8- Bush
or Forests
9- Lakes
10- Bridges
11- Roads
12- Old
Goals
13- Houses
14- Hospitals
THE BUNYIP
It
has dusky grey feathers
Head
the size of a small calf
It’s
Amphibious
Flippers
for arms and legs
Has
a serpent’s tail
Sometimes
yellow stripes like a tiger
Deer
horns
Sometimes
with matted, shaggy hair
It
bellows
Lives
in swamps, lakes, rivers and dams.
What
exactly is a bunyip, there have been no recorded images of the elusive
creature, and these creatures are from Aboriginal folklore…. Increased
sightings happened when white settlers landed in Australia
The yahoo
Looks
like a man
White
long hair, which can look like feathers
Long
skinny arms, very abnormal
Has
feet facing backwards
Very
rare are the sighting on this crypto
Urban legends of Tasmania
Not all of these legends are in Tasmania, most are world wide that have some how been told around our campfires and on school camps.
Does Tasmania have Urban Myths, in a manner of speaking “yes”, though
most Tasmanian folk would never heard of them either growing up or recently,
some are well known and has had a tassie spin to it
We
have a hand full to explore but most are worthy of exploring, have you heard of
the headless horse rider of the east Tamar, or the headless motorbike rider of
the great lakes. What was supposed to of happened was, a lad on his bike riding
behind a 18 wheeler (which was carrying sheets of tin), when one came
dislodged, picked up by the wind and sliced the riders head off. The legend
goes any truck that drives the hwy from ‘Deloraine’ to the Great Lakes and is
followed by a bike, which you cannot make out the rider if this happens it’s a
sign of impending doom for the trucky. These are just good yarn’s that don’t
have any real evidence…or do they?
Here
are a few more:
Bothwell spook
Has
a spirit that pulls people from their push bikes or horse’s, if you ride the
road from Bothwell to Hollow Tree, it is said do not stop, or you will
encounter “The Pusher”
Punchbowl reserve
This
quaint picnic ground house’s 4 urban myths
1…The
Swings...A young child was on the swing, she was swinging higher and higher
when she fell to the ground crushing her neck and killing the little one
instantly, the Legend goes pick both swings up over your head at same height
then release them, what happens is both start out at same speed then one slows
down the other one which the child was on swings faster and after a few minutes
the swing stops instantly.
2…Another
headless bike rider…Years ago a young fellow was riding through at night and at
the bottom of road was a bridge, someone had tied fishing line across the
bridge and when rider came into contact with the line his head was lopped off.
Now every November at the 11th (at night at 11oclock) the sound of a
bike crashing and a thudding sound that could be his head.
3…The
Fort…I don’t know about this one but a few people have swore in belief over
this one…A child was playing in the fort but on the railing, when the child
slipped falling 3 levels to hard ground, well you know the result. If you stay
around the fort you may hear the sounds of a thud?
4…The
Toilet Block, They have been torn down now but 2 decades back a young girl was
violently attacked then murdered…But the sounds of a girl screaming has been
heard from time to time.
Crocodile in the lake
In
a nut shell, some years back some one released a crocodile into the great
lakes, and for many years it was Tasmania’s mythical Bunyip, why people thought
the croc was a bunyip…. That was easy the croc would stay close to the
shallow’s amongst the reeds, where some of the stringy reeds must of entangled
around him creating the blanket of (what would look like, matted hair) so
giving the illusion the it had hair and frightening countless witness in the
late 60’s and early 70’s and creating a small place in Tassie urban myths.
Headless
horseman of the Tamar
This was told to me about 13
years ago and it is going to sound like something from a movie. Before the
Highway from Launceston to George Town was there, there was a certain area
where this headless horseman would ride. (Now how he lost his head is a
mystery) but people have seen a man headless ride the bush between Dilston and
Swan Bay, moving at great speed, disappearing behind bushes. (I don’t really
know if this one is fact or fiction.)
Every
where around the world tales of headless horseman still remains the most
popular one of all myths.
The moving tree
This
is one of a few tales I heard on camp that wowed me (I was only 7). There was
this tree, and it had a thirst for blood, not just any blood, the blood of
naughty children. The tree could sense a child that was being bad, and what it
would do is slowly move towards camp and pick out the bad kids and drink their
blood and planting their body into the ground. Then the children would all
become trees…. Some times the camp watchers (the older lot) would go around
camp and make sounds that would frighten kids to death, almost…. But it did the
trick; camp had a group of good kids from that moment on.
The old one
The
Old One is another I heard at camp; Years ago down at Bridport there used to be
a camp ground that had heaps of
Bungalow’s,
plus it helped that camp was surrounded by forest, at night the camp would get
divided up in groups to do activities, this group I was in had a guy who loved
to tell tales of fright to us, he told of this Old Man who lived beyond the
forest and if anyone went onto his property you were marked and then the Old
One would come to get you.( how he marked you was he would put a large red x on
your bungalow door and if you had the mark ,your mates and you were doomed.),
so what the guy did to make sure we did’nt disobey him, was marked our doors
with red x marks and yep you guess it for the next few days my friends and I were
marked and how scared were we…. extremely, I don’t recall having slept that
much for that time…. That was until we discovered it was a joke and caught the
guy painting the next cabin door….
You may have heard the one about razor blades in chocolate; well this one contains something else….
Spiders and Easter eggs
It
was Easter morning and like all kids they want to get stuck right into the
Easter eggs that the rabbit left, well a little girl aged 7 started to eat her
egg, then a stinging sensation fell upon her lips, she let out an un-earthy
scream, her mother entered the room only to scream herself…. what she was
watching was 100’s of little red-back spiders crawling out of the egg the child
was holding.
Creepy crawlies
This
one is a more recent Urban Legend.
A
young girl was staying over at a friend’s house, but from the moment she got
there she scratched her hair a lot, even though dinner she was fiddling with
her hair, (the mother) that let the little girl stay could not stand it any
longer asked to check why she was scratching her head. As the mother started to
pry her hair apart she noticed the kid had nits a lot in fact, then something
made her shutter (the mom) there a large black clump the size of a golf-ball
all knotted, the mother touched the black mass and as soon as she did, it broke
up and 1000’2 of nits darted around her head… the mother did the right thing
sent the kid home.
The boil
This
one is a tale about a middle age woman who started to form a boil on the side
of her face, she squeezed it but no fluid came out, so she left it…A week later
the boil had gotten bigger, still when she squeezed it no pus only now starting
to ache…After a few more weeks of pain and the boil now grown to a large size ,
decided to head to the doctors for treatment, he prescribed some cream and
pills to stop the swelling…After 6 weeks nothing worked, the boil very large,
she could not stand it any more grabbing the razor she lanced off the top of
the boil. Instantly tons of little red spiders came gashing out of her boil….
Do you have a boil that’s a bit sore…. This tales is world wide
Dry mouth
Everyone
has woken during the night with a dry mouth, nothing creepy about that? Well
the legend is; those who sleep with their mouths open have spiders crawl into
your mouth and drink your saliva, which is meant to make their webs
strong…(well this was supposed to happen some years back, around the time of
the Kentucky fried rat episode, which never did happen in Tasmania, and spiders
drinking spit give me a break, I don’t really believe that could happen but you
never know and U.L, s are based on true incidents
What we have learnt so far
After
doing this type of work for the past 3 years, we have broken certain ghost
myths. For one thing most spirits are curious of us, just as much as we of
them, they like to be treated with respect (which they seem not to harm you if
you tell them you’re here out of respect for them, but not always the case) if
they don’t want you there, it’s best to leave and you will know when your not
welcome. Some Ghost like
communicating with us and answering us, some don’t even care your there.
We
have had some frightening experiences and some wonderful ones aswell, a lot of Ghost Finders and investigative teams
believe that Ghosts don’t lurk in
cemeteries, as they don’t wish to be reminded that they are dead, this is the
last place we rest in, some of us are cemeteries lovers, who love to walk
around the grounds, not all buried there are going to roam, most will want to
rest (so to speak) some spirits will go to other locations, they just need to
find their way and with a little help, usually do find their way.
We
also don’t believe in most psychics, there are some who are very genuine in
there ways and they just pick up on a feeling and follow their gut instincts,
they can be wrong at times, though once in a while they are spot on with what
they feel. They don’t have a spirit guide to lead them, they just feel and it
just come to them. Then there are those who are fake and their ways seem to work
on the easy believed (those who want to and need to believe it) we have watched
countless shows on psychics, whether it’s a ghost show or doco’s or just
talking to those who claim to be one. Some ghost show psychics really like to
dramatize their encounters, claiming to be possessed by the spirits, jittering
and shaking, speaking in fake deep voices, throwing things and chasing their
t.v. Crew around, only to be brought out by a hug or a tap on the shoulder or
even their name, wouldn’t you think that a spirit trying to over take some one
seems a little unbelievable, wouldn’t it be hard for a spirit to over take a
grown persons mind, there are a few that we respect and believe their ways may
be the right ones, but for us we will never take a psychic out with us, it
takes away the anticipation on when that spirit is going to show them selves,
but it’s not that hard to become a “psychic” all it takes is an extremely
opened mind, become in tune with your surroundings, listen to your own
intuition and follow that to where it may lead. This takes years of practice;
to some it may come just naturally, to others it may take time and patience.
Though if you already believe in the paranormal, your half way there.
To
become effective in this field you must research…. I continue to this day
researching, I have had nearly 25 years reading tales from around the world and
of course here in Tassie, I have read from those who have investigated and
taken certain information with me upon every investigation. I have countless documentaries
and t.v. Shows on all manner of phenomena, I collect as many paranormal books I
can and read them as often as I can, I listen and make notes on tales
personally told to us and try and find similar stories from around the world.
It’s
fantastic if you have a passion for this type of work and a head strong
dedication to it as well.