Ghost Hunting Should Be Professional
Robert W. Benjamin asked:
Ghost Hunting can be very fun and yet at times it can be one of the most terrifying things you will probably ever do in your life.
The following are just a few of the things folks have encountered during ghost hunting or paranormal investigations:
Smells: These smells can seem to come from no where, and develop instantly and disappear just as fast. The smells are often putrid like rotted meat, or like fresh bowel movements, and are very overpowering at times.
Apparitions: Some spirits appear as barely visible forms, while some become as solid and normal looking as a living person.
Clouds – Mists – Masses: Often fleeting shadows, things seen out of the corners of the eyes are encountered. Or a rolling black mass may appear, sometimes a whispy form like smoke is seen.
Disembodied voices: These are often heard and at times they can be very scary. Imagine being in a darkened room, and having something invisible whisper or even shout in your ear. These are not EVP’s, but normal sounding speech.
Physical Sensations – Some ghost hunters have been touched, pinched, slapped, had their hair pulled, been scratched or even bitten by invisible entities.
Rappings – Scratching – and Knockings: In walls, ceilings and floors. Strange sounds and noises are often heard in haunted locations, as well as hearing what sounds like objects being dropped, or moved in nearby rooms.
Cold spots: Sometimes just before a spirit manifests they draw energy from the surroundings. Often a spot in one area of a room will suddenly become very cold. For example the temperature thoughout a room may average 75 degrees but in one corner or area, the temperature will suddenly plummet to 50 degrees or even colder. This is a sure sign of a spirits presence or a soon manifestation.
Power drains and equipment malfunctions: Like cold spots, when a spirit is drawing energy needed to become solid or more visible, they will often draw-in nearby energy, this energy can also come from batteries in video camers, and other devices. Often cameras, tape recorders, even lights will suddenly go haywire or stop working all together when a spirit is present.
Almost everyone that does ghost hunting believes that there are two types of spirits, human and in-human, the latter are also called demons. I am a born again christian and believe the bible 100%. From my beliefs in the bible as factual. I believe there is only one type of spirit involved in any haunting, and these are in-human or demons.
According to the bible, when we are dead our spirits or souls are present with God, from there we are either granted a life of love and peace in heaven with the creator and the other believers, or we are cast into hell forever, with no chance of escape. The bible also says there is a huge chasm or void that separates the living from the dead, they cannot cross over or communicate with each other. There are other statements in the bible that clearly says that ghosts can not be the spirits or souls of people who have died.
Whether the creatures involved in a haunting are spirits of dead humans or whether they are demons, if one is trying to prove that they truly exist or if you are trying to disprove a haunting, then you must do paranormal investigations as a professional.
A professional Ghost Hunter or paranormal investigator needs to have the right tools. Here I will explain devices that every ghost hunter or paranormal investigator MUST have, if he or she is truly taking the phenomenon as real or as a business, and not as a joke.
Voice Recorder: It doesn’t matter if you use a standard tape recorder or one of the new digital recorders, what does matter is the quality and the ability to use an external microphone. Try to get one that is of good quality, but make sure you get one that has a plug in microphone with a cable or cord so the end of the microphone is away from the recorder. The small all-in-one recorders that have the built in microphones, pick up a lot of the hiss and gear noise from the recorder when they are in record mode. A recorder is a necessity for recording EVP’s. EVP’s also called (electronic voice phenomenom) are a very unique and sometimes frightening thing that is often encountered in a haunted area. What an EVP is, is a voice or other communication that is heard on a tape or digital recorder during playback, that was not heard when the recorder was recording.
Film Camera: Do NOT use a digital camera because the photo will always be questioned as being fake, no matter how good it is, where if you use a film camera, you at least have the negatives as some proof. And unless you buy a high mega-pixel digital camera, the photo quality will be less than a nice cheap 35mm film camera.
Camcorder: A camera is good, but a camcorder is even better. Get one that uses a tape, either the small cassettes or one of the older models that use the full sized VHS tapes. I bought two of these older camcorders for under $75 each recently.
Thermal Imaging scopes or goggles: These capture the upper portion of the infrared light spectrum, which is emitted as heat by objects instead of simply reflected as light. Hotter objects, such as warm bodies, emit more of this light than cooler objects like trees or buildings. Often spirits that manifest have a temperature in their form that stands out in this spectrum, especially if a spirit is present in a cold location.
Night Vision scopes or goggles: These little devices have become very cheap, a nice night vision scope can now be purchased easily for under $200. They work by collecting the tiny amounts of light, including the lower portion of the infrared light spectrum, that are present but may be imperceptible to our eyes, and amplifying it to the point that we can easily observe the image.
Flashlight: Take along two small pocket ones for each team member. What can be worse then exploring a dark cellar or underground area, and having the lights or another flashlight fail.
Walkie Talkies: If you have a group of team members, and you are investigating a large location, walkie talkies are not just a good thing to have, but they can be a life saver at times.
Notebook and pencils: Often any electronic, electrical or other devices may fail in a haunted location, so it’s very wise to carry along a small notebook and some pencils in case you need to keep some valuable notes.
Thermal Scanner: A hand held thermal scanner (thermometer) uses infrared technology to measure the surface temperature of material without touching it. You simply point at your target, pull the trigger and read the temperature on the lit LCD display.
One of the best tools I recommend, is also the cheapest, under $10 U.S. It is a computer software program that is made just for Ghost Hunting and Paranormal Investigations. It’s called ‘Ghost Hunter’. The software is for anyone who explores haunted houses or locations where any type of paranormal activity is occurring. Whether you are trying to gather evidence of the haunting or other proof, this software can help make the job more organized and easier.
Ghost Hunter software was made as a scientific tool, for paranormal researchers that believe in spirits, demons, or ghosts. Researchers can easily keep track of vital data gathered at the haunted locations. With this software you can know at a glance such vital information as; the date and times of the activity, location info, GPS data, telephone numbers, notes, sounds heard, odors detected, temperature anomalies, and more.
You can use the software on location during the investigation with any WINDOWS based notebook Computer or back at home or in the office after the investigation.
For more information and the ability to download and try a free demo version of the ‘Ghost Hunter’ software, please visit the website:
http://www.rb59.com/ghosth
By Robert W. Benjamin
Copyright © 2006
You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.
Ghost Hunting can be very fun and yet at times it can be one of the most terrifying things you will probably ever do in your life.
The following are just a few of the things folks have encountered during ghost hunting or paranormal investigations:
Smells: These smells can seem to come from no where, and develop instantly and disappear just as fast. The smells are often putrid like rotted meat, or like fresh bowel movements, and are very overpowering at times.
Apparitions: Some spirits appear as barely visible forms, while some become as solid and normal looking as a living person.
Clouds – Mists – Masses: Often fleeting shadows, things seen out of the corners of the eyes are encountered. Or a rolling black mass may appear, sometimes a whispy form like smoke is seen.
Disembodied voices: These are often heard and at times they can be very scary. Imagine being in a darkened room, and having something invisible whisper or even shout in your ear. These are not EVP’s, but normal sounding speech.
Physical Sensations – Some ghost hunters have been touched, pinched, slapped, had their hair pulled, been scratched or even bitten by invisible entities.
Rappings – Scratching – and Knockings: In walls, ceilings and floors. Strange sounds and noises are often heard in haunted locations, as well as hearing what sounds like objects being dropped, or moved in nearby rooms.
Cold spots: Sometimes just before a spirit manifests they draw energy from the surroundings. Often a spot in one area of a room will suddenly become very cold. For example the temperature thoughout a room may average 75 degrees but in one corner or area, the temperature will suddenly plummet to 50 degrees or even colder. This is a sure sign of a spirits presence or a soon manifestation.
Power drains and equipment malfunctions: Like cold spots, when a spirit is drawing energy needed to become solid or more visible, they will often draw-in nearby energy, this energy can also come from batteries in video camers, and other devices. Often cameras, tape recorders, even lights will suddenly go haywire or stop working all together when a spirit is present.
Almost everyone that does ghost hunting believes that there are two types of spirits, human and in-human, the latter are also called demons. I am a born again christian and believe the bible 100%. From my beliefs in the bible as factual. I believe there is only one type of spirit involved in any haunting, and these are in-human or demons.
According to the bible, when we are dead our spirits or souls are present with God, from there we are either granted a life of love and peace in heaven with the creator and the other believers, or we are cast into hell forever, with no chance of escape. The bible also says there is a huge chasm or void that separates the living from the dead, they cannot cross over or communicate with each other. There are other statements in the bible that clearly says that ghosts can not be the spirits or souls of people who have died.
Whether the creatures involved in a haunting are spirits of dead humans or whether they are demons, if one is trying to prove that they truly exist or if you are trying to disprove a haunting, then you must do paranormal investigations as a professional.
A professional Ghost Hunter or paranormal investigator needs to have the right tools. Here I will explain devices that every ghost hunter or paranormal investigator MUST have, if he or she is truly taking the phenomenon as real or as a business, and not as a joke.
Voice Recorder: It doesn’t matter if you use a standard tape recorder or one of the new digital recorders, what does matter is the quality and the ability to use an external microphone. Try to get one that is of good quality, but make sure you get one that has a plug in microphone with a cable or cord so the end of the microphone is away from the recorder. The small all-in-one recorders that have the built in microphones, pick up a lot of the hiss and gear noise from the recorder when they are in record mode. A recorder is a necessity for recording EVP’s. EVP’s also called (electronic voice phenomenom) are a very unique and sometimes frightening thing that is often encountered in a haunted area. What an EVP is, is a voice or other communication that is heard on a tape or digital recorder during playback, that was not heard when the recorder was recording.
Film Camera: Do NOT use a digital camera because the photo will always be questioned as being fake, no matter how good it is, where if you use a film camera, you at least have the negatives as some proof. And unless you buy a high mega-pixel digital camera, the photo quality will be less than a nice cheap 35mm film camera.
Camcorder: A camera is good, but a camcorder is even better. Get one that uses a tape, either the small cassettes or one of the older models that use the full sized VHS tapes. I bought two of these older camcorders for under $75 each recently.
Thermal Imaging scopes or goggles: These capture the upper portion of the infrared light spectrum, which is emitted as heat by objects instead of simply reflected as light. Hotter objects, such as warm bodies, emit more of this light than cooler objects like trees or buildings. Often spirits that manifest have a temperature in their form that stands out in this spectrum, especially if a spirit is present in a cold location.
Night Vision scopes or goggles: These little devices have become very cheap, a nice night vision scope can now be purchased easily for under $200. They work by collecting the tiny amounts of light, including the lower portion of the infrared light spectrum, that are present but may be imperceptible to our eyes, and amplifying it to the point that we can easily observe the image.
Flashlight: Take along two small pocket ones for each team member. What can be worse then exploring a dark cellar or underground area, and having the lights or another flashlight fail.
Walkie Talkies: If you have a group of team members, and you are investigating a large location, walkie talkies are not just a good thing to have, but they can be a life saver at times.
Notebook and pencils: Often any electronic, electrical or other devices may fail in a haunted location, so it’s very wise to carry along a small notebook and some pencils in case you need to keep some valuable notes.
Thermal Scanner: A hand held thermal scanner (thermometer) uses infrared technology to measure the surface temperature of material without touching it. You simply point at your target, pull the trigger and read the temperature on the lit LCD display.
One of the best tools I recommend, is also the cheapest, under $10 U.S. It is a computer software program that is made just for Ghost Hunting and Paranormal Investigations. It’s called ‘Ghost Hunter’. The software is for anyone who explores haunted houses or locations where any type of paranormal activity is occurring. Whether you are trying to gather evidence of the haunting or other proof, this software can help make the job more organized and easier.
Ghost Hunter software was made as a scientific tool, for paranormal researchers that believe in spirits, demons, or ghosts. Researchers can easily keep track of vital data gathered at the haunted locations. With this software you can know at a glance such vital information as; the date and times of the activity, location info, GPS data, telephone numbers, notes, sounds heard, odors detected, temperature anomalies, and more.
You can use the software on location during the investigation with any WINDOWS based notebook Computer or back at home or in the office after the investigation.
For more information and the ability to download and try a free demo version of the ‘Ghost Hunter’ software, please visit the website:
http://www.rb59.com/ghosth
By Robert W. Benjamin
Copyright © 2006
You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.
What Have You Learned
Linda Dipman asked:
The news arrived. The judge was giving full custody to my ex, I was given no visitation unless it was approved by my ex-husband. I sat in stunned silence. I would never see my children again. My mind began to race. The words quietly, but clearly exploded inside my head: RUN! I took my children and left the state. When I thought we were safe, we changed our names and set up house. Three weeks later, I found myself sitting in jail, while my children became wards of the SRS! I was in shock, I wondered how my life could have taken such a turn for the worse. I was just a mother and I didn’t deserve to be treated like a criminal.
I looked in my Bible and found a typed message from the Almighty God. My hands shook as I read the message! “Look Back and see what you have learned? God has Spoken!!”
I had been a wife, mother, and daughter that was admired and loved. Little did I know that my life was going to take such a dramatic turn that God would give me supernatural typed messages in order to help me survive. Everyone, including my parents, church, friends and society turned away from me because I fell in love with a woman. I couldn’t believe what was happening! I was attacked by my ex-husband in front of my former pastor, and followed by the entire Southern Baptist church, who were on a mission to prove that I was ***. Now I was in jail because I was a mother who loved her children and fought for equal visitation rights.
The supernatural messages gave me hope that I wasn’t alone fighting against the world. They were messages of encouragement. They were letters that directed my fight against the injustices a person faces when they are ***. They were words of love that gave me strength that I was never alone because the Holy Spirit was guarding my weak human nature with strength that was greater than any human’s ability to endure.
It was a paranormal experience that gave beyond this world’s ability to comprehend, because my fight was not just against man but against the evil forces in the spiritual world. I read the messages again and again applying everything I learned to the experiences I went through. I was astonished as I began to understand why I needed to look back and see what I learned. I realized that it wasn’t God’s punishment for my sins that did this to me, it was people! People being guided by an unseen evil force.
My understanding made me look at what happened to me differently. I began to see truth unfold and my world changing from me being in charge to God navigating me through an intricate maze that would open my mind to a new way of viewing the world. A world corrupted by evil spirits.
I began to see injustice in child custody, divorce court and even in what kind of people were in jail. God opened up my mind and let me see how our society oppresses people in the courts, because they are no longer following God, but Satan. I found that the injustice was being waged against the homeless, poor and abused of our society.
Millions of questions rose in my mind as the Holy Spirit interpreted each of the conflicts I went through. It was as if God was exposing our world and revealing to me that I was in a life game. A destiny that was geared to bring me to the light of a new understanding about my world. A path in life where I would learn the difference between good and bad.
Ever since the beginning of time people have been going through tragedy that led them through hard life experiences. This answers the most difficult question of all: Why was I born? What is my purpose?
These messages made me see why bad things happen to people, from child custody fights to why wars occur. It opened my eyes to why we suffer with diseases, poverty and natural disasters. It parted the darkness of deception and let me see my real enemy, Satan. More importantly it let me see into the invisible world that surrounds our world. A Spirit world of good and evil spirits. Evil spirits that entice men into committing sin. Sin that corrupts the ‘thought life’ of good men into doing evil. Men who have denied faith in God and given into Satan.
The Old Testament describes in detail how people’s sin corrupted the world and made it evil. Cain killed Abel over jealousy. Joseph’s brothers sold him to pharaoh because of jealousy. Good kings turned against God because of pride. The Bible reveals what happens when you murder and you give into sin for selfish reasons.
We must play the great game of life wisely. We need to understand the purpose of this world and discern the difference between God and Satan. This is the reason why I needed the messages, because up until now I had been taught in the church that being *** was wrong. I needed God to give me the power to fight back against those who used the Bible as a means to control people for their own will. I needed God to tell me that He made me this way!
Isaiah 59: 4-8, “You go to court, but you do not have justice on your side. You depend on lies to win your case. You carry out your plans to hurt others. The evil plots you make are as deadly as the eggs of a poisonous snake. Crush an egg, out comes a snake! But your plots will do you no good-they are as useless as clothing made of cobwebs! You are always planning something evil, and you can hardly wait to do it. You never hesitate to murder innocent people. You leave ruin and destruction wherever you go, and no one is safe when you are around. Everything you do is unjust. You follow a crooked path, and no one who walks that path will ever be safe.”
God’s truth is revealed when people are separated from the thinking of men and they see for themselves what is right and what is wrong through life changing experiences. This can only happen when we understand that our world is corrupted by evil.
Today we live in a society that has forgotten God. We don’t understand the difference between right and wrong. We don’t seek the spiritual part of life and as a result our world is self-destructing, because evil has been given the power to flourish and grow. From global warming that can put our world into an ice-age, to wars, natural disasters and evil people who hurt others in order to get ahead, people have lost the ability to know right from wrong. When we are blind to how our world teaches us, then we become defenseless to Satan’s weapons of deceit.
Isaiah 59:14&15a, “Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there. There is so little honesty that anyone who stops doing evil finds himself the victim of crime.”
We need to gain understanding over why bad things happen to people by looking back and seeing what we have learned. We must hold onto God and love and listen to the voice of good.
I suffered injustice through the court system because people were not listening to the voice of God. God took me and opened my eyes to injustice so I would not be deceived into following the crowd and doing wrong. God taught me the difference between right and wrong. Most of all He gave me the strength to stand and fight even when people did me wrong.
Isaiah 59:15b-17, “The Lord has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice. He is astonished to see that there is no one to help the oppressed. So he will use his own power to rescue them and to win the victory. He will wear justice like a coat of armor and saving power like a helmet. He will clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right and to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer.”
God has a way of working things out. The judge who heard my children’s custody case, cut the phone lines in the court house. Apparently he couldn’t remember his combination for dialing out when making long distance calls. He wasn’t charged for the vandalism, but he was removed from office. This opened the door to a new judge who heard my case and quickly gave me a fair custody arrangement.
“God has spoken my ways are not human ways, trust in Me!” The typed words gave meaning to the purpose behind my suffering. It gave me the strength to see my world in two dimensions, I was in a fight against evil. A revelation that would give my life purpose and give me a voice to tell others that our world is more than what you can see.
The news arrived. The judge was giving full custody to my ex, I was given no visitation unless it was approved by my ex-husband. I sat in stunned silence. I would never see my children again. My mind began to race. The words quietly, but clearly exploded inside my head: RUN! I took my children and left the state. When I thought we were safe, we changed our names and set up house. Three weeks later, I found myself sitting in jail, while my children became wards of the SRS! I was in shock, I wondered how my life could have taken such a turn for the worse. I was just a mother and I didn’t deserve to be treated like a criminal.
I looked in my Bible and found a typed message from the Almighty God. My hands shook as I read the message! “Look Back and see what you have learned? God has Spoken!!”
I had been a wife, mother, and daughter that was admired and loved. Little did I know that my life was going to take such a dramatic turn that God would give me supernatural typed messages in order to help me survive. Everyone, including my parents, church, friends and society turned away from me because I fell in love with a woman. I couldn’t believe what was happening! I was attacked by my ex-husband in front of my former pastor, and followed by the entire Southern Baptist church, who were on a mission to prove that I was ***. Now I was in jail because I was a mother who loved her children and fought for equal visitation rights.
The supernatural messages gave me hope that I wasn’t alone fighting against the world. They were messages of encouragement. They were letters that directed my fight against the injustices a person faces when they are ***. They were words of love that gave me strength that I was never alone because the Holy Spirit was guarding my weak human nature with strength that was greater than any human’s ability to endure.
It was a paranormal experience that gave beyond this world’s ability to comprehend, because my fight was not just against man but against the evil forces in the spiritual world. I read the messages again and again applying everything I learned to the experiences I went through. I was astonished as I began to understand why I needed to look back and see what I learned. I realized that it wasn’t God’s punishment for my sins that did this to me, it was people! People being guided by an unseen evil force.
My understanding made me look at what happened to me differently. I began to see truth unfold and my world changing from me being in charge to God navigating me through an intricate maze that would open my mind to a new way of viewing the world. A world corrupted by evil spirits.
I began to see injustice in child custody, divorce court and even in what kind of people were in jail. God opened up my mind and let me see how our society oppresses people in the courts, because they are no longer following God, but Satan. I found that the injustice was being waged against the homeless, poor and abused of our society.
Millions of questions rose in my mind as the Holy Spirit interpreted each of the conflicts I went through. It was as if God was exposing our world and revealing to me that I was in a life game. A destiny that was geared to bring me to the light of a new understanding about my world. A path in life where I would learn the difference between good and bad.
Ever since the beginning of time people have been going through tragedy that led them through hard life experiences. This answers the most difficult question of all: Why was I born? What is my purpose?
These messages made me see why bad things happen to people, from child custody fights to why wars occur. It opened my eyes to why we suffer with diseases, poverty and natural disasters. It parted the darkness of deception and let me see my real enemy, Satan. More importantly it let me see into the invisible world that surrounds our world. A Spirit world of good and evil spirits. Evil spirits that entice men into committing sin. Sin that corrupts the ‘thought life’ of good men into doing evil. Men who have denied faith in God and given into Satan.
The Old Testament describes in detail how people’s sin corrupted the world and made it evil. Cain killed Abel over jealousy. Joseph’s brothers sold him to pharaoh because of jealousy. Good kings turned against God because of pride. The Bible reveals what happens when you murder and you give into sin for selfish reasons.
We must play the great game of life wisely. We need to understand the purpose of this world and discern the difference between God and Satan. This is the reason why I needed the messages, because up until now I had been taught in the church that being *** was wrong. I needed God to give me the power to fight back against those who used the Bible as a means to control people for their own will. I needed God to tell me that He made me this way!
Isaiah 59: 4-8, “You go to court, but you do not have justice on your side. You depend on lies to win your case. You carry out your plans to hurt others. The evil plots you make are as deadly as the eggs of a poisonous snake. Crush an egg, out comes a snake! But your plots will do you no good-they are as useless as clothing made of cobwebs! You are always planning something evil, and you can hardly wait to do it. You never hesitate to murder innocent people. You leave ruin and destruction wherever you go, and no one is safe when you are around. Everything you do is unjust. You follow a crooked path, and no one who walks that path will ever be safe.”
God’s truth is revealed when people are separated from the thinking of men and they see for themselves what is right and what is wrong through life changing experiences. This can only happen when we understand that our world is corrupted by evil.
Today we live in a society that has forgotten God. We don’t understand the difference between right and wrong. We don’t seek the spiritual part of life and as a result our world is self-destructing, because evil has been given the power to flourish and grow. From global warming that can put our world into an ice-age, to wars, natural disasters and evil people who hurt others in order to get ahead, people have lost the ability to know right from wrong. When we are blind to how our world teaches us, then we become defenseless to Satan’s weapons of deceit.
Isaiah 59:14&15a, “Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there. There is so little honesty that anyone who stops doing evil finds himself the victim of crime.”
We need to gain understanding over why bad things happen to people by looking back and seeing what we have learned. We must hold onto God and love and listen to the voice of good.
I suffered injustice through the court system because people were not listening to the voice of God. God took me and opened my eyes to injustice so I would not be deceived into following the crowd and doing wrong. God taught me the difference between right and wrong. Most of all He gave me the strength to stand and fight even when people did me wrong.
Isaiah 59:15b-17, “The Lord has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice. He is astonished to see that there is no one to help the oppressed. So he will use his own power to rescue them and to win the victory. He will wear justice like a coat of armor and saving power like a helmet. He will clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right and to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer.”
God has a way of working things out. The judge who heard my children’s custody case, cut the phone lines in the court house. Apparently he couldn’t remember his combination for dialing out when making long distance calls. He wasn’t charged for the vandalism, but he was removed from office. This opened the door to a new judge who heard my case and quickly gave me a fair custody arrangement.
“God has spoken my ways are not human ways, trust in Me!” The typed words gave meaning to the purpose behind my suffering. It gave me the strength to see my world in two dimensions, I was in a fight against evil. A revelation that would give my life purpose and give me a voice to tell others that our world is more than what you can see.
