The elusive science of the paranormal

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Paul Dale Roberts: The following article is the opinion of Paul Dale Roberts. Paul is a ghosthunter/ghostwriter for H.P.I. (Haunted and Paranormal International) and this article does not reflect the opinion of any members of HPI. This is the sole opinion of Paul Dale Roberts. Let's begin this look at the elusive science of the paranormal: If we used the full capacity of our brains, our mind could move a mountain. What if we no longer wanted to live? We were extremely depressed and we wanted to end it all, but we were too cowardly to take our own life. We started imagining bursting into flames and vanishing from this cruel world forever. Perhaps this is what happened to Helen Conway of Pennsylvania on November 1964. Pseudo-science has a name for this, it's called spontaneous human combustion. In the art of ghosthunting, could the recipients of paranormal activity project with their minds an image of the supernatural?

We call this simulacrum. Case example: An image of a shower wall that may have a face on it. To the recipient, the face is actually there, while the analytical ghosthunter is confused on what they are actually seeing. The recipient is desperate to believe. To elucidate the event, photographic re-creation of the shower wall are taken to clarify what the image is, may it actually be a face, a light refraction or an anomaly of the surface of the shower wall. Just like Richard Hoagland argued his point that there was a face on Mars, a later photograph showed an abberation on the surface of Mars where the face was located. There was no face. Richard wanted to believe. The recipient wants to believe that there was a face on the shower wall. Believing is a powerful concept.

We seek the veritable truth of a paranormal activity. At times an investigation can become complex and convoluted. It is essential to take in all accounts of what can be causing the activity. Case in point, let's step away a moment from ghost hunting and look at Project Bluebook. Project Bluebook created by the US Air Force was an analytical standpoint to discover what UFOs were. When the data didn't fit Project Bluebook standards, then it was neatly swept under the rug. The Air Force was concerned in keeping the faith that UFOs were explainable, which would avoid any kind of heretical insurgencies. The way the Air Force sees it, true believers have taken the topic of UFOolgy, and turned the tables that it is more akin to religion than true science. In this case, the Air Force wanted to believe that UFOs were explainable, except that they forget to take in account that UFOs have been seen since the beginning of mankind. UFOs have been here in the past, they are here in the present and they will be here to the end times. Why stop now? But I digress, that is my opinion that the UFO phenomenon will be around until the end of times.

Now back to ghost hunting. Have you ever wondered why so many ghost hunting photos contain orbs? Can they all be explained away as dust orbs, bugs or flying lint? How about the orbs that reflect light, or seem to have a light source? Could it be that the ghost hunter is using PK? Psychokinesis and not realizing it? What if the ghost hunter is desperately seeking activity at the location of investigation. As the investigator snaps away, images of orbs show up on the photograph. Could the projection from the mind of the investigator have embedded itself on the photographic image, showing orbs flying around in a room? If this is true, then this in itself would be paranormal. Many people watch Sci Fi Channel's Ghosthunters and the lead investigator dismisses orbs as lint, dust and so on. But, has the lead investigator ever consulted scientists to get a full answer on what the orb phenomenon truly is? How can he call himself a true investigator, when he has not gone down every single avenue to seek out the truth? That would be like a homicide detective investigating a murder and when an eye witness points out the residence of the suspected killer, the homicide detective grabs a doughnut and drives home, without following through with his investigation. When the lead investigator calls an orb dust, how does he or she actually know it's dust? Why must I believe the word of the investigator that it's dust? Did he or she actually have the photograph fully analyzed by scientific experts? The answer is no. Orbs are ephemeral in a sequence of photographs, if it was lint, the lint should appear on each and every photograph. On some examples, when re-created photographs are taken the orb is mysteriously gone. If it was lint, it should still be there! How can the lead investigator of TAPs make a frivolous claim that the orbs are lint? It doesn't make any sense.

Energy is strange. I truly believe that when large amounts of energy resonates in a location, it will leave a residual effect on that location. Case example. In Alaska, people were looking in their skies and saw the full image of the city of Bristol. Bristol is in England, but yet the people who were seeing this incredible mirage, could see the trees, the streets of Bristol, a church steeple, homes and buildings. Was this a residual image of a full city that was emblazoned in the Alaskan skyscape? There is even some time distortion that takes place, when people of present times have looked to the skies and seen ancient cities that once existed. The Flying Dutchman was seen by King George V. Did King George V actually see a ghostly ship, or did he see residual haunting activity on the open sea? Not only do people see ghostly ships, mirage cities in the atmosphere, but there have been numerous reports of people seeing spectral armies in the skies. At a plain in Campania a full battle could be seen in the skies overhead. In one case, a war was seen in the skies by St. Augustine before the actual battle took place, again a abberation in the space/time continuum. We mere mortals observe time, but many scientists theorize that the past, present and future co-exist in a straight line.

If this straight line theory is true, then that might be the answer on why in Antelope Springs, Utah we found a fossilized impression of a trilobite being crushed by a sandalled foot. This fossil was 300 million years before the advent of dinosaurs. Is this fossil evidence of a humanoid being here on Earth before the age of dinosaurs? Can we easily explain away that archaeologists found what looked like to be a sparkplug in a 500,000 fossil uncovered in California? Or can we also easily explain away the fact that a fossil with a human footprint was found squashing a dinosaur print in Palaeozoic strata fossilized mud at the Pauxy River in Texas? Could there be a dimensional space/time stargate that we can enter to either time travel, visit other dimensions and so on? If we were to witness events of this nature, would these entities look like phantoms to us? I am merely trying to get into a promontory outlook into the paranormal phenomenon, because as I look the paranormal is everywhere. What we accept as science, is paranormal in itself. If you brought me back from the 1800s and landed me in the world of 2008, I would think cars moving down a freeway was paranormal. The fact that we all live and breathe fresh air is paranormal. Scientists themselves have a hard time explaining how life is created. If they can't explain it, how can a simple laymen explain the origins of life?

Let me use the metaphor of most people see the tree, but don't see the whole forest. I am going to hit on another subject before I get back to orbs and whatnot. How many times have I heard ghost hunters say that ghosts are harmless? Do they fully research what they are saying or is this coming out of their mouths without fully researching the matter? How about the case in April 16, 1922 in which a man was stabbed in the neck by an invisible entity and died at the Charing Cross Hospital in London. His dying claim is that he was actually attacked by a ghost that stabbed him. The police dismissed it as hockeypock, but when a 2nd man made the same claim after being stabbed and then a 3rd man said he was stabbed by an unseen force, then it became believable that there was something invisible in the midst that was stabbing people who walked the streets of London.

There are many cases of spirits or ghosts that have caused harm upon living human beings, too many to discuss in this article. But, it confuses me on how certain ghosthunters can feel they are experts in this matter, when the only thing they know how to use are cameras, EMF readers, digital audio recorders, etc., and have no degrees in science and won't even pick up books to research the matter. Let me digress again, I have been guilty of the same thing. As a ghosthunter I have dismissed orbs as 'dust', but how do I truly know it's dust? Did I go to the manufacturer of my camera and asked the technicians on what caused the orb on my photograph? The answer is no. What my answer should be is I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT ORB IS. Simply because I don't know what it is. I didn't find the dust particle and hold it in my hand and say that is what is causing the orb effect on the photograph. It blows me away when the ghosthunters on TAPs shake their heads and say..."oh, that's dust." How do they ACTUALLY know it's dust? They don't know.

If I am ranting and raving in this article, it irritates me, when I hear that someone is an expert in the paranormal. The paranormal is what it is, paranormal. It is not a proven science and none of us so-called experts has the answer. Perhaps we will one day have the answers to this mystery, but I don't believe it will be in my lifetime. So if you ever catch me saying I am an expert in the paranormal, please stop me and give me a good slap back into reality. Paranormal investigators do not have the answers, we are seeking the answers and that's all we can do. For now enjoy the ubiquity of life, it's all around us, appreciate it. We are on the threshholds of the mysterious and we can enjoy the fulfillment of paranormal investigation as long as we all understand that expertise is left with real science and not mere guesses.

Paul Dale Roberts, HPI Ghostwriter
Email: JazmaPika@cs.com
http://www.HPIparanormal.net
www.hauntedamericatours.com
www.jazmaonline.com
http://www.ghostsandstories.com/paul.html
Paranormal Cellular Hotline: 916 203 7503 (for comments on this story).

Be on the lookout for the: HPI NORTHERN CA PARANORMAL CONFERENCE
http://www.HPIparanormal.net at the Brookdale Lodge May 16-18th, 2008

If you have a possible investigation call: 1-888-709-4HPI

Copyright © 2008 Paul Dale Roberts © 2008 all rights reserved.

[ROGER]

I believe the Scientific and Equipment checks you say are NOT done by "Ghost Hunters" to not be accurate. There are many reputable people in this field that consult with equipment manufacturers to see if Anomalies results can be obtained because of unfamiliarity with the Equipment. The people in charge of "tech' on different Teams have researched and posted their results on many webs sights. The Flaw is that MOST people are not interested in How some thing works, only that it dose. To simplify, Most have no idea how a kitchen Micro Wave works. As long as it reheats their coffee and left over Pizza that's all they care about. And in this age where information is close to hand, AKA the Computer we are using to "TALK With", many look to some one else to look for information because Reading long winded explanations is "TO HARD"!

Oh and the "Spark Plug" you used as a possibility as proof of Time travel, or Dimensional Drift was in FACT a Champion standard spark plug from a piece of Mining Equipment used in the area in the 1930's. When it was replaced years back it was thrown on the ground where it mixed with the Excavated Soil thus mixing the TIME Lines.

A little Research at the time this story came out would and did clear this up, but Some people prefer the STORY rather than the FACTS.

So now, you have had your "Rant", and I guess so did I!