Looking Back to Look Forward

Since that innocent question “Have you listened to Uncanny?” My life has exploded into the world of spirits, shadows and entities. I have discovered what a Dybbux Box is, practiced divination, used ghost hunting tech and placed my finger on many planchettes. My bookshelves groan under the weight of books documenting hauntings and real-life accounts (Mrs J has even made a google doc so I can keep track of them). My phone is full of photographs of the amazing locations I have been to, as well as apps to detect the dead and podcasts, oh so many podcasts.  And that’s not even delving into the depths of my ever-growing kit bag where, like the Little Mermaid, I have collected whosits and whatsits galore.

But the first question asked, when I tell people what I do, is always “Have you seen one then?” The answer is always the same, “No, but I have had some interesting experiences.” The same eyebrow raise always greets the disclosure of the use of cat toys.

Credit:SJP

In answer I always recount the experience from The Alex in Faversham (see Ghostly Encounter(s)), when the group had thinned out leaving half a dozen of us sat in the yoga studio. This was my second venture out into the field and I had just downloaded my first paranormal app, Ghost Hunting Tools.  We were sat, dotted around the studio, after witnessing a cat ball visibly moving on its own. We all had some form of word producing app running and one of the cat balls was lighting up in response to our questions. The other wasn’t and the words coming from the different apps were all of the same vein indicating that whatever was trying to comply with our request to light it up, simply couldn’t because the ball had somehow been turned off.

The coincidence of all these different apps producing similar words that all made sense in the context of the experiment we were conducting was the most fascinating part of this encounter. I still remember the feeling of excitement when I picked the ball up and realised that even if it was thrown across the room it still couldn’t do what we asked. I am still sceptical of mobile phone apps for ghost hunting as they can use their programming and the microphone to manipulate the readings to suit the questions being asked. But still this was an amazing event early on in my fieldwork.

The conversation after I tell the cat ball story usually continues with “I couldn’t do that, I’d be too scared/creeped out/nervous (delete as applicable),” or “Are you not scared?” Honestly, fear had never really entered into any of my thoughts from any of the investigations that I had been on.  The adrenaline buzz of stuff happening has always been the draw. I am quite happy being in the dark, in cupboards or passageways on my own appearing to talk to myself. Being singled out with the crossing of rods by John Sage at Chillingham Castle (Chill(ingham) Down My Spine) did not make me scared, uncomfortable maybe, but not fearful.  But as I think back maybe the time that did induce fear was when I was with a group of people on the top floor of East Gate House in Rochester (Are You Brave Enough?).

Credit: SJP

A new technique was learnt that evening, as well as the lesson of being careful what you wish for. As we stood holding hands in a circle, overseen by a model of Charles Dickens, calling out to the ether to raise our arms in response to our questions. The options provided to the spirit world did not seem to elicit the response desired by a member of the group, who opened up the menu to include dropping one of us to their knees.

This was the preferred choice for the invisible phantom who wished to communicate with us. As suddenly both my patellas were striking the hard wooden floorboards of the attic. Fear is therefore an obvious response. What could drop me so forcefully? And what else could it do?

I have read about the Mackenzie Poltergeist who dwells in the aptly named Black Mausoleum in Edinburgh’s Greyfriars Cemetery. Famous in life, George Mackenzie earned the nickname Bloody Mackenzie due to his treatment of Presbyterian Covenanters in 1679, and it appears in death his character has not changed. Reports of visitors to his domain receiving scratches and burns are frequent – so does spirit have the power to cause actual harm to the living? If so did I get off lightly with a couple of bruised kneecaps?

But is it fear that drives many to hunt ghosts? YouTube videos and TV programmes ramp up excitement using sexy words and phrases like Demon, Dare or This ghost tried to kill us. All of them guarantee activity at the top end of the scale (albeit many of them are accused of fakery).

Advertising investigations with a challenge of bravery may draw in the crowds, but does this attract the right people to the event? I have been to some amazing investigations especially my time at Fort Horsted in Chatham with Ghostly Encounters. What I loved about this evening was how small the group was (only 4 of us) and the feeling of being part of the team this gave me. Aside from the 22:30 issues (see Encounter(s) at the Fort) this experience instilled in me the confidence to ask questions, report my experiences and really get involved and share my knowledge as we investigated the space together.

Drawing large numbers of people who only want to see things flying around the room or full-bodied spectral apparitions does not necessarily make for a great experience when all you get is a couple of blinking lights or taps on the wall. Spirits require energy, and if the group you are with are not generating any then you wont get any reaction. Its good to have a mixture of sceptics and believers as that brings balance, but the departed are not our performing monkeys, there to put on a show for a bit of social media clout.

My biggest takeaway from field investigations if that you have to get involved. Why come if you are not going to participate? What all of the events I have attended promise is that it is your investigation. If you don’t ask questions or don’t take part you wont discover anything – and this leaves that flat, bitter feeling when everything is packed up and you are on your way home (obviously instructing any wannabe hitchhikers to remain put).

So what is next? What do I want to achieve out of the coming year?

Firstly I want to continue in the spirit of paraunity. To give back more than I take and highlight the amazing work that is out there. From podcasts and books to those just putting themselves out there with their personal experiences and photos, we all play a part in this paranormal community.

Research is a second priority. To improve my knowledge and understand the many viewpoints of what happens after you die. To learn from other investigators techniques and practices to understand their motivations and accounts; how they used their equipment and what evidence they obtained.

Speaking of equipment I want to understand what makes it work, so want to build some of my own including a rem-pod and SLS camera and test them against what is already out there. To test them I am going to need some locations, some new and some that I have already been to so that I can tell the stories of those that have gone before me, to keep their memories alive even in death.

As New Year resolutions go they are probably a big challenge, so stay tuned as I continue on my journey into the paranormal - you never know what or who might be discovered.