Post by NCSS Fox on Nov 13, 2005 12:32:13 GMT -5
Standards and Protocols for Field Investigations
Below is a set of standards and protocols for conducting field investigations based on experience and common sense. These standards and protocols establish a baseline to judge photos obtained by eliminating the common errors of most beginners. These Standards & Protocols provide guidelines that ensure professionalism. These Standards and Protocols are followed by the Yuma Spirit Hunters and We encourage you to follow them and to so indicate when you send us your photos.
Smoking tobacco products during an investigation is permitted only in a pre dieginated area .
No alcohol before, during or after an investigation if remaining on site.
No Ouija boards or seances during or after an investigation if on site.
Always conduct your investigations in a professional manner.
Respect posted property, ask permission and do not trespass.
Do not take photographs during adverse weather conditions.
Adverse weather conditions is rain, mist, fog, snow, windy/dusty conditions.
Do not take photos from moving vehicles on dusty roads.
Do not take photos while walking on dusty roads.
Remove all dust, spots, fingerprints from camera lens.
Remove or wear the camera strap so it does not hang loose.
Avoid shooting into the Sun, windows or mirrors this can result in lens flare.
Avoid shooting with flash at any other reflective or shinny surfaces.
Keep fingers away from the lens of the camera.
Keep long hair away from the lens of the camera.
Avoid shooting when foreign objects are floating near camera.
No running or horse play in cemeteries or historical sites.
Show reverence and respect in cemeteries, battlefields, etc.
Always use fresh audio tapes for EVP recordings.
Compare anomalous prints with negatives for confirmation.
Flash is only good for 7 to 9 feet from camera so focus on that range.
Positive Mental Attitude is very important for all investigations.
Skeptical minds will generate negative energy during an investigation.
Misconceptions About Ghosts and Haunting
Everyone in every culture has their own beliefs concerning the afterlife. Some flat out refuse to believe while other cultures accept it with open arms and in some cases honor spirits of the dead. None of these beliefs are wrong, but there are some common misunderstandings with people who believe in ghosts, here are just a few.
(1) All ghosts are evil. This is becoming less common as people are starting to realize that most spirits they see are not hurting them in any way. This theory may have come about because people feared the afterlife, it startled them and scared them to see and hear things they weren't expecting. They connected fear with evil because why would something good scare them. In reality, it is rare to come across an evil spirit. Usually ghosts do not mean to scare anyone. They just want someone to notice them. Some ghosts do not even know that you exist they are in their own realm and you just happened to be lucky enough to see a glimpse of their world.
(2) Ouija boards are a great connection to the afterlife. The common misconception about this is without proper training from a medium or a psychic you could be sending out an open invitation to the spirit world and you don't know what may answer.
(3) Seances are a great way to contact loved ones who have passed on. Again you are asking for trouble without the proper training or assistance of a psychic or medium. You are asking spirits to come into your home and prove themselves to you. Again you never know who or what may answer.
(4) Reading, studying, and believing in spirits will make my home haunted. Learning about the supernatural might make you more open and sensitive to ghosts that were always around but it doesn't attract them. It just opens
up a part of your mind that you have inadvertently had closed off. It opens it to accept the things that you may have ignored or refused in the past.
(5) Only old houses or houses that have seen death can be haunted. People, places, items and areas can all attract spirits. If a person loved something in life they can come back to it in death.
(6)A house isn't haunted if I can't see a ghost. Some people believe that ghosts are all around us and it is up to them to make themselves known. This can be in several different ways such as noises, smells, items
disappearing or moving on their own accord and apparitions, one or a combination of many may occur with a haunting. These are a few of the common misunderstandings of ghosts and hauntings . I am sure there are several more. One thing to remember always is to check out any and all natural causes before jumping to supernatural ones.
Theories on Ghosts
Hauntings and Apparitions
We find that most ghosts fall into two main categories.....Hauntings and Poltergeists.
The first type an actual haunting, sometimes known as an apparition or spirit are usually always seen in the same location...a house or in a particular area of a house, or a certain spot or area somewhere. Sometimes they are reported as being solid or life like, transparent, or just a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of the eye or a ball of light known as an Orb.
Phantoms or Phantasmic figures are usually human in form, but can sometimes be that of animals or inanimate objects. Almost 1/4 of the ghost sightings are reported to be that of a Phantasm which ranges from Books, clothes, animals that simply appear and disappear.
The second type of ghostly sighting falls under the category of a "Poltergeist." The word poltergeist is a German word which means "Noisy Spirit." While the occurrences may be the same as with a common haunting the poltergeist is not a haunting at all it is however a transfer of energy from a very living human host. The poltergeist activity unlike a haunting will always center around one person. In other words it will only happen when one particular person is present.
Residual Hauntings
This type of haunting occurs when a memory of a certain action is imprinted on its surroundings and is replayed time after time like a recording. There have been many documented cases of residual haunting such as hearing foot steps going up stairs at the same time every night.
Doubles
This is a rare ghostlike occurrence that happens. An apparition of a living person is seen in one location......when the actual person is absolutely known to be somewhere else at the time.
Crisis Apparitions and Message Spirits
The crisis apparition or the message spirit is an apparition that has been seen by people who are far away from the scene of the death of a person or a loved one. It is said that it is the departing soul of the friend or loved one that wishes to relay a message or say good-bye to the friend or family member....who is totally unaware of the death. It usually appears only once...so therefore is not considered a true haunting. Once they have concluded whatever it was they needed to get done, they leave and are never seen again.
Earthbound Spirits
Earthbound spirits are spirits that for whatever reasons...remain behind. Some reasons for this may be they haven't yet realized that they have died, or just wish to continue living as they were, earthly possessions can keep a ghost earthbound, as can addictions or whatever else the spirit held dear to it. These types of ghosts are probably totally unaware that you or I exist and are seen repeating the same actions over and over again. They usually make no attempts at communicating with living beings and continue along as if all were normal.
Definitions
Ghost Hunt - going to a place were there have been no sightings of ghosts and trying to catch some on film (video and photos), sounds, eyewitness, etc. (graveyards are the number one place to start, churches, schools and older buildings too)
Ghost Investigation - going to are reported haunted place and recording data (video, photos, audio, temperatures), notes, interviews and other evidence to prove/disprove the haunting and to assist the owners and educating them on what is going on and their options.
What you may Encounter:
There are generally 3 types of spirits you may encounter.
1. Was a human at one time and it has remained on this level for some reason. It may not know it's dead, may be held here by unfinished business, guilt, someone grieving. etc. These spirits are like the person was when they were alive, so they could be good or bad, just like the living, but not normally dangerous.
2. Is known as residual haunting which is just a playback of a past event. This is just like watching a video from the past playing over and over. This type of haunting as a rule happens at the same time and the same place without exception.
3. The other type of spirit you may encounter is actually not a spirit at all known as poltergeist this spirit is actually a transfer of energy from a human source. Although the things happening in the environment may be the same as a haunting. The Poltergeist activity only happens when one person is present in the environment.
General Tips
This is information you need to consider before you go out on the ghost hunt:
Check out the area in daylight so you are familiar with the area.
Look for dangerous places and obstacles that you will not be able to see in the dark.
Look for no trespassing signs. Make sure you are not trespassing. If you are on private property you are risking getting a ticket or arrested in some areas. You can get permission from many owners and or caretakers. We will often notify the local Police that we will be in a grave yard "taking pictures" so they are aware of our presence. If you are asked to leave do so immediately, you will not win this argument and you make other investigators look bad if you make a scene.
Make sure you bring you ID. (drivers license, etc.) so if you are questioned by the police you can prove who you are.
Never go alone. This is just common sense. If you get hurt, who will get help?
Anytime can produce results. Photos have historically been better in the dark but don't let that discourage you from taking them during the day.
Find out all you can about the history of the locale. Newspapers, town historians, the Internet and books can be helpful finding folklore or hard facts about the site. The books and web pages dealing with this type of inf. is enormous.
What to Bring The Basics:
* Camera - Nothing fancy with at least 400 speed film. 800 speed film seems to get the best results over all and black and white is also something good to try. We have seen results from everything from Polaroid's to digital cameras Any type of film will work you do not have to buy the most expensive to get results. When you develop them you don't need to go to a camera shop, the local drug store or department store is fine. Let them know you want all the pictures developed so that you get the pictures that they might think are bad ones. These "bad ones" are normally your best ectoplasm mist photos.
* Flashlight w/ spare batteries - a common sense item. Remember to bring spare batteries for everything. Due to spirit activity, batteries often run down very fast and you don't want to miss anything because of dead batteries.
* Notebook w/ pens and pencils- you need to write and log in everything that happens. If you don't then you really don't have much research information.
An example of this is one investigator gets an EMF reading that's high and never writes it down. Another investigator takes a picture of the same area but is not aware of the reading and gets an anomalous image. Without that EMF reading the picture may be good evidence, but with a report noting the reading, the picture greatly increases in evidence value. Many investigators use a pocket tape recorder in stead and that is fine, just make sure you have spare batteries and tapes.
*Jackets or weather appropriate clothes - if you are cold you are not at your best and your observation skill could suffer, pretty common sense. * Watch - so you can log in the times of events and your arrival and departure.
Advanced and Optional
* Video camera (optional tripod) - This can be used for video taping in lighted or day light conditions only unless you have a camcorder that has a low lux setting (the ability to record in low light) or the new night vision type which can record in the dark. The camcorder with the night vision is great for this type of work.
* Tape recorder w/ external microphone - You do not have to use an external microphone when recording EVPs (ghosts voices). However if you rely on the internal microphone you will also be recording the internal gears and motors and this will make any EVP captured very hard to hear. As a rule EVP is recorded very close to static level of the tape and is very faint. We have found that any tape will do we have used high bias tapes and have had no better results than with normal bias tapes.
* EMF Detector - These meters read the electromagnetic fields in an area. It is a common theory that spirits disrupt this field in such a way that you can tell one is present by higher than normal readings with this meter. There are many types and price ranges. You need to be aware of the natural readings in an area or building before you assume that your reading a ghosts presence. Make sure that you know where power lines, electrical line, major appliances and electronics are before you begin your readings with this useful and easy to use tool. You can try using a compass in place of this, the needle compass would move or shake when something was interfering with electromagnetic field the compass relies on the work properly.
* Night Scope - This tool may be useful in viewing some spirit activity and many groups, including mine, have reported some success with them. They are pricey and a good one can run into the 1000s of dollars. * Cellular phone - if you have one it can come in handy in case of an emergency. *
* Motion Detectors - these can be used to sense movements by often unseen forces or spirits. You can get battery operated ones for about 20 dollars and they are great for inside but I have seen them used successfully outdoors as well, just watch the placement. you don't want a tree branch setting it off.
* Thermometer or Thermal Scanner - You can use a digital thermometer that you can get for 25-50 dollars or spend a few hundred to get a point and shoot thermal scanner. All of these are good for detecting cold spots that are often found in haunted places.
* Hand Held Radios - Or Walkie Talkies are very useful in a large outdoor area and a building with groups spread out in various rooms. They could be great in emergency situations or just to rotate groups. Be sure to be aware they could interfere with your EVP recording though.
Step by Step Procedures
Here's a condensed version the most popular procedures for conducting outdoor ghost hunts:
1. Have everyone meet near the location and decide who will work each piece of equipment and divide into teams if necessary. Pick a person or leader that will talk to anyone who comes in contact with the group (i.e. Police, Reporters, etc.)
2. Enter the site and either privately or as a group ask for blessing or protection for the duration of the hunt. I do encourage everyone to take the 10 seconds this takes and do this. What can it hurt? It's better to be safe than sorry. Many experienced groups believe that there are evil spirits in many areas such as cemeteries and by saying a 10 second prayer you can safely go about your business without worrying about them. An experienced demonologist will tell you that by doing this in the name of God or whatever good deity you worship, you will keep any non human spirits at bay since they have to leave you alone when told so in this manner. You will not provoke an attack by doing this and I say it's just as simple as saying your prayers at night.
Below is a set of standards and protocols for conducting field investigations based on experience and common sense. These standards and protocols establish a baseline to judge photos obtained by eliminating the common errors of most beginners. These Standards & Protocols provide guidelines that ensure professionalism. These Standards and Protocols are followed by the Yuma Spirit Hunters and We encourage you to follow them and to so indicate when you send us your photos.
Smoking tobacco products during an investigation is permitted only in a pre dieginated area .
No alcohol before, during or after an investigation if remaining on site.
No Ouija boards or seances during or after an investigation if on site.
Always conduct your investigations in a professional manner.
Respect posted property, ask permission and do not trespass.
Do not take photographs during adverse weather conditions.
Adverse weather conditions is rain, mist, fog, snow, windy/dusty conditions.
Do not take photos from moving vehicles on dusty roads.
Do not take photos while walking on dusty roads.
Remove all dust, spots, fingerprints from camera lens.
Remove or wear the camera strap so it does not hang loose.
Avoid shooting into the Sun, windows or mirrors this can result in lens flare.
Avoid shooting with flash at any other reflective or shinny surfaces.
Keep fingers away from the lens of the camera.
Keep long hair away from the lens of the camera.
Avoid shooting when foreign objects are floating near camera.
No running or horse play in cemeteries or historical sites.
Show reverence and respect in cemeteries, battlefields, etc.
Always use fresh audio tapes for EVP recordings.
Compare anomalous prints with negatives for confirmation.
Flash is only good for 7 to 9 feet from camera so focus on that range.
Positive Mental Attitude is very important for all investigations.
Skeptical minds will generate negative energy during an investigation.
Misconceptions About Ghosts and Haunting
Everyone in every culture has their own beliefs concerning the afterlife. Some flat out refuse to believe while other cultures accept it with open arms and in some cases honor spirits of the dead. None of these beliefs are wrong, but there are some common misunderstandings with people who believe in ghosts, here are just a few.
(1) All ghosts are evil. This is becoming less common as people are starting to realize that most spirits they see are not hurting them in any way. This theory may have come about because people feared the afterlife, it startled them and scared them to see and hear things they weren't expecting. They connected fear with evil because why would something good scare them. In reality, it is rare to come across an evil spirit. Usually ghosts do not mean to scare anyone. They just want someone to notice them. Some ghosts do not even know that you exist they are in their own realm and you just happened to be lucky enough to see a glimpse of their world.
(2) Ouija boards are a great connection to the afterlife. The common misconception about this is without proper training from a medium or a psychic you could be sending out an open invitation to the spirit world and you don't know what may answer.
(3) Seances are a great way to contact loved ones who have passed on. Again you are asking for trouble without the proper training or assistance of a psychic or medium. You are asking spirits to come into your home and prove themselves to you. Again you never know who or what may answer.
(4) Reading, studying, and believing in spirits will make my home haunted. Learning about the supernatural might make you more open and sensitive to ghosts that were always around but it doesn't attract them. It just opens
up a part of your mind that you have inadvertently had closed off. It opens it to accept the things that you may have ignored or refused in the past.
(5) Only old houses or houses that have seen death can be haunted. People, places, items and areas can all attract spirits. If a person loved something in life they can come back to it in death.
(6)A house isn't haunted if I can't see a ghost. Some people believe that ghosts are all around us and it is up to them to make themselves known. This can be in several different ways such as noises, smells, items
disappearing or moving on their own accord and apparitions, one or a combination of many may occur with a haunting. These are a few of the common misunderstandings of ghosts and hauntings . I am sure there are several more. One thing to remember always is to check out any and all natural causes before jumping to supernatural ones.
Theories on Ghosts
Hauntings and Apparitions
We find that most ghosts fall into two main categories.....Hauntings and Poltergeists.
The first type an actual haunting, sometimes known as an apparition or spirit are usually always seen in the same location...a house or in a particular area of a house, or a certain spot or area somewhere. Sometimes they are reported as being solid or life like, transparent, or just a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of the eye or a ball of light known as an Orb.
Phantoms or Phantasmic figures are usually human in form, but can sometimes be that of animals or inanimate objects. Almost 1/4 of the ghost sightings are reported to be that of a Phantasm which ranges from Books, clothes, animals that simply appear and disappear.
The second type of ghostly sighting falls under the category of a "Poltergeist." The word poltergeist is a German word which means "Noisy Spirit." While the occurrences may be the same as with a common haunting the poltergeist is not a haunting at all it is however a transfer of energy from a very living human host. The poltergeist activity unlike a haunting will always center around one person. In other words it will only happen when one particular person is present.
Residual Hauntings
This type of haunting occurs when a memory of a certain action is imprinted on its surroundings and is replayed time after time like a recording. There have been many documented cases of residual haunting such as hearing foot steps going up stairs at the same time every night.
Doubles
This is a rare ghostlike occurrence that happens. An apparition of a living person is seen in one location......when the actual person is absolutely known to be somewhere else at the time.
Crisis Apparitions and Message Spirits
The crisis apparition or the message spirit is an apparition that has been seen by people who are far away from the scene of the death of a person or a loved one. It is said that it is the departing soul of the friend or loved one that wishes to relay a message or say good-bye to the friend or family member....who is totally unaware of the death. It usually appears only once...so therefore is not considered a true haunting. Once they have concluded whatever it was they needed to get done, they leave and are never seen again.
Earthbound Spirits
Earthbound spirits are spirits that for whatever reasons...remain behind. Some reasons for this may be they haven't yet realized that they have died, or just wish to continue living as they were, earthly possessions can keep a ghost earthbound, as can addictions or whatever else the spirit held dear to it. These types of ghosts are probably totally unaware that you or I exist and are seen repeating the same actions over and over again. They usually make no attempts at communicating with living beings and continue along as if all were normal.
Definitions
Ghost Hunt - going to a place were there have been no sightings of ghosts and trying to catch some on film (video and photos), sounds, eyewitness, etc. (graveyards are the number one place to start, churches, schools and older buildings too)
Ghost Investigation - going to are reported haunted place and recording data (video, photos, audio, temperatures), notes, interviews and other evidence to prove/disprove the haunting and to assist the owners and educating them on what is going on and their options.
What you may Encounter:
There are generally 3 types of spirits you may encounter.
1. Was a human at one time and it has remained on this level for some reason. It may not know it's dead, may be held here by unfinished business, guilt, someone grieving. etc. These spirits are like the person was when they were alive, so they could be good or bad, just like the living, but not normally dangerous.
2. Is known as residual haunting which is just a playback of a past event. This is just like watching a video from the past playing over and over. This type of haunting as a rule happens at the same time and the same place without exception.
3. The other type of spirit you may encounter is actually not a spirit at all known as poltergeist this spirit is actually a transfer of energy from a human source. Although the things happening in the environment may be the same as a haunting. The Poltergeist activity only happens when one person is present in the environment.
General Tips
This is information you need to consider before you go out on the ghost hunt:
Check out the area in daylight so you are familiar with the area.
Look for dangerous places and obstacles that you will not be able to see in the dark.
Look for no trespassing signs. Make sure you are not trespassing. If you are on private property you are risking getting a ticket or arrested in some areas. You can get permission from many owners and or caretakers. We will often notify the local Police that we will be in a grave yard "taking pictures" so they are aware of our presence. If you are asked to leave do so immediately, you will not win this argument and you make other investigators look bad if you make a scene.
Make sure you bring you ID. (drivers license, etc.) so if you are questioned by the police you can prove who you are.
Never go alone. This is just common sense. If you get hurt, who will get help?
Anytime can produce results. Photos have historically been better in the dark but don't let that discourage you from taking them during the day.
Find out all you can about the history of the locale. Newspapers, town historians, the Internet and books can be helpful finding folklore or hard facts about the site. The books and web pages dealing with this type of inf. is enormous.
What to Bring The Basics:
* Camera - Nothing fancy with at least 400 speed film. 800 speed film seems to get the best results over all and black and white is also something good to try. We have seen results from everything from Polaroid's to digital cameras Any type of film will work you do not have to buy the most expensive to get results. When you develop them you don't need to go to a camera shop, the local drug store or department store is fine. Let them know you want all the pictures developed so that you get the pictures that they might think are bad ones. These "bad ones" are normally your best ectoplasm mist photos.
* Flashlight w/ spare batteries - a common sense item. Remember to bring spare batteries for everything. Due to spirit activity, batteries often run down very fast and you don't want to miss anything because of dead batteries.
* Notebook w/ pens and pencils- you need to write and log in everything that happens. If you don't then you really don't have much research information.
An example of this is one investigator gets an EMF reading that's high and never writes it down. Another investigator takes a picture of the same area but is not aware of the reading and gets an anomalous image. Without that EMF reading the picture may be good evidence, but with a report noting the reading, the picture greatly increases in evidence value. Many investigators use a pocket tape recorder in stead and that is fine, just make sure you have spare batteries and tapes.
*Jackets or weather appropriate clothes - if you are cold you are not at your best and your observation skill could suffer, pretty common sense. * Watch - so you can log in the times of events and your arrival and departure.
Advanced and Optional
* Video camera (optional tripod) - This can be used for video taping in lighted or day light conditions only unless you have a camcorder that has a low lux setting (the ability to record in low light) or the new night vision type which can record in the dark. The camcorder with the night vision is great for this type of work.
* Tape recorder w/ external microphone - You do not have to use an external microphone when recording EVPs (ghosts voices). However if you rely on the internal microphone you will also be recording the internal gears and motors and this will make any EVP captured very hard to hear. As a rule EVP is recorded very close to static level of the tape and is very faint. We have found that any tape will do we have used high bias tapes and have had no better results than with normal bias tapes.
* EMF Detector - These meters read the electromagnetic fields in an area. It is a common theory that spirits disrupt this field in such a way that you can tell one is present by higher than normal readings with this meter. There are many types and price ranges. You need to be aware of the natural readings in an area or building before you assume that your reading a ghosts presence. Make sure that you know where power lines, electrical line, major appliances and electronics are before you begin your readings with this useful and easy to use tool. You can try using a compass in place of this, the needle compass would move or shake when something was interfering with electromagnetic field the compass relies on the work properly.
* Night Scope - This tool may be useful in viewing some spirit activity and many groups, including mine, have reported some success with them. They are pricey and a good one can run into the 1000s of dollars. * Cellular phone - if you have one it can come in handy in case of an emergency. *
* Motion Detectors - these can be used to sense movements by often unseen forces or spirits. You can get battery operated ones for about 20 dollars and they are great for inside but I have seen them used successfully outdoors as well, just watch the placement. you don't want a tree branch setting it off.
* Thermometer or Thermal Scanner - You can use a digital thermometer that you can get for 25-50 dollars or spend a few hundred to get a point and shoot thermal scanner. All of these are good for detecting cold spots that are often found in haunted places.
* Hand Held Radios - Or Walkie Talkies are very useful in a large outdoor area and a building with groups spread out in various rooms. They could be great in emergency situations or just to rotate groups. Be sure to be aware they could interfere with your EVP recording though.
Step by Step Procedures
Here's a condensed version the most popular procedures for conducting outdoor ghost hunts:
1. Have everyone meet near the location and decide who will work each piece of equipment and divide into teams if necessary. Pick a person or leader that will talk to anyone who comes in contact with the group (i.e. Police, Reporters, etc.)
2. Enter the site and either privately or as a group ask for blessing or protection for the duration of the hunt. I do encourage everyone to take the 10 seconds this takes and do this. What can it hurt? It's better to be safe than sorry. Many experienced groups believe that there are evil spirits in many areas such as cemeteries and by saying a 10 second prayer you can safely go about your business without worrying about them. An experienced demonologist will tell you that by doing this in the name of God or whatever good deity you worship, you will keep any non human spirits at bay since they have to leave you alone when told so in this manner. You will not provoke an attack by doing this and I say it's just as simple as saying your prayers at night.