Poltergeists

Article from The Shadowlands

by Dave Juliano

The word words comes from the German tern poltern - "to knock" and geist - "spirit". This phenomenon has been researched extensively for years. It has been the subject of movies, but I don't think Carol Ann and her family were being plague by a poltergeist in the movie. There are a few different theories on what poltergeists are. I am going to discuss the one theory that I believe here and keep it simple as possible.

A typical poltergeist haunting seems to always consist of noises, such as loud knocking, and objects moving about on their own. There can also be voices, smells and apparitions in addition to the other symptoms. Usually these events are witnessed by numerous people in the home , including visitors. The events may start slowly with small noises and small objects moving and then may progress to something like furniture flying around the room and full bodied apparitions. The exact events differ from case to case as well as the progression and severity. Normally there is one person who seems more affected than others and is always present in the home when events occur. When that person is removed from the home, the events cease. This person is usually a preteen female who's hormones and the stress of that age combine and finally release subconsciously in a way that causes the poltergeist activity. The person is causing all of the phenomenon with the subconscious mind and they are not aware that they are the cause. This person can also be a teenager or into their early twenties and may be under some unusual amount of stress. When they are relived of the stress, sometimes by moving from the location, the problems stop. If the stress or causes continue, the "haunting" seems to follow them. Reliving the inner problems is the key to stopping the poltergeist activity.

Poltergeists are not often easily discernable from other types of spirit hauntings. The symptoms are often very similar. An onsite investigation and extensive research is often necessary to uncover the hidden existence of this type of phenomenon. This explains why many questions that investigators ask seem off base when they interview witnesses in a home. They are trying to rule out a poltergeist problem before they start the investigation into the possible spirit activity.

Research : A Useful Tool

Article from The Shadowlands

By William Penny (bernard@theshadowlands.net)

One of the most useful tools that a investigator can have at their disposal is the ability to do good research . Without research your investigation can become a ineffective endeavor to construct an coherent report on your findings. You will also find that you will expend most of your time following fragments of information, that you would have discovered had been researched by another investigator or researcher . So research is a fundamental tool that is useful in many circumstances . Good researched information, will give you unequivocal evident about your investigations that will be hard to contradict and as a whole will give creditability to your work .

One of the ways that you will find the use of research useful, is in the area of background history of an address, plot of land or even the history of a former resident when needed . To start the research of an address the researcher must first establish the owner of the residence, don't make the mistake of taking for granted that the owner of the residence is the person who is residing at the address . But ask questions of neighbors and anyone else of whom could be of help .

After you have established the ownership, of the resident our next step is to look for the deed or title to the property . This is done by a trip to the County Recorder to do your research . After this is completed you should have a wealth of information to work from . I should warn you at this point that you should be ready to pay for service fees and the cost of copies of the deeds or titles . The cost, for this should be somewhere between $ 25. 00 and $35.00 dollars it will depending the individual fees rendered . You now have information about the residence, you will have in most cases information about who may have a lien on the property and depending on how far back you have searched you will have knowledge on how the property was obtain and all the owners who have bought it though the years .

Now with the information you have you can find Marriages, Deaths, Births and a score of other things to help you along with your investigation . Some of the other resources that you will find useful are the Public Library, Local and State Historical Societies, Cemetery Systems and Voting Records . The list go on and on .

Remember the more cross referencing you do the stronger, your investigations will be come and the stronger the investigation is the better your creditability will become with your peers and other individuals interested in your field of research . A last moment thought ! Your research will seem to be very time consuming but in the long run you will be rewarded

Why Do Some Spirits Stay Earthbound?

Article from The Shadowlands

by Dave Juliano

An earthbound spirit is a human spirit that has not properly passed over. They have not gone onto the next level, the light, heaven, whatever you choose to call it. They remain behind, here on earth, and they account for many ghost sightings and haunted places.

The reasons for this are varied. Some are complicated and unique to that spirit and others are simple to understand and relate too. I will discuss a few of the most common reasons that a spirit remains earthbound.

Some spirits remain at or near the site of their death, especially if it was sudden and unexpected. They remain confused and don't know or accept that they have died. These spirits remain in the area and try to make contact with anyone that passes by that is sensitive to spirits. This type of spirit can be found almost anywhere a death has occurred.

Sometimes a spirit realizes that it is dead and that life continues beyond that. They do not go to the light for reasons such as the fear that their existence will end, fear of the unknown, fear of going to hell or being judged for past deeds. These spirits are bound here because of their own fears.

Other spirits stay behind to take care of unfinished business. It may be to make sure their finances and their loved ones are ok or to pass along one final message. Often these earthbound spirits do not remain here for long, once they can complete their goal, they normally pass over. If the deed that they are attempting to finish is complicated they will often contact the living to assist them. In many cases the living are unsure of what the spirit wants and it adds to the length of the time the spirit spends here. Almost anything that a spirit feels compelled to do before it goes to the light can make it remain here until it feels comfortable with how they have left things.

Guilt can also be a reason for a spirit being stuck here. They may feel like they have left the family or loved ones too soon and uncared for. This is also the main reason why suicide victims and other spirits whose death was caused by their actions (alcoholics, drug overdose, etc) remain behind. They feel guilty over taking their life or contributing to their death.

The living can also hold a spirit here. By not letting go of them, they can be bound here by our love and unable or unwilling to go on until the living can come to terms with the loss. This happens when people go beyond the normal grieving process and become obsessed with the deceased person. They feel that they left things unsaid, undone, etc. and they feel guilt over it. This keeps the spirit from going over many times simply because it does not want us to feel this way or be that upset.

There are many other reasons that a spirit cam remain earthbound, I have just touched on a few of the most commonly encountered ones here.