Tri-City NY Paranormal Society

   "Wait, did you hear that?" "Was that you walking around?" "Stop, did you hear that tree knock?"

   As paranormal investigators these are things a lot of us have encountered and heard. As investigators we use every sence we have been given to try and find or gain information to paranormal events of a location. We want to gain that "Evidence" to show that there is something there and what people are experiencing is true. After all, isn't that why we do paranormal research? To get that once in a life time capture of personal experience or the so called "Oprah AH-HA Moment" we look for as individuals? I think the real question though, is what is considered evidence?

   As paranormal investigators, we use all sorts of equipment, electronics and tools to catch possible so-called, spirit activity. From digital recorders to video cameras, we want to capture that perfect moment when something manifests itself in those locations where we place our para tools. Then, bam, the ghost trap is sprung like in ghostbuster movies. Really think about it, that's what we are doing. We are setting traps all over the location to catch these events aren't we? Then we use EMF detectors, mel meters, and ghost boxes to bring with us on our person to try to get the spirits to physically connect with us through these tools so we get a sense that we "know" they are with us by the readings and what's being said over the frank's, ghost or spook box. Looking for that so called , "AH-HA" moment because now it has become personal to us as an individual. After our nights of poking around locations, talking to the walls and furniture and walking around with hundreds of dollars of equipment in our hands, we go home and do the tedious review process of watching hundreds and sometimes thousands (depending on how much equipment and money you have) of hours of audio and video recorddings. All to look for that "Evidence" to show that there could be a spirit, or as i like to call it, an energy source, still there at that location that got caught in our ghost traps. So after we sift through all the audio, video, tempature readings, EMF readings and words that came up on the Ovilus, and pictures and words that came up on a Ouija board, what we are left with are usually EVP or  ( Electronic Voice Phenomena ) and some video clips, if we are lucky. Now with just what we are left with, is that still concidered "Evidence"?

   As a greenhorn bigfoot researcher, one thing that I have noticed is how pictures, videos and sounds are very scutinized by the bigfoot community. Each trail cam picture I see gets dissected, from the type of camera to the weather conditions and IR quality, etc. "That's a blob squatch", "Looks like an owl", "That's a man in a Ghillie suit"; the list goes on and on. These researchers and laypeople alike really get in and put their two cents on each capture and the "Evidence" presented to them. I watch, listen and observe this as a paranormal researcher, or better known to some as a ghost hunter for over 17 years now, and something strikes me. When a ghost hunter captures an EVP and post it to YouTube or Facebook, a lot (not all) people in this field are ok with that being enough evidence of a spirit being present, simply because it must be one if we captured a voice on audio saying so. It's not disected in the same manner as the bigfoot "evidence", but why is that? Why are we so quick to just accept it, but the crypto community isn't so fast to accept a picture or video? Can't people hoax an EVP just as easy as a person putting on a bigfoot suit and walking around? This is something I think we need to look at as professional researchers doing this in a scientific way.

   "A picture is worth a thousand words." Is it really? It wouldn't seem that way to me at least. If that were the case, we would have so many pictures of bigfoots, ghosts and hey, let's throw aliens in there, that this would be common and we would be out of a job. I've learned a lot entering the crypto world as a ghost hunter. It has opened my eyes to have two different classifications of people precieve things and what they call, "Evidence". To me personaly the meaning of that word as a ghost hunter is a consolidation of MULTIPLE events and media that have captured something that all coincides with each other. Meaning capturing a few EVPs or even a 100 EVPs still isn't evidence to me unless we capture other things going along with that event, such as a MagLite turning on and off because I ask it too with nothing else to back that up. That's not evidence to me, but that's just my personal opinion, of course, and a lot of people feel differently on that subject, which is 100% fine with me. What I think though, as researchers, is we need to really look at these events just as a bigfoot or crypto researcher will do and disect these things to open up all possiblities and not just a tunnel vision one. We all would love to believe that what we capture is the "Real" thing, but if that were the case we would have all the answers already.

   I'll end with this thought: how do we know that WE, the investigators, are not putting the EVPs on the recorders ourselves? They do say, when you go looking for trouble you will find it, so what's to say that if we don't go looking for "Ghosts" we won't find them? Food for thought. Until next time my friends, happy hunting, be safe and Keep it Spooky!!