Another year has started, which also means more opportunities out there for some paranormal investigations. With my book coming out, it warranted some research into belief systems of the supernatural throughout history and across the globe. So here I would like to give you some insight into the various kinds of known hauntings that investigators have witnessed as well as those documented through the ages. This if, of course, not an exhaustive list, but some of the most common. And most importantly, this isn't a list of explanations of why these things happen. Here we go.1) Residual Haunting: this is a fairly common type of haunting. It is best described as a manifestation of an entity going about some kind of task that gets replayed over and over again. It is often linked to a specific location where an event occurred. The haunting might be as simple as just seeing someone walk up the stairs and then disappear. The entity will not acknowledge the presence of any of the living around it. These are common around old buildings, and the entity may continue with the recurrent activity long after the location has been altered. One example of this is seeing a spirit walk down a hall and then turn to disappear directly into a wall. Upon investigating the history of the location, you may find that the area had been remodeled and there might have been a door there at one time.
3) Poltergeist: literally translated as "noisy ghost", this type of haunting is characterized by frequent, and sometimes violent, displacement of objects. There is often no physical entity seen and no intelligent interaction that occurs. This is the only haunting listed here where there has been plenty of scientific research to indicate that it may be caused by physical energy manifested by the living. It is not unusual to link this kind of activity to a home that has had some form of psychological upheaval (ie physical/sexual/mental abuse, one or more of the inhabitants entering puberty, high stress environments). There is still a lot of research that needs to be done on this kind of haunting.
4) Demonic: a haunting caused by a very specific and disembodied evil entity. I list this one last due to its rarity. I often have to add this clause when I perform investigations: just because a haunting may scare you does not make it demonic and it doesn't necessarily make it evil. Demonic hauntings are, thankfully, extremely rare despite what you may hear, but it doesn't make it any less possible either. These are caused by truly dark and evil entities that are usually called into being by one or more persons living at the property (and here is where I stand on my soapbox against the use of Ouija boards). The biggest problem with this type of haunting is that it is usually not the location, but rather the person that is haunted. It can be identified often with the feeling of extreme depression when around the entity, foul odors (like the smell of decaying meat), and the affected person will often begin to display significant physical or psychological changes. If history has taught us anything, it is to seek professional medical assistance for anyone that may demonstrate this kind of behavior before assuming it is spiritual in nature.As with any haunted location, as an investigator, I always prepare myself ahead of time. Get a detailed description of the events that have happened, have the right equipment handy, and rely heavily on my religious beliefs to protect myself prior to entering any of these places. And that is why these things don't scare me. I'm afraid of heights and ticks, but not ghosts.
BTW: get your copy of Angel Blade here! The fight between Heaven and Hell, and saving the world from demons. http://christophermatthewspub.com/angel-blade/
Thanks for reading!
And, as always,
Who you gonna call?
