August 27, 2004
St. Petersburg, Florida
Though many paranormal investigators are excited by contact with the supernatural, site visits reveal just as much about those still working within the mortal coil. It is fascinating to note the reaction factor of those who host paranormal investigations in their pursuit of otherworldly phenomena.
Home and business owners display a range of emotions when it comes to having an investigation. Some are terrified, despite the passivity of the entity residing with them. There are those who have the nagging sensation that something is there, but are not certain of their perceptions. They leave it to us to determine proof, or lack thereof, of ghostly presence. The same procedures, to those who have already acknowledged and learned to live with their spectral company, enthrall others.
While all three reactions are more than valid, there is a sort of refreshing attitude in working with the final of the aforementioned groups. Their relaxed philosophies show a certain understanding of the world and the way it works. They are not afraid of the dead but simply learn to live with unusual encounters from the other side.
The investigation on 55th Street housed one such family. The homeowners had lived there for over 20 years. They knew the quirks of their building, and had come to deal with it. When they contacted the SPIRITS they held an interest in the investigation and were open to discussions on various psi-abilities.
We visited the home on multiple occasions, each one with a different mixture of teammates, and producing unique results. The first trip through revealed a myriad of entities, all desiring attention. Many appeared curious about the group trooping through, EMF meters in hand.
All visits responded to phenomena in the hallway. Homeowners complained of feeling followed or watched walking down the hall. They installed a mirror at the end of the relatively short hallway as a comfort, in order to see what might be following the family as they moved about.
We confirmed this as an area of activity. Members reported feeling cool breezes blowing by them, as if someone was rushing from one room to the next.
The guest room hosted “Lizzy,” a cigarette-smoke smelling entity that could be sensed throughout the house. She caused two strong spikes in the guest room, and may have been whispering to the homeowners. Lizzy may have been present for two of the investigations, but did not always prove to be cooperative. When the group specifically tried to contact her for information, she simply did not respond. She decided that she would “do it in her own time.”
Departed family members also made an appearance. One of the more remarkable ones was “Uncle Joe” who was related to one of the homeowners. He was frustrated because he wanted to communicate with the family, but knew he should not interfere. One sensitive thought that “Joe” was not his name, but picked up “Dan” or “Stan”, and saw him as a brother-figure. The homeowners clarified that his real name was “Stan” and that “Stan” was his uncle.
Some of the sensations began to dim, as the weaker entities appeared to lose interest and depart. Several strong personalities still remained, and to concentrate the experience the team switched to a new technique for us. Using the Trifield meter as a guide, we asked the entity to “push or spike the needle to the right” to indicate ‘yes’, to the left for ‘no’”. We combined this with the psi-sensitives abilities to have a “dialogue” with the stronger personas in the room.
One message concerned the homeowner’s son, serving in the military. There was something about a trip, and Michigan or Maryland, not to go, and don’t trust it. Though this was May of 2003, when hostilities were tense between the Middle East and America, the Persian Gulf War had not yet begun. Yet, when asked if there would be a war, the needle again spiked.
We later learned that the son, in his travels, had been assigned a plane transfer in Michigan through the military, which had run afoul in scheduling. He was temporarily stranded in the city.
A message came through about their other son, who resided with the homeowners. The entities, as reported by the family, always seemed drawn to him. He would complain to the others when his sleep, or schedule, was interrupted. The entity that bothered him most, possibly an acquaintance from childhood, picked up on that behavior. Though the phenomena were not violent towards the son, it did bother him. It became a form of bullying; the entity liked getting a reaction out of the son.
To alleviate the behavior, we advised him to pause before reacting, then very quietly ask the entity to leave him alone. It may take a few tries, but we hope it will be successful for him.
Some of the entities appear to have more messages for the homeowner. However, they would not cooperate with us. Our suggestion for the family is to leave a sound-activated tape recorder in a quiet room, invite the entity to leave a message for them on the tape, and to see how that works for them.
The family also plans to ask the entities to pass over into the light; they do not wish to hold anyone earth-bound. They are willing to work with the entities to get them to cross over through repeated, polite but firm, requests.
Overall, the results of all three investigations are quite remarkable. The patience and willingness of the homeowners to cooperate and participate in working with us (and the spirits) is immensely helpful. It is households like this that makes the investigations more meaningful as we continue to quest into the ideas of life after death.