July 15, 2006 – Pasco
Sometimes it is just nice to come across a nice clean investigation. This is one of those. The homeowner called the SPIRITS of St. Petersburg. She had some unusual phenomena in her home, though she believed that she knew the source of the haunting: her mother. The SPIRITS investigation, including entity interaction with the equipment and our sensitive, concluded that, indeed, it was the mother who was trying to communicate with her daughter. The basic message: she was still there for her.
One of the most interesting aspects of this investigation, and the chosen topic for this month, is that the homeowner reported one instance of what she believed to be a “phone call from the dead.” This related to the death of her mother and took place, in fact, on the anniversary of her mother’s passing. On the day in question she had performed a function in memory of her mother. Shortly thereafter her phone rang though no one was on the other line. Caller ID showed “number unknown.”
While this is not the strongest instance of a phone call from the dead, this activity has happened for quite some time. Word of mouth is that original purpose of the telephone was not to call each other, but to reach through to the other side – literally, to reach out to those in the “Great Beyond.” (This does, of course, give a new definition to “long distance service” as well). Reports of phone calls can include phones ringing and strange, disconnected voices coming through from the other side; people calling long-lost relatives, reaching them by phone, speaking to them for a time, hanging up, then calling back later only to discover that the person has been dead for quite some time; and, of course, the odd hang up calls from “unknown numbers” at anniversary times of deaths, or numbers of deceased relatives long since disconnected appearing on telephone logs (http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/p/phone_calls_from_the_dead.html).
The negative aspect of this is, of course, that modern technology certainly can throw a monkey wrench into the paranormal. After all, there are automatic dialing machines for doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and politicians that have been known to act up. Telemarketers, though not as prevalent as before, do exist and calls can come through as “unknown”, particularly depending on individual telephone services. The air waves are filled with cell phone chatter as well, and portable electronic devices may also throw additional sound bites up for receivers to hear.
So, do we explain it as synchronicity? Or can the dead utilize technology in their own way (as paranormalists presume)? The answers are numerous. To allow the reader to decide, here are several web sites dedicated to the topic:
http://www.phonecallsfromthedead.net/
http://www.qsl.net/w5www/phonecalls.html
http://wintersteel.homestead.com/PhoneCallsoftheDead.html
http://www.virginiaghosts.com/phone_calls.php
http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/deliverances/calls.html
Investigation Notes:
6:35 p.m. to 9:17 p.m.
Post full moon (waning moon)
Others present: 2 homeowners, 3 cats, 2 dogs, finches and fish
Main living room/sitting room:
76-77 degrees,81 degrees (two readings)
2 spikes .8 – 2.4; TV gave off a spike; we did unplug wireless.
Office:
1.1base EMF reading, 77 degrees.
One spike, but possibly explainable with wireless network in house. (There were computers in the office). All was off when we went through, however.
In the hallway, Kevin had a very eerie feeling (a “wash”) which went through him.
Bathroom: 76 degrees, 3 spikes (near the time when Kevin got his “wash”).
Bedroom one:
Put EMF on blanket on bed. We got mild spikes. We unplugged cable box, spikes continued (1.1- 1.4). I got chills on my legs. We found a metal box under the bed, which we pulled out and away from the EMF meter. Spikes continued. Smoke detector gave off long enduring spike as we walked under it, but did not produce readable EMF as we walked away.
We felt a chill go through all three of us as we were in the room.
Bathroom: 1.0, 1 spike, chill on leg.
Bedroom 2 (Craft room): .9 EMF. VCR and TV are off. EMF mild spikes.
MA bedroom: .8 – 1.0 EMF. I thought I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye in front of the doorway.
There was 1 large spike when Kevin turned off the cable box in the MA bedroom. I was about to call “spike” when my camera shut down.
Bathroom: 77 degrees; spikes but explainable (plugged in hairdryer).
Main entry room:
EMF .8, nothing abnormal.
Dust visible in this part of house in the sunlight in the entry room.
Second walk through:
Finally, because we were not getting any clear answers, we asked the homeowners to come in. They did mention that they had an aunt Polly that died last year, and there was another family member, Helen, who died. Female homeowner said her mother’s name was Irene.
Homeowner interview:
Name Scooter: Daughter got a dog named Scooter. Denise wanted the family to know that the mother and the two aunts are together. Scooter was to validate that they are watching over the family. They did not have a message, as there were no unresolved issues when they died.
Homeowner report: Homeowner has dreams of deceased relatives.
Dogs have acted up – one night, she was growling as if there was someone there.
They have seen movement between Bedroom 1 and 2, and the office area.
Abnormal behavior of telephones: On the anniversary of homeowner’s mother’s death in Nov. of 2002. After writing another to her mother in memory of the day, the phone rang; “unknown number” listed and it would not erase from caller ID. No one was on the phone.
Hears 3 knocks on door then someone dies that homeowner knows (an old superstition does exist from the UK that relates to death omens).
Homeowners sometimes smell cigarette smoke at different hours. Sometimes we smell fresh coffee brewing, and male homeowner felt someone “sit” on the bed; no one was there.