Tuesday, October 22, 2013

GHOST HUNTERS GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE

As a paranormal investigator I have to remain a skeptic as I attempt to record evidence of unexplained paranormal activity.  Often when I’m looking at other investigators work I find very little validity in what they’re saying or showing.  Unfortunately the paranormal world seems to attract fakes like asylums attract ghosts, which only hurt those organizations that stay true to their investigations.  Fortunately for the paranormal community there is at least one group out there that offers honest findings and a sincere approach to their work in the Travel Channel’s ‘Ghost Adventures.’
I wear many hats in life and have been a life long student of the paranormal.  I’ve studied the occult & spirituality for 30+ years always finding more questions than answers.  It’s the mysteries in life that drive me to want to see more, experience more, learn more.  Delving into the unknown has proven to show many different perspectives and conclusions.  Religion, psychology, spiritual practices, science, they all offer maps of existence for our contemplation, they guide us to our own ideas.
One true belief that has grown to a life philosophy for me is that the more open I remain to ‘The Universe,’ the more it chooses to show and teach me.  I’m also a big believer in Jung’s ideas of the subconscious mind and archetypal imagery.  I call myself a Jungian Wiccan Techno Heathen, Church of One.  I believe in the positive power of nature and the positive power of technology.  I prefer the country to the city.  For me Wicca is about the tides of the Earth and our connection to it.  The holidays are marked in season and mid-season with no specific doctrine to weigh down my beliefs.  As I see it, it’s actually a very tangible belief system as I can see it and touch it, it makes sense for me.
I believe that there are many things that humanity does not understand and that this life is about exploration, learning important lessons, enlightenment and compassion.  I believe that there are other entities in The Universe, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that there is ’Someone’ out there looking out for me.  So in a way I consider myself an Atheist or Agnostic, depending on how those concepts are defined.  However, I also use the imagery and ideas that I connect with as a way to experience my Spiritual connection to The Universe.  For instance,  I feel very drawn to Quan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion in the Buddhist philosophy.  So I study her, I meditate on her, I find the things that draw me to her within myself and explore the why’s and wherefore’s to give myself a better idea of my connection to the Universe.  What I don’t believe is that there is an actual deity on ‘the other side’ that sits an listens to my prayers called Quan Yin, that looks Asian in descent, and cares for me.
Religion and Spirituality are directly influenced by the environment and culture in which they exist.  In the anthropology of religion there is a concept called ‘alienation.’  In this context, what that means is that we created ‘God/dess’s’ and than promptly forgot that we did so.  So the Gods look like we look, they act as we do, because it helps us to relate to the Universe on our terms, in a way that we can understand it.  Some belief systems are more archaic while other have become considered more acceptable in different areas of the world.  All of them, in my opinion, are maps to our understanding of the Universe, but none of them are “THE ONLY WAY.” like many ‘organized religions’ claim to be.
Paranormal investigation is based on science.  The instruments and the way that the evidence is presented is meant to be very clinical and was developed by skeptics.  This lends validity to the findings for all involved and it’s an extremely important aspect of the investigative process.  As with everything, it’s also evolved into many different aspects in today’s world.  It’s very difficult for an investigator to not influence the terminology of the evidence with their own belief systems.  For instance, (huge fan of these guys) ‘Ghost Adventures’ crew is largely Christian in their terminology when they explain the aspects of their investigations.  It’s a known construct for the audience that they’re catering to and seems to be the main belief for the three main investigators.  This does also seem to be the personal side of how they experience their investigations.  Personally I don’t see things in terms of Heaven and Hell, demons and angels.  I do understand and visualize similar paths for ‘souls’, but in a way marked more toward the karmic explanations.  I do believe that evil exists and that some entities can be classified as “demon“, which to me is an entity that has never been human and something that feeds off the energy of fear, hate, violence.
Yes, I’m a believer.  That won’t stop me from presenting instrumental findings in a scientific manner, it just means that I’ll embellish my findings further with personal experience and belief.  When coming to conclusions about scientific evidence it still has to be presented in a way that can be understood and respected by the skeptics out there.  That’s what all the wonderful gadgets in today’s day and age are for, so we can capture evidence that proves or disproves the idea that the paranormal does exist or doesn’t exist.
Paranormal investigators all start off their journey’s for many different reasons.  I’ve been experiencing paranormal activity all my life.  I had an ‘imaginary friend’ that wasn’t so imaginary.  My sister that passed before I was born has been a constant companion for me.  It’s her presence on the other side that makes me believe that my psychic and dreaming gifts are enhanced by her.  My experiences have been deeply personal and have led me to my Gifts, Spiritual beliefs, my areas of study, my passion for the unexplained and mysterious and brought me to my present endeavors in paranormal investigation.
What I know for certain is that I will never fake evidence, lie about my findings or stage fake experiences for ratings.  I have no ratings!!!  This is a promise from me to you, that my findings will be presented honestly and that I’ll be very clear about the line between what I believe and what I can prove.

Co-Founder of The Purple Phantasm
Thunder Bay, Ontario Paranormal Investigations
http://thepurplephantasm.wix.com/thepurplephantasm

Hanna McLean

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