A Magickal Journey
Ghost Hunt Preparations
Ghost hunts vary widely. At one end of the spectrum, a group of inexperienced friends may challenge each other to visit a haunted cemetery on Halloween. At the other extreme, a ghost hunt may be a full-scale, organized and scientific investigation of a paranormal location using standard measurement tools to detect anomalies, and no psychic perceptions/skills at all.
Somewhere in-between, there is the average ghostly encounter. I’ll describe a typical ghost hunt, from my experiences:
Where to organize a ghost hunt
When I’ve scheduled a “real” ghost hunt, I’ve usually confirmed that the site is actually haunted. Most of the time, this means that I’ve visited the location informally, with one or two others, and often with a group of people. During at least one visit, unexplained significant events have captured my interest.
For example, orbs in a few photos plus someone feeling “creepy” are not enough to spark a full investigation. However, if every psychic visitor to the site is practically overwhelmed by imagery, emotions, and/or sounds, we’ll go back with measurement tools for a formal investigation.
Deciding which site is worthwhile, is usually a decision made by a group, not an individual.
Who is on the research team
The next step is to schedule a more formal ghost hunt, with scientific instruments, and a team of researchers representing a variety of interests, abilities, and beliefs in the supernatural.
For this more formal investigation, I would include people with whom I’ve previously encountered the paranormal. No one can predict how a particular haunting will affect each person. Someone may be fine with a spectral battle at Gettysburg, but go to pieces over a ghostly dog that appears lost and whimpering. From one investigation to the next, it is nearly impossible to predict which individuals will be fine, and which leave the site badly shaken with fright.
In general, I do not invite sarcastic skeptics, people who frighten too easily, or anyone whose personality quirks might conflict with others in the group. This is an entirely arbitrary process, similar to planning invitations to a formal dinner, but not quite so awkward as seating people at a wedding reception. *grin*
I try to include a balance of psychics and people who approach the paranormal from a purely scientific basis. However, many psychics use tools such as cameras, heat sensors, tape recorders, or EMF meters to support their paranormal observations.
Basic preparations
Before the investigation, I advise people what to expect in terms of landscape, hazards (weak floorboards, gopher holes in cemeteries, broken glass scattered in a park, and so on), and weather quirks. If possible, team members should visit the site once before the investigation, to get an idea of what to expect.
Before the investigation, I also check to make certain that we won’t be trespassing or otherwise breaking the law during our ghost hunt.
In some communities, there are vague laws suggesting that public parks (including cemeteries) are closed from dusk to dawn. If the site is not specifically posted, I usually begin the research well before dusk, and all participants agree that we’ll leave cheerfully and promptly if asked, when it’s well past dusk.
In other areas, cranky neighbors or law enforcement officials may use loitering statutes to get ghost hunters to leave a site. Frankly, there isn’t much you can do about this. You’ll have the fewest problems with ghost hunts during daytime hours, in most settings.
This leads to the issue of when is the “best” time to encounter ghosts.
When to ghost hunt
The overwhelming opinion in fictional accounts is that ghosts appear after dark, usually around midnight, and particularly on Halloween or anniversaries of the death of the ghost(s). Because belief often triggers events, and not vice versa, this may be the “most haunted” time of day.
However, the hour immediately before dusk and after dawn are when a large number of paranormal events occur.
Some ghost hunters insist that they have the best results between 9 p.m. and midnight, but just as many stories are even more credible because they take place at mid-day and in sunlight.
I have encountered ghosts at noon on sunny days, but most often as the light fades at or immediately after dusk.
This is why I schedule ghost hunts starting one hour before sunset. We’ll have plenty of research time before dusk, if local laws prohibit us from working later
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