Last night a lady asked how to get onto a paranormal
team, into the paranormal, so I thought I'd jot a little on that for
others that may have asked themselves the same question.
I couldn't
very well offer up my group last night, or SRC for that matter because
we're based pretty far away and have a very large group of people from
which to draw from already if needed, something I'll touch in in just a
moment.
1st things first, if you know like minded folks, band
together and make a team. Simple as that. Read like a maniac, study up
on the topic. But first ask yourself, "Why would I like to do this?"
If
it's to have something to do, it's probably best to start by studying,
and to bear in mind that when on a ghost hunt, you are looking for proof
of somebody having survived the body, somebody's loved one, somebody
that likely had a lot of grief felt, tears shed when they passed away.
That is who you're looking to communicate with, and often they have no
idea that they, or more accurately, their body, has ceased to exist.
Often they can be distraught, or angry, or otherwise unsound in mind.
See, most folks who pass and stay here tend to be fearful, of judgement,
of leaving an incomplete life, of leaving loved ones behind, of losing a
possession. That isn't a terribly healthy emotional state to begin with
(and the decision is largely emotion based anyway), so please recognize
that, as well as the importance of always being respectful no matter
the location or circumstances.
No offense intended, many folks in the
field would prefer you not get in the field at the expense of the dead,
and I mean that in the nicest possible way.
If your answer comes
back "So I can score a TV show!" Well, really, just go away. Seriously.
I have seen so much of this it makes me want to scream. Folks in it for
the exact wrong and cynical reasons really, really, really demean the
field and demean the dead. And do consider the odds of this happening
are about the same as farting fairy dust on the moon. Ok, maybe a little
better, but still.
If your answer comes back as "Because it is
(or looks) fun", then look for social contacts to find a good,
reputable, informed team to learn from. Meetup.com is a good start, some
teams list for positions to be filled on facebook, craigslist, etc. And read, educate yourself.
If
your answer comes back "To learn more about the paranormal" or "To help
people", look for a team who has that same focus, and read up on the
topic.
You're best to get
involved with a team which is local to you, and here's why: If you're
traveling more than, say, 10 to 25 miles from home, late night return
trips home can be hazardous. Many times you will be physically tired,
emotionally drained, there will be impaired drivers on the roadways. I
frequently travel 100 miles out for
hunts and it wears me out.
Also do be sure that on a meetup to meet in a public location, This is for your own protection.I
do advise hooking up with a team that does permit you to bring your
spouse or significant other along whenever you can bring them. That door
should always be open, and here's why. Your returning home occasionally
at 4, 5 AM might be ok, but it is entirely possible that your better
half will begin to feel resentful, suspicious, neglected if it happens
all the time. If a group does not permit spouses etc, ask why not.
Also,
ask local groups if you can accompany them on a hunt or two. If they do
not permit that, ask yourself why not. Look at the paranormal as a
hobby, and if a hobby isn't inclusive it often causes friction.
What
equipment do I need? Well, your most important items are you, and your
integrity. Beyond that, just start off as we oldsters call "Old School."
Nothing wrong with old school at all, I often revert to old school when
I feel I need to get my techniques honed, or when I need a change of pace.
Old
school is simply using a decent camera and perhaps a voice recorder.
Last night David said it, and he was absolutely right, when you become
overly dependent on gadgets (some of which work, some of which do not)
you begin to loose your innate, intuative skills of detecting when
something has changed, or is outright wrong in a room or given
situation. Focusing on meters and such can also cause you to walk into
things inadvertently, possibly injuring you. As you become more adept at
using your camera (and voice recorder) in the dark, then begin adding
gadgets to your repretoir, but if they do not add something to your investigation such as better data collection, or better analytical
ability, maybe said extra equipment isn't needed. Also consider that if
you outlay a ton of money on gadgets and find the paranormal field isn't
for you, you now have a lot of useless equipment that is very difficult
to re-purpose.
Why would you find the field is not for you? Sleep deprivation, a bad run-in with a dark entity, hours devoted to hunting and not finding anything are valid concerns. It happens.
You'll
also find that most of the time ghost hunting is very boring. Hours of
tedium waiting for something to happen, and many, many times nothing
does happen. In those cases you hope like hell you have a photo with
activity, or better still an EVP catch.
This is when the real work begins.
Please,
please understand that for every minute of data collected, you are
going to spend 1 to 5 minutes examining that minute, if you're truly
looking for evidence of life after death. 10 cameras filming for 10
hours? That's 100 hours x 1 to 5 of review. 500 hours? Editing? Saving? Ain't nobody got time for that.
So the key is, keep it simple, unless you have countless hours to spend.
And
at all times, do enjoy yourself. I don't mean playing grab ass in the
dark, but enjoy the locations, stay positive, enjoy the folks you work
with, and do have fun. When a hobby becomes like a job, it is no longer a
hobby, it IS a job. A low or non paying job at that.
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