talkmagic.co.uk

me neither!

Seen a few pink elephants tho!

I read somewhere (or was it a TV program?) that certain ghostly sightings can be attributed to low frequency sound waves. Couldn't tell you how, but it was very interesting viewing/reading at the time. Personally, I do believe in ghosts even though I've never seen one (that I'm aware of). There's a lot out there that we don't understand yet and perhaps never will. I think it's important to keep an open mind about these things but without teetering on the edge of the Chasm of Gullibility. It's a fine line, methinks.

AndyRegs wrote:But what about our other senses. People also only seem to claim they 'feel' the presence of a ghost or hear footsteps when it is dark. Or perhaps we just come to other conclusions about the draft and the creeky floorboards when its light.

The dark also helps to "dampen" the sense of sight that we rely on so much, thereby allowing our other senses to come to the fore. That's why people often hear or smell spooks or even simply become aware of things "not being right" when in the dark.

I don't think we can attribute some of the sightings reported in this thread as being down to creaky floorboards or drafts. Lady of Mystery's little girl for instance. What on earth was going on there? That must have been terrifying.

I haven't even mentioned my stories yet.

Also, from looking at those who say they have seen a ghost, I would ask why ghosts never seem to visit the skeptics. Are they hurt hurt by their rejection?

The dark also helps to "dampen" the sense of sight that we rely on so much, thereby allowing our other senses to come to the fore. That's why people often hear or smell spooks or even simply become aware of things "not being right" when in the dark.

The dark also allows are minds to do a merry dance for us. I (and no doubt countless people here) have thought I have seen something when it was dark, only to realise that it was a shadow (or something or other) and my mind was filling in the gaps, but getting the wrong end of the stick. Add that to the fear of the dark, the idea that it is easy to be concealed in the shadows, and the stories we have been told about such things as ghosts (which all happen in the dark), and it all makes the situation right to 'see' things.

Yes....

Yes....

Replicant wrote:The next morning, I Googled it and discovered I had most probably suffered from an episode of sleep paralysis. The sense of fear was so acute; I really cannot find the words to describe how truly scary it was, but anyone who has had sleep paralysis before will no doubt understand what I mean. Until you experience it for yourself, I don't think it's possible to really understand how very terrifying this is. Sleep paralysis is a fascinating thing and I did some reading up on it which did help to settle my nerves a bit. At the time, though, I was 100% convinced I was victim to some malevolent spirit.

One thing I remember from reading up on sleep paralysis is that it tends to occur if you sleep on your back a lot, which, back then, I did. Not anymore. It affected me so badly that I no longer sleep on my back. I have had one attack of sleep paralysis since but it was nowhere near as bad as I felt it coming and managed to force myself awake and sitting up in bed in order to shake it off. But it was very difficult to do and I was still in a sweat afterwards.

Thats happened to me 3 times now, and i didn't have a clue what it was. I'm gonna have to read up about it.

Its horrible, it feels like your wide awake but its impossible to move, and when you try and shout out it feels like you lungs are imploding. And when it happens it feels like I'm trapped in my body for about 20mins (its hard to tell), but I'm still in bed in my room, so it doesn't feel like a dream. I also snap out of it suddenly with my heart pounding, sweating like a rapist and feeling completely shattered.

Good to know what it is, really un-nerving when it happens though.

themagicwand wrote:Anybody ever seen a ghost?

No. No one has ever seen a ghost.

Well... unless you want to include that over-priced deck of cards dreamed up by Bradley Christian...

I will let you know about 2 things that have happened that I can't explain, then let you decide if they are supernatural.



I was a Shift Manager for my last security firm, and one of the sites we had to lock up was an old lodge down a long track.
When we used to show new guards round, they got an uneasy feeling when they got near. This could be explained by the fact it was so far out of the way.
This doesn't explain how, when part of the building was being rewired, and only loose cables hanging down from the light fittings, that the building suddenly lit up when I was driving away. I had just come out from locking it up in the dark. Remember, the power to this section was OFF, with no light fittings, let alone bulbs.
At different times, people, including myself, heard voices on the edge of hearing. ( yes,just like horror films). There have also been crashes heard on the other side of a door, when we just came out. Nothing had moved when we checked.


Somewhere else, I saw a womans head gradually appear, then fade again. This was while sitting at a reception desk in an empty building, about 1am. It was about 5 feet away from me, with no mirrors, reflections etc, etc. Total time was about 5 seconds, and I just carried on with what I was doing.

Those are the two events I can remember clearly. There have been other things, but too long ago and too unclear, subject to what my mind would change my memory of those events.

As far as I'm concerned, if there are ghosts, why be nervous? What harm do they do, if they exist?

I've recounted the facts, as I have not been able to think of any solutions, especially about the lights.

queen of clubs wrote:

themagicwand wrote:Anybody ever seen a ghost?

No. No one has ever seen a ghost.

Well... unless you want to include that over-priced deck of cards dreamed up by Bradley Christian...

A rude and point of personal opinion vs. fact based experience.

Far too many in our business want to think themselves above such things and yet, many who start off as skeptics who actually do HONEST field studies, frequently change their tune within relatively short time.

NO you aren't likely to encounter some kind of Hollywood haunted house type manifestation.

YES there are numerous possible explanations but they are only possible explanations, not carved in stone factual explanations. Just because you know the secret to an effect does not negate the magic it can create in the minds of others.... just because you know that secret does not make you superior in any way, either.

Not all hauntings are readily explained away nor replicated. Same goes with other paranormal scenarios. The "skeptic's culture" however, singles out only the one's they can explain away and quickly shifts focus when it comes to those situations they can't write off (frequently seeking to discredit the person or persons supporting the original tale).

I've always found it amazing how all the Skeptics strive to grab headlines with their prejudice and boasts while those of us who really do take such investigative work seriously tend to stray away from such attention for the most part. Not due to a lack of confirmation but simply because we aren't in it for the sake of mustering media attention and self-glory. Randi won't touch a case unless he knows he can get back on Larry King or 60-Minutes with it... he's so full of himself that he's failed to see how many psychics deliberately bait him for attention in that his focus guarantees them several hundred thousand in speaker's fees and book sales... it certainly made Uri a millionaire a few times over.

I've seen a fireball in the sky that broke the sound barrier than crumbled up.

I've seen a fireball in the sky that broke the sound barrier than crumbled up.

God damn US Military.

themagicwand wrote:Lady of Mystery's little girl for instance. What on earth was going on there? That must have been terrifying.

Strangely is wasn't frightening at all, there was a very odd, warm sense of peace and calm at the time. Very odd and not at all what you'd expect.

We have a ghost. He hasn't been very active lately, but he's still around.

We used to live in a bedsit on a London council estate (yes, it was awful). The previous tenant died in the flat and wasn't found for weeks -- some kids playing outside eventually noticed the windows were covered with flies. His dog had eaten some of his body, and had also died by the time the police broke in.

Anyway, there was definitely a ghost in the flat when we were there, and we've always assumed it was the previous guy (Peter). Colin had lived there for a few years before we got married and I moved in, and he knew about it but didn't tell me. So it was quite a surprise for me the first time I met Peter!

I was in the kitchen doing the washing up, and felt that there was someone standing immediately behind me. So I spun round, expecting to find Colin, and there was nobody there. I went into the bed/living room, and Col was sound asleep.

A few days later I had gone into the bathroom just to blow my nose, so I left the door open. I got a vague perception of someone coming to the bathroom door and then moving away, and again assumed it was Col wanting to use the facilities. The little corridor between the bathroom and the living area turned a corner, and as I stepped out of the room saying "it's OK, you can come in", there was just a hint of someone just having turned the corner. So I followed into the living room, and Col was happily settled watching TV.

So that's how I found out about Peter. He seemed more focused on Col, but liked to come right up behind me as if peering over my shoulder to see what I was doing. We both agreed that we occasionally saw him as a vague dark figure in a long coat and a hat, always apparently from behind.

When we were moving to Bolton, Peter seemed very upset at the disruption and took to banging on the bed. Eventually I said aloud that he could come with us if he wanted to. I never actually thought he'd take up the offer, but he did.

Now he tends to hang around the bedroom and upstairs landing. Colin has often seen him at the foot of the bed; I see him more often on the landing. One year, for a month or two around Christmas, he was very active and seemed to have a guest -- a woman with curly black hair.

Once he came up behind me when I was on the computer, and put a hand on my shoulder. THAT was scary, in the sense that it made me jump. I whirled around and, although I couldn't see him, I felt that he dashed into the far corner of the room and was very sorry for frightening me. I suppose he just wanted to see what I was doing.

I seriously want to see a ghost. I'm a very open minded skeptic, if that is possible. And who knows perhaps I have. Years ago in a section of old Montreal my friend rented a loft. He called me two days later to help him move because he swore up and down it was haunted, he was willing to pay the fee for breaking his lease but he wasn't staying. Naturally I went over that evening because I seriously wanted to see something! The only thing I could not figure is that when I walked through a section of the apt I got cold. I paced the loft for days and never felt it again. I shurgged it off as just one of those things, (it is not called Old Montreal because it is brand spanking new with fancy apartments). Now moving forward about 15 yrs or so I was back in Montreal and walking through old Montreal and noticed a fenced off portion just about where the buiding used to be. Turns out that the Archeology dept of McGill University was conducting some sort of archeological dig., so who knows.