I finished reading Ghost Tech, by Vince Wilson. I really enjoyed the book. It is a quick read; which is nice because something long and drawn out is a hard read for me when it is a technical manual. I mean let’s face it, this isn’t Twilight I am reading here (though I have to admit, I have not read Twilight… I am taking a stand against teen vampire romances).

This book is easy to follow. You may think this to have the potential to be dry and have too much technical talk, but it isn’t. It is written in a way that even I could understand. Don’t get me wrong, I like my gadgets and technical things… but there is a certain threshold of understanding for those gadgets and technical things. Vince does a pretty good job of throwing in real world experience to help emphasize his points. Humor as well. I think the best part is how there is a whole chapter devoted to the possibility of the equipment from Ghostbusters working/not working off the movie screen.

And finally: My Homework Assignment
I was assigned homework for the week. To contact a well known Ghost Hunter, a leader in the field and pioneer of modern ghost hunting techniques, and ask them a question. This is easier said than done! I figured that the names I know of would be people who are very busy because they are so well known. Most of the prominent people in this field also make their living in this field. Writing books, touring and running seminars as well as owning and running haunted tour businesses. I attempted to contact 4 people, and was lucky to hear back from one.

Loyd Auerbach, Director of the Office of Paranormal Investigations as well as author of many books, was kind enough to spend a few minutes on the phone with me as well as e-mail me some further articles and information to go over.

I asked him two questions that I have always been curious about, and have gotten a wide range of answers on. Loyd answered my questions in a way that did make a lot of sense. And coming from a guy with his experience and knowledge, I will take his answers as my own! Please bear with me on the following information as we were able to connect while I was on the road. I was not able to take notes at the time of our conversation, but I will paraphrase what he had to say to the best of my ability:

1) When investigating are there any steps I should be taking to protect myself as far as ending up with something paranormal attached to me, or in an extreme case, demonic… “issues”.
a. Loyds answer: Not necessarily. You are what you believe, and if you don’t believe that these spirits are able to attach themselves to you then your subconscious will take care of the rest. It is the same scenario as a believer in the paranormal having experiences when on a ghost hunt, where a true skeptic will never have anything happen to them.

2) Do you have any “tricks of the trade” to vet someone who claims to be psychic or sensitive?
a. Loyds answer: There isn’t a true trick to this. Even proven psychic’s can turn out to be unsuited for ghost hunting. You are not just looking for a true psychic, you are looking for one with the right skill set. Not only do you need to vet someone to find out if they are what they claim you will have to figure out if they have what it takes to be an asset to your ghost hunting group. The best way to do this is to bring them along and observe. You will soon know if they are seeking attention for something they are not truly gifted with. And if they are gifted then real experiences will help you discover if they are suited for your needs.
Valuable information! I can’t thank Loyd enough for taking time out of his busy schedule to return my message and spend some on the phone with me.

Well folks… It is late, and I have a full day of work followed by an investigation to get ready for! I should be posting about this weekend’s investigation as well as my second book that I am reading now. But for now, happy hunts!

Update to Feb 5 posting, Pro Measure EMF

Just wanted to post an update about my EMF detector. If you scroll down to that entry you will notice that one of my biggest complaints is that the back light on the instrument is so bright that it is blinding in a dark situation.

I went to a mechanic location who specializes is racing upgrades for cars. The owner was kind enough to just give me some window tinting film since my need was for such a small amount.

I applied it to my EMF detector and am happy to say that it worked like a dream! Unfortunately this actually opens another potential problem. In my efforts to learn more about this field I have found that ghost hunting strictly in the dark is actually more for the drama on the TV shows. If I use the EMF detector in normal light... well it is very hard to see the display now.

Now my next task is to decide weather it is more functional for me to deal with a very bright back light when in low light situations... or deal with the harder to see display when in lighted situations. Some use in real situations should help me make my choice.

I have another post ready to go... but I am having some technical difficulties so I may not have it online before the weekend. I have to bribe my husband to help me tomorrow to get it posted before the weekend... my husband doesn't bribe easy. But whining until he is annoyed with me may just work.

Until the next post; happy hunts!

Been a while... back to the bloggin game

Wow! It has been a long time since my last post! Unfortunately, things like writing a blog fall below running my business and working on the town planning commission.

I think I am falling into a good routine now, trying to be sure and give a little time at least 5 days a week to Ghost Hunting and the resulting blogging. Now if only I could harness this new found energy into working out at least 5 days a week as well!

Anyway, I have been going to regular seminars held on Sunday afternoons. The seminars are hosted by Vince Wilson. Vince has over 11 years of ghost hunting experience under his belt, and has written several books on the subject. I have really been enjoying his seminars because he has processes and theories I have never heard of before. Not only have I never heard of them, I sit here dumbfounded about why I didn't think of these myself! Well, I would have never thought of a theory that he explained about EVP's possibly being an entity defying time... a theory that has been explored by many well known hunters, and is hard for me to wrap my head around let alone try to repeat it here in my blog.

More like theories of "lights out". Why do we always turn the lights out when we hunt? Why do we insist on trying to catch things on grainy, green, night vision when we could have a room lit up and record in crisp clear HD??? As Vince argued, the most famous ghost photo's were taken in broad daylight... the darkness really doesn't have anything to do with ghost hunting. Except that it makes for good drama on certain TV shows, and also gives us an adrenaline rush as we hunt ourselves.

Anyway, I am having a good time with these Sunday seminars and look forward to each new one. I am almost done with Vince's book, Ghost Tech and will write a review on it as soon as I am done. I will then be moving on to his book, Ultimate Ghost Hunter as a lot of the material in this book is what we will be going over in the seminars. In addition, I have been given the homework of contacting one of the "legends" of the ghost hunting field. The elite of all of us, and pioneers in their own right such as Troy Taylor, Dale Kaczmarek, Loyd Aurback and so on. I have attempted to contact Rosemary Ellen Guiley, author of The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirit's as well as many other books. Just in case I don't get in contact with her before Sunday, I have also attempted to contact Troy Taylor. My homework is to ask one of these hunters a question or two that I would really like to know. I will update you on what progress I make.

Well, back to reading for now. I hope to get another post up before the end of the week!

Pro-Measure EMF Detector

On January 31 - February 1 2009 I went on my first investigation of a private residence. The night was pretty uneventful, and I ended up primarily investigating one room in the basement. Right at the beginning of the night I had some interesting knocking, but following that there was nothing. We are still going over the video and digital recordings so I am not sure if anything else happened. If we find anything, and I am allowed by the home owner to share evidence, I will post it.

During this investigation I was able to use my new Pro-Measure EMF detector. Model Mel-8704. This EMF detector also has ambient temperature so you only have to carry one instrument instead of two.




Pro's:
1) I definitely feel that having two instruments in one is a great idea. As it is now I have been entertaining the thought of getting something like a fisherman's vest with a bunch of pockets to be able to carry several things at once.
2) The added plus about this EMF detector is that you can turn off the ambient temperature reader and the EMF detector starts working much faster because the unit is not performing two duties at once. You can keep the temperature off after getting your base readings. This affords you the ability to get fast readings while ghost hunting. When you start to see fluctuations you can turn the ambient temperature back on and see if you are getting interesting readings from two instruments at once.
4)I bought an upgraded model with a red LED light to help you see where you are going. This one LED light is substantially bright and does help you see a good 3 to 4 feet in front of you. This is better used to help you navigate when going completely dark during your investigations.
5) The unit itself has a "kickstand" to prop the instrument up on a table or other flat surface, but it also comes with a mini tripod to make the option of leaving the instrument stationary more versatile.
6) This EMF detector is calibrated for paranormal research, and comes with a one page "quick set" of instructions (in addition to the traditional manual) for your ghost hunting needs. I like to be able to file the manual and keep it safe, but having something to take with me until I get used to the instrument and all of it's features.
7) This Instrument is able to be calibrated online. Meaning you do not have to send it to a professional to do it for you. It comes with detailed instructions on how to do so.

Con's:
1) The back light is too much. The green back light on this unit is VERY bright! It hinders your field of vision if it is on while in the dark. The light is so bright that you just can't see beyond that little green rectangle you are holding in front of you. The good news is that you can turn it off. I did this, used and my red LED flash light to read the screen. I have the idea of getting some tinted film to put over the screen and see how that tones down the light, hopefully without making the numbers un-readable. I will have to update you on this to let you know if it is a good solution.
2) I did mention that the LED light is a pro in my review. The con is that I purchased this product through www.theghosthunterstore.com, and I paid and extra $26 for the built in flashlight. I do like the feature, but it was hardly worth an extra $26.

As you can see, the pro's far outweigh the con's. And I put this on my list as a good investment. I look forward to using this EMF detector on many more investigations to come. Stay Tuned for my next installments...

Equipment Review:

• Daylight Infrared Photograph

Book Review:

• The Ghost Hunter's Handbook - The Essential How-To Guide for Conducting Paranormal Investigations by, Troy Taylor
• Ghost Research 101 - Investigating Haunted Homes by, Dave Juliano
• The Art Of Ghost Hunting - 2nd Edition by, Jaeson K. Jrakman

If you have any suggestions of equipment or books for my review please leave a comment, or contact me at MariHuntingHaunts@gmail.com.

Welcome to my Blog!

Welcome!
This is the first official post of my blog, Ghost Hunting - experiences and reviews.

It is my intention to use this blog to talk about my experiences while ghost hunting. In addition, ghost hunting affords me the opportunity to test equipment as well as different processes used in ghost hunting. I intend to offer my opinions and reviews of the equipment/processes in ghost hunting.

This Saturday I will be conducting my first investigation of a private residence. This blog will also chronicle my experiences as a young ghost hunter learning the art of controlled investigations within a paranormal investigation group.

So!!! In Summary, this blog is to:
- Chronicle my investigations, and the experiences I have.
- Offer my reviews of equipment and processes used during those investigations.
- Follow my education and experience gained as I officially dive into the world of Ghost Hunting.

A little about myself:
My name is Mari Bushway. I own a business and live in Northern Virginia, and I Ghost Hunt with a group out of near by Frederick Maryland. I have always been interested in the paranormal since I was a child; I think most every child liked to read the scary books and sneak a watch at a scary movie when they are not allowed to. Growing up I always preferred the suspense and thriller genre to any other in my movies, television and books.

As I am sure many of you are, I became a fast fan of Ghost Hunters. It was this show that started my interest in Ghost Hunting myself. I have never had a paranormal experience myself, but I am not a true skeptic. I am very open to the idea of paranormal activity. So instead of being a "couch analyst" I decided that I wanted to see for myself. Luckily I recently met a new friend, and one weekend while a bunch of us were camping I found out that his stepfather founded a paranormal investigation group. I quickly got Rod's information and contacted him. We met for a daytime investigation at Antietam Battlefield, I was invited to join Hunting Haunts, and soon became the case manager for our group.

www.huntinghaunts.com

This is where my blog, and my journey, begins!