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Beyond The Veils Newsletter is
a paranormal and spiritual newsletter brought to you by the members
of TRIPP . Along with this newsletter is also a Yahoo forum
- Beyond The Veils . If you
haven't joined our forum, please visit soon!
Welcome to TRIPP's
first newsletter, Beyond the Veils .
This first
edition is to help others understand and get a look at how most
of the public views paranormal investigators or those interested in
the field. Also this newsletter is a new venture for us so
please be patient and hopefully we will learn new things and test
new theories to keep everyone interested. There is a
little bit here about our work, news in the paranormal
community, great links ranging from free programs to
paranormal radio shows and also some ideas that you may want to
try out for yourself. We will improve as time goes by.
Please feel free to submit your stories, pictures or evp for
others to see.
If anyone has
any ideas you want to see or see discussed, contact us and let
us know! We will try and give every suggestion careful
consideration. For all submissions, please send to:
Newsletter
idea/submission
And PLEASE pass
this on to others you feel might be interested. We're trying
to get the word out!
Thanks!
- Judy
McCollough, TRIPP founder & investigator
Some of you who have chosen to
visit various paranormal sites will notice differing opinions among
researchers from everything on how to do proper investigations, to
types of equipment to use, as well as the video, audio or still
imagery that some have gathered. There are even teams of researchers
where members of the same team do not always agree on what may or
may not be paranormal in some of their cases. Trying to research and
learn more about the paranormal is an everyday quest. Some new
technique or experiment or type of equipment is always coming to
light, and staying informed does require time.
Paranormal
researchers that have taken the time to learn and understand their
field understand that much of the information they read and learn
about is based on theory. Getting concrete solid evidence when
dealing with the paranormal is difficult. Most of the time when
something paranormal does happen or take place, it happens so
quickly that the researcher has little time to react and catch it on
video or audio or on a camera. Researchers can tell you numerous
stories about personal experiences they have had while
investigating, but seemingly little solid evidence to back it up
because it happened unexpectedly and caught the researcher off
guard. For those who have had experiences, they can tell you that it
seems uncanny that something happens in the middle of a battery
change, a tape change, or at the one time you have decided to do
something a little different, and you may have caught it if only you
had not changed from what you normally do. Since much of the
paranormal has to do with energy, then it is understandable that
energy moves, and sometimes quickly, and we are in constant pursuit
of trying to catch up with it. So as researchers, we are constantly
trying to determine if something we encounter is of a paranormal
nature, or something that can logically be explained, and by the
time we make a determination, the energy may have moved on.
Many people visiting
paranormal sites are doing so to see the pictures or video. However,
getting actual visual evidence is very hard to do and it can take a
long time to get something like that, so at times people are
disappointed that they do not see more pictures. Actual apparitions
are very hard to capture and are not as common as many people think.
Since most paranormal energy is not flesh and bone, getting the
right light, the perfect timing or just being in the right place at
the right time is not always possible. Researchers want to get
pictures and evidence to study just as much as the public wants
proof.
Since so much of the field of
the paranormal is based on theory, it is hard for researchers
sometimes to try and fit their experiences into a certain category,
when what they saw, felt or experienced was similar but not exactly
like what happened to another. This is where the differing opinions
come into play. So when you are scanning different paranormal
websites and you see the differences of opinions on everything from
how to investigate, when to do it, if orbs are dust or paranormal
energy or both, to whether Evps are short in seconds or can be long
sentences, remember that paranormal energy and entities comes in
different forms, sizes, as well as the strength of the energy field
that is being put out from it. This field has many aspects of
it that are not written in stone yet because we are researching
areas where the evidence can come and go in a few fleeting seconds,
and being able to gather enough plausible evidence to be able to
make a hard case takes a lot of time. Researchers that are dedicated
understand that not everyone believes, not everyone agrees, and not
everyone will be on the same page in this field of research until we
are able to obtain enough evidence to change theory into fact. Some
of the greatest inventions began as theories that people could not
comprehend at the time. It takes researchers and dedicated
individuals to continue on time after time trying to test ideas and
gather enough solid evidence that will possibly change a theory into
a reality. We expect to have people disagree or ridicule us, just
the same as has happened over the centuries to others whose works
were at one time only a theory.
Our hope as
researchers is that one day soon someone will come across a
piece of evidence that will prove a theory many have, and then we
can all be on the same page about how we look at something and can
understand the facts behind it. Until that happens, who is going to
say who is right without having the hard facts to support it?
If you are a public
viewer checking out this site, or you are a prospective investigator
looking for information, just remember that nothing in the field is
set in stone and let your own evidence be your guide. One day there
may be proof positive evidence to serve as a guideline. Until then,
we continue to research in hopes of a better understanding of the
unknown and how it relates to us.
| MISCONCEPTIONS
OF A GHOST HUNTER |
- Jennifer
Lewis, TRIPP paranormal investigator
If you're interested in the
paranormal, ghosts, spirits or what is on the "other side", then
you've been questioned by others who don't fully understand your
interests. Either people find it very interesting and
have more questions about ghost hunting, or others think you have
some serious brain damage.
Why are there misconceptions
about "Ghost Hunters"? Let's think about the recent load of real
life television shows concerning paranormal activities which have
certainly piqued the interests of many non-believers, believers and
not-too-sure believers. The Travel Channel's Most
Haunted has had some of the craziest occurrences, such as tables
moving on their own, Ouija boards going awry and even a game of roll
the ball back and forth between people and
"spirits". There is no wonder there are these
misconceptions of people who ghost hunt.
Paranormal State on
A&E television is a new show concerning people who have
"haunted" or "possessed" homes and want them "cleansed" or rid of
the paranormal activity. They bring in people who can apparently rid
these "spirits" and often have strange
occurrences.
And, then there is
Ghost Hunters on SciFi which is a group of Roto-Rooter
plumbers who try to debunk most of the occurrences that happen in
these so-called "haunted" homes. It seems they are more
scientific in their findings, but also have come across many
unexplainable occurrences. There are the sounds, smells, cold
spots, moving orbs and actual appearances of ghosts to some of the
investigators. One episode had video evidences of a warm
spots shown by the infra red camera which appeared to be the shape
of a man.
All of these programs can persuade someone's mind
to believe, not believe or become even more skeptical of people who
ghost hunt. The dramatics obviously keep a person
interested in each of these shows. As some of the findings can
be proven false, there are other findings that cannot be proven fake
or real. It doesn't seem to matter, because they
certainly bring in the viewers.
Several more similar reality
television programs have been making their way since "Ghost Hunting"
has become so popular. Haunting Evidence on TruTv
channel is a mixture between searching for paranormal activity and
psychics abilities to find any clues to an unsolved
murder. More programs directly including psychic's
abilities are Psychic Detectives on TruTv channel, Psychic
Witness on the TLC-Discovery Channel and Psychic
Investigators on the Biography channel.
There are
countless books and internet discussions on paranormal activities
with tons of information concerning either your beliefs or
non-beliefs and what-ifs. It's much like finding a drug
for what "ails ya" and you'll find it to keep your interests either
going or not going in whatever way you wish.
Ghost stories
have a very long history, and get passed down from generation to
generation. Several stories have been elaborated and some
things have been left out for various reasons. How many
times have you heard about the lady in the white dress walking down
the highway in middle of the night? Has that really happened
or not? Is the lady a figment of our imagination since nearly
half a dozen people in your town has seen her and told you about
her? Again, it's another mystery.
Personal experiences
and watching other people experience paranormal activities can lead
to more questions. This is where it can become purely
psychological. Think about being frightened with a friend at
any time in your life. If they run, you run. If they
scream, you scream. If they think they saw something
in the bushes, then maybe you saw it too? No need for a
degree in psychology here, because persuasion can happen fairly
easily whether you intend for it to happen or not.
So, there
are various reasons to see why someone may think a ghost hunter is
off their rocker; or are they just possibly highly in tune with
makings of the world? It comes down to your own beliefs and
personal experiences with
paranormal.
Not every ghost hunter has seen a ghost, and not every ghost
hunter is in touch with the "other side". Several ghost
hunters have experienced vast amounts of paranormal activities,
while others have simply had no experiences at all. The
mystery keeps the interests piqued no matter how much experience a
ghost hunter has had in their lifetime.
The plethora of
information out there is enormous. Basically it boils down to
your personal belief system and what you want to believe or not
believe. The unanswered questions keep us intrigued and
keep the spirits alive.
| INTERVIEW WITH A
PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR |
- Bethany Figueroa, TRIPP
webmistress
Interview with a
Paranormal Investigator is a feature that I hope to be able to
add to each newsletter. It lets you take a quick peek
into the life of a paranormal investigator. It lets you
see how they got started in investigating, what makes them a
believer and how they feel during an investigation. It
also includes little questions to help us get to know the personal
side.
This e-interview was with
Suni Hoffman who is a sensitive with TRIPP.
1. How long were you interested
in investigating the paranormal before you became an investigator?
A few years. I had been going out to cemeteries with
friends since high school.
2. What made you decide to go
ahead and try it?
I have had enough proof that an
investigation could be successful in a haunted
environment.
3. Is it what you expected it would be? If
not, how is it different?
I don't really expect
much so it has definitely exceeded my expectations. There are
always surprises!
4. What do you consider the best part
of being an investigator?
I like walking in a blank
canvas and coming out with a story!!
5. Have your
thoughts on the paranormal changed any since before you started
investigating?
Yes, definitely! It has really helped
open my mind to all the possibilities out there. Now that I have
done it a while I am not scared any more, I get excited.
6. What is your favorite piece of equipment?
I don't do very well technically speaking,
obviously :P but I have personally had more success capturing EVPs
on a digital voice recorder.
7. What do you consider
your best piece of paranormal evidence?
The EVP's from
Big C & the picture of the Vortex I took at Bowman Cemetery with
Judy's camera.
8. Have you actually seen a ghost or
apparition?
YES!!! In the choir pew at the church in
Iowa Park. It was breath-taking!
9. What is your
favorite type of site to investigate (home, historic, etc)?
I think so far I prefer the historic sites because they
have more history and are easier to research. I have found home
sites more difficult to get through although I am still
open to investigating them.
10. What is the funniest
thing that has happened on an investigation?
'Something' was messing with the mic during the Channel
6 interview. They were asking me to ask the ghosts to do something
and then the mic mysteriously turned off while I was talking.
11. What is the best paranormal experience you've had
while investigating?
Playing jump rope with a little
girl ghost with the laser light of the EMF reader. Julie walked by
and recorded an evp of jumping noises and a little girl singing.
12. What is the worst?
The vortex above
someone’s bed in an apartment. The energy was suffocating and
stagnant. The bad part wasn't closing it; it was not finding out how
it opened in the first place.
13. Do you have a favorite
paranormal movie?
Poltergeist ALL the
WAY!!
- Judy
McCollough, TRIPP founder & investigator
Have you been thinking
for a while that rousting up a few spirits may be something you find
interesting? With all the shows on TV that are awakening us to the
spirit world, more and more people are finding this realm interests
them. Before jumping up and strapping on that Ghost Busters
suit, let’s look at exactly what you are in for.
There are
two main types of investigations: the ghost hunt, and the ghost
investigation. Ghost hunting is searching for ghosts at a location
that is not known to have paranormal activity. Old buildings,
cemeteries, old hospitals and even schools may fall into this
category. A ghost investigation is actually searching for ghosts at
a place where paranormal activity has been reported and someone may
be asking you to investigate to find out the reasons. Many
people have a fear that they may have a ghost in their home. Hairs
rise up on their necks at the thought that they are going to be
haunted in the very place they take refuge to feel safe. Ghosts and
hauntings are not always hand in hand. Sometimes ghosts will
wander about and go to places they are not familiar with, just as
you can experience a haunting without an actual ghost being there.
Here is a little information about the different types of
hauntings, so you can better understand what it may be that you are
getting involved in, or are experiencing.
Residual
Haunt
The most common type of haunting is a residual haunt,
also known as an imprint. A residual haunting does not involve
ghosts. It is believed that all objects, even things such as tables,
beds and cars have energy fields. When an event happens that creates
an emotional high or low for us, the energy is released and absorbed
into these objects that are near us. Eventually the energy
field is triggered and will continue to play the event over and over
again, repeating itself. It is an impression made in time. This type
of haunt tends to occur in areas where a great amount of energy was
expended. Many residuals are not seen. They may be something you
smell or hear, or could be a particular feeling you get. A residual
haunt will not respond to you. The spirit is not actually there,
only the energy is.
Intelligent Haunting
An
Intelligent haunting is when an entity has the ability to interact
with you. The entity may do things to get your attention, such
as making a door slam, making a chair move, or turning off
lights. The entity even has the ability to make contact
through touch. The voice of entities can be captured on recording
devices. This is called EVP, Electronic Voice Phenomena. You will
not hear the entity as you ask questions, but the recorder will many
times pick up the voices as they are answering questions and you
will hear them when you play back your recording. It is believed
that the entity of an intelligent haunt either does not realize they
have died, or they have unfinished business to tend to before
crossing over. Many intelligent haunts want us to notice them. They
are confused and most likely miss us as much as we miss
them.
Poltergeist Haunt
The word poltergeist means
"a noisy ghost". Poltergeists are normally loud and on
occasion have been known to get violent. This kind of haunt
normally centers around one person that may be dealing with
emotional stress, and opens themselves up to become a human agent.
Many times, the activity will not occur when that person is not on
the premises. Some research scientists have considered the
possibility that this is actually psycho kinesis, and not a
haunting. During many poltergeist hauntings, things have been
seen flying around. There have been instances of objects levitating,
as well as unusually foul smells. Fire outbreaks have been witnessed
as well as things breaking. This kind of activity can also be
associated with malevolent and discarnate spirits.
Portal
Haunting
A portal haunting is a doorway providing access for
spirits to get from another realm to this one. Many researchers
believe that burial grounds and cemeteries may be portals.
Personally, this researcher has recently investigated an old
building with a hand rope elevator, and along with several other
team members believes that the elevator is a portal. It is
also believed that some mirrors may be portals.
These are
just a few types of hauntings that exist. Once you decide you are
going to venture out into this area of the unknown, make sure you
become familiar with the many types of hauntings. Once you encounter
one, you will know how to interact or conduct your investigation.
First off, you must have a passion for paranormal research.
Whether it is a job or a hobby, if you have no passion for it, it
becomes a chore; too much work and too many excuses not to do it. If
you have a passion for it, you enjoy it. Getting the evidence is the
easiest part, but filtering through hours of audio and video while
trying to stay awake is where the work comes in. Also, trying to
stay objective about what you hope you found, and what you really
found, is harder than you think. You get excited one minute only to
be let down another. Once you do finally get that special something,
it makes all the hard work seem worth it, but then it only sparks
you to go out and find more, and the work starts all over
again.
A good suggestion is to find someone else in your area
that may be going out on investigations, and ask for a guest ride on
one. See all the time and patience it takes, plus the setting up and
breaking down of equipment, and see if you still think it is worth
it. Ask to help check the evidence and give them some company while
they are staring at video for hours on end that may have not
captured anything, or listening to nothing but white noise on a
recorder.
Equipment can get expensive, so a suggestion is
that you begin with only basic items. Beginning with a camera, voice
recorder and flashlight would be a good starting point. You can get
both your pictures and your audio with these basics, and you can
then see if you feel the need, or want to get into more expensive
and technical equipment. Equipment can range anywhere from
tens of dollars to thousands of dollars. You may find yourself
spending a lot of money on film, batteries and tapes. Since most
research groups are non profit, these expenses come from their own
pockets. Once you have done a few experiments or investigations, if
you find that you are not as excited about it as you thought you
would have been, then you have not spent your summer vacation money
on frivolous equipment that will end up sitting in the garage next
to your jet ski you did not buy. This is not to scare off the people
who feel they have a calling for this type of research, but it
should be a wake up call for those who enjoy following the trends
for a few months and then it is on to the next new exciting trend.
Ghost hunting has been around since before Ghost Busters ever
arrived on the scene, and it will be around long after the
cancellation of the Travel Channel’s Most Haunted series.
It is to those dedicated individuals that we should give
credence to in the years to come. It will be one of those
truly dedicated souls who have the passion and patience, that has
done the footwork, and has spent endless hours staring at video
screens in hopes of finding that ‘ah ha” capture, that may one day
give us that eye opening evidence that makes our jaws drop, and may
make many more of us become true believers. Do the research. Spend
time talking to others in the field. Ask for a guest spot on an
investigation. Do the work afterwards. Then make your decision. If
you feel in it is your bones, then come join the rest of us who feel
the passion, and we can all support each other. Not everyone gets as
excited about this, or even believes in ghosts. You will get your
share of non believers. Be prepared. Keep checking back here in the
newsletter and join us around the campfire as we share information
and ghost stories. Happy Hunting!
| THE GHOST OF SCREAMING
SHEILA BRIDGE |
The Ghost of
Screaming Sheila Bridge
It was a bitter cold night with
a full moon shining bright and bold
The wind howled in a swirling
demon of snowy powder.
The coyote's yelps echoed through the
fields.
The stars shuddered in the cold.
A lone woman
moved through the night on horseback
She had been through a
desert of pain.
She had little food nor money nor much hope
Her horse plodded along in a desperate lope.
Her house was
just ahead by the little creek,
Over the old wood bridge and set
back from the lane.
She had lost her love to the war,
She had laid him to rest
She had no one now but the dogs at
best
Up on the high ridge her progress was seen
By dark
avengers of the Wild West
Two Indians watched her walk alone
They had no remorse for the things they had done
Ten men or
twenty, they had not a care
They took to the trail and overtook
the woman unaware
The bridge over the flowing creek
Echoed
with the horses hoof beats
And the screams of the woman pierced
the air
The coyotes howled for her despair.
Now in the
days of spring and summer
The old wood bridge offers some shade;
But on the winds of a snowy night,
When the Full Moon shines
bright
And you can hear the Coyotes howl
The Ghost of
Screaming Sheila can be heard
By those who know the story of her
death so long ago
- Garnet Windrider (c)
2008
In each issue of our newsletter we
will add a question or theory that is being discussed in our Yahoo
group - Beyond The Veils . We invite you to
join so you can cast your vote and get in on the discussion!
CAN
SPIRITS/GHOSTS CROSS OVER BODIES OF WATER?
CLICK HERE TO VOTE &
DISCUSS
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