Want to join me?
A number of years ago, I posted a blog article calling for people who would be interested in joining me in starting a new paranormal investigative group. I received exactly one response, and it was not because they wanted to join, but to offer encouragement. A number of years later I am trying again. However, this time, I want to be a bit more thorough in my explanation of exactly what I want to do, and not do.
I have a masters degree and 25 years of experience as an educator. I have fifteen years of experience as a paranormal investigator, and a lifetime of study in paranormal subjects.
My experience is extensive and I am well educated in many things, especially the fine arts and the paranormal. I have been an artist all my life and an investigator for many years with four different groups. I have experienced many interesting and unexplained phenomena. My interest in the subject, which began when I was a young teen, has only increased over time.
About eight years ago I became so discouraged with the treatment of investigators, the sloppy investigative techniques, the infusion of the occult into the field, the proliferation of pseudo-science, and the profiteering by many, that I quit and gave up investigating, preferring to write this blog about the field. Some of what I have written has been informative. Much of it is satire and humor, especially of the TV reality shows, which I have come to despise, distrust, and dislike in the extreme. There are exceptions. I still like Ghost Hunters. But the reviews I write are honest, skeptical, and written with humor, satire and a bit of disappointment at where this has all gone...down the tv tubes.
Then, five years agoI attended a conference at Gettysburg College. The conference, "Exploring the Extraordinary", was the 6th conference of its kind. Coming from the United Kingdom, it was the first time the event was held in the U.S. The conference was an academic conference, dealing with paranormal issues from an academic standpoint. The topics presented were on hauntings, ghosts, paranormal research, investigating, spiritual healing, physical mediumship, EVPs, synaesthesia, issues in parapsychology and science. The conference was decidedly for people with an academic bent and not for the weak of mind. This conference was very serious about paranormal research, and intellectually challenging. The latest research, theory and method were presented.
If this intrigues you, you are the sort I am looking for. What opened my eyes during this conference was realizing that there are two distinct camps in the study of the paranormal. There are the TV shows, the amateur, investigative, enthusiast groups, the ghost tour people, etc. Then there are the serious, academic researchers who take this issue very, very seriously. They are very smart, very well educated, deep thinkers. Many are died-in-the-wool skeptics. They love the topic, but not because they find any of it credible. It's because they love to debunk, scoff and write academic papers disproving anything of a supernatural nature. This was the majority of the audience at the conference. However, there are those, many who presented at the conference, who are seekers of truth. They do not hold preconceived notions. Their minds are not closed. They are open, questioning, sincerely devoted to research and finding out what is real, true, authentic. I liked them. It was very exciting to listen to a professor, a doctor, a philosopher, an author, a phenomenologist, a parapsychologist, a psychologist, an artist, discuss and debate the paranormal with sincerity, integrity and authentic, open-minded curiosity.
Be flexible, willing to learn, grow, even change your mind. Age 18 or over. Healthy psychologically.What I am not looking for:People who are arrogant, obnoxious, authoritative, inflexible, have serious psychological issues, are unethical or see nothing wrong with lying, stealing, cheating or taking advantage of others. Are untrustworthy and cannot be counted upon to be on time, show up, do what they say they will do. Know-it-alls.Self-proclaimed psychics, sensitives, empaths, mediums, unless you are willing to submit to testing.I am not looking for those with a lot of experience investigating the paranormal. You will be trained. Of course, experience is a good thing, as long as you are flexible.What I would like to do is begin by interviewing people interested in joining me and my partner in this endeavor. I would like to sit down and have a discussion with you on the above. It would also be a time for you to ask questions of us, get to know each other, see if it could be a good fit. The sort of investigations we will be looking for are those that will give us access to a location for an extended period of time, in which to study more in depth. Old school techniques will be utilized, as well as the latest technology. If you own equipment that you would be willing to share, that is great. The whole person is an investigative instrument..your mind, your body, your senses, your past experiences, your spiritual side...all are utilized in an investigation. You have to be willing to be open to being honest about yourself and your feelings and senses, all the time, but especially on an investigation.If any of this interests you, and you feel that you would like to explore this further with me and my partner, please contact me here via comment, or email me at I look forward to hearing from you. All questions and comments are welcomed.
What I also realized is it is very rare for the two camps to ever come together. I think I and my partner were two of only a handful of people there who were not academics, but amateur investigators. Well maybe I bridge the two worlds because I am an educator and fine artist, who also happens to have done paranormal work. I have walked in both worlds. So, why not, I said to myself, bring the two worlds together by starting a paranormal research and investigative group who uses scientific method, studies the academic side of things, and tries, with open minds and scientific method, to bring the two worlds together and start something new?
Now, I am sure that there have been others who have tried this. I haven't met them, but I am sure they are out there. Contact me if you read this, and tell me how it is going. Let's get together.
For others who find this of interest, here is the sort of person I am looking for:
Have a college degree, in anything. (I will make exceptions to this if it's reasonable.)
Be well read, not just on the paranormal, but a diversity of subjects and interests, especially the scientific.
Have an open mind.
Be very authentic.
Have a very strong sense of ethics in all you do.
Contact me at
what.the.phenomena@gmail.com.
I have a masters degree and 25 years of experience as an educator. I have fifteen years of experience as a paranormal investigator, and a lifetime of study in paranormal subjects.
My experience is extensive and I am well educated in many things, especially the fine arts and the paranormal. I have been an artist all my life and an investigator for many years with four different groups. I have experienced many interesting and unexplained phenomena. My interest in the subject, which began when I was a young teen, has only increased over time.
About eight years ago I became so discouraged with the treatment of investigators, the sloppy investigative techniques, the infusion of the occult into the field, the proliferation of pseudo-science, and the profiteering by many, that I quit and gave up investigating, preferring to write this blog about the field. Some of what I have written has been informative. Much of it is satire and humor, especially of the TV reality shows, which I have come to despise, distrust, and dislike in the extreme. There are exceptions. I still like Ghost Hunters. But the reviews I write are honest, skeptical, and written with humor, satire and a bit of disappointment at where this has all gone...down the tv tubes.
Then, five years agoI attended a conference at Gettysburg College. The conference, "Exploring the Extraordinary", was the 6th conference of its kind. Coming from the United Kingdom, it was the first time the event was held in the U.S. The conference was an academic conference, dealing with paranormal issues from an academic standpoint. The topics presented were on hauntings, ghosts, paranormal research, investigating, spiritual healing, physical mediumship, EVPs, synaesthesia, issues in parapsychology and science. The conference was decidedly for people with an academic bent and not for the weak of mind. This conference was very serious about paranormal research, and intellectually challenging. The latest research, theory and method were presented.
If this intrigues you, you are the sort I am looking for. What opened my eyes during this conference was realizing that there are two distinct camps in the study of the paranormal. There are the TV shows, the amateur, investigative, enthusiast groups, the ghost tour people, etc. Then there are the serious, academic researchers who take this issue very, very seriously. They are very smart, very well educated, deep thinkers. Many are died-in-the-wool skeptics. They love the topic, but not because they find any of it credible. It's because they love to debunk, scoff and write academic papers disproving anything of a supernatural nature. This was the majority of the audience at the conference. However, there are those, many who presented at the conference, who are seekers of truth. They do not hold preconceived notions. Their minds are not closed. They are open, questioning, sincerely devoted to research and finding out what is real, true, authentic. I liked them. It was very exciting to listen to a professor, a doctor, a philosopher, an author, a phenomenologist, a parapsychologist, a psychologist, an artist, discuss and debate the paranormal with sincerity, integrity and authentic, open-minded curiosity.
Be flexible, willing to learn, grow, even change your mind. Age 18 or over. Healthy psychologically.What I am not looking for:People who are arrogant, obnoxious, authoritative, inflexible, have serious psychological issues, are unethical or see nothing wrong with lying, stealing, cheating or taking advantage of others. Are untrustworthy and cannot be counted upon to be on time, show up, do what they say they will do. Know-it-alls.Self-proclaimed psychics, sensitives, empaths, mediums, unless you are willing to submit to testing.I am not looking for those with a lot of experience investigating the paranormal. You will be trained. Of course, experience is a good thing, as long as you are flexible.What I would like to do is begin by interviewing people interested in joining me and my partner in this endeavor. I would like to sit down and have a discussion with you on the above. It would also be a time for you to ask questions of us, get to know each other, see if it could be a good fit. The sort of investigations we will be looking for are those that will give us access to a location for an extended period of time, in which to study more in depth. Old school techniques will be utilized, as well as the latest technology. If you own equipment that you would be willing to share, that is great. The whole person is an investigative instrument..your mind, your body, your senses, your past experiences, your spiritual side...all are utilized in an investigation. You have to be willing to be open to being honest about yourself and your feelings and senses, all the time, but especially on an investigation.If any of this interests you, and you feel that you would like to explore this further with me and my partner, please contact me here via comment, or email me at I look forward to hearing from you. All questions and comments are welcomed.
What I also realized is it is very rare for the two camps to ever come together. I think I and my partner were two of only a handful of people there who were not academics, but amateur investigators. Well maybe I bridge the two worlds because I am an educator and fine artist, who also happens to have done paranormal work. I have walked in both worlds. So, why not, I said to myself, bring the two worlds together by starting a paranormal research and investigative group who uses scientific method, studies the academic side of things, and tries, with open minds and scientific method, to bring the two worlds together and start something new?
Now, I am sure that there have been others who have tried this. I haven't met them, but I am sure they are out there. Contact me if you read this, and tell me how it is going. Let's get together.
For others who find this of interest, here is the sort of person I am looking for:
Have a college degree, in anything. (I will make exceptions to this if it's reasonable.)
Be well read, not just on the paranormal, but a diversity of subjects and interests, especially the scientific.
Have an open mind.
Be very authentic.
Have a very strong sense of ethics in all you do.
Contact me at
what.the.phenomena@gmail.com.
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