It's not enough! What am I referring to? All of the stories by witnesses of their paranormal experiences. All of the alleged EVP with their short blips of perceived vocabulary content. All of the various electronic device measurements. They all fall short of definitive proof of the paranormal, begging for some new ideas to advance research and investigation.
For my many years of research and investigation, a preponderance of collected data had to be disregarded as not substantial enough and containing ample reason for doubt with alternative explanations. Yet, there were instances where considerable attempt for those alternate explanations proved futile, I was left scratching my head as to what could be considered sane, analytic opinion. The following are my personal top ten, that in no part should be considered part of a foundation or basis for paranormal truth.
1) After thoroughly examining phonetic generator type devices, i.e., Ovilus, Geobox, etc., there remained one intriguing output that caused confusion. While in a cemetery that was reserved only for African Americans (due to extreme prejudice of the times to not bury deceased blacks with whites), I had hardly finished apologizing for my presence there in hopes not to disturb their resting places, when the device clearly uttered the four words, "It's not for you." I have to admit the context fit the moment!
2) While being granted a solo investigation at 2 a.m. in an old "hanging" jail, now a tourist attraction, I made my way to the basement cells where there were stories of a "creeper, " a crawling-on-all-fours anthropomorphic black shadow with glowing eyes who was seen walking straight up a wall and disappearing into the ceiling. I had spoken to the tour guide who had just quit due to claiming haven seen the "creeper." Through her help I was granted permission to examine this area alone. The longer I remained there, the more uneasiness I felt, a feeling that continued to grow the longer I stayed in one particular jail cell in this unlit basement section. For unknown reasons, I felt the urge to take a flash selfie before I exited. Later, upon examining the photo I found that the flash reflection on the iron wall of the cell behind me contained a blurry kind of face of the tough, former sheriff who lived and worked there for years in the early 1900's. Perhaps pareidolia, perhaps not!
3) Sleeping in the former operating room of what was formerly a hospital to treat T.B. victims, upon examining my audio that was left running the whole night as I slept, there was a distinct, blood curdling scream by a female voice in the middle of the night. I never heard it personally. It was only on the audio.
4) While exploring an abandoned, historical coquina quarry at night, my fellow investigator/wife & I heard several threatening voices approaching from a specific direction. Since that direction contained nothing but marsh & bogs, it was not possible for anyone to be in that swamp. The voices simply died out when they seemed to be only yards away. Not long after that, I recorded on audio what I can only consider the most incredible EVP I have ever experienced. Actually, hearing rocky sounds near us, the audio revealed the sound of an oxen cart being pulled, going right by our position, including the doppler effect of both the wagon and hoof sounds approaching and passing! As info, in the late 1800s, coquina rock used to be hauled out of the quarry in this manner. An equally amazing EVP was also captured there. EVP generally does not seem to carry dialect characteristics of the alleged spirits producing them, however this particular EVP sounded like the words "excusin' me" spoken right behind me. It wouldn't be a stretch to associate it with the dialect of a black slave in the south who would have been working in that very quarry, extracting the coquina by hand at that associated time period in the past.
5) At one particular house that summoned my investigation due to multiple negative experiences by the residents, there were two fascinating EVP captured. One was an actual growling, indecipherable verbalization with vocal tone. The other was an experiment using a laser to reflect off a mirror to capture sound. The EVP was of a little girl's voice saying, "what is that thing?"
6) While in the research library of a former hospital that treated yellow fever victims, I left an audio recorder running the whole time to take notes. At one point in the audio there was the sound of a book slamming shut and a whisper voice stating, "red foot in house." That didn't make any sense to me at the time. Later, while doing further research on yellow fever, I found that sometimes the feet of yellow fever deceased victims would turn red on their soles!
7) While investigating a hotel over 120 years old, I was patiently sitting in the billiard room/bar. Sitting there In the dark, in the middle of the night, quietly observing, I noticed a person walk right by the window outside, which was approximately 20 feet away from where I sat. It took me a minute to realize that it couldn't have just been a person walking by because the window and room where I was is on the 2nd floor! Later that same night, at a different part of the hotel, also on the 2nd floor, I was preparing to continue my investigation by going up to the 3rd floor. I decided against this when I hear the distinct sound of numerous footsteps coming from the floor there. Thinking it was guests moving about in their rooms, I decided not to walk around up there so as not to disturb hotel guests there. The old wooden floors would make obvious loud squeaks as one walked on them. The next morning, upon having a casual discussion with the hotel manager, I learned there was no hotel guests occupying the 3rd floor!
8) In another cemetery, as I was walking, I suddenly felt like I had just walked through 100 heavy cobwebs. Startling my wife as I gyrated extrenuously to escape what I imaged would be a bunch of spiders on me, I danced clear of the spot only to find that it was a totally open spot with no trees or bushes anywhere nearby. Analysis of my audio recorder revealed what sounded like a specific last name of a person. We returned the next day and found a tombstone not six feet away with that very name on it!
9) At an old revolutionary war fort, after being advised of strange activity at a specific tunnel entrance of the interior of the fort, from across the courtyard I took 3 simultaneous photos of that spot, each approximately 2 seconds apart. The first photo was normal. The 2nd photo had a white mist shape in the form of a person. the 3rd photo again was normal.
10) At another old fort, I casually took a picture of a tour group standing in front of a cell with bars. Later when at home, the photo also contained a solid person (not an apparition) in period costume standing with the tour group. I am certain I would have noticed him as I took the photo.
Weird stuff happens. It is both curious and mystifying yet absent of certainty. It is entirely within the realm of possibility to have such weird events happen as claimed by myself and others. It is not, IMO, reasonable to assign definitive explanation to them.
It's not enough.
- MoonJoey
(Cover photo created by Microsoft Bing Image Creator powered by DALL-E)