Ghosts & Spirit Studies: July 2014 Newsletter

Author, Louis CharlesWe’re blending old and new this month: old in that we are sharing some history of ghost and spirit studies. The past should be understood and not discarded or forgotten.

For something new, I’ve brought back with me some local ghostly lore from the Outer Banks. And for fun, we’ve added our new rate-a-photo widget to all of our picture and video galleries. Give it a try!
– Louis

Ghost History ArticlesHistory and Ghost Investigation
Let’s not forget the past. We wanted to look back at history to see what we could learn about the mystery of ghosts. Here are but a few articles and stories to consider…

Blog Post: History is Missing with Today’s Ghost Hunters
Article: Capturing Ghosts on Film
Story: First Documented Ghost in the United States
Story: Florida Poltergeist of 1967

Rate a Photo or VideoNew! Rate-a-Photo or Video
Rate a pic or video to see the voting results! It’s finally here! We’ve added a custom “rate-a-photo widget” to our picture and video galleries, site-wide. Now, you can vote, see the results, and share it on social media! Why not give it a try by rating some 2013-2014 Ghost Pictures?

 

ghosts-haunting-outer-banks-north-carolina-72014zzOuter Banks: Haunted?
Tales of pirates, phantoms and hoodoos. We were surprised to find quite a few tales of haunting in and near North Carolina’s barrier islands. So, we made our basecamp at Roanoke Island and went exploring.

Article: Outer Banks Ghosts & Haunting

 

Scottish GhostParanormal Visuals & Perusals
More spirits & ghosts to read and see!

St Mary in the Castle Ghost? Is that a giant face in the mist?
What is a Banshee? The eerie lore behind this phantom tale…
Alcatraz Ghost Woman Prison ghost pic haunts the web recently!
Currituck Beach Light We explore the northern OBX haunt…
Can Ghosts Produce Snow? A mysterious snowstorm is witnessed inside a home!
Ghosts of the Whitehouse Historic spirit experiences in the Presidents residence…
Smithsonian Museum Ghost Update! A second pic of a man’s face near General Sheridan’s horse…
German Cemetery Ghost? A foto of a soldier spectre goes viral…and may be a fake!
What is an Apport? Old school ghost hunting term has application today.
Taxi Crash Angel Rescue A woman is pulled from a deadly cab and healed…
Can Ghost Photos Be Art? Blog post about photographic fakery of the supernatural…
Pengwern Arms Ghost Girl Did someone with Gwynned Paranormal snapshot a girl’s spirit?
Seeing Shadows She recalls seeing a shadow person stare her down…

Ghosts and Inspiration from Art

capturing-ghosts-film-72014drHave you ever wondered what the first, real ghost picture might have been? What about the first “faux” ghost photograph: when did it first occur to someone that they could fool humanity into believing the false?

But was it really fooling people or, perhaps, actually “inspiring” us to consider the supernatural?

Something (Capturing Ghosts on Film) great for us to contemplate was put forth by writer Robert Irving over a decade ago as a magazine article for Fortean Times, and I think Irving’s thoughts are still very relevant, even in light of today’s far-flung chicanery — the onslaught of false ghost and spirit photos we see being shared, daily, thanks to the smartphone apps that help to create the odd and eerie “phantasmal” imagery. I can sum up Irving’s idea as this: we are mesmerized by the metaphysical.

Mankind has certainly been inspired by media — first artistic renderings, statues, paintings and the like — and in modern times, photography and videography have been added to our art forms, allowing us to “conceive” glimpses into the afterlife, or at least what many of us might choose to believe is a depiction of what could await us at the end of our earthly lives.

In retrospect, I am beginning to wonder if we should continue to hold disdain for the faked photographs polluting the web. Could it be wiser to simply give in and share them with others? Of course, I hate the idea of contaminating possible real evidence with the false; but it seems even the real thing is discounted, anyway, even after laying out the best case possible for each ghostly experience.

Are we better off to share something that may spark an interest or, at least, a consideration of the paranormal? Sometimes, I think so. It could just be a new form of art.