Types of Hauntings
Types of Hauntings
What Causes a Haunting?
What causes a place to become haunted? No one really knows. In fact, there
are so many types of hauntings from human ghosts, animal ghosts and
even ghost ships, that no one has ever been able to come up with a general
theory that can explain all of them. Any single theory would have to cover an
immense variety of phenomena and it just can't be done. Such a theory
would have to explain why apparitions are seen in one location, but not in
others. It would have to provide a solution for phantom footsteps, cold spots,
strange smells and much more. Developing such a theory is no easy matter,
especially as few researchers can really agree about what underlying force
causes a haunting in the first place.
What is a Haunting?
What is a Haunting? According to the definition, it is the "repeated
manifestation of strange and inexplicable sensory phenomena at a certain
location". But does this mean that a haunting is always associated with an
actual ghost? No, it doesn't, but let's assume that hauntings are connected
to paranormal activity. There are no general patterns to hauntings, which is
what makes them so hard to define. Some phenomena may manifest on
occasion or even continually, for periods that last from several days to
centuries. Other manifestations may only occur on certain anniversaries, in
accordance with distinctive weather conditions, or for reasons that make no
sense whatsoever.
Most people assume that hauntings involve apparitions, or the ghosts of the
dead, but, actually, apparitions are connected to a minority of cases. Most
hauntings involve noises like phantom footsteps; strange, unexplained
sounds; tapping; knocking; and even voices and spots and breezes; and
being touched by unseen hands. Other hauntings can involve poltergeist
activity such as furniture and solid objects being moved about; broken glass;
doors that open and close by themselves; and the paranormal manipulation
of lights and electrical devices, circuits and outlets. Visitors to haunted
places often report a variety of emotions, including anger and fear, when
negative forces are at work. Many cases like this are mistakenly labeled as
"evil" or "demonic". Other sites seem to involve friendly, or at least benign
emotions.
The Traditional Haunting
The Traditional, or Intelligent, Haunting is perhaps the most widely accepted
kind of ghost activity, although it's really not as common as you might think.
In this kind of case, the spirit or entity involved is an "intelligent" or
"interactive" presence in a haunted location. It is there because of a
connection to the site or to the people at the location. This ghost is best, and
most simply, described as the personality of a person who has stayed
behind in our world instead of passing on at the time of death. This may
happen for many reasons such as murder, suicide, or traumatic and
sudden death or maybe even unfinished business. At the time of death, the
spirit refused to pass on because of these events. They may also linger
because of emotions that tie them to the earth, from anger to love. It may not
have been that the person did not pass on because they couldn't, but
because they didn't want to. In other cases, there is a chance that the spirit
didn't even realize they had died. This may occur when a death is sudden or
unexpected, like with an accident or murder. These spirits are now the
energy that once made up the personality of a living person. Now that the
human body is gone, that energy is all that remains. These interactive spirits
are not evil or demonic. The spirits are simply human personalities and
seem to retain the same traits that they had when they were alive. If a
person was kind and caring in life, the spirit will be benevolent. On the other
hand, if that person was angry or cruel, those qualities are likely to manifest.
Residual
This is probably the most common of hauntings. It is possible that these
hauntings have nothing to do with an actual ghost. Many of the locations
where these hauntings occur experience an event that imprints itself on the
atmosphere of that particular location. This energy can suddenly discharge
and play itself at various times just as a recording would. These events are
not always visual. They can be replayed as sounds and noises and have no
apparent explanation. Hearing phantom footsteps is a perfect example of a
residual haunting. Also famous battlefields and crime scenes and places
where traumatic events have taken place such as in England and the Tower
of London. But this is not always the case. In other situations, the images
have been created by a series of events that have been repeated over and
over again. These frequent and repetitive releases of energy also seem
capable of leaving a lasting impression. A good example of this can be
realized from the large number of haunted staircases that have been
reported over the years in homes and public buildings, It's possible that,
because of the number of times people go up and down these sets of stairs,
the energy expended leaves a mark on the site. These locations act like
giant storage batteries, saving up impressions of sights and sounds from
the past. Then as the years go by, these impressions appear again as if a
film projector has started to run. Much of this activity can be experienced as
apparitions but sounds and smells are common, too. Many of them will be
associated with the past history of the location and can be distinctive to that
certain place.
Portal Hauntings
Without a doubt, portal hauntings will be the most controversial of the
hauntings discussed here. The problem is that this type of haunting is the
least understood and least traditional of the forms of activity that we know of.
Lets talk about cemeteries. The theory behind some cemetery phenomena
has been linked to what a few researchers call "portals" or "doorways".
Dismissed by some and embraced by others, the idea of a portal is still
mostly theory and conjecture but, the idea explains a lot of things about
cemetery hauntings and even some short-lived paranormal flaps, or
outbreaks. The idea of a portal to another dimension is not a new one. It has
been suggested that there exist places all over the world that serve as
doorways from our world to another. These doorways may provide access
for entities to travel between worlds. They may be the spirits of people who
have lived before, or they may be something else altogether. Some
researchers even believe that they could be other worldly beings from some
dimension that we cannot comprehend. In famous cases like "TheMothman"
or "The Mad Gasser" of Mattoon, Illinois, it may even be possible that such a
portal opened for a short time in a specific area, allowing these figures to
wreak havoc for a brief period only to later vanish without a trace. This may
all sound far fetched, but it may not be as strange as it seems. The entities
that have been sighted, reported and even photographed around what many
believe to be portals could be spirits of the dead. If locations like these do
exist and they are some sort of doorway, it's possible these spots may have
been labeled as being "haunted" over the years by people who saw
something near them that they couldn't explain. The majority of events that
might fit into a portal haunting category seem to come from cemeteries,
although no location can be ruled out.
With cemeteries the best way to watch for them is to be on the lookout for
graveyards that are rumored to be haunted. Be aware of stores(from
cemeteries and other spots) that involve glowing balls of light that are seen
with the naked eye, odd creatures, strange shapes, or unexplained images.
With a home or building, these doorways can be harder to ascertain. In this
type of haunting though, the spirits that are present may be more numerous
than in any traditional haunting and are always unconnected to the history of
the building. The site may be nothing more than a crossover point, which
can be confusing to those doing research.
All Information and excerpts from Troy Taylor and The Ghost Hunters
Handbook
What Causes a Haunting?
What causes a place to become haunted? No one really knows. In fact, there
are so many types of hauntings from human ghosts, animal ghosts and
even ghost ships, that no one has ever been able to come up with a general
theory that can explain all of them. Any single theory would have to cover an
immense variety of phenomena and it just can't be done. Such a theory
would have to explain why apparitions are seen in one location, but not in
others. It would have to provide a solution for phantom footsteps, cold spots,
strange smells and much more. Developing such a theory is no easy matter,
especially as few researchers can really agree about what underlying force
causes a haunting in the first place.
What is a Haunting?
What is a Haunting? According to the definition, it is the "repeated
manifestation of strange and inexplicable sensory phenomena at a certain
location". But does this mean that a haunting is always associated with an
actual ghost? No, it doesn't, but let's assume that hauntings are connected
to paranormal activity. There are no general patterns to hauntings, which is
what makes them so hard to define. Some phenomena may manifest on
occasion or even continually, for periods that last from several days to
centuries. Other manifestations may only occur on certain anniversaries, in
accordance with distinctive weather conditions, or for reasons that make no
sense whatsoever.
Most people assume that hauntings involve apparitions, or the ghosts of the
dead, but, actually, apparitions are connected to a minority of cases. Most
hauntings involve noises like phantom footsteps; strange, unexplained
sounds; tapping; knocking; and even voices and spots and breezes; and
being touched by unseen hands. Other hauntings can involve poltergeist
activity such as furniture and solid objects being moved about; broken glass;
doors that open and close by themselves; and the paranormal manipulation
of lights and electrical devices, circuits and outlets. Visitors to haunted
places often report a variety of emotions, including anger and fear, when
negative forces are at work. Many cases like this are mistakenly labeled as
"evil" or "demonic". Other sites seem to involve friendly, or at least benign
emotions.
The Traditional Haunting
The Traditional, or Intelligent, Haunting is perhaps the most widely accepted
kind of ghost activity, although it's really not as common as you might think.
In this kind of case, the spirit or entity involved is an "intelligent" or
"interactive" presence in a haunted location. It is there because of a
connection to the site or to the people at the location. This ghost is best, and
most simply, described as the personality of a person who has stayed
behind in our world instead of passing on at the time of death. This may
happen for many reasons such as murder, suicide, or traumatic and
sudden death or maybe even unfinished business. At the time of death, the
spirit refused to pass on because of these events. They may also linger
because of emotions that tie them to the earth, from anger to love. It may not
have been that the person did not pass on because they couldn't, but
because they didn't want to. In other cases, there is a chance that the spirit
didn't even realize they had died. This may occur when a death is sudden or
unexpected, like with an accident or murder. These spirits are now the
energy that once made up the personality of a living person. Now that the
human body is gone, that energy is all that remains. These interactive spirits
are not evil or demonic. The spirits are simply human personalities and
seem to retain the same traits that they had when they were alive. If a
person was kind and caring in life, the spirit will be benevolent. On the other
hand, if that person was angry or cruel, those qualities are likely to manifest.
Residual
This is probably the most common of hauntings. It is possible that these
hauntings have nothing to do with an actual ghost. Many of the locations
where these hauntings occur experience an event that imprints itself on the
atmosphere of that particular location. This energy can suddenly discharge
and play itself at various times just as a recording would. These events are
not always visual. They can be replayed as sounds and noises and have no
apparent explanation. Hearing phantom footsteps is a perfect example of a
residual haunting. Also famous battlefields and crime scenes and places
where traumatic events have taken place such as in England and the Tower
of London. But this is not always the case. In other situations, the images
have been created by a series of events that have been repeated over and
over again. These frequent and repetitive releases of energy also seem
capable of leaving a lasting impression. A good example of this can be
realized from the large number of haunted staircases that have been
reported over the years in homes and public buildings, It's possible that,
because of the number of times people go up and down these sets of stairs,
the energy expended leaves a mark on the site. These locations act like
giant storage batteries, saving up impressions of sights and sounds from
the past. Then as the years go by, these impressions appear again as if a
film projector has started to run. Much of this activity can be experienced as
apparitions but sounds and smells are common, too. Many of them will be
associated with the past history of the location and can be distinctive to that
certain place.
Portal Hauntings
Without a doubt, portal hauntings will be the most controversial of the
hauntings discussed here. The problem is that this type of haunting is the
least understood and least traditional of the forms of activity that we know of.
Lets talk about cemeteries. The theory behind some cemetery phenomena
has been linked to what a few researchers call "portals" or "doorways".
Dismissed by some and embraced by others, the idea of a portal is still
mostly theory and conjecture but, the idea explains a lot of things about
cemetery hauntings and even some short-lived paranormal flaps, or
outbreaks. The idea of a portal to another dimension is not a new one. It has
been suggested that there exist places all over the world that serve as
doorways from our world to another. These doorways may provide access
for entities to travel between worlds. They may be the spirits of people who
have lived before, or they may be something else altogether. Some
researchers even believe that they could be other worldly beings from some
dimension that we cannot comprehend. In famous cases like "TheMothman"
or "The Mad Gasser" of Mattoon, Illinois, it may even be possible that such a
portal opened for a short time in a specific area, allowing these figures to
wreak havoc for a brief period only to later vanish without a trace. This may
all sound far fetched, but it may not be as strange as it seems. The entities
that have been sighted, reported and even photographed around what many
believe to be portals could be spirits of the dead. If locations like these do
exist and they are some sort of doorway, it's possible these spots may have
been labeled as being "haunted" over the years by people who saw
something near them that they couldn't explain. The majority of events that
might fit into a portal haunting category seem to come from cemeteries,
although no location can be ruled out.
With cemeteries the best way to watch for them is to be on the lookout for
graveyards that are rumored to be haunted. Be aware of stores(from
cemeteries and other spots) that involve glowing balls of light that are seen
with the naked eye, odd creatures, strange shapes, or unexplained images.
With a home or building, these doorways can be harder to ascertain. In this
type of haunting though, the spirits that are present may be more numerous
than in any traditional haunting and are always unconnected to the history of
the building. The site may be nothing more than a crossover point, which
can be confusing to those doing research.
All Information and excerpts from Troy Taylor and The Ghost Hunters
Handbook
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