Holiday Party Hunt 2006

12-09-06

HOME

One idea that circulates in the paranormal enthusiast's world is the notion that ghosts may appear more during holiday seasons than at any other time.  There are countless stories of families gathering shortly after a love one has departed the mortal plane only to have an unusual image show up in photographs.  Reports also circulate of catching the smell of perfume or cologne worn by the deceased, or of the simple manifestation of presence in the home.  So, do the holidays make a difference with ghostly manifestation?

One member of the SPIRITS of St. Petersburg offered her home for an investigation and holiday party in December 2006.  The home had been investigated by the team in the past.  Reported phenomena included the sensation of being watched, strange behavior of animals, a mist apparition that manifested, and sensitives who picked up on the entity's presence.  The home did have one recorded suicide from the 1970s, and long-time neighbors confirmed witnessing the death.  The home, however, appeared to attract at least two deceased relatives in the form of "crisis apparitions" -- entities that manifest in order to pass on important information to the living before crossing over permenantly.  The resident ghost may have been a prior homeowner who did not die at the site and whose presence there remains a mystery.

As a resident within the home, the SPIRITS member did not actively investigate the property.  It is often recommended that paranormal investigators NOT review their homes for two reasons:  1)  Providing too much attention to the entity, thus empowering it to more extreme behaviors and 2) Creating a condition of "psyching out" the investigator so that events within the home are automatically attributed to the supernatural.   An investigator who is also a homeowner should bring in a team to investigate the home in order to maintain more objectivity into the phenomena and to, perhaps, maintain the home as a "safe location" for a paranormalist post investigation.  Too much attention might, according to some ideologies, attract "drop in" entities into a home, thus negating it as a resting place for the investigator and perhaps introducing a dangerous supernatural entity into the household.

The party/investigation did not allow for any alcoholic drinking, as the investigator is a strict non-drinker and SPIRITS rules prohibit this behavior at a SPIRITS function.  There were,, however, sugary treats, gifts, and an air of light heartedness that did match with the holidays.  It was also the last offcial SPIRITS gathering for 2006.

The results are fairly interesting.  Perhaps the ghost in the house felt like joining in.  A presence was felt by some, pets within the home acted stranger than normal, and many orb shots were captured.  While still not a big proponent of the orb, at least one shot captured a "flat bottomed orb" produced by this particular camera (all orbs appeared as "flat bottomed" for reasons unknown) in an area where investigators requested that it "stand."  "Double" and "moving" orbs  were also captured on camera.  One luminescent orb was captured floating over the photograph of a deceased relative (see pictures below). 

The SPIRITS has continued to try to find haunted locations within which to hold a "spirited" gathering as we close out the year.  In 2008, this expanded to the "SPIRITS of the Season" -- a fundraising event for several St. Petersburg area charities.  We wish to share our experiences with others while maintaining respect for the deceased and aiding the living in need.

We shall continue to experiment with holiday events to see if, indeed, ghosts recognize a time when family most misses them to manifest.  It is a fun experiment to try, bringing out the better aspects of humanity to express love and friendship -- even beyond the grave.

Denise's images:

Brandy's image:

After the cat began to meow in an odd manner while standing at the back door, Debbie and I went out onto the deck.  I asked if anyone was present to stand by the Caesar statue.  The first image showed nothing.  I asked again, this time pointing to the statue.  This image showed up.  The final shot in the series (not pictured) has a small orb over the fish tank.

Debbie's image: