From: To: Subject: [IGHS] Newsletter, September 19, 2004 Lava Beds, California Date: Sunday, September 19, 2004 12:42 PM ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mission Statement: The Ghostweb is the official Web Site of the International Ghost Hunters Society. Membership in the IGHS is always FREE. The IGHS is an international society dedicated and committed to the research, documentation, education, and investigation of ghostly phenomena recorded through EVP, digital, film and video photography. The IGHS is a society of ghost believers, ghost hunters, and ghost researchers with over 14,000 members in 87 countries worldwide. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ International Ghost Hunters Society Newsletter September 19, 2004 from Lava Beds National Park, California Dr. Dave’s Notes: We are currently investigating the haunted Lava Beds of northern California. It is within these lava beds that the Modoc Indian Chief named Captain Jack successfully held at bay, the US Army for over five months. He surrendered only because the women and children were starving. When he surrendered he was hanged, so his decision to surrender was made knowing he would be put to death. History reveals the Modoc Indian War was started when the Modoc Indians were run off their land so greedy promoters could sell the fertile farm land for a premium to the arriving settlers. We read the white mans version of the events that transpired, we read the words of a descendant of Captain Jack who described the Modoc Indian version of the truth and somewhere in the middle, we might find the truth. We do know that the white settlers and the Army had very little regard for the Indian people. As is almost always the case, the failure of the ministers to convert the Indians to the “Jesus Road” led to contention, bitterness, and many times death. The incoming white settlers and the US Army failed to understand and grasp the religious beliefs held by these Native Americans. The Indians were doomed even before the Modoc Indian Wars started, doomed the moment white settlers moved into the valley. Indians did not understand about greed and backstabbing. The invading settlers and the endless hoards of soldiers were systemically eradicating their way of life. This hatred of Indians by the whites reared its ugly face when Modoc Indian prisoners, including old men, women, and children were taken to the reservation under POW protection issued by the US Army. However, Oregon Volunteers provided as guards, turned on the prisoners, which included the Indians who did not attack any whites, old men, women, and the children and shot them all dead. This was a black mark on the Oregon pioneers, killing unarmed Indian prisoners. There are reasons why these Modoc Indians might be restless spirits still walking their homeland seeking justice. Perhaps another reason today for these Indians to be restless spirits is that Calpine, a California energy company, is going to be drilling geothermal wells, putting in transmission lines and clear cutting timberland in and around Medicine Lake in Northern California, near Mt. Shasta. Originally, the Bush and Chaney energy policy had opposed Calpine proposal due to Native American religious beliefs regarding Medicine Lake as sacred land, but our President reversed his stand and authorized the energy company to proceed. Legal actions failed to halt the destruction of this sacred Indian land. Many local Indian tribes hold the Medicine Lake area sacred and a healing site. Under terms of an 1864 Treaty, the land was to be held by the government for the benefit of the Modoc people. However, like many Indian treaties, the government ignored their promises. Perhaps this was one reason some of Captain Jacks band of Modocs headed for Medicine Lake after abandoning their Stronghold. Unfortunately, there are not many Native American sacred sites allowed to survive in this day and age. While Sharon and I have no Indian blood in our veins, we do see the injustice done to the Indian Tribes that still survive. I have pioneer forefathers who settled this great nation, some of my ancestors were killed by Indians and some ancestors probably fought with the Indians, but that was a different time and a different way of thinking. Today, we should be enlightened sufficient to allow individual differences in culture and in beliefs so we can walk in the path of harmony and beauty, as the Navajo people would say. We learn a lot about the sites we investigate and the reasons why restless spirits may still dwell therein. Take some time to check out the Yak Tail Skull Bone ghost charm, the Yak Tail Skulls are hand carved and difficult to find anywhere. We have only found them in one place during all the years of our travels. Sharon’s creations are beautiful and unique. These ghost charm necklaces would make a wonderful Halloween gift to someone special. Check out the necklaces at http://www.ghostweb.com/carn2.html. Our Life Time Membership and Clip ID Badge is an excellent bargain over purchasing a yearly IGHS Membership Certificate and yearly Clip ID Badge. We have been going strong for nine years and we will be going strong for the next nine years, so why not save some bucks and sign up for the Life Time Membership. Some ghost organizations charge over $500 for a life time membership, we offer our Life Time Memberships at the same price as when we first offered them many years ago. Check out the good deal at http://www.ghostweb.com/memcert.html. We know that hospitals are very haunted. In the book we are finishing up on now, America's Hauntings: Volume 2: Restless Spirits Across, we will share the story of Jeffrey who haunts a hospital. He appears to patents, hold conversations with him, or is seen walking along the hospital hallways. Whenever Jeffrey visits a patient, they pass away within a few days. We have stories from this hospital that spans over a year, from children visiting patients to Jeffrey walking the hallways and talking to the terminally ill patients. We have heard from other nurses about similar events taking place in their hospitals. A phantom appearing life like is talking to patients before they pass over to the other side. Perhaps the phantom is giving them assurance or to calm them before their passing, almost like a grim reaper. We invite our readers to share their stories and experiences on the Gettysburg Battlefield. If we use your story, it will appear in our America's Hauntings: Volume 6: Ghosts of Gettysburg book. You can send them to us via email. We would also like to include photos and EVP for the book. Sorry, no dust orbs, but ectoplasmic and orbs in motion are acceptable. Our book will cover the major and minor haunts that we have discovered during our six years of holding ghost conferences in Gettysburg. The author will be credited with his story, photos, and EVPs, however, we will do the editing of those stories. We did a similar thing with Brad Steiger. We shared one of our ghost story and photo with Brad Steiger in his recent book, Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, Haunted Places. Our story shows up in his book with our names as its authors. This is your opportunity to have your story published about your experience on the haunted Gettysburg Battlefield. Happy trails. Sharon’s Notes: When buying supplies to carry when traveling, take care to read the labels of things you pick up. Make sure what you are getting is what you need or you could end up as surprised as Dave was yesterday. Dave has certainly had his share of learning experiences but yesterday taught him the importance of reading labels. We had run low on butter so while staying in McMinnville, we tried to find our brand at the grocery, with no luck. Dave finally gave up and grabbed a bottle of spray butter made by the same company, thinking it would do until we could find it in the smaller tubs again. Yesterday morning we decided pancakes would sure taste good, so while I answered my email, Dave prepared breakfast. The first pancake was done before I was finished so I told Dave to go ahead and eat and I’d take the next one. I could smell the cinnamon he had added to the batter and the plate sized pancake sure looked good. I went back to what I was doing and Dave sat down to eat. I looked up moments later to see a funny look on his face. He said, “Oh, yuk!” I asked him what was wrong. He jumped up and grabbed the cinnamon bottle and looked at it. He had a puzzled look on his face. He then picked up the spray bottle of butter and examined the label again. He had sprayed the butter on and the thick syrup had spread over the hot pancake. It looked so good, what could be wrong with it? It was at this point that I thought he would croak and as usual, I laughed until my sides hurt when he told me what he had done. Had Dave looked more closely at the label on the bottle, he would have seen Garlic and Herb flavor clearly written there. Another handy tip for all of you pancake lovers. We highly recommend you do not add garlic and herb flavored butter to cinnamon pancakes! Traveling the highways and back roads of America has been a very interesting way of life for the three of us. It is challenging and if a person doesn't start out with a lot of patience, they learn quickly it is a requirement for such an undertaking. One of the first issues to be dealt with is space, or better yet, the lack of it. Closets in an RV hold very little and I would venture to guess that they become closets because they are the last little gaping hole left when construction is nearing completion. In smaller RV’s, drawers are not an option and to hang up slacks or a dress requires artistic ability. Wrinkles are our friends and remain a natural part of our attire. When shopping, it is interesting to observe what other people are buying in the stores. While folks load up the room sized stereo systems and plasma TV’s, we find ourselves on the last aisle in the rear of the store hoping to find a TV with a twelve inch screen that will snugly fit onto the one shelf where the TV will go. We tried putting it on the bed above the cab but quickly found ourselves fighting over the binoculars to see the screen from where we were sitting. Videos are a must for entertainment while traveling full-time. Many campgrounds may offer the basics; water, sewer and electric but no cable TV. You might wonder why anyone would watch television when traveling as it sounds like a stress free, full time campout. It is, at first and there are wonderful warm evenings with a nice campfire in the fire pit provided. The smell of hamburgers or a beautiful steak cooking on an open fire, fresh coffee brewing and a star filled sky just add to the camping experience. Doesn't that sound romantic? When traveling full-time, romance goes a little more like this: When pulling into the perfect place to camp, the first thing is plugging in, connecting sewer and water hoses, and getting set up after a long day of driving with the crazies on the road. The fire pit is now a garbage pit from the previous residents and little surprises can be hidden in grass and leaves just outside the door from the previous residents pet. The glorious smell of meat cooking on an open fire has taken on a whole new meaning. Red meat is now affectionately called, ‘Mad Cow’ and though it may look like a great piece of meat that has your mouth watering to look at it in the raw; the same meat when cooked to perfection could require a chainsaw to cut it. Due to the lack of space, we have no room for the chainsaw. Over the years, Dave has perfected the art of brewing the best coffee ever. The dark, hot liquid is robust and smells so good I can hardly wait to wrap my lips around a steaming mug of it. The choice when deciding to travel full-time was a small, four cup automatic drip coffee maker. The camping perk coffee pot had to remain behind in storage with so many other things. Fresh coffee is a luxury when traveling, so call me spoiled, I prefer my coffee dark, and hot, with French Vanilla creamer, hold the bugs! I love the smell of a campfire and the pop and crackle of wood burning. These days it is rare that we see someone with a campfire. In the western states fires are forbidden in many areas during the summer months as wildfires are prominent, most of them started by careless campers who never took Smokey the Bear seriously. Sitting around a campfire and getting back to nature and that rustic feeling, are days gone by also. Today, if you don't douse yourself with bug repellent you could be taking a big risk. One angry female mosquito planting a bit on you and suddenly West Nile Virus is a part of your life. Isn't it interesting how much things have changed? One thing that hasn't changed in this romantic scenario is the star filled night skies. Back east folks haven't seen much of a beautiful night sky as rain and storms are a normal part of nearly every day. The nights out west have been much different and every night presents a black sky with golden twinklers that appear very close and very beautiful. Today we not only enjoy watching the moon and stars, but also letting our thoughts drift to other universes, other planets, and the possibility of life elsewhere. If we watch long enough, we might even catch a glimpse of a UFO or shooting star. The peacefulness of evening as the world slows down for another day can be all consuming and we find peacefulness, a harmony deep within ourselves that we never want to lose again. The stresses of life fade to oblivion and we just know we could do this forever and be eternally happy. Watching the campfire and listening to it pop and crackle, taking in the freedom and peace around us, we hear a crack off in the distance. A moment later, we hear another crack like something or someone walking on dry twigs. We become alert to every sound and try to see beyond the warm, crackling fire into the darkness. Bliss becomes a bit scary thought we tell ourselves there is no need for panic. We hear another sound only closer than before and stare into the darkness hoping a light will come on to expose whatever is out there. We suddenly feel isolated and realize the cell phone is in the RV but we have no cell towers in the area so having the phone wouldn't be any help, any way. Once upon a time, campers could envision a bear or a deer walking over dried leaves and twigs. Today, thoughts turn to not only deer and bear, but also to Big Foot, serial killers and large predators that normally avoid humans but now seek food and water wherever they can find it as their natural habitat has been torn up for new homes being built. Suddenly it isn't the warm campfire and starry night in our thoughts; it is more like, “Well honey, I think I’ll turn in for the night, maybe put a video on.” I’ll never forget one camping trip Dave and I took to central Oregon several years ago. It was about this time of year when the nights are cold and the leaves are starting to fall. We had enjoyed a wonderful day, a great meal, we relaxed and played cards all evening and decided to retire and read for a while. Boo, was a tiny little thing then so she had curled up and fallen asleep long before us. We had just turned out the light and had the window shades up so we could look at the stars. It was so quiet and peaceful and it felt good to get away from the city traffic and noise. As we started to drift into sleep, suddenly a piercing scream filled the night air. It was long and it was loud, coming from everywhere. We were quickly alert and tense at the sudden, horrible sound. Neither of us had heard anything like it before and it was no animal or human sound. The window shades went down to a mere crack so we could peep out to see if the horrific scream was associated with anything visible, all the while we were thinking, “I hope not. I hope not.” Trying to keep BooBoo calm and not barking took real effort but we could tell she was visibly shaken by the sudden sound too. The night was silent again, of course the inquiring minds wondered why, what, and where the heck is that scream coming from. Once things were quiet and we didn't hear a loud thud of footsteps coming toward us, we discussed what we had heard. Then we discussed what we would do to protect ourselves should the “monster” decide to check us out a bit closer. The conclusion we came to was that we were sitting ducks and if the creature decided we were food, it would only be a matter of the creature opening a tin can for a feast. Then the second scream pierced the silence and it was also long and loud coming from every direction. The blinds went down totally to cover even the peep holes and none of us dared to move. It was nerve shattering and when the sound stopped, the night was dead silent once again. After the second penetrating scream, conversation was limited. What else was there to say since we had already concluded the worst case scenario. We did succumb to fear and say our final good-byes to each other. I don't know how long it was before sleep came but we slept all three of us, with our ears perked, just in case. Morning came, crisp and cold and nothing was different outside of our curiosity as to what we had heard the night before. We were the only people in the campground outside of the caretaker who lived there all the time. We had our morning coffee and ate breakfast while watching out the window for signs of the caretaker, hoping he had not been eaten during the night. When Dave saw him walking around the campground, he went out to ask if he had heard the screams, but more importantly, if he knew what was screaming. The caretaker, a sensible man about our ages, told Dave he had not heard the sounds because he was working in the house that was being restored on the property. He did say that he knew what we had heard though as he had heard it many times himself. He offered no explanation for what it was but affirmed that it was very real. The campground is very remote and is surrounded by miles of barren, very rugged country. The conversation turned a bit from that point. The caretaker had been at the camp for several years and knew us from previous visits. He told Dave he had experienced many odd things out there, especially at night. He had seen strange lights in the sky at times, weird aircraft that he considered to be UFO's, one that hovered over him for quite a long time one night then shot away. He considered them UFO's because he could not identify what they were by the shapes and because of the strange flight patterns. The loud screaming sound was startling but he had heard it many times, not able to identify it to animal or human. He told Dave he did not talk about these things because he figured no one would believe him and he wanted to keep his job. He tried not to think about it because if he did, he figured he would get scared. Life on the road can be quite and adventure at times. Camping and RVing are more common as there are over one million full-timers on the road today. Things have changed around the country and what used to be normal sounds, now raise questions as to what it is really stalking around in the darkness of night. Our society has become more aware of the possibilities that were laughed at in the past. There are things out there that we have found evidence of existing yet many minds remain closed and stuck in the old ways of thinking. Travel is fun around this great land and Dave and I enjoy seeing new places and meeting new people. Though we focus our attention on ghost stories and experiences, we are also open to the other maze of possibilities out there, the unsolved mysteries. If you are considering travel in your future, consider that it requires a lot of patience, condensing what you carry to a bare minimum, keeping your sense of humor and always expect the unexpected. Happy Haunting! Ghost Charm Jewelry: Sharon has created six different designs for her sterling silver ghost charm necklaces, with either carnelian and turquoise or carnelian and hematine stones. The sterling silver ghost charm measures about an inch in length. She also has created some beautiful jewelry by wire wrapping stunning carnelian nuggets that we found in the desert near Deming, New Mexico. The carnelian nuggets were tumbled for five weeks to bring out their natural beauty. She also has earrings with carnelian and combinations of either turquoise or hematine. Get your orders in today by going to www.ghostweb.com/carn2.html. Digital Ghost Photography Handbook: Are you confused about orbs? What are dust orbs and how do they relate to real ghost orbs? Read our 20 page thermal bound book or download the PDF book and discover how digital photography is the wave of the future. We have been using digital since 1994 and we share with the reader, which are the best digital cameras on the market today. We also share what to look for when purchasing a digital camera and provide some protocols to avoid falling into the dust orb trap. Check it out at http://www.ghostweb.com/booklet2.html. How to Record and Analyze Ghost Voices: We have shared the hidden techniques that enable us to be tremendously successful in recording the voices of the dead. If you need a step by step booklet to help you achieve the same success as we enjoy, including which software to use to analyze the EVP recordings or what cables to use to hook up the recorder to the computer, search no further, check out the booklet at http://www.ghostweb.com/booklet.html. We ship via Priority Mail through the Post Office or download it as a PDF that can be printed out on your end. CD Version Home Study Courses: This is the premier certification program for ghost researchers and paranormal investigators, written by professional full time ghost researchers, Drs. Dave & Sharon. Part 1 deals with ghosts and the psychology of earth bound spirits, and Part 2 deals with working with people who are haunted by loved ones. We teach the scientific approach specializing in ghost photography and etheric voice phenomenon with 28 years of combined experience in this field. Read the recent testimonial. More information is available at http://www.ghostweb.com/mainhsc.html Password Memberships: We offer a special membership in our Ghostweb Ghost Galleries. Due to the size of these ghost galleries, we have to limit the number of people because of the bandwidth consumed by downloading the photos, spirit voices, and ghost videos in this area. If you want to view the largest collection of ghost photos, EVPs, and videos, check out our membership program at http://www.ghostweb.com/pass.html. Life Time IGHS Member Certificate: Instead of renewing every year, IGHS members can now purchase a Life Time Membership for $60 or a Life Time Membership and Life Time Clip ID Badge for $75. This is available through PayPal and through our online Secure Order Form at http://www.ghostweb.com/memcert.html. IGHS ID Badges for Investigations: We have received many requests for some kind of Identification Badge to wear while conducting field investigations. We have created a laminated ID Badge with a metal clip that snaps onto your shirt or other piece of clothing. It says that you are a Registered Ghost Hunter/Paranormal Investigator in good standing with the International Ghost Hunters Society and it has our signatures and web address. Order the ID Badge at http://www.ghostweb.com/id_badge.html. IGHS Membership Certificates: The IGHS offers a beautiful Membership Certificate. The membership certificate is valid for one year Check it out at http://www.ghostweb.com/memcert.html for more information. Fulfill your dreams: Magic Dimensions We all have dreams that we wished that could be our reality, but we do not know how to make that wish come true for us. In our book, we teach about the magic of having your dreams fulfilled. We show the reader how to open a doorway for a new reality where your dream will come true. Many claim this process is a miracle, but Quantum Mechanics teaches us that our miracles are simply an application of this weird science. Magic Dimensions may be one of the most important books that will change your life. The ISBN number is 0-595-22032-0 and can be ordered from any bookstore or online at major dot.com bookstores. Kind regards, Dave, Sharon & BooBoo International Ghost Hunters Society Copyrighted 2004 by Dr. Dave Oester All Rights Reserved. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Watch for our America's Hauntings Series of Books Volume One: Haunted America Speaks Check out our Carnelian Jewelry made by Sharon Magical Moments by Shari Dave Oester, Ph.D., DD. Sharon Gill, Ph.D., 713 W Spruce, PMB 715 Deming, NM 88030 1-505-494-0026 Web URL: http://www.ghostweb.com/ Email: MagicDimensions@aol.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~