| Subject: [IGHS] Newsletter, November 14, 2004 Wickenburg, Arizona |
| From: MagicDimensions@aol.com |
| Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 13:35:17 -0500 (EST) |
| To: ighs@yahoogroups.com |
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 and study 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 15,000 members in 87 countries worldwide.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
International Ghost Hunters Society Newsletter
Dr. Dave’s Notes:
Today, I got an email from a 75 year old widow; her husband died 21 years ago. She has had dreams of him from time to time, but about a week ago, she was turning over in bed when she saw him standing at the foot of her bed. She sat up and he suddenly vanished. She told her daughter who told her she was dreaming, but when the mother was adamant that she was not dreaming, the daughter said, “God did not let anyone come back after dying!” The daughter then said that her mother must have seen a demon. The 75 year old woman did not believe it to be a demon so she wrote to us asking for help in understanding.
This email stimulated my thoughts and so the topic of my comments today will focused on the implied message given to this 75 year old woman. Some readers may be wondering why I am getting off the subject of the paranormal or ghosts, but our understanding of religions is a study in the paranormal and ghosts. The life beyond the grave is a spiritual experience, not governed or controlled by the precepts uttered by the living or the words found in the Bible or other holy works.
While some religions are more tolerant toward the paranormal, many approach the paranormal from the fundamentalist views of demonism. The mainstream religion seems more open to the paranormal while the fundamental Christians appear to judge and condemn ghosts as demons. Some are open to ghosts, a Catholic priest who ordered the booklet on EVP so he could understand why a deceased priest was still haunting their rectory. A Lutheran minister wrote for help in dealing with a haunting of one of his church members. Perhaps this is why the Christian faith is fractured with 2,200 sects, each proclaiming they are the beloved of God.
When we speak of ghosts, we are speaking of the souls of those who lived and died on this earth. What happens to the souls after their mortal death does not match with the teachings of Western religion. I speak from experience, trained and education in Western religion where I functioned as a lay minister for twenty years before rejecting the theological foundation as built upon sand, not rock. I am an ordained and licensed minister. I focus on life beyond the grave, the survival of the soul. The funeral is where the vast majority of churches end their responsibility with the person, but for myself, this is the beginning, not the end. In the ghost hunting community, we use terms such as ghost or spirit, which are simply another label that we substitute for the religious label of soul. We can accept the Holy Ghost, but not a ghost from the rank and file of the human race.
I cannot express the number of times that I receive email from someone who has experienced the return of a loved one. While Jesus is supposed to wrap his arms around this deceased loved one, the reality does not support this beloved religious belief. The religious will quickly condemn this visitation and equate it with demonic activity to decease the very elect of God. What a bunch of horse pucky! The religious have no idea what is happening so they resort to the judge and condemn approach when faced with a paranormal experience, unless it is sweet Jesus who appears to them then it is a holy visitation and no demonic labels are attached.
Religion tells us nothing about life beyond the grave, most religions offer opinions or postulate about life beyond the grave, but our field investigations involving EVP recordings does not validate religious teachings. Ghost voices are important aspects for understanding the nature of the dead.
One of the first aspects you will notice when you conduct your own EVP is the intensity of the emotions embedded in the voices. The emotions are clear and distinct; they are human emotions expressed by the dead. We learn quickly that our human emotions travel with us beyond the grave. If we are angry in this life, we will be angry in the life to come. The religious will call these angry demons, simply because the spirits have not dealt with their negative emotion. Too many labels float around in our society. What we need is a better understanding of what life is like on the other side, there are no pearly gates, no harps, or clouds to park yourself upon to sing praises for eternity.
Most often, if one meets death as a result of an accident or illness, there is no white light to greet the newly arrived soul. There are no angels or messengers to greet them. There is no one to answer your questions. The newly arrived soul is unable to move on to a higher realm where they can find their peace, happiness, and bliss. Instead, their emotional burdens become the anchors that keep them earth bound. Negative emotional issues that may have been buried deep within the psyche of that person prevents onward and upward mobility. Time does not march forward in this new dimension, so as they ponder their fate, the time line on earth marches on, leaving them at the point in time that they crossed over to that side.
Psychics who call themselves soul rescuers believe that they have the power and gift to force spirits to the light. No one asks what “light,” but these psychic saviors boast that they have moved thousands of souls toward the light, as if it was some giant comic book version of life. They boasts of their great achievements of sending lost souls to the light, but these “lost souls” were not sent to the light, they simply got tired of being around so much horse pucky.
Spirits will not move on until they can release their emotional burdens that anchor them to this earth plane. Spirits will not move until they are ready and able to move on. This is simply and straight forward, the living cannot force or compel the dead to move on, UNLESS, the dead are ready to do so. The earth plane is a place where spirits from beyond the grave can work out their salvation, so to speak, to let go of those anchors that keep them earth bound. The prideful few who believe they hold the power to move them beyond this realm are just that, prideful.
The proper understanding of the dimension that the dead inhabit is very important. We grow up being taught religious views about life after death and when these sacrosanct views are not validated, we start to see the shallow notions we were taught. Ghost research teaches us that sacrosanct views are not related to facts or to truth. We can also understand that religious dogmas based on man's concepts do not speak to a relationship with loving God, but the relationship perceived by man for man.
Man created religion. It both controls and aids him in his quest for truth. Religion stresses guilty, fear, and shame. Our experience in ghost hunting has set us free from blind faith in dogmas that not validated by the living. We have found insights and knowledge that confounds the religious and threatens to shake their very foundation. When the dead speak from beyond the grave, the cleric can only call them demons, even if it was their little old grandma whom they loved in life. In death, she suddenly becomes a demon. Why this disparately?
While we have learned so much about life after death that is contrary to what main stream Christianity teaches, we have to conclude the religion of our ancestors simply does not apply today. As the great mythologist, Joseph Campbell has said, religion needs to have myths that the people of today can relate to and understand. When the Old Testament was written, the world was confined to the
Today, these myths fail to convey the messages about morality and life by the people who wrote them. We are all going to die one day. All we are doing now is gathering insights into the realm beyond the grave. These insights about life beyond the grave are insights that the Christian myths do not address and cannot address. Any person approaching ghost hunting in a serious manner can discover these insights for themselves, as the insights are universal in nature. They are not sacrosanct dogmas locked up by the few, but readily available for the masses. There is life beyond the grave, there is no death as in the end of our lives, and death is simply the transition from one dimension to another dimension where we still have our intelligence, our emotions, and our personalities.
As Joseph Campbell has said, “heaven and hell are within us,” just as the Gnostic scrolls state in the Book of Thomas. If heaven and hell are within us then we will not find pearly gates and paved streets of gold, but instead we will find a realm much like our dimension, but without the theological tapestries. The only way to understand that realm is to study and learn from those whose voices we record during our investigations. Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but a good EVP recording will focus on actual conditions that exist for that spirit. An EVP recording is better than a photo as the photo is simply a two dimension image without emotions or intelligence.
Happy trails.
A few years ago a couple contacted us about strange things that were happening in their home. They had just moved into an old farmhouse and things were taking place that had no logical explanation. They discovered our website and called us, not knowing we were only two hours away from them. As it turned out, these were some of the nicest and most intelligent people we had ever met. Both husband and wife were highly educated and their two daughters were following in their footsteps. The girls were happy and loved their new surroundings yet they were unsure and a bit frightened by what was going on in their new home. They wanted some help and some answers but what they learned, was more than they expected.
We found the house and property to be actively haunted after spending time with the family and being able to investigate at our leisure. The land had its own story of tragedy and death, which we felt was the cause for the paranormal events. We filmed with several television crews who wanted a true ghost story and real witnesses. As we worked closely with the family, they came to know that the ghosts were not demons, as they had been taught in church, but had been guardian spirits for the family when problems arose.
I will say here that two known psychics had visited at one point and told the people they would be wise to demolish the home and start over. The psychics said there was evil there and that destruction of the home would rid them of the problems. This offended the home owners. They knew that the psychics was way off base, they knew that the ghosts would not hurt them, in fact they protected them. They loved their home and did not want to tear it down. Another example of how psychics can allow their own imagination to blur what was really happening.
It had been several years since we had seen the family, though we would exchange Christmas cards once a year. One morning while we were staying at a friends place in
The family had a big St. Bernard that they had owned for many years. He was probably the biggest dog I had ever seen in my life! The dog had died recently and the girls were devastated having lost him. He was as much a part of the family as the rabbits, cats and other critters the family had. The strange part of this was that shortly after the dog died, the youngest daughter had told her Mom on several occasions that she had seen him. The Mom and Dad listened but didn't pay real close attention, knowing that things happened like this most of the time.
Janice and Fred had decided to use part of their land for a vineyard. Up on the hillside and quite a ways from the house, they had planted acres of grapes. Because of other business during the day and because of the extreme heat of the summer months, Fred decided he would work in the field at night by the headlights of his tractor. One night he was on the tractor working the vineyards when suddenly he saw something white and large run quickly through the headlights in front of him. The area is very isolated and Fred started to wonder if maybe it was a cougar. They are common in that part of the country and very dangerous so he decided he would watch to see if he saw it again.
It wasn't but a few minutes before Fred felt something pull on his leg, hard. He thought again of the cougar and knew that if it had been a cougar he saw and that is what had his leg, he was a dead man. The next thing Fred knew, he was being jerked hard to the ground. In the darkness, he heard a loud crack and then a huge crash. He looked up to see that a large limb from a tree had broken and fallen across the cab of his tractor. Had he been sitting in the drivers’ seat at the time he fell, he would have been killed.
As Fred gathered his wits about him, he realized a cougar had not pulled him from the tractor, as he was lying on the ground, totally alone. In fact, there was nothing in the field except him. He wasn't sure what had just happened or why.
Fred went back to the house and told his family what had just happened to him. They looked at his torn pants that were almost in shreds on the leg that had been grabbed. The interesting part was that he had teeth marks in his leg and the teeth marks that were the size of a very large dog. The teeth marks were the same size as those of their beloved dog, whom they had just lost. Everything started to come clear to the family. The young daughter had seen the dog outdoors, even after he had died and that night they realized how very protected they were.
Janice and Fred realized that night how quickly things can happen that can take someone we love from our lives. The girls would have been without their Father and Janice would have been a very young widow. They have learned that love survives the grave and that bond never dies, even the bonds we have with our pets. The huge St. Bernard knew of the impending danger to his master and from beyond the grave, rescued him from certain tragedy.
Though Fred never saw the dog, or anything else out in that field that would explain what grabbed his ankle to jerk him off the tractor, he knew his dog had been there to save him. With all of the events that have taken place out at the farmhouse and around the property, the family never doubted what had taken place that night. Oh yes, Janice said it taught her to be more attentive to what her daughter told her too. That is a very important lesson for any parent.
She had called to relate the story to us and to thank us for everything we have shared with them. We shed our tears, knowing that our friends are doing okay and thankful we could help them to understand the nature of the ghosts that they coexist with in their beautiful valley. Janice told Dave that working with us had changed their lives and that they were thankful to have worked with us. They coexist with the spirits of the past, in peacefulness and that gives them comfort. Now they know that their beloved dog is still around, watching and protecting, just as he did in life.
Happy Hauntings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Paid Advertising~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New! GhoSt Augustine Ghost Equipment:
Check out GhoSt Augustine's ghost-equipment at:
http://stores.ebay.com/ghost-equipment. We carry an
inexpensive but very good EMF meter & more!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Southwest Ghost Conference in 2005:
We have scheduled our Southwest Ghost Conference for March 25-27 in
Ghost Charm Jewelry:
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 our Halloween Special discount site 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.
Kind regards,
Dave, Sharon & BooBoo
International Ghost Hunters Society
Copyrighted 2004 by Dr. Dave Oester
All Rights Reserved.