Intention 101

A recent survey indicated that the majority of people when asked why they are in the field or involved with the paranormal research, these are the main few reasons given. (Reasons may vary)

·      To legitimately obtain proof of a spectacular phenomenon.

·      Personal interest based off an individual paranormal occurrence.

·      Share stories and learn about history.

·      To feed ones adventurous side.

·      To see dead people.

·      To find the truth.

·      To be famous!

If any of those reasons hit close to home with you, you are in the mass majority. If your reason is not listed, feel free to contact me, I would love to add your logic to the list!

I was able to interview a woman who has been in association with a very actively haunted location for many years; I learned a few things about intention and patience that are involved with haunted locations. I will share her interview and a few things to make you think about when it comes to investigating ghosts and hauntings. This is a small excerpt from the interview.

…While interviewing this life expert, I learned quickly that this woman has more common sense than most people I know. What she says does not support the way today’s ghost hunters today are working. I will provide a few good points she gave me during one lengthy interview.
Right off the bat, she informs me, "Those groups that are expecting to see things, it will never happen, because they expect it, their intentions are wrong." After she declared this to me, I started to think about my personal attitude as a ghost hunter.  I then asked her about technology and ghost hunting teams... she boldly told me "You don’t need it!" I asked her why not, she answered me with a chuckle in her voice, “If you want to see a ghost, you more than likely not going to be able to, when you are just there, not expecting a ghost, you could possibly see one, I have never met a ghost that will perform for a video camera.” Then she enlightens me the thought that ghost hunters these days are lacking the most important thing that is attached to the unknown, this is patience and misleading intentions.

Throughout the interview she explained to me that all these teams that walk around all night looking for ghosts, “are doing nothing but wasting their time and their breath”. She continued on, “The best way to witness or possibly collect evidence of a haunting is to sit still, listen to the building and let the building be who it is.”   I interrupt and ask her to explain more about letting the building “be who it is”?
    She continued to explain to me “Patience is... not psychic, not technology, not theory, not anything that can be measured with a meter. Patience is one of the rarest things in society these days, some ghost hunters just do not care enough about the buildings, not enough to just let them do what they do best, that  is just be haunted.” She continued to offer words of wisdom to me. “Just sitting patiently, without intention and just allowing things to be, well, the way they are, without expectations.” She insistently continued on.
“People are fighting the unknown, I find it strange, teams want so much to get proof, but they fight the way things are every step of the way.” She told me, "Teams out there are attempting to change life’s cycle".  

Now, before you start to assume that I think this woman is God-like, I would like to explain some things, and perhaps raise some questions in your mind, when it comes to your intentions. This woman is an elderly lady, she has no reason to lie or fabricate her paranormal occurrences and to be honest, and she will never declare that she “believes” in ghosts. So why do I speak so highly of this lady? For one, she is not a ghost hunter and she has witnessed more paranormal activity than any ghost hunter alive could handle. She is not psychic, she does not hold the key to the universe and she has no special skills that allow her to actually see dead people. What does she have? She has common sense and no expectations when it comes to the paranormal. She also has patience and the outmost respect for each building she has been involved with. She also expects nothing in return and she is dedicated as a person, mind body and spirit, she just doesn’t talk about it, she is the example.

            How many times have ghost hunters entered a location, set up plenty of equipment, and ran wiring throughout the rafters only later to shout out “Show yourself, I want to see you!” Pretty demanding protocol, if I were a ghost I would tell those people to kiss my ass and join me! Outside of the obvious rude factor, teams across the nation arrive at haunted locations expecting to witness paranormal activity. Some of these teams actually accomplish this task, while others are grasping for straws to collect some kind, any kind of evidence of the haunting. Are we just trying too hard to witness a phenomenon that comes by probability?

            People who are witness to paranormal activity are usually a victim of such activity. I call them victims because they are nothing more that unsuspecting people in a situation and totally caught off guard with a moment that was out of their control. This is a fact, so I do agree with this woman, our intentions are wrong and we as ghost hunters are expecting way too much out of the haunting. The idea of sitting back and allowing a building to just be haunted, this is part of my research that is still premature. After this interview I have changed my teams’ protocol and it already seems to be working out for us, with our collection efforts. Just allowing a building to be haunted, that is all that needs to be done. Now, even I have a hard time with this, stepping out of what I have been taught as a ghost hunter, how to banish those expecting thoughts of wanting to witness ghostly activity.

The easiest way from what my team and I have discovered is to place ones self as a victim on location. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? This brings you back to the first question of why you want to be a ghost hunter. Do you really want to witness paranormal activity, enough to place yourself as the vulnerable victim? The greater part of witness accounts to paranormal activity are when people are all alone and caught off guard. If you are not strong enough to face a location alone, you may want to rethink the idea of becoming a ghost hunter. In no way am I suggesting setting anyone up or recreating a scene from that teenaged show called Fear. When this woman told me that we are fighting out chances of amazing phenomenon, I actually took her advice to heart. Teams who trample through locations, carrying mounds of gear, tool belts and fancy gadgets are not getting anywhere with evidence, in fact, they are contaminating any potential evidence they could possibly collect. So, what are your intentions with hunting ghosts?

 Now, I am not saying that people must be alone, scared, in the rain, in the dark waiting to be attacked by an unseen demonic force. But I will ask that you open your mind and perhaps change your “as seen on TV” protocol up a little bit. Perhaps sending team members in by two’s instead of everyone at once. The common sense of intentions with this situation is to allow the building to show you what is to offer you, not to go in sporting a new tool belt and infrared flashlight expecting to take over the building. The building or the ghosts really do not care what you have on your person they are not impressed, this I will promise you.

            So, with that said, I ask that you perhaps take another look at your standards as a team or individual researcher. To be honest, I utilize the basics while on investigations, what are the basics, tape recorder, flashlight and video camera. Keeping the equipment levels down shows respect and also eliminates and reduces intentions on your investigation. Allowing ones self to become a victim, witness and not going in as a demanding overbearing ghost hunter that is fearless of all things spooky. We are all human beings; we should be acting like them.

By Tonya Hacker

Question: What are my intentions as a ghost hunter?

"Those groups that are expecting to see things, it will never happen, because they expect it, their intentions are wrong."

"If you want to see a ghost, you more than likely not going to be able to, when you are just there, not expecting a ghost, you could possibly see one, I have never met a ghost that will perform for a video camera.”

“People are fighting the unknown..."