Dark World: Into the Shadows with the Lead Investigator of the Ghost Adventures Crew (29 page)

Old Fort Erie, where I caught the incredible shadow arm, is made of local Onondaga flint stone. Many haunted buildings (including the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum) are made of limestone, which is the base material for many haunted places and contains a great deal of silica.

It could be that it’s not the stone itself, but the water molecules inside the stone that record and store the energies of the living. Some research has shown that ordinary water molecules may be able to store memories and may even be able to pass on those memories to other water molecules. Water is a building block of life that has been shown to store the properties of other materials imprinted on it. Some homeopathic medicines under extreme agitation have been shown to “remember” the properties of other chemicals even after those chemicals have been removed from the water (look up the work of immunologist Professor Jacques Benveniste).

The theory here is that extreme emotional events can imprint themselves on nearby water molecules and then be released as the water evaporates. But if that were true then why would the memory stay for decades and even centuries after the event?

The answer (theoretically) is that the original molecules continually pass their imprinted memories to neighboring molecules. With each copy the memory becomes less clear and distinct the same way copying a videotape makes each copy fade. The water may also evaporate completely, which would cause the imprinted memories to disappear as well.

We know that water stored deep inside rocks takes a very long time to surface and evaporate, so it could be that the rocks retain the water and release them and the paranormal activity stored in them after a long period of time or after a disruptive event, like an earthquake or demolition. This water would retain a higher-quality copy of the original event memory, so the spirit or event may be seen clearer. If we go back to the Hoosac Tunnel example, every time a train rumbles through the tunnel, it could be releasing some of the trapped water inside it.

There might some truth to this, since ghosts fade over time. There are few, if any, spirits that can be attributed to cavemen or ancient civilizations like Rome or Greece. In fact, it’s difficult to find any spirits that can be attributed to a living person more than five hundred years old. So why do they fade away? Could it be that the water in the building that they occupy is evaporating slowly and taking their memory with it?

If this is true, then maybe bodies of water (rivers, lakes, or moats) are storing the residual energy of the living as well. We know that EMF increases around water, so with a dedicated study, we may be able to show that the top 500 most haunted places in the world are on or near a body of water and therefore have a relationship to paranormal activity. Lighthouses on coastal areas are frequently full of activity. The Licking River flows within feet of Bobby Mackey’s Music Hall. Castillo de San Marcos sits on a bay. The Hoosac Tunnel has a constant supply of water running through it from rain runoff above.

The human body is around 70 percent water and we know that we store memories, so it’s possible that the water molecules inside our brains are the actual storage material for thoughts and memories instead of gray matter. The same may be true of nature—the rocks are the brains and the water inside them is the storage container for the memories of what happens around it. The Earth is made up primarily of rock and water, so it’s not a far-fetched concept that these planetary building blocks record and store the events of the living organisms on it.

Think about this for a minute—any serious athlete or someone who is into physical fitness will swear that the body has muscle memory. When athletes work out they perform movements in a repetitive fashion that their muscles adapt to and get used to. It’s why every bodybuilder will tell you that they vary their workouts often so they do not get stagnant. Muscles performing movements almost without being told is what they call muscle memory, even though we all know muscles do not contain brains and therefore have no ability to store memories. Musicians are the same way. They practice repetitive movements, like a guitar lick, a piano concerto, or a drum solo over and over until their fingers and arms can do it almost unconsciously. We know that muscles contain water, so it’s possible that these water molecules can also store memories.

For us humans, certain moments can trigger either fond or painful memories. For me, the smell of salt air always makes me remember the days I would spend on the beaches of Florida as a teenager. For those who can’t let go of high school, the sight of a Camaro can bring back the days of cruising down the main strip of their hometown. For some soldiers returning from combat, any loud bang can bring back dire situations when their lives were in danger and trigger an emotional response. The stone tape theory and water tape theory basically ask the question, why can’t the natural elements of the world act the same way? Why can’t rocks and water trap the energies of the things that happen around them and then release those memories under certain conditions?

Like imprint theory, this actually seems like a feasible explanation for residual hauntings, but it falls short of explaining the intelligent or evil entities I have encountered. Intelligent spirits are not mere memories that are released when the right conditions are present. They are independent, thinking spirits with their own identities and emotions. If we apply the stone tape and water tape theories to intelligent hauntings, then it’s possible that the energies of some spirits are stored in rocks and water, but in a different level of consciousness. When the conditions are right and these spirits are released they manifest fully with their previous identities intact. This could be why full-bodied apparitions are so rare.

While we’re talking about the relationship between spirits and water, I’m a believer in the theory that spirits can travel, but they can’t cross water. For example, I felt fine after leaving the Poveglia Island investigation, which is rare. Usually I have bad dreams and it takes me a few days to get back to normal after an investigation. But after Poveglia, which is an island surrounded by a lagoon, I rebounded to my normal self very quickly. Not only that, but I slept very soundly in the days after the investigation. I really think the spirits trapped at Poveglia cannot cross the Venetian Lagoon, which is why they were not able to attach themselves to me.

Weather Phenomena Theory

Do people mistake natural weather phenomena as paranormal activity? On the other hand, can certain weather conditions actually increase spiritual activity? There are some who say rain, wind, relative humidity, temperature, barometric pressure, solar activity, infrasound, seismic activity, the geomagnetic field, and the phases of the moon can be mistaken for ghost activity. I think this happens sometimes, but I also believe that the right weather conditions can unlock paranormal activity and actually help make it happen.

British lecturer Vic Tandy’s experience with infrasound is a great case study on the effects of weather and the paranormal and is something every investigator should know. One night Tandy was working in his laboratory in a medical manufacturing firm when he saw an apparition out of his peripheral vision. The next day he looked for what it was and discovered a very high field of infrasound in his office. Through experimentation with a colleague, Tandy made the connection that infrasound causes humans to have paranormal-like experiences.

Infrasound is sound that is lower than the normal limit of human hearing, usually quantified at 20 hertz or cycles per second. Infrasound sometimes results naturally from severe weather, surf, lee waves, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanoes, waterfalls, auroras, and lightning. It’s believed that animals can detect infrasound and it is the reason they flee when severe weather, like a tsunami, is approaching.

So Vic Tandy saw a ghost in his lab and attributed it to infrasound playing tricks on his mind. Tandy went on to recreate his experience, and with the assistance of Dr. Tony Lawrence, he was able to publish his findings in the
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
. Their research led them to conclude that infrasound at or around a frequency of 19 Hz has a range of physiological effects, including feelings of fear and shivering, sensations of disorientation and a feeling that a presence is in the room. Though this had been known for many years, Tandy and Lawrence were the first people to link it to ghostly sightings.

I respect their work, but I also want to throw my own theory out there. Instead of infrasound tricking the mind, I think it’s possible for infrasound to make the spirit that is already there visible. I think it’s possible that the presence of infrasound did not create a false apparition, but actually made it possible for one to be seen. I think there are spirits that can only be seen, heard, or felt under certain atmospheric conditions, and the presence of infrasound is one of those conditions. Just like infrared light can illuminate a spirit in the dark and give us a way to see something we normally would not, so can infrasound.

Think about this—the Aurora Borealis is a fantastic light show caused by a weather event near the Earth’s magnetic poles. The lights, which are fascinating displays of color and light, occur when highly charged electrons from the solar wind interact with elements in the Earth’s atmosphere, mostly oxygen and nitrogen. The solar winds (also called cosmic rays) become visible when they hit the magnetosphere, which is stronger near the poles.

But cosmic rays fall through the Earth’s atmosphere all the time and at all locations, so why do they make light shows at the poles? The answer is the high level of magnetism there. Does this sound familiar? Does it sound like high levels of EMF that are present when apparitions are caught on film? All the elements are in place—highly charged particles, magnetism, and light. I think there’s a similarity between the conditions that create the northern lights and the conditions that make apparitions visible.

Infrasound and resonance may play an even bigger role in the paranormal than EMF because everything vibrates, all the way down to the subatomic level, and everything has its own signature resonant frequencies. We are ultra sensitive to shifts and changes in not only our own natural resonant frequencies, but also those in our immediate environment. How many times have you gotten a “good vibe” off of someone you share things in common with?

Solar activity, geomagnetic storms, and the phases of the moon also affect ghost activity. We know that spirits needs energy to manifest, so it would stand to reason that when the air is charged with electricity (like after a lightning storm or during a solar flare) they have more opportunity to gather strength to be seen or heard.

There is a popular belief that paranormal activity increases just before, during, and just after a new moon. We know that the moon’s phases affect the Earth’s magnetosphere by blocking solar winds and allowing the field to stretch further into space. Since the moon is closest to the Earth during a full moon and furthest during a new moon, we know that the gravitational field of the planet and the magnetosphere are both in flux at this time. It’s very possible that the atmosphere is supercharged with energy during this phase, which gives ghosts more ability to manifest.

Temperature also has an effect, both positively and negatively. During the winter months of October to February, electrostatic energy in the atmosphere is at its highest. High barometric pressure and high humidity also contribute to higher amounts of charged particles in the air. So if we combine these facts with the moon phase data, the best time for paranormal activity would be just after a storm and during a full moon in the winter. Any wonder why October 31 has always been regarded as the day all hell breaks loose?

Like tumblers in a combination lock, I believe certain weather phenomena can give paranormal activity strength. I think there are ideal combinations of temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and moon phase that, when aligned, act like the Earth’s EMF pump to give spirits more strength to manifest.

On the downside, temperature fluctuations can cause false paranormal activity too. Wood pops, pipes bump against each other, and buildings groan when the sun sets and the world gets a little colder after dusk. It’s a basic law of physics—natural and manmade materials contract when the temperature drops. And when the temperature drops dramatically, these sounds happen in bunches and can be mistaken for spirits trying to make contact.

It almost pains me to admit that there are weather and natural phenomena like these that can cause false hauntings, but I also recognize that I have to be objective and acknowledge that these perfectly natural phenomena can affect the way we perceive the world around us. If I can walk into a room and immediately identify that there is a presence of extreme levels of EMF, infrasound, or some other natural culprit, then I don’t even need to conduct an investigation.

This also highlights one of the drawbacks to paranormal research— we have no central repository for the data we collect. What if, for example, every photo of an apparition ever taken or every EVP of a disembodied voice ever recorded were available to the public in one place. Now imagine those pieces of evidence were tagged with all the weather data that were present when it was captured. We could compile and compare data and discover patterns of weather that could make paranormal activity more predictable.

Let’s fantasize for a minute. Let’s imagine we discovered that every class A EVP and every photo of a full-bodied apparition was captured between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit when the relative humidity was above 74 percent, the barometric pressure was rising, and the moon was in a full or new state, and during the winter months. With this knowledge we could start predicting times when the strongest paranormal activity would occur and make a breakthrough in paranormal research.

It is my hope that more studies be done to establish the connection between the weather and paranormal activity. By making sightings more predictable, we can increase our chances of communication with spirits and start to really unlock the mysteries of the universe.