What (or who) is in the Tunnels?

All right, let’s get down to brass tacks here – let’s rule out what this potential tunnel-dwelling entity is not:

1.      It’s not a cryptid.  Through my research, and a description from Roland, this entity takes the shape of a human being – or something resembling a human being.  Even if the entity is not human, and only taking the shape of a human (or hijacking the physical form of a human), it would still not be considered a cryptid, as a cryptid is the same in both substance and form.

2.      It may very well be an alien, I cannot rule that out; however the history of alien sightings and happenings suggests they originate far above the land, and not beneath it.

3.      This leaves it as a prime candidate for a “spirit.”

With these points in mind, specifically number three, I don’t think it’s as simple as all this…I think it’s much more complex than I, or anyone else, expected...

Tricks of the Paranormal Photography Trade (Part 1)

The following is an effort to parlay my own investigations into “spiritual” paranormal phenomenon into practical information on capturing “evidence” --

I was once an amateur photographer with a passion to go pro; but in fear of being pigeonholed into shooting weddings the rest of my life, I gave it up.  Well, sort of.  I decided to employ my knowledge of photography into my profession of studying the paranormal.  I found that the hobby was a perfect match to the profession (though some of you will probably argue as to which one’s the hobby and which one’s the profession – for me, there is no debate).

My preferred method of capturing paranormal evidence is to rig an HD video camera to my Polaroid camera.

Earlier in my life, I might have hesitated to reveal this information, as perhaps a Michelin Star chef might hesitate to reveal the secret ingredient to his most famous recipe.  But as I’ve gotten older, the urge to leave a part of my mind “behind,” as they say, has become an important stimulus to me.  And what better venue than the blogosphere to throw my proverbial “caution to the wind”?  


Furthermore, in revealing such information, I can’t help but acknowledge the possibility of conspiracy.  Perhaps the notion of conspiracy is more sincere of a motivation for my hesitation than anything else.  I can’t tell you how many of my connections to various organizations, like The Department of Defense, The Congressional Subcommittee on Paranormal Phenomenon, interagencies that examined UFO sightings within the Washington D.C.’s Federal Bureau of Investigation, have been erased from virtual existence.  It appears as though I never worked for them.  The government’s penchant for secrecy is overwhelming and far-reaching.  


I do not think it’s such a stretch to suggest the possibility of an insidious link between the collapse of the Polaroid Company, and other film manufacturers, and the rise of digital cameras, as a way for the government to protect the paranormal, to safeguard the mysteries that they’d like the masses to not pry into.  If paranormal phenomenon is only captured digitally, it’s easy to debunk: “Oh, it’s Photoshop;” “Oh, it’s a pixel;” “Oh, it’s digital noise, static, feedback, etc.”  However, with film, what’s on the negative is on the negative, it can’t be ignored or altered via a computer – it’s much harder to debunk.  It’s hard evidence.

Exposing and developing film is a chemical process – it is an organic process – just as the spiritual process of the paranormal is.

Photography: Film vs. Digital

When it comes to attempting to photograph a spirit, there is an inconsistency present in the frequencies of modern digital cameras, and a divide in exposure and materialization of the photo – the light, how it’s absorbed into the camera’s electronic sensor, and the subsequent digital translation of the visual information.  


Whereas film, specifically the nature of Polaroid instant film, is “instant” in the truest sense – the image is bounced from a mirror and exposed immediately on film.  And perhaps the most important element to this, which further distinguishes instant film from other types of traditional small, medium and large film formats, is that instant film develops in the exact same environment in which the ghost/paranormal subject inhabits, or just inhabited.  


You see, temperature is critical, as sometimes temperature is altered by the presence of a paranormal entity, thus the development of the picture in these same environmental conditions, the very conditions altered by the subject, is crucial to the process – and crucial to capturing an image of the entity...


For some interesting, but mostly fake, examples that exhibit the unique inconsistencies in modern digital photography, visit: http://ghostphotographs.blogspot.com/

For Vampires, Fashion is Undead Too.

I’m not sure whether the latest vampire craze has anything to do with my students’ interest in “ghosts.”  They certainly can’t get enough of stuff like the Twilight series, The Vampire Diaries,  and True Blood, I would argue that vampires fall into the category of “ghosts” as opposed to the category of “cryptids,” even though they are portrayed as being physically in our world, they are technically dead – the physical body is controlled by an ethereal force, a force outside, or beyond, our spiritual world.

This popular “gothic,” or simply “goth” as the kids like to call it, sensibility has driven up the numbers of students registering for my fall class.  Whatever it’s called, I’m a fan of this sensibility, as it’s currently keeping me employed at my university.  I have noticed that along with the rise of student numbers has come the rise of piercings, tattoos and black leather exhibited on their persons.  I have no opinion on their personal disfigurements or lapses in fashion sense, that is their business and their business alone.

The more extroverted kids have taken to actually wearing “fangs;” in fact, you can get your own pair of dental-fit fangs right here if you’re so inclined:

http://www.vampfangs.com/

As for me, my business is the business of ghosts, and other paranormal phenomenon, et al.

A Ghost, an Exorcism, and the spirit world. Are they real?

I’ve spent most of my career focusing on category 1, Spirits (AKA “ghosts”), notwithstanding various paid freelance jobs with a government I cannot identify, per the guidelines of my contracts, on which I focused on category 2 (extraterrestrial life).

In my experience, the idea of the existence of ghosts seems to be the most publicly acceptable.  This may seem contrary to logic, as this category of the paranormal specifically deals with entities from another existence, another dimension if you will; whereas “alien life forms” and “cryptids” are purported to exist within our own realm, be it on another planet or not.  This may stem from the idea of the “soul” and a person’s intrinsic desire to be in touch with spirits (whether the spirits of those friends and family members who’ve passed on, or the spirits of strangers) outside of our own.  Demonic possession is a “happening” that has been, and continues to be, accepted by those inside and out of various religious communities.  Exorcisms continue to be practiced, just as they once had been when they were first practiced by the Jesuits at the College of The Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.  To this day, this small liberal arts college is rumored to keep a light on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in an upper floor room in their main academic building that was used to conduct exorcisms in the late 19^th Century.  This does pique the students’ interest there, as it remains unexplained as to why the light remains on, and it does seem like a ridiculous waste of electricity.

Although my students, and others their age, may find it boring by today’s standards, I still maintain that THE EXORCIST is the scariest movie ever made; and judging by the unending explorations of this “dark art” by Hollywood, it’s still relevant.

This widespread embrace of the spiritual world may be a result of another intrinsic desire to not only comprehend what happens to “us” after we die, but to determine whether or not there is life, or a form of life, after death...

A Recent Development...

I have begun uploading video comparisons to these blog posts. If you would like to watch them, I am told you can do so by visiting YouTube or clicking this link: http://www.youtube.com/user/ProfessorLamott?feature=mhee

What Are Ghosts? Part 2

In general, evidence of ghosts has been inconclusive. 

There has been a long history of attempts at photographing this type of paranormal phenomenon, and the success of these attempts differs by whom you talk to about it.  The photograph is by nature subjective – it is not reality, but rather a form of art.  The moment a lens is pointed at something, a subjective choice has been made, and when the shutter is depressed, that choice is cemented.

Apparitions caught on film date back to the invention of the camera.  Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the most logical character in the history of literature, Sherlock Holmes, believed in the infamous fake photos dubbed “The Cottingley Fairies” that came to light in 1917 and caused a fervor. 

What is so obviously detected as fraud in the present was believed as magical when eyes first viewed them in the early 1900’s.  Doyle embraced this photograph as definitive proof of the spiritual world.

It’s my opinion that the brain, even those brains existing in humans of high intellect, when presented with visual information it has never seen before it may not immediately know how to comprehend it, and therefore grossly misjudge it.  As viewers, we’ve become more savvy to trickery, as we are aware of what a program like Photoshop can conjure without any paranormal assistance.  It’s getting harder to fool us.  But the technology grows, as evidenced by the gadgets of increasing complexity used by “ghost hunters” on various cable network television shows.

For examples of these shows, follow these links:

http://www.syfy.com/ghosthunters/

http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/ghost-adventures

And for all you ghost-hunting aficionados who can’t get enough of these shows, you can get more information on this site that “strives to bring you the most up to date paranormal television shows from around the world”:

http://www.extremeghosthunters.com/

The more savvy we get, the more complex the techniques of presenting paranormal evidence become.  This is either an attempt to fool us once again, as Arthur Conan Doyle was once fooled, or a sincere attempt at detection.  I cannot be clear as to which motivation is more widely held.

However, I can tell you of my personal photography experience and opinions dealing with the nuances of camera work. This will appear in a later blog post I will title Photography: Film vs. Digital 

What Are Ghosts?

Okay, now I’m guilty of invoking some sensationalism by leading with the word “ghost” instead of “spirit,” but in my years of teaching high school and college, sometimes a dramatic turn of phrase or a good old slamming down of a textbook on the desk to begin a lecture is the only thing to keep a listener awake.

In simplistic terms, a “ghost” is the tangible manifestation of a dead person.

Some scholars contend this manifestation to be the “soul” or literal “spirit” of the deceased; others consider it to be a part of the person that has yet to “cross over” into the realm of death.  Either way, both camps will agree that a “ghost” is considered a part of the deceased that is detected in the world of the living.  The very nature of the idea also conjures up notions of the divine: the two sides of that coin being, the angelic side, and the demonic side.  If such a connection exists between ghosts and an omnipotent force that is indeed beyond this world, “Angels” and “Demons” would most certainly be classified as ethereal “spirits.”

I’m not a religious man, not in any traditional sense, but I do believe in the unknown – in the existence of “things” that may be beyond our normal human understanding.  Therefore, I cannot discount the mystical or “divine” implications in such a belief system.  If I am to subscribe into the existence of spirits or ghosts, I must subscribe into the existence of “Angels” as well. 

I will delve deeper into this in later posts...

What are Aliens, Ghosts, and The Loch Ness Monster?

As best I can disseminate in the blog format (thank goodness I’m not twittering these thoughts, as I’ve been told you’re only allowed 140 characters), I will elaborate on the established classifications of paranormal phenomena. 

These classifications can be divided into three categories:

• Spirits (AKA “ghosts”)
• Extraterrestrial Life (including UFO’s)
• Cryptids (mainly creatures, like the Loch Ness Monster for example)

I’ve received feedback about being too wordy and using too big of a vocabulary.  Normally, as in the cases of my class lectures and with my students, I would respond with a chastisement: I shouldn’t dumb down my content for the fast-food consumption of my audience; but in this case, and for the purpose of disseminating as much information as possible, I will try to comply with the criticism...

In an effort to adhere to the “times,” and the attention spans of readers of the same age or below as my students, my following blogs will be brief.