Three times, we had visited the same location. Three times, a female came through, via “spirit apps”, dead bell, psychic impressions, cat balls, EMF meters, and all manner of other devices, all consistent and coalescing on the same message: I was raped here, by more than one man, and I am not free from this horror. There were more details, but I believe that is enough. What did we do with this information? Nothing. We repeated our visits, received the same awful information, and moved on.
Sure, you can argue that there is nothing to do. But that begs the question: why are we collecting this information, essentially meeting this person in the afterlife, and offering her nothing but the same questions and responses? Do we not owe her something, even if that something is simply trying to find out who she was? Don’t we owe these people some sense that we will continue to push through the veil and try to ease their suffering? Are we, as investigators, moving forward or sideways?
In the field of the paranormal, as in most everything that we do with our time, there are lateral moves and forward moves. A lateral move is something you do to distract or entertain yourself that does not lead to personal, professional, or spiritual/emotional growth. Examples might be scrolling on social media, consumption of news, shopping, gambling, substance use, television, and activities that could either move you forward OR distract/entertain you, such as paranormal investigations. Moving forward in your life means engaging with activities where you learn something, contribute to the betterment of others, teach, grow in some way, or simply experience something new and intriguing. Whenever a given activity devolves into routine, repetition, or simply loses the creative spark that ignited one’s passion in the first place, we are moving laterally; our passion becomes a distraction, our creativity wilts into repetitive behaviors, and our goals and aspirations turn into just another day at the office, or just another investigation with the latest gadget.
You might ask, at this point, what are we supposed to do? If you look at successful groups in the paranormal and urban explorer communities, there is a higher purpose to the investigation or exploration. “Paranormal Nightmare” approaches their work as investigators from a Christian perspective, sending spirits “to the Light” and reciting the Lord’s Prayer. This works for them because their faith is the bedrock for everything that they do; it’s not flimsy gimmick or a way to tie up loose ends, but an outgrowth of a belief system that defines them. Not every paranormal group can imitate that model, simply because there exists a diversity of belief systems and commitment to a higher power (for many, there is no such commitment), but it’s important to figure out what DOES matter to you, what beliefs and values define you and your actions in the world, and use that as the basis for your paranormal inquiries. Adam Mark is an example of an urban explorer who doesn’t simply invade abandoned homes and dig through someone’s belongings; he lovingly traces the history of the family and eulogizes them through his reverence for their earthly belongings, the history of a painting on a wall, the cultural/regional differences in the architecture of the homes, or simply the poignancy of a child’s toy left abandoned in a crumbling room. He turns urban exploration into poetry and a memorial to those left behind. This is transcendence, not distraction.
If this is not the goal of paranormal investigations, then I am not sure what we are doing. Sometimes, it’s as simple as offering to pray for the soul that reaches out to you, or as complicated as digging through courthouse records and crime reports to find out what happened to the person that lived in that particular house, then returning, and saying their name; perhaps empathizing with their feelings, holding space for them, and then letting them go. At some point, a location and its history need to be left alone. We know the stories, the spirits, the history; those souls are not there for our entertainment. Our investigations should not be about us and relieving our boredom or chasing a thrill, but about a careful consideration of those who passed away there, and what they might possibly need from us.
Moving forward in our investigations means respecting not only those who have passed but respecting ourselves and our motives for spending so many hours in the dark with the grand mystery of existence.
Kirsten A. Thorne, PhD
International Society for Paranormal Research 