Spooky action at a distance

All things by immortal power,
Near or far,
Hiddenly
To each other linked are,
That thou canst not stir a flower
Without troubling of a star.
Francis Thompson

I ran across this poem three times on the Internet today, first at the bottom of the preface to Dean Radin's book Entangled Minds, then in reference to the recent popular movie, Stardust, and in a novel by Madeline L'Engle. I can see how it has captured the imagination, but what does it mean?

In a nutsell, the universe is all connected at the microscopic level of elementary particles. And for more information about that, click on the link under the title of this post. I'm reminded of a book I read many years ago about the healing power of light being based on the fact that when you get down to the subatomic level we are all light. The whole universe is light. When God said, let their be light, he was saying let there be everything!

What does this all have to do with ghosts? It's all about being connected, about, as the poem says, being linked together and being beings of energy. Perhaps for this reason our loved ones who have passed on are sometimes able to make themselves known to us, poltergeists are able to rattle the pans, and events from long ago are able to reenact themselves with us as their new audience.

The title of this post comes from Albert Einstein, who once referred to quantum physics as "spooky action at a distance."

Happy Birthday to Spookannie

This year on my birthday I am grateful
a. to be alive for another year; hooray for the beating heart and the healthy lungs; you go guys!
b. friends; it only takes a few.
c. my house is not haunted; I think. There was that funny pile of ashes we found on the dining room table last December (and we don't have a fireplace, and I still haven't found an explanation for that door I heard open a few months ago, but hey, if that's all that happens, I can live with it!)
d. my dogs; they love me for the price of a dog biscuit now and then.
e. my husband; he loves me and I don't even give him dog biscuits.
f. my kids; there is room for improvement;
they cost a lot more than dog biscuits.
g. my life; it is good; I am grateful.
If today were your birthday,
what would you be giving thanks for?

T.A.P.S. on the air

I was just getting ready to write a post lamenting the wooden, stilted, filtered and sanitized dialogue on Ghost Hunters, when I discovered that Jason and Grant are going on the radio in an uncensored format. I hope they are allowed to show more personality than they are permitted on the show. They seem like very nice guys, but those fake plumbing scenes and the conversations around the table are so canned, it's annoying. It's like watching the Stepford Wives do ghosthunting. Again, don't get me wrong. I like them. I like the show, but why oh why, do they have all those artificual conversations, like the ones on walkie-talkies just before they arrive at the investigation site about what they expect, as though this hasn't been discussed prior to their setting out (sometimes across the whole country)?

So, what was I saying? They are going on the radio. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say in a less structured environment. They have done a lot for bringing a level of professionality and objectivity to the field. I bet they know more than they are saying (on the TV show).

Click on the title of this post to take you to the T.A.P.S. website and information about the new radio show.

Our Fascination with Ghosts

Whether an episode of TAPS, a haunted tour of a city in a trolley bus with a tour guide, or an overnight investigation in a haunted location, ghost hunting is big business. Suddenly businesses and historic buildings, instead of hiding their ghosts in the closet, are bringing them out of hiding and broadcasting their existence on network television in an effort to bring in more customers, bring in the tourists. You don't have to wait till Halloween to enjoy the "fun" of being scared under controlled conditions.

Everyone wants to catch a ghost on film (speaking metaphorically) and provide the ultimate proof to convince the skeptics. Fuzzy photos, blown up so much the individual pixels can be seen are all over the net, usually with the ghostly figure circled and with an arrow pointing to it. This is necessary, since the images are not really visible and once pointed out, generate wildly different opinions as to what is being seen. Orbs were popular for a while, but people are finally catching on to the fact that they are just dust and moisture caught in the camera flash while flying too close to the lens. Similarly, camera straps and long hair create brightly lit examples of alleged ectoplasm. Does this mean there aren't any real captures of real ghosts on the net?. No, I believe there are some good examples out there, but one has to filter through a lot of dubious claims to find them.

The good thing is that more people are talking about their experiences and sharing them with a wider audience. When you consider that many of their experiences involve a loved one who has passed on and is attempting to communicate, this is a positive development. Some ghosts stick around a place they loved and end up being the unexpected co-resident who thinks of everyone else as house guests. Some stories bring a tear to the eye and a warm feeling to the heart. Others are incredibly sad, when you realize their ghosts are wayward spirits who have been unable to escape reliving terrifying events. Others are harrowing, since there are unhappy spirits who may wish to harm those still living. The house ghost, the visit from grandpa or your favorite aunt, or a child who died before his time - these are usually nothing to be afraid of, and if approached calmly can be good for everyone involved. The malignant or nuisance spirits, these need to be dealt with or avoided.

Halloween is about wearing costumes. Ghost hunting is about interacting with real persons whose bodies are gone, but whose spirits and personalities linger. If you are interested, there is plenty of information on the net on the different kinds of hauntings, how to go about trying to spot a ghost or contact a spirit and how to get rid of one; how to protect yourself; what kind of equipment is helpful. Watch for posts on these various topics . . . as I grow this blog, I will be adding helpful information on every topic I can think of related to ghosts, ghost hunting and all things ghost-related.