The Paranormal Path
How Normal Is The Paranormal?
When we think of the word “paranormal” our first thoughts are of ghosts, poltergeists, and haunted houses.. This is a very good place to start, but there are so many ways the paranormal can come into our daily lives, even for those who do not go searching for such things. We all in some way has a brush with the paranormal more often than we realize.
How often do we spill salt and toss a little over our shoulder, knock on wood, avoid walking under a ladder, or stay away from a cemetery at night? Some of us aren’t even sure why we do it, we just know it has to be done. Superstitions are just one of the many categories under the wide topic of paranormal activity. Depending on your cultural or religious background there are many potential outcomes to these “old wives tales”. Sometimes we fear we will have bad luck, become less prosperous, or even receive a strange visitor in the dead of night who has come to make a deal. There is no scientific proof that these things will happen, yet we continue to believe. Then, there are those who become so fascinated with these things, such as I, that we try them, test them and become enveloped with their origins. This is where ghost hunters are born. People who want answers and who are certain there is more out there than a mundane existence. So many ghost stories revolve around urban legend and folklore. How many people played Bloody Mary as a kid? There are quite a few interpretations of who Mary actually was and why she is so vengeful. In fact that childhood party game can easily be considered the first paranormal investigation for a lot of us!
Soon we graduate from a candlelit mirror and a toy store Ouija board, to digital voice recorders and EMF detectors. The important thing is to always keep an open mind and ask questions. Even if you think no one is listening you may be surprised. The unexplained is all around us, we need more people to push those boundaries and explore the unexplainable. Keep the childlike enthusiasm and inability to convince ourselves something isn’t real. Too much of our world and our history revolves around the paranormal. There is not one part of the globe that does not hold countless tales of the spirit world. Research is key. I urge everyone to take a moment and think about different locations or landmarks near you that have a paranormal history. I believe you will find the paranormal is more normal than you thought.