{"id":1681,"date":"2009-05-01T01:10:29","date_gmt":"2009-05-01T06:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=1687"},"modified":"2009-04-27T12:58:41","modified_gmt":"2009-04-27T17:58:41","slug":"speakin-of-ghosts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2009\/05\/01\/speakin-of-ghosts\/","title":{"rendered":"Speakin’ of Ghosts…"},"content":{"rendered":"

SO, WHY DO YOU LIKE TO \u201cGHOST HUNT\u201d? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Imagine yourself as a child.\u00a0 Your mother has asked you to fetch something from the cellar.\u00a0 You don\u2019t like the cellar.\u00a0 Your mother thinks it\u2019s nonsense and your brother will make fun of you (even though you know he hates it, too!) so you grudgingly head that way.\u00a0 You pick up the flashlight and turn the knob to the door that opens into the musty darkness.\u00a0 The cool air greets you but you\u2019d rather suffer the heat than go down there.\u00a0 Your weak flashlight beam finds the wooden steps and you begin the long descent into the black, praying something doesn\u2019t reach between the open steps and grab you by the ankles, dragging you into the cellar and feasting on your flesh.\u00a0 You hurry down the rickety steps as quickly as you safely can, fetch the jar of green beans and take the steps two at a time until you reach the top where you slam the door, leaning against it, thankful you made it out alive, your heart beating wildly\u2026<\/p>\n

Or perhaps you\u2019re lying in your bed.\u00a0 The moonlight shines through the window just enough for your desk and toys to be nothing more than dark shapes.\u00a0 You notice your closet door is open.\u00a0 It\u2019s just a teeny bit, but still\u2026 That china doll you hate but feel obligated to keep because it was a gift from your Great Aunt Ethel is in there.\u00a0 You know once you start to drift off to sleep it will come to life and attack you.\u00a0 You just know it.\u00a0 But now you\u2019re too scared to get up and close the door because everyone knows you can\u2019t put your feet down after dark \u2013 who knows what\u2019s under the bed?\u00a0 So you lie there, too scared to get up and too scared to go to sleep.\u00a0 Finally, you get up the nerve so you bound as far from the bed as possible, run to the closet, slam it shut, and jump back onto the bed, keeping a safe distance from anything that might be able to reach you from underneath it, your heart beating wildly\u2026<\/p>\n

I recently came across the photographic works of Joshua Hoffine<\/a>.\u00a0 He sets up his shoots just like a movie set complete with makeup, costumes, and realistic scenery and props.\u00a0 The children in the photos are his and while several people have questioned that particular judgment, the kids love doing it.\u00a0 They realize it\u2019s all pretend.\u00a0 However, the emotions these photos elicit are quite real.\u00a0 He covers it all from the monster under the bed to the thing under the cellar stairs.<\/p>\n

His pictures made me think about fear and what scares people.\u00a0 What scared you as a kid?\u00a0 Something under the bed?\u00a0 A long, dark hallway?\u00a0 Being abandoned?\u00a0 Spiders?\u00a0 Clowns?\u00a0 The ever so slightly opened closet at night?\u00a0 The dark in general?\u00a0 Ghosties?<\/p>\n

I asked this question to several people and the responses were colorful and varied.\u00a0 The fears mentioned most often were under the bed, the closet door being open, clowns, spiders, and intruders.\u00a0 There were also completely random ones like moths, birds, needles, aliens, and bridges.\u00a0 A lot of people are scared of dolls or ventriloquist dummies, too.\u00a0 In truth, most of us are still a little scared of these things even as adults.\u00a0 We probably don\u2019t realize it, but when we think back to times gone by we still shudder at the thought of many of these things and can easily recall the terror they caused us as kids.<\/p>\n

As a paranormal investigator, I spend a lot of time in what would be considered scary places.\u00a0 Most of them are dark with spiders, snakes, birds, bats, and other creepy crawlies.\u00a0 Most of them are the scenes of some type of tragedy, deep sorrow, or death, with the likelihood of ghosts.\u00a0 We spend the night in places most people wouldn\u2019t venture into in the daylight.\u00a0 So what causes some people to get an adrenaline rush from being scared and others to quake in their boots?\u00a0 Some people would just as soon never see a scary movie, never had any fears growing up, and would never, ever go on a paranormal investigation to a supposedly haunted place yet some people yearn to be terrified.\u00a0 Carolyn Palmer, a psychology professor at Vassar College, said that some situations tie into our need to master threatening situations because anytime we master something, we get a thrill from that sense of control and the closer we get to not being in control, the greater the thrill.1<\/p>\n

Now, most paranormal investigators will tell you they investigate to find the \u201ctruth\u201d or to prove that ghosts exist.\u00a0 If you ask just about any investigator what got them interested in investigating the paranormal, most of them will tell you it\u2019s because of an experience they had and they want to know \u201cwhy.\u201d\u00a0 This is very noble, but in reality, I believe a lot of us do it for the sheer thrill of being in a spooky situation.\u00a0 Some people are simply fascinated with scary things and the thrill we get from experiencing them.\u00a0 Would I love to prove the existence of ghosts?\u00a0 Certainly.\u00a0 But until then, I will just enjoy hanging out with the spiders in the dark spooky hospitals and prisons.\u00a0 So there you have it \u2013 the reason I like to investigate the paranormal is simply because I love being scared.\u00a0 I’m a sucker for spooky places and scary movies.\u00a0 I love the thrill of a good spook house.\u00a0 I scream and clap my hands with delight at the same time.\u00a0 Crazy?\u00a0 Maybe a little.\u00a0 Stephen King explains the need to be scared as a sane way of expressing the insanity we all have – he likens it to feeding the inner \u201cgators\u201d \u2013 as long as we keep them fed, they don\u2019t come to the surface.<\/p>\n

I related to several of the same fears everyone else listed.\u00a0 One that a couple of people talked about that was also depicted in one of Hoffine’s pictures was nuclear war, or the end of the world.\u00a0 When I was young, the movie “The Day After” came out and nuclear war was a popular subject.\u00a0 I was terrified of dying that way and I was terrified of what it would be like if I didn’t die.\u00a0 The above scene with the closet door and china doll – not made up!\u00a0 I had a doll that scared me to death, but I couldn’t get rid of it.\u00a0 I think part of me was scared it would come back.\u00a0 I would lie there and fret until I finally got the nerve to close the closet door.\u00a0 Take a look at Hoffine’s pictures and let me know what scared you – or still does.\u00a0 Granted, as we grow up our real fears change a bit – things like not being able to pay the bills or losing a child, but I think you will be surprised when you think about it that some of those childhood fears are still lurking there, just under the bed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SO, WHY DO YOU LIKE TO \u201cGHOST HUNT\u201d? Imagine yourself as a child.\u00a0 Your mother has asked you to fetch something from the cellar.\u00a0 You don\u2019t like the cellar.\u00a0 Your mother thinks it\u2019s nonsense and your brother will make fun of you (even though you know he hates it, too!) so you grudgingly head that way.\u00a0 You pick up the flashlight and turn the knob to the door that opens into the musty darkness.\u00a0 The cool air greets you but you\u2019d rather suffer the heat than go down there.\u00a0 Your weak flashlight beam finds the wooden steps and you begin the long descent into the black, praying something doesn\u2019t reach between the open steps and grab you by the ankles, dragging you into the cellar and feasting on your flesh.\u00a0 You hurry down the rickety steps as quickly as you safely can, fetch the jar of green beans and take the steps two at a time until you reach the top where you slam the door, leaning against it, thankful you made it out alive, your heart beating wildly\u2026 Or perhaps you\u2019re lying in your bed.\u00a0 The moonlight shines through the window just enough for your desk and toys to be nothing more than dark shapes.\u00a0 You notice your closet door is open.\u00a0 It\u2019s just a teeny bit, but still\u2026 That china doll you hate but feel obligated to keep because it was a gift from your Great Aunt Ethel is in there.\u00a0 You know once you start to drift off to sleep it will come to life and attack you.\u00a0 You just know it.\u00a0 But now you\u2019re too scared to get up and close the door because everyone knows you can\u2019t put your feet down after dark \u2013 who knows what\u2019s under the bed?\u00a0 So you lie there, too scared to get up and too scared to go to sleep.\u00a0 Finally, you get up the nerve so you bound as far from the bed as possible, run to the closet, slam it shut, and jump back onto the bed, keeping a safe distance from anything that might be able to reach you from underneath it, your heart beating wildly\u2026 I recently came across the photographic works of Joshua Hoffine.\u00a0 He sets up his shoots just like a movie set complete with makeup, costumes, and realistic scenery and props.\u00a0 The children in the photos are his and while several people have questioned that particular judgment, the kids love doing it.\u00a0 They realize it\u2019s all pretend.\u00a0 However, the emotions these photos elicit are quite real.\u00a0 He covers it all from the monster under the bed to the thing under the cellar stairs. His pictures made me think about fear and what scares people.\u00a0 What scared you as a kid?\u00a0 Something under the bed?\u00a0 A long, dark hallway?\u00a0 Being abandoned?\u00a0 Spiders?\u00a0 Clowns?\u00a0 The ever so slightly opened closet at night?\u00a0 The dark in general?\u00a0 Ghosties? I asked this question to several people and the responses were colorful and varied.\u00a0 The fears mentioned most often were under the bed, the closet door being open, clowns, spiders, and intruders.\u00a0 There were also completely random ones like moths, birds, needles, aliens, and bridges.\u00a0 A lot of people are scared of dolls or ventriloquist dummies, too.\u00a0 In truth, most of us are still a little scared of these things even as adults.\u00a0 We probably don\u2019t realize it, but when we think back to times gone by we still shudder at the thought of many of these things and can easily recall the terror they caused us as kids. As a paranormal investigator, I spend a lot of time in what would be considered scary places.\u00a0 Most of them are dark with spiders, snakes, birds, bats, and other creepy crawlies.\u00a0 Most of them are the scenes of some type of tragedy, deep sorrow, or death, with the likelihood of ghosts.\u00a0 We spend the night in places most people wouldn\u2019t venture into in the daylight.\u00a0 So what causes some people to get an adrenaline rush from being scared and others to quake in their boots?\u00a0 Some people would just as soon never see a scary movie, never had any fears growing up, and would never, ever go on a paranormal investigation to a supposedly haunted place yet some people yearn to be terrified.\u00a0 Carolyn Palmer, a psychology professor at Vassar College, said that some situations tie into our need to master threatening situations because anytime we master something, we get a thrill from that sense of control and the closer we get to not being in control, the greater the thrill.1 Now, most paranormal investigators will tell you they investigate to find the \u201ctruth\u201d or to prove that ghosts exist.\u00a0 If you ask just about any investigator what got them interested in investigating the paranormal, most of them will tell you it\u2019s because of an experience they had and they want to know \u201cwhy.\u201d\u00a0 This is very noble, but in reality, I believe a lot of us do it for the sheer thrill of being in a spooky situation.\u00a0 Some people are simply fascinated with scary things and the thrill we get from experiencing them.\u00a0 Would I love to prove the existence of ghosts?\u00a0 Certainly.\u00a0 But until then, I will just enjoy hanging out with the spiders in the dark spooky hospitals and prisons.\u00a0 So there you have it \u2013 the reason I like to investigate the paranormal is simply because I love being scared.\u00a0 I’m a sucker for spooky places and scary movies.\u00a0 I love the thrill of a good spook house.\u00a0 I scream and clap my hands with delight at the same time.\u00a0 Crazy?\u00a0 Maybe a little.\u00a0 Stephen King explains the need to be scared as a sane way of expressing the insanity we all have – he likens it to feeding the inner \u201cgators\u201d \u2013 as long as we keep them fed, they don\u2019t come to the surface. I related to several of the same fears everyone else listed.\u00a0 One that a couple of people talked about that was also depicted in one of Hoffine’s pictures was nuclear war, or the end of the world.\u00a0 When I was young, the movie “The Day After” came out and nuclear war was a popular subject.\u00a0 I was terrified of dying that way and I was terrified of what it would be like if I didn’t die.\u00a0 The above scene with the closet door and china doll – not made up!\u00a0 I had a doll that scared me to death, but I couldn’t get rid of it.\u00a0 I think part of me was scared it would come back.\u00a0 I would lie there and fret until I finally got the nerve to close the closet door.\u00a0 Take a look at Hoffine’s pictures and let me know what scared you – or still does.\u00a0 Granted, as we grow up our real fears change a bit – things like not being able to pay the bills or losing a child, but I think you will be surprised when you think about it that some of those childhood fears are still lurking there, just under the bed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1681\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}