Happy Halloween

It's ironic that today is the day I finish writing about Whitey considering it is Halloween and 'investigations' will be going on across the country. When I first became interested in the paranormal, people who studied it or even remotely believed there were things science couldn't yet explain were considered freaks or lunatics. Now, not only do most people believe in hauntings, additional human abilities, and the possibility of previously unknown creatures, it is considered lunacy not to believe in these things. So much has changed in 20 years.

Though many of these changes have been positive for the paranormal field, some have not been. As interest has grown, the appeal of entering this field has also grown. Scam artists are a regularity now when before the only people who were in the field were mostly legitimate investigators. Novices and hobbyists abound in this field as well. Some see hauntings as way to profit financially from other's fear and curiosity.

This being said, please remember that a true paranormal professional will not charge you for their services. Now is the time when science and the unknown are beginning to meet and as a rule of thumb investigation teams that are legitimately approaching this field from a scientific standpoint are doing so to reap the rewards of knowledge ... not money. Too often people who are unnerved by personal paranormal experiences are taken advantage of by unscrupulous people who do not care about helping. Don't let this happen to you.

If you are dealing with an investigative team, ask for references. Ask how long the team as a whole has been investigating and ask how long each member has been in the field. Ask as many questions as you can. Be sure the investigative team uses hard scientific methods and not just esoteric feelings. How can a person truly investigate the unknown using the unknown? Even if that is possible, how would you know their 'findings' are legitimate?

Tonight people across the country will gather on 'ghost walks' or 'haunted hikes'. Though personal experiences will be prolific tonight of all nights, always remember that the unknown paranormal is unknown because it does not perform on command.