Monthly Archives: August 2014

Poltergeists: Why are they here?

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Now this next topic is something entirely different from the earlier one that was about intelligent and residual hauntings. Previously, I discussed the difference between the two types of hauntings. Intelligent is spirit interaction with a conscious energy and residual is energy that has been “recorded” from the past.

Ok, so what’s a poltergeist you ask? Well, the word “poltergeist” is German and loosely translates to meaning “noisy ghost”. I suppose you could say it’s similar to that of an intelligent haunting because it does interact with the living whereas a residual haunting is composed of “left-over” energy that’s a repetitive playback of itself. Poltergeist activity is quite often thought to be the work of malicious spirits wanting to wreak havoc upon the living. Many people have reported crazy things happening, like personal items being misplaced without plausible reason. Example: Wrist watches being left on a nightstand before falling deep into slumber only to awake to them being mysteriously relocated to another part of the house or lights flickering, television sets turning on by themselves, doors opening and closing, etc. etc. On a more frightening note, poltergeists have been known to be more physical in nature, inflicting pain like hair being pulled, poking or jabbing and even scratching people. The list of poltergeist activity can be very extensive and seem almost “made-up”, but accounts like these and many others date back centuries, coming from stories of old. They are not to be taken lightly and can be quite detrimental for anyone involved. People of all religions and spiritual paths have experienced such encounters.

A common belief claims that poltergeists are demons or “evil ghosts” that possibly are here to torment the living. An alternate belief claims that the origin of poltergeists actually derives from the individual experiencing it. For instance, a severely depressed person who harbors a lot of pinned up pain and frustration. Unfortunately, the saddened individual can often get so wrapped up in their own depression, that whatever negative energies they have can unconsciously project outward, out of the person’s psyche and body and manifest into something malevolent, thus taking on it’s own consciousness. And by this happening, this newly formed entity can form what is known as a spirit attachment to the living individual who is being haunted.

Parapsychologists believe that poltergeist activity can be explained by a phenomenon known as psychokinesis which is an alleged psychic ability that allows an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. However, there is no proven evidence that validates the existence of psychokinesis.

 

Get a copy of my novel, The Spirit Within on Amazon!

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Twitter @sheilarparker.

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The Spirit Within (Novel & Reviews)

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SHEILA RENEE PARKER

The Spirit Within is an intoxicating story of a battered love with a unique supernatural twist.

College student, Cassandra Blakemore may seem to have the perfect life on the outside with her loving family and friends, but on the inside she harbors a terror created by her abusive boyfriend, Raleigh Nichols, who quickly sinks his way deep into the bottom of the bottle. Cassandra’s emotional strength suddenly emerges but at a price as she’s faced with her worst fear.

Battered and betrayed, she soon discovers hidden abilities while her own secrets unfold. As if levitation, telekinesis and premonitions weren’t enough, what else is Cassandra Blakemore hiding?

*Reviewed by Andrea Staunton.*

“When I volunteered to do this month’s book review, the editor told me, “ok, you can review your favorite book.” After some consideration, I chose the one that I had just proofread for Spero Publishing. It replaces a number of…

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Ouija Boards ~ a.k.a. Spirit Boards

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Ah yes, the infamous Ouija Board. Many of us have heard of these communicative devices used to speak to the dead thanks to the hugely named board game companies that have popularized it as a favorite past-time for those who want to interact with the beyond.

This preternatural board is flat with the alphabet of A – Z displayed in two semi-circles above the numbers 0 – 9, two words “yes” and “no” in the top two corners and the words “good-bye” printed at the bottom center. Accompanied by a communicating tool called a planchette, which is usually a tear-drop shaped device used to maneuver about the board. It can be used by a single individual or several at any given time. There are typically no rules. All anyone has to do is simply place the fingertips upon the planchette and begin asking questions. It’s that easy… or is it??

The Spirit Board, more commonly known as the Ouija Board, actually is based from the American 19th century obsession with spiritualism which is the belief that the deceased can communicate with the living and vice versa. On a scary note, many people believe that by using a Ouija Board, one can open doors leading into the gates of Hell, allowing demonic beings into our own world. After people use the board, several report hearing strange noises, seeing dark shadows, witnessing objects move mysteriously without reason and some extreme cases even claim experiencing possession from what they believe they brought through the “portal” or “opening” of the Ouija Board.

From a skeptical point a view, scientists speculate that the cause of the movement with the planchette on the spirit board is veritably the result of the ideometer effect. The ideometer effect is a psychological phenomenon wherein a subject makes movement or motions unconsciously. For example, when the body produces tears in response to powerful emotions without the person consciously deciding to cry.

People of all walks of life have played with the Ouija Board at different ages. Some are the younger generations who make their interactions with innocence and others may in fact, use the Ouija for sinister purposes. While some people may be well aware of the movement created by their own hands in attempt to spawn the “wow” factor to scare their friends. Whether or not this communicative board really does work or if it’s the result of scientific reasoning is solely based on individualistic experience.

Who are we to judge the authenticity of one’s belief?

 

Get a copy of my novel, The Spirit Within on Amazon!

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Twitter @sheilarparker.

Ouija

 

 

Intelligent & Residual Hauntings. What are they?

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Ok, everyone’s heard of Casper the Friendly Ghost, right? You know, the cute transparent guy who floats around through walls? If all the hauntings were as adorable as him, then that would be pretty amazing and all the little kiddies wouldn’t be so afraid of the things that go bump in the night.

Well, let’s take a step back and face reality here. Some hauntings can be pretty frightening and down right mind-numbing. Did you know that there are actually two known types of hauntings? Yes, intelligent and residual…

An intelligent haunting is when the spirits can interact with the living, a type of energy that DOES have consciousness. These spirits may find ways of communication much like the ways discussed in my previous blog titled, The Afterlife ~ A Corporeal’s Transition, or the spirits can often communicate through the use of a voice box; a tool that is used to collect electronic voice phenomena (EVPs). Spirits of intelligent hauntings are known to interact with the living by attempting physical contact as well. For instance, spirits can be playful in nature and a person may feel their hair being pulled or a gentle touch when no one else is to blame for the action. However, other spirits of intelligent hauntings may not be as friendly and the living can experience a sense of malevolence and often these types of spirits are more negative with their contact and might even try to inflict harm upon the living. Many people do try to provoke this type of haunting and I strongly recommend using extreme caution because one never knows what can happen. So, be wise and be careful.

The second type of haunting is known as a residual haunting. It’s more like a supernatural experience that resembles a recording of past energy. For instance, like hearing footsteps walking down an empty hallway when no one is there. It’s believed that in a location where someone has released a large amount of energy or heightened emotions were experienced and the energy attaches or “imprints” itself. As a result of the abiding energy, individuals in the future may get to experience seeing a type of “recording” of these events. Some signs of a residual haunting may be the absence of interaction from the spirit. As if the spirit doesn’t acknowledge the presence of the living person. The spirit will almost seem totally oblivious to anything that’s occurring in it’s presence.

Another sign of a residual haunting is the energy that is felt can often be quite intense for the individual experiencing it, but this isn’t anything that should be feared. The energy can also be the result of the interruptions to electricity and electrical appliances. It’s also very possible for things in the immediate area to change. For example, doors opening and shutting. Once again, this is simply energy. The spirit is completely not applying any conscious effort to these activities.

Throughout the years, I have experienced both types of hauntings. They were very mild in nature and I never felt threatened. I’ve heard footsteps jaunting down an empty hallway and creaking down an old set of stairs. I’ve seen electrical disturbances when there was no accountable reasoning for anything else. I have even experienced the gentle touches from spirits on several occasions.

So, now you know there are two kinds of hauntings. If you’ve had any experiences, please feel free to comment and share! 🙂

Get a copy of my novel, The Spirit Within on Amazon!

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Twitter @sheilarparker.