ParaMonthly Review

International Paranormal Research Association, Inc.

March 2008

 

International Paranormal Research Association, Inc. celebrates its one-year anniversary this month.  We wish to thank all of the affiliate teams that have joined with us to make this a strong community and help us to achieve our vision for the future.  As Founder of I.P.R.A., I wish to personally thank all of the team members who have stood by me and worked to help me bring I.P.R.A. where it is today.  I know the future holds great things for this association and I look forward to working with each of you for many years to come.

 

Featured I.P.R.A. Team Member Jessica Henry

 

Jessica joined I.P.R.A. four months after the official team formed.  Serving as Senior Archivist during investigations she brings to the team a strong personal interpretation of events that occur at each location.  She is the mother of twins Rebeckah and Rhiannah, daughter Robin and son Mark.  Her husband Mark Henry works in construction and together they are a dynamic family unit.  Jessica is the daughter of Jeanette Tongay and niece of Jacqui Carpenter. 

 



Featured I.P.R.A. Affiliate Member

 

David M. Rountree - M.S.E.E.   AES  IFSA, Director, Skylands Paranormal Investigations

 

David was born in 1954 in Suffolk, Virginia, an area rich in historic and haunted landmarks. His family originally settled in the Nansemond County area from England in 1735. The Rountree family became one of the prominent families in Southeastern Virginia until 1864, when they lost nearly everything they owned as a result of the Civil War.

 

He moved to Delray Beach, Florida, in the fall of 1963, where he first became interested in the paranormal. In 1965, his next door next door neighbor, Fred Grosstuck, a retired professor from Joliet University and pattern maker, gave him a book called "Adventures in the Paranormal", essentially a collection of short stories of events from all over the world that were scientifically unexplainable. Fred also introduced him to Fate magazine.

 

He participated in the exploration of his first "haunted house" at the age of 17 in Boynton Beach, Florida. He received his B.S.E.E. in 1973 while serving in the Air Force, in microwave technology. In November of 2007 he received his Masters in Electronic Engineering in Digital Signal Processing. He is currently working on his doctorate in physics. David was certified as a paranormal investigator in 1976 at the Rhine Research Center at Duke University, and is currently a supporting member of that illustrious organization. In 1978 he was certified as an audio engineer. David worked in the entertainment industry as a Technical Director, Lighting Designer and Audio Engineer for twenty years. He worked for the University of Florida from 1981 until 2001, serving as the Manager of the student technical group Spinal Tech, as well as being the Technical Director of the University of Florida Performing Arts Series. He also served as the Technical Director of the Florida Arts Celebration for four years. Currently David is Manager of Public Address Communications Technologies and Director of the Audio Research and Development Lab for NJ Transit Corporation.

 

David is a member of the Audio Engineering Society, an international professional organization dedicate to the standardization of the audio industry. He is also a member of the International Frequency Sensor Association, which provides a forum for academicians, researchers and engineers from industry to present and discuss the latest research results, experiences and future trends in the area of design and application of different smart sensors with digital, frequency (period), time interval or duty-cycle output. This organization is essential for developing modern measurement science and technology. He is also a member of The International Executive Guild and is listed in Who’s Who International of Information Technology. David is also affiliated with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.


From 1977 until 2001, he performed many investigations in the area in and around Gainesville, Florida, as a member of a small, highly specialized research team. He and his team had several encounters of a demonic nature, which inevitably caused him to make the decision to concentrate on the scientific research concerning the phenomena, and not the metaphysical aspects of the events.
His primary focus now is EVP research. His current research is posted at:

 

http://www.spinvestigations.org.

 

David is a multifaceted individual with many varied talents: he was on the Renn Fair and Science Fiction - Fantasy Convention circuit for many years (as "Greywolf the Wanderer") working with various vendors selling artwork and Gallo pewter, and eventually promoting a novel he wrote with his wife, Laura, whom he met in 1999, Their novel, "Dark Lord" (ISBN 0-595-14692-9, available from Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com), was published in 2000. The couple was married in 2003.

 

Because of their mutual interests in the paranormal, (she was formerly a member of Donna Kent's investigative group and participated in the Dudleytown investigations) they formed Skylands Paranormal Investigations in April of 2005, and began to work actively in training interested people in investigative methods. In 2007 they ended their training program and began research with a small and highly specialized team of scientists to focus on paranormal research specific to haunting phenomena.

 

David is the Director of Skylands Paranormal Investigations, a member of the Rhine Research Center, Center for Paranormal Research, life member of the New Jersey Ghost Hunter’s Society, member of the International Paranormal Investigators, International Paranormal Research Association, National Paranormal Research Association, the International Alliance of Paranormal Encounters, The Paranormal Research Society and also a member of the International Ghost Hunters Society. He and Laura support the World Wide Paranormal Reporting Center.

 

David is also experimenting with the relationship between free air conductance, magnetic fields, radioactive emissions, electromagnetic fields and electrical radiation surrounding paranormal phenomena. He is also experimenting with injecting energy into a paranormal event horizon using a Tesla Coil in order to intensify the effects, and measure the effect of massive ion bombardment in a paranormal environment. David is a founding member of the New Jersey Paranormal Investigators Coalition, an organization dedicated to centralizing investigative data and standardizing investigative techniques.

 

David has appeared on WNTI FM radio in Hackettstown, NJ, as well as HSTV Channel 23 in Hackettstown. He has made guest appearances on Web Radio programs such as Ghost Census Radio on the Independent Paranormal Network, The Inner Circle, on the Achieve Radio Network, Ed Craft's Magic Mind Radio, The Brian and Baxter Show on Warning Radio and with Royce Holleman on Paranormal Palace Radio.  He is available for speaking engagements for a small honorarium. Current presentations are Introduction to Paranormal Investigation, and Paranormal Research Technology.

 

                



Parallel Universes – The proof is finally upon us

By: David Rountree

 

As I have suspected all along, parallel universes really do exist. According to a mathematical discovery by Oxford scientists described by one expert as "one of the most important developments in the history of science", the proof is now in our hands.

 

The parallel universe theory, first proposed in 1950 by the physicist Hugh Everett, explains some of the mysteries of quantum mechanics that have baffled scientists for decades. In Everett's "many worlds" universe, every time a new physical possibility is explored, the universe splits. Given a number of possible alternative outcomes, each one is played out - in its own universe. I have written about this before several times in the past, as a possible explanation for some types of paranormal phenomena.

 

For example, a motorist who has a near miss, for instance, might feel relieved at his lucky escape. But in a parallel universe, another version of the same driver will have been killed. Yet another universe will see the motorist recover after treatment in hospital. The number of alternative scenarios is endless.

 

It is a bizarre idea, which has been dismissed by numerous scientific “critics”. But the new research from Oxford University shows that it has found a compelling mathematical answer to quantum conundrums that cannot be dismissed lightly - and suggests that Dr Everett, who was a PhD student at Princeton University when he came up with the theory, was on the right track.

 

Dr Andy Albrecht, a physicist at the University of California at Davis, said: "This work will go down as one of the most important developments in the history of science."

 

According to quantum mechanics, nothing at the subatomic scale can really be said to exist until it is observed. Until then, particles occupy nebulous "superposition" states, in which they can have simultaneous "up" and "down" spins, or appear to be in different places at the same time. In other words, there are endless probabilities.

 

Observation appears to "nail down" a particular state of reality, in the same way as a spinning coin can only be said to be in a "heads" or "tails" state once it is caught. We call this collapsing the field, making a probability into a reality.

 

Quantum mechanics teaches that, unobserved particles are described by "wave functions" representing a set of multiple "probable" states. When an observer makes a measurement, the particle then settles down into one of these multiple options.

 

The Oxford team, led by Dr David Deutsch, showed mathematically that the bush-like branching structure created by the universe splitting into parallel versions of it explains the probabilistic nature of quantum outcomes.

But, the work has wider implications since the idea of parallel universes sidesteps one of the key problems with time travel. Every since it was given serious credibility in 1949 by the great logician Kurt Godel, many eminent physicists have argued against time travel because it undermines ideas of cause and effect to create paradoxes: a time traveler could go back to kill his grandfather so that he is never born in the first place.

But the existence of parallel worlds offers a way around these troublesome paradoxes, according to David Deutsch of Oxford University, a highly respected proponent of quantum theory, the deeply mathematical, successful and baffling theory of the atomic world.

He argues that time travel shifts between different branches of reality, basing his claim on parallel universes, the so-called "many-worlds" formulation of quantum theory.

The new work bolsters his claim that quantum theory does not forbid time travel. "It does sidestep it. You go into another universe," he said yesterday, though he admits that there is still a way to go to find schemes to manipulate space and time in a way that makes time hops possible.

"Many sci fi authors suggested time travel paradoxes would be solved by parallel universes but in my work, that conclusion is deduced from quantum theory itself", Dr Deutsch said, referring to his work on many worlds.

The mathematical idea of parallel worlds was first glimpsed by the great quantum pioneer, Erwin Schrodinger, but actually published in 1957 by Hugh Everett III, when wrestling with the problem of what actually happens when an observation is made of something of interest - such as an electron or an atom - with the intention of measuring its position or its speed.

In the traditional brand of quantum mechanics, a mathematical object called a wave function, which contains all possible outcomes of a measurement experiment, "collapses" to give a single real outcome.

Everett came up with a more audacious interpretation: the universe is constantly and infinitely splitting, so that no collapse takes place. Every possible outcome of an experimental measurement occurs, each one in a parallel universe.

If one accepts Everett's interpretation, our universe is embedded in an infinitely larger and more complex structure called the multiverse, which as a good approximation can be regarded as an ever-multiplying mass of parallel universes.

Every time there is an event at the quantum level - a radioactive atom decaying, for example, or a particle of light impinging on your retina - the universe is supposed to "split" into different universes.

In this way, the "many worlds" interpretation of quantum mechanics allows a time traveler to alter the past without producing problems such as the notorious grandfather paradox.

But the "many worlds" idea has been attacked, with one theoretician joking that it is "cheap on assumptions but expensive on universes" and others that it is "repugnant to common sense."

Now new research confirms Prof Deutsch's ideas and suggests that Dr Everett, who was a PhD student at Princeton University when he came up with the theory, was on the right track.

Quantum mechanics describes the strange things that happen in the subatomic world - such as the way photons and electrons behave both as particles and waves. By one interpretation, nothing at the subatomic scale can really be said to exist until it is observed.

Until then, particles occupy nebulous "superposition" states, in which they can have simultaneous "up" and "down" spins, or appear to be in different places at the same time.

According to quantum mechanics, unobserved particles are described by "wave functions" representing a set of multiple "probable" states. When an observer makes a measurement, the particle then settles down into one of these multiple options.

But the many worlds idea offers an alternative view. Dr Deutsch showed mathematically that the bush-like branching structure created by the universe splitting into parallel versions of itself could explain the probabilistic nature of quantum outcomes. This work was attacked but it has now had rigorous confirmation by David Wallace and Simon Saunders, also at Oxford.

Dr Saunders, who presented the work with Wallace at the Many Worlds at 50 conference at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada, told New Scientist: "We've cleared up the obscurities and come up with a pretty clear verdict that Everett works. It's a dramatic turnaround and it means that people now have to discuss Everett seriously."

Dr Deutsch added that the work addresses a three-century-old problem with the idea of probability itself, described by one philosopher, Prof David Papineau, as a scandal. "We didn't really know what probability means," said Dr Deutsch.

There's a convention that it's rational to treat it for most purposes as if we knew it was going to happen even though we actually know it need not. But this does not capture the reality, not least the 0.1 percent chance something will not happen.

"So," said Dr Deutsch, "the problems of probability, which were until recently considered the principal objection to the otherwise extremely elegant theory of Everett (which removes every element of mysticism and double-talk that have crept into quantum theory over the decades) have now turned into its principal selling point."

This is heavy-duty evidence that changes everything! Stay with me!

 

Proving the Existence of Parallel Universes (with the Added Bonus of Immortality)

 

If someone were to tell you that there was a simple way of insuring that you would live forever, you would consider them crazy. If this person then went on to tell you that the very same method of doing this, which is incredibly easy to do, would allow you to prove to yourself that an infinite number of universes exist at the same time all around us, you would surely laugh nervously and walk away swiftly in the opposite direction.

 

But you would be wrong.

 

Just suppose you stayed and listened. Suppose the apparent madman told you that performing this remarkably cheap and easy experiment would be the biggest gamble of your life as well as the most controversial of all possible activities.

 

Would you do it?

 

Would you do it if you knew the man telling you about it was a physicist?

 

The man's name is Max Tegmark. He is a physicist at the University of Pennsylvania. Below is the practical guide to performing his controversial experiment, but first, an explanation, and then, a dire warning.

 

The Explanation

A brief word about parallel universes and quantum mechanics is necessary. Quantum mechanics is a highly successful theory that describes the motions and interactions of particles at a fundamental sub-atomic level. This means that it describes mostly using advanced mathematics, and how particles such as electrons and photons (photons are basically particles of light) behave. Cutting to the chase, this description is unusual to say the least. One of its predictions is that particles can be in multiple places or multiple states of existence simultaneously. This is called superposition.

 

In fact this concept has been proved by the simple 'double-slit' experiment. This is where one fires individual electrons through a sheet of a material with two vertical slits in it, and onto a blank white screen. There is a 50-50 chance that the electron will go through any one slit. If you have followed my Blogs since last February, you will remember my Blogs touching on this. When two electrons meet each other, they stop behaving like particles and start behaving like waves. This means that they produce an 'interference' pattern. These interactions are analogous to those that occur between two water waves or two sound waves. When an individual electron is fired at the two slits, an interference pattern still emerges almost immediately on the screen.

 

If you have not heard of this experiment before, the result should be surprising. How can one electron produce a pattern that can only form when two electrons mix? The answer is that the electron interferes with itself or more to the point; it has existed in two places at the same time. But more precisely, what has happened is that the universe has given birth to a new universe, one where the electron goes through the other slit. The electron in one universe interferes with the electron in the other.

 

Now do I have your attention?

 

Of course, physicists cannot currently be certain whether the 'many worlds' interpretation of the double-slit experiment is correct. Many people have taken this as proof that an infinite number of worlds exist in parallel to ours, playing out all the possibilities. For example, there is a world where you are not reading this Blog, a world where the magnolia plant never evolved, a world where JFK was not assassinated, and a world where the Titanic didn't sink. And there would be worlds that have different laws of physics altogether.

 

The way to imagine these universes is to envisage the universe we are in at the moment as a two-dimensional sheet of paper. All the other universes exist likewise, and they are stacked on top of our universe like a pack of cards. So, if you assume the true definition of a two-dimensional entity is one that has no thickness whatsoever, and then the sheets of paper are all no distance from each other at all. In other words, if the parallel universe theory is correct, all of the universes are existing right next to us now, and all around us, except that instead of being two-dimensional sheets, they are three-dimensional entities stacked up in a fourth dimension that we humans are incapable of imagining, conceiving or perceiving.

 

The suspense must be torture now, so let’s move on.

 

The Warning

 

Like all typical insurance deals, the experiment proposed by Max Tegmark comes with a catch. It is purely a gamble. Nobody, including Tegmark, can assure you that it will go smoothly, because nobody has actually attempted it yet. There are two possibilities for the outcome of this experiment: either you live forever and you are satisfied that parallel universes exist, or, and this is the controversial part, you die.

 

Don't give up reading yet. This experiment is as grounded in scientific fact as any other modern theory of physics. It may sound like temptation from the devil, but it is an investigation in quantum mechanics like no other. Understand that if the experiment succeeds, you would have a hard time convincing your friends that parallel universes exist. So without further ado, we present...

 

The Practical Guide to Immortality

There are many variations of this experiment. All of them will produce essentially the same effect, but some are cheaper and some are more difficult to get right because they may require precision instruments or access to a physics laboratory. Nevertheless, none of them require technology that is not already in existence today, which is what makes this experiment so simple in comparison to those that NASA might spend billions of dollars constructing. Variation B is the one that Tegmark proposed specifically.

 

 

 

Step One

 

Variation A

 

Find a radioactive atom from the nearest store of chemical elements. Uranium and plutonium are among those that are feasible. Connect the atom to a Geiger counter. You may need a physicist to help you with this step. As you may recall from a physics lesson in the distant past, a Geiger counter measures the radioactive decay of the element.

 

The reason we use a radioactive element is that its decay is wholly random. It is top priority that the variation of the experiment you use involves a reliably random element. This is why computers are no good. You cannot simply use the random function present in most spreadsheet applications to make the decision. Computers are developed by humans and as such can never produce totally random events because the random-number-generating algorithm, when untangled and simplified, is always predictable. You will discover why this is such a priority later on.

 

Variation B

 

It is necessary for this variation to understand a quantum mechanical concept known as spin. 'Spin' is a loose term used by physicists that has no fixed definition, pertaining to the angular momentum and symmetry of a particle. One unit of spin is half of a Planck unit. So, if a particle has spin 3/2, then it basically means that after rotating it one and a half times, it will look the same as its original state (this is the same as rotational symmetry). In other words, its order of rotational symmetry is 1.5.

Spin is a strange property in this way, because particles can have negative spin and 'spin 2' as well. If you rotated a particle with spin 2 around 360 degrees, it would not look the same as how it started; you would need to rotate it 360 degrees again!

 

For this variation all you will need is a sub-atomic particle such as an electron. The electron will have a random spin, which we can refer to in simple terms as being either 'up' or 'down'. The chance of its being one or the other is totally random, and again, this is crucial. In order to detect which state the particle is in, you will also require a superconductor. The process of this detection is described in the corresponding entry about superconductivity.

 

Variation C

 

There are many other quantum mechanical ways of producing random results. You could, for example, set up a 'pure'5 parallel electric circuit in a vacuum and use the current at different points in the circuit for your random event. While you probably think this is predictable, electrons (which are the substance of the 'flow' of electricity in the wires) always take a random route through the wires. When they reach a junction in the parallel circuit, it makes a random decision, which is why it is almost always the case that half of them go one way and half go the other.

 

Step Two

 

Step two involves finding a reliable means of dying. Please don't shy away at this point. If the experiment goes precisely according to plan, you won't feel a thing. Of course there are many ways that you can set up a death trap for yourself, but in this case you must be certain that the method you choose fits two criteria:

 

1. The method should be capable of killing you, not just producing serious injury. If there is any chance that the method you choose will fail to kill you (even though we do not plan to die in the experiment), choose a different method.

 

2. The method should be certain of killing you almost instantaneously. At no point should you be aware you are about to die, if indeed that is the case, and we hope it isn't, of course.

 

From this we can successfully rule out the use of drugs, unless they are given to you after anesthetic. We can also rule out a method involving fire, or long drops, or electrocution.

 

Step Three

 

It is now necessary to link together the random event generator created in step one with the death machine set up in step two. For this you will benefit from a willing assistant and a computerized device. Suppose you chose variation A in step one, and a machine gun for step two. To link them together, a simple computer program will need to measure the Geiger counter output against a set of values that it has been provided with, so that it can determine whether the atom has decayed or not. If it has, it should fire the gun, which should be partially concealed so that any robotic trigger-firing component is invisible to the witness in order that they cannot tell when the trigger is being pulled.

 

All you need to do is stand with the barrel of the gun pointing at your head and wait. The random decision will be made by whatever method you chose and either the gun will fire or it won't. If it doesn't, it would be helpful to fix it so that the computer in charge of determining the random event produces a 'click' or, if you prefer, the lyrics from the chorus of your favorite song, which would lighten the atmosphere considerably.

 

 

Making Sense of the Result

 

If everything goes, as it should, you can repeat the experiment ten times and still survive. Even though from the point of view of your assistant, there is a 99.9% chance that you will be dead, you will have survived from your point of view.

 

The reason?

 

It's so simple.

 

There is a 99.9% chance that after ten repeats of the test you are dead in this universe, you know, the one that you started out in. However, there is a 100% chance that you survive in a parallel universe, because in the many worlds theory all possibilities are enacted, no matter how improbable. To make sense of the experiment, here is a scientific view of it:

 

After the first go with the experiment, the universe splits in two. In one universe you survive, in the other you are dead. In the second go, the universe where you survive splits again, producing another two universes with similar circumstances. And so it goes on. The fact is, you don't know of the existence of the universes where you are dead, because you cannot experience anything when you have died. At least, we have no proof of your ability to experience…yet.

 

In the words of Tegmark himself, speaking of someone that might attempt his experiment, 'he would have no awareness of these realities (the ones that he survives) since he would be dead. The only realities in which he would continue to be aware of would be the ones in which he survived.'

 

This is assuming that we are all connected to our separate realities by entanglement.

 

So this means that you can perform the experiment, as many times as you see appropriate and so long as the theory of parallel universes is correct, you can be certain of surviving. In effect, you can be certain of immortality.

 

An Assumption

 

It may be on the tip of your tongue to make the assumption that quantum mechanical events are what make up every single process in the universe, and thus when we die it will also be a random event because it is based on things that occur at the sub-atomic level. You would be right to say that quantum mechanics ultimately governs everything, but you cannot be so hasty in assuming that you will live forever just because your death is a quantum mechanical event at a fundamental level.

 

If you had been right, then we will all unquestionably live forever because as soon as it comes to the point where we would most probably die, the universe will split and we will only be aware of the split universe in which we survive. Everybody else, of course, will be aware that we are dead, which is why we perceive the concept of death as it is. But as individuals, in this case, we would all live to the end of the universe, and even then there is a slight possibility that we escape and carry on living in an alternative reality.

 

Tegmark, however, is not so optimistic. In the experiment above, we made sure that three criteria were met: that the event in question was wholly and unquestionably random; that the method of the termination of our life happened without us knowing beforehand that it would happen; and lastly, that we certainly die from the event and not just get injured very badly. As you can probably work out, most death circumstances do not follow these precise rules. If you are diagnosed with heart disease, for example (the most common cause of death worldwide), then you might be given a certain amount of time to live. Therefore you know you will die and the quantum mechanical randomness of it is destroyed.

 

What is the Point?

 

Proving the existence of parallel universes is not just a neat party trick that you can demonstrate in front of your friends. From their point of view, they need only repeat the experiment an eleventh time and the probability that they will see you dead is overwhelming. Thus, you can never convince them.

 

But knowing that the many worlds theory is correct has implications in other areas. You probably know of the paradox of time travel. If you go back in time to kill your grandfather before your parents were born, then how could you exist to do it? If we consider this from the point of view of parallel universes, there is no paradox to consider. When you go back in time, you simply enter another universe that exists at the period of time you think you are going back to. In this universe, it doesn't matter to your existence if the grandfather dies at that point, because he is not your grandfather. He is an alternative version of your grandfather, and as such, will only affect the existence of the alternative version of his grandson.

 

Talk about time temporal anomalous headaches!

 

Parallel universes are also the guiding principle behind explaining quantum computation in a meaningful way. Quantum computers work by performing different parts of a calculation in different universes, so that the answer can be reconstructed almost instantaneously at the computer. If parallel universes did not exist, then computers would be limited to the resources of one universe, and as such the processing power of computers would forever be restricted.

 

What if the Many Worlds Theory is Wrong?

 

If it transpires that parallel universes do not exist, which is possible of course, then somebody performing the experiment described above would die. But it would also prove another theory, the opposite of the many worlds theory. This is called the Copenhagen Interpretation, which was the 'standard interpretation' of quantum mechanics before the many worlds theory arrived and began gaining great popularity.

 

The Copenhagen Interpretation presents an alternative explanation for questions posed by the double-slit experiment, also described above. It states that it is not possible to predict the interactions of quantum mechanical entities before they occur and it also describes the nature of a process called 'decoherence'. It must be understood that particles that are smaller than atoms are constantly misbehaving. They never stay in one place, or even remain the same type of particle, and they tunnel from place to place without traveling in the space between. And, just like a room of rowdy school children when the teacher walks in, they calm down when they are observed. On observation, they suddenly retain just one identity and one location. In other words, they lose the ability to be in a superposition.

 

It probably sounds odd. For example, how does a particle know when it has been observed? Unfortunately, physicists can't pretend they have an answer, but again, there are different interpretations of this concept. The definition of an 'observation' in most views does not need to be a conscious being looking at the particle; the observation can be a photon (a carrier of light) that bounces off it, taking 'information' away with it. In stronger versions of the Copenhagen Interpretation, conscious beings such as humans are what cause decoherence and are thus the reason that objects only appear to exist in one place or one state at any given time.

 

Conclusion

 

This 'quantum suicide' experiment will remain controversial. Even if the experiment is enacted, the person doing it will not be able to communicate the results. Only those brave enough to attempt it will know the outcome: either they die and the Copenhagen Interpretation is correct; or they live on, alone in the knowledge that an infinite multiverse surrounds them.

 

However, it is very possible that the evidence we are collecting that seems to indicate survival after death may indeed provide proof for the existence of parallel universes in practical, instead of purely mathematical aspects. The math has proved it. It is now up to us to reinforce that proof.

 

 

www.fatemag.com

 



Prospect Place

By: Kristy Hinkle

 

On top of a high hill Trinway, Ohio sits one of the most haunted locations in Ohio; the majestic Prospect Place Mansion. Used as a stop on the Underground Railroad, complete with hidden rooms in the basement with quick exits and an indoor well to keep bounty hunters from monitoring their water usage.

          

For many years this once magnificent home stood empty, left to be victimized by local vandals, wild animals and the broken windows made the home susceptible to the elements. The home was in shambles, a mere shell of its former glory when the descendant of George W. Adams purchased the home back into the Adams family, George J. Adams in the year 2000.

   

When George purchased his families historical mansion it was a home to local wild life, needed all new windows, roofing, floors in many spots were crumbling down onto the lower levels. George's dream for this home was to make it a working bed and breakfast, and an educational center.


Even after registering with the state as a charity, he was unable to obtain the grant money needed to restore it in a timely fashion. Someone finally came to him and offered to help him raise some extra money by having paid ghost hunts in the mansion. Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Investigators, and groups can rent out the mansion for a night or a weekend, for a reasonable fee. This is allowing George to keep the mansion running, by paying the outstanding electric bills, back taxes, and two mortgages. Though the paid ghost hunts and some donations are helping with the bills, they aren't bringing in enough money to continue much of the restoration of the mansion.

 

Reports of paranormal activity can be found all over the internet; different paranormal groups who partake in these paid ghost hunts, report on their websites everything from apparitions, to audible voices. They have captured evidence such as EVP, Photo images, and videos of different paranormal encounters. The things that go bump in the night at the old mansion cannot be explained away logically. The foot steps walking up and down the stairs, dragging sounds coming from the ballroom above your head; voices carrying on lengthy conversations all while you try to sleep in the guest bedrooms.  The activity does not stop there; it can carry on throughout the entire day as well. Following the sounds does not help much as by the time you get to the area you hear it coming from, they are gone.

 

Paranormal groups report such experiences as being touched, shoved, hearing footsteps behind them, being brushed up against as though someone were walking between them but no one was there. Objects moving on their own, audible voices coming from right next to them. Seeing full-bodied apparitions standing in the middle of their room at night, shadow people walking in front of them, usually in the basement area. Some of these phenomena have been captured on film, in still photos, and digital video.

 

As a paranormal investigator my self I highly recommend this location if you are looking for a place to hold a group outing, or training. It is 9500 square feet of Haunted Ohio History. One of the most haunted locations in Ohio that limits the number of participants in a group allowing for the best quality large-scale group investigation possible. I recommend that you take no more than 10 group members to be able to get the ultimate in evidence and the optimum experience this home can offer. I highly recommend you stay over an entire weekend there, and keep your equipment out all day and night running at least audio on all levels.

 

With all of the investigation teams that go through Prospect Place and the donations made by contributors every year, it is still barely enough to keep Prospect up and running. George needs a lot more money to help restore the old home, as it stands George has thought about packing it in; giving up on Prospect Place and letting it go.  All of the blood, sweat and tears that have literally gone into the restoration efforts, and the lack of funding by both the government and the lack of participation on the part of many people in the area who do not attend fund raising events at the mansion such as Paranormal Conventions, Psychic Fairs, and War Reenactments has made George completely rethink his choice to even own the old mansion, let alone restore it.


I consider George a personal friend of mine, and would love to be around when it is finally finished and we can look upon Prospect Place in awe as it stands atop the hill overlooking much of Trinway and Dresden, looking as majestic as it ever did.



 

Kristy Hinkle is the founder of Celestial Paranormal Research and Investigations out of Central Ohio.  One of the authors of the book A Haunting Existence, and one of the hosts of the Paranormal talk radio show Haunting Existence Radio, Monday nights at 7pm EST. on Mystic Age Radio.


She is also one of the coordinators of the Women's International Study of the Paranormal Conference, coming to Bentonsport, Iowa, May 23rd - 25th .

 

As a Paranormal Investigator, she strongly urges her team to take all things into consideration, and often can be caught quoting Sherlock Holmes. “Once you’ve eliminated the Impossible, what ever remains however improbable. Must be the truth.

As her team uses scientific means to find the answers to all of their questions, and she encourages them to study different means of investigating and put them to the test.



Auras

By:  Jacqui Carpenter

 

The ancient Greek word "aura" means "breath of air"-the vital energy that breathes life into your being. This subtle energy field, which permeates and envelops your body, is a multifaceted, multidimensional field of immense light, power, and energy

                     

Every person is surrounded by an electro Magnetic field of energy and this field is called the aura.  The human aura is not new to mankind; it has been depicted throughout history in literature, art and religious cultures.  In paintings the aura is often shown as a bright light surrounding the crown chakra or forehead of the person.  Pictures of angels and Jesus Christ in whatever format host the ever-present light and is often referred to by the light of God. 

 

It is believed that our aura as our physical body can become altered or ill depending on the circumstances of our lives.  Many of the holistic healers of today work with energy manipulation to heal those with cancer, mental problems or simple colds.  They work to find blockages and then alter and redirect the blockages opening the person to complete healing in a specific area. 

 

Often referred to as a person’s chi or prana, the life force of our aura is in fact our link to spiritual understanding and interaction as well as with each other.  We sense another person’s aura upon contact with that person.  If they are altered and out of alignment the energy force will either repel us from interaction with this person or it will compel us to draw closer.  Life forces are positive or negative and like magnets draw like auras to their circle of energy to rejuvenate and enhance your own aura.

 

It is important to sense subtle energy shifts not only in your own aura but also in others.  There are several exercised which work to open you to these shifts and allows you to recognize when your own field needs to be adjusted. 

 

1.    Place your right thumb in the center of the left palm. With a gentle twisting back and forth motion, use the thumb to activate the chakra in your palm. Reverse for the right hand.

2.    Gently blow on this same spot with quick puffs.

3.    Hold your hands out in front of you, palms facing. With palms about 12 inches apart, gently move the hands in and out about a half an inch. Gradually bring the palms closer, continuing the in and out motion, until they are about three to four inches apart. The force you feel between your palms is energy. You may also feel heat or a tingling sensation.

 

Color plays a prominent role in understanding chakra and aura energy.  Following is a general guide to help you understand the rainbow of aura energy.  The seven-chakra areas host a base color which when in alignment enhances each of our functions in life.  The base chakra or the chakra located at the base of your back is linked to smell, physical activity and energy.  The color for this chakra is red.  When you are low on energy a simple exercise to adjust your colors would be to visualize the opposite color until you begin to feel a balance. 

 

The Sacral Center is at the abdomen and the color of orange rules here.  This center is directly linked to adrenals, adrenaline and spleen, which is cleansing.  A lack of orange means you need to revitalize, it is time to connect to nature and cleanse your body and mind.  If out of alignment this will trigger your flight emotions and give you the uncontrollable desire to run from life situations you feel you cannot control.

 

The Solar Plexis center is found just below the breastbone.  This center is responsible for the body and the intellect.  Often the Solar Plexis axis is out of alignment because we are working too hard and are not taking the time to relax and enjoy life.  When overwhelmed it is good to bring as much yellow into your life as possible to counteract the effects of this chakra energy being off balance.

 

The Heart Center is located just at the center of the chest.  This chakra center is responsible for the heart and the immune system.  The color green, which is symbolic of all things earthly.  It is our nature color and nature’s pallets of green work to balance our heart charkas.  When out of alignment it is as simple as staring at the energy of a tree in full color and drawing from that source of energy. 

 

The Throat Center located on the front of the throat and is governed by the color blue.  When out of alignment this affects our natural harmony, writing, speech and self-expression.  The sky and fresh air are the most effective tools at balancing the throat chakra.

 


Lisa Carmody poses for Aura imagining in 2007

The Forehead Center located above your brow and in the center of your forehead is the center eye chakra.  This is the root of your higher powers, those involving psychic abilities, telepathy, spiritual understanding, clairvoyance and precognition.  When out of alignment our ability to perceive our spiritual gifts is greatly affected.  Governed by the color Indigo it is important to keep an indigo based colored stone to place at the center to help draw healing energy to your spiritual center.

 

The Crown Chakra or Center is located at the top of your head.  The crown chakra opens us to the souls center and is believed to be the seat of the soul.  Its visual color is violet but in reality this chakra center is a spectrum of all the shimmering colors of the spectrum.  Much like a fountain when we draw the colors of the spectrum to the crown chakra they will overflow and cleanse and heal other aura centers. 

 

 

www.wispexpo.com

www.iprainc.net

 

 

 

 

 

Alien Visitation

By: Jeanette Tongay

 

Would you be surprised if I told you that I think aliens have visited my family? Most that know my family would probably say a resounding NO! But in reality, I do believe that my children, my husband and I have had this extraordinary experience happen to us throughout our history together.

 

This phenomenon is not as uncommon as one would think. There are people from all parts of the earth claiming to have been visited or abducted by aliens. Most are common folks just like you and me but there are those that are of a scientific mind; doctors, scientists, lawyers, and such that also claim that they, too, have been part of this experience.

 

My oldest son, Jon, has claimed since he was able to talk that he has seen the little green men depicted in so many accounts peaking over his bed or walking through his room. His account is typical of this phenomenon. He claims to feel as if he can’t move; like being in a drugged state and that he hears these beings talk to his mind. I have also had what I believe to be encounters with these things. The one that sticks most clearly in my mind is when my youngest son, Justin, was three years old and sleeping in bed with me one night. I awoke to his screams and watched in horror as he was pulled by unseen hands towards a bright light at the foot of the bed. I was paralyzed either by fear or by design and could only look on until the spell was broken and I was able to reach out for him and pull him to my breast and safety.

 

This sounds remarkably like a ghostly encounter but that is not how it felt. It felt, to me, to be something other than a spirit trying to pull Justin to whatever lay on the other side of that light. We have also all experienced marks upon our bodies that were unexplained and our bedclothes in disarray upon waking as if something unclothed us during the night and put our things back on haphazard, even backwards.

 

When my husband, Jim, was a young man he experienced what I believe to be a close encounter with an alien space ship. He explains the story; “I was hanging with my friend outside his house one night. It was rather late and we were talking when all of a sudden there was a very bright light above us. I liken it to a helicopter flying extremely low with a search light pointed down from its underside except that this craft made no noise…nothing.”

I have often quizzed Jim about this event trying to ascertain whether he remembers any time-lapses directly after this sighting. Alien abductees often tell of missing time and it is believed that this is one thread leading to the abduction theory. He doesn’t remember any such missing time but does admit that there could have been and he just not does recall it.

 

So, what is one to make of my tale of alien contact? Make what you wish of it. To me it is one more piece of evidence in my own belief that we are being visited (and studied) by aliens and that this is something that has been happening here on earth for thousands of years. The evidence is mounting and with it the taboo is lifting. No longer is the stigma attached with such accounts that people just like me are either not right in the head or looking for some kind of attention by telling their tale. Learned scholars from every branch of science are taking these accounts more seriously and with less skepticism than in years past.

 

My own belief is that we are here because of alien interference (hence the huge jump in our own evolution) and that they have never left us. I believe that there are numerous accounts of alien interference in human activities listed in the bible if one takes the accounts listed therein as fact and not as fancy. I believe that there are actually several historical events that have had alien hands shaping them in order to ensure their eventual outcome was as it should have been (as per “their” agenda”.

 

These are my beliefs but they are not made without my having researched the reasoning. I have read extensively on the subject of UFO’s and their involvement with human kind. The most fascinating and convincing for me is a series of books by Zecharia Sitchin, “The Earth Chronicles”.

 

Sitchin is a believer in the ancient astronaut theory for human origins. He acquired knowledge of modern and ancient Hebrew, other Semitic and European languages, the Old Testament, and the history and archeology of the Near East.

 

According to Sitchin's interpretation of Sumerian cosmology, there is a hypothetical planet, which follows a long, elliptical orbit, reaching the inner solar system roughly every 3,600 years. This planet is called Nibiru (the planet associated with Marduk in Babylonian cosmology). Nibiru collided catastrophically with Tiamat, another hypothetical planet that was between Mars and Jupiter. The collision formed the planet Earth, the asteroid belt, and the comets. Tiamat, as outlined in the Enűma Elish, is a goddess. According to Sitchin, however, Tiamat may have been what we now know as Earth. When struck by one of planet Nibiru's moons, Tiamat split in two. On a second pass Nibiru itself struck the broken fragments and one half of Tiamat became the asteroid belt. The second half, struck again by one of Nibiru's moons, was pushed into a new orbit and became today's planet Earth.

 

Nibiru was the home of a technologically advanced human-like extraterrestrial race (called the Anunnaki in Sumerian myth) who were called the Nephilim in the Bible. He claims they first arrived on Earth probably 450,000 years ago, looking for minerals, especially gold, which they found and mined in Africa. These "gods" of the Anunnaki were the rank and file workers of the colonial expedition to earth from planet Nibiru. Sitchin believes the Anunnaki genetically engineered Homo sapiens as slave creatures to work their gold mines by crossing extraterrestrial genes with those of the Homo erectus. Sitchin claims ancient inscriptions report that human civilization in Sumer of Mesopotamia was set up under the guidance of these "gods", and human kingship was inaugurated to serve as an intermediary between the Anunnaki and mankind. Sitchin believes that fallout from nuclear weapons used during a war between factions of the extraterrestrials is the "evil wind" that destroyed Ur around 2000 BC (Sitchin himself claims the exact year is 2024 BC), as recorded in the Lament for Ur.[3] Sitchin claims that his research coincides with many biblical texts, and that the biblical texts come originally from the Sumerian writings of their history. (Wikipedia)

 

I have been reading Sitchin’s Earth Chronicles for many years. Rereading them enhances what they have to offer since I often find that which I had missed in a previous reading. I suggest anyone wanting an extraordinary look into the origins of earth and its inhabitants start this series.

I also enjoy reading books by Bud Hopkins. Hopkins has been following the lives of many abductees and chronicles their experiences in his many books.

 

UFO photo source: http://web.tiscali.it/lareteufo/mussof1.htm


Dimension Portals

By: David Rountree

Over the past two years I have written a great deal concerning the possible connection between certain theories in Quantum Mechanics and paranormal phenomena. A subject I have talked about a great deal is the concept of dimension portals. We have long suspected that there are fixed doorways or "portals" in certain areas that allow entities to travel from their domain into our dimension.  These entities may be spirits, demons, extraterrestrials, or something we have never even imagined. Repetitive phenomena that persist over long time spans of time are likely to be related to portals - as opposed to sites that have been the location of an isolated or otherwise unconnected violent death or tragic accident to which the phenomena can be historically easy to trace. Evidence seems to indicate that many portals are at fixed places all over the world, and that they remain constant. 

Controlled experiments performed around these portals have shown that there are definite temperature fluctuations, increased EMF readings, increases in negative ion counts, spikes in alpha, beta and gamma radiation, increased static electricity, and increased electrical as well as magnetic fields.  Photographs taken at these portals reveal mists, orbs, light streaks, figures, and even UFO activity. Many of these fixed portals are associated with the vile vortices areas of the world, as well as some Native American burial grounds, and other indigenous burial grounds around the world. Apparently, the tribal cultures had a way of identifying portal areas, allowing them to locate their sacred sites in a place where they would have the highest level of success in communicating beyond the veil.

For our purposes, however, we will concentrate on the dynamic portal; the opening that appears for a specific time then disappears. This blinking in and out indicates that the portal is in a state of flux, most likely due to dimension shifting. These portals can appear in many forms, the most common being a distortion of the area much like heat rising off the pavement on a hot summer day. Other portals may resemble a spinning cloud of mist, a shimmering curtain-like phenomenon, a near transparent sheet fluttering in the wind, or even a dark area. Activity around the portal is abnormally high in retrospect to the surrounding areas, due to the higher level of environmental anomalies.

Many portals are incomplete, meaning they do nut fully open between two dimensions, but rather partially open, allowing information to flow back and forth, but limiting the type of information that can pass. For example, Electrical or magnetic waves may pass, but physical matter may not. More commonly, only what I call metaphysical matter may cross over.

Metaphysical matter is a term I use to describe partial manifestations. Ectoplasm, mist, fog, shadows, shimmering apparitions, all I consider to be metaphysical matter. While the phenomena observed is certainly not fully physical, it has enough substance to be visible, to move objects, and possibly make noise or have an audible voice.
Portals tend to have a wide variety of appearances and colors associated with them. Since colors are the product of specific frequencies, I believe colors associated with portals are indicative of the dimension they originate from. Maybe one day we will be able to associate a portal to its dimension by this color-coding. Nearly every color in the spectrum has been associated at one time or another with a portal, so it is quite possible that there are infinite dimensions out there, with infinite colors or combinations of colors associated with it.

Just as there is positive energy around these openings, there is also the negative energy potential. As stated above, a portal is a doorway, essentially with no regulations per se.  Something benign may filter through, or something heinous may materialize. It is always important to use extreme caution when working around or near a suspected portal.

A portal occurs when two or more dimensions begin to overlap physically. What this means is, two branes begin to touch, and instead of creating a big bang, they superimpose. This is possible due to both brane frequencies being similar, or sharing a harmonic frequency with each other, allowing them to partially resonate. When the resonance occurs, we may have a partial or in some rare occasions, a full opening between the worlds. While it is impossible for physical matter to pass through a partial opening, it may be possible for a human or animal to pass through a complete opening unscathed. This may explain cryptozoological creatures that appear and disappear seemingly at will.

If you suspect that you are dealing with a portal, use instrumentation to attempt to map out the size and shape of the opening. It may be possible to track it if it moves at a level you can reach it for measuring environmentals.

M-Theory and Superstring Theory supports the existence of other dimensions, as does Holographic theory and Frequency Theory. It is not a question of if they exist, but where and when. Activity around such portals tends to be dynamic and unique to the portal.

Finally, I cannot stress enough the danger of operating near a portal. There are cases of people simply disappearing in front of multiple witnesses and I believe these are related to someone inadvertently walking through a full portal. None of these people were ever seen again. Keep that in mind the next time you see a shimmering haze as your equipment goes haywire.

 Picture of colored orb taken by I.P.R.A. team member Jeanette Tongay at the Mississippi Belle in Hastings, MN.