Ghost Movers of the Pacific Northwest
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December 2008
Well, the holidays are upon us and it is a busy time of year for everyone. Here at Ghost Movers, we’re busy finalizing the adult paranormal investigative course to begin in January 2009. Why are we offering a paranormal investigative course? We frequently receive requests from people who are interested in the paranormal and want to join Ghost Movers on investigations. Although we embrace the idea of new members, it is important to train people before bringing them out into the strange world of paranormal investigating. Indeed, it can be a weird and dangerous field, and safety and professionalism is paramount. Having said that, upon completion of the course one isn’t required to join Ghost Movers, it is simply a prerequisite for those outlandish souls who are interested in joining us out in the field.
The teen TIP Club has started and already has two local investigations lined up. We're impressed with the fearless teens who attended the first meeting….they all appear to possess a strong paranormal interest, good common sense, and the right amount of skepticism. The club is open to new members, interested teens can email lynda@ghostmovers.com for information.
And the Psychic Kids 101 workshop has been scheduled for January 10, 2009 in Bellingham. Visit our website for workshop information.
The Ouija Board: Investigative tool or risky game?
In the paranormal field, we sometimes encounter investigative groups at polar opposites of a belief. This is certainly the case with the infamous Ouija board. Some groups embrace and even encourage investigators to use the Ouija board as a tool to entice resident spirits to communicate. Others believe the Ouija board is nothing but trouble and should be avoided at all cost. Why such a stark difference in opinion? Let’s take a look at the history of the Ouija board and why it is so hotly debated today.
Talking boards first made its American appearance in the late 1880s when spirit communication was all the rage. Easy to use and requiring no medium skills, it was a comfortable alternative for automatic writing. On May 1, 1920, Norman Rockwell included a Ouija board in his cover for the Saturday Evening Post and by the 1950s reportedly most American homes contained one. Parker Brother acquired the game in 1966 and attached a popular slogan ”It is just a game…isn’t it?”
So with such a popular history behind it, with no less than two individuals claiming to have invented the game, why today’s controversy? Back in 1972 the horror movie The Exorcist stormed American theaters, and suddenly the hugely popular Ouija board was pronounced a tool of the devil. Scores of teenagers suddenly began sharing horrifying stories of possession and hauntings directly attributed to the once popular game. Thus, Hollywood’s portrayal of the Ouija board in horror movies appeared to seal its fate as a dark occult tool.
Fast forward to the 1990s when courageous individuals with inquiring minds paved the path for what is now labeled paranormal investigating. Today, some topnotch groups are comprised solely of scientific-minded individuals who focus their efforts on obtaining validating proof of the afterlife. These groups will employ the use of Ouija boards in an attempt to facilitate spirit communication as they investigate a reported haunting. Other equally outstanding investigative groups facilitate spirit communication by utilizing a professional medium in a controlled setting so as to provide some boundaries as to who the investigators communicate with. Why one seemingly carefree approach as opposed to a carefully controlled approach? It seems to boil down to the group’s belief about the paranormal world and whether they have had any frightening experiences attributed to the Ouija board in the past.
Some consider the Ouija board an open invitation to any spirit, wayward or otherwise, while others emphatically believe that the board is a game only and produces absolutely no true paranormal activity. Some will swear on their life that they witnessed the manifestation of a horrifying black mist or creature while using the board. Others have tried and tried again with absolutely no luck conjuring up anything even remotely paranormal. It has been said that psychics possess an aura as bright as the beam on a New England lighthouse, so could it be that the Ouija board’s success rests on whether any of the investigative members exhibit a psychic aura? From the psychic standpoint, a Ouija board falling into inexperienced hands is simply playing with fire. From the scientific standpoint, any attempt to communicate with spirits is fair game. After all, it is no different than using the Ghost Box to communicate with spirits, right?
So who is right in this debate? Well, everyone. We all aspire to one day scientifically prove that souls exist after physical death, and any tool that aids us on this worldwide quest is welcomed by all investigators. Professionally, Ghost Movers combines psychic medium skills with investigative protocols. As such, we place a heavy emphasis on the need for psychic protection before beginning any paranormal investigation, regardless of the tools we choose to use in the field. Do we use a Ouija board? No, we don’t. We fall into the category of having experienced a rather frightening event back in the day before the need for setting protective boundaries was identified. Unfortunately, that one experience has forever colored our opinion of the Ouija board. But for those investigative groups who use the Ouija board with success in meeting their group’s mission, the more power to them.
Happy holidays to everyone. Cheers.
The teen TIP Club has started and already has two local investigations lined up. We're impressed with the fearless teens who attended the first meeting….they all appear to possess a strong paranormal interest, good common sense, and the right amount of skepticism. The club is open to new members, interested teens can email lynda@ghostmovers.com for information.
And the Psychic Kids 101 workshop has been scheduled for January 10, 2009 in Bellingham. Visit our website for workshop information.
The Ouija Board: Investigative tool or risky game?
In the paranormal field, we sometimes encounter investigative groups at polar opposites of a belief. This is certainly the case with the infamous Ouija board. Some groups embrace and even encourage investigators to use the Ouija board as a tool to entice resident spirits to communicate. Others believe the Ouija board is nothing but trouble and should be avoided at all cost. Why such a stark difference in opinion? Let’s take a look at the history of the Ouija board and why it is so hotly debated today.
Talking boards first made its American appearance in the late 1880s when spirit communication was all the rage. Easy to use and requiring no medium skills, it was a comfortable alternative for automatic writing. On May 1, 1920, Norman Rockwell included a Ouija board in his cover for the Saturday Evening Post and by the 1950s reportedly most American homes contained one. Parker Brother acquired the game in 1966 and attached a popular slogan ”It is just a game…isn’t it?”
So with such a popular history behind it, with no less than two individuals claiming to have invented the game, why today’s controversy? Back in 1972 the horror movie The Exorcist stormed American theaters, and suddenly the hugely popular Ouija board was pronounced a tool of the devil. Scores of teenagers suddenly began sharing horrifying stories of possession and hauntings directly attributed to the once popular game. Thus, Hollywood’s portrayal of the Ouija board in horror movies appeared to seal its fate as a dark occult tool.
Fast forward to the 1990s when courageous individuals with inquiring minds paved the path for what is now labeled paranormal investigating. Today, some topnotch groups are comprised solely of scientific-minded individuals who focus their efforts on obtaining validating proof of the afterlife. These groups will employ the use of Ouija boards in an attempt to facilitate spirit communication as they investigate a reported haunting. Other equally outstanding investigative groups facilitate spirit communication by utilizing a professional medium in a controlled setting so as to provide some boundaries as to who the investigators communicate with. Why one seemingly carefree approach as opposed to a carefully controlled approach? It seems to boil down to the group’s belief about the paranormal world and whether they have had any frightening experiences attributed to the Ouija board in the past.
Some consider the Ouija board an open invitation to any spirit, wayward or otherwise, while others emphatically believe that the board is a game only and produces absolutely no true paranormal activity. Some will swear on their life that they witnessed the manifestation of a horrifying black mist or creature while using the board. Others have tried and tried again with absolutely no luck conjuring up anything even remotely paranormal. It has been said that psychics possess an aura as bright as the beam on a New England lighthouse, so could it be that the Ouija board’s success rests on whether any of the investigative members exhibit a psychic aura? From the psychic standpoint, a Ouija board falling into inexperienced hands is simply playing with fire. From the scientific standpoint, any attempt to communicate with spirits is fair game. After all, it is no different than using the Ghost Box to communicate with spirits, right?
So who is right in this debate? Well, everyone. We all aspire to one day scientifically prove that souls exist after physical death, and any tool that aids us on this worldwide quest is welcomed by all investigators. Professionally, Ghost Movers combines psychic medium skills with investigative protocols. As such, we place a heavy emphasis on the need for psychic protection before beginning any paranormal investigation, regardless of the tools we choose to use in the field. Do we use a Ouija board? No, we don’t. We fall into the category of having experienced a rather frightening event back in the day before the need for setting protective boundaries was identified. Unfortunately, that one experience has forever colored our opinion of the Ouija board. But for those investigative groups who use the Ouija board with success in meeting their group’s mission, the more power to them.
Happy holidays to everyone. Cheers.
October 2008
Welcome to Ghost Movers' first blog….what better time to start a ghost blog than October, right? Actually, we’ve been working hard the past few months to add more information to our website, so it’s merely a coincidence that our first blog is dated October (though we do agree it is quite appropriate).
Speaking of October, Halloween is a favorite holiday for Ghost Movers’ very own Stacy. Aside from the fact that her birthday falls just shy of Halloween, she and her daughters can’t wait to drag out the overflowing bins filled with Halloween decorations and cram every nook and corner with adorable witches, spiders, and of course plenty of ghosts.
Yet while Stacy and her young are cheerfully putting up Halloween decorations early October, Lynda is secretly scheming to unload her bins of Christmas decorations. While Lynda is just sure the neighbors question her usual good sense, she can’t wait to enjoy Stacy’s mock horror reaction to seeing a Christmas tree in Lynda’s living room before Stacy’s beloved Halloween holiday. So for us folks here at Ghost Movers, October brings plenty of decorations, good spirits (no pun intended), and a bit of friendly sister rivalry.
Of course it would be a travesty to publish Ghost Movers’ first blog in October without mentioning Halloween, an ancient festival started by the Celtics, a population who lived before the birth of Christ in the region now known as Ireland, France, and Great Britain.
For the pagan Celtics, October 31 was celebrated as the last day of summer as well as the end of the harvest season and a time to prepare for winter. During this celebration, the Celtics believed that a brief window of time existed in which the world of the living and the world of the dead could intermingle. As such, as part of the festival, lanterns and bonfires would traditionally be lit to ward off the wayward spirits. Eventually the Romans conquered the Celtics, melding traditions and religions and the Roman Catholics moved All Saints Day, a holiday celebrating the saints, to November 1. Also called All Hollows Day, the night before became known as All Hollows Eve.
Despite two holidays, two cultures, and 2000 years, much of our current Halloween traditions evolved over the past century, taking firm hold in America in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a merrymaking time to dress in costumes and stroll door to door begging for candy. Enjoyed by most children (and retailers), today’s Halloween brings forth countless festivals, plenty of apples and pumpkins, and traditionally marks the start of the holiday season for many households.
Although the media often portrays Halloween as a time when paranormal activity is heightened, here at Ghost Movers we find that ghosts are out and about all year long and the only rise in activity we see before Halloween is in the media (which we enjoy just like most folks). So for us, October brings nothing more ominous than a few extra pounds at the waistline.
As you watch the foliage make their gorgeous annual trek from limb to land this month, we hope you enjoy the beauty of the season as much as we do, and from all of us here at Ghost Movers, we wish you a wonderful and safe All Hollows Eve.
www.ghostmovers.com
Speaking of October, Halloween is a favorite holiday for Ghost Movers’ very own Stacy. Aside from the fact that her birthday falls just shy of Halloween, she and her daughters can’t wait to drag out the overflowing bins filled with Halloween decorations and cram every nook and corner with adorable witches, spiders, and of course plenty of ghosts.
Yet while Stacy and her young are cheerfully putting up Halloween decorations early October, Lynda is secretly scheming to unload her bins of Christmas decorations. While Lynda is just sure the neighbors question her usual good sense, she can’t wait to enjoy Stacy’s mock horror reaction to seeing a Christmas tree in Lynda’s living room before Stacy’s beloved Halloween holiday. So for us folks here at Ghost Movers, October brings plenty of decorations, good spirits (no pun intended), and a bit of friendly sister rivalry.
Of course it would be a travesty to publish Ghost Movers’ first blog in October without mentioning Halloween, an ancient festival started by the Celtics, a population who lived before the birth of Christ in the region now known as Ireland, France, and Great Britain.
For the pagan Celtics, October 31 was celebrated as the last day of summer as well as the end of the harvest season and a time to prepare for winter. During this celebration, the Celtics believed that a brief window of time existed in which the world of the living and the world of the dead could intermingle. As such, as part of the festival, lanterns and bonfires would traditionally be lit to ward off the wayward spirits. Eventually the Romans conquered the Celtics, melding traditions and religions and the Roman Catholics moved All Saints Day, a holiday celebrating the saints, to November 1. Also called All Hollows Day, the night before became known as All Hollows Eve.
Despite two holidays, two cultures, and 2000 years, much of our current Halloween traditions evolved over the past century, taking firm hold in America in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a merrymaking time to dress in costumes and stroll door to door begging for candy. Enjoyed by most children (and retailers), today’s Halloween brings forth countless festivals, plenty of apples and pumpkins, and traditionally marks the start of the holiday season for many households.
Although the media often portrays Halloween as a time when paranormal activity is heightened, here at Ghost Movers we find that ghosts are out and about all year long and the only rise in activity we see before Halloween is in the media (which we enjoy just like most folks). So for us, October brings nothing more ominous than a few extra pounds at the waistline.
As you watch the foliage make their gorgeous annual trek from limb to land this month, we hope you enjoy the beauty of the season as much as we do, and from all of us here at Ghost Movers, we wish you a wonderful and safe All Hollows Eve.
www.ghostmovers.com
