Introduction to Ghost Hunting
(c)2009 by Fiona Broome, founder of HollowHill.com
Summary of Part Two
In this lesson, we've discussed how to find places that might be haunted. From local legends to regional books to ghost tours, you may discover several good locations for your research.
We've also described several ways you can research sites with ghost stories. You're looking for actual evidence to support the stories. In some cases, you'll realize that the tales are merely urban legends. But, when the ghost stories have a foundation, your historical research can be tremendously helpful.
When you know what really happened at a site, you'll know what you're looking for. For example, researchers with a psychic sense of smell may notice a smoke odor in a location that's haunted because of a fire. (We'll talk about types of perceptions in a future lesson.)
If you know exactly where certain events happened - which area of the park, or which room in the building - you can focus your initial investigation there.
If you know related dates, such as the anniversary of a tragedy, your research on that date may be far more productive than on other days.
Finding a haunted site is great, but that's just the first step. Your pre-investigation research can make a huge difference in your success as a ghost hunter.
Recommended homework
These steps are optional, but they can help your progress as a ghost hunter.
1. Identify two or three possibly haunted places near your home, school or workplace.
2. List them in your ghost hunting journal, if you're keeping one.
3. Choose one location to research. Find out as much as you can about the site, its history and evidence for the ghost stories. Search online, and visit at least one offline resource (historical society, public library) to find additional information that may support (or refute) the site's stories.
4. With a friend or two, visit the location in the daytime and see if there's any physical or psychic evidence of hauntings.
5. Locate at least one ghost hunting group in your area. Search at Google, Yahoo, etc., using the name of your city or town, plus the word "ghosts." If that doesn't work, try your county name and the word "ghosts." If that still doesn't help, try your state or regional name, and the word "ghosts."
6. If you don't find a local group, or none of them are right for you, start asking friends if they'd be interested in ghost hunting at dusk or later.
7. If you think that you may have enough people -- and collective expertise -- to try a ghost hunt, choose a well-known haunted site (a place that's open to the public) and visit it shortly before dusk. (This will probably be the location you visited in step 4, above.)
Take this week's homework seriously. Don't rush through it. If it takes you more than a week, that's okay. This course
isn't graded and it isn't a race. Do your best with our recommendations, and get the most out of each lesson.
When you're ready, you can continue to your next lesson:
Part Three
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introduction to ghost hunting, part 2
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