So when you watch on TV or see the websites some terms that are common in the paranormal field, you may know what the acronyms mean. But do you fully understand why something is important to us, or maybe not so important as investigaors? Let’s talk about some of the most common terms and their importance to IKOPS investigators.
EVP- Electronic Voice Phenomena. This is where we capture a voice or sound on a recorder of some sort (digital or tape) that was not audible to the human ear at the time of the investigation. EVP’s are classified in three levels, A, B and C. A “C” level EVP is one that is heard, but we cannot reasonably make out what is said, or what the sound may be, other than it wasn’t audible to us at the time. A class “B” EVP is where you can tell something’s being said, and many folks may disagree on what exactly is said. Sometimes software can help clear it up and can help decipher what’s being said. A class “A” EVP is the cream of the crop. It’s audible, intelligble and pretty much no disagreement on what’s being said. Obviously a class A EVP is very important to us as investigators, as it establishes a non-physical presence during the investigation.
EMF- Electro Magnetic Field. These are generally caused by electrical currents throughout a dwelling, or in nature by things that generally give off their own energy field. In paranormal investigations, many believe that an increase in an EMF reading signifies the possible presence of a spirit. When a baseline EMF reading is established, anything that changes that reading is investigated as a possible “disturbance” or presence. Many items such as alarm clocks, microwave ovens , etc give off EMF in the home. EMF fields can also cause a person to become lethargic, paranoid, seeing/hearing things that aren’t there and general body aches and discomfort. When that happens, it’s not a ghost, it’s simply that person has a sensitivity to high EMF fields and needs to remediate the problem, or leave the area with the high readings. Younger children and older adults are usually most commonly affected.
Orbs - Wow, now these things have been the subject of a ton of debate. Are they or are they not spirits? Generally, they are not considered to be evidence of spirit activity. Orbs are made of energy, and many natural causes of orbs occur everyday (electrical storms, electrical discharge/static discharge from appliances, static from your wool clothing, etc). Obviously these are not paranormal in nature. Additionally, when an orb is almost perfectly round, and is mostly transparent, you’re more commonly looking at an electrical occurence, or the reflection of dust particles in the air at the time of the photograph. Many will argue that if you don’t use a flash, yet capture an orb, you’ve got something to go on. Generally that isn’t the case. In the rare cases that you capture an orb that is of an odd shape (oblong, or no distinctive common pattern such as a circle) or the density of the orb (not transparent at all, seems to be self illuminating) then you have something to really take a look at and try to determine its origin.
Ok..so now we’ve discussed some of the most common terms used. In my next posting, I’ll be discussing some tricks of the trade to find evidence and validate it at the same time. Please feel free to comment and post your own interpretations!