“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting
for our senses to grow sharper.”
― W.B. Yeats
Working on a new promotional poster, I’ve peppered it with the strange and unusual — symbols representing the broad strokes of my obsessions — spirits, praeternatural intelligences, ufology, cryptids, magick — all those stranger things that demand my attention here in the haunted hinterlands.
I set up an account for ChatGPT, out of curiosity. Here are a couple of questions I asked of it, just to give it a test run:
Can you tell me what a ghost is?
A ghost is a supernatural entity that is believed to be the soul or spirit of a deceased person that has not yet moved on to the afterlife. According to various cultural beliefs and legends, ghosts are said to be able to manifest in various forms, such as apparitions, spectral images, or shadows.
The concept of ghosts is prevalent in many cultures and religions around the world. Some people believe that ghosts are spirits of the dead who have unfinished business on Earth, while others believe that they are the product of an overactive imagination or psychological phenomenon.
Many ghost stories and accounts involve unexplained events, such as objects moving on their own, unexplained sounds or voices, and eerie sensations. While there is no scientific evidence to support the existence of ghosts, they remain a popular subject of folklore, horror stories, and paranormal investigations.
Do you believe that disembodied spirits are somehow connected to quantum entanglement?
As an AI language model, I do not have beliefs or opinions, but I can provide information on the subject.
The idea that disembodied spirits may be connected to quantum entanglement is a concept that some people have proposed to explain certain paranormal phenomena. According to this idea, the consciousness or soul of a person may be connected to subatomic particles that are entangled, allowing it to exist beyond the physical body and interact with the physical world in ways that cannot be explained by conventional science.
However, there is currently no scientific evidence to support this idea, and it remains a matter of speculation and belief. While quantum entanglement is a real phenomenon in the field of physics, it is still not fully understood and is not yet known to have any direct connection to the existence or behavior of ghosts or spirits. Many scientists and skeptics are skeptical of the idea that disembodied spirits can be explained by quantum entanglement or any other scientific theory.
Does AI have the potential to have a soul?
As an AI language model, I do not have a soul, consciousness, or emotions. AI is designed to simulate human intelligence and behavior, but it is fundamentally different from biological systems.
The concept of a soul is often associated with religious or spiritual beliefs and refers to a non-physical aspect of a person that is believed to survive after death. The existence and nature of the soul are the subject of much debate and vary across different cultures and traditions.
While AI has advanced significantly in recent years, it has not yet reached a level of complexity or sophistication that would allow it to have a soul, as this concept is beyond the realm of science and technology. AI systems are still based on mathematical algorithms and logic, and they do not possess consciousness or emotions in the way that humans do.
However, the development of AI and related technologies has raised ethical and philosophical questions about the nature of consciousness, intelligence, and the meaning of life. As AI continues to advance, it is likely that these debates will continue and evolve in new ways.
What can you tell me about author and paranormal adventurer Bob Freeman?
Bob Freeman is an author and paranormal adventurer who has written numerous books and articles on the subject of the supernatural. He is best known for his works of fiction, which often incorporate elements of occultism, folklore, and horror.
Freeman’s writing is heavily influenced by his own experiences as a paranormal investigator and practitioner of various magical traditions. He has studied under several prominent occultists and is known for his expertise in areas such as ceremonial magic, shamanism, and witchcraft.
In addition to his work as an author, Freeman is also an active paranormal investigator and has led numerous investigations into haunted locations and other supernatural phenomena. He is the founder of the paranormal research group, Nightstalkers of Indiana, and has appeared on various television shows and podcasts discussing his work.
Some of Freeman’s most well-known works include the occult detective series, The Cairnwood Manor Trilogy, and the occult adventure novel, Keepers of the Dead. He has also written extensively on subjects such as the folklore of the Indiana Dunes, the paranormal aspects of Freemasonry, and the role of magic in contemporary culture.
Freeman’s work has garnered a loyal following among fans of supernatural fiction and paranormal research, and he is considered one of the leading voices in the field today.
I had a great time chatting with Nick and Sean about these haunted hinterlands of Indiana.
I was a bit under the weather, but I still think the interview came off pretty well.
If you’ve not listened to their podcast before, Nick and Sean run a very relaxed interview session and they’ve had some stellar guests on in the past — Michelle Belanger, Heather Taddy, Shane Pittman, Dustin Pari, Reverend Long. I was thrilled to have the chance to sit down with them and appreciated their humor and dedication.
Welcome, sleuths. Pull up a chair and pour yourself a drink. We’ve got plenty to talk about…
Barking right up my proverbial tree, and just in time for Spooky Season, we have J. Allen Cross’ The Witch’s Guide to the Paranormal: How to Investigate, Communicate, and Clear Spirits. Llewellyn actually sent me an Uncorrected Proof a few months back, and I’ve read the book twice through, and revisited certain chapters since, but before I give you my thoughts, let’s see what the publisher has to say about it:
Flex Investigative Methods That Only Witches Can Wield
As a witch, your ability to manipulate energy allows you to interact with ghosts in ways that other investigators can’t. Discover how to use your magical toolkit to identify and resolve the four main types of haunting―residual, poltergeist, human earthbound, and inhuman entity. J. Allen Cross guides you through the basic principles of a haunting, while building a foundation of paranormal investigation, witchcraft, and mediumship skills. You will learn how to craft a seal, open and close portals, perform an exorcism, and help spirits cross over. With more than forty exercises and rituals, this book shows you how to make the most of your talents so you can bring peace to restless spirits and those they haunt.
Llewellyn is pretty dead on in the description. J. Allen Cross does an admirable job of covering all the bases. As a near lifelong paranormal investigator and purveyor of the strange and unusual, I can honestly say this is a solid primer for anyone, let alone the target audience (ie young witches/occultists interested in ghost hunting).
One of the biggest thrills I got was poring over Cross’ Recommended Reading List and, in addition to Michelle Belanger’s excellent Ghost Hunter’s Survival Guide (highly recommended), Cross mentions one of my favorite books from the early years of my studies, The Llewellyn Practical Guide to Psychic Self-Defense and Well-Being by Melita Denning and Osbourne Phillips, which I devoured in, I’m going to say, 1981 or so. Fine book if you happen upon it secondhand.
This “Witch’s Guide” is a treat for would-be investigators and, I think, helpful to even some of the more seasoned folk out there. It is concise, well-researched, insightful, and engaging. It’s obviously written by someone with first hand experience in investigating the paranormal and in folk magic.
This has long been a passion of mine, utilizing occult practices in the investigation of and communion with preternatural intelligences. This is a neglected part of the field of paranormal research and investigation. All too often, the media shows us one form of investigative procedures and it produces far too many copycats. There is far more to interacting with spirits than flashlight tricks and emf detectors. Thankfully this book has come along to champion that cause.
The Witch’s Guide to the Paranormal: How to Investigate, Communicate, and Clear Spirits by J. Allen Cross, published by Llewellyn Books, will be available wherever books are sold on Thursday, September 8. Here’s a helpful link to AMAZON so you can add this book to your library. Trust me, this one needs to be there.
Michelle Belanger is an occult expert and author of more than thirty books on paranormal topics. You probably know Michelle best from appearances on A&E’s Paranormal State and the Travel Channel’s Portals to Hell. In addition, Michelle also creates tabletop games.
Michelle’s Ouila Board Scramble is a lot of fun (and a great tool for any horror themed rpg), Midnight’s Kiss is a solid gothic rpg, and I also have read Michelle’s work on World of Darkness: Ghost Hunters. All to say, Michelle does solid work in the gaming community, in case you weren’t aware.
Michelle’s latest is an immersive storytelling rpg, billed as “a solo game of collaborative fiction”, called Lonely House. It is a storytelling game, which tend to be really hit or miss with me (usually miss), but right out of the proverbial gate I could tell Lonely House was something special.
The…
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I was thrilled to finally be a guest of Frater R:.C:. on his Magick Without Fears podcast. While I wasn’t at my best (thanks a lot, opioid analgesics), it was an absolute honor to chat for a couple of hours (three if you’re a patron) with one of my favorite people.
We were all over the place, talking about everything from occult detectives and paranormal investigation, the Satanic Panic, music, psychedelics, cancel culture, Dungeons & Dragons, and a host of other things I can’t remember right now.
Pain medication is rarely conducive to cognizance.
To be honest, I could have talked for hours more.
A huge thanks to Frater R:.C:. for having me on. If you don’t already, be sure to put Magick Without Fears in your podcast queue.
I shared this story with friends last night, and it occurred to me that I hadn’t shared it here, or, at least, I don’t recall doing so. Proceed with caution and with an open mind. I will do my best to maintain the confidentiality of the owners and location.
A few decades back, give or take, I was asked to investigate a business property. It was housed in an old building, constructed in 1912. This building saw a lot of traffic in its heyday, but fell into disrepair and was little more than a derelict structure for many moons until the current owners revitalized it in the late twentieth century.
The owners reached out because they were having inexplicable fires occurring in one of the upstairs rooms. Electricians were baffled. As they were also experiencing other paranormal phenomena, calling me in seemed apropos.
I was able to identify much of the phenomena as residual, such as the sounds of pre-War radio, though I was pretty sure there was an intelligent spirit on the ground floor, and something a little darker in the basement. My main concern lay with the electrical fires however.
After several visits, I became confident the culprits were what some call land wights or the fey, but most simply refer to them as fairy folk. Precocious and alien, wights are preternatural spirits, sometimes malicious, but then, their thinking is different than our own. They frequent abandoned places, woodlands, groves, streams, and yes, neglected buildings.
I set a trap for the creatures, honey and polished stones, and I sang to them while I strummed a tune on my guitar. Gathered into water collected from the most sacred local spot I knew, I took them to that place and released them, unto Seven Pillars, the Gateway Between Worlds, where they could make a new home for themselves.
When I speak with those who have become weekend hobbyists, often because they enjoy the Discovery Channel’s slate of ghostly programming, predominately I see they’re of a mind that there are two, maybe three types of spirits — intelligent ghosts of the deceased, residual spirits, and demons. That kind of thinking is not healthy. This is a lesson every occult detective or paranormal investigator needs to take to heart.
Become acquainted with the history and folklore of the area you frequently investigate. What’s that oft (read: over-) used line from Hamlet? “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Or something like that.
We have to recognize that existence is much more expansive than that which is at our fingertips. We move through a reality that encompasses various planes and dimensions and divergences, and it is all populated by a myriad of preternatural intelligences.
The sooner would be “ghost hunters” wrap their heads around that, the better.
I had a dream last night, of being upstairs in the old Converse High School. I was looking for something, and found myself inside one of the abandoned classrooms on the top floor, in the very room that was home to the Converse UFO Club I founded back in 1976. On the chalkboard was scrawled a number of arcane sigils. That’s when I woke up, at 3:15am.
This got me thinking about the origins of that club and how much fun we had. It was my 5th grade year. Mr. Piper’s class. Several kids were falling behind in math, so Piper, in a stroke of genius, decided to give everyone a test. If you scored perfect, then you didn’t have math the rest of the semester. So what did I do? I cheated off of Mick Miller. There were about a dozen of us who were excused from math class, but we weren’t left to our own devices. We were charged to present a lecture to the school, on any subject we chose. I coerced my classmates into forming the Converse UFO Club and we spent the next six weeks studying unidentified flying objects.
We were given one of the unused classrooms on the third floor. It was full of ancient desks, chairs, old flags with fewer than 50 stars, chalkboards, bulletin boards, and old US maps. We put all of it to use and put together a cool little clubhouse, far from the prying eyes of teachers and other students. I crated in my collection of UFO books, newspaper clippings, magazines, and comics, and we got to work.
Needless to say, we had the time of our lives… and we came up with a pretty good theory, for a bunch of ten year olds. The thesis we presented posited that these alien spacecraft were powering their vehicles with hydro-power, based on the amazingly high number of sightings that occurred in and around water. Never mind that with two-thirds of the planet being covered with water increased the potential for sightings near such to be more likely than not. Well… we tried.
We presented our findings before the school. We were given As for our effort. And, ultimately I made a little comic book seed money from it all by narrating UFO articles onto cassette tapes and selling them to my classmates.
Hard to believe that by ten years old, I had already formed two clubs, The Monster Club in 1974, (in which we made encyclopedic entries in a journal concerning all manner of paranormal/supernatural beasties and chased ghosts in every derelict and abandoned house or barn and throughout the Hoosier hinterlands in a ten mile radius), and the UFO Club. Harder still to believe that in a few short years, by 1983, it would all take a far more serious turn.
occultdetective.com 