The Paranormal

[Ataru]

Since I didn't want to put this on the religion thread I figured I'd make a new post. Now, spiritism might be part of a religious belief system, but I personally think of it as a kind of science and I've always been interested in figuring out explanations for supernatural situations. The explanations themselves are far from ordinary, but they have a kind of sense to them that appeal them to me. I guess especially as a writer I'm very interested in worldviews and systems that are very complete and well thought-out and well explained, so some of the explanations parapsychology offers for 'hauntings' and other such things are very interesting.

For example:
1. The concept of 'ghosts' as 'place memory'. The ley lines of the planet can create a kind of psychological film in places where they intersect. If, at such a place, terrible things happen or strong emotions are felt then these things will actually be 'written' into the natural energy underground. Then when someone else comes by a kind of 'replay' will happen and the emotions and situations from before will be demonstrated. So instead of the ghost being a kind of sentient undead thing it could merely just be the Earth's memory of things that happened long ago in certain places.
2. The concept of 'poltergeists' as 'RSPK'. Recurrent Spontaneous PsychoKinesis, or RSPK, means that someone is using telekinetic powers unconsciously. Basically you take a young, adolescent girl. Put her in a bad situation to the point where her mind is basically 'divided' on itself... there is a part of herself that she has to lock away to not get hurt (this could be a bad memory, a hateful feeling, etc.) This 'locked away' part of her is then capable of becoming its own personality and seizing control of latent powers the girl herself did not know about (telekinesis). Thus the 'poltergeist' that knocks on walls and throws stuff around could just be a split-personality of one of the people living in the house that is taking control of their natural... supernatural abilities.
3. The above can also go toward explaining demonic possession. But, religiously, I don't like discounting the possibility of -that- particular occurrence being a real thing. When I served my church in Brazil for 2 years I saw and heard many things that hinted at real demonic power to the point where I tread lightly when speaking of possession.

These are just some of the theories I've come across while studying the paranormal. I -love- scary stories to death so I really don't know where I actually sit with these 'scientific' explanations of the whole thing but... it's fun to theorize. Also I strongly recommend the book 'Poltergeist! A Study in Destructive Haunting' to everyone as it is very, very spooky and also very thoroughly researched and touches on every aspect of both the scientific and supernatural explanations for hauntings.

[CancerianFireLordess]

Thanks for making this. I was just throwing all of my paranormal crap into the religion thread.

You know, surprisingly, I've never really even considered why that kind of stuff happens. I just know, but never supported what I believe with actual reasons as to why. I think that the spiritual universe is very complex....I think it depends on the death. We've heard of stories of children dying in burning churches and you hear their voices as if they're not dead, or they don't know that they are. But why can't they 'move on' but a friend, around the same age, who died in a car accident isn't 'stuck' with the same predicament. Then there's the case like the one I posted on the Religion thread where it's a spirit who was tormented in their mortal life and taking it out on those who are mortal, for the hell of it. There are also the spirits who have moved on, but keep with the choice of visiting the mortal world every now and then to check on loved ones, yadda yadda.

What I've always wondered, is through the years of psychics and clairvoyants being able to talk to the dead, how come none of the spirits they have spoken to have spoken about the after life, what it is, or what is the correct answer to all of our speculation. The only thing close to that is spirits saying "they're happy where they are" which could suggest Heaven, or suggest that there is a plane not of ours where this spirit has been sent. I just find it very curious how there hasn't been one spirit to say "God exists, Jesus is not the son of God, Satan exists, Hell is our neighbor," and blah blah. Not once have I heard that type of story. There must be some sort of bond-like contract one goes through once you become a spirit that you aren't allowed to speak of the after life or something. What other explanation is there?

While I'm a firm believer in proof before acceptance....I think with the hauntings, visual proof is legitimate aswell. Some things you just can't explain scientifically like the things that took place at the Amity Ville Horror, or in Key West.

[Ataru]

Oddly enough I actually quite like the way Hollywood handles movies of haunting cases. It's -always- a question about whether to believe or not. My favorite example is The Exorcist, which is almost perfect in its walking the line between the scientific and the paranormal. If you look at the development of the case presented in the movie it follows the perfect pattern either way. Since I prefer the scientific explanations I was quick to pick up the telltale signs of RSPK:

1. The victim/catalyst was an adolescent girl
2. There were domestic problems (her parents fighting) which caused her lots of grief
3. The manifestations were generally accompanied by a change in personality in the girl and were weak at first, gaining strength over time
4. When the spirit 'left' the girl and 'took' the pastor the girl forgot all the prior events. This could suggest that the alternate personality that had been using her telekinetic powers and causing her the epileptic seizures had been effectively wiped out of her mind.

Obviously the 'scientific' explanation can't cover all the bases, which is why I agree with Cancer that there are some things we're never going to be able to explain. The fun of it (for me) is playing with both sides of the question, the spiritual and the scientific, to try to come up with theories and explanations based off of what we do know but hinting at what we can't possibly prove.

[VictorZamora]

I actually believe in the paranormal a lot. But ironically enough, I don't even like ghost horror films. I think it's cause that's fiction and real stuff is real.

[karenicae]

In our religion, we don't believe in ghosts and such. But, sometimes I get this eerie feeling that someone's watching me.I know, unbelievable right? Well, it is just a feeling.

[trailerman]

Those kind of cases rare, but if they are, that's probably genetical development. Evolution.

[absinthe_spoons]

But, sometimes I get this eerie feeling that someone's watching me.I know, unbelievable right?

Not really.

Those kind of cases rare, but if they are, that's probably genetical development. Evolution.

What? I mean... what? Getting a feeling that someone is watching you is a rare effect of evolution?
I rather think that getting a feeling that someone is watching you is a rare effect of getting a feeling that someone is watching you.

[CancerianFireLordess]

This is just my belief Karen, so you can take it with a grain of salt.

Everyone has energy, which is why when certain people walk into a room, you just know. Some people's internal energy are just more burst-ful (if that's even a word) than others are.
Spirit's have energies too. Half the time when you're sitting by your computer and you just instinctively turn around to see if something is there, even though you know there clearly isn't, could mean that there is an energy there you can not neccesarily see.

Oooorrr you could go by Trailerman's speculation and say that someone watching you is a rare effect of evolution.

[trailerman]

I think the sense of beeing old is not new for our generation. I ment divination, telekinesis etc.

What about ghosts, vampires...lies of scared people. even those die hard believers in vampires have to face that it's an illness, not paranormal phenomenon

[CancerianFireLordess]

Spirits exist. Why I'm not saying this is just my belief? Because I've seen a couple in action. Not a pleasant site, and I'm also surrounded by them at my father's house daily. Trufax.

There are such things as Energy Vampires. They feed off the energy off of another person in order to replenish their loss of liveliness. These people have a need for other people's energy level, which is how hyper/active you are lalala. I saw a documentary on it. They don't drink blood or what have you. They just, literally, take your energy away to the point where you could become sleepy out of nowhere or simply faint. Some nice ones just have Energy Donors, which could easily be friends, that once a week lone them their energy. Of Course, then afterward the Energy Vamp treats them to a nice sugar filled ice cream to get their sugar levels back up. Lol. But yeah. It's interesting. Youtube it.

(I said energy a total of 5 times)