The ‘Report on Spiritualism of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society’ was published in 1871 by the Royal Society and was made public after a unanimous vote by its members. The committee involved in this report made it their goal to accept as much evidence as they could find on spiritualism, both from people who claimed the phenomena to be delusional as well as from those who expressed the genuineness in the gathered claims. As such, this committee set themselves the objective to investigate the following propositions:

Sounds occurred without being caused by muscular or mechanical action; movements of heavy bodies took place without it being the result of any muscular or mechanical action; sounds spelled out, through simple codes, the answers to questions in a coherent manner and correct answers were given to these questions even when known only by a single person; certain persons were required to be present accompanying such phenomena; and finally, assurance that this phenomena was not guaranteed when those persons were present.

The group itself was divided into sub-committees, each set up to investigate all of these separate claims, and with all of the scientific disciplines involved, many were highly skeptical. Regardless, the majority of the evidence gathered was found to be surprisingly in support of the genuineness of the phenomena as opposed to against it.

SUB-COMMITTEE 1

All of the evidence gathered from Sub-Committee 1 was done at the private residences of the members in order to ensure there was no possibility of pre-arranged contrivances or mechanics. All furniture was checked, tables measured, and the room was always properly lit by gas-light. No payment would be given to any medium, and the mediums tested had to be in a good social position and well-trusted to ensure no deception. The word ‘medium’ was understood to be an individual whose presence seemed to assist in the phenomena occurring. 80% of the the sub-committee believed most of the claims to be the result of delusion or imposture prior to their research. The results of their investigations, however proved to them that:

a) Under certain conditions, a force seemed to be exhibited which was sufficient to set heavy objects in motion without the use of muscles or by any physical contact whatsoever.
b) This force could cause sounds to proceed from solid substances without any physical contact, and those sounds also created vibrations which could be felt.
c) This force exhibited intelligence.

Out of forty meetings, thirty four were able to capture these various findings. They sought perfect assurance that no contact had been made to the objects making sounds or moving on their own. If any contact had been made, even from the edge of a dress, the evidence was thrown out.

In one instance, when validating that a table could move without anyone touching it in the presence of a medium, eleven members sat around the table kneeling on their chairs, feet pointing away, and both of their hands visible on the surface for all to see. In less than a minute, the table moved four times, once five inches, then twelve inches, then four inches, then six inches. Next, they moved their chair back one foot from the table, each person again kneeling on their chair with their hands held behind their back. The table moved again in four different directions. In total, the table was seen to move thirteen times in under 30 minutes. The table was then turned upside down and torn apart, none of the members finding anything out of the ordinary which would have caused such movement. Delusion was promptly ruled out of the question. As such, the committee stated their conclusion: motion may be produced in solid bodies without material contact, by some hitherto unrecognized force operating within an undefined distance from the human organism, and beyond the range of muscular action.

SUB-COMMITTEE 2

Sub-Committee 2 set about investigating the so-called “rapping” phenomena. They first stated to have numerous meetings at the private residence of the members who had held no previous séances. In addition, the meetings themselves were held without the aid of any professed medium. They assembled in the evenings, and did so by sitting around a dining table upon which everyone had been instructed to place their hands. In addition, the room was always well-lit, sufficient for reading and writing. They began to hear rappings at their first meeting, and they witnessed the same table-moving reported by the other sub-committee. In addition, the movement of the table ceased after a few times in favor of the rappings, which did not always proceed from the table, but also from the floors, walls, and ceiling, often coming from parts of the room that were requested. Sometimes the rappings sounded like detonations in the air, and the rythmic taps that they made were repeated on request. As such, the sound seemed to have its own intelligence. They also attempted to communicate with the rappings by passing their finger over an alphabet, as well as using a simple code—three taps for yes, two for doubtful, and one for no. Through this process, they were told by the rappings that they were spirits who had a relationship with people in the room. Furthermore, the rappings also seemed to have the ability to express character and emotion.

The group noted that in many instances, when they tried to shorten or anticipate words and ideas, the rappings replied negatively, correcting them for their errors. The spirits also requested certain seating orders at times, requesting for a light to be turned up or down, telling people to be quiet or hold hands. When they did so, the communication often intensified. At one point during a séance, the group sent away for a neighbor to confirm the activity who promptly entered, and the activity continued just as it had before.

During a meeting in which they held no séance and were not even sitting around a table but had been discussing the genuineness of the communications, they noticed rappings which eventually found their way to a piano, the strings of which were plucked on their own. When they examined the piano, they could not identify any specific cause.

On another occasion after concluding a séance, rappings were heard after they were serving drinks. When asked who they were, the group was told through the rappings it was the same spirits who they had spoken to earlier, but the spirits had such a good time they did not want to leave. One member drank to their health and asked them to respond, and the rappings did so enthusiastically, each eventually bidding the group goodnight.

At yet another séance, a question was posed, asking when the spirit had died. When they asked this, no response was given, no matter how many times it was asked. They group wondered if perhaps the spirits didn’t consider death the same way that they did, as if the after-life was a mere continuation. When this was said, the spirits began rapping again enthusiastically. After this communication began, they pulled out additional facts. Bodily death was seen by the spirits as trivial in an importance and was seen more so as a birth into a new experience of existence. Spirit life, they were told, was in every respect human where they held friendships with one another. They had a great interest in earthly affairs but had no interest in returning to their former state, either. The spirits also claimed to have no prophetic powers. They were informed as well that two individuals at the meeting were mediums, and the others were mediumistic if they developed it over time. The spirits mentioned that they were familiar with the Dialectical Society but they did not know if it would have any favourable results. After the communication went on for awhile, the spirit was asked if it had sufficient strength to move the table. The alphabet was called for, and it spelled out ‘unlink hands.’ When everyone did so, the table lurched around suddenly, forcing some of the group out of their chairs. The spirit who did this claimed to be an acquaintance of a lady present, and he had died in a railway accident in America, but was quite fond of feats of strength.

No specific conditions could be found to incite the communications, and whether they adhered to a ritual or not didn’t seem to matter. However, it seemed to be beneficial to orderly conduct the séance, by staying quiet but not passive, by silence in the house, and by having a moderate supply of light. They still were able to obtain communications even while laughing and going about their regular household routines. Sometimes, for no apparent cause, the rappings died away and they were no longer able to communicate, but when this happened, they would often reinvigorate and return full force. They also noted a failure to obtain communication in the dark, or without the presence of two of the ladies in their group. By performing what the spirits asked, the communications often intensified.

After their investigations, the group of scientists dismissed ‘electro-biologic’ or ‘mesmerism’ claims. They also stated a strong desire to communicate more often prefaced failure than success. Sometimes the communications were unsought. No influences impaired their powers of observation, and everyone’s memory corroborated at a later time with the notes that they had taken.

The spirits also seemed to conserve energy as they did not like answering the same question twice, nor use the same words seldomly. Rarely were the raps meaningless and most contained original communication. Concise answers were given more than anything. Health, weather, and temperature did not seem to matter.

During one of the meetings, a spirit named Henry told the group that he wished one of his relatives who were sitting at the table would know that he loved her even though he neglected her and wished her to have all of his money. When asked what was the reason for the communication, he said he wished to show proof of a spiritual existence and to illustrate his love. The group asked if they should make steps to recover the money, but the spirit said no, money does not bring happiness. When they asked if he were angry about the money, the spirit spelled out “animosity does not exist in spirit-land.” He then bid everyone good night.

In another instance, a spirit with heavy thuds spelled out his own name as “Jem Clarke.” The lady at the séance stated her housemaid was named Clarke, and she was about to go away for an unknown reason. They asked if he were her guardian spirit, to which he replied with raps that this was indeed the case. They tried asking this spirit more, but with three heavy thuds, he went away.

SUB-COMMITTEE 3

This committee was designated to meet together regularly and try to understand “medium power”. The members here were a part of the other sub-committees in hopes that they could form a larger and more accurate picture than that which could have been drawn by being a member of only a singular sub-committee. This group tried to deduce whether or not pressure from member’s hands, perhaps unconsciously or out of laziness, could make a table move during a séance. They determined the weight of force hands and arms had upon a table, and attempted to figure out how much force was needed to tilt that table 90 degrees. In one experiment it took 21 ½ pounds to do so, but it required something to hold the legs of the table in place. Pushing a table was found to be much easier than pulling it. With his hands placed on top of the table, one man did not exert enough force to tilt up the other end. In all, this sub-committee found that they could not properly duplicate the table-moving phenomena that had been reported by others through intention or involuntary muscle movements. As such, they felt genuine table-tipping raised important scientific and philosophic questions.

SUB-COMMITTEE 4

Nothing occurred worth recording with this committee—other than stating nothing occurred.

SUB-COMMITTEE 5

This sub-committee met D. D. Home for the purpose of investigating phenomena surrounding his mediumship. It included Lord Adare and Mr. Lindsay. Prior to the meeting, Mr. Home begged to change his clothes simply for the purpose of expressing to the group that he had no machinery of any kind. This was accomplished in the presence of two witnesses, one of whom noted how muscular and elastic he appeared to be. In the first séance on the 2nd of April, 1869, nothing unusual was witnessed, other than some slight rappings and slight movement in the table. One man could not control his arm very well and was handed a pencil. He wrote some irregular characters with which no one was familiar. After more than two hours, the group decided to quit.

In the following séance on the 9th of April, most of the members were present. Within 30 minutes, the group heard some slight rappings to come from where Home was sitting. One of the group went under the table to watch, at which point, the table moved slightly and the rappings continued. Mr. Home made a slight noise at some point and covered his face. Although a few more rappings were heard, the séance ended with nothing else noteworthy taking place.

On the 16th, Mr. Home again met with the committee, rappings again were heard which sounded much like fingernails, and one member showed that the table could move with ease on its castors.

During the final séance, the committee again recorded very little phenomena and Mr. Home was quite ill. The committee had hoped to see him levitate, but he stated he had no ability to perform a levitation at will and it was entirely up to his agency to produce it. Despite the failure to observe any of the phenomena, Mr. Home requested that the investigations continue with him at some later date.

SUB-COMMITTEE 6

This committee failed to observe any phenomena, either. It was recorded that one lady who met with the group claimed her two girls of 8 and 10 were mediums. The girls sat down near a chess table and proceeded to rock it back and forth deliberately. Much fun was had. End of that one.

DR. EDMUNDS DISCLAIMER

At this point in the report, Dr. James Edmunds M.D. M.R.C.S., inserted a communication of his own, acting as chairman of the committee. He raised an alarm, stating that the review of evidence received for the report had drifted into the hands of zealous spiritualists. As such, he felt obliged to state his dissension directly into the heart of the report. He felt the urge to admit his own infirmity while reviewing the evidence. He intended for competent observers to be selected for the committee, but felt that the beating heart of mankind’s belief in the supernatural was still alive and well in all of the members, and as such, the balance towards objective reasoning was quite possibly upset. Men, he stated, had a longing for immortality, and as such, were beginning to find it answered in Spiritualism. Who wouldn’t want to obtain a message from a long lost friend or relative? Who wouldn’t want a confirmation of the continuation of miracles recorded in the Bible? Mediums seemed to hold the position where they could possibly rival priests, and priests, hearing of this, naturally assigned to Spiritualism a satanic influence as it eats away at the ‘ancient strata of religious dogma.’ Must we believe in every silly story that makes an appearance? He wondered. If someone suddenly begins to claim they saw a chair walk, it opens the floodgates of absurdity. To Edmunds, accepting that a chair could walk or that a group of well respected individuals said they had been chased by a headless horseman still required him to weigh it against the infinite amount of other evidence which said such things were impossible. To begin to accept an impossibility places a foot in the door where you eventually lose any foundation with material fact.

If the arch-bishop of Canterbury stated he traveled by train to London, no one would doubt it. If he said he traveled there by balloon, a few may wonder if this were true, but it is certainly in the scope of possibility. If he said, however, that he traveled through a ‘telegraph wire’, many would assume he lost his senses. If he said he did this by faith, and the reason he could not do it again was because of the presence of an unbeliever, herein, stated Edmunds, was the same case that one must deal with when it comes to spiritualistic phenomena. An extraordinary amount of evidence is thus required to confirm this third illustration.

On May of 1868, Edmunds explained that he and his wife had visited the Davenport Brothers at St. George Hall who were illusionists proclaiming to their audience that their powers came from Spiritualism. One of their most famous tricks was the ‘box illusion’ in which the brothers were tied in a box that contained musical instruments. Once the box was closed, the instruments would sound. When the box was reopened by Edmunds, it was revealed that the brothers were still tied to one another. Edmunds told the audience that he did not know how their tricks were done. A local paper reported this, claiming Edmunds was responsible for assisting in the deception, when this wasn’t the case.

Later, Edmunds stated he was invited to a private séance with Mrs. Guppy and the Davenports but had not been impressed at all, as the entire affair seemed to be a complete contrivance filled with tricks and ‘clever juggling.’ In addition, at any time, the Davenports would declare that the spirits had left them when their performances had gone sour. Furthermore, the Davenports, although claiming to make themselves available for investigation, consistently failed to do so by providing excuse after excuse.

In another séance with Mrs. Marshall who was a paid medium, it was observed that Mrs. Marshall had been tapping the bottom of the table with her foot. Many of his friends who visited her were convinced that they were communicating with spirits of departed relatives. Every time a mistake was made, Mrs. Marshall claimed that they must have been communicating with a ‘lying spirit’.

In June of 1869, Mr. Coleman who was a member of his committee proposed another meeting with Mrs. Marshall, but Edmunds had objected, given the fact that she was a paid medium in addition to the fact that he found her completely untrustworthy. But after it was proposed that they would see a table go up to the ceiling, he felt both of these objectives should be waved. Mrs. Marshall was able to tap out the names of persons, but only given that she could see the individual as he pointed at the alphabet. Other times, the spirit rappings which were heard seemed right to the same degree as blind luck and probability. Mrs. Marshall, at another point, went to a piano, and loud knocks were heard. Mr. Coleman asked Edmunds if he had any objections, and he pointed out Mrs. Marshall’s dress was touching the piano, and her foot could have made precisely the same sound. When she moved away, the ’spirits’ no longer made any sounds upon the piano.

Mr. Home, on the other hand, Edmunds found quite frank, despite the fact that they really didn’t experience anything during those séances besides slight rappings and movement upon a table that could easily move on its own. Home, Edmunds noted, had an extremely elastic and muscular frame, and seemed to be an individual with ‘exceptional mental gifts.’

On some other occasions, Edmunds offered money to any person who could read a note in his pocket, but no one was ever able to comply.

Edmunds thus summarized by saying that the phenomena associated with Spiritualism was little more than ‘phantoms of the brain’ or tricks from impostures. Other evidence gathered was more than likely due to nothing else other than ‘unconscious action’ caused by circumstances of where the séance was being held.

Finally, he stated that séances themselves can be extremely injurious to ‘delicate people’ and that they can ‘unhinge the mind.’ These sensitive individuals of high standing are, in turn, used by mediums to silence skeptics. Given that séances are sometimes performed more than once after previous ones failed, the information gathered could then be used in future séances to create a much greater effect.

COMMUNICATION FROM MR. JEFFREY

Next, a relatively interesting–almost bipolar–letter from Mr. Jeffrey was added, stating the following:

Trance utterances by mediums appeared to be incoherent and absurd.

Writing and drawings of mediums appeared to be guided by pen and pencil in the ordinary way, although some operators allowed themselves to be swayed by ‘fantastic’ impulses.

No rapping communications gave out information of practical value, or information that could not be known at the time.

Communications purporting to be from dead relatives, if they were to be accepted, were repugnant to the minds of the religious.

Theories given out to be examined by the committee were vague and contradictory, and the evidence given was not scientific.

The phenomena itself was wide open to imposture, and the faith of those who believed in Spiritualism too often got in the way of any true investigation.

Nevertheless, he summarized, remarkable phenomena had been witnessed, so he recommended investigations to be continued.

Right.

COMMUNICATION FROM MR. GEARY

A letter was added next to the report by Mr. Geary, stating that the inquiry into Spiritualism was incomplete, as the evidence gathered was mostly one-sided. Those who disagreed with the phenomena were placed to the side, or not invited to avoid any adverse influence on the manifestations. Nevertheless, tables moved and raps were heard claiming to come from another world. Nothing was witnessed that he would call unnatural or beyond the powers of humans. Geary stated he was a member of sub-committee number six, and the raps they heard were from a single individual who later confessed. What he found most remarkable, in the end, is that well-educated and otherwise sane men believed that spirits were responsible.

COMMUNICATION FROM MR. COX

Since Mr Geary, Mr. Jeffrey, and Mr. Edmunds chimed in and attached personal memorandums, Cox decided to jump in as well and do the same thing. He reiterated that Sub-Committee One had held 40 meetings to go over and ascertain evidence. Dr. Edmunds was Chairman of the general committee and, as such, was not a part of the investigations himself. Although Cox agreed with the majority of what Edmunds wrote, Dr. Edmunds himself was never present at the entire meetings of the sub-committee, and thus he had not seen any evidence first-hand. To Cox, the existence of a psychic force was proven beyond a doubt in the minds of the participants. “Because quacks sometimes commit frauds, the whole science of medicine is not, therefore, to be set down as an imposture.”

Mr. Geary, on the other hand, was only present at two occasions when tests were being held, so his examination, according to Cox, should be considered worthless. Cox reiterated he had started out his investigation with the assumption that table moving was the result of delusion, imposture, and/or unconscious action of the muscles. He believed his sub-committee illustrated the phenomena was not the result of any of these things. He himself found no evidence that spirits of the dead were responsible, but that living humans were the cause through their own psychic force, of which Mr. Crookes had decided to investigate on his own. The movement of the table, he added, was done at Dr. Edmunds house(!)—as such, the committee should have perfect assurance it was not the result of deception.

COMMUNICATION FROM H. G. ATKINSON, F.G.S

Atkinson piped in last within the report, mentioning that he had studied mesmerism, clairvoyance, electro-biology, and all the facts related to the inquiries from 1840 to 1850, but felt it had nothing to do with spirits of the dead, nor of a new psychic force. To Atkinson, it was all actions of the unconscious manifesting itself in a number of ways after having been somehow ‘freed’ from the conscious mind. As such, it was ordinary phenomena of our own complex nature. The more the senses close, the more the inner powers escape. He promised to work on his conclusions for the further advancement of science.

Article extracted from: http://www.examiner.com/article/theories-about-ghosts

Nearly as far back as recorded history goes there have been reports of ghostly apparitions.  People have reported seeing, feeling, even physically interacting with the spirits of the dead.  Assuming the millions of reports over thousands of years aren’t made by crazy people or downright liars, just what, then, is a ghost?

Most agree that a ghost is the spirit, the very consciousness, of what was once a living human being.  This person’s personality, for whatever reason, is still imprinted upon our environment, either because of unfinished business during their lifetime, or perhaps because they simply don’t know they’re dead.  But even if we knew exactly what a ghost is, do we know what they are made of?

What Is A Ghost Made Of?

Many witnesses report ghostly apparitions in a variety of ways.  Some are seen as ethereal or almost mist-like, while others seem to be very solid, as if they are actual people.  But other times, only the sound or even the smell of a ghost is reported.  With all these different forms a ghost may take, just what could possibly make them up?

The answer possibly lies in a form of energy which is not only around us all the time, but inside of us as well.  Electromagnetism is everywhere and its force is responsible for just about everything we know.  Not only does it keep our hearts beating and our muscles moving, its very energy holds our cells together.  Without it, we wouldn’t be solid flesh and bone at all, but likely a puddle of fluid.

Electromagnetism keeps our Earth spinning, keeps our soda carbonated, our televisions running….it is everywhere!  But what does this have to do with ghosts?

One of the main principles of thermodynamics (the study of energy) says that energy cannot be destroyed, it simply takes another form.  Instead of simply dissolving, it either goes into the atmosphere or becomes a part of something else entirely.  Since we know everything around us, including our very bodies, are composed of electromagnetism, it is very possible that a ghost is made up of the same thing, albeit in somewhat different amounts and of differing levels of stabilization.

Though this is certainly not proven, it is an interesting theory.  One that seems to be rooted in known scientific facts.  But even if it is true that ghosts are a form of electromagnetic energy, it doesn’t necessarily explain how they are imprinted upon our environment.  For that, we look toward tape recorders.

III.  Imprints

You can go to any Radio Shack in the country and buy a standard cassette player.  If you open up the tape deck and look inside, you’ll see all kinds of tiny gadgets and mechanical instruments.  It is here that we may someday find the precise answer to how the spirit of a once living human being stays behind.

One of the most important components in a tape recorder are the pair of electromagnets inside.  These electromagnets get their signal from the microphone and translate that energy in what is called a magnetic flux.  When you record, that magnetic flux is copied, or “remembered,” on that side of the cassette tape.  Now, let’s say you wanted to make a copy of that tape.  By copying your recording onto another cassette, you have literally transferred the magnetic flux and imprinted it on your second tape.  If environmental conditions are right, could events of the past, or even a once living person’s mind, be copied, or imprinted, upon the area via electromagnetic resonance?

For this theory to be true, it would mean that memories and consciousness would be preserved, but no new memories or experiences would be retained.  Think about it.  The recording you make on a cassette deck is not on the deck itself, but on the tape.  It is play only.  The same could be said of the ghost.  It is imprinted on the environment, maybe even interacting with us, but it would not retain anything new.  So, how do we communicate with it?  Well, many researchers and investigators believe voices from the spirit world are recorded using a process called EVP, or electronic voice phenomenon.  These are the voices we pick up on our recorders that we do not hear during the recording session.  But why does a recorder pick up the voice, and not our ears?

IV.  EVP and Communication

Communication from the spirit world is both a lesson in human biology and a return to electromagnetism and recordings.  First, biology.  How does a human being produce the voice that comes out of our mouths?  Simply put, we move air up from our lungs and past the exterior of our vocal cords, creating a vibration that elicits tone from our larynx.  The words are formed by the team of our tongue and lips, working in tandem to control air flow.

But this is when you are alive, and actually have the use of air, vocal cords, a larynx, etc.  The ghost is just condensed energy.  It doesn’t have use a voice.  Or does it?  While they may not have a tongue or lips, what they do possibly have is the ability to manipulate the microphone of our recording devices.

Microphones have a thin plastic diaphragm inside them that will vibrate a magnet and coil when introduced to sound vibrations.  And by the change of the position of the magnetic element and coil, it sends a signal to the tape recorder through electricity.  While we cannot say for sure if a ghost has the power to vibrate the plastic diaphragm, if they are indeed made of electromagnetic energy, wouldn’t it be feasible to theorize they can manipulate the magnetic mass and coil inside the microphone?  If so, your EVP is born.

V.  Cellular Memory and Memory Possession

Okay, we’ve talked about what ghosts are, what they’re made of, why they’re here and have given some idea of how they communicate.  But how, if we aren’t able to see the electromagnetism all around us, do people see ghosts?  How do we experience their presence?  For that we look to cellular memory and the theory of memory possession.

Think for a moment about the reports people make when it comes to ghosts.  Likely the most common form of haunting is the residual haunt.  And for that style of activity, there really is no ghost at all, but merely displaced energy that plays itself over and over.  But what if instead of just witnessing a residual style haunting, people actually experience them?  It is not at all uncommon for people to report feeling the emotions associated with the events being played out.  The sadness, for instance.  How does this happen?

Perhaps you are familiar with the stories of organ recipients all over the world who seem to take on some of the personality traits of the donor.  A man who was once only into rock n’ roll is now overcome by the sounds of Beethoven; and he later learns his kidney donor was a classical violinist.  Or a woman who hated sports who now finds herself cheering heavily for the Chicago Bears after her liver transplant, and comes to find out that her donor was a sports writer in the Chicago area.  It happens, and it is called cellular memory.  Doctors and scientists do not yet fully understand it, but it is a verified condition.  Somehow, someway, the cells in our organs are linked to our memories and personalities.

Now consider the theory many doctors and scientists have that electromagnetic charges link our brains and our hearts, actually making them capable of sharing information and data with each other.  If it is true that ghosts are electromagnetic energy imprinted on the environment, it stands to reason that if a person with an identical or similar brain wavelength as that of the energy field, it could electronically stimulate the proteins of our brain responsible for memories.  This would cause someone to not only experience the residual haunt visually, but also experience the emotions associated with it.  Fear, sadness, even extreme happiness have all been reported in conjunction with residual hauntings.  It is certainly a fascinating idea to consider.

VI.  Scientific Method and Conclusion
These are just a few of the many ongoing theories that paranormal researchers and investigators are working on.  Perhaps someday we will have enough data from the countless experiments where we can scientifically prove that ghosts exist.  And you, as a researcher and investigator yourself, can create your own theories, too.  Here is how to properly create and test hypotheses using scientific method.

Scientific method is defined as a systematic approach to observation, drawing conclusions, and testing hypotheses.  The approach has 5 steps.  They are:

1)  Identify an unsolved problem

2)  Form a hypothesis

3)  Test your hypothesis

4)  Collect and analyze the associated data

5)  Draw a conclusion.

The system is cyclical.  If at first your hypothesis is not proven, try try again.  But be prepared.  As you know, reports of ghostly activity have been around for thousands of years.  Nothing associated with an apparition has been proven as of yet.  That is why this field is still consider paranormal.  But it is only through continued hypothesizing and testing that we will eventually find the answers we seek.  Your assistance is needed.  Will you help?

If you will like to join us, contact us at info@paranormal.org.sg

OR you know friends who need help or a place that you feel it needs investigation, contact us at help@paranormal.org.sg

An alternative explanation has been suggested. The name given by the Frankish church to Jesus’ resurrection festival included the Latin word “alba” which means “white.” (This was a reference to the white robes that were worn during the festival.) “Alba” also has a second meaning: “sunrise.” When the name of the festival was translated into German, the “sunrise” meaning was selected in error. This became “ostern” in German. Ostern has been proposed as the origin of the word “Easter”. 2There are two popular beliefs about the origin of the English word “Sunday.”

 It is derived from the name of the Scandinavian sun Goddess Sunna (a.k.a. Sunne, Frau Sonne). 5,6 
 It is derived from “Sol,” the Roman God of the Sun.” Their phrase “Dies Solis” means “day of the Sun.” The Christian saint Jerome (d. 420) commented “If it is called the day of the sun by the pagans, we willingly accept this name, for on this day the Light of the world arose, on this day the Sun of Justice shone forth.” 
Pagan origins of Easter:

Many, perhaps most, Pagan religions in the Mediterranean area had a major seasonal day of religious celebration at or following the Spring Equinox. Cybele, the Phrygian fertility goddess, had a consort, Attis, who was believed to have been born via a virgin birth. Attis was believed to have died and been resurrected each year during the period MAR-22 to MAR-25. Gerald L. Berry, author of “Religions of the World,” wrote:”About 200 B.C. mystery cults began to appear in Rome just as they had earlier in Greece. Most notable was the Cybele cult centered on Vatican hill …Associated with the Cybele cult was that of her lover, Attis (the older Tammuz, Osiris, Dionysus, or Orpheus under a new name). He was a god of ever-reviving vegetation. Born of a virgin, he died and was reborn annually. The festival began as a day of blood on Black Friday and culminated after three days in a day of rejoicing over the resurrection.” Wherever Christian worship of Jesus and Pagan worship of Attis were active in the same geographical area in ancient times, Christians:”… used to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus on the same date; and pagans and Christians used to quarrel bitterly about which of their gods was the true prototype and which the imitation.” Many religious historians and liberal theologians believe that the death and resurrection legends were first associated with Attis, many centuries before the birth of Jesus. They were simply grafted onto stories of Jesus’ life in order to make Christian theology more acceptable to Pagans. Others suggest that many of the events in Jesus’ life that were recorded in the gospels were lifted from the life of Krishna, the second person of the Hindu Trinity. Ancient Christians had an alternative explanation; they claimed that Satan had created counterfeit deities in advance of the coming of Christ in order to confuse humanity. Modern-day Christians generally regard the Attis legend as being a Pagan myth of little value with no connection to Jesus. They regard Jesus’ death and resurrection account as being true, and unrelated to the earlier tradition.Wiccans and other modern-day Neopagans continue to celebrate the Spring Equinox as one of their 8 yearly Sabbats (holy days of celebration). Near the Mediterranean, this is a time of sprouting of the summer’s crop; farther north, it is the time for seeding. Their rituals at the Spring Equinox are related primarily to the fertility of the crops and to the balance of the day and night times. In those places where Wiccans can safely celebrate the Sabbat out of doors without threat of religious persecution, they often incorporate a bonfire into their rituals, jumping over the dying embers is believed to assure fertility of people and crops.  
Judeo-Christian origins of Easter:

A very common theme present in many ancient Pagan religions described the life of a man-god — a savior of humanity — his execution, his visit to the underworld, his resurrection after two or three days, and his ascension to heaven. The life of Yeshua of Nazareth (a.k.a. Jesus Christ) as recorded in the Gospels includes the Christian version of this theme. Good Friday is observed in remembrance of Jesus’ execution by the occupying Roman army, and his burial in a cave-tomb. Easter Sunday is the date when a group of his female followers first noticed the empty tomb, and concluded that he had either been resurrected, or his body had been stolen.The timing of the Christian celebration of Easter is linked to the Jewish celebration of the Passover. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were observed by the ancient Israelites early in each new year. (The Jewish people followed the Persian/Babylonian calendar and started each year with the Spring Equinox circa MAR-21). “Equinox” means “equal night;” on that date of the year, the night and day are approximately equal. The name “Passover” was derived from the actions of the angel of death as described in the book of Exodus. The angel “passed over” the homes of the Jews which were marked with the blood obtained from a ritual animal sacrifice. The same angel exterminated the first born(s) of every family whose doorway was not so marked - one of the greatest acts of mass-murder mentioned in the Bible. Victimized were first-born sons as well as the first-born of domesticated animals.

 Liberal theologians trace Passover to an ancient pre-Israelite Pagan ritual practiced by wandering Semitic shepherds. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was originally a traditional Canaanite agricultural harvest which was adopted by the Israelites. It marked the start of the barley harvest; barley was the first crop to ripen. Because they occurred at about the same time each year, the two celebrations became merged into a two day observance. The Passover became associated with the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
 Conservative theologians generally believe that the original Passover was established up by God as described in Exodus 5, and that the annual Passover observances were created as “appointed feasts” established by God as described in Leviticus 23:5-14. Both were recorded by Moses.

 Compiled and edited by Society of Paranormal Investigators(Singapore)

Qingming Festival ( 清明节Qing Ming Jie also known as Tomb-sweeping Day), which falls on either April 4th or 5th of the gregorian calendar, is one of the Chinese Twenty-four Solar Terms. It is the 104th day after the winter solstice (or the 15th day from the Spring Equinox). From that date temperatures begin to rise and rainfall increases, indicating that it is the crucial time for plowing and sowing in the spring. Its name denotes a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime (踏青 Ta Qing, “treading on the greenery”) and tend to the graves of departed ones.

Beside having a close relationship with agriculture and a seasonal symbol; it is also a festival of paying respect to the dead, a spring outing, and other activities.

Tomb sweeping is regarded as the most important custom in the Qingming Festival from which the name of Tomb-sweeping day is got. The festival originated from Hanshi Day (寒食节, literally, Day with cold food only), a memorial day for Jie Zitui (介子推).

Jie Zitui died in 636 BC in the Spring and Autumn Period. He was one of many followers of Duke Wen of Jin before he became a duke. Once, during Wen’s 19 years of exile, they had no food and Jie prepared some meat soup for Wen. Wen enjoyed it a lot and wondered where Jie had obtained the soup. It turned out Jie had cut a piece of meat from his own thigh to make the soup. Wen was so moved he promised to reward him one day. However, Jie was not the type of person who sought rewards.

Instead, he just wanted to help Wen to return to Jin to become king. Once Wen became duke, Jie resigned and stayed away from him. Duke Wen rewarded the people who helped him in the decades, but for some reason he forgot to reward Jie, who by then had moved into the forest with his mother. Duke Wen went to the forest, but could not find Jie. Heeding suggestions from his officials, Duke Wen ordered men to set the forest on fire to force out Jie.

However, Jie died in the fire. Feeling remorseful, Duke Wen ordered three days without fire to honour Jie’s memory. The county where Jie died is still called Jiexiu (介休, literally “the place Jie rests forever”).

Qingming Festival has a tradition stretching back more than 2,500 years.  Its origin is credited to the Tang Emperor Xuanzong in 732. Wealthy citizens in China were reportedly holding too many extravagant and ostentatiously expensive ceremonies in honour of their ancestors. Emperor Xuanzong, seeking to curb this practice, declared that respects could be formally paid at ancestors’ graves only on Qingming.The observance of Qingming found a firm place in Chinese culture, religious Taoism and continued since Ancient China.

It is a Taoist practice of honoring and remembering our ancestors. Food offerings, joss papers, flowers and incense are offered at the cemetery or at a columbarium as an act of filial piety. As food is offered to the deceased, usually a sumptuous meal is prepared that can span from a main course right up to dessert. This is an act of belief that life after death exists, and the souls of the departed loved ones are still present just like the living in which when during offerings, they are there to receive the offerings. Ancestor worship denotes a continual kind of filial piety act that Chinese strongly believes in.

Qingming Festival therefore to a certain extend a festival for spirits, together with the Zhong Yuan Festival (7th Month Ghost Festival) and the Han Yi Festival (1st day of 10th month, Festival of Winter clothes ‘Han Yi’, an Ancestor worship Day in ancient China which is not commonly observed in Singapore); they formed the ‘3 major festivals of the dead’ for the Chinese. Qingming Festival stress upon tending the graves of the Ancestors and elaborate Ancestor worship during spring. Zhong Yuan Festival focuses more on deliverance and salvation for all spirits and souls and lastly Han Yi Festival is similar to Qingming Festival, but it is held when winter is approaching and therefore signifies the remembrance and worship of Ancestors when the cold winter arrives.

Complied and edited by the Society of Paranormal Investigators (Singapore)

26 March 2012

We are still analysing the footages captured on the faithful evening of the investigation. Here are some immediate findings from the monitoring / experiment:

• Motion sensor triggered-off once in the midst of investigation. Could have been caused by temperature changes or large insect flying across, obscuring or interfering with infrared signatures.
• Motion sensor’s server unit battery went flat sometime after motion triggered. Not common as equipment are tested before deployment to be in working condition. Post-experiment technical analysis on equipment did not reveal any fault, i.e. equipment continue to function as per normal.
• Fragrance (presumably frangipani) was noted by at one participant at different intervals during site setup.
• Ouija board: only slight movement, pointed to the Chinese character ‘伤’ (English: injury / hurt). Note: none of the participants can read or write Chinese.

CULTURE CUL DE SAC By JACQUELINE PEREIRA

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=%2F2011%2F11%2F6%2Flifefocus%2F9824217&sec=lifefocus

 Visiting the resting places of departed loved ones can help us to know where we come from and can clear our minds to chart where we are heading. FIFTEEN years ago, I was told that it was an inappropriate photo. But I liked it because I had taken that picture of my grandmother in the midst of a giggle, her bright eyes twinkling behind thick glasses. That is how I wanted to remember her, so I suggested the photo for her headstone. And that was the picture we saw last weekend when we visited her grave. She is buried in a small cemetery an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur, located at the edge of a rubber estate. Although it is next to a busy main road, a pleasing peace always prevails over the clearing. The Saturday before last, a soft breeze blew and dappled sunshine danced through the foliage. We cleaned the ground around her memorial, placed orchids, and lit candles and incense sticks. Our older group members sang hymns and prayed in honour of their mother, as they have done for 15 years past. Yet it is only in the last few years that this annual ritual has, for me, become necessary.

But for countless others, all around the world, respecting the dead is an age-old custom. Mexicans have their Day of the Dead, Chinese celebrate the Qing Ming festival, Catholics take their All Souls Day seriously, and Muslims usually begin Aidil Fitri celebrations with a visit to the graves of loved ones. No matter how the day is commemorated, families and friends gather foremost to pray and pay homage to their passed-on relatives. Food and beverages, memorabilia and flowers, all are laid out at specifically constructed altars or recently cleaned gravestones. Believers in Judaism place pebbles on their ancestors’ graves to symbolise their visit, and to let other visitors know that those they love are not forgotten. Someone I know still treasures the flower pod, now dried, that he picked from the earth on the day his mother’s ashes were scattered below an oak tree.

From burning fake money and paper iPads to garlanding photographs and buying new clothes to pray over, rites vary. Yet the central theme of honouring the dead is homogenous – venerating our ancestors and initiating heavenly intercessions. Sometimes, it’s also about seeking forgiveness, but very often these little ceremonies remind the living of their time left on this earth. A friend, Hasnah Hariri-Scheding, who currently lives in Canberra, crosses the oceans several times a year to sit by her father’s grave. In facing her own mortality, she finds this particular act enables her to reflect on her journey with her father, and think of the life she leads and the choices she’s made. “It crystalises my thoughts and views on what I see as important. I can only live the fullest when I face my fear of death.” She reveals: “When I visit his grave I touch his tombstone, the only tangible thing I have left to connect us. In my prayers, I offer him my loyalty and love in honour of his memory.” Wife and mother Hasnah feels more grounded, she says, after each visit, her altered perspectives allowing her the freedom to accept the joy of living in the absolute moment. “Thank God for death,” she exclaims, as life is not infinite, “that it affords us renewal in this cycle of life. Can you imagine the same over and over without an end? How scary!” She asserts, too, that it is not just duty that finds her so frequently at her father’s graveside. “I do it for both of us.” He may be deceased, but their relationship continues in her head and, she hopes, in her prayers. This ritual allows her to face death’s reality – and finality.

Living in a city where she has no connections to her past, she finds that she also needs this convention to remember her own journey. “I just didn’t get here. I came from somewhere, someone. I had a father, a family, a community….” Similarly, she hopes that, long after she passes, her son will also derive that same serenity from visiting her grave. Apart from reflecting filial piety, the simple ceremonies we partake in are channels to express emotions, or even at times to fill a spiritual void. The comfort derived from revering our dead acts as a cathartic exercise, too, in dealing with grief. A funeral offers closure for all concerned, as well as respect for the person who has just died, in honour of a life lived. In much the same manner, these sometimes maligned rites of remembrance offer those left behind a well of memories and renewed significance of that special relationship. It doesn’t matter whether we remember the dead to pay them due respect or whether we visit the graves of our loved ones to reassure ourselves. It must be a little bit of of both, and that is a good thing. It is important to know where we come from, as well as to clear our minds to chart where we are heading.

My grandmother’s life began at another time in another country. She could not have imagined then where she would lie today. Her values and ideals live on in a number of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, among whom she is remembered for her generosity. That may not be a fashionable trait to parade these days, but that’s how I always like to think of her – mid-giggle.

People, places and perceptions inspire writer Jacqueline Pereira. In this column, she rummages through cultural differences and revels in discovering similarities. Find her on Facebook at Jacqueline-Pereira-Writing-on.

MJ Chow

Vice - President, Head of Dept of Historical Research

on behalf of the Society of Paranormal Investigators (Singapore)

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