The study

I don't particularly enjoy calling what we do "Ghost Hunting." I think that whenever these two words are used together that your immediately reminded of a comedic group of scientists with proton packs strapped to their backs. Don't get me wrong, I love the Ghost Busters movies, who doesn't? But the reality is far less glamorous. Every haunted location I've investigated has only further unhinged me. More questions are raised after witnessing a night of spiritual activity rather then being able to find solace in what I've observed.

Some of my favorite investigations are going to be the obvious, the ones where we found ourselves immediately involved in spiritual contact! But then there are the times when almost nothing presents itself, and our investigation ends on what seems to be an otherwise quiet night. What happened on those nights? What goes on in the  ghostly realm? What changes occurred that keep us from being able to  communicate so freely from one night to the next? Feeling like you've suddenly become the only one in the whole universe. Some nights the communication will be soft, pleasant, and then it can change to something that is dark and evil. There is never a guarantee that when we leave an investigation we will be any more knowledgeable about life after death. For that reason I am more comfortable explaining what we do as ghost exploring. I know, I know... Everyone recognizes the term "Ghost Hunter," So, why would I go and try to make a big deal out of it? Well, quite frankly, I feel that there is way more to it then just sitting in the dark and waiting around for something to happen. I know that I am not alone when I say this, and therefore hunting doesn't exactly fit into the equation. I mean, I do understand how the name came to be. However I feel like the entire spirit engrossed community would agree that we are not just looking for that one sign. We want more out of it, I think that we all want answers...

This may come in a variety of ways, depending on what you as an individual are searching for. For us, for now, we just want more. Having said all of that I want to bring up a case that seemed to encompass all of these elements. This is the West Virginia Penitentiary, otherwise known as Moundsville. We were lucky enough to tour the massive building prior to our overnight experience, though even the tour was filled with many unsettling occurrences. There were times when you couldn't help but notice that feeling of eyes on you. Eyes that where hidden somewhere in the darkness, leering at you, following you... And whispers that came from no-one. The entire group was ahead of you and practically chasing the heels of the tour guide, but a voice would suddenly form, and right in your ear... What else could you do during the tour though? Note it mentally, and press on.

Once it was time to begin exploring on our own, suddenly the creepy feelings all stopped, and our investigation became cold and silent. Had we missed them? Was it passed their bed time? We changed rooms, changed techniques, began reciting legends that we had learned of this location in an effort to try and trigger an old memory or a feeling, but again nothing. This time the situation only presented itself when we weren't actually focusing on them. We moved from area to area becoming drained. Feeling let down that the night had not been what we had hoped for when suddenly Wendy is hit on her head. We waited, tried to communicate, but again nothing. We moved on and were walking in front of the jail cells of the third floor when again Wendy was the target. Suddenly her equipment bag becomes unzipped as she walked in front of me. We stopped to try and understand how this happened, and unable to find the source we immediately begin an EVP session. Again, silence. Is it playing with us? Upon review of our pictures and EVP's we did receive some interesting feedback. But after touring a location like this I have to wonder, are the spirits bored with the same ole' mundane ghost hunter routine?

So just like every new haunted expedition you attend, you want to know if you are dealing with an Intelligent haunting or a Residual haunting. Mostly so that you know what you are dealing with, how the events are going to be documented, and whether you are going to receive any direct communication  or not. In this case we weren't really communicated with, but I feel like we were targeted at random points throughout the evening. I would like to deem this an intelligent haunting but it was not interested in actually having any intelligent communication with us. It did not seem malicious, but gave us uneasy feelings and also spurts of physical contact. Maybe, for this type of a haunting, the text book theories just don't apply...

The forces here seemed incredibly disinterested with the usual inquiries. But were rather lively when we turned our backs thinking that the night would be a disappointment. Going back to how I started this entire rant, I feel that this, and all Ghost hunt theories deserve to be revisited. This haunting was so mischievous and at times downright playful that it left me thinking that maybe the spirits at Moundsville prefer that we became the entertainment to their otherwise drab evening. Situations like this unnerve me the most and aides my passion for learning more about the paranormal. What is really going on here? There is really no way to know for sure, at this time anyway. For now, its all about the experiences that we have, the answers that we get from each investigation, and the fortitude earned after each case.

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