The purpose of this page is to enlighten, discuss, educate and communicate our continued exploration into the paranormal realm. Please bring your opinions and thoughts with you and comment as you see fit. While we invite everyone visiting the page to leave us a message, we will not tolerate any crude comments or rude behavior here. This journal is for everyone prepared to explore the paranormal with an open mind...
Visiting historic places is a major interest of ours at Creatures of the Night. Yet it is of greater interest to us when that location has a dark and twisted past. We find ourselves hunting down such significant places like this in order to document them even when we can't fully investigate them.
Emily's Bridge was actually a little detour for us on our way to Lake Champlain, though we just couldn't pass on the opportunity to visit a place so rich with lore and paranormal sightings! When we arrived there were several other people there admiring the covered bridge. To my surprise the other visitors that day where also sharing versions of the tragic event that has made this bridge so famous.
The charming bridge is alluring and beautiful just to see. Though it is apparent that the story of a young girls mysterious demise so many years ago has become the driving factor for many people visiting today.
The oldest intact European structure in Arizona, built at a site near the historic 1700 church was first constructed. This served the mission until being razed during an Apache raid in 1770.
Today's Mission was built between 1783-1797 and is still used as a Ministry for religious purposes. This amazing gem is filled with rich history and plays host to numerous reports of ghost like activity that can be seen and heard through out different times of the day and night.
Being able to communicate with past loved ones and spirits is said to come easier in a place of worship, but at the San Xavier Mission, this takes on a whole new meaning...
Webster's defines an orb as “a spherical body; a globe." So how could such a tiny word with a simple definition cause so much debate in the paranormal community?
The noun Orb takes on a much more complex meaning to most that study spirits, along with a variety of opinions. There are those that have the belief that “orbs” are spirits seen in photographs that are identified by being an image that takes the shape of a sphere, may or may not contain an image within that sphere, and contain their own source of light or color. Then there are those that believe “orbs” are not the spirits themselves, but an energy source that the spirit can draw power from to communicate or manifest, like a static in the air.
This process is believed to be made easier with the use of digital cameras and the idea that digital cameras are more sensitive to infrared light than 35mm. However this theory has had backlash from others believing this is simply a processing error with how digital cameras break down the image within; though “orbs” have been seen in 35mm photos as well. Then there are the ones that believe orbs are nothing more the natural world reflecting off the camera’s flash, such as water spots, airborne particles like dust or plant particles, or even bugs. These objects will appear out of focus when photographed at close range.
From our experience, we fall somewhere in the middle. We don't consider anything we feel could be recreated to be paranoramal. Light can and will reflect natural items such as dust or bugs which are hard to avoid in most locations. Even if a room was recently cleaned, there is no way that all dust particles could be removed. I haven’t found a cleaning product yet that truly leaves your home spotless. You would need a NASA level scientific controlled environment to test that theory, in my opinion. However there are moments that cannot always be explained, and this is where the hope lies that there is some truth to the spiritual connection between “orbs” and paranormal study, such as when we see a ball of light in a photograph at the same moment as we receive another piece of evidence such as a reading on an EMF meter or an EVP.
We have seen spherical shaped lights move on camera and with our naked eyes that do not follow the pattern of dust falling or a bug in flight. We do believe these “balls of light” can have a spiritual connection to the events that we are investigating at those moments, though we try to avoid using the term “orbs”. For us, that word carries too many different meanings within the paranormal community. We do believe that at times these balls of light can be caught in digital photos, but we only examine their relevance when accompanied by supporting evidence.
So we lived through the night, and decided to tell our tale... The next day, after a not so restful evening we where moving slowly through the house in Iowa known mostly for the brutal Axe murders that took place in 1912, and at this time we were gathering our things in order to leave. Between our trips to and from the vehicle, I noticed that Wendy was engaged in a conversation with a local gentleman. He was apparently giving her his version of the historical events that took place on the premises of which we just endured a very uneasy evening...
At which time he decided to let us know that he watched us throughout the evening from his front row seat across the street and had also taken something from inside the house a very long time ago he believes would have been integral in convicting Rev. Kelly... Now I'm not an expert on people, though I felt like this one was taking us for a ride. I am still not exactly sure if he was A. just looking to scare us, B. become a part of our story or C. hear about our encounters in the house first hand. However all three options apply at this time.
Here is the video we made just after we were safe and sound, and back inside the murder house after our unusual conversation with this man... I might add that the only time we felt safe and sound inside this house was at this time, and the time that occurred when we first arrived. Just before the sun set...
Using a sage smudge to cleanse your surroundings is a belief that has been around for a long time. Traditionally the Native Americans used sage to purify or to bless people and places, now many believe that burning a bundled stack of sage leaves while reciting a prayer or spell will clear their environment of any negative feelings or undesirable spiritual forces. This belief continues to be widely practiced today, and for many who feel that they are at the mercy of an unwanted or dark entity, smudging has become their only hope when seeking an answer for removing them.
Though there is no old fire station equipped with a basement vault full of previously removed negative energies, it would seem as if this belief has become our modern day version of Ghost Busting. This idea that smudging removes spirits and cleanses your property is a unique one and should raise many questions among the paranormal community. In theory, smudging acts the same way a bug repellent does with mosquitoes. You won't actually see them being repelled by the smudging, instead you will feel when the spirits have moved on, which is the desired effect for many in need of help. Some say that the most promising method to remove a negative energy is by smudging regularly. Even though the effects from smudging may not be permanent, you should be aware that in some cases the negative energy can return and has sometimes worsened.
No one has been able to say with certainty why smudging is so effective for this purpose, and I doubt that we will ever fully understand it. However you choose to practice this belief is your preference, just be sure to proceed with caution. As a paranormal investigator I am left at a crossroads when trying to argue that the idea of pushing those lingering souls out should come before discovering the reason why they remain here in the first place. The question remains, are we really trying to learn about the paranormal or are we just trying to make our own situations more comfortable? To smudge or not to smudge? A question we should be asking ourselves before assuming that the risk is greater then the reward.
Lizzie Borden's Bed and breakfast was high on our list of "must investigate places" for so long, that when we finally made it there we just wanted to visit the place first. We didn't start investigating immediately as we had originally discussed, instead we casually paid for the guided tour and tried our best to contain our excitement as we followed the guide! Soaking up every inch of each room as if we were tourists in Graceland, we fell behind the tour group intentionally so that we could linger in the rooms of this infamous house as long as possible.
Even though we had not even begun our investigation it was clear that the spirits in the house had already noticed us. I started to record the tour just as our guide introduced himself, and ended up recording the entire tour. Really, my intention was to just to record it so that I could listen to the history lesson he gave us again later as I was too psyched to actually pay attention while on the tour. I had no idea that we would record any communication during this time but sometimes the dead want to speak even when your not asking...
