San Xavier Mission, Tucson, AZ

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...

ORBS

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.

Villisca Axe Murder House *Just for Laughs*

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...

To Smudge or not to Smudge...

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 B&B - EVP

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...

Villisca Axe Murder House - Spirit box session

Receiving a response on a spirit box is usually a very exciting experience. 

Though I remember when we started receiving answers on our Spirit box 

at Villisca IA, both Wendy and I felt that this was actually quite negative 

in nature. Our emotions where a bit jilted to say the least, due to the overall 

feelings in the house. We were excited receiving this communication but 

also unnerved. We tried for a very long time that night to communicate 

with any of the spirits there that would answer through the spirit box, 

however only a dark presence made its way through. 

During this session we asked for the voice to identify itself. The name that

 we received sounded like "Sarah," which is a females name? I was 

confused because the voice is very clearly, a man's voice. I wasn't sure 

at that point of what I had actually heard, and you will hear me struggling 

with those thoughts in this clip just before we receive an additional 

response identifying who was responsible for that sessions communication 

with us. So now I am left with the question, why would he have been 

identifying himself as Sarah?  

God, Ghost, and the Rebirth of Life

Throughout my years as a paranormal investigator, I've had the opportunity to share my experiences with so many people. My willingness to speak openly with others about my findings and beliefs seemed to pull the veil back on some rather intense ideas that I've encountered. Though many seem to embrace some form of belief of life after death, many more refuse to believe that religion can and does co-exist with the paranormal. Regardless of which side of the fence you find yourself on, when it comes down to it, I want to clarify that my intention for this entry is not to argue whether I feel that your beliefs are right or wrong or even different from my own. While I am interested in learning about everyone's ideas and religious beliefs, in this article, I am only focusing on the views that I have been taught and understand today. I've met many that have completely supported the belief that religion explains a great deal of how some paranormal events are possible. Of course, this is more widely embraced when either demonic encounters or angelic experiences are the topic in the discussion. Though the open debate often falls apart the moment you start talking about ghosts, and ghost hunting...

As a Christian, I grew up believing that you would be judged on all of your actions in death. If you were deemed a good person in life, your spirit will be returned to God. However if in life you choose to not live by God's word then your spirit would descend into hell. Pretty simple, straight forward instructions: Be good and you’ll go to heaven, whatever heaven may be. Being a huge fan of the movie “What Dreams May Come” and its depiction of heaven, I embrace the idea of heaven being the place where you would enjoy spending the rest of your days, and with whom. That is of course, if you can find your way there and believe in such a place for yourself. Not only do I believe in the paranormal, but I am also accepting of all religious beliefs as I feel that this is your own personal choice. But because of my paranormal interests however, sharing stories of the things I have witnessed and documented with fellow Christians, sometimes generates either an immediate look of confusion or disgust. I’m sure they're thinking to themselves "that’s impossible; their spirits can’t still remain on earth if they believed in the Lord.” I don't doubt that some have even questioned my faith for believing in such things.

Please don’t think that I'm saying this is the only reaction I ever encounter, it is not. Though this is something that bothers me, and I want to address it. I've been in situations where, that confused look I get that I mentioned before, is confessed to have been brought on by guilt and that the person I am sharing my stories and pictures with is actually unsure about whether or not it is sinful to partake in viewing my findings. There are even people that are very close to me that have expressed their own concerns regarding the subject, and have even implied that God would not think highly of me for attempting to interact with those from the other side. However a few weeks ago in church my pastor explained death in a little more detail that opened my mind to just what may be happening here, the mystery of how or why “ghosts” exist and that it may just be all in God’s plan after all. She, my pastor, stated that in the Old Testament the body is said to be made of four parts: the flesh, the breath of life, the soul (translated in Hebrew) or psyche (translated in Geek), and your spirit. She explained that your flesh returns to the earth, your breath ends, and your spirit returns to God…Uh Hello? What about the soul? Either I spaced out for a moment, which I doubt because I was pretty intrigued by this topic, or the Old Testament just doesn’t explain where your soul/psyche goes...

Per my pastor, Heaven and Hell are not even discussed in the Old Testament, so I’m not surprised that we are left with questions. She went on to preach about how we should prepare our spirits to return to God and how great that’s all going to be and yes I did kind of stop following the lesson at this point unable to break my focus from that unanswered question…Where does your soul go after you die? I mean the soul is a pretty big part of the body I would think, to just go missing. In my religion, the soul can be described as the free will God gave you, the choice he allowed his people to have. So if the body returns to earth by way of the dirt or fire, the breath comes to an end as your body dies, your spirit returns to whatever higher being you believe in, so then is it possible that your soul or psyche that has freedom of choice would go wherever it likes? Again with the movie “What Dreams May Come” they depict heaven to be where you would want to live eternal life with no image of God involved in this depiction. So, is it maybe less about heaven and more about what your soul envisions heaven to be? Is it just where your mind strongly believes that you will go after death? Can it be that it is much like a dream that you never wake up from? Or even more realistically, do you remain right where you where before expiring?

So why can’t we all just communicate with whomever we want to that has passed on. My thought is, first of all, maybe they aren’t connected with that physical world; they are in that dream state that they have imaged as their personal heaven. Second thought is that it’s said we all have psychic abilities but not everyone is in tune with their abilities on the same level. So to break through to the “other side” it takes a certain level of mental preparation. Think Patrick Swayze in the movie Ghost. In that movie it was explained that in order to communicate with the living, you had to develop the ability to do so. I believe the stronger the connection with your soul the better your chance will be to have control of it once you have lost physical control of your body. I realize to some this may be old news, many in the paranormal world already believe that “ghosts” are souls that want to stay in the physical world due to unfinished business or the inability to accept their death. As a Christian though my understanding of the separation between the spirit that belongs to God and your soul that may seek out another path, is more than just eye opening to me especially after having confirmation from a section of the Bible. 

A while ago, at a neighborhood party, a woman asked me about my paranormal adventures as if she was genuinely interested. I shared numerous exciting stories as she sat listening quietly. After I finished she blankly replied only to tell me that she felt that I was "doing the devils work." It quickly became clear that she had only been waiting for her turn to share her disgust with what I was doing no matter what I told her. I was stunned by her comment, and attempted to recover from her wolf in sheep's clothing approach by explaining my beliefs in heaven, the return to God and “ghosts” all in the same breath. I had to try and explain my gut feeling type of belief, without having a textbook answer. My conviction that a higher being gave all living things the breath of life and as a gift we were given the freedom to be our own persons. We all have the ability to make choices and to change and to evolve. This right forms our souls and once we die our psyche may make the choice to wander wherever. Maybe even just waiting for the day that it may be useful again and God returns it to our spirit for a new life. I've listened to many voices regarding their beliefs on the subject, and what I've learned is that not all Christians are cut from the same cloth. Fearing the outcome and not assuming by labeling is important to opening your mind and seeing what is not always explained to you. There are those of us that believe in God, ghost, and the rebirth of life. Therefore the pursuit will continue.