The Matrixing Effect

In my last post I mentioned something known as Matrixing. What is it you ask? Matrixing describes the human mind's natural tendency to find familiar shapes in complex shapes or colors.

Matrixing just isn't something that is used for the paranormal. It's an every day occurrence. Have you ever looked at the clouds and some take of familiar shapes of an animal or fantasy creature? Or how about when you're on your way to school and the bus driver points out to you that there appears to be a face of a woman on the moon? Of course what we are really seeing are craters and such causing very complex shapes that cause our brains to form familiar shapes. This my friends is what matrixing is.

In truth, it's the way that our minds able to process and recognize each other as human beings or even forms of lettering. Unfortunately it is also the cause of people seeing faces in everyday items such as mirrors, rocks, tree branches, etc.

Remember after 9/11 when people were posting pictures of seeing the devil in the smoke bellowing from the towers? Again, it's nothing more than smoke and our minds finding complex designs in the textures. Besides, in my opinion, if it was the devil I don't think he would be that subtle anyways.

Anywhooooo, lets get back on topic here...

One of the most common forms of matrixing is of course optical illusions like this picture here. This is truly a marvel and can show how the eyes and the brain can be tricked into seeing something which is not reality, in this case the image appears to be moving, when in fact it is stationary.

Next are some pictures of one of the more common misconceptions of paranormal activity: Ghosts in the mirror. Below are some pictures of one of the most famous mirrors. It is located at The Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana which is considered to be the most haunted place in the country.



Now its obvious this mirror is really old. You can see scratches and hand prints all over the bloody thing! I guarantee that people take pictures of the mirror and want to see a ghost so bad, their minds pick out images based of shapes and shadows from the scratches, smudges, and flash from the camera. It may be hard to see on this picture, but I took a look at it and found some finger prints that forms a skullish face. Can you see it?



Let me post the same picture with the highlighted face. Granted its not the best "Ghost" image, but hey, its the principal of the thing right?  

  Ok, ok, let me get you another picture of the same mirror. This one just blows my mind at how many people believe this one to be true.

In this picture people are claiming to see a woman on the staircase. I'm sorry but I can not see it at all. All I see are again smudges and scratches. I think someone needs to use some Windex instead of water to clean the window! Now if I step back a few feet from my computer screen and look at the picture, I can see something that might resemble a human figure, but even then its very subtle, and the only way I was really able to see it was based on comments people were leaving for the original poster of this picture in how they saw the figure. Apparently she's walking up the stairs and her hand is on the railing.



This is my assumption of where I think they are talking about seeing the figure. This is a very good reason right here that the paranormal field is constantly mocked at, because people bring garbage like this to the table and think its an image of someone who died in that house. As much as I think there is something out there, you have to look at the obvious facts first. If you can't come up with a reason why something is happening, or what you caught on camera, then it may be something paranormal.

Orbs Vs Dust & Bugs

Orbs: Just what are they? Are they really spirits trying to manifest themselves, or is it that you needed to bring a dust buster? If you start seeing orbs in pictures or video you take, do you need to call in the investigators, or do you just need to spray for bugs? This is the most highly debated topic in the paranormal circle. It is said that orbs are truly manifestations of energy created when entities are present. There have also claims that in close up views of them, faces can be seen. And of course there is the theory that they are pixies or fairies flying around. Really? I don't believe in fairies.... (Clap Clap Clap Clap)

Even in the celebrity paranormal groups this topic is always in question. The TAPS team in the show Ghost Hunters are always dismissing orbs as some foreign object floating or flying in the air. Then you have the Ghost Adventurers team claiming that they have been attacked just after an orb as appeared. Well, when your shoulders are bigger than your head, you spell your name as "Zak" , and you look more like a "BRO" compared to the other bros out there... I'm getting off topic here...

I for one believe that it is nothing more than dust or bugs. Even the ones that are caught on video. Orbs seem to take on a very significant shape (Duh!), and you can usually determine which is which by its flight pattern. Dust tends to kind of float down, up, or to the side following its path pretty respectively. Then you have the ones that take on their own flight patterns. Half the time though if you pause the video those ones don't have a round shape which leads me to believe its nothing but a bug flying around. I generally have to agree and say it is just something in the air... 99% of the time a bug.  As to there being faces in the orbs proving that they are real spirits seems to just be what is called matrixing.  (I swear I saw Neo's face in that orb!) I'll go over matrixing in another post.

Its hard to debunk orbs in photos because by the time you view the photo the atmospheric conditions have changed and there is no way to say yes or no there was dust or a bug or even a little winged creature for that matter. It could still very well be dust or bugs. I am not an expert in photography by any means but I do have enough common knowledge that if you are walking around an area with a lot of dust, or even a hint of dust, it's there regardless and can be disturbed and picked up. Its even possible for surfaces that may not seem like they could reflect a lot of light, reflect enough to get you a little circular companion.

Here is an extract from Fujifilm's website:

"There is always a certain amount of dust floating around in the air. You may have noticed this at the movies when you look up at the light coming from the movie projector and notice the bright sparks floating around in the beam. In the same way, there are always dust particles floating around nearby when you take pictures with your camera. When you use the flash, the light from the flash reflects off the dust particles and is sometimes captured in your shot.

Of course, dust particles very close to the camera are blurred since they are not in focus, but because they reflect the light more strongly than the more distant main subject of the shot, that reflected light can sometimes be captured by the camera and recorded on the resulting image as round white spots. So these dots are the blurred images of dust particles.

You can reproduce this problem relatively easily by taking a picture right after you put away goods that create a lot of dust, such as feather bedding. In actual photography, this problem frequently arises in shots taken at construction sites, etc. It may also occur when it is raining or snowing. Compact cameras in which the flash and the lens are close together are particularly susceptible to this problem.”



This explanation is preceded by a photograph showing a typical ‘grey blob’ type Orb.



And Thus, you see an orb!

So I have to say that for me orbs are just dust or random bugs. I have yet to see anything that would convince me otherwise. And yes I have viewed enough videos and photos of them to make that assertion and yes I used to believe that orbs were proof of ghosts until I really began delving deeper into paranormal research. Even the orbs that appear to change flight pattern, disappear, or attack humans I still feel are bugs. What? You’ve never been dive bombed by a bug before?

Rest In Peace. Not Pieces.

I took a few days off to celebrate my birthday, and while on that break I took some time to think of some good posts for you readers. Lets "dig" in, so to speak.

One word that most people think of when someone says "Ghosts" is cemetery or graveyard.

The term cemetery implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries are distinguished from other burial grounds by usually not adjoined to a church. A graveyard, on the other hand, is located in a churchyard, that has been consecrated.

It seems since the dawn of man there have been stories of the supernatural, and whether it be by pure belief, entertainment, or that it was a good idea at the time, the most common stories of any generation's folklore mentions a graveyard or cemetery.

But what makes these grounds so popular for the stories? Did the thought of so many dead people buried in a single area give people the willies? Or did really strange things happen to them that made them believe that something was in fact going on?

Majority if these tales that you do hear are in truth, just that: Stories. What better way to make your kid behave by telling them that if they stick a knife in so-and-so's plot, they will come back from the dead and grab your leg. Why not make the slumber party more interesting by sitting on What's-Their-Bucket's headstone, you will hear them moan for their long lost lover.

Over the decades, these stories have been a very popular trend among young adults to hang out in cemeteries looking for the thrill. But with that also comes desecration.

I'm going to be telling you some personal stories of some cemeteries that I've been to. I will leave the locations undisclosed, although some of you may know which ones I am talking about. If you do know, and decided to go for yourselves, I ask that you please be respectful not only to the dead, but to the grounds, and try and get permission if you go at night. Not having the authority is trespassing. Thank you.

A few years ago when I first started getting into the paranormal research, a few friends and I wanted to go out and find some ghosts. We didn't have access to any houses and what not, so we decided to head to some cemeteries. The first one we hit up was the biggest one in the area. It was also shared backyards with the local university. What do you get when you cross a large cemetery with college kids who have nothing better to do on a Friday night? You get stories passed down from class to class, and curious kids who decide to play into these stories.

The Weeping Woman Statue

The biggest story being of  "The Legend of The Weeping Woman", a 6-foot statue of a woman kneeling over surrounding headstones. People say she is mourning for the tragic loss of her children, whose graves are nearby. The legend goes that on a full moon at midnight it's said that if people surround the statue, tears will form beneath her eyes, crying for her children.

Personally seeing this statue at night on a full moon, I never saw anything paranormal about it. The way lights and shadows play from camera flashes, the way it was sculpted, or the local frats using an eyedropper full of water before the pledges got there, the stone can have that look like it had been wet at one point, but has dried.

The funny thing was however, while we were just walking around the entire cemetery, you had that feeling that you were not welcome. Almost as though... you were being violated. Little plastic windmills would start spinning erratically when there was no wind, constantly looking over your shoulder as if you were being watched. It was very uneasy to say the least. I just think because of all the crap that lot has endured over the years of skeptics and joksters, it has caused the area to be a little riled up.

Of course there have been some cemeteries that I've visited that I felt very comfortable in. I remember walking around the one just a few blocks from where I lived at the time. It was night of course (I know, I tell you all to not trespass yet I was!) and as I walked by this one gravestone I felt the need to stop. I looked down and noticed it was a kid's grave. I wasn't sure if it was a male or female because the name could of been used for either, but I remember just staring at it, and had this overwhelming sense of peace. So strong that I felt like I could have laid down right next to it and fell asleep and be safe.

These two experiences that were so far from each other on the spectrum of personality had me baffled. Were the spirits indeed keeping watch over their eternal resting place? Who's to say. It could have been my imagination, along with those who were with me, just don't be surprised if you ever get those feelings yourself. But don't expect me to keep a straight face about the local urban legends of crying statues.

The Top 3 Haunted Locations I Want To Investigate

Oh my, as a lady told me this morning: "I've got a case of the Monday clumsies!" and ain't it the truth! Yesterday I was too busy with family get-togethers that I didn't have any time to write my post, so to make it up to you, I'll throw a runner-up in the mix. Will that make you happy? huh? huh?

Location #1 - St. Augustine Lighthouse, St. Augustine Florida
(Photo by Ariel Bravy - www.arielbravy.com )

Oh boy, just looking at the photo gets my paranormal juices flowing!

History - Built in 1847, it is the 8th tallest lighthouse in the U.S. standing at 165 ft above sea level. 219 steps will take you to the very top with a breathtaking view.

Why I Want To Investigate Here - This lighthouse seems to have a lot of tragedy involved with it; Particularly during its construction. Hezekiah Pity was selected as the construction supervisor, and in doing so moved down to the area along with is wife and 3 daughters. Now in order for them to bring the building supplies from the bay to the lighthouse, they had to use a suspended rail car system. Mr. Pity's daughters loved to play in the cart by riding it from the lighthouse down to the bay. Unfortunately one day, the brakes failed and the cart plunged into the ocean. 2 of Pity's daughters, Eliza (13) and Mary (15) drowned. People have claimed hearing children laughing or have seen them running around the lighthouse.

There has also been some evidence of non child male and female voices just chattering away as if in conversation. There have been reported cries of a women saying "help me" and shadowy figures walking across the landings or even looking over the railing. Everyone that goes to investigate this place seems to have some type of personal encounter whether it be the voices or seeing figures. I Feel that in going here, even a skeptic would see something that they would never ever forget.

Location # 2 - Stanly Hotel, Estes Park ColoradoHistory - Forced by poor health, F.O. Stanley moved into the area, purchased 160 acres from a local lord, and started construction on the first building in 1907 after he found the town lacking in amenities with its low economy. The Stanley Hotel is best known for its inspirational role in Stephen King's novel "The Shining" where the author actually stayed while writing the book.

Why I Want To Investigate Here - Stephen King got the idea for "The Shining" after staying in room 217 while staying in an almost empty hotel for its extended closing period. While some of the stories are intensified in his book, he reported hearing children laughing and running down halls, and hearing parties in the ballroom. Other guests and employees have also claimed these stories as well as seeing spirits roaming the different rooms, including room 401 where a man has been seen standing over the bed before running into the closet. This same apparition is allegedly responsible for stealing guests' jewelry, watches, and luggage.

 

Location #3 - Summit Elementary, Smithfield Utah

History - I'm afraid I don't know much of the history of this school. I can say however that this is where I attended 1st - 5th grade.

Why I Want To Investigate Here - This location is very personal to me because of what I felt as a kid when I attended school here. My mother taught here for 20 years and even though I was suppose to attend a school closer to where we lived, she didn't want me going to a year round school, so everyday for 5 years I would ride with her and sink in the vast fountain of knowledge. My mom was very dedicated to her job, and since I was at a school that didn't have a bus route to my home, I would stay with her until she was ready to leave, which majority of the time was very late at night. I can tell you now that I've roamed those halls at night with the lights off and never felt scared. However the hallway that connected the main office, faculty lounge, work room and library, something never felt right... ever! The funny thing is, that hallway always had its lights on 24/7, but there was always a feeling of dread or someone watching you when you walked through it. My mother has seen a phone chord sway back and forth when no air or wind of any kind could be moving it. Another teacher who also volunteered to help clean the school after hours has felt the back of his shirt being tugged on and being touched. After that he refused to clean up. I want to go in there and finally figure out just what is going on.

Runner Up Location - The Birdcage Theatre, Tombstone Arizona

History - Tombstone came to fame by founder Ed Shieffelin when he struck silver in 1879. After hearing he struck a mountain at the time worth 40 million dollars, it quickly became a boom town. The Bird Cage was also a saloon, casino, dance hall and a house of ill fame. Many famous people have inhabited its walls such as the Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday and the Clantons.

Why I Want To Investigate Here - There has been a confirmed 21 deaths in the theatre alone. The biggest claim is people see a male stage hand who walks across the stage from left to right then disappears into the walls. Other claims have been hearing noises such as cards shuffling and boots as if walking across the wooden floors. An apparition of a female wearing a white dress and bonnet have also been reported. The big kicker is since the theatre is now a museum to the Tombstone area as well, it has the actual hearse that was used to take the dead to Boot Hill. If that doesn't stir up any activity I don't know what would!

There you have it folks, the places that I really want to investigate. I also have to say I'm really happy I chose blogger for my site. Despite having some issues in trying to correct some of the text colors, I was almost complete with this entry and my browser crapped out on me. I spent about 10 minutes huffing and puffing, hoping to turn into The Hulk so when I decided to throw something, I wouldn't be blamed... but luckily for me, every time you open a new post it will automatically save a draft and keep saving while you work on it. Needless to say, it saved my day!

Oh The Places You Go!

Yesterday after having published my first entry, a good friend of mine from the New Jersey area came to me about a place he has been to that he felt would be a good addition for the blog. Of course I can't turn down possible haunted locations so with much excitement I asked him to go on about it.

I won't reveal the location just yet, but its not a building or a house. It's in fact a village. Yes, you read that right, a whole village!

This really intrigued me, so asking what he could provide, he will be taking a friend of his who is a very talented movie maker, and shoot some awesome videos. Pretty nifty right? I've seen some of his work on his website and he really is good at what he does.

This will also give me the chance to do a great article on similar places, so I think we will be in for a special treat in the next few weeks.

After my friend came to me about this village, I had an idea that I'd like to hear comments about from you readers if this is something you would like to see in the future. I would like to share not just my stories of my personal experiences, but I would love to hear from you all as well. If people are interested enough to hear other readers stories, and see any pictures or video if available, leave your comments below or check out the poll located to the right of the home page! If it seems like people will be interested in this, I'll come up a way to get these stories and publish them for you!

Before I leave I'll tease you all with a picture that I found of the area that I thought was just an amazing picture. Nothing paranormal here... or is it!?



Stay tuned for tomorrows entry: My top 3 haunted locations I want to visit

We are live!

Hello friends of the paranormal!

I finally was able to get the blog up and running and I must say I'm happy with it so far! There are still a lot of kinks to work out, but that will come with due time.

Anyways, if you are reading this thank you for stopping by. The paranormal is something that has been eating at my curiosity for many years now. I remember many years ago going out to cemeteries with my friends thinking we were legit ghost hunters and that anything we saw, felt or heard was a ghost. Oh how naive we were.

Fast forward to the present and it's a very different story. Basically my thought is "if there is no proof, its not real". Can I say I saw an apparition? Yes; but can I prove I saw an apparition? That's an entirely different matter all together that I think some people are on the fence about. I can snap a picture, record video, or my partner investigator can witness it as well, but that still doesn't mean that it was real.

The mind is a complex thing leading you to believe so many possibilities. With this blog, I tend to write about my personal dealings with the paranormal, and future investigations. What I want to be able to do is find out just what is really going on. Are there really ghosts, or is it another type of phenomenon that we don't have the technology to delve deeper into? Or maybe, just maybe, its all in our minds eye.

Please be forewarned that I am not the best writer in the world. With having a minor dyslexia complex and not always paying attention in grade school (Spaceman Spiff!), I'm sure there will be many grammatical errors, but I'm hoping maybe one day this blog will become popular enough that I can bring on an editor along with other writers. One step at a time though! :)

Along with that, I also intend to eventually add to the blog some pictures, video/podcasts, along with some other ideas. I'm very excited to see how this project goes!

I look forward to you readers in making this journey with me as we explore just exactly what is going on!

-Brett S.