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The idea of a "portal" or a "doorway" to another dimension is not a new one. Many researchers believe that there are places all over the world that serve as "doorways" from our world to another. These doorways are thought to provide access for entities to enter our world. They may be the spirits of people who have lived before, or they could be something else altogether. Some researchers even believe that they could be otherworldly beings from another dimension. –Troy Taylor, President of the American Ghost Society

A portal is believed to be an entranceway from the spirit realm into our world, a door. Some ghost hunters believe that portals exist between the physical and spirit worlds, and it seemed to gain ground with the movie, 'Poltergeist.' But 'portal haunting' is widely debated among paranormal investigators as little is yet known to verify their existence, so the idea of doorways existing to allow entrance into this plane from another is merely conjecture at this point in time.

The Portal Haunting Idea

It is theorized that portals act as a door for ghosts and spirits to cross over from the other worlds unto the physical realm - that they must have such a path to gain entrance in the physical plane.

If portals exist, then it is speculated that haunting, paranormal activity, would increase near these doorways into our universe. If true, portal haunting might be indicators of invisible gateways between the earth and other dimensions - even other worlds! Yet no one knows for sure if portals actually exist, and if so, what they may be.

Visitors from Other Planes

It is quite common for paranormal investigators to believe that strange entities (beings that appear other-worldly and do not seem human) captured in ghost photography are indicators that specific areas of our world might have higher paranormal activity, and thus, are investigated as potential places where portals might exist.

Cemeteries, Graveyards and Water

It is believed by some ghost investigators that the portal haunting has a high occurrence around graveyards or near underground waterways (perhaps due to the increased energy being caused by flowing water over rock). Some have fostered the notion that graveyards may have been built, unknowingly, yet guided by the subconscious or higher powers that be, in areas that portals exist. But again, there is no proof of any of this, only theory.

Portals and the Near Death Experience

It is interesting to note that most near death experiencers recall going through a tunnel of light during their crossing over from this world to the next. Is a tunnel of light one of these real spirit portals and can it work in the opposite direction, as a two-way door for higher spirits? Is there something similar to allow ghosts, or disembodied persons, to come back to earth and visit us? And might there be other tunnels, or portals, that may explain some of the strange type of haunting people have witnessed?

Portal Beliefs and Psychics

Some psychics definitely state that they believe there are spirit passageways into our world. This idea, coupled with near death experiences' tunnel of light, Hollywood movies and various theories about ghosts may have helped create our beliefs in portals. After considering all views and evidence, still, we simply do not know if portals really exist at all. So, we'll keep an open mind.

Portals in Ghost Photos

Finally, we should note that in ghost photographs, many ghost hunters, especially novices, strongly believe in the idea of 'vortexes' as evidence of these portals. For those who believe that doorways are being photographed (we do not know, either way), a vortex will usually appear as a streak of white ectoplasm mist and can often be confused with photos of accidentally-photographed camera straps captured hanging in front of the lens.

Example from Troy Taylor

THE BELL WITCH CAVE:  The story of the Bell Witch is probably one of the most famous hauntings in American history. Many writers and researchers believe that the haunting was caused by one of two sources. First, that the spirit on the farm was an outward projection of a woman named Kate Batts, with whom John Bell had been involved with through a bad business deal. Other say that the haunting was actually a poltergeist manifestation caused by Betsy Bell, John's daughter, who targeted herself and her father for attacks by the "witch".

But I would like to suggest a third theory. I believe that the "witch" was a creature who already inhabited the site of the Bell farm, long before it started to haunt the Bell family. I do not believe that it is a coincidence that an Indian burial ground is located on the property (and directly above the Bell Witch Cave... but more about that in a moment). This burial mound is an ancient one and built centuries before by the mysterious mound builders of the region. If these Native Americans chose this location for a reason (and I believe they did) then it could have been because the location was a "sacred" site … in other words, a portal to the next world.

Imagine this for a moment.... let's say that an entity came through this portal and inhabited the area for many years before the white settlers came. When the haunting first started with the Bells, the spirit appeared in the form of a black dog and as a giant bird. These are both symbols from American Indian mythology and it is possible that the spirit had plagued the Indians in this location first, appearing as their mythological symbols. Perhaps the spirit had no concept that time had passed and that new people had come to the area.

The forms of the dog and the bird quickly passed and the haunting began with sounds of knocks, raps and guttural human sounds before it became violent. Consider the idea that the spirit may not have known the Bells at all, but just targeted them because they lived nearby. Perhaps it spent the initial days of the haunting learning human mannerisms, speech and language and learned of the Kate Batt's problem by simply observing the family. Once the spirit "learned" to speak, the problems seemed to intensify.

Again, this is all speculation, but it does fit rather neatly into the profile that we have created for a "portal" haunting and would solve some of the remaining puzzles from the Bell Witch case.

But what about the cave itself? It was never really a part of the original story of the Bell Witch, but it has its own share of mysteries. There have been numerous strange events that have taken place here, from strange sights, sounds, encounters, and even photographs that seem to be affected by some sort of energy in the area. As mentioned previously, the cave is located in the side of a Red River bluff.... directly beneath the burial ground. If this location really is a "portal"... it just might explain the bizarre events that have been reported here for decades.

But do I have any evidence that a "portal" is located on the property? As a matter of fact, I do!

While filming at the Bell Witch Cave for the ADVENTURES BEYOND documentary, "America's Most Haunted" in June of 1997, we inadvertently recorded a rather strange event in one of the passages of the cave. The "Adventures Beyond" producer, Bob Schott, was using advanced optical technology that had been developed for the military during the Gulf War and while taping, he captured a unique event on film.

Directly before the camera, in a narrow cave passage, a "doorway effect" opened from right to left across the corridor. The doorway was unseen by all of us at the time... as were the two macabre-looking faces that appeared in the doorway. It all happened so fast that we could not have reacted if we had seen anything. In fact, the faces appeared in single frames... only a mere second apart. They would not be discovered until post-production, some weeks later.

Unable to believe his eyes, Schott submitted the film for meticulous testing by two manufacturers of advanced technology for the military, B.E. Meyers and Litton Industries. Both companies were skeptical of the project until they received the tapes.... and both of them ruled the images as unexplainable!

http://www.angelsghosts.com/hauntings_portal_haunting

http://www.prairieghosts.com/portal.html