Investigating paranormal events does not always go the way you think it will go and with little exceptions. There are many variables that could affect a normal investigation such as the weather, the people on your team, your equipment, the witnesses or a multitude of outer variables that could and often do occur. Many investigations are futile attempts to gather evidence of something that is not happening except in the minds of the witnesses or those relaying a story.

This was the case of a recent investigation that I conducted in my local area. I will refer to it as the “rumor mill investigation” and I do not advise visiting the location so I will not give too much information about it in an attempt to defuse any more problems that the rumors have already caused. The story I heard was one of those stories that actually had an original base event so I wanted to look into it for this reason and because it was near my home. The original event was the burning of a historic building by some juveniles based on the testimony of one of the juveniles who claimed that it was a site of devil worshipers. I spent several days onsite and talked to many people who were familiar with the site and history of the building that was burned.

The history of the building was well known and the basic history did not vary among any of the people that I talked to about the building. Part of the story that claimed a goat was sacrificed at the scene was not included by any of the people that knew the history of the site. This part of the story may have been derived from use of the area being by deer hunters who would leave deer carcasses in the vicinity of the site. I also talked to two hunters that verified that they have seen many deer carcasses in the area. I did find a deer carcass when I was there near the site, the deer was small and someone who was unfamiliar with wildlife could make a mistake by thinking it was a goat. None of the photographs or video that I took at the site had any anomalies and none of the audio had any E.V.P.s. There were some EMF readings that I found later on site that were caused by an old well and some metal pipes.

Even though I did not have any evidence of anything paranormal I continued my research of the site. I also learned of several other investigators that had investigated the site and I read what they had to say. Most believed that it was a site of interest with only an orb or two and rumors as evidence to support their conclusions. They were all taken in by the story that had been changed over the years and did not even investigate the area of the original building but rather a new replacement building on the site which was over 200 yards away. The rumor mill area story was one that had changed over the years fueled by the media and investigators who did not do their home work. So, this false story gained notoriety while the truth was lost over the years.

There are stories of hauntings or other paranormal events that change over the years with each re-telling of the story. The original story changes with each telling so that the original event is not even in the new story. This has happened with a lot of stories that I have been told over the years and some of them I have investigated. Many stories sound so good and so investigable that even I looked into the story – of course wasting time but gaining valuable experience. What has happened in the past can help you to understand what you may be trying to find.

Not every story is the full story because of the witness’s perspectives. Points of views are different for each of the witnesses and the witness’s religious beliefs also play a role. If the person’s religious belief is such that there can be no existence of ghost but definitely existence of demons then everything is a demon. In some cases there is belief that there is no such thing as evil so there are no demons. People who believe everything without any skepticism often see things that are not there. This also happens to people who do not discern what they are being told. People who are subject to the powers of suggestion believe that they are seeing things that are not there.  These people believe that they have actually witnessed events when in reality they have not.

The power of suggestion can be a problem with witnesses that have a desire to witness a paranormal event. This includes the investigators who go somewhere wanting to see something so bad that their skepticism is left at home. This is a problem for a lot of investigators and it is not always something that experience will cure. Just as a witness may see things that are not there, an investigator who wants to see a ghost will see one at every turn.

There can be issues with the investigator’s ego that causes them to say that there is something there also. Investigators need to have an open and objective mind and refrain from jumping on the band wagon of the witness or other investigators that think there are ghosts at every site. The opposite is also true if an investigator closes his/her mind to the possibility of the supernatural because then they will not witness any event. Even if there is an event that occurs right in front of their eyes they will rationalize what they see or ignore it all together. Every good investigator that I know has reached a balance between skeptic and believer so that they are very discerning.

A good investigator will plan an investigation with consideration of possible weather conditions that could affect their investigation. The weather can change in a matter of hours and cause many problems that can cause safety issues as well dictate how an investigation will be conducted. Planning ahead for any problem the weather may cause starts with looking at how the weather can affect an investigation.

Many investigators take many different environmental readings that could be part of the evidence that is collected at the scene. This includes readings of temperature, humidity, barometric pressures and electromagnetic fields (EMF) which all can be affected by the weather. When planning an investigation you should watch the forecast on your local news and the Weather Channel before you set your investigation day. Your local news may give you a local point of view and the Weather Channel will give you a bigger picture. Both are important because you need to know how conditions may change with regards to your environmental variables. Low and high pressure systems will cause changes in the barometric pressure and may be the start of more severe weather. These two types of weather systems may cause the wind to pick up which could cause issues with E.V.P.s or any motion detectors you are using. If there is a possibility of thunderstorms you will have issues with power outages and power surges that could cause problems with your equipment.

Thunderstorms will also affect the EMF because of the static electricity that will be in the air and in the ground. The light from the lightning can affect the motion detectors and the low light cameras that you are using. The power surges will affect any of your equipment that you have attached to the site’s power source possibly causing irreparable damage. The temperature can affect your equipment and cause more areas of cold spots at your site. With all the different types of weather and the problems it could cause the most important thing to consider is your safety. Icy roads and severe wind could keep you from getting home safely. In your preparations for an investigation, don’t forget to bring extra clothes in case it gets colder or you get wet. Having an extra jacket and shoes is as important as extra batteries, film and cameras.

When you’re getting ready for an investigation you need to plan for equipment failures by having backups. Testing your equipment before you go is important but even if it is working at home it can still fail in the field. You should also be familiar with all of your equipment before using it on an investigation. Don’t let your ego lead you think that every camera works the same as the one that you have been using. With all the new technology that is coming out each year every camera will have its own strong and weak points. The simpler the camera is to use the better it will be for an investigation. I still keep a point and shoot type 35mm camera as a back up to my digital camera. I also have back - ups for my sound recordings and flash lights - anything that I think that is important for the investigation. Many investigations that I have conducted found me in need of another battery or more tape. A battery charged at home may be drained very fast at a site that is active especially if a battery has a memory for only a limited amount of charge. Extra batteries and chargers for all of your equipment are just as important as having a game plan for the investigation.

You can plan and plan and never actually ever get to investigate because of over planning. I am not suggesting investigating without a plan and a chain of command if there is more than one person on the investigation. If you have a team of four or five members one person should be the leader of the investigation. This person should be chosen by experience not by ego. If you do not know what you are doing then you need to follow not lead. Books and articles about investigation will help you to learn some of the protocols involved in an investigation. You can read how others have conducted their investigations and adapt it to your own style. My style is that I take some of my law enforcement experience and apply it to paranormal investigation.

Experience is the best teacher and to get it you need to be involved in investigations. You can have a style or a way that you want to conduct your investigation but when you get to the site you may find that it will not work for the investigation. Experience will help you to deal with all the different variables that will arise during your investigation. You can investigate any site that has a story or has no story, either way you need to be exposed to paranormal activity to get experience. You can join a group that has the same style of investigating that you want to acquire to get more experience. Some groups have a reputation that will allow you to be a part of an investigation that you could not do on your own.

With all the years of investigation that I have under my belt I still learn things and gain experience with each investigation. Here is to a safe investigation!  Even if there is no paranormal activity and all the things that can go wrong do go wrong, you will still learn and get some experience.