Examining + Debunking "Orb" Photos

Photos depicting "orbs" have become increasingly common and popular. They seem to have become a major talking point and commonly used as "evidence" of hauntings. While it is important to note that SOME photos featuring orbs may be legitimate, it is clear that the preponderance of these images are in fact, able to be logically explained and are not connected to anything paranormal. 

It is also crucial to note that orbs didnt start showing up so frequently until the popularization of digital cameras, specifically in paranormal research. Because of the way light reflects and the way the cameras flash feature works, it is very common for dust, pollen,dirt and bugs to appear to glow or become transparent when they show up on camera. The things listed above are almost always the cause of "orbs."

To drive this point even further, Id like to refer to a section of an article, superbly written by Troy Taylor:


>"With three other researchers, I went out to a cemetery that we picked at random on a warm summer night and took several rolls of film. We had no readings, stories, or reports to justify the decision, but we took the photos anyway. After having them developed,we discovered a number of the photos were filled with semi-transparent "orbs". 

On a hunch, we then went to a nearby football field that was roughly the same size as the cemetery we had already visited. We walked around for a few minutes and again shot a few rolls of film. I was unfortunately not surprised to find that these photos were also filled with orbs. Was the football field haunted? Of course not!

What we did was walk around both areas and stir up dust and pollen from the grass. When we took the photos, these particles in the air caught the reflection of the camera flash and appeared to be "orbs." We also discovered that such photos could be taken after walking or driving on a dusty road. The dust particles would reflect the light, just as moisture can do, and make it seem as though the air was filled with "orbs"."<
( Taylor, Troy. "Orbs Debunked!" Orbs Debunked! N.p., 2008. Web. 21 Aug. 2016. )

> What to look for in a more authentic orb photo:

1. Bright orbs are more likely to be authentic
2. Faded orbs are less authentic (most likely dust)
3. Multiple orbs are usually because of dust or bugs
4. Orbs that are bright / seem to be vibrating are more authentic
5. Slight trails / tails at end of orbs are more authentic

Taking photos in a paranormal investigation are best done without digital cameras and BEST done WITH, a 35mm camera. These are far less likely to pick up "dust motes." <
(Eaton, James W. "The Truth about Orbs!" The Truth about Orbs! N.p., 2001. Web. 21 Aug. 2016.)

Because of the amount of exposure that "orbs" have gotten, unfortunately, many people are misinformed and think every particle picked up on their cameras is a spirit. Remember to stay open minded, keep a logical eye and always try to debunk before you shout spirit!

 

Origins + Misconceptions/Debunking of "Witchcraft" ( Part 1 )

I have come to the realization that people of today have an extremely delusional and misinformation view and practice of Witchcraft, Wicca and Paganism. Too many people, mostly young females are obsessed with the practice of spell casting. They have convinced themselves that they can cast spells on others for personal gain or harm people through spell casting. This practice is simply false. Can you effect someone by deflecting your intentions and energy onto them? Yes, in many cases. However, you CANNOT chant some words and put together a "potion" and alter someones feelings or behavior. 

Now, to get into the REAL origins of "Witchcraft". The word itself comes from a bastardization of the term/practice "Craft Of The Wise." People of today confuse Wicca with Witchcraft, when in fact, these two things are NOT synonymous. Wicca, was introduced through the theories and nonsensical thinking of Anthropologist and Egyptologist Margaret Murray in the early 1920s. Her works feature out of context quotes from witch trials and deceptive representation of REAL, "old world" practices. Murray's claims have ZERO evidence to back it up. She often claimed evidence to depict things that they did not. Her irresponsible choices and works have birthed a modern generation of delusional, misinformed individuals who are practicing a religion that never existed. 

Her claims are much more akin to New Age Mysticism, which has also proven to be false. Below, is a short list of things and practices that are falsified and NOT connected to original practices. 

1. Cauldrons
2. Robes
3. Wands
4. Magic
5. Pointy Hats
6. Altars
7. Daggers
8. Stars / Pentagrams
9. Spell Casting
10."Potions"

Original practitioners of the Wise Craft were regarded as healers, intellectuals and more comparable to Shamans. They understood and had a deep connection with nature and animals. Common practices of said individuals included:

1. Math
2. Science
3. Holistic Healing
4. Questioned/ Challenged the Christian and Catholic Churches
5. Logic + Thinking for yourself
6. Deep, concentrated prayer or meditations (mistaken for spells)
7. Natural / Holistic Medicine (mistaken for potions)

Breakdown:

Wicca = Neo-Pagan / Centered around the elements
Wicca = Belief in karma ---> "As it harm none, do as thou wilt" ---> Harm No One / Harm no living being

Witch --> (Old English) --> Wicca --> (Germanic Root) Wic --> Means to bend or turn. 

"Archangel Cassiel" (Entity Cassiel)

*As stated in other posts that use Christian or Catholic terminology or names, I do NOT follow either religion and am only using these names as they are most widely known. I believe these entities can be / are real but they are not exactly what the Bible describes them to be*

In this post I will give you an overview of the Archangel / entity known commonly as Cassiel. 

CASSIEL : Teaching angel that protects the oppressed, impoverished, the enslaved, unjustly persecuted, and orphans. This entity may come to you when you are at a low point to guide you and help shoulder the burdens you face. 

Ruling Planet: Saturn
Title: Father of time
Ruler Of: Araboth
Day: Saturday
Only contact entity on: Saturday / Wednesday
Gems: Garnet, Jet, Lodestone,Onyx, Sapphire, Turquoise, Salt
Candle Colors: Brown, Black and Grey
Astral Colors: Brown and Red
Symbol: Straight line
Direction Ruled: North
Animal Connection: Crow, Raven , Crocodile
Spirit: Agiel
Demon: Zazel

Types Of Psychics and Abilities Part 1

*DISCLAIMER: This post is a very basic breakdown of psychic abilities, if you have specific or further questions. Please feel free to leave a comment or use my email to ask. Just be sure if you use the email, let me know youre from the blog!*

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is "How do I know if Im psychic?" or "How do I become psychic?". Depending on who you ask, you may get a different answer. However, the most common answer youll get, and the one I believe to be 100% true, is ; "You are either born psychic or youre not." 

Being psychic and having abilities is hereditary, mainly through the mothers ancestry, and is mainly passed on to other female offspring. It can be found in every generation of a family, or it can skip generations. 

Take me and my family for example, my maternal grandmother always told me she could see things since she was younger, and my paternal grandmother has abilities as well. My father is able to see and experience quite a few things, mainly while living in our old house which Ive talked about before. 

My younger sister and I also have abilities, I have more than my sister, but she is a great sensitive and can read people just as well as I can. 

Now, there ARE some things that can be taught, like Tarot Reading (I do not recommend learning this, it is extremely difficult and can be dangerous). However, in order to use tools like Tarot properly, and safely, you have to have natural born ability. I will do a separate post on different tools that can be used to help enhance your natural ability. But for now, lets break down some of the more common abilities and what they mean. 

-----

Aura Reader / Aura Sensing : Sensing the human energy field. It is being aware of how you physically feel when around people, what vibes are they giving off?

Clairvoyance : An ability to communicate with the dead, predict future events accurately, or knowing things you had no way of knowing previously. 

Clairaudience :  Hearing clear messages from spirit guides, the dead, or a higher sense of being. Hearing things inaudible to others, when it comes from a spiritual source. 

Clairsentience : A type of "sixth sense". It means you have a clear sense about past, present or future emotional states or feelings of other, or places, without using the normal senses or previous knowledge of the person. They are able to receive information about people, places or things. 

Mediums : Someone who can receive messages from the dead and relay them to the living. There are different types of mediums who can do different things, receive messages differently. 

Types of Ghosts and Apparitions

APPARITIONS / GHOSTS / HAUNTINGS

Experimental Apparitions : When a living person knowingly sets out to appear to another person who is far from them. A common example of this is an astral projection where your conscious self leaves your physical body.

Crisis Apparitions : The image of a person who is experiencing major crisis. 

- Accident 
- Emotional Trauma
- Death
- May appear to family or friends at the time it is happening

Postmortem Apparitions : The dead person shows themselves to the living after they have passed away. 



Continuing Apparition : The living see the dead in a place they may have lived in life, over a long period of time. 

Transitional Ghosts : 

- Extremely common
- Almost always appear to family / loved ones / those they shared a strong emotional link with
- Normally only lasts a few minutes
- Voice, image, scent of the dead person in question

Purposeful Ghosts : 

- Ghosts who have a specific reason for appearing
- Most common, those who return shortly after death to visit loved ones again
- Needs to communicate something to the living
- Dangerous Type = Vengeful ghost = Wont rest until they cause harm to their victim

Graveyard Specters :

- Human like
- Usually appear days to weeks following new burials
- Not as common in present day
- Rarely speak or make noise

Replay Hauntings : 

- Event some the past replays in the presence of a sensitive
- Often seen as a videotape being replayed 
- Normally no sense of a spirit

How To Spot A Fake Haunting / False Claim

It is crucial, especially for people who investigate paranormal occurrences to be able to tell when someone is making a false claim, pulling a prank/ hoax or trying to waste their time. 



Part 1 : 

The first order of business, after someone reaches out to you for help is to get their basic information. (It is important to note that some people may not want to give you any personal information because they fear being treated as if they are crazy, however, this may also indicate they do not want to be identified because they are trying to scam you. Use your best judgment.)
      
This includes :
           First Name
           Age
           Gender
           Occupation
Part 2 :

Make sure they are able to provide you with dates, times and locations of events. (Exact, to the minute times are not necessary, but if they cant give you a time frame, or are struggling to give you an answer, this may be a sign they are lying.)

If they can provide you with a floor plan or rough sketch of the house, pinpointing the rooms/locations where activity is taking place. Be sure to mark where the most activity happens, when it happens and who its happening to. 

Part 3 :

Find out if there were any witnesses to paranormal events and be sure to interview them seperately. Also, find out what the witnesses were doing during the occurrence. You should also ask what the emotional state the witnesses were in during the time of the event. 

*Side note - It is crucial to ask if any of the witnesses were taking any drugs, medicine or if they were under the influence of alcohol during any or all of the events. 

Part 4 :

Get as much of a description about what the entities looked like, how they moved, how tall, how big etc. Were they solid or misty? The more detail the witnesses can tell you the better. 

Sample Questions :

• Did the entity interact with you?
• What did the entity look like?
• What type of occurrences have you been experiencing?
• How long has this been happening?
• Where does the activity take place? (Have them show you)
• What type of feelings do you get when this entity appears?
• How did/do your encounter(s) begin? How did it come to an end?
• Any strange noises or temperature changes? Any foul smells such as sulfur?
• Were any animals present during the occurrences? 
• Does the witness consider themselves a sensitive or psychic?
• Did the entity leave any physical marks behind? Scratches, bruises, red marks etc? (If yes, ask if they have photo evidence)
• What does the witness think he/she saw?
• Has the witness has any experiences in any other location except for their home or business?

More tips for spotting a hoax :

Look for wires and sheets (yes this may seem stereotypical but people have used them to fake ghosts)

Make sure fans/ air conditioners are not on or running in the background (they can give off a high emf which can be mistaken for the presence of a spirit)

Do your research! If there is a rumor or legend circling a business or home, make sure you debunk or validate the story with local historians and records. 

Polaroid / 35mm Photos ( make sure you are given digital photos - check these too, make sure theyve not been tampered with. Older cameras often had glitches that people would mistake or pass off as orbs)



*True hauntings are rare , demonic ones even more so, make sure you do everything you can to debunk things that can be mistaken for paranormal activity or that can be passed off as paranormal. Do a full sweep of the building, making sure no rodents are trapped and making noises, no windows are letting air in that can be mistaken as a spirit presence. Use your best judgement.* 

Black Salt

Black Salt : Primarily used in occult magic and hoodoo. Used mainly for protection. 

Black Salt is available for purchase already made in certain types of stores and online. (Be VERY careful when buying it, check the ingredients and who made it.)

There are quite a few variations when it comes to making black protection salt yourself. So, I will give you a mini breakdown on how to make it and the types of things you can use to make it.  

How to :

Sea Salt / White Salt (normally found in most pantries)

+ (one of the following)

- Scrapings from a cast iron pot
- Charcoal ash / crushed charcoal 
- Crushed black pepper
- Ash from your fireplace
- Ash from protective herbs 

Optional Additives :

- Crushed white sage
- Sage essential oil 
- Other crushed protective herbs 

* Do NOT use ashes or dirt from a grave site!!*

These materials can be used for good, however they can also be used for evil/negative purposes. It is crucial that your thought process and intentions are pure and good. Use this tool with the intention of CLEARING OUT negative energy and entities. 

You can place black salt in the four corners of your home and / or line doors and windows with it. 

ALWAYS DO YOU RESEARCH BEFORE YOU USE SOMETHING LIKE THIS, BE SURE YOU ARE USING IT PROPERLY AND UNDERSTAND THAT USING TOOLS LIKE BLACK SALT AND SAGE ARE SERIOUS AND SHOULD BE DONE PROPERLY AND CAREFULLY, AND WITH THE CORRECT INTENTION.