John C. Fowler – Page 46 – Midnight Watchmen

Paranormal 101: Myth Vs. Reality

I’d like to take a few moments to touch on the myths and realities of a paranormal investigation. As the paranormal reality shows have shown their massive fan base over the last few years, review from any given case is easily reviewed, Evidence appears on every case they do, etc. Let’s start here with a few bullet points:

Myth: Review takes little time to do.
Fact: Review that is done in real time takes patience & diligence to finish. If you’re at a place investigating for 6 hours, have 2 video cameras and 3 audio recorders equals 36 hours of real time review. That’s a full time job!

Myth: Every case yields results (E.V.P.’s, Unusual Video Footage, personal experiences, knocks, etc.)
Fact: Not every case yields results, some cases are quite boring and uneventful.

Myth: Ghosts respond on demand to questions…. Immediately!
Fact: Spirits that have free will, can choose to respond when they want and to whom they, not when we as investigators want! And of course if its a residual haunting, they won’t respond at all!

Myth: Every case/investigation has a personal experience.
Fact: Again, some cases are quite boring and uneventful.

Myth: Orbs are ghosts/spirits/energy.
Fact: Highly debatable subject to some, yet truth is its been proven time and time again, that Orbs are just dust/moisture in the air.

Myth: Activity only happens at night.
Fact: Activity can happen at any time of day or night.

Myth: You can only ghost hunt at night.
Fact: A hunt can go on at anytime, since can activity can happen whenever. Though it is more thrill seeking to do it in the dark.

Myth: Every Paranormal Group is out to help you.
Fact: While most are here to help, learn more about the world around us and educate. A few are only in it for monetary or ego reasons.

Myth: Ghost hunting is scary.
Fact: While at times it has its heart racing moments, I’d estimate 95% of the time is calm and uneventful.

Myth: Just because one has a TV Show means they know everything about Paranormal!
Fact: Some people tend to believe anything they see on TV.

Don’t worry I’m sure I’ll have the need after hearing or reading something stupid online for a part 2.

Peace,
Cedric
[email protected]

Accountability

The sudden, or maybe it gradual depending on your point of view, emergence of these paranormal reality shows has given me a reason to think long and hard about the paranormal community and what a TV show brings a group. Sure it brings money, some level of fame and the unrealistic expectations that they produce evidence week by week, but as any network executive will tell you any show that no one watches will not be on TV that long…

As anyone who’s been in the paranormal community can tell you not every case or investigation yields an E.V.P. or a jaw dropping video. Sometimes its hours upon hours of investigation and maybe a few interesting debunking of the stories being investigated, but nothing that most people care about. That’s just the way it works we can’t all hit home runs every time out, hell a baseball player that’s a great hitter may only get a hit 33% (.333 batting average for those not so enlightened to baseball) of the time he steps up the plate…

So why a paranormal group is held to such a standard that over half the cases yield multiple results I cannot say for sure, on TV that’s call entertainment, but its labeled reality TV… so if it is a reality show either these groups are somehow above the average or film a lot more than they ever show…. I often wonder if they do investigations that never make it to the air…. Or they use them later as filler.

Where is the accountability for all this? Do some of these groups on TV fake evidence? Hauntedhoax.net is a great source for showing how easily things can be faked. That doesn’t mean though that every show on TV has faked/fabricated evidence, but one does wonder. And please don’t think this a bash on any one group or show. No matter how they got to the point where they got a TV show they worked hard. I will not directly knock anyone, I never will its respect and accountability on my actions. Do I have a few shows of paranormal nature I hate? God yes! But I will not name them directly its professional curtsy.

In closing I realize that accountability is an internal struggle with what you know is right and what you think is right. And of course others perceive things differently then I may see it. I want to be open and honest as much as possible in our endeavors that includes when we mess up. And we did not long ago when a note taking mistake which caused a video to be put up on our YouTube account early before further review that it was discovered not to be paranormal. I screwed up the note taker screwed up. Hell we all screwed up… the video was taken down… I have no problem admitting a mistake and then correcting it.

Honesty needs to start from day one whether or not it’s with a client or whatever you want to refer to the person/people/group asking you to investigate a place or just a case that’s on public property you may be working on. Mistakes will happen and we will face up them, not hide or keep it a secret. We’re only human. I know every case can’t be a gold mine. I wish they were. I’ve had cases that were boring me to death and others that I enjoyed every moment of. Every group is accountable for their actions or their lack of action. I’ve always said if you think we did something wrong challenge us on it… I’m up for a healthy debate and if you’re right it’ll force a positive change… Nothing is constant in this world… Not life or death…

Change is the only constant, except from a vending machine…..

Peace,

John C. Fowler

[email protected]

Looking Forward, Looking Back

The goal of the Midnight Watchmen is simply put – knowledge, help and education. To these goals we’ve added some new members and guests, which I hope will allow us to move forward on my vision for the group. What that means is more experiments on EMF, audio, and video are coming. As well I’m working on starting an open house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for people to sit and talk about the paranormal monthly. Ask us questions, come for help if needed. I want us to be community involved as much as possible.

Our first case was at Jennie Wade House in Gettysburg, PA. Something I will never forget. A year later in Gettysburg a friend who I met for the first time that night said to me “Enjoy the ride…” About the world of paranormal she’s been part of and welcoming me to this new world with eyes open. And while the review can be tedious and boring, when you find a piece of audio or video evidence that blows you away… It is the greatest joy in the world and validation of what we do. I personally love the reactions from people who see and hear the stuff we found. Jaws drop, eyes widen, and I see the fear/excitement in their stance, keep in mind that’s just us in the group!

The world in which we live is not always as it seems. Just like a neighbor hides secrets, the world around us hides theirs only to show to a select few now and again… Some run away from it screaming others walk towards it with wonder and wanting to see more. We here at Midnight Watchmen I’d like to think are the ones walking towards these secrets saying “show me more! I want to share them with others!” All of us in the group have had experiences that are paranormal in nature or above the norm. Some of us have seen a ghost, U.F.O., or something else strange and wonderful enough for them to go I want to see/learn more.

I do not know where this year will take us, nor do I know what’s next… But I know one thing. We’ve missed a few opportunities, lost a few members. Taken advantage of few surprise cases and we’ve faced the unknown and pierced the veil of darkness that covers it. Sure that last part was a little theatrical, but while I take what we do seriously I want to have fun still. We don’t make money of this, probably never will… after all I’m too busy enjoying the ride….

Won’t you join us??

Peace,

John C. Fowler

[email protected]

Spirits Have Split Personalities?

Can spirits have split personalities? Split personality is a disorder that is defined by or characterized by the presence of two or more distinct and complex identities or personality states each of which becomes dominant and controls behavior from time to time to the exclusion of the others and results from disruption in the integrated functions of consciousness, memory, and identity – called also multiple personality dissociate identity disorder. That is the dictionary definition and is quite long winded.. Psychologists will tell you that the human mind is so complex and has so much unexplored potential. Its believed that somewhere in your life caused by trauma, abuse (physical, sexual or mental), parts of your personality is repressed and manifests itself into split personalities.

What is your mind though? A body part, like your fingernail or your heart? What about that voice in your head, the part of you that thinks, that feels? Interesting question isn’t it? To me that voice in your head is your soul. And as such its definable as you. What if that part of you is split, broken or separated? You’d have a split personality not of the mind, but soul…

While on a case in Gettysburg, PA at the Orphanage, our tour guide Chris mentioned a few of the employees believed that a spirit named Rosa has split personalities and boy do they cover the spectrum! Old, young, Sinful, Christian, etc. We had an interesting encounter with Rosa, and afterwards the whole environment changed. It went from an oppressing feeling in the basement to a peaceful calm. And boy did our EMF meters show some activity. Quite an interesting night.

Up to this point I had never honestly up to that point thought of the question of can spirits have split personalities. As the thoughts whirled through my mind, I realized the challenge this can cause on a case. Really, you’d have evidence pointing to two or more entity’s at a location maybe even have names, but no history attached to them. And almost no way of knowing they are really one being…

Talk about a needle in the haystack! My view is that if your soul/voice in your head can house more than one personality, then easily one could imagine that a spirit afflicted with this condition could exist. My bigger question is what happens when one and not the other personality “crosses over”? What happens next? Does one personality become dormant? Is it merged or waiting to be merged with the other(s)? Lots of questions which of course is what we are here to find out.

This field allows for so many different views and opinions on the subjects of the paranormal. I welcome people to email me with their ideas, thoughts, and criticism if one would so desire. Hopefully this little article helped some people broaden their thought process.

Peace,

John C. Fowler

[email protected]