On this page I will go over tools that can be used to investigate the supernatural/paranormal. This will include what has been called tools of the past and some that aren't considered practical tools. First I will cover the new school tools (those of more recent times, the last 200-300 years) and then I will cover the old school tools ( those that have been used for ages including those that have been used all the way from times forgotten).
Cameras:
1) any type of photographic camera that uses film can be used. The main draw back of this version of photo taking is that the pictures can be out of focus, the lighting is off, defects in the film or its processing, most film types that aren't made for fast action photos will show streaking, enhancing is difficult for the average individual, and many other problems. Though there are many draw backs to "old fashion" photography, the best full-body apparitions were taken through this media. Not all people can afford a digital camera either so 35mm cameras are still good for our use because many stores sell disposables for five to ten dollars (USD) depending on the number of exposures. ( if I the space and equipment, I would set up and use every type of film cameras[35mm, 110, disc, one-step, brownies, etc.] and develope the films at home for immediate showing and examination) Since I am talking about film cameras, I must also include vhs camcorders, super 8mm, 16mm, etc movie cameras. These can be used and are being used by other groups.
2) digital is now what a majority of new and some older groups are using since they can be tied into a computer whether they are still frame or motion video cameras. They have many good things going for them including being able to post on the internet immediately or be real time images for everyone to watch. Of course as with anything you use there is the done side to digital also. Digital cameras are reliant on battery power mostly (some film cameras have this problem also) which will run down on their own, but have been known to suddenly be drained from a near full charge to "dead' instantly. It has been determine that spirit entities draw energy from where they can to manifest for those in their presence. Usually the energy they draw is from batteries in their presence. Most times they will only draw from batteries that are being used but they have been known to draw from all batteries within a varied radius from their location. I have yet to hear of a case of anyone that has a pacemaker having their battery drained, but I also don't know of anyone doing research that has one.
3)thermal imaging cameras are interesting to say the least. They can be still images or realtime video. They come in black & white, color, or both (having the ability to be switched from one setting to the other). In black and white mode usually white is the indicator of higher temperatures but several of these cameras have an invert setting where you can choose to have black as the hotter temp. In the color cameras, white is also the hotter temp but you will see temps be shown in reds, yellows and oranges for the upper ranges of temperature. Blues and sometimes black are the lower/colder temperatures. The instructions you receive with your camera will provide you with the information you will need to determine what the temperature range in the area you are in.
Thermometers:
As with the cameras there are different types of thermometers that can be used to record temperatures.
1) The slowest and least used is the analog thermometers. These are the ones made of glass and are filled with liquid (usually mercury which is poisonous when you get too much in your system). These have two main draw backs beside the one already mentioned: 1) they have a problem of getting broken, 2) they are slow to register temperature changes unless the entity focuses on the thermometer itself and drops the temp at the bulb.
2) Faster are digital thermometers with probes. They maybe faster than analog, but they are still considered slow by most today because you are still relying on a probe which has to register change the temp on the metal of the probe and the electricity to travel up the wires to the little chip then to the digital LED screen. You may have battery failure here too, but I haven't heard of that happening yet.
3) A little faster are the ones with built in sensors and can register wind velocity and a couple of other items depending on the model you buy. These usually have a little fan/propeller blade use to get the wind speed. Wind and moisture can also vary the temperature depending on the amount of each. Spirit entities have been known to affect these also.
4) The fastest to date is the infrared thermometer. It uses light to sense and return that measurement to the unit within nanoseconds. There are many styles of this thermometer from little hand held units that register to a tenth of a degree to larger units which are heavier but register down to the thousandth of a degree (whether it be Celsius or Fahrenheit). Granted the large units show the changes quicker due the greater sensitivity but they also cost a whole lot more. the little hand held ones are quick enough for most and unless you plan on writing a thesis on the paranormal where it is very important to have that much detail then my advice is get what you can afford.
Audio Recording Devices:
Recording unheard voices has been happening for almost as long as there has been devices to record sounds with. In the beginning most EVPs weren't understandable because of the rough recordings and the fact that there wasn't volume control either. As improvements in recording devices came about them people noticed voices and/or other sounds that shouldn't have been there. Some of the sounds recorded were animal vocalizations, gunfire, explosions, and so on. Some of these latter sounds were recorded at or near battlefields or sites where gunfights took place in the past. The devices I will list will include ones no longer used in recording any sounds and were never intentionally used in paranormal investigations to my knowledge.
1)Edison's cylinder phonograph - his original device used a cylinder covered in paraffin wax, an big horn that contained a diaphram and was connected to a needle. This needle etched into the paraffin the sounds via the vibration directed from the diaphram through the needles. To hear, you had to change to a new set of needle, diaphram and horn. This needle was made different from the recording needle. There were many draw backs to this recording device including the following: heat destroying the paraffin,the only volume control was the person(s) being recorded, you could only record once, you could not duplicate unless you had the same people, group, or orchestra there to say, sing or play the same things over and over for each duplicate cylinder. Edison did improve the cylinder by replacing the cylinder with foil. Luckily for us Edison and others didn't stop there. It is my understanding that on a couple of the remaining metal cylinders around today there has been noticed very slight sounds of other voices in the background. Using todays technology we might be able to listen to what is being said. Unfortunely, this research hasn't been released yet. Since they were recorded around a century ago, we cannnnot verify that it wasn't just someone in the background and not anyhting paranormal.
2)Reel-to-reel recorders: Reel-to-reel recorders were really the first recording devices to be specifically used for paranormal research. Yes there were other devices used but these were the first that were made transportable. This made them the choice once reesearchers wanted to document their studies at a particular site. Yes they had drawbacks (mainly keeping to have electrical outlets to be plugged into) but they had versatility on their side. They had been made to record on magnetic tapes, wires (usually copper), paper-plastic combo (I have only seen one of these so if anyone can verify there were more please let me know through our contact page), and vinyl tape. A few of these were developed for use during war times because lack of supplies normally used to make them with. I will go more into reel-to-reels and the following devices later as I am still building this site.
3)Records (metal/vinyl, 33 1//3, 45, etc):
4)Cassette tapes:
5)8 Track Tapes:
6)Micro-cassettes:
7)Discs:
8)Digital:
Video Recording Devices:
Video recording devices have come a long way through just the past couple of decades. Here we will cover as many devices as possible and retouch on the ones listed in cameras as well. Since video started off with moving pictures called flickers, I will start there and work forward.
Items Not Normally Used In Conventional / Scientific Paranormal Research:
Here is where controversy may start. Starting below are some items used by different people in their research of the paranormal/supernatural. Most scientists will say that a majority of these items if not all of them provide not scientific data nor proof for the existence of anything paranormal/supernatural. I will list several items below and continue to add to the list as find out about more items and their uses. I let you decide what you think or believe about each. I will be adding their uses soon.
1)Compass:
2)a Scry/Pendulum:
3)Ouija Board:
4)Tarot Cards:
5)Dowsing Rods:
6)Willow Branch Used for Witching:
7)Magnets:
8)Crystal Balls:
9)Crystals:
10)Wands:
11)Incense:
12)Runes:
13)Pentagrams:
14)Bones for Reading:
15)Candles:
16)Holy Water:
17)Crosses/Crucifixes/Other Religious Medallions:
18)Bibles/Torah/Other Religious Books:
19)Herbs:
From here we will add more items as we think of them. If you think of any not mentioned and know their use, then write us using our contact form or our email address ( walkingwithspirits@gmail.com ).
COME BACK AS THIS SITE IS CONTINUOUSLY BEING BUILT
Cameras:
1) any type of photographic camera that uses film can be used. The main draw back of this version of photo taking is that the pictures can be out of focus, the lighting is off, defects in the film or its processing, most film types that aren't made for fast action photos will show streaking, enhancing is difficult for the average individual, and many other problems. Though there are many draw backs to "old fashion" photography, the best full-body apparitions were taken through this media. Not all people can afford a digital camera either so 35mm cameras are still good for our use because many stores sell disposables for five to ten dollars (USD) depending on the number of exposures. ( if I the space and equipment, I would set up and use every type of film cameras[35mm, 110, disc, one-step, brownies, etc.] and develope the films at home for immediate showing and examination) Since I am talking about film cameras, I must also include vhs camcorders, super 8mm, 16mm, etc movie cameras. These can be used and are being used by other groups.
2) digital is now what a majority of new and some older groups are using since they can be tied into a computer whether they are still frame or motion video cameras. They have many good things going for them including being able to post on the internet immediately or be real time images for everyone to watch. Of course as with anything you use there is the done side to digital also. Digital cameras are reliant on battery power mostly (some film cameras have this problem also) which will run down on their own, but have been known to suddenly be drained from a near full charge to "dead' instantly. It has been determine that spirit entities draw energy from where they can to manifest for those in their presence. Usually the energy they draw is from batteries in their presence. Most times they will only draw from batteries that are being used but they have been known to draw from all batteries within a varied radius from their location. I have yet to hear of a case of anyone that has a pacemaker having their battery drained, but I also don't know of anyone doing research that has one.
3)thermal imaging cameras are interesting to say the least. They can be still images or realtime video. They come in black & white, color, or both (having the ability to be switched from one setting to the other). In black and white mode usually white is the indicator of higher temperatures but several of these cameras have an invert setting where you can choose to have black as the hotter temp. In the color cameras, white is also the hotter temp but you will see temps be shown in reds, yellows and oranges for the upper ranges of temperature. Blues and sometimes black are the lower/colder temperatures. The instructions you receive with your camera will provide you with the information you will need to determine what the temperature range in the area you are in.
Thermometers:
As with the cameras there are different types of thermometers that can be used to record temperatures.
1) The slowest and least used is the analog thermometers. These are the ones made of glass and are filled with liquid (usually mercury which is poisonous when you get too much in your system). These have two main draw backs beside the one already mentioned: 1) they have a problem of getting broken, 2) they are slow to register temperature changes unless the entity focuses on the thermometer itself and drops the temp at the bulb.
2) Faster are digital thermometers with probes. They maybe faster than analog, but they are still considered slow by most today because you are still relying on a probe which has to register change the temp on the metal of the probe and the electricity to travel up the wires to the little chip then to the digital LED screen. You may have battery failure here too, but I haven't heard of that happening yet.
3) A little faster are the ones with built in sensors and can register wind velocity and a couple of other items depending on the model you buy. These usually have a little fan/propeller blade use to get the wind speed. Wind and moisture can also vary the temperature depending on the amount of each. Spirit entities have been known to affect these also.
4) The fastest to date is the infrared thermometer. It uses light to sense and return that measurement to the unit within nanoseconds. There are many styles of this thermometer from little hand held units that register to a tenth of a degree to larger units which are heavier but register down to the thousandth of a degree (whether it be Celsius or Fahrenheit). Granted the large units show the changes quicker due the greater sensitivity but they also cost a whole lot more. the little hand held ones are quick enough for most and unless you plan on writing a thesis on the paranormal where it is very important to have that much detail then my advice is get what you can afford.
Audio Recording Devices:
Recording unheard voices has been happening for almost as long as there has been devices to record sounds with. In the beginning most EVPs weren't understandable because of the rough recordings and the fact that there wasn't volume control either. As improvements in recording devices came about them people noticed voices and/or other sounds that shouldn't have been there. Some of the sounds recorded were animal vocalizations, gunfire, explosions, and so on. Some of these latter sounds were recorded at or near battlefields or sites where gunfights took place in the past. The devices I will list will include ones no longer used in recording any sounds and were never intentionally used in paranormal investigations to my knowledge.
1)Edison's cylinder phonograph - his original device used a cylinder covered in paraffin wax, an big horn that contained a diaphram and was connected to a needle. This needle etched into the paraffin the sounds via the vibration directed from the diaphram through the needles. To hear, you had to change to a new set of needle, diaphram and horn. This needle was made different from the recording needle. There were many draw backs to this recording device including the following: heat destroying the paraffin,the only volume control was the person(s) being recorded, you could only record once, you could not duplicate unless you had the same people, group, or orchestra there to say, sing or play the same things over and over for each duplicate cylinder. Edison did improve the cylinder by replacing the cylinder with foil. Luckily for us Edison and others didn't stop there. It is my understanding that on a couple of the remaining metal cylinders around today there has been noticed very slight sounds of other voices in the background. Using todays technology we might be able to listen to what is being said. Unfortunely, this research hasn't been released yet. Since they were recorded around a century ago, we cannnnot verify that it wasn't just someone in the background and not anyhting paranormal.
2)Reel-to-reel recorders: Reel-to-reel recorders were really the first recording devices to be specifically used for paranormal research. Yes there were other devices used but these were the first that were made transportable. This made them the choice once reesearchers wanted to document their studies at a particular site. Yes they had drawbacks (mainly keeping to have electrical outlets to be plugged into) but they had versatility on their side. They had been made to record on magnetic tapes, wires (usually copper), paper-plastic combo (I have only seen one of these so if anyone can verify there were more please let me know through our contact page), and vinyl tape. A few of these were developed for use during war times because lack of supplies normally used to make them with. I will go more into reel-to-reels and the following devices later as I am still building this site.
3)Records (metal/vinyl, 33 1//3, 45, etc):
4)Cassette tapes:
5)8 Track Tapes:
6)Micro-cassettes:
7)Discs:
8)Digital:
Video Recording Devices:
Video recording devices have come a long way through just the past couple of decades. Here we will cover as many devices as possible and retouch on the ones listed in cameras as well. Since video started off with moving pictures called flickers, I will start there and work forward.
Items Not Normally Used In Conventional / Scientific Paranormal Research:
Here is where controversy may start. Starting below are some items used by different people in their research of the paranormal/supernatural. Most scientists will say that a majority of these items if not all of them provide not scientific data nor proof for the existence of anything paranormal/supernatural. I will list several items below and continue to add to the list as find out about more items and their uses. I let you decide what you think or believe about each. I will be adding their uses soon.
1)Compass:
2)a Scry/Pendulum:
3)Ouija Board:
4)Tarot Cards:
5)Dowsing Rods:
6)Willow Branch Used for Witching:
7)Magnets:
8)Crystal Balls:
9)Crystals:
10)Wands:
11)Incense:
12)Runes:
13)Pentagrams:
14)Bones for Reading:
15)Candles:
16)Holy Water:
17)Crosses/Crucifixes/Other Religious Medallions:
18)Bibles/Torah/Other Religious Books:
19)Herbs:
From here we will add more items as we think of them. If you think of any not mentioned and know their use, then write us using our contact form or our email address ( walkingwithspirits@gmail.com ).
COME BACK AS THIS SITE IS CONTINUOUSLY BEING BUILT
