Well, the title of this blog pretty much says it all. I'm not very happy with a small percentage of the paranormal research community. As you read this and if you say to yourself 'I'm not like that.' or 'I'm not doing that' then, this blog does NOT apply to you. If it DOES, then I hope that I hope what I am about to say makes you reflect on a few things.

 Well for starters, it seems that some people out there have lost focus as to what this field is about. I have talked to a few people out there that are so driven by the almighty dollar, that they forget that it's not only the living we are working with, it's those who have passed on. They are all about turning a buck to the point where they won't help a poor soul cross over because 'No ghost ... no money'. Tell me, is this fair? Ask yourself... would you want to die and be stuck here and some paranormal specialist refuses help you meet your loved ones on the other side because they want to keep you for a part of their  events  like some carnival sideshow freak of nature?


Another thing that's really gotten under my skin is SOME of those people who have gotten their names known, who have gotten a bit of fame ... (This doesn't apply to EVERYONE of course. Just maybe one or two people.)  have taken on the 'holier than thou' attitude. They treat people who have been in this field just as long them or  if not longer than them like someone who watched a few episodes of 'Paranormal State' and decided they wanted to form a research team. Get over yourselves... really. WE have gotten to a point where OUR work is accepted by society. Treat everyone like you want to be treated, not like how you may have been treated by someone when you first started out. Just because someone does have a new team formed up it doesn't mean their amateurs. Maybe they moved to a new area and since they are going to stay there, they wanted to establish themselves. Maybe they were in the military and couldn't establish a group because they were moving so much. Maybe they were a truck driver on the road, or had kids they didn't want exposed to it until they were old enough. Maybe they hate the media. Maybe their culture thinks that things like helping spirits cross over, exorcism, even divination are a part of every day life or so sacred that it should not be exploited or displayed for a viewing audience. Public recognition does NOT make you an expert and honestly .. if you want to challenge this statement. Feel free to come on up to the G.T.A.and explain yourself to members and clergy of religious groups from allover the world in which some deal with this sort of thing every day.

  Another thing, just because you don't know who someone is, it doesn't mean they don't know what their doing. Things like demonology, exorcisms, psychic abilities, contacting the dead aren't new here, people. These are things that date back to the beginning of mankind. As a matter of fact, I would like to point out something in the old Scandinavian lore about the god Odin. Some stories depict Odin as contacting or summoning the dead to get them to tell him things of past present and future. The Celts used to drink ale out of the skulls of the enemies they beheaded every Samhain eve to honor their fallen enemy. Some scholars have believed that they did this so that they would not be haunted. The Vikings as well as some Native American and Inuit people believed that there are ancestral spirits that hang out here to guide their famlies or come back to do so. Research days like Samhain, Walpurgis, Dia de los muertos (Day of the Dead -Mexico), Thanh Minh (Day of the Dead Vietnam) ... this goes back a long way, guys. All this stems back for centuries. Even if you're a veteran investigator that's done this for twenty years, or someone who picked up their first book today.... who are we to call ourselves experts and call others amateurs when there's so many generations of world culture dealing with spirits that predates our work today?

    When you're dead and gone .... who's going to carry the torch? This is a time,  when paranormal research is in its prime, to start mentoring. Stop focusing on yourself so much and start listening to people and start guiding others. Not any one of us can claim to be an expert in this field until our time to die comes. THEN we will know what REALLY goes on, but until then those veterans out in the field need to be reaching out to the new people, not insulting them. There are a lot of energetic, dedicated and ambitious people in the field that want you to shape and mold them  and are looking at you with enthusiasm in their eyes eyes saying 'WORK WITH ME!   TEACH ME!' When you sit down to write your next book,  hold your next speaking engagement, keep that in mind. People come see you to learn from you. Maybe you can walk away with something new you learned from them. Going on camera and saying things like 'People don't know what their getting into really blah blah blah' is not helping. THEY KNOW they don't know what they're getting into. That's why its so fascinating. Most of people I have interviewed, have said that they have had an experience that affected them and they wanted to know more. Very few of them have gotten into this work because of something they saw on T.V. To be honest ... IF you really think that people are being 'stupid' and running to do this kind of work and not knowing what their getting into because of all the shows out now ..... well my daddy had an old saying. If you don't want the genie to pop out ... don't rub the damn lamp. In this sense.. if you don't want people getting into this line of research ... stop making the damn shows. Stop writing the damn books because IF you are so against people exploring this ... don't add fuel to the fire in which you are blaming T.V for. As a matter of fact why don't YOU quit because obviously you are contributing to the problem. I know I heard at least ONE 'Amen' out there.

   Lastly, I think I need to point out that there is a certain responsibility that we need to take here. There has been a certain trend the past couple of years I have been up here with some groups holding 'ouija board' night. A number of tables are set up with a  number of ouija boards at each table. Anyone who wants to go to the event pays a fee and they basically go play with the ouija board. Now... whether you believe the ouija board is innocent or not, is irrelevant. Are we not trying to get people to take us seriously? A lot of people have worked so hard to get paranormal research accepted and this is what we have to show? Ouija board night? On another extreme scale, do you not think that ... inviting anyone ...any random person who pays the fee  to play with a device that makes contact to spirit.. ANY spirit that comes through ...  a tad dangerous? I by no means am an expert of demonology, but don't you think this may be a tad irresponsible? Would you let some random kid in the neighborhood play with your fire arms? Think about it. ... the only 'good' I can think of that can come out of this, is that you'll at least be keeping known exorcists busy and Hollywood movie writers gainfully employed .


That's all I have. I'll get off my ... well I'd say soapbox but for those of you who know me, I think saying 'I'll get off my tampon box now' is more appropriate.
Until next time ... Happy Haunting and I'll see you in the field.


-Carrie