Does the paranormal really exist?

Did you ever notice that the question of the paranormal is more common around Halloween than any other time of the year? This is most likely due to ancient beliefs that Halloween or All Hallows Eve, is the one day out of the year when the veil between our realm and the realm of the dead is thinnest. This allows for spirits to walk amongst and communicate with the living. In some cultures, places are even set at the dinner table for dead relatives. So what about the other 364 days of the year? Do ghosts and other spirits walk amongst us year round, or just on Halloween?

Ghosts, ghouls and goblins, oh my

Haunted houses and true ghost stories are a paranormal investigator's dream come true. With the popularity of ghost hunting shows on cable television, its no wonder that Americans have become more obsessed with life after death. While skeptics may say that these shows are rigged and completely fake, there are plenty of followers who believe they are real, because they coincide with personal experiences. It is believed that every human being will at one time or another experience something paranormal during the course of their life. It may be such a brief encounter that the person doesn't even realize he has had it. Take into consideration any unexplained cold chills, whispers or creaking floorboards that your very own house may have. Now, find explanation for each encounter and determine if its just your imagination or if you are experiencing a ghostly encounter. Ghosts, ghouls and goblins have been the center of much folklore and religious debate. While some religions claim that none of these exist but are merely tricks of the devil, others embrace the unknown and often times communicate with the other side.

Poltergeists

Many have had to agree to disagree surrounding the phenomena known as poltergeist activity. Hollywood has over dramatized this phenomenon to create a widespread fear and panic of demonic beings playing tricks on you and destroying your belongings. Many paranormal researchers and demonologists state that poltergeist activity may not be of demonic nature after all. According to scientists of paranormal research, poltergeist activity often stems from personal trauma. The energies surrounding a living, breathing human are manifested into the environment around them. As a result, furniture moves, the temperature in a room plummets and items come up missing. While there is no clear cut reason why this happens, there are plenty of valid, documented cases where poltergeist activity has haunted individuals and families for years despite relocation efforts and even exorcism.

Dark shadows

Have you ever been lying in bed or in your living room watching television when a dark, shadowy mass passes through the corner of your eye? If the answer is yes, your not alone. Many people have claimed to see shadowy figures of humans or simple masses pass just beyond their full visual range. Its very rare that a shadowy figure is caught right in front of your eyes. Many people argue that it is simply your eyes playing tricks on you due to decreased lighting or eyesight decline. Other speculate that these are dark energies, or demons that are living in your home. Another theory regarding shadowy figures, is that they are a partial manifestation of a ghost. Believers have reported a feeling of unease, dread and even fright when encountering shadow figures while others report peace and love. Could it be possible that this activity is either ghost or demon? Or is it just a trick of they eyes as skeptics claim?

The incubus and succubus

Imagine dreaming that a demonic force is holding you down in your bed, sucking your energy and will from your body. This is one major claim of people who believe they have fallen victim to incubi or succubi attack. An incubus is a male demon who's job entails having intercourse with human females in hopes of fathering a child in the earthly realm. Repeated sexual encounters can bring about health problems or death according to folklore. The incubi's counterpart, the succubi, is the female demon who's job entails stealing the sperm of human men to either impregnate themselves or a human female. Some legends state that once the succubus steals a man's sperm, she gives it to the incubus who transforms it with demonic powers and impregnates the female human to procreate for themselves. Demonic intercourse of this nature is said to occur during the period before restful sleep in the form of a lucid dream. Victims sometimes awaken in the middle of the act, frightened and fighting for their very lives at this unseen sexual assault.

Ouija and other communication

The Ouija board is barely a new concept. This communication device has been used for centuries to contact dead relatives in order to find out how they died or where they went once they left their body. The problem with this is that the Ouija can open up a spiritual portal, ushering in dark, demonic spirits as well as ghosts. Reports spanning the years have indicated demonic possession and spiritual attachment have occurred through use of the Ouija board. Scrying is another method used to try and make contact with our dearly departed. Using a mirror, the living attempts to conjure the dead as the belief is that a mirror is the doorway between both worlds. By simply calling out the spirit you wish to talk to, it is believed that your face will begin to take on the spirit's features, allowing him or her to communicate with you. There are hundreds of methods used for contacting the dead, varying from culture to culture. However, a bit of advice; be careful what you ask for because you just may get it, and then some.