What Happens And Who Does What On An Investigation
Firstly, it does depend on the size of venue and the number of people attending. Many Paranormal/Ghost investigation groups you come across via the internet fail to tell you that there could be as many as 80 people attending. It goes without saying; you will not be able to get as much out of it then if you were within a smaller organisation.
At SouthWest London Paranormal the most people we have is around 30 at a large event, and as few as 10 at some of the smaller ones.
The first thing the group does once everybody has arrived, is to have a quick tour of the place so we know where we are going, and the health and safety aspects of the location. We do allow you to take photos at this stage if you wish.
Once we have had the tour, the group leader will divide the group into teams (depending again on the size of the group and the venue). You will never be on your own; the teams are made up of a team leader, and one medium (depending on guest medium’s attending) per team.
Each team is then given an area and the allocated time to investigate that area. Depending on the venue, and size of the team, this can range from an hour, to an hour and a half.
Who does what?
The team leader will make sure everybody is OK throughout the night, and keep the team on time. If one team runs late; it can spoil it for others, and if there’s time later you may be able to return, we allow for breaks in between the vigils so this time can be allocated instead to return to areas if needed.
The team leader will record everything that goes on throughout each vigil; although at times it is not always possible get everything.
The Medium will also ensure everyone is OK at all time. They will walk around with the teams to see and try to connect with the spirits. They will also encourage you to try and picking up on anything. If you do feel, see, smell or experience anything unexplainable or untoward please tell the medium, or team leader straight away.
The medium will take part in séances; table tipping, Ouija boards, if you have any worries about any of this, you are under no obligation to participate and are more than welcome to stand to one side and observe the proceedings. You should never do anything you are not ready to do.
The mediums are there to help you, as well as to see what they can pick up. The mediums that have attended events with us to date have picked up a lot so far.
You will investigate the area with the team (please see the basic rules). You will be able take photos, record your own sound if you want and most do. You don’t have to take part in a séance, or have a go with the Ouija board, or do any table tipping if you don’t wish to. However, we do hope that you come away at the end of the night having had a good time.
You will be asked to stay with the team you have been allocated to, if for some reason you are unhappy then please speak to your team leader who will endeavour to sort any problems out. One thing which is not allowed for safety reasons is for anyone to go off on their own. We need to know where all members are at all times, your safety is in our hands. Remember some of the places we go to are very old, they may have been empty for years, and of course there will be no lights other than torches.
You must also respect any spirit who comes through or who are present within a location. We don’t really appreciate people who fool around and show total disregard for other people in the team or to the spirits themselves.
Séances -this is where we either stand or sit and hold hands. The medium will then call out for spirit to come in to the circle, he or she will ask the spirit to make contact by either touching one the team, make a noise, or show themselves in a light form. Often people have said they do get a feeling of being touched.
Sometimes during a séance a medium may go into a trance state. There is nothing for you to worry about, as they do know what they are doing and the team leader will be there on hand to assist.
Table tipping - this is where you would sit around a small table and place your hands on the surface. The medium will ask for spirits to come forward and try and get them to move the table, this has been done a number of times, but it can never be guaranteed.
Ouija Board - this is the one that is talked about the most, it can be the hardest and most unreliable of all the “equipment” which is used.
A lot of people fear the Ouija board because of the bad reports or experience they have had. Be reminded that his is not a toy, and should only be used by people who know what they are doing. Sadly the bad experiences and reports occur when people do not know how to conduct the Ouija board correctly and this happens all too frequently. There is far more involved than just putting your finger on a glass and calling out.
If it is used properly then you can get a lot out of it, and one of the best ways is if a message starts to come though and it is a personal message for one of the team, it can be a good idea for that person to remove their finger. It is also best to have someone making a note of what is being spelt out.
One of the main problems with the board is when you start to get a message, and then without realising it people can get over keen and start to push the glass to where they feel it should go, and not always where it wants to go.
At times if we are at a venue which has a number of investigators/paranormal groups over the weeks, spirit can get fed up, yes they have feelings as well, and start giving rubbish on the board.
Some groups also use a “Yes –No” board, this is not a Ouija board and is what it says - you ask a question and hope for an answer of yes, or no.
We also use dowsing rods, which is a tool that goes back hundreds of years and very safe to use. This piece of “equipment” can be used by any individual in the team. They are very easy to use and can be used for question requiring a Yes or No answer or for locating something, or a spirit. If the rods cross this means - Yes, if they move away from each other this means – No.
Our aim for any investigation is to try and find evidence of the spirit world. Something the group comes away with many plausible evidence, other time nothing occurs at all, but that’s how it goes and there are no guarantees.
Our team leaders have done many investigations and as one of the mediums I too have done many investigations over the years. I like to make sure that everyone is happy, so please speak to me or the team leader if you have a problem.
Please take the time to have a read at the reports from out past events that SouthWest London Paranormal have done.
Proof - can we proof life after death? Many will say no, and will always come up for a reason to explain what we would call proof, but we do believe that we have found some. We will leave it for you to decide.
We will be adding to the website some EVP’s taken from our latest investigation (Eastbourne – Hippodrome Theatre). There are clear voices that which are not ours and we cannot explain what or who they are. Are they voices from spirit? you listen and then decide.
At SouthWest London Paranormal the most people we have is around 30 at a large event, and as few as 10 at some of the smaller ones.
The first thing the group does once everybody has arrived, is to have a quick tour of the place so we know where we are going, and the health and safety aspects of the location. We do allow you to take photos at this stage if you wish.
Once we have had the tour, the group leader will divide the group into teams (depending again on the size of the group and the venue). You will never be on your own; the teams are made up of a team leader, and one medium (depending on guest medium’s attending) per team.
Each team is then given an area and the allocated time to investigate that area. Depending on the venue, and size of the team, this can range from an hour, to an hour and a half.
Who does what?
The team leader will make sure everybody is OK throughout the night, and keep the team on time. If one team runs late; it can spoil it for others, and if there’s time later you may be able to return, we allow for breaks in between the vigils so this time can be allocated instead to return to areas if needed.
The team leader will record everything that goes on throughout each vigil; although at times it is not always possible get everything.
The Medium will also ensure everyone is OK at all time. They will walk around with the teams to see and try to connect with the spirits. They will also encourage you to try and picking up on anything. If you do feel, see, smell or experience anything unexplainable or untoward please tell the medium, or team leader straight away.
The medium will take part in séances; table tipping, Ouija boards, if you have any worries about any of this, you are under no obligation to participate and are more than welcome to stand to one side and observe the proceedings. You should never do anything you are not ready to do.
The mediums are there to help you, as well as to see what they can pick up. The mediums that have attended events with us to date have picked up a lot so far.
You will investigate the area with the team (please see the basic rules). You will be able take photos, record your own sound if you want and most do. You don’t have to take part in a séance, or have a go with the Ouija board, or do any table tipping if you don’t wish to. However, we do hope that you come away at the end of the night having had a good time.
You will be asked to stay with the team you have been allocated to, if for some reason you are unhappy then please speak to your team leader who will endeavour to sort any problems out. One thing which is not allowed for safety reasons is for anyone to go off on their own. We need to know where all members are at all times, your safety is in our hands. Remember some of the places we go to are very old, they may have been empty for years, and of course there will be no lights other than torches.
You must also respect any spirit who comes through or who are present within a location. We don’t really appreciate people who fool around and show total disregard for other people in the team or to the spirits themselves.
Séances -this is where we either stand or sit and hold hands. The medium will then call out for spirit to come in to the circle, he or she will ask the spirit to make contact by either touching one the team, make a noise, or show themselves in a light form. Often people have said they do get a feeling of being touched.
Sometimes during a séance a medium may go into a trance state. There is nothing for you to worry about, as they do know what they are doing and the team leader will be there on hand to assist.
Table tipping - this is where you would sit around a small table and place your hands on the surface. The medium will ask for spirits to come forward and try and get them to move the table, this has been done a number of times, but it can never be guaranteed.
Ouija Board - this is the one that is talked about the most, it can be the hardest and most unreliable of all the “equipment” which is used.
A lot of people fear the Ouija board because of the bad reports or experience they have had. Be reminded that his is not a toy, and should only be used by people who know what they are doing. Sadly the bad experiences and reports occur when people do not know how to conduct the Ouija board correctly and this happens all too frequently. There is far more involved than just putting your finger on a glass and calling out.
If it is used properly then you can get a lot out of it, and one of the best ways is if a message starts to come though and it is a personal message for one of the team, it can be a good idea for that person to remove their finger. It is also best to have someone making a note of what is being spelt out.
One of the main problems with the board is when you start to get a message, and then without realising it people can get over keen and start to push the glass to where they feel it should go, and not always where it wants to go.
At times if we are at a venue which has a number of investigators/paranormal groups over the weeks, spirit can get fed up, yes they have feelings as well, and start giving rubbish on the board.
Some groups also use a “Yes –No” board, this is not a Ouija board and is what it says - you ask a question and hope for an answer of yes, or no.
We also use dowsing rods, which is a tool that goes back hundreds of years and very safe to use. This piece of “equipment” can be used by any individual in the team. They are very easy to use and can be used for question requiring a Yes or No answer or for locating something, or a spirit. If the rods cross this means - Yes, if they move away from each other this means – No.
Our aim for any investigation is to try and find evidence of the spirit world. Something the group comes away with many plausible evidence, other time nothing occurs at all, but that’s how it goes and there are no guarantees.
Our team leaders have done many investigations and as one of the mediums I too have done many investigations over the years. I like to make sure that everyone is happy, so please speak to me or the team leader if you have a problem.
Please take the time to have a read at the reports from out past events that SouthWest London Paranormal have done.
Proof - can we proof life after death? Many will say no, and will always come up for a reason to explain what we would call proof, but we do believe that we have found some. We will leave it for you to decide.
We will be adding to the website some EVP’s taken from our latest investigation (Eastbourne – Hippodrome Theatre). There are clear voices that which are not ours and we cannot explain what or who they are. Are they voices from spirit? you listen and then decide.
Written by: Jim - Medium and Investigator (SouthWest London Paranormal)
