Best Time for Ghostly Encounters - Ghost Hunter's Guide

"Historically, the most active for ghost phenomena are between 9 PM and 6 AM" says Tom Ogden in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings. But, he notes that spirit behavior can happen at any time.

In The Paranormal Investigator's Handbook, editors Hope & Townsend recommend ghost vigils at night. This is not because ghosts are necessarily more active then, but because it's easier to observe unusual phenomena at night. You'll have fewer distractions.

Witch Patricia Telesco observes in Ghosts, Spirits and Hauntings, "Ghosts are more readily seen and contacted at midnight (the time in between day and night), and on the anniversary of their death."

We've encountered ghosts during the daytime as well as after dark. We prefer the hours around dusk through early evening, but in some cases - such as our investigation of The Myrtles Plantation - activity increased dramatically after 8:30 PM

There's less solar interference after sunset. Just as distant radio stations are easier to pick up at night, ghosts can create more dramatic effects with less energy after the sun goes down.

We also believe in the popular idea that between times are excellent for ghost research. Perhaps a door opens between the worlds when conditions are slightly unstable.

The between times include dusk and dawn, and both the Equinoxes and the Solstices, when the seasons change. Since Halloween (Samhain) is the traditional end of the agricultural year, many more hauntings occur on that night. We've had good luck at the opposite end of the agricultural calendar, at the last day of April.

And, we've heard increased reports around the end of the calendar year, at the end of December and start of January.

Some people believe that it's easiest to contact the other side while the clock is chiming midnight, another between time.

When you're planning an investigation, find out when others have experienced anything odd at that location. We've heard few stories from normal morning hours, or even early afternoon. Generally, manifestations occur after 3 PM, and most are after dark.

Keep a diary of your encounters with ghosts. See if there is any pattern to hauntings that you witness. If so, it may be a characteristic of the ghosts. Or, you may have heightened sensitivity to the paranormal during certain times.

Compare this pattern with planetary hours - mentioned above - and your biorhythms, too. Every factor, no matter how unlikely, must be considered.

No matter what rules or patterns you establish for your research, there will always be exceptions. However, ghost hunting is still trial-and-error for most of us. No one can say with certainty that one hour is always better than another for your research.

Keep testing and comparing results with others, even if you think that you've found a consistent pattern. We're far from knowing what causes hauntings, and your information could be part of a breakthrough discovery that will help all ghost researchers.

Real Ghost Photo: Ghost of kid in a home photo

This picture was taken by a group of friends during a house party in a phone camera. The little girl crying in the picture kept complaining that somebody is pulling her dress. Everybody was astonished looking at the face of the kid appearing in the photograph when seen on a larger screen.

I have done some research and tests on the photo. My tests have shown that the image of the face is definitely part of the original photo and not added in afterward. The jpeg compression grid is aligned and consistent within the area of question. After applying various adjustments and examining each channel individually, I have come to the conclusion that the face is a real face, but belongs to a real person. There is plenty of room between the girls and the radiator behind them as is evident by judging the placement of the girls versus the television on the left. Also, the object is 100% solid as there is no pixel evidence of the radiator behind it. Note the small white spots along the bottom of the radiator, evenly spaced (highlights from the light above). Given the space between girls 2 & 3, there is relative room to see them. Lastly, the shade of shadow in that area is consistent with those seen on their jeans.

It is often people looking at their home photos that have caught the best evidence of paranormal activity.

Real Ghost Photo: Hospital Ghost

"At an ICU in a hospital in Colorado, a nurse was testing her flash in the room with the lights off. Unknown date other then recently. Calendar is on the wall but not sure if it has the correct date on it."

I really like the fact that the ghostly gentleman is actually looking directly into the camera. Shivers!

Real Ghost Photo: Little Girl's Ghost in an Abandoned Building

This picture was clicked in 1995 of a burnt down abandoned building. You can see an apparition of a little girl who's believed to have died in the fire.

  
  

Real Ghost Photo: Caergwrle Bridge Ghost

Members of the Cheshire Paranormal Society took this fantastic picture on Packhorse Bridge, Caergwrle, Wales. Although this was just a random shot, orbs had been captured by the group already and several members felt uneasy at the time. It's believed a number of ghosts haunt this bridge possibly in connection with a former burial ground nearby, for which the bridge was the entrance. Very spooky!

Real Ghost Photo: Ghost Face Apparition

"My name is Ron Southwell and I have a weird photo that I would like your opinion on. It was taken with a brand new digital camera, Olympus model FE 210 with a brand new xd memory card. So I was playing with the camera settings and trying the candlelight setting. I was sitting on the couch about 5 feet from the subject and took the photo that I have attached to this email. It was night time and only a few of the lights were on in the room as well as the large screen tv which was directly infront of my subject about 12 feet away. The flash was used.

After taking the picture I checked it using the view screen and was kind of amazed to see another figure in the image in the lower left hand corner of the picture. It looks like a man’s face but I just have no explanation for how it got there. I had taken a few photos using the camera that day and then erased them from the memory but none of the photos were of a man’s face.

The face does not resemble anyone that was in the apartment. There was only myself and my sister in the room at the time and she was holding her 6 month old baby."