Hello. Me and my friends have been looking intoghost hunting, and we wanted to try it out. (my friend says that his house is haunted, so I guess we will find out) Iwas wondering, what is the best way to conduct something like this? What tools would we need and such.

Any help would be appreciated.

-Sarcasimo

[Edited on 4-9-2003 by Sarcasimo]

I'm going to go ahead and say that this is a bad idea, Sarcasimo. Ghost hunting is EXTREMELY dangerous, especially if the spirit knows you want to harm or capture it. You risk posession, and not to mention that if the spirit gets angry enough, they could manifest physically, and do actual physical harm to you. I'd reccomend getting a -real- psychic in there, not some miss cleo #. get them to tell you what kind of spirit it is. If it's something as small as like will-o-the-wisps, you should be alright. You don't want to stir up anything demonic, nor do you want a poltergeist in there. they can get nasty. Hopefully you have something as harmless as casper.

Ghost hunting isn't exactly like deer hunting, at least not in my case. You don't actually 'catch' one and I don't think you can really 'harm' one. You can, however, catch a glimpse, a picture, a voice and/or a presence. I go ghost hunting periodically. I use a 35mm, a digital camera, an EMF (electromagnetic field) meter and an EVP (electronic voice phenomena) recorder. These are just a few items for ghost hunters. Once you get serious ($$$), there are many items available to help you detect a ghost. I have obtained many pictures and 4 EVP's. Just remember, it's always best to be respectful and friendly while seeking ghosts.

Bangin is right on the money... Be careful to be objective, lest you find yourself believing everything is a sign of spirits....

I do it the old fashioned way -- pendulum and flashlight.

Oddly enough, the last place I investigated (a commercial haunted house... investigated at the insistance of someone) had no spooks. However, a hotel in the area had some cold spots and other intriguing stuff.

Oh definately an Oueeja board. I thINK that's how you spell it. Seriously. If you want to talk to the ghosts, that is the surest way to draw them out of their hiding places. It's probably the cheapest way too. Cheeper than hiring a psychic!

some sort of thermal detecor may also be good as ghosts are known to produce cold spots (i think damn bad memory correct me if i'm wrong please)

Let me know what happens! I really looooove ghosts! And am sooooo interested in finding out just what kinds there are out there. I have met a few already. Hopefully you meet nice and fun ones.

You silly freaks. What the hell do you want to go and meet some gar dawn ghosts? Hm? Dya ll wanna get yerselves poe zest? Hm? Dya ll wanna end up in the same Danvers Hospital that I'm IN? HM? Well you deft ought watch yerselves ssspppecially if yer goin be usin them there weejee boards. They say weejee attract the devil himself. Watch out boys!

Thank you for the replys and links. I shall be looking into these.

Loki: Thank you for the concern, we will not be trying to catch or harm anything, we are just curious with these sort of things, and always have a little project going. (This week ghosts, next week government facilities, etc.)

Bangin: I have read that compass works like a EMF detector but slightly less complicated, is this correct? Also where can I pick up the EVP and also the EMF, besides the internet, a Radio Shack perhaps?

Gazork: Yes I can picture ourselves jumping at every sound, and gust of cold air.

Sarcasimo,
I tried using a compass for detecting ghosts. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for me due to the low light conditions. I bought an EMF meter online, but they can be expensive. I recommend trying a compass to see if it meets your needs. As for the EVP recorder, I have a GE microcassette recorder that I purchased at Wal-Mart for $25.00 (came with external mic). Be sure to have an external microphone to avoid recording sounds from the motor. I have more fun with the EVP recorder than with anything else. It's a great feeling to ask questions, then hear their responses, if any, at playback. Happy hunting!

Thank you for the recomendation Bangin, I got the same model you got. I am just messing with it, and it seems to work well. I also like the mic that comes with it.

"Ouija" board....

Also, the cold spot theory, seems to also correlate with the idea that the reason a haunting occurs, is because there is some kind of "rip" in the fabric of being, so to speak, that allows the entity to exist in both realities, and that the cold spot, is the vortex of this rip... As the idea goes, every haunted locale has such a spot, or spots, but they may not neccessarily be on a wall, floor, etc. They may be in mid-air, in a wall...etc. and may be less easy to find...

Note, this is in a "haunting" where the entity can respond to stimuli...

There are other types of phenomenon as well...

"Poltergeists" usually thought to be caused by the psychokinetic activity of a young child....

And "Phantasms" which are generally repeated ghostly scenes, where the apparition cannot respond to stimuli, left by a strong psychic impression in a locale (often something like a murder or suicide with a high emotional state involved...or especially, a child's death)

That is a good picture. It is too bad there are no abandoned hospitals or asylums in my area....but one may be closing soon.