Do you think paranormal activity is increasing or are we just talking about it more?

I tend to believe that it is increasing. ATS is proof alone that a lot of people are dabbling in the occult. ATSers seem to be fairly comfortable discussing the occult and vehemently defend their involvement in it.
I've noticed that the racks of movies at the movie rental store are full of occult themes. Television movies and children programming often refer to occult practices. Celebrities are hustling their brand of sorcery (Kaballah) and eastern religious practices. The tv series "Charmed" is on every time I turn on the television. Millions have paid to take delight in Harry Potter's witchcraft. This is only what is going on in public.

Now imagine all the new occult recruits cultivating their wizardry behind closed doors.

It seems as though occult practicioners may be unleashing hell on Earth...literally. Wouldn't that explain all the paranormal activity?

I think some people are just taking more of an interest in it, It'll probably die down in a few years and start up again after that and so on.

Madonna is every bit as much a Kabbalist as I am the governor of Michigan.

Noiro is right, most of this is just a fad. There is no more actual occult activity out there than ever; it just sells pretty well nowadays.

There is actually probably less genuine paranormal activity.

People write books about it and it sells, people lie about it online through numerous websites or just steal from each other, and it is just a fad.

I don't think there is more paranormal by some mystic reason, I have a scientific approach to why it seems there's more.

First, speaking of ghosts, if more ghosts are a reported haunting, now as compared to years past, we have more ways of spreading word, internet, chat, television, and just more people have died in the last few years exponentially compared to the populace of times past. 5 billion people plus world census, would make for many more deaths, and the possibilities for hauntings.

Second, and I agree with previous responses, it's more acceptable nowadays to speak about your paranormal experience. In days of old you were labeled insane or a religious heretic.

Thirdly, our modern society is very intruigued about the "realms of fantasy" and paranoromal, our popular media expresses that.

Just my take,

-ADHDsux4me

I think it is being discussed more.

I think many people are questioning traditional religions and opting for other outlets for their spiritual needs.
I'm sure it is a fad for some.

Whether it's new age "stuff" or serious study of the Kaballah, Tree of Life or OOBE, more and more people are getting in tune with their inner selves.

It's the internet, plain and simple. In pre-web days, people kept experiences to themselves, because they figured people would think they were crazy. Now, you can post anything anonymously online and likeminded individuals will find you and back you up. I leave it at that, without judging the validity of any of these claims.

Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, biblical?
Ray: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor... real Wrath-of-God-type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies.
Venkman: Rivers and seas boiling!
Egon: 40 years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanos.
Winston:The dead rising from the grave!
Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats, living together... mass hysteria!

Whenever a question is about a large number of people, in this case all the people, there is never a single answer. Instead there is always a list of factors that affect different people to various degrees.

I agree with many of the comments already made, except 2 in particular.

The increased awareness of Paranormal activity based on occult studies is not a fad. What I see is that acceptance of things of this sort has been increasing. There was a time when if you openly proclaimed your belief in say Wicca you put yourself at risk. Not just from those misguided religious folks who want to 'save' you but at your place of work, or when you wished to rent a home.

Those days, in most places, are thankfully over. What we are learning is tolerance, the ability to accept differences in others without leaping to unwarrented conclusions. This will not fade and can only lead to more people asking questions about their own beliefs and then looking for someone like me to explore other possibilities.

It seems as though occult practicioners may be unleashing hell on Earth...literally. Wouldn't that explain all the paranormal activity?

Anyone who spends any time at all in the study of the occult learns a few things that have immediate, and positive, effects on their everyday actions. It is one thing to be told 'If you act bad you will be punished when you die' but it is quite another to see the consequences of your actions in this life, today, now.

So in my experience the very best people have indeed been those who study various occult belief systems. Wiccans teach their 'Rule of 3' and that same idea is echoed across the board. Study of these sorts of things makes for better people who are more aware of the feelings of others around them. More importantly any serious occult study leads you to a much greater sense of your responsibility for your own actions, something that most humans could stand a whole lot more of.

The idea that those who study the occult are in any way "unleashing hell on Earth" is not just wrong, it is the total opposite of the actual truth.



A.T
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[edit on 9/7/05 by Alexander Tau]

I think people are just becoming more (aware) of synchronicites and capabilities.They are viewing the world with an open mind and a new perspective of reality is availible to them.So is Paranormal activity increasing?I would say yes to those that are governed by a new description of reality.

As many of you know I do an internet radio show on ghosts. I talk to people every day about it. When I first started this I thought most people would think I am nuts. However, 90% of people I talk to start telling me stories of their childhood home, or a friend's house, or a story passed down through the family. All the stories are unique and I hope to put them into book form one day.