It's important to remember to always turn your TV off before you go to sleep. (And don't turn it on until you are truly awake). I've mentioned this in the past but after what happened to me this morning I figured I would mention it again. I woke up about 7:00 this morning, turned the TV on and fell back into a light sleep. Waking up briefly and then going back to sleep (without turning the TV on) is actually a good method for practicing lucid dreaming, dream control and future probing. I quickly fell back into REM sleep and started dreaming. I was thrilled with the fact that I found myself in a lucid dream state fully conscious of my surroundings, the only problem was that I was now at the bail bonds store with Dog Chapman and his family! (Yes, thunder tits and all!) I was never a huge fan of the show but lately I've been putting it on early in the morning as I wake up and get my day rolling.
Finding myself in a lucid dream like this is strange because even though I have the ability to change the dream, it just feels right so I don't. I feel like I belong there and my curiosity runs wild. I will usually choose to "ride out" whatever dream I'm having unless I am frightened or frustrated. I stayed in this dream as a willing participant because I was curious to see what kind of "hunt" we would go on. Everyone was eating and getting prepared for the day but I was more interested in exploring the surroundings and interacting with strange characters on the outskirts of the dream. When Dog finally said it was time to go I was in the middle of putting my cereal away, (I had a box of my own special cereal for some reason??). I finished up and hurried out to the SUV but everyone had already gone! They freakin' ditched me!
I continued interacting with the people on the "sidelines," who were mostly previously captured criminals, criminals that were still trying to stay hidden and cops. The cops were rounding up the scattered criminals and for a moment they thought I was a criminal too. I was surprised how they instantly left me alone by just telling them that I was a bounty hunter with Dog Chapman. I felt like a double agent because I was also helping the criminals! That probably had something to do with what was happening on TV. Dog always acts like such a bad ass while sticking his giant can of mace in your face and then a moment later he gives you a cigarette to smoke (whether you actually smoke or not!), says a prayer for you and becomes your best friend. By the end of the show he ends up bailing you out again!
As I was exploring the office and talking with various people a large group of thugs stormed the building. Although they were separate from the original group, they did merge with some of the original criminals. The new thugs thought I was a criminal as well so it gave me an opportunity to use my “double agent” status and assist the police in busting them. I was thrilled with all the excitement and couldn't wait for everyone to come back to discover that I saved the office! BBBBRRRRIIIINNNNGGGGG!! - The phone rang and instantly ripped me out of the dream. I was disappointed that Dog and crew would never know about my heroic performance.
Using the TV or music to manipulate your dreams like this can be fun but it's probably best to just leave the TV off. These days I try to base my dreams in reality (the material world) whenever possible but I might decide to experiment with this phenomenon a bit more. I know it might earn me the "Geek of the Week" award but when I was a kid I used to try to have Star Trek dreams. I never had much luck and to this day I only remember one or two dreams that actually took place on the Enterprise, or within the realm of the Star Trek universe. I suppose if I put a Trek episode on when I first open my eyes I might find myself in a Trek dream. The whole concept might actually help me with “future probing.” Lord knows there have been numerous amounts of Trek stories that involve time travel. Naturally I will post any interesting results. With my luck I'll end up swimming with William Shatner and a whale! Or stuck in the temporal Nexis with Whoopi!
Thanx for reading...
Friday, September 23, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
"THE DREAM WE ALL DREAM OF"
A few years ago I discovered that dreaming of future events was possible. I always believed that it was something people could do but I wondered if it was something that was controllable. In a previous blog post I wrote about a premonition dream that I had which actually came to pass. I dreamed about a job that I didn’t get yet. It had people and locations that I was not yet aware of in my life. While I was working at that job several years later I experienced an intense Déjà Vu feeling and everything clicked. I realized that I had dreamed about working at that company long before I actually got the job.
Since that experience I’ve attempted to dream about future events many times. The problem is, how do you force your mind to dream of future events? Normally when I try to dream about anything specific I am unsuccessful, but then sometime later when I’m not even thinking about the subject I end up having the dream. I figured that future dreams might work the same way. For several nights I would just think about what future event I would like to see and then simply wait for the dream. I would keep the topic of the dream in my background thoughts a bit but nothing too intense.
At first I wondered how to decide on a future event to witness if it hasn’t happened yet? How do you choose a place to visit in the future? That certainly is a valid question and I really don’t have an exact answer. The trick is to visit a time in the future, not a place. For example: Suppose you decide that you want to see the next car you are going to own (or a future vehicle that you will someday own). Currently you might not have any intention of buying a new car but at some point in the future you will inevitably find yourself purchasing a new car; before you go to sleep at night and in the background of your daily thoughts think about that future moment. You won’t have any reference points but try to think about the possibilities, for example; you might think about seeing the dealership where you will find this new car, or you might think about seeing your new car out in the driveway. Maybe you will see yourself putting gas in that car that you might own in the future. You might notice the price of gas while you are filling up this new car. Details like this can provide a clue as to when the event you are seeing is taking place. (Not to mention it can help you wake up inside the dream). The important thing to remember is to always be skeptical. You might have the dream you are concentrating on but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a future event. When you dream about a future event there is a unique feeling that comes over you. If you wake up inside the dream (a lucid dream) you might feel it right away or you might not realize it until you wake up from the dream, but either way you will notice that the details are easier to remember and more vivid than normal. There will also be a feeling of uncertain familiarity around the events that take place in the dream. You will actually feel a similar sensation to Déjà vu during the dream!
When I first realized that it was possible to dream about events that had not taken place yet one of the first things that crossed my mind was the thought of looking ahead to see the Lotto numbers. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s had silly thoughts like that but believe me, they aren’t so silly. I’m no time traveler or special person, we all have these dreams. It’s just a matter of staying aware of your dreams, writing them down and noticing certain nuances. The thing that concerned me most was time itself, the few times that I was able to connect a dream to future events it took years for the event to actually come to pass. I was also thinking about how much money I could end up spending playing long shot Lotto numbers that could take years to come up, if they ever come up at all! And what if I happen to forget to play or I’m too busy to play Lotto that one crucial day?
Several months ago I was lying sound asleep on the living room couch. I suddenly found myself being woken up in a very harsh way. Piper (my dog) had jumped on to the couch and was climbing all over me! As I was pulled away from my dream I realized that a second earlier I was in a dream checking my Lotto numbers and they all matched. I was dreaming that I was hitting the Lotto numbers! I quickly turned down the volume on the television and silenced all distractions. The first thing that I remembered was that there were four single digit numbers. This was very strange seeing that it’s not too common for four single digit numbers to be drawn out of 59 possibilities, but that was my dream. I couldn’t remember the numbers exactly but I had a pretty good idea of those four. I remembered there was another number somewhere in the forty’s, and I was pretty sure the last number was in the teens. As I concentrated on the dream I wrote down all the numbers that first came to mind. I made out a five dollar / ten game lottery form and combined all of the possible numbers. I played the ticket (along with my regular lottery numbers) every Wednesday and Saturday from that point on. Seeing that the numbers that I dreamt about were so odd I rarely hit any of the actual Lotto numbers drawn. Sure I would see one or two of the numbers come up here or there but what were the odds that four single digit numbers would actually be drawn? About 2 or 3 months after I started playing the “dream numbers” I was planning to go upstate for the PHISH shows at Bethel Woods for Memorial Day Weekend. I wasn’t sure If I would have a chance to play Lotto, or if I’d even remember to play so I made sure to play my numbers before I left.
When I got home on Monday I was anxious to check the lotto numbers. The Memorial Day weekend was so perfect that I just had a feeling that Saturday’s numbers were special. It’s hard to explain but I felt a little bit of that “feeling” I had during that Lotto dream several months earlier. When I got to my laptop and pulled up the Lotto numbers I was half shocked and half expected to see what I saw. The winning numbers were 02-03-07-09-12-57 and the supplementary number was 14. The numbers I played were 02-03-06-09-14-47. On another line I had 02-04-07-09-14-56. I played other combinations as well, like switching the 14 for 17 in one game and the 14 for a 13 in another. Although my numbers didn’t win me any significant Lotto prizes, I can’t help but to consider this as a very near hit. Since then I actually hit four numbers on two separate drawings in a row but I have yet to experience another Lotto dream, (as far as I can remember). I’m still playing the Lotto form from the dream because I can’t be 100% sure that the Lotto of 5/28/11 was the one I was waiting for. As much as I think it was, I couldn’t live with myself if I stopped playing it and then one of the other combinations I chose on that form came in. It’s just not often that four single digits come in so I might literally be chasing a dream at this point. When I woke from that dream I was trying desperately to recall all the numbers properly but they were fading fast. I wrote down the possibilities and then tried to play them in multiple combinations. I was extremely close and at the same time extremely far from playing the correct numbers. I’m hoping I can initiate a more accurate dream (or recall the numbers more accurately).
If you’re a person who typically remembers your dreams I recommend trying this for yourself. You don’t have to concentrate on numbers every night, just think about having that dream once in a while, the dream about the time when you first found out that you hit the Lotto. Time doesn’t always work in the order that we are accustomed to. Hey, you never know…
Thanks for reading…
Since that experience I’ve attempted to dream about future events many times. The problem is, how do you force your mind to dream of future events? Normally when I try to dream about anything specific I am unsuccessful, but then sometime later when I’m not even thinking about the subject I end up having the dream. I figured that future dreams might work the same way. For several nights I would just think about what future event I would like to see and then simply wait for the dream. I would keep the topic of the dream in my background thoughts a bit but nothing too intense.
At first I wondered how to decide on a future event to witness if it hasn’t happened yet? How do you choose a place to visit in the future? That certainly is a valid question and I really don’t have an exact answer. The trick is to visit a time in the future, not a place. For example: Suppose you decide that you want to see the next car you are going to own (or a future vehicle that you will someday own). Currently you might not have any intention of buying a new car but at some point in the future you will inevitably find yourself purchasing a new car; before you go to sleep at night and in the background of your daily thoughts think about that future moment. You won’t have any reference points but try to think about the possibilities, for example; you might think about seeing the dealership where you will find this new car, or you might think about seeing your new car out in the driveway. Maybe you will see yourself putting gas in that car that you might own in the future. You might notice the price of gas while you are filling up this new car. Details like this can provide a clue as to when the event you are seeing is taking place. (Not to mention it can help you wake up inside the dream). The important thing to remember is to always be skeptical. You might have the dream you are concentrating on but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a future event. When you dream about a future event there is a unique feeling that comes over you. If you wake up inside the dream (a lucid dream) you might feel it right away or you might not realize it until you wake up from the dream, but either way you will notice that the details are easier to remember and more vivid than normal. There will also be a feeling of uncertain familiarity around the events that take place in the dream. You will actually feel a similar sensation to Déjà vu during the dream!
When I first realized that it was possible to dream about events that had not taken place yet one of the first things that crossed my mind was the thought of looking ahead to see the Lotto numbers. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s had silly thoughts like that but believe me, they aren’t so silly. I’m no time traveler or special person, we all have these dreams. It’s just a matter of staying aware of your dreams, writing them down and noticing certain nuances. The thing that concerned me most was time itself, the few times that I was able to connect a dream to future events it took years for the event to actually come to pass. I was also thinking about how much money I could end up spending playing long shot Lotto numbers that could take years to come up, if they ever come up at all! And what if I happen to forget to play or I’m too busy to play Lotto that one crucial day?
Several months ago I was lying sound asleep on the living room couch. I suddenly found myself being woken up in a very harsh way. Piper (my dog) had jumped on to the couch and was climbing all over me! As I was pulled away from my dream I realized that a second earlier I was in a dream checking my Lotto numbers and they all matched. I was dreaming that I was hitting the Lotto numbers! I quickly turned down the volume on the television and silenced all distractions. The first thing that I remembered was that there were four single digit numbers. This was very strange seeing that it’s not too common for four single digit numbers to be drawn out of 59 possibilities, but that was my dream. I couldn’t remember the numbers exactly but I had a pretty good idea of those four. I remembered there was another number somewhere in the forty’s, and I was pretty sure the last number was in the teens. As I concentrated on the dream I wrote down all the numbers that first came to mind. I made out a five dollar / ten game lottery form and combined all of the possible numbers. I played the ticket (along with my regular lottery numbers) every Wednesday and Saturday from that point on. Seeing that the numbers that I dreamt about were so odd I rarely hit any of the actual Lotto numbers drawn. Sure I would see one or two of the numbers come up here or there but what were the odds that four single digit numbers would actually be drawn? About 2 or 3 months after I started playing the “dream numbers” I was planning to go upstate for the PHISH shows at Bethel Woods for Memorial Day Weekend. I wasn’t sure If I would have a chance to play Lotto, or if I’d even remember to play so I made sure to play my numbers before I left.
When I got home on Monday I was anxious to check the lotto numbers. The Memorial Day weekend was so perfect that I just had a feeling that Saturday’s numbers were special. It’s hard to explain but I felt a little bit of that “feeling” I had during that Lotto dream several months earlier. When I got to my laptop and pulled up the Lotto numbers I was half shocked and half expected to see what I saw. The winning numbers were 02-03-07-09-12-57 and the supplementary number was 14. The numbers I played were 02-03-06-09-14-47. On another line I had 02-04-07-09-14-56. I played other combinations as well, like switching the 14 for 17 in one game and the 14 for a 13 in another. Although my numbers didn’t win me any significant Lotto prizes, I can’t help but to consider this as a very near hit. Since then I actually hit four numbers on two separate drawings in a row but I have yet to experience another Lotto dream, (as far as I can remember). I’m still playing the Lotto form from the dream because I can’t be 100% sure that the Lotto of 5/28/11 was the one I was waiting for. As much as I think it was, I couldn’t live with myself if I stopped playing it and then one of the other combinations I chose on that form came in. It’s just not often that four single digits come in so I might literally be chasing a dream at this point. When I woke from that dream I was trying desperately to recall all the numbers properly but they were fading fast. I wrote down the possibilities and then tried to play them in multiple combinations. I was extremely close and at the same time extremely far from playing the correct numbers. I’m hoping I can initiate a more accurate dream (or recall the numbers more accurately).
If you’re a person who typically remembers your dreams I recommend trying this for yourself. You don’t have to concentrate on numbers every night, just think about having that dream once in a while, the dream about the time when you first found out that you hit the Lotto. Time doesn’t always work in the order that we are accustomed to. Hey, you never know…
Thanks for reading…
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Uninvited Guests (Supplement)
Jimmy and I have been continuing our exploration of local Long Island and New York cemeteries. We have been capturing many strange anomalies and we have plans to visit more locations at night. Jimmy knew about the Davis Cemetery for a long time but we could never pinpoint its exact location. The other night (June 3rd) we set out late at night to try to find it. We only had vague directions and no flashlights but that never stopped us before. We knew about The Davis House on Route 112, (which is also known for paranormal activity) but we didn't realize how close it actually was to the cemetery. The house has recently been under renovation and it's all fenced off, the town is planning to restore it and eventually open it to visitors.
We walked around in the dark for quite a while looking for a dirt path or driveway as mentioned in our directions. We thought it was much further down the road from The Davis House. We entered the woods at several points which turned out to be dead ends or private property. We were going around fences, climbing over boards and walking through tall grass. It was already after 2:00AM so we decided to save it for another night. We walked back to the car, which was parked next to a little church (or schoolhouse) that almost looks fake. (It could be a replica or possibly a house that was moved from another location and rebuilt and restored here. Coincidentally we had passed this church several months ago and took a few pictures as we passed. To our surprise, when we looked at the pictures we discovered an orb or two floating around the building).
We continued walking towards the car but decided to walk just a little bit past the car just in case the path we were looking for was closer to the Davis House than we thought. As it turned out, there was a dirt path just like the one we were looking for almost directly across the street from the car! We walked down the path and noticed the silhouette of a small house directly ahead of us. We almost turned around but we hesitated because we soon realized the house was boarded up and vacant. We couldn't see a thing so we were literally snapping pictures in order to light up the woods to see where we were going. I slowly walked around to the right and Jimmy walked around to the left. Within a few seconds I heard Jimmy call out, "Hey Jim, come over here." He had walked around the house snapping pictures and when he looked at the LCD screen he noticed that there was a cluster of gravestones right before him. It wasn't a big cemetery but it had good number of old headstones and they were actually in pretty good shape.
There are quite a few of these forgotten cemeteries around Long Island and searching for them is half the fun. I included some of the pictures in this post, including the original picture of the small church / school building with the orbs from 4/29. We were always curious why orbs appeared in that picture. We attributed them to the haunted Davis property across the street but now we learn that the whole time there was also a hidden cemetery just a couple of hundred feet away. If you would like to hear more, and see more pics of The Davis Cemetery (including more orb shots and other anomalies), please visit our new Facebook page at J & J Paranormal. The Davis pics might not be up yet but they will be soon. I believe Jimmy may have already posted some of those pics through his regular site as well(Jimmy Reardon).
- This is the original pic from 4/29 of the small church (or schoolhouse). You can see at least two orbs floating about, One directly on the building and one that was cut off on the right edge of the pic.
- Here's a shot of Jimmy walking towards the vacant house, just before he discovered the cemetery. (6/3/11)
- Below are several pics of the forgotten, Davis Cemetery from our visit on 6/3/11.
- Below is a view from the other side of the cemetery looking back towards the house and path where we came in.
We walked around in the dark for quite a while looking for a dirt path or driveway as mentioned in our directions. We thought it was much further down the road from The Davis House. We entered the woods at several points which turned out to be dead ends or private property. We were going around fences, climbing over boards and walking through tall grass. It was already after 2:00AM so we decided to save it for another night. We walked back to the car, which was parked next to a little church (or schoolhouse) that almost looks fake. (It could be a replica or possibly a house that was moved from another location and rebuilt and restored here. Coincidentally we had passed this church several months ago and took a few pictures as we passed. To our surprise, when we looked at the pictures we discovered an orb or two floating around the building).
We continued walking towards the car but decided to walk just a little bit past the car just in case the path we were looking for was closer to the Davis House than we thought. As it turned out, there was a dirt path just like the one we were looking for almost directly across the street from the car! We walked down the path and noticed the silhouette of a small house directly ahead of us. We almost turned around but we hesitated because we soon realized the house was boarded up and vacant. We couldn't see a thing so we were literally snapping pictures in order to light up the woods to see where we were going. I slowly walked around to the right and Jimmy walked around to the left. Within a few seconds I heard Jimmy call out, "Hey Jim, come over here." He had walked around the house snapping pictures and when he looked at the LCD screen he noticed that there was a cluster of gravestones right before him. It wasn't a big cemetery but it had good number of old headstones and they were actually in pretty good shape.
There are quite a few of these forgotten cemeteries around Long Island and searching for them is half the fun. I included some of the pictures in this post, including the original picture of the small church / school building with the orbs from 4/29. We were always curious why orbs appeared in that picture. We attributed them to the haunted Davis property across the street but now we learn that the whole time there was also a hidden cemetery just a couple of hundred feet away. If you would like to hear more, and see more pics of The Davis Cemetery (including more orb shots and other anomalies), please visit our new Facebook page at J & J Paranormal. The Davis pics might not be up yet but they will be soon. I believe Jimmy may have already posted some of those pics through his regular site as well(Jimmy Reardon).
- This is the original pic from 4/29 of the small church (or schoolhouse). You can see at least two orbs floating about, One directly on the building and one that was cut off on the right edge of the pic.
- Here's a shot of Jimmy walking towards the vacant house, just before he discovered the cemetery. (6/3/11)
- Below are several pics of the forgotten, Davis Cemetery from our visit on 6/3/11.
- Below is a view from the other side of the cemetery looking back towards the house and path where we came in.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Uninvited Guests - Part 3
Long ago, before shows like T.A.P.S and Paranormal Investigators first premiered, My Friend Jimmy and I used to joke about becoming paranormal investigators and opening some type of paranormal service someday. At the time we were really only half serious and we laughed it off as a dream job or something like that. Lately Jimmy and I started hanging out again and to my surprise he had continued reading about ghosts, as did I, and he came up with a book of the most haunted cemeteries on Long Island, (Long Islands Most Haunted Cemeteries by Joseph Flammer & Diane Hill, 2010). We decided to try to visit each of these cemeteries. (Actually it was Jimmy’s idea but I was happy to be on board). I also know of a few haunted locations around Long Island from articles and books I have read so we decided to start checking them out. I decided to write about some of these places because some of the stories are really cool, and some of you might be as curious as we are about paranormal activity and might enjoy hearing about these experiences. If you want to visit any of these places I recommend going at night, when you can really get a good “feel” for the place. On the other hand you can plan a pretty nice day trip around some of these cemeteries as well. Most of us have hang-ups about hanging out with dead people (understandable) but you would be surprised how beautiful some of these places are. On the other hand, you might be surprised how creepy some of these places can get.
The Huntington Rural Cemetery on New York Avenue in Huntington, N.Y. is an extremely beautiful, well kept, quiet cemetery where a person can really go to relax, forever! The feeling here is one of peace and tranquility, a living, breathing person can go there to unwind and leave feeling refreshed and full of life. I don’t think there are too may restless spirits at Huntington Rural, but sometimes the most well groomed, quiet cemetery can transform into a much different place after dark. We have yet to return to Huntington Rural at night so until we go back and discover something different I will continue to hold it in high regard as a nice place to visit and maybe a nice place to visit again (in a box) someday.
Union Cemetery on Middle Country Road (Route 25) in Middle Island, N.Y. is somewhere on the other side of the scale. It is well kept and holds a lot of history but the feeling there is not quite so blissful. The twisted trees reach out in an eerie way and sometimes you would swear that one moved towards you. The headstones are old and weather beaten and many of them are broken. Some of them are so far gone that it’s impossible to tell who was buried there and when they were laid to rest. Local urban legend tells of a “woman in white” (who is actually naked but appears as a white apparition). The woman is normally seen hitchhiking along the road between the hours of two and three AM (the witching hour) but only to drivers who are alone and while there is no one else on the road. If the driver actually stops to assist the helpless woman, they soon realize that she disappeared and that they have just seen a ghost! Many legitimate paranormal investigators considered this story nothing more than folklore; that is until one night when TWO well respected ghost hunters from ESP (Eastern Suffolk Paranormal) both saw a ghost that looked very much like the elusive lady in white. They described their sighting as a woman wearing a long skirt. They both witnessed this woman standing by a tree (AKA: The Haunted Tree) as their camera flash lit up the night sky revealing the ghostly apparition. The first time Jimmy and I decided to go on a night trip we went to Union Cemetery. The night was damp and foggy, the air was thick and the feeling in the cemetery was one of restlessness. We entered the cemetery on the eastern side, closest to the older, historic part of the cemetery. We both had an anxious, uneasy feeling; besides possible spirits, we were also concerned about possible security. We walked quickly through the shadows snapping pictures as we walked. We weren’t thinking about how are pictures were going to turn out, we were thinking about running as fast as we could back to the car! The fog was thick in some parts of the cemetery and non-existent in others. We captured many unusual images that night but there was a heavy mist in the air which would ultimately make it difficult to differentiate between true anomalies and moisture effects in the air. That doesn’t mean that we didn’t capture anything interesting, the pics from that night speak for themselves. According to some paranormal investigators, the conditions were actually perfect for a sighting of the “Lady in White.” (You can view these pictures in my Facebook Profile, in the “April 23, 2011-Union/Midnight” album).
The cemetery that made us feel uneasy more than any other was definitely Lake Ronkonkoma Cemetery. This cemetery is located on the west side of Hawkins Avenue, about a quarter mile north of the “five corners,” across the street from “Joe’s.” When we first walked into Ronkonkoma Cemetery we didn’t think much of it because it’s on a very busy corner. At first glance it’s not what you would picture when you think of a haunted cemetery, but there are some very interesting stories of paranormal activity surrounding this cemetery so we were anxious to get in and start taking some pictures. Once I got to the back area I felt a little apprehensive. Even though the church and cemetery is on a relatively busy road, when I went into the back area I might as well have been in the middle of the woods. After a few clicks of the camera I glanced at the LCD screen and realized right away that I was capturing orbs and that this was an active location. Jimmy went off to explore the other side of the cemetery and to keep an eye out for any security guards who might not appreciate us taking pictures in the cemetery late at night. As I walked further into the back of the cemetery I started having camera problems, my pictures were coming out dark or completely black. I figured I must have inadvertently reset one of the settings or something but everything was set correctly. I tried turning the flash on high and re-adjusted the camera to allow more light in but it hardly made a difference. Objects that were very close to me were showing in the pictures but the darkness quickly engulfs everything else. I struggled with it for a few minutes and then decided to go back to the area where I originally started. I took another picture and noticed that the pictures were now coming out much too bright. I knew then that the camera was working properly and that the back lot of the cemetery had an unusual darkness that the camera’s flash could barely pierce. I didn’t like the feeling that I felt back there but overall it is what we were there for. I was curious and wanted to proceed, so I reluctantly walked back into the darkness. I can’t exactly explain the feeling I had back there but it was similar to feelings of loneliness and isolation. I continued to take pictures with limited success until my cell phone rang out and I nearly jumped out of my socks! I looked at my phone and saw that it was Jimmy calling? “Where are you?” he asked. I assumed that he was going to say something like, ‘stop taking so many pictures, the flash is drawing attention to you.’ In reality my flash wasn’t penetrating the darkness at all, he couldn’t even see it! He was calling because he didn’t know where I was! I thought to myself, "it’s time to get out of this place." I wanted to go back out to the front of the cemetery and discuss some of the things we were experiencing. We decided that it was time to move on. It was getting late and we still wanted to get over to the First Congregational Church, also in Ronkonkoma. As we pulled away I realized I had not taken a picture of the church. I pointed the camera out of the open car window and snapped a photo. Looking at the LCD I immediately realized I captured something odd. There was a hazy mist hovering over the church! I took another pic or two and off we went. I couldn’t wait to get home to see what I captured on that photo. The photo indeed had a large, ghostly swirl of mist that literally wrapped around the church. Other photos from this night show peculiar red mist, assorted orbs of different sizes and densities and even the unexplained dark mass.
Some people might think that it’s easy to capture orbs in pictures but in reality it’s not quite that simple. I spend almost as much time debunking photos as I do taking them. One night I took over two hundred pictures around my house and in the neighborhood and did not capture any orbs or anomalies. I take some pictures in cemeteries during the day and I’ll use the flash sometimes just to see if I will find an orb on the picture due to the flash or something like that. So far I have not been able to capture a daytime orb with or without the flash although professional paranormal investigators have captured orbs in daylight. When we capture an unusual anomaly we will note it and go back to the area where the picture was taken to see if we can determine what caused it. We have actually debunked quite a few anomalies. It’s important to always remain skeptical. Only when all other possibilities have been dismissed is there a true POSSIBILITY that an anomaly is genuine. A follow up to this post will be coming soon and will feature stories about some of our other interesting cemetery and haunted location visits, including The First Congregational Church.
Please feel free to visit any of the cemetery albums in my Facebook Profile.
Thanks for reading.
The Huntington Rural Cemetery on New York Avenue in Huntington, N.Y. is an extremely beautiful, well kept, quiet cemetery where a person can really go to relax, forever! The feeling here is one of peace and tranquility, a living, breathing person can go there to unwind and leave feeling refreshed and full of life. I don’t think there are too may restless spirits at Huntington Rural, but sometimes the most well groomed, quiet cemetery can transform into a much different place after dark. We have yet to return to Huntington Rural at night so until we go back and discover something different I will continue to hold it in high regard as a nice place to visit and maybe a nice place to visit again (in a box) someday.
Union Cemetery on Middle Country Road (Route 25) in Middle Island, N.Y. is somewhere on the other side of the scale. It is well kept and holds a lot of history but the feeling there is not quite so blissful. The twisted trees reach out in an eerie way and sometimes you would swear that one moved towards you. The headstones are old and weather beaten and many of them are broken. Some of them are so far gone that it’s impossible to tell who was buried there and when they were laid to rest. Local urban legend tells of a “woman in white” (who is actually naked but appears as a white apparition). The woman is normally seen hitchhiking along the road between the hours of two and three AM (the witching hour) but only to drivers who are alone and while there is no one else on the road. If the driver actually stops to assist the helpless woman, they soon realize that she disappeared and that they have just seen a ghost! Many legitimate paranormal investigators considered this story nothing more than folklore; that is until one night when TWO well respected ghost hunters from ESP (Eastern Suffolk Paranormal) both saw a ghost that looked very much like the elusive lady in white. They described their sighting as a woman wearing a long skirt. They both witnessed this woman standing by a tree (AKA: The Haunted Tree) as their camera flash lit up the night sky revealing the ghostly apparition. The first time Jimmy and I decided to go on a night trip we went to Union Cemetery. The night was damp and foggy, the air was thick and the feeling in the cemetery was one of restlessness. We entered the cemetery on the eastern side, closest to the older, historic part of the cemetery. We both had an anxious, uneasy feeling; besides possible spirits, we were also concerned about possible security. We walked quickly through the shadows snapping pictures as we walked. We weren’t thinking about how are pictures were going to turn out, we were thinking about running as fast as we could back to the car! The fog was thick in some parts of the cemetery and non-existent in others. We captured many unusual images that night but there was a heavy mist in the air which would ultimately make it difficult to differentiate between true anomalies and moisture effects in the air. That doesn’t mean that we didn’t capture anything interesting, the pics from that night speak for themselves. According to some paranormal investigators, the conditions were actually perfect for a sighting of the “Lady in White.” (You can view these pictures in my Facebook Profile, in the “April 23, 2011-Union/Midnight” album).
The cemetery that made us feel uneasy more than any other was definitely Lake Ronkonkoma Cemetery. This cemetery is located on the west side of Hawkins Avenue, about a quarter mile north of the “five corners,” across the street from “Joe’s.” When we first walked into Ronkonkoma Cemetery we didn’t think much of it because it’s on a very busy corner. At first glance it’s not what you would picture when you think of a haunted cemetery, but there are some very interesting stories of paranormal activity surrounding this cemetery so we were anxious to get in and start taking some pictures. Once I got to the back area I felt a little apprehensive. Even though the church and cemetery is on a relatively busy road, when I went into the back area I might as well have been in the middle of the woods. After a few clicks of the camera I glanced at the LCD screen and realized right away that I was capturing orbs and that this was an active location. Jimmy went off to explore the other side of the cemetery and to keep an eye out for any security guards who might not appreciate us taking pictures in the cemetery late at night. As I walked further into the back of the cemetery I started having camera problems, my pictures were coming out dark or completely black. I figured I must have inadvertently reset one of the settings or something but everything was set correctly. I tried turning the flash on high and re-adjusted the camera to allow more light in but it hardly made a difference. Objects that were very close to me were showing in the pictures but the darkness quickly engulfs everything else. I struggled with it for a few minutes and then decided to go back to the area where I originally started. I took another picture and noticed that the pictures were now coming out much too bright. I knew then that the camera was working properly and that the back lot of the cemetery had an unusual darkness that the camera’s flash could barely pierce. I didn’t like the feeling that I felt back there but overall it is what we were there for. I was curious and wanted to proceed, so I reluctantly walked back into the darkness. I can’t exactly explain the feeling I had back there but it was similar to feelings of loneliness and isolation. I continued to take pictures with limited success until my cell phone rang out and I nearly jumped out of my socks! I looked at my phone and saw that it was Jimmy calling? “Where are you?” he asked. I assumed that he was going to say something like, ‘stop taking so many pictures, the flash is drawing attention to you.’ In reality my flash wasn’t penetrating the darkness at all, he couldn’t even see it! He was calling because he didn’t know where I was! I thought to myself, "it’s time to get out of this place." I wanted to go back out to the front of the cemetery and discuss some of the things we were experiencing. We decided that it was time to move on. It was getting late and we still wanted to get over to the First Congregational Church, also in Ronkonkoma. As we pulled away I realized I had not taken a picture of the church. I pointed the camera out of the open car window and snapped a photo. Looking at the LCD I immediately realized I captured something odd. There was a hazy mist hovering over the church! I took another pic or two and off we went. I couldn’t wait to get home to see what I captured on that photo. The photo indeed had a large, ghostly swirl of mist that literally wrapped around the church. Other photos from this night show peculiar red mist, assorted orbs of different sizes and densities and even the unexplained dark mass.
Some people might think that it’s easy to capture orbs in pictures but in reality it’s not quite that simple. I spend almost as much time debunking photos as I do taking them. One night I took over two hundred pictures around my house and in the neighborhood and did not capture any orbs or anomalies. I take some pictures in cemeteries during the day and I’ll use the flash sometimes just to see if I will find an orb on the picture due to the flash or something like that. So far I have not been able to capture a daytime orb with or without the flash although professional paranormal investigators have captured orbs in daylight. When we capture an unusual anomaly we will note it and go back to the area where the picture was taken to see if we can determine what caused it. We have actually debunked quite a few anomalies. It’s important to always remain skeptical. Only when all other possibilities have been dismissed is there a true POSSIBILITY that an anomaly is genuine. A follow up to this post will be coming soon and will feature stories about some of our other interesting cemetery and haunted location visits, including The First Congregational Church.
Please feel free to visit any of the cemetery albums in my Facebook Profile.
Thanks for reading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)