In Wicca there is the concept of "solitary practitioner" this is someone who does not belong to a coven or other group but practices their religion and craft alone.
Recently, I've been finding more and more solitary practitioners of paranormal investigation. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with that, although I suppose it could get a bit unwieldy if called upon to investigate a large place. However, among those I've come across a few who aren't actually established as investigators or consultants.
These are folks who would like to have a group but can't quite seem to make a go of it for some reason. They will continually post messages and ads saying things like "Interested in Paranormal? I'm looking for members!"
In the meantime, in at least one of these cases I've noticed a person who has taken to "investigating" his own home over and over again. Hundreds of photos of everyday objects and dust that he is convinced now are spirits or demons.
This reeks of obsession (and not the demonic kind). Here is someone who originally had some minor concerns about paranormal activity in his home. He even contacted me once and I referred him to a local TAPS affiliate. He was quite obsessed with the very ordinary claims he had and within days of me providing him the information he had "joined" a group through Meet-up. Obviously, that fell apart and he decided to start his own group. With no training, background or firm grounding in paranormal studies he since has sought "members" and cases.
Weekly he posts calls for "cases" on a social networking site. Begging people to let him investigate their homes. Weekly, he posts angry messages about how someone was "jerking him around" or "using him" and I wonder if those are in response to messages or calls he receives.
In the meantime he photographs, videos, and records his own home daily. Amassing mounds of "evidence" that are simply wishful thinking and about which no seasoned group would think twice.
I am always concerned about people who believe they have an active haunting in their home going into paranormal research right away. It is very hard to maintain a proper attitude toward claims as well as a clear head on other matters when you are already sure your own home is haunted and are under stress from that fact.
I would strongly urge those who wish to get into this field and who believe their house is haunted to wait. Do not try to enter this field of research until your own issues are resolved either by moving to a new home, having a professional and scientific group get the to the bottom of the claims, or finding some natural cause yourself.
I know from experience that people who believe their home is haunted and who then travel to other places with reported phenomena are more likely to believe there is activity and identify too closely with the client thereby compromising the necessary professional objectivity.
There are exceptional people who can rise above and do exemplary work in this situation, but those people are quite rare.
I hope the gentleman on the social networking site eventually finds a solution for his haunted home, one way or the other. I also hope he has the good sense to stop "investigating" his own home and further freaking himself out over ordinary things. Then, if he still has interest once he realizes just how rare it is to get paranormal evidence on film, I hope he will do his best to join a professional and serious research organization and work his way up from the bottom through education and experience.
Only then would he be in a position to truly assist a client rather than potentially making the situation worse for everyone involved.
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2 comments:
Investigating your own home can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, if you believe it to be haunted you may only look at evidence supporting that. On the other hand, you know the place better than a stranger. You can tell what things are caused by house settling and everyday events, such as furnace ducts heating up, squeaky floorboards, etc. I may know of the person you're referring to, unless there happens to be others like him (and I'm sure there are). One such individual used his home experience to deem himself an investigator and start charging for private investigations.
As for people being "solitary practitioners", it's not always for bad reasons. There are a plethora of groups and organizations floating around out there. Sometimes, drama and politics becomes the prevailing drive and investigators prefer not to be wrapped up in the negativity. Often, these people float until they find a group that is inclusive of different people and accepts them for who they are as a human being.
The drive for evidence is tricky not only with lone investigators but the many groups around the world. Scrutinizing photographs seems to take a back seat to the desire for fame. It becomes less about investigating and more about "being the best" and "getting your name in lights".
You're right. We normally suggest that people don't try to investigate their own homes simply because most people, if they are inclined to debunk usually have done that well before contacting a group. Of course, when I say investigate I mean setting up video and audio and such and then trying to analyze it without understanding what you might catch that is artifact.
The fellow in question probably is known to you through the same site or another since we do frequent many of the same places. :)
As for solitary investigators I've known many who are wonderful and others who aren't so great. Of course the same is true of groups too. Recently, I had to review a number of sites for groups I was unfamiliar with due to an invitation to our group to join a cooperative exchange. Some were wonderful and others simply left me stunned at the lack of professionalism and follow through on investigations.
I think most groups go through a stage at some point where the road divides. Down one path lies true research and study and down the other lies the grasping for fame and fortune.
Certainly, my own group went through that at one point and has emerged now solidly on the road to research and becoming one of only a few groups doing long term study and analysis in order to uncover not only the nature of paranormal phenomena but also to validate or debunk the myriad "theories" that are handed down from group to group, book to book, and TV show to TV show with little if any supporting evidence. It's usually during these periods that much of the drama surfaces and those who are in it for thrills and fame usually take their leave.
But, my main point, and perhaps it was lost in my post was that people who are under stress because they believe they are experiencing a haunting probably are not suited at that time to become paranormal investigators and researchers. There are exceptions but as a rule of thumb I don't think it's a sound idea.
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