Confirmation Bias

There are so many photos available, especially on the Internet, depicting paranormal activity - such as apparitions, orbs, vortices, and the like - that it can be difficult to determine what they actually are. What makes it doubly more difficult is that conditions at the time of taking these photos may be unique and can't be repeated or emulated in normal circumstances. This is further compounded by things that are normally invisible to the naked eye are caught on film, so are only noticed after the photo has been taken.

Various news articles have shown the apparent figures of religious figures, such as Jesus, the Virgin Mary or Mother Teresa, resulting in a mass pilgrimage to view these holy icons imprinted in ordinary objects. This is where the paraidoliac constructs become really weird.

Click the image to see the original article.

According to a more recent article, the Asian newspaper, The Electric New Paper, Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, was released when a car accidentally crashed into it, splitting the old bark of the tree open. The monkey image apparently appeared around 3 September 2007 in Jurong West New Town, Singapore. Large crowds flocked to view and worship their Monkey God, and to place bunches of bananas and incense sticks at its "feet".

In other news articles, the "Virgin Mary" Toast was sold on eBay for $28,000 to Global Palace, an online casino. By the time the auction had closed, the sale had received over 1.7 million hits. Floridian Diane Duyser discovered the "face" burned into her piece of toast over ten years ago and claims that, during that time, it has never gone moldy and instead has brought her luck, including winning $70,000 at a nearby casino. While I don't actually see image of the Virgin Mary, I do see the face of an actress suspiciously resembling Rita Hayworth, yet if I look at it from a different angle I can see a monk, replete with his cowl. (The full article and image can be found on the BBC News.)

The Nun Bun

Another more infamous article was that of the "Nun Bun". This was an ordinary cinnamon bun that bore a striking resemblance to Mother Teresa, discovered by a customer in 1996 at the Bongo Java coffee shop in Nashville, Tennessee. It was subsequently preserved with shellac and placed in a glass frame. The owner quite clearly capitalized on its world-wide media popularity by selling "Nun Bun" T-shirts, prayer cards and mugs emblazoned with pictures of the anomalous cinnamon bun. But, in December 1996, it was apparently stolen and later turned up again in Seattle.

Parapsychology is not an exact science; it's more like a huge research project to determine the existence, nature and causes of paranormal and psychic phenomena. The golden rules for determining whether something in a photo is real or not are to view the anomalies shown objectively and to eliminate all other possibilities first. This includes dust motes, weather conditions, lighting, the type of camera being used and its shutter speed, and the location itself. Even with extensive studying, it is still difficult to know conclusively what these anomalies are because the person (or persons) analyzing the photos were not present at the exact moment that the photos were taken. Instead, they have to rely on other means - such as graphics programs or digital technology - to manipulate the images and extrapolate the "correct" data therefrom.

"Confirmation bias" is the tendency to search for or interpret new information in such a way that it either confirms or fits into one's preconceptions, leading to avoiding information and interpretations which contradict prior beliefs. Indeed, when photos contain unexplainable "extra" images, the original photographers sometimes tend to search for data that they can understand and recognize to explain what they know shouldn't be there. Once found, the mindset is fixated on the notion that it must be paranormal in nature, since they (the images) cannot be explained ordinarily, and no other explanation will deviate it from that notion.

Quite often people will suggest to others what they see in the photo and the brain will search for patterns it can identify or relate to until the same image has been rendered by it. A prime example of this is where a photograph of a wooded area reveals what appears to be a shadowy figure standing beyond the branches. The figure appears to be out of place, so the brain is naturally drawn to it and searches for any kind of pattern it can recognize, usually faces and other shapes. When one is identified, the photo is shared with others, who in turn search for the same set of patterns until the face or shape is seen by them, and a "ghost" is born.

This is known as "pareidolia", a part of "apophenia", which is finding images, shapes, patterns and sounds in random stimuli or meaningless data and making connections to recognizible shapes, such as faces. The term was coined by Klaus Conrad, in 1958, who defined it as an "unmotivated seeing of connections".

If I'm appearing as being cynical, then perhaps that's because I am. I've studied a lot of photographs in my lifetime, even rendered some of my own, performed experiments in order to try and emulate the same types of apparitions I've captured on my Polaroid and digital cameras. I'm not skeptical by any means; I just have a hard time seeing "famous" people in other people's food, or even my own food for that matter. That said, people are entitled to believe that they see Mother Teresa or their Monkey God in ordinary items - and I might even be able to see it myself - but I would still hesitate when saying for certain whether a face or shape is real or not simply because another person sees it. I would analyze it very carefully first before making any concrete conclusions either way.

That is my "confirmation bias".

Paranormal Collections #1 Video

This is my first attempt at a compilation video delving into the paranormal realms. If I had my way though it would contain much more information, including rendered impressions of the ghosts mentioned.

I may "tweak" this later and replace it here, or I may expand it. It's early days yet and this video is more like a tentative foray into movie making rather than a serious attempt. I guess that's how it'll stay right now.

What I'm ultimately wanting to do is make an short paranormal movie, based on a short story I wrote a while back, but have yet to finish the script conversion.

Happy Paranormal Easter

Happy Easter To All!

While Easter is a welcome vacation from the daily grind, filled with the joys of chocolate Easter eggs and fluffy pink bunnies, spirits remain active. We didn't do much today, since it's raining too hard. Instead, we sat down to a pleasant family meal.

There are countless reports of paranormal activity and sightings occurring on or around Easter Sunday. These are a few of them (with the focus on the UK, my "favorite" haunted country):

Incense Aromas

Location:Church House Inn, Broadhempston, Devon, UK
Type: Reoccurring Manifestation/Haunting
Date/Time: Easter and Christmas

Many guests have noticed, especially at Easter and Christmas, the sweet aromas of incense burning pervade some of the rooms of this historical inn. It is thought that long-dead monks continue their celebrations here, still ritually waving their incense burners, accounting for the mysterious smells.

The Black Abbot

Location: St. Mary's Church, Prestbury, Gloucestershire, UK
Type: Reoccurring Manifestation/Haunting
Date/Time: Easter, Christmas and All Saints Day

A hooded figure with his head bowed, always described as seeming to glide rather than walking, maintains the same route every year, usually appearing around Easter, Christmas and All Saints Day, and occasionally after funerals. He was often seen walking down the aisle of the church, in addition to one of the nearby cottages used as the vicarage, until both buildings were exorcised. Since then has only appeared in the Churchyard, and is often seen crossing the churchyard and disappearing through a wall in the High Street. He has also been sighted in other parts of the village, including the Plough Inn and the Reform Cottage, the garden of which was once a burial ground for monks.

The Charging Horseman

Location: The Plough Inn, Prestbury, Gloucestershire, UK
Type: Reoccurring Manifestation/Anniversary Haunting
Date/Time: Easter

The mystery figure of a horseman charging pellmell through the streets of Prestbury, especially through Shaw Green Lane and The Burgage, can be seen around Easter. It is said that he was a messenger on his way to Edward IV's campsite at Tewkesbury during the War of the Roses, but was killed by a Lancastrian arrow (around May 4, 1471), so never made it to his destination. To this day, he still carries the burden of delivering the message. (During roadworks, a skeleton was indeed found with an arrowhead embedded between the ribs.)

Easter Priest

Location: Holme Hale, Norfolk, UK
Type: Reoccurring Haunting/Anniversary Manifestation
Date/Time: Easter

In and around the Green Room, the ghost of a priest supposedly haunts the building. It is believed that the priest was killed on Good Friday by Cromwell's soldiers, hence the majority of sightings reported tend to occur during the Easter period.

<1-- MOLLY TAPE -->

Molly Tape

Location: The Castle Restaurant, Hurst, Berkshire, UK
Type: Reoccurring Haunting/Manifestation
Date/Time: Easter

In 1971, local news reported the appearance of a mystery woman, wandering down the road wearing little clothing, but she disappeared into a lane, as mysteriously as she had appeared. There have been few sightings of her since then, but locals claim she still appears occasionally around Easter. It is thought that the woman, Molly Tape, had a passionate love affair with a farmer named Dick Darval. Eventually, Dick rejected her after one of their romantic trysts and, in despair, she hanged herself in the lane. Her scantily clad spirit still haunts the location of her death.

Ghosts & Poltergeists Clips

This video shows some very intriguing, and compelling, clips of paranormal activity.

I must admit, however, that I'm skeptical of the poltergeist activity since it's so easy to manipulate objects using "parlor tricks". Tremors can open and close doors and cause furniture to move anomalously, but it cannot be certain from the clips alone if there were tremors at the time the clip was filmed.

In a future entry, I'll outline some of the more popular parlor tricks, especially common in séances during the era of Victorian Spiritualism.

Poltergeists - Part II

This entry was originally posted on the Paranormality blog, on 9 Nov 2008, but has been expanded for Paranormality Reincarnated.

Perhaps the most "famous" case of poltergeist activity is that of young Carol Ann Freeling. I'm speaking, of course, about the 1982 Steven Spielberg movie, Poltergeist, and its sequels, which almost everyone knows about. In the beginning, Carol Ann (played by Heather O'Rourke) has "imaginary friends", but then things become rather unpleasant after she hears voices coming from the television set. Dolls come to life, objects fly violently around the house, doors shut of their own accord, trees grab the children and the bedroom closet becomes a portal to the other side.

As with most poltergeist cases, the poltergeist needs an "agent" to activate, in this case young Carol Ann. Since the family has just moved into their new home in suburban California, she is adjusting to her new surroundings, her chemistry is changing; emotional and chemical changes are starting to occur in her body; her mind is still a child's, not yet fully developed, but she is old enough to recognize the changes in her surroundings. As she learns to adjust, these chemical and emotional changes play havoc on her system, causing conflicting signals and imbalances, which might inevitably result in latent psychokinetic abilities surfacing. She would be unaware that she was acting as agent, as in most cases. This is a factor in the movie sequels, where the poltergeist apparently follows her (and the family) wherever they go.

Throughout the movie, it becomes quite evident that Carol Ann is afraid as the frightening events unfold around her. Fear is the most powerful of all emotions and produces all kinds of additional chemical reactions in the body. The amygdala is considered as the "fear center" of the brain because when we feel threatened or fear something, it triggers responses in every other part of the brain. The hypothalamus, which controls basic drives - such as hunger or thirst - sends a signal that activates the sympathetic nervous system. This in turn releases hormones that allow the body to react to and deal with danger and emergency situations. Adrenaline or epinephrine is released, causing all kinds of reactive symptoms in the body, including increased heart rate, dilated eyes, sweaty palms and horripilation (goose bumps).

When certain changes occur within the body, the pituitary and pineal glands may also factor into the poltergeist equation. The pituitary gland is known as the "master gland" of the endocrine glands because it monitors hormones regulating bodily functions, including sleep, energy levels, metabolic rate and libido. Also affected is the pineal gland, located deep within the brain, controls biological rhythms (such as our internal clock) and produces melatonin, a substance that controls sleep cycles but also inhibits sexual maturement. Melatonin production increases at night, thereby increasing the likelihood of somnambulism (sleep-walking) and hallucinatory reactions to the surroundings through a kind of warped perception. When there is no release for pent-up emotions, especially fear, psychokinetic responses are more likely. The greater the fear, along with the super-charged chemicals in the body (adrenaline, serotonin, melatonin and endorphins), the greater the psychokinetic activity will be.

It's highly unlikely that Carol Ann would be sexually mature, since she is only five years old, but can still assume that, since she is forced to readjust to her new surroundings, her natural fears would prey on her mind.

At the start of the movie, a chair moves autonomously, and then Carol Ann is propelled across the floor. Some form of levitation is common during poltergeist activity, although usually only during sleep. Seeing her communicating to "spirits" via a static television set infers early on that she possesses underdeveloped mediumistic abilities.

It is conceivable, however, that some exterior "evil" force could be haunting the family. As the first Poltergeist movie progresses, it becomes evident that Carol Ann is not a just a poltergeist agent, responsible for psychokinetic activity, but rather an "object of desire" by a demon known only as The Beast. The reason this becomes important is mentioned in the second movie, Poltergeist II: The Other Side. It is revealed that the Freelings' house is built over a huge underground cavern, extending underneath the un-relocated graveyard from the first movie. Rev. Henry Kane, a power-hungry, egocentric utopian cult leader, orchestrated the mass suicide of his followers in the underground cavern in the early 1800s.

There are several reports (that I know of) where angered spirits have returned to wreak their revenge in the earthly plane. There are others where in life the spirit had had a life of nothing but negative experiences, so they have craved the innocence of youth or a family's deeply-bonded love. And more often than not, they will go to any lengths to acquire it. Other reports of heightened poltergeist activity are where houses have been built over graveyards or sacred Native American ground, thereby upsetting the spirits buried there.

While the majority of cases centers on a poltergeist agent, those few incidences (as portrayed in the Poltergeist trilogy), where something else might be responsible, is still largely unexplored. Ultimately, it is often very difficult to distinguish between psychokinesis and poltergeistry; there is a very fine line between them, it seems.

Poltergeists - Part I

This entry was originally posted on the Paranormality blog, on 8 Nov 2008, but has been expanded for Paranormality Reincarnated.

Whenever the word "poltergeist" is mentioned, our minds are automatically drawn to the eponymous movie (usually) and the horrifying events attached thereto. However, in life it doesn't really happen that way. There are incidences of high poltergeist activity, of course, but they are nowhere near as fanciful as the Hollywoodesque creative licenses portrayals.

According to The Free Dictionary, a poltergeist is "a ghost that manifests itself by noises, rappings, and the creation of disorder; a spirit believed to be responsible for noises and acts of mischief, such as throwing objects". Indeed, the word itself originates from the German poltern (to be noisy) and Geist (ghost), so it's a "noisy ghost" - aptly named.

The common symptoms attributed to poltergeist disturbances start out as harmless-seeming, often entertaining, anomalies. As time goes by, however, if the cause is still unresolved, the activity becomes increasingly more severe. It usually reaches the point where the targets' lives are in danger and some kind of physical injury or mental trauma can occur.

The commonest symptoms attributed to poltergeist activity are:

• Unexplained noises – knocks, bangs and footsteps.
• Moving objects – furniture sliding across the floor, objects flying through the air, and objects disappearing (apport) and reappearing (asport).
• Disembodied voices – spoken or whispered words and one or more people speaking in different languages (xenoglossia).
• Levitation – objects, beds and people raising into the air, and beds shaking violently.
• Electrical disturbances – lights turning on and off, failing power, electrical appliances failing, and, in some cases, electrocution.
• Other reported symptoms include unexplained dripping water, electrical appliances still functioning after being unplugged, hallucinations, mysterious figures appearing, extreme mood swings, random fires igniting, epileptic seizures, and anomalous writing on walls or mirrors.

Since poltergeist activity is often experienced by everyone, not just individuals, it is often thought that a poltergeist is an angry spirit haunting the location. However, a haunting usually occurs either as an "intelligent haunting" (spirits remaining after death and interacting with their surroundings) or a "residual haunting" (spirits reliving events as when they were alive). Poltergeist phenomena has been studied for decades and most parapsychologists now agree that poltergeists are psychokinetic manifestations. Poltergeist activity normally revolves around a single person - usually a pubescent girl - who acts as a catalyst (or agent) for these anomalous occurrences.

In my own studies, I have found the latter to be true. I have conducted a fair amount of research into the subject, including visiting homes supposedly haunted by poltergeists. In fact, based on my own findings, not necessarily those of "mainstream" parapsychology, around 95% of these cases involved a poltergeist agent, i.e. the person around whom poltergeist activity seems to revolve.

I've heard many stories where families move into a new home and the poltergeist activity begins and heightens, forcing them to move out of their home. But even then it seems to follow them and the family experiences the same kinds of phenomena as before, suggesting that one or more family members are psychokinetic conduits.

With the remaining 5%, the disturbances continued even after the "agent" had left the house, suggesting something else may be present. These types of haunting are not usually associated with a person, but rather with residual energies from past events and traumas, events, discarnate entities (ghosts and the like), and even in some cases "time phasing".

Poltergeists are often attributed to being "evil spirits", but in all of the research I've done over the years, I have yet to find one that is truly evil, if you subscribe to the notions of the Devil and demons. There may be some spirits that come close to being evil (by definition of the word), but their base emotion is nearly always a deep-seated anger, jealousy and other similar emotions, which has been carried over from life to beyond life.

We still don't know enough about the "Afterlife" to concretely conclude whether or not poltergeists are real, imagined or somewhere in between. We can, however, say for certain that something happens that cannot be explained normally.

Paranormal Weather

This entry is not strictly speaking about the paranormal, but the way our weather has been, it might as well be paranormal in nature. The weather been decidedly colder and snowier than usual. We had some more snow at the beginning of April, although none of it stuck for very long. This entire winter we had snow accumulating to 15 to 17.4 feet, which is the most that this area has received since 1968. In 1963, however, the snow started three days before Christmas and lasted until mid-March, but many of the old-timers around here do not remember it snowing in April.

Orange Snow

Orange snow in Russia

One consolation is that at least our snow was not orange, as it was in Russia in 2007. On February 2, 2007, oily, malodorous yellow and orange snow fell over an area of 1,500sq km (570sq miles), which included Omsk, Tomsk and Tyumen.

It was later determined that the snow was non-toxic, ruling out speculations about a rocket launch or a nuclear accident. The official cause of this colored snow is that dust and clay particles were blown into the atmosphere from a sandstorm in neighboring Kazakhstan. Environmentalists, however, counter-claim that it was due to industrial pollution, since the snow contained four times the normal quantities of acids, nitrates, and iron.

Watermelon Snow

Watermelon Snow

Or even pink snow.

In Sierra Nevada, California, snow lingering during summer (primarily at altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet) has some unusual properties. Snow compressed by boots leave a pinkish coloration behind, like watermelon pulp. It even has a distinct watermelon scent, giving its nickname "watermelon snow". Its cause is a species of algae, Chlamydomonas nivalis, which contains a "bright red carotenoid pigment in addition to chlorophyll" and is cryophilic (cold-loving), allowing it to thrive in freezing water. When the snow is compressed, the density of the red cells is increased and the color is heightened.

Source: NOAA's Unusual Snow Phenomena.



It's not unusual to have colored snow because dust, clay, soot and other particles can be swept up into the atmosphere and fall along with rain or snow. But I wonder how we would have reacted if we had awoken one morning to see orange- or pink-tinged snow lying on the ground.