Ghosts - research, evidence, and discussion.
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Features Archive:

2006 Archive:
The Winchester Mystery House - Ghost Chronicles
December 28, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Investigating Jane Doherty - Ghost Chronicles
December 20, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Shadow People - by Lee Prosser
December 16, 2006

Column - regular feature

The Westford Knight - Ghost Chronicles
December 15, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Haunted Real Estate by Richard Senate
December 13, 2006


Traditions Behind Christmas By Vince Wilson
December 8, 2006


The Haunted Dibbuk Box - Ghost Chronicles
December 6, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Have Ghosts? Will Travel: A Ghostgeek's Guide to the RMS Queen Mary By Jen Brown
December 4, 2006


Thanksgiving: A Day of Forgiveness - by Lee Prosser
December 1, 2006

Column - regular feature

America's Stonehenge - Ghost Chronicles
November 29, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Instrumental TransCommunication (ITC) - by Jeff Belanger
November 16, 2006


Ghost Hunt Seminar - Ghost Chronicles
November 15, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghost Photography: Orbs by Robbin Van Pelt
November 9, 2006


Pet Ghosts - Ghost Chronicles
November 6, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghosts Haunt the Inn by Richard Senate
November 3, 2006


Japanese Woman Artist - by Lee Prosser
November 1, 2006

Column - regular feature

The Ghosts of the Windham Restaurant - Ghost Chronicles
October 30, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Salem Witches - Ghost Chronicles
October 23, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Homan House, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: A Preliminary Report by John Sabol
October 20, 2006


What Does Halloween/Samhain Mean to You? - Compiled by Jeff Belanger
October 16, 2006


That is the Way of It - by Lee Prosser
October 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Fooling the Ghost Hunter by Richard Senate
October 11, 2006


Jack Kerouac - by Lee Prosser
October 2, 2006

Column - regular feature

Civil War Re-enactors and the Ghost Experience - by Jeff Belanger
September 15, 2006


Who Goes There in the Shadows? - by Lee Prosser
September 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Engagement and Data Analysis in Symmetrical Field Investigations by John Sabol
September 11, 2006


Occult Warfare by Richard Senate
September 6, 2006


Cats and Other Critters From Beyond the Grave - by Lee Prosser
September 1, 2006

Column - regular feature

Chicago's Strange Angles and Haunted Architecture by Ursula Bielski
August 25, 2006


I Have a Hunch: A Look at Psychics, Mediums, and Clairvoyants - by Jeff Belanger
August 16, 2006


Geof Gray-Cobb - by Lee Prosser
August 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Orbs: Have They Become that Boring? by Tuesday Miles
August 14, 2006


A Night on Char-Man Bridge by Richard Senate
August 7, 2006


Five Union Soldier Ghosts - by Lee Prosser
August 2, 2006

Column - regular feature

A Visit With Author and Witch Kala Trobe - Interview by Lee Prosser
July 26, 2006


Perceptual Stratigraphy: Making Sense of Ghostly Manifestations by John Sabol
July 24, 2006


The Trouble With Witches - by Lee Prosser
July 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

A Look at Our Haunted Lives - by Jeff Belanger
July 13, 2006


An Active Ghost Hunt at a Haunted Bed and Breakfast by Richard Senate
July 7, 2006


Lee Prosser, 1969 - by Lee Prosser
July 4, 2006

Column - regular feature

My Theory on Spirits by Edward L. Shanahan
June 28, 2006


Ethnoarchaeoghostology: A Humanistic-Scientific Approach to the Study of Haunt Phenomena by John Sabol
June 19, 2006


Christopher Isherwood & Lee Prosser in 1969 - by Lee Prosser
June 16, 2006

Column - regular feature

ESP, M&Ms, and Reality - by Jeff Belanger
June 15, 2006


A Duel on the Airwaves by Richard Senate
June 5, 2006


Marjorie Firestone and Her Dream Predictions - by Lee Prosser
June 1, 2006

Column - regular feature

Until Death Do Us Part? by Rick Hayes
May 31, 2006


Part Four: the Conclusion: Primrose Road - Adams St. Cemetery - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
May 22, 2006

Column - regular feature

Folklore, Folklore, Folklore with Dr. Michael Bell - interview by Jeff Belanger
May 16, 2006


Swami Chetanananda and Lee Prosser - by Lee Prosser
May 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Theatre, Sance, and the Ghost Script: Performances at Haunted Locations by John Sabol
May 5, 2006


Willard David Firestone and the River Ghost - by Lee Prosser
May 1, 2006

Column - regular feature

When the Spirits Held Sway at the White House by Richard Senate
April 25, 2006


Part Three: Investigation: Primrose Road - Adams St. Cemetery - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
April 20, 2006

Column - regular feature

Talking Reincarnation with Dr. John Gilbert - interview by Lee Prosser
April 17, 2006


Billy Bob Firestone and the Ghosts of Pythian Castle - by Lee Prosser
April 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Cryptobotany: the Search for Lost Plants by Richard Senate
April 7, 2006


The Mysteries of Druidry Book Excerpt Part 4 of 4 by Dr. Brendan Cathbad Myers
April 6, 2006


Vedanta and Durga - by Lee Prosser
April 2, 2006

Column - regular feature

The Mysteries of Druidry Book Excerpt Part 3 of 4 by Dr. Brendan Cathbad Myers
March 30, 2006


Ritual, Resonance, and Ghost Research: The Play in the Fields by John Sabol
March 27, 2006


The Mysteries of Druidry Book Excerpt Part 2 of 4 by Dr. Brendan Cathbad Myers
March 23, 2006


Celtic This, Druid That, Saint Patrick Hit Me With a Wiffle-Ball Bat - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
March 21, 2006

Column - regular feature

The Mysteries of Druidry Book Excerpt Part 1 of 4 by Dr. Brendan Cathbad Myers
March 16, 2006


Christopher Isherwood, Time Loops, and Ghosts - by Lee Prosser
March 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Druids - by Lee Prosser
March 3, 2006

Column - regular feature

Natural Selection and the Involution of the Gettysburg Ghosts by John Sabol
February 28, 2006


Part Two: Investigation: Primrose Road - Adams St. Cemetery - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
February 20, 2006

Column - regular feature

Lights, Camera... Action! by Brian Leffler
February 16, 2006


Divination and Geomancy - by Lee Prosser
February 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Spirit Messages from a Murderer by Richard Senate
February 8, 2006


The Ghosts of Springfield, Missouri - by Lee Prosser
February 3, 2006

Column - regular feature

The Ghost Storyteller: A Dinosaur Among Lemmings? by Charles J. Adams III
January 23, 2006


The Fools Journey: A Magickal Roadmap to Life - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
January 20, 2006

Column - regular feature

Tarot and Spiritual Alchemy - by Lee Prosser
January 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Demons from the Dark by Chip Coffey
January 9, 2006


Spooky - by Lee Prosser
January 3, 2006

Column - regular feature



July 13, 2006

A Look at Our Haunted Lives

By Jeff Belanger

Since I began writing about the supernatural almost 10 years ago, Ive had the pleasure of speaking with many hundreds of people about their brush with the unexplained. Ive learned that just about everyone has a ghost story -- something theyve either witnessed personally or a ghost experience they know about that has been told to them by someone close.

Ive been at parties where people find out what I do for a living and then laugh at me. The laughs dont bother me anymore, though, because I know from experience that in most cases those same people who laugh will pull me aside later and say, You know, there was this one thing that happened to me

With so many ghosts around, some ask if we even need the words supernatural or paranormal in our lexicon. If ghosts are as common as they appear to be from all of the recorded accounts, spirits must certainly be natural. Normal. While I understand this line of thinking, I also recognize that until 100% of the population accepts this phenomenon as reality, we need these words to describe those events that are beyond our understanding of everyday life. We should also remember that experiencing the supernatural is a very rare occurrence. The event is special, profound, life-changing. Im leery of those who claim to see spirits all of the time.

Ive been called a ghost hunter. I accept that term, though I go about this research a little differently than most of the investigators we see on TV with their myriad of gadgets and computer equipment. For me, my ghost hunting kit consists of four basic items I cant function without: a notebook, a pen, a hand-held tape recorder, and breath mints (because I talk to the living a lot more often than I speak with the dead). 

My tape recorder is my most prized piece of equipment because when Im speaking with a witness of a ghostly event, I want to concentrate on what they have to say. I want people comfortable that theyre having a conversation and theyre not being judged because of what they saw, heard, or even smelled. The most compelling evidence for the existence of ghosts is when you look into the eyes of someone who experienced them. They know what they saw, and theres conviction in their voices. When you speak with enough people, you can tell when someone is telling the truth.

Last year I embarked on a mission to document significant ghost encounters. My objective was to speak with people from many different walks of life and find out not only what supernatural phenomena they experienced, but how it has affected their lives. I wanted to present these encounters in the words of the witnesses, leaving the nuances and language of the conversations as intact as possible -- because this is how people talk. 

I also wanted to look closely at one of the most famous hauntings of all time: the Amityville, New York case from 1975. There have been many books and movies made based (often very loosely) on the events that happened to George Lutz and his family. Some claimed Lutz to be perpetrating a fraud. Others said the house on Ocean Avenue was home to something truly evil. To get the whole story, I spoke with George Lutz himself. We spent several hours going over everything that happened to him from the summer of 1975, right up until present day. Heres a short excerpt from George Lutz:

There were a number of times I would think a clock radio or something went off downstairs. I heard what I can only term as a marching band tuning up, and at one time it had sounded like they had rolled up the carpet there were so many footsteps down there. So much noise. And you go running downstairs to see what it is or what caused this, and you get to the landing halfway down and theres nothing, and the dog would be asleep. And he was a young black lab and theyre hyper -- they just dont sleep through stuff, they wake up

In May of 2006, George Lutz passed away unexpectedly. He was 59 years old. This interview was one of the last major interviews Mr. Lutz gave on his Amityville experiences. Im honored to be able to pass on his story in his words in Our Haunted Lives.

An accusation that often comes up in the discussion of the ghost experience is that this phenomenon is somehow against religion (particularly Christian scripture). Its worth noting that many witnesses perceive their ghost encounter as a religious experience. Heres a short excerpt from Rev. Father Scott E. Kingsbury:

God calls it sorcery and says divination is a sin and we shouldnt be doing this. In my experience, I didnt divine anything. I didnt hold a sance, I didnt grab a Ouija boardit just happened. Im not afraid of the spirit realm. St. Paul says we dont battle against flesh and blood, we battle against spirits, principalities, and powers of the air. Theyre out there. And some of them are not so benevolent, but greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world. I have no fear

Hollywood would like us to believe that ghosts only lurk in graveyards or old, abandoned houses, but experience tells us this simply isnt true. Ghosts can be in new homes, in open fields, in grocery stores, even in modern water facilities. I spoke with Jeff Revis who had an encounter while working the overnight shift at the local water plant.

That night that it all happened, I didn't take my dog. I was totally alone and I was sitting there behind the desk reading a book, and I knew in my gut that something was fixin to happen

One of the most significant types of ghost encounters involves seeing a recognizable person that you know to be dead. When the ghost is that of a relative, the encounter is even more powerful. For millennia people have reported being visited by the spirits of their parents, grandparents, and other kin. Imagine having the experience when youre only five years old. Thats what happened to young Sierra Gregoire after her Uncle Jimmy died.

It was around 10:30, and I woke up out of a dead sleep. I sat straight up and Uncle Jimmy was just sitting at the end of my bed, and I got really, really scared. I just went under the covers

Some of the people I spoke with had their ghost encounter within the last year or two. With others, their experience may have been decades in the past, but they still recall the details with amazing clarity because the event was so profound. 

Our Haunted Lives is a look at dozens of these very human experiences. Im humbled by the trust and faith that people have placed in me over the years in telling me of their experiences. In many ways, this book is a close look at my own life. These are the conversations I have regularly with people over the phone, at conferences and lectures, and even while out socially. Do I believe in ghosts? You bet! I have no doubt even though I have yet to come face-to-face with one.

Some may find this leap of faith illogical. But consider this: Ive also never seen the wind. Wind is invisible -- but I believe its there because Ive seen the trees sway under its force, and Ive felt the wind push against my skin. I believe in ghosts for the same reason that I believe in the wind -- Ive seen the effect and the effect is real.


Jeff Belanger founded Ghostvillage.com on October 31, 1999. Since then, Jeff has gone on to become an author and lecturer on all things supernatural.


2014 Haunted New England Wall Calendar by Jeff Belanger photography by Frank Grace
Check out the 2014 Haunted New England wall calendar by Jeff Belanger and photography by Frank Grace!


Paranormal Conferences and Lectures
Don't miss the following events and lectures:

Jeff Belanger and “The Bridgewater Triangle” at Dedham Community Theatre - April 6, 2014 9:00PM

The Spirits of the Mark Twain House - Hartford, Connecticut - April 12, 2014

Paracon Australia - East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia - May 10-12, 2014