The Beginner
If you have just opened the door to the huge world of the paranormal, then your mind is swimming with hundreds of questions, thoughts and ideas about how you will go about your ghost hunting adventures. The first thing you need to do if you aren't in a paranormal group already is to browse the internet for a listing of groups in your local area. Joining a group that is already established will help you get your feet wet and is the best way to get some experience under your belt. Many ghost hunting related websites have listings for each state and links to their individual websites as well.
If you already have some experience behind you and have gone on some ghost hunting excursions, then you know it isn't a simple as they make it look at times on Ghost Hunters It isn't as exciting as many people would imagine either!
Finding The Hot Spots
The number one talked about place for ghost hunting seems to be cemeteries. They are well known for being creepy places, associated with Halloween, ghosts, and goblins. Investigating at cemeteries can bring fantastic results, depending on which cemetery you are investigating and more importantly, the history behind it, the land, previous burials, etc. Cemeteries can be a good starting point because you don't have to worry about dealing with home owners or anyone who is afraid of paranormal activity they may be experiencing in their homes. Always get permission before you and your group (or even just friends) go snooping around a cemetery at night. Most cemeteries close at dusk and you can be ticketed by your local police after dark if they consider you to be trespassing. A good starting point for getting permission is the police department for the city where the cemetery resides. They can then point you in the right direction as far as who owns the cemetery, and who to ask for permission.
Once you get your feet wet for a while investigating cemeteries, you can move on to bigger and better things such as homes, historical sites and businesses.
Some Basics
You don't need fancy equipment to get started as a ghost hunter. Some basics that you can use are cameras and audio recorders. You can use both 35 mm and digital cameras, and both are used by seasoned investigators. Cassette recorders and digital audio recorders are a very useful tool for capturing evps during investigations. Other great tools include paper and pen, for logging weather-related information such as temperature, humidity and moon phases, flashlights, extra batteries, and a carrying-case or fanny pack for putting your equipment in. You have to start somewhere, so don't worry about that fancy equipment just yet! The basic equipment can be just as effective when doing your research.
Research
It's always good to research the land, building or home that you are investigating. Spirits can be attached to the land just as much as they can be attached to homes or objects. Start out by doing some online searches on the land or building in Google or another search engine and see what you can dig up. If you need to do more extensive research, you can try genealogy websites like Rootsweb or Ancestry-they can be a wealth of valuable information.
Ghost hunting, like anything else, is something you learn by doing. You will make mistakes and learn as you go along. Each paranormal investigation that you take part in will help you become a better researcher, which will in turn help out the people you investigate for.
Lisa Hoskins - Lisa has been studying spiritual topics for over 15 years. She is also an active paranormal investigator and Founder/Director of a ...
