The most direct means of encountering the paranormal is through the use of the five senses. Ordinarily, because of the physical orientation of the senses, they block out far more signals than they bring to awareness.
The senses are often quite acute when danger is present, linking us to the instinctual world of our primal ancestors. Sensory data then seems intensified or heightened, even riveting.

It’s probable that at one time in human evolution what we think of as paranormal encounters were far more commonplace. The boundary between life and death, between the ordinary physical and the realms of spirit would have been far more permeable. This seems to be the case even now with psychically gifted people.  As our species chose more and more to literalize physical experience, granting it an independence that it does not possess (for all is energy,) the closely linked living energy field we share with all else became seemingly more dense, opaque and separate. We conceived a world of objects rather than an animate realm of interdepedent subjects.

Primal peoples around the world have generally maintained their intimacy with nature as a participant living framework. What we think of as heightened sensory abilities or psychic/intuitive awareness remain far more commonplace. There is no abrupt break or chasm between what we call the paranormal and the normal. Evidence suggests that most of us can extend the use of our senses and psychic awareness with some training in harnessing these natural abilities, for example through meditative or similar practices. Learning to explore the paranormal is also learning to know ourselves more, including a wide range of abilities we probably all possess that remain latent until called into service. The paranormal is certainly one trajectory for expanding our consciousness, and deserves our respect for that reason alone among many others.

Harry C. Stafford
Copyright 2010

THE ELUSIVE ORB

Orbs remain one of the most controversial of paranormal phenomena.  The fact that orbs have become a serious consideration for paranormal investigators only since the advent of the digital camera is suggestive in itself. After 10 years of almost nightly research I have witnessed innumerable orbs, at times appearing in large clusters. These can and do appear not only in reputedly haunted sites, but virtually anywhere.

The most obvious cause of orbs I have observed is moisture – rain, fog, and clouds of humidity, often visible to the naked eye. Orbs can and do frequently appear in great proliferation in these conditions, and all are in motion, sometimes with clear tails of light.

Most researchers assume also that a variety of microscopic particles found in the air around us, such as dust and pollen, can create the appearance of orbs. Insects can be mistaken for slightly amorphous orbs as well.

There are some simple rules-of-thumb for orbs that are useful, but hardly enjoy the status of cosmic laws:

1. The vast majorities – well over 90% — of orbs are clearly natural phenomena and have nothing to do with the paranormal.
2. The more orbs that appear, the more likely they are natural phenomena such as humidity, which of course can appear inside as well as outside.
3. Orbs in motion, especially those that appear to defy gravity, are more interesting, though air currents could conceivably carry orbs upward . . .
4. When orbs appear around conditions that do seem to indicate paranormal activity – such as high EMF spikes or measurable cold spots – they are more suggestive of paranormal origin. When effects known to be paranormal cluster and coincide it is always more suggestive . . .
5. Anecdotally, interesting orbs seem to show up more often around people who are having strong feelings or getting such readings, though the feeling criterion is obviously somewhat subjective. It’s interesting that on various occasions orbs have been observed on or around people and virtually nowhere else – something repeated that may not easily be explained by coincidence.

If most orbs are strictly natural phenomena, we can assume that will be established more firmly as evidence and demonstrations accumulate.

If there are paranormal orbs, what are they?  The simple answer is no one knows for sure. The orb or sphere is perhaps the simplest and most perfect form in nature. One cogent theory is that the orb may be a natural shape that is assumed by the disembodied energy essence of spirit. It may be a form in which spirit travels. I find this theory aesthetically appealing even if empirically uncertain. There is much still to be discovered about the ubiquitous orb.

INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCES

In assessing the authenticity of paranormal phenomena , collective sightings or experiences obviously carry more weight than those of a single person. This is a factor, but alone cannot determine what is valid.  Some individuals are more sensitive and open, whether in the sensory or intuitive mode.  This is a continuous variable, and has to be weighed with a number of other relevant considerations, such as a history of prior paranormal occurrences (preferably of which the present subject is unaware.) A single person may pick up what others are missing.

On the other hand, the fact that many people may interpret a collective event in the same way does not automatically establish that interpretation as true.  For example, many may witness an eclipse, but we know that – contrary to one mythical belief – the sun or moon has not actually been eaten by a cosmic demon.  The eclipse is an illusion caused by a unique alignment, how ever many people witness the same effect.  One person who understands this has a more accurate grasp than a thousand who do not.

Regardless of whether paranormal events are witnessed by one person or many, the question remains of how to interpret the occurrence, of what is its cause and meaning. This is where the real work of paranormal investigation begins. It is also where the education and background of the investigator plays a highly significant role. An example is understanding the role of cultural beliefs or psychological projection in both individual and collective perceptions.

© Harry C. Stafford, 2009

To learn more about the works of Dr. Stafford go to www.solnia.com