Well, I guess this would be the best place to share my first experience. I have always found ghosts and the paranormal interesting and I never knew why. Until I was 19, I had experiences that may or may not have been paranormal. I had gone to college and was renting a room from a couple in the pine barrens of New Jersey. One day I was coming out of the bathroom and saw someone standing at the end of the hall by the kitchen. I looked and was able to see through her then suddenly, she was gone in a blur towards the kitchen. I told the couple about it later that day and the woman asked me if it happened about 2:30. The shocked look on my face must have told her she was exactly right because she very simply stated "That was my mother. She used to go into the kitchen everyday about 2:30 for a beer. The room you are renting was hers." At least now I know why that room was always cold, I think she wanted her room back. Ever since then, many other things have happened that have kept me interested.

I can't really say what sparked my interest in the paranormal. I grew up watching Chiller and The Twilight Zone, but never really had any experience that I know of. However, as an adult, I have had a couple of experiences...

The first was a visit from my best friend, who had been killed in a car wreck several weeks earlier. After the accident I could feel his presence in all of my dreams, regardless of what they were about, although he never actually appeared.

Finally, I suppose when he thought I was ready, he appeared in one of the dreams. When I awoke, I felt as if I had spent an entire day with him, as we used to do before he moved away. I don't remember anything else except that he told me he had to go back but everything was going to be ok. I still see him on occasion...

My other experiences involve the house my parents now live in. They bought it from the estate of a relative, who had passed away in the house. Shortly after moving in, an old musical jewelry box of my mom's - which had not worked in many years - suddenly began to play. Normally, this would require winding up and the lid opened, but at this particular moment the box was atop a whatnot shelf and the lid closed.

My grandfather (mom's dad) also passed away there. One night, mom was having a fuss with the computer printer and finally gave up, saying "dad will fix it." Sure enough, next morning the print job was completed, although she had closed out the 'not-responding' print program and signed off the internet...

I've also seen shadows pass by at night when I lived there a few months after my wife and I had our first child. There was always a light on and almost always somebody awake somewhere in the house, but in these particular instances I would have seen anyone who walked through. I saw nothing but a shadow...

So those are my stories, at least for now. Sorry about the length!

KDogg

At first I was more scared than interested, because my first experiences started when I was around 5years old. I shared a room with my sister, right across the hallway from my parents room. The hallway light was always left on for us, so we knew it could'nt be shadows we were seeing. We could see dark shrouded figures going into our parents room, which would eventually come into our room and stand at the foot of our bed.
My next experience was at my Grandparents house, while my cousins and I were hiding in the upstairs bathroom closet playing hide and go seek. I felt someone grab my shoulder and I yelled to however did it to stop. There was no one in back of me, they were in the front of the closet. Since then, they all have felt the grab or been tapped. While I stayed there attending college, in an upstairs bedroom, I would hear someone coming up the stairs, then sit at the end of my bed. It even turned off my fan one night when it got off my bed, in which I ran downstairs to find my Grandparents sleeping.
During my childhood, my sisters and brother all felt the grabs and taps at my parents house. The most common was through the cushions of the couches. It would start as a vibration, that would poke you three times. When I was 16years old, I was baby sitting my 3 month old sister, and was laying on the floor with my head propped up against the couch, rocking her chair with my feet. Something tapped me three hard taps from under the couch. I was out of there with my sister in no time flat!
The most extreme experience was when I was 20years old and I moved home to Iowa after I lived in Boulder Co. My other sister(just afew years younger than I) came to Boulder to help me move. There had been a search for a liitle boy, named Michael Manning. They found him dead in the mountains the day we left for Iowa, his mother had killed him. When we got home, and were going to bed, my 4year old little sister wanted to sleep with us. She sat up after a while and started talking to someone in the closet. When we asked her who it was she kept saying, "Michael Man,Michael Man" then she was telling him it was ok, and started waving good-bye to him, until she was waving at the ceiling.By then we were all screaming for mom and dad. Those are just a few of the expriences that started my research in the paranormal and hauntings. Since then, I've had many more!

Cindy: i just read your story. i was shocked actually. i have been finding sand on my bed, i thought it was grandkids, but they havent been around for a few weeks. then i decided it was plaster. ive now given my ghost a name hes now called sandy. i live in southeast ohio, so no sand to speak of around here. but i have been to a lot of the carribean islands, and one escuse i had for the sand was pulling stuff out of my suitcase or something. then i read your post. what have u found out and do u still have the sand problem? i took a cruise and one stop was at the domician republic where i bought a lot of lorimar stone, and now wonder if i didnt bring home a spirt.

[ November 28, 2004, 08:27 AM: Message edited by: KellKell ]

Linda, We had the one incidence of sand in our kitchen at our old house and then after we moved here, my brother finding a pocketful of it after a nap. Nothing since then and we've never found an explanation. Both times it happened, we had not been anywhere near sand.

I'm thinking the gods are just telling me to move down south and get out of cold, snowy Ohio I will be sure to post if anymore sand shows up.

Make that 3 for the sand. We find it in our bed all the time. At first, we thought it was coming out of the kids shoes when they came home from daycare. They have been out of school the past 2 weeks due to being sick and I have changed the sheets on our bed and yet, the sand is still there. I cleaned out the kids shoes everyday when they came home from school and yet the other day when I went to take them to the doctors', I had to dump sand out of each of their left shoes...

I don't think I really had a choice about the paranormal...My mom's sister, my aunt, has lived with my mom and dad for over 40 years- she, like many in our family, worked for the airlines- so she travelled extensively, and didn't want to maintain a home. She never married, so she stayed even after she retired- she and my mom still live together, although my dad is deceased. Anyway, my aunt is nuts for anything weird or unexplained- as a very young child, probably 8 or so, I would accompany her to haunted houses in the area, and spend the night. We heard alot of strange things, and had some strange things happen, but we never saw an apparition on these ventures.
I stuck with it- and eventually made it a fairly extensive hobby. I own a huge collection of PN investigating equipment, and frequently spend time in haunted locales, taking pictures and EVP's etc. I even stayed in a haunted castle in East Germany back in '87 or so. The castle was built by an ancestor of mine- but after that night, I don't claim him. I'm not sure if I believe in demons or not- it's hard to differentiate, people can be quite evil without any help from Satan...but if demons exist, one lives in that castle. I've gotten the...heebeejeebies...before, but I was more afraid that night than I had ever been, or have ever been since. This, coming from a guy who spent 8 years as a narcotics cop in San Antonio, and who thinks unlimited aerobatics and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes is just good fun! I was so frightened I would gladly have walked back to the US.
Still, that didn't dampen my interest- in over 25 years of searching, I've only found one place that really frightened me, so I figure the odds are in my favor. I can guarantee that if I feel what I felt in that castle anywhere else, though- I'm gone. There will be a clap of thunder, the sound of the air rushing in to fill the space I just vacated.
I have learned a great deal about photgraphing spooks- if you'd like tips, I'm happy to share what I know. There's really no great trick- use fast film, at least 400, although I prefer 800- any faster and you get grainy photos. A flash is fine, but be aware of reflective surfaces in the area that could give you a false positive...and believe it or not, ASK. I have taken a picture, gotten nothing, then asked the entity to reveal himself and if he minded if I took his picture- and gotten an orb, or some other form. This happens quite often. One more thing that seems to help, although I don't know why...take your camera empty- no film. Walk around the site for awhile, say 15-20 minutes, then load the film while you ask permission. I discovered this by accident, and I have heard this same tip from numerous PN investigators, too...beats me, but it works. Maybe they have to get used to the idea...It's hard to stay agnostic and open about spirits when things like this happen consistently!
If I had to pick one single thing that helps me get results, it's just that- talk to the entity. You'll probably feel silly at first, or at least I did..but you get used to it. Especially after the talking yields results- I don't pretend to understand WHY this works, but it's so hard to argue with repeatable phenomenon!
Great topic- thanks!

Carpe Diem!

What made me interested in the Paranormal.... I don't think I really had a choice. Ever since I was young, I can remember strange things happening to me. Of course as a child it was not really scary because I didn't understand it. The first kinda "BIG" thing that happened to me, was a man use to stand over my bed, and he'd watch me. HE was dressed in old sailor clothes. His staring would often wake me up... When it happened I had a hard time getting back to sleep, but eventually, I just told him to leave me alone, and I could go to sleep easily. From then it just continued. I am quite sure that my Dad was like this also, as well, as my Mom. Iit was just something that has always been in my life, and I try to learn about it and of course live with it. Even some of my very close friends seemed to be very much like me. For starters, my best friends Dad always had a knack for renting haunted houses. So of course because we were best friends we spent a lot of time at each others houses… I will tell you all some stories about that (if you care to read it). At one particular house, “things” happened, to everyone. Non-believers and the believers….

It certainly hasn’t always been easy. At this point in my life, I want to learn more so here I am. You are the first group that I found who are open-minded and willing to make comments and help. At one message board, that I attempted to learn more, the “psychic” told me that dreams are not worth interpreting. Of course to me that was a comment, that I felt was wrong… So that was my last post there.

Anyway, enough typing already! I am looking forward to posting some of my “experiences” in the near future.

Hi Jillybean:

I was wondering if you lived in an old house when you were young and saw the sailor? I'd very much like to hear more of your experiences. Feel free post them in Ghosts & Spirits. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be interested in reading about them. I've always been sensitive to the paranormal myself, and so has my mom. Thank you for sharing and looking forward to reading more.

Hugs,
Pate

Hello! Well yes, SavannahSilkie, the house that we lived in ALL of my childhood, was an old house. In fact, the whole town, was OLD. I am not exactly sure when the house was built, I will ask my Mom. My Dad, would probably, know more, but he has passed away.

Anyhow, I have had many experiences at that house, there are two that stands out in my mind… The first, which is kind of embarrassing, because I was using the bathroom. Hee, hee. So here I was sitting on the toilet, doing my deed. ( I was about 16 or so) To me the bathroom was always the freakiest place. I hated it. I always felt horrible in there; even my friends didn’t like it. Anyway, so I was sitting there and I felt something land on my shoulder. Of course I instantly, thought that it had to be a bug! (What else could it be?) I jumped up, wiping at my shoulder, try to get this “bug” off of me. When I stood up, I could see that there was no bug on me. (There was a mirror in front of me)... Then, the burning began. It was as if I had a hot iron set on my shoulder, I just kept wiping, trying to get whatever it was off of me… Then it just stopped. I looked in the mirror, there was no marks, no burns, no mysterious bug bites… But the pain was very real. That was one of the things to this day I cannot understand nor explain.

The second was when I was a young girl, maybe about 11 or 12. I was a cartoon freak. I rushed home everyday after school to watch my favorite TV shows. On this particular day, I came into the house, I turned the TV on and was mesmerized, then I heard footsteps, from upstairs. At first I thought that it was my sister or brother, and thought nothing of it. It originated from our rooms, and then started coming down the stairs. I heard the banister creak, then the footsteps as it came down the stairs. At this point, I was waiting to see who it was, my brother or sister, trying to scare me… The footsteps, stopped at the last step, and then I realized, that I should have seen someone! Because that last step was in full view! I jumped up off the couch and I ran out of the house. I was so scared… I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I stayed outside a few hours, too scared to go back in… Of course I knew that my Dad would be home soon and if he seen the TV on and no one watching it he would be upset. So I went back into the house, I stretched as far as I could, I turned the TV off and I was gone. I stayed at my neighbors until my Dad came home and I never told anyone about it for a while. I always wondered WHY WAS I THE ONLY ONE? My sister, or brother, never experienced these things….Until, a little later in their lives. I will probably tell you those stories too at some point in time.

=) I am very happy to be able to share them, especially with people who have had experiences as well!

Hiya Jillybean:

Maybe you were just more sensitive to them at the time. I'd like to hear more of your encounters. It would be interesting to know the history of the house you grew up in. I wonder if the man was an ancestor of yours, or perhaps he could have been a spirit guide. So many possibilities... Looking forward to hearing more.

Hugs,
Pate

I will try not to write a book . . .
Essentially, I grew up in a house that had a ghost, or it was "haunted". The house stood on property where a civil war skirmish had taken place in 1864. Our ghost was a soldier from that battle. I grew up thinking it was normal to experience ghosts in your home, and that everyone else did too. But I later discovered that was not the case, and I now consider myself fortunate, for it has made me a true believer and a more spiritual person.
My grandfather committed suicide, too. And I guess I always wondered what happened to him, you know, on the other side. The people who live in his house (where he died) claim that it is haunted. So I have a strong feeling that my own grandfather is earthbound, himself.

That is pretty much it. It is just my life, ghosts and the paranormal, something I have NEVER taken for granted.

Hi Kevin I became interested in the paranormal at a very young age. My grandmother told me stories about ghosts&vampires in Sicily. Her religion was catholic mixed with supersition. I have had many experiences with the paranormal and would love the chance to discus the with some one that believed me. Nedda12

Hi Nedda,

We'd love to hear some of your experiences. Please feel free to join us in chat Thursday evening in the chatroom at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. Not sure what time that is for you. The topic this week is, Share Your PN Experiences. Hope to see you there.

Hugs,
Pate

Don't realy know how it started, I just always had a thing for the PN.

Hello, I have had so many experiences, it isn't funny. My only gladness out of it all, is that there was always someone else with me witnessing some of the weird things. I mean we're talking ; mysterious creatures, blue lights that hop and chirp at the same time, red fog, blue flashes of light that are always the same neon blue color,
hearing things as well, sounds of toothbrushes falling in the bathroom sink, only to find nothing there. Loud scary breathing that seemed to be the whole house, whirling mists of black energy in the room, choking chemical smells , I mean I swear it goes on and on. My curiosity now,is that things seemed to have quieted down a lot. I havent heard or seen anything in a long time. Great thread topic. Peace !!

Hi kevin well what got me into the paranormal, was the movie the sixth sense ever since i saw that movie i got interested because I thought that boy had a real gift so i started reading about psycics and ghosts stories. REAL ghost stories and now i believe that spirits are always around us no matter what. I don't think that they are hear to hurt us i thibk they are hear to protect us or because they have unfinifhed buissness or are in denial of their death.

I have had a couple of paranormal expierences when i was young I have seen them and was not scared. but they didn't try and talk to me i tried to commmunicate with them myself. so yea the unknown is a weird thing. but interesting.

I've always been interested in the paranormal and the unexplained since I was a child. My teacher (5 years) and her husband died in a car crash on March 27th 1970; she came to me in my dream and told me that she will be looking after me for the rest of my life like my guarding angel. She was a teacher for a special hard of hearing class and that’s where I met my husband.

My husband was in grade 5 and I was in grade 1 in 1965. I visited her about once or every 2 years. After my honeymoon, I went to see her to tell her that I married my husband from our class. Your not going to believe this…I haven’t visit her in awhile but when I saw the date on her tombstone, I cried.….I got married on March 27th 1980….the same day 10 years earlier that she died. I totally forgot. I changed my wedding date twice, ended up getting married on my rehearsal night. (Problems with my divorced parents).

8 months later in my apartment, my husband went away for the weekend and I was alone. The Saturday night after I went to bed, around 2 in the morning I kinda woke up in a stupor and saw 2 old women talking at the end of my bed. I remembered saying hi to them and went back to sleep. Few minutes later I realize in my dream wondering why are they here and how they got in. I got up quickly and searched frantically all over my apartment for them and they were gone. Both front and balcony doors were locked. I swear they were there. I never saw them before but it felt, as I knew them. Since then I have not experience anything like that.

I now live in a house where my hubby grew up since he was 2. We bought his parents house in 82. Both of his parents died in this house. His father died in 76 while sleeping (massive stroke) and his mother died in the living room while I was resuscitation her in 96. (Aneurysm in the heart). My place is not haunted but I live next to the cemetery. My backyard faces a large cemetery. I also have a gate to go out through out the cemetery to take my dog for walks.

When I first moved into my house, it took me about a year to feel comfortable to go downstairs alone. You see, I saw the coffin sticking out of the ground over looking the cliff not to far from my place, which means the old coffins that don’t have the cement box moves over the years. I kept thinking the ones that buried in front of my back yard are already near my basement. I got over that fear but I’m not digging my back yard to find out!

I love living by the cemetery because it’s peaceful, less neighbors to worry about and enjoyed watching bats drinking out of my pool.

I love and wish to have some kind of experiences with the paranormal; I guess I’m wishing too much, they were avoiding me.

Howdy! Well, just like everyone else, I do not wish to write a book here, because I have had many experiences. My earliest memories (approx. age 3) were of a ghost. I remember my Aunt (Dad's youngest sister) was heavily into the supernatural. She gave me a pendulum when I was 6 or 7. The box said to hold the string and command the pendulum (in your mind) to move in a certain direction. It worked. However, I also remember it moving when noone was touching it.
I have had many more experiences of feeling and/or seeing things throughout my life. I'm sure that many people felt I was crazy, but I am quite sane. I had lot's of experiences at college. I attended Radford University, which is loaded with spirits. There was a girl living on the floor above mine who claimed to be a white witch. I made a point of meeting her when I heard this, and she and I got together a few times to "communicate". I ended this when things got out of control. Not the spirits, but the students. There were a couple of instances of objects moving and such, and suddenly every student in the dorm was messing with a Oui-Ja board. I did not like this, and felt that she was contributing to it, instead of trying to stop it. I commanded several spirits to leave, wiped the board clean, and this seemed to work. After that, I stopped all such actions at college. To many drunk/drugged kids messing around. I am guilty of that as well.
Well, I wrote a book anyway! Darn it! I'll finish (for now) with this. My family first arrived here in 1720, as endentured servants to the Rush family. Eventually, they settled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, outside of Roanoke. Actually, they founded the area. As you can imagine, "mountain folk" have many a strange tale to tell! I think this may be what sparked my interest.

Ok, well let me see, Ever since I can remember weird stuff seems to follow me around. Things that later became just a routine part of life. Sometimes I see shadows, it could be a sound , or even a feeling. My great-grandma's house is haunted always has been, and it seems to be like on some kind of paranormal fault or maybe it's just the family's "gifts" that bring them there. I have always had my "gift", and my g-grandma being Irish was always talking about it like it was just a normal way of life. When I was 13 she died. It hurt me and my sis very very much! So from then on I will dream of her telling me things, and sometimes when I visit the house we can hear her yell ( house belongs to my sis now) at us for being up too late, or cooking something wrong. So, I guess I got hot 'n' heavy for wanting to know as much as I could know about the paranormal. Now I am starting to get the gadjets and toys to take photos and try and catch EVP's. There's still a bunch of stuff I wanna learn and that's how I ended up here. I also, like to check out others experiences and pics/EVP's. So keep it all coming and I will too! Great Topic Kevin!