Why do we ghost hunt?

A lot of us want to know if there is intelligent life beyond death. After all, death is the greatest mystery. Plus you’ll get the chance to spend quality time with some very interesting people.

If you are considering going on your first ghost, here are some tips.

1. Never Go Alone

This should seem obvious. There are a lot of things that could go wrong when you are wandering around in the dark. You could fall and injure yourself. And, of course, there are dangerous things that often lurk in the night (and I’m not talking about spirits.) So always go with a friend or two. Plus, a group ghost hunt is just way more fun.

2. Choose Accessible Locations

It’s important that help be able to reach you if you do run into trouble. Always make sure that you have let friends know where you are going and when to expect you back. And while it might be tempting to jump that fence with the “No Trespassing” sign to do a bit of ghost detecting, the sheriff might have other ideas. Make sure your location is accessible, safe and that you have permission to be there.

3. Check It Out During The Day

Get a feel for the property when you can see well. If you have an EMF meter, you can do some base line sweeps. That way, if something is far different when you do your hunt you’ll know.

Also, when you are checking out the property during the day, make note of any potential dangers. Falling through that open hole in the 3rd floor can ruin your ghost hunt real fast. So become familiar with the property before you hunt at night.

4. Prepare Carefully

Research the history of the location and any reported paranormal activity. It may help you to zero in on a more active area, or the personal information you have may come in handy if a ghost is friendly and willing to answer a few questions.

Some people believe that ghosts have the ability to discharge batteries. So make sure all your devices are fully charged and take extra batteries with you.

Dress for the occasion. That skimpy dress and heels will look great at an upscale gathering, but a nice warm jacket and comfy shoes are going to be a lot more practical for ghost hunting.

5. Don’t be a jerk

You don’t like someone who has a bad attitude, so why would a spirit? Take your time and go in gently. If a spirit does engage with you, politely ask them if they can light up that meter, don’t command them to do it. And thank them if they do.

6. Talk To The Spirits

We believe that there are two types of hauntings, residual (where it’s just an energy playing itself back over and over on a loop) and intelligent (where a spirit has awareness and can interact.) When you are interacting with an intelligent spirit, begin by introducing yourself and then politely ask questions. Explain to them what tools you are using and how they can interact with you using them. And if they do interact, thank them.

7. Follow Your Instincts

Spirit suddenly moves you to take a picture, then take it (pun intended.) If you get a feeling that someone wants to talk to you, talk to them. If you get a sensation of a presence off to your left, pay attention to that.

And, for God sake, if you get a sudden feeling of intense discomfort or that you are not wanted there, then respect that and get out.

8. Leave the location as you found it

It’s okay to touch things, but don’t move them. And certainly don’t take any souvenirs home with you from your haunted adventure, other than your recordings, photos and great memories.

9. A few basic tools are good.

It’s easy to spend thousands of dollars on ghost hunting equipment. But you really don’t need to jump into the deep end if you are a novice. A basic EMF meter (measuring electromagnetic fields) and a basic digital voice recorder are fairly inexpensive. You’ll also want a good flashlight in your kit. Just these basic tools are enough to have a fun night of ghost hunting.

A point and shoot camera is good, but we all have that on our mobile phones these days. Plus your mobile phone may have some great ghost hunting apps that are very inexpensive. (Some of these are novelties, but some actually do have merit.)

10. HAVE FUN!