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NAVIGATION
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 EMF
Electric and magnetic fields (EMF) are invisible lines of force that surround any electrical device. Power lines, electrical wiring, and electrical equipment all produce EMF. There are many other sources of EMF as well. The focus of this discussion is on the basic understanding of EMF--that is, EMF associated with the generation, transmission, and use of electric power.
Electric fields are produced by voltage and increase in strength as the voltage increases. The electric field strength is measured in units of volts per meter (V/m). Magnetic fields result from the flow of current through wires or electrical devices and increase in strength as the current increases. Magnetic fields are measured in units of gauss (G) or tesla (T).
Electric fields are shielded or weakened by materials that conduct electricity--even materials that conduct poorly, including trees, buildings, and human skin. Magnetic fields, however, pass through most materials and are therefore more difficult to shield. Both electric fields and magnetic fields decrease rapidly as the distance from the source increases.
Most people consider "mind" to be all the conscious things that we are aware of. However this is not quite accurate. The majority of mental activity occurs without awareness. Actions such as peddling a bicycle or walking can become as automatic as breathing. The biggest puzzle in neuroscience is how the brain activity that we're aware of (consciousness) differs from the brain activity of all of those unconscious actions.
The human brain is a symphony of electromagnetic signals, but science has had trouble finding the conductor of the symphony. One of the problems that neurologists have with consciousness is called the binding problem. The best way to explain the binding problem is to use the analogy of a tree. A tree seems to contain thousands of leaves, all of which are contained on several branches. Neurobiology tells us that the information contained in the mind (all the leaves) is dissected and scattered among millions of widely separated neurons. The binding problem is encountered when science tries to explain where in the brain all those leaves are stuck together to form the conscious impression of a whole tree.
This is why ghost hunters look at EM fields. It is the basis of life itself (a great book on the subject that I'd recommend for ghost hunters is The Electromagnetic Origins of Life by Dr. Becker). The brain's EM field is the only possible thing that could survive bodily death.
So what happens at death? Using the first law of thermodynamics there are several possibilities. First, all that energy could transform into heat and bleed out of the skull. That would also mean no afterlife, much less any possibility for ghosts. Fortunately, there are other possibilities. The EM field could also change frequency or polarity. Interestingly enough there is some data out there that suggests that the mind goes into theta waves just before death, which gives us a possibility of ghosts. |
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 Although L-rods can be used to obtain the traditional Yes/No of a pendulum they are used mainly for finding:
Water, minerals and oil veins
Geopathic stress lines
The direction these veins or lines are flowing and/or their thickness
Lost objects
The measurement of someone's auric field or their individual chakras
Remember it is your intuition, not the rod doing the finding. They are just the indicators.
Holding and balancing the rods (the READY position)
Hold the rods firmly, but not too tightly, with the index finger down a half-inch or so from the top of the handles. If using rods without a sleeve, you need to hold them as loosely as possible while still maintaining the control and balance that will allow them to swing easily. With a rod in each hand, and the arms bent at a 90 degree angle, hold the rods pointing away from your body and parallel to the ground. The position resembles that of a gunslinger. To prevent the rods from swinging wildly hold the tips slightly down, about ½ to 1 inch, towards the ground. At first you may find the rods easier to stabilize if you bring your arms in close to your body with your elbows tucked against your waist.
Determining your 'Found Position'
First you must decide whether you want the rods to cross, i.e., make an X or to open wide, i.e., make a horizontal line, over the found item. Either method works but as I prefer the rods to open wide, (only because I can recognize an horizontal line more easily than I can determine if the cross is a perfect X) we'll use that as the 'found position' for the purposes of this article.
Walking with the L-rods
You need to tread softly as you walk, otherwise you will jar them out of their balanced position. It might help if you don't stare at the rods as you walk. Focus your attention slightly ahead of where you are stepping.
Focusing
What you are striving for is a relaxed, focused intent on the outcome you are looking for. It is important that one must not be emotionally attached to the outcome, or allow personal desires to get in the way. If so, your rational, everyday ego consciousness will likely over-ride your intuition. In the beginning it helps to speak your intentions out loud to your subconscious mind. As you perfect the technique you can say them silently; remember, you must be precise, specific, positive and affirmative.
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DIGITAL CAMERAS
I much prefer digital cameras to 35 mm as they are more versatile, cheaper to operate, more infrared sensitive (in general), and tend to be more portable. Below are some reviews of various models I have used:
1) Kodak DC4800 - This is my workhorse, and though this camera came out several years ago, it is still regarded as one of the best digital's ever made. While it isn't the most compact, there is an upside to the solidity and craftsmanship that went into it. The casing is formed like a conventional 35mm which makes is easy to hold. The optics and picture quality is superb, with settings enabling you to hit 3.2 MP in resolution which is plenty good enough for most paranormal work.
The downside's of the 4800 include a proprietary battery (they are getting hard to find), a shutter switch a little too close to the power switch so that it is possible to get confused and turn off the camera by accident when trying to take a shot, and a long cycle time between shots. It uses the old style Compact Flash card which is reasonably compact and cheap.
There are a LOT of bells and whistles on this thing, though the big plus of digital's is that you can play around with the settings without using up expensive film. There are some in the ghost hunting community that feel like digital cameras can't be considered for serious research, and while I disagree with them on most counts, I will have to take up that diatribe later. At the very least, the digital's are good for site documentation and establishing shots.
2) Fuji FinePix A303 - This is a pretty nice camera for the money, though it has been discontinued. I picked this one out for my Assistant Director and she's very happy with it. It goes up to 3.24 Megapixels as well with a 3 X optical zoom and an integral lens cover. Very compact as well and it uses the newer xD memory cards which are almost too small.
3) Fuji FinePix A200 - This is a very basic digital camera which I selected for a worker. It's rated at 2.0 MP, 2.5 X Zoom and it is very cheap: under $150 in most places. Have not used it in paranormal work, but so far it seems well suited for day to day use.
4) Sony Mavica - I've used these incredibly bulky cameras and I don't care for them, especially the older floppy disk models. I find the image quality to be rather poor, and using 1.44 MB floppy disks for storage is a ridiculous choice nowadays given the cheaper and smaller memory cards out there. With the newer cameras, they may be better, though I haven't tried one lately. More recent models use the proprietary Sony memory stick, which could be an advantage if you also use a Sony D-8 camera. (only thing they are good for is taking stills from the video) |
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 REMOTE "IR" THERMOMETER
Measure Infra-Red Heat from a Safe Distance!
Cold spots have been associated with paranormal activity since before there were modern ghost hunters. This pistol-grip meter (with laser pointer for pinpoint accuracy) will measure temperatures from -4º all the way up to 500ºF at a safe distance. Offers an amazing 3% accuracy and a resolution of 1ºF. Backlit LCD readout is easy to see, even in dim lighting. Use it to instantly measure the IR temperature of walkways, hallways, doorknobs, mirrors or anywhere you suspect some activity. |
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