Mediums - Real or Phony?

[TheW0rld]

Don't know about mediums but since the discussion veered over to the ghost topic I can say that I have seen what I can't explain as anything else other than what we call a ghost. I used to live in a condo that was converted officer housing from days gone by. One night I hear this sound that sounded as if someone kicked or slammed a drawer on a metal desk that I had. I look over in the direction of what I heard and there was this shadow figure. It wasn't defined enough to tell if it had features but the posture it had and the way it had it's "head" positioned gave me the distinct impression that it was looking at me. I don't have any idea how it would actually see or perceive anything but it looked like dude was looking at me. I was freaked obviously. It stood there for a couple seconds and then turned and walked into a wall. I had been painting and remodeling the place and supposedly that can be a catalyst for activity, or so they tell me on all the paranormal shows. At any rate, I saw it. Don't know what it really was or is but i saw it.

[husker B-rent]

If you're too old to believe in Santa, you're probably too old to believe in ghosts.

 

That being said, let's pretend for a moment they are real and they are the "spirits" of people. It makes absolutely zero sense that they'd be wearing clothes.

prove it. prove they do not exist.

???

 

Prove they do.

 

It is a silly argument.

that was my point.

[husker B-rent]

riddle me this:

 

People have an energy to them. Correct?

 

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Correct?

 

So I ask you; when a person dies where does their energy go?

[The Dude]

riddle me this:

 

People have an energy to them. Correct?

 

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Correct?

 

So I ask you; when a person dies where does their energy go?

 

I think this sums it up nicely.

In fact, energy is not really a noun at all. Energy is a measurement of something's ability to perform work. Given this context, when spiritualists talk about your body's energy fields, they're really saying nothing that's even remotely meaningful.

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4002

[husker B-rent]

riddle me this:

 

People have an energy to them. Correct?

 

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Correct?

 

So I ask you; when a person dies where does their energy go?

 

I think this sums it up nicely.

In fact, energy is not really a noun at all. Energy is a measurement of something's ability to perform work. Given this context, when spiritualists talk about your body's energy fields, they're really saying nothing that's even remotely meaningful. Yet this kind of talk has become so pervasive in our society that the vast majority of Americans accept that energy exists as a self-contained force, floating around in glowing clouds, and can be commanded by spiritualist adepts to do just about anything.

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4002

what do you think makes your body work? surely you cant think that they just magically work without any help...

[The Dude]

But again, let's pretend for a minute this "energy" exists. It still makes no sense that these ghosts would be wearing clothes. Do their clothes have "energy" too?

[The Dude]

riddle me this:

 

People have an energy to them. Correct?

 

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Correct?

 

So I ask you; when a person dies where does their energy go?

 

I think this sums it up nicely.

In fact, energy is not really a noun at all. Energy is a measurement of something's ability to perform work. Given this context, when spiritualists talk about your body's energy fields, they're really saying nothing that's even remotely meaningful. Yet this kind of talk has become so pervasive in our society that the vast majority of Americans accept that energy exists as a self-contained force, floating around in glowing clouds, and can be commanded by spiritualist adepts to do just about anything.

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4002

what do you think makes your body work? surely you cant think that they just magically work without any help...

Hell I don't know, I'm not a biologist or physiologist or what have you. I'd venture to guess it has something to do with my circulatory system, muscular system, nervous system, ect.

[knapplc]

But again, let's pretend for a minute this "energy" exists. It still makes no sense that these ghosts would be wearing clothes. Do their clothes have "energy" too?

 

I've been using this argument for years. Thought I was reasonably clever for coming up with it. Turns out it's something that's been discussed for decades. Probably centuries.

[husker B-rent]

its hard to say why that would happen but i promise you that i have seen with my own eyes a man dressed in cowboy like clothing that was not actually there as a living human. call it a ghost or an image trapped in time or whatever you want but they do exist and while i cannot prove that, i did have 4 other people see the same thing as well as a man that had seen the same thing multiple times.

 

again i cant say because i do not know but maybe when the energy leaves the body it still has an attraction/attachment to the clothing and it takes what it can. theoretically the spirit is the energy associated with the body and the spirit has been engraved with your personality and therefore your clothing! i dont know!

 

another theory is that ghosts are merely imprinted in the image of time and have to be looked at just right to be seen and all they are is like a movie playing over and over again. but again who knows?!

[husker B-rent]

riddle me this:

 

People have an energy to them. Correct?

 

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Correct?

 

So I ask you; when a person dies where does their energy go?

 

I think this sums it up nicely.

In fact, energy is not really a noun at all. Energy is a measurement of something's ability to perform work. Given this context, when spiritualists talk about your body's energy fields, they're really saying nothing that's even remotely meaningful. Yet this kind of talk has become so pervasive in our society that the vast majority of Americans accept that energy exists as a self-contained force, floating around in glowing clouds, and can be commanded by spiritualist adepts to do just about anything.

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4002

what do you think makes your body work? surely you cant think that they just magically work without any help...

Hell I don't know, I'm not a biologist or physiologist or what have you. I'd venture to guess it has something to do with my circulatory system, muscular system, nervous system, ect.

but something has to make all of those systems work and it is generally accepted by those people you mention that there is something "energy" that makes them work, your heart doesnt just beat without something making it and your brain doesnt just tell it to beat without something telling it to. it has to start somewhere.

[The Dude]

its hard to say why that would happen but i promise you that i have seen with my own eyes a man dressed in cowboy like clothing that was not actually there as a living human. call it a ghost or an image trapped in time or whatever you want but they do exist and while i cannot prove that, i did have 4 other people see the same thing as well as a man that had seen the same thing multiple times.

 

again i cant say because i do not know but maybe when the energy leaves the body it still has an attraction/attachment to the clothing and it takes what it can. theoretically the spirit is the energy associated with the body and the spirit has been engraved with your personality and therefore your clothing! i dont know!

 

another theory is that ghosts are merely imprinted in the image of time and have to be looked at just right to be seen and all they are is like a movie playing over and over again. but again who knows?!

I guess since you promised I have no choice but to accept your anecdotal evidence.

[The Dude]

but something has to make all of those systems work and it is generally accepted by those people you mention that there is something "energy" that makes them work, your heart doesnt just beat without something making it and your brain doesnt just tell it to beat without something telling it to.

I believe it's called electricity.

[wildman]

its hard to say why that would happen but i promise you that i have seen with my own eyes a man dressed in cowboy like clothing that was not actually there as a living human. call it a ghost or an image trapped in time or whatever you want but they do exist and while i cannot prove that, i did have 4 other people see the same thing as well as a man that had seen the same thing multiple times. again i cant say because i do not know but maybe when the energy leaves the body it still has an attraction/attachment to the clothing and it takes what it can. theoretically the spirit is the energy associated with the body and the spirit has been engraved with your personality and therefore your clothing! i dont know! another theory is that ghosts are merely imprinted in the image of time and have to be looked at just right to be seen and all they are is like a movie playing over and over again. but again who knows?!

 

What you are describing is a residual ghost. About the only way to describe it is the same event happens over and over and over again and will never stop. There are also intelegent ghost these are the ones that know your there and can interact with you. Generally in the form of evps or sounds where you ask a question or say a demand and you get a response. Then there are poltergeist or demons these are the ones that are move violent where objects get thrown (have not witnessed this yet) or unexplained scratches form when they shouldn't (these I have witnessed before).

 

 

But again, let's pretend for a minute this "energy" exists. It still makes no sense that these ghosts would be wearing clothes. Do their clothes have "energy" too?

I've been using this argument for years. Thought I was reasonably clever for coming up with it. Turns out it's something that's been discussed for decades. Probably centuries.

 

I have no idea on how this happens nor am I going to come up with one probably any time soon without more research. But I believe the word energy is used because there has to be a way of describing it. If we used the word electricy, people will immediatly think of power lines in and around the house. But when the word energy is used people still know what your talking about because of phrases like, man when you walk into memorial stadium you can just feel the energy in the air.

[fro daddy]

There are wierd things that happen, and sometimes we have the darndest time explaining them. As I said above, the brain is a powerful thing. Alot of how we think/act/see things was imprited in us before you were even born. I read a study on believers and non believers a few years ago. A group of each where seperated and each individual was quickly shown an image. Some contained faces and words. Some did not. Across the board, believers reported more faces and words than were actually shown, and skeptics reported fewer faces and words than were actually shown. In other words, regardless of what was really there, your more likely to see if you believe, and less likely too if you dont. Believers may see things that are not there, and skeptics will not see things that are there.

 

 

I dont know what to think some times. I have 3 things I will share. Some may think its cool, I am sure others will think im crazy....

 

I had an old GF whos family claimed that her grandfather was always around, even though he had passed years earlier. They would talk about drastic changes in temp. and the scent of old spice that would come from no where. I thought nothing of it, cold spots and and old man neighbor who went alittle heavy on the cologne that day. I had been around when i had happened and nothing really felt wierd or out of place. However what got me later on in this story was, my GF moved away. We stayed together long distance for the summer and I would visit her. It happend in this new home too. And then at her aunts house. The same style of event, 3 seperate locations. I always thought that was extremely wierd.

 

The day my grandmother died will always stay with me. It was my mothers mom. She is the youngest of 3 kids. They all lived in the same area. My grandma had been sick for a year or so. She had slowly gotten worse and worse. She had been put into hospice about a week earlier. Its was a nice mid spring morning, sunny and warm. The family had been hurting over my GM and we were all in a bad place because of the amount of pain she was in. That morning my mom went for a walk. She says that she was over come with emotion and sat down on a bench. She prayed and was get telling her mom in her prayers that it was okay to go. She needed peace and that we all loved her very much. My mom said that she felt a calming and almost a chill over her. She said she felt like her mom was with her. She came back home to tell us that our GM had passed. 5 minutes after my mom told us, hospice called to give us the news. My mom told us the story after we asked how she knew before anyone had called.

 

I sometimes have daydreams that play like memories, only they are things that have never happened. I write down details about what I see in them. I have done this since i was little. Later on, days, weeks, months & sometimes years as i am going through my day I am hit with a chill and the scene plays back about a second ahead of real time. I am overcome with a feeling of deja vu. I have had this happen in small segments, or larger once close to a minute. I have been to and seen places that I have never visited and would not visit for months or years. The one that always struck me was the one where I meet my GF's mother for the first time. The dream scene had us walking up the stairs in a building, down the hall to an Apt, then into the entry way going into the living room. The thing is though, i had yet to even meet this person who would become my GF. I meet her 2 years later and after dating for a little while, we went to meet her mom. The things is though I didnt know my GF was the person in my dream. I had never seen her face. I didnt know until we entered the building. A building i have never been too, in a city i had never visited. I knew that apt # and the decor inside the home before we even made it to the hall from the stairs. I can not explain this and frankly it kinda freaks me out.

[knapplc]

The problem I have with most of these explanations is that they are external, i.e., outside the brain of the person "seeing" the thing. Too often people fail to take into account their own predilection for seeing/hearing these things, and the brain's ability to trick itself into sensing things that aren't really there.

 

Doesn't it strike you as odd that the kind of person who is most likely to find ghosts just so happens to be the kind of person who will go out looking for ghosts, yet those who do not believe in such things don't see them? I suppose the argument could be made that the people most likely to find a bear in the woods are people who go to the woods to find bears, but it's not the same thing - ghosts are reputed to exist among us, not "there" somewhere where only certain people go. If ghosts exist where humans currently exist, the good money is on more people seeing them than those who want to see them.