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If you’re familiar with my work, especially in ITC and specifically with spirit boxes, you know I believe we’re communicating with something. I’m not sure what this something is exactly. I’ll go along with whatever they call themselves — the dead, spirits, ghosts, demons, etc. — and call them that too, leading me to wonder: What are these things, really? But that’s a different discussion. If they referred to themselves as The Hammertoe People of the Nematode Galaxy, I’d respectfully refer to them accordingly. Ghost/spirit boxes are not universally accepted throughout the ghost world. That’s okay, because not every spirit box user believes ghosts are real. Maybe they’re an interdimensional phenomenon? Most people are not wrong in questioning the validity of responses from these devices. Is it all just oscillating heterodynes? I’d say a huge number of ghost box users will accept a lot of silly things as evidence. Just like a lot of paranormal enthusiasts, they want to believe so badly that the supernatural is real, the things they trust develop into a faith-based acceptance. Much like people getting excited over an EMF meter lighting up. How is that proof of a ghost? Because in reality it’s not, but theoretically it’s a possibility. For ITC experimenters who go deeper into spirit box work, there does seem to be an anomalous connection that develops between them and their devices. On a recent episode of Ghost Box Talk with Steve Hultay & Bruce Halliday, Bruce was pondering whether a ghost box is just a tool. He basically said he could loan a hammer to a person, and that person could use it to drive a nail the same as him. But if he loaned his personal ghost box to a person, he guarantees that person would not get the same level of communication through the device that he would. Regardless of your thoughts, there does seem to be a bit of personal imprinting with our individual devices. Some ITC folks won’t even allow others to physically touch their boxes because of this connection. Maybe the spirit in the spirit box is the commingling of our energies and intentions that opens wide for these responses to come through in spite of their origin? So regardless of the source — even if it’s just our own mental energy bridged to an electrical device — the communication exchange is at such a frequency of depth and intelligence that it can’t be explained away by spirit box doubters. Don’t agree? That’s okay. Spirit box users don’t agree on a lot of theories either. And that’s okay too. I like to think of this journey as ultimately a solo effort versus a team sport. We are all moving at our individual paces, and sure, there will be people on that path to encourage you, or to trip you on your face. But six years from now I may reflect on this moment and see I have grown in my perspectives toward the strange and weird — which brings us to the video I’m sharing with this post. Hopefully it’ll paint a picture of where I began with spirit box work leading to where I’ve landed currently in my understanding of the devices’ potential to facilitate communication with the unknown.

What makes people believe in anything? The usual answer would be that they have experienced it with their own five senses. Or perhaps they have been told something by someone they trust, or have read an authoritative book. But spiritual beliefs often are not derived from one of these sources. They are emotional passions that have found their way into the depths of our souls. Our inner senses or the reports of others may tell us if events are true, even if our western culture — a culture steeped in secular commercialism that can be flipped on its head the moment you’re confronted by an event that seems to defy rational explanation — suggests they are impossible. Often that’s the case when someone has an experience that is perceivably paranormal. Its impact may cause one to instinctively cower in fear and retreat per our primitive DNA coding that tells us to be afraid of what we can’t see in the dark. Or it may spark inspiration, like a person looking at Mt. Everest and feeling compelled to challenge it with a “Hey Mountain, it seems like a great idea to climb you!” Or your reaction to an unexplained event could be complete dismissal, denial being a common response. Most people don’t want a mental upheaval that’ll impose existential gymnastics. That prospect can be very unnerving and destructive to some psyches.

But for those who pick up the challenges presented by the unexplained — to pursue it — and it leads you to ghost hunting, you’ll find yourself in a whirlwind of egoistic wannabe TV celebrities, egoistic reality TV actors, silliness called evidence, false history, deceitful property owners, speculation and conjecture, people with mental health imbalances, cynical assholes, and lots of black T-shirts covered in graphic barf. You will also see amazing locations and learn of incredible history that more than likely would be forgotten if ghost stories weren’t attached to it. You’ll come across people who are crazy talented and intelligent; I mean brilliantly superity-duper smart. You’ll meet folks who seem to have supernatural senses and intuition beyond anything you’ve encountered. Most importantly, you’ll make some of the most gracious friends, friends who are so kind you’ll not judge their tacky black T-shirts. That’s ultimately what I think is most remarkable. I’m most grateful for friendships. It’s the living, not the dead, who have made this ride the most fulfilling so far.

In the immortal wisdom of Bill & Ted, be most excellent to each other.

~ Evel Ogilville