The Understanding of Possession and Other Paranormal Phenomena. I was watching The Exorcism of Emily Rose and wondered how a Taoist, such as myself,

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1 Steinhardt 1 Jenn Steinhardt Professor Gaughran Advanced Composition 9 December 2008 The Understanding of Possession and Other Paranormal Phenomena I was watching The Exorcism of Emily Rose and wondered how a Taoist, such as myself, could believe in the paranormal, since ghosts and the like are publicized as being strictly tied to Catholicism. Certainly, I m not Catholic and suddenly I had an epiphany as to how paranormal activity worked and existed. Although I had a harder time justifying my theory on exorcism, I will still explain my rough thoughts. You don t have to be Catholic or Taoist to follow along. While I site Taoist principals, I believe even a skeptic will still have a tough time denying the possibilities of spirits at the end of my proposal. Now, often we link the supernatural with Christianity. Exorcisms are ritualized through the Catholic church, but what if Catholicism has nothing to do with the success of the ritual? I propose that the existence of the paranormal is based on sheer energy regardless of religion. I think exorcisms work because of the energy and conviction that comes from the priest. In this essay I will explain what research says and how I interpreted this research for understanding possession and other paranormal phenomena. First, let me define the difference between the supernatural and the paranormal. Paranormal, which we ll be reviewing here, is the unexplained. Supernatural occurrences are at the will of a deity. Second, let s distinguish what type of paranormal phenomena we re dealing with. I d like to clarify that I m discussing happenings such as spirits and hauntings and not big boot or UFO s. There are many theories on types of haunting and what are ghosts. Just

2 Steinhardt 2 as there are numerous theories, there are also a few tools that paranormal investigators use to determine if a residence or other location is haunted. My theory also regards the concept of energy. I think I will begin by explaining the basics of energy from a scientific and religious perspective before explaining the theories behind spirits and hauntings. Scientifically energy is neither created nor destroyed (Long). In Taoism, it s believed that death is the transformation of things. This quote from Chuang Tzu, a famous Taoist philosopher, explains that a person and all things have ch i, or energy. At death a person s ch i isn t destroyed, but it is rather transferred or transformed (Taoist Body). Let s get back to the scientific approach, but remember this for when we get deeper into the research. Energy comes in two types. There s kinetic energy, which is motion energy, and then there s potential energy, which is energy stored in matter (uwsp.edu). An example, from the Utah State Office of Education, of these two types of energy is if you stretch a rubber band then it gains potential energy and when you release the band it increases kinetic energy. Everyone and everything has some sort of energy. The idea of the aura is based on levels of the human energy field. There are seven levels, which are determined by density. Some Auras, charkas and their meaning (Image courtesy of Google)

3 Steinhardt 3 theories about spirits state that the ghosts of humans are the auric remains of the deceased. The dead are stripped to outer levels of the aura. The levels of the aura are: 1) Physical auric body - Physical sensations. Simple physical comfort, pleasure, health. 2) The etheric auric body - Emotions with respect to self. Self-acceptance and self love. 3) Vital auric body - Rational mind. To understand the situation in a clear, linear, rational way. 4) Astral (emotional) body - Relations with others. Loving interaction with friends and family. 5) Lower mental auric body - Divine will within. To align with the divine will within, to make commitment to speak and follow the truth. 6) Higher mental auric body - Divine love, and spiritual ecstasy. 7) Spiritual (intuitive) body - Divine mind, serenity. To be connected to divine mind and to understand the greater universal pattern (Aura). Now, getting back to the more accepted science, energy can also be transferred. An example of energy transfer is the rays of the sun warming the earth. Along the lines of energy transfer, there s something called thermal energy. This energy is the movement of molecules that make up the object. Supposedly everything has thermal energy, no matter how cold it is (What is Energy?). Thermometers or thermal camcorders measure thermal energy. Speaking of temperature readers, this leads us into the equipment paranormal investigators use to justify whether a location is haunted or not. Thermal camcorders are better than Thermal image from Google thermometers because the cameras capture objects and their thermal energy individually. A thermometer isn t specific enough

4 Steinhardt 4 to capture where energy is coming from, and it doesn t show where the energy is coming from. Often, on the show Ghost Hunters on the Sci-Fi channel, you ll see the image of a person through the thermal camcorder, but the investigative team may not always see something with the naked eye. Similarly, another piece of equipment for investigators is an Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) meter. Nearly everything emit[s] an electromagnetic field. Electrical appliances, like wires and fuse boxes, radiate high EMF readings as a part of their normal operation. Generally, paranormal readings are between 1.5 to 6 mg. The higher the reading then the likeliness of paranormal activity increases (Long). Research shows that most buildings tend to average between 0.2 to 2 mg (Williams 4). EMF readings should not be steady because this consistent reading may be artificially created (Long). To avoid misreadings of thermal camcorders, regular cameras, and EMF meters, investigators do their investigation with the lights off and with all utilities shut off. This is creatively titled a lights out investigation. The equipment tends to be more sensitive at night, too. Turning off lights avoids glares, which can be deceiving for evidence. Also widely accepted in the scientific community, electronic voice phenomena (EVP) is a human voice recorded onto a tape recorder, message machine, computer, or any other recordable device that is not heard during the time of recording, but is heard when the recording is played back. Lisa Butler, the director of the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena, explains: Electronic Voice Phenomena are not the same as direct voice, which is heard in the air and in séances, and is thought to originate from an ectoplasmic voice box created by a physical medium. EVP is not heard in real time, but is only heard when the recording is played back.

5 Steinhardt 5 Most EVP recordings run for about 1.5 to 2 seconds long. Supposedly it takes a lot of energy to produce these messages, so if there s a lengthier message then there will be more pauses between words and sentences (Butler 129, ). Please notice the tools used to find objective evidence focuses on energy. This conclusion may be because many of the types of hauntings are focused on energy. For example, Orbs exist basically as balls of energy. They increase their activity when another presence is near, and appear dense or brighter on film. A false orb would be transparent, and pale white or blue Probably a false orb Probably genuine orbs Images courtesy of Google (Long). Very often orbs are captured with cameras but it s very difficult to see the difference between a genuine and a false orb. The best way to capture an image of an orb would be with thermal imaging during a lights out investigation. Another common haunting is a residual haunting. These spirits won t interact with you and they probably don t even realize they re dead. Residual hauntings are often compared to a recording that is played again and again (Long). Although there s little evidence to justify residual hauntings, many investigators believe these replaying memories, so to speak, were times or a moment that were either very important, significant, or devastating for the person or thing. Now getting specific with terms, there are five key types of beings when it comes the paranormal: manifestation, ghost, nonhuman spirit, demon, and poltergeist. First, when an entity [is] trying to make itself appear in our world it is attempting to manifest itself. Entities exist mainly as energy with no physical form. Ghosts are spirits that also don t always know they re dead. Ghosts will interact with the living and are attached by something significant too. These spirits are human.

6 Steinhardt 6 Nonhuman hauntings are entities who were never human from the start. Example of this haunting would be angels or demons. This is very uncommon but tends to be very dramatic when this meeting happens. Demonic hauntings are usually more dramatic than any haunting and can be very dangerous. Demonic hauntings will tear families apart and thrive on those who are unstable, suffering from drug or emotional problems, and so on. The last type of haunting is from a poltergeist, which is German for noisy ghost (Long). Some theories suggest that poltergeists are demonic hauntings, while others suggest they re just regular ghosts who are more angry. In Taoist traditions there are orphan souls. They too have a desire for vengeance and may be deemed as poltergeists. Orphan souls are the spirits of those who have had untimely deaths. A book called Taoist Body explains: These are not correct spirits (cheng-hun), but become wandering, disinherited souls (kuhun) The cycle has been interrupted and the souls can no longer reenter it; they can neither pass on to the world of the dead nor be reabsorbed into the family matrix.[a] divine or religious intervention [is the] only way for them to escape their wretched condition. Spiritually, Taoism s goal is to become immortal, to achieve Tao, to have reached the deeper life. This is the afterlife for a Taoist to be in harmony with the universe (studyworld.com). Taoist Body further says: Transcendence is not the result of a spirit separated from matter, an external divine force given to the world, but spiritualization of ch i, of energy-matter itself. Cosmology teaches us there is nothing that is not matter and that matter cannot be distinguished from its substance, its energy.

7 Steinhardt 7 Now that we know what spirits are on a spiritual and scientific level, let s look into exorcisms. The purpose of an exorcism is to drive out a spirit from a living entity, humans or animal. During an exorcism, a priest isn t allowed to talk to the possessed person. In the movie, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, the priest tells everyone in the room during the exorcism that they will not be dealing with Emily that night. It s vitally important that no one tries to communicate with the demon except when they re repeating the words that the priest says. I think that this lack of communication with the demon requires great concentration and produces grand and pure energy since it s not mixing with the demon s energy. With the amount of concentration the demon cannot get in to mess up the energy they ve conjured. Items such as crosses and holy water hold great symbolic meaning. In Taoism, the priests use holy swords in their ritual. I ve explained in residual hauntings a spirit comes back to a place that has significant meaning to him or her. In mere theory, I believe if energy surrounds a residual haunting then powerful energy can surround items such as the cross or the holy water. With this said I also feel that any object of extreme significance will hold similar effects in terms of gathered energy. The cross and holy water has gathered years and years of meaning, passion, and, ultimately, energy. This gathering of meaning over the years is why we, particularly in western cultures, associate exorcisms with Catholicism. After researching what tools paranormal investigators use, what ghosts are, and how other traditions, namely Taoism, treat the paranormal, I feel comfortable in concluding that the paranormal is not exclusive to Christianity. Even if you re not Christian or Taoist, there s still significant data that suggests the existence of the paranormal. The types of hauntings are less definitive with science, but the idea of spirits in general is less easy to dismiss. Look again at the thermal image of the horse on page three. If you were looking at this field and saw nothing with

8 Steinhardt 8 the naked eye, but saw the horse on your thermal camcorder, then that d be rather definitive evidence.

9 Steinhardt 9 Work Cited Aura Color Meanings: About Auras and Aura Color Meanings November 2008 <reikifor-holostic-health.com>. Butler, Lisa. Electric Voice Phenomena As Evidence For Life After Death. Academy of Spirituality and Paranormal Studies, Inc. 2007: What is Energy? K-121 Energy Education Program. 3 November 2008 <uwsp.edu>. Long Island Paranormal Investigators November 2008 <liparanormalinvestigators.com>. Schipper, Kristofer. The Taoist Body. The Regentss of the University of California, Williams, Bryan, Wilson, Mike, and Ventola, Annalisa. Magnetic Fields and Haunting Phenomena: A Basic Primer For Paranormal Enthusiasts.