What's In A Name?

What's In A Name ?

 

Jackson Purchase

The Jackson Purchase is a region in the state of Kentucky bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and Tennessee River to the east. Although technically part of Kentucky at its statehood in 1792, the land did not come under definitive U.S. control until 1818, when Andrew Jackson and Isaac Shelby purchased it from the Chickasaw Indians. Kentuckians generally call this region the Purchase. This purchase also included all of Tennessee west of the Tennessee River. In modern usage the term Jackson Purchase refers only to the Kentucky portion of the acquisition. The Tennessee region directly to the south is typically called West Tennessee.

Our original intent was to cover the eight counties that comprise the Jackson Purchase of Kentucky but we have since expanded our coverage area to Southern Illinois, Southeastern Missouri, Northwestern Tennessee, and pretty much the western half of Kentucky.

 

Paranormal

The word “paranormal” has been in the English language since at least 1920. It consists of two parts: para and normal. In most definitions of the word paranormal, it is described as anything that is beyond or contrary to what is deemed scientifically possible. The definition implies that the scientific explanation of the world around us is the 'normal' part of the word and 'para' makes up the above, beyond, beside, contrary, or against part of the meaning.

Thousands of stories relating to paranormal phenomena are found in popular culture, folklore, and the recollections of individual subjects. In contrast, the scientific community, as referenced in statements made by organizations such as the United States National Science Foundation, maintains that scientific evidence does not support a variety of beliefs that have been characterized as paranormal.

According to a survey conducted in October 2008 by the Associated Press and Ipsos, 34 percent of Americans say they believe in the existence of ghosts. Moreover, a Gallup poll conducted on June 6–8, 2005 showed that one-third (32%) of Americans believe that ghosts exist, with belief declining with age. Having surveyed three countries (the United States, Canada, and Great Britain), the poll also mentioned that more people believe in haunted houses than any of the other paranormal items tested, with 37% of Americans, 28% of Canadians, and 40% of Britons believing.

 

Investigations

The act or process of investigating; a careful search or examination in order to discover facts, etc. We are investigators ... we are NOT ghost hunters. We are not hunting anything or anybody. We are simply investigating the situation or circumstances presented  to us in order to come up with a logical and believable explanation, which sometimes is paranormal in nature.

As a group, we also prefer the word "spirit" as opposed to "ghost" as it is the "spirit" of the deceased individuals who have contacted us.

Saying Goodbye to 2013

2013 has been a banner year for the team at Jackson Purchase Paranormal Investigations. Investigations completed were as follows:

• Private Residential Investigation, Camden, TN, January 25, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Southeast Missouri, February 2, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Paducah, KY, March 23, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Hickory, KY, July 12, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Fancy Farm, KY, July 20, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Almo, KY, August 17, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Murray, Ky, August 30, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Paducah, KY, September 14, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Caneyville, KY, October 12, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Kuttawa, KY, October 17, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Almo, KY, October 26, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Gilbertsville, KY, November 2, 2013
• Private Residential Investigation, Goodlettsville, TN, November 9, 2013

We also added four new team members: Shannon, Tara, Miranda and Jason. We look for great things from the entire team as we get ready to head into 2014 and to our first investigation of the year, scheduled for January 4th in Sesser, IL.

 

No one was injured on any investigation, no one took "anything" home with them, the clients ALL seemed appreciative of what we did for them and, most importantly, we helped them understand what, if anything, was going on in their residence/surroundings, and we gave them the ability to take control of their surroundings, if necessary, and to coexist with the spirit world.

 

We didn't try much of anything new and exciting in the technology arena ... sometimes the tried and true are best: digital voice recorders, night vision cameras, SB7 spirit boxes, and the human mind with its' innate desire to always want to know the who, what, when, where and why, especially as it pertains to paranormal investigations.

 

Hopefully somewhere along the way we actually helped some of the spirits we came in contact with. We will probably never know for sure, but I would like to think we did and, I would like to think we made some friends in the spirit world as we went about our way.

 

In closing, I would like to wish a Happy New Year to all our clients and followers and, most especially, to the members of the team, for without you there would be no Jackson Purchase Paranormal Investigations.

The Singapore Theory

Just what is "The Singapore Theory?"

Most of the time, it's referred to as the "Theory of Familiarization" or Era Cues. Quite simply, the method involves trying to recreate the environment, or a part of the environment, of a specific era during an investigation in an attempt to stimulate paranormal activity.

The theory, in part, is based on familiarization, believing that if spirits occupying the location recognize the environment or something positive within it, they will become active and possibly show themselves in some form. The ultimate goal is for this theory to be so effective and stimulating that the end result is an apparition.

The method is usually put into action by playing music of different eras, or one exact era if you're focusing more on an individual situation (music has been more the focus of JPPI investigations using the Signpore Theory), while other approaches might be to recreate the environment visually or to dress the investigators in "period" clothing (a good example is havng the investigators dress in medical attire, e.g., scrubs and lab coats, when investigating an abandoned hospital or clinic).

In March of 2012 we investigated the famous Octagon Hall. We surmised that, since the building dates back to before the War Between The States and soldiers were indeed cared for and quite possibly died here, that the playing of the tune Dixie might be an ideal Era Cue - or application of the Singapore Theory - that could elicit a response.

Spirit Box - Octagon Hall Hospital Room - 3/30/2012 - Playing "Dixie"

 In review of the SB7 recording, you will hear the investigator ask "Was this song worth dying for?" This is followed by what is possibly three distinct responses, most notably the "YES" near the end of the recording.

Although not always practical, or even possible, the team at Jackson Purchase Paranormal Investigations tries to use some type of application of the Singapore Theory as often as we can in our investigations.

Pareidolia

Pareidolia (/pærɨˈdoʊliə/ parr-i-DOH-lee-ə) is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant, a form of apophenia. Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon or the Moon rabbit, and hearing hidden messages on records when played in reverse.

The word comes from the Greek words para (παρά, "beside, alongside, instead") in this context meaning something faulty, wrong, instead of; and the noun eidōlon (εἴδωλον "image, form, shape") the diminutive of eidos. Pareidolia is a type of apophenia, seeing patterns in random data.

Carl Sagan hypothesized that as a survival technique, human beings are "hard-wired" from birth to identify the human face. This allows people to use only minimal details to recognize faces from a distance and in poor visibility but can also lead them to interpret random images or patterns of light and shade as being faces. The evolutionary advantages of being able to discern friend from foe with split-second accuracy are numerous; prehistoric (and even modern) men and women who accidentally identify an enemy as a friend could face deadly consequences for this mistake. This is only one among many evolutionary pressures responsible for the development of the facial recognition capability of modern humans.

In the attached figure, a fellow investigator sees a woman holding a baby in the bottom window. Pareidolia or a real apparition?

July 4th Apparition ????

Hi there one and all! This is my first attempt at "blogging" so please be understanding as I stumble through the blogosphere.

I am the founder of Jackson Purchase Paranormal Investigations, located in Paducah, KY, and covering Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois, Northwestern Tennessee and Southeastern Missouri. We have been a team since early 2008 and this year has been a very busy year for us.

To elicit discussion on everyone's part, I will be posting findings from different investigations we have participated in, hoping to generate discussion and positive feedback.

The first picture was taken on July 4th, 2013. We were at my in-law's house letting the kids and grandkids light fireworks and I, as a good grandfather, was dutifully clicking away with my tripod mounted Pentax DSLR.

I took over twenty-five photos that night with this one being the only one that demonstrated anything "strange" (for lack of a better word). Note: We made positive no one was standing near the fountains when they went off, so it is highly improbable that this is someone standing nearby.

If you will notice the photo, there is a translucent figure standing to the left of the fountain. I personally can offer no reasonable explanation other than it is, in fact, the apparition of a spirit (I tend to dislike the word "ghost" preferring to use "spirit" instead).

It is worthy of noting, in my opinion, that 6 months prior to this we lost the Matriarch in my wife's side of the family (my mother-in-law). Is this her? There's absolutely no way to tell. Is this a spirit? I strongly believe it is.

Now it's your turn. What do you think?

Thanks for tuning in and hope to see you back here soon!!