Are Orbs Proof of Life After Death?

You've seen orbs in photos, haven't you? – those iridescent blobs that some people think must be dust, bugs, or camera lens imperfections. Watch Orbs and Spirits and then let me know what you think, either here or in the comments section of the video.

Ghost Virgins

Are YOU a Ghost Virgin?

originally published October 12, 2010, on a site that no longer exists

A three-year-old girl walks out of her bedroom where her baby sister sleeps. Their mother is in the living room and wants to know why her little girl is not in bed. "There's a man in my closet," the child explains. 

The mother panics. They live on the south side of Chicago in an old dilapidated building that is in such disrepair that one day it will be demolished. She cannot just grab her daughter and leave – she has to rescue her baby.

The mother, her whole body trembling, grabs a knife with a serrated edge and tiptoes into the bedroom. She cautiously maneuvers her way to the closet and reaches out to it with the knife twitching in her hand. 

Her heart pounds in her chest and thumps in her ears. The door creaks slowly open and she adjusts her eyes to the darkness.

What she sees is – an empty closet – the man is not there. The likelihood that he jumped out of the window is slim. They are three levels up.

I don't remember that day. My mother does. Vividly. I was the three-year-old who claimed to have seen the man in my closet. Was it a dream – or was it a ghost?

Even before that experience, and especially after I experienced a ghostly presence one night as an adult (explained in this article, Touched By a Ghost – click the link if you want to read it), I have believed in ghosts. Never once did I discount the possibility that spirits existed, because once I discovered in a science class that energy never died, and that we all move, breathe, think, and exist due to energy, I have believed that a part of me – a part of all of us – never dies. http://bit.ly/1kLRovD

Because our spirits live on, who's to say that some of us don't continue to live – on Earth?

Even so, I know of several people who, at one time or another, did not believe in ghosts, among them some ghost hunters who run their own ghost hunting television programs. They didn't believe in ghosts – until – they encountered them. 

If you have never believed in ghosts and have never had experiences with ghosts, you are a ghost virgin. Oftentimes, not until somebody experiences ghosts do they become believers in ghosts. 

So many people disbelieve what they watch on ghost hunting programs, because they think the only reason these shows are on television is for the ratings. I understand how they feel. Sometimes those of us who view the programs barely detect the words the ghost hunters claim to hear, and the ghostly apparitions appear to be nothing more than smoke. 

With all of the digital alteration programs available, modifying videos is not only possible, it's probable. Why should anybody believe anything they see anymore?

Eager to hear or see proof, though, we tune in to these programs and listen carefully. We watch like hawks the images that appear before us. Like pregnant couples who attend the ultrasound of their first baby and stare at the monitor saying, "Yeah, I see it," then leave and cry in each other's arms because they didn't want to admit to the technician that they couldn't recognize their own baby, we cannot always decipher what appears before us. 

What would it take for you to believe in ghosts? A hand on your shoulder when you are alone? Whispering in your ear when nobody is near you? I have experienced both, and I guarantee you that just because you can't see spirits doesn't mean they aren't all around you. 

Until the day you first hear a ghost, see a ghost, smell a ghost, or feel a ghost, you will remain a ghost virgin. I'm sure some (if not most) of you would prefer it that way.

A Haunting in Beverly – I DO Believe In Ghosts – I DO, I DO!

In the Beverly neighborhood on Chicago's south side, old, massive homes line some of the streets in a spooky Halloween-type setting where tree branches look as if they might reach out to grab unsuspecting motorists and plunge them into depths unknown. One of those homes on one of those streets belonged to my friend, Clare. 

On the day I met her, I sat in front of her home for the first time, staring at the structure from inside my car. Something about the house caused my heart to palpitate and I felt instantly uncomfortable. The discomfort was so palpable, in fact, that I had to force myself to brush off my uneasiness just to make it up the sidewalk to the steps. With much trepidation, I climbed the stairs and tried to convince myself that my fearful perceptions sprouted only from my overactive imagination. 

"Want to see the rest of the house?" Clare asked after we drank tea at her dining room table.

No, not really, I wanted to say. But I accompanied her from room to room, anyway, the uneasiness following me with every creak on the floor and through every doorway. As Clare showed me around her spacious house with its giant rooms, she asked me if I wanted to see her basement. 

I didn't, but having never met her until that day, I didn't want to admit to her that basements have always frightened me. As I peered around the eerie underground space, I thought about Wes Craven. Was Clare's basement a model for his A Nightmare on Elm Street movies? Would I find Freddy Krueger lurking in the shadows? 

1984, the year I first met Clare, was the same year the first Nightmare movie appeared in theaters. Combining my feelings and observations with Clare's admission that she and her family shared their home with a ghost, I absolutely, with no hesitation, believed that a ghost lived in her home.

I met Clare through my oldest daughter, Keeley, who had been friends with three of Clare's children. Escaping the rants of her stepfather, Keeley moved in with Clare and had no apprehension at all about moving into Clare's home despite the fact that Clare AND her children had clearly stated that the house was haunted.

Unlike her mother, Keeley believed in nothing paranormal, so it was no wonder when, on her first night living in their home, she ignored admonitions not to intimidate the ghost – Keeley thought everybody was joking about him. 

Since Keeley was the only one tired enough to sleep that first night, everybody but Keeley remained downstairs. All of the bedrooms were upstairs, and if Keeley wanted to go upstairs by herself, she would be alone. Clare and her children were concerned about how Keeley would react if the ghost decided to appear to her in some form, so they reminded her again and again about the ghost.

In addition to the original Nightmare movie, Ghostbusters had also made its debut that same year, and after Clare and her children reminded Keeley again about their "houseghost" and asked once again if she would be OK going upstairs by herself, Keeley climbed the squeaky steps and flippantly remarked, "I'll be fine – if he bothers me, I'll just call the Ghostbusters." 

Clare and her children exchanged knowing glances, thinking her remark would be just enough to set off the ghost, and warned, "He's not going to like that," but Keeley was so certain that no ghostly activity whatsoever would occur, she dismissed their warnings, ascended the creaking stairs to the room they had assigned to her, and jumped on the bed, ready for a good night's sleep.  

Nonbelievers generally don't believe in ghosts until they experience their own ghostly encounters. Some former nonbelievers, after having had experiences with ghosts, now run their own ghost hunting companies. Some of them even televise their findings. Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel and Paranormal State that used to appear on A&E are two ghost hunting programs that come to mind. 

I sometimes wonder what would convince a nonbeliever of a ghost's authenticity, because while I have had my share of ghostly encounters (read Touched By a Ghost if you want to read about one of them), I have always believed in them.

Keeley, on the other hand, had never believed in them. So on her first night at Clare's house, after she had found her room and sat down on the bed, in less than a minute, one single event challenged every belief Keeley had ever held. Because in that minute, as she sat down on the bed, with Clare's family awake and only one floor below her, the bedside table lifted off the ground beside her, and hung in mid-air, rocking.

Something strange happens to the throat of a person who is frightened beyond comprehension – a voice chokes into silence and any attempt to make sound becomes thwarted. Though she tried to scream for help, no voice erupted;  though she tried to thrash her arms and legs around, no movement ensued.

Like the Cowardly Lion who holds his tail, closes his eyes, and cries, "I do believe in ghosts" (in the movie version of The Wizard of Oz), Keeley would now admit to believing in ghosts.

So what about you? Do you think that not believing in something means it doesn't exist, or are you open to the possibility that beings exist beyond our abilities to perceive them through any of our five physical senses and that they roam among us on this planet? If you don't believe in ghosts, what would it take to make a believer out of you?

Just wondering.

One more thing: consider the house's history when purchasing a home in any old neighborhood. Why? Because when Clare sold her house and I asked her if she told the new owners about the occupant she left behind, she responded, "Nobody told me when I moved in and nobody asked me when I sold it." 

I can tell you with certainty that if I ever move into an older home, I'll find out about its history BEFORE I move in.

Ghost Hunters – Have You Seen the Spirit of Resurrection Mary, the Phantom Hitchhiker?

(from the Magical Mysteries Collection – also previously published on Yahoo! Contributor Network, July 29, 2008, then posted on and removed from Persona Paper)

If you ever lived on or near the southwest side of Chicago, you probably heard about the phantom hitchhiker known as Resurrection Mary. The legendary blonde woman wears a long flowing white gown and walks the road near Resurrection Cemetery. Various websites list different addresses for the cemetery, but whitepages.com (as of July, 2008,) lists the location at 7200 Archer Rd. in Justice, Illinois.

Although numerous stories relate encounters with the woman, one story appears more often than others. Mary was supposedly born in the 1920s and loved to dance at the O'Henry Ballroom, later known as the Willowbrook. When she was in her teens, she left the ballroom after arguing with her boyfriend and walked home on a cold winter night. A driver passing her lost control of his or her vehicle, killed her, and left the scene of the accident.

Several years later, a man by the name of Jerry Palus, who frequented the ballroom, danced with a woman wearing a long flowing white gown. She barely spoke to him, but he offered to drive her home. After telling him her address, she entered his car and again became silent. On their way to her home, as they came upon Resurrection Cemetery, Mary asked to be let out. Before she waked away, she asked him not to follow her. As she approached the gates of the cemetery, Mary disappeared.

Other people, mostly men, have reported picking up a girl matching her description. Although she appears to be real, she is cold to the touch. One wonders how anyone, let alone hundreds of men, would want to dance with a living corpse. Does her beauty cause these dancing men an inability to tell the difference between a live woman and a dead one?

Jerry was apparently baffled by the experience, so he went to the address the next day only to discover that the girl he presumably picked up had died five years earlier.

Beyond the obvious ghostly inquiries, questions arise, not only because nobody has been able to ascertain exactly who the real Mary was, but why so many people claim to have seen her.

Over the years, other stories have been attributed to the apparition. In the 1970s area police received yet another call about a woman wearing a white dress who was locked inside the gates of the cemetery. Exploring the cemetery produced no woman, but evidence of something unusual appeared at the gate itself. Two of the bronze bars seemed to have been pried apart, and impressions of what looked like finger and palm prints appeared on the bars.

Whether or not she existed, nobody knows, but the mystery of Resurrection Mary prompts people to continue to search for her. She is one of Chicago's most famous ghosts. Devotees of the phantom lady wait in the early morning hours on days when the night's full moon lights the sky – awaiting the chance to give a ride to the lovely blonde lady wearing a long flowing gown.

A True Chicago Haunting – It's Halloween Every Day in a Haunted House – Buyer Beware

Previously published on Yahoo! Contributor Network

In 1985, long before the advent of cell phones, I returned home from work one night to discover that my (then) husband had kicked my fifteen-year-old daughter (oldest of four) out of the house for arguing with him about spending the night with a friend. The irony was that after finding nowhere to go, Keeley moved in with that friend's family the same night, a move that would prove to be immediately and truly supernatural.

After hearing about the argument, I allowed my daughter to live in their home, mostly because I didn't want to subject my daughter to a stepfather who so obviously abhorred her, but also because I was pursuing a divorce anyway.

Because the mom was a single parent with five children, I decided to award her some child support and I visited often. Before the argument, I had never met the family, but my daughter knew I would have allowed an overnight stay because I had often heard her speak fondly about them, and I would have met them when I picked her up.

Clare and I soon became very good friends. She and her children lived in a giant house in the Beverly area of Chicago and Clare had many teenage overnight visitors. To her, one additional child was merely a "what's one more?" minor inconvenience. To me, however, it was a big deal.

But rather than have my teenage daughter move back in with a man who so clearly disdained her, since I was already hatching my escape plan, I made it a point to get to know Clare. She truly enjoyed Keeley's company and convinced me that she would rather have my daughter live with her than with an unloving stepfather.

Upon first entering her home, however, my first thought was that it felt a little "creepy." I dismissed my thoughts and feelings while we drank herbal tea and talked at her dining room table. She put me at ease and then asked me if I wanted to see the rest of the house.

With trepidation, I followed her around like a frightened child. In the basement, my skin felt clammy and clenched tightly around my bones. My heart pounded so wildly in my chest, I felt as if I was facing my own death. I felt so uncomfortable underground, in fact, that I thought I was going to pass out. I must have looked like a Freddy Kruger victim entering a cellar in one of the Nightmare On Elm Street videos.

The second floor was no better, however, because as soon as I got to the top of the stairs I felt like running down them and out of the house as fast as I could. Never before had I been in a house that felt so scary, and never since. As somebody who has always been interested in paranormal activity, I have always believed in the possibility of ghosts, and have even had experiences with a couple of them (read Spirits of Ghosts - True Ghost Stories to find out about my true ghost experiences). http://paranormalminds.blogspot.com/2014/10/spirits-of-ghosts-true-ghost-stories.html

Because of my interest in all things metaphysical and paranormal, and because my daughter was in a rebellious phase, she believed in just the opposite of everything I believed - according to Keeley, ghosts did not exist, and everything "paranormal" was explainable. Mom was just plain weird, had a vivid imagination, or both.

The movie Ghost Busters had been released just the year before, and while Keeley looked upon paranormal activity as "stupid," her stay with Clare and Clare's children would challenge her beliefs and change them forever.

On her way up the stairs to sleep in the room the family had assigned to her on her first night in their house, everybody asked if she would be OK up there all by herself. In her usual nonchalant style, my daughter said, "Yeah, if he bothers me, I'll just call Ghost Busters."

All of them immediately became concerned and admonished her, "You shouldn't have said that. He's not going to like that you said that." She shrugged, brushed them off, and went upstairs.

Clare and her children experienced several incidents with the not-too-friendly ghost. One day, for example, as they all watched television, they saw a bicycle roll across the huge expanse of their hardwood living room floor, its pedals rotating as if somebody was riding it. Not wanting to admit to seeing what so clearly had to have been a hallucination, everybody ignored the phenomenon and nobody discussed the experience until much later when they compared notes and discovered that yes, they had all witnessed the same event.

On her first night at the house, after climbing the stairs to the second floor, Keeley sat down on the bed. The moment she lifted her feet from the floor, she watched the table next to her rise off the floor and hover for several seconds. Instant fear engulfed her, and she tried to scream, but her voice choked silent in her throat.

It was to be one of many such experiences that forever changed Keeley's view on paranormal activity.

Everybody, it seemed, learned to live with the ghost, but I remained terrified of it. Not long after Keeley moved in (the move was only temporary), the family sold the house and moved on. The night before the move, I dreamed I was helping Clare move. As would be my feeling in reality, I rushed to grab boxes and race out of the house. In this dream, however, as I grabbed a box and ran behind Clare, the doors slammed shut after Clare exited the house - I couldn't get out. So on my last day at the house, as Clare was moving boxes, I made sure I was the first one out of the house.

I later asked Clare if she had any qualms about leaving the house to people who knew nothing about the ghost, and she told me that nobody had mentioned any paranormal activity to her when she moved in - if the new owners had had any apprehension about purchasing a haunted house, they shouldn't have bought it in the first place. And besides, the ghost never actually hurt anybody.

Only one word entered my mind when she said that - YET! But maybe I've seen too many programs that deal with paranormal activity and ghosts.

Clare and I remain very close friends. I still wonder from time to time about the current owner(s) of the house, and possible subsequent owners after that. Were any of the homeowners aware of a presence in the home? If they weren't sensitive to things outside the bounds of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell, would it be possible to live with a real ghost and not know about it?

I never saw any scary spirits or ghostly apparitions in that house, and ghost hunters, if they were around back then, were unknown to me. I know with certainty, though, that I would never knowingly purchase a house I thought was haunted. To me, living in a haunted house would be like celebrating a fright-filled Halloween every single night.

But maybe a haunted Halloween-type experience is not an accurate assessment of a home that feels eerie. Maybe it's more a matter of positive and negative energy left behind by previous owners. Maybe the paranormal experiences we perceive to be in haunted toys, haunted music, or haunted houses signify our ability to feel the positive and negative effects of residual energy.

If you are thinking of buying a haunted house and if you are curious about how you might react to living in a supernatural environment - or even if you think you might be sensitive to positive and negative energy in a home you are considering purchasing - check out Cathy Montville's Buying a House? Research State Law or Live with that Ghost article before you buy. http://expertspages.com/2014/08/buying-a-house-research-your-states-law-or-live-with-that-ghost/

Happy House Haunting - I mean Hunting!

Grandma, Please Don’t Haunt Me When You Die

As a lover of anything paranormal, I frequently discuss – with anyone who will listen – such topics as life after death, hauntings, UFOs, ESP, or any of the other myriad paranormal subjects. A few weeks ago I was discussing spirits with one of my granddaughters, who is 9. She was curious about what would happen to her if I died, because we had previously discussed that when we die our spirits live on and though my body would be gone, my spirit would watch over her. Energy never dies, after all. 

Apparently, that discussion bothered her, because yesterday she said to me, “Grandma, please don’t haunt me down when you die.” Yes that’s how she said it – haunt me down – and then she added, “I don’t want you watching me all the time. It would scare me.” 

You see, she has already seen the ghost of an older woman in her home and that old woman frightened her. She doesn’t want me joining forces with the other old lady and stalking her in the afterlife. I had to promise her that I wouldn’t.

Interestingly, her 2-year-old sister told me last week, “There’s a ghost in my room.” The ghost must have crossed the hallway to visit her, but the younger one found her much more frightening. When I asked my granddaughter if the ghost was a boy ghost or a girl ghost, she didn’t respond. And when I asked her if she wanted to talk about it, she said, “No,” and walked away. She has awoken several times on different nights, screaming in terror and pointing at something we adults can’t see. Is it the same old woman her sister has seen?

What’s weird about this situation is that my daughter discovered, after purchasing the home with her husband, that a man had previously died in their home, so why would a woman be haunting them? I have no idea who the old lady is, but I think I’m going to have to discuss with my grandkids that “watching over” them isn’t the same as “watching” them.

Hopefully I won’t be dying any time soon, but I plan on checking up on all my loved ones when I’m gone. If you’re one of them and you’re reading this post, I promise not to scare you.

If you would like to read more from this author, please click Gallery.

A Ghost in My Home!

Earlier today, as I was in my kitchen gathering ingredients to make a smoothie, I heard a crash. Looking toward the sound of the crash, I noticed my tripod sitting on the floor. That tripod had been sitting on my dining room table since last night. I use the tripod so I can watch Netflix movies and old television shows on my iPad when I eat. Currently I'm watching Season 3 of Breaking Bad.

Since I am the only one home and I hadn't even turned on the blender yet, which previously never caused anything to fall off any surface, I wondered what could possibly have caused the tripod to jump off the table. It wasn't even sitting near the edge of the table.


When I looked at the time, I noticed it was 8:08 a.m. The number 8 was... (read the rest of the story HERE).

What is a Ghost Virgin?

If you've never seen a ghost, if you've never heard a ghost, if you've never smelled a ghost, you are a Ghost Virgin.

But if you're like many people, you won't believe in ghosts UNTIL you experience one. Want to read more? Click HERE.

And if you're interested in reading more by this blogger, click any of the following links:


Your Weird Dreams

Your Blog Connection

Help For Single Parents 

My Heart Blogs To You 

Writing Creatively

Paranormal Minds

Product Favorites

Theresa Wiza's Blog 

My Associated Content Articles

My Xomba Articles 

Thank you for visiting!

White House Selling Ghosts – CHEAP

Wanna buy a ghost? Who wouldn't, right? Imagine having your very own ghost! You could experience your very own haunting every night!

Like the movies, Casper and Beetle Juice, you could invite guests to party with you and your ghost. What fun! I can already hear you shouting, "Tell me more!"

Patience, readers. I will.

Here goes: you can BUY a ghost – CHEAP – from THE WHITE HOUSE! The WHITE HOUSE is selling ghosts! Unbelievable, right?

I'm not kidding. I read about it in an ad. It's IN PRINT – The White House, of all places, is SELLING GHOSTS!

After the headline, "White House Ghosts: Cheap," what appears next is their hook to get you to buy one – "Everyone Wants to Pay a Low Price."

Well, I can't argue with that. Of course everyone wants to pay a low price. Who wants to pay too much for a ghost? The ad further states that you can get the "Best Value for White House Ghosts!"

So, how does it work? Do I get to choose which White House ghost I want? I wonder who costs more, George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Both are highly esteemed. I'll bet Millard Fillmore doesn't cost much. Most people don't even remember him when they mention dead Presidents.

John F. Kennedy might be a great ghost to have around the house. And Thomas Jefferson would certainly be interesting. I'd love to have a conversation with either one of them. But they would probably cost too much. I would want one, though. I think.

Wouldn't you?

But then you'd have to have the right equipment to communicate with them, because maybe your ESP isn't up to par.

No problem. I wrote an article about the types of equipment you'll need to start your own ghost-hunting process (link is below).

Look at it this way – you won't have to search for ghosts – they'll be delivered right to your door. Just check out this ad:

And if you don't already have ghost-listening devices around your home, click HERE.

To read more from this author, please click on any of the following blogs and articles:

Your Weird Dreams

Your Blog Connection

Help For Single Parents 

My Heart Blogs To You

Writer of Blogs 

Paranormal Minds

Product Favorites

Theresa Wiza's Blog 

My Associated Content Articles

My Xomba Articles 

Thank you for visiting!

A Haunting in Beverly – I DO Believe In Ghosts – I DO, I DO!

In the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago's south side, old, massive homes line some of the streets in a spooky Halloween-type setting where tree branches look as if they might reach out to grab unsuspecting motorists and plunge them into depths unknown. One of those homes on one of those streets belonged to my friend, Clare. Read more about this haunted house HERE.

Invitation to a Blog Carnival

Welcome to the first edition of the Paranormal Minds Blog Carnival. If you've experienced any paranormal activity and you would like to share your paranormal experiences with me, please post them below and I will add your experiences to future blogs.

Ghostly visitations, UFO activity, ESP experiences, or whatever falls into the category of paranormal are accepted.

Need a jump-start on your memories? Read one or both of the following two articles and let me refresh them for you.

Spirits of Ghosts – True Ghost Stories

A True Chicago Haunting: It's Halloween Every Day in a Haunted House

And if you stumbled across this blog and are wondering what a blog carnival is, click this link for Blog Carnival for more information. It's kind of like joining a circus of blogs without ever leaving home.

See earlier Paranormal Minds blogs for a deeper look into what makes for paranormal minds.

Ghosty Girl Leslie Rule

Leslie Rule is a paranormal writer who just happens to be the daughter of one of my favorite crime authors, Ann Rule. Leslie crosses genres when she writes about ghosts who have been murdered. She writes about other ghosts too, but the fact that I have been reading her mother and just can't make sense of the criminal mind just makes Leslie's work all the more fascinating.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing her and posted the article HERE. If you have any interest in reading books about ghostly encounters, you will love her books. She doesn't just write about what she hears, she researches her subjects and introduces them to her readers. Her work is haunting and enjoyable.

The part that I enjoy the most though, is the thought that all those wicked, deceitful rapists and murderers may one day be exposed by the very people they killed. Talk about justice!

Please read the Leslie Rule interview and take advantage of the links provided in the article to read more in-depth synopses of her books.

Ghosts, Hauntings, and Spooky Stuff

A picture says it all, huh? Halloween is coming after all. But I would like to send you to my newest article, located somewhere in cyperspace awaiting your read. And haven't you always wondered what makes a house haunted anyway? Read

Just In Time For Halloween: What Makes a House Haunted?

I promise that this paranormal blog will include more than just ghosts, spirits, and hauntings. But I can't resist writing these kinds of blogs and articles when Halloween is next month!