We Are Born with Our Own Ghost Hunting Equipment

We are all born with our own ghost hunting equipment. 

I don't mean we pop out of the womb with our very own EMF detector and REM pod (as cool as that would be). I mean that we already have everything we need to experience the paranormal. We are born with five incredible tools: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Long before ghost hunting gadgets (and long before Aaron Goodwin was being locked in a basement alone), humans had ways of experiencing the unknown.

Maybe our greatest paranormal equipment has been with us all along. 

Sight

If we block out all the distractions and slow our minds, we may be able to see a world that exists just on the edge of our own. Even now, while TVs are used as background noise, social media videos are blaring, and the world is blurring around us, we sometimes see something just at the corners of our vision. Imagine what we could see if we focused just a little on that. 

Today, our attention is constantly pulled in a hundred different directions. Phones buzz with notifications while televisions and social media fill every quiet moment. We spend so much time looking down at screens that we rarely take the time to simply look around. Yet, even amid all that noise, many people still report catching something out of the corner of their eye. Imagine what we might notice if we intentionally slowed down.

I often wonder how often spirits are desperately trying to catch our attention. Patiently waiting for us to notice them. When we spend time in nature or in simple silence, we are more aware of our surroundings. This makes us more open to experiencing something we would otherwise miss. 

Hearing

Sometimes I imagine that ghosts are screaming at us. 

Not out of anger or fear, but out of sheer frustration. They don't understand why we don't look up. Why we don't see them. Hear them. Feel them. 

Children often report hearing voices, whispers, or experiencing things adults simply can't see or hear. Even adults may report a passing whisper or hearing their name being called. However, how many times has this happened just for the person to shrug and look back at the endless loop of videos on their screen? I heard someone say once that people used to report hauntings more in the past and now you don't hear about it as much. I wonder if that's because we're too distracted. 

Perhaps we aren't losing the ability to hear. We're drowning it out.

Touch

Touch is one of the most deeply personal experiences one can have with the paranormal. It can come in the form of a gentle touch on the shoulder, feeling that someone is sitting beside you, or an ice-cold brush against the arm. Touch can also be experienced on a broader level, such as an unexpected pocket of cold air in an otherwise warm room. 

Whether these sensations come from loved ones, residual energy, or something else, there is nothing like feeling that connection with the other side. Unlike a photograph or an EVP, a physical sensation is something that leaves a deeply ingrained emotional and physical impression. 

Smell

Have you ever caught the unmistakable smell of a loved one's perfume or cigarette smoke where it shouldn't be? 

Our sense of smell is strongly tied to memory, which is why those experiences can feel so powerful. Many people report smelling familiar or out-of-place scents with no obvious explanation. I would have to say that unexplained smells are one of the most commonly reported phenomena. Strangely enough, many paranormal researchers have documented cases where multiple people have experienced the same unexplained scent. Some investigators believe this could suggest that certain unexplained scents are connected to the presence of a spirit rather than simply existing as personal memories.

Taste

I know what you're thinking. Where could she possibly be going with this? Are we supposed to be tasting ghosts somehow? I imagine they would taste a little like old coffee. 

No, I'm kidding. But did you know that many cultures leave food and drink as offerings to their ancestors? Even today, certain foods and tastes can trigger memories of loved ones, making us feel as though they are standing right beside us. Could preparing family recipes or cooking a loved one's favorite meal be another way of feeling connected to them? I like to think so.

I firmly believe that when you honor your loved ones by eating the foods they loved and created, it's a way to channel their spirit from beyond. It could be one of the strongest ways to evoke a paranormal experience if food is a strong earthly tie for a spirit. 

What does this all mean?

Technology may have provided us with some amazing paranormal tools, but I believe that nothing can replace the senses we were born with. Even using one or two can be a much more reliable tool than any piece of equipment you may have seen on a paranormal show. 

Before you get your credit card and buy the newest ghost gadget, take a minute to sit quietly, listen, look, feel, and breathe. 

You may be the greatest ghost hunting tool you'll ever need.