I hesitated.

I am an avid fan of anything and everything scary and spooky. I have an affinity for serial killers and slasher flics. I’m a paranormal investigator, and I’ve been in a few of the most haunted places in the nation…but, what scares me? If we take politics out of the mix not many things, in fact, frighten me. I’m a researcher, I run towards the unknown, not away from it. There is one thing, however, that makes the hair on my neck rise and affects the way my bedroom is arranged, because I have an irrational fear of being beside windows or doors to sleep. What, you ask, could send this hardened soul into the throws of fear? Aliens. There. I said it. I am deathly afraid of the little grays.

I was about 13 years old when I first read Whitley Strieber’s ‘Communion’ and I was hooked. The thought that there could possibly be another, seriously advanced species, living amongst the stars and casually slipping in and out of our homes and lives just really affected me at a young age. In retrospect, probably too young of an age. These days, Whitley Strieber has been called a hoax; an author just trying to sell books. But in the 80’s and 90’s his accounts of ‘The Visitor’s’ as he called him, spoke to me. When Strieber’s book came out the world of Ufology was set abuzz. Most people were expecting a book full of abduction tales and that is not what they got. Strieber makes it clear that he was not pandering to the worldview of aliens at the time and his ideas gave many in the ufology field pause. He introduced the idea that aliens may not actually be extraterrestrial after all and suggests that maybe they are something so advanced that our basic comprehension cannot grasp it, that we, as humans are simply too basic to understand. He discussed synchronicities, the human soul and the connections between aliens and the afterlife. He also linked aliens with occult, doppelgangers and supernatural experiences and suggested that abductions may not be as they appear. A little Google search will lead to many sites and videos by Strieber. His latest book, The Afterlife Revolution, was released in December of 2017 and there are numerous videos of interviews with him in which he discusses his abduction experiences.

I live in the mountains of Western North Carolina and there is no shortage of UFO sightings in my area, as North Carolina is in the top 10 states in the country for UFO sightings. As of late, it appears that Cashiers, NC has become quite the hotspot for spotting UFO’s and there are quite a few books and websites dedicated to sightings there. The National UFO Reporting Center reports that there have been 2,822 sightings in North Carolina since the 1940’s. Again, a simple Google search will fill your evening with a plethora of videos and commentary on local sightings. I know you are dying to ask so I will answer: Yes, I have seen some things in the sky that are beyond anything that I can explain. Does that mean that I saw an alien spaceship? I wouldn’t exactly go that far but I have seen an unidentified flying object, on more than one occasion. I can promise you that I double locked my doors and laid in bed thinking that if the aliens every looked back at me…my locks wouldn’t matter.

In essence, I believe that is why the idea of aliens bothers me so much. They could be anywhere. They could be the movements in the dark that we call Shadow People, they could be the ghosts that talk to us through EVP’s, they could be responsible for any high strangeness that occurs in our lives. They could also be the figures we call Angels and Gods and that concept could change everything we think we know about religion and the afterlife. Whitley planted it in my head that the more you look into the alien phenomenon the more they begin to look at you and that aligns directly with Friedrich Nietzsche’s belief that you should “Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” It is with that I will leave you. If you are interested in learning more about the alien phenomenon, I will tell you, the truth is out there…. even if we probably shouldn’t look for it.

The post Aliens: It’s Not That Simple appeared first on Association of Paranormal Study.

I love any and all things paranormal. Whether it be related to cryptozoology, hauntings, religion or ufology, if it’s anything mysterious or spooky, down the rabbit hole I will go. One thing I love most about the paranormal community is that people love to share their stories, opinions and ideas. That’s why I always jump at the chance to go to con’s, conventions, meetings and other such events. I enjoy seeing people so passionate about what they believe in that they want to stand up and tell the world.

I recently attended The Excavation of Victorian Ghosts at Bedford Springs in Pennsylvania. There were many wonderful people and presenters and I bought a couple of books that caught my attention. Among them was the book “The Ghost Studies – New Perspectives on the Origins of Paranormal Experiences” written by Brandon Massullo. Of course I immediately turn the book over to get a quick idea of the topic and it states that “this book is far more than a compilation of ghost stories. This book provides scientific explanation for paranormal occurrences that include theories to explain apparitions, hauntings and spirit communications.” It is indicated that the role of energy, electricity, emotions, bioenergetics and the environment are also covered. As someone who has always erred on the side of psychology and science in relation to the paranormal, these topics really jumped out at me.

My first thought on this book is one of gratitude. Thank you Brandon for approaching these topics in straightforward, clear-cut ways. This book could be read by a novice or seasoned investigator, the slightly curious, skeptic or believer and it will still have an impact on the reader. The first chapter touches on popular ghost theories,spiritual and pop culture views and the paranormal investigator him/herself. It provides a solid starting point for the later chapters. Electricity, EMF’s and apparitions are then discussed and even though I feel like i have a rather decent grasp on this, I was still intrigued by Massullo’s discussion of the God Helmet. There are many investigators out there that have a basic understanding of EMF but don’t understand how it affects us personally and these chapters explain this relationship in such a way that it can be understood by even the layman.

Topics like telekinesis, esp, quantum mechanics and near death experiences are just some of the topics approached in this book.

Author Brandon Massullo

While it’s easy to get sucked down the rabbit hole with any one of those topics individually, the author provides enough explanation on each to enlighten the reader but he does a great job at not weighing down the book with too much information. While this book isn’t ‘just a compilation of ghost stories’  there are plenty tales of first hand experiences presented for discussion.

What I enjoyed the most about this book, however, is the attention that Massullo spends discussing the psychology of experiences. It has always been my belief that our minds and emotions don’t get near the attention that they should in regards to evaluating paranormal experiences. I agree strongly with the author and I’m encouraged that this book is really opening the floor for that conversation. For so long paranormal experiences have been discussed as events that have happened TO you and there hasn’t been much discussion about the fact that these events may have happened BECAUSE of you.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of the paranormal. You may or may not agree with all the theories discussed but they will definitely make you think. This book is well written and opens the doors for countless areas of study and discussion and it is one that you will find yourself going back to again and again.

Order Brandon’s book on Amazon

Listen to Alex and Maeve interview Brandon Massullo on “The Wicked Domain”

The post Book Review: “The Ghost Studies” by Brandon Massullo appeared first on Association of Paranormal Study.