There. That should do it. The stage has been set. I was about to embark on another adventure. Ghosthunting. The paranormal. Spirits from beyond.
Yikes.
I was presented the opportunity to join a group of paranormal investigators on an excursion to a well-known and historically very haunted cemetery. I couldn’t resist. I figured, “Why not?” Although, I must admit, I am a big, giant cry-baby when it comes to this stuff. I have a weak stomach, an even weaker bladder, and frankly, anything ghost/demon related scares the crap out of me. I had to leave the room when Poltergeist was on T.V. and I went to go paint pictures of fairy tale frogs instead. But just so you know that I'm not a complete wuss, I have watched some of those scary movies before… The Exorcist was like a terrible train wreck that I couldn’t pull my eyes away from… it sucked me in, freaked me out and gave me nightmares. Ugh. I have since learned that those kinds of movies are not worth the price of my sanity. I don’t know why I was compelled to go on this particular excursion, but for whatever reason, I was. It was something new and different. I didn’t know any of the people. I had never been to this place before. I don’t even really watch those Paranormal shows on T.V. (too creepy for me!) But, I went anyway (after coercing a girlfriend to come with me, of course). After all, I couldn’t go out and find Casper on my own!
I tried to prepare myself before I left. I was starving so I thought I better grab a quick bite to eat. I warmed up a bowl of leftover pea soup…nothing too heavy. (And no comments about my leftover, weird dinner either.) I grabbed my antique rosary (it originally belonged to my grandpa) and put it in the front pocket of my jeans. Then I thought better of it and decided to wear it around my neck instead. The cross hung down into my t-shirt, resting over my heart. I grabbed my camera and sweat jacket and laced up my running shoes. (Duh. Of course I wore running shoes… I wanted to be properly dressed in case I had to make a quick get away!)
I climbed into my car, cranked up the special mix tape I made (a c.d. featuring ghost-busting tunes of course) and headed out to pick up my friend. I tried to stay calm and not think about all of those scary movies where the evil spirits followed unsuspecting people home. Then, a feeling of dread washed through me and my stomach began to uncomfortably churn.
In my head, I suddenly had a crystal-clear image of the girl from The Exorcist spewing green vomit all over the place… It was the exact color of my pea soup. Oh great… great choice I made for dinner. I hoped I wouldn’t be duplicating her performance. Ugh.
We drove to the area we had designated to meet and after some friendly introductions, headed to our location: SOOP Cemetery in Belleville, Michigan. According to several websites and these paranormal specialists, Soop Cemetery is one of the most paranormally active cemeteries in the state. It was established in the 1700’s and named after the founding family of the town. It’s a popular site for ghost hunters to capture snapshots of orbs, vortexs and ecto clouds (whatever those creepy things are.) Many people have reported hearing things like voices and growls. Some have seen shadowy figures or creatures crawling around. Some have had a close-encounter with a ghostly little girl. Although I was intrigued, I was also freaking out. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to see. Why was I doing this?!?
Oh yeah. Because I’m easily talked into stuff.
We arrived at the cemetery and our fearless leader stopped his car in the middle of the gravel road, right near the exit. I pulled up behind him and got out my car. “Ummm. We’re leaving our cars here?” I questioned. With a serious gaze he calmly replied, “I like to keep the cars lined up like this, just in case we need a quick getaway.” My eyes got wide but I tried to conceal my panic. GULP. What?!?! Quick getaway!? What the heck have I gotten myself into!?? Thank heavens I wore my running shoes.
I was soon informed that the first item on the agenda was to set up the Frank's Box. A Frank’s Box is a device used to capture EVPs. (Basically, it records ghosts talking.) Yowza. Picture it: a group of people sitting on the grass in a cemetery huddled around a ghostbusting recording device. It was like I had just stepped into The Amityville Horror. (Only, we weren't in someone's house.) We all asked questions to any spirits that could be hovering around… and listened intently through the static and feedback for any kind of answer. There were a few possible replies…although to me, none that seemed like rock-hard evidence of a ghost. Interesting nonetheless.
Another woman who was there claimed to be skilled in speaking to spirits and appeared to be able to see and hear Angels as well. I don’t know whether or not she did and it’s not for me to determine. What I do know is that I felt better knowing there were supposedly three angels there with us, and she seemed pretty darn sure of herself while she was talking to them. You think I’m gonna pooh-pooh the presence of an Angel? Heck no! Calling all Angels! I could use a few miracles myself. They were welcome anywhere around me and I’d be happy if one of them followed me home. Everyone could use a guardian angel once in a while, don’t you think?
Anyhow, after the Frank’s box session, we wandered around the cemetery, shooting pictures and trying to capture images of orbs. I, for one, did NOT want to see any dead people, or hear any growling…I am such a wimp. Every so often, I would clutch at my cross and whisper silent prayers to those three Angels lurking around. My biggest fear (whether ridiculous or not) was that something evil would follow me home and haunt my dreams. Thankfully, I felt pretty peaceful and safe with the leaders of our group. That’s saying a lot...I had just met these people and had only known them only a few hours. In my opinion, they were good, kind-hearted people and for some reason, I trusted them.
During the course of the evening, we also had a few prayer circles. Our leaders wanted to help some spirits so we all had to participate. I didn’t hear or see anything myself… but it was quite a powerful experience… standing among strangers, holding hands and listening to the one-sided conversation. There was also another incident that occurred…I was told I had to deliver a message to someone, and I did. It was quite surprising actually. I was moved to tears at the gestures, words and prayers of these strangers sending heartfelt love and thoughts for a family they’ve never known. Again, whether or not you believe they had an encounter with someone on the other side is for you to decide. I’m not entirely sure myself. But, they were sure they spoke to a spirit and I promised I would deliver the message to the intended person, so I did. I never break a promise. If I can't follow through on something, I won't commit to it.
After several hours at the cemetery, we headed home. But first, my friend and I decided to stop at an all-night diner. (Ghostbusting makes me hungry!) We walked in and it was soooo 1980s movie-chic. Although my friend made her way quickly to our table, I paused for a quick conversation with one of the police officers sitting inside. No -- I wasn't being questioned like some hooligan -- the dude left his car running! How is that normal? After being scoffed at by said-police officer (his reasoning: "It takes too long to turn all of our equipment back on." Ummm, okay, I'll just pay for you to waste some more gas) we ordered our greasy food and got ignored by the waitresses. It was awesome. We talked and laughed and ate. We went home feeling full, content and fairly certain we had no demonic passengers with us. All-in-all, it was fun and turned out to be a pretty interesting night.
So, what can we take away from this adventure? Let’s see:
1) Never eat pea soup before a ghost hunt. You might spew vomit like the Exorcist girl. (Thankfully, I did not.)
2) Always wear your rosary and running shoes when searching for spirits.
3) Remember your camera.
4) Never turn down an opportunity that is offered to you if it intrigues you even the slightest bit. It might never happen again and you’ll never have to wonder, “What if?”
5) Always attack each new experience you encounter with an open mind. You might learn something about yourself or someone else. I’m glad I went. (And, I’m really glad I didn’t vomit.)
Check out a few of the pictures I took. The bright white hard-edged orbs that appear in the photos were NOT visible to us in the dark, nor were there any flashes, lights, bugs, etc. Spirits? Energy? Nothing? You be the judge.