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All posts by Richard Palmisano

What is the difference between past, present and future states? Are we, the living more solid than a ghost?

Something to think about…

Before we consider what ghosts might be we have to consider what we are as living breathing humans living in the physical world.

Most people feel through perception of our reality that they have a firm grasp of what we are, not so. This makes it more difficult for us to understand ghosts.

Because of our perceptions we believe we are solid physical beings in a solid physical world; however this is a basic illusion.

Body shape with dots inside and swirls of blue circling the body representing energy

If examining the human body, which is made up of cells and the cells are made from atoms and atoms are 99.99999999% empty space, then you are only .00000001% physical.

Albert Einstein’s E=mc2 shows the dense parts of the atom come from nowhere into particle matter and then disappear into nowhere as an energy field. This means you are constantly changing from an energy field to a partial physical form, which hardly exists as dense matter.

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Photos from Mississauga Historical Properties – Paranormal Investigations

While filming Discovery Channel’s “A Haunting, Darkness Follows.” At the Bradley Museum in Mississauga it was my brother Paul who noticed two apparitions in period clothing walking through the gardens near the house. This was in broad daylight. We spoke to the Manager of the Museum and what he described sounded to her extraordinary similarities to the home’s owners Lewis and Elizabeth Bradley. Problem was they had been dead for over 140 years.

It was at this point that the manager extended a very graceful offer for our team to investigate many of the Mississauga historical properties that the city owned. This would be the beginning of a ten month journey.

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Richard, Peter, Paul, James and Victoria with Christmas Hats posing on staircase
Happy Holidays from The Searcher Group

The Christmas Spirit

As the holidays arrive we may experience an increase in ghostly activity.

 I remember when I was younger living with my parents, their house was haunted. It was Christmas Eve and my brother and his family had come from out west to visit for the holidays. It was late and I was in my room preparing for bed when I heard someone walking up the basement stairs to the kitchen. I had been the last one on the main floor and knew no one was downstairs. I moved to my bedroom door and listened intently to whatever it was now walking up and down the main hall from the kitchen to the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor. The walking stopped in the kitchen and then came a sound of a spoon in a coffee mug as if someone were stirring a drink. A smile crossed my face as I heard my niece in the next room who was four at the time say “Mom, I hear Santa down stairs.”  The sounds stopped and all was peaceful for the rest on the night.

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Casa Loma – One Evening Paranormal Investigation 

After an interesting albeit brief investigation at Casa Loma(three and a half hours) it was our conclusion that this wonderful landmark is haunted.

Our surveillance equipment captured several audio artifacts in the tunnel, Library, third floor and attic. Most were of low voices identified as male.

The most compelling phenomena event took place in the library and the hallway on the main floor.

Two (2) black shadows crossing the library floor in a Northerly direction towards the exit to Peacock Alley. At which point a male low voice at junction of Peacock Alley to hall leading to the elevator was heard saying “Get back.”

Photo of Hallway inside of Casa LomaPhoto of Loft at Casa LomaFloor Plan of Casa Loma Main Floor showing library where evps were detected

 

Capturing Ghost Images in Reflective Surfaces

Graphic showing a ghost image captured in a reflective mirror, an unseen subject and a camera with title random flash photo takenOver the years I have noted that when taking photographs in a location reported to be haunted it is best to fire the camera towards reflective surfaces, i.e. windows, mirrors.

It seems that if an unseen subject (a spirit) is standing or moves between you and this reflective surface there is a greater chance of you capturing the ghosts image on your camera. I have studied this for a long time and I feel the energy of the unseen subject will inter play with the flash of the camera. The flash will put out a very wide spectrum of light and when it passes through this spirit energy will create the image of the subject on the surface of the mirror or window, this surface will act like the emulsions of older type film and produce an image. 

 

One of the eeriest stories to come out of the investigations at the Canadian National Exhibition started off like most, as a mystery. We were working in the second floor archives when our audio surveillance kept recording strange and unusual sounds along with EVPs of a male.

The male would call someone named Dan or Danny always giving him instructions on what to do. This social interaction seemed at first one sided. The instructions were always clear and on the most part friendly but then there were times where the person giving the instructions seemed angry or even frustrated.

He would call for Danny and tell him, “Go see where they are”. Or to be quiet and to get back. Sometimes he would just yell “Danny”. Over and over again.

It was Paul who noticed the odd sounds, which seemed to interplay each time this person called for Danny. Like the ringing of bells, a horn, a whistle or the sounds of a baby rattle. Paul made it his mission to figure out the mystery of Danny.

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Ghosts of the Canadian National Exhibition Book coverWhen one thinks of Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition, memories of bright lights, cotton candy, the rush of people, and the excitement of rides spring to mind. But when the lights go down and the people head home, the fairground takes on a life of its own. The grounds and buildings of the CNE are so richly steeped in history that they are a magnificent storehouse of energy.

This area has been in continuous use since before the 18th century, starting with Fort Rouille in 1750 and Fort York in 1793. From murders to accidents, it is no surprise that Exhibition Place is haunted. There are many reasons for spirits to dwell in that site, but it may be the joy and excitement that tempts them to linger. That’s the true spirit of the Canadian National Exhibition.

To order Ghosts of The Canadian National Exhibition visit amazon.ca by clicking here.

Ghosts book cover, black background picture of two faces with elongated mouths and title Ghosts above themGhosts is based on a three-year investigation by The Searcher Group. It is the frightening account of a multiple haunting of a once grand Mississauga mansion on the shores of Lake Ontario.  This beautiful estate looks like a dream come true during the day, however when night falls you can sense that dream turning into a nightmare

Join The Searcher Group in their investigation of the property, read accounts of experiment and surveillance results that were obtained and read their encounters with the spirits and the interactions they had with the spirits of mansion.

To order Ghosts visit amazon.ca by clicking here.

Journeys into the Unknown book coverJourneys takes the reader through a collection of amazing ghost stories & paranormal investigations across Ontario that have never before been reported. The circumstances behind fifteen unusual cases of hauntings & ghostly manifestations are explored together with the detailed sagas of full-scale investigations into six further spooky inexplicables occurring in or near Toronto. The book concludes with a look into a complete investigation of a haunting, including a guide that explains the techniques used to conduct a paranormal investigation. The final section of Journeys explains theories behind what a ghost is, how they manifest & where they hide – challenging the classic theories of life-after-death research. So turn on all the lights, keep your back to the wall & be prepared to take a journey into the reality of the unexplained.

To order Journeys Into the Unknown visit amazon.ca by clicking here.

Overshadows Book CoverIn 1995, a young girl living with her abusive mother commits suicide. Shortly afterwards, her spirit returns to the house, only to find her mother gone and strangers moving in. She also finds the older spirits who dwell there, beginning a powerful battle for control of the house – and trapping its new residents in the middle. Overshadows chronicles the events of this terrifying multiple haunting, but more importantly, it shares the incredible discoveries made during the course of a six-year investigation. This book will challenge and disprove classic theories, and create upheaval in the circle of life-after-death research.

To order Overshadows please visit amazon.ca by clicking here.

Understanding all the various dynamics of a haunting – call for help

When a family unit begins to experience strange occurrences in their residence various family members may in the onset keep those occurrences quiet for fear of sounding crazy. Several members may be experiencing happenings yet there may be no communications until

1. It becomes out of control and or extremely frightening or

2. Two members experience something together which opens up a dialog.

 In about 85% of hauntings in a residence the female is first to notice these strange events, this can cause stress and extreme frustration within the family unit as the male may not completely believe what the female is saying having not had an experience himself. This in some cases may be the ploy…divide and conquer.

dog looking down staircase In 100% of all cases where pets are involved in the home, the pet will be fully aware of the presence within the residence and may display changes in its behavior such as; looking at seemingly empty spaces, watching something you can’t see, growling, barking for no apparent reason nervousness and changes in eating habits.

 Where a presence may be malevolent the pet will become the first target, then the female in most cases.

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 Irish Pub – Mississauga

Paul and I were to meet up with Joe, the business manager, to discuss the investigation and to have a look around.  We arrived and checked the main floor.  The building had been a large private home in the 1850’s, after which it was converted into a business; it is now being used as a pub.  It consists of a large bar area, dining area and kitchen upstairs, bathrooms, office and storage down in the basement.  We met up with Joe.  Joe took us downstairs; next to the washrooms he told us how the workers and patrons reported extreme cold spots there and uneasy feelings.  Next to the phone in that area was a small closet.  When Joe opened it a high quantity of positively charged ions were detected briefly.  We moved on to a secret room, which was 15 degrees colder than the rest of the basement. Joe stopped to tell us about some of the incidents and I couldn’t help but notice a chalkboard near the washroom.  Written on the board was, “Shhh, please do not disturb our resident ghost, Minerva!”  Joe said that a patron who claimed to be psychic told him that the ghost’s name was Minerva.

We followed Joe up to the main floor where he told us that glasses and ashtrays would fly off the bar.  People would report their hair being pulled or touched and complain of feeling cold.  He then told us that he had been scratched on the back of his neck in one encounter. In another encounter, an employee was going out the back door off of the kitchen, to have a smoke outside, when they saw a female standing there looking at them.  He had to take us to show us because it was difficult to describe.  When I saw it I understood.  The outer door was the solid wood door, which opened out to the deck.  The inner door was actually the screen door, which opened into the kitchen.  When the screen door was open, it was against the kitchen wall.  When the employee saw the spirit she was between the wall and the screen door, which was fully open.  The space between this door and wall is less than three inches.  The incident was brief.  Another situation involved a different employee, who was fearful of changing in the locker rooms because of feelings of being watched and uneasiness.  He had decided to change into his work clothes in the hall outside the locker room.  It was on this occasion that he witnessed a transparent apparition of a girl walking down the hall towards him.  As she neared him she disappeared through a solid door into a storage area.

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The House Of Secrets – Bloor & Dufferin

Toronto

It was a two-storey semi-detached home, built around 1898 in the Bloor and Dufferin area of the city.  It was rumoured that a small-time bank robber had owned the home in the 1920’s and upon his arrest none of the money was ever recovered.  People in the community speculated that the money was hidden somewhere in the house.  Although there were several historical searches we could not substantiate this claim.  However, starting in the mid thirties, right up to the mid 1960’s, there were constant break and enters at this house, nothing was ever taken.  The break and enters have been confirmed as fact.

The owner was an elderly lady who had become ill.  She was, at the time, living alone in the house and her nephew would drop by on a regular basis to help her and do her shopping for her.  She was brought to stay with family until she was feeling better.

The house was old and becoming run down and it was decided that it was the perfect time to do some renovation work.  All of her nephews (4) felt that they could do most of the work, however some of the more difficult jobs, such as plumbing and electrical would be left to the professionals, so contractors were hired for these jobs.

The contractors arrived and were met and let in by one of the boys.  They quickly went to work on the upstairs bathroom.  One of the jobs required them to run a new drainpipe from the upper floor to the basement.  As they worked, alone in the house, they started to notice odd sounds, which put the workers on edge.  When one had to go into the basement and the other had to remain on the upper floor it was the last straw for them, as their tools kept moving, doors kept closing, things started moving around and the sounds grew louder.  The workers abandoned the job and fled the house.

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Investigating the CNE Archives

Investigating the Archives

“Information is, for the most part, a piece of a much larger puzzle. Each piece waits for another to reinforce what the first piece has suggested. When this occurs, they call it proof.”

Richard Palmisano

 

It has always amazed me what we determine to be evidence, depending on the topic. If we are talking about criminal activity, then electronic evidence such as security monitoring devices, which indicate an action occurring in a specific place, as well as surveillance systems, that show us what occurred in that location can provide a strong case. Couple this information with witness testimony and the evidence may end in a criminal conviction, even with the absence of DNA samples. However, we may have all of these same elements in a similar instance and yet because the topic is the paranormal, the evidence is automatically dismissed.

 

Some of the places that The Searcher Group have investigated include:  The Canadian National Exhibition, Alma College, Bell Gardiner Estate, Scadding Cabin & Guild Inn.