Women in the Paranormal Field

Lets face it Ladies, We have enough to deal with in life let alone dealing with the dead. I am not talking about the typical male vs. female discrimination, I mean don’t get me wrong We still get the “oh she’s too pretty to know anything” Or “She”s blonde, she must be dumb” and my personal favorite is the myth that redheads are easy :::insert Eyeroll here:: But what bothers me the most is I find about 90% of the female discrimination come other females. YES!! Other females!

We are in a day in age where ego’s need to be put aside and colleagues need to be seen as colleagues, Not just Bimbos and easy targets. And the fact it comes from fellow females really disturbs me. When I am out and about speaking other teams, Several do in fact have both sexes and I always to try address each the same, with the same tone, the same respect and same dignity. Why are females so mean to each other? I hear the names, Parawhore,Paraslut, Skank…they are a ton of them and it’s really disturbing.

I work with a team who is lead by a guy, but we are predominately female. Not a one of us has an issue with each other, The men on our team do not dismiss what we say, our ideas, our suggestions etc…Why can’t all teams be like that. Oh sure, you have the ones who will be nice to your face and the minute you walk away you can feel the knife as well. It’s bad enough the guys don’t take us seriously and drool over our chests but to be hurt by fellow women hurts even more sometimes.

Again with The ParaEgos…..

So once again as I sit home bored on my radio show hiatus, I see a Facebook post from someone saying they have to make a general comment to all the emails and messages they get that contain drama. Ummmm My suggestion? Just don’t even bother replying at all and don’t make general posts about it either. All you’re doing is feeding the drama mongers. At which point I am told they can’t ignore their emails and messages because they have this and that to run and blah blah blahhhhhhhhhhhhhh……You know what? So do I!! I respond to the legit messages and just ignore the bullshit. And then another person precedes to tell me this person HAS to do this because they are “Somewhat of an Authority” in the Paranormal. AUTHORITY??? WTF? Who died and gave ANYONE that position? PUN INTENDED! The transportation department has authorities too, they get to feel people up for a living!

Then you have the people that get offended if you call Paranormal Investigation a “hobby”. Well I guess I am really offensive then. I consider it a hobby because most of us either work or have another source of income to sustain our families aside from Paranormal Investigation because in case you didn’t know………IT’S TYPICALLY NOT A PAYING JOB!!!! Now the fact I call it a hobby does NOT mean I do not take it seriously, I do take it very serious. If it’s something you do for pleasure or self satisfaction…….ITS A HOBBY! If you can happen to turn it into an income? Then cool.

WOW some people just amaze me. See this is why I like working with SONA Paranormal. We don’t have half the drama issues I see others posting about. We pretty much just worry about ourselves, do our thing and we don’t get the headaches. Sure we have some “non-likers” but that is their issue to deal with because it doesn’t phase us.

Music and the Paranormal

Both music and paranormal experiences have been around for thousands of years but depending on which generation you speak to if you mention both in the same sentence you may get a different reaction. Our grandparents generation will tell you that musicians like KISS or Ozzy Osbourne or any other acts that evolved from the 1970’s and early 1980’s in the heavy metal/hard rock genre were merely acts created to lure their children into the dark underworld of the occult and convinced their children to drink, do drugs and commit suicide. Our parent’s generation are more undecided on that. They may feel as our grandparents did or they may feel as my parents did, that music is just merely an expression and anyone who fell into the cliché traps of the dark underworld, probably would have anyway and the music was just used as an excuse to hold someone else accountable for their children’s behavior. I am proud to say my parents fell to that side however they just disliked the music itself and couldn’t stand the fact it was blaring in their house.

Regardless of your opinion on the lyrics of the music, there is actually more connection between the two then one can even imagine. Even bubble gum pop has a lot more in common with paranormal than one would realize. Even before electronics the sound waves that music travels on are a different frequency than the human voice. So even lyrics alone do not define a song on that level. As investigators we look for *EVP’s. granted the EVP term is fairly new, it still is a voice that is heard or captured on a different frequency than our human spoken words. There is also a newer term called **AVP that covers basically the same instances however it’s a more general term whereas EVP is kind of limiting the explanation. I personally use the term EVP out of habit. EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomenon and AVP stands for Audible Voice Phenomenon. The fact that electronics were introduced into music just brought the two worlds even closer together.

The common ground of both Music and spirits communication using different frequencies than the human spoken word have intrigued several of us for years.
I have found in my own personal experience that with years of dealing with severe Fibromyalgia, all the pain maintenance, all the medications, all the herbal remedies etc. While they all help, for some reason when I am investigating a truly haunted location or I am at a live music show, my pain seems to subside more than anything else. Could it be that spirits communicate and the sound waves of music hit some sort of frequency that have a healing quality? (it has to be live music though, I have tried tricking my body with the radio and for some reason it’s just not the same.)

I have also found that due to the need of the same types of audio/visual equipment and the need for people to operate them, That several artists and paranormal investigators tend to run in the same circles of society. It’s actually a very interesting bond we share. The late nights, the odd hours in fact many nights my phone won’t even ring until after midnight and it’s usually one of my paranormal or musical friends.

I think another reason why music and the paranormal go hand in hand is because both are personal subjects. Music takes you into another world and the Paranormal IS another world. Songs and paranormal experiences both guide us into personal experiences, dreams and can give us closure or sometimes open our eyes to things we never really even thought about. A song or an experience affects us all in our own way. They can either be beautiful or horrifying at the same time.

Happy Listening and Happy Haunting,

Jesse Roth
SONA Paranormal

Becoming a Paranormal Investigator

Quite often in my travels whether it be during my independent research or my work with S.O.N.A. Paranormal I am asked “how do you become a Paranormal Investigator” That question always makes me giggle. For me it was just a natural progression. I have always been aware of the paranormal, it has always surrounded me so I always felt close to it. I was always around it so about six years ago I dove into the research aspect of it but it wasn’t until I found myself unable to work anymore a couple of years ago that I got more involved in the investigation end of it. While the how can be different for everyone, it’s the why that most of us have in common.

My suggestion to people just starting out is to find like minded people and find teams or individuals that are willing to work with people that have less experience. This hasn’t always been an easy task however until recently. For many years the subject was taboo and not talked about simply because people feared the judgment of others for being assumed to be crazy. I would like to also mention that before the technological age because it wasn’t a mainstream subject, the task of finding like minded people was a lot harder as well. It wasn’t like in high school were the cliques were very prevalent and you could identify who was into what hobby or sport because they openly gathered in the same groups of people.
I am from that oddball generation x where we were just being introduced to the internet age around or right after high school, so while we remember life before the internet, it certainly opened a lot of doors to be able to find more like minded people in this field or any other field for that matter.

Many are drawn to it simply for the same reason as I was and just had never been involved with a group or had done an investigation and many have developed an interest in recent years because of all the recent popular media making it mainstream. The situation that peaked their interest is not an issue however I also try to point out that before you attempt getting into the field, if you’re only knowledge of it is based on what you see on TV that you might want to do more research on it. TV shows are not bad, in fact they have done wonders for the Paranormal field, but I find in many instances, to those who are not as experienced it tends to add a bit of glamour and neglects to show within the one hour time slot that investigations are hard work , not always fruitful with evidence on your first visit and take several more hours than people realize. I once had someone ask me if they could tag along, my response was “sure, but do realize it could be an 8 to 12 hour ordeal”. It was that point the person reconsidered their interest. While there is no set time on how long an investigation can last, they can be very productive in just a few hours or they can go on all night. It does take a certain level of commitment if you are seriously interested.

There are some suggested guidelines I give to people when looking to join a team or an independent to learn from. Due to the “overnight” popularity of the field from TV and written media and the fact that there is no required formal education or lack of formal education in this field (No matter what anyone says, none of us are “experts”) this field tends to draw people into it for the wrong reasons. People tend to use it as a way to gain popularity and status. You want to look for people who are in it for answers, not fame. The common thread between serious investigators is we all just want to learn why and how these occurrences come about. Now I’m not saying everyone who gets recognition is in it for the wrong reasons, I am just saying that you need to weed out early on in your learning experiences who is in it for the right reasons or you will find yourself frustrated.

You want to find people who don’t mind if you ask questions or will offer advice on using equipment. And won’t get upset with you for asking. Also while this field can be expensive, it is not required to spend a lot of money you don’t have. You don’t need equipment right out of the gate and when do decide to purchase equipment, you want to find someone you can trust who will not steer you in the wrong direction and will point out the differences between good equipment and shotty equipment. As I stated earlier, none of us are “experts” but I would like to add there people who are more educated and more experienced. When I come across a person who asks me advice and I can’t help them, I have a list of teams I personally trust to give them the right guidance. I regard these few teams highly just for their generosity in time and advice and have never steered me wrong.
I also recommend looking for team that will be understanding. Many of us have different personal issues outside of this life that we have to work around. Several work full time jobs, have families and other obligations. You don’t want to get involved with a team that will not tolerate your personal situation. In my case I don’t have the energy to make every investigation and I may have to take breaks now and again because of my medical situation or other personal situations, but I was lucky to have found such a great team to work with who understands these needs and welcomes me back aboard when I am ready. It needs to go both ways though. If you bail on a project you must be understanding that they will proceed without you. I tell people I work with the best of the best, because in my opinion I do. We work well together, no drama and it’s all for the team. I stress it is very important to find people to work with that you trust and trust you. Team SONA is definitely an extension of family to me as it goes with many teams I am sure. They know my health and my child always come first.

Always keep your eyes and ears alert for fly by night teams. Too many times I have seen teams come in, collect footage and stories and then abandon the owners. I am a firm believer of follow up. I like going back to the owners with our findings and explaining what we discovered. Even if it was not a paranormal occurrence it could clear some other issues causing these events. For example the owners may not realize because they live 2.5 miles from a landing strip that their house shakes slightly and is more noticeable at night because all the occupants are settled in bed or the headaches they get when going into certain rooms is due to poor chemical storage or mold etc. We can help them see problems and offer solutions that may have never occurred to them. Some clients simply just want to know if their place is haunted and that is fine too but you can’t abandon the clients that want help or answers either.

Steer clear of teams who aren’t helpful in any instance. There is an unnecessary amount of competition in this field. It’s not a race. While there are probably some legitimate reasons a group won’t work with another specific team or another, you also need to be willing to work with those who do approach you for answers or help. I have found that hoarding evidence and keeping “secrets” does not do anyone any good. Now I am not saying release every piece of info you have, but don’t be afraid to talk to other teams if you are unsure of something. They may offer a different possibility that didn’t cross your mind. That’s how you learn, by talking to people and asking. If the person or team you are asking is trust worthy, they are not going to “run off with your evidence and take credit for it”. However be willing to do the same when one comes to for advice as well.

I wish all newcomers well and many haunting.

Jesse Roth
S.O.N.A. Paranormal.

Rescuing Animals but having Common Sense About It

Ok I’m all for rescuing pets instead of having them put down, However at what point does decide the animal (in this case a dog) is too dangerous for public safety and should be put down?

For days a dog was heard barking and obviously had been abandoned in a business for days. The business is new to town and the owners are barely there. (that I have seen)

So several of us questioned the owners as to why they did so. And please read this entire post before judging why this infuriated me even more. Their intentions were goodhearted but (IMO) they were stupid idiots that lack common sense for how they handled the situation.

Ok so this rescue they had was a pet for years then suddenly “became” unstable…Now I am not accusing them of abusing the dog prior this situation –But dogs don’t JUST become mentally unstable. They either suffered abuse (possibly from previous owners, were inbred and their brains swell or possibly even suffered brain damage from an injury whether it was known to the owners or not.

So all of the sudden this dog goes and bites 7 different people including their child. At which point they decide to take this from their property (I understand why they removed the dog it was obviously dangerous) and lock him up in a shotty run down building they rent right in the middle of community filled with small children and leave it there for days inhumanely until they can “place the dog” with someone who can deal with him.

Now my issue with this situation is………………….
1,2 Possibly even 3 bites could could be chalked to separated isolated incidents (the dog felt threatened, the small child could have inadvertently teased the dog not realizing it etc)………but 7?? Now I can’t FORCE anyone to put their dog down and obviously these bites were not reported because after 3 known the county will order the dog destroyed but inhumanely left in a building all day with very limited interaction and could very easily escape into a community setting is not very bright either. From what I understand the Humane Society wouldn’t even take the dog back. My personal opinion is that a mentally unstable animal that has bitten 7 people and then stupidly placed in a location that could become a potential hazard to now an entire community should be destroyed. To me it obviously has mental issues that have to be painful to the dog himself to act out like that and you’re also putting people in the community at risk.

When I confronted the owner and told her had that dog escaped and bitten my son, my nephews or any other child in the community that she would be liable she snapped back with “Oh so it’s ok if my child gets bitten but not yours?” I said “Absolutely not the point. The point is the dog is dangerous so use common sense! I would never want to any child bitten by a dog but putting other people’s lives in danger on top of inhumanely abandoning the dog for days is not the best idea either” At which point she called me sick (as in the head) –ok the wording may have been different (They original post on the public forum was deleted) but that was basically what was said.

I would say the same if it were Labrador, but yes it is a pit bull. Now my reason is not to further unfairly stereo type but pit bulls do lock down when they bite so their bites can be more brutal than other breeds. All breed reacts to how it was treated and or bred.

And granted I don’t own a dog currently, I’m not exactly inexperienced when it comes to dogs. I grew up around dogs, at one point we had several, My ex had a shop guard dog who yeah was there alone at times but had several hours of human contact 7 days a week as they often worked a lot of off hours. The dog had his own car with bedding and a space heater as a dog house. SO it is possible as well as many other dog owners leave their dogs home alone for hours daily to go to work yet still give the dog the care and attention they need and the dog won’t go berserk 22 hours out of the day being left alone. And I would like to think most people with common sense would tell people a dog that has bitten 7 different people for no apparent reason should be checked for brain damage and then put down if need be.

I realize people are very attached to their pets and understandably so but I think in this case the humane thing would have been to put the dog down.

What do you guys think?

Oh and btw this all my personal OPINION.

Illness and the Paranormal

Even before I was diagnosed, or even stricken with a debilitating disease I often wondered if there was a connection between illness and paranormal experiences. Whether mental or physical because lets face it even physical diseases come with a certain level of mental strain.

I have always had a curiosity about the paranormal and what happens after we move on. Why are some stuck here, Why are others not etc. However after I was stricken with a disease that torments my entire nervous system thus interfering with EVERY part of me, I wondered even more. I want to say it’s been about 10 years ago I fell ill and then diagnosed 6 years ago. 2 years ago I lost my job (due to my illness but my former employer will never admit it) so I have been unemployed while battling for disability retirement. I was successful but it left me several hours in each day to research, investigate and get reacquainted with my old hobby and started looking into it more. Man has investigation come along way from my roots of Notebooks and Flashlights! A lot more toys and Gadgets LOL.

When I first got into it as a “kid” basically I never made a connection mentally that it COULD possibly tie into mental or any kind of illness for that matter. I just assumed my schizophrenic grandmother who lived with us was just bat shit crazy and had no connection. However as I got older I found myself wondering, was she crazy because she saw certain things or did seeing those things make her crazy? Whether it literally drove her crazy or just made her appear crazy? and all the associated questions of the topic.

Does illness open a path or does the path lead to illness, I have often wondered. Are Ill people just more “open” or will we never find that out because……Maybe they ARE just bat shit crazy! (BTW I don’t recommend asking any of my close friends…they KNOW I’m nuts :p )

Having a physical illness occur later in life I have even found myself questioning my own reasons for my interest in paranormal. Even though it didn’t trigger right away, did my sub-conscious brain make the connection before I fell ill or did I fall ill because of my experiences? I do know my disease can be hereditary but to my knowledge no one in my family had ever been diagnosed or even complained of Fibromyalgia. Of course I had other medical questions regarding my illness but I will keep my thoughts toward my paranormal interest for this my blog.

It is known that humans actually only use a small portion of their brains, even the geniuses….but that brings another question….or should I say observation, Most geniuses who can cure diseases and invent life altering tools for many trades are often “not quite right” or at least don’t appear to be. As a genius would use one portion of the brain that others may not, Is it possible that illness can guide others to use other locations of the brain that some are not using either? unfortunately because the paranormal is not yet a known science we have no way of gauging any of these theories to answer questions. Because Fibromyalgia is neurological, yes I do question myself at times because lets face it, your nerves CAN play tricks on you.

I recently had a friend ask me if I personally felt that Fibro geared me towards the interest of the paranormal. I told her I can never be sure, only because my interest came before it was triggered, now if It was predetermined..I’m sure it’s possible but I can’t say for sure. All I can say though is I feel my illness has given me more sympathy for them. Fibro is and can be an isolating disease among the living so it stands to reason that a spirit trapped on earth with not even themselves knowing why could be very isolating in nature. It certain has given me a new respect and understanding for them. Now I don’t just investigate for the WHY they exist but also the WHAT makes them hang around for whatever reason they feel they need to. Ok I know that sounds like the same thing but to me it is not. It’s not just fill my morbid curiosity anymore, It’s also to try and help them as well as the people they haunt.

Maybe one day we will find a connection between the brain and the perception of the paranormal world.

Disability and Welfare-The big myth that everyone believes

I am so sick and fracking tired of hearing people say because I am on disability I shouldn’t have this or that and I can’t have nice stuff etc.

Let me tell you, Disability is no picnic, so if I manage to buy something nice on sale…go fork yourself! I worked hard all my life only to be stricken with a disease that now prevents me too. I will never have my dream beach house or cabin in the woods. I will live forever on a fixed income, so if I manage to scrimp and save for a night out or a treat for my son, that is MY business!

And yes I have a cellphone…Why? Believe it or not it’s CHEAPER than a landline which I DON’T have!

Many people with FMS get labeled as “lazy”…….Guess what folks…Lazy people couldn’t handle FMS!

So yes I get my monthly check from which I PAY MY OWN healthcare out of and my rent gets paid and food gets put on the table, My UNDERAGE child gets a monthly check for HIS necessities. ALL these benefits I get because I DUTIFULLY paid into the system MYSELF with 20+ years of my own hardwork.

SO you know what? If you see me out and about buying something nice for my son or myself, It’s because my rent is paid, my child is fed and all my other bills got paid. If you don’t like it…then try living with the daily pain I go through. Try working for years with it too.

Yes I PAY for my own healthcare…so put aside the assumption that YOUR tax dollars are covering me. I PAID into the system myself for years so when I need it the most, I WILL use it.

I also have a lot of friends and family who have been there for me so I could get out of the house and have a good time once in a while to save me from depression and total seclusion.

I am so sick of seeing all these media posts about people bleeding the welfare system….I doubt it! Try being on the other side of the fence.

You want to see the REAL welfare Scoffers???? Look at congress! Their paychecks FAR exceed what gets “unjustly used” as far as YOUR tax dollars go! THINK ABOUT THAT ONE!