Ghost Hunting / Paranormal Investigation

What is it?
The term ghost hunt is used when going to a place were there have been no sightings of ghosts and trying to catch some on film, sounds, eyewitness, etc. and trying literally hunting for paranormal activity. The term is often misconstrued as sharing the same definition as ghost investigation, or paranormal investigation, which means going to a known haunted place and recording data, research, interviews, and other evidence to prove or disprove the authenticity of the haunt and to help the owners assist the dead in passing on. This assistance is either provided directly from the investigating party, or by getting the owner in contact with someone who can help them through their situation and let them know their options.

Who can do it?
Technically speaking, almost anyone can do it if they can keep their emotions in check and follow basic protocol, as well as the ability to do proper research while continuing to approach the investigation in a purely skeptical and scientific manner. If you're looking into conducting independent investigations, we suggest you go here.
Though we at ParanormalUnknown try to encourage new people to get active with the paranormal or paranormal investigation, we suggest that you stick with what you know or people who know what you don't. If you are not experienced in Ghost Hunting, we recommend that you find an established group or society in your area, and tag along until you are familiar with the profession. For some tips on proper protocol, go to Ghost hunting Tips.

What will be encountered?
There are two kinds of entities you will encounter: human or non-human. The bulk of most encounters will be that of either human entities or residual haunts. Though the chances are small that you will ever likely encounter one, non-human entities are nothing to betaken lightly. Unlike human entities such as intelligent haunts, non-human entities are usually hostile and have been known to attempt possession upon occasion. Always stay aware of your surroundings; keep a sharp eye out, and always protect yourself. For more information on hauntings and types of haunts, refer to: Hauntings 101

What kind of Equipment?
Required:
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Cellular phone (with confirmed signal) or walkie-talkies (to keep in touch with each other)
- First Aid kit
- Watch (preferably digital)
- Weather appropriate clothing (no strings or toggles on jackets)
- 35mm Camera (needs at least 400 speed film, and can be a single use camera)
- Digital camera (at least 6.0 pixels and infrared)
- Notebook(s) and pencil(s)
Optional / Advanced:
- Digital Video Camera (tripod optional)
- Tape Recorder (with extended microphone and highgrade tapes)
- Digital Audio Recorders
- EMF Detector
- A Compass (same principal as EMF)
- Motion Detectors
- Thermometer
- Thermal Scanner
...other equipment can be useful, but these are just some suggestions.

Please keep in mind that this is a bried overview and is not official. We at ParanormalUnknown do not take responsibility for acts as a result of reading this blog. Other information such a specific procedures and and data recording tips, check out the sources below.

Source(s):
http://www.ghosthunting101.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_hunting

Earthbound Spirits

What is an Earthbound Spirit?
We a ParanormalUnknown approach the term with this outlook: earthbound spirits, technically speaking, are the disembodied souls of people who have left the physical realm, but not entirely moved on. Earthbound spirits account for a large portion of legitimate haunts.
Note: A common misconception people have is that if it is in a realm capable of being perceived by a living being, that all entities or spirits percieved must be an earthbound spirit.

Why is a Spirit Earthbound?
Firstly, when trying to identify with an earthbound spirit you need to remember that this spirit was and still is a person. They have the same feelings and plight of man, and sometimes more. Most people think that earthbound spirits are prevented from moving on because of "unfinished business". Though this is sometimes the case, there are a number of reasons why a spirit could be earthbound (and a number of people make a living off of identifying the reasons and also by helping the earthbound spirits move on), here we will go over a few of the most common reasons:
-Unfinished Business-
The most popularized reasoning behind earthbound spirits, spirits that stay due to unfinished business are also found in other categories of earthbound spirit, notably including vengeful earthbound spirits. These spirits usually only stay until their business has been tended to and then easily move on.
-Lost-
Some earthbound spirits stay within the immediate vicinity of their death, often when their death is surrounded by sudden or unexpected circumstances. These souls are are usually confused and having trouble accepting or coping with the reality of their death, some may even fail to realize that they are dead at all. These lost earthbound spirits are often vary eager to make their presence known, trying to attract the attention of anyone that passes, especially those who are more sensitive to spirits.
-Vengeful-
What does a vengeful earthbound spirit want? Revenge or vengeance. These earthbound souls are often found in similar circumstances to lost earthbound souls, usually surrounding violent or sudden deaths. But unlike lost spirits, vengeful spirits have a single purpose for staying here and not moving on. They want revenge or to avenge their death, only then would they be able to find peace and move on.
-Guilty-
Guilty earthbound spirits are earthbound due to guilt or regret, usually surrounding suicides, overdoses, or and other accidental deaths. They feel guilty because of their acceptance of the responsibility of their death and the consequences that follow(ed).
-Fearful-
When a spirit realizes their death, and the existance after, some are reluctant to move on for fear of a finality to it all. To some spirits, going to the light symbolizes the end, and officially be dead, not just walking around spooking unsuspecting tourists. It could be the finality, the unknown, or the possibility of being judged or going to hell: whatever is holding a spirit in fear is responsible for keeping it earthbound; fearful earthbound spirits are earthbound by their own fears of moving on.
-The Living Hold-
When people say that you have to learn to let go, they mean it. Literally. This is a term for a particular circumstance. When someone passes, we as humans have a tenancy to cling to what was rather than what it. Death is an odd, and more often difficult, concept to grasp despite experience or belief. Often earthbound spirits will stay until they feel that their loved ones have come to terms with their death and/or moved on, thus freeing them to do the same, but the living hold is what we use to refer to more extreme cases. The living hold is a term we use to describe situations where the living become obsessed with the desceased, going beyond what is seen as the general terms of grieving. You have to remember that these earthbound souls are human spirits, with emotion and empathy; they are not going to want to abandon their loved ones if they do not feel it is right to do so, nor if their loved ones can not learn to let go.
Note: A residual haunt can be an earthbound spirit, even though it's technically not an intelligent haunt. It still feels and is a human soul, it is just unaware of its current condition or circumstance. Some residual haunts have been theorized to be surrounding lost or vengeful earthbound souls.

The Reality is...
...that the likelihood of a deceased loved one haunting you for the sake of it is rather rare; it has and does happen, but it's not as popular of an occurrence as most would like (or tend) to believe. As with any kind of experience that suggests a haunt, we suggest that you try to observe objectively. We have encountered several incidents where people wish to contact their death loved ones so badly that they will start to assign normal occurrences, or other non-related paranormal phenomena, to the presence of the loved one as a means of affirmation. No matter the situation, sometimes the living hold just is not enough and when emotions get involved things always get messy. Earthbound spirits deserve to move on.

If you have had an experience, or are curious as to whether or not you or your home might be haunted, there is useful information in the Hauntings 101 blog.

Source(s):
Shadowlands
Personal knowledge from various research and investigation.

Who is La Llorna?

La Llorona is a fairly common tale in the North America, as if finds it's roots in Mexico, but has reached as far as South America and other countries where Hispanic folklore is more widespread.

The most common storyline goes:
There was a beautiful woman named Maria who wished, to and eventually did, marry. The couple had three children, but as the husband started to work away Maria, who was ignored and eventually cheated on by her husband became quite troubled. So one day she finally snapped and killed her children by drowning them, consumed by a jealous rage when she learns her husband is going to wed the other woman. Realizing what she has done, Maria then becomes overwhelmed by guilt weeping and crying hysterically and eventually kills herself. After a man finds her body by the river with her children and they are buried, the tale of her ghost spread quite rapidly as people heard tales of mysterious weeping sounds. Thats the background, at least.
The theory behind exactly why and where her mournful spirit haunts are rather broad and typically vary, some by topography and other means of geographic reference. Various accounts portray how La Llorona acts similar to the crying banshee, mourning the deaths of people around her, while other darker varieties of the tale foretell of death omens, and even how La Llorona will haunt and sometimes kill people, and children. The tales of her murderous spirit generally are accompanied about how she haunts various topographical entities: near a river or some other small body of water, a small back road or alley, and some even say she will come if you live near a particular variety of tree. Most of the darker conclusions of the haunting story result in drowned children or dead men as La Llorona lurks for revenge against her unfaithful husband.
Typically, the legend serves as a cautionary tale on several levels. Parents will warn their children that both bad behavior and being outside after dark will result in a visit from the spirit. The tale also warns teenage girls not to be enticed by status, wealth, material goods, or by men making declarations of love or any promises too good to be true. Some also believe that those who hear the cries of La Llorona are marked for death.
Personally I have some quite unnerving memories associated with the story of La Llorona. When I first heard the tale, I was about 4 or 5 year old and living in a small town in called Saguache, Colorado. The tale of the weeping (or crying) woman (literal translation of La Llorona) reached my school and scared the heck out of a lot of us. It was the first scary story anyone every told me and the cautious fear of it is one of my earliest memories. Thoughts of La Llorona often left me sleeping with a baseball bat as a means of protection. These days I know better than to try and hit a ghost with a baseball bat, but it just goes to show how this tale has spread and why I would have a particular interest in it. I also think it's interesting to note how the Susan Smith murder case resembles that of La Llorona tale.

Sources:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Llorona
2. http://www.literacynet.org/lp/hperspectives/llorona.html