Participation Rules

 

Here are twenty seven rules/regulations to follow, as a M.A.J.D.A and I.G.H.S. affiliate, we have incorperated the I.S.G.A. standard into ours:

1.   Never go alone on a ghost hunt. Take along a partner for safety and peace of mind.

2.   Always say a prayer of protection before and after a ghost hunt.  We don't want those pesky ghosts following us home!

3.   Make sure all of your equipment is fully charged and that you have extra batteries available. Ghosts can drain fully charged instruments. 

4.   Don't walk into an area snapping pictures right off the bat, relax a bit and give those ghosts that are present some time to get used to you. Ask the spirits permission to photograph them. Follow these rules for photography:

• Do not take photos rom moving vehicles or dusty roads.
• Do not take photos while walking a dusty road.
• Do not let your camera strap hang loose, remove or wear the strap.
• Avoid shooting into the sun to prevent lense flare.
• Avoid shooting with the flasn on a shiney or refective surface.
• Keep fingers away from the lense.
• Keep long hair away from the lense.
• Avoid shooting when objects are floating near the camera
• Compare anomalies to negatives, if a film camera was used, for comfirmation.
• The flash is only good for 9 to 12 feet, so focus on that range.

 5.   Be aware of the surroundings for safety sake. For best results, always take a day walk through before doing a nighttime investigation, if possible. The other option would be to show up just before dark (dusk) and have a look around before starting.  

6.   A ghost hunter steps into an investigation/ghost hunt with the best of feelings for those that are with him/her and for the ghosts that might be present. In other words, full respect for the living and the dead. 

7.   Above all - NO HORSE PLAY, NO DRINKING and NO SMOKING! This is an important event. Smoking can kill you...and make the photographs of no use. Horseplay makes too much noise and you just may get hurt. Drinking makes you clumsy, do stupid stuff when you think you are not and disrepects the organizatioon, as well as others. Take pride in your investigations.

8.   Large groups should split up into smaller groups of four individuals or less per team.

9.   If you are scientifically minded, and I hope that you are, be sure you have your hunt log or a notebook and document significant occurrences. Begin by logging in the starting time and weather conditions etc. Also make note of surrounding lights so as to not confuse them with anomalies later on in the pictures. Record all meter abnormalities, strange sounds, sightings and feeling or emotions. Each group should take their own notes and compare afterwards.

10.  Do not show fear. A gracious ghost will not come around if they sense you are fearful. Yet your fear can have a mischievous ghost feeding on that fear.

11.  Keep in mind that a lot of the places you will be investigating will be secluded. Because of this you should always bring along some form of protection. I suggest pepper spray or  a stun gun. I am of course talking about protecting yourself from bad people, not bad ghosts.  *smile*

12.  If you are going to be taking pictures, be sure and clean the lense with a lint free cloth before every hunt and during the hunt. This will help reinforce the evidence by ruling out a contaminated lense.

13.  If you feel that some unknown force wants you out of there...then by all means get out! You should never go against these feelings or you could end up having something show up at your home. Turnabout is fair play right?

14.  Never dare an unseen entity to make itself known to you. However, It is okay to ask those present if you can take their picture or record their voice. 

15.  Make sure you have permission before entering private property such as a cemetery or abandoned house. Tresspassing is illegal and it makes all of us, as professionals look bad...as if the general population doesn't think we are wierd enough.

16.  If you are not familiar with EMF meters,ask one of the investigators to explain it to you. Always do a sweep of the area to find areas of high readings prior to the hunt.
 
17.  Now a word about ghost voices, or EVP. It is best to use an external microphone and leave the recorder in one place. You may want to consider using two recorders to cover a wider area. Check and recheck the recordings, EVP's are easily missed. If a tape recorder is used, ALWAYS use a fresh tape.

18.  End a ghost hunt/investigation with a prayer of protection, remember, we serve a higher power, in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

19.  Use the space weather forecast and moon phases to help plan your hunts. Spirits can draw power from these events.

20.  Be sure and check the regular weather forecast, rain and fog can cause too many "anomalies" in your video and pictures...it is good to hunt just after it rains, be careful not to photograph under trees and bushes, rain and moisture from that can cause anomalies. The reason I like to hunt after a good rain, it takes the majority of the dust out of the air, the chances of actually photographing real anomalies is better.

21.  Dress for the occasion. Some of the best hunting weather is cold weather. There are fewer insects to interfere with photography.

22.  Once again, be respectful of your surroundings, watch your step, and use extreme caution in unfamiliar locations. I can't stress this enough.

23.  Always have a first aid kit nearby, keep snacks and beverages in your vehicle and carry extra blankets. You never know if you may have transportation trouble.

24.  Always let someone that is not with you know the locations and roads you plan to travel. This may save your life if you were involved in an accident.

25. West Central Ggerogia Investigators of Paranormal Activity assumes no responsibility for those requesting to atttend hunts or investigations. All who attend do so by their own free will and understand that this can be dangerous.

26.No Ouija or Seances during or after the event, while on site. We, at W.C.G.I.P.A., DO NOT use Ouija or Seances to contact the other side.

27.  Finally, Have fun! Make the atmosphere charged with exitement. We release more electromagnetic energy when we are exited to do what we love doing...and it just may rub off on the spirits!