Part One: Your attitude

While I’ve been blessed from some encounters with spirits, I realize the dangers of courting the paranormal. As a Christian, I believe in the existence of evil in the afterlife. Since wickedness resides in our realm (look at the latest blood-thirsty dictator), it’s logical that negative energies dwell in the Other World as well.

Not to worry you, but ghosts can follow you home, attach negative energies to you or lash out during an investigation, though not in a dramatic Stephen King kind of way.

For example: take the Ghost Adventures TV crew when they first visited the Goldfield Hotel (GFH).  They showed little respect for its spirits by antagonizing them. Their impolite behavior resulted in “good” TV when a brick was thrown at them. The hunters continued their provocation until they scared themselves so badly; they scrambled down a 100-year-old fire escape to flee the “malevolent” unseen forces.

This room is where the brick was thrown at the Ghost Adventures crew. It is the same room KTVN's investigative team received two polite EVPs.

However, when the KTVN investigation took place at the GFH about a year later, we never encountered any evil presences. Why?

Our expert ghost hunters told us to project positivity when we were in the building. It’s a version of the Law of Attraction—what you put out, you get in return. If you tremble in fear, you will bring more on to fear. If you’re nasty, you’ll attract nastiness. If you’re cordial, you’ll encourage positive interaction.

  • We treated the hotel and its invisible inhabitants with respect: even excusing ourselves when we entered a room. Since spirits are the souls of those who’ve passed on, they’ll respond like a person would.
  • While we asked questions and requested activity, we did not demand it.

But being polite does not guarantee you won’t encounter something unpleasant. This is where discernment comes in and this post ends. Stay tuned for the continuation next Wednesday.