Introduction

The first thing you need to know is that we are not experts in the paranormal field. In fact, we do not believe in the word “expert” in any area of life – especially the paranormal.

The paranormal is a vast area of study, but if there were truly “experts,” then there wouldn’t be a need for investigations or investigators as all of the mysteries would be solved and we would all have a complete understanding of this field. Obviously, this is not the case.

There are those who have many years of experience in investigation and research and these people should not be taken lightly, but they should also not be taken as the final word on the subject. Each new investigation, each new paranormal group formed, and each individual that sets out on a night of research brings more and more evidence of unexplainable material to the foreground. There is not one person alive who can say that they have seen all and can explain all.

From our point of view, those people who offer information from their experiences deserve a great deal of credit and respect, but if sharing this information is shadowed by an attitude of “this is the only way to do things” or “this is the only way to believe” or “there is no other explanation than the one I have experienced,” then something is definitely amiss and you should probably steer clear.

No matter who you are, your research in the area of the paranormal is unique and important. Even if you go to a place like the Gettysburg Battlefield where many people have gone to investigate, chances of you standing in the exact same spot and taking a photograph of the exact same field or canon, etc. as someone else (unless prearranged) is slim to none. The battlefield is huge and big enough for all of us. So is any other place that you wish to investigate.

The more information that is gathered and shared, the closer we all get to explaining the many mysteries of the paranormal. Isn’t that, after all, the goal?

The second important aspect we must share is that we have not been investigating (actually out and about) for years and years. We have approximately 3-1/2 years under our belts with over 30 years of reading material that others have put together and shared.

There are two advantages to this. The first advantage is that we still know what it is like to work on a limited budget and not have the luxury, as some do, to work with extremely high tech equipment. We are still gaining knowledge using what, we, and others like us, can afford.

The second advantage is that we are still very open minded about possibilities. This is not to say that those with many years of investigating experience are closed minded, but sometimes, it is difficult for those people to stray from what they have discovered over many investigations. When they find something that works for them, they believe that others should follow suit. The key words here are “works for them.” Not everything that works for an experienced investigator will work for another experienced investigator, nor for someone new in the research. We all have to find our own niche and what we are comfortable with. This is very important. If you look back in history, you will see that many inventors were scorned for their inventions and their ideas, but now, many of these inventions are every day conveniences that none of us could imagine living without.

You needn’t always be serious when ghost hunting. Spirits have a sense of humor too as many who truly have psychic ability can attest to. Part of the fun of doing what we do is discovering every day something new, many times from you – our website viewers - that we’ve never seen or heard about before. We know that we could do this for a hundred years and never know all there is to know. Knowing this, how could we possibly tell you that you MUST do things our way?

You’ll find many books on ghost hunting and ghost hunting procedures out there, the rights and the wrongs, the do’s and the don’ts, and so on, but there aren’t many from a budget standpoint, or from someone fairly new in the ghost hunting business. Sometimes it’s nice to know WHY you are doing something and WHY you should spend money on a certain piece of equipment, not just… because.

This is what you will find in this book.

The information we offer you here comes from our own experiences, common sense, thoughts, opinions and beliefs. We do not ask, nor expect, you to follow it as though we were the only source of knowledge available, but to take the information we share here, EXPAND upon it and share your knowledge with others. We wouldn’t mind a bit either if you shared with us too.

We want you to feel free to join in the ranks of paranormal investigators with whatever means you can – without shame or embarrassment. Every last ounce of evidence, no matter how small it may seem, is worth a great deal. Don’t ever let anyone tell you it’s not.

The Night Watchman and Christina M. Schumacher