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The Orb Controversy
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It was, at one time, accepted that orbs were a part of the paranormal community. They turned up in photos quite regularly worldwide and accounted for nearly 75% of the photos on any given website. They caused their share of controversy - regular debates on forums, at seminars, on talk shows and in articles - but as with most popular "trends", orbs became tiresome viewing and discussion. Are they appearing any less in photos? Doubtful. Are they being seen on websites as often? No, they're not. Does this mean that orbs are no longer considered important evidence in the paranormal field? This depends on who you talk to, whose site you visit or what paranormal shows you watch on television. About a year or so ago, one very popular television paranormal group made the statement in their show that orbs should not be acknowledged as evidence in paranormal research. This statement must have brought gasps from the viewing audience, most of whom had spent hours and hours on various websites, including this group's site, viewing photo after photo of orbs. As expected, other paranormal groups began offering up articles claiming that since orbs could be dust particles, dew drops, rain, or any number of naturally explained phenomenon, they should no longer be considered as evidence for the paranormal. To keep up with the trends, playing follow the leader seems to be necessary. The articles, though written intelligently and with logical content, failed in one specific area. These people had no problem telling us what orbs could be and why they should not be considered as paranormal evidence, but they still couldn't tell us what orbs truly are. Since the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "paranormal" as "scientifically unexplained", it is my opinion that orbs are still very much in the realm of the paranormal. Anyone who has done any kind of ghost hunting will inevitably come up with photos showing orbs at one time or another. Others who have taken pictures at random during family celebrations, vacations, memorial visitations, etc. may have experienced orbs in their photos too. Though we may not know what they are, they certainly aren't shy about showing themselves. The most horrifying aspect of the statement that began the boycott on orbs is the possibility of missing out on important evidence. Many of those viewing the paranormal shows believe and follow the practices of the groups they watch because they believe these people to be "experts". There is a lot to be said for experience, but honestly, in the paranormal field when anything can happen, there are no experts. We are watching educated people offering educated guesses through scientific experimentation who are doing what the rest of us are doing - trying to explain things that are not truly understood or proven. Due to our own experiences with orbs, the statement made by that group and the articles from other groups that followed, made us somewhat angry. Just like anyone else, we want more evidence - not just orbs - but that doesn't mean we feel orbs should be ignored as evidence altogether. Needless to say, despite the sudden trend against orbs, we still continued to examine any and all photos we took or received for one specific reason. Though we still cannot say what orbs are, we have had the opportunity to personally view something in orbs that we can't possibly cast aside. We have an orb or a "family/species" of orb that continues to show up for us to photograph no matter where we go. We don't see it/them every time, but we always look very closely at all of our photos just in case. |
As you can see from the photo presented here, had we not taken the time to lighten the photos that appeared to have nothing in them, we would have missed out on meeting our new friend completely. See the bluish colored orb in the upper right corner of the above photo? Now, look at it enlarged below.
As you can see, this orb has an unmistakable identifying mark. It appeared while we were out on May 16, 2005 taking photos in the Eden Cemetery in Rhodes, Iowa. In our minds, this orb cannot be mistaken for dust, rain, dew or any other naturally created particle that people believe explains away orbs. Of course, one photo doesn't offer the evidence required to bring orbs back into paranormal respect, but it was intriguing. We continued going out upon occasion to different places, again viewing closely all the photos we took.
On May 20, 2005, we took this photo at the Illinois Grove Cemetery near St. Anthony, Iowa - a good 25 miles from the location of the first photo. See the orb in the upper right hand corner of this photo? Go to the next page of this article to see its enlargement. | |
