Paranormal Discovery

Date: 19/12/09

Times: 20.30 - 02.30

Moon Phase: waxing crescent

Weather: sub zero temperatures, still

Investigators present: Katrina, Tori, Steve, Gary and Lynne

Many thanks to Lynne for allowing the team access to her shop overnight and for braving the bad weather to join us for the night.

We were asked to visit a small children's clothes shop in Crieff due to some unexplained happenings experienced by the owner, Lynne.  Lynne had been sufficiently interested in what was going on in the shop to have called in local dowser, David Cowan, to investigate months before. Underground streams had been detected and other psychics who had also visited had sensed the presence of a spirit man in the rear of the shop and an old lady in the front.  She was thought to be named either Rita or Margaret.  Lynne, who is sensitive herself, had described how she felt that the old lady was friendly and protective of her but that the man in the rear of the building just wanted to be left alone and didn't particularly like her being there.  Other people had told her that he might be a blacksmith.

The shop was thought to have been built sometime between the two World Wars.  Little is known about the shop's history although it had been a caravan accessory shop and a coffee machine suppliers before becoming a clothes shop.

Lynne reported various phenomena to us such as items going missing and then turning up days later in the first place she had already looked (Lynne works alone in the shop and so this couldn't have been attributed to another member of staff).  Items in the window display had also been rearranged overnight and on another occasion some artificial flowers had been found strewn around the front shop when she arrived one morning.  Some photos had been taken in the rear of the property which some people thought showed a spirit man's face.  Pareidolia could not be ruled out, however.  Another photograph shows a strange light resembling light in mid air glowing through the crack of a door.  Lynne assured me that there was no light source in the shop to account for the anomaly when the photo was taken.  There are no windows in that area of the shop.

A pre-investigation visit was arranged and attended by Katrina and Natalie. This visit was very interesting and various areas of the shop were described as feeling different by the investigators. Two spirits were immediately sensed in the shop by Natalie.  An old friendly lady in the front who may have been a seamstress.  Both Natalie and Katrina described this lady as being very short and petite with grey hair in a bun.  Natalie had the impression of her in a floral tea dress and apron.

The man in the rear of the building was also sensed.  Natalie thought that he was trying to hide and didn't want to be bothered.  Katrina thought he was an older gentleman perhaps in his 50s.  She also thought that he was quite well built, wearing a dark suit and predated the current building.  It was thought that this man found our presence annoying and that he probably didn't like women too much, seeing them as inferior.

The galley kitchen and storage area outside were intensely disliked by everyone.  These two areas were once one long close at the side of the shop but had since been incorporated into the building and made into 2 separate areas.  Natalie had the distinct impression that something bad had happened there, something violent, a murder or assault perhaps.  The atmosphere of the shop completely changed when the dividing curtain between the shop and kitchen was opened.  There was a menacing and unpleasant air to the place from then on.  Natalie described having the impression of a 'gang' being in the old close area, perhaps 3 young men, all wearing caps.  Another menacing figure was 'seen' by Natalie, a fair headed tall man who appeared at the main door to the shop and was holding some kind of weapon.  He may have been one of the gang sensed in the close.

Katrina recorded all conversations during this visit.  Interestingly 2 possible Evps were recorded, one of a woman while everyone present was in the front shop and one of a man while everyone was in the rear of the building.  This is interesting considering that only women were present. Voices from outside could be heard, however, but these were distinct on audio and easily identifiable as coming from outside.  The voice recorder picked up the man's voice from the rear of the shop where nobody from outside could be heard as this room is away from the street.  None of the women present heard a man's voice which is audible on the recording speaking at the same time as Lynne.

A date was arranged to return to the shop and no details of the activity experienced, history of the building or spirit impressions gained were passed onto the other team members.  They were only told that some items had moved and that possible evps may have been captured.

back shop where man was sensed

The plan was simple.  Activity often occurred when the shop was empty so equipment was set up and the shop left empty for an hour.  Data loggers were left in the rear of the building, in the kitchen and in the front shop.  Voice recorders were set to record, again in these areas.  Locked-off camcorders were positioned, one filming the back most room, one filming across the front of the shop and one facing the main door.  This final camera would show passers by and if anyone had stopped outside the shop.  The camera filming across the front shop was plugged into the mains in the kitchen (this fact is relevant).  It was decided not to set up trigger objects from our kit as items belonging to the shop had previously moved anyway.  It was hoped that if anything moved then it would be caught on camera.

Of note 4 camcorder batteries were found to be dead on arrival and another 2 only half charged. These had been fully charged when leaving home.  One battery of the four was too dead to even start the camera.  This has never before been experienced to this extent when on investigation.  On our return we decided to reposition the camera which until then it had been filming the front shop. This camera had been fully charged before leaving home and it too was noted to have no battery charge left despite it having been plugged into the mains since arrival.  The battery should still have been fully charged.  These camcorder batteries were all bought at different times and were owned by 2 separate investigators.  Tests are underway to work out how many minutes each battery will last for, however, none should have been drained given that they were fully charged and some not even used.  It was noted throughout the night that no mobile phones were affected nor any of the other equipment.

Tori's Spirit Impressions

"Before entering the premises I had a cobweb feeling on my face indicating a high energy location. I also saw a spirit man walking on the street. He was tall, fairly thin in stature and in his late 30s / early 40s.

Entering the location in the front shop area I sensed movement from the middle room. a spirit woman, middle-aged and "a bit of a character".

Entering the kitchen I felt slightly sick and uncomfortable and again I sensed that a male spirit moved through this space.

At the back of the premises in the outside close this sick feeling continued and I had violent bloody images of a mugging which resulted in a man's death. It was a very uncomfortable area.

In the back room I still felt uncomfortable and sensed that the man also moved through this area as the feelings of the mugging continued. I sensed strongly feelings of violence, blood and death.

I sensed a wall of energy running down the centre of the middle room around a metre to a metre and a half in width. It felt neither positive or negative but purely neutral in nature and I felt no consciousness in it. Could it be an underground river or ley line?

During the investigation, in this middle room I saw a dark figure standing behind me with her hands in her pockets in the doorway leading to the front shop. She was around 5’3"/ 5’4" in height with short or tied up hair and a large build or possibly wearing a puffy jacket. I felt she was the kind of person who was blunt and straight to the point. For a comparison I asked Katrina to stand in the same spot as the figure was standing. In the light conditions she also appeared dark in the same nature as the spirit figure had appeared to me and I gauged that the figure was approximately the same height as Katrina but with a much bigger build."

10:50pm Front Shop

Tori saw a white energy and described a lot of general movement and energy moving around this area. She also reported a feeling of being watched and stated that whatever spirit was present was aware of everyone.

Tori used her pendulum to confirm what she had already sensed in the middle room and found a wall of energy as described above. Katrina who had entered the back room to do something reported sensing a hot patch on her legs as if walking past radiator. This was felt just as she passed the threshold from the middle room to the back room. There was nothing present to account for this and in fact the data loggers showed no temperature fluctuations throughout the night. Only the expected gradual increase in temperature after the heaters were switched on and from our body heat was recorded. Feeling suddenly cold was reported often throughout the night but the outside temperature was below freezing.

11:15 pm Back Rooms

Everyone took up position and sat down so as to minimise noise. Gary settled down on the floor by the door through to the main shop (this door was being filmed from the other side). Steve stood in the back shop filming and the three women all sat down on chairs facing the back room. The doors to the shop and to the toilet area were closed with the result that there was no light source apart from the 2 camcorders which were filming. The dividing curtain between the back and middle rooms was lifted up and draped over the curtain wire to keep it out of the way.

Various flashes and orbs were seen during this vigil by more than one person at separate times, both with the naked eye and on screen.

The vigil started off by Lynne seeing 2 pinpricks of light. She asked for the spirit man to do something else which was followed soon after by Steve remarking on seeing (on screen) a spark under the worktop. This was in the same spot as Tori had sensed the male spirit moments before. She had felt him standing behind Steve watching the team. Tori felt uncomfortable with this, nauseous and uneasy. Lynne commented that she felt that the man was bigoted and didn't like women.

A few minutes later and everyone noticed that the curtain had started to sway back and forth quite vigorously just after Steve had turned around to face the back of the room. Gary who was facing that direction stated that Steve had not brushed past it. Steve, however, tried to replicate the curtain's movement. It was made still and Steve retraced his steps to see if vibrations from his footsteps might cause the curtain to move. It didn't. The only way to make it move in the same manner as before was to hit it quite hard.

Sometime later Steve noted seeing flashing lights (on screen) by Lynne in the centre of the room. Gary then saw an orb with his own eyes in almost the same area. 5 minutes later and the curtain was noted to be moving again although not quite so fast as before. It was then made stationary and asked to move again, which it did although quite gently.

The male spirit was was not confined to the very back room. Although he was sensed in there by the back door by Lynne and Tori, he was also seen by Tori right behind Steve near the curtain area and also behind Gary in the middle room.

11.55 Tea Room

Everyone except for Steve sat down in the tea room. Steve was filming from the main shop as well as a camcorder on tripod facing into the room. Lynne immediately reported a strange sensation as if her ears were about to pop. Some noises were heard which sounded like growls. These turned out to be the noise of a door in the next close being closed. Lots of traffic noise was heard during this vigil, car doors being closed and people's voices outside.

12.06 Various little flashes were seen on screen by Steve. He reported these as all being in the same place and moving towards Tori's head right in the corner of the room.

Lynne commented on how she thought the man in the next room might prefer being called a 'gentleman' rather than a man or male spirit. Katrina asked Tori if she thought the male spirit ever came into the front of the shop. Katrina didn't tell anyone at the time but had thought this man had come as far as the doorway from the middle room to the front shop and was standing there listening to our conversation. Tori replied that she believed him able to move into the shop itself but chose not to.

Katrina and Tori reported feeling a strong draught as if a door had been opened. There was no explanation for this as nothing had changed and no temperature variations were discovered when reviewing the data logger's recordings later.

Katrina asked if something had changed in the atmosphere as it she felt that it was now brighter and that she now felt very uncomfortable. Lynne stated that she didn't feel too well now and that the pressure in both of her ears was becoming uncomfortable.

More flashes and streaks were seen by Steve while filming. These were again seen beside Tori so Katrina suggested that she swap places with her to see if these light anomalies continued or not. Steve later remarked on the absence of these anomalies only for a flash to be seen between Lynne and Katrina as if in response.

Some noises were heard by those present but nothing substantial recorded on audio. Steve commented on hearing a noise from within the room. This had sounding like paper been crumpled up. Later on both Lynne and Katrina heard a squeak in the tea room as if behind Lynne. Gary who was sitting in that area had not heard anything.

Katrina who was now in the corner facing the doorway suddenly shouted out that she had seen something strange : a large white circle with a inner circle had appeared high up on the wall facing her. It was visible for about 2 seconds before just vanishing. It hadn't moved or faded but simply vanished. She asked if anyone had been using a torch as that it what it had resembled but nobody had. Nobody else had witnessed this. A discussion took place about whether it would be possible for any car lights to be reflected into this room or not (there were no windows in this room itself). Not long after, a car drove past and it was noted that its headlights were somehow reflected onto this wall. However, everyone noticed this at this time and the beam of light travelled across the room. It had first been visible on the back wall then moved along the partition wall where Katrina had seen the orb earlier. This beam of light was rectangular in shape and not circular like the light Katrina had seen. This area had been out of shot of the video cameras, however, audio and video recordings later showed that no car had driven past when Katrina had seen the orb. Steve, who was standing in the shop area would have noticed anything likely to have caused this anomaly.

Tori asked if the spirit she had seen earlier, and who had taken her by surprise in the middle room, could show itself or do something. Gary and Katrina both reported suddenly having a headache and both Katrina and Tori said they didn't feel too good. Lynne's ears still felt strange. Lynne asked if the spirit present could perhaps do something definite rather than just affecting our feelings. Tori remarked that she had seen a black orb on the table. Lynne described how she too was now suffering from a headache as well as pain across the bottom of her rib cage. Katrina was noted to be slumped in her chair so Steve and Tori both ask her if she is all right as she hadn't moved or spoken for a few minutes. She replied that she was fine but needed to move seats as she had suddenly become angry for no reason. A strong feeling of anger had welled up inside her against everyone present. She felt that the whole investigation was pointless and that everyone present was stupid and not worth talking to. She had suddenly just wanted to be left alone.

Steve asked Tori for a fresh camcorder battery as the one he was using was running low now. A new one was handed over but was found to be dead.  

1.05 Divination 

Suitable protective measures were put into place and everyone took their places at the table in the back room. Steve remained standing to film.

The glass moved immediately. In summary this is the information received by the alleged spirit. There were lost of contradictory answers given to the questions posed.

He was male, and was murdered in the building in the back room area. He had his throat slit.

He worked in the shop, was robbed and this happened in the late 1900s, the 1970s. He was from Crieff and didn't know his killers although he did indicate that a woman was involved in his death. He was married with a family who still lived in Crieff. He didn't own the shop.

Most of this didn't ring true and the shop owner who lives in Crieff couldn't recall any such story. Gary then asked if the spirit meant that he was from the late 19th century and not the late 1900s. The question had initially been asked in a misleading way. ("Was it last century?" no "1900s?" yes "Early 1900s?" no "Late 1900s?" yes). Various questions about his remains and burial were not answered.

The spirit then indicated that he was killed in the 1870s before 1875. He worked in the blacksmith's workshop but was not the blacksmith himself. He also indicated that he would make Lynne feel welcome in the shop from now on and that he didn't need any help to move on and was happy where he was. He would be happy to have people around if they just left him alone and didn't pay him too much attention. The message spelt out by this male spirit was "come t look old sin" (we assumed this meant he'd come to look at the site of his murder). He indicated that there had been 3 assailants. When asked if he had seen these people the planchette landed on top of a small icon of an eye then spelt out "look 3". This was end of the communication with this alleged spirit. Another entity then came forward claiming to know Tori with a personal message for her. This was passed on and although was not understood by the others, Tori said it had made perfect sense to her.

The investigation came to a close and the equipment gathered up.

Temperature

Although those present commented from time to time on feeling colder or feeling cold/hot spots no temperature fluctuations were recorded. A gradual rise in temperaure was noted as the night progressed which was to be expected as the areas heated up from our body heat and the radiators. Audio

Noise contamination from outside was frequent (cars passing & pedestrians). However, there were no windows to the rear of the property which was well away from the road. Whilst in the front of the shop it was easy to see anyone passing and so to work out what any possible sounds were. While the team were sitting in the small tea break room, Steve ensured that he stood out in the main area of the shop while filming. This allowed him to see anyone that passed.

Two possible EVPs were recorded during the investigation, both during the divination sesssion in the back shop. The two 'voices' sound similar.Visual

No anomalies were noted on photographs taken.

Some of the lights/orbs seen during the investigation had been seen via the screen on the camcorder. Dust cannot be ruled out. Orbs seen on one camcorder were not filmed on another just feet away. This doesn't explain the other orbs, flashes and lights seen by the others present with their own eyes.

Other

Equipment failure is common on investigation. However, 5 camcorder batteries failed which is very unusual. These had not belonged to the same person and both team members who owned the batteries stated that they had charged them fully before leaving home. All of the batteries had not been used at all before draining.

It is a mystery as to why only the camcorder batteries were affected and not our mobile phones, data loggers or voice recorders. The batteries affected were all Lithium-ion type which may be relevant. It had been suggested at one point that perhaps the cold conditions had played a part, however, these batteries seem to do better at colder temperatures than hot (different storage temperatures produce different loss results: 6% loss at 0 °C (32 °F), 20% at 25 °C (77 °F), and 35% at 40 °C (104 °F)). The batteries had not been stored for long either, having been charged the day before and the day of the investigation.

Sensations/feelings

There was a short period of time when everyone was sitting in the tea break room where everyone except Steve felt either uncomfortable or pain. Steve,was the only person standing in the main shop area with everyone else sitting down in the small tea break room. Headaches, pressure in ears, pain in the chest, unexplained anger and unease were all felt.

There are various reasons as to what had caused this. Perhaps it was due to the spirit man, who was not too happy about everyone being there, and he had somehow transferred his feelings onto those present. Perhaps one person had commented on feeling unwell and by the power of suggestion everyone else then felt unwell. Perhaps we were experiencing some kind of mass hysteria. Perhaps the effects of infrasound had become apparent. Perhaps we were all acting. The shop is supposed to lie over an underground stream of sorts and Crieff itself is situated only 5 miles from the Highland Fault Line and the town of Comrie where in the 1830s 7000 minor tremors were recorded.

Infrasound is sound which is below the normal level of human hearing. This sound cycles at below 20 Hz and cannot be heard. Nature and man made machinery can cause this low sound. Earthquakes, wind turbines, traffic, thunder storms, flowing water, extractor fans, certain animlas can all cause infrasound. Infrasound can affect the human body in many ways. Waves of infrasound are invisible, but slam into living tissue and physical structures with great force. Below 10 Hz it is possible to perceive the single cycles of the sound, along with a sensation of pressure at the eardrums. It can also cause feelings of unease, fear, disorientation, nausea, anger, and optical illusions. The human eyeball resonates at a frequency of 18 Hz,sound lower than this can possibly cause vibrations within the eye and hence make you see things that aren't actually there !

This sounds plausible as the cause of the team's experiences during the Tea Room vigil. However, if infrasound was to blame then why didn't Steve have any effects from it as he was standing only feet away from everyone else?

Audio Clips

Taken from the footage during divination in the rear of the shop.

1.The spirit was asked when he died. We ask if it was before 1875. Tori then commened that she heard something but nobody else heard anything. There was a 'voice' recorded just prior to her commenting on hearing a voice. It is very quiet but sound very much like a man's voice.

A. Longer clip so you can hear the 'voice' in context and the original volume of it.

B.'Voice' amplified and hiss reduction applied

2.The next clip is from the same vigil. Tori had been asking the spirit man if he knew her name (Victoria or her witch name would have been a hit). The planchette then moved to the word 'goodbye' to which one of us says 'cop out'. Immediately after there is a sound which sounds like a faint man's voice. It sounds very much like the first voice and it does indeed seem to be answering Tori's question.

A.Longer clip so you can hear the 'voice' in context and the original volume of it.

B..'Voice' amplified and hiss reduction applied

The following 2 clips are taken from recordings made during the pre investigation visit.

3. The three people were standing in the Tea Room chatting. Katrina feels as if her ears are about to pop Natalie picks up on a female spirit presence. There is what appears to be a female voice.

A.Longer clip so you can hear the 'voice' in context and the original volume of it.

B.Voice' amplified and hiss reduction applied

4. The three women present were chatting in the back shop. You can hear Lynne talking. There is a male sounding voice speaking over her . It says 3 syllables but the last part of the phrase coincides with a tap so makes it difficult to hear properly.

A.Longer clip so you can hear the 'voice' in context and the original volume of it.

B.Voice' amplified and hiss reduction applied

The little shop in Crieff was an interesting location and the investigation was quite eventful with everybody present feeling or witnessing something strange. A repeat visit would be very worthwhile as would the ability to detect infrasound which is impossible given costs involved.

Something strange is happening in the shop. Perhaps a follow-up investigation will yield some more interesting audio or video footage.