VSPI Participates at Car Free Day Vancouver!

Hello Friends,

Once again, VSPI will participate at the 2017 Car Free Day Vancouver, West End Festival. We'd love for you to drop on by, should you be in the neighbourhood. Or better yet, grab friends, family members, your pet, your bike, and come on by!

What:  Car Free Day Vancouver - West End Festival
Date:   Saturday, June 17, 2017
Time:   Noon - 7 pm
Place:  Denman Street (between Robson St & Haro St)

The festival runs on Denman Street, has music groups, food vendors, games for everyone, and more!
We'll be tweeting, posting photos and more.. so keep updated via our:
Website,
Facebook page,
and Twitter.

Have a question you've been holding onto?
Been anxious to share an experience you've had?
Curious about a method we use?
Interested in how we research the background of a site or a home?

Kati, our founder, will be on hand to listen, understand and share.
We'd love to visit with you.. so save the day!

Saturday, June 17, 2017.

See you there!
-- your VSPI team -- 

VSPI 2016 Car Free Day Vancouver Survey!

Hello Friends,

On Sat.June 18th we decided it was time to take an updated survey of the people who visited Car Free Day Vancouver - West End Festival. Although the day was a "wet" one (which is normal in Vancouver, BC), we had fun and met some truly amazing people. We listened to your experiences, shared a few of ours, discussed techniques for cleansing and clearing, and talked about "haunted" buildings in the Greater Vancouver area. All in all, it was a successful event for us, and for the Festival.

We wish to thank those of you who came out and supported us, talked with us, shared stories and took our survey. We appreciate that you took the rain in stride and ventured out regardless! Thank You!

For our Survey results, please visit our website HERE (they are too large to post to our blog) and join in the conversation on our Facebook Page. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
What surprised you the most?
Would you have answered any differently?
What did we miss out?
Let's get the conversation rolling!
In the meanwhile, we have some exciting investigations coming up this summer and into early autumn. Keep an eye out on our website and here for updates.. as well as our continuation about the "Boot Hill Cemetery Convicts" from the old BC Penitentiary.

Until then, we'll talk soon!
Kati

Research Brings Gifts...

Hi Tante Kati (German for "Aunt Kati")! I just moved into a new place and was told by the downstairs tenants that apparently our suite is haunted! One room specifically. The house is definitely old, probably at least 70-80 years. Do you know how I would go about learning more about the history of the place? Maybe you could come over and investigate it! I haven't noticed anything unusual going on, but I have only slept there one night so far since they are currently renovating it." Natasha, my niece, messaged me through Facebook one Thursday evening.

Of course I was intrigued, and wondered if the renovations would kick up activity. I would have to know more. With a few messages back and forth over the next few days, I received the address of the home and began my trek through the wonderful world of research. I let Natasha know that if anything unexplained occurred over the following week, to write it down, text me any time, and I would help as best as I could. I promised to get back to her within a week. A few days later, Natasha let me know her doorbell had rung with no one there, and she witnessed a shadow person, possibly a woman, looking at her.

Occasionally I receive visitations from spirits in my own home, usually the week prior to an investigation. It seems as if they know I am coming. Sometimes I get a feeling of whom it is, and other times I’m not sure. When I hear the footsteps on my bamboo runners, or the glass smashing in my kitchen, or knocks on my walls, I always rule out the obvious (living in a cement building transmits less noise than in other structures – I check thoroughly regardless). With the upcoming investigation at Natasha’s, I received a visit from what I felt was a female spirit informing me she was looking for someone. I read out the names of the families I had researched and landed on one that made absolute sense. I kept this information to myself.

The Importance of Standing Together - Family!

In order to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the family involved in this case, we have changed their name and location. This investigation took place in August 2014 around the time of the Super Moon.

Be Advised: VSPI does not stand in judgement of anyone. Most of us go through a period in life when we experience difficulties that become overwhelming, and we struggle to find our way out. Do some of these sound familiar? Teenagers rebelling against parents, illness and/or injury, bills piling up, loneliness and sadness, depression, loss of communication within the family unit, fear of change, loss of a family member and so on...
These are some reasons to stop and recognize what is going on within your family, stand together, and ask for help.
The following case describes a family that appeared to be overwhelmed and reached out for help. They are a lovely family, kind and generous; but were lost in what to do next.

Case: A client emailed VSPI seeking help. His family was plagued with activity in their home over the past few weeks, and it was on an up-rise. There was a story connected to a wind up music box, from an old country, but also significant that whatever it is may be attacking certain persons of the household.
I called immediately, listened, acknowledged, asked some questions and let them know their safety was most important to us. Mr. Smith (we'll call the family the "Smith's") sounded urgent, out of breath, and relieved that someone was responding quickly. He was trying to relay everything in just a few minutes, as if he could not believe it himself. A few points I noted was the Grandfather had an injury which put him in the hospital with internal bleeding, and Mr. Smith kept asking his daughter (let's call her Anne) for information of the occurrences in the home. From the telephone interview, I determined that Grandfather and Anne appeared to be the focal people in this case.

After getting the team together, along with a "sensitive" (or "medium"), we drove to a beautiful area where the trees stand tall, the air is fresh, waters rush down from the mountain, and people were splashing, and having fun in the community pool. Lovely!
Well, not so lovely after all. What came next was most interesting, and definitely filled with negativity. It was growing.

Woodlands Memorial Gardens - Haunted?

First off, I send out a huge “Happy New Year” and thank you for your continuous support.  I hope the Holiday season was filled with joy, warmth, family & friends and safety.  VSPI traveled south, back to Sonoma County in California, during the holiday season.  We enjoyed time with family & friends, and also took in a few ghost hunting adventures.

In November 2012, on a day off from my paid job, I decided to take in a place I've not visited before.  Woodlands Memorial Gardens situated in New Westminster, BC.  It is a place of interest as several reports of dark shadows and unexplained sounds have been passed along.  On a chilly afternoon, with the sun going down fairly early, I packed my digital recorder, digital camera and my Trifield Electromagnetic Field meter and headed out to the park.  Now I've been calling it a park all along, because it kind of gives off a small park experience, in my opinion.  With gardens I expect a huge array of plants and trees along with a feeling of peace.  This area has constant noise surrounding it, and people trudging through it on a regular basis.  Not only is it situated next to one of the busiest vehicle corridors in New Westminster, but it also is on a community bus route, with a hospital to its north.  Children and adults walk (and sometimes run) through it daily.  I wonder if these people realize why the garden is there.

2011 Adventures

Hello folks,

It's been a while since I've written.. actually it's been a year. 2011 has been a busy year for me in every way. In July I married my sweetheart in Vancouver BC, and we went on a wonderful adventure in California as our "honeymoon".

We went on a day trip to Fort Ross (Jul27, 2011), on the coast northeast of where we stayed; and conducted a formal investigation of a private mansion outside of Petaluma. Both were interesting trips! We were not looking for "spirits" at the Fort, and didn't find any.. however, we discovered a voice on our digital recorder interact with our discussion at the small Russian Orthodox cemetery just south of the Fort. No one was there. We carry our recorders with us everywhere we go. Lesli & I do not expect "spirits" to be present with each and every trip, and we do not have a belief that "spirits" linger in cemeteries, but perhaps drop in on visitation when family or friends visit their grave. We simply are not expecting "spirits" to hang out where their bodies are buried, but who is to say they don't from time to time? We just don't know.. and I think that is part of the curiousity and questions we have. When I pass on, will I hang around where my ashes are spread? Will I be able to pop in and out when someone visits the spot? Would I want to? It's as simple as that. This voice we caught on our digital recorder was interesting. A man with a friendly voice, reacting to our conversation of the wonderful view of the coast for those who are buried there. (PS: you can listen to the EVPs at our website: http://www.vancouverspooks.com/findings ) It truly is a beautiful and peaceful spot. I am wondering who this man was? He spoke without an accent, but then do "spirits" speak with accents if they are not of English decent? There are so many questions I have when it comes to "spirits" and their abilities or not. It was a bit of a cloudy day when we arrived at the Fort. I love history, and felt refreshed with the park. The displays are truly wonderful, and the fort itself is a recreation as most of the buildings were destroyed. I recommend anyone in the area to check out the Fort! By the time we got to the cemetery it was late afternoon, and during our visit we noticed the fog slowly enveloping the fort (we had a good view of the fort) and rolling towards us. We left shortly after taking a number of wonderful photos. It was getting late and time to get on the road. We drove south along the coastal highway to a small cemetery outside of Bodega. We wanted to visit the gravesite of a young lad who's life was cut short (at the age of 7yrs) during a family trip to Italy. Truly a sad story.

Haunts of Sonoma County

Green Valley Road: On a grey sprinkly afternoon in late December 2010, Lesli and I took a drive down Green Valley Road, in Sonoma County, looking for a haunted lumber mill. As the story goes, a woman experienced what appeared to be people of a native tribe standing out along a tree line, talking and pointing at the mill, where the woman and a friend were. The woman had an urge to look behind her, and that is when she saw these people. They soon disappeared, but left the woman with a shaking feeling.

The area was known to be inhabited by the Pomo Native tribes prior to the white man storming in and taking over the land. Two ley lines are believed to run through this area, the Goat Rock ley line and the Joy Woods ley line. Where these two lines intersect, is believed to contain some of the most haunted real estate in the county. Green Valley Road is in that vicinity.

Ley Lines: Ley lines and their effect on the paranormal is only one theory VSPI is investigating. What are they? Alleged alignments of a number of "sacred" places of geographical interest, that are thought by certain beliefs to have spiritual power and contain unique energy.
As I am researching "ley lines" and their effect on the paranormal, I've discovered that many agree that there is a certain pull to animals and insects, to these areas of the earths energy. This is fascinating to me, as perhaps this pull is also evident for humans and spirits.

Back to Green Valley Road, since there was nothing much going on, we decided to check out the area. Unfortunately, we did not find a haunted lumber mill, but we did come across the connection to Mays Canyon Road, which is believed to be haunted with legends of its own. So we drove that road as well, and drove back a few days later, when the rains had stopped, to take some photos.