Are Cemeteries Haunted?

Boot Hill Cemetery used between 1912-1968

When I first visited a tucked away prison cemetery with a dark past (“Boot Hill” in New Westminster, BC), I was astonished that the city allowed it to be forgotten. During a second visit, the small plot of land had been mowed. Each visit it was different, sometimes overgrown and other times the grasses had been cut to an even height. The gravestones seemed to be sinking deeper and deeper into the mushy, lumpiness of the earth, while the grasses and brambles continued their growth over top... As if to say “no one cares”.  I found this place fascinating and

Cleansing / Blessing - Your Home & Yourself!

Hello friends,

It’s been awhile.

I’ve been busy assisting in the packing of my mother’s apartment for her move into a new home. As she is in her later years, my siblings and I are set with this arduous task. Packing has always been a process I've disliked. However, I am filled with historical data and memories my mother has saved about our family's past. Photos and letters of family members I've heard little about, and items of memorabilia saved.. it's truly incredible. This approach has me thinking about what I may leave behind.  What is my legacy?  Who will read it? Who will touch my photos and items?  Will they be thought of as important and teach those after me about our family history?  It also has me thinking of spirit(s) who still linger with us on our earth.  What is it that keeps them here? Can spirit(s) attach themselves to items? Or is it energy of the item's past? Would we have to cleanse (or bless) these items if they bring that energy into our living space?  And, why is it that when the team and I go to an investigation, the spirit(s) already know we are on the way?  It certainly brings up other topics to discuss... but first, let's talk about Blessing and Cleansing ourselves and our sacred space, what we call "Home".  

Fighting Negative Energy & Oppression...

Hello friends,

This past weekend VSPI performed one of its most urgent and extreme home cleansings/blessings; as well as cleansing the client of a negative energy that had been attacking her and getting stronger by the day.  This is what VSPI is about, “carrying through with our promise to help our clients as best as we can”.  Indeed something to be proud of and shows that not all paranormal teams are “all about gathering evidence”; that we care, are compassionate, take action to resolve issues, and are a necessary group in this field.

So what happened? Why was this needed? What was going on?  Find below some of the facts of this case. Keeping in mind, we are protect the privacy and confidentiality of the family involved, and will not disclose their name(s) or location of their home.

Shadow People/Beings... Negative Energy or?

Hello Friends,

It has been a perception that “shadow people/beings” are made up of negative energy and may be considered demonic in nature.  However, is this something we can say with absolute certainty?  No, it’s still being debated in the paranormal community.

There are several theories offered.  Skeptics, the science community and those who have never experienced this phenomena may put forward the idea that it's your own imagination, tricks of the eye, illusions, and possibly one with a logical reason (IE: flashlight from another room bouncing off a person, car headlights flooding in from behind, moisture collected in the atmosphere, fog and so on).  But is this true for all sightings? If not, are these entities ghosts or demons or what?

In the following investigations, I will describe experiences of VSPI and some of our clients with the “shadow people” phenomena.  Unfortunately we were not able to capture them on film.  However, after in-depth client interviews, and thorough investigations using a variety of methods to gather evidence to support the sightings; we may have found some answers, and, unfortunately more questions.

To protect the privacy of our clients, we will not reveal the names/locations of some of the cases.

Antiques, Energy and What VSPI Does...

Did you know that some antique items can retain energy of its past owners?  VSPI found this to be true in a recent investigation.  A new client contacted us concerning activity in his home.  He was concerned for his wife, who had been ill, and wanted to understand what was going on.  During our telephone interview, I received important information.  The client works from home with his “antique watch repair” business.  This had me thinking, what if energy attached to the watches was affecting his wife?  Without disclosing my feelings to the client, I made an appointment for VSPI to visit.

I called on a team member (with "medium ship" abilities) to join me.  Careful not to share details, I wanted to see what she would pick up during our walk through the home.  From the moment we stepped out of the car, I could feel a “pop fizz” feeling rising up my legs from my feet.  I have come to know this feeling as that belonging to “residual” energy.  That is to say, energy which does not interact with the living, but replays itself over and over in the right situations.  Often this type of energy is found in places such as arenas, coliseums, theatres, fire stations, hospitals, old houses and more.  Wherever there has been a large amount of people and animals passing through, the area/building(s) may retain the energy left behind clinging to its walls, floors, ceilings, stones, earth, furniture etc..  When the atmosphere is right, it may release the energy, often causing “paranormal activity”.

Thank You! .. and What Comes Next...

Hello Friends!

Happy New Year!  “Thank You” for your amazing support throughout 2014. You have been most kind to us, and have helped us to carve a new path into 2015.  We wish to Thank some very special people who have entered our lives, and look forward to their continued friendship and connection.:

Jules Stirling – who lent us her personal time in 2014, gave VSPI support with several private investigations that required extra assistance and use of her truly amazing gift, and she recommended a few clients our way. She has now joined our team full time, and we cannot be more pleased. Thank you Jules!  You truly astound us each and every time we meet and go adventuring with you, and look forward to working with you closely.

Anne Bannerman – from Salmagundi West, a curio shop in Vancouver’s Gastown, who opened her store to us in the evening hours and welcomed us with open arms.  She allowed us to set up a late evening investigation, in which an employee joined us and shared her special gift (Patricia Cosgrave). Thank you! We have since discovered some interesting evidence and will be sharing it in the upcoming weeks, first with Anne and then with you.  We truly love the curio shop and always have a great time visiting. I encourage you to visit the shop for a unique experience! Check out their SW Facebook Page for more information.

Happy Holidays!

It’s that time of the year again, when most of us rush around to finish this and that, complete our shopping, wrap up projects, and ensure everything is in place for the Holiday Season.  If you are anything like me, you procrastinate a little and end up finishing things in the last minute.  When will I learn?

I remember, as a child, my father would take my siblings and me, in the early hours of a November morning, down to the fish docks.  We’d wait in long line ups, with other families, to fill our buckets with freshly caught herring.  I can see some of your noses crinkling, but until you have tried this delicacy the way our family serves it, you truly don’t know what you’re missing.  We’d fill at least 5 big buckets (I would say a good 100 of the tiny fish) and enjoy the smell of the sea filling the car on our trip home.  I would then assist my mother in the washing and cleaning of the fish; removing the innards and filleting them.  They would then get layered with coarse salt in big ceramic pots and sit in the dark of our basement cellar for weeks.  The salt would cook the fish, so the end result would be to wash them off, and cut them up to ready them for salads.  My mother always made a most delicious Herring Salat (German).  It was mixed with cooked potatoes, pickles, hard boiled eggs, sliced apples and cooked red beets, and seasoned with vinegar, salt & pepper, and dill weed.  I would always try to steal a few mouthfuls before it was served to the family on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve was the special evening of celebration with a family gathering and a pot luck meal.  Mom would always invite friends who found themselves alone at this time of the year.  After a short retirement to our bedrooms, we’d hear a bell ringing, calling to us to come to the living room to see the wonderment of a Christmas Tree and all the lovely presents underneath.  Now mind you, we had to work for those presents.  My siblings and I would have to prepare a poem, act out a skit, perform with instruments, or tell a story before any of us would be able to partake in the merriment of gift opening.  Then we sang a number of holiday songs while some of us played recorder or the piano.  The wait for that moment was always so long and arduous. I would often shake in fear that I would say something wrong, or play my recorder with mistakes, or would simply forget my presentation all together.  However, I always succeeded.