Is It Paranormal

That is a question that I frequently ask myself when starting on a new investigation.
For over twenty years I have investigated the paranormal, and yes there are things that have happened that question what I would define as normal. But our understanding of what is normal is still in its infancy. Hundreds of years ago lighting a match would have been seen as, the devils work. The forests that covered the land were thought to hold evil spirits that would capture the soul of anyone foolhardy enough to stray within its dark and sinister canopy.
And what of us today? Well it seems that instead of traveling forward in a natural progression of learning we seem to be searching for the beliefs of our ancestors. There is nothing wrong with getting in touch with the rhythms of nature, which is something I wholeheartedly support. But to believe there are evil spirits dwelling in the undergrowth of forests and around every dark corner is taking things a little far.
It is people’s belief and superstition that drives their direction through life and accounts for the way they analyze things that happen every day.
Here is an example of what I am trying to get across.
Get four people together on a paranormal investigation. One has a strict religious belief in heaven and hell. One is spiritual, but not in the religious meaning, more a belief in the spirit from within. A third person studies people and has a firm belief that everything is answerable in scientific terms. The fourth person has no belief in religion and thinks there is nothing to investigate and there are no such things as ghosts.
Now, while these people are together in a room the light fitting from the ceiling starts to swing, the door swings open, and a cold blast of air hits their faces. What are the explanations?
The religious person thinks they should get out; fearing they have evoked evil within the building and to stay would bring certain harm. The spiritual person thinks contact has been made and can now be built upon by asking questions, without fear of the answers. The scientific person dismisses the supernatural and goes into scientific analysis of what has just happened, logic will answer all. The fourth person is looking for answers from the others, trying hard not to show the fear that is shouting for him to run from the room.
What I am trying to show is that in every investigation you do, answers will depend largely upon who is leading the group and what their belief is.
We cannot help the way we think and we should not try to change the way we feel about things. What I ask people to do on my investigations is to learn from each other. Try to acknowledge that things happen that we cannot explain, yet, and that a little tolerance can go a long way.
Adrian.