The Observer Effect

[Carol Rose]

So many to choose from, but this one is the most profound, for me at least. It's not so much a ghost story as well … I'll let you all decide what it is.

When I was still doing hospital nursing, I drove to work one night in a snowstorm. On the way to this particular hospital I always passed an antique/flea market type store. It was a well lit area, even at night, and I had to drive slowly so I glanced over to see what was new in their display window. They always had the coolest things in it.

There was a life-sized statue of St Teresa that night, and I thought wow. Cool. I had no idea they sold church statues! It was that large. St Teresa is one of my favorite saints, and even though I imagined a statue that size would cost more than I could afford, I decided I was going to ask.

Driving home in the morning after my shift, it was still there, but I didn't call until I woke up later that afternoon. I spoke with three people in the store, including the manager, who each swore to me they never had a statue of St Teresa in the front window and never had a statue like for sale that in the store.

If I had only seen the statue at night in a snowstorm, I'd chalk it up to my crazy imagination. But I saw it on the way home the next morning as well.

 

[Jason Byrne]

Of course, the critical question is Have you written it into a book yet?

No... Isn't that weird? That should have been the first thing I did...

Oh gosh. You're gonna hate me. I'm gonna be the party-pooper to this amazing tale of wonder and mystery. I'm sorry for that. But.. the following is true: the same thing happened to me - not exact same thing, no cerulean-blue Honda, just a black Ford Focus, and no cool backstory about stick gears and helping friends called Jeff move out of his studio.

I was driving home at night from my parents, kids sleeping in the back. I live in London. It's surprisingly quiet and calm on the roads. A black Ford Focus overtakes me and I think "whoa, black car at night, lucky I'm paying attention, kind of". The driver stops at the crossroads (what you call intersection) infront of me and I stare at his red rear lights. Then he's gone *puff* and I'm the only one at the empty crossroads. I roll my car forward to where his car was a few seconds ago, just to make sure he's not invisible.

"Wha..? How did that happen?!" I ask excitedly to my sleeping children. They don't even stir. "That was so weird!" I continue to no-one in particular. "What a strange thing to happen! I gotta tell someone about this!" Then I promptly forget until now. You reminded me. Thanks.

YAY! Yes! That's it. The only thing I can think is that it's a residual event — energy recorded in the landscape, often a limestone-rich location — and replayed like a record under certain circumstances, be it the same day every year, etc.

I am embarassed to admit that I actually had the same though: "wha... is he... f*cking invisible? No..."

But there are two things about these experiences you'll never know until they happen: how it feels when it happens, like you just brushed up against something out of another plane of existence, a sort of feeling without feeling of utter wrongness; and how much it doesn't affect you afterward, like your brain tries to get you to forget it ever happened. "Don't worry about that. Just worry about groceries. That's it. Don't ponder the mind-warping strangeness of it. Nothing to see here..."

Well now I'm jealous. I've never seen anything disappear. But I have seen ghosts. Does that count?

I demand that you elaborate.

 

[Jason Byrne]

So many to choose from, but this one is the most profound, for me at least. It's not so much a ghost story as well … I'll let you all decide what it is.

When I was still doing hospital nursing, I drove to work one night in a snowstorm. On the way to this particular hospital I always passed an antique/flea market type store. It was a well lit area, even at night, and I had to drive slowly so I glanced over to see what was new in their display window. They always had the coolest things in it.

There was a life-sized statue of St Teresa that night, and I thought wow. Cool. I had no idea they sold church statues! It was that large. St Teresa is one of my favorite saints, and even though I imagined a statue that size would cost more than I could afford, I decided I was going to ask.

Driving home in the morning after my shift, it was still there, but I didn't call until I woke up later that afternoon. I spoke with three people in the store, including the manager, who each swore to me they never had a statue of St Teresa in the front window and never had a statue like for sale that in the store.

If I had only seen the statue at night in a snowstorm, I'd chalk it up to my crazy imagination. But I saw it on the way home the next morning as well.

Oh — I hadn't loaded page 3 yet, sorry.

See?! When you have an actual story of something that you've seen, it's not like what you see dramatized on Paranormal Survivor (even though its a great show and you should totally watch it all the time). It's just... BAFFLING.

 

[Jason Byrne]

Lol! The thing is I can actually imagine you looking perplexed. For those who don't know - I've known sea-shore since we were 11 years old so this account of hers is none too surprising to me.

That's awesome — I love seeing that dynamic, where people who know each other in real life interact among an online forum.

 

[Sea-shore]

So many to choose from, but this one is the most profound, for me at least. It's not so much a ghost story as well … I'll let you all decide what it is.

When I was still doing hospital nursing, I drove to work one night in a snowstorm. On the way to this particular hospital I always passed an antique/flea market type store. It was a well lit area, even at night, and I had to drive slowly so I glanced over to see what was new in their display window. They always had the coolest things in it.

There was a life-sized statue of St Teresa that night, and I thought wow. Cool. I had no idea they sold church statues! It was that large. St Teresa is one of my favorite saints, and even though I imagined a statue that size would cost more than I could afford, I decided I was going to ask.

Driving home in the morning after my shift, it was still there, but I didn't call until I woke up later that afternoon. I spoke with three people in the store, including the manager, who each swore to me they never had a statue of St Teresa in the front window and never had a statue like for sale that in the store.

If I had only seen the statue at night in a snowstorm, I'd chalk it up to my crazy imagination. But I saw it on the way home the next morning as well.

*wide eyed* Whoooooaaa… more please! (when you have the time )

 

[Carol Rose]

Oh — I hadn't loaded page 3 yet, sorry.

See?! When you have an actual story of something that you've seen, it's not like what you see dramatized on Paranormal Survivor (even though its a great show and you should totally watch it all the time). It's just... BAFFLING.

I thought it was kind of cool. Like St Teresa had "appeared" to me. Without bringing too much religion into it because I don't want to offend anyone, I was in the middle of a novena to her at the time (it's a Catholic thing! ) so the experience was even more meaningful. But I've had other experiences of the paranormal variety happen to me, too. Scary ones, even.

 

[Carol Rose]

*wide eyed* Whoooooaaa… more please! (when you have the time )

Here's a scary one. When I was younger my maternal grandparents lived next door to my aunt and uncle, plus their three children. We were there all the time, and one Thanksgiving we decided to have a seance in the basement. It was several years after JKF was assassinated, and since the anniversary of his death is near Thanksgiving, we figured he was the best dead person to try and summon. I was 12, and he was assassinated the year I turned 6. I know I was 12 because we got our seance "expertise" from Dark Shadows, and it was on TV starting in 1970, the year I turned 12. We never missed it.

I grew up in Northeast Ohio so it was always cold on Thanksgiving. The basement had windows that opened but they were normally locked that time of year. They were hinge-type windows that opened from the inside and locked from the inside as well. It wasn't a stormy night. Some snow on the ground but no wind howling or anything like that.

The adults were upstairs and it was just the kids down there with a candle as we sat in a circle around it. I have fifteen cousins and at the time I'd say we ranged in age from 8 or 9 to 16.

About ten minutes into the seance, one of the basement windows flew open so hard it banged on the wall below it and broke. They open on a hinge, but the hinges are only supposed to go so far so you can't slam it down accidentally against the concrete wall. Well, this one sure did slam, and it opened on its own that forcefully because I remember seeing it happen. Then the candle blew out. You never saw sixteen kids fly up a flight of basement stairs so damn fast. LOL!!

Of course we said nothing to the adults, and to this day I have no clue what happened when they found the window broken, or if it really did break. I sure do remember watching it slam open, and I heard the sound of glass breaking, and I remember the entire basement going dark before we all ran upstairs.

 

[Emurelda]

That's why i never tempt a scare..the other side can frankly stay there as much i love the Ghost Whisperer.

 

[Carol Rose]

That's why i never tempt a scare..the other side can frankly stay there as much i love the Ghost Whisperer.

See I'm just the opposite. LOL!! I'm like SHOW YOURSELF!

 

[Sea-shore]

That's awesome — I love seeing that dynamic, where people who know each other in real life interact among an online forum.

It seems the dynamic is that you are obliged to 'like' everything they say even when they blow raspberries at you.

( or even if they hypothetically change their status to: I've just farted. )

 

[Chase Gamwell]

I love this stuff!

Since a young age, I've always had a fascination with the supernatural, conspiracies, aliens, etc. I'm not one of those people that goes all out looking for them or owns tons of books on the subject, but I've done a fair bit of reading on it.

When I was younger, I volunteered at a thrift store and one of the ladies that worked there had a collection of old magazines called "Fate Magazine". It isn't in print anymore, but the publication focused only on what would be considered strange, unusual, surreal, etc. I consumed that information as any young mind would, fascinated by the prospect of so many strange things just beyond the boundaries of the human eye. Even after that, I would spend time listening to "Coast to Coast AM" with Alan Handleman - a late night radio broadcast that deals with much of the same. It's still on today and I would definitely suggest a listen if you ever get a chance to tune in.

For me, this fascination started years earlier. My Uncle died when I was very young. I didn't have very much interaction with him, but what memories I do have of him are good ones. One day, after he passed, I was playing in my room and look up. Standing in the door, was my Uncle. He didn't say anything, but smiled at me and turned to walk away. As he did, his body faded into nothing. I remember telling my mom, but I'm not sure what her reaction was. To this day, however, I remember that moment vividly, as if it has been etched into my brain.

To that end, I totally believe you @Jason Byrne, @Carol Rose, @Sea-shore and anyone else who has such a story. Since I've had something so real happen to me, I can't deny that the same type things have happened to others.

 

[Carol Rose]

That's awesome, @Chase Gamwell. I'm sure it was him. Totally believe that.

 

[Carol Rose]

About a month after my father in law passed away (Nicole, our daughter, was 20 months old when he did), I came home from working a 3 to 11 shift and she was awake in her room. I heard her in there, laughing softly, so I opened the door and she pointed toward the corner. "Ango, Mommy. Ango." I asked, "Do you mean angel?" "Yes. Ango." I saw nothing. I even took a picture but there was nothing on it. She wasn't upset or afraid, and after a while she went to sleep. I still think it was her grandpa, coming back one last time to say goodbye. When he died it was very traumatic because my husband was at his house with Nicole, and my father in law simply collapsed onto the kitchen floor. He had an aortic aneurysm that blew, so paramedics never revived him. Even though Nicole was less than 2 years old, she still has memories of that day, so I think he came back to assure her he was all right and safe now.

 

[Emurelda]

That's awesome — I love seeing that dynamic, where people who know each other in real life interact among an online forum.

Well one thing we won't do is hijack threads ...*runs for the freakin' hills and hope they're not the silent sort*

 

[Emurelda]

It seems the dynamic is that you are obliged to 'like' everything they say even when they blow raspberries at you.

( or even if they hypothetically change their status to: I've just farted. )

I can't believe you said that . You're supposed to be a lady! but yes i still liked it! Not that! Sheesh..the post dear child.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

 

[Emurelda]

About a month after my father in law passed away (Nicole, our daughter, was 20 months old when he did), I came home from working a 3 to 11 shift and she was awake in her room. I heard her in there, laughing softly, so I opened the door and she pointed toward the corner. "Ango, Mommy. Ango." I asked, "Do you mean angel?" "Yes. Ango." I saw nothing. I even took a picture but there was nothing on it. She wasn't upset or afraid, and after a while she went to sleep. I still think it was her grandpa, coming back one last time to say goodbye. When he died it was very traumatic because my husband was at his house with Nicole, and my father in law simply collapsed onto the kitchen floor. He had an aortic aneurysm that blew, so paramedics never revived him. Even though Nicole was less than 2 years old, she still has memories of that day, so I think he came back to assure her he was all right and safe now.

That is a lovely share. Made me sad. I always feel sad at passing dear ones.

I tend to block a lot of my past. But this had me thinking and wondering why I as a teenager i was always so scared and traumatised whenever my father used to come home late from work. Always thinking the worse happened to him. As a toddler i had witnessed him shoot himself in an attempted and thankfully failed suicide and ambulance coming. Everyone thought i was in bed. I only told my mother about it years later and she muttered 'you saw?' Surprised as no one knew where i was hiding in the house observing the adults.

I have had a few surreal out-of-the-ordinary experiences but i tend to block them after i've rinsed myself from the emotional aftermath and also i've gone through it intellectually to make sense of it then just let go.

 

[Emurelda]

I have a habit of letting go!

 

[Jason Byrne]

It seems the dynamic is that you are obliged to 'like' everything they say even when they blow raspberries at you.

( or even if they hypothetically change their status to: I've just farted. )

Have to give that a try... The post, that is. Not farting. But...

Whatever. Eff it.

 

[Jason Byrne]

I love this stuff!

Since a young age, I've always had a fascination with the supernatural, conspiracies, aliens, etc. I'm not one of those people that goes all out looking for them or owns tons of books on the subject, but I've done a fair bit of reading on it.

When I was younger, I volunteered at a thrift store and one of the ladies that worked there had a collection of old magazines called "Fate Magazine". It isn't in print anymore, but the publication focused only on what would be considered strange, unusual, surreal, etc. I consumed that information as any young mind would, fascinated by the prospect of so many strange things just beyond the boundaries of the human eye. Even after that, I would spend time listening to "Coast to Coast AM" with Alan Handleman - a late night radio broadcast that deals with much of the same. It's still on today and I would definitely suggest a listen if you ever get a chance to tune in.

For me, this fascination started years earlier. My Uncle died when I was very young. I didn't have very much interaction with him, but what memories I do have of him are good ones. One day, after he passed, I was playing in my room and look up. Standing in the door, was my Uncle. He didn't say anything, but smiled at me and turned to walk away. As he did, his body faded into nothing. I remember telling my mom, but I'm not sure what her reaction was. To this day, however, I remember that moment vividly, as if it has been etched into my brain.

To that end, I totally believe you @Jason Byrne, @Carol Rose, @Sea-shore and anyone else who has such a story. Since I've had something so real happen to me, I can't deny that the same type things have happened to others.

Wow... see, people can say they don't believe all they want, but you've seen it. And not like I did, where you're left wondering whether it happened at all, or not.

When I was maybe 11, I took a trip to Florida and got a blown-glass dragon. I put it on top of my little 15 or 18" TV back home in Michigan. When I was about 13, my friend Justin was over and we were in front of the TV playing Nintendo 64, and the blown-glass dragon slid across the top of the TV, flew about seven feet through the air, and hit the ground and shattered in the middle of the room. We paused the game, looked over at each other for about a three-count like "what the hell?" and then just un-paused the game and got back to playing. It was years before one day it suddenly struck me what I'd seen as a child and was like "WHOA!"

About a month after my father in law passed away (Nicole, our daughter, was 20 months old when he did), I came home from working a 3 to 11 shift and she was awake in her room. I heard her in there, laughing softly, so I opened the door and she pointed toward the corner. "Ango, Mommy. Ango." I asked, "Do you mean angel?" "Yes. Ango." I saw nothing. I even took a picture but there was nothing on it. She wasn't upset or afraid, and after a while she went to sleep. I still think it was her grandpa, coming back one last time to say goodbye. When he died it was very traumatic because my husband was at his house with Nicole, and my father in law simply collapsed onto the kitchen floor. He had an aortic aneurysm that blew, so paramedics never revived him. Even though Nicole was less than 2 years old, she still has memories of that day, so I think he came back to assure her he was all right and safe now.

Kids are amazing for that. Past lives as well. There's a saying that goes "ask a four-year-old who they were before they were born to their current mommy, and the answer they give will astonish you."

 

[Jason Byrne]

That is a lovely share. Made me sad. I always feel sad at passing dear ones.

I tend to block a lot of my past. But this had me thinking and wondering why I as a teenager i was always so scared and traumatised whenever my father used to come home late from work. Always thinking the worse happened to him. As a toddler i had witnessed him shoot himself in an attempted and thankfully failed suicide and ambulance coming. Everyone thought i was in bed. I only told my mother about it years later and she muttered 'you saw?' Surprised as no one knew where i was hiding in the house observing the adults.

I have had a few surreal out-of-the-ordinary experiences but i tend to block them after i've rinsed myself from the emotional aftermath and also i've gone through it intellectually to make sense of it then just let go.

I'm very sorry to hear that, and that will certainly shape who you are, your entire life.

My wife has been terrified of the freeway her entire life, especially semis. Her mother said that as an infant she would scream horribly every time they drove past one, and that fear has continued her entire life. Even today, she won't drive on the freeway, and if I'm driving her I have to stay in the slowest lane, and go no faster than 65 (105 kph), and she's still anxious. She'll get a panic attack any time I drive in the middle lane with a semi on either side. The difference is, there's no reason that anyone can think of for why she would have that fear — you know exactly where yours came from.

 

[Emurelda]

I'm very sorry to hear that, and that will certainly shape who you are, your entire life.

My wife has been terrified of the freeway her entire life, especially semis. Her mother said that as an infant she would scream horribly every time they drove past one, and that fear has continued her entire life. Even today, she won't drive on the freeway, and if I'm driving her I have to stay in the slowest lane, and go no faster than 65 (105 kph), and she's still anxious. She'll get a panic attack any time I drive in the middle lane with a semi on either side. The difference is, there's no reason that anyone can think of for why she would have that fear — you know exactly where yours came from.

I'm a great believer of self awareness and affects that trigger certain habits of emotion or action in response to certain situations to the extent that we can neutralise anything if we wish to regain full control of our selves in ANY situ.

It makes you feel like a superhero if you let it

 

[Carol Rose]

That is a lovely share. Made me sad. I always feel sad at passing dear ones.

I tend to block a lot of my past. But this had me thinking and wondering why I as a teenager i was always so scared and traumatised whenever my father used to come home late from work. Always thinking the worse happened to him. As a toddler i had witnessed him shoot himself in an attempted and thankfully failed suicide and ambulance coming. Everyone thought i was in bed. I only told my mother about it years later and she muttered 'you saw?' Surprised as no one knew where i was hiding in the house observing the adults.

I have had a few surreal out-of-the-ordinary experiences but i tend to block them after i've rinsed myself from the emotional aftermath and also i've gone through it intellectually to make sense of it then just let go.

Wow… (((((HUGS))))

 

[Emurelda]

Wow… (((((HUGS))))

Thank you

 

[Robinne Weiss]

That is a lovely share. Made me sad. I always feel sad at passing dear ones.

I tend to block a lot of my past. But this had me thinking and wondering why I as a teenager i was always so scared and traumatised whenever my father used to come home late from work. Always thinking the worse happened to him. As a toddler i had witnessed him shoot himself in an attempted and thankfully failed suicide and ambulance coming. Everyone thought i was in bed. I only told my mother about it years later and she muttered 'you saw?' Surprised as no one knew where i was hiding in the house observing the adults.

I have had a few surreal out-of-the-ordinary experiences but i tend to block them after i've rinsed myself from the emotional aftermath and also i've gone through it intellectually to make sense of it then just let go.

Wow. Just wow. So sorry you witnessed that! We do block a lot of what we can't deal with as kids. I remember blurting out to my best friend in high school that my dad was cheating on my mom, and then had no idea where that came from (though I knew in my gut it was true). I still can't remember any specific things that I saw or heard, but when, 12 years later he had another affair, my mom mentioned that it wasn't the first time. I said, "yeah, I know".

But as for paranormal events, I've seen so many real live badass things...If I were to see a ghost, I'd be like, "Yeah, um, 'scuse me, but you're blocking my view of those wolves...d'ya mind?" or "Hey, will ya back off...I'm up to my elbows in this goat's uterus, trying to untangle her kids...I don't have time for the supernatural...kinda up to my eyeballs in the natural."

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Even if you don't believe in ghosts, which of us hasn't fantasised about being one, coming back to tease and torment people we didn't like? There used to be a saying in my family, when I was growing up, that if an item went missing in the house seemingly disappeared forever, that "The Ghost has got it...."

So, ghosts can be kleptomaniacs too—I'd make a great ghost!

 

[KG Christopher]

Wow. Just wow. So sorry you witnessed that! We do block a lot of what we can't deal with as kids. I remember blurting out to my best friend in high school that my dad was cheating on my mom, and then had no idea where that came from (though I knew in my gut it was true). I still can't remember any specific things that I saw or heard, but when, 12 years later he had another affair, my mom mentioned that it wasn't the first time. I said, "yeah, I know".

But as for paranormal events, I've seen so many real live badass things...If I were to see a ghost, I'd be like, "Yeah, um, 'scuse me, but you're blocking my view of those wolves...d'ya mind?" or "Hey, will ya back off...I'm up to my elbows in this goat's uterus, trying to untangle her kids...I don't have time for the supernatural...kinda up to my eyeballs in the natural."

I sense a skeptic in our group.

I had a ghostly experience once.

I was walking through a graveyard, late at night with a girlfriend, both of us hugging each other out of fear, or just because we could, then, I heard a tapping along the path. We both approached quite delicately and when we got to the sound of the tapping, a man was sitting on a stool working at tomb stone, tap, tap tap.

'Goodness, you gave me such a fright, I though you were a ghost', said I.

'No, don't be silly, I'm just correcting a mistake on the gravestone, you see, they have my name spelt wrong'.

 

[Sea-shore]

I can't believe you said that . You're supposed to be a lady! but yes i still liked it! Not that! Sheesh..the post dear child.

I said 'hypothetically'!

Of course I'm a lady! I have never fart once in my entire life - and admitted to it. My husband will testify - I always blame it on him.

 

[KG Christopher]

I said 'hypothetically'!

Of course I'm a lady! I have never fart once in my entire life - and admitted to it. My husband will testify - I always blame it on him.

I had an aunty in Ireland years and years ago, every time She farted, she used to beat her dog, a little Terrier. The poor dog was traumatised, we could pretend to fart next to him and he would run around the back of the sofa.

 

[Sea-shore]

YAY! Yes! That's it. The only thing I can think is that it's a residual event — energy recorded in the landscape, often a limestone-rich location — and replayed like a record under certain circumstances, be it the same day every year, etc.

I have a boring explanation (about brains and paying attention) but I like yours much better.