Ghosts of N. Portland... FAQ

Question:
Less than one year ago I moved to Seattle. In the last ten days or so I have, on several occasions throughout the house, "smelled" what appears in my opinion to be a very sickeningly sweet odor. I described it to a friend as a very poor perfume smell.
My question, how do ghosts smell?

Answer:
Hi Kelly:
Why do ghosts smell?... I wish there was a simple answer. Smelling a presence is very common. Let's see..... last week I had email of someone who could smell watermelon in the hallway. Rotting fish is also common and usually carries a negative problem. Cheap perfume would definitely be a clue to a female entity. Why and how will always be a mystery. How can a ghost be seen or felt or smelled or heard ? Most of the senses can and often do come into play. Through a doorway and into another realm, our senses give us clues.
It is good that you are not scared. Fear will almost always magnify an event - fuel for the fire. Let this phenomena run its natural course and try to enjoy it.

Question:
I was interested to know if you know any stories were people have been attacked by ghosts. A friend of mine told me that there is a building in England that is illegal for women to enter without men! Women have been raped apparently by something they don't know! The place does have a heavy influence of Satin, art works etc. Have you seen a ghost through your investigations? What has brought forward your interest in ghosts? I don't know if I am getting caught up in an over interest but at my place I have seen a white shaped figure in a certain room although only about 5 foot high. I do often feel a drop in temperature also, something like a light breath of air. I however don't feel threatened, just interested. Is there any tests I can easily take to know for sure if any paranormal activity exists? This is likely to be an impossible question to answer, do you believe paranormal activity is occurring more in our modern society? Well anyway I enjoyed your site, and look forward to your feedback.

Answer:
Semantical problem here. It depends on what you call 'ghosts'. If you call an honest to God entity from another plane of existence a ghost.... well, yes, they do attack and cause harm. A simple etheric force can do little damage to mortals. Active/ inner disturbances can result in poltergeist phenomena and can result in physical harm.
Yes, I've seen many ghosts in my investigations.... as a rule they do not appear in human form, although this does occur from time to time.
No, I don't know of any tests.... unless you want to run the scientific gauntlet of temperature readings, infra red, audio recordings, etc.
And yes, there is surely more activity in modern society due to lack of mythology and religious insight. Read 'The Power of Myth' by Joseph Campbell for an idea of what I mean. When it comes to death, worship and ceremony, contemporary life is left in a vacuum.

Question:
This is Diana ******* and after visiting your web site I wondered if you had any information on paranormal activity in a town called *******, Massachusetts (near Boston). I go to school there and since I've always been fascinated by people's stories (and I have my own, though not as good as the ones on your web page), and ***** seems like the typical, quiet, little town, I wondered if you had any information on it relating to the subject. If so, please email me at *******@tld.net Thank you for your time.

Answer:
Diana:
Since starting this ghostly site over three years ago, I have tried to focus on activity in North Portland, OR. I receive many requests like yours but I work independently and do not have enough time to travel and expand the area of investigations.

Question:
How do you define ghost phenomena?

Semantics can be a problem. I tend to classify such things in three categories.
1. Elementals. These are the recordings, impressions or imprints left from a life. They do not possess a consciousness, per se. These 'elementals' fade with time. It might take a week or ten thousand years but the energy will dissipate and the manifestation will disappear.
2. Active. This is usually a poltergeist phenomena.... coming from inside of a person and effecting the environment outside of them. The individual is most often not aware that they are causing the disturbance. Teen age girls entering puberty .... good candidates for this sort of thing.
3. Actual. This would be an outside, conscious entity from another plane of existence. In most cases they look for energy, i.e., ouija boards, seances, etc. They feed on human emotion. I'm sure there are hundreds of classifications within this group; semantical.
One could say that all three types are 'ghosts'. I tend to see the elemental forms as ghosts.