Tis the season...

Nevyn

Right it's October and the nights are starting to get longer, darker and colder.
End of the month is Día de los Muertos/Samhain/All Hallows eve a time when as folklore puts it the veil between this world and other worlds or realms of the dead is at it's thinnest.

But does this hold water in terms of paranormal activities?
Do they actually increase at this time of year or
Is it chicken and egg as people expect spooky things to happen?
or that there are just more events/trips/investigates at this time of year as people start to think about ghosts?

maccored

I dont think the time of year has anything to do with apparent paranormal activity. In fact I'd vouch genuine paranormal activity is pretty rare any time of the year.

Major Lovechild

It's a bit like Easter. The end of October is as good a time as any to exploit a commercial gap in the seasonal market between Summer and Christmas. Instead of buying chocolate eggs to celebrate the rising of a zombie, at Halloween you get to spend money on dressing up and join in with all the other zombies in annoying your neighbours, building bonfires and moaning that there are only 54 shopping days left until Christmas.

Oryx

Mod note: Play nicely guys.

Yeah, I notice an upswing in reports I get of spooky stuff in peoples houses. I dont know tho, if its because of some thing about the time of year, or whether peoples perceptions change because of the evenings closing in.

Plus skeletons and witches appear in shop windows around now, which may be like a subliminal influence or something.

Major Lovechild

Oryx wrote: »

Plus skeletons and witches appear in shop windows around now, which may be like a subliminal influence or something.

Spot on!

Nevyn

I also don't think that there will be more paranormal activity then any other time of year,
in fact I would reckon there to be even less.

I understand the historic reasons why this time of year is associated with such things,
in terms of it getting darker and the fact it was the time of the year the herds were culled for the winter but why that may remain in the cultural psyche I have never seen any evidence as to why there would be any or increased paranormal activity.

maccored

could be something very basic like human fear of darkness, which means less security as one cant see whats around, which then lends itself to the idea of devils and spirits appearing out of nowhere. this nowadays is used by business to sell halloween.

MrMojoRisin

Whatever about the times of year, I've often read that the hours encompassing, and between, 9pm and 3am (often referred to as 'The Witching Hour') are the most propitious for paranormal happenings to occur.

November 1st, or 'All Souls Day' is said to be the actual date celebrated by the ancient Celts as the time when the divide between this world and the next is at its thinnest. Spirits are supposed to be able to cross over more easily into our dimension on All Souls Day.
Personally, I haven't noticed this to be the case on this particular date and by the same token, I have never experienced anything unusual or otherworldly during, or around, the time of Halloween. I did, however, experience something during mid-November years ago, but this is hardly conclusive confirmation of any certain time of year being more paranormally active than others.

Other reputed times of year for an increase in activity are the time of the winter solstice (December 21st - the longest night of the year) , the summer solstice (June 21st) and the spring equinox (roughly March 21st). It's said that this is due to apparent geophysical changes or magnetic shifts on earth. I don't know why any of that would affect other dimensions or planes though.

Maybe people do experience goings-on of a supernatural nature during Halloween because they're already predisposed to the possible likelihood of such things happening at this time of year. Another factor is that, like maccored said, shorter days and longer nights have the effect of making people more introspective than they would be at other times of year, and possibly more receptive to sensations than usual. I think the onset of winter makes some people more aware of their mortality, and that of those around them, as well.

Regardless of all the above, I think that people (both sceptics and believers alike) should take advantage of all the events and investigations that are taking place in the country around this time of year if they can afford it, and just have a laugh. Above all, Halloween is fun.

faceman

Halloween (or Hallowe'en for the pedantic amoung you! ) seems to be where pagan and christian beliefs converge in terms of the spirit world. As MrMojoRisin mentioned above, All Souls day in November 1st seems very much to have its roots in pagan beliefs and despite now being a christian holy day (mostly Catholic).

Id tend to agree with Oryx though. Some form of subliminal or subconscious influence is probably more so at play than spirits being more active around halloween.

maccored

between, 9pm and 3am (often referred to as 'The Witching Hour')

thats generally (afaik anyway) an american idea - covers 3 hours before and 3 hours after midnight.

Nevyn

The "witching hour" as I know it runs from minight until 4am.

Yes traditionally the time of year in certain religions is about the dead and those who have recently departed but that to me does not translate to ghosts and paranormal activity.

Major Lovechild

ALL THE TIME!

Subtle Troll

Paranormal stuff is in peoples heads and at halloween its in our heads much more than usual. I grew out of being scared of the dark years ago and halloween is for dressing up and gettin drunk.

What costume to get this year is my main concern.

Oryx

Subtle Troll wrote: »

Paranormal stuff is in peoples heads and at halloween its in our heads much more than usual. I grew out of being scared of the dark years ago and halloween is for dressing up and gettin drunk.

What costume to get this year is my main concern.

In this forum we allow that it may not just be all in the mind.

Costume? Ill just borrow stock from work and go as Barry Sheene.

Major Lovechild

Don't you mean Mr. Sheen?

Subtle Troll

Oryx wrote: »

In this forum we allow that it may not just be all in the mind.

I'm not gonna change my opinion depending on what forum I post in, I expect people to dissagree here of all places yeah but thats what a forums for debate isn't it and varied opinions.

Oryx

Subtle Troll wrote: »

I'm not gonna change my opinion depending on what forum I post in, I expect people to dissagree here of all places yeah but thats what a forums for debate isn't it and varied opinions.

Just have a read of the charter, though, so you know the way things go here, ok?

KeithAFC

I don't think its all in the head either and im not a believer or a skeptic. Basically between the two, in and out. But from all the programmes and studying of the genre, i don't think everything is in the head.

A lot of unexplained things do happen to people.

Subtle Troll

Oryx wrote: »

Just have a read of the charter, though, so you know the way things go here, ok?

Allright

Subtle Troll

I read it, in this context I said its all in the head as I think that with the hype of halloween, that explanation works in answer to the op.

If I said think of a pink elephant, you do, if you are told a house is haunted, you will worry about the creaking pipes or air blowing a door and wonder if it is a ghost, if you were told the house may be burgled, you will jump to that conclusion.

At halloween the hype and constant barrage of ghost stories makes more people think along those lines and is as such my explanation for why it seems more prevelant at halloween, because it is suggested by the media and people around us, more people will look out for paranormal as they put it activity which would be ignored at christmas for example.