FREE Online Paranormal Classes (October 2018)

I'm always looking for ways to continue my education in the paranormal investigation and research field.  This month, I'll be attending this set of 4 FREE online classes offered by the Association of Paranormal Study! The first class begins tonight at 9:30 pm and will cover the History of Ghost Lore.  Each class is a stand alone class, so you have to register for each one independently.  From my understanding, if you cannot be present for the live class, it will be recorded for you to watch later at your convenience.  What have you got to lose?  Come sign up and join me on this spooky journey!

Association of Paranormal Study Facebook Page
Link to register through Zoom for Class #1
Association of Paranormal Study Website

What is the Paranormal Lecture Series?

Hey, everyone! I hope your first few days of 2016 have been good ones! I've been having a great time thinking about and planning some new, fun activities for the blog and for my Facebook page. One of those things is the Paranormal Lecture Series.

If you follow Theresa's Haunted History on Facebook, you've probably already seen the first three days' worth of postings...and may have wondered what the heck was up with that.  So, what IS the Paranormal Lecture Series?

Each day at 2 pm, I will post a video of a different lecture, talk, or conference panel to Facebook. These videos will feature speakers from a variety of paranormal disciplines and from a variety of viewpoints. Some speakers will be well known, while others might be a little more obscure. Topics will range from ghosts and hauntings, to cryptozoology, to ufology, to demonology...and everything in between. Following the lectures, I'll post a few links, facts, or other tidbits relating to the topic of the lecture or the speaker himself.

The inspiration for the daily Lecture Series actually came from a question posed by my favorite group, Ghosts Magnets with a Twist.  Awhile back, they asked readers to comment on who in the paranormal community they would actually like to go see give a talk. I found this question especially interesting because each year, I make it part of my paranormal New Year's Resolutions to increase my knowledge and understanding of the field by attending as many lectures and educational events as possible.

But, for me and many others, going to a ton of events really isn't feasible. It often takes time and money, especially when you live in an area where there aren't too many events within a day's drive. Also, there are so many great speakers out there, that it's just impossible to really get out and see them all. It is especially frustrating that some of those speakers just simply no longer tour or give lectures.

And that's where the idea for the lecture series began. I wanted to share with everyone out there the opportunity to be exposed to some great speakers and some great lectures without ever having to leave home. Nothing is better than attending a live event and getting to interact with the speaker and fellow attendees, but these free videos are the next best thing! I hope you enjoy this month's special feature...please check out my Facebook page for a new lecture EVERY DAY for the rest of January.

Happy Haunting!

FREE Online Photography Education

If you know me or are familiar with this blog, you've probably already realized that I am a HUGE supporter of higher education for paranormal investigators! In a field as dynamic as this one that incorporates so many different disciplines, there is always something to learn. 

One area where I definitely see a need for more training and education is the field of photography.  While there aren't any real 'experts' in the paranormal field (how can you become an expert or even receive any type of certified credentials to study something that isn't proven to exist?) a good bump to the resume is being proficient and knowledgeable in the photographic process. A little knowledge of photography can go a LONG way in adding integrity to both your evidence collection and your analysis of possible evidence.

Obviously, nothing beats hands-on experience, but taking a live class can be hard for those who are already busy with careers, family, and other pursuits.  Plus, it can get expensive!  That's why I've compiled this short list of completely FREE photography courses available ONLINE! I have personally taken each of these courses myself and recommend them. I think there's enough here that anyone, from the complete beginner and up can learn a little something will be come in handy. There are literally tons of different photography courses out there, so if you find one that isn't on the list that you recommend, please let me know and I'll be happy to add!

FREE PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES

Digital Photography by ALISON Courses--This is an intense, but extremely thorough lecture series offered FREE through ALISON Courses by Harvard University.  After working your way through 12 modules, which contain varying numbers of lecture videos each, you have the option to take the course assessment and earn a certificate of completion. Topics include an extensive view of the inner workings of the digital camera, focusing on the DSLR, exposure, light, optics, etc. You may start this class at any time and work your way through it at your own pace.

The Art of Photography by Open2Study--This class is taught by Dr. Shane Hulbert of RMIT University, and even though it is geared more towards the artistic application of photography, there is plenty of excellent information useful to the paranormal investigator.  There are four modules within this course, each with 10 videos each.  Each week you work your way through a module, taking a one-question quiz after each video, followed by an assessment of the whole module after the tenth video.  Topics covered include the different settings on your camera and what they mean, the meaning of RAW and why it should be used, image editing software, how the aperture and shutter speed works, etc. This course is designed to take 4 weeks to complete.  It runs every 5 weeks, with the next session beginning on September 7, 2015.

FreePhotoCourse.com--Not interested in a traditional course format with quizzes and assessments?  I'd recommend this series of tutorials and education from Free Photo Course.  You can read through the material, complete with reference photos at your own pace and not have to worry about deadlines or tests.  There's some great basics here, including a brief history of photography, which was a nice addition.

FREE Online Research--Newspaper Research

Photo by ShironekoEuro

As a paranormal researcher and the Historic Research Manager for Huntington Paranormal Investigations and Research, I have discovered that one of the absolute best sources of information comes in the form of newspaper archives! I have spent countless hours hunched over the microfiche machines at the Cabell County Public Library, looking up obituaries, news coverage of disasters, and other articles of interest. Even advertisements can offer useful information about daily life. Many times I'll be looking for one thing, and stumble upon an article or photograph pertaining to another local haunting or interesting story!

I'm lucky that I live relatively close to the library and can usually find the time to visit a few times a month, since these archives are not yet digitally available off-site. But what if you're NOT able to visit these archives regularly...or are researching a topic or location from another area? If the internet is your only option for research, there are some pretty awesome newspaper archive services out there...but they come at a fairly hefty price, usually available through monthly, 3-month, 6-month and yearly subscriptions. However, if this is a service you find yourself using often, it might be well worth it---saving on travel expenses and the ability to research topics at your leisure and from your own computer (and printer) are excellent reasons to consider a subscription service.  Most also offer a free 30 day free trial---so you can do some major research on a variety of topics all at once and then cancel! Newspapers.com is my personal favorite and is running a reduced price on yearly subscriptions this month.

The options above are great and all, but here at Theresa's Haunted History, I'm always looking for resources that are completely FREE! Below I've compiled a short list of free online newspaper resources that I have personally used in my own research. Do you know of any other FREE newspaper resources, especially those pertaining to the tri-state area of West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky?  If so, please join me over on Facebook and let us know!


Free Online Newspaper Archives

Chronicling America: The Library of Congress has digitized a great number of newspapers from across the country.  While obviously not ALL newspapers are represented, there are plenty of examples from West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.  Unfortunately, the archive only dates between 1836 and 1922. Still, there is some great information to be found, and the search options are very user-friendly.  Just doing a little exploring, I found some interesting articles about both the WV State Penitentiary at Moundsville and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.

GenDisasters: GenDisasters is a collection of newspaper articles about different disasters transcribed by volunteers from across the country.  By searching by state, disaster, year or even keyword, you'll gain access to different tragedies such as fires, explosions, train derailments, etc.  I have been a volunteer transcriber for several years now and have added a number of Huntington, WV area articles.

Google News Archive: I have mixed feelings about the Google News archives.  There are different ways of maximizing your search results using this feature, but quite honestly, I've found that the easiest thing to do is do a regular Google search for whatever you're looking for and see if any newspaper stories are included in the search results. The big problem is, however, is that the newspapers aren't transcribed by a human--they are digitally translated using a software program.  This results in a LOT of mispellings---to the point where its almost impossible to actually read what is being said.  Plus, you generally cannot read from the actual newspaper image itself---just the text box below, which is all running together.  Still, I've had some measure of success and at the very least, have found out critical dates of events so that I can narrow down the search parameters on the microfiche and find out what the local papers have to say.

The Glenville Mercury: Glenville State College in Glenville, WV, which began as a Normal School, has digitized their school newspaper!  Archives go from December 1929 to July 2000 and while the content may be a little more geared to local and college interests, there's some interesting stuff in there if you look hard enough.

Are you looking for MORE FREE STUFF?
*FREE ghost hunting course by Fiona Broome
*FREE occult ebooks

FREE Parapsychology Course (January 2015)

The Rhine Research Center defines parapsychology as 'the scientific study of interactions between living organisms and their external environment that seem to transcend the known physical laws of nature.  Parapsychology is a component of the broader study of consciousness and the mind.'

It goes on to list the FIVE areas of study within parapsychology:

1. Telepathy-mind to mind communication through a means other than the normal senses.

2. Clairvoyance or Remote Viewing-knowledge of objects, people or events that are hidden via space or time.

3. Precognition-knowledge of an event that has not yet occurred, or information that appears to be transferred from the future into the present.

4. Psychokinesis (PK)-Mind interacting with matter at a distance.

5. Survival Studies-The nature of human consciousness and an examination of whether consciousness survives the physical form.  This includes mediumship research, reincarnation, out of body experiences, apparitions, and ghost activities.

Up until this point, the majority of my interests, and thus work, in the paranormal field have had a fairly narrow focus on Survival Studies, mainly ghosts, apparitions, and hauntings. However, in order to have a fuller understanding of my chosen focus area, I realize the need for a broader education of the entire parapsychology field.

Luckily, I found a wonderful, FREE opportunity!  Starting on January 5, 2015, the Parapsychology Foundation is partnering with the AZIRE to offer a free course entitled Parapsychology and Anomalistic Psychology: Research and Theory. Hosted through WizIQ, this course will consist of over 22 video lectures running almost daily through February 14th.  A partial list of speakers has been published, and there are some interesting lectures, ranging from those geared to the beginner to those very specific to certain areas of study.  The majority of speakers are associated with the Rhine Research Center in some way or another and are noted in their field as being top researchers.

This link will give you all the information you need to sign up for the course: Parapsychology MOOC

I'm excited for this and I hope some of you will join me in this endeavor!