It’s hard to believe that as far as society has advanced, there are still great gaping unknowns to us. We know what’s in the deepest parts of the seas. We know what moecules make up planets far into the deep expanse of our solar system. We even know how a woman’s mind works. Okay, maybe not, but we can dream. At any rate, one thing that has remained a constant from the days of the ice age neaderthals vs cro magnons is death. This constant compantion that has hounded humanity from the beginning of time hounds us even now, and we’re no closer to knowing what’s on the other side than we were before humans could communicate beyond grunts and flailing limbs. Sure, societies and cultures have manufactured ideas of what could exist such as heaven, hell, or eternal oneness with the universe. Still others claim death is simply a state of mind, a shift of awareness from one life to the next. Reincarnation, folks. What these beliefs show is humanities desire to know what awaits beyond the veil. And all we have is belief that we don’t just end. That our presense in this universe doesn’t simply just snuff out into non-existence. Belief of life after death. However, there is no proof of such a thing.
Or is there?
Several months ago, I wrote my first article for the paper detailing the findings of a paranormal investigation at the Vodou Community Church. During that investigation, we uncovered several compelling pieces of evidence that got me several reactions from disbelief to dumbfounded surprise. After all, the evidence clearly suggests a haunting at the church. Proof of life after death. A month after that article was released to the public, i was contacted by an individual who I will not name for their own privacy. Needless to say, this individual was both fearful and hopeful about what we, the Columtreal University Paranormal Society, uncovered. Allow me to reintroduce the evidence.
Here, we see a screen capture with notation of paranormal evidence in an audio file, otherwise known as Electronice Voice Phenomenon. In this EVP are three female voices and a baby crying. Only two females were present at the time of this recording, and no infants at all. Investigator Carson Capelo asked guest-investigator at the time Lena Millet, “Should we check out another room?” But it wasn’t until Lena spoke that the recorder picked up a sound that neither investigator heard at the time. Lena asked, “Any history on this place? Demonic Activity? Occults? Lots of death?” It was during this question that the EVP was recorded. Between Lena’s first question and second question, in the background a faint toddler cry could be heard. And just as Lena was finishing her questions, an unknown female voice spoke, making a hushing sound before saying “Gabriel, Mommy’s…” The rest didn’t continued as quiet sounds, but clearly the same voice speaking, though we could not discern the content. Regardless,t he EVP is astonishing for several reasons. 1) a parent and young child existed within the Vodou Church on some level for whatever reason. They linger between life and what lies beyond.
This second evidence is a still image of the church, taken by myself. In the image, you see investigator Caileigh Kharg sitting on the front stage area where the organ plays every sunday. The team, myself, Caileigh Kharg, and Carson Capelo, were contucting the investigation through camcorder, EVP session, and still camera imagry. I snapped this photo on a whim, and we were all surprised by the image found in the picture afterward. None of us saw this at the time of the image capture. Basically, the technique goes like this: With the flash on, we announce “flash” and snap three pictures in quick succession. This is meant to capture not jus shadows or apparitions, but movement as well. Of the three pictures, this final one in the series had the image in it. Neither of the other two showed anything out of the ordinary. What yo see in this picture beneath Caileigh’s feet is a human-like apparition, possibly seated on the floor, blond hair and markings on skin. Astounding.
As astonished as we were, it was nothing compared to this individual who contacted me not long after the article went public. The story of this individual sent my heart to racing at it’s implications. This image and this EVP listed above were, to this individual, evidence of a friend having passed. One Stephanie Andromeda Ember, ex fire fighter and CU student. The child was her unborn baby, whom she named Gabriel. He showed me a picture, explaining that she had several tattoos all over her body, making her skin the canvas of an artist’s work. This woman Stephanie Ember has obviously passed beyond the veil of this existence into the afterlife; however, she has remained behind for whatever reason.
But the story doesn’t end there. Later, said individual who named the apparition visited the church to conduct a personal investigation. Using a trigger object, this person contacted the deceased for a short time. A trigger object is something used my mediums and paranormal investigators to create a link between this world and the spirits. Usually, it’s a personal object that contained a great deal of meaning ot the spirit in his/her life. In this case, it was a surf board. The girl’s surfboard to be exact. The living individual spoke to me of his story, and i’ll relate it here.
The church was empty, the priest gone for the day on priestly duties. No recording devices were used in the investigation, but the surf board was taken to use specifically as a trigger object. According to this person, we’ll call Marvel for this story, Ms. Ember had an area of the church she used to visit during her pregnancy, a picture on the wall of the Virgin Mary. It was this area that Marvel took the surf board. After a while, Marvel believed that there would be nothing, but a cool draft started to fill the church. On the wings of that draft, Ms. Ember’s apparition formed, walking from the organ to the surf board. To Marvel, she seemed not to see him at all, focused entirely on her board. Marvel described her perfectly as she had been in life right down to the specific look of her eyes. She seemed to caress the surf board until a crying filled the church, a ghostly infant cry. Ms. Ember looked to the side, and though her mouth didn’t move, Marvel claimed her voice was audible, though just barely. She spoke to the sound of the infant cries, then looked directly at Marvel. A complete personal contact, eye to eye. Then she vanished as she turned, and the air returned to normal. There is no scientific proof of this claim, which we call a personal experience, but the claim is astounding on many levels. “She’s not a benevolant ghost. She’s a lost soul.” These words were the parting words on the topic as Marvel spoke with me of the experience.
Are we not all lost souls? People moving through life, searching for happiness, all destined to reach the same end. Death. The unknowing beyond. If this apparition in the evidence is, indeed, Ms. Ember, then perhaps she is just not ready to move into the next world, the next existence. Trapped with her unborn child, Ms. Ember lives in whatever in-between because that’s all that she is left? No one can say. Perhaps this intelligent apparition is nothing more than a psychic imprint of the turmoil during Ms. Embers last months on Earth as a living creature. Regardless, her mere existence offers hus livly humans solace. There is something after death.
Not many would think in this way, of course. But consider this. The mystery lies in what happens after those final moments. Are we reincarnated? Do we face judgement at the hands of Ma’at? Do we face St. Pete at the gates of Heaven? Do we simply cease ot exist? If Ms. Ember is any indication, there is a hereafter, and where she lies is between here and there. Death is not the end. Have faith, fellow Hathianites. Hae faith that our existence continues, and face that grim future with strength and resolve. As Ms. Ember’s example in life, live andbe happy. Help others and smile. Laugh and embrace the joys of life. Share with others that which brings you joy. And when the time comes, fear not. We may never know what lies beyond, but there is something there.
