by Karen Frazier, Managing Editor
Paranormal Underground Magazine

As paranormal television proliferates and ghost hunting groups spring up like the dandelions in my lawn or pieces of laundry in my “laundry mountain” (let’s not go there), it seems that there is a divide that is widening in the paranormal community. One one edge of the divide, you have those who are extremely serious about what they do. They investigate the paranormal. The focus of the serious investigators may run a gamut from extremely scientific to extremely intuitive – but they take what they do with an air of seriousness and solemnity that arises out of a sense of responsibility to both the living and the dead. On the other side is the paranormal entertainment crowd. They look at the paranormal as a way to amuse themselves – whether by watching it on television, reading about it in the proliferation of paranormal books and websites, watching scary movies, getting a chill listening to EVPs, or heading out to haunted places and cemeteries for a walk-through to try and have some experiences.

I have to admit – I’ve been on both sides of the divide. There is a part of the paranormal that is most definitely entertainment. I’ve watched the shows. I’ve read the books. I used to listen to EVPs because they creeped me out and entertained me. I’ve also come to realize the responsibility that I personally have as a paranormal journalist in presenting the very serious aspects of the paranormal, as well. Once I experienced a true connection with something that haunts, it became less about going to haunted places for a thrill, and more about needing to a) understand what was truly happening; and, b) trying to make sure that if some entity has contacted me, I behave in a responsible and compassionate manner in order to try and learn why that entity chose to show itself to me and learn what the entity needs from me.

That’s my story, and it is how my involvement in the paranormal has evolved. That doesn’t mean that it is necessarily the “right” evolution. It is mine and mine alone. My experience, my focus and why I am now involved in the things that I am. Every single person who reads my words will have a different focus, and different mission, a different level of involvement and a different belief system than I do. What each of us brings to the paranormal is unique.

I’ll quickly apologize to the cat lovers out there – but there is more than one way to skin a cat. (How on EARTH did that ever become an expression???)

Whatever your level of involvement in the paranormal – whether you enjoy a good spooky paranormal television show or whether you are a serious investigator – you are following a path that is unique to you. For some the paranormal is serious business. For some it is fun. For some it is BS. You decide where you fall on the spectrum and follow it from there. In many cases, you may start out at one end of the spectrum and follow your path straight to the other end. That was certainly my experience; however, that doesn’t mean it has to be yours.

I respect where people choose to fall on that spectrum as being right for you. You may notice that at Paranormal Underground, we try to have a little bit of information for everyone, no matter where they fall on the spectrum. We understand that for some it is entertainment and for some it is serious business. And that’s okay. Because in the end, each of you brings a unique perspective and experiences that can contribute to the conversation.

I tend to be a big picture kind of person. To that end, I see the growing interest in the paranormal – whether as serious investigation or merely for entertainment purposes – as a good thing. All of it. Because what I really see happening is this: People are beginning to contemplate who and what they are beyond just their flesh and blood. And that, in my humble opinion, is the first step in recognizing that we are all far more vast than our physical experience allows us to understand. If we, as humans, begin to contemplate our existence as souls, then maybe – just maybe – the next step is that we begin to relate to one another as souls. More kindly. More compassionately. Whether that arises from watching a television show, traipsing through a grave yard or seriously investigating the paranormal, I’m all for it.