The
Visiting Ghost Theory
One
theory suggests that the tunnel itself is not haunted at all, but
instead is a gathering point for visiting spirits who are attracted
to the steady stream of humans looking to contact the other side.
Perhaps this theory has some merit because there is no doubt there is
activity at the tunnel, yet there is no historical document or
historical article that suggests that anyone had expired within or
near the tunnel. In going by the hypothesis that a haunted location
needs a death, the tunnel should be free of any ghosts. So why do
people witness strange phenomenon at the tunnel and believe they have
been in contact with a ghost or several ghosts? It is interesting to
note that of the visitors who profess they have witnessed an actual
apparition, or have a deep feeling inside, many identify a group of
spirits, not just a single entity. Even first-time visitors who have
never previously heard of the tunnel will sometimes come to similar
conclusions―that the tunnel is haunted by any or all of the
following:
A
large, dark man who often appears as a shadow dressed in period
clothing from the late 1800s. The feeling is that this ghost is
strong, powerful and angry. This energy usually appears at the
entrance to the tunnel and is sometimes near the center.
Of
course there are the additional sightings involving several other
spirits, but the most commonly encountered and documented by psychics
and paranormal investigators are the ones listed above.
So
who are these ghosts and where did they come from?
Are
they the angry spirits of the Old Lakeview Cemetery? Were they
residents in the long forgotten houses around the tunnel?
Is
this theory correct―that the tunnel itself is not haunted, but
rather the ghosts have been attracted to the spot because of the
human energy there and the interest in speaking to the other side?
The
Screaming Tunnel Theory
Another
proposed theory is that The Blue Ghost Tunnel is in fact the original
and legendary Screaming Tunnel in Niagara Falls. Some claim that the
tunnel on Warner Road in Niagara Falls was mistakenly labeled as The
Screaming Tunnel and that it was labeled as such only because of its
ease of access.
The
theory proclaims that the events that took place at the Screaming
Tunnel in Niagara Falls actually took place at the Blue Ghost Tunnel,
which is why paranormal researchers and visitors alike have
experienced the sounds of screaming at the Blue Ghost Tunnel. They
also reason that the Screaming Tunnel in Niagara Falls is not haunted
at all and that is why many who visit it experience nothing out of
the ordinary.
This
theory, however, has not survived recent research into The Screaming
Tunnel on Warner Road in Niagara Falls, conducted by both Kevin
Valencourt and myself. With the new knowledge gathered, the theory
that the Blue Ghost Tunnel is the real Screaming Tunnel has been
proven untrue.
To
protect the privacy of the family involved, this research will not be
made public.
The
Thoughtform Theory
A
thoughtform is a physical manifestation of energy produced by the
thoughts of an individual or a group. In Tibetan mysticism it is
called a Tulpa.
A
thoughtform or a Tulpa can be subdivided into three main categories:
That
which takes the image of the thinker.
That
which takes the image of some material object.
That
which takes a form entirely its own, expressing its inherent
qualities in the matter which it draws round it.
The
Blue Ghost Tunnel in its early days was simply a dark, dirty and damp
tunnel that children had determined was haunted, not based on a
murder, a death, a tragedy, or even an unexplained paranormal
encounter, but simply because of its appearance. Like an old
abandoned house, the children whispered stories of ghosts and of a
haunting.
In
the 1950s and into the 1960s the tunnel had very few visitors and
certainly not all of the explorers were brave enough to enter the
tunnel.
It
wasn't until about 1970 that these explorers determined that the
tunnel was haunted. But again, it was a rumor, and no evidence of
such a haunting was ever published or determined to be of
significance.
Many
of the early explorers dismissed reports of paranormal experiences in
the tunnel but were fascinated by its architecture and history.
Later
visits, through the 1970s and 1980s, continued in a similar vein. Few
considered the tunnel haunted and there were no attempts to gather
evidence about a ghost or a haunting.
In
the 1990s when those interested in the paranormal began exploring the
tunnel, they believed that there could be something abnormal about
it, but these individuals, including myself, felt that the tunnel did
not provide much in the way of evidence.
Nick
Blay and his friends, who heard audible screams at the tunnel and
felt that it may be haunted, did not press further, because they did
not witness substantial evidence of paranormal activity. It was
simply a cool place to hang out―dark and mysterious, away from
parents and the pressures of society.
Just
as the children of previous generations had done, tunnel visitors in
the 1990s began focusing their imaginations on the idea of a
haunting.
And
along came Russ.
Russ’
reports changed everything because, not only did he declare the
tunnel to be haunted on his very first visit, he also maintained that
poltergeist activity had occurred―demonic beings manifesting
themselves, ghost dogs guarding the entrance―and the list goes on.
What
Russ did was create a tangible thought. He took the idea that the
tunnel was haunted and gave it character. His online journal created
ghosts and gave them names. It gave back-stories, histories, emotion
and feelings.
Russ'
thoughtform.
The
paranormal explorers and thrill-seekers knew of Russ' ghosts and in
the early explorations of the tunnel, many came calling on September,
the “little girl” and other ghosts that Russ had described. They
were sharing his story, wholeheartedly believing in the paranormal
and that what Russ had encountered was truth.
The
droves of visitors to the tunnel, on some nights numbering in the
hundreds, all came to see one thing—the haunting.
A
collective thought, and a genuine interest in manifesting the
thought, became reality.
Visitors
claimed to see, hear, smell, feel, touch, speak to and be spoken to
by a variety of entities. Photographic, video, audio and even
physical evidence of a haunting began to make its way into the fabric
of the legend.
Reputable
investigators began experiencing this same phenomenon and many
continue to investigate the tunnels haunting.
The
Thoughtform Theory suggests that the many individuals seeking to find
and experience a haunting have actually created the haunting through
a collective consciousness.
Before
you dismiss this theory as some ancient Ooga-Booga mind fuck or some
new age mysticism, consider what The Toronto Society of Psychical
Research manifested in an experiment in which their goal was to
create a ghost from scratch and only from their imagination.
Their
first step was to create a personality. They would take great pains
to make this fictional, nonexistent person seem real.
“It
was essential to our purpose that Philip be a totally fictitious
character. Not merely a figment of the imagination but clearly and
obviously so, with a biography full of historical errors,” said
team leader Dr. Owen. “Our ghost would never have existed.”
The
ghost they manifested through creative thought was Philip Aylesford,
a person “living” during the 1600s at the time of Oliver
Cromwell. The Toronto group made Philip a Catholic who was loyal to
the king. He was married to a very cold woman named Dorothea who
would not bear him children. The two lived at his family home of
Diddington Manor. Although there really was a Diddington Manor in
England, no such person as Philip Aylesford ever lived there.
The
group created a particular incident that figured into Philip’s
character as a ghost. One day, while he rode his horse near the
boundaries of the estate, he happened upon a gypsy encampment. There
he met Margo, a beautiful, dark haired girl with whom he fell madly
in love. He moved Margo to the gatehouse and kept their love a secret
from his wife. Eventually, however, Dorothea found out and accused
Margo of witchcraft. Fearing he’d lose both his reputation and
possessions, Philip said nothing and let Margo be burned at the
stake. Philip’s subsequent remorse sent him into deep depression.
He took to pacing the battlements of Diddington Manor at night. One
morning, Philip’s body was discovered at the base of the
battlements an apparent suicide. He was 30 years old.
With
Philip and his history now established, even down to a drawing made
by one of the group members, they began memorizing information about
this non-existent character, creating more details, and learning
about the historical period in which he “lived”.
They
sought to create a collective hallucination of Philip by describing
his appearance, food preferences, and especially his feelings toward
Dorothea and Margo, until they had created a complete mental picture
of him to which they could all subscribe.
In
September 1972, the group attempted to contact Philip using
techniques similar to a traditional séance, save for the theatrics
and magic tricks.
The
first meeting went on for several hours with no materialization of
Philip. Each week the group conducted the same type of meeting, all
concentrating on contacting Philip and each week over the course of
several months nothing, absolutely nothing, occurred. The group was
ready to give up the experiment but decided to try a new strategy.
They began the experiment as before, but the atmosphere and approach
was more casual and relaxed. Individuals were allowed to meditate and
concentrate on Philip without having to force their thoughts.
With
this new technique the group began experiencing success. The first
phenomenon they observed was that the table around which they were
sitting started vibrating. The vibration could not be explained, and
even though the group sat away from the table, it continued
vibrating. No logical explanation could account for the activity.
Over the next few meetings, the table began to make physical noises.
A knock was heard, and repeated.
Thinking
they themselves were inadvertently causing the raps, they
investigated. But when the table started to move around the floor in
an irregular, apparently aimless manner, they started questioning one
another. Finally, a member asked, “I wonder whether Philip is doing
this?”
At
that point a loud knock was heard from the table. Before long, they
had worked out a communication system in which “yes” was one
knock and “no” was two knocks.
With
this taxonomy in place, they began to conduct a series of
conversations with Philip. They joked with him, teased him – even
flirted with him. They learned his likes and dislikes, and found he
had strong views on various subjects. When Philip was asked if
Dorothea, his wife, didn’t want children, the members heard
scratching sounds coming from the walls. One member asked if the
question was too personal and one loud rap was heard responding with
a yes.
It
was noticed by all present that the raps and movements of the table
seemed to be very closely related, if not actually activated, by the
knowledge, thoughts, will, moods and power of concentration of each
member of the group.
“If
the entire team were in agreement about the answer to a question, the
responses would come very quickly, but if one or more people were
uncertain about the answer, then Philip’s responses would be
hesitant, taking some time to reply,” says Dr. Owen.
As
the group became more comfortable in their encounters with Philip,
they began to treat him as just another member of the group. They
learned his personality as if he was a good friend. And Philip would
play tricks on them. At times, he would move the table around the
room, even rushing up to those arriving late as if to greet them and
say “Hi”. Other times, the table would trap certain individuals
in corners.
During
one especially active night, one of the members jokingly admonished
Philip by telling him that he could be sent away and replaced. After
that, Philip’s activity began to decrease until it stopped
altogether and the experiment was terminated.
“We clearly understand and have proved that there is no ‘spirit’
behind the communications; the messages are from the group
subconscious, but it is the physical force we need to know more
about,” says Dr. Owen.
The
success of The Toronto Society of Psychical Research encouraged other
groups to attempt similar experiments. Another Toronto group created
‘Lilith’, a French-Canadian spy during World War II, and a group
of French students from Quebec created ‘Sebastian’, a medieval
alchemist, and ‘Axel’, a man from the future.
The
ultimate goal of these experiments was to manifest an apparition,
however none of the experiments was able to produce such evidence.
They
did, however, prove that perhaps British psychologist Kenneth J.
Batcheldor was correct when he said, “...the atmosphere of belief
and expectation that permeates a séance in effect creates the
phenomena that spiritualists attribute to spirits.”
The
experiments had proven a connection between the mind and
psychokinetic activities during séances, but could this connection
be made at a purportedly haunted location, such as The Blue Ghost
Tunnel?
Could
our collective subconscious be responsible for the paranormal
activity at the tunnel?
