One of the first things that you become aware of as a medium or a paranormal investigator is the different expressions of hauntings. While new categories seem to be discovered all the time residual hauntings seem to be the most common. In a residual haunting an event becomes stuck in an eternity which gets repeated at times. It’s quite possible during a residual haunting to hear footsteps, windows opening and closing. Witnesses of residual hauntings also state that they’ve seen people, animals, and other things that interact with the surroundings. There’s no attempted interaction between the living and dead in this case of haunting. They are repeated playbacks of auditory, visual, smell, and other sensory phenomena that are attributed to a traumatic event, life-altering event, or a routine event of a person or place, like an echo or a replay of a videotape of past events. Initial factors in the creation of a residual event range from repetitive to traumatic events. Locations that featured intense emotional energy, such as battlefields, murder sites, prisons, and hospitals, are popular spots amongst paranormal investigators as they have a better chance of producing residual haunts. The stone tape theory; a term recognized by serious psychical researchers, and one that remains within the cerebral dictionary with most paranormal investigators, is nonetheless an esoteric concept for most. Simply stated; this theory follows that a particular event, often a strong, emotional or tragic event, may be captured within some physical means or perhaps ‘psychically’ etched within or upon the structural framework of a particular location. One possible example of such a location might be a stone or wood structure and possibly even certain metal-framed buildings, which may attract and contain various emotions and/or events that contain strong feelings. In short, this concept acts much like a tape or video cassette, whereby visual, audible or even olfactory responses are recorded and replayed at various times and location. This is known to most paranormal investigators as a ‘Residual Haunting”
Residual hauntings are believed to lack any consciousness. Rather, they are like a recording of energy replaying itself over and over under the right set of conditions. A residual Haunting can also be known as Stone Tape Theory. Taking its title from an obscure paranormal hypothesis, Stone Tape Theory mines the haunted terrain of memory, mediated through sound. Stone Tape Theory is a concept has been around for centuries in different cultures, however it got it’s name specifically from the 1972 movie “The Stone Tape”. The synopsis of the movie is a team from an electronics company all move into a house. During renovations a stone stairway is revealed where strange things seem to be happening. One notable point from the movie is that one resident seems to see the apparition of a girl who keep falling to her death. They try to use all of their technical equipment to record the apparitions etc. that only one of the residents is seeing, but as is true to all investigators, nothing is ever caught on tape. The movie itself was working with the notion that stone materials can store sounds and images from the past and then someone who is sensitive to the paranormal in some sort of way can receive the ‘playback’ when the conditions are more noticeable.
The Stone Tape Theory states that if a person was extremely attached to an object or area, that when the person passes away their energy will be attached to that specific item or area, causing a specific object to cause paranormal activity. If you remove the object, then the paranormal activity should stop. The Stone Tape Theory also states that if a person goes through a traumatic event, that the energy is imprinted in that location or in the stones in the area such as quartz causing a residual haunting to occur. The activity is like a tape player, playing over and over again. Usually there is some type of pattern in time when this will occur or a mechanism for the energy to be released for the residual haunting to occur. For example a location that has numerous accounts of reported residual hauntings is Gettysburg Battlefield Pennsylvania. There were many casualties on the grounds creating an imprint in that area.
There are areas around the world that have many reported residual hauntings. Many of these locations sit on high contents of quartz, granite, and other types of stones. Many researchers believe that that mechanism that releases the residual haunting is a minor earthquake. A simple shake of the earth’s crust and poof a residual haunting.
This example, though certainly sounding paranormal, is in truth not as far-fetched as one might initially think. Today, it is a common practice for many computer manufacturers to utilize crystals for the distinct purpose of information storage. In fact, NASA has been using similar technology since the early days of the Space Shuttle Program. The fact that crystalline growth is able to imprint information directly to itself is certainly an intriguing idea, especially when this idea is connected to the concept of ghosts and hauntings. As these computer companies understand that data information can be etched to crystal-based foundations of data chips through sonic and similar vibration methods, it should not be too difficult to accept the Stone Tape Theory as a plausible concept.
Dr. William G. Roll, famed parapsychologist and professor with the State University of West Georgia, Department of Psychology, as well as a member of the Parapsychological Association believes that this concept is essentially based on the idea that buildings and materials are able to absorb various forms of energy from living beings, including animals. Though researchers speculate that the recording is laid down during times of high emotional stress, such as a murder, suicide or from other forms of grief, many feel that any form of emotional energy, such as happy occasions, like a banquet, a birthday party, for instance, or even a romance between two lovers can also be stored for an unspecified amount of time, and then replayed when some aspect of the witnesses personality or psychic being is triggered.
Dr. Roll continues to say that such attributes may include psychic ability, various forms of stress or even brainwaves that seem to set off the recording like a “psychic video.” Such replays may take a form of a full, ghostly manifestation or even through sounds such as voices or footsteps. The more we consider this theory, the more it appears to explain many of the sightings and incidents that occur. In recent years, the possibility that this type of haunting may be more akin to natural electric and/or magnetic fields could be another method of information storage, concluding that electromagnetic fields may in themselves be a conveyance for said recorded information. If this is true, then we must consider the popular ghost hunting methods, such as the use of the Electromagnetic Field detectors (EMF) or via Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP), as at least in the realm of possibility to that of mere fantasy.
A classic example of a Residual Haunting or Stone Tape Theory is the Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania. There have been reports of tourists walking through the park and seeing a reenactment of soldiers in battle. When the tourists return to the park office they are informed that there was no reenactment scheduled for that day. In theory what has happened is that the battle that has taken place I Gettysburg is imprinted in this location. Some parapsychological experts say because of the high levels of energy exerted during the battle and the amount of soldiers that lost their lives in this concentrated location the souls are not at rest and this is the reason for the manifestation of the activity. In a residual haunting there is not intelligence behind the haunt. There cannot be any interaction between you and the event that has taken place. You are just an observer. If you are able to interact with the haunting or the spirits of the haunting then this would be called an intelligent haunting.
Minerals and Stone Tape Theory
Testing the theory that Limestone, Quartz and/or Magnetite is almost impossible to do in a laboratory. One way to test the theory is to find out where residual hauntings are taking place and study the phenomena. You can investigate further to see if the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has ever conducted a field survey in the location. If they conducted a survey then you can see what rocks and minerals are present at the location. If you understand the elements of each mineral or rock you can base the potentialities that a residual haunting could possibly occur. One of the first things that should be studied is how were the rocks formed. In the rock cycle you can see how each rock type; igneous, metaphoric and sedimentary.
The rock cycle:
As you can see to form igneous rocks you need melting, which turns to magma and then to solidification. To form sedentary rocks you need weathering and erosion to take place and then lithification. To form metaphoric rocks you need metamorphism to occur which is extreme heat and pressure.
This big questions involving this is…How is the information in our earthly environment stored in these rocks? What has to happen in order for it to be recorded? I believe that for any kind of information whether it be physical properties or any type of energy to be stored in these rocks it has to be when these rocks are forming.
Limestone is a sedimentary rock that usually forms in lakes, streams, rivers, oceans etc. Most limestone is deposited in warm, shallow seas, onto carbonate shelves etc. Limestone is a carbonate rock mainly made up of calcite precipitated chemically or by organisms and lime. Since lime can react to hydrochloric acid Limestone dissolves and re-crystallizes very easily. In humid climates Limestone weathers rapidly and in arid climate it weathers slowly. Limestone is made up of many things such as shells, compacted crystalline rocks, plant and animal matter and decaying algae. Limestone is a great source of fossils. Examples of some Limestone are coquina an chalk.
From my perspective I don’t believe Limestone can generate a residual haunting because it is mainly comprised of organic matter. When looking at limestone there is a lot of physical information that can be seen but no real sign that it can hold any type of light energy. The release mechanism is there, because Limestone reacts to hydrochloric acid, but due to what Limestone is comprised of I don’t this it is possible.
Magnetite: Magnetite is a mineral that is mainly found in igneous rocks, but also found in metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. The sand on the beaches of Long Island New York contain Magnetite. If you take the sand and put it on a paper plate and put a magnet underneath it the Magnetite will move it around. Magnetite is highly magnetic.
In the parapsychology there are a few theories that are based around magnetism. One of the theories is that when a ghost or spirit manifests it can alter the magnetic field around that area. Another theory is that if there is a high magnetic field already occurring in the area a ghost or spirit can draw energy from the magnetic field using the energy to create a manifestation. The theory that magnetite can generate a residual haunting isn’t a far-fetched as it may seem. There is no way to really test this to see if a magnetic field holds any kind of past events within but we do they contain a lot of energy. There are many interesting theories surrounding area on our earth containing high magnetic fields. One of the theories is the Bermuda Triangle Theory. This location is said to hold high magnetic fields. Ships, planes that go through the Bermuda Triangle experience disturbances with their electronic equipment, such as radar, fuel gauges, altimeters, barometers, lights, etc. Some ships and planes that have entered this Triangle never emerge. I personally heard a firsthand account of a pilot flying from Bermuda to Florida. The plane was about 20 minutes off the coast of Florida. The pilot could actually see the coast in his sight. He had communication with the airport. The airport in Florida picked his plane up on radar. A few minutes later his electrical equipment started to malfunction. The gauges of his plane started spinning around, and he simply disappeared off the radar screen and he lost communication with the airport. The pilot didn’t panic, he just kept heading towards the coast of Florida because it was in his vision. Two hours later he gained communication with the airport and he popped back up on the radar screen. The airport stated that when he popped back up on the radar screen that he was in the same spot that he was when he disappeared from sight. Twenty minutes later he landed back at the airport without incident. For two hours the plane did not move an inch-according the radar screen. They simply disappear. Some say they are lost in time. The Magnetic fields that do exist in the Bermuda Triangle must fluctuate if these stores are true because every day planes and ships pass through here with no incident.
Quartz-Quartz is one of the most common minerals found on our Earth. Quartz forms a significant part of igneous rocks. When crystal quartz is cut at an exact angle to its axis the pressure exerted generates a minute electrical charge. This effect makes quartz very useful in radio, television and radar. The supply of natural radio quartz is so limited that methods for growing quartz crystals in the laboratory have been developed. Quartz transmits short light waves (ultraviolet) much better than glass. When not of radio quality, crystal quartz is melted to form blanks to make special lenses and prisms. I would say that quartz has the properties to possibly generate a residual haunting. Quartz is a basic transmitter for radio, television and radar. One other thing that is interesting about quartz in relation to residual hauntings is that doubly terminated quartz crystals are often found in limestone cavities. So it may be possible thought it was the limestone that was creating a residual haunting when it could have been the quartz that was causing it to happen.
Last Thoughts
As each of the aforementioned examples of events is typical in the realm of psychical research, specifically that of ghost and hauntings, we must ask the question: Are all haunting events related in one way or another to the Stone Tape Theory? Though many feel there is a sentience to some ghosts and apparitions, whereby the spirit in question is aware of his/her situation and surroundings, being conscious of feelings and moods, the Stone Tape Theory appears to fall within a more logical place setting within psychical research, yet does not dismiss the later theory. If ghosts are indeed residual in nature, and not actively sentient, then we must at least consider the more astute foundation of these events as scientific in nature, simply needing to be classified as such. Because the concept of something being ‘residual,’ such as the scent of burning wood being olfactory-observed long after the wood in question is long gone, and which is an accepted fact with the scientific community, we must at least consider this idea as applied to something yet unidentified. If this theory applied to psychical or paranormal research is indeed true, then we must also consider Stone Tape Theory is that of a various emotional vibration; both sensory and physical-based, may be a plausible explanation.
