Wednesday, December 22, 2010

What A Year! Get ready for 2011!

This time last year there was no Natchez Area Paranormal Society.  We were just scattered individuals doing our own little thing, no organization...no method...no real recording of findings.  More importantly, we had no real way to help individuals who wanted and needed answers to their phenomena and problems.  We also had no way to share our skills and passion with other like-minded ghost enthusiasts.  Well, all that has changed!


As we end the year 2010, you can be very proud of yourselves.  You have helped found and organize what I think is an amazingly incredible team, ESPECIALLY considering our newness!  You have helped families in need, and sacrificed your time, money and effort to go and investigate their situations and offer them sound and thorough research.  You have collected some amazing and compelling evidence, and we've experienced some really weird and wacky "stuff" together.  We've been touched, grabbed, slapped on the head, pushed, whispered to, growled at, hissed at, warned, pleaded to, said "Hi!" to, been asked to help, seen things, smelled things and even captured some of it on meters, cameras or audio recorders - all by stuff that wasn't there - at least in the physical sense!


We've also met and begun to cross-pollinate with paranormal investigators and leaders from other teams, and that has been a great experience.  We look forward to expanding those, both horizontally (meeting more teams and people) and vertically (deepening our friendships and relationships) this next year.  I am also very proud that we became area representatives for the American Ghost Society, and look to be invited back next year.  In a couple of weeks, we will become an Affiliate Team because we will have 5 or more members signed up.


We have some amazing equipment, a great methodology, and a couple of neat websites (with three more right around the corner: Historical Research Archives; S.O.R. & Demonology; and our Evidence Case Files sites will soon go public).  We held numerous meetings and training sessions, and have built the number of investigators from two (Mike & Kim) to 12!  We are handing out another application packet as we speak.  We have a well organized and tough training system, and many are moving through that.  We have set some amazing goals for 2011, and true to form, we've already accomplished a few of them!  The bottom line is, we have set a really strong foundation this year, and now we are set to build upon that and be an even more organized, professional, quality Paranormal Society and investigative team by the end of 2011!  When I project ahead and think about where we will be this time a year from now - I really get stoked.  However, we have to put in the hard work to get there first.


There are several things in particular that I'm really excited about for next year.  One of the main components is a strong and effective Public Relations and Marketing campaign, and that has already been launched.  We have compiled a list of necessary "tools and materials" that we need in order to be effective in that, and we are currently designing, acquiring, and collecting all of those tools and materials.  That list consists of everything from team photos, bios, getting the websites up to where we need them, brochures, business cards, logos, marketing items, banners, rack cards, power point presentations to evidence packets and portals, and more.  Once that is done, we'll be confident and ready enough to be proactive in all kinds of media.  Another key to that was finding a Director to focus upon that and push it.  Benjie has assumed that role and we are excited to see where he's going to lead us in that area.  What an effective and quality media campaign does for us is basically four main things: gets the word out that we are here, so families in need can get help; helps us get supporters, sponsors, affiliates and partners as we raise funds and do our community service projects; brings in additional professional consultants who see us as active, professional and effective which in turn makes us more effective as a team; and finally, it opens the door for educational opportunities to teach and demonstrate what we do - which raises awareness in the community of occult and paranormal activity and how to deal with it. As you can see, each of those benefits all feed into and support one another.

Another thing that is fascinating for me personally, is how all of us are getting in touch and familiar with our abilities and feelings in the paranormal sensory scope of things. It is extremely interesting to see how each of us are different, yet there are patterns of similarity within the team.  While all of us are increasing our abilities and developing them due to the investigative experiences and how often we are now encountering them, three of our team
members are definitely what I consider to be paranormal sensitives.  These individuals have plans to study and grow what they perceive to be the spiritual gift of discernment of spirits.  It's been exciting to see their growth and understanding in that area, and the plans they have to develop that gift in order to help people.  So, as a team we are advancing in both the science realm and sensory realm.

The last thing I want to mention (I could go on forever) is that 2011 will give us an amazing amount of experience AS A TEAM, working together.  We're continuing to learn our strengths and areas we do best in individually, whether it is EMF, EVP, historical research, interviewing, photography or whatever.  I'm very pleased at how we work so well together and how we compliment, push, and encourage one another.  Our clients see that too, and I'm proud of your maturity, professionalism, and passion to do the work and do it at a very high level.  As the year ends, we are looking at two major public investigations right off the bat for 2011 - at Meadvilla and the Old Adams County Jail.  Our S.O.R. Team is currently involved in three private family cases involving demonic-like phenomena, with one case confirmed as such.  So, we are not lacking in cases, both public and private.

So, great job, keep up the hard work, and Merry Christmas to all of you.

Happy hunting!

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