More About AGHOST

We occasionally receive emails from folks asking for more information about AGHOST and what it is that we do. There is quite a bit information about our organization on our website, but there are many interesting aspects to AGHOST that are not mentioned on the website or blog. So I thought I would write a bit about AGHOST (from my perspective) and what it's all about.

First, The Basics

The AGHOST group was founded in October, 2001, and although it did not originate as such, it is currently operating as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization within the state of Washington (USA). We are a volunteer-based, membership-supported organization with (currently) around 60 members. We provide investigation and research services primarily within Western Washington, but have conducted investigations all over the US, Canada and Europe as well. You can learn more about AGHOST's services on our services page.

Investigations, Walkthroughs and Expeditions

AGHOST regularly organizes various research-related events. We categorize these events as either an Investigation, a Walkthrough or an Expedition.

• Investigation - An all-out paranormal investigation at a potentially haunted location.


• Walkthrough - A pre-investigation visit to the client's home or business. During this time the investigators will typically collect some baseline measurements and conduct the interview.


• Expedition - Expeditions often occur at cemeteries or other uncontrolled areas where our team members can get together and have fun in a less formal environment. Data is often collected during these outings, but individuals are not typically required to complete a report.

Our investigation teams include AGHOST members that are trained in a particular role. The team roles include the Tech who operates the equipment, the Observer who helps document the investigation, and the Psychic who documents any psychic impressions they receive. The group works as a team, but each member is responsible for collecting particular types of information and completing an individual report. This allows us to collect a wide range of information about a potentially haunted location.

The Psychic

As previously mentioned, AGHOST utilizes qualified psychics who document their impressions during an investigation. We have a PSI Director who is responsible for maintaining the protocol to be used on an investigation, and also certifies and prepares new psychics to utilize their talent in the field. Unlike the technical and observer roles, there is no "psychic training", so to speak. Instead, psychic classes are offered that help our members develop their abilities, and in some cases allow our own PSI Director to help assess and prepare new psychics for our investigations. These classes are open to all members (even the Tech Director), regardless of whether or not the member wishes to participate in investigations.

The psychic on an investigation must also complete a report and disclose all impressions they note during the investigation. Regardless of how some groups may feel about the use of psychics in an investigation, many of our clients enjoy their presence and find their impressions very useful. Utilizing both techs and psychics allows us to collect a great deal of information, and create a more complete profile of a potentially haunted location.

Since I'm the Technical Director I'm really not the best one to comment on the psychic role, but hopefully that was fair enough for a brief summary. If not, be rest assured that Merlyn (our PSI Director) will probably put a curse on me or suck out all my blood or something. Nothing new here at AGHOST.

Technical Stuff

Similar to many other research groups, we also utilize a myriad of technical equipment during an investigation. This includes photographic, audio and video equipment as well as a number of different types meters to quantify a particular aspect of the environment - such as various EMF (AC and DC) meters, temperature/thermocouple devices, humidity meters, barometric pressure meters as well as data-logging equipment for long-term monitoring.

Aside from electronic devices, we've also built a number of unique software tools and online services that assist us in the investigation and post-investigation workflow. Many of these tools I've already spoken about in-depth in this blog. These tools assist us in collecting information efficiently, fulfilling our reporting requirements and archiving our data for easy access later on.

Research

The AGHOST team also includes a Research Director who helps define and guide research-oriented projects within the group. The research tasks vary from property research, to long-term studies such as psychical research or collecting and correlating geographic, geomagnetic and space weather information for a large number of investigations. Research meetings occur usually about once a month and are open to all members.

Board of Directors

AGHOST is managed by a Board of Directors. All the politics and management of the group occurs within the monthly board meetings and via email. The job of the board is to manage all aspects of AGHOST and assure we meet our stated goals. All of our board members are volunteers. AGHOST has no paid board members, but we try to do as much as possible with the few resources we have.

Only board members may vote on proposals, but board meetings are open to the general membership. The board also has a non-voting position called the Member at Large whose purpose is to be the voice of the general membership, and present the board with questions and concerns on behalf of a particular member or group of members. Our Member at Large also serves as a sort of welcome party for new members just getting started in AGHOST.

We currently have a very active board, all of whom are very hard-working individuals dedicated to making AGHOST a better group. We don't always agree, and we're not always right (well, except for me), but I can honestly say that the board does a pretty damn good job overall.

Fun Stuff

AGHOST is more than just a research group, we are a small community of diverse individuals. And as such many individuals will organize official and unofficial social events for folks to enjoy. These include official events such as the yearly picnic and Halloween party, as well as other events such as "movie nights" and occasionally even out-of-town events. AGHOST maintains an internal calendar and messageboard to post these events. Most anyone may do so as long as they adhere to AGHOST's non-discrimination and other conduct policies.

How to Get Involved

AGHOST public meetings are normally held every other Sunday. These meetings are always open for guests and friends to visit regardless of whether they wish to become a member. A New Members Meeting typically occurs after the first meeting of the month, and includes an orientation and some paperwork to initiate folks into the group. After initiation, folks wishing to participate on investigations will be required to attend training classes before they will be allowed to shadow other experienced investigators during a walkthrough or investigation.

Official dates for the AGHOST Meetings can be found on the public calendar.

Individuals who are not local to the Seattle area may still join AGHOST via the AGHOSTOnline.org website. AGHOSTOnline members have access to all of our online resources and archives.

More Information

I hope this gives everyone a bit of a taste of AGHOST. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to send an email to aghost@aghost.us.