Okay, here's the deal...
You know me, I'm a realist... things are what they are, unless they're not and when they're not, that's where my flights of fancy take over.

I recently read a comment by a ghost hunter which said that every time an 'amateur photographer' displays a photo and calls it a ghost or spirit, that it 'sets their(gh) research back'...

This instantly tripped my 'defense trigger' in my brain. Who is the gh referring too as an amateur photographer?

I ask you, my fellow readers, how long have you been taking pictures...you may not be a professional, but you 'dern sure ain't no' amateur.
And really, why would a credible gh give a 'hoot in hell' what photo an 'average person' displays on their web site or anywhere and titles it a spirit or ghost and believes that they caught a glimpse of a spirit???...

I say, this is sooo wrong of an attitude for a gh to have.
You know, this attitude would be equivalent too,
if I had a miracle in my life and stood up and proclaimed it loudly...
and the Vatican getting mad because they didn't confirm it... even though I'm not Catholic...
Or, what if a person cured a headache with a nap and posted about it online...and the medical profession get mad because they didn't have anything to do with it.

Ridiculous!!! Right???

You see... my mind reels at deliberate stupidity and snobbery...

So, in my bit of fury, I went surfing through years of photos to find a good picture of a 'nature spirit' that I absolutely knew what was the cause and effect of lights, shadow, woodland, you know.

I was looking for a face or smile on a tree. (Because pictures of tree spirits evidently was apparently the focal point of the gh's pretentious statement)
I had every intention of posting the picture on my web site and titling it Tree Spirit...meta tags and all...and put in a long rambling article of the snobbery in the 'gh world'.

Anyway, after an hour or so, I came across this picture... It gave me instant 'cause for pause'.
I studied on it and the three others like it but blurred... I honestly can't figure out how I missed it all these months. I am constantly surfing through my pictures... mmm

Okay, so I looked at it a while and a curious feeling came over me. A feeling, that in truth, I couldn't post this picture with a lot of rambling gh gripes on my web site, it would be wrong... To do that would be 'to dignify' the gh's 'insult' with a 'reward' for an answer.

So, here's the picture. I am going to post a larger size on my web site as soon as get time. I also 'AM NOT' going to post on it's page about my anger about the gh's snooty logic. The image will stand as it is a curious cool looking enigma for 'searching eyes' to ponder it's meaning.

I just wanted to share my rambling bit of furried nonsense with you. I will let ya know when I get it posted on my site so you can scrutinize it better as a larger size.

I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Thanks for listening,
Dawn

I see what you are referring to Dawn. there is a face in the tree bark with a pronounced nose, looking towards the bird.Lots of little leaf spirits are present in the shot, looking happy.

Dawn, I enjoyed your post and I am happy that you shared.

Perhaps sharing my view will add something helpful. As time has gone on, I have become more focused on my own path. I know when I see a spirit in my photo, so I decided, why ask anyone else if I am seeing a spirit? Do they know more about reality or my visual system than I do? Instead I share my perceptions in hopes that others might enjoy them, or find similarities or inspirations. I have come to accept that I won't be meeting anyone who will see it all identically to me. We are not supposed to be all the same. We are all like the proverbial unique snowflakes. We all have our own criteria of good, beautiful, important, etc. And that makes the world thrive!

So, what the ghost hunter says is irrelevant to me. His views are valid to him, but he can only receive a position of authority over my views or anyone's views if we hand it over to him. I like to keep my authority and ask my own self what we think.

I understand the frustration though! Your thought process about it all is commendable. I am not entirely immune to naysayers...at all. Therefore, I just focus on my own things. I read a majority of stuff that interests me and is in harmony with my beliefs. And rather than seeing it as avoiding stuff, I look at it as seeking things that make me happy and jibe with me. I can't change others and they can't change me, so I seek peace.

As for your photo, can you point out what the image is or describe it a bit. I know once you do I'll be able to hone in on it (like the sea turtle, which was very clear once I got it ).

And I am grateful for your post. It has much validity and good points which will resonate with many of us I am sure! Good on ya!

Thanks so much. I agree with you on everything.
I really enjoy your style of writing and explaining. You make great sense using a soft but firm voice. I like that in a person.

Here's the picture of the outline... let me know if it's okay or I need to try again...

I do see the tree guy, and I did see him before (when I read Chris's post which I didn't see until after I posted ), I just wanted to be sure that was it. And once again, EXCELLENT outlining job--very clear.

Also, I thought more about your post and I appreciate you being so complimentary to me , but I don't think I answered adequately. I do relate to what you were saying and feeling.

My ideas continue to evolve as I learn. I used to try to reconcile science and proof with spirit, but I gave up (and continue to let go of more of it daily) and that's when everything really shot ahead for me and I started seeing more. I was holding myself back trying to make something so eternally massive as spirit fit into the tiny window of known science.

While it seems almost futile to explain, it probably is actually quite worthwhile to try to define how I think spirit works at this early stage in my understanding of it. Maybe that will add even more to our topic.

Ghosts such as Mulligan show up in my photos made up of light and mist, or some other material that will not show up in the next photo and that I (with my limited ability at this stage) cannot see with my naked eye. I WOULD sometimes feel tingling on the top of my scalp and I would sometimes hear tapping on the walls if I was inside the house. I also would get words and song lyrics in my head that told a story of his feelings.

Orbs were my first capture and truly responded to me when I reached out to them (as illustrated in the photo of a tiny smiling orb near my hand when I reached out asking to touch them and took a photo). They also are not visible to me, but apparently plenty of people do see them. They seem to be able to physically manifest out of similar stuff to the ghosts I'd guess.

Tree faces. Some of my most stunning captures are formed from leaves, light, sky, in orchestra. They can be detailed like a painting, or rather vague, but still having all the right anatomical features of a face and seem quite intentional to me. Certain of these, I am theorizing, are manifestations of the earth spirit, which includes the trees and vegetation, or work together with them. They are sometimes putting on a face to show me that they are aware in a way that I can relate. Perhaps at times they are expressing themselves as they like without thought to what I can understand. This is the spirit of the Green Man. It is worth researching if you don't know of him. He has existed in human art for many centuries (probably from the beginning of time).

Sometime rocks, trees, plants, etc., show me faces and bodies that I feel are a reflection of others that have walked the earth or live in nearby dimensions. I think they are representations and not an actual being. But I do not set this theory in stone.

Finally, littlies, fairies, etc., to me are linked to the earth spirit, but are a bit more autonomous. They are actually there. They may show up by merging themselves with twigs, leaves, etc., to make up their image (which you will see in part in the next photo after the one they appeared in), or they may appear in photos as transparent-like and disappear in the next photo. They also can be quite solid and, as you know, some people see them without aid of camera. (Reminder that this is all my theory and opinion). They live in a very nearby layer/dimension and often cross over, or we cross over to them.

I have no degree in spirit and I'm not an authority, I only want to gain the most understanding I can and to help and share with anyone else that wants so we can enjoy it and learn more through corroboration. I do study this stuff quite furiously in my own way every day. I read heaps and I meditate, ask questions, and record all of the answers, dreams, visions, and clairaudience (recording is the best way to learn in my experience). I have come to realize that all questions in the whole world can be answered by the self, so it serves to become acquainted with one's self and learn how to best communicate and intuit all the answers. Since everyone has a different view, I would become ultimately confused if I was looking for the answers to my reality in anyone else, though I do love to know others' experiences and I add their point of view to mine to expand my horizons realizing that all views together make the whole of reality.