Observing something spooky that seems hard-to-explain is an extremely common human experience. By "something spooky" I mean here very broadly anything that seems to defy your assumptions or anything that seems hard-to-explain. A spooky observation may or may not be something that seems paranormal. For example, if you see your spouse taking cash from some mysterious stranger, or if you see your doctor or teacher ingesting some strange-looking substance, that may qualify as something spooky.
When a certain type of person observes something that looks spooky, he will ask himself only one thing: how can I sweep this under the rug? But it is better to ask yourself a series of questions after you see something that seems spooky.
Question #1: should I make a record of what I saw?
The answer to this question is usually a "no-brainer." Almost always after observing something spooky, you should write down exactly what you saw. What you saw could be a hint of some important reality, and if that is true, you want to have as reliable a record as possible of your observation of the spooky thing you saw. The smaller the time gap between your observation of the event and the time you wrote down what you saw, the more reliable your account will be. For example, your account of an apparition sighting written ten minutes after it occurred is more credible than if you wait months to write down what you saw. It is always a good idea to write down the time and date when you saw something spooky.
The type of record I am referring to here is simply a private record such as something written down on a sheet of paper, something written down in a text file saved on your computer, tablet device or smartphone, or something as simple as a text message that you can send yourself. If what you saw has any type of legal ramifications or is something that might have any relevance to a court case or a law suit or a divorce proceeding or a custody dispute, you will be in much better shape if you write down an account of what you saw as soon as possible. One particularly convincing way to make a record of what you saw is to use your smartphone to take a video of you telling about what you saw, as soon as possible after you saw it, while mentioning the time and date.
Question #2: is there a credible and commonplace explanation for what I saw?
This is always a good question to ask, particularly before you publish any report of the spooky thing you saw. To give a simple example, you may be in your kitchen and hear mysterious-seeming spooky-sounding voices. Before spending any appreciable time thinking about such a thing, you should check to see whether anyone nearby was using some device (such as a TV or smartphone) that might have been the cause of such a spooky sound. Often you may be able to discover or think of such a credible and commonplace explanation, and that will be the end of the matter. But sometimes you may not, and you may then need to ponder the remaining questions on my list.
Question #3: should I publish an account of the spooky thing I observed?
My question refers to things such as social media posts. The question can be a difficult question with no easy answer. In a very healthy society there would be no penalty for anyone publishing any account of some spooky thing he saw. But in our not-very-healthy society there often may be some penalty for someone publishing an account of some spooky thing he saw, and listing himself as the author. The penalty might include things such as ridicule or decreased likelihood of getting a job or assignment or grant or college admission.
For the sake of establishing the reality of a spooky phenomenon or event, it is always good to publicly report the event using your full name. But sometimes your self-interest may outweigh what is best from the standpoint of establishing the reality of something. If you are worried about suffering some penalty from publicly reporting the spooky thing you saw, there are two ways to reduce the chance of that:
(1) You might consider publishing your account under a pseudonym, although you will reduce the evidence value of your account by doing so.
(2) You might be cautious in interpreting what you saw or speculating about a cause of what you saw.
Question #4: is this spooky thing I observed similar to or possibly related to other things I observed?
This is always a great question to ask after seeing something spooky. By asking the question you ask yourself: is the spooky thing I saw a one-of-a-kind observation unlike anything I have ever seen, or is it something similar to or possibly related to other things I saw?
For example, you may observe something that seems spooky on the day a relative dies, or shortly thereafter. The thing you observed may at first seem like some one-of-a-kind event. But you might be able to search your memory or records, and find that similar spooky things happened at about the time that other of your relatives died. Now you have not just a one-off event, but a pattern.
Similarly, you may see some strange thing in a photo you cannot explain. But looking at previous photos you took, you may see that such an anomaly has appeared multiple times in your photos.
Or, you may observe some person acting in a very unusual way. The event may seem one-of-a-kind, but then you might be able to remember that the person acted in the same strange way on multiple different occasions. By then you may have detected a pattern that suggests something important about that person.
Question #5: is this spooky thing I observed similar to or possibly related to other similar things that other people observed?
After observing some spooky thing, you may feel kind of isolated. You may say to yourself, "People just don't see things like I saw." But maybe other people do observe such things. Maybe very many people observe such things. And maybe many people have been observing such things for a long time.
It's not enough to just ask such a question. You also should try to answer such a question, by doing the relevant research. That may take a lot of time, but the effort may be a very rewarding one, one that leads you to discover important observations you never learned about, or never studied in any depth.
A good place to start in trying to answer such a question might be my long post "120+ Types of Paranormal or Anomalous Experiences," which you can read here. I describe most of the types of paranormal experiences that people report, and in almost every case I gave links to online pages or web sites where you can find more information about such topics. Other good resources to use in trying to answer such a question are my posts here and here.
6. Is there some important possibility that this observation might suggest?
When you observe some spooky-seeming thing, it is always good to ask yourself about what possibilities may be implied by your observation. An example is an out-of-body experience. As discussed here, very many people report being out of their bodies, and observing their own bodies from a viewing position away from their bodies, typically about two meters away. What does such an observation suggest? It suggests a philosophical conclusion of the greatest importance: that your mind is something not generated by your brain, and something that will survive the death of your brain.
7. Is there some important belief or assumption that this observation might tend to discredit?
An Apparition Was Their Death Notice
25 Who Were "Ghost-Told" of a Death
25 More Who Were "Ghost-Told" of a Death
