Saturday October 31, 2009
Spirit seeker
By JOLEEN LUNJEW
What is it about Halloween that makes us seek things that go bump in the night?
People dressed up in the weirdest outfits imaginable, pumpkin heads grinning eerily in the night and children going house to house trick-or-treating for candy. Sound familiar?
Yes, it’s Halloween once again but, of course, this celebration mostly takes place in Western countries. Malaysians have not quite bought into the idea yet. So what is Halloween all about, anyway? And why is it always associated with horror and spooks?
Augustine Towonsing on one of his nightly outings. Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced: sow-in) or the Celtic New Year where Celts believed that on the night before, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead become blurred, allowing spirits, both harmless and harmful, to pass through. Their belief is much like our very own Hungry Ghost month that is observed by the Chinese.
To disguise themselves from the harmful spirits, people wear ghoulish costumes and masks to, urm, blend in. These days, costumes have evolved and scary costumes take their place beside cute, sexy and ridiculous ones.
Malaysians have taken to Halloween more for the commercial aspects than anything else and it is mainly a celebration of fun, albeit with some elements of spook. Entertainment and F&B outlets take the opportunity to cash in on this event, organising themed costume parties for revellers while TV stations play horror movies.
What is it about the supernatural that intrigues us so? We say we are afraid, but why do we keep seeking them and inviting them into our lives?
Sabahan Augustine Towonsing, 37, is one such person who actively seeks answers to what lies beyond the realm of the living. He established the Malaysian Ghost Research (www.malaysian-ghost-research.org) in 2004 to conduct scientific research on paranormal activities and to share information about the existence of life after death. There are currently over 1,200 members within the group’s forum board and 126 members in their Facebook group.
Towonsing, a school teacher by day, is also a member of the International Ghost Hunters Society.
“I’ve been interested in the paranormal ever since I was young as I have the ‘gift’ of seeing ghosts. My research is conducted during my spare time and I normally go solo. My aim is to change people’s perception about life after death.
Towonsing is founder of the Malaysian Ghost Research. “The places I investigate are mostly cemeteries, historical sites, school grounds, empty plots of land, public parks and jungles. I won’t reveal the specific names but in Kedah, these places are located in Sungai Petani, Gurun, Singkir and Bukit Lata Hijau, Baling, to name a few. I go to these places based on intuition,” he says.
His research method is simple — using basic equipment such as an audio recorder, a digital camera and a video recorder that has infra-red mode. The first thing he does when he reaches a place is to stand quietly in one spot for about 10 to 15 minutes to feel the emotion of the place.
“Ghost appearances refer to the best way for the ghost to communicate with the living. An established communication does not necessary mean sightings with the naked eye, but rather that a contact has been established between the two parties. Ghostly voices are considered a form of communication too.
“If there are spirits there, they would usually want to communicate with me. The language they use depends on what language they spoke when they were alive. I can feel their emotions, like if they are happy or sad.
“Once I’ve sensed them, I would introduce myself and tell them the purpose of my visit. It is very much like entering someone’s home. It is polite to tell them what you have brought and what it does so as not to anger them. Show kindness and compassion to them and they will extend you the same.”
After a friendly contact has been established, then only will Towonsing set up his equipment.
“I will set up my video camera on a tripod and walk away from it. I will tell the spirits what I would like to accomplish and invite them to participate in my research. Often, these spirits would appear within the first 10 or 20 seconds.”
Towonsing discovered that if the spirits can be seen with the naked eye, they would not be able to be caught on camera.
“The spirits would have used a lot of energy to appear in a form visible to our naked eye. I found that every time I tried to capture them in this form, my camera would say error. I suspect that the surge in energy causes the electronic equipment to malfunction. I would tell them that I would like them to appear in a less solid form such as mist, orbs, supercharged orbs, vortexes, ecto clouds and ecto balls which can be recorded on camera.”
The average time spent investigating one place is usually two to three hours. Sometimes, Towonsing will leave after 15 just minutes.
“I will leave when I am satisfied that I have captured enough relevant footage for my research. If I am lucky, the spirits will appear very quickly and I will be able to successfully document them. I want to stress that it is very important that I am 100% focused during the job. I must have a clear mind and not think about the worries or issues of the day, otherwise I will not be able to connect with the spirits,” he says.
His research findings of paranormal photos and video clips are posted on his website and is open to anyone who is interested in the existence of ghosts. He claims Malaysian Ghost Research’s findings are widely circulated over the Net and some have even been used by commercial TV shows in the US such as The Maury Show by The Universal Talk Television LLC.
Throughout his six years of conducting paranormal research, Towonsing has come across some pretty interesting incidents.
“During the early stages, I was always touched, called out to and scared by the ghosts. There was one occasion in Titi Hayun, Yan, where I was with a friend to set up the video camera. A spirit repeatedly asked me if I could capture ghosts on video. I thought it was my friend at first but when I turned back to answer, there was nobody there. He had apparently left me to set up his video at another place.
“On another occasion recently while I was conducting a paranormal video recording in an abandoned cemetery, I realised that there were a few graves that emitted a unique smell.
“I could sense that I was not welcome and started to feel uneasy but after I told them who I was and my purpose there, not only did the spirits accept me but they helped me successfully capture good footage for my research.
“I have had no major problems with them so far because ghosts are somewhat human too, just like you and me. They respond to our personalities and how we treat or react to them so if you don’t have any intention of harming them, they most likely will not harm you either,” says Towonsing.
One interesting thing of note, Towonsing says, is that many of the places he had visited to document paranormal activities did not have any history of ghosts. In fact, some of the places which were said to be haunted had no paranormal activity at all.
“You can’t trust completely when people tell you a place is haunted. You have to investigate it for yourself and conduct documented research. The so-called hauntings are usually just stories without any basis. Maybe they were figments of someone’s creative imagination,” smiles Towonsing.
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A paranormal affair
Spooky spots
Local lore
They see dead people
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