radon and paranormal activity

7/27/2019 Radon and Paranormal Activity

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Radon and Paranormal Activity

http://paraquake.com/id12.html

Some paranormal investigators believe that in order to manifest, spirits must

accumulate something from the physical world that they can then manipulateinto a visible form. The idea that ghosts and non-human spirits must draw

something from this world in order to act in it is not a new concept.

In magical traditions, for example, substances that emit heavy smoke are

burned during manifestation rites. Dittany of Crete is mentioned in a number of

recipes for incense designed to help spirits manifest (Huson). This relative of

our common kitchen oregano gives off a thicker smoke than most plant

material. Magical books of spirit evocation such as the Book of the Sacred

Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage (Mathers), and the Keys of Solomon (the

Greater as well as the Lesser, or the Lemegeton [both Mathers]) contain recipesthat include resins like myrrh, galbanum, and storax, all of which produce thick

heavy smoke.

Many paranormal investigators believe that spirits may be able to draw

electromagnetic and thermal energy out of the environment, or even people, to

manifest or otherwise interact with the physical world. Siphoning energy may

seem very different than using a "physical" substance such as smoke, but

remember that energy and matter are essentially the same thing (Einstein's

E=mc). The incenses mentioned above all have to be burned in loose form on

glowing charcoal to produce the amount of smoke needed for a manifestation.So, if they ever worked as expected, perhaps it was the thermal emissions of the

charcoal which helped the spirits to take shape, rather than the incense itself.

For a look at how much such energy siphoning could help a ghost...and for an

alternate explanation of fluctuating EM fields in conjunction with spirit

manifestation...see theAnatomy of a Ghostsection. For now it's sufficient to

say that spirits may need to tap into EM fields to draw energy to themselves.

There's a potential source of EM energy associated with pre-earthquake activity

which goes virtually unnoticed: radon.

Fluctuating radon levels are being studied as a possible precursor signal to

earthquakes. The theory is that as rock is compressed by increased tectonic

stress, it becomes more porous, allowing trapped gasses such as radon to

escape. Higher levels of radon have been reported in water sources as well as

the atmosphere ahead of earthquakes (Das, 2005), including the Kobe
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earthquake in Japan (Igarashi et al, 1995, Yasuoka et al, 2006). If the theory

about increased rock porosity is true, it is likely that radon level increases are

widespread along the fault zone, but because radon is a gas it could dissipate in

most outside areas. It would, however, accumulate in enclosed areas such as

basements and the lower levels of buildings, and could be distributed through

the buildings by ventilation systems.

It's true that not many buildings are set directly on top of faults, but ahead of an

earthquake the seismic pressure increases over a large area. So it is possible to

see significant increases of radon emission well away from the actual fault line,

in areas where people are more likely to build homes and businesses. How

much of an increase you see in the gas will depend on how far away from the

epicenter you go.

To understand why radon increases would have anything to do with paranormal

manifestations, you have to examine the behavior of radon itself. Radon is acolorless, odorless, tasteless gas which is produced through radioactive decay

(specifically, alpha decay) of radium. Radium has a half-life of about 1,600

years. This means that if you have a pound of radium, it will take 1,600 years

for half of that pound to decay. It will take another 1,600 years for half ofthat

to decay, and so on.

When an atom of radium decays, it emits an alpha particle. Alpha particles are

made of two protons and two neutrons, and are extremely stable particles.

Essentially, what you have is the nucleus of a helium atom.

After the alpha decay of radium, you have radon. Unlike its parent element,

radon is fairly short-lived. It has a half life of just over 3.5 days. Like its parent,

radon decays through alpha decay. The resulting products also decay by

emitting alpha particles: radon becomes polonium, which becomes an isotope

of lead sometimes known as radium B, which becomes an isotope of bismuth

known as radium C. These decay sequences take about an hour, ending with

more decay sequences that take mere seconds.

Now we come to the link with spirit manifestation: the release of alpha

particles during radioactive decays produce heat. This is known as decay heat,

and also occurs in substances that go through beta and gamma decay cycles.

Nuclear power plants rely on decay heat to produce energy.

In the case of radon, which has a fairly fast decay rate, the heat may not be

enough for you to feel simply by walking into the room (and you wouldn't want

to anyway, given the health problems caused by radon) but it might be a useful


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source of low-level heat-energy for spirit manifestation. How much heat is

produced is, of course, dependent on how much radon is in the room. Whether

thermal energy is a good source of energy for spirits is still a question: see

Anatomy of a Ghostsection for discussions on why it might not be very

efficient.

However, radon may play a role in generation of EM fields as well, particularly

in large concentrations.

In the case of regular radon emissions, the flow of the gas is usually light.

Frequently it comes from building materials like cement and brick as well as

the ground itself. Even though the emission rate can be low, radon is a heavy

gas, so it tends to settle and accumulate, especially in basements or other

structures below the ground. Radon emissions can fluctuate in any given area

for a number of reasons, including weather changes, but even if they reachlevels considered harmful to health they rarely reach strong concentrations

under normal circumstances.

In the case of pre-seismic emissions of radon however, the outflows of the gas

can be significantly higher. They may come as one or more "puffs" of gas as

sudden increased pressure in surrounding rocks allow more gas to escape.

Increased electrical currents in the Earth associated with pre-seismic activity

could also excite trapped pockets of other gasses enough to cause them to

forcibly exit the rock, allowing the more inert radon to escape with them. While

a concrete basement floor would slow the gas' ingress in buildings, plenty couldstill seep in through cracks in the foundation and from other points.

Models suggest that immediately after it is released into the atmosphere,

whether in a building or outside, radon will increase localized ionization rates,

resulting in a ground-level cloud of ions. (Pulinets, 2004). This forms a non-

thermal plasma. Some ions will be positively charged because they have shed

electrons, others will be negatively charged through accreting stray electrons.

It's the nature of oppositely-charged particles to attract, so the positive and

negative ions circle loosely together to form neutral clusters of particles. Butthis attraction, known as a Couloumb interaction, is not very strong in this case,

and these clusters can be broken apart fairly easily. If we are talking about an

interior location, sudden air current shifts from ventilation systems switching

on and off could do the trick.


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There are other phenomena directly related to earthquakes which can also break

the Couloumb bonds. Ahead of earthquakes, there can be intense rushes of gas

such as carbon dioxide from the Earth's crust. This likely will not have a huge

effect on a basement with a concrete floor, although increased levels of the gas

can certainly seep into the basement. In locations with nothing but a dirt floor,

and in outdoor locations, the results are quite different, because the gas

emissions will not be blocked.

"...These intensive air movements destroy neutral [ion] clusters

because

of weakness in the Couloumb interaction. As a result

within a short

time the near-ground layer of atmosphere becomes rich inions...

The charge separation process... leads to generation of

an

anomalously strong vertical electric field...." (Pulinets,

2004; italics mine)

In terms of tracking down spirit activity, this field formation can have positive

and negative possibilities. On the one hand, EMF fluctuations are believed toindicate presence of spirits, and as noted above, some paranormal investigators

believe the spirits may also be able to draw strength if there's more

electromagnetic energy at hand (although as with anything, there may be too

much of a good thing, and an overly-strong field might irritate spirits enough to

leave an area).

But conversely, EMF fluctuations produced by the ionization process may give

false positives to EMF detectors used in paranormal investigations. The field

fluctuation could also affect electric equipment, possibly leading to battery

drains. If a field is very strong, even temporarily, it may even causemalfunctions such as electrical devices switching on or shorting out

unexpectedly. This can be incorrectly interpreted as a definite sign that spirits

are at work, because most people would not suspect a reason for unusual

electric fields to suddenly be generated in their homes.


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As an added effect, static fields can develop in conjunction with the electric

field from Couloumb separation; static fields attract dust, which, as explained

inAnatomy of a Ghost, would make it a little easier for a spirit to make a

visible manifestation.

Paranormal phenomena can often occur intermittently, with months betweenepisodes. In this way, they bear a similarity to seismic activity and its related

processes. It's possible for there to be several incidents of precursor activity

ahead of earthquakes, with weeks or months between incidents before the

actual earthquake occurs. So if there are several rounds of radon emissions

before earthquakes, it's entirely possible for there to be several rounds of

increased reports of paranormal activity in the area.

But it is important to remember that while radon emissions couldincrease spirit

activity, not all of the activities associated with radon emissions are necessarily

paranormal. They may simply be due to sudden formations of electric fieldsassociated with radon ionization.

When investigating a site for potential paranormal activity, radon testing should

be included whenever possible. This is first and foremost a safety precaution

for everyone involved, and also ensures that this important base is covered

when accepting or dismissing the activity as paranormal. Even if you don't

think the investigation site is in a quake-prone area, remember that there are

other reasons radon levels can suddenly jump.

Once the radon is in the air, the other processes such as ionization andgeneration of anomalous electric fields can easily follow, regardless of whether

a pending earthquake is involved. These can affect EMF and thermal

equipment. Whether the activity is determined to be paranormal will largely

depend on exactly what is happening, how much evidence of intelligence or

purpose is detected (in the case of non-residual hauntings) and ultimately, on

the instincts and judgment of the investigators.

copyright 2008 by Keith Schulenberg

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Sources

Das, Nisith; Bhandari, Rakesh; Ghose, Debasis; Sen, Prasanta; Sinha, Bikash:

Anomalous Fluctuations of Radon, Gamma-Dose and Helium Emanating from


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a Thermal Spring Prior to an Earthquake: Current Science, Volume 89,

Number 8, October 2005, 1399-1403

Huson, Paul:Mastering Witchcraft: Perigee Trade, 1980

Igarashi, G.; Saeki, S.; Takahata, N.; Sumikawa, K.; Tasaka, S.; Sasaki, Y.;Takahashi, M.; Sano, Y.: Ground Water Radon Anomaly Before the Kobe

Earthquake in Japan : Science7, July 1995, Volume 269, No, 5220, 60-61

Mathers, S.L. MacGregor: The Goetia: the Lesser Key of Solomon the King:

1997 (reprint) RedWheel/Weiser LLC

Mathers, S.L. MacGregor: The Key of Solomon the King: 2000 (reprint of 1889

version) Samuel Weiser Inc

Mathers, S.L. MacGregor: The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin theMage: Kessinger Publishing, 1998

Pulinets, Sergei:Ionospheric Precursors of Earthquakes: Recent Advances in

Theory and Practical Application: TAO, Volume 15, No. 3, September 2004,

413-435

Yasuoko Yumi; Igarashi George; Ishikawa Testuo; Tokonami, Shinji ;

Shinogi Masaki:Evidence of Precursor Phenomena in the Kobe Earthquake:

Applied Geochemistry, 2006, Volume 21, 1064-1072

radon and paranormal activity

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