Article by Dana Emanuel
Have you ever taken a photograph of your family in your home, and after looking at the photograph, you see what appears to be an apparition of a woman in the window behind them? Have you ever been outdoors, and see what appears to be a big foot in the trees behind your home? 😳
If you answered yes to either of my questions, don’t be alarmed. Chances are, it’s not what it “appears” to be! 🙂 But, yes, there are genuine photos with paranormal anomalies in them, but there are instances where it is pareidolia. Also called matrixing.
What is Pareidolia?
Seeing familiar objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns is called pareidolia. It’s a form of apophenia, which is a more general term for the human tendency to seek patterns in random information. Everyone experiences it from time to time. Our minds have a tendency to try to make connections of familiar objects when looking at unconnected, and unrelated patterns.
Pareidoloa can actually be a good thing.
Without it, a familiar person to you would not look familiar every time you seen them. Instead of seeing someone out that is familiar to you and you ask them “wow you’ve gotten big how old are you?” Instead, you would ask “who are you?” It is the mechanism that allows us to recognize someone or some thing familiar to us. Without it you would have to re-meet someone every single time that you seen them.
By having the ability to familiarize what a person looks like, they can distinguish whether someone is truly familiar to them or if they are an imposter. They can determine if a person is a friend or a foe? Without this ability, one would not be able to distinguish between the two.
A Persons Worldview or Their Expectations Can Oftentimes Determine What the Person Sees
Usually what determines what a person sees is often by their expectations, or what someone told them to see. Their worldview or perspectives normally determined what they would “see”.
Another thing that usually determines what someone sees, is by what their beliefs are. Like a person that is a ghost hunter, would make something out to look like a ghost. And an atheist would not “see” anything paranormal in the photo. A Catholic would often make an image out to be Mary or Jesus.
It is very common for those that “seek” the paranormal to become obsessed with trying to capture evidence of the paranormal. Things such as ghosts, aliens, or big foot, etc. In these circumstances, the investigator will oftentimes “see” paranormal images, where in fact, there aren’t any. This is also called matrixing.
Once there was a study. They took photos of normal things such as clouds, toast, or trees, but they took them in such a way that they had a hint of something, where if a person were “looking” for something, they could perhaps see something paranormal in the image.
They then took the participants and asked them about their world views, and religious beliefs were.
Did they believe in the paranormal? What were their reliquary beliefs? Some were not religious at all, and did not believe in the paranormal.
The results were very interesting.
Those that did “see” something paranormal, such as faces, etc., were either religious, or they were believers of the paranormal. For instance, those that were Catholics or Christians would see “Mary” or Jesus in the photo. Those that believed in the paranormal would see demonic looking faces, ghostly images, or Bigfoot. What they ultimately found was that the persons’ beliefs systems would heavily influence what they seen in the same photographs.
My Personal Experiences With Pareidoloa
I’ve personally seen countless examples of this years ago when I was the leader of a paranormal investigation team. I’ve had investigators show me photos where they or the clients thought something paranormal was in the photograph, But after I analyzed the photos for the possibility of discovering what could be the images of “ghosts”, or other paranormal entities, I only later discovered that the image was not paranormal after all, but instead, it was a smudge on a window, a camera strap, or just the darker sections in wooded areas.
(Note: According to Holy Bible, angels would not even look like the image in photo.)
Demonic looking face in a cup of coffee? Or was it just the accidental arrangement of creamer particles when poured into the cup of coffee? I think the latter of the two.
Auditory Pareidolia
Pareidolia also comes in other forms, such as recognizing a voice, or a phrase. This is Auditory Pareidolia.
This was something that was also very common in the paranormal community. Not only was it common with analyzing photographs, but this was also common when analyzing voice recordings “looking for” EVP’s.(electronic voice phenomena)
It is important to know that those that are “seeking” EVP’s are usually “bent” toward finding such voices.
And if their were normal explanations for the sounds heard, such as the sounds of people in the nearby area etc. Interestingly, it was usually someone that was not a believer in the paranormal that would find it.
What Science Says About This Phenomenon
The Rorschach Test
If you have ever had to have psychological testing done, you may remember the examiner showing you images similar to those in the below examples of the Rorschach test.
In 1921, Herman Rorschach developed the ink blot test. He found that this test could measure a persons perspective or world view by what they would “see” in the ink blot images. This test has been used every since then, as part of psychological testing.
DISCLAIMER: I STRONGLY DISCOURAGE ANYONE FROM PARANORMAL INVESTIGATING/EXPLORATION
My Thoughts on “Paranormal Investigating/Exploration”
These spirits don’t come in their true form. Demonic spirits are not as they Portray. They are masters at mimicking whatever it is that the person is seeking. Aliens, ghosts, big foot, even “holy” angels. They are not our sweet little grandmother that died years ago. Or a cute little fairy that flies around our flower garden. They aren’t a rarest monkey/ape species out there that somehow cannot be captured for the world to see. They are indeed spiritual. They are indeed demonic.
It’s unfortunate that when a person sits and tries to conduct an evp session to “communicate” with spirits, that these spirits don’t sit across from them in their TRUE FORM. If these hideous creatures were actually visible and in their true form, we would not only stop the investigation, but we would run away as far and as fast as possible to get away from it!
As I mentioned further above in my article, I am an EX-Paranormal Investigator. I researched the paranormal for many years, which ultimately led me to the conclusion that ALL paranormal activity is demonic. With the only exception of a TRUE Holy Angel (or Jesus/God Himself) appearing before us, with a CLEAR warning from God, which can be curtailed by obedience and repentance, in which, only then, would be followed with a promise. And it must line up with scripture.
When people investigate the paranormal, they are actually “seeking” these things out. Investigating the paranormal is an occult practice, in which God forbids. When we seek out these spirits, we do it by taking photos to try and capture them, or by using recording devices to capture evps (electronic voice phenomena) by communicating with them. (Necromancy and divination) Or in cases of trying to communicate with big foot, knocking on trees. (another form of necromancy)
We are giving these demonic spirits attention. Which ultimately leads to an obsession. In a sense, we are “welcoming” these spirits. It causes an open door to the demonic and it is a clear invitation for them to be in our lives. When we leave an investigation, the demons will ALWAYS follow us home. Even if we say “prayers of protection”, or tell the spirits they aren’t “allowed” to follow us home. Once we open that door, we don’t have the power to close it. Only God can close it.
The only way that God will close the door is with true repentance, deliverance if needed, and to end all occult practices. We must RESIST the devil, and to submit to God.
After one gets involved in paranormal investigations, they will be open for demonic torment/oppression or even possession. It not only effects them, but also their family members in the home will be subject to such attacks. Sometimes it happens right away, or it could take weeks, months, or even years. But when it does, it will only escalate until the person becomes desperate, looking for ways to stop it.
Now, as a deliverance minister, I try to warn and help people, as I see it happen often. I get many calls from people that were involved in paranormal research and are now desperately needing deliverance.
If you or someone you know, needs prayer and/or deliverance, you can contact me at Dana.Emanuel@aol.com
To see other articles by Dana Emanuel, go to https://SpiritualRealities.org
Dana Emanuel on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Exposingtheenemy
Dana Emanuel’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/ExposingtheEnemy
Spiritual Realities 