Dr. Mark Farley's Personal Blog

I was reading a Facebook post on another paranormal page that talked about the problems in our community. I do admit that our community does have its problems

One of the biggest misconceptions that new investigators have is that a house is haunted; it’s haunted twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They can walk in at any time and witness paranormal activity. For years, I have heard members of the paranormal community say, “If a house is haunted, you should witness paranormal activity both day and night.” From my experience, this is absolutely wrong.

So you capture a photograph of what you think is paranormal. If you’re like me, you’ll spend hours staring at it. Then you post it on social media to share what you captured and, hopefully, receive a little validation.

Also, I credit Urban Exploration for the reason why I have so many paranormal experiences. Every day I had off in my twenties and thirties, I was exploring something abandoned. I always took the time while I was exploring an abandoned building to sit still and quietly observe what was going on around me.

In my opinion, there are many different ways an investigator could engage in provoking. A good gauge during a spirit communication is to think about how you would like to be treated. In your normal day-to-day interactions with people, you want to be treated with courtesy and respect.

I believe if you’re truly trying to “help” the client. You should be focusing on explaining the events they are witnessing. In these situations, proof doesn’t help anyone but you; explanations help the client. Deep down, the practice of debunking only helps the investigator. Because deep down, through this facade of skewed skepticism, they really want to capture the “Holy Grail” of paranormal evidence. Investigations are for explaining; research is for proving.

I am rather strict during the investigation because the last thing I want is a team full of thrill seekers. I want professionals; I want standards; and I want quality. If our field is going to be accepted as a legitimate field of study. These are the three traits I feel every team must strive for.

The last story I heard was about human sacrifices allegedly occurring at the Seven Gates of Hell. There is evidence to suggest that this actually happened. On June 20, 1990, a Jane Doe was found near the Seven Gates of Hell. She was found in a farmer's field with her sexual organs removed, along with deep cuts in specific areas.

One of St. Louis’ greatest sins has been its willingness to tear down its past in favor of something new. This was almost the fate of the Lemp Mansion and Lemp Brewery. In 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Interstate Commerce Act. This revolutionary bill paved the way for the construction of our present-day interstate system. Forever changing how Americans travel and conduct commerce across our vast country. St. Louis’ geographical location made it a prime candidate for

One of the biggest Lemp urban legends concerns the Cherokee Caves. Ever since I learned about the Lemp Mansion, people have told me it's connected to the Cherokee Caves and that William Lemp Sr. used the caves daily to travel between the mansion and the brewery.