"I've got 'Orbs' in my ghost photo, too!"

See those white balls of light toward the bottom left and on the right? Those may be "Orbs", believed (by many) to be ghosts in the form of balls of light. This cropped photo is from my "ghost" photo taken aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach (to see the ghost check out the Queen Mary tour post here). Orbs are life forms that travel in groups and are believed to be the human soul or life force of those that once inhabited a physical body here on earth. Psychics claim to talk to them on a regular basis, and ghost hunters encounter them quite frequently. It is said that they are those spirits that have willingly stayed behind because they feel bound to their previous life or previous location for whatever reason. Because of this obsession they tend to become similar to a psychotic human beings. It should be said that the majority of us when we die proceed gladly and willingly to the next level of existence after saying our quiet good-byes, which means we're off to the spirit world. Then again, as stated, a select few elect to stay behind because of a refusal to move on. Apparently the longer they stay behind, the harder it is to find their way to the next level, which again, is the spirit world.

I had no idea what they were until a guy at work who hadn't seen the photo yet but whose wife is interested in paranormal studies asked me, "are there any white balls of light in your picture?" I had noticed the left corner orb before but thought it to be a smudge on my camera (but no other smudges appeared on other photographs). And another woman look at the photo and said, "oh, there's one of those orbs - that's a spirit too." Ghostly orbs are the most photographed anomalies caught on film by ghost hunters and are quite photogenic (when they want to be). They can be completely transparent or display themselves in a bright solid form. It is not hard to capture them on film in their circular form. It is theorized that ghosts prefer the form of an orb because it takes less energy thus being the mode of choice among the ghosts. The consensus is that small orbs take up the least amount of energy and apparitions and other fuller shapes take up the most. In the colder parts of the year, it seems that ghosts tend to find it easier to take on shapes other than orbs. That's when there is the most static electricity in the atmosphere. Those months being October through February. It is also believed that they are able to draw on our own energy when needed.

There are other theories concerning Orbs. I have in the past heard such theories that orbs might simply be nature spirits or airborne protoplasm as you would find under a microscope, except far more advanced. Other types of ghostly phenomenon are the vortex (funnel shaped appearance) and ectoplasm (it has a mist or foggy appearance), also called ecto mist. These are often picked up on film and video as well but are much more rare.

Now orbs can be produced by accident, and can appear quite readily on film by the elements and conditions around you. Most orb photographs are merely the result of dust or even weather conditions such as rain and humidity. Moisture, dust and airborne particles up close to the lens at the time of the flash can and will effect the results of your pictures.