Here's where you may find answers to some of the more common questions you may have about The Hanging Garden, ghost hunting, or related topics. Feel free to e-mail me if you have a question that isn't covered here. Also, with a lot of the questions in the investigations and ghosts sections, the answers given are my opinion based on my personal experience. They're not "facts", as no one really has 100% solid facts on ghosts. Take the answers for what they're worth. :^)

Questions about The Hanging Garden

Questions about investigations

Where are you located?

We're located in Spokane, Washington. Most of our investigations take place here.

How do I become a member of your group? Do I have to live in Spokane?

Membership in The Hanging Garden is open to anyone, and is free of charge. You don't have to live in Spokane to be a member, though for obvious reasons you would have to be in the area to take part in our investigations, but you don't have to investigate with us to join. :^) To become a member, simply subscribe to our e-mail list. Your membership is automatic.

What if I want to join, but don't want to be on your email list?

That's fine, of course. Just email me personally and tell me you want to be a member.

OK, you said you don't use witchcraft, magick, etc in your group... can people who are into those things still join?

Of course! I have no personal problems with Wiccans, spiritualists, psychics, etc. It's just that we don't use any type of religious/spiritual thing on investigations, that's all. I'm the founder of this group, and this rule applies to me, too. I happen to be Catholic, but I don't run around haunted houses reading from the bible, you know?

Though if you want to say a prayer, to whomever you believe in, for luck or protection before staring, that's fine.

So, why don't you have thousands of photos and hundreds of investgation reports?

I'm very picky about what I put on this site. For example, if we go out to a location and don't find anything and the pictures all come back normal, etc. I'm not going to put it up here. It's a waste of space, and I think it would bore people. With the stories, I've heard literally dozens, but most are so outlandish that I'd feel really stupid posting them.

Don't worry, though. When I get REALLY good stuff, then I'll share it with ya. ;^)

Is there an age limit?

Not really. We don't allow really little kids on investigations. So, 12+ might be a sort-of limit we have. If you happen to be under 18, then you'll have to provide parent's permission to go out on an investigation with us (or even better; have them tag along). Whatever happens, _do not lie to your parents_ about where you're going. If your parents would cough up a furball over your taking part, try talking to them about it. After all, we tend to take a more scientific approach. We look around, we take pictures. That's pretty much it. We don't use Ouija Boards. ;^)

How long has your group been around?

Since 1997. We were admitted into the International Ghost hunter's Society at that time and have been members in good standing since.

So, how long have you been studying ghosts, and how did you get into it?

Since I was about 12. So that would be about 13 years now. I've loved ghost stories all my life, and accounts of "true hauntings" have always been my favorite. It had never occured to me to go out and LOOK for ghosts in my own area. So, when I ran across the IGHS website, I decided to make a serious hobby out of it. It hasn't been easy in a conservative town like Spokane, but it has been fun.

If I want to go with you during one of your "investigations", how do I go about it?

E-mail me at Ryan1939@webtv.net or post to the e-mail list saying that you're interested. I'll contact you with info on our next trip.

Why is your group called "The Hanging Garden"?

Two reasons. One, I'm a huge fan of The Cure, and they have a song called The Hanging Garden. Two, there's an area here in Spokane called "Hangman Creek" which is very active in terms of ghost phenomenon. Apperently, during the Indian Wars the U.S. Army took a small number of prisoners. They had promised the Indian warriors fair treatment in exchange for surrender. Gen. George Wright broke his promise and quickly ordered that they be "hanged to the last man". So, all 25 or so prisoners were hung. The area where this happened was named "Hangman Creek". To this day, the area reeks of spiritual energy. Those two things inspired the name.

Does your group offer a service to investigate hauntings? If so, how much do you charge?

Yes, we do offer an investigation service. The cost is free. :^) The reason for that is a simple one. It's flat out wrong to charge people for this. Regardless of what anyone tells you, there are no guarantees in this type of work. We can come in, investigate, and come out of it with a pretty good idea of what's going on. But there's not much else we can do, to be honest. Some claim to be able to do certain "cleansings" and other types of hokey "magick" to get rid of spirits, but those don't work very often. In fact, there have been cases where the spirit turned violent after such things were attemped.

If my house is haunted, how can I get rid of the ghost?

Depends on the ghost, and why it's decided to stick around on Earth. If it's a ghost of someone who lived in the house before you, and loved it so much that it doesn't want to leave, then getting rid of them will probably be difficult. These types of ghosts are seldom harmful, however. If it's a spirit of someone who was murdered, for example, their ghost could be lingering for a number of different reasons. Sometimes these spirits want someone's help with something, anything from delivering a message to finding evidence which will implicate their killer, and usually leave when things are "made right". It, too, varies. I hope I don't sound like a broken record with this "it all depends on..." thing. ;^)

If you find a ghost in my house, can you get rid of it?

I can't honestly promise that. What we can do - through on-site investigation and background research - is try to figure out what type of spirit you have. From there, we can advise you on your best course of action. As I said, a great deal depends on the type of haunting.

What exactly do you do during an "on-site" investigation?

Investigation usually involves taking photographs, as well as measurements with different devices such as EMF meters. We use hand-held tape recorders, when possible (i.e. in a quiet environment, where a good recording can be made). If possible, we like to interview all persons who have had an encounter in the house.