Note: This review pertains to two spirit box/instrumental trans-communication (ITC) sessions…read moreconducted on Sunday, April 15, 2018. The first was conducted at Sisterdale Cemetery in Sisterdale, TX, and the second took place several hours later at Boerne Cemetery. The former site is not listed on Yelp, so I am including my findings and observations here. If you are new to the field of ITC, then please scroll to the bottom of this review for an explanation.
Sisterdale Cemetery is a small burial site consisting of approximately 100 graves, many of them belonging to Germans who settled the surrounding area. I'm not sure what compelled me to visit such a remote site, but I'm glad I did; I documented some of my best spirit communication evidence ever. Within a few minutes of firing up my spirit box apps (Spiritus, Sweep, and Vocibus), I began receiving clear, relevant, undeniable responses to my questions.
Within a span of ten minutes, I heard the names of several individuals, all of whom I was able to identify as occupants of the cemetery. What I mistook initially as "Abel" was likely one of several individuals bearing the last name Ebell. I also heard the name "Dave Whitworth" moments before discovering a grave belonging to David Glenn Whitworth. When I thanked Mr. Whitworth for responding, I added, "Hello, it's nice to meet you. My name is Ryan and I'm visiting from San Antonio." The reply, "Howdy!" was unmistakable and gave me a chuckle.
I love to hear names come through my devices, but I prefer to capture insights from beyond the grave. Alas, this is a seldom occurrence (spirits purportedly have difficulty mustering the energy required to manipulate a device for more than a few seconds), yet I managed to capture two mind blowing responses this afternoon. After hearing what I likely misunderstood as "bear," I happened upon a grave belonging to a Mr. and Mrs. Behr. I asked for a validation and received, "This...is...Emilie Behr...," which was the name on the tombstone. I asked Mrs. Behr, "What's life after death like?" and documented the following: "It's...peace...nothing to fear." The next example was even more impressive. I had just asked the spirits what they did to pass the time when I heard a perplexing response: "Been batting!" I glanced a few feet to my right and saw a tattered blue baseball bat resting at the base of a tombstone. I have attached a picture to this review.
Later in the afternoon, I drove a few miles south and stopped at Boerne Cemetery. I wanted to return specifically to two gravesites I had visited several months earlier. During my first session, I noted the dozens of toys scattered at a child's grave and asked which were his favorite. I was shocked to hear "He-Man" and "R2" very clearly. I then rifled through the toys and found action figures for both. Unfortunately, my little friend was not nearly as vocal this afternoon (I heard only a faint "hi"), but I did snap a photo of the R2-D2 figurine. The second gravesite belonged to none other than George Wilkins Kendall, the man for whom Kendall County was named. On my first visit, his name came through clearly on my spirit box. Today, I reintroduced myself and asked, "How have you been, sir?" The reply: "Dead." Quite amusing, Mr. Kendall!
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For those new to the field of "ghost hunting," a term I dislike due to its implications (I'm not "hunting" for ghosts), instrumental trans-communication (ITC) refers to the use of physical "spirit boxes" and apps to communicate with spirits. These devices facilitate communication by providing phonetic gibberish (random audio samples, white noise) that spirits can manipulate to form words and sentences. They don't use their own voice; they use whatever audio source the operator provides. ITC is similar to electronic voice phenomena (EVP), but the latter refers to disembodied voices captured from thin air, which even the most seasoned paranormal researchers have difficulty obtaining on a regular basis. ITC typically yields more impressive results, as spirits seem to be more adroit at manipulating raw audio than they are at producing EVP.