Participants:
Ondřej Bezouška - founder, main coordinator of Paranormal tým
Karel Novák - Paranormal tým historian
Ladislava Stará - guest, driver, esoteric
Petr Sokol - guest, observer

The penultimate research of 2014 brought us to the northern tip of the Czech Republic to the village of Svojkov. Here we unpacked our belongings and electronic devices and set out to explore the popular pilgrimage site Modlivý důl, on the recommendation of our fans.

The following article is divided into four parts. The first tells about the first tour. It emphasizes the description of the place, the initial feelings and of course the results of this research.

The second part deals with the midnight investigation. The use of technology and the evaluation of their results.

The penultimate section deals with an event that occurred before 3am. And in it we reveal the functionality of the GhostMeter Pro device for alleged communication with the deceased.

In the last section, you'll read about the 3 a.m. investigation and a general summary of the Blue Mine paranormal investigation.

Since we will not be going into the history of the Modlivý důl site in this article, we are attaching a video by Karel Novák (our colleague) that will introduce you to the past of the site in an engaging way. Unfortunately, the video is in Czech without English subtitles.

First inspection, beginning of research

After arriving at the site and doing the first rounds, we divide the whole team into two pairs. During the first reconnaissance, Karel Novák and Laďka Stará will go together to the well and I - Ondřej Bezouška with an impartial observer Petr Sokol to the chapel on the hill.

The whole area of the Blue Mine stretches between high, wooded hills. There is a dirt road through the area, which is impossible to drive on. The difficulty of the terrain is compounded by the soggy surroundings, as it rained heavily shortly before our arrival.

Together with Petr Sokol we walk up the stone steps. They are built by man, although they make the ascent easier, some slippery stones still give us problems.

Our cameras are on, the recorder is recording. Water drips around us, now and then a dog barks or a bird squawks in the distance.

Researching the paranormal in nature is complicated to the max. For where the area is protected by thick walls, the sounds and vagaries of the weather seep in from the surroundings. During the research at the Kobyliska shooting range in Prague, this caused all the sound recordings to be degraded. This time, however, the area is away from the busy cities and the only night sounds are those that have been heard here for centuries (not counting one plane overflight).

With Peter Sokol we try to address as generally as possible if someone or something is present. The darkness around us is reinforced by the deep forest and the only sound answer is the sound of leaves falling more and more often in the beginning of autumn.

No response is forthcoming and after twenty minutes we switch off the camera. We try to investigate with only the dictaphone and geophone on (it's a smartphone app). This is where the first mystery takes place. Shortly after putting it down and asking if anyone is there, the geophone responds by beeping.

A geophone is a device for measuring the shaking of the ground or the device itself. When it's switched on, we stomp around to see if the rock it's standing on is solid enough. The instrument doesn't register that at all. That's why we're surprised that the response comes when we're all standing still and there's no reason for the response.

Immediately after the instrument alerts me, I ask: "Could you please repeat that for us?" The response is not long in coming. The instrument flashes again and beeps audibly. So I ask for two blinks, but no further requests are heard.

Half an hour after arriving at the site, we take our things and head for the main tent. We already have our first mystery, which we will solve on our next visit with the help of additional technology.

Midnight time

This time in a pair with Karel Novák we are going back to the chapel on the hill. In addition to the recorder, geophone, K2 ghostmeter and camera, we take a parabolic amplifier. With its help we can hear in real time eight times stronger everything that is heard around us. This includes EVP (FEH - Phenomenon of Electronic Voice), which can only be captured through electronic devices.

First we try using the amplifier mentioned above. For about ten minutes we record possible paranormal phenomena, but we do not hear any positive results. Then it's time to use the geophone again. This time we deploy two of them. Immediately after we start, one shows constant activity, even though it's in a resting position. This unexpected event reveals a possible explanation for the previous event. Thus, it may not have been a reaction of the geophone to an environmental stimulus at all, but a fault in the instrument. By investing time and resources in a deeper analysis of this event, we have found that the phenomenon most likely has a rational explanation in the form of a fault in the device, which is not the most ideal as a geophone.

Advertising trick in GhostMeter Pro

Just before 3am, the Paranormal team was confronted with the GhostMeter Pro device. Basically, it's a cheaper version of the GhostMeter K2. The Pro version, however, not only has the classic EMF (electromagnetic) field measurement, which after experimentation works the same as the more expensive K2. The GhostMeter Pro has three other configurations in reserve. The most interesting one is the function of direct communication with the ghost. During it, the device is able to respond not only by the number of flashes of the diode, but also by emitting various preset sounds.

Petr Sokol, who owns the device, together with Laďka Stara informed us about its interesting function, which they tried for the first time at the well shortly after midnight. Together with my colleague Karel Novák we then watched its reuse in the main tent.

The following text describes the use and operation of this communication-calibrated instrument. It is a transcript of a video recording of Petr Sokol and Laďka Stará using this device. No one else is with them.

The GhostMeter Pro is placed on the ground near the chapel on the hill. It is set for communication, which is indicated by four green LEDs on the left side of the device. The device is whirring, chirping, indicating a search, making contact. After approximately three to five minutes, it quiets down and the red lights on the top of the instrument illuminate. That means contact has been made. Peter Sokol immediately asks, "Are you a man?" Shortly thereafter, an audible signal sounds. A loud double beep and with it a click as the raffle on the analogue dial jumped to the highest values of the indicated EMF field. Peter then asks further, "Are you a woman?" To this the same audible response occurs. Two beeps with a click. By this time, Peter wants to clarify what will be a yes and a no. Before he can hang up his words, however, the machine beeps again, this time with a double grunt and a flashing red light. Peter repeats the first question again: "Are you a man?" and the answer is again a double beep, which now means: No. Peter replies: "Are you a woman?" The machine responds after a few seconds with a grunt and a flash. Laďka joins the debate and asks a question: "Are there three of us?" The machine soon responds with one beep and a click. Laďka asks, "Are there seven of us?" The machine answers with a single grunt. Laďka asks the machine to blink twice. The machine flashes twice. Ladka asks for a double blink once more, but the contact breaks and the device goes out. She lets us know that the communication is over by continuously grunting.

This is exactly the type of operation of this device that we encountered several times in the main tent. 1) What happens if we don't ask any questions? 2) What is the pause between the device's responses? 3) Is there logic or coincidence between the different types of sounds? 4) For GhostMeter Pro communications, how will our K2 Ghostmeter respond?

From the following analysis and work we have arrived at the following answers:

1) If no question is asked at the moment when the device makes the alleged contact with the dead person, beeps and grunts are heard at the same intensity and with the same disparity as when someone asks a question. 2) There is a pause of 8-13 seconds between each response when the instrument is tuned to communicate. The pause was never greater, never less. 3) The different sounds are generated randomly. For example, a double grunt is heard for one question. We hear a single beep on the same one. And as mentioned in point one: the instrument does not even ask questions. 4) The Ghostmeter K2 does not react in any way during communication. No lights illuminate, no sign of electromagnetic field fluctuations.

So what is the conclusion of this part of the investigation? The GhostMeter Pro can measure EMF fields, but calibrating it to a ghost communicator is more of a publicity stunt and a buyer's joke than a proven way to obtain proof of the existence of an afterlife. Therefore, on behalf of the Paranormal team, we recommend not using the device for that calibration. Clarification or concretization of paranormal phenomena does not take place with the GhostMeter Pro.

Three o'clock in the morning

Again we split into pairs and with my colleague Karel Novák we go to the well in the valley.

The hourly rafters cross the third hour of the morning and we set up our equipment around a small wooden building. We try various interrogations with a parabolic amplifier, measure electromagnetic values, and finally resort to a geophone, although its validity has been fundamentally questioned.

During our research at Houska Castle or Velhartice Cemetery, we recorded interesting paranormal phenomena between 3:30 and 3:30 in the morning. However, the Blue Mine is quiet even at this time.

Later analysis from this phase of the research reveals an interesting phenomenon on the dictaphone recording. However, a more detailed analysis and comparison of the sound in question explains the phenomenon as a stomach growl, to which the sound is 80% similar.

Summary

The research of paranormal phenomena in the Modlivé Mine has brought us many interesting findings, mainly of a technical nature. We have found that not all devices or applications are to be trusted, and one has to be skeptical not only of cognitive processes but also of technology itself. Otherwise, it could easily happen that the error of one instrument becomes the cause of the faulty incorrect conclusions we so much want to avoid.

The Blue Mine is one of those places that are made for contemplation and recharging. Not even the darkness can take that power away. If there is paranormal activity here, it was not detected during our research. We're not ruling out its presence, just ending our investigation with a more conciliatory verdict.

Conclusion of the research

A peaceful place of pilgrimage with no risk of paranormal hauntings and a minimal percentage of paranormal occurrences.

Author of the article: Ondřej Bezouška
Proofread by Kateřina Běhanová

video of the investigation

• in Czech with English subtitles