Orbs at Doune Castle

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I recently got married, we had a Pagan Handfasting ceremony at Doune Castle. My friend showed me some of the photos she'd taken on the big day and we came across this one here, very blurry, but lots of orbs. This was taken before the ceremony, after the Celebrant had prepared the sacred space. This is the only photo I've seen so far that had orbs in it from that day. Any thoughts?

Inghinn

Congratulatons on your ceremony . I tend to have a professional interest in Scottish weddings as marry people in Scotland.

Personally I don't believe orbs have any supernatural explaination at all. It seems to be a topic where there is a perfectly good natural explaination and yet the media and certain investigators keep pushing a paranormal angle which there is little justification for in my opinion.

Could just be random light - I'd like to think (I am an optimist) that it's someone or something wishing you all of the best.

I hate to burst your bubble, but the orb in this case is most likely a small water droplet. Notice the prism like effect toward it's out rim, which indicates it's not self-illuminating, which is one of the most common traits of true orbs.

True orbs? What are 'true orbs'?

mysteryshopper wrote:

True orbs? What are 'true orbs'?

A image of an orb that is a legitimate supernatural event tends to have two salient features. One is that it's self illuminated and not manmade, thusly, not an object in the room reflecting the camera's flash. The other is, that in video footage, it's self propelled, not drifting on the wind or somesuch.

There have been lights reported in hauntings for a long time, long before orbs were invented. I think we should stick to applying the term orb to out of focus bits of dust, insects and call light phenomena, well, light phenomena.

It really is time the whole orb circus was finally dropped as the complete irrelevance it is to paranormal research.

On that I agree. It's interesting, but not proof of a legit haunting.

baroniveagh wrote:

mysteryshopper wrote:

True orbs? What are 'true orbs'?

A image of an orb that is a legitimate supernatural event tends to have two salient features. One is that it's self illuminated and not manmade, thusly, not an object in the room reflecting the camera's flash. The other is, that in video footage, it's self propelled, not drifting on the wind or somesuch.

Can you post a link to or a reference for a legitimate study which confirms that orbs are "legitimate supernatural events"?

Here's a link to a piece on orbs. Fairly good paper (with links to studies, etc) which I think concludes the great orb discussion, and I agree with mysteryshopper, it really is time to drop it from supernatural discussions. I'm yet to see a pre-digital era image with orbs, or see orbs in an image with other supernatural phenomena! I think that says it all.

Agri, I don't see that link...

However: as I said, orbs are not proof of a legitimate haunting.

The only thing orbs demonstrate is the shorter focal length of lenses used in digital cameras (required because the sensors used were physically smaller than film frame size). What IS interesting about orbs is how a photographic artefact became associated with ghosts so readily.

Here's the link - http://www.assap.org/newsite/articles/Orb%20Zone%20Theory.html If it doesn't post this time, search the Assap.org website.

What you said, as I quoted, was that orbs are supernatural and have two features. How do you know that they are supernatural?

agricola wrote:

Here's the link - http://www.assap.org/newsite/articles/Orb%20Zone%20Theory.html If it doesn't post this time, search the Assap.org website.

What you said, as I quoted, was that orbs are supernatural and have two features. How do you know that they are supernatural?

How do you know they arn't? And i said that orbs that are supernatural tend to have two features, not that orbs were supernatural. I do not consider all orbs to be supernatural events, in fact I dismiss most of them for the reasons outlined in the linked artical.

I might point out further that the artical you link to does not dismiss the possibility that some orb type images might be supernatural in origin, it mearly states that the majority of 'orb' images are not, a position I agree with.

Since dust, rain, etc does not self illuminate (though, admittadly, ball lightening does, though the presence of that in your house might indicate you have other problems...) it would be a means of determining that an event of unusual nature is taking place if the object on film clearly does. (Best evidence would be one on film causing other items to cast shadows consistant with the orb as a light source and moving under it's own power).

Even if the orbs cannot be explained in terms of current theories, it does not mean they are supernatural, it merely means we have no explanation for them. Supernatural is such a vague and inappropriate term to use, rather unexplained phenomena is more apt.

You're making wild assumptions with no proof, e.g. claiming that dust, rain is not self illuminating - nothing is self illuminating, it all relies on a light source, usually the sun. But in the case of orbs, can you name one picture of orbs that have been taken without the use of flash?

Incidentally, there's little evidence for the existence of ball lighting, except when created in the lab, and even then it's iffy.

agricola wrote:

Even if the orbs cannot be explained in terms of current theories, it does not mean they are supernatural, it merely means we have no explanation for them. Supernatural is such a vague and inappropriate term to use, rather unexplained phenomena is more apt.

... Oh-kay....

agricola wrote:

You're making wild assumptions with no proof, e.g. claiming that dust, rain is not self illuminating - nothing is self illuminating, it all relies on a light source, usually the sun. But in the case of orbs, can you name one picture of orbs that have been taken without the use of flash?

Actually, things which emit light would be...um...'self illuminating'. Thusly, a lightbulb would be self illuminating. Re the second question, not off the top of my head, no. I think that was my point.

agricola wrote:

Incidentally, there's little evidence for the existence of ball lighting, except when created in the lab, and even then it's iffy.

Ok, prove to me that you arn't a figment of my imagination.

I have to say I've never seen a photo of what you could term a "self-illuminating" orb. I've seen plenty of what could be termed "light anomalies" when out at locations, although I could never say for sure whether these are down to either suggestion or some optical issue rather than spirit communication.

I suppose an important consideration is that a number of well recorded paranormal experiences have featured some form of light anomaly or similar. Jenny Randles' description of an incident on Cannock Chase springs immediately to mind.

As Mysteryshopper says, what's fascinating is why such a mundane (and nowadays easily understood as mundane) thing as orbs have become so heavily associated with the modern mainstream view on the paranormal. Scary how a hammy cable TV show can have such a big effect, eh?

I cant see how a lightbulb is self illuminating as it needs an external source of energy to operate.