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The Ghost In My Machine

Stories of the Strange and Unusual

How Does It Work?

Water pouring from a silver kettle into a teacup full of loose leaf tea

How Does It Work?: Reading Tea Leaves, Pareidolia, And The Imprecise Art Of Tasseography

March 1, 2021 by Lucia

Previously: Palmistry. I have only had my tea leaves read once. I was a teenager visiting New Orleans in the early 2000s, so obviously I had to go to the Bottom Of The Cup specifically for a Continue Reading > about How Does It Work?: Reading Tea Leaves, Pareidolia, And The Imprecise Art Of Tasseography

Filed Under: Tales Tagged With: apophenia, divination, How Does It Work?, pareidolia, psychology, reading tea leaves, tasseography, tasseology, tasseomancy, tea, tea leaves

The cover of the book The Psychonomy of the Hand, published in 1865.

How Does It Work?: Palmistry, Or, How To Hold The Future In The Palm of Your Hand

September 14, 2020 by Lucia

Previously: Tarot Cards. I couldn’t tell you when I learned that palm-reading existed; due in large part, I think, to the kinds of stories I developed an interest in at an early age, knowledgeable Continue Reading > about How Does It Work?: Palmistry, Or, How To Hold The Future In The Palm of Your Hand

Filed Under: Tales Tagged With: chirology, chiromancy, divination, history, How Does It Work?, palm-reading, palmistry

Two cards from the 15th century Visconti-Sforza tarot deck: From left to right, the cards for Hope and the Hanged Man.

How Tarot Cards Work: Storytelling And The Exploration Of Your Own Mind

July 27, 2020 by Lucia

Previously: The Stone Tape Theory. They loom large in our cultural landscape: Decks of brightly colored cards, illustrated with the finest of details and seemingly capable of telling us endless Continue Reading > about How Tarot Cards Work: Storytelling And The Exploration Of Your Own Mind

Filed Under: Tales Tagged With: cartomancy, cold reading, history, How Does It Work?, psychic, storytelling, tarot, tarot cards

The title card of the TV movie The Stone Tape

How Does It Work?: The Stone Tape Theory, Residual Hauntings, And The Deep Influence Of Memory And Emotion

March 9, 2020 by Lucia

Previously: Spirit Photography. Here’s a term I hadn’t heard until fairly recently: The “stone tape theory.” “Huh,” I thought. “What’s the stone tape theory? How does it work? Is it new? Maybe I’m Continue Reading > about How Does It Work?: The Stone Tape Theory, Residual Hauntings, And The Deep Influence Of Memory And Emotion

Filed Under: Tales Tagged With: ghost hunting, ghosts, haunted locales, haunted places, hauntings, How Does It Work?, paranormal research, residual haunting, stone tape theory

How Zener Cards Work: ESP And The Scientific Method

July 1, 2019 by Lucia

Previously: Automatic Writing And The Unconscious Mind. Even if you don’t recognize the name, I’d be willing to bet you know what Zener cards, also known as ESP cards, are: They’re those sets of Continue Reading > about How Zener Cards Work: ESP And The Scientific Method

Filed Under: Tales Tagged With: Duke Parapsychology Department, ESP, ESP cards, extrasensory perception, How Does It Work?, J. B. Rhine, Karl Zener, psychic, Zener cards

How Does Automatic Writing Work? Motor Automatism And The Unconscious Mind

April 15, 2019 by Lucia

Previously: Dowsing And The Power Of Expectation. We’ve all seen scenes in movies or read about them in books where someone drifts off, daydreaming, only look down and find they’ve written or drawn Continue Reading > about How Does Automatic Writing Work? Motor Automatism And The Unconscious Mind

Filed Under: Tales Tagged With: Automatic writing, divination, ghosts, history, How Does It Work?, psychography, spirit photography, spirit writing, spiritualism

How Does Dowsing Work? Water Witching And The Power Of Expectation

February 11, 2019 by Lucia

Previously: Spirit Boxes And Auditory Pareidolia. Weirdly enough, the first time I encountered the concept of dowsing was in a manga I first read about 20 years ago — and I say “weirdly” because Continue Reading > about How Does Dowsing Work? Water Witching And The Power Of Expectation

Filed Under: Tales Tagged With: divination, dowsing, How Does It Work?, ideomotor effect, Ouija, talking boards, water witching

A vintage radio

How Do Spirit Boxes Work? ITC And Auditory Pareidolia

November 19, 2018 by Lucia

Previously: Ouija Boards And The Ideomotor Effect. Until fairly recently, I had no idea what a spirit box even was, let alone how spirit boxes actually work. After finding myself in close proximity Continue Reading > about How Do Spirit Boxes Work? ITC And Auditory Pareidolia

Filed Under: Tales Tagged With: EVP, Frank Sumption, Frank's Box, Ghost, ghost box, ghosts, How Does It Work?, paranormal research, pareidolia, radio, radios, Spiricom, spirit box

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The Ghost In My Machine is an internet campfire of sorts. Gather round, because it wants to tell you strange stories, take you on haunted journeys, and make you jump at unexpected noises.

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