My first experience with orb phenomena came at the age of twelve. I was sitting outside late one afternoon, deep in thought about an upcoming school event. Suddenly, from seemingly out of nowhere, a huge orange sphere appeared before me. It was a little above my direct sight and as large as a big beach ball. It was pulsating and its very distinct color would fade and deepen in intensity as I watched it. Very soon after I became aware of its presence, it began to move slowly toward me. I was stunned and sat very still thinking it would disappear if I failed to acknowledge it. Oh well, so much for wishful thinking. I was astonished as it gently floated right through my midsection! I gasped as I felt it pass through my body. I recall feeling giddy, and I was jittery for some time afterward.

My father arrived home from work, and I just couldn't wait to tell him about my experience. He gave me one of his ever-present "What-have-you-been-up-to-now?" looks as he scratched his head. I told him what had happened. His first expression was puzzlement as he pondered what to say. "Ball lightning," he said. "That's what it was. That's all it was—just ball lightning!" and with that he strolled out of the room.

If I was mystified before, I was really confused now. What the heck was ball lightning? His answer did nothing to calm my anxiety about it returning, to say nothing of stilling my inquisitive mind. Deep down I knew that I had experienced a spiritual visitation of some sort. I seemed to know that it was really someone and not something that had tried to communicate with me. Ball lightning, indeed!

After that first encounter with spherical energy, orbs began to show up in my photographs. It seemed that there was never a photograph of a family gathering, holiday, or school event without an orb or two in it. This began when I was using a very simple camera. I progressed to a Polaroid, which was followed by a 35-mm and eventually my ever-present Kodak digital camera. I have always had energy show up in orb form on my photos, and I definitely do not believe the theory that orbs are a product of a digital camera's inaccuracies. I am not going to even address orbs as dust, moisture, or insects. My experience, coupled with my clairvoyant awareness, renders this a waste of time as well as an insult to human intelligence. Furthermore, it's unlikely that any legitimate researcher would conduct an outside investigation in any form of precipitation. And regarding dust, I have been on a dirt road taking photographs of orb activity when a truck came by. This was the opportune time for me to test the dust theory, as I had just been able to photograph orbs in the stillness of evening with no one present. However, after the truck sped by, I was unable to photograph any orbs, even after the dust had settled. No dust spots showed up on my camera screen. Imagine that!

Now, what do I believe? In the search for a clear and concise definition of these mysterious orbs, it is easy to become confused by all the questions, definitions, vague answers, and skeptical responses—none of which can be proven scientifically—leaving us to form our own opinions concerning what is acceptable to our concept of reality. The rest must be stored for future reference and possible reevaluation. Our thoughts are energized frequencies, and by merely researching the field of orb activity, we can raise our spiritual vibrations and emerge farther along our spiritual pathway. Obviously any assessment of orbs would begin with a questing spirit. Hopefully this chapter will answer some of your questions and will encourage you to look beyond our realms of existence into new dimensions, albeit through the eye of the camera.

The first and foremost question is: Are orbs intelligent life-forms, and, if so, can they communicate with us? Next, one has to wonder: have the earth's vibrations changed or has something in nature been altered to allow us to see them more easily now? Are they simply observers in our dimension, or are they here to impart knowledge? Do their colors mean anything? And last but not least: are they ghosts? The questions are as unique and varied as the people who ask them. So let's begin with the most obvious observation: the shape.

I believe that spirit, which is pure energy, creates a spherical structure (compressed energy form) as a means of travel from one dimension to the next or through varying degrees of vibrational frequencies. According to the laws of physics, transformative energy (such as departed souls) would assume the natural shape of a sphere. This spherical shape encapsulates the essence of a spirit, manifesting as circular anomalies.

Ghosts and spirits can and do appear as orbs. Although elusive and mysterious, they do manifest for and resonate at the same frequency as the person or persons photographing them. Orbs in photos may not be very impressive, but to see them on video is very exciting indeed! I have seen them move at rapid speeds, darting back and forth while interacting with the camera. I have witnessed them grow larger while performing antics such as moving in a spiral, floating upwards and downwards as well as sideways. I have also seen them respond to questions and respond positively to requests to appear. I have seen them hiding behind objects as if playing hide-and-seek. And seek them we do.

By taking a closer look at orbs as compressed electromagnetic spiritual energies, we can separate orb phenomena into three distinct groups: ghost orbs, spirit orbs, and oracle orbs.

Ghost Orbs
Before any definition can be put forth, it must be noted that we only see what we believe exists as part of our reality. Discarnate energies retain their emotions, personalities, and intelligence. Their life force (soul) extends beyond death and is capable of manifesting as a ghost orb. Orbs require less energy than full-bodied ghosts, enabling them to exist more easily in our dimensional frequency. At times they are able to appear denser or larger and they can manifest as a partial or full apparition.

Ghost orbs display an inner substance, and, very often in photographs, a nucleus is visible. They also present a thicker outer layer or ring. They may also display an electromagnetic glow around them. Sometimes they appear less spherical in shape given their density and composition and appear a little lopsided. We have a photograph of one that looks like a giant black-eyed pea.

Ghost orbs have been photographed during the day as well as at night. They are usually very active and seldom stationary for very long. Seemingly always on the move, they will appear in one picture and then disappear in the next. They also tend to follow people around and can be captured on camera by simply turning around rapidly or snapping your camera over your shoulder. They are attracted to people and frequent the same places as the living; in fact anywhere and everywhere there are people, ghost orbs can be found.

Most ghost orbs can be categorized in three distinct energy forms. Transparent, which is crystal clear and easy to see through; translucent, which is semi-transparent and therefore harder to see through; and opaque ghost orbs, which are the thickest and show the greatest depth. They are so solid they can cast shadows. This is viewed as excellent evidence of ghosts. They can also emit their own energy impulses as light and often appear very bright in photographs. To make themselves visible to us, they lower their vibrations to the point of transparency, and then they continue to lower their vibrations until they are very dense, which leads to full visibility as ecto-mist or possibly a full-bodied ghostly apparition.

Ghost orbs are able to move at very rapid speeds. They change directions at will, appear and disappear, and even seem to be hiding in some photographs. They are curious by nature and actively seek out unsuspecting visitors. Ghost orbs are photographed almost everywhere there is a reported haunting. They have been photographed at the scenes of tragic accidents or at sites where tragedies occurred. Battlefields, cemeteries, and abandoned buildings are also very active sites for ghost orbs.

For the most part, ghost orbs simply want to attract attention. Perhaps they want to be noticed in order to convey a message to someone who is receptive to them. They may have some unfinished business that they are about. Remember, we cannot see them unless they want us to.

Spirit Orbs
Everything that exists does so due to vibrations. The universe as we know and understand it is an expression of visible and invisible pulsations of light energy. When this light energy emerges from another dimension, it slows down and the resulting frequencies determine how that light energy appears. This affects the color of every energy form we see, including orbs.

These unique electromagnetic orbs are known as spirit orbs. These orbs are discarnate souls that have transformed to lighter, higher frequencies, not feeling the need or desire to continue to manifest in our realm of existence. They do, however, come back and forth to check on people to whom they are connected.

Spirit orbs are loved ones who have passed over. Family, friends, and even spirit guides can and do appear in this form. If you have seen or photographed a colorful orb in your home or on your property, it very well could be a loved one who dropped in to say hello. If you will ask telepathically to be shown who it is, you will immediately get a sense of the person who has paid you a visit.

Spirit orbs manifest in many colors and varying sizes. Some are extremely large and others are very small. Their size is determined by how much energy they emit, while their colors are determined by the vibration of their unique electromagnetic fields.

We perceive different colors because we are exposed to varying wavelengths of light. Spirit orbs vibrate at unique frequencies that create color wavelengths invisible to the human eye, but they can be captured with the camera's eye. Each spirit orb has its own personal vibration and level of evolvement.

Soft, white spirit orbs are younger souls who have recently entered new dimensional frequencies. They are often small and emit pale hues. Pale pinks, blues, greens, and yellows fall into this category. More evolved souls appear deeper in color. Red, dark pink, blue, green, amber, indigo, and magenta represent these luminous soul bearers.

Older, more advanced souls appear in rainbow colors. They are amazing to capture in photographs and are representative of a commanding spiritual presence.

Spirit orbs are here to help us on our spiritual quest by offering comfort, validation, and even assistance in our times of need.

They seem to exhibit personalities and respond to telepathy; they are very telepathic by nature and welcome communication in this way. I have seen them twinkle when a telepathic message was acknowledged! They interact with people on a personal, emotional level and are capable of expressing feelings. That's why they are often photographed hovering over or near one specific person. They want to be acknowledged in order to effectively render assistance when needed. They are nurturing and caring, and their desire is to advance us farther along our spiritual pathways.

An interesting investigation took place on private land that had a secluded wooded area filled with anomalies and huge orb clusters. Katie, a good friend and fellow ghost hunter, and I went along with my husband to see if the area was active. We were hoping for activity and we were not disappointed. Katie and I sat on the tailgate of the truck as my husband drove us around in total darkness. We were able to document several different anomalies, including orbs of every size and color imaginable. There were large ones and small ones, some with great depth and texture, and some very vibrant ones as well. One orb in particular seemed to take a special interest in Katie. As she was watching it on the screen of her digital night-shot camera, it began to move forward. She began to interact with it by asking it to grow larger on the count of three. We nearly fell off the tailgate of the truck as it grew large enough to fill her entire screen, and then it shrank back to its smaller size. Again she asked it to grow larger on the count of three, or "puff up" as she put it, and again it expanded to fill the screen. Excitedly, she asked it once again to enlarge, which it did on the count of three. This time it changed its color from yellow to a much brighter golden hue. Wow, what an intelligent interaction. Suddenly, her batteries went dead! Not having other batteries handy, she lost contact with her spirit orb. (Here is a good reason to always have extra batteries on hand.) Of course, who's to say that they could not have been drained? We do know that ghosts can use batteries as an energy source to "recharge" themselves.

Oracle Orbs
Oracle orbs are the seers of the universe and, as such, they are very prophetic by nature. They are highly intelligent and their goal is to impart inspirational knowledge and wisdom. They are in a receptive state waiting to be reincarnated into physical form. Given this information, it is very important to take notice of where they are seen or photographed. They have a very specific reason for being there. They resonate to your own very unique vibrational frequency and have allowed you to see them for an important reason. If you have photographed an oracle orb, you have been given a very special gift.

If you look closely enough, you may see facial features, a face, or even an entire bodily form inside the orb. If so, you have captured an oracle orb. You may recognize this discarnate soul as a relative, an ancestor, or someone dear to you who has transformed to another dimension. The message is clear: "I am returning soon!" Remember it is not a coincidence that you were able to photograph them; you were gifted with spiritual knowledge in the form of an orb.

If the face appears as someone unfamiliar to you—perhaps a monk, a soldier, an angel, or simply someone you have never seen before—you are being asked to accept a message. Be receptive to whatever form this message takes because it will be meant for you. Sometimes, animals will appear in oracle orbs. They may be discarnate pets or one's own personal totem animal, which is a message in itself.

Oracle orbs are the essence of the soul. They can easily take their former shape at will, becoming full-bodied manifestations of energy if desired. When and if this happens there will be no room for debate as to what you have witnessed.

Oracle orbs are able to transcend matter, pass through portals such as doors and mirrors, and even pass through your physical body. If they do float through you, they have chosen to blend their unique energy with yours for a specific reason known only to you. Never doubt this! Also never fear this. It is a gift, and they mean you no harm.

They are capable of clairaudient transmissions, emitting a voice that you can easily hear. It is only our perception of them that blocks active communication. In addition to sending their telepathic messages, when we remain open and unblocked, they can easily share whatever messages they may have for us.

Oracle orbs are often photographed visiting the home of expectant parents before a birth, signaling the return of an encapsulated soul into a new incarnation. They visit loved ones who are preparing for the transformation of death. They are also present at times when a life crisis looms on the horizon and during times of extreme chaos. They appear in photographs at weddings, funerals, family reunions, almost anywhere they are needed. They are soul contacts, soul mates, and as avatars they are imbued with special attributes. These special qualities enable them to carry out their missions. If you have photographed an oracle orb, treasure your picture, for you have most certainly received a spiritual message.

On the same property where we captured our interactive spirit orb, I also photographed an extremely large oracle orb. There appears within the orb a man who is kneeling down or, as some have suggested, sitting on a horse. He is surrounded by spirit orbs: radiant pink, robin's egg blue, and green, as well as many that are less colorful but just as plentiful.

Orbs, in all their varying degrees of energy, offer us a new perspective on spirituality, encouraging us to open our senses to new dimensions of reality and prepare for global shifts of vibrational frequencies.

Capturing orbs on film during an investigation is extremely important, even though they are becoming rather commonplace. Never discount their spiritual value when reviewing and assessing your photographs. They can point you to interesting areas of activity as well as unexplored depths of your own spirituality.

Excerpted from Ghosts Worlds, by Melba Goodwyn