Halloween Ghost Busting
by Nancy Poitou
Although I don't advertise it I do occasional ghost busting. My psychotherapy colleagues know that I do this and so I sometimes get referrals from them. I don't call myself a medium but I have been able to communicate with spirit guides and earthbound spirits. I seem to have a knack for helping earthbound spirits or ghosts to go to the next place and move on from earth. I studied with a clairvoyant Native American for 2 years in the 80s. She taught me a lot about the paranormal.
A colleague referred this case to me. In this case there was an apartment building where where a mother and her daughter lived in a loft . The daughter woke up one night to see a black man standing over her bed. The little girl's mother told her therapist, who told her about me and she told the apartment manager. The therapist gave her client my contact information and she passed it on to the apartment manager. By this time the mother and daughter had both moved out. Oddly enough the date I was asked to do my ghost busting thing landed on Halloween. I asked a friend of mine to come with me as I usually do someone who's intuitive and spiritual to with this particular ghost busting event.
The apartment manager had done some research and discovered that the building was very old and a many years ago it was a courthouse and jail. I appreciate any information that I am given about the place I am investigating because I'm not out to prove anything to anyone, I just want to help the people who live there and the ghost or ghosts as in this case. My friend Maria and I got there and met with the apartment manager who took us up to the loft. When I walked in I quickly realized it wasn't just one ghost but closer to a dozen which surprised me. I said this to the apartment manager and asked her if she wanted to stay. Her response was something like "oh hell no!". I laughed and she took off. I was taught to never, ever be afraid in these situations. If the entities are negative they will feed off the fear. When I go to do ghost busting my intention is to help all those living and dead to find peace. I find that when come in with this intention and energy I don't encounter any problems at least not so far.
So the first thing I usually do is investigate, meaning walk around the property in an altered state and see what I pick up while my friend does the same. She agreed there were more than one and probably a dozen ghosts inhabiting the space. What I saw in my minds eye were what we used to call hobos. Hobos were men who were homeless especially during the Great Depression and who rode the railroads by covertly hitching a ride in the 30s and 40s. As a young girl I remember warnings from my mother to stay away from railroad tracks. I didn't understand why at the time, but my mother who lived through the Great Depression as a young girl knew about hobos. Just like today's homeless there are some who can present a danger. I much later realized Mom wanted me to avoid hobos. One definition of hobo is a migrant worker or homeless vagrant, especially one who is impoverished. The term originated in the western probably northwestern United States around 1890. Unlike a "tramp", who works only when forced to, and a "bum", who does not work at all, a "hobo" is a traveling worker. Along with the dozen or so hobo ghosts in the former jail was also a policeman. I could see the jail cell and the hobos in the policeman all talking, telling stories and joking. I was surprised to find that it did not seem like a prisoner guard relationship that I would normally expect. It seemed more friendly and informal almost like the guard was there to supervise rather than guard dangerous prisoners.
Because the dozen or so hobos were earthbound spirits it occurred to me that although possible it was unlikely they all died there. The apartment manager who did some research did not mention any event that would have resulted in them all dying there at the same time. But for some reason it seemed to me they came back, perhaps because it was a friendly warm environment in what must have been some pretty depressing lives. Many years later I learned that back in the 30s and 40s police departments would open their jails for these hobos to have a warm place to sleep and a meal. I did not know this at the time I was visiting this loft which is why was somewhat confused by the energy of the relationship being so friendly.
Once I determine what is going on in a location I then attempt to communicate with the ghosts or earthbound spirits. Until I'm shown otherwise or experience otherwise I assume that the souls that are stuck in a place between our physical plane and the next which ghosts or earthbound spirits. An earthbound spirit is a soul that has died and in some cases doesn't know that they have died. Sometimes earthbound spirits have died under very traumatic circumstances. They are scared and confused and unable perceive the light and so are unable to make their way into the light and get to the portal to the other side. What earthbound spirits need in these cases is someone to help them find the light, the path to the other side. Sometimes they need to tell their story and that alone can release them from being stuck between worlds. Some earthbound spirits are just unwilling to move on to the next place for one reason or another. Sometimes it is guilt, a horrific loss, a traumatic death, or simply being very attached to a place. Souls don't always stay at the place where they died. They sometimes go back to a place where they have good memories or where an important life event good or bad happened. This was my conclusion about the hobos. The energy felt like comradery and acceptance. My next step is to go into an altered state to communicate with the ghosts. There seem to be no reason other than the, comradery and positive feelings they had about each other and that location that drew them back there and was keeping them there. My friend Maria did a ritual to open a portal. I laid down on the cement floor and went into an altered state. I think of it as entering into their space. I think they telepathically know I am there to help because I usually encounter very little resistance.
I communicated with the policeman who was wearing a old fashioned police uniform with the kind of hat that was flat on top with multiple straight edges around it and a shiny brim in front. I mentally explained that they seemed stuck here and told the policeman that I was there to help them move on. I then asked him to lead the way through the portal. He hesitated saying that these men were his responsibility and if he went first to was not sure they would all follow him. So I said okay then have them go through the portal first so you can make sure they all go through before you step through. So the policeman told the hobos to lineup. I was surprised that they were so compliant and got in a single file line, each one putting his right hand on the shoulder of the person in front of him. I mentally asked them to look for the light and directed their attention to where Maria opened the portal. I said it may look small at first but keep your eyes on the light and it will get closer and closer. And so in a line they began to walk through the portal and lastly I saw the policeman follow. It is at that point that the spirit guides and loved ones of the earthbound spirits can then take over guide them into the afterlife. Having been a hospice volunteer I've seen people have deathbed visions where guides and relatives who have passed on before them come to get them. But sometimes in the case of earthbound spirits their vibration is too low for them to see the light, spirit guides, friends and relatives. That's where the need for someone like me comes in so that I can get them to that point where they can now see the spirits who are there at the portal.
My next step in ghost busting is now to remove any negative energy and to raise the vibration of the place. So first I use a smudge stick which is a Native American tradition to remove negative energy. It is made up of dried and bundled Sage and some cases Sage and Cedar. You light the end of it with a lighter allowing it to burn for about 30 seconds and then you blow out the flame and it keeps smoking. As a white person I use a turkey feather to direct the smoke. Native Americans usually use other kinds of feathers like eagle feathers which are only to be used by Native Americans. I use the feather to direct the smoke of the burning sage as I walk around the house or apartment or in this case the loft. Since there were no furnishings I focused on walking around the inside wall smudging as I go. The next step in removing negative energy is the use of unrefined salt I sprinkled a little salt along the inside walls of the loft. The salt will soak up any remaining negative energy and needs to be vacuumed up in a couple weeks. My next step is to raise the vibration. This is like changing the energetic address. This is what keeps earthbound spirits from returning to the place. I do this by first burning incense. I use resin incense and again using a turkey feather to direct the smoke of the incense around the inside of the walls. There are other things one can used to raise the vibration like classical music, spiritual symbols, and photographs or artwork of positive spiritual images or people. Another step is the use of frankincense oil. I have a little jar which all dip my finger into and say a blessing over the doors and the windows making a cross with the frankincense oil. I sometimes leave behind a copy of the prayer of protection. But in this case because the loft was uninhabited I only used the incense, the frankincense oil and meditation. In the meditation I say the prayer protection and visualize a white light enveloping the domicile. I also usually use a white candle, the kind that is in a tall jar. I anoint it with frankincense oil and light it while saying the prayer protection. But again because this place was empty I didn't want to leave a burning candle. If it is occupied home I will give the occupants instructions about vacuuming up the salt and letting the white candle stay lit until it has burnt all the way to the bottom and goes out on its own. I instruct the occupants that when they leave the house to put the candle in a shower or bathtub where even if it is knocked over it won't start a fire, allowing the candle to burn down to the bottom continuously. I don't want the ritual to be broken. So rather than have it broken I didn't in this case use a white candle.
Maria and I did the meditation, the more people who join in the more power it has. So when there is an occupant I will also involve them in the meditation. When I do a ghost busting session like this I offer a moneyback guarantee. The reason I do this is because I want to know if what I'm doing is working or not. And as I said in the beginning my intention is to help both living and dead and if I haven't been able to help them, I don't think they should have to pay for it. The next day I spoke with the apartment manager and told her what had gone on and what I discovered. I told her about the moneyback guarantee and if there were any more problems to please call me. She assured me she would. It has been years and I haven't heard from her so I would say it was a success. I couldn't think of a better way to spend Halloween then to do some real life ghost busting.