I believe in ghosts... I've encountered several in the past, the benevolent kind and the other kind which are much scarier. Many years ago, I shacked up with a gal who had two kids, and on a return trip from the bathroom I looked over to see a woman sitting on one bed and leaning over the little girl in a loving manner... thought it was my girlfriend, till I rounded the corner of the master bedroom and saw HER reading in bed. It was a trip, and I immediately walked back into the kids' room, but the woman was gone. My girlfriend told me that an elderly woman had died in the home, and this was surely the ghost of that woman, but she seemed benign, no spooky or threatening behavior on her part.
Back in the old beach cottage, I was lying awake and reading in bed late one night when I heard shuffling footsteps (like house slippers) in the adjoining kitchen, and the water tap briefly turned on... got up and looked, but the kitchen was entirely dark, so I walked the other way into my elderly mom's room, and she was lying in bed all wrapped up in blankets, NO WAY she could've returned the roundabout way through the house and beat me to her room. That was a trip, but there were other signs of paranormal activity in that old house: I recall a wooden mask my dad bought in Africa, had it in my room for decades with no problems, then it started MOVING AROUND ON ITS OWN. One day it was propped up on a shelf, another day I found it upside down in another location, which was creepy. I took an ax to that mask and burned the pieces, just to get rid of the evil spirit.
I've had other strange experiences, but I'm not the kind who easily scares... I'll investigate weird events just to see if I can catch the ghost red-handed, so to speak. Funny thing, when I bought my home in Show Low, it was a fixer but I felt no weird or creepy sensations from sleeping in various rooms... however, this big Native American guy who was helping me paint the interior (on a rush job so I could get the carpet installed), HE thought the home felt strange, and he even offered to perform a native cleansing ritual with burning cedar smoke and the traditional handheld fan. I readily agreed (why not?), and the following morning we opened all interior doors and cabinets... my friend lit some cedar shavings on a saucer, then fanned the smoldering shavings while walking from room to room and speaking a few words, his intonations quite solemn. Afterward, he invited me to say a few words, and I bid all spirits to be on their way... later, my friend said that the house felt "lighter" and I'd be happy there, which I was. Maybe Native Americans are more sensitive to such ghostly presences, I never felt spooked or threatened prior to the ceremony but I also recall NOT sleeping in the back room, dunno why but I never felt like sleeping there.
Anyway, I'd think twice before I bought a home which was reportedly haunted... if I felt an evil presence during a tour of the home, I'd continue my search for a home elsewhere. If it were some benevolent or harmless ghost, then no worries... as long as it didn't raid the fridge and drink all my beer, we'd get along alright, LOL. Same goes for the booze behind my bar... drunken ghosts are verboten, they might start breaking up furniture and smashing crockery, no future in that when I'm trying to sleep. Now, if the ghost came with a fat wallet or buried treasure, and he (or she) helped pay my utility bills & property taxes, why, that ghost would be perfectly welcome... if the ghost knew how to cook & clean, so much the better, LOL.
Back in the old beach cottage, I was lying awake and reading in bed late one night when I heard shuffling footsteps (like house slippers) in the adjoining kitchen, and the water tap briefly turned on... got up and looked, but the kitchen was entirely dark, so I walked the other way into my elderly mom's room, and she was lying in bed all wrapped up in blankets, NO WAY she could've returned the roundabout way through the house and beat me to her room. That was a trip, but there were other signs of paranormal activity in that old house: I recall a wooden mask my dad bought in Africa, had it in my room for decades with no problems, then it started MOVING AROUND ON ITS OWN. One day it was propped up on a shelf, another day I found it upside down in another location, which was creepy. I took an ax to that mask and burned the pieces, just to get rid of the evil spirit.
I've had other strange experiences, but I'm not the kind who easily scares... I'll investigate weird events just to see if I can catch the ghost red-handed, so to speak. Funny thing, when I bought my home in Show Low, it was a fixer but I felt no weird or creepy sensations from sleeping in various rooms... however, this big Native American guy who was helping me paint the interior (on a rush job so I could get the carpet installed), HE thought the home felt strange, and he even offered to perform a native cleansing ritual with burning cedar smoke and the traditional handheld fan. I readily agreed (why not?), and the following morning we opened all interior doors and cabinets... my friend lit some cedar shavings on a saucer, then fanned the smoldering shavings while walking from room to room and speaking a few words, his intonations quite solemn. Afterward, he invited me to say a few words, and I bid all spirits to be on their way... later, my friend said that the house felt "lighter" and I'd be happy there, which I was. Maybe Native Americans are more sensitive to such ghostly presences, I never felt spooked or threatened prior to the ceremony but I also recall NOT sleeping in the back room, dunno why but I never felt like sleeping there.
Anyway, I'd think twice before I bought a home which was reportedly haunted... if I felt an evil presence during a tour of the home, I'd continue my search for a home elsewhere. If it were some benevolent or harmless ghost, then no worries... as long as it didn't raid the fridge and drink all my beer, we'd get along alright, LOL. Same goes for the booze behind my bar... drunken ghosts are verboten, they might start breaking up furniture and smashing crockery, no future in that when I'm trying to sleep. Now, if the ghost came with a fat wallet or buried treasure, and he (or she) helped pay my utility bills & property taxes, why, that ghost would be perfectly welcome... if the ghost knew how to cook & clean, so much the better, LOL.
