Was it a Ghost?

Nearly twelve years ago, I worked as a phlebotomist at a local clinic. At the clinic there were three main drawing stations, one of which was in a separate room, and had more space for patients to lay down if necessary. In this room was a large walk in closet, where we kept boxes full of lab equipment and sock stacked on high shelving, and, we the employees used it to store our purses and coats during the day.

One day, as I was drawing a patient in this room, one of my coworkers who I’ll call Allie (not her real name) walked in for her shift to drop off her things in this closet. While I was working with a patient, there was a giant crash, which startled me, but thankfully, I didn’t lose focus and the patient was fine.

I called to Allie, “You okay?”

“Yeah, this box just fell off the shelf.” She sounded nervous, but okay.

“Did it hit you? Are you all right?” I asked as I finished drawing the patient’s blood.

“I’m okay, yeah, it didn’t hit me, but it fell right in front of me,” She still sounded shaky.

The reason for this is because said heavy box came from one of the high shelves. Those of us who were tall enough to reach (like Allie and me) would make it a habit to push up against the boxes on the high shelves to make sure they were firmly on the shelf. There was no rightful reason for it to pull itself off and land, nearly hitting Allie.

Naturally, the lab was divided – I was among the skeptics, as I hadn’t explored spirituality, and was secretly journeying into atheism (a fact I kept secret from my parents, who I lived with at the time), and firmly accepted the skeptical explanation: the closet shared a wall with the bathroom, therefore, the vibrations of people moving in and out, closing the door, flushing the toilet, all led to the box shifting to the point of simply falling off the shelf.

And maybe, maybe that’s true, but looking back, I have my doubts. The box’s weight had been firmly on the shelf, not teetering over the edge. Now that I’m more open to various spiritual ideas, I do wonder if a ghost was trying to get our attention.

There were other ghost stories at that clinic – one coworker had seen another in the lab when she wasn’t there, for example. But still, we wanted to see ourselves as scientifically minded, and largely disregarded those stories.

Interestingly, this wouldn’t be the last potentially ghostly encounter I’ve had. At my current position, I work at a building at a crossroads. The land is old, and when I arrived for my first day of work, one of the restroom toilets flushed, despite everyone being within sight.

It was then I was informed that the building had a ghost.

Now having sojourned into spirituality, the idea of a ghost isn’t as scary as it once may have been. In fact, at this work, while I was in my manager’s office, I felt someone brush against my back. It was so firm and real, I was convinced that another coworker had come into the office and brushed against me. But, no one was there.

On other occasions, when I’ve been talking to my manager, her office door has opened slightly of its own accord, lights have been turned on or off without anyone being in the room, and, for whatever reason, the men’s bathroom toilet will flush seemingly of its own volition.

I’ve had more stories as I’ve gotten older – a mirror that came with my house, seeing something move in a friend’s metaphysical shop which led to a somewhat disappointing attempt at communication via ouijia board, and hearing my name called when I’m the only one there.

A SPOOKY KID

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the paranormal – ESP, Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, ghosts, ghouls, folklore – everything. I was fascinated to such a degree, I got a ghosthunting book written by a real ghost hunter. I read and re-read that book obsessively. The ghost hunting author recounted her beliefs, investigation tactics, and, gave assuraces to her readers that a ghost could not cause harm.

At the library, I would check out books on everything from aliens to the yeti, despite my family not being nearly as enthralled by the paranormal as I was. It seemed I was the Fox Mulder in a family of people who fancied themselves Scullys (they weren’t nearly as smart as Dr. Scully, though).

For a while, the skepticism won out; I threw myself into Christianity, then atheism, and finally, as an adult, I have been able to rekindly my love of all things weird. And really, that’s sort of the reason why my own little ghost stories are the right way to kick off this blog. Folklore, Mysticim, and You, is all about paranormal, weird, folkloric things, where they come from, and how you can react.

WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF A HAUNTING

My boyfriend’s mom, who is the best mom I could have ever asked for – and I’m not just saying that because she might be reading this (shout out to you if you are!) – asked me, almost shyly, to please smoke cleanse the house I’d just bought before I moved in.

And really, this is sage advice! Pun intended. Cleansing a home before a person moves in is an excellent way to help clear any lingering energies that might be in the home. I assured her I would, and, I did as I promised. As I walked through the empty rooms of my new home, I burned rosemary (which I love almost more than sage if I’m being honest, and it works great for cleansing) and introduced myself to the house as I told any lingering negative energies to get lost. I paid special attention to mirrors that came with the house – something I recommend for anyone doing this – and opened the windows and doors as I cleansed so that the negative energy can leave. Smoke cleansing is a fantastic way to rid a home of any negativity. You can use incense, sage (please no white sage, which is a closed practice), dragon’s blood, or rosemary – which is my personal favorite.

If smoke cleansing it’s an option, that’s okay. Ringing a bell, using a sound bowl, or even playing music and using your voice, can and does allow you to clear the area of negative energies that might be lingering.

OKAY, BUT WHAT IF I ALREADY HAVE A GHOST?!

Well, that’s going to depend on a few things. For example, my current workplace has a ghost. Every now and then I feel like it might be getting a little close to me (it gets too close, or I start to smell smoke) so I tell it to back off. I know, that might sound a little nuts, but I can’t emphasize enough how powerful your voice is: you set the boundaries, not the ghost.

Now, at my workplace, cleansing is difficult – doors and windows can’t just be opened, and there are smoke alarms that could go off. So, I employ crystals as boundary points. My manager is a little nervous about ghosts, so I gave her a small obsidian stone for her office – obsidian has a reputation for absorbing negative energy, and can be useful for protection. I also keep selenite at my desk to help cleanse crystals – selenite is a good cleanser, and, generally speaking, can be purchased at local metaphysical stores for relatively cheap. We have a local shop that sells pocket sized pieces for around fifty cents. So, if you’re dealing with a ghost in a shared space, setting personal boundaries can be the most optimal way to deal.

What if the haunting is at your home? I got you. At home, you need to decide whether you are okay with a spirit hanging out in your home, or, whether it needs to move on. I will be honest; I don’t allow ghosts in my home. I establish that as a firm boundary, and when I bring things home that are from thrift stores, or, given to me by people who’ve passed on, I express gratitude for the item(s), and a gentle, but firm, nudge for the energy to move on to the afterlife where it belongs, and unless I know the person the item is from, I cleanse said item before it enters my property.

But what if a ghost decides to stay, despite your efforts? Well, that’s where you must ground yourself; remember that you have the energy and the power. If you work with a deity (God, Jesus, Hecate, or even your higher self, etc.) pray, and, ask for your higher power’s assistance in the spiritual removal and cleansing as you tell the spirit to move on. Use smoke cleansing methods, asperging (water) with blessed/holy water, Florida water, or moon water, and/or the sounds of bells ringing or sound bowls to cleanse the space as you send the ghost to its appropriate place in the beyond.

WHEN TO SEEK HELP

Just like everything else, there are cases which may call for more help. If you are experiencing something causing harm, threatening you, messing with your sleep, it is okay to call upon people who might be in your local area to help with your haunting. Metaphysical shops are often owned and operated by people who are more than happy to offer advice, or point you in the direction of people who can help with your cleansing and getting your life back.

DISCLAIMER

Also, like anything else, not everything can be blamed on ghosts. For example – I wake up frequently throughout the night, and there are spiritually minded people who might be inclined to blame a ghost/spirits/etc. I know that this isn’t true; I have been type one diabetic since I was two, and that has meant waking up during the night to have my blood sugar tested, to take correction, to eat snacks to prevent a low glucose, etc. Because of that, my brain is inclined to wake up to small things like my dog moving around in bed. I know that this isn’t ghostly.

It’s always important to take care of your health first, and, to rule out any mundane explanations before jumping to paranormal ones. Seemingly ghostly experiences can potentially indicate things like gas leaks, carbon monoxide poisonings, and, maybe underlying health conditions. This is not me diagnosing, this is me urging that we look for the boring explanations first, ruling those out, and then looking for metaphysical explanations.

GHOSTS – SPECTRES – AND MORE!

Now that I’ve shared some of my ghost stories and spooky encounters (yes, I have more), do any of you have stories you’d like to share? Let me know! Connect with me on social media, leave a comment! Also let me know if you’d like to read more about my personal stories like this, or if there are specific myths/cryptids/weird things you’d like me to write about – I’d love to know.

Thank you for reading!