This investigation included a lovely quaint little house sitting on the edge of the woods. This experience was very different than the last investigation we conducted. First, there were fewer images taken; the family was more interested in following us around and talking all the while; and they were also very excited and eager to share their own paranormal experiences with us. Much of this, of course, was very personal and was considered private. This did not detract from the excitment that always accompanies an investigation, or the expectations of what we’ll uncover. Enjoy!
Tag Archives: ghost hunting
The Witch’s Desk: How do you detect the presence of Spirits in your house?
This is my question-of-the-week, and I thought it would be refreshing to get away from the topic of relationships for a while. Spirits are always interesting, though they are not always fun, but mostly (from my own experience) they actually are. This is just me, or maybe it’s that I’ve only had pleasant or neutral experiences with them so far. For whatever reason, I just don’t feel “frightened” by them. I have a friend that I have done House Cleansings with around the Omaha area, and the one thing that I’ve noticed is that a lot of the time you won’t have to ask yourself if you have a spirit in your house, you will most definitely know; but this is often the more extreme cases, real “hauntings” with something that is unpleasant, or obnoxious, or invasive in a very negative way. Through this experience, visiting other people’s homes and talking to them about their situations, I realize that some people are just naturally frightened by the idea of the ethereal…ghosts, spirits, anything down this road.
The house that we live in now has always had spirit activity, and I’ve only recently learned from some of my daughters, since they’ve grown, is that when they were small there was an unpleasant “something” on the landing (we have a split level home). One of my daughters told me that she felt it so strongly, and it was such a scary menacing presence to her, that she was often afraid to go up and down the stairs. Years afterwards, when I began to regularly (key word here is “regularly”) cleanse the house, this entity disappeared.
I remember the exact day I decided I had enough– I was sweeping down the stairs, on a day that I was all alone, which rarely happened with our large home-schooling family, when I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up and a rush of goose bumps come up my legs. This was accompanied by the very unnerving sensation of someone (a presence) behind me. Did this scare me? No, I actually found it interesting– but it did make me angry. I considered this an obnoxious invasion of my personal space. I threw the broom down and, muttering under my breath, I stalked off around the house to gather up white candles, and incense, salt and water, cussing the whole time. I guess I felt it was an inconvenience that was unnecessary, and I would have to take the time to straighten this spirit out and set some boundaries, rather than being able to get all the “Stuff” done that I wanted to get done while I was on my own!
My kids claimed later, and continue to do so to this day, that I tend to do too good a job of cleansing, and some of the entities we have shared this space with were actually interesting, just an integral part of the house and it’s atmosphere. So I’ve let up over the years, acknowledging that there’s enough room in this old house for everyone, as long as we all play nice in the sandbox. There have only been a handful of times in the last 20 years when I’ve had to draw some boundaries and shoo a spirit away.
Anyway, I digress, on to the subject at hand. The individual who asked me this question is obviously not sure what constitutes a spirit’s presence, and what may just be some sort of natural occurrence, or an overactive imagination. Let’s look at all those tell tale signs of spirit activity–
1) Scents: It’s happened to me before, I’ll smell my grandmother’s perfume, or her favorite flower (roses). You might smell cigars or cigarette smoke in a house where no one smokes. You might smell a loved one’s favorite food. Anytime you pick up a scent that is not explainable on a physical level, you might want to consider that it’s coming from another source. I’ve heard about (but never experienced personally) the unpleasant and obnoxious odors of malevolent spirits. This is just something to keep in mind. Most of the time it’s all good, but once in a while you might run into something unusual. The sense of smell is just another one of our six senses, just another way we learn and experience and process information about the world around us.
2) Noises: Here we go again, another one of our six senses. Several times over the past few decades, since my grandmother’s death, I have heard her call my name. Often this has happened in the dead of night and woken me out of a deep sleep, but there have been occasions where this has happened during the day, when I’m wide awake to begin with, and usually when I am alone. It’s cool, nothing scary. She’s just touching base, letting me know that she’s still near, that there is still some sort of connection. (Death isn’t the end, it’s just a different plane of existence.) Besides hearing voices, there are other odd sounds– knocking, scraping, footsteps, growling (not usually a good thing), hammering, human sounds (like hand clapping , finger snapping, muttering)…and always, you will have no logical explanation for these sounds.
3) Temperature Changes: We’re talking big in-your-face changes that are unexplainable through normal physics. This means the furnace man won’t be able to explain to you a 40 degree drop in 5 seconds. If you ask him to explain this he’s just going to stand there scratching his head; and if he’s a really savvy furnace man (who knows about ghosts and all that paranormal stuff), he’s liable to be throwing tools in his bag and scurrying from your house so fast all you see is the back of his head. I guess there are more subtle temperature changes you can experience, but people are more liable to explain them away– a sudden cold breeze that wafts through a room, gently lifting the pages of a newspaper; a momentary “chill” that gives you a shudder. Besides unusual temperature changes, you might experience drafts– the kind of draft that flickers and toys with candle flames, the kind of draft that can’t possibly come from anything of this world because there is no place for the draft to originate from.
4) Electronic/Electrical Malfunctions: We’ve often heard that the spirit world has the ability to collect energy from our electrical gadgets and use this energy to manifest all kinds of paranormal phenomena. I don’t know if any of this can ever really be scientifically proven, but it seems that a lot of these occurrences (odd things happening with your electrical gadgets, lamps, lights, computers, etc.) almost always seem to precipitate a mad rush of paranormal activity. Do you have appliances, lights, a television, computer, or other gadget that turns itself off and on? …that turns itself off and on regularly?
7) Moving Objects: This is pretty extreme and the fodder for many movies and television shows. But it does happen, and the most basic kind of activity that I’ve personally witnessed (with moving objects) involved a series of cupboard doors that would be closed one minute and all open the next; drawers or doors, same thing. I’ve yet to see anything as dramatic or theatrical as portrayed in the movies. Remember, for a spirit to move a physical object, an object of atoms and matter, it would take an incredible amount of energy.
6) The Goosebump Factor: Some people are more sensitive to the paranormal and its energy than others. There are a lot of people (a lot!) who can actually “feel” the presence of spirits, even if they are not sensitive enough to communicate with them (as a medium or psychic), they still know dang well that there is something there, and they can often pick up on positive or negative energy. Never underestimate The Goosebump Factor.
Personal Notes: Paranormal Investigation
The small cozy little house sitting on the edge of the woods looked peaceful and content, not revealing at all its history of tragic deaths, nor it’s ghostly visitors. At one hundred years old, this house has a long rich history of families and familial events and milestones. It has witnessed weddings, births, graduations, personal victories/achievements…and death. The present owner has experienced the loss of two family members within the walls of this house. Her mother passed away from cancer in the downstairs bedroom in 2005; and its in this room where a frosty presence makes itself felt by sitting on the bed, complete with the physical sensation of movement and visible indentation in the blankets. The owner’s husband passed away in the den, in 2008, after a long and lingering illness. Although his presence can be felt— quite strongly at times— there are no visual manifestations. And it’s from this room, through glass patio doors, that deer can be seen gathering at dusk near the rear of the property. It’s in the den where a photograph of the owner’s step-son sits, a young man killed in a tragic motorcycle accident, the parents having received that devastating middle-of-the-night call all parents dread.
Upon entering the house, we realized immediately that there was very strong EMF readings, beginning at the doorway between the living room and kitchen, which was also very close to the bedroom door. Shadow figures are often seen by family members, crossing the living room and disappearing into the walls. We spent a great deal of time with the owners and the EMF detector exploring the bedroom and the doorway between the livingroom and the kitchen, where the EMF detector was extremely active. We wanted to make sure that there were no electrical devices or outlets that would’ve been creating these readings. This involved moving furniture, locating all the electrical outlets, and letting the family take their time to tell their stories, voice their concerns, and formulate their questions.
When we were finally ready to ascend the stairs, the owner told us that her grandchildren refused to go upstairs; and the way the EMF detector was working as we stood at the threshold, it was no wonder. There was an almost constant scream of protest from it. The EMF detector came on while we were at the bottom of the steps and continued until we reached the doorway of the first upstairs bedroom. As investigators and home owners stood in a clump in one room, I moved around the upstairs with the EMF detector. I wished that we could just sit and spend some quiet time with cameras and instruments turned on. I think this would’ve been beneficial in catching spontaneous paranormal activity. However, the owners were enthusiastic and wanted to watch us work, continuing their chatter and speculation. For the rest of the time that we wandered the second floor of this house, the EMF activity was sporadic at best. As we worked our way from room to room, and as we descended the stairs, it fell silent. The atmosphere at the bottom of the stairs was noticably lighter. Whatever had been hovering there before seemed to be gone.
The bathroom proved to be another area that drew high EMF readings, particularly in the shower; and we discovered that this presence was there one minute and gone the next, popping in and out in a dizzying fashion. We were also informed that objects in the bathroom moved around from place to place, inexplicably, creating an unnerving atmosphere. Instead of spending one long block of time in this area, we would pop in and out throughout our investigation. I have to say that the mirrored walls added an element of creepiness to this room, as you would catch fleeting movments in the mirror that you’d see out of the corner of your eye. Of course, by the time you turned your head to see what it was, it was gone.
Around the small entryway, suspended over an old-fashioned cellar door in the floor leading to the basement, was a string of clothing. The owner informed us that these clothes belonged to her deceased husband, and that she simply couldn’t bring herself to get rid of them. There was not only EMF activity here, but the strange sensation that someone was watching us as we touched the shirts, or moved a hangar. After a few minutes in this area, several people felt the hair on their arms or the back of their neck stand up, or experienced an uncomfortable sensation which manifested as a desire to exit this spot.
Epilogue…As we worked our way through this house, not only did the EMF readings and paranormal sensations unfold before us, but the story of a family and its tragedies unfolded as well. This gave us an intimate look at characters and personalities who lived in this house at one time and who still walk its rooms and hallways, as well as the dynamics of the people still living here, and the long history of former occupants. The owners seemed relieved to share their stories, to watch instruments pick up visual proof of what they’ve known all along, and most importantly…to feel a connection with those they loved.
Ghost Hunting 101
Dan snapped this picture then, catching an orb hovering over Mare. Was this the spirit of the mischevious little boy?…the tragic young man, perhaps searching for his jacket?…the woman in blue, a previous lady of this house, going about her daily activities? Or was this the craftsman, the carpenter, checking on the attic windows, making sure his work was in order?
Below are three siblings who grew up in this lovely quaint house, coming home to recapture childhood memories, to embrace a moment of nostalgia for loved ones who have passed on, and to reconnect once more with the spirit entities that were very much a part of their life in this house.
*Note: I’d like to thank Mare’s brother, Dan, for manning the camera during
our investigation and taking photos.
© Amythyst Raine/The Witch’s Corner 2009
All of the photos on this page are original/personal photos
and are protected under copyright law.
December Newsletter- includes Paranormal Investigation
December 2009 Newsletter!
The most exciting part of this month’s newsletter will be found in
Ghost Hunting 101
“This November my coven sister Mare & I, along with some siblings/partners/friends, went on a ghost hunting adventure armed with an EMF detector, Mare’s pendulum, and lot’s of enthusiasm. The house we were investigating had been Mare’s childhood home, and the interesting thing about this house and the hauntings connected to it is that several families who have lived there have all had similar experiences with the same types of entities. These spirits range from a troubled young man in a bomber jacket, a lonesome little boy, a man who haunts the downstairs dining room, a woman who chills the main floor bathroom, and ghosts who make things go bump in the attic.”
You will find a link to the photos we took on this investigation, along with a narrative of our adventures, just go to the newsletter and scroll down—it’s near the bottom.
Tarot Tips
This month we look at the Aces:
“The Aces herald beginnings, beginnings in love, finance, money ventures, or mental endeavors– according to cups, wands, pentacles, and swords. Beginnings may be strong and powerful, overwhelmingly passionate, or rife with potholes and points of contention we should be cautious with. Beginnings are always exciting, often unexpected and lead us on a journey through life, which often winds up at the door of our destiny.”
I’ve also listed new tarot spreads that are available at my site, and you can purchase them right off the newsletter. These spreads include:
Directions & Trends
The Pentagram
The Path of Desires
Gypsy’s Magic Spell
Desires & Fears
Partnership & Relationships
The Magick of Herbs
The topic this month is cleansing:
“We’re coming to the end of another year, and with this ending it’s time to ‘clean house’ in order to begin the new year with a clear slate. We can use the magick of herbs to cleanse our living space of unwanted negative energies that may be causing conflict between family members, physical illnesses, and other energy disruptions within our physical home, or in our lives, or the lives of family members.”
We’re going to take a look at cleansing with candle magick, broom cleansings, cleansing powders, and cleansing through smoke.
I’ve posted photos and narrative of my own candle spell—our house needed good cleaning, and this is how I did it.
Wytchy Wares
The featured item this month is Enchanted Jewelry.
‘Enchanted Jewelry’ is just that, jewelry that has had spells and enchantments placed upon it.
I’ve recently posted a variety of items—rings, necklaces, and earrings—and there will be new items added daily/weekly.
You’ll find more info in the newsletter.
Creations by Isabella
We’re continuing this month with the theme of ‘cleansing’, and you’ll find Purification Candles the featured item this month.
You’ll also find more info in the newsletter.
Coven of Bristolwicks
There is one position open in the coven. You’ll find a brief description of our coven, as well as a link for an application if you think we’re the group for you. If you’d like more information, or if you have any questions, email me:
You’ll find this newsletter at the following url:
Welcome to My Wytchy Realm
The following is an overview of my website:
The Witch’s Corner
Follow the url to enter this magickal realm:
The Triple Goddess
The Maiden
The maiden is overflowing with all of the possibilities of the future. Within her are the seeds of what will be. She is the fresh dawn of a new day. She is strength and tenacity and power. She is unbridled enthusiasm and wonder and hope.
The Mother
The mother is ripe fruit hanging pregnant from the vine. She is the foundation, the nurturer, the protectress. She is fortified with strength and placid with the calmness of a sunny day. She is who we turn to for stability and reassurance.
The Crone
It is the crone we seek in the darkening twilight. We find comfort in her quiet presence and yet we are challenged by her intuitive knowledge and aware of the darkshadows she casts…forcing us to seek the light and answers.
© Amythyst Raine 2007
Reconnect with the Goddess:
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/thegoddess.htm
Divination
Divination brings to mind the stereotype of the gypsy woman ensconced in her tent, peering intently into her crystal ball—and that may very well be an accurate picture somewhere in the world. I grew up in my grandmother’s house, surrounded by books on astrology, numerology, handwriting analysis, dream interpretation, etc. The world of divination is a natural one for me.
But divination in this modern time of neo-paganism has come a long way baby.
Tarot cards of all kinds abound and fill the shelves at not only new-age and metaphysical shops, but also at the mainstream bookstores such as Borders, Barnes & Noble, Hastings, etc.
Crystals, crystal balls, runes, quija boards are as popular now as they were in times past—more so, perhaps. I like to think of this day and age as the “New Renaissance” for the occult world.
© Amythyst Raine 2007
At the url below you will find information on all forms of divination with links to pertinent sites, tales of my own personal psychic experiences, interviews with Allison Dubois and Patricia Arquette—the actress who plays Allison in the television show “Medium”, and more:
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/divination.htm
Spells & Potions
This is the “meat” of witchcraft, the most fascinating (and sometimes fear inducing) aspect of The Craft for many people. To most of the mundane world the idea that anyone would have the power and the ability to create change using occult means is awe inspiring and often intimidating. The Christian influence in our culture and on our society has taken such natural power away from the multitudes, deeming it “evil”, “sinful”, and even dangerous.
To those of us practiced and gifted in the use of “the black arts”, it carries none of those negative labels. It is awe inspiring, but in an uplifting and promising way. It empowers those who cultivate its secrets and those who learn to use it wisely. It opens doors of dimensions undreamed of; it embraces the forces of nature in all her glory; it wreaks of a time before recorded history…it calls to those of us with the spirit of the Olde Ones, those of us who wish to practice the Olde Religion, those of us who wish to return to these ancient times and reclaim that which is our birthright.
© Amythyst Raine 2007
Follow the url to my online Book of Shadows:
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/spellspotions.htm
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/spellspotions2.htm
Herbs
This is the magickal medicine cabinet of the witch, and especially the Green Witch. Those who practice the olde ways have known since time immemorial of the powers contained in the molecules of “the green”. Herbs have been used since ancient times—and still are used today—for their medicinal and healing powers. But the Witch knows that these gentle and lovely plants contain other powers as well…magickal powers to be used and tapped into for spells and potions and rituals and cleansing.
© Amythyst Raine
Follow the url for a list of herbs and their magickal uses:
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/magickalherbs.htm
The Elements
(Earth, Air, Fire, Water)
FOR ME: Water is the mist of yesterday and today and tomorrow all wrapped up into one magical moment. Water is dreams and visions and questing endlessly to know the unknown. It is divination– searching for answers and listening to the universe for its response. It is the mystical and the elusive…it slips through your fingers leaving you wet and cold and shivering, knowing that you have been touched by the Divine.
FOR ME: Air is the soft breeze on your face that makes you feel touched and not touched. It is thought brought alive and moved through space and time by the Divine. Air is the part of your mind that is clear and sharp and focused and ever changing, never still and never content, but always swept up within another breeze and moved along on the current of time.
FOR ME: Earth is all the treasures buried deep within the soul. It is the material things you long for and were told you shouldn’t have. It is the security of that which is solid and immovable, and it is “manifestation” into the real world of touch and taste and smell and sight.
FOR ME: Fire is that physical passion so burning that it can consume. It is enthusiasm so powerful that it is what drives you to succeed. Fire is that fiery will that doesn’t allow you to give up in the face of adversity. It is what draws lovers together across insurmountable odds and provokes the passion that fights endlessly for justice.
Earth, Air, Fire, and Water…the four elements from which we can draw power to create magick.
© Amythyst Raine 2006
Follow the url for more information on The Elements, including an extensive list of correspondences and a Quarter Call:
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/theelements.htm
Wheel of the Year
(Pagan Holidays)
The Christian “holidays” all have Pagan roots. This is a fact that was constantly brought up to me years ago by a lady who was my friend and a Jehovah’s Witness. It was her oft repeated reason to me why she didn’t celebrate any of the modern Christianized holidays now.
I am surprised by the number of people who do not know this, and even more surprised at how many refuse to believe it. It just goes to show how completely saturating cultural training can be.
I find the history of our Pagan holidays fascinating and joyful and uplifting. I and my family embrace and celebrate them.
© Amythyst Raine 2007
Follow the url for more information on the Pagan roots of our modern holidays, pagan lore, and rituals for celebration.
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/wheeloftheyear.htm
Chakras
The word chakra is Sanskrit for wheel or disk and signifies one of seven basic energy centers in the body. Each of these centers correlates to major nerve ganglia branching forth from the spinal column. In addition the chakras also correlate to levels of consciousness, archetypal elements, developmental stages of life, colors, sounds, body functions, and much, much more.
This definition of chakras is taken from:
http://www.sacredcenters.com/chakras.html
Follow the url for more information on the chakras, extensive correspondences related to the seven chakras, and a link to Ambika Wauters website, “The Institute of Life Energy Medicine”:
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/chakras.htm
Rituals
Rituals put a stamp on the passage of time and the progression of our life stages, from a Wiccaning (baby naming) to a death and remembrance ritual, and all those celebrations and milestones in-between. Rituals validate our existence in some implausible elusive way. They bring family and friends together, open doors to the future, and create memories for generations to come.
© Amythyst Raine 2007
Follow the url and you will find rituals for all of life’s passages and links to sites where you can purchase ritual items and clothing:
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/rituals.htm
Ghosts/Ghost Hunting
Growing up in my grandmother’s house prepared me for the paranormal occurrences that I would experience in this, my own house. My grandmother’s house was very active and anyone with an ounce of sensitivity to such things was always very aware of it…the feeling of being “watched” when no one else was near you, the hair suddenly standing up on the back of your neck and the sensation that “someone” was standing behind you, unintelligible whisperings in the dark of the night, a blanket being pulled from you by something you couldn’t see, lights going off and on with no explanation—and stove burners doing the same unnerving thing, objects occasionally moving, etc.
Growing up with these occurrences, I thought it was natural—wasn’t everyone’s house like this?
Apparently not, I was to learn as I became older. That enlightenment helped me to appreciate, study, and cope with paranormal activities on a very basic level. It also taught me to conquer any fear.
But witchcraft taught me how to tame these ethereal spirits, how to control them instead of allowing them to control me. Witchcraft taught me it was possible to have dominion over the spirit world.
© Amythyst Raine 2007
Follow the url and enter the paranormal world of ghosts and ghost hunting. You will find a slideshow on ghosts created by me, a list of haunted cemeteries, information on poltergiests, the Bell Witch, TAPS, the “Hauntings Website”; and a section called “Our House”, which reviews our own paranoral occurances that my family and I have experienced.
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/ghostsghosthunting.htm
My Path
I am a solitary eclectic witch. My path consists of hoodoo, Wicca, and green witchcraft. I am neither a “white” nor a “black” witch; I prefer to see myself in shades of gray— nothing else on this earth is completely clear cut, the practice of The Craft isn’t either.
I am a hereditary witch, taking after the traditions of my mother, my sister, and cousins. I am now watching my own daughters grow in this path. I was raised by my grandmother, a woman steeped in the study of the occult, yet probably not realizing the title many in this world would have attributed to her.
I am a legally ordained member of the clergy, yet I avoid the usual titles which smack too closely of Christianity for my taste. I prefer the simple, yet deeply meaningful title of “Lady”.
© Amythyst Raine
Follow the url to learn more about my path, with links to sites on hoodoo, wicca, and green witchcraft. You will also find a “code of ethics”, “rules of conduct”, my explanation of the “kitchen witch”, and my feelings on “Hexing and Cursing”:
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/mypath.htm
Photogallery
I’ve opened a window on this page, a window into my private world. I have tried to post images on here that I haven’t posted anywhere else, they are exclusive. I haven’t decided yet whether to continue the Photogallery or relegate it to an archive, but my camera is always ready, and life somehow or other always has something interesting to show me.
© Amythyst Raine 2007
Follow the url and you will find a slide show, as well as personal photos of my home, gardens, family, & ’stuff’.
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/photogallery.htm
Monthly Newsletters
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/monthlynewsletters.htm
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/newsletterarchives1.htm
Follow my raven to the Magick Forest where you can view/sign the guestbook, subscribe to the site, and find links to unimaginable places and incredible people.
http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/themagicforestllinks.htm