This History Channel Documentary I found quite informative and thought it important to share it here.
Bats, witches … plus traditions and legends that led to our celebration of Halloween.
I found this documentary very informative and I hope you agree. I especially like the idea of how Halloween is much tamer than in years past. It is a time for children and adults to dress up in costume and go door to door trick-or-treat-ing or going to parties.
There is definitely something fun about going out after dark . . . and getting a scare or two . . . but it is all in fun without the destructive mischief of the past.
I also found it interesting how costumes have evolved … They are quite involved … and quite expensive as well …
Have a safe Halloween with your family and friends.
I have been communicating with spirits by using candles.
It started years ago when I was young and living at home with my parents. We had a power outage and my mother lit some candles so we wouldn’t be sitting in the dark. My father took a flashlight out in the garage to find an old lantern or two.
While he was setting up the lanterns, he spoke of how on the ranch they used these lanterns regularly. The power was always going out on windy or rainy days. He also said that there were spirits around us all the time. If we wanted to communicate with them all we had to do was ask a yes or no question. He started out by asking, “Is anyone here? To answer yes, make the flame grow brighter.”
We waited and watched. The lantern grew brighter and the flame of the candle on the coffee table got higher.
“Is there more than one spirit here?” he asked.
Both flames grew higher.
“Will you answer some questions for us?”
Both flames grew higher.
We had a discussion about our next question. We wanted to know how many spirits were in the room with us. So we started with numbers. Then we wanted to know who was here. Was it a relative or someone who lived in the house or on the property before the current house was built.
This particular night, there were two spirits — a man and wife. They were not relatives so we had to guess a lot of names. We resorted to the alphabet to narrow down the names for the man and his wife. They were Isabelle and Jacob. They didn’t live in the house or on the property, they had an accident on the property and died there.
This was enough for my mother. She didn’t want to communicate any more with Isabelle and Jacob. She did say, “I’m sorry what happened to you, but please leave now.”
My brother asked after a few minutes, “Is anyone there?”
The flames stayed steady, but we could hear whispering of two women. We weren’t sure if Isabelle was still around or if she left with Jacob or if some other spirits came to join our little communication session.
I think my mother was more unnerved by the situation than the rest of us. She brought out a battery operated radio and turned it on. She was trying to drown out the whispering we heard earlier.
It was the eeriest sound … then the front door opened and all the cupboards in the kitchen opened about the same time. We all sat still with our eyes as big as saucers.
My father got up to investigate. No one was at the front door. He closed all the cupboards in the kitchen, but he did decide to get out some plates and glasses and set them on the kitchen table. He thought some milk and cake would be appropriate to have to settle our nerves.
My mother moved the candle to the table. My father already set the lantern in the kitchen.
We were just finishing up our cake and milk when there was a loud knock on the front door.
“I wonder if it’s Jacob and Isabelle?” my brother whispered to me.
My father went to answer the door and I was right behind him.
There was a man carrying a lantern. He said, “I’m just checking to see if you folks are all right.”
“We’re fine,” my father answered. He waited for more information before asking, “Do you know how long the power is going to be out?”
“We’re working on it, but it may take a few hours.”
My father thanked him for the information and closed and locked the door.
We had no sooner relocated to the living room when the lights came on.
At school the next day everyone was talking about the power outage.
I wasn’t going to volunteer about our ghostly communication and the events of the evening, but Larry wasn’t inhibited at all.
He spoke about how he and his siblings used the candle to communicate with spirits. He told of the ghost of his grandfather who came to visit.
This gave Rosemary courage to speak of the events that happened in her house. She said that they lit candles, but didn’t ask questions, but did watch the flame. They heard footsteps walking in the hallway, opening doors to all the bedrooms and opening closets. She and her siblings knew from the sound on the hardwood floors exactly where the spirit was. Later, when they had to go to bed, Rosemary noticed that her dolls were moved and the clothes hanging in the closet were all moved to one side.
I still didn’t share my experience. I was relieved I didn’t have an actual ghost walking around and moving things.
Years later I asked my father about that incident. He remembered it clearly. He admitted that the man who came to the door seemed odd.
“Do you think it was Jacob?” I asked. I had always wondered if he was looking for help after his accident with Isabelle.
My father just said he wouldn’t have been surprised. Or it could have been another spirit. The house was on a hill and there were lots of accidents that happened years ago on that road.
Communicating with candles is not the easiest thing to do. That’s why many people use Ouija or Spirit Boards. It seems the Ouija Boards have been receiving negative comments so people have resorted to Spirit Boards. Perhaps communication with any spirits is frowned on by many regardless of the form.
I don’t use Ouija or Spirit Boards, but I do use candles. I usually don’t have the patience to communicate for a long time, unless the information I receive is interesting, but it usually isn’t. Spirits like to let me know they are here, but they don’t seem to have anything else to communicate.
Now, we have Spirit Boxes to help us communicate with spirits. It isn’t always easy, but some spirits do come through clearly if they have something important to communicate.
It is important to record your sessions with the spirit box so you can replay it over and over again. Some EVPs are difficult to understand while others are quite clear.
And, with Halloween coming around, it may be good to gather some friends around and do a spirit box session or two.
From some recent YouTube Videos I’ve watched, it seems October is an excellent month to go ghost hunting … but don’t do it alone … have a group of friends with you — and no horse play. This is serious business and you need to have people around you who take it seriously as well.
Just this afternoon I heard voices when I took my barrels out to the curb. No one was around, but I did hear talking . . . It could have been neighbors in their back yards, but it didn’t sound like the echo from neighboring yards … It was creepy.
I just know we’re not alone … there are spirits all around … all of the time …
As I was taking my barrels out to the curb in front of my house earlier today, I could hear voices. None of my neighbors seemed to be out … other barrels were out … I couldn’t understand why I was hearing talking. This got me thinking about Mike’s real ghost story when he was working at a museum.
Art Museums are well known for the portraits and the comments of how the eyes seem to follow you. It does give you an uncomfortable feeling after awhile, but when there is a conversation going on when the room is supposed to be empty adds a whole new dimension to this room of portraits.
Mike worked at a museum.
He would conduct tours, but late at night when he was making his rounds to hurry along stragglers he would hear strange sounds. Sometimes there were footsteps echoing along the corridors. Other times he would hear conversations in hushed tones. He tried to make sense of it. He joined one of the security guards one night to make sense out of the sounds he heard.
Pete, the security guard, was interested in the paranormal. He showed Mike a security recording he found interesting. On Mike’s last tour, there was an apparition of a woman following him. Mike was unaware of her at the time. They went through other tapes and found the same ghostly figure following behind Mike. She appeared in the lobby where the tour started. She would appear in other parts of the museum, too on other days.
They tried to get a clear picture of who this ghostly woman was, but had no luck.
After midnight Mike and Pete conducted an experiment with the Ouija Board.
They wanted to contact this woman to learn who she was and why she was following Mike day after day.
It took several tries with no results. They decided to call in a professional psychic to hold a séance. They had to get permission and they also had to show the administrators the security tapes of the apparition that followed Mike around. None of the other museum staff seemed to have a ghost attached to them. They did get permission to hold a séance in the museum with a number of staff members and administrators who wanted to participate. Coordinating schedules was a problem, but several months later they were able to get together with the psychic to hold the séance.
The night of the séance everyone was excited in anticipation of finding out the identity of this ghostly apparition.
The museum administrator set up a buffet table to allow everyone to eat before or after the séance. There were no alcoholic beverages. This was to allow everyone to relax a little and mingle with the psychic before the séance. It was a nice touch for everyone to be comfortable around each other.
Before the séance began, there was the faint echo of footsteps and whispering down one of the corridors. They thought there could be more than one ghost haunting the museum.
During the séance there were many spirits in attendance. Mike’s ghost did appear towards the end. She told of her story of always coming to the museum with her father since she was a little girl and later with him with her children. As time passed and the passing of her father, the growing up of her children and moving away, she would pass the time by visiting the museum from time to time. She was pushed down the steps one day on her way out. She had been in a coma for quite some time from the head trauma and died. She was at the museum trying to find her father — maybe he was there looking for her.
When asked why she attached herself to Mike, she said she just liked him and wanted to be consistent in her search for her father. She wanted to crossover, but didn’t know how to do so and the other spirits in the museum weren’t interested in helping her.
It was a beautiful ending to the séance when the psychic was able to bring the father and daughter together and experience her crossing over. The candles flickered and everyone heard her say, “Thank you.”
I hope you enjoyed this real ghost story and will tell a friend or two to visit TwoCansOnAString.com
I believe they are a portal to trouble. There are many who agree with me and, of course, there are those who do not. It’s fine to have your own beliefs. Just as we’ve all had our own experiences.
And, since it is getting close to Halloween, there will be many having parties and a Ouija Board or two will make an appearance … Or it will be hush-hush and some will be invited to “play” after the party.
Whatever you believe, as I said earlier is your business …
As you can see from the vintage advertisement, Ouija boards have been around for a long time. It was introduced as a parlor game, as merely an item to amuse your guests.
Over the years the Ouija board has been sold in toy stores and occult stores. You can buy them on-line or find them just about everywhere. I’ve seen them in trash barrels and also pitched outside. I don’t know if someone had a bad experience or they thought it would be funny to have a Ouija board cast out on their front lawn — maybe to see if anyone would take it home.
And, there have been those who make their own to use . . . I’ve seen them made from pizza boxes and strips of paper . . . shot glasses have been used as the planchette.
But … we must now get to our real ghost story …
Lyle loaned his Ouija Board to a Goth Group from 2009 to 2017.
When it was returned to him, he believed it was haunted with a variety of spirits. He first recalled hearing noises: knockings, bells, chimes, scratching, cards being shuffled, nibbling — as a rat chewing on paper, coins being dropped and growls. He also noticed items disappearing and then reappearing in places where he had previously searched.
He left it on his coffee table since its return and a neighbor reported hearing loud poundings, screams and what she believed was a heavy metal band rehearsing. There were guitar riffs that were repeated over and over again and drum rolls.
Over time Lyle could feel the presence of someone watching him while he was in bed. He thought it was an old man wearing a hood and by his side as an old woman, also hooded. He also heard what sounded like a chorus of children singing nursery rhymes, but they weren’t any nursery rhymes he remembered. He found the Ouija board would move around and set itself up in other locations. He started experiencing headaches and weakness which made him tired all of the time.
Lyle eventually threw the Ouija board out in the trash . . . only to have it set up again in his house.
This made the activity escalate. He would find large blood splotches on the Ouija board. He could feel cold spots in various places around the board. He also thought he saw an ectoplasmic mist coming out of it. He was becoming frightened to have it in his home, but also felt as though he couldn’t get rid of it.
Lyle never used it, even when he first acquired it. He bought it and loaned it to friends. His original idea was to have it out as a conversation piece. But now, his friends avoided him. They didn’t visit him — nor was he invited to their homes. When he’d see friends at a local bar, restaurant or around town they moved away from him. Even when he’d call out to them, they wouldn’t aciknowledge him, but walk swiftly away. Some old friends told him to leave them alone.
He was so disgusted with how this Ouija board ruined his life that he burned it. He thought the ashes wouldn’t be able to put themselves back together.
Everything was going well for a few days until his nephew brought him a Ouija board.
Today? Yesterday? A week or month or year ago? Maybe … never?
Well they are around …
Tim and his wife were at the florist shop in town ordering some flowers to send to his grandmother who was in the hospital recovering from a hip replacement. His wife pointed out a man who was standing by a display case. He didn’t hear what she said, but the man seemed out of place and had a blank expression on his fact. His wife went to speak to one of the workers while Tim stayed where he was observing the strange short and portly may in a black suit that had seen better days. The man walked past Tim. He felt cold and also smelled like damp earth, but not in a nice after a rain clean smell. Tim watched him go into the back room.
When his wife returned, he asked her about the odd man she pointed out.
“What man?” she asked, confused. She said she was pointing to one of the workers and wanted to know if they could order something special to be filled and delivered in Dallas.
Now Tim was confused and wanted to know about that man, but didn’t want to make himself look foolish. He looked around the shop while his wife took care of the order. He was interested in the pictures that were on the wall with the various owners since the shop was first opened.
He saw the man in a photograph. He had to go outside for some air. He thought he was going to pass out or throw up or both.
Tim sat on a bench that was outside the shop. He hung his head between his knees, taking slow, deep breaths. When he sat back up, the strange man was sitting next to him on the bench.
He heard very distinctly, “Young man, I own this shop. Is there anything special you want today?”
Tim didn’t know if the man was real or not. He reached out to touch him . . . and he vanished.
Evidently, the previous owner didn’t know he was dead and was carrying on with his normal daily activities.
It was the strangest experience Tim ever had. He was still shaken when his wife came out of the shop looking for him.
Tim’s wife wasn’t as timid as her husband when it came to asking about ghosts. The worker who was taking care of her order said, “Oh yes, Mr. Stephenson is here regularly. There are times we have seen floral arrangements on the work bench in back that he must have made up. It’s nice to have the old with the new.”
She pointed out some arrangements that he made.
“These will be sold by the close of today,” the woman said. “Someone will come in looking for it.”
It’s refreshing how some people just take hauntings in stride and appreciate what they can learn from those who have passed on.
I believe this is more common than not … there is nothing to get freaked out about … At my local grocery store there is an elderly gentleman who greets me in the produce section — he is definitely an apparition … a spirit … a ghost … and he is there checking on the produce, making sure it is fresh.
It is unfortunate most people don’t see him … he does work very hard.
