Recently, a friend texted me saying that her daughter who is away at college, had suddenly become plagued by a ghost (or something) in the campus housing.  It had gotten sooo bad, that she and her housemates were nervous wrecks.  Would I reach out and help?  Of course.

When I spoke with my friend’s daughter, the girl described lots of noises, doors shutting on their own, things like that.  It had just begun happening a couple of weeks earlier, seemingly for no reason. In that time, she and her roommates had become increasingly freaked out – – and had reached out to some other psychic-types (not me, that’s for damn sure) who had NOT helped, namely because those people had told her and her housemates that they now had gone from one spirit to multiple entities.  No particular reason for that assessment — but the girls were made completely nuts.

I understood how scared she was.  But I had to do the phone equivalent of grabbing her by the shoulders, shaking her and telling her to….CALM THE HELL DOWN.

Being that these girls are 20, they are still susceptible to that squealing/slumber party/”did you hear THAT?!” energy we allllll remember (c’mon, I know you do).  Look,  when something weird is going on,I know that it’s hard to stay chill — but the more you allow yourself to be terrified, the more that energy feeds whatever is going on around you.  It’s a physical law.  That’s why I got annoyed at the reports of those other “experts” telling them that now, they had a BIGGER problem.  Because they were contributing to the panic.

So, my first piece of advice is to find a way to stay cool.  The thing about ghosts is, they really can’t hurt you — and you, as a corporeal being, have way more power in the situation.  Often, ghosts don’t even know that you’re there — from their perspective, they’re just on a feedback loop, reliving a moment(s) from their life.  My book, OK, So You’re Dead….talks more about this.

Here’s an idea:  I told this young lady to treat whatever is going on in her dorm like a “raccoon getting in.”  If a raccoon or squirrel or mice get into your house, yes, it’s a pain — but you don’t lose your mind over it.  You just deal.  So if there are entities or energies that are disturbing the peace, don’t assign any special weight to them:  treat them like the bothersome guests that they are, and know that you can generally “exterminate” them.

So why is this activity happening?  She had no idea, but generally speaking, paranormal stuff can kick up when an older property is being remodeled, etc.  Moving things around in a structure shifts things energetically.  It doesn’t always happen, so don’t be afraid to re-do those floors — but it’s a typical reason.

Another reason is when folks “open a door” without knowing what they’re doing — as in playing with Ouija boards, etc.  I don’t necessarily believe that connecting with spirit-side via the talking board is evil — but it IS a portal, and if you treat it like a game, you may get some unwanted side-effects.  I wrote more about that here.

So if you feel you have unwanted energies in your house, what can you do on a practical level to clear them out — or at least, calm it down?  Here are some tips to do your own “ghostbusting.”

-Start by telling the ghost to leave you alone.  Let them know that they’re dead and they need to move on to “the Light.”    I know, it sounds a little too easy — but it does help. Sadly, many ghosts don’t know they’ve actually passed — so help them cross the finish line.

The trick is to do this when you’re not in an emotional mood:  being angry or frightened is not the state you want to be in.  When you’re calm is the time to lay down some rules.  Think of them like someone who’s lost their way, and you’re the kindly stranger giving them directions to get back home.  That’s really the bottom line.

-Sea salt.  This is an ancient “go-to” remedy for clearing out negative vibes.  If you can, go outside, and starting at the far left corner of the property, begin pouring out the salt, working clockwise and creating a perimeter.  If you only have a room or a portion of a building, throw a pinch of the salt (because a big, long line of salt may not be practical), still moving counterclockwise.  Pay extra attention to door entrances and windowsills.  As you do either ritual, say “I protect my home with this salt.  All negative energy must stop.”

-Shielding.  The idea is to visualize a protective barrier around your room, home or property overall.  Visualization is a powerful practice, and it works.  All you need to do is to relax, close your eyes and “walk through” or “around” where you live.  “See” the details in your mind’s eye.  Spend about 30 seconds or so doing this (it doesn’t have to be a big thing).  Now that you’ve done the “mental walk-through,” visualize a big bubble of white light settling around the property.  I often think of one of those glass domes you put over pastry.  Once you’ve done that, know that nothing bad can penetrate and that you’re safe from all harm.

-Sage.  Native Americans frequently burn it to clear out stale energies and clear their holiest spaces. Burning the herb thyme is also said to ward off spirits.  Personally, I’ve never done the Thyme thing, but I hear its effective.  Let me know your results if you try it!

-Finally, there’s a prayer/chant that is useful to add to the mix. You don’t need to be religious to use it.  The term “God” is kind of all-purpose:

“The light of God surrounds us/me.

The love of God enfolds us/me.

The power of God protects us/me.

The presence of God protects us/me.

Wherever we are (I am0, God is.

And all is well.”

 

The bottom line?  If loons like Bill Murray can get ghosts under control, so can you.  So don’t freak out!

 

Finally and as a reminder, I’ll leave you with this one by one of my favorite groups.  We are indeed spirits living in a material world.