Monday, March 26, 2012

Things That Go Bump In The Night...

Ahhh! Between the HHS Mandate, Obamacare, my usual Pro-Life reading/arguing/being dismayed, the election coverage, and all that goes with that - I have been having a hard time concentrating on anything else lately. And, of course I do have a lot to say on those topics, but I have read everything I would say elsewhere, and better written, so I avoid for now.

So, do you believe in ghosts? Spooks? Things that go bump in the night? For things such as this that are wholly unexplainable, I generally turn to the Catholic Church for Her teaching on the matter. Turns out, the Church doesn't have a whole lot to say about ghosts. The general gist is - don't go looking for ghosts, or anything of the occult. Believe me - I won't! But...

What would you do if you had things happen in your house that you just couldn't explain away...for example:


It started when we first moved in, but we (Doug and I) didn't believe the girls when they told about footsteps on the basement stairs, and the distinctive sound of a metal zipper being pulled up. They were home alone, and thought that their dad must have come home, so they went to say hi, to no one. No one was there.

One night when the girls had a friend over to visit, they were snapping photos, as the friend was home briefly from college and they were wanting  to make a few memories. In the resulting photos, there is a distinct face in a circle of light that is not the face of any of the girls. Digital, not film camera.

One night, late, like 4am, my husband was in bed alone. I was downstairs on the computer, still working. He was awakened by the cup of water he took to bed being THROWN across the room. Water everywhere. He was nowhere near the water, and hadn't even really fallen all the way asleep. This was followed by an almost identical incident a few months later, but we were both in bed, around 2am, but neither of us was asleep. Water cup again THROWN across the room. SO. WEIRD.

Last fall, my husband was out on the porch with our two youngest boys. I had everyone else in the school room. The two year old threw a toy over the side of the porch, and my husband just commented to him, that he couldn't play with it now. A second later, the toy was back in his hands. The porch is a good 7 feet off the ground on that side of the house. There is zero chance the baby got down and got the toy.

About 2 months ago, while helping my 9 year old clean his room, I found a bunch, like 20, rusty tin safety pins, open, and in his bed. I have no idea where they came from, I have never seen them before. And while I understand that kids play tricks on one another, I don't believe that anyone here would do something potentially harmful, nor do I know where they could have gotten a bunch of old, obviously antique-ish safety pins. SO.SCARY. I found it particularly scary because several times prior to this, I had found a number of straight pins pushed into my sheets and mattress topper from underneath. This is of course disturbing, and obviously quite deliberate. and I truly cannot even begin to imagine our kids playing a trick or thinking this sort of thing was funny in any way.

My 14 (now15) year old was looking in her room for a picture she meant to hang, and could not find it anywhere. We searched the whole house, her room, everywhere. It was a framed picture - it HAD to be somewhere. A few months later, it just appeared in her room, sitting on a bench near where she had planned to hang it. She hung it up, but later, it just kind of jumped/fell/sprung off the wall and hit her on the head. Sent her running pretty fast. 

One night as Doug and I lay in bed, my head on his shoulder, we both heard a whisper, right over our heads. It was weird, and we both were "Did you hear that?!".

We used to have an old stove vent/fan thing in the kitchen. Many years ago I asked my husband to replace the bulb so I could use it, it had burned out. He replaced the bulb, and upon turning it on, it burst. He had to shut off the electricity to that part of the kitchen, and use pliers to get the bulb out of the socket. He never replaced it because he figured the whole thing needed to be rewired and it went on his "someday" list. About six months ago he called me into the kitchen and asked when I replaced the bulb. I had forgotten all about it in the years since, so I was just wondering, 'What bulb?". Then he showed me the bulb in the fan. I was happy he had gotten around to it. Until he told me that not only had he not fixed it, but that the bulb in place was some gross, old, greasy bulb. WHAT?!  The light continued to work until we took the whole fan out a couple of weeks ago.

Then, the other day my husband called me at work to ask if I had finally asked our pastor to come bless the house. When I asked why, he said that Benjamin (4) had just walked into the living room when he fell backward, as if a carpet had been yanked out from under him. He was standing still when it happened. He even has a bruise from hitting his shoulder on the arm of the couch.

Of course we have the numerous occasions when an item has disappeared, and upon demanding aloud that it be returned, it has been returned. I had always chalked it up to the kids playing tricks on each other, until the other stuff started happening. We have also had the occasional moment when you think you see something, or someone, and look again and it's gone. We have all seen and heard various movements and shadows..I just don't know what to make of it, and my husband, as men tend to be, was hugely skeptical  - for YEARS, until that first cup of water went flying.

Now, we are getting anxious to have Fr. Vic come bless the house. I have no idea if that is an appropriate step, if it will help, etc, but I figure, having your house blessed can only be good. It's a start.

Any thoughts? Any of this happen to you? Have you had your house blessed or used any other blessings? I know this sounds fishy, and somewhat unCatholic, but all of this stuff happened..there are certain things I am not willing to let go, such as the pins, and Ben getting pushed over. I have no idea what is going on, and I don't really want to know. I just want it to stop...advice?

23 comments:

  1. I can't believe I just read all this at 11:17 p.m. I've got the major heebie jeebies now!!!!!

    Zoinks.

    I wonder if there is a purgatorial aspect to all this. You know, it would be pretty terrible to be able to see but not participate in the world, you know? Again, I don't know if that jives with Church doctrine in any way, but it seems like there's too much going on to just wish it away.

    Yes, we have had our house blessed! This is the first house we've done it in. Every single room, including the basement was blessed with holy water and a prayer. Then, of course, we all had a lovely evening if dinner and conversation. It definitely can't hurt to have it done at your house. And quick!

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  2. My advice: GET OUT!
    Seriously, I know it's a pain to move...but there's someone there who doesn't like you guys very much. You know I'm Catholic, but sometimes things like this...I mean, come on...there's no way a glass of water can go flying across the room. And the safety pins and straight pins? That can HURT someone. All these things you say happen...are FREAKY. Not only that, but dangerous. I mean, wow, I would be afraid to leave my kids alone in a house like that. I'm not trying to be mean. I'm just being truthful!! I don't know if a priest can help. Hopefully he will have some answers for you. And if he blesses the house, maybe that will make it stop? I hope. But I don't know.

    Seriously, how do you get any SLEEP? I don't think I could shut my eyes if things like that were happening in my house -- people whispering above my head and throwing water around the room...nope, I don't think I could sleep!

    Okay...now I'm all scared over here. I hope ghosts can't jump through computers....LOL

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  3. Dweej - the purgatorial aspect is the only thing I can find anywhere that jives with the very minimal church teaching on this stuff. However, this all started out pretty innocently, and has escalated. My husband, before this, would NEVER have believed it if he heard someone talking about it. Now? He wants Fr. Vic here immediately.
    Katrina - if we could, we would! And this stuff doesn't happen often - every few weeks to months. The thing with the pins WAS SO FREAKING WEIRD! Pissed me off, really. That's my boy. You don't mess with my boy. And then Benny the other day. It is starting to feel more ominous. And like, attention getting, if you know what I mean. It is creeping us all out. I am hoping blessing the house is enough. This part of the country is still bouncing back from the whole housing market thing. Ugh...

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    1. I know. Moving is always so hard, and selling a house these days is nearly impossible. Well, it's possible, but it's just not a good time to sell.

      I'm sorry my comment was so negative. I read it over again and I sounded so...insensitive. This is your home we're talking about. I should have been more respectful. We all love our homes, after all. I was just completely freaked out - imagining what I would do if it were me. Honestly, I'd probably go stay with friends for a while until I got the place checked out and blessed. I just can't image sleeping another night in a place where a glass of water flew across the room right in front of my own eyes. Even if it only happened ONCE - that would be enough for me. I think. I guess you really don't know what you would do until it happens to you, right?

      Okay, I can't help but laugh when I think about Eddie Murphy's stand-up routine back in the 80's. He talked about the movie Poltergeist and how white people are so dumb that they STAY in a house that's haunted. "Hmmm....that's peculiar." they say, of all the creepy things happening. But a black family would hear a whispered "get outttt" and and LEAVE the house immediately, no questions asked. (of course Eddie says a few curse words in the mix there that I'm not going to repeat...but it was funny!)

      I hope you keep us posted on this, and PLEASE get your home blesses ASAP.

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  4. I didn't take it negatively - don't worry! I think maybe writing it all down helped me see that it is perhaps more creepy/worrisome than I had thought. Stuff happened for years, and LOL- I'm gonna have to find that Eddie Murphy video! - we were just like, "hmmm - that's odd"! BUT, You will probably think I am nutso, but the little stuff happens at my mom and dad's house, too. Just little things, like the lights getting turned on and off, doors opening and closing, the occasional sound that shouldn't be there, so really, I kinda thought that a lot of this sort of thing was either just our imaginations, or just strange stuff that happens to everyone and not to make a big deal out of that. SO, long story short, it took the water cups, the pins, etc.. to get us to realize that something strange was going on..Now, off to serach YouTube for that video!

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    1. here is the YouTube URL for the Eddie Murphy stand-up about haunted houses.

      I have to warn you that the F word is used constantly -- ugh, the only thing I hate about his humor! Well, back then at least. Once he started a family he changed it up a bit and his stuff is much cleaner now! I love, love, love Daddy Daycare :)

      Okay...the URL

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96s1M8IyrUQ

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    2. LOL - I went and found it - thanks! It was so funny, and pretty much exactly what we've been doing! HA! I kinda love Eddie Murphy, and our kids have always been big fans of Daddy Day Care!

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  5. I would make sure that your priest goes from room to room sprinkling holy water and then you can even have him bless salt that you sprinkle in all the corners of each room. I know that there is an exorcism prayer for salt, too. It all sounds superstitious, but it is in line with the faith. Our priest has done this for us twice. You can also bless the outside of your property the same way.

    Besides the blessings, have some Masses said for whoever it is that is bugging you. Why not pray for them and have Masses said and then maybe they will leave you alone. My husband has seen "people" in our bedroom at night and so we always pray for them. Fortunately they have been peaceful souls who don't do anything like you've been describing.

    I hope this all helps! God Bless.

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  6. Laura, that helps a lot. My mom has had her house blessed, and while the strange things have not stopped, they have never been at all ominous. I am worried our pastor thinks I am crazy already, but I will have salt ready when he comes, and will have Masses said - great idea - had not thought of that! Thanks for the advice, and for sharing this information. I am very good at deciding things are all in someone's imagination, until the physical stuff started happening. I am kind of relieved to know others have experienced some of this.

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  7. Get some St. Benedict medals and put them in every room.

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  8. Okay, just read this posting and I'm telling you I've had a lot of dealings with the occult. I have always felt someone has been bothering me all my life. It makes things difficult. At any rate, we just had our priest come bless our house (finally) a couple weeks ago and it was amazing! It was like whoever was here was instantly gone because Christ now takes up every corner of every room. There's no room for anyone else! I do not believe in ghosts, but I know that demons exist and they like to masquerade as other things - people. Do not be fooled. You must speak with your priest about all the goings-on before he comes over. If you don't feel he's taking you seriously, get another priest who will and invite him to bless the house. This is serious business. You are being bothered for a reason. Satan is constantly on the prowl and hates families like yours. Be strong. And let us know what happens!

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    1. Okay - no I AM totally creeped out! the way you explain it makes so much more sense. I don't believe in ghosts either, but could not figure out how to reconcile what has been happening here. "demons exist and they like to masquerade as other things - people". Oh so scary. Fr. has not gotten back to me in several days, and he was acting very astonished at everything, but I think he took me seriously. I will send him another email right now. Thanks so much, everyone, for the excellent advice!

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  9. I've been thinking of you all day and prayed for you and your family tonight at our parish's Lenten mission led by a Redemptorist priest from Boston. :) May God continue to bless you and your family. Pray to St. Michael too.
    p.s. When we had our house blessed we did not have our pastor do it, but the associate pastor. We had our reasons and it really worked out. It was a beautiful night. He took his time, we prayed as a family at the dining room table, then moved room to room as he talked about each room, blessed it and sprinkled holy water, then we finally made our way outside and we held hands and prayed the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. It was really beautiful. He also left a lot of holy water here for us to use "whenever". I just wanted you to know how ours went so you kind of know what to expect. I did speak with him beforehand about all of the occult activity during my childhood and relatives who had visited the home who had been involved in wicca. Maybe he took his time because of all that? I don't know what other people's experiences with house blessings are like. Anyway, be straightforward with your priest about what's happening. God bless!

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    1. Thank you for all the wonderful advice. I have told Fr. everything, so hopefully he is prepared. My mom and dad had their house blessed, just because (the priest was my cousin and he was in town). He went from room to room, wrote numbers over the front door, blessed all the religious items in each room as well as the rooms themselves. He did it all in Latin, if I recall correctly, but he had a love for that, more than it needing to be in Latin. My sister had her home blessed as well. Her son was having terrible nightmares, he was spending too much time truly terrified. They took him to the doctor, tried all sorts of things. Having the house blessed worked for them, immediately. She doesn't know why, but all the terrors stopped right then. He used a special prayer, and told her it was only the second time he had had to use it, ever. I think maybe I should give him a call and ask what it was. Now, LOL - you all are going to think my whole family is nutty, but somethings just can't be explained away...

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  10. Wow Megan! I am so sorry I didn't see this sooner, I haven't been keeping up. Mike just told me about the salt -- we have the blessed salt also and had our house blessed upon living here - blessed crucifix from Fr. Mike still on the wall in the house - but this house has never been a problem. However, I grew up for a time in a house that was a problem and I don't talk about it often because it still very much frightens me to remember. To say the least, we moved finally. I will talk with you sometime about it. All you are doing is good - and you have some very good suggestions. Many blessings+

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  11. Not trying to freak you out, just trying to inform you further... and strangely there's a MacKenzie poltergeist incident in history too...hmm..
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltergeist

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  12. Ladies, the fact that only a couple of you are surprised or astonished by this kinda makes me nervous! How common is this, anyway? Goodness, I hope it goes away soon.

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  13. I think you are taking all the right measures - you'll have to let us know if things calmed down a bit after the holy medals and blessed salt -- AND..did anyone mention holy water? You should be sure to have stock piles of holy water and fonts around the house. Easter season is an especially efficacious time to bring home holy water and have Fr come and bless the house. I also place blessed scapulars under mattresses between the top mattress and boxsprings. J.M.J.+

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  14. How's it going now Megan? Have things calmed down there in the paranormal activity?! Been thinking of you and wondering.

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    1. HI Denise, it seems like it, though it is hard to say, as most of this stuff occurred months and weeks apart. I really hope so, though! I still need to do the Holy Water, and the scapulars. Still waiting on Fr, also. So we will do those things, but right now, it seems calm. I hope it stays that way!

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  15. Wow Megan what does one say after reading this? I never really believed in the ghost thing as not leaving this world staying behind but recently in a gospel reading where Jesus appears to the disciples He says to them " I am not a ghost". I took this to mean that there are ghosts and He is not one. So I now believe that there must be ghosts. I definitely believe there can be very active devils and I tell the kids that they are letting the devil in when they are acting very unchristlike!

    We have always gotten our house blessed when we have settled in and really yearly would be nice! But lots of Sacramentals and don't wait any longer for Father to come. Set a date on the calendar with him or get someone else. Please pray for the ghost and pray for protection daily.... Will be praying for you all as well...COngrats on your pregnancy. I didn't realize at the party that you were expecting...YEAH!

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  16. loved it i read it at 3am

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