Earlier this week, I was at the Stephenson County Historical Society Museum for a meeting about their annual Halloween event called “Spirits of Yesteryear.” I’m going to be telling ghost stories at the event in October. It’s one of my favorite autumn activities.
The Taylor Mansion was built in the 1850s and displays a wonderful example of how people during that time period lived. The house also seems to house more than just the belongings of the Taylor family; many people have had the delightful experience of interacting with some of the dearly departed Taylor family, including me.
During the meeting, Rachel, the event organizer, met with me inside the home. I haven’t really been in the house in over a year, and then it was only for a few moments. I have to admit that my “spidey-sense” was tingling. She admitted that she hadn’t had any paranormal experiences, and she wasn’t disappointed that the ghosts had left her alone. So, of course, I had to share with her a bunch of experiences that other people and I had experienced in the house, from bathroom door handles frantically jiggling, to grandfather clocks that suddenly worked, to some of the results of a couple of paranormal investigations.
I was sure she was delighted to find out about all of these occurrences as she nervously peered around the room.
Okay, well, maybe not so delighted.
However, what I wanted to point out – other than the fact that perhaps I need to restrain my desire to tell ghost stories all the time – is that some people are more aware or more sensitive to ghostly vibes, and some people just don’t feel it.
So, if you are one of those “I just don’t feel it” kind of people, how can you tell if your house is haunted? The website ParaRational has just the article for you and lists five signs to look for:
- If you have a feeling of being watched. (Cue Sting singing “Somebody’s Watching Me” for background music.) ParaRational states, “Our brains are wired to sense danger, and some of those senses are ones we aren’t aware of in our day-to-day lives. It may be that a primal part of your brain is detecting the presence of an entity that you can’t see with your eyes. Paranormal researchers will often talk of the hair on their arms going up when they are in the presence of a ghost. If your home is haunted, that creepy feeling of being watched may mean that you actually are being watched by a ghost or other entity. It may not just be your imagination!”
- If you notice strange phenomena in your home. ParaRational explains, “Classic examples of this are cold spots with no explanation. Other phenomena associated with hauntings are knocks or other sounds without any explanation. Footsteps in your home when no one else is there is a common element in a haunting. Other strange noises that sometimes occur if your home is haunted are strange scratching sounds or thumps seemingly from inside the wall or ceiling. These can be from small sounds to bangs on the wall so hard that it shakes items hanging on it.”
- When things go missing in your home. (I have to insert that often some of us of a certain age can put things down in a “safe place” and think that things go missing, then discover that we put them in the “other” safe place.) ParaRational tells us, “What if you set your keys down on the counter, turn to put something away, and when you turn back, they are gone? Then, hours later, you find them inside the bathroom medicine cabinet. How would they have gotten there? Stronger apparitions will often move items, and sometimes you will find them, and sometimes you won’t.”
- If objects in your home move on their own. My favorite example of this was told to me by Kathi Kresol, the owner of Haunted Rockford. She tells of remodeling her home when she was a young mom. She had a small hand sander that kept turning on by itself after she was sure she had turned it off. So, exasperated, she finally unplugged the sander from the electrical outlet. She knew something was definitely wrong when it turned back on again. ParaRational writes, “Why is that chair rocking on its own? Did someone bump the light fixture? If you have asked questions like this, your home may be haunted. Sometimes, to make their presence known, ghosts will move things. Commonly, these are small movements, such as doors closing, chairs rocking, or other motions that take little energy. Stronger spirits will do things more dramatically, like turning on faucets, knocking items over, or turning switches on and off. Particularly strong spirits will be able to throw objects with considerable force.”
- If your animals are behaving strangely. I remember the first time I ever saw a ghost in my house; Riley (my Bernese Mountain dog) saw him first. The fact that he lifted his head and wagged his tail at the ghost made me feel a little better about the experience. ParaRational suggests, “Commonly, your pets will be aware of any ghosts or spirits in your home long before you are. If you notice your dog or cat watching something you can’t see, there may actually be something there that you can’t see. It isn’t unusual for dogs to bark at what seems like nothing or avoid certain rooms if hostile spirits are occupying them. Before you start dismissing your pet for acting unusually for what appears to be no reason, you may start paying attention to their behavior and see if there is any sort of pattern to it.”
Obviously, I like a good paranormal experience just as much as the next person. But I also like to look for rational explanations of phenomena before I immediately jump to the conclusion that it’s paranormal. Many of these signs can occur through natural and normal circumstances. Sensing that you’re being watched or having a bad feeling can actually be electromagnetic field exposure; some studies suggest that EMF exposure can interfere with the hippocampus-prefrontal cortex pathway, which is involved in anxiety and other cognitive functions. Strange noises could be mice in the walls, a cold spot could be a leak in your HVAC system, or knocks could be the house settling. Missing items can just be forgetfulness or a small animal collecting things for its nest. Objects moving could be caused by external vibrations, like a truck driving past your home. And animals behaving strangely could be caused by your pet picking up the scent of a threat outside your home – like a coyote or another animal.
See, all of these signs can be rationally and logically explained away. Unless, of course, your house is really haunted. Then, as always, just blame it on the cat.
Happy Friday!!!