Tag Archives: Ghosts

In memory of Anne Rice

Merry meet all,

As I type here, snow flakes fall softly. I love this part of winter. New snow is so pretty. I want to honour the memory of Anne Rice. She was a unique and prolific writer. I love the tale of Interview with a Vampire. Let’s all take a moment to cherish her memory. I watched the. movie the other night!

Now that my own horror novel might be published, I hope to continue on the tradition or join the roster of dangerous dames who dare to write horror. I am elated! This is just too exciting. I am thrilled because I do have a story to tell and share with the world. I have practiced my writing a lot and I have a lot already published. The ghost in my story steals the show, in my opinion. I don’t know where something so dark came from in me but I will think of it as the dark cauldron of the Goddess giving me the inspiration. I can now share it with the world. 

Now, onto other news. Today our journey takes us to this story of a clairvoyant gentleman who lives in Britain. 

‘I saw dead people aged 10 – and I’ve met the Black-Eyed Child and creepy man-monkey’

I grew up near Britain’s most-haunted town and have experienced all sorts of spooky and unexplained encounters myself – starting with the haunting of my great-uncle, writes paranormal investigator and author Lee Brickley

Letting children watch movies like Ghostbusters at the age of five is a risky business. Some kids will get scared and hide behind the sofa; others will keep their bedroom light on all night for weeks.

Me? I saw a career path.

I might not have a proton pack or a catchy theme tune (yet), but over the last ten years, I’ve become one of the UK’s leading real-life Ghostbusters – at least, that’s what Eamonn Holmes called me on ITV’s This Morning during an interview about Black Eyed-Child sightings at Cannock Chase.

I can’t give Hollywood films all the credit for my interest in the paranormal though. While they definitely opened my eyes to the strange and unusual, it was a series of experiences in my childhood home that cemented the obsession at ten years old.

When sitting in the living room during the evening hours, I would often see shadows moving slowly across one of the walls behind our sofa. My father would see them too, although he’d talk about something else to draw my attention away.

Have you ever seen a ghost? Tell your story in the comments below

Paranormal investigator Lee Brickley says he was haunted from the age of 10 by the ghost of his great-uncle

Paranormal investigator Lee Brickley says he was haunted from the age of 10 by the ghost of his great-uncle

Lee has spotted the Black-Eyed Child and what he believes is the British Bigfoot during his investigations

Lee has spotted the Black-Eyed Child and what he believes is the British Bigfoot during his investigations

There was another time when I walked into the kitchen in the middle of the night and a single cup was violently swinging from side to side under a cupboard. It was hanging from a hook alongside multiple other cups that were all motionless.

Years later I learned that my great uncle died in that house, and my father now tells me he believes our deceased relative was behind the haunting.

I grew up in a small mining town near Cannock Chase, a large spooky forest in Staffordshire where people have seen ghosts and all manner of supernatural creatures for many years. It therefore seemed logical for someone with my interests to investigate these sightings further, and that’s precisely what I’ve done..

So far, I have written and published four books on the subject of weird happenings in the area, and my latest title Ghosts Of Cannock Chase : Terrifying Reports Of Paranormal Activity From The UK’s Most Haunted Town is selling exceptionally well.

This image taken by psychic Christine Hamlett in 2014 appears to show a figure praying in the dense woodland of Cannock Chase – a hot-spot for sightings of the Black-Eyed Child

This image taken by psychic Christine Hamlett in 2014 appears to show a figure praying in the dense woodland of Cannock Chase – a hot-spot for sightings of the Black-Eyed Child (

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Handout)

According to many locals, the woodland is home to spirits, werewolves, black-eyed children, a pigman, and allegedly, even Bigfoot.

During my investigations, I’ve interviewed lots of seemingly genuine people who claim to have seen something scary in the forest, and I’ve even had a couple of unexplainable encounters of my own.

In April 2018, I believe I saw the infamous Black-Eyed Child in an area of Cannock Chase called Birches Valley. She appeared about a hundred metres in front of me, stared right at me for about thirty seconds, then vanished without a trace.

In June 2019, I saw what can only be described as a man-monkey running through the woods when I was investigating an alleged Bigfoot footprint – I wrote another book that covers this investigation called On The Hunt For The British Bigfoot.

Lee has written a number of books about his experiences with the paranormal

Lee has written a number of books about his experiences with the paranormal

Being able to spend my time writing about the paranormal is both a gift and a curse. On the one hand, I get to live my dream of investigating the unexplained and gathering evidence of the supernatural. On the other, people tend to give me a very funny look if I’m asked to explain what I do for a living at dinner parties.

I’ve never told anyone this before, but the career advisor at my high school laughed when I told her I wanted to be a ghostbuster. She said it wasn’t a real job and I could earn more money working in a factory.

But as I sit here ready to continue writing my fifth book about a frightening poltergeist case in Birmingham, I can’t help but smile and take comfort in the fact that my career advisor was definitely wrong, and she isn’t laughing any more.

If investigating ghosts and writing about the paranormal has taught me anything, it’s that worrying about what other people think is pointless, and no matter what those naysayers might insist, NOTHING is impossible.

An old ghost-hunter once told me that reality is barely understood, and possibility is limitless.

That’s why I believe in the paranormal… and it’s also why I believe in myself.

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Blessed be, Spiderwitch

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The veil between the worlds – thinning or not?

Merry meet all,

The photo above is the nature trail. The nature trail looks spooky and in my opinion, is the best representation of the thinning of the veil between the worlds. It beckons to me, enticing to dare to venture down the concrete path ” to lose my mind and find my soul”. Well I am most certainly not losing my mind. I just like the expression. The expression means to totally lose oneself in nature, to release any inhibitions. The sky and the trees appear to be enveloped in a mist, and yet reveals how beautiful the autumn season is. The leaves contrast the heavy grey sky. Rustic orange, brown and gold colours stand out against the sky. 

The veil between the worlds is thinning. I don’t believe this occurs only at Samhain and Beltane. I think there is a stronger reason why there are so many more reports of people encountering spirits now more than ever before. It can’t be just that we have better ghost hunting devices for detecting them. There has to be actual spirits to detect or the devices would be no use to anyone. I don’t know what started this or how the veil is getting weaker. It could be that we destroyed the ozone layer ( just a theory, don’t laugh), or that someone or a group of people performed certain dark magic that led to the rapidly thinning veil. It could also be that we are all in a global transition. The global transition could have to do with the fact that we are in the Age of Aquarius. The old systems are collapsing. People are turning away from the old long established systems of the patriarchy (which I am in support of), and the other old systems of the Church. They could be seeking something more liberating and less conventional. And what is more conventional than the Church and oppression? 

These are a few theories. They are not fact and should not be treated as such. The other theory is that they are coming because a change is coming. I fear that this change might be darker and weirder than we are ready for. The spirits may already know the dark change coming. Look at the world right now. Tension, hate, animosity, apathy, crime, war, and the pandemic are running high. Ever since the pandemic began, people have become more hostile and less loving. It’s almost like there is something wrong with you are if you are nice. That’s terrible. All the negativity in the world is feeding the spirits. 

I can’t remember when this happened. But not too long ago, I had another of my freaky incidents. Apparently, I had a paper cut. The weird thing is, I never felt any pain. I had a page in my hands and somehow got a paper cut. I never felt the pain but my hands were blood stained from the paper cut. I had a new white computer mouse in my hands and the mouse managed to remain immaculate somehow. I entered the washroom to bandage my hand but no, I can’t explain that. Paper cuts hurt. I am open to theories. This is as weird as the time I saw a ghost in the shape of a rat or rabbit disappear under my bed. I am open to theories and explanations. 

There has to be a reason for all these occurrences. The ones that I experience and in the rest of the world. People have been discussing this since 2016 and maybe before that time. Stories of ghosts are nothing new. The important thing right now is why it is happening. I will be discussing this more in depth in future posts. 

Here is a link that discusses the thinning of the veil in more depth. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Blessings, Spiderwitch

The Veil Is Shredded

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Hamilton House gets restored for spooky visitations

Merry meet all,

Wow, I just found out that Discovery Plus is now available in Canada!! Happy dance, happy dance. OK I can now watch The Haunted Museum video anthology. I am so happy. I have seen the episodes on Youtube. Also, speaking of horror, let’s acknowledge that today is the birthday of Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula. Bram Stoker left behind a legend and a legacy, one which most of us are familiar with. Bram Stoker lived from November 8, 1847- April 20, 1912.

Hey dear readers! I found yet another awesome Canadian paranormal story for you! Enjoy!

Winnipeg’s Hamilton House, known for paranormal activity, getting restored

Winnipeg –

Fans of the paranormal have a chance to spend the night in a historic Winnipeg house known for its eerie history and brushes with the unexplainable.

Hamilton House has been purchased and restored by Cheryl Wiebe, owner of Gags Unlimited.

Her plan is to move the store into the bottom level and rent out the two, top levels that were used as residential apartments on Airbnb, giving guests the chance to have an encounter with the home’s storied spirits.

“It might happen. I can’t guarantee,” Wiebe told CTV News. “We have a book library, we’ll have a video library though for anyone waiting for the ghosts, so something you can sit back and relax at.”

Why does this house have such a reputation for the paranormal?

The Henderson Highway house was once owned by Dr. T.G. Hamilton, a Manitoba physician, MLA, and school trustee, and his wife Lillian.

According to the University of Manitoba Library Archives, the couple became interested in spiritual communication after the death of their three-year-old son Arthur in 1919 from Spanish flu.

As the couple tried to reconnect with Arthur, their home became the meeting place of a circle of spiritualist mediums, hosting numerous séances, trance states, and psychic readings.

Over 700 archival images donated by the Hamilton family to the U of M show alleged instances at the home of telekinesis, teleplasm, and other psychic phenomena.

Since buying the home, Wiebe said she has had a few unexplainable experiences of her own.

“My personal experience is when I was waiting for the appraiser and I was at the front counter, which is right 10 feet from the door, and I heard a knock at the door,” she recalled.

“I went to go and answer the door and it is glass, and nobody was there. So I went to the back door thinking someone was there, that it was the appraiser and nobody was there.”

Wiebe said a similar experience happened when she was renovating the home with her son. He went to use the washroom and heard a knocking sound. When he returned, he asked his mother if it was her.

“I said, ‘I’m not knocking. I was hanging wallpaper.’ He said ‘I was downstairs and somebody knocked on the door,’ and he knocked on the wall. He said it was clear, like that,” Wiebe explained.

Our own CTV News Photojournalist Zachary Kitchen had a few eerie moments himself when shooting interviews at the home. The batteries on many of Kitchen’s electronics died unexplainably. Additionally, a ring that was found buried in the carpet during renovation unexplainably made its way into Kitchen’s wagon that was hauling his camera gear. He discovered it while unloading his equipment for the shoot.

“It seemed very strange to have a ring pop into my wagon all of a sudden,” he said. “Cheryl said that the ring was on the counter, and she doesn’t know how it ended up on the wagon.”

Psychic Medium Bernice Bisson said she too feels a strong, paranormal presence in the home.

“When I had the opportunity to read from this house over last summer, I had so many paranormal activities going on. I had so many unexplained noises, doors opening and closing, things going on,” she said.

“This place had such a great history and as I delved into the history, I started to figure out who these paranormal entities who were showing up, because they belong to the house.”

Wiebe hopes to start taking guests in early November, and hopes to open the storefront soon after.

“So people can come and experience Hamilton House for themselves,” she said.

Credit given to: https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg-s-hamilton-house-known-for-paranormal-activity-getting-restored-1.5634457

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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Paranormal Investigation at spooky Hotel

Merry meet all,

Now we are past the mind blowing fun activities of October 31st, it’s time to turn our attention to other equally as fun matters. The sun is shining this morning. A chill lingers in the air. Colourful leaves are strewn over the sidewalks, lawns, gardens. It’s like Mother Nature took a paintbrush to the trees. I took that photo yesterday when I was on the nature trail. I know, the beauty of the trail stuns me too. 

The energy of autumn is still present. I am excited to share another Canadian paranormal story with you, dear readers. So grab a mocha, get comfy and enjoy!

Paranormal investigators check out old hotel in southeastern B.C.

VANCOUVER –

Paranormal investigators were at a hotel in southeastern B.C. over the weekend, checking for evidence of activity.

The group from True North Paranormal arrived at the Three Valley Gap Lake Chateau and Heritage Ghost Town in Revelstoke Friday.

Hosts of the show, from Thunder Boyz Productions, Inc., planned to make stops in the ghost town including at the historic Hotel Bellevue and the Train Roundhouse.

According to those behind the production, which airs on Amazon Prime and Paraflix, both buildings “have a huge history of paranormal activity.”

The hosts said they felt something almost as soon as they entered the hotel, which was built in 1898 in Sicamous, but has since been moved to the Three Valley Gap Ghost Town and restored.

“As soon as I entered, I had a sense of going upstairs and what I believe I’m feeling is the feelings of a lady that spent a lot of time here. She didn’t like to come upstairs,” host Karina Kozuska told CTV News.

But those behind the show say it’ll be up to those who watch the episode to decide what they think.

“We want the viewers to make up their own mind as to what we found – whether they believe it’s haunted or not,” host Jon Kozuska said.

“We’ll tell you we found stuff we can’t explain, but it’s up to you to decide.”

The husband-wife team is based in Kamloops, and say Canada is a “hot-bed” of paranormal activity. Through the show, the Kozuskas investigate reports at abandoned gold rush towns, old theatres and more.

Previous episodes include the Powerhouse and Vernon Towne theatres in Vernon, B.C., and the Kamloops Indian Residential School. They’ve also filmed in the Falkland Museum and Heritage Park, Sagebrush Theatre, city hall in Sandon, Caetani Centre and other spots in B.C.

Credit given to: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/paranormal-investigators-check-out-old-hotel-in-southeastern-b-c-1.5602136

Blessed, be, Spiderwitch

Link of interest:

The 25 Most Important Witchcraft Books Ever Published

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Abandoned ghost town spooks skeptic

Merry meet all,

Here’s a spooky ghost story for Samhain!!! Enjoy. 

Graveyard in the woods: Abandoned Nova Scotia logging village so spooky skeptic won’t visit alone

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The scorched, leafless Inspiration tree is one of the milestones hikers can use to measure their progress when hiking to Roxbury, an abandoned logging village in Annapolis County.
The scorched, leafless Inspiration tree is one of the milestones hikers can use to measure their progress when hiking to Roxbury, an abandoned logging village in Annapolis County. – Contributed

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS

Leafless trees close in and choke out the midday sun as David Whitman and his daughter, Lori, tread further into the dense forest.

The two are exploring the remains of Roxbury, an abandoned Annapolis County logging and farming village described as “lost in the woods” by locals.

“At first glance, there is not much to see,” says Whitman.

Whitman, a retired schoolteacher, is now referred to as the ‘Mayor of Roxbury’ after writing his first self-published book about the area called ‘Lost in The Woods: The Lure and History of Roxbury,’ which came out in 2005.

David and his wife Paulette Whitman are both writers that aim to preserve local Nova Scotian history. - Contributed
David and his wife Paulette Whitman are both writers that aim to preserve local Nova Scotian history. – Contributed

His interest sparked in the once-thriving settlement destroyed by a forest fire and abandoned in 1904, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was here where he spent hours fishing at a nearby river with friends.


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“I was always intrigued by Roxbury as a kid. The village is about four miles off the main road, in the middle of nowhere. And when I began teaching school in Halifax, I started to research the area where very little is known.”



Over the years, he went digging for facts, church and school records, deeds, newspaper reports, and interviewed descendants of those that had once called the area “home.”

Whitman discovered a mysterious and tragic past.

The dirt trail that leads to the Roxbury settlement deep in the woods. - Contributed
The dirt trail that leads to the Roxbury settlement deep in the woods. – Contributed

Originally, he says, Roxbury was known as Durland’s Settlement, named after Thomas Durland, the first English Loyalist settler in the early 1800s. His brother Charles followed with his family, and by 1865, there were 15 families in the settlement, with a population around 60.

But the settlement stretches further back. The Mi’kmaq were the first inhabitants, followed by French Acadians fleeing from British soldiers after refusing to pledge British allegiance – known as the Expulsion from 1755 to 1764.

“About 60 French Acadian exiles took to the river and hid on South Mountain,” Whitman says.

“The Mi’kmaq became their allies, but many Acadians did not survive the freezing winter.”

Remains of stone walls from the Loyalist days. - Contributed
Remains of stone walls from the Loyalist days. – Contributed

Acadian gold?

Rumours persist, says Whitman, that the Acadians, while fleeing, left stashes of gold under Mile Rock on Roxbury Road.

“There have been some treasure hunters over the years, but nothing retrieved or at least made public.”

While piecing his second book together on the area, Whitman says he interviewed many who reported “strange voices” while alone on Roxbury Road.

“Legend has it some of the French Acadians were planning to come back and get this gold, so I think it plays on the imagination which can run wild out there when no one is around,” he dismisses with a nervous laugh.

When the Loyalists arrived (1775 to 1783), they built permanent structures over the Acadian nomadic-style homes using rocks from the mountain.

Shreds of lumber remain from the former logging and farming village. - Contributed
Shreds of lumber remain from the former logging and farming village. – Contributed

“By 1904, most of the residents had moved out with the lumber industry depleted and the serious forest fire.”

Whitman explains to produce blueberries, they burned the land, but a fire got out of control and spread over hundreds of acres, torching Roxbury.

Today, the scorched, leafless Inspiration tree echoes this history.

“The tree is aptly named Inspiration because if you make it that far, you might as well keep going,” says Whitman.

There is an 18.7-kilometre in-and-back trail described as “difficult” on All Trails, which features a lake and cuts through the settlement.

Roxbury lay dormant for several years, attended only by nature. Then, in the 1920s, families set up homesteads, including Whitman’s father.

“Roxbury had a school, church, post office, sawmill and grist mill. The last family moved out in 1927,” notes Whitman.

Andrew Rosengren and the Thygesen family were the last homesteaders.

“Then in 1948 through to the late 1950s, lumbering activities by J. H. Hicks and Sons and Max Napthal interrupted the settlement’s slumber. And in the 2000s, forestry work from Bowater Mersey and Lafarge Canada Inc.”


Lost in The Woods: The Lure and History of Roxbury, by David Whitman, published in 2005. - Contributed
Lost in The Woods: The Lure and History of Roxbury, by David Whitman, published in 2005. – Contributed

Haunted woods

So, what’s left there now? Stone foundations, deep round wells, shreds of lumber.

“But people go there a lot to hike,” says Whitman.

Yet Whitman says he will “never walk there alone.”

The supernatural skeptic that claims, “there is a scientific explanation for everything” admits he has heard “through the trees,” a sound the resembles the “wailing of a man.”

Other interviewees of Whitman reported “strange noises” or “figures.”

It is not a place for the faint of heart, he says.

Roxbury: A return to a ghost town, by David Whitman, published in 2015, with a foreword by John DeMont. - Contributed
Roxbury: A return to a ghost town, by David Whitman, published in 2015, with a foreword by John DeMont. – Contributed

“I have not been back there for a while. Not by myself, especially to the graveyards. There was always something about them. There is one graveyard where a man lost his wife in childbirth, and he would visit and cry on their graves.”

In one cemetery, a headstone peeks through the vegetation with just one bold word, “Baby.”

“In my second book, ‘Roxbury: A return to a ghost town,’ I interviewed people that say they could feel or even see someone watching them. It gave them an intense feeling that they should not be there,” he adds.

The book, published in 2015 with a foreword by John DeMont, includes photographs by witnesses, capturing “blurred images of a young girl in a white dress” floating through the cemetery and disappearing into the trees.

“This place can stir the imagination, especially in the graveyards that are in the middle of the woods,” Whitman says.

“People that do not know the history or have not read the books go back there and treat it just as a hike or a tour, but those that know the area are reluctant to go by themselves.”

Dormant wooden cottages in the area – designated by the province as a Provincial Park Reserve – have left a ghostly imprint on many people, including former students of Whitman, who he says will “never talk about what they heard or saw” because it was so frightening.

Whitman is part of Friends of Roxbury that gathered funding for interpretative signage to preserve the lumber settlement’s history. As a result, he no longer needs to give tours in a place he describes as “isolated and creepy.”

Credit given to https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/communities/graveyard-in-the-woods-abandoned-nova-scotia-logging-village-so-spooky-skeptic-wont-visit-alone-100631334/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1Ihr9t5VZUmMwVHfwMDRr0cP4kDo-62eGGc6RiFohuTYRrY_eyUn6UkYI#Echobox=1635594565

Wow. This is a great ghost story. This is partly why I love living in Nova Scotia. For every wave that washes in, there’s a ghost story!!

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Paranormal Halloween

Merry meet all

I am happy to share my blog post from the Horror Writers Association annual blog event. I hope you enjoy it!! 

Halloween Haunts: Paranormal Halloween by Heddy Johannesen 

Halloween casts a dark spell on us. October enchants the young and old as spirits roam free. The veil between the worlds is thinnest now. I have a keen and strong interest in the paranormal. I would happily work as a paranormal investigator if I could. I have researched the paranormal as much as I can. I also am clairvoyant and clairsentient. This has helped me to study the paranormal and spirit world.

I was sitting with a friend in my kitchen one summer night. We chatted for hours. The night was hot, so we drank colas to keep us cool. It was quiet and peaceful. Or so we thought. We had a good talk. I was holding a cola in my hand. I looked from Stefan to a spot in my kitchen. I don’t know why but something made me glance in that direction. I wish I didn’t to this day.

I glanced at the wall by my back door. It happened so fast. My heart leapt to my chest. A dark black shadow person with sharp pointed nails or fingers appeared and walked straight into my cupboards. Stefan saw the way I was staring. He didn’t see what I saw. He should be thankful. The dark shadow was wispy, transparent, and generated an aura of evil.  It moved with speed and in an unusual way. This being was clearly not from our dimension. I have yet to learn where it came from and why it chose my apartment.

My heart jumped at the sight of the eerie shadow person. I wish I knew how it got in my home and what it was doing there. I haven’t seen the being since. I wish I knew why it chose my apartment. I may have to live with never knowing why and accept that I may not receive the answers to that in the way I want to. They don’t communicate the way that we wish they could. They are beyond death.

Stefan asked me what I saw. I told him. My heart pounded. We did an energy clearing to banish that bad spirit. I was and still am truly puzzled. I have no idea why the spirit chose my home other than that I am clairsentient. That attracts spirits and shadow people. That is the only explanation I can think of.

Stefan and I placed crystals above doors, and on window ledges. I smudged the house with sage. We sprinkled salt on the windowsills and below doorways. I privately don’t think that did any good. The shadow person entered my home. It may have helped to a small degree.

I have many questions. Is my home a portal for spirits? I have a strong feeling the Otherworld is not a place we would enjoy. They will exist for eternity. The more the veil between the world thins, they can cross over into our realm and even in our dreams.

Ghosts, demons and shadow people are attracted to people with low vibrational energies. If you are struggling with addictions, are abused, or depressed, you are a target for the lower vibrational spirits. If you use a Ouija board, you draw them toward you. They don’t hear your voice, but they can sense your vibrational signal from afar. You send an energetic signal. That is what the demons or earthbound ghosts’ sense from you. You may be unaware of it but they sense it.  I own a few Ouija boards that I sprinkle with salt and know how to psychically defend myself from them.

The veil between the realms of the living and the dead is thinning. The most common times is Halloween. Paranormal investigations and ghost hunting tools are becoming popular.

I am trained in paranormal investigating. I live in a haunted town with a dark bloody history. I investigate haunted restaurants here and even my own home. If you are keen on the paranormal, you must shield yourself to avoid unwanted energies from attaching themselves to you. Once you have mastered psychically shielding yourself, you need faith and belief in a Higher Power. Call on your ancestors to help you. A strong heart is your greatest weapon should you encounter a malicious entity. Concentrate on a psychic shield around you. Set your intention that you will not be affected by an evil spirit.

Gather the tools you need that have protective properties. Hematite, labradorite, smoky quartz, clear quartz, or tiger’s eye are suitable. Pentacles, runes, gemstones, white and black candles, dragon’s blood ink and even black salt are potent tools for ghost hunting.

Be sure your batteries are fully charged. Entities drain the energy out of batteries so take extra with you. Bring a flashlight, cab fare, wear sensible footwear, and a good friend. Do not go alone. Ghost hunts occur at night. Be careful.

Other ghost hunting tools to add to your collection are a K-II EMF Meter, a spirit box, a digital camera, and a way to measure the temperature of a room. If a spirit is present, the temperature in a room can become ice cold. That is good evidence of the presence of a spirit.

If you do a ghost hunt at a location first obtain permission from the owners to visit the place. Ask them if they believe the home or business is haunted and what odd occurrences they’ve noticed. Take notes and be polite to the owners.

Do research on the history of the building. A ghost hunt does not involve the glamour and scares the way Hollywood portrays it. It often means sitting in the quiet dark with your equipment waiting for evidence of things that go bump in the night.

When you are at the location, it is important to seek evidence rather than an experience. There is a distinction between the two. Later, as you are analyzing what your EMF meter or spirit box detected, the memory of you screaming at a spirit to appear at your command is not considered evidence. The evidence that you collected based on scientific methods is far more valuable. It builds your reputation too.

It is acceptable to be objective of the homeowner’s claims that their home is haunted. They may like the fancy more than the fact. Offer to do the investigation anyway and be polite. Later, you can turn down an appointment or a follow up if it ends up the home was not haunted at all.

Respect the spirits. They cannot be conjured at will. If the ghost or negative entity is causing serious problems for people, then recommend a local church to aid in banishing the spirits from the home. Don’t attempt it yourself.

After you return home, cleanse yourself and your ghost hunting equipment of any lingering energies. Ghost hunts can stretch on for hours. It’s important to rest and ground and center yourself afterward.

Be careful when you use Ouija boards. Have salt and sage at hand and bid the spirits farewell when you complete your sessions. Believe in your power whatever faith you believe in. Your faith in your power is your most powerful tool. It will guide you on your new hobby or career exploring the paranormal.  I hope you enjoyed this article. Keep an open mind to the paranormal. Have a deep faith in a Higher Power and faith in yourself.

I don’t know why the spirit was in my apartment that night. I may never know. I do know that spirit manifestations are on the rise. We can protect ourselves from any negativity and be curious about the Otherworld. It is the final frontier for all of us.

I’m a member of the Horror Writers Association. My writing has appeared in The Feminine Macabre, Handbook of the Dead, Ghosts, Spirits and Spectres Volume 2Samhain Secrets, Untimely Frost-Poetry Unthawed, One Night in Salem, Wax & Wane: A Gathering of Witchy TalesThe Dark Ones: Tales and Poems of the Shadow Gods, and Witches and Pagans Magazine.

Blog: https://theparanormalquill.wordpress.com

Twitter: magicka66

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghosts.spiritsandapparitions

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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Halloween Haunts 2021

Merry meet all,

It’s that eerie time of year again. I bet you are all working hard at work yet working just as hard to be ready in time for Samhain. I hope you can take some out of your day to enjoy these blog posts. The Horror Writers Association hosts an annual blog event of which I”m participating in. The members of the organization all contribute their blog posts about their own experiences at Halloween. I find them fascinating to read and I hope you do too. 

I will include the links here for your reading enjoyment. !! Have fun. My post is scheduled for October 11th. 

Here is the link to the Halloween Haunts blog page: https://horror.org/category/halloween/ 

Here are the blog links to the individual blog posts: 

Halloween Haunts: I Hear Dead People: Communicating with My Father (and Others) in Spirit by Valerie E. Weich

Halloween Haunts: Writing the Female Horror Body by Holly Lyn Walrath

 

Halloween Haunts: The Pandemic Party by Naching T. Kassa

Halloween Haunts: Freakling Forever by T.J. Tranchell

Halloween Haunts: Wicca is Alive and Well in Cleveland by Katherine Kerestman

Halloween Haunts: The Season Begins by Michael J. Moore

Halloween Haunts: Weird Women Take on Halloween: Five Early Halloween Works by Women by Lisa Morton

This is plenty of scary yet heartwarming reading for your perusal!!!! I shall post more on this as the month passes. I hope you take some time to read this. It will inspire you to get in the mood for everyone’s favourite time of year. 

I made apple chutney last night. Mmmm. I’m continuing in my awesome herbalism course. I received my mystery box of witchy items from Etsy. In the box was a divination cloth to use with pendulum, a lovely tarot card (Truth), a small BOS, a beautiful pendulum, a pentacle, bay leaves, palo santo incense cones, a tiny bell, loose herbs, an essential oil bottle – tiny, a red tealight candle, rose quartz, red jasper, a leaf sticker, a sunstone, and a smudge feather. Beautiful and in time for Samhain!! 

Here is a playlist to get. you in the mood!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsWw_G-5-k4

Happy Samhain Preparing

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch

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Spooky Sight Seers – Spirits

 

 

Merry meet all,

Welcome September! The entire month of September is Halloween Eve. Today it’s rainy and overcast. I definitely feel it in the air. I am happy to post here plenty of good news!. 

I have a new desk, a new monitor- well a few months old, and a new printer and keyboard. I love the new setup. I hope this helps me attract much needed ‘prosperity’. I feel a new energy in my bedroom. Yes, my office is in my bedroom. I shouldn’t do that but I am limited on space here. I have learned how to make it work for me. The new setup here is sure to encourage more positive energy. I’m taking the Short Story Fundamentals workshop at Writers Digest University for the month of September. I am sure I will enjoy it. 

I ordered an expensive large cauldron from the New Age mystic. I can’t wait for it to arrive. 

The Wheel of the Year turns again to Mabon, or the autumn equinox. I love Mabon. It’s as magickal to me as Samhain. I can’t believe it is almost that time of year. To ring in the seasonal change and here things get spooky, I am excited to share this post with you about ghosts in the Maritimes. 

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The Feminine Macabre

Merry meet all,

I am very excited to announce I’ll be featured in the all-female paranormal journal The Feminine Macabre Volume 2. It will be released in August 2021.

Volume 2 of The Feminine Macabre is out in a couple of months and look at the amazing list of writers who have contributed to this volume and if you’ve not heard of this before, search online for Volume 1 or if you’re UK based click here: amazon.co.uk/Feminine-Macab

The Feminine Macabre is an all-female paranormal journal. Paranormal investigating is not the exclusive domain of men. Damn right. Woman are way more in touch with their intuition. Ghosts are not exactly tangible. It does require having a sharp sixth sense to detect ghosts anyway. That is not what most men do. I am not trying to be sexist here. Paranormal investigations are very scientific too. It is just fascinating. 

I am proud to be included in this journal. It is the first all-female paranormal journal I have heard of. Volume 1 contains a foreword written by Patti Neghri, of Ghost Adventures. I don’t know who is writing the foreword for Volume 2. I am sure both journals will contain fascinating stories. I can’t wait to read both journals. My article focuses on the unsettling true history of my beloved haunted hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

I will help promote the second issue of The Feminine Macabre. Amanda, the editor and genius of this project is hosting interviews on Facebook. I can’t wait to be a part of that! This all sounds so exciting. I don’t get paid for this but I do get a free copy. I am so happy to be involved that I don’t mind that I am not paid. The payoff is this opportunity. I am very grateful. 

I just happened upon the website Spookeats. It is how I got involved in this. Good thing too! Hm, now that the lockdown is over, I may dive back into my solo paranormal investigating. 

Till then, stay spooky

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

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Newfoundland oddities

Merry meet all,

I’m growing a variety of seeds in starter pots. Tomato, basil, dill, chard, popcorn-you read that right, cucumber, cilantro, pumpkin, gourds, luffa, arugula, lavender, sage, green bunching onions and elecampane and cabbage. That seems like a lot but imagine the harvest! Plus, it’s all delicious! 

I have setup two lamps where I have my seedlings. That is to ensure they receive the maximum amount of light. It is very overcast here most of the time. They will get a higher amount of light from the bare light bulbs. I leave them on all day. I used white styrofoam cups to start the seeds in. That means the roots have more room to develop. I labeled each cup and poked holes in each cup in the bottom. That lets the water drain and keeps the seedling roots from rotting. Now all I need is the frost to pass so I can put the seedlings outside. It’s not time yet for that. 

Today I want to tel you about a Paranormal podcast in Newfoundland. I hope you enjoy this post!! 

Paranormal Podcast focuses on Newfoundland oddities

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Jon Mallard’s “The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast” is published on the first of every month to share strange and paranormal stories.
Jon Mallard’s “The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast” is published on the first of every month to share strange and paranormal stories. – Contributed
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“I don’t really believe in ghosts, but this one time …” is the line Jon Mallard, host, creator and producer of “The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast,” a paranormal variety show, has heard time and time again.

Mallard has been a paranormal investigator for five years. He began his monthly podcast four years ago because he realized paranormal investigators were somewhat isolated in Newfoundland, and a podcast could be a way to start talking to people outside the province.

“The coolest thing about the show is the reach,” says Mallard, “It’s an amazing thing.”

The podcast has grown significantly since it began and now appears on a myriad of search engines with over 33,000 subscribers on PodBean alone, coming from as far away as Japan.

Related story:

A ghost that walks the train tracks

Each episode is composed of different sections including hot topics in paranormal news that month, and true facts that are out of the ordinary. Every podcast feature guests from Canada or around the world, including Newfoundlanders such as folklorist Dale Jarvis, Energy worker Betty Collings, and Henry Crane of Bell Island to discuss topics ranging from haunted houses to big foot and wrestling.

Mallard converted one of the closets in his home into a recording studio, and records and edits the podcasts himself. One of his favourite episodes was released one year ago on July 1, 2017 called “Canadian Odd-yssey.”

“It was awesome because I got to highlight all of the odd things that are out there in our country,” says Mallard about the episode.

Mallard hopes that the podcast will one day be picked up on local radio stations because they are yet to broadcast a paranormal show about Newfoundland.

“One thing that really ties all things together around the world is oddness that we live in,” says Mallard.

“My dream is for everyone to know what ‘The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast’ is,” says Mallard who doesn’t aspire for the podcast variety show to necessarily become a big part of people’s lives, but instead something they can look forward to enjoying regularly.

In addition to “The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast,” Mallard is married and the father of two children, seven and two, and works as a type of foster parent. His family has been “100 percent” supportive of the podcast and his wish for it to continue growing in the years to come.

“I would love to see more Newfoundlanders subscribing to my podcast and supporting their own,” says Mallard.

“The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast” is published on the first of every month and can streamed or downloaded off a myriad of engines including I-tunes and can be subscribed to on PodBean (http://oddtonewfoundland.podbean.com).

sadie-rae.werner@thetelegram.com

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Credit given to https://www.saltwire.com/newfoundland-labrador/lifestyles/paranormal-podcast-focuses-on-newfoundland-oddities-223500/

Blessings, Spiderwitch

Links of interest: !!

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