Haunted Houses

[latin_rite]

Has anyone ever lived in one and how did your faith impact how you dealt with it?

I lived in one. Every night you could hear footsteps running up our hallway. sounded like the footsteps of a small child. In fact when we first heard it, we thought it was one of our kids. which is why i think it never bothered us. By the time we figured out it wasn’t our kids. we came to realize that it was harmless. In fact my wife use to hear it and say 'here she comes" it became part and parcel of living there. it wasn’t until a few years later that both my wife and daughters started to actually see things (people) that they came a little worried. my eldest daughter started seeing a man walk into her room every second night or so. go behind the door and bend over as if it was looking for something. it didn’t bother her for the same reasons the foot steps didn’t bother us. she thought it was me looking for something and by the time she realized it wasn’t she realized it was harmless. My other daughter though was a little less unlucky. she was watching TV in our lounge room, when i noticed that she was crying. when i asked what was the matter she said she saw a woman walk out of our room and into hers. she was a lot younger than my other daughter. but she soon got over it. My wife though on the other hand when she saw her first one screamed her head off. she said she had come out of the bathroom about 3 am. and when she opened the door she saw this man standing there staring at her. she jumped and screamed and the person just vanished. I being the “big” man of the house use to scoff and laugh and call them scardie cats. that was until; one night i walked into our bed room and felt something grab my arm.i soon change my tune. As for my faith. At the time i never had any form of religious art or crucifixes of the kind in the house.
it wasn’t until my son brought me a nice crucifix to hang on the wall for my b’day. that the"apparitions" and touching started to happen. I thought i’ll mention that.Not saying that the crucifix started it all off but…who knows. But sometimes i think that if it did. it was a comfort that a mere symbol of my lord could have such a effect.

 

[MakeUpArtist]

I know where you are coming from. Personally, I have the same problem. All though they come to me for help and how to know Jesus to go to the other side. I have a gift called the gift of discernment. I also can sence angels an demons and feel presents from them. I want to ask you Makeupartist, what makes you so sure it isnt demonic and just human spirit lurking in the home? Can you lay out details for me maybe I can figure out if it is demonic or human for you too and see if you are right. I am not psychic or mediumistic. I dont care for that I have the holy spirit working with in me and I have the gift of discernment. Knowing who is who and what is what.

I guess I just don’t sense it being demonic. The house is pretty old, and all of the stuff is just extremely annoying. My step-father will turn the light off in his band room, and it will turn back on when no one else has been down there. Things will turn up missing and such.

 

[Shoshana]

Here is what you should do if you are experiencing a haunting:

1. 
   *]Attend Confession and Mass weekly. You must be in a state of grace.
   *]Place a religious image or item such as a crucifix in every room.
   *]Have the entire property blessed by a priest.
   *]Read the Bible and pray the Rosary daily.
   *]Recite and read Psalm 91 daily.
   *]Have a Mass said for the spirit(s) who are haunting your house.
   *]Pray to St. Michael asking for his protection and deliverance.
   *]Create a loving home and DO NOT argue with your spouse or family. They will feed off any negative energy.
   
   This is the reason I would advise people to have a Mass said for the spirit(s). They may be poor souls who are experiencing their purgatory on earth. Having a Mass said for these spirits will help them. If the spirits are not holy souls, then having a Mass said will not cause any harm.
   
   Here is what you should not do:
   1. 
      *]Do not provoke the spirit or challenge it directly. You may not be prepared for the consequences. Prayer should be your only response to any activity.
      *]Do not command the spirit to leave. Ask Jesus to expel the spirit(s) and pray to the Saints asking for deliverance.
      *]Do not engage in any occult practices in an attempt to communicate with the spirits.
      *]Do not believe anything the spirit tells you.
      *]Do not engage in non-Christian practices in an attempt to expel the spirit(s).
      
      Every day will be a battle, and it will be extremely trying. However, DO NOT LOSE FAITH. You must always believe in the power of Christ.
      
      Go to the Church for help, and look for a priest who is experienced in this area. The Church has the ability to deal with any form of activity. The most important thing is to pray daily for deliverance and protection.

1. 1. 
      
      Excellent advice…and I can confirm this as I was part of a team in exorcism. I also made the mistake (although I did permission from my spiritual director) to bless the store I worked at and I was flanked by two other catholic workers from the store. Used holy water and blessed salt, etc prayers of protection out loud. No orders of imprecatory prayers of any kind. Then things were flying all over when I was around…and the last time it happened, a big framed picture almost hit me in the head and the glass and frame shattered. It did not fall straight down, as that is what gravity would do. It flew four feet from the wall…and I know this because the table under the picutre was not touched. And this table had expensive merchandise on it. The crash was ear-splitting…because I was just in that spot a couple of seconds before.
      
      Now we used to sell voodoo charms, a psychic would come in. etc. The boss would get angry with me because it would only happen when I was around. She said that her spirit hated my spirit. She would blame me for the activity. Of course it was demonic…
      
      I left the place…

 

[kage_ar]

I guess I just don’t sense it being demonic. The house is pretty old, and all of the stuff is just extremely annoying. My step-father will turn the light off in his band room, and it will turn back on when no one else has been down there. Things will turn up missing and such.

Old houses = funky electrical wiring issues.

And if things turning up missing is a sign of a ghost, then, every house or office on earth is haunted

 

[Lief_Erikson]

I lived in one. Every night you could hear footsteps running up our hallway. sounded like the footsteps of a small child. In fact when we first heard it, we thought it was one of our kids. which is why i think it never bothered us. By the time we figured out it wasn’t our kids. we came to realize that it was harmless. In fact my wife use to hear it and say 'here she comes" it became part and parcel of living there. it wasn’t until a few years later that both my wife and daughters started to actually see things (people) that they came a little worried. my eldest daughter started seeing a man walk into her room every second night or so. go behind the door and bend over as if it was looking for something. it didn’t bother her for the same reasons the foot steps didn’t bother us. she thought it was me looking for something and by the time she realized it wasn’t she realized it was harmless. My other daughter though was a little less unlucky. she was watching TV in our lounge room, when i noticed that she was crying. when i asked what was the matter she said she saw a woman walk out of our room and into hers. she was a lot younger than my other daughter. but she soon got over it. My wife though on the other hand when she saw her first one screamed her head off. she said she had come out of the bathroom about 3 am. and when she opened the door she saw this man standing there staring at her. she jumped and screamed and the person just vanished. I being the “big” man of the house use to scoff and laugh and call them scardie cats. that was until; one night i walked into our bed room and felt something grab my arm.i soon change my tune. As for my faith. At the time i never had any form of religious art or crucifixes of the kind in the house.
it wasn’t until my son brought me a nice crucifix to hang on the wall for my b’day. that the"apparitions" and touching started to happen. I thought i’ll mention that.Not saying that the crucifix started it all off but…who knows. But sometimes i think that if it did. it was a comfort that a mere symbol of my lord could have such a effect.

I think it could very well be related to the crucifix being brought in. Perhaps the power of Christ has simply caused what was already there to be revealed (whether human or demonic spirits)? Or perhaps if there was a “dormant” spiritual enemy in the house, they are reacting? It really does sound like some sort of a reaction to the crucifix’s presence- and possibly a negative reaction.

 

[PraiseGodxJMJ]

I know where you are coming from. Personally, I have the same problem. All though they come to me for help and how to know Jesus to go to the other side. I have a gift called the gift of discernment. I also can sence angels an demons and feel presents from them. I want to ask you Makeupartist, what makes you so sure it isnt demonic and just human spirit lurking in the home? Can you lay out details for me maybe I can figure out if it is demonic or human for you too and see if you are right. I am not psychic or mediumistic. I dont care for that I have the holy spirit working with in me and I have the gift of discernment. Knowing who is who and what is what.

Personally, I believe as a Catholic that God created the world around us. God created us. God didn’t build a toll booth to collect user fees for life. Instead, life is free, and being in the created world is free; it’s a gift. We humans are the ones who attach fees to what’s been freely given to us.

The Ultimate Gift
The biggest gift of all, however, isn’t other people, and isn’t nature, or the universe, or family. The biggest gift in all of existence is that we are given the Giver - the same Greatest One who was Job’s only satisfaction and Moses’ only strength is now given to humankind. God chooses not only to put up with us, but to be with us. That’s what all this Jesus talk means - that’s why Jesus matters. He is, in Christmas-talk, “God-with-us”, Immanuel. That is the gift of Jesus.

But Jesus is in heaven watching us. He said I will be with you all and give you a helper. So another gift has been given - God in yet another way, the divine Spirit through whom Christ is still in effect right here and now.

This Spirit leads, shapes, empowers, and gives us joy. The gift a Christian lives in every day, most fundamentally, is the Holy Spirit. When speaking about “gifts of the Spirit”, we’re not talking about the gift of God, though that’s what lies behind all other gifts. Nor is this about the gift of creation, or the gift of other people or of family or nation or culture – great gifts all. When speaking of gifts of the Spirit, spiritual gifts, charismata, or things like that, it’s about what the Spirit gives as part of bettering people’s life in general, and specifically for the life of following Christ.

“Spiritual gifts” is the general term used here. It’s a phrase which has meaning in most religions, even ones which don’t have a god but who insist that human beings have a part of themselves that is beyond what we can measure or touch or logically figure out. Whatever the spiritual realm is, it bestows on people a range of accomplishment abilities that go beyond mere skill or knack. The term ‘spiritual gifts’ itself does not say who gave them, or even whether anyone did. (In some religions, what Christians call ‘gifts’ are treated like peaches dangling from a spiritual tree, there to be picked by those who have enough spiritual insight to find them.) While the term is useful, and is good shorthand for more complicated definitions, Christians much prefer to use the term “gifts of the Holy Spirit”, as thanks to the One who gives the gifts, and as a way to give credit where credit is due.

Where there’s a gift, there are natural abilities and developed skills which can go with it.

There is the gift of discernment of spirits, and the natural ability of intuition, and the skillful use of a discernment process.

There is the gift of healing, and there are the natural healing processes and the medical skills to assist those processes.

There is exorcism, and there are people able to rid their lives of those who use lies and trickery, and the skill of making themselves more true.

There is prophecy, and there is the ability to discover the truth and and the skill to figure out how and when to share it.

There is ecstatic spiritual experience, and there are romance and desire, and the skills to use them to create bonds of love with your spouse.

God created everyone with these natural foreshadowings of supernatural gifts. They’re good, and are meant to be used all, not just the faithful. If you find that you have a talent, use it and develop it as best you can. But it takes the Holy Spirit working within the believer to put the natural and the supernatural together with power to serve.

:yup::grouphug:

I just hope that every one will understand that Catholicism is the church of the bible. We are the real Israelites from the bible and the authors of the bible are our ancestors.

 

[latin_rite]

I think it could very well be related to the crucifix being brought in. Perhaps the power of Christ has simply caused what was already there to be revealed (whether human or demonic spirits)? Or perhaps if there was a “dormant” spiritual enemy in the house, they are reacting? It really does sound like some sort of a reaction to the crucifix’s presence- and possibly a negative reaction.

It’s exactly what i was thinking. we never had religious symbols of any kind in the house. apart from the crucifix i wore around my neck. for at least 2 years after moving in . And the only odd thing was the footsteps running up our hallway. It wasn’t until we got the Larger crucifix that hangs on our wall that things started to escalate. And i believe it was in a negative way. But as i said even though it was in a negative way that they reacted to the crucifix. it did still give me confidence that such a small symbol of the Lord could have such a effect on them.

 

[Roza]

I’m still positive it’s familiar spirits. People either go to heaven, hell or purgatory for purification… I don’t buy the fables of souls wandering about and a psychic needing to tell them to ‘go toward the light’. If any of that garbage were true I think there’d be at least one account of it in scripture don’t you? If any of it were true the Church would support it… There are accounts of familiar spirits, demons. I’m so far away from the days I used to eat up anything ghost story related and all the other NAM junk… not there anymore.

Way back, don’t even remember if this was when I was still a dabbler or not (I think I was) that a place can retain energy from extreme emotions… like those accounts of seeing Civil War soldiers etc… but again… sorry, that all sounds so NAM-ish… new age babble. I have no interest in letting the deceptions be a part of my life anymore. Getting un-brainwashed from all the NAM thinking…

 

[Serap]

OK…I have a scary story.

When I was about 14, I played with a ouija board with a group of friends over a period of about 2 months. I knew it was wrong because I have a gift of being very intuitive to this stuff. My legs had this electric feeling going through them…it was wierd. I knew whatever it was, was evil despite it telling me it was a dead relative, etc. I was really curious, so I continued to experiment with it…mistake.

Anyway, the various entities said some really scary stuff directed at me…really sinister stuff like it was always watching me; could read my mind; it even once said it wanted to kill me…whenever we played, the entity would always direct it’s communcation to me. I think it’s b/c I would be reciting the Lord’s Prayer in my head and telling God to protect me b/c I felt unsafe.

One night we were playing and I asked the ouija if it believed in God…it was furious!!! The plastic indicator went crazy all over the board. Then this terrible smell went through the house and my friend’s dog began to cry and pee himself. We let the dog out and he ran as fast as he could away from the house.

I suggested that we pray b/c we were all very scared. We prayed and went to sleep (it was a sleepover at my friend’s house). We had hid the ouija board in the basement and the whole night, we could hear a muffled banging sound coming from the basement.

Then my friend’s parents began to tell us that objects were flying around the house and this black cloud would move from room to room.

Shortly after, they got the house purified by a new age person. I’m not sure if anything happened after that.

Well…I NEVER touched a ouija board again…and yes, after that I knew Satan was real!!!

 

[Roza]

I only used a ouija 3 days with a friend, then the ‘main spirit’ on the board asked us to toss the board. I try not to talk about it all often cuz it’s still fresh enough and it was crazy, it was evil. Ok… my friend went to her parent’s house (northern WI) because her father was dying and she stayed with her mom on and off… a vest that looked Russian appeared out of nowhere… they had glasses being thrown around the house. I was next door to her apartment (Madison WI) and heard glass breaking coming from there… I walk in to her apartment… her cat was in there… I see no glass. Back then I stupidly thought I was ‘talking’ to her… (automatic hand writing) just to find out it wasn’t her. She told me on the phone I was lied to. Then why months later (maybe a year) she calls me and said you know, it’s not all evil… I think that’s the last time we talked. I was still doing the dabbling junk up until 2003 but I’m gone from there now.

And yeah, I don’t like even typing this because it is still fresh. I would never put a pen in my right hand again (I’m a lefty) and see if ‘it’s still there’. I’m sure it’s not. I don’t feel things around me that I once thought were the energy of deceased loved ones… I’m so not in that mindset anymore. I don’t believe in ghosts, haunted houses & all that junk… nor do I give any credibility to psychics (satan’s sidekicks)… was one, not a part of those crazy demonic dumb days. I thank God I’m out of that. I have to remember to keep praying for that friend I used the board with. Haven’t heard from her for probably 8 yrs or more… don’t know if she’s still messing with that junk or not. I’m never going back, I know none of it was from God.

Thank You Jesus for getting me out of that mess.

 

[Roza]

And yeah, I will keep praying the rosary now and the spiritual warfare prayers, ask St. Michael for his intercession, and Blessed Bartolo… St. Jude. So much never want to be in that craziness ever again. Thank God Almighty I’m free at last!

Just adding… YES I know the ‘spirit guide’ was a demon… it all was. I’m so not there anymore. I never communicated with the people these things claimed to be… plus… once still in the midst I may have seen them for what they were… I just remember a crazy drive in a friend’s car at night and sensing something on top of the car trying to tip it over… my friend driving having a hard time controlling the car… enough said. I’m never going back to that craziness.

 

[iluvmybabies]

Has anyone ever lived in one and how did your faith impact how you dealt with it?

Wow, this is an interesting post…I thought Catholic’s weren’t really allowed to speak about this? Seriously!! In my family that wasn’t allowed until I became an adult…weird…then in our church as I was growing up it wasn’t allowed to be mentioned either?! Now as an adult I tried to bring it up with our priest and he just looked at me as if I was crazy and wouldn’t even speak about it…
I have lived in several houses where strange things have happened…and because I am not allowed to really speak about it, I would consider things to be my imagination, but when my fiance would hear them too and see them, then we knew and I knew I wasn’t seeing things…Even my dog has seen things that she will growl at and try to attack…I pray for these souls and hope that they rest in peace…
It’s creepy, and I hate the feeling that I am being watched, but I pray for them…

 

[Roza]

I know I experienced God’s version of the super natural too… like when I was pushed out of the way of a speeding car, or when a friend was heavy on my mind for me to call her but I didn’t… she ended up passing on… but the junk that was going on after the ouija… that was garbage. I so much don’t like talking about it because… I do sound crazy but since that’s the topic I guess it’s ok. I don’t dwell on that junk. I guess I’d call that a ‘past life’… no I don’t believe in “past lives” either but it’s so much NOT who I am now.

 

[Roza]

Also, I can’t say I had a typical Catholic childhood, I thought it was… yeah, we had regular Mass attendance & the Holy Days etc… but there was other stuff mixed in and yeah I blamed that all on Catholic but I know now I was wrong… that’s what made me so mad at Catholicism for a time but more and more I saw all my qualms against the Church being disproved. So yeah, I confess to you all I was a goof for several years.

I was on that ‘slippery slope’.

 

[iluvmybabies]

I know I experienced God’s version of the super natural too… like when I was pushed out of the way of a speeding car, or when a friend was heavy on my mind for me to call her but I didn’t… she ended up passing on… but the junk that was going on after the ouija… that was garbage. I so much don’t like talking about it because… I do sound crazy but since that’s the topic I guess it’s ok. I don’t dwell on that junk. I guess I’d call that a ‘past life’… no I don’t believe in “past lives” either but it’s so much NOT who I am now.

My boyfriend played with that thing, he says a lot of dark things happened to him…and a lot of scary things…he would see really evil things and he couldn’t even sleep…he said he tried to ignore but they were always there…he was a kid when he did this and regrets it still…he got closer to GOD after all this but it still haunts him…

 

[Roza]

If anything, I know now the devil is real, I know evil is real… I don’t entertain things that contradict what I should be looking at. Scripture tells us what to be thinking of and it’s not junk like Harry Potter and casting spells.

Philippians 4 DRB
1 Therefore, my dearly beloved brethren, and most desired, my joy and my crown; so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. 2 I beg of Evodia, and I beseech Syntyche, to be of one mind in the Lord. 3 And I entreat thee also, my sincere companion, help those women who have laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement and the rest of my fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. 5 Let your modesty be known to all men. The Lord is nigh.

6 Be nothing solicitous; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline, think on these things. 9 The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you. 10 Now I rejoice in the Lord exceedingly, that now at length your thought for me hath flourished again, as you did also think; but you were busied.

None of that includes ‘ghosts’, ouija, haunted houses, psychics, etc.

What really ANNOYS me… ouija boards are sold as innocent ‘games’… Parker Brothers and I’m sure there’s more manufacturers out there. I had a friend back then that thought it was crazy that I let a ‘toy’ affect me so much. It’s not an innocent ‘toy’… it’s not a game… they shouldn’t be made IMO but it’s the world… you’re going to run into garbage in the ‘world’. We have to remember who is the ‘god’ of this world…

---

I thought I posted what the Catechism says, unless it was a different thread but read this;

Catechism of the Catholic Church

1021 Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul – a destiny which can be different for some and for others.

Keyword, IMMEDIATELY after death… nothing about when you die you go on this journey floating around as a spirit trying to find your way to your destination… sorry, I don’t buy that garbage anymore. I do believe in familiar spirits and ‘hauntings’ are merely demons IMO doing their best to lead people astray. It does nothing but takes our eyes OFF of where they should be, on Jesus.

 

[Roza]

The Ouija Board: A Game or a Gamble?
by Fr. Robert Allgaier

That’s an excellent article on ouija.

 

[CHRISTINE77]

If anything, I know now the devil is real, I know evil is real… I don’t entertain things that contradict what I should be looking at. Scripture tells us what to be thinking of and it’s not junk like Harry Potter and casting spells.

None of that includes ‘ghosts’, ouija, haunted houses, psychics, etc.

What really ANNOYS me… ouija boards are sold as innocent ‘games’… Parker Brothers and I’m sure there’s more manufacturers out there. I had a friend back then that thought it was crazy that I let a ‘toy’ affect me so much. It’s not an innocent ‘toy’… it’s not a game… they shouldn’t be made IMO but it’s the world… you’re going to run into garbage in the ‘world’. We have to remember who is the ‘god’ of this world…

---

I thought I posted what the Catechism says, unless it was a different thread but read this;

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Keyword, IMMEDIATELY after death… nothing about when you die you go on this journey floating around as a spirit trying to find your way to your destination… sorry, I don’t buy that garbage anymore. I do believe in familiar spirits and ‘hauntings’ are merely demons IMO doing their best to lead people astray. It does nothing but takes our eyes OFF of where they should be, on Jesus.

This is an excellent post. I too believe that evil does exist, but Christ is much more powerful. Prayer is powerful. We have the ability to resist evil through Christ our Lord.

 

[Roza]

I was in the occult, I lived it… I blamed Catholicism for it in my mind because I grew up Catholic (I thought) and figured the ghost stories were part of it so yeah, I did lump it together. I was delivered from it and still blamed Catholicism. God placed Catholics in my way that put up with my questions and I kept looking up things I had problems with and yeah, 1 by 1 all my misconceptions were being disproved… ended up in a night of having my battle with it… I did a lot of crying before even thinking about setting foot in a Catholic Church again… and yeah, now I wonder why I was dumb & left in the first place. But I think we all have our own stories of things we’ve had to battle. Mine was the occult, maybe someone else battled with alcoholism or porn or whatever. Just means I fell for the sin nature like we all do and I really want to do my best now to keep growing in the faith. I do know why we keep crucifixes in our Churches. We need that image of what sin does, it’s conviction and it’s Jesus’ love for us.

I lost my battle… but Jesus carried this lost sheep back, that’s all I can say. And I will never forget the rosary in pieces I found in 2005, I put it back together, did get it blessed last year and I still have it. It’s hanging over my crucifix now.
(I have to get better at not making typos!)

 

[CHRISTINE77]

I was in the occult, I lived it… I blamed Catholicism for it in my mind because I grew up Catholic (I thought) and figured the ghost stories were part of it so yeah, I did lump it together. I was delivered from it and still blamed Catholicism. God placed Catholics in my way that put up with my questions and I kept looking up things I had problems with and yeah, 1 by 1 all my misconceptions were being disproved… ended up in a night of having my battle with it… I did a lot of crying before even thinking about setting foot in a Catholic Church again… and yeah, now I wonder why I was dumb & left in the first place. But I think we all have our own stories of things we’ve had to battle. Mine was the occult, maybe someone else battled with alcoholism or porn or whatever. Just means I fell for the sin nature like we all do and I really want to do my best now to keep growing in the faith. I do know why we keep crucifixes in our Churches. We need that image of what sin does, it’s conviction and it’s Jesus’ love for us.

I lost my battle… but Jesus carried this lost sheep back, that’s all I can say. And I will never forget the rosary in pieces I found in 2005, I put it back together, did get it blessed last year and I still have it. It’s hanging over my crucifix now.
(I have to get better at not making typos!)

It’s amazing how much Jesus helps us when we start turning towards him. I turned away from the Catholic Church for years too. Finally I realized that life was just meaningless without God and decided to go back to Church. Then I prayed that I would never lose my faith in God and that He would help me to keep my faith strong. And it seems like whenever I start having doubts, something will come into my life, to prove that faith is true. It is so absolutely true: seek and ye shall find. But not always the way we think we will find things. God works in mysterious ways. Thanks be to God for everything!