Strange Feeling at a House

[kyle1234567]

Hello, everyone:

One year ago, my mother moved into a new house in the country. It’s a beautiful home on four acres of wooded land and she got a very good deal because of the market. Unfortunately, the previous occupant killed himself on the property in 2008. He used a shotgun and propped himself up on a tree in the yard before doing it. The house sat empty for a while, and his widow eventually completed the sale to my mother.

There have been some strange occurrences since she moved in:
-An occasional strong (sudden) smell of cigarette smoke in the living room. The previous owner was a smoker and there doesn’t seem to be any other explanations for the smell.
-My mother has reported strange tapping on the windows at night (only at night). She said it was like someone was knocking rather hard and persistently on the window next to the front door, like a deliveryman. Unfortunately, this was very late at night and, upon investigation, no one was found outside the house.
-My own feelings of intense dread and fear when leaving her house at night. I’m fine during the day, but when I walk the 500 ft from the house to my car, I almost can’t get out of there fast enough. I’m sure the standard fear of the dark and psychological suggestion play an important role here, but I rarely feel this much trepidation in other locations.

I should say that I’m a very rational person who was a science major and medical researcher before entering the seminary two years ago. While I do believe in demonic influence and the presence of unknown forces in our world, I am more prone to look for reasonable, natural explanations to situations like this. However, the suicide makes me very uncomfortable and, coupled with the above occurrences, I’m not sure how to advise my mother. My first thought is to contact the local parish priest for a blessing of the property, but I don’t know much about this type of presence. Any help from the community would be appreciated!

 

[Barbkw]

A physical reason for a home to suddenly have a cigarette smell:

1. the heating and air conditioning vents are lined with recirculated cigarette residue.
2. homes naturally breathe on their own. Outside air enters homes whereever it can and then lifts and pressurizes toward the attic.
3. unless the home’s carpet & pad were replaced completely, and all the walls sealed, air pressures will again recirculate the odors.

 

[nickybr38]

Hello, everyone:

One year ago, my mother moved into a new house in the country. It’s a beautiful home on four acres of wooded land and she got a very good deal because of the market. Unfortunately, the previous occupant killed himself on the property in 2008. He used a shotgun and propped himself up on a tree in the yard before doing it. The house sat empty for a while, and his widow eventually completed the sale to my mother.

There have been some strange occurrences since she moved in:
-An occasional strong (sudden) smell of cigarette smoke in the living room. The previous owner was a smoker and there doesn’t seem to be any other explanations for the smell.
-My mother has reported strange tapping on the windows at night (only at night). She said it was like someone was knocking rather hard and persistently on the window next to the front door, like a deliveryman. Unfortunately, this was very late at night and, upon investigation, no one was found outside the house.
-My own feelings of intense dread and fear when leaving her house at night. I’m fine during the day, but when I walk the 500 ft from the house to my car, I almost can’t get out of there fast enough. I’m sure the standard fear of the dark and psychological suggestion play an important role here, but I rarely feel this much trepidation in other locations.

I should say that I’m a very rational person who was a science major and medical researcher before entering the seminary two years ago. While I do believe in demonic influence and the presence of unknown forces in our world, I am more prone to look for reasonable, natural explanations to situations like this. However, the suicide makes me very uncomfortable and, coupled with the above occurrences, I’m not sure how to advise my mother. My first thought is to contact the local parish priest for a blessing of the property, but I don’t know much about this type of presence. Any help from the community would be appreciated!

It never hurts to have the Father come down for a blessing. Perhaps he can bless the land as well?

I have SO many anecdotal stories I could tell you but I suspect they would do little to help calm you and would do more to freak you out.

So I will say, don’t be afraid. Call upon your Guardian Angel when you visit her and leave it in God’s hands. Whatever’s going on, it can’t hurt you or her.

 

[SeaShoreGirl]

1. smoke is near impossible to get rid of. Unless the house is made of bleached brick its leftover. My previous apartment had been smoke free for 5 years and had all new rugs and repainted walls. I smelled the smoke CONSTANTLY and it wasnt the neighbors.
2. houses tick as stated above. However, i would check for varmin. It could be a nesting squirrel, mouse etc thumping around. And a mouse needs less than a dime-sized hole to enter.
3. At this point youve psyced yourself out.

 

[SonCatcher]

One thing that can cause a “tapping” noise is the expansion and contraction of the house as it warms and cools. The noises are much more noticeable at night when everything else is silent.

Also, my refrigerator (3 years old) makes a knocking sound when the compressor starts or stops. It’s also more noticeable at night.

2 years ago a furnace duct cleaner used an incendiary device to apply disinfectant to my system. I can still smell it from time to time. I imagine smoke from a habitual smoker will last even longer. Even if the carpet were replaced, the floorboards may have absorbed the smell.

If the walk to the car is dark, consider installing walkway lights (little solar ones can go for just a few dollars each) or bring a flashlight with you. I sometimes have an uneasy time if I can’t see where my feet are going. (no ghost stories necessary)

On a separate matter, the previous owner probably needs prayer for his soul.

 

[kyle1234567]

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts! I appreciate the time you took.

 

[horselvr]

While I have had experiences of my own in York SC of all places I am going to suggest that you give little thought to any activity going on around you or your property. Seems the more you pay attention to what is going on the more will happen. Just ignore it the best you can. Can it freak you out—oh yes by golly it can, but try your best to ignore and all that nonsense stops.

I agree very much with the other poster:

Lighting up the walkway with decorative lights, a few angel statues and even the Blessed Virgin will do a lot to calm fears. Plant beautiful flowers all around the tree where he ended his life on earth. Bird feeders and a beautiful bird bath to bring life to the area.

Prayers for the man’s soul. What despair he must have been in to commit suicide, poor thing.

Really if you think about it. How many times have each and everyone of us been somewhere where someone has died and didn’t even know it. In the south especially where battles were fought. There is property within spitting distance from me where a very well known massacre occurred right down the road from me and while I have noticed a few odd things I just :shrug:and go on my merry way. The farm next to me is so riddled with whatever TV crews and talk show hosts have been out and Universities have sent researchers there to investigate. On occassion something from there would blow through my place but just kept on going with little thought from me. It’s odd but—eh! What are ya going to do. By the way, a new family lives there without any incidents and they love the place.

Hotel rooms are notorous for having people die or commit suicide in them. How many times have we stayed in one and didn’t even know it. Used cars–people die in them all the time and we buy them. We just don’t know it.

I guess all I’m trying to say is don’t be afraid. Have the place blessed, plant flowers and get on with enjoying the country life.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

Hello, everyone:

One year ago, my mother moved into a new house in the country. It’s a beautiful home on four acres of wooded land and she got a very good deal because of the market. Unfortunately, the previous occupant killed himself on the property in 2008. He used a shotgun and propped himself up on a tree in the yard before doing it. The house sat empty for a while, and his widow eventually completed the sale to my mother…

I might add a peculiar experience of my own.

My old Protestant pastor once said to me, “I think you’ll be doing some cleaning. You won’t like it much, and you won’t be doing it for long, but I think the Lord might just want you to hear about a ghost.” Incidentally he also predicted I’d lose the government job I had at the time, and that I would become Catholic.

Now I’d been in his church for about 9 years by that time, so I knew how accurate his predictions were. But I still thought it was silly and basically ignored. Now he probably made that prediction in 1991 or thereabouts, as he died himself in 1992.

But I lost my then job in 1995, became Catholic not long after (1996 or 97), and in 2006 I did a cleaning job for a short time. I didn’t like it much, but when I was being shown around an old store in Ipswich, the bloke showing me the round suddenly remarked, “This place is haunted.”

So here was my ghost. Apparently a former manager had killed himself in the 1960’s by hanging. The young fellow showing me the store didn’t like being there at night, as he said one time all the stock just jumped off one complete set of shelves and landed on the floor. At other times he could push this 2 wheeled buffer with his little finger. It was very heavy, and the only reason he could do that was because something was pushing it with him. So he was frightened of the ghost.

On the other hand, I felt quite positive “vibes” when I was there, and I think the reason the Lord “wanted me to hear about a ghost” was to get a mass said for the suicide. In other words, being bound to the old store was the suicide’s purgatory, or part of it.

Eventually I rang the local priest, and he said he’d say a mass. But I ended up following that up with an email when I happened to “chance” upon the Associate priest in the same church a year or so later, who happened to be posting on this forum. So to make sure I asked him by email to say a mass, and he assured me he would.

That’s a pretty accurate prediction by my old pastor, and it necessitated a number of events to complete fulfilment - losing my govt. job, becoming a Catholic (I’d never had asked for a mass if I hadn’t), more or less doing cleaning due to frustration, hearing about the suicidal ghost in the store, and to finish it off, chancing upon a convenient priest on this forum. So it wasn’t “coincidence”.

What I’m getting at is that your case might be similar. Maybe the suicide’s ghost is hanging around, and he’s bound to the place as part of his Purgatory. He smoked, and you get smoking smells. You get this sense of sinister spirituality at night in the yard and he committed suicide in the (back) yard.

Personally think you might have a haunting on your hands, and maybe you need to get a mass said for the suicide. I’m only saying because of the peculiar prediction my old pastor made, and the way it came about (as his predictions usually did).

If someone else has a better explanation, I’d be interested to hear it.

 

[nickybr38]

I might add a peculiar experience of my own.

My old Protestant pastor once said to me, “I think you’ll be doing some cleaning. You won’t like it much, and you won’t be doing it for long, but I think the Lord might just want you to hear about a ghost.” Incidentally he also predicted I’d lose the government job I had at the time, and that I would become Catholic.

Now I’d been in his church for about 9 years by that time, so I knew how accurate his predictions were. But I still thought it was silly and basically ignored. Now he probably made that prediction in 1991 or thereabouts, as he died himself in 1992.

But I lost my then job in 1995, became Catholic not long after (1996 or 97), and in 2006 I did a cleaning job for a short time. I didn’t like it much, but when I was being shown around an old store in Ipswich, the bloke showing me the round suddenly remarked, “This place is haunted.”

So here was my ghost. Apparently a former manager had killed himself in the 1960’s by hanging. The young fellow showing me the store didn’t like being there at night, as he said one time all the stock just jumped off one complete set of shelves and landed on the floor. At other times he could push this 2 wheeled buffer with his little finger. It was very heavy, and the only reason he could do that was because something was pushing it with him. So he was frightened of the ghost.

On the other hand, I felt quite positive “vibes” when I was there, and I think the reason the Lord “wanted me to hear about a ghost” was to get a mass said for the suicide. In other words, being bound to the old store was the suicide’s purgatory, or part of it.

Eventually I rang the local priest, and he said he’d say a mass. But I ended up following that up with an email when I happened to “chance” upon the Associate priest in the same church a year or so later, who happened to be posting on this forum. So to make sure I asked him by email to say a mass, and he assured me he would.

That’s a pretty accurate prediction by my old pastor, and it necessitated a number of events to complete fulfilment - losing my govt. job, becoming a Catholic (I’d never had asked for a mass if I hadn’t), more or less doing cleaning due to frustration, hearing about the suicidal ghost in the store, and to finish it off, chancing upon a convenient priest on this forum. So it wasn’t “coincidence”.

What I’m getting at is that your case might be similar. Maybe the suicide’s ghost is hanging around, and he’s bound to the place as part of his Purgatory. He smoked, and you get smoking smells. You get this sense of sinister spirituality at night in the yard and he committed suicide in the (back) yard.

Personally think you might have a haunting on your hands, and maybe you need to get a mass said for the suicide. I’m only saying because of the peculiar prediction my old pastor made, and the way it came about (as his predictions usually did).

If someone else has a better explanation, I’d be interested to hear it.

I have heard the ghosts are souls in purgatory who need prayer theory before. I think it’s interesting. Couldn’t hurt to have a Mass said OP!