Sean Paradis

Provoking spirits to cause them to make contact is something that unfortunately has become a common practice in the ghost hunting industry on television. When people see this happening, they think that doing the same will get more results. The only time that I feel it is appropriate to do so is if a homeowner is being troubled by a malicious entity, and the entity has not made contact with investigators despite past attempts. Sometimes, the only way to deal with a bully spirit is to stand up to them. Unless an investigator is faced with this situation, I do not believe it is right to provoke a spirit. Not only out of respect, but also for safety reasons.

The most important reason that I do not provoke spirits is out of respect. Spirits are simply people without bodies. Though you may not be able to see them, spirits still deserve to be treated with respect. Often times the place where a spirit stays behind is one that they are attached to, or, they were afraid to move on and the place gives them a sense of comfort. It is the same way that a place you and I consider to be home gives us comfort.

Imagine if someone were to come knocking on your door. You answer, and a man that you have never met before inquires to ask you a few questions. This will go one of two ways. You may say yes, and proceed to answer the questions. After giving your answers, he leaves and you resume what you had been doing before answering the door. The other option is that you politely say no, and ask him to leave.

But he does not. He begins to ask more questions, explaining that the answers are highly important. Again, you say no. At this point you may be getting frustrated. He sees that being polite will not work with you. So he puts his foot in the doorway and edges himself inside. If you will not answer his questions, he will stay until you do. Now what you do?

Feeling threatened, you start to think of solutions. You can tell him to leave, and if he does not you will call the cops. You may force the door shut and lock it. Or, depending on what personality you have, you may throw a punch or two. Either way, you feel like your space has been invaded, and he may end up with a bruise or two. Provoking spirits is the same way. If they do not want to answer your questions, please do not force them to.

They may feel scared, and during that moment they may throw something at you, or try to hit you. Imagine yourself in the situation with the man asking questions at your door. If you feel that they will try and force their way into your home, you are going to stop them. Ghosts cannot call the police. They may possibly ignore you, eventually give up and make contact, or get aggressive. Now, if they should get aggressive, which is rare, you cannot blame them for that. They are simply defending themselves just as you or I would do in the same situation.   

If a spirit does not reply to your questions after a few attempts, the best thing do is leave. There is no reason to waste precious time when you could find evidence elsewhere. If you have the opportunity to visit the location again, try asking questions again.  Often results will not turn up until the second, third, or even fourth visit. So please ask yourself this before provoking a spirit: How would you feel if someone did the same to you?

The answer to this question is one that could be debated for hours on end, and still not have a solid answer. The way that I have always felt about Ouija boards is that the board itself is not dangerous. It becomes dangerous when those who are using it do not know how to do so properly. The best analogy that I can use to compare this to is using a phone.      

Phone companies have a variety of tools you can use to keep your privacy, such as a private number unlisted in the phone book, caller id, and call blocking. This way, only those who you would like to contact you can. If you start to become careless with who gets a hold of your phone number, you may start to receive calls from telemarketers. The calls start to be made slowly, and over time, begin to flood your phone at all times of the day. It may worsen to the point where out of annoyance, frustration, and the lack of privacy you have your phone number changed.

The same applies to using Ouija boards or similar spirit tools. As long as you protect yourself while using the board and follow your gut instincts, you should be fine. Here are a few practices you can use to help protect yourself:

• Never use the board alone. It is best to have two or three others with you
• Never for any reason use the board under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This is a train wreck waiting to happen
• When you begin to use the board say a prayer or chant of protection. If you would like, do the same when ending your session
• Use white candles in the room to fill it with positive energy
• Imagine a white light in the room guarding any negative spirits from coming in contact with you
• Only use the board with those who will take it seriously. When someone in the group mocks the spirits and starts to make it a game, it may encourage negative spirits to try to make contact
• Do not ask the spirit to make a sign of its presence. Answering your questions is all you need for proof that the spirit is there
• If you or anyone in the group begins to feel uncomfortable, end the session right away
• At the end of each session, thank the spirit for communicating with you, slide the planchette to goodbye, and if you wish, say a prayer of protection

These are a few of the most common practices to use for protection. There are hundreds of things that you can do to protect yourself depending on what religion you believe in, or what your spiritual beliefs are. If, during your session, a spirit comes through that upsets you or anyone in the group, ask the spirit to please leave and not come through again. Slide the planchette to goodbye, and put the board away for the night. Light a few white candles, say a prayer if you would like, and burn some sage to cleanse any negative energy.

The most important thing to remember while using a Ouija board is that bad things will happen only if you ask for them, or want them to. If you properly protect yourself and end the session if you feel uncomfortable, it is rare to have a strong negative spirit come through. Prankster ghosts may try to come through, but if you nudge them away they will not bother you. If you are seriously considering using a Ouija board, I encourage you to research online tips for using a Ouija board safely. Look at a few different sites and see what each one recommends. Knowledge is power when it comes to protecting yourself.

The question “do you get scared while ghost hunting” comes up a lot. What I say to this is that ninety-five percent of the time spirits do not harm the living. And in the instances where it does happen, it is minor. Either a light push or small object being thrown, and normally caused by an ignorant investigator provoking the spirit… And most of the times, the investigator asks to be pushed, or to have something thrown. Maybe not to have something thrown at them, but after all, that is what happens when you are not specific enough.  

In the spirit’s defense, wouldn’t you feel threatened if someone was forcing you to talk to them when you did not want to? Secondly, the investigator most likely did ask for what happened. As the saying goes, “be careful what you wish for.” You cannot get upset with a spirit for doing what the investigator asked for. As for demons, poltergeists and other entities being malicious… Well… That is not my area of expertise. Rarely have there been reports of deaths linked to these types of entities. However, they generally are not pleasant by nature.

Having said that… I do get scared occasionally. Not by spirits, but by other things, especially when I am alone. If I am in a group, even only one other person I am fine. I may jump if something startling does happen, but the fear will go away quickly. Having someone else there is a great comfort. It is when I am alone, whether outdoors or inside that I could feel the fear creeping in. The things that start to go through my mind are not fears of spirits. It is a mixture of all the other little things. The worst for me is windows without any coverings at night. Ever since I was little I have always feared that some psycho was about to appear into the window peering in at me. Because of that, I always shut the blinds on my windows at night. The other fears are the clichés like twigs snapping, spiders and other bugs, and creepers in the woods.

 Because of the fact that I may get scared when I am alone, I will not investigate unless I am with someone else. I may if it is during the day time, but never at night. I want to stress though that I do not get scared by spirits. It is the other mind games that your brain plays on you when you are alone. There is no reason to fear spirits unless you intentionally and forcefully provoke them. As long as you do not ask for something to happen that you do not want to happen, you will be fine. In any investigation, if you start to feel scared or threatened, whether it is caused by an entity or simply mind games, you can always pack up and head home. You never have to stay. But please take comfort in the fact that spirits are not here to harm us. They are simply spirits outside of human bodies.

Animals for many of us hold a special place in our lives and hearts. This was the case for our family dog, Crystal, who unfortunately passed on Monday, May 3^rd 2010. She had developed a cancerous tumor in her mouth in September of 2009. Since September, my family and I knew that we could be faced with having to make the decision to put her to sleep. The week before, we felt that it was the best decision to make. She had been full of energy up until Monday, but we were concerned that the tumor may spread into the back of her throat, cutting off vital oxygen. Afterwards, I had been sitting with my Mom, and she asked me “Do you think a part of her will stay?” meaning her spirit. I immediately answered without hesitation “Yes. I do.”

I know that every animal lover who believes in the existence of spirits will agree with me. Animals develop their own personality, and become part of the family. The typical scene in movies and commercials of the loyal dog waiting patiently at the door for you to come home, riding in the passenger seat of a car or truck with their head in the wind, and coming in your room in the morning to wake you up may all be cliché, but they are all true.

Crystal developed her own personality, and her unique habits. She always laid in our front yard on sunny days, and made it her passion to chase the cat across the street when he strayed into our yard. My dad could not go for a drive anywhere without Crystal bounding up the stairs blocking the door until he grabbed her leash. Even though she may not physically be here anymore, I know that her spirit will visit whenever the neighbor’s cat is in our yard, when my dad goes for a drive, or to lay in our yard on sunny days. Even talking to our animals that have passed on can bring their spirit closer to us.

One of the most common things I have heard others say about losing an animal, is “It takes a while to get used to them not being there. You walk in thinking they will be there, and then you realize that it actually happened. They are not there anymore.”  I finally understood what others had meant by that Tuesday morning. I expected to see Crystal laying in our front yard in the sun. I started to think, “What if she really is there, and I’m sensing her.” Honestly, I believe that is what it was. I was sensing her. It would seem crazy to me that she would not visit us.

When others feel that they expect their pets to be there, I would be willing to bet their animal is still there watching over them, making sure that their family is okay. When they know their family is okay, I believe they move on. This is the point in time when I believe families adjust to and fully realize the fact their animal has passed on, since their spirit is not there as often anymore since they know their family is okay. However, they will always visit time to time to say hi and sit in their favorite spots.

If you know anyone that has recently lost a pet, send this article to them. Knowing that the spirit of a pet is with you can help ease the pain, and give comfort. If you have any comments, questions, or thoughts about this subjects please e-mail me at Sean@SeanParadis.com