Category Archives: Spirit Remediation & Paranormal

Ethics of Exorcism

Too often I’ve seen other spiritual practitioners make assumptions about what is best for others, especially spirits. If we are able to make the leap in understanding that spirits are people… or at least entities embodied with the same free will that we enjoy should we also not afford those same spirits the same understanding and rights that we insist for ourselves?

Many spiritual practitioners I know immediately seem to rush to binding a spirit or otherwise imposing their will on another spirit. I try to step back and ask myself how I would feel if I were that spirit. How would I feel if someone were pushing me around, exorcising me or coercing me? I try to put myself in their shoes and ask myself what is morally and ethically correct in these situations before counseling a client or taking action on their behalf.

Does the spirit intend harm? What is their intent? What is their motivation? Is there a real threat or is there some miss-communication happening? Is the client actually threatened or just interpreting the actions of the spirit as threatening because of a lack of understanding or clear communication?

Absolutely there are those cases where a spirit intends harm. The client has a right to peacefully enjoy their home and their life, but the spirit has a right to be peaceful as well. If, for some reason that peaceful balance cannot be achieved through counseling or understanding or because the spirits motivation is simply to do harm then perhaps it’s reasonable to take action against the spirit in order to at least restore the client’s peace, but this should be a last resort, not the first tool you reach for.

We typically do not cross spirits over unless they obviously seem to be lost or can’t do it themselves or stuck in a less-than-desirable state. We take that stance because we do not want to interfere with free will. If a spirit wants to stay here, we feel they have a right to. We may in some circumstances suggest that they move on and help them if they are willing, but our first priority is service to the client / the living. Spirits can typically fend for themselves quite well. In extreme circumstances with an abusive spirit we will force them out or even over depending on the circumstances, but we should be careful this is the moral and ethical action to take. .

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On the limited interaction with the spirit world

If spirits (people) can show themselves and communicate with us briefly, why don’t they do it more often? Why don’t they just walk up and have a conversation? I’ve asked myself that question many times…. I think in many cases they probably try that and because of the limited nature of how most of us perceive reality, we can’t hear/see them unless they make a special effort.

I also expect that there is likely so “rule” or “law” imposed on people who have have passed on that makes it so that they can only interact with us in a limited capacity, otherwise why would any father or mother ever separate from their children… My best guess is that since we seem to be reincarnating from life to life…. and from the research I’ve done I think we likely reincarnate with the same group of souls over and over that this rule or law is put in place so that we focus on living this life to learn the lessons we’re supposed to learn. We can never move on if everyone we lost over our lifetimes kept hanging around. They are though, obviously, allowed to visit and occasionally help. It may also be that once they pass on they see this life for what it really is…. of no great consequence other than learning lessons and they see the wisdom in letting us keep our attention on that rather than distract us…. much like a parent might watch a child in a classroom from afar, only stepping in when truly needed.

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Man, this is really the $100,000,000 question….
My answer to that really depends greatly on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. In any case none of the answers are really 100% satisfactory to me and raise more questions than they answer, hence the rabbit hole.

There are two major schools of thought here:

1) We have been given ultimate spiritual dominion over this realm – (this “realm” meaning reality as we understand it) There are a few bible verses that I can’t think of off the top of my head, but they basically state that Christ gave us dominion over the spirit in this world and while they are here interacting with us they are completely subject to our wills. If we order them out they have no choice to comply.

While I suspect there may be a large amount of truth to this, I also suspect that it is not necessarily limited to christians. There are many religions and spiritual practices around the world that involve binding, manipulating and coercing spirits by prayer or ritual means. No matter who gave us the authority or whether the authority is just some sort of natural law we don’t understand yet, these spiritual practices have been using this principle for thousands of years with relatively good success. This is whole concept is the whole logic behind why the catholic exorcism ritual works.

2) It really has nothing to do with being forceful. It has more to do with being able to motivate / manipulate your own spirit (put it into motion) in order to impose your will over the spirit’s and thereby push them out. The ACT of being forceful or performing some sort of ritual gives you the focus necessary and bolsters your belief to the point that you are able to push the spirit out. The ritual itself is meaningless without your focus and spirit / will behind it, but without the (or any) ritual to GIVE you focus or belief it wouldn’t work.

A good illustration that backs up this theory would be that we have on occasion seen a client completely and utterly fail the process of us coaching them through a house cleansing to the point that the spirits laugh at them. The spirits are often annoyed / weakened by some of the materials we use in the rituals, but are otherwise unharmed and still present. In these cases we’ve found that if we question the client and do some digging into how they really feel about what’s going on they often have some serious doubts about what they’re doing and what’s going on. Ultimately they have yet to fully buy into what’s going on which has in turn caused them to fail to utilize their faith / motivate their spirit to get behind the ritual. Their words are hollow and have no real meaning.

In those same situations if myself or one of our team who is a “believer” were to resume the ritual the spirit is quickly and effectively dealt with / pushed out. However, this effect on a client’s home is usually only temporary. At best it lasts only a few days and sometimes only a few hours before the spirit returns. In these cases we refer to this as the client failing to declare their authority / dominion over their space / home. There is something powerful about motivating your spirit / faith and declaring a space as “yours”.

As a further complication, people have the ability to channel light / energy and project it  with the proper coaching and / or training. People who are spiritually awake / aware are especially adept at this. One of the first things we teach a new group member to do is to connect to that light, channel it through them and form it either into a protective shell OR use it as an offensive “weapon” to push a hostile spirit away. There are two keys we’ve found to this that are the major gauges of success. 1) the person seems to have to have faith in some kind of higher power or at least believe that there IS some sacred place for the light to be channeled from. 2) the person has to focus and clearly visualize. Visualization is especially key. The more you can focus / visualize the more effective it is. Tony is especially adept at this technique and I’ve met a few clients who when worked up can almost blind a medium standing in the room next to them when they channel the light. (yes…. I’m fully aware of hose hokey and full of crap this all sounds to some people, I struggle with that myself at times, but if it’s stupid and it works…. it’s not stupid, and trust me… it works. I’ve seen it work time and time again.)

Over the years it’s become clear that for WHATEVER reason, spirits are subject to our wills. Some spirits are easier to deal with, others are more difficult, but I have yet to encounter one that is immune and I’ve run into some pretty nasty spooks over the years. Whether you believe it’s because God has given us this authority / ability, because it’s a natural law because this realm “belongs” to us or just because you are declaring space as yours and infusing it with your energy / will, the reason is almost irrelevant to the fact that the process works. I have spent a LOT of time myself wondering why and how the process works too.

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The Impeccable Formless Warrior

This is a concept I’ve long since held as truth close to my center, but I just recently found out there’s a term for it. The term is a Impeccable Formless Warrior and it comes from the writings of Carlos Castaneda
 
Impeccable is generally defined as “Perfect, having no faults, flaws or errors; Incapable of wrongdoing or sin; immaculate.” That is a lofty goal, indeed, but we are all have our flaws and faults. We can, however, strive to be better than we are. We can be more impeccable today than we were yesterday. We can turn the other cheek when we know that is the right thing to do. We can let that criticism of our fellow man fade into the static of our minds when we know it will not be well received and would be an injurious truth. 
 
That is the concept we should strive for. While I’m the first to say that I have not and likely will not always take the high road in all the decisions in life, I do make an effort to strive to be Impeccable. It’s important to be trustworthy both to yourself, your fellow man and your higher power so that when you’re called to stand tall before “The Man” you can meet him eye to eye and know that you’ve done your best. 
 
Formless, now that’s an alien concept to most of us. Of course it means “without form” but in this context we’re talking about the human form, not in a physical sense, but in an emotional sense. We should all strive to be detached from the drama, cares and concerns around us as much as we are able so that in moments of crisis or stress we don’t get swept away in the current of the moment. We are anchored from that stress and free to take a step back in the middle of the storm and re-assess the situation. What is really happening? What are my real choices here? What would happen if I simply walked away or took no action?
 
So many times in life we look back in the rear view mirror and say to ourselves, “I wish I would have reacted this way or that” and had we not been caught up in the emotion of a decision we could have. Practicing a loving and compassionate sense of formlessness allows you to do that and keeps you out of those situations where you tell yourself you wish you would have had the clarity to react a certain way in a given situation. 
 
You have to be careful though to not confuse being detached (formless) with being disassociated. To be disassociated means there is no connection. It’s imperative to see the line that connects all of us to everything. They key is in the values we place in those connections.
For example: Lets say I have a horrible IRS Debt. I choose this because I have had one and I know first hand how stressful it can be. I can allow myself to get caught up in the drama of how I’m going to pay off the debt and what’s going to happen if I don’t do it or can’t do it and I can put myself through the emotional wringer. Or, I can take a deep breath, step back and realize that while I do have to make a decision and ultimately will have to pay this I also recognize that on my deathbed this issue will make very little difference to me so it doesn’t place very high in my value system. That allows me to allow a certain degree of emotional distance so that I can calm down and think rationally.
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Spiritual Beings

Ghosts, Spooks, Poltergeists, Demons, Angels, Devas, Elementals, Upside Down Uglies and Things That Go Bump in the Night.
We’re going to take each entity listed in the title above in turn and describe general classifications and characteristics of each. It would be wise to remember I’ve only been involved in heavy study in this field for a few years so I’m still forming many of my educated opinions and still generally learn something new or achieve a greater understanding of something every day.

This article is designed to give readers some point of reference for various spiritual entities from my own personal spiritual perspective and experience.

Before we begin, let me give you a bit of background on me. I am probably one of the most logical and levelheaded people on the planet. Having a mind that operates on logic and reason first and foremost, I need to see hard proof of things for myself. That’s what prompted me to start into paranormal research. I wanted to see if this was for real or not, first-hand.

First and foremost, what you’ve read in books and heard in stories as children (and if you’re odd enough, as adults) is just about all true. Sometimes truth IS stranger than fiction. I’ve been involved in paranormal research for several years now and have been blinded by totally inexplicable flashes of light, growled at and touched by thin air, totally mentally disoriented for absolutely no reason (no, I’m not under psychiatric care), seen shadows that shouldn’t be present move across the room of their own accord, heard whispering and full-blown voices without an identifiable source, seen doors shut and slam and lock, toilets and faucets operate all on their own and experienced the classic sudden changes in temperature and odor often associated with ghosts or hauntings for no apparent reason.

I have heard some say, “I am a believer.” I generally dislike this statement. To say that one “believes” implies that there is a stretch of faith involved in recognizing the reality of the situation. There is nothing here to “believe.” The simple fact of the matter is it’s very real.

Now, on to the heart of the matter, what are ghosts? Simply put, ghosts are the non-corporeal (non-material) spirits, or souls, of individuals who were once living and have since died. These spirits exist in both our realm and that of the Otherworld. Because they are pure spirit they may behave as pure spirit by taking actions that the living people around them may consider super-natural. However, ghosts cannot do anything that a living person with enough spiritual development cannot do . Ghosts seem to accomplish these supernatural feats like making objects fly across the room and causeing changes in temperature because it’s easier to accomplish if one is in purely spirit form, for example, as a ghost. If a living entity had enough practice and the proper spiritual training they would be able to accomplish the same feats. Simply put, there is nothing super-natural about them. It’s simply easier for an entity in pure spirit form to perform feats that seem super-natural to us.

How can ghosts do all this seemingly super-natural stuff? Well, it’s more of a question of being a layman vs. a professional. Our western society and western religions don’t generally encourage direct spiritual contact with other beings unless it’s God or other humans. Most people in our society are seriously spiritually inept because of lack of development this stances imposes. Our society simply doesn’t deal well with these concepts, often labeling those that do practice serious spirituality as fruitcakes, cults, nuts, or other nasty descriptors. Ghosts, on the other hand, are full-time spirits. They are purely in the spiritual realm and have nothing to do but develop their spiritual skills. This makes them full-time spiritual professionals. We all know what the skill difference is between someone who is a part-time doctor, carpenter, electrician, lawyer or other highly-educated and trained professional or and someone who has gone to years of school and training to learn the skill. I’m going to hire and trust a professional electrician to wire my home before I’ll let some guy who read a book about it once touch anything in my house.

Some people are gifted with serious potential. A seriously gifted professional in this arena is a true psychic or “sensitive” (not Madame Cleo). If we were entities of pure spirit and had nothing to do but develop our spiritual gifts we could certainly manifest the same things that ghosts are able to do and with relative ease as they seem to be able to do.

It’s important to remember that in a fashion we are ghosts in that we are entities of pure spirit but unlike ghosts we have bodies and define our reality the same way our society does. This can limit us and our potential because we don’t perceive we have these spiritual abilities that ghosts naturally have. The difference here is perception and belief. We don’t believe we have these abilities and our society has told us that we do not. That limits us greatly. To truly develop begin to realize our spiritual potential we must realize that the only difference between ghosts and us is that we have a body and they do not. Otherwise, we’re on the same playing field with the same potential abilities of the spirit.

Why are ghosts here? Well, why are we here? Why are you sitting there reading this article? Why is the sky blue? There are varying reasons for everything. Some spirits are aware of their situation and are here by choice. Some spirits are mere shards of consciousness and are stuck in one mindset or emotion; often the same emotion or mindset they were in when they passed on. Some spirits are not spirits really at all, but mere echoes of a time long past, stuck in a sort of Otherworld videotape on a continuous loop. The spirits that can prove to be the most dangerous and often the most helpful are those that are in full possession of their mental capacities. They can reason and think logically and with just as much cunning and wit as the best of us AND they have the advantage that they are in full spiritual form so they can easily manifest things that might scare or otherwise harm (or help) us. These types of entities have the greatest potential to do harm but they are not all malicious. We’ve all heard stories about the mother or grandmother spirit that hangs around to help her children or grandchildren and acts as a guardian. Perhaps when she died she wanted to see more of her loved ones or felt that she needed to help and protect them and decided to stay in this realm instead of passing on fully into the Otherworld or Summerland.

So, in summation of what we have talked about thus far we have stated that ghosts are very real and briefly identified what they are and how they can manifest the things that they are reported to be able to manifest (making things fly across the room and similar phenomenon). And, we have very clearly stated that this is not necessarily something to be afraid of because we all have the potential to do these things because we are all spirit, it’s just that some of us still have bodies.

Just like dealing with any other entity on the planet, we should approach these entities with caution and respect. They DO have the ability to harm us through means of the spirit just as we have the ability to cause harm through means of the spirit. Take caution in dealing with these entities until you know their true intent. That intent may not be what it appears to be as ghosts can be just as cunning and conniving as the best human. Do NOT confront a known malicious spirit unless you are FULLY prepared and experienced in dealing with serious matters of the spirit. If you are not truly prepared for a confrontation with a fully sentient malicious ghost and you end up confronting one it’s much like bringing a knife to a gunfight. You may be seriously outmatched by the skills the ghost has in using forces of the spirit.

This reminds me a lot of one of my favorite quotes from the movie The Matrix, “There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” You should ideally be somewhat experienced, very knowledgeable and fully aware of the possibilities of such a confrontation. Where do you get this knowledge and training? That’s a very good question and one I get quite often. You get these skills and this training from whatever your spiritual path is. Almost all major religions have customs or methods of dealing with ghosts, good and bad alike. Find a teacher who is at least somewhat knowledgeable in extremely spiritual matters and their direct application to these situations and open your mind and learn. If you can’t find someone of your faith that is well trained in this subject then find someone of another faith that you can believe in. You don’t have to change your religion to do this. The idea is to get the training you need and gain the experience. You can then mold the training to be more suitable to your belief system. How do you know when you’re ready? I’m not sure we ever really know. When you feel comfortable start reaching out and trying new things in baby steps. Be wary of throwing yourself directly in the fire before you’re really had a chance to try out your spiritual wings.

Now that we have talked about the general classification of ghosts we will dig a bit deeper and discuss what I consider a sub-set of ghosts which I call “spooks” or “shades.” Spooks are named just that because they are, well, spooky. These are the extreme negative of the ghost spectrum. These are the really nasty guys that cause all sorts of mayhem, chaos, disorder, literal insanity and even sickness and death/murder. They have been known to physically molest and harm people (and pets), kill plants, drive animals and people insane or temporarily control / possess them, cause horrible disturbing nightmares (night hags), throw stuff out around causing damage to property and/or people, seize breathing or paralyze someone, exude nasty smells, cause all sorts of voices, noise and clatter, cause extreme illness or cancer and exude pure negative emotion (fear, hate, distrust, jealousy) to the point where everyone in the area is directly effected. That being said, they are still ghosts and can still be dealt with in the same manner as any other ghosts as we will discuss in a later article.

The most common ghosts of this sort are those that died horrible violent deaths, are defending their territory (objects they once possessed or their burial site), or were insane when they were alive. Some were even abusers or murderers when they were alive and still feel driven or compelled to continue the cycle of abuse after they die. With newfound spiritual abilities in death they may even revel in causing strife to an exponential degree. Often the worst of spooks are confused with demons, which we will discuss later. The key concept in difference here is that ghosts were once living. Demons were never living and are a spiritual breed apart from spooks. Spooks may often consort with demons though and a demon may cause/develop a spook by possessing or otherwise truly corrupting a person while they were living to the point where they become a spook when they die.

Something else of note, spooks often get confused with demons because they can psychically connect (or chord) into the people they are harassing. This gives them a direct mental and telepathic link with their victim. They can use this link to harass and drive their victims to do things they wouldn’t normally do, sometimes-horrible things and thoughts like murder, suicide, and abuse. An abusive person in life will seek to continue the cycle of abuse through his or her own actions or through coercing others in their capacity as a ghost. The most dangerous of spooks are the ones that are in full possession of the mental capacities they had as a living being. These entities can be just as conniving and quick-witted as they were when they were alive but now with a few more potential advantages that being in purely spirit form can give. For a truly scary perspective on this consider the likes of Charles Manson or Ted Bundy with a direct telepathic link into your mind 24 hours a day prodding you into doing their bidding or using the abilities we mentioned above generally attributed to spooks to wreak havoc and mayhem on you and your loved ones. Now you might have some sense of how serious dealing with a spook can be.

I have encountered more than one spook in my short tenure as a paranormal investigator. One was the ghost of a father & husband that had seriously abused and killed his family while he was living. He had attached himself to another family and was trying to propagate the cycle of abuse yet again. The family consisted of a mother and father, two children and the parents of the mother. The spook had chorded himself into the 9 year old daughter to the point where he was talking to her on a daily basis and could at times gain a significant amount of influence over her while her conscious mind was sleeping. He was prodding the girl to kill her younger brother. She would talk of having daydreams and nightmares of killing her brother with an axe or otherwise sneaking into his room to smother or harm him. While we’re all aware of the rivalry between siblings this was an otherwise normal family. The situation got so out of hand eventually that the family finally persuaded the Catholic Church to take action on the matter (a rare event indeed) and our group stepped aside to let the true representatives of the family’s faith/religion handle the situation.

Another incident was one where an older (and wiser/sneakier) ghost managed to present himself as a friendly grandmother spirit and gain a family’s trust in thinking they had a beneficial spirit co-habitating with them. Once the spirit was openly invited into the home and welcomed it slowly began an insidious task of creeping into the minds of everyone in the home. The children began to be seriously effected, the marriage suffered great strife because the couple was now having tremendous fights over petty issues, the husband began to gradually become physically abusive and constantly angry and the wife was driven to the brink of suicide through chronic depression. Normal yet extreme stresses on a family can cause similar problems but there was a dark and foreboding presence in the air and a whispering voice in the back of each of their minds that was not noticed until the family was instructed to listen for it. Once the spook was found out he dropped the guise of a grandmotherly figure and took on the form of a dark, decrepit ghost of an elderly man. Psychics that were brought into the situation verified that the man had committed suicide in the house next to the one the family had recently moved into and jumped at the chance to be around children again. But, because he was still partially stuck in the mental state he was in when he died he couldn’t help but seriously negatively influence the family.

When the spook was finally confronted by a Native American shaman and told to leave and the family started actively trying to push him out of the house he became exceedingly dark and destructive in his behavior and influence. Whether his plan was to cause this destruction all along after seducing the family into letting him into the home or whether it was something compulsive that he couldn’t help given his mental state he was still a very negative spirit and needed to be removed from the premises and the family as soon as possible. He didn’t want to go and clung to everything he could but in the end he was removed with the proper help and guidance. The family is now much wiser for the experience though I wish they had never had to endure the events in the first place.

Those two true stories are prime examples of negatively oriented ghosts or “spooks”. Be wary in dealing with any and all spirits with which you are not FULLY acquainted. Whether you’re an investigator helping someone in such a situation or the person in the situation with the ghost yourself realize that the situation is far from hopeless. You simply have to find adequate help by educating yourself and progressing on your own spiritual path to deal with the situation or enlisting the help of others.

On to Poltergeists; these are not a separate classification or type of ghost. Poltergeist literally means “noisy spirit”. Any spirit that is noisy (audible) or disturbing is a poltergeist. Poltergeists are also known for throwing or moving objects. A ghost, spook, or other spiritual entity that does these things is said to exhibit poltergeist or poltergeist-like activity. A spook that throws stuff is also a poltergeist because they are manipulating physical objects but a regular non-negative ghost can move stuff and throw things around the room and be considered a poltergeist as well. Poltergeist is not a separate species of ghost rather than a behavior or descriptor of the actions or activities of ghosts and spirits.

Demons and Angels are similar entities in origin so we will discuss them together. According to Christian mythos God created both of these entities as separate creatures from humans. They are not and never were human. Angels are those spirits still loyal to God and still working for the positive forces in the universe. Demons were once angels that have had a change of heart and have turned to the “dark side”. These are extremely powerful beings given great authority by God to perform certain tasks and duties. Angels and demons alike can both be called up or otherwise contacted through prayer or ritual. Angels will often assist us if we ask in a polite respectful manner and if the subject with which we require aid is within their realm of influence and within the will of God to do. Demons are dark negative angels that have turned to the dark side of creation. They embrace chaos, entropy, disorder, deceit, treachery, and revel in suffering and pain. Angels can be VERY powerful and effective allies, especially in cleansing or banishing rituals, but demons should be avoided at almost all costs.

According to Christian mythology one can test an angel or demon by discussing or pressing the subject of the superiority or divinity of God or the holy name of Christ. If the spirit responds favorably or agrees and endorses the proclamation then they are likely truly an angel. If they rebuke the authority and superiority of The Light and God then they are likely demons and should be banished or dealt with accordingly. However, in my experience, demons can be especially tricky and deceptive. Be very wary of dealing with an entity if you even suspect it’s a demon or it reacts adversely to “white light” or the name and power of Christ or other “white light” representatives. For more information on this topic I suggest researching Christian mythology or perhaps reading Angels: Companions in Magick by Silver Ravenwolf. I have not read this personally yet but some of my trusted friends endorse it highly.

We’ve covered a lot of ground and we’re almost done with the scope of this document. We have left to cover but a few more types of entities. We will now discuss devas and elementals.

Devas are locally based nature spirits that are not human (ghost), demon, or angelic in origin. They are generally associated with specific topics. There may be a deva in your neighborhood that cares for all the plants and another that cares for all the small wildlife or pets. Devas are generally very shy spirits but can be immensely helpful when dealing with the element they influence. For instance, if you contact or summon a deva in your area to help with a sick plant or animal they may help tend to the situation, lending their expertise, talents and energies. Most legends of gnomes, sprites, and sometimes fairies are actually devas. They generally respond well to gentle, cautious contact and a loving and understanding heart. Small offerings of food, treats, incense or even aid are usually gladly accepted. Aid as described here being something on the order of watering or caring for plants in the area by putting a few fertilizer spikes in the soil in honor of the local plant deva. This helps them with their job and strengthens the entities with which they are charged with caring for. A deva for small animals that you need help from to find your lost pet may be enlisted by leaving a bowl of milk out on your front porch with the announcement that it’s there for that purpose. Devas are always watching and always around. Being cruel or malicious or otherwise offending these spirits may lead to them retaliating in the forms of tricks or neglect for their sphere of influence within your area. If this is the case then do what you can to make amends for the offense. Devas are generally kind gentle creatures that deserve our appreciation for their work and energies.

Elementals are somewhat similar to devas in that they are charged with certain responsibilities and have certain influences within the realm of their element. An elemental for the Earth element can be enlisted for aid for concerns about soil quality. An air elemental may be enlisted for aid for pollution or to clear an especially bad smell that you just can’t find the source of. Each element is generally attributed to a specific direction of the compass as well. This direction should be used to call forth the elemental when possible. Wicca makes use of elementals and their services extensively and would be a good resource to turn to for further information on this topic.

Upside-down Uglies and Things That Go Bump in the Night are those imaginary things that spring from a child’s (or and adult’s) imagination. They are not actual entities but the thought of which can be scary in itself, therefore they are addressed here. The imaginary monster in the closet of a 3 year old could actually be a ghost or some other spirit that the child is truly seeing or it could be nothing more than the remnant of a bad dream spawned by watching a scary movie. These are not actual entities but can be scary none-the-less. The point here is that these things are perceived to be real but are, in fact, not. However, they can manifest phenomenon as psychic projections from the mind of the person involved. In that sense they can be real. Usually, this type of haunting is only evident in children going through puberty or in especially psychic or emotionally involved people. At times, a good counseling session or two can start to deal with this type of haunting.

Well, I believe I’ve covered everything I originally set out to do. You should have a much better understanding of the spiritual entities that you may or may not encounter on a daily basis. I hope you have had as much enrichment and pleasure in reading this article as I have in writing it.

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Dealing with Negative Spirits

In a previous article we discussed the general nature of some specific spiritual beings, especially ghosts. Now we will further document the methods of dealing with the category of negative, malicious and harmful ghosts known as “spooks.” It is important to note that not all ghosts are harmful and not all ghosts should be dealt with in the methods and manners described below. Indeed, some ghosts can be quite helpful and often pleasant, though be it unsettling to some, and beneficial to have around. These beneficial ghosts should be treated and honored just as any other person would be honored and respected to whatever degree you deem appropriate and are comfortable with. I like to coin the situation with the phrase, “Ghosts are people too.” For the most part, they are!

Help from the Church

Spooks being an especially nasty and often malicious lot, we should be aware of ways to deal with them just as we should be aware of how it’s appropriate to deal with especially unsavory people that are still yet living. When someone living threatens you or the ones you love you may rely on the local authorities to deal with them if the situation escalates to that level. Much is the same with spooks actually. I recommend learning the basic skills and techniques we will discuss here in handling especially unpleasant ghosts so that you can handle much of the situation yourself but if the situation escalates out of control please feel free to call in the ghost “authorities”.

These ghost authorities may take on a few different roles in society; priest, a friend or family member into or experienced in the occult; or perhaps even a clergy member of a different faith than you. Don’t feel bad about consulting a different religion’s priesthood if you can’t find support in your own. You have to do what’s right for you and as long as you are doing that your higher power will understand and lets face it; if you’re reading this article because you need help the situation is probably already desperate enough that you are not in a position to turn down competent help from ANYONE.

If you are Christian and your local community does not offer any type of support then you may want to consider other denominations of Christianity that DO have an open and sincere belief and interest in spiritual beings like ghosts and demons such as Mormon, Charismatic Catholic, and Pentcostal. In my experience these segments of Christianity deal quite well with negative spiritual entities and are very serious about dealing with them firmly and swiftly. You should find ample support among these communities.
Should you not be Christian or feel comfortable exploring beyond the realm of Christiandom you may also find competent help with Native American, Wiccan, Druidic, or other pagan-based religions. Dealing with spiritual entities is a daily task to most of these faiths.

First and foremost, if you are a religious or spiritual person, you should consult your local religious leader. By no means should you feel ashamed, silly, or otherwise indisposed to voicing these concerns with your local clergy as that is honestly part of the reason they are there for you, spiritual guidance. Nobody said it was only for YOUR spiritual guidance. Most clergy, if they’re worth their salt, have honestly dealt with some form of ghost, demon or other spiritual conflict in the past. If they have not then there’s no time like the present to learn. They are there to support and serve your higher power AND you. You are, after all, part of their “flock” are you not?

Helping Yourself

I have always firmly believed in the adage, “God helps those who help themselves.” Even though you’ll be pursuing help from someone who’s supposed to know what they’re doing as we’ve discussed above in many cases it will come down to you, your faith and your resolve to deal with the situation head-on. Ultimately, in many cases, it’s your life, your house, your loved ones being affected and your place to step up to the plate and take charge of the situation.

Before you go charging head-on into an inky black shadow or a cold spot you need to educate yourself. If whatever is haunting you zaps you senseless you’re not going to be of much help to yourself or anyone around you. Do some serious research. Learn everything you can about paranormal research, ghosts & spirituality. Get some books from the library or the book store and pay special attention to titles that talk about “True haunting”. If things have gotten bad enough in your situation you are likely to see some serious parallels in the events in the story and those unfolding in your own life. I highly recommend getting a copy of the book “The Black Hope Horror” which can give you a full illustration of how things can go horribly wrong with spooks. The title is currently out of print but it’s well worth the searching to find a copy if your situation is desperate enough.

You should also take advantage of the TREMDNDOUS amount of material available online. Try searching on key phrases like, “true hauntings”, “ghost hunting” and “paranormal investigation”. Since you’re online you might consider trying to find a paranormal investigation group near you that might be of some aid. They often have ties with clergy that are experienced in dealing with situations such as what we are discussing. Almost all paranormal investigation groups that I know of have some sort of online presence and shouldn’t be difficult to track down.

The key here is to “know thine enemy”. If you know yourself you are well off but only half equipped to deal with the situation. If you know your enemy you are well off but only half equipped to deal with the situation. You have to be well acquainted with not only the ghost phenomenon and what to expect but how you truly feel about it. Ask yourself how you will react if you are confronted with the situations that are talked about in these true haunting stories. Begin to batten down the mental and spiritual hatches for the fight ahead because if you happen to have a truly nasty spook it could be a long, dangerous and nasty fight. In the end though, remember it’s your life, your house, your family and you have a right to be happy. No one, living or dead has a right to take that from you.

Getting your Heart Right

This is honestly one of the most important aspects to dealing with a spook for so many reasons. One cannot venture into a lions den and be a coward. You must find the heart and the faith to do what you must for you and your loved ones if they are being affected by this.

Lets state something for the moment. This is a key concept that we must realize. All living being feed on energy of some sort. We, as living beings consume food that has the chemical potential for energy that our bodies unlock through digestion. That is our energy source. Ghosts and other spiritual beings often have the ability to absorb energy in more direct and pure forms. Hauntings are often associated with uncharacteristic cold spots.

Some people believe that this may be the ghost feeding directly on the heat in the air and transforming it to energy to feed from. Negative spirits tend to feed on negative energy. If your house is filled with negativity you may have actually ATTRACTED the ghost to you because it may see you as an abundant food source. In some instances I firmly believe that spooks scare people simply to feed off of the emotional energy they put out when scared. It’s very common for people to talk about being frightened out of heir mind one minute during a haunting and then feeling “utterly drained” the next. Well, where did that energy go? The answer? You have just become the corner vending machine for the spook. STOP IT!

Whether the spook came to you because your house is extremely negative or your house has become extremely negative because of the influence of the spook (and both are true in some cases) you have to fix the issue. Make amends for whatever is going on. Put it aside for now if you can and pull together as a family. This is often a very desperate time for not only you but the spook. The harder you try to fight it the more desperate and scary it can become. Get counseling to help everyone in the situation. Find someone whom you can talk to and trust and really open yourself up and let everything go that you’ve probably been holding back. Keep a journal of how you feel and the events that take place (we’ll talk more about this in the documentation section below) Overall, look at your behavior and the emotional situation of everyone being affected and do WHATEVER you can to brighten the situation.

Keep in mind that while you pull together as a family (if it’s a family being haunted) the spook will most likely be fighting your efforts every step of the way. If he’s chorded into you (or linked to you psychically) then he will do whatever he can to promote disharmony and distrust. You have to realize this for what it is and do what you can to deal with it. Remember, united you stand, divided you fall.

Walk with God
You may not be an especially spiritual person at the onset of this ordeal but I can almost guarantee you will “find your faith” to some degree in the process of dealing with the situation. If you are a spiritual person then you are a step ahead of the game at this point. If you have a spook then you must deal with them on a spiritual level because they are spiritual beings. This will, no doubt, be a great time of soul-searching for you and your family. In being confronted with a ghost you will have to come to terms with the fact that we do not simply snuff out of existence when we die. Obviously there is life after death if ghosts exist. Ultimately dealing with a spook is a spiritual game of chess with a very dangerous opponent. Either you get the faith to be able to effectively move your pieces or you find yourself in spiritual checkmate.

This does not, however, mean that you necessarily have to start going to church or that you must convert to any specific religion. Finding your faith does not necessarily mean you are religious though if you have little formal spiritual education you may not be able to easily recognize the difference. In that case it would probably be best to cultivate a relationship with a church or other spiritual organization that you find yourself agreeable with. Sometimes, simply being around people with a great deal of faith (fellowship) can be a great booster to your own faith. When you see it’s ok to “believe” and that EVERYONE won’t label you a fruitcake for having a spiritual side you know then it’s often easier to really look in yourself and figure out what you’re spiritual made of. Often I’ve found that with truly negative spooks the haunting can be so frightening that the human mind is forced to develop a spiritual relationship with their higher power if they are to survive the incident with sanity in tact.

Documentation

Documenting the incidents is crucial. It can be used to help you build a case for the clergy you are trying to enlist support from. Accurate and thorough records can also help paranormal investigators and even clergy to establish patterns of behavior from the spook and can serve as proof to yourself that you’re not simply going out of your mind.
There are several simple kinds of documentation that you should immediately consider starting. The first and probably most important is a journal. Every time there is an incident as small as a feeling of being watched or objects being misplaced or appliances misbehaving it should be logged along with any emotional impressions or thoughts you had about the incident and the exact time and date. You may also want to document the relationships and interactivity of anyone involved in the situation. You may start to see a pattern of aggression or depression associated with the events of the haunting. These may also be linked to lunar or solar cycles as the earth’s energy field is drastically affected by the positioning of these bodies. If this sounds odd consider the effect the moon’s gravitational pull has on the ocean. Therefore, keeping track of any solar or lunar activity in connection with the events listed in your journal may be of benefit as well.

Potential things to list in the journal

  • Strange sounds / noises / voices / smells
  • Feeling of being watched
  • Dramatic shifts in temperature
  • Appliances or other electrical devices malfunctioning
  • Strange behavior from pets or other animals
  • Feelings of Dejavu
  • Nightmares that are out of the ordinary
  • Aggression or depression in anyone who does not normally exhibit such behavior
  • Objects being moved or disappearing unexplainably
  • Anything that appears to be out of the ordinary

The next documentation that should be implemented is photographs or video. Having hard evidence of something strange going on will not only help you bring the experts in your situation up to speed but will give you a bit of peace of mind when you have something tangible to refer to when you start doubting yourself. Do not expect to get photographs or video of full-blown apparitions. This is exceptionally rare even in the direst of circumstances. Still pictures will often produce odd round discolored orbs in the vicinity of any paranormal activity or at times odd streaks across the photo. An expert familiar with paranormal photo analysis should be able to help you determine the validity of your photos. An excellent idea might be to keep a standard 35mm camera loaded and ready to go in a central location so that it can be easily accessed if something is happening. Video of paranormal activity will often show odd patterns in shadows or very fast streaks of light passing through the room. The most ideal video cameras to use are the new Sony Nightshot cameras that have low-light and absolute dark filming capabilities. In most cases though, a standard 35mm camera will suffice.

Disarming the psychic trap
Some ghosts or spooks may have become trapped in a location due to energy lines & rays (ley lines, dragon lines, noxious rays, geopathic rays) that occur naturally throughout the Earth or due to pollution in the environment. When these lines intersect they often create a magnetic anomaly that can act as a spiritual cage for ghosts. Once inside the cage they may find it hard or impossible to leave or be pushed out of the area until the lines have been dealt with. In effect, you must open the cage before the spooks can be truly pushed out of the area. This is an immensely complex subject and is beyond the scope of this article. For more information please refer to the Radionics section of the Fat-Free Guide to Spirituality by Suzanne Powell. This can be found on her web site at http://www.turtleisland.cc for a nominal charge of $5 and is WELL worth your time to read for not only this subject but many other issues she addresses, including her own experiences and methods in dealing with hostile ghosts and spirits.

Basics Concepts for Spiritual Cleansing

Negative ghosts thrive on negativity. Infusing an area with positive energy makes the area very hostile to the spirit. Because we are talking about spiritual energies and vibrations it’s important to remember that the exact tools and prayers you use are not nearly as important as the confidence you have in yourself and your abilities and the intent with which you perform these tasks. For instance, one of the techniques we will describe below involves burning incense and prayer candles. One might assume that if expensive or rare incense were used or more ornate and expensive candles that the exercise might be more effective. This is simply not true. Spiritual exercises have more to do with your belief and faith in what you’re doing than they do with the materials at hand. If you BELIVE that more elaborate, exotic or expensive tools and supplies will be more effective then they most likely will be, however, the same effects can be accomplished with much lower grade materials as long as the same level of belief is maintained. Belief and emotion funnels energy into the spirit. The material world is often very secondary.

Some substances, practices and tools do seem to be naturally more effective than others. For instance, sage, rose, sandalwood, frankincense and myrrh are traditionally known to be very positive and effective tools for dealing out a great deal of sacred or positive energy. This is often a cross-cultural belief as well, which in the author’s mind gives it a bit more credence than just standard rumor. That is not to say that one must purchase the most expensive qualities of these substances if you plan on choosing them. Simply having them in whatever form is convenient for you to obtain them is usually sufficient.

Generic Cleansing Techniques

Incense
Burning pleasant smelling incense with the intent that the smoke and smell from the incense will fill your entire house with positive energy or divine white light can often be highly effective against negative spirits. The burning of incense for spiritual reasons has been used since the beginning of recorded history. Thousands of years worth of spiritual leaders can’t be wrong! You might try lighting the incense while you say a little prayer to your higher power. Ask your higher power to infuse the incense with divine positive energy and push out any negative forces and exclude all those forces not working for “the light.” Again, it’s the intent that matters most. I recommend the following incense varieties:

· Sage
· Copal
· Frankincense
· Myrrh
· Vanilla
· Lavender
· Rose

Prayer Candles
These candles are very common among the Hispanic community and can often be found in the Hispanic section of your local grocery store for a very reasonable price. They are usually tall glass candles with prayers or positive icons listed on the outside. Choose one that fits your needs. I recommend something that invokes the Archangel Michael or similar spiritual force. As you light the candle focus on the intent in the prayer on the candle or something similar. These candles are designed to burn for extended periods of time but remember that a burning candle should never ever be left unattended, especially if your spook has a tendency to knock things about.

If you are unable to locate a prayer candle you are satisfied with you can make one of your own. Obtain an adequate candle from your local supplier, a candle with one of the incense scents listed above that is designed to burn for at least several hours would be ideal. To prepare your candle you may want to write/draw (using a marker) or carve icons or prayers sacred to your faith/religion on the outside of the candle. Do this with the mental intent that when the candle is activated (or lit) the desired effect will be produced. The energy of the burning flame will lend energy to the effect of the intent the candle has now been imbued with. A further embellishment might be to “dress” your candles or anoint them with herbs or oils that are attributed to the effect you desire. See the list of smells above for a list of appropriate herbs for this purpose. Holy water or blessed anointing oil can also be used for this purpose.

Display Positive Symbols of Your Faith
This is especially effective if you have an especially close relationship with your higher power. Notice I said “positive” symbols of your faith. I don’t necessarily consider an image of Jesus Christ being tortured on the cross to be a very positive and uplifting symbol so this might be one to be avoided but this icon may inspire drastically different feelings and emotions from you. If this is the case then feel free to use whatever works for you. Post these symbols everywhere in your hose. The idea is to make it so that the spook in your home cannot escape to any crack or crevice without being in the general proximity to these sacred symbols. Print the symbols out on avery sticky labels and put them behind picture frames, under chairs and tables, underneath rugs, in air vents, etc. Of course, post them in the usual places like above doors and in hallways and such. Give these symbols as much exposure as you can and every time you see one give it a mental energy boost by imagining divine white light emanating from it and filling the entire room.

Positive Music/Chanting
Sound is one of the purest forms of energy so creating a positive sound can be one of the most effective forms of creating a positive environment. I recommend a light pleasant gospel or music associated with your faith. If you REALLY want to get serious obtain a copy of a prayer that’s being recited and loop it to play continuously. Native American and Japanese prayers and chanting have also produced dramatic results.

Clean the Clutter
It’s hard to see things in a positive light in your home when the home is covered in filth or even if it’s just chaotic, disorganized and filled with clutter. Organize your space, put things in their proper place. If you don’t have a proper place for something then find one. Organize yourself and your space. Order begets serenity and serenity begets peace and peace begets positive energy. If you really want to get serious about this, which is highly recommended, look into the subject of Feng Shui.

Keep your Spirits Up
Sorry, I couldn’t resist the temptation for the pun here. The point is to keep a positive attitude and keep morale up. If you allow yourself or those around you to become negative then you are only hurting your situation with the negative spirit.

It’s YOUR Home
Declare dominion over your own space. Fill it with your energy, your spirit and your presence. Don’t allow the spirit to make you feel trapped in your situation or dread coming home. Remember it’s YOUR home and you have every right to be there. The negative spirit is usually the intruder in the situation. Don’t let anything scare you out of your own home, your property or your personal space.

Smudging
Smudging is the practice of sweeping away negative energy using a tool or energy to focus your intent to drive out negativity in the area and replace it with positive energy. Wands of smoldering sage or sticks of incense are most commonly used for this purpose, as it’s easy to visualize the smoke cleansing the area or item being smudged. Get a good steady stream of smoke coming from the tool you’re using and blow it in the area you are sweeping clean. If you are sensitive to smoke then try a lit scented or unscented candle or even a folding fan. The point is the intent used to focus your own energy in sweeping away negativity.

Smudging the entire house should be done regularly to anchor positive energy to the area. Begin in a central location in your home or the area being smudged and gradually work your way toward the doors and windows. The importance here is to visualize a clean positive area space and energy behind where you have already smudged. Be sure to get under tables, in closets, in air vents, the attic, etc. as these are favorite hiding places when you have a spook on the run.

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Smudging & Ritual Incense Use

Tradition behind smudging
Many ancient cultures believe in using incense in a ritualistic manner in order to spiritually cleanse a person, place or thing. The concept is simple. An incense-like substance is blessed and burned. The resulting smoke is also blessed and acts as a physical representation of divinity; driving out negativity (evil) where ever it goes. Perhaps the best-known example of this is Native American smudge sticks in which Sage, Cedar or Copal (substances sacred to these cultures) is combined or used on it’s own as incense. Taoist, Buddhist, Catholic and many other religious cultures use the same basic concept of burning incense to drive out negativity and anchor divine energy. This process is known as “smudging”.

Smudging is a simple yet very powerful spiritual practice. There is really no right or wrong way to perform a smudging ceremony (detailed later) but rather it is the INTENT of the person performing the ceremony that matters most. If the intent is pure and good and the mind is focused and clear and the ego is removed to allow for divine intervention then the elements of divinity will follow your lead and bless your intentions. Don’t pre-occupy yourself with whether you are doing something right or wrong, simply follow your instinct and exist in the moment. Smudging is really a ritualistic prayer with the smoke as a representation of divinity (God) so there’s nothing you can do that’s wrong aside from perhaps setting something on fire if you’re not careful with the incense. In fact, one doesn’t even have to use incense, a lit candle, a feather or even your hand will do just as well, though may not be as fragrant. The focus is on the intentions, not the actions.

There are basically 3 steps to a simple smudging ceremony, just as in any prayer.

Invocation – Ths is a grounding and connection to God or divine energy and calling forth the presence of divinity; an opening prayer.
Blessing – This is the act of blessing the object, person or area to be smudged or cleansed.
Closing – This is a closing prayer to thank divinity or God for blessing you and your subject.

We will run through a basic cleansing ceremony for a house and then give a brief description of how the same ceremony may be used for an object or a person.

The Invocation:
Take a moment to clear your mind of whatever may be running through your head. Your mind should be quiet and focusing. A common visualization to help with this is to stand up straight but relaxed, close your eyes and imagine the divine light of God emanating from within you and clearing out any negativity and spreading peace and relaxation throughout your body.

A standard invocation often used is a either the Lords Prayer or perhaps the Light Invocation by Dael Walker:

I invoke the light of God within.
I am a clear and perfect channel.
The light is my guide.

As you say your invocation prayer picture in your mind’s eye the light of God spreading from your soul (inside your body) and growing in intensity as it envelops you and your smudging tool. You may want to repeat your prayer 3 times to help build the visualization and focus your mind on the task at hand. Remember to exude peace and serenity from your being.

If you are using a standard smudge stick light the stick now and let it burn for a minute. Blow it out and as you do imagine the divine light of God flowing from your breath into the smudging instrument and thereby sanctifying it. Imagine the smoke as a physical representation of the divine light of God, cleansing everything it touches and driving out negativity. You may have to blow on the smudge stick for a few minutes to really get it smoldering. A good smudge stick is actually hard to keep going, you often have to stop and blow on it to keep smoke flowing. If it goes out just stop for a moment and re-light it.

If you are using a candle or standard incense stick, light the candle and bless it with the holy symbol of your faith or simply mentally infuse it with divine energy. A feather or your hand can simply be held in front of you or to your side as you visualize charging it with divine white light. Some people prefer to use a feather in conjunction with a smudge stick or incense wand so that you may fan the smoke and thereby direct it to the desired location and at the same time, stoke the burning embers. Essentially, it doesn’t matter what you use, it’s simply a focusing tool. You can put a colander on your head and use a kitchen spoon and it will accomplish the same thing as long as your intent is focused and you have faith and believe in what you are doing.

The Blessing:
It’s very important to remove ego from the situation as you are performing this ritual. That may seem a bit odd but the concept is for you to “get out of the way” so that the divine energy may flow through you. You are not doing the cleansing; the spiritual energy of divinity is doing the work. You are simply a channel through which it is flowing. Do not worry about if you are doing it right or wrong or how you look when you’re doing it or if it’s working. Simply allow yourself to exist in the moment, devoid of judgment and ego. If your mind and heart is open and you have invoked your opening prayer with sincerity the rest is almost automatic. You just have to continue to channel the energy of God and direct it where it is needed. Trust your intuition. If something doesn’t quite seem clean stay and work on it until it feels right.

This is the active portion of your ritual. Generally, you should always start with yourself and then move on to your target. Wave the smudge stick over your feet with the visualization and intent that the smoke is purifying you and driving out all negativity. You may even want to blow or fan the smoke a bit. This is fine but watch for flying embers. Continue up your body and focus on your visualization. If your mind begins to wander just bring it back to the task at hand as soon as you notice. (this is also the same technique for smudging another person)

Make sure all the doors and windows are open in your house so that the smoke has a way to escape eventually and you might want to cover your smoke detectors if you have them.

Start at the center of the house and work your way out. The object is to drive out the negativity and infuse the area with divine energy, not block in the bad stuff. Start in the center of a room or the central hallway and blow or fan smoke gently in the air as to fuse divine energy into the air itself and everything it touches. Don’t forget to get in closets and under cabinets as well. If you realize later that you forgot a space don’t make a big fuss about it, simply open the area to the residual smoke into the area and back it up with your visualization. You might try saying a small prayer of thanks after each room is smudged to give that room a feel of finality.

If you are using another tool that doesn’t have smoke like a feather or your hand simply wave it the direction and imagine divine light flowing through you and emanating from the tool to infuse the air and the area with God’s presence and sweeping away negativity.

You might pay special attention to smudging doorways and windows (as these are common portals for entrance and exit) and any area that doesn’t feel quite right. Simply increase the intensity of your visualization and pour in more smoke (to a reasonable degree) until you are satisfied that the area is cleansed of negativity AND that it is infused with divine energy.

Work your way toward the exits to the room like a window or an outside door as if you were sweeping or herding the negativity out. If the house is more than one story simply pick the top or bottom floor and gradually work your way through the structure so that you sweep out negativity and infuse divine energy everywhere. Remember to hit spots that people don’t go very often like attics, basements, cabinets or even air conditioning vents. A quick and efficient way to smudge the entire air conditioning system (assuming the building has central air) is to blow smoke into the air intake for the system so that it is diffused throughout the building. This can even be used to smudge the entire house from one spot if you are confident enough in your skills to do it all from one location.

As you work you may try chanting a mantra or prayer or other positive affirmation like:

We ask that all forces not working from the light be excluded from this place.

Or

By the divine nature of God we anchor sacred light to this place and sweep away negativity.

Go with whatever feels natural. Don’t force anything and don’t let anything break your focus. If it does, simply stop and re-center and continue what you were doing. If you feel resistance in an area or feel something lash out at you simply reinforce your visualization that you are infused and emanating divine light and that shadow (negativity) cannot exist in the presence of light.

Closing:
After the entire area has been smudged take moment to say a prayer of thanks to God or whatever form of divinity you recognize for empowering you to do this work. A good example of a closing prayer might be:

We thank the forces working for the light and the divine presence of God for your assistance with open hearts and sincere gratitude.

Follow Up
Don’t allow the air in the house to stay stagnant, the smoke should be allowed to leave and fresh air to enter. The smoke is NOT the divine energy it can leave. It was just your focusing tool during the cleansing, nothing more. Let fresh air blow through and sunshine in.

You may want to repeat this simple ritual on a regular basis (every week, month, six months, year, etc) in accordance with need.

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