Generally, spirits do many things to let us know that they’re nearby. Usually, those signs are subtle, such as a TV turning itself on & off, or an image that you see out of the corner of your eye.

By encouraging the spirit (by talking out loud as if he’s physically right there), you can often make a stronger connection.

With patience, I’m sure that you’ll be able to feel your son’s presence, even if he’s not able to do anything more dramatic. From what I’ve seen among families who’ve lost a relative, spirits usually communicate with feelings of comfort or gentle guidance.

Trust your own intuition.

Sincerely,
Fiona

That’s great about your plans for October 31st!

Regarding equipment:

I’ll be talking about ghost hunting equipment in my podcast of February 26th (2010). I’ll start with free equipment and then talk about higher-priced tools.

Meanwhile, above the free/inexpensive level, I’d recommend a K-II meter (any version) or — if it’s in your budget — anything that sounds interesting from DigitalDowsing.com.

Cheerfully,
Fiona

My immediate reaction is: Watch out for “El Indio.” I’m always wary when someone has opinions that contradict what the residents have perceived, particularly when that person wants to come into the house and perform any kind of ritual. If it’s the parish priest you’ve known since childhood, that’s one thing; when it’s a string of somewhat weird advice (give the trash bag to the church…?), that’s a very different situation.

I believe that most poltergeist (literally: “noisy spirit”) phenomena are two-part. First, there’s the spirit who’s creating the effects, and then there’s the living person — a teenage girl in about 80% of the cases — whose emotional roller-coaster is providing the energy.

When it’s a poltergeist, it’s best to ignore the situation as much as possible, and figure that it’ll go away on its own. In the vast majority of cases, the poltergeist is not dangerous.

In the rare instance where it is an issue, getting counseling for the teenager is usually the best approach. If you can’t get help locally, Pete Haviland (of Lone Star Spirits in Texas) is experienced with poltergeist issues and he may be able to talk with you and your family about this.

However, rebellion is normal among teens, so your efforts should probably focus on how the rebellion is being acted-out via the spirit in the attic.

(It’s like dealing with someone who has an addictive personality: You may be able to get them to quit smoking cigarettes, but then they start chewing gum or overeating or shopping or…. Well, you get the idea. Your strategy will be most effective if you direct that person to a healthier addiction. In this case, it’s not an addiction, but the game plan is similar: You’re looking for a healthier, less upsetting way for that rebellious energy to be vented.)

Frankly, if it’s manifesting as noises from the attic… that’s no big deal. In most cases, if you treat the problem lightly and have patience, it will slowly (months) fade away. Now and then, the situation flares up with something more dramatic, but — as I said — if you look at it as a “side effect” of normal teenage emotions, the sources of the problem will usually find healthier and more commonplace ways to vent. Sports, music lessons, family outings involving hiking or skiing… these can be helpful to release stress and have less physical energy available for the spirit in the attic.

You’ll also be addressing the spirit who’s part of the problem. (Think of it as a “partner in crime” … in a non-criminal way, of course.) Treat what’s going on as if it’s a two-year-old having a temper tantrum. Acknowledge it at first — even talk at it, saying, “Okay, you have my attention. What can we do to resolve this?” (Remember, if it can shout your name, it can communicate clearly about its needs and wishes, too.) In at least 90% of the cases, the spirit pouts and never offers anything that will actually help the situation. He/she just wants attention.

After that, gradually increase how much you ignore the inappropriate behavior.

If your sister and others think the spirit is a little girl, it might be. You could research the history of the house and see if you can discover the identity of the spirit. Addressing it by its correct name, and acknowledging whatever happened to it in the past, could be the first step towards helping the spirit cross over.

That said, it’s still acting like a spoiled two-year-old. It’s accustomed to getting attention for inappropriate and disruptive behaviors. Generally, the best you can hope for is (1) get it to redirect its energy in less disruptive ways, and (2) wait for your sister to outgrow the need to vent normal teenage emotions.

Try this for awhile and see what happens. If you need more advice, let me know or contact Pete Haviland.

Fiona

I am with my friend who has some questions for you. I searched online and stumbled upon your website.

“For the past week and a half, there have been strange happenings such as odd noises (whispers, bangs footsteps, and shouting my name) emanating from my attic. I don’t usually do this, but I don’t know who else to turn to. There is a man, who we call, “El Indio” and he stopped by and told us it’s not the spirit of a little girl (as we have thought) but the spirit of a man. However, he also said he does not know if this “being” can shape-shift. He has order us to clean the floor and pick up any loose object so he can bless our home with Holy water. He said that a spirit can attach himself to an object if it’s not done properly. After we clean the house the bag of trash has to be given to the church.

My mother thinks it’s our recently deceased landlord. (who has always cared for us and had a problem with our attic because I live up there now) As stated before we think it’s a little girl, because my sister has heard the whispers that sound like a little child. Before my neighbors moved they reported encountering the presence of a young girl in their apartment.

I’ve gone though your website and have read the remedies to get rid of spirits, and I trully believe that our house has a visitor from the afterlife.

I am currently 18 (but have started college so I am away from home and living in a dorm), and my two sisters are 15 and 10. My youngest sister is acting really rebellious and creating strong imbalanced of energy in the home and I fear that has attracted this entity.

I am curious to know what is your take on my current situation. Am I paranoid? Is it our family’s wild imagination? Or can something truly other worldy be occuring in my home?”

Thank you for your time, We hope to hear from you soon.

There’s at least one house just down the hill from Vale End. Sounds tend to carry up, so you may have heard their dog racing around a lower part of the hill.

Or, it may have been something paranormal.

Vale End is a very weird place. Once it turns strange, it seems to get stranger with each visit. I won’t go back there.

Then, expect it to reappear within a few days.

If that doesn’t work, after a few tries, start leaving iron nails around your home. Explain to the faeries (who don’t like iron) that you’ll happily remove the nails if they return what they took, and then find somewhere else for their mischief-making.

I was wondering if you knew that faeries tend to leave presents… what might be responsible for things seemingly magically disappear?

I’m not talking about losing something. Something lost or stolen is either found or enjoyed by another. I seem to have things, odd things vanish from time to time. Things in plain sight.

These things vanish overnight or within a few hours. Never to be found, through a move, carpet cleaning, ever, by anyone who would find it. Peculiar. I used to say I had Borrowers of my own, like the book.

Some things, need to be returned, one in particular. I am wondering what sort of entity I might be addressing to ask for it back??