Ghosts – Why Do Banishing Routines Work?

Earlier this week, a writer asked me why people use banishing techniques (sea salt, sage smudges, etc.) to get rid of ghosts.

Here’s part of reply to her:

Of course, people don’t actually “get rid of” ghosts.

The ghosts (or things that seem like a haunting) just stop bothering them so much.

In other words, I don’t think anyone kills or banishes a ghost… not completely.  (I don’t believe that a spirit can be completely destroyed or eliminated.  I think the energy continues in some form. Views vary among religions.)

Tools such as sea salt, smudging, rice, turned shoes, etc…?  I have no idea why these techniques work. Maybe we’ll figure it out once we better understand quantum mechanics.

For me, this subject is lumped into the same category as why “correspondences” seem to work.

In other words, I think something taps into quantum laws that transcend reality (and worlds) as we perceive them from our side.

My other theory regarding sea salt, smudging and — weirdly, using a loud vacuum cleaner — relates to filling the environment with a sensory experience that the spirit doesn’t like. Or, perhaps the sensory elements push the undesirable energy out…?

It’s just a guess, and far from anything scientific.

Those methods have been documented (some, for centuries) as effective, and I’ve seen some of them work in real life.

Turning my shoes in opposite directions worked at The Myrtles Plantation. To me, that’s even weirder than its ghosts.

A lot of these getting-rid-of-ghosts practices are rooted in mythology. Perhaps these tried-and-true methods have been around long enough to appear in really ancient tales.

Note: They seem to work with ghosts, full stop.

As far as I know, salt and sage smudges won’t help with UFOs/abductions. Also, I’ve found no record suggesting that these methods banish good energy from spiritual sites or churches.

Logic..? I won’t pretend that any exists.  Proof…? Ditto.

All I know is that these things keep getting rave reviews from people who try them.

Salt photo credit: bruno sersocima, Brazil