Ghostly Woman, Illustration by Brandi JasmineEncountering spirits is often exhilarating, confusing, and can be terrifying, but in most cases there is no real danger. The media and Hollywood blow these things out of proportion, so it’s not terribly surprising that people freak out when things go bump in the night. But a fear-based reaction is literally the worst thing you can do to yourself.

When I first started realizing I was an empath/medium, everything was horrible, I spent two years in terror. Then someone pointed out that nothing truly awful was actually happening. I just didn’t understand it. I calmed down and then everything else did too. In a situation like this, the biggest threat/danger are our own fear reactions. In my experience it’s extremely rare that these kinds of situations are actually dangerous at all. Our fear makes them seem more threatening than they are. Once you get past the fear and accept the situation for what it is, you will find that not only do you feel better, but the phenomena will ease off greatly in most cases.

If you believe your home is haunted or you encounter spiritual phenomena, recognize the entity. Speak to it. Tell it that it is dead and it must move on. You’ve got that they are trying to give you a message, but you can’t see, hear or get all the message, and it is causing you distress. The entities need to call upon their guides/angels to assist it in moving on to their next steps in the afterlife. Tell them to think about that or pray and they will come to their assistance. If this is your home, affirm ownership. “This is my home now. I understand you have an attachment to this place, but you are discarnate now, you need to move on, and you are causing distress if you stay here.”

In most cases, that’s all that’s necessary to clear the problem, but there are more stubborn spirits.

If that is the case, it may take a bit more effort. Every morning and evening, do a white light exercise. Place protective crystals around your home. Colored crystals, hematite, amethyst, or rose quartz work well. Keep clear quartz out of the bedroom. Clear your crystals with rock salt weekly. Place small bowls of rock salt around the perimeter and dispose of them regularly when you feel called to do so, or if the phenomena re-occurs. Place bay leaves around the house, behind furniture, under your trash bin in the washroom. Smudge if you have some sage (remember to leave windows open if you do that). Get some neo-selenite (aka “plasterite” if you want to make your own), and charge it with the intent to clear your space of any entities that are not in your highest good (if you purchase a piece from me, let me know when you are buying it, and I will charge it at no extra cost).

If unwanted phenomena does continue to occur, affirm you are safe and protected. Remind yourself not everything you experience is necessarily related to any spiritual entities. Always assume there is a physical explanation until it is ruled out. Sometimes a flickering light indicates an electrical short. Safety first: have your outlets checked. Wash your hands in cold water after an encounter. Pray, light candles, or simply speak with the spirit. Keep a journal of your experiences. If you don’t have time to write it down, keep voice notes in your cell phone.

If this isn’t working, feel free to contact me on Facebook, I’ll do what I can to help (no charge).

Spirit encounters might seem scary at times, but these encounters can be real blessings. They prove to us that life goes on. In the vast, vast majority of cases, the spirit is afraid or confused, not dangerous. We pick up on their fear and amplify it. That’s the only real harm most of them can do, and it’s not intentional.