I think that L.M. Morgan put it very eloquently, “Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.” That is even more so when we remember people.
By Rebecca Nidey
Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House
Recently I was reading a magazine article about sharing memories. The gentleman who had written it was discussing an elderly family member who was getting to the end of her days in body. Since she had lived through World War II she had developed the habit of being a hoarder. My own parents very seldom threw anything away as “you never know when you might need it.” As she got closer to her death; the complete opposite became her norm. She sent home items with all who visited her. With those who she loved the most, she sent mementoes… photographs, family correspondence, and other items that detailed not only her history but that of others in her family of the heart.
It seems to me that this dear lady was not trying to stay immortal; that would not have occurred to her. Having lived a long life and seen many people come and go in her life, her only hope was that she would live on in memory even as her body died. More than likely that is a wish we all have.
Once again, I am sure that most of you are asking what this has to do with the paranormal and hauntings. Are not hauntings actually memories being replayed and re-enacted over and over again? This is very apparent in a residual haunting, what I call an echo from the past. It is usually a single event that is observed visually or heard over and over again. Generally it happens at the same time and possibly same day every time. In essence, it is a memory that has been imprinted by the energy involved in the events that created those memories.
Even an intelligent haunting could be considered a memory. An intelligent haunting is believed to be the energy leftover from a person after their body dies. As the title implies, it is intelligent and retains the same personality and mental capabilities of the person who has passed into spirit. Since life events and memories are what shapes a person, then they will impact the way a haunting plays out.
We have all known nasty people who never had a kind word to say about anything and anyone. Whether their attitude was the aftermath of events in their life or just a natural inclination, the memories and habits of their life will define the way their spirit makes itself known.
The same is true of those ghostly spirits with a better attitude and memories. When you hear of a protective spirit who haunts a place, they are most likely the people who remember tucking in their children at night or keeping an eye on those they loved. It also explains why some people who move into a house haunted by a spirit will find items mysteriously moved or “lost.” Even happy ghosts can be set in their ways and feel that a vase or some other possession is not in the “proper” place. If they were pranksters in life, they may have memories of how much fun it was to play tricks on someone by hiding something and then making it appear again after the owner has looked in every corner for the lost item. Personalities don’t die with the body!
Then there are the episodes of poltergeist activity to consider. Generally poltergeists are not considered to be actual spirits but rather the energy created by volatile situations in an area. Most generally the energy is created by an adolescent who is already dealing with the turmoil of that stage of life. I often wondered if some activities attributed to poltergeists were not actually the ghostly spirits who suffered from mental illness and dementia while they were alive. Just as their lives were chaotic and generally beyond their control, so were their deaths. A haunting by these poor spirits would be just as volatile as their lives.
To go even further, I wonder if a haunting could also be the efforts of a spirit to be remembered. If we strive to make and share memories while we are alive, is it a large jump to think that we would do so in spirit? When the doors on the kitchen cabinets open, seemingly on their own, could it just be a spirit remembering and reminding the current inhabitants that once upon a time someone else lived here.
While exploring the ideas of memories I came across several quotes that seem to emphasize the importance of making and sharing them. I hope that they ring as true to you as they did for me.
“Sharing tales of those we’ve lost is how we keep them from really losing them.” ~ Mitch Albom
“The things we do outlast our mortality. The things we do are like monuments that people build to honor heroes after they’ve died. They’re like the pyramids that the Egyptians built to honor the pharaohs. Only instead of being made of stone, they’re made out of memories people have of you” ~ R.J. Palacio
We don’t have to build monuments to those we have loved and lost but we can make them live again every time we share a memory. What a beautiful thing memory is, it can heal the hurts and sooth the sorrows.
About the Author:
Through her work on the investigative team for the Crawford County Illinois Ghost Hunters, Rebecca Nidey has an understanding of the paranormal, spiritual, and metaphysical worlds and how they work together.
Rebecca has trained in the Healing Touch technique (a form of energy healing). She is a certified Psychic Medium trained by Belle Salisbury, and she is a certified Paranormal Researcher.
Rebecca is the associate editor for Bellesprit Magazine and also writes a column titled Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House. She has been a co-host of several radio programs for the Haunted Voices Radio Network and HeyZ Radio Network highlighting the Paranormal, metaphysical and literary fields.
To learn more about Rebecca or to schedule a reading you can contact her at https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.nidey.
