Have you ever noticed how words can paint pictures almost as well as oil, watercolors and chalk?
By Rebecca Nidey
Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House
On this lazy Sunday I turned on the television and, since it is an election year, felt the urge to turn it off almost immediately. Much too often the shows were being interrupted by verbal attacks on various candidates. As much as I love words, these ads were misusing them by employing them as clubs.
To counteract the sting of those harsh words while keeping in the spirit of politics, I chose to watch some episodes of an old favorite…The West Wing. Set in the White House with a fictional president and his staff from the years 1999 through 2006, it was as much about the people involved as politics. What always enthralled me about this show was the powerful way they used words. With a few stirring sentences they could evoke the anger and sorrow at an untimely death, triumph with the passage of a favored bill and the affection of a group of human beings who work together very closely. Words can be used to stir a nation, or as a weapon to cow an enemy.
Have you ever noticed how words can paint pictures almost as well as oil, watercolors and chalk? If I were doing a story about nature and wrote about the “quiet tinkling of a trickle of water” versus “the roar of the waves pounding a stony shoreline”…don’t you see, hear and smell both scenes? “The grumble of distant thunder preceding a stab of lightning” can take you into the anticipation of a violent thunderstorm. “Mother Nature was holding her chilly breath” can conjure up thoughts of a frigid winter gale about to be unleashed. Words have the power to create something that we have not actually experienced and bring back the memories of those we have.
Once again, those of you who know that this is a paranormal column are wondering where the paranormal is hiding in this article. As a paranormal investigator, I deal in words all the time. When preparing for an investigation we create a history of the possible haunting. Team members interview those who are experiencing the alleged activities of ghosts. Words are important as we try to put together the pieces of the mystery that is a haunting. After the investigation, we must work at finding words to give peace and relieve the worries and fears of the clients.
One of the tools that we use the most in an investigation is a digital recorder. In an effort to communicate with the spirits we ask questions that we hope will invoke an answer while recording the conversation on that recorder. While we never provoke the spirits, we do tailor the words to solicit a response. We may ask the spirit of a young mother if she still watches over her children. To a soldier who died suddenly, the request may be if he understands that he is dead and details on that death. It is not only the words we speak when making these inquiries but the tone and demeanor while asking them. The spirit of a child will most likely not answer a question delivered in a scolding tone. The victim of domestic violence will most probably respond better to the gentle voice of a female investigator rather than a male voice that reminds them of their abuser. The most important part of this equation is respect; in words and meaning.
When playing back the results of an EVP session we may get understandable phrases, but the most likely occurrence will be single words. My belief is that ghostly spirits are just people without bodies. They retain the personality that they had while in body and may also hang onto the emotions they held at the time of death. Those single words or phrases can be very telling. We have often heard the same remarks over and over. “Love,” “get out,” “stay,” “damned,” “I’m innocent,” “my baby,” “I’m dead,” and the most prevalent…“help”…have all been recorded on investigations. Although the messages are short, the emotions of the words are strong. Words have power, even from the grave.
The power of words can also be seen on the stones over the graves of those who have passed. The sorrow of those left behind is etched on those markers as a reminder of the grief forever marking their hearts. The words may be as simple as “Beloved Wife (or Husband),” or “Our Sweet Angel,” or as elaborate as a long poem. When we lose someone who is dear to us, we want to memorialize that love for all times; even after our own deaths. Most of the stones bore some phrase that mentioned how loved the deceased was, and I always wondered if those words had been spoken before while they were alive.
Any of my readers who are personal friends will remember my Mother and her quirky sense of humor. She and Dad had a plot in a local cemetery and even had their stone picked out and placed well before either of them had passed. Always a good Mother, she wanted to make sure we kids did not have to worry about that detail when the time came. And, of course, it was also a way to make sure it was exactly as she wanted it also. Mom had often said that she would prefer to enjoy the normal floral arrangements gifted at a funeral while she was above ground, rather than when she could not appreciate their bright colors and wonderful scent. Several of my dear friends who I worked with often walked the pathways of this particular cemetery because it was a safe and peaceful way to exercise. After I mentioned Mom’s philosophy to them, they started putting flowers on her grave so she could enjoy them while she was able. Mom, with her oddball sense of humor, thought that was hilarious and often asked me to inquire if my friends had changed flowers on her grave yet.
The point of this story is that perhaps we need to use the power of words to let others know what we think and believe before they are no longer able appreciate them. The word “love” can never be overused as well as “thank you” and “I appreciate you.” Even a simple compliment on the outfit that someone is wearing that day or an observation on their flower garden while taking an afternoon walk can brighten a person’s day. A kind and loving word is inexpensive but has a worth beyond price and it is the gift that keeps on giving. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking time to read my column and I love each and every one of you… please pass it on.
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.
