It is that time of year again. The air is cooler and the sky is darker but somehow more colorful at the same time. Things are shutting down in preparation for the cold weeks of winter… swimming pools, outdoor activities, trees. Orange and red and brown and yellow gold are the colors that line our streets and yards and front porches. Sometimes autumn sneaks in gradually, but other times it comes crashing upon us with very little warning. I can’t believe it is October already!
And along with the first signs of autumn come Halloween things. Pumpkins and costumes and candy corn. Apple cannons and corn mazes and hayrides. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and gourds and black plastic spider rings. These things are everywhere I go… the grocery store, a neighbor’s yard, Yahoo’s home page. (No, I don’t get out much).
So it is not much wonder that I have been thinking again lately that our house might be haunted.
Boo!
Okay, how does a (relatively) normal person come to the conclusion that she is living with Casper? Seriously, go and poll your friends. Asking “Do you believe in ghosts? Because I do.” makes people question your sanity, and they might even stop letting their kids play over at your house. Unless your friends are all kooks or they already know you’re a little different and they have come to expect these kinds of things from you at random intervals.
So I’ve got that going for me.
Maybe I don’t actually believe that I have a ghost in my house. But I am serious when I say that I think there is still some residual negative energy floating around in here. We bought this house from a man who had just gone through an icky, nasty, angry divorce (his own words) and there was definitely a bad feeling inside this house that Sheepdog and I both commented upon when we walked through. I can’t really describe it any other way. But we loved the house and the neighborhood so we bought it anyway. Oh, and sometimes when I fold laundry on my bed upstairs I often see something in my peripheral vision moving around near the stairs. Did I forget to mention that? Now I sound like the kook.
So say I choose to believe that there is some paranormal activity going on here or even just an excess of yin. Being a girl who likes to take care of business instead of ruminating, I decided to do some research. I googled “getting rid of negative energy in my home” and came upon an article that advised the following steps:
1. Clear stale energies. Open everything that is closed (doors, closets, windows, etc.). Then, walking from the front door in a clockwise pattern, circle each room and go into the next while ringing a bell. 2. Use salt to cleanse. Sprinkle it everywhere. Be sure to sweep up the salt and throw it into the trash outside of your house. 3. Feed your ghosts rice. Sprinkle it around the perimeter of your home, beginning at the front door and walking in a clockwise fashion until you come to the door again. 4. Scent the air. Use smoke from incense or from herbs, such as lavender for transcending problems, eucalyptus for healing, or mint for prosperity. 5. Use light and sound. Tinkling wind chimes and bright crystal rainbows or lit chandeliers are both excellent ways to introduce beneficial and cleansing energy to your space. 6. Take a salt bath yourself. Salt will purify you and remove negative energies from your body. Figuring I’ve got nothing but the previous homeowner’s lingering divorce energy and maybe even a ghost to lose, I tried to follow the directions with at least a modicum of seriousness and (temporary) conviction. Because otherwise what would be the point, right? But I couldn’t bring myself to actually go and buy herbs to burn or special sea salts for sprinkling or bathing. And after opening every cabinet, window and door and ringing the only bell I could find (an old bike bell… whatever, it dinged just fine) and then sprinkling freshly ground table salt then brown rice (it was what I had in the pantry) in each and every corner and cleaning it with the dustbuster , I sprayed lavender Febreze and waved around some Vicks VapoRub (eucalyptus) and splashed a little soft mint-flavored Listerine. Then I lightly blew a whistle and clicked a flashlight on and off on all of the rooms. Afterwards I took a shower and rubbed some epsom salts on my elbows and feet while I sang the new LMFAO song, “Sexy and I Know It.”Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah.
Following my makeshift space cleansing I have to say that I felt a little silly but also a little lighter and happier. Plus, my heels and elbows were super-smooth! I think my the kooks might be onto something here and I just may have restored the yang in our home. I actually recommend the process if you too have some unidentifiable icky floating around in your space. I also recommend skipping the rice part, as it is almost impossible to clean it all up afterwards. Damn you, Uncle Ben.
Wish me luck for tomorrow…
This is How I Do It... 