Ghost programs and the metaphysical issue: Part 6

A Wiccan group finally get it right

On an episode of ‘A Haunting’ from season four (2007) entitled ‘Echoes from the Past’, finally the “white witch” hypothesis--in relation to house/property cleansing and dark spirits—was proven to be true. This episode tells the story of the Johnson family who in 2005 purchased a house in Chester, Vermont which was built in the 1700s. After the house undergoes renovation, dark spirits begin to terrorize them. That’s another common theme. When houses or possibly properties are altered, spirits—perhaps dormant--become unsettled. Probably only a small percentage of those cases would unleash dark energy strong enough to create this type of “haunting,” which includes continuous intimidation, as opposed to occasional benevolent paranormal activity.

After attempting the use of burning sage around the property for cleansing purposes to no avail, the family turned to a Wiccan paranormal group called “Isis Investigations.” This particular team included three women and one man. Each member is a gifted psychic: Patricia Gardner, Co-founder and Co-director; Angela Kaufman, Co-founder and Co-director; Dayna Winters, Psychic Sketch Artist; and Justin Staley.

I’ll just give a brief summary of what they did in this case, and this was a tough case. I forgot if they used sage or salt. Upon arrival, the first thing they did was gravitate to a tree in the backyard and it’s energy. That tree figured prominently in past events, so they tapped into that as well as photographs which were found in the house of what ended up being some of the spirits there. Not all of them were of negative energy. Prior to looking at the photographs, Dayna Winters sketched the spirits which she was psychically tapping into, and they were a perfect match for those in the photographs, as well as those seen by the family.

Then they performed something called “casting a circle,” which witches use to protect themselves before rituals. I had always thought that this phrase basically meant “opening a door,” which it may in some cases. I don’t know. In Odinism, "casting a cirlce" is part of some ceremonies, but I don't know how that may tie into other related traditions. Next candles of different colors and scents were lit to absorb negative energy and replace it with positive energy. Incense is then burned to prepare the mind and body before the ritual. I guess they meant before “the main ritual.”

Finally, everyone—including the inhabitants—joined hands and formed a circle. They then began to chant… something about protection against evil. They called upon guardians called “Watchtowers” to protect “the four directions of the circle” and create “sacred space.” I don’t know what exactly all of that means, but it seems to be “eastern” because they used that word in their chant. However, as I believe is proven by the series in this blog entitled ‘Arctic Home in the Vedas’, sometimes “eastern” traditions have folkish tie-ins to our culture. Incense is then offered to the Watchtowers in exchange for their protection.

Lastly, the ritual leads to crossing the soul-spirits in the house over to the next phase in their journey. I don’t claim to know what that process is, but Guido von List sure had a whole lot to say about that subject. Then graphics are used to portray in this episode… the spirits being transported to where they needed to go… and it’s an emotional and powerful portrayal. It was like, their time had finally arrived to be redeemed in some way… “acknowledged.”

In Wicca, that place is called “the Summerlands.” At the end of the ritual—which indeed worked—a feeling of calm and peace replaced the heavy negative energy according the the narration. The concept that some places just "don’t feel right," while other places feel tranquil, is something that most people probably struggle with. I know that I do, because we can’t always choose where we want to be. In other words, at what point is that “feeling” valid enough to make issue with?

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