Something Strange I've Been Hiding

[Born Again]

Yes this is long, but bare with me:

Let me begin by saying that this is somewhat embarrassing, being I'm not the type to pay much attention to such irrational affairs. This isn't an attempt to gain attention, but nonetheless, a last resort. Now said.

My family recently moved to the St. Louis area, my current standing, and purchased a semi-new house in a large subdivision. Now a bit of my house's background information, it was built in the year 1997, and already four families have lived here. I know that one of the owners was a Baptist minister and another was an architect. (If that is off any importance) We've only been living here for about four months now and nothing has seemed out of the ordinary, until the last three weeks.

My bedroom sits off from the rest of the family's, in a finished basement, to be exact. The kitchen and dining area lie right above it, along with a fireplace. (To accompany any possible resolutions)

Now to the point:

For the past three weeks, I've been experiencing some rather strange and unexplainable happenings, physically exhausting and emotional they be. Some might call it "ghostly encounters," skeptics might call it "Paranoid Schizophrenia." Whatever it may be, it has been keeping me in a dire state.

I will begin with the first occurrence:

It seems to happen only after midnight until the wee hours of the morning, EVERY NIGHT, a time when both of my parents are asleep. Scattered running and stomping, right above my bedroom, or, in the kitchen area, which is hard-wood-floor. Our walls and ceilings are very thin, so I can here everything that goes on upstairs. I also must include the fact that I sleep with a very noisy fan, this gives an idea of how loud it is. From hearing my parents footsteps, I've gathered an accurate knowledge of how each of them walk, this is not them. I've also questioned them about being up at night, they always deny. It seems as time goes on, the stomping and running appears louder, now effecting my sleeping patterns. It's as if someone is standing in one place, deliberately making the noise. Also, I know they're not wearing any shoes, as shoes reflect a "muffled" like side. It's barefoot, because I can hear the heel pounding on the floor.

The first time I heard this, I expected one of my parents had gotten up to retrieve something from the kitchen, or my mother went on the patio to smoke. I asked myself, "Why would they be making such a racket?" So I ignored it the first three or four times. When it continued, I then became suspicious. On the first night when I noticed the running and stomping became louder, I gained the courage to climbed up the stairs to the kitchen and inspect. And so expectantly, no one was there. I continued this for a few nights.

Now onto the second occurrence:

I am often lazy about picking up random trash items in my room, especially cans. On that particular day, I had an estimated seven cans sitting on various shelves and tables. It was approximately 2 am that night, and I was in my room watching television. I then got up and went to the bathroom, which is right next to my bedroom. I returned back about ten minutes later and shockingly found all of the empty cans lying on the floor, in the same pile. The cans were originally in different places on shelves, as I had left them. Now how in the hell did they all fall into one place? And most of all, how in the hell did they fall? I didn't even hear anything. I refused to go back into my bedroom that night, so I finished the night off, without sleep, in the living room. I didn't even bother mentioning anything to my parents, for they are extreme skeptics themselves. I also have a lot of pride, it seemed senseless to utter such things.
(So yes, I have a complicated relationship with my parents.....bleh.)

Still confused by the unexplainable occurrence, I slept on the couch for the next two days. Since then, nothing but the running and stomping has occurred.

Yes, there is more:

I recently purchased a dog, which now sleeps with me every night. For the past three nights, since I bought him, he has been spontaneously growling and barking for no apparent reason. He is pretty timid already, but he has to be seeing something to be barking and growling so frequently. I like to think of him as a guard dog, we'll see. Since then, I sleep with the tv on and with the door open.

You guessed it:

Now I'll describe some of my emotional or mental experiences that have been occurring.

I've noticed that I've been experiencing uncontrollable urges to hurt or inflict pain. Now don't get me wrong here, I'm no sociopath. This just happened last night, and it's what really set me off. It was like a foreign entity invading my conscious, forcing this urge. It was like I had to release it in order to make it go away, so it resulted into a cruel treatment of my dog. When I noticed what I was doing, I quickly stopped. It was like I "regained" conscious, and I felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt. I grab my dog and went upstairs. I have no idea what I am capable of doing now, is this me?

Some minor events:

These occur off and on: I have an obsessive-compulsive thing with doors, lights, etc. They always have to be closed or shut. In this case, I always keep my closet and bedroom doors shut, along with the lights off.
Sometimes I will walk into my room and find my closet door wide open, with the light inside it on, knowing that I did not cause this. And sometimes I'll go to sleep and wake up with my tv on or off, and the door open or closed, not as I left it per say. It appears to have a rational explanation.....but it keeps happening.

Right Now:

I'm sitting in my room at this very moment, my mother in the next room, watching my tv fade on and off. I'm not surprised.

I still haven't mentioned anything to my parents, and I have no idea if they're experiencing the same things. I'm lost on what to do..

[Linen]

Wow, a lot of things happened to you! I for one am enamored with paranormal experiences (if that's what it is). I'm sorry if your experiences are frustrating or frightening to you. It definitely sounds like their could be some negative energy in your house. Personally I'd be like "sweet!" if I found out my home was haunted - I've seen ghosts before but not at home - though I wouldn't be too thrilled if it was something aggrivating or dangerous.

[NME]

Get digital audio and video recorders and set them up around the house at night. Who knows maybe you'll catch something creepy.

[BlackButterfly]

OK, you could have one of a few problems here. You could have a malicious entity, or you could have residual energy of someone who doesn't know they are dead, or you could have a most excellent prankster. These are not the only things it could be, however... If it actually is a spirit/entity, you could just be more "aware" of them than your parents. Skeptics tend to deny or explain away what you say you are experiencing.

To find the intentions of a spirit (these are my beliefs, so you don't have to follow them, but I'm trying to help using what I know), buy two candles that burn for multiple days (the ones like they sell in the Hispanic foods section of the grocery store), one red and one white, and some olive oil if you don't have it already, and it would help if you have a bible (but I guess only if you're Christian of some sort).

Sooo... in this order...

Clear a space that will fit the Bible and the candles burning a safe distance away from each other.
Open the bible to Psalms, Chapter 23. Leave the bible open the whole time the candles are burning.
Preparing the white candle first, inscribe into the wax "Spirit of Peace", your name, and whoever else in the house you want to protect (presumably your parents). Draw a circle around all that you wrote, and put seven drops of olive oil into the candle before lighting it.
Next do the same with the red candle, but inscribe "Spirit of Protection" in the wax.

Now according to my experience, a malicious entity will put the candles out (or at least try to) and disturb the bible (close it or knock it off the table). Also, the red candle will burn faster than the white one. If the white candle burns faster, then the entity is troubled and is trying to tell you something. Either way, while the candles are burning, it should hopefully calm them down, because spirits seem to be fascinated by candles.

Additionally, if black char develops around the top of the candle jar, as soon as that candle goes out, have a replacement ready when it does. The char means that the candle is working particularly hard at what it is doing.

Of course, if this doesn't fall into your belief system, I'm not sure what else to tell you...

[Born Again]

This seems like something I may be able to attempt, but I have some questions I need to ask before jumping into it:

Where did this come from? Is it of Christian origin?

Will it act as a gateway for something else, another entity?

If there is something lurking here, will this ignite their pranks/appearances more? Could it aggravate them enough to see me as a target?

If it has never happened to you, it doesn't mean that it "couldn't happen." All spirits are different I presume.

[BlackButterfly]

Without getting into a long and tedious history of blended religions... yes it has Christian origins (hence the presence of the bible), but it has some roots in African and folk religions and candle meditation.

You can make this "ritual" more Christian-based substitute by buying a white "Sacred Heart of Jesus" or "Guardian Angel" candle for the white candle (although to me color is more important than the picture the front of the candle to me) and a "Saint Michael the Demon-Slayer" candle for the red candle. The pictures I'm suggesting have Catholic roots. Also, instead of putting "Spirit", you can substitute "God" or "Angel". Members of my family have used all three.

As for "opening gateways", it is unwise (in my opinion) to instruct anyone to open a gateway which they have no background in controlling, and there are accompanying meditations/rituals to do that anyway. So no, there are no gateways, except of your own mind and faith. In fact, if you don't believe this will work at all, it may not work, considering faith is a part of the energy flowing through the candles. It's all based on whatever energies you put into the whole thing. The candles are pretty much neutral without your input; no more effective/ineffective than a nightlight.

The olive oil is a "symbol of purity" even used in the bible, and it just helps the candle stay lit until it takes to the wax. Seven is just the number my mother taught me--personally, I'm more partial to and have used five, but I felt seven would mean more to you, since you seem to be more solidly Christian in your beliefs.

It should not incite any more ire than what is already there, depending on whatever IS there. This is not an expulsion ceremony (exorcism), this is just like a "water test" of sorts, to figure out what you may be dealing with.

So I hope this helps at all... I'm not pushing you, it's still all your choice. If you're not comfortable, you don't have to do anything.

[Born Again]

I am very thankful for your efforts to help BlackButterfly, I'd much rather do "something," than to do nothing at all.

[c130]

Less spiritually/psychologically dangerous than interacting with whatever's there yourself would be to call in someone from your church who might know about this.

[natharliak]

the weird things happining to you are well...weird, it's funny cause iv'e had that same sxperence with the hole noise thing and i live alone with no naburs for about 200 meters.
it's defernetly something that can aknoladge that your there cause it stoped when you went up.
so it's out of two things.
1:its a bird, cat or animal traped in your house banging on thing 'or'
2:it's a ghost. it might be a relitive or friend trying to communicate with you through spirit.

[Born Again]

BlackButterfly,

I finally was able to attend the store to purchase the candles. The grocery store didn't carry them in their Mexican section, so I purchased two large red and white ones from Hallmark. I then used a bent pair of tweezers to engrave the below. Otherwise, I did everything exactly the way you said.

I sat there closely staring at the flames for about 15 minutes, until I finally gave up.

I didn't really expect anything to happen, but yet I was scared to death that something would.

I've been sleeping upstairs for the past few days, so I haven't be able to hear anything. And the times that I've been in my room, nothing strange has happened lately either.

I thought about obtaining more knowledge of my house and property by doing some research and asking a couple of neighbors who have lived here longer. Who knows, I might discover something useful.

[Delicate_Torture]

It might be worth trying to find out whether there is a mundane explanation for the noises as well. There could very possibly be mice, rats, ferrets, possums (although, I think we only have possums here in Australia) runing around in your walls and ceiling. This would explain the sounds and the dog getting worked up.

Something that I would suggest would be a short ritual cleaning of your space. You can buy some White Sage incense or smudge sticks (a smudge stick is a bundle of dried herb tied together that is burnt like incense is and used to mark an area. While the incense is burning be aware of the way that the smell fills your whole space and now marks it as your own. It can be helpful to play some loud music that you enjoy at this time as well. Now... here is the hard part... while you are doing this, CLEAN. Actually get in and clean up your room really really well. Tidy and dust, sweep the floors, wipe down bookshelves and desks, change your sheets.. everything you can think of doing, don't skimp or cut corners.

What this does (aside from making your parents suddenly suspicious) is that it is a powerful way to clear a space of negative energies and to mark it as belonging to you.

After all, a ritual is just a normal set of actions that are imbued with a certain energy and meaning.. it is that energy and meaning that makes the ritual powerful.

I've used this method to clear rooms and houses before.

[BlackButterfly]

Originally Posted by Delicate_Torture

Something that I would suggest would be a short ritual cleaning of your space. You can buy some White Sage incense or smudge sticks (a smudge stick is a bundle of dried herb tied together that is burnt like incense is and used to mark an area. ...

What this does (aside from making your parents suddenly suspicious) is that it is a powerful way to clear a space of negative energies and to mark it as belonging to you.

After all, a ritual is just a normal set of actions that are imbued with a certain energy and meaning.. it is that energy and meaning that makes the ritual powerful.

I've used this method to clear rooms and houses before.

WOW... you do that too?

I would have suggested it as well, but you should warn her that the smell of burning sage kind of smells like... another herb... that most adults do not agree with. That and the smudge stick is a good idea as well, though.

Born Again, when you say "nothing has happened", do you mean that the noises and movement/piling up of things have quieted down? If so, it may be a side effect--for some reason, some entities are enthralled by candles, and I'm never sure if it's the light or the energy, but they seem to have a calming effect on some of them...

[Born Again]

Yes, everything has been pretty quite, but I'm not going to push it so far to say that it has stopped. I'll give it a few more days, and I might decide to sleep in my room again.

[Delicate_Torture]

I just spent ages writing a looooooong post with lots of details about different oils and methods that you can use to cleanse a space, and as I clicked 'submit' the browser crashed. I think I'm going to go and smash my computer with a cricket bat. I will rewrite the post when I get home from work and am on a computer that I trust. Heh.

[korinna5555]

it sounds like something really wants to speak with you, but be careful.

i would make a simple pendulum, start off with questions you know the answers to, observe how it answer the questions, and then start questioning. ask something like "is there a presence in this house that wishes to speak?" and go from there.

[Delicate_Torture]

Originally Posted by korinna5555

it sounds like something really wants to speak with you, but be careful.

i would make a simple pendulum, start off with questions you know the answers to, observe how it answer the questions, and then start questioning. ask something like "is there a presence in this house that wishes to speak?" and go from there.

I wouldn't.

As soon as you do something like that there is an implied permission that the presence of that energy is invited. I wouldn't bother trying to communicate at all. I would just claim the area as my own and a safe space for me. I wouldn't even acknowledge the possibility of there being a metaphysical presence there because to do so empowers the presence.

Your room is your space. Whether you are feeling an energy or a presence it makes no difference in the end. You just need to claim your space as your own.

[korinna5555]

i have found that doing that can piss them off. i mean, if the spirit was there before born again, it would think the house its territory, and born again the one who is invading. in my personal experience, after the spirit has made itself known, it doesnt really matter if it has permission or not. and sometimes ignoring them or trying to shove them out, especially if you are inexperienced, can be dangerous.

[Delicate_Torture]

Originally Posted by korinna5555

i have found that doing that can piss them off. i mean, if the spirit was there before born again, it would think the house its territory, and born again the one who is invading. in my personal experience, after the spirit has made itself known, it doesnt really matter if it has permission or not. and sometimes ignoring them or trying to shove them out, especially if you are inexperienced, can be dangerous.

I'm not talking about performing an exorcism here. We are talking about a simple cleansing of an energy from a physical area, it's Basic Witchcraft 101.

Methinks you have watched too many episodes of Charmed.

[om3gag0th666]

Spirits, witchcraft, and anything like these things do not exist. It is merely your mind tricking you, right now I can believe there are ten men in my room killing each other, and totally experience it and believe it. Did they really exist? No.

There are no spirits anywhere on this earth, all you do is rot in a pine box, if you're lucky.

[Delicate_Torture]

Originally Posted by om3gag0th666

There are no spirits anywhere on this earth, all you do is rot in a pine box, if you're lucky.

Aww.. you're such a cheery soul. It makes my heart glow with warmth when you speak. Heh.

[ThePhoenix]

Leave a big blank note pad out somewhere in your room with a pen, and see if anything gets written down. damn this is a cool topic!

[Born Again]

Spirits, witchcraft, and anything like these things do not exist. It is merely your mind tricking you, right now I can believe there are ten men in my room killing each other, and totally experience it and believe it. Did they really exist? No.

There are no spirits anywhere on this earth, all you do is rot in a pine box, if you're lucky.

Its bleak souls like you who create these problems.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, I was forced to sleep in my room because of our family, whom would be staying in the other rooms. I fell asleep rather early, 9:00 to be exact, which was before other family members. Again, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, until yesterday.

As I explained in previous posts, if things did happen, it was only at night.

Yesterday, it was about 4:00 in the afternoon, and I was laying out frozen meat to be defrosted in the microwave.

I opened the microwave door first, then walked to the freezer to retrieve the meat. As I turned around, I noticed the door was shut. I didn't hear it shut, and I know for a fact that it was wide open. I wasn't going to be too assumptious, so I decided to test it. I shut the microwave door, and went upstairs to see if it would happen again. After about five minutes, I went back downstairs and the microwave door was opened, again! It couldn't have been my mother because she was upstairs as well, we were the only two in the house. So I ignored it, and continued the process of thawing out the meat. I sat at the kitchen table until the microwave beeped, it didn't happen again.

The following night, I wasn't able to sleep, so I just lay in my bed, very spooked. As expected, my mind was vulnerable to any sound and image. I had my television on low, and my fan on high. Nothing happened, so I finally fell asleep. I woke up, yet still half asleep and noticed that my fan was off. I assumed it got overheated and shut off, so I turned it back on then drifted back to sleep. It couldn't have been much longer from the fan shutting off the first time because it was still dark outside, and I know I didn't actually go to sleep until around 2 or 3 in the morning. Again, my fan was shut off. So I got up and felt the back of the fan to see if it was very hot, it was warm, but not enough to make it shut off. I then went into the family room and checked the time, which read 5. We have a numerous amount of fans, so I grabbed another one that was in the garage just incase the other one had problems with the motor. I then walked back into my bedroom and turned the new fan on, I was spooked and annoyed, so I just laid there until the sun started to come up. The fan didn't turn off once while I was awake, so I finally fell back asleep. I woke up from the sound of my step father's boots thumping on the floor and echoing through my sealing, he was going to work. Yet again, the fan was off. I got up, mad, and went upstairs for the remainder of the day.

This could have had some sort of explanation, but based off of the other occurrences, this gave me a reasonable case to be spooked.

As for the foreign animals contributing to the walking/running sound, it's impossible. It couldn't come through the fireplace because we close the shoot after we finish using it; there is no other way that an animal could get in. My dog sleeps with me every night, so it couldn't be him.

And for any information that I have gathered about the property, I talked to my neighbor, Leah, and she told me that this land, before the subdivision was built, was nothing but corn fields. Not very helpful.

Today, nothing has happened, it seems as if something is building up. It was the first time something has happened during the day, and the first time something has occurred outside of my room.

[Cicero]

I'd think more about the possibility of it being animals.

Inbetween the floors of a house there are spaces which can be inhabited by small rodents (or marsupials if you live in Australia). When they move around, sometimes the sound echoes in a way that makes the animals sound a lot bigger than they are. My sister has rats in the roof above her room, and when they scuttle it sounds like horses galloping in the ceiling. You can barely hear them from the floor above though, so this would be why your parents don't seem to have noticed anything.

That would explain the sounds you're hearing, anyway. Perhaps get the house checked by some sort of pest control?

[Rizash]

Animals in the walls, floors, etc.... (trust me mice can get through a 1/2 inch space pretty easily). And they make a LOT of strange noises (esp. if they get into your HVAC systems).
Also... if you're sleep deprived any noise you hear will seem more foreign to you, and may sound different. Your brain acts as sort of a chronometer for the way we percieve time. If you arent getting enough sleep you may sleep walk, turn things on and off in your sleep, or even see things and hear things that happened DAYS ago. I work in a really creepy building (that many people think is haunted) and I have seen and heard things I cant explain, but its alwyas been when I had less than 3 hours of sleep the previous night. Remember time flows forward as well as backwords, (I'm talking scientific fact here) and the brain is one of the only things that regulates our perception of time... Lack of sleep = god only knows what/when/where you'll see, hear, and do things....

[issacaron]

Afternoon, I'm not going to affirm or dismiss "spirits", but there may be a couple of other answers, If anyone else in your house has sleeping disorders .. they could be sleepwalking, also in most homes there are pipes in between the floors, those are going to make all sorts of noises as well, and finally there could be some sort of electrical fault (inside or outside the house) involved .. If all else fails, invest in some soundproofing and a new fan.

*.J