Residual Energies: Emotional Leftovers and Ghost Hunting Etiquette

 Danielle Quinlan Lee is a writer, a psychic, a ghost hunter, a UFO researcher and investigator. She fully support the Disclosure Project and Dr. Steven Greer and all his efforts. She has recently started publishing articles for UFOdigest and is working on several book projects pertaining to the paranormal. Any questions or comments, please feel free to contact her on MySpace. Visit Danielle's website: http://www.myspace.com/geminii0614.

Residual Energies: Emotion Leftovers

Have you ever walked in to a home and it just simply felt warm, cozy and the ambiance seemed to hug you like a old, friendly family member? Or have you experienced the feelings of dread, discomfort and impending doom from a house for no apparent reason?

You could rationalize, certainly, that it just was or wasn't inviting. You could argue that the decor was all wrong or you might not have liked the individuals currently living there and subconsciously superimposed your suspicions onto the home.

There also is the potential that the home is in fact occupied by an entity, spirit or specter. The ghost of some wayward soul, trapped for an eternity to forever wander the abyss of your basement, watching your every move and causing the hairs on your body to constantly stand at attention.

But, there is another option that may be considered. Residual energy. Energy, negatively or positively charged left behind from former tenants of the home. Human auras are a powerful and potentially tangible substance. The human aura can literally extend up to three feet outside of a living body. It contains a multitude of colors, varying from red, blue, black, gray, pink and purple. The fluctuations of colors, of course, depend on many variables. If someone is angry, the aura will emit red. When someone is sad or in a very unstable mood, it tends to be gray. It glows pinks, lavenders and blues when balanced and happy.

Barbara Ann Brennon, author of Hands of Light, describes the complexity of auras as a biological energy field in great detail. She writes about her life's work and experiences with the human aura. Describing in the mechanics of the human spirit and how it affects our health and environment.

"If we define the Human Energy Field as all fields or emanations from the human body, we can see that many well-known components of the human energy field have been measured in the laboratory. These are electrostatic, magnetic, electromagnetic, sonic, thermal and visual components of the human energy field."

She goes on to explain the fields of plants, animals and inanimate objects as well containing their own energy signatures. Further more, she states that we can manipulate these fields with healing touch, essentially cleansing and positively recharging the aura. Also, she describes how different personalities and dispositions of people can affect their surroundings. Particularly, how one aura can affect the energy field of other people and objects.

So, after explaining the dynamics of the human energy field in detail, we can establish that it may very well be possible for human beings to leave an energy impression on inanimate objects. Therefore, why would it not be plausible that some alleged hauntings of a home or area be the result of human energy leaving an imprint of their aura.

I believe that some traumatic events in particular, like violence or fear, can leave lasting in impressions in not only people, but their surroundings. Depression, anxiety, hate and sorrow are such powerful emotions that they would surely affect even the least empathic of individuals.

Being an empath myself, I'm extremely sensitive to these impressions left behind in homes. I have difficulty living in homes where anyone has lived previously. I feel most comfortable in homes built from the ground up and I am the first owner, leaving all my own energy imprints. I have lived in homes where I've sensed certain impressions from the previous owners and then afterwards have my suspicions confirmed by a neighbor who happen to know the previous tenants very well.

I'm not suggesting that real ghosts do not impose themselves as unwelcome guests in homes and locations, part in fact because I have investigated true spirit hauntings and they leave me with an entirely different experience.

I believe a large portion of the 'ill at ease' sensations felt in homes may indeed be explained by lasting energy impressions of previous trauma fused into the very molecular makeup of the walls and local atmosphere. Equally, I think good emotions of love and happiness can also substantially positively charge the energy of a home.

Barbara also suggests in her book that the condition your aura maintains can dramatically alter your health.

So, in retrospect, it may very well be a good idea to seriously pay attention to your natural instincts pertaining to sensing these powerful energies when purchasing your next home. You never know if your home is going to be negatively charged by some depressed and cranky former homeowner.

Upon first impression of any new individual you may meet, you immediately form an opinion. You may not even converse with them, but you can tell within a few moments as to whether or not you feel good around this person. An individual's personality is literally written into the energy surrounding themselves. Similar to pheromones, an aura emits a vast amount of personal information. Without even being psychic or having the ability to see auras, your natural instinct can guide you when sensing another's energy signature.

For instance, when you are simply walking down the street, you pass by many other pedestrians. In an instant, you can distinguish between those strangers whom you feel you could possibly trust and those whom you'd like to cross the street to avoid. You might argue that it might be their appearance, attire or our preconceived notions of what an individual should and shouldn't look like that causes your discomfort. Those are perfectly acceptable options for explaining one's level of comfort or lack thereof with a stranger. But our ability to sense an individual's intention or level of kindness may also reside with our sixth sense, an empathic intuition.

Reiki masters and those who provide the gift of healing touch utilize and manipulate these powerful energies around individuals. They open, cleanse and restore balance to the energy fields of those in need. A clean, healthy and balanced aura can literally and profoundly alter one's frame of mind and even cure many types of ailments.

An aura left open to the toxicity of a highly unfavorable environment, bombarded by stress, invalidation, bitterness and resentment, can literally cause a person to become ill. Depression, chronic fatigue and hormonal imbalance can occur simply from an unstable aura. These ailments, in turn, can lead one onto the dangerous path of even more dire illnesses, such as cancer. Or worse yet, can directly hinder any efforts made to heal a major illness.

Unfavorably charged residual energies that may be deposited into the very fibers of dwellings and workplaces, can literally sap one's energy and force the depletion of a healthy aura and body. Antagonistic attitudes or trauma imposed by toxic people can leave you or your home with a very dark cloud hanging over it.

Two perfect examples of both positively and negatively charged residual energies impressed into locations are that of churches and graveyards. When anyone, even someone of little faith, walks into a church, a sense of peace, contentment and respect immediately wash over them. A church is a place of great positive and loving energy. Hundreds pray, meditate and forgive any ill will towards others, therefore cleansing themselves of adverse thoughts or attitudes. Have you ever seen a churchyard left in disarray or treated disrespectfully? Or do people gravitate towards kindness, compassion and respect upon entering the territory of the source of so many well intended thoughts?

A graveyard, on the other hand, usually contains the contrary charged energies left behind from those in the grieving process. The air in a cemetery feels dense, thick and depressing. Knowing that some day this is your fate combined with the notion of walking around a bunch of decomposing corpses doesn't help, but the abundance of leftover energy are from the emotional remnants of the living. That energy can overwhelm a cemetery with very unwelcome and uncomfortable sensations. Time and time again, loved ones come to the graves with the sole intent of expressing their sadness, pain and sorrow.

Paranormal enthusiasts may put forth the notion that these sensations may be the work of the disquieted dead refuting the very idea of their death. In actuality though, ghosts rarely frequent graveyards. Mostly because if they are earthbound souls, they don't actually realize or accept the reality that they are indeed dead. They then would normally prefer to hang out in familiar territory usually at their former residence and not at the location with the reminder of where their decaying body lies.

So how does an individual distinguish between a true haunting or a residual energy deposit in their home? It can be a little tricky.

To obtain the answer, begin by asking yourself a few questions. How does your home feel to you? Does your home make you unwelcome or do you dread coming home? Do you constantly feel exhausted and drained when home, but feel fine if you leave the premises? If you continuously feel like 'getting out of the house' or have a sensation of discomfort, it's probably adversely charged residual energy that has been deposited into the home.

If you move into a new home and are suddenly depressed, anxious or if you notice pessimistic behavioral changes in yourself or others residing there, it's a good indication of residual energy. Feelings of dread, fear, sadness or obsessions that are abnormal for an individual are common signs. A sudden and bizarre increase in illnesses, mood swings or addictive behavior can also indicate a level of imbalance in the home.

Actual hauntings are very rare. Believe it or not, ghosts do have better things to do than to simply antagonize you. Hauntings are generally categorized by objects missing and found later where you know you already looked. Cold spots and a sense of being watched are common. Sightings and the occasional orb of course would definitely indicate a spirit. But the most significant proof that there is a ghost is their attempt to communicate. Whether it is through dreams, physical contact or the general disruption of your home, an entity will somehow express their opinion.

Once you've established if the home is indeed infected with a negative residue, you can move on to the next stages. The basic steps in dealing with this phenomenon is to first diagnose it, acknowledge it and then proceed with the cleansing process.

Burning sage or sweetgrass, pouring salt around the perimeter of the house, having the home blessed and of course imagining a purifying white light emanating throughout the house, are all perfectly acceptable forms of cleansing a property. All of which are based on the idea of positive reinforcement. None of these procedures actually have a basis of magic, witchcraft or paranormal ability, it's simply the act of your choice that creates a positively charged vibe. You are the conductor of the positive energy, your mind just subconsciously needs the 
catalyst.

By utilizing these purifying tools, you have made the conscious choice to think of the property as cleansed, balanced and positively charged. By changing your frame of mind and in essence, your aura's condition, you can reverse the ambience of the home. It's similar to the effect that prayer or good will has when sent from one person to another. The goal being that you consistently and frequently maintain the 'good' atmosphere. You can literally invent a way to positively charge the area of your choice, as long as it feels good to you, it will make a difference. It can take a bit of time and effort to permanently alter the negative effects of the previous owners, but it's worth it.

Ghost Hunting Etiquette

"As we enter this place where impressions of the past are trapped and associations linger, let us do so with the assurance that we are guarded by the Power which proceeds from forthright and peaceful intent.

We envision a white radiance encircling us, fortifying us and protecting us from any harm or distraction in our purpose this day."

Carl from T.A.P.S (The Atlanta Paranormal Society)

The image and perception of a ghost has taken on so many attributes and illusions over the centuries that it is difficult to distinguish the difference as to what is and what isn't a true haunting.

For some, a ghostly image may be that of a glowing translucent figure that ominously floats from one room of a house to the next, apparently searching for something or someone, unaware of their own demise. For others, poltergeists are demonic or evil entities that spend their eternal days and nights thinking of ways to torture, frighten and manipulate the innocent human beings that happened upon unfortunate territories. The notion is foolish to skeptics who think that a phantom could be nothing more than a person covered with a white sheet, moaning and rattling some chains to disturb the naive and imaginative.

There are many misconceptions about ghosts and the afterlife. Many perceived ghostly activities can be explained quite readily by logic or reason. Residual energy is a definite contending culprit when deciding whether or not there is a spirit prevailing in the area. There are also many other explanations that need to be explored before determining whether a house, location or person, for that matter, are haunted.

Ghost hunters are brave, intellectual and pioneering paranormal scientists and explorers, they courageously enter the domain of a suspected paranormal haunting. They explore locations armed with various technical and instrumental elements, such as cameras, thermometers, EMF detectors, voice recorders and more. Although these well-intentioned individuals are honorably 
seeking the perplexing truths to the existence of the afterlife, some are lacking knowledge and etiquette in a few essential and spiritual areas.

The first and most important step of ghost hunting is diagnosis. Is it or isn't it a real ghost? Many questions must be asked of the witnesses to determine if the strange activity or experiences are truly those of a ghost. Residual energy haunting can be determined simply by asking the homeowner, tenant or witnesses if the paranormal experience consisted only of feelings and emotional sensations. Residual energy does not manifest physical consciousness, malevolence or aggression.

Physical evaluation and study of the home or area must be conducted to rule out any logical or reasonable reasons for any odd activity. High concentrations of magnetic fluctuations due to ley lines or man-made technology can create false readings on instruments, as well as alter human perception.

In the event a real haunting, a determination must be made whether actual physical or communicative contact has been made. True ghosts will try to the best of their abilities to make contact of some kind, whether it be by moving items around the area or attempting to address the living while they are in a partially awakened or sleep state. Apparitions, orbs and audible sounds are all common forms of a ghostly presence trying to make themselves known. Often, they will become frustrated or provoked into more assertive attempts to make their points obvious. By poking, pushing or scratching, they prove they do not wish to be ignored.

It would be wise to obtain information pertaining to the history of the home and it's former residents as to better understand what type of activities, negative or positive may have gone on in the home. Better yet, an honorable and experienced empathic psychic medium can be a very valuable asset to the ghost hunting team. These individuals are specifically tuned into paranormal anomalies and would be able to distinguish what the spirit wants and needs more effectively.

Once the ghost hunter has determined whether or not it is in fact a true haunting, the next step is to attempt to make contact. Almost all ghosts have a message to get across. The messages are often relatively clear. The most common of messages are either 'hello' , 'help' or 'get out'! All of which the ghost hunter or home owner needs to acknowledge and value. If not, the entity will simply continue voicing it's displeasure with your presence.

One way to attempt to make contact with the wayward soul is to simply speak to it aloud and then allow them to respond. Since we humans cannot usually hear their response , a tape recorder is the a good way to capture electric voice phenomena or EVP. Due to the high density of our dimension, the living are often unable to audibly distinguish voices or sounds created in another dimension that is less dense. An ordinary cassette recorder is somehow able to archive a spirit's voice to manifest. This auditory strategy may support the living and the dead in conversation.

Etiquette is of the most utmost importance when physically and verbally approaching a deceased human being. No matter who officially pays the mortgage and holds the land title, the spirit believes that this is their territory. A ghost hunter, and home owner, must be respectful towards the ghost and their predicament or the investigator is bound to get an adverse reaction or none at all. It's important to be polite and verbally state your purpose immediately upon approaching the location. Asking the deceased individual's permission to enter the premises or to take photographs is a great way to show them they are being respected.

One has to anticipate what the ghost may be feeling. They are obviously confused, scared, lonely or defensive. An example of how best to learn to appreciate and anticipate the spirits feelings and reactions is that of a frightened animal. If you approach a confused and terrified cat aggressively and abruptly, what can you expect? Well, obviously the petrified feline will either run away or attempt to hurt you in defense. It's their natural and instinctive reaction to your assumed invasive presence. An animal has no way of knowing your innocent intentions because they are incapable of understanding or reading your mind.

A ghost isn't much different, the lines of communication are crossed as it is and they don't have the full understanding of where they are or what's happened to them. They're simply reacting with instinct when wondering why this person with strange instruments is intruding in their home!

In saying that, we mustn't underestimate their intelligence either, we must simply try to understand and gently coax them into submission. Your advance and attitude towards them is the most important aspect of the experience. Fear is also a factor, if your disposition is that of terror, panic or hysterical behavior , they may feed off of that energy. They can themselves become afraid and unresponsive to your requests.

In their realm, they have very little control of their existence. They wander aimlessly and confused through a foggy existence, wondering what to do next. A human soul can sometimes be tormented by memories of a terrible past. They may be reliving a painful and traumatic event over and over. So when someone comes into their fragile world, poking and prodding, they may lash out to protect themselves. Or worse yet, they may be the type that feels empowered by the fact that they can manipulate or control a living person again. This is usually when a haunting can become dangerous and terribly frightening.

One of the most important things to remember is that this literally used to be a flesh and blood human being. A being's personality, as well as your own, will continue into the next realm even though your tangible body does not. These entities, when alive, had families, jobs, memories and emotions. They had loved ones and were loved by others. Quite distressingly, some of these souls are bound to this limbo for a potentially horrible and tragic reason. Try to have empathy, consideration and compassion for the state that they are in.

A good point to remember when beginning your ghost hunting adventure, you'll catch more flies with honey. So enter their home with respect, gratitude and a polite disposition and you may end up with a very cooperative spirit, hence some very good photographs.

Copyright 2007, Danielle Quinlan Lee - All Rights Reserved)