Cleansing a House of Unwanted Spirits

Every culture over every time period has stories of the spirits that roam the earth. This constant in human civilization leaves no room for doubt on the presence of spirits of the dead coming back to the human plane as an ethereal existence. According to all the stories, folklore, and witness testimonies, the world is full of spirits. Their method of interacting with the human world differs from spirit to spirit as well as their intentions though. Some are evil. Some are benign. Some are indifferent. However, the manifestation of a spirit who wishes to do harm to the living or is intentionally being a bother to living humans does happen from time to time. At the worst it can lead to outrageous fear and trouble and at the least annoyance to the humans the spirit chooses to haunt. Here is a list on how to get rid of any negative spirits that you wish would leave you alone.

Holy Water

The idea of using blessed water is a very old belief. Water is thought to be one of the neutral elements which can act as a transitory plane or a barrier. Its ability to cleanse and wash off anything that sullies the body in addition to its necessity for all living creatures makes most cultures believe in the sacredness of water in general. If you add the consecrated quality that is innate to water to a divine blessing of sorts, no matter what religion you prefer, you will create a naturally powerful element which will protect you against all types of evil spirits. Once you have your water blessed by the religious official of your choice, merely wet your fingers with the water then spread it across the top part of all the thresholds of the haunted room—doorways and windows. The barrier created by the blessed water should keep out the evil spirits at each of the room’s entryways.

Banishing Ritual

The idea of a banishing ritual is seen throughout history and across the globe. Any culture that has a strong belief in malicious spirits and their ability to interact and affect the living has a type of banishing ritual. However, modern Western culture has designated most banishing rituals as a pagan custom. Spells that banish can vary greatly even from person to person. Yet, they can be relatively simple. The easiest way is to write down the problem on a piece of paper, being as concise and specific as possible. After focusing deeply on the problem written on the paper, you must burn it. Most people prefer to burn using a white candle or by lighting the paper and placing it in a white bowl to allow it to burn in a controlled setting.

Dear God, Virgin Mary, Jesus and Archangel Michael, Banish all evil and negative energies and spirits from this home, and Bless this home with your pure White Light of Love and your Pure White Light of Protection. Amen.

Or

I banish all negative energies from this house with the energy of love and light.

Protection Herbs

The mystical use of herbs in certain settings and for certain reasons has been used for centuries. During the Elizabethan era of Tudor England, it was common place to use herbs rather than flowers during ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, or elevations of status to bless the special occasion. However, the meanings and specialized uses for particular herbs varies over the entire world and over time. To suggest for helpful herbs though, here are some useful herbs from different cultures from history to try out on your malevolent ghost. Even though most people think garlic is merely for vampires, it is actually a protective herb for all evil spirits. All you need is a single clove (not a giant bulb) placed at points of entry that need protection, doorways as well as windows. If you are the particular subject of the spirit’s actions instead of just the room, feel free to keep a clove in your pocket. A bag of protection can also be made from herbs that will be helpful. A small amount of cinnamon, five-finger grass, ague weed, and sage in a pouch that you place at thresholds or carry with you will most certainly protect from evil spirits. Sage in general is renowned for its ability to cleanse any malicious presences. Merely burning sage in a doorway and windows of the haunted room are thought to provide a very strong barrier for particular evil spirits while allowing good spirits to pass.

Counting Remedy

Many people feel that spirits, particularly evil spirits, must perform certain tasks when they are faced with them. One of these tasks to be performed by ghosts is the activity of counting individual grains. The type of grains—seeds, sand, beans, or rice—are generally not what is important. The number of the multiple particles is what you really want to bring attention to. It is said that the spirit is forced to pause and count the grains of the spilled substance. Having a great many of them in one space and the inability to pick them up as they go, the spirit gets frustrated with having to start over and over again and will soon give up and leave your house all together to haunt someone who does not require them to count meaningless molecules. Merely spill the grains of your choice in the haunted room every night and clean up in the morning. Tales indicate it should take less than a week to get rid of a spirit this way. If you don’t like the idea of having to clean every morning though, keeping the grains in a clear vial or tube that you hang in a doorway or window is thought to be just as useful.

Salt

Salt is very prevalent in folk remedies. It is thought to have the same purifying and cleansing properties as water. Just like water, some people prefer to have it blessed before they use it. Once blessed, or even not, make a line of the salt at the threshold of your door and windows. The salt on the floor or ledge of these entryways will keep any spirit from entering your room. If you perform this act at entries of the entire house, the whole residence is assumed to be protected from entering spirits—whether they are vindictive or neutral. Sea salt is the favored type even though table salt can work on its own.

Talk

Since the majority of spirits that haunt the realm of the living used to be humans themselves, they are probably haunting for a reason. While it may seem silly, acting as a type of counselor to this evil spirit can put the ghost at ease and allow them to pass on to another plane of existence or at least to a state of peaceful being so that they do not wish to bother the living anymore. This can be achieved several ways. Straight forward meditation then asking your questions allowed is the simplest way to speak to a spirit. If you use this method, you’ll probably want to stick to “yes” or “no” questions so that the spirit can answer easily. Ouija boards can be used to talk to the spirit as long as you specific that you are requesting the spirit who is haunting you. You must specify you are asking for the bothersome spirit or you may end up solving a problem for the wrong spirit or calling an additional bad spirit into your home. Ouija boards must be used with care.

Candles

Use white candles because they represent enlighten and will draw in those from the light and they will aid in your prayers to rid of the negativity in your home.  While lighting the candle make sure that you state the reason why you are doing this, to rid of evil entities, or negative energies and saying your prayer, those of the light will respond and help you.

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The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who are in heaven, Hallowed by thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen
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The prayer that you use will be up to you and what religion background you are from.

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SMUDGING

Regarding the smudge ceremony, remember that no matter the details of your actions, God knows what you are trying to do, and in the end you can't do it wrong, there is no wrong, God and the master spirit guides in the world unseen will understand your actions and bless your efforts. Well first of all I use sage or sage with sweetgrass. I pick a time when I'm not likely to be interrupted, and also pick some appropriate music to play , some new age instrumental stuff. Not important if it's not possible.

Then I say a prayer asking God and my spirit guides to be with me and guide my actions. Personally I use the Light Invocation by Dael Walker and repeat it three times as he suggested.

I invoke the light of the God within I am a clear and perfect channel Light is my guide.

The smudge stick is sometimes hard to keep smoldering so when you first light it, blow out the flame after it gets going and then blow into the smoldering embers to really let it take hold or else it might burn out. If it does burn out, just re-light it again and keep going. After I get the stick smoldering, I ask the smoke be blessed and that it will trap any and all negative entities and energies. The first thing I smudge is myself starting with the bottoms of my feet and then working the smoke up around my body and around my head and crown chakra. After that is done I start at a doorway and direct the smoke completely around the door frame, you will repeat this in every room starting at the entry doorway to each room and the front and back or side doors to the apartment or house.

After the doorways just go around the room to the four corners and then down the middle with a circular motion. Don't forget to open closet doors and drawers to chests and cabinets also before you begin. The mental image is as if you were about to fumigate the property for bugs, the idea is to let the smudge smoke get into and around everything within the home or office. Instead of getting rid of bugs , you are getting rid of negative entities and energies. When you have completed every room, then say another prayer, thanking God and your spirit guides for help and blessings asking that all the smoke carry away all negative entities and energies out away from your home or office. Open as many windows and doors as is practical to allow the smoke to be purged from the interior and fresh air and chi to flow back into your living or work space. The idea is the smoke traps the unwanted stuff and then you let it out through the windows and open doors.

I always burn some good smelling incense at the beginning of the ceremony to help cover the pot-like smelling sage. If possible I also light a few candles and create a makeshift altar with the candles and a few crystals of whatever you might have before I begin, to help act as center place for my prayers and smudge lighting. To help direct the smoke into drawers and closets, you can either use a feather if you have one or just use your hand in a fanning motion. One other practical matter, sometimes smoldering pieces of ash from the sage or string the binds the sage will tend to drop to the floor so to prevent burn spots on your floor, it might be best to try and use a paper plate or something to catch the ash during the smudging.

Another alternative to a smudge stick bundle would be to burn loose sage in a dish or bowl which would prevent the smoldering ash problem. This ceremony does tend to drain the person doing it, so allow so rest time for afterward. You may notice the difference of energy right away or especially the next day, as will visitors to your home or work space.

One last item, should you have any crystals or rocks in your space, you may want to raise their vibration after the smudging by ringing a bell, or ringing a brass bowl near where they sit. Finally put out the smudge and after closing the windows and doors sit down and relax for a while and begin to enjoy your cleansed environment. You might want to redo the smudge ceremony at least every 6 months , or more often if you feel the need. You might want to try and time the smudging to a new moon or at the change of seasons.

Remember God and your spirit guides understand what you are trying to do, so THERE IS NO WRONG WAY to do it. You may want to include some of your favorite readings, or do this with a loved one. Basically that's it, good luck and be well.

In The Beginning….

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." --- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

 Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Michael Ragsdale. I am 65 years of age and the Founder of Jackson Purchase Paranormal Investigations, based out of Paducah, KY.

Although I can’t honestly say I have been fascinated by the paranormal my entire life, I must confess that pretty much every job I’ve had since I was 20 years of age has had an association with, or at least the prospect of, DEATH. This lifelong association started after graduation from the US Army Medical Training Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in 1970, when I became a combat medic with the US Army and later the US Army Reserve and the Kentucky Army National Guard.

After release from active duty, my first civilian job was as an emergency room technician at one of the local hospitals. This lasted for the better part of six months until I was introduced to the world of emergency medical services (EMS). I had gotten to be friends with the ambulance service personnel (there were no EMT’s anywhere in Kentucky at this point in time) and I was soon offered a job working with them …. an offer which I accepted quite enthusiastically.

As time progressed and the talk got serious about Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), it was a given that I would become one and, in fact, I became the 115th licensed EMT-A in the Commonwealth of Kentucky (and, I might add, the 2,292nd Registered EMT in the United States as a whole).

Sometime in the early 70’s I moved about an hour away to Murray, KY, where I helped open a new, professional, ambulance service in that community (up until then, ambulance service to the Murray, KY, area had been provided by funeral homes). Along with this change, I migrated into other fields of emergency services, becoming a Firefighter/Engineer with the Calloway County Fire & Rescue Squad.

After a couple of years in Murray, KY, I decided that the time was right to consider a move back to Paducah, but not before I consulted with the Marshall County, Kentucky, fiscal court about opening a professional ambulance services in their area (again, ambulance services were being provided by the funeral homes up until this time).

After I had worked with the Fiscal Court to successfully open the ambulance service, I then relocated back to Paducah where I once again took a position with Angel of Mercy. I also became a police officer with the McCracken County Auxiliary Police (and later the Paducah Police Department).

I truly loved being a police officer. I had grown up in Madisonville, KY, being around police officers. My great uncle Herbert “Guy” Jones was a Madisonville Police Officer, and his son, Herbert “Sonny” Jones, was a Kentucky State Trooper. Also, my grandfather, Edgar Frank Watson, who died long before I was born, was also in law enforcement in the Madisonville, Hopkins County, KY area (he worked for the Hopkins County Sherriff’s Department) , so I guess you can say it was in my blood.

Without going into the specifics let me say that the politics of small town government in the 1970’s were a bitch …. and said bitch will reach out and bite you in the ass when you least expect it so, after over three years in law enforcement, I found myself out of a job through no fault of my own..

After finding myself in need of a job (at this point in time paramedics still seemed like a distant dream) and having no real interest in returning to the ambulance service as a basic EMT, I turned to one of our local hospitals looking for a job and I was offered a job in Respiratory Therapy (actually called Inhalation Therapy at the time) and I have basically been doing that for a living ever since.

Although I would have preferred to have remained a police officer for the rest of my days, I can honestly say that things have worked out like they have in my life because I DIDN’T remain in law enforcement, so this, regardless of the hurt that resulted, has, in fact, been a very good thing.

When I was twenty-six years old, my father, and my hero, Herbert Bernard Ragsdale, passed away (even though he had been hospitalized for over a month, his death was still unexpected and a tremendous shock to the entire family.

Although I had already seen death and the sorrow that results from it in a multitude of forms in my chosen career paths, nothing prepared me for the sorrow that accompanied the loss of my father. Even though I had already experienced the loss of a grandparent and even close friends, the loss of my Father caused a pain which was like nothing I had felt before, but the worst part of it all was THE DREAMS (perhaps nightmares might be a better description)!

It seemed like every night while I slept I would dream about my father and, invariably, things would be fine in the dreams. He would be alive and well and it would be like things used to be, but then the next morning I would awaken and be assaulted with the heartbreaking realization that he was still gone and that it had all been only a dream.

These dreams went on night-after-night for what seemed like months until finally things changed. I remember being in bed and I am pretty sure I was sound asleep. Suddenly, something awakened me and there, standing at the foot of the bed, was my father. I remember this quite vividly and I remember him telling me that “everything is going to be fine” and that he was “OK.”

For what it’s worth, the dreams stopped that night and, for the most part, have never returned. Although it can be argued that this experience was, in fact, simply another dream, I personally like to think it was truly my father who, after realizing how much I was suffering night after night with these dreams, chose to return to this plane of existence and do something about it.

There’s hardly a day that goes by that I don’t think about my Dad, and more times than not I actually talk to him, either thanking him for something that he taught me when I was younger that I have found useful as an adult or simply just letting him know that I miss him.

Fast forward thirty-some-odd years!!! Staying busy with my career while at the same time raising a family, the spirit world was the least of my concerns for quite a number of years. This was to change after hearing one simple little word, uttered two times. Nothing more than a simple greeting, as it were, a greeting uttered by someone not of this world (at least as we understand it). A greeting that would change not only how I have come to personally view the afterlife but which put me on the path to where I am today, trying to find answers and solutions for total strangers who are bothered by what they feel is the paranormal.

To better explain the importance of that simple greeting, I will be focusing on January 8th, 2008 but first I need to regress to March 3rd of the previous year. That’s when my mother died after a particularly nasty illness.

Although we had not talked specifically about her belief in the afterlife, I knew the basics of her feelings from talking about things that had transpired when other loved ones had died. For example, when my Great Uncle Guy was on his death bed in August of 1979 he talked with/about my father (who died in 1977). They were simply going to go fishing.

In 1981 her brother was dying at Walter Reed Medical Center and my mother was there at his bedside with his family when he departed this life. One thing that struck me was that, as my Uncle lay dying, he began to talk with/about relatives that had preceded him in death, namely, my father and my Great Uncle Guy (as mentioned above).

What I took from her relating this to me was that she believed deeply that previously departed loved ones were coming to take a loved one home … and that’s the way it should be!

Sadly, when both my Father and Mother passed on, neither of them was able to talk about any loved ones coming for them as they were both attached to mechanical ventilators, but I would like to think that family was there for both of them when it came  their time to cross over.

Now, back to January of 2008 (ten months after my Mother had passed away) when that one little word spoken twice would set things in motion that have brought us to where we are today.

Our Beginning….

As Related By Matthew Ragsdale, Lead Investigator

“Jackson Purchase Paranormal Investigations was founded in early 2008 by my Father, Michael. Over the summer and fall of 2007, we had developed an interest in watching Ghost Hunters, and watching soon became a weekly occurrence. It was fascinating to me, as I have always believed in ghosts and some sort of an afterlife - even if I didn't know what it was.”

“In December of 2007, Santa brought me a digital recorder and a K-II for Christmas. I was ridiculously excited and I could not wait to try them, and that night I did my first EVP session. I had no idea what I was doing, only that I wanted to talk to ghosts like I saw on TV - needless to say, I got nothing.”

“Just a few short weeks later, in January of 2008, my Mother and I were watching my newborn nephew. Asleep in the floor, he had no idea that he was the star of the show that night. As the evening progressed, my Mother began to hear noises coming from the kitchen, pots clanging lightly, a spoon in the sink moving, a footstep. So, I grabbed my recorder and headed off into what would take me on a 6 year long (and going!) expedition into the unknown.”

“That night we received our first EVP, and I'll stand by it to this day, one of our best ever. As I say, "You can leave a message by talking into the red light." I am followed by a clear-as-day ‘Hello....hello?’

I was stunned as I listed to that in review for the first time. It was one thing to see it on TV, but another thing entirely to get one! Shaken as if I had actually seen a ghost, I walked out of my room and looked around to my family – ‘We got something...’ I said, as I was still reeling from the surprise of it all. ‘We got something.’ ”
                                                                                                                                                                           
Needless to say, the thrill that encompassed my being was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. We had actually recorded the voice of what we took to be a spirit seemingly attempting to communicate with us. The word excited just doesn’t accurately describe things.

As for “The Mom”, it was an entirely different story. She listened intently to the recorder and then with a look of pale disbelief, proceeded to slide down the wall she was leaning against, assuming a sitting position on the kitchen floor. The word “stunned” just somehow doesn’t quite describe how she felt (and acted).

As to whose voice we recorded, it is pretty well accepted by all the family that this was the voice of my Mother, who, as you might recall, had passed away just ten months previous to this night. I feel strongly that she was at our house that night checking out her new great-grandson, Grayson. The rest, as has been said in so many, many circumstances, is history …. in this case, the history of JPPI.

So long 2014 ..... Hello 2015!

It's been a busy year for Jackson Purchase Paranormal Investigations, although not as busy as we would have liked it to have been. In 2013 we performed 13 investigations and in 2014 we have performed 15 (I had been hoping to reach 20 investigations ... maybe this year).

I had a friend make the comment today that perhaps the "paranormal fad" as it were was starting to settle down. Speaking for myself, I have been amazed at the number of paranormal groups that are here today and gone tomorrow. I guess there's a certain percentage of groups that are in it (paranormal investigating) for nothing more than the "thrill of the ride" with no intention of actually trying to help those affected along the way.

If that's the case I say GOOD RIDDANCE.

What we (the field) need are less teams and teams that are more focused on the data collection and scientific analysis of the findings. Unless you are among the teams that actually only "investigate" the "pay-to-play" locations ... and there appears to be large number of teams such as this, you must remember one thing. You are dealing with someone's emotional health and well being. Haphazardly throwing around the label "haunted" does no one any good, especially the clients.

A look back at 2015

2015 found the JPPI teams investigating private residences in Sesser, IL (January 18th), Hermitage, TN (January 25th), Paducah, KY (February 22nd and March 1st), Sikeson, MO (March 15th), Boaz, KY (April 12th), Pryorsburg, KY (April 18th), Paducah, KY (April 25th), Eldorado, IL (May 2nd),  Paducah, KY (June 6th), Metropolis, IL (June 13th), Benton, KY (June 14th), Brookport, IL (October 4) and Paducah, KY (November 22).
 
We also participated in one "pay-to-play" event, that being Octagon Hall in Franklin, KY, on March 28th. Octagon Hall is almost like a pilgrimage for our team. The place is authentic in every detail and paranormally very active. We have every intention of going again sometime this year.

We also paid a visit (unofficially as it were) to the Bell Witch Cave in Adams (Northwestern), TN, where Sue Ellen captured this anomalous mist appearing out of nowhere. Is this the Witch???? Who knows, but at the time we were some 500 feet into the cave and the inside temp was in the 60's which sort rules out any temperature / climate causes..

All in all a good year ... we're just looking for more clients to help along the way as we move into 2015!

Happy New Year!!