Month: October 2017

A Haunting Halloween

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ Leave a comment

Dear Readers,

I hope this letter finds you well.  I will have another new story for The Ghost Post up next week.  In the meantime, I thought I would repost one of my favorite Halloween stories with an additional update at the end of the blog.  Thank you so much for all your support!

Have a Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain!

Tara Theresa Hill

One of my favorite ghost stories is “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving.  So, when Mom was approached to do a ritual at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery for a kid’s paranormal television show, I was thrilled to go along.  When our car first pulled into the cemetery parking lot, I was astounded by the sheer size of the place.  The endless rows of old graves amongst the fallen leaves and stark grey sky were an impressive sight.  We were given a brief private tour of the cemetery before leaving to grab some dinner at a nearby diner.  As the shadows lengthened, I asked when Mom and Sandy were going to start the circle.

“Oh, that will take place later tonight, once it gets dark,” said Mom.

“What?  How long are we going to be there?” I asked.

“All night,” Sandy sighed, sipping her coffee.

“You mean to tell me that we’re going to spend Halloween night in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery?”

“Yes.  I thought you knew that,” said Mom, as if walking around a haunted cemetery at night was the most normal thing in the world.  “I’m going to do a ritual that climaxes at midnight.  We should start wrapping up at about one o’clock in the morning, unless of course the film crew wants to do multiple takes.”

“Terrific…” I mumbled.

Of course, growing up Wiccan, Halloween had always been a bit different in my family.  While my mother encouraged me to participate in the secular activities of dressing in costume and going trick-or-treating, it was also a deeply spiritual event.  One of my earliest Halloween memories involves sitting around a flickering jack-o’-lantern in our darkened living room listening to my mother tell me about the history of All Hallows Eve.  She told me about how the veil between the Spirit World and the Living waxes and wanes throughout the year, becoming thinnest on Halloween Night.  Mom raised me not to fear the dead, but to honor our ancestral spirits as they watch over and guide us on our life mission.

So, that’s how I found myself standing in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery at midnight on Halloween Night.  While Mom tried to make contact with a trapped spirit, I went wandering off into the cemetery with my friend and coven member, Carrie.  I had been instructed to stay out of the way of the film crew.  This was before the creation of Smart Phones or Kindles, so I didn’t have much to do to keep myself occupied.  I wasn’t interested in the screeching teenagers and it was too dark to read.  I wore one of my mother’s heavy, hooded cloaks and had bundled up in multiple layers, so at least I was warm.  Carrie and I were standing near a section of graves that were in-between the parking lot and the filming area.  I could just make out the cemetery gates and the outlines of a few tombstones.

We had been silent for a few minutes when out of the darkness, there came a low moaning.  My spine tingled at the woeful sound.  “Do you hear that?” I asked Carrie.

“Uh huh…”

“What do you suppose that is?”

“I don’t know.”

The sound was coming from one of the nearby graves, but it was so dark that we couldn’t be sure which one it was.

“Maybe it’s a sick dog or some other animal,” I ventured.

“I don’t think so,” said Carrie.

My next thought was that it was a sound effect from the film crew.  I looked over toward where one of them was standing in the parking lot.  He seemed oblivious to the noise.  Perhaps someone was playing a trick on us, but we were too far away from the staged area for that to make any sense.  The unearthly wailing continued.

“Okay.  Whatever it is, I’m leaving,” I said.  I struck out into the darkness thinking that whatever lay in front of me was better than staying next to that moaning tombstone.  I walked all the way back to where Mom was doing the ritual before I realized that Carrie wasn’t with me.  To be fair, it was pitch black and I had sped away, so it was hard to tell.

I made my way back through the cemetery, trying not to trip over any gravestones as I went until I found Carrie again.  The tombstone was still moaning.

“You left me with it!” Carrie hissed.

“I’m sorry.  I thought that you were following me.”

“No…I’m too scared to move.”

“Well, come on.  You can’t hear it once you step a few feet away.  Let’s leave whatever it is alone.”  I grabbed Carrie’s arm.  “Sorry to have disturbed you,” I said to the invisible, but clearly audible spirit.  “We’re leaving now.  Have a Happy Halloween!”  Then I dragged Carrie away as fast as we could go.

On the way home, Mom told us that she hadn’t been able to contact any spirits because of all the noise that the terrified teenagers kept making.  The television crew had purposely spooked them to create an artificial atmosphere that wasn’t conducive to speaking with the spirits.

I nodded.  “You can say that again.  I think they annoyed any ones that were hanging out tonight.  Carrie and I heard one ghost groaning.  Perhaps, she or he did not like a bunch of noisy people tromping around the cemetery at night.”

“Yes.  I wouldn’t have even done the show if I had known that they were going to make a spectacle of it.”  Our eyes met in the car’s rearview mirror.  “Remember, Tara.  Always respect the dead for they are people too.”

Update 2017: One of my recent interviewees told me that the sound that I heard in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery might have been the Weeping Woman.  She said that the Weeping Woman is a spirit who haunts the cemetery.  Some people hear her moaning or wailing.  She is supposed to be connected to a statue depicting a crying woman that is in the cemetery.  I do not recall if I was near a statue because it was too dark to see, but some versions of the legend claim that she walks the cemetery at night.  The statue is called the Bronze Lady and is located across from the tomb of General Samuel Thomas.

Do You Have a Ghost Story?

Send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.  I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

Want even more Ghost Stories?

I have launched a ghost story magazine via Patreon called The Spirit Hour.  For a dollar a month, you get complete access to all the stories in the ghost story magazine, so that you can read them whenever you want.  A new ghost story will be posted once a month. 

Also, check out The Ghost Post’s YouTube channel for audio recordings of The Ghost Post.  It’s perfect for camping out, sleepovers, or anytime you just want to hear a ghost story on the go. 

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill. 

Are you one of the following: A paranormal writer, artist, or investigator?

Or

Do you have a paranormal-themed business or Facebook group?

Then check out my new paranormal advertising group, The Paranormal Hotspot: The Market for All Things Paranormal. There is no set promotion day, so you can promote your business, art, or group every day for free. You can also post links to sites where you sell your products or services. Our mission is to help paranormal businesses, artists, writers, and investigators connect with fans and consumers!

Get Your Ghost On!

Check out our CafePress store featuring The Ghost Post’s official mascot, Spook.  We’ve got awesome coffee mugs, t-shirts, and more!

Spook Logo, White T-Shirt, Copyright 2017
Spook Logo, White T-Shirt, Copyright 2017

 

 

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The Unseen Hand

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ Leave a comment

Thanks to Sandra from Rhode Island for this story!

Sandra often had this feeling that she was being watched by someone in her house.  She was divorced and lived alone with her two children.  Odd things would happen that made her feel that there was a presence around even when she couldn’t see anyone.  Sandra didn’t mind too much until the spirit began making things disappear and reappear about the house.

One day when her kids were still young enough to need a babysitter, she asked their father to watch them so that she could go to a family event.  He agreed to do it, but asked if she could order a Cable special for him that he really wanted to see that was scheduled for that day.  She agreed to do it, if he would watch the kids.  Being a very organized person, Sandra put the money aside in an envelope on her dresser.

Later, Sandra discovered that the money was missing.  Whoever had taken it, had left the empty envelope on her dresser.  Her son was eight years old and her daughter was five.  She knew that they hadn’t taken the money, the house had not been broken into, and there was no one else home.  Sandra searched all over, but couldn’t find the money anywhere.  Giving up for the moment, she went out to run some errands.  After she came back, she found the money sitting folded on top of her bookcase.  She would have never left money around the house in that manner.

The disappearing acts became a regular occurrence.  Sometimes the thing that was moved was harmless and more annoying than anything else.  Sandra would be making sandwiches for her kids and then notice that the lid to the peanut butter or jelly jar had gone missing.  She would check the kitchen for it, only for the lid to reappear later when she least expected it, usually in a place that she had already searched.

Once, the unseen hand took something that was more significant.  Her son made a ceramic Christmas tree for her at school.  She always kept it on top of her dresser during the holidays.  One day, she woke up to find it missing.  The kids were visiting their dad for the weekend and she knew that they hadn’t moved it.  Sandra pulled apart the room searching for the little tree, but it was like it had just disappeared.  Standing up, she felt like there was someone else in the room with her, watching her every move.  Sandra decided to try to communicate with the spirit.

“I don’t know who you are, how you do what you do, or why you do these things.  My son made me that tree.  Please bring it back.”

Nothing happened, but Sandra felt like someone was staring right at her.  She came home after a long day at work to find the tree under her bed.  The amazing thing was that it wasn’t broken or chipped in any way, even though she had hardwood floors in her bedroom.  It was like the piece had been hidden there.  Sandra reasoned that had it fallen off her dresser, it would have suffered some sort of damage.

Another strange event happened when Sandra had company over.  She and a friend were sitting together having coffee when suddenly all the wind chimes in the house started ringing.  All the windows were closed and there was no wind or draft inside of the house that could have caused this.  The ringing started in her bedroom and ended in the parlor as if someone had touched all the wind chimes as they walked through the rooms.

The presence remained invisible for most of the time, although Sandra did see a shadowy figure once.  She felt like it had a masculine energy.  The person was leaning with a hand on the door jamb and one hand on his hip.  The energy that he gave off while not friendly, wasn’t harmful either.  Sandra’s son also said that he often felt something staring at him when he was in his bedroom.  He would also come in to find his bed messed up, but knew from the way the blankets were disturbed that it was not the cats.

MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT:

Big news!  I recently did an interview with Jacquetta Szathmari and Katie Kazimir on their podcast, Hey You Know It.  I had a great time talking about ghosts, the paranormal, and sharing some of my favorite ghostly encounters.  Listen to the podcast for free here: A Reluctant Happy Medium.

Do You Have a Ghost Story?

Send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.  I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

Want even more Ghost Stories?

I have launched a ghost story magazine via Patreon called The Spirit Hour.  For a dollar a month, you get complete access to all the stories in the ghost story magazine, so that you can read them whenever you want.  A new ghost story will be posted once a month. 

Also, check out The Ghost Post’s YouTube channel for audio recordings of The Ghost Post.  It’s perfect for camping out, sleepovers, or anytime you just want to hear a ghost story on the go. 

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill. 

Are you one of the following: A paranormal writer, artist, or investigator?

Or

Do you have a paranormal-themed business or Facebook group?

Then check out my new paranormal advertising group, The Paranormal Hotspot: The Market for All Things Paranormal. There is no set promotion day, so you can promote your business, art, or group every day for free. You can also post links to sites where you sell your products or services. Our mission is to help paranormal businesses, artists, writers, and investigators connect with fans and consumers!

Get Your Ghost On!

Check out our CafePress store featuring The Ghost Post’s official mascot, Spook.  We’ve got awesome coffee mugs, t-shirts, and more!

Spook Giant Coffee Mug
Spook – Coffee Mug – Copyright 2017

 

The Spirit’s Stone

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ 2 Comments

Thanks to Diane from St. Augustine, Florida for this story!

One day, Diane was visiting a friend, when she was presented with a strange stone pendant.  It was a beautiful malachite stone in a homemade setting.  Knowing that Diane was into crystals, incense, and things like that, the woman offered to give Diane the stone.  Her friend said that she had found it years ago, but didn’t like wearing it because she seemed to have a bad day whenever she did.  Before deciding to take it, Diane wanted to get a feel for the stone’s energy.  Holding it in her hands, she closed her eyes and sensed green sweeping hills that reminded her of Ireland.  Diane decided that she liked the stone and thanked her friend for giving it to her.

Soon after, Diane wore the stone to a Druid meet up and a Wiccan meeting.  At both events, different people approached her and said that they were picking up weird vibes from the stone.  They encouraged Diane to cleanse the stone before wearing it again.  Diane took the stone home, gave it a sage cleansing, and placed it on the altar she had dedicated to the fairies.

Instead of helping, odd things started happening in her apartment.  Stuff was moved around, lights turned themselves on and off, and she began seeing a white ball of light that floated about the apartment and over her fairy altar.  Then she saw an apparition of a young girl with long, straight, dark hair peeking around the corner of the hallway by her bedroom.  The child spirit looked to be about eight or nine years old.  Diane’s husband also caught a glimpse of the spirit.  One night, he went to take out the trash and saw a person sitting in the back of Diane’s car.  When he looked closer and saw the little girl’s ghost, he freaked out and went and told his wife.

Another day, Diane had just finished vacuuming the living room.  She turned the vacuum off and went to go talk to her husband about something.  A few minutes later, she went back into the living room to find that the whole thing had been turned upside down and dumped out all over the floor.  Both Diane and her husband had just been in the next room and they hadn’t heard a sound.

It was clear that something was wrong.  With all this activity happening since Diane had brought the necklace home, she placed it in salt water to try to purify it again. While Diane’s husband was afraid, Diane just wanted to know what was going on.  She decided to try to contact the spirit through meditation.

She cast a circle and used a homemade Ouija board with a pendulum.  The spirit told her that her name was E.J. and that she had been killed in an invasion during wartime in St. Augustine.  The stone pendant had been a gift to her and she wanted it back.  One of Diane’s friends, who was a Wiccan high priestess, came to inspect the house and confirmed what Diane had found out through the Ouija board session.  The piece of malachite emanated a guardian energy that was intended to help protect the child’s spirit.

Meanwhile, Diane had this nagging suspicion that whatever spirit was attached to the stone was not happy that it was submerged in salt water.  Unable to dismiss this feeling, Diane took the malachite pendant out of the water and placed it back on her fairy altar.  She warned her husband not to touch it and then went out to do some errands.

When she got home, she went back in her room to find the stone missing.  Diane asked her husband where the stone was, but he swore that he hadn’t seen it.  They searched the room, but couldn’t find it anywhere.  Later, as they were getting into bed, her husband said that he felt something underneath his pillow.  Picking up his pillow, he found the green stone lying underneath.  Diane’s husband turned pale and leapt out of the bed screaming, “How did it get there?!”  After that, Diane promised E.J. that she would find a way to return the stone to her.

The next day, she put the stone into a cloth bag covered with rune symbols and went to go see her friend.  Diane asked the woman where she had gotten the stone.  At this point, the woman confessed that she had found the malachite pendant while hanging out in a cemetery after dark when she was a teenager.  Diane was upset.  She would never have accepted the stone if she had known where it had come from.  She asked the woman for the location of the graveyard so that she could return it.

The burial ground was across from a fort.  Many of the people buried in there died from a yellow fever outbreak.  By the time that Diane got there, the cemetery gates were locked.  She really didn’t want to keep the stone any longer than necessary.  Walking around the perimeter, she saw a little grave with the initials E.J.

“That must be her grave!” thought Diane.  Now, the problem was getting inside to return the malachite pendant.  She didn’t want to take it home again since she was only feet away from the little ghost girl’s grave.  She stood there holding the stone and praying over it for a few minutes.  Taking her best shot, she hurled the stone over the gate.  It landed in an aloe plant that was right next to the tiny grave.

On her way home from the cemetery, Diane found a fairy pendant lying on the ground.  She took this as a sign that E.J. was happy and at peace now that she had her stone back.  When she got home, the apartment’s energy was back to normal.  The spirit had moved on.

After these events, Diane learned that there is a spirit named Elizabeth who haunts the city gates, which are located right across from the cemetery.  According to local history, Elizabeth was the daughter of one of the guards.  She is believed to have died during an invasion.  Could the spirit of Elizabeth and E.J. be one and the same?  What do you think?  Let me know in the comments.

Media Announcement:

Big news!  I recently did an interview with Jacquetta Szathmari and Katie Kazimir on their podcast, Hey You Know It.  I had a great time talking about ghosts, the paranormal, and sharing some of my favorite ghostly encounters.  Listen to the podcast for free here: A Reluctant Happy Medium.

Do You Have a Ghost Story?

Send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.  I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

Want even more Ghost Stories?

I have launched a ghost story magazine via Patreon called The Spirit Hour.  For a dollar a month, you get complete access to all the stories in the ghost story magazine, so that you can read them whenever you want.  A new ghost story will be posted once a month. 

Also, check out The Ghost Post’s YouTube channel for audio recordings of The Ghost Post.  It’s perfect for camping out, sleepovers, or anytime you just want to hear a ghost story on the go. 

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill. 

Are you one of the following: A paranormal writer, artist, or investigator?

Or

Do you have a paranormal-themed business or Facebook group?

Then check out my new paranormal advertising group, The Paranormal Hotspot: The Market for All Things Paranormal. There is no set promotion day, so you can promote your business, art, or group every day for free. You can also post links to sites where you sell your products or services. Our mission is to help paranormal businesses, artists, writers, and investigators connect with fans and consumers!

Get Your Ghost On!

Check out our CafePress store featuring The Ghost Post’s official mascot, Spook.  We’ve got awesome coffee mugs, t-shirts, and more!

Spook Giant Coffee Mug
Spook – Coffee Mug – Copyright 2017