So You Want to Talk to GhostsNeed to summon a spirit? Set up your Ouija board, light some candles, and follow these guides to get chatting with parties who have shuffled off this mortal coil and onto the next.
Levitating objects. Strange sounds. Violent attacks from an unseen force. If these things are happening to you, they're signs you may have a poltergeist in your house. These troublesome spirits are particularly unpleasant, so you'll probably want to invest some time into removing a poltergeist from your home. Unfortunately, it's not exactly an easy procedure. Even if you do everything right, there's a chance that it won't work.
When getting rid of unwelcome spirits, you might want to turn to the experts. Priests and other religious figures might be skilled at exorcising poltergiests. But if you'd prefer to try to get rid of these violent spirits on your own, there are a few methods you can try. Just remember that none of these how-tos are guaranteed.
You can dodge attracting a poltergeist in the first place by avoiding certain objects. Most spiritual experts don't recommend messing around with Ouija boards, even just for fun. They're thought to invite in spirits - and once they're there, they might not want to leave.
Bad Ouija board experiences aren't just in the movies. One person who claims to have invited a poltergeist in tells it like this:
"Every time we played with the Ouija board the same spirit would come through... 'Z.' The spirit began to act very angry with our questions and we became extremely frightened, so much so that we decided to destroy the Ouija board and trash the remains. Following our denial of the Ouija board occurrence, strange and paranormal experiences followed me through my home... until my family and I left this particular house."
In the right hands, the power of the Bible can supposedly drive out bad spirits or demons, including poltergeists. There are two ways to try this method. The first is to call a religious official who can exorcise your house, though they may be hard to find. The second is to take matters into your own hands by picking up a Bible yourself.
You must walk through the afflicted portions of your home, reading passages from the Bible meant to drive out evil. If you are very pious, this might have an immediate and lasting effect.
"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, thrust into Hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."
Certain rituals may help drive out a poltergeist. One such ritual of cleansing comes from the Native Americans, and it is known as "smudging." It involves using smudge sticks, tightly bound bundles of sage that you light on fire and burn slowly. Wafting the smoke through your home is said to remove negativity and malicious forces.
Of course, there's more to this than just walking. Smudging rituals are a sacred purification practice, and you must be reverent while doing them. There are tutorials available online that you may want to consult. In some cases, you may wish to recite the following as you do a sweep of your home:
"From the Element of Fire comes this smoke, which is Air. From the Element of Earth grows this plant, which is Water. I call upon the Elements and the Blessings of Spirit to please cleanse this place. For the good of all."
A pastor or other religious figure can bless your home to rid it of a poltergeist. They may say a prayer in certain rooms, and invite the spirit of God into your home. You can also ask them to sprinkle holy water, and anoint windows, doors, and rooms with the sign of the cross. This is said to ward off the Devil, demons, and other evil spirits that may wish to enter, and may drive out ones already there.
Blessings aren't always completely effective, so you may wish to combine them with other techniques.
Sometimes, just the presence of holy items in your house may be enough to ward off a poltergeist. Evil spirits are supposedly unable to touch sacred items, and can be warded away from rooms if a cross is hung there. You can hang crosses in your windows or on your walls, and even wear them yourself. The mere presence of a holy symbol could be enough to send a ghost packing.
You may also wish to consider non-Christian holy symbols and relics. Pick something that you strongly believe in, because the strength of your faith and conviction can help those items work better.
Though they can be traumatic, poltergeist infestations are usually fairly short-lived. Some manifestations last a few days or weeks, and they rarely go on for longer than a few months. You can potentially speed this process up by ignoring the spirit entirely. Poltergeists are generally mischievous spirits that feed off attention, so denying them that attention encourages them to move on to a new target. If you know their name, don't speak it, don't react to noises or movements, and shrug off any funny feelings you might have.
If you have performed an exorcism or cleansing ritual, don't speak about the spirit at all while in your home. Your feelings of negativity and acknowledgement might bring the poltergeist back in.
