Can an object become haunted?
Haunted objects and probably more specifically haunted dolls are all the rage right now. Do an E-Bay search and there is no shortage of people selling haunted dolls. They all have a backstory of course and they either want to get rid of the dolls so desperately (that they are selling it online not just throwing it away) or it has been given to them. I would be very cautious and do your homework before laying down your cash. There are however people that genuinely feel that an item is haunted that so much so that they do give it away to someone (usually an investigator) because they feel it is causing them some kind of grief. So we must ask the question, can an item be haunted? Here are some of the common theories amongst paranormal investigators. These are not necessarily my thoughts, they are the things I have heard and come across in my research.
Can energy be attached to an object?
We know that as living beings, we all emit energy. We know about things like the stonetape theory where our energy is stored and recorded if the materials and settings are right. An object may not be any different. Some people with psychic ability that I talk to like to tell me how they go into second stores and pick up items and they can pick up the energy of it’s previous owner. It is not completely out there for us to think that our energy can be stored in an item. This would be more a residual energy though and perhaps not quite right to classify as an haunted object. One would think that the activity surrounded a so called haunted object would be somewhat intelligent if it is bad enough for someone to want to give it away.
Can a spirit attach themselves to an object?
The next thing to look at is can a spirit attach themselves to an object? Perhaps they had a favourite doll or toy. Maybe it was a cherished family heirloom. Maybe it was something special to them. So special and so treasured that when it came time to pass on, they stayed with the item itself. How many private cases have you heard of where someone has purchased a second hand item and it is around this time that they notice the activity has started. The last private case I worked on a few years ago now involved a young lady who had just purchased a second hand piano. She noticed activity had started around her house at the same time she purchased the piano. It is quite a common story that I hear of particularly with private cases. Does a spirit love an item so much that they attach themselves to it and get upset if someone else tries to claim it?
What if an object is part of a traumatic event?
Is negative energy attached to an object due to some sort of traumatic event? Following on from residual energy staying around an object, what if that object was on a person when they were involved in some sort of traumatic event. This could leave some sort of negative imprint on the item. Is this why some people think they are in the presence of some kind of demonic force attached to an object when it could just be a form of negative energy left behind on an object. We do know that sometimes a lot of people misinterpret any sort of negative energy to be demonic. Just because something makes you feel uneasy, does not mean that it is a demon, but that topic is something for another post. Perhaps some kind of weapon used in a murder could retain this negative imprint of energy making anyone holding it feel uneasy for example
Why don’t people just destroy it if it is causing them so much grief?
If a spirit is in fact attached to the object, why can’t you just destroy or get rid of it? A lot of people believe that if a negative energy is attached to an object, it will not go away if you destroy and get rid of the item. It will then look for a new host, which is usually the owner – aka the person trying to get rid of it. This is why people will tell those with a haunted object to seek the advice of someone in the paranormal field willing to take it off their hands. Some perform special binding rituals or using blessings and prayers (and glass cases) to keep the evil safely within the object.
How can we tell if an object is haunted?
In order to establish if an item is haunted, you would need to do some sort of investigation. Is the object emitting EMF? Do an EVP session and ask some questions. Does activity follow the object where ever it goes? Does activity stop when you remove it from the room? Put on your investigator hat and find out. A lot of people in the field don’t believe a spirit can attach themselves to an object because it is scientifically impossible and the laws of nature would not allow it. Other’s believe it is absolutely possible. I guess I certainly believe that an item can retain energy. We know that it happens and it is not impossible to think that energy can be absorb into an object much like a crystal can absorb our energy. As for a spirit attaching themselves to an item, it is probably a case of I will believe it when I see it. I do believe that famous items such as Annabelle and the Dybbuck box are very much overhyped and exploited. A lot of money has been made off them and that for me is where the line becomes a bit blurry. It would be the lesser known cases where you are not influenced with the tag line "This is the most haunted item in the world".
Investigating a haunted item
My brother collects items that are given to him and has even purchased a couple of items online. One item in particular was interesting. It was a doll with a backstory of course and one of things that would happen when you were around the doll was that it would make you feel ill and give you a headache. My brother being sceptical and very much aware of the power of suggestion would put the doll around people who knew nothing about it and told them nothing. Amazingly, every person seemed to have a reaction to this doll with the same complaint. Feeling sick and a throbbing headache. We did several sessions with it and I myself did quite a lot of EVP work. We never did our sessions together it was always seperate and at the end we would compare our results so that we did not contaminate the other person's investigation with suggestion. What was interesting is that over several pieces of equipment and sessions, we seemed to get the same name …. ‘Paul’. We had a medium read the doll and they felt there was a spirit attached to the doll and helped him to ‘move on’. After this day there were no more funny feelings or headaches around the doll. He still sits in my brother’s office alongside a lot of the other ‘haunted objects’ he has. Sadly for him, out of all of the demonic Ouija boards he has been given and even a mirror with a supposed trapped evil spirit inside, nothing has happened at his house. No activity in his office whatsoever. The jury is still out for me as you know it takes quite a bit to convince me but the fact we were able to get the same information during our sessions without influencing one another is pretty interesting. That being said with the work I do at Black Rock House, 99% of the items are donated or bought from antique stores and some are over 100 years old. There is a bed post in the death room that emits EMF on certain occasions (only one on a four post bed) and a creepy painting that people have their suspicions on. Then there is the large mirror in the dining room which everyone seems to be drawn to and some feel it is a portal to the other side. What they don’t know when they tell me this information is that many years ago some mediums were in the room and did a séance where they used the mirror as a portal and did not close it. Whether or not this is true (it is from the staff), again I don’t know but it is interesting that people come forward with this information without me telling them anything about the mirror.
Is this painting in the drawing room at Black Rock House just creepy or is it haunted?
Do you have an object you feel is legitimately haunted? IIs it residual or intelligent. How do you know it is haunted and by who and why? I want to hear all about it!
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Comments
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Amy 6 years ago
My mother n law gave me this wooden picture frame with a crocheted flag in it. I was thrilled to get it bc some of my husbands close family was in the service and my dad was as well. After bringing it home I noticed some changes in my sleep. Before I brought it home I was sleeping despite nightmare I was having. After bringing it home every night I have not slept thru the night. The only sleep I have gotten has been early hour mornings right before day light. Tonight I decided to take it out my room and I fell asleep but spiraled into nightmares. I'm worried if I bring it back in if I will go thru the same thing again with no sleep. Seriously thinking about giving it back to my mother n law. She made the flag years ago but I'm not sure if she made it before or after my husbands dad passed. Which was 33 years ago. Not that he would bother me.
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Amy 7 years ago
We have a wooden 6 face Bob Marley wall decor,it was handmade in Jamaica..one of our friends gave it to us..This thing is big and heavy and cost a lot..He just freely gave it to us cuz at the time my oldest daughter was into Bob Marley..For years we hav been getting a lot of bad luck,non stop,unexplained things happening in our house,more so than before..I hav had spirits of loved ones around for years,but this is somthing different,i don't feel threatened,it feels like its messing with my boyfriend more than me and my daughters,like it doesn't like him and wants him out..the bad luck is more towards him,than me..idk..should i remove it and bring it to the dump,my boyfriend wants to burn it..I said No!! It could make things worse..what should i do..or give it to someone I don't like..