Crap - Did a Ghost Just Follow Me Home?

At the risk of sounding like a crazy person, I have to tell you — last night, when I went to bed, I suddenly had this odd sensation of fear that I don’t normally have. But it wasn’t just fear. It was a  feeling that something was standing over me, watching me, feeding off of me.

I actually had a similar sensation the night before, but I was so exhausted from traveling, that I fell asleep before I could fully acknowledge it.

For those of you who don’t know, I went to St. Augustine over the weekend. St. Augustine is the oldest, continuously inhabited settlement in the United States. Needless to say, it has a reputation for being incredibly haunted. Honestly, it would be the perfect place to settle into a 100-year-old home with loads of character and maybe even a friendly ghost or two. 

Admittedly, I was curious to explore my own energetic sensitivity and awareness around ghosts on this trip. I have this strange combination of fear and fascination about them and I always have. So I thought, what better time and place to let my curiosity run wild.

Welp, it is entirely possible that I opened myself up a little too much, which may have allowed something that I came into contact with to connect with me and follow me home.

Truth be told, I don’t know much about this kind of thing, I can only speak to the experiences that I have and the observations I make within myself.

As I explored the ancient taverns, landmarks, and buildings; reveled in the sights and smells; and imagined myself living in the city during another, long-ago life, I didn’t see a single ghost. What a disappointment! 

However, I did go into a number of supposedly haunted spaces — updated old buildings, museums, a lighthouse, and a popular bar — and I definitely felt things. 

In some spaces, I felt things without even trying. A heaviness in the energy around me, a stagnation in the air that made it hard to breathe, a tightness within my own body, dizzy spells, and in some cases, even nausea. My husband, who also has a higher-than-normal interest in these sorts of things,  said that he felt “off” in some of the same spaces. 

Then, of course, there were some spaces I went into that I knew were haunted; but try as I might to feel or sense something, I got nothing.

I think, in my eagerness to have an encounter, I may have opened myself up a little too much — especially during the haunted pub crawl wherein I consumed alcohol while trying to connect. That was probably — no, it was definitely a bad idea. I suspect that’s when it happened, because we came home the next day, and that night I fell asleep feeling it. 

Last night, however, it could not be ignored and sleep would not take me. As I laid in bed facing in toward my husband, I had a feeling that something was standing right behind me on my side of the bed. In my mind it was tall, dark and shadowy. And in my body, I could feel it clamping onto my solar plexus.

I was too scared to open my eyes, even though I knew I wouldn't see anything. So instead, I rolled onto my back, placed my hands on my abdomen, and started with some self Reiki.

As I worked on myself energetically, I began saying empowerment affirmations in my head.

“This is my body and you are not welcome.”

“This is my energy and you are not welcome.”

“I am in control of what stays in my body/energy,” 

“I am safe and protected.” 

And “get the fuck out,” just to name a few. 

I also did some visualization practices and other energy clearing techniques alongside my Reiki and affirmations, and I waited until I felt like it was gone.

It took longer than I would have liked, but I think I took care of it. This morning I cleansed my space and put protections over it, and I will likely follow up with continued self Reiki sessions and cleansing rituals to help keep my energy clear of attachments. 

Frightening as it may have been, I’m actually glad for the experience. I know I have some fears around working in the unseen world,. The opportunity to face these fears head-on is both healing and empowering. In the past when something like this has happened (because this isn’t my first rodeo) I decided to stop messing around with anything energetic that didn’t belong to a living, breathing, human-being (or animal).

But also, it’s worth noting, I have had experiences like this in sleep paralysis before, too. I do get sleep paralysis, at least once every few months. But this particular instance did not involve sleep paralysis. I started feeling the presence as soon as I closed my eyes, and unlike sleep paralysis, I was able to move around. 

What do you think? Should I abandon ship again, and give up on connecting with things I don’t understand? Or should I look for help/support if I choose to experiment further?

Also, if anyone has any sort of insight or expertise in this sort of thing, I would love to hear from you!

xoxo,