Walking In The Dark

I have followed rook's guidance regarding step one

("Step one, go outside, someplace you find relaxing, someplace you can take off your shoes and do just that. Walkabout barefoot for a few minutes take a few deep breaths then stop, calm your thoughts then visualize any and all negative energy draining out of you through your feet and into the earth").
I followed it with a Sanskrit in Icarian/benediction to earth as a form of gratitude for "holding", nurturing and a sort of asking for forgiveness for trampling.

I followed this at THE most difficult phase in my life, found it to be very, very soothing.

Best wishes 🙏🏽

Hi Rook,

I completed the cleansing of my energy and my house. I started Friday morning and ended Monday afternoon.

The atmosphere of my house is brighter. I don't mean to refer to the quantity of physical light. There's more of that too.

It seems more peaceful. I haven't noticed any of my things moving around. My cat takes naps in every room of the house now. He was sleeping only in my room before.

I have used his behavior many times as an indicator of peacefulness.

Thank you, Maria ❤

Sorry, life happened and I am just now finding time to get back on site.

To answer your question about the negativity, Yes its possible a residual amount attached itself to you and still remains with you. I am 'pasteing' a method I use for myself, my family and my home. Might I suggest that you use the shielding technique for yourself AFTER you 'cleanse' your energy.

Step one, go outside, someplace you find relaxing, someplace you can take off your shoes and do just that. Walkabout barefoot for a few minutes take a few deep breaths then stop, calm your thoughts then visualize any and all negative energy draining out of you through your feet and into the earth (worry not Mother Earth can handle this). When you feel relaxed and devoid of the negative energy visualize positive entering your body by the top of your head. See it fill you and once you are completely 'full' picture it radiating outwards forming a shield. I detailed this here because the 'cleansing' I use and have copied from my profile is more for a house or apartment.

Rook's Cleansing and Shielding Method (as used by myself and many other members of this site)...

Recipe for a Home Cleansing/Shielding... (allow for two or 3 days to complete)

Day one: Open all curtains window and doors with screens installed, let fresh air and sunshine into the home. Have all closets, cabinets and other 'dark spaces' open so that as much natural light as possible can enter those spaces. After 2-3 hours take a broom and 'sweep' out each room (this is symbolic and you do not have to really sweep) focus your thoughts on sweeping (pushing) out all negative energies / entities /thoughts. Close home up after completing each room of your home... Please do not forget your garage if you have one. (Optional) Light incense (sandalwood or Dragons-blood works well for me) and let aroma fill the home, and/or play a tape that contains your favorite Church/Positive, Upbeat (songs that give you good thoughts) songs before you begin sweeping.

Day two (or three): Once again open all curtains, windows and doors. Take a White candle (Optional) to the centermost point of the home, sit on the floor and place the candle in front of you. Light the candle (visualize a white ball of light) and then focus on the flame... Visualize the flame (white light) filled with positive thoughts, energy. (Say a prayer at this time if you so desire... Ask for cleansing positive energy to fill the candles flame/white light). Hold this 'image' in your mind and then visualize the flame (light) slowly expanding outward, visualize it filling the room your in, every corner and 'dark space'. Continue to visualize it expanding...it's outer edges pushing away (burning away) any and all negative energies/entities out and away from each room in your home. Once you have visualized this flame (light) filling your entire home, picture it expanding to your property lines. Hold this image in your mind for a few moments then visualize 'anchoring' this flame (light) where you are sitting which is the center most point of your home. Once you have done this. Take a deep breath, relax a few moments and then blow out the candle. (If you didn't use a candle just let yourself relax a moment or two.) "

Now you can create a shield for yourself using the 'home shield' technique but instead of focusing on your home visualize the 'flame' simply surrounding you instead of your home... The best time to do this is after a nice shower using a rosemary-scented soap (rosemary is good for purification and protection.)

I hope this helps. Please keep me posted, either here or via e-mail and as always feel free to ask questions.

Respectfully,

Rook

Hi Rook,

I'm not offended. I welcome your perspective. I feel bewildered and uprooted where I am now.

The place where I was living before I left my husband was a terribly negative place. He was a terribly negative person. He's mentally abusive to everyone he's around. Do you think I brought some of that atmosphere with me? I have tried for months to have a better attitude.

I questioned my mother when she came in and she said she wasn't talking to anyone outside. Her bedroom is far from where she was outside.

I don't know what to say about my stepfather. He's stubborn and paranoid about people looking in the house. He's been that way since I met him. He lives with a back injury that he got serving in the Navy during the 70s. All he does usually is watch Netflix and MSNBC.

He and my mom have a cabin fever thing going on here. They're both retired and keep getting on each other's nerves. She's a recovering alcoholic and is nearly as negative as my ex husband. This situation isn't ideal but my mom is here to help me and I'm grateful.

I'm trying to get my vital records back in order so I can get my life back together. My ex burned all of my medical records and my wallet before I left. Our breakup was acrimonious to say it in the nicest possible way.

Following up on the other replies you have made... That just loaded up from me (after I had posted my comment I may add) The voice you heard from your mom's closet... Is there any way she could have heard you ask your question and could it have been her answering you from outside? Or is her room simply to far away from where she was gardening for her to have noticed/heard you?

Things moving/disappearing/reappearing someplace else may be paranormal and yet have nothing to do with other activity in your home... Based on the information you shared concerning your personal life/state of mind, that type of activity could be a poltergeist manifestation from your sub-conscience...

Just a thought or two...

Respectfully,

Rook

Lealeigh,

Thank you for the feedback... "a medium sized rock or even a piece of broken concrete." rules out 'birdstrike' 😉.

You mentioned this your Mom addressing something unseen 'rather rudely' in the yard. This 'interaction' with a possible spirit could have caused a connection to form and it followed her into the house. Is the activity happening inside the house happening around/to her for the most part or does it seem more like just an 'uptick' in activity in general all around the house?

Not to pry but is there a reason that your stepfather does not like to open the windows/blinds? Is this a 'new' development or is it something he has always done (or because of something that happened while in the service)? If it is a 'new' thing it 'may' be related to whatever is happening in/around the house.

Apologies upfront if my questions seem 'prying' or offend you in any way. Just trying to assess what may be happening in the home and whom it may be affecting.

Respectfully,

Rook

I just remembered that my mother and stepfather are going to Florida in a couple of weeks. I can do a cleansing then.

I won't have time while my stepfather is seeing his VA doctor.

Rook,

The strange things in the house I mentioned are two kinds of things. One is that items move around on the shelves and countertops. I haven't seen them move but they do. I don't really care much, apart from the fact that sometimes it's irritating to have to look for things all of the time. This has been going on for close to a month.

Another thing that happened once is alarming to me. I was alone in the house last week. My mom was outside pulling up weeds. I heard someone in her room and I saw the light go off in her room.

I went in there and asked: "Mom, are you in here?"

I immediately heard her voice behind her closed closet door. It said: "No."

I backed out of her room and down the hall. Then she came in the back door and washed her hands at the sink. She said she was outside.

Hi Rook,

The boy I spoke with didn't come any closer than five feet from me. He kept looking at the ground but I got a decent look at his face. I haven't seen him since. My stepfather thinks he has seen him but he only has had my description to go on.

Our back yard doesn't have a fence. Our house is out of the way and none of our closest neighbors have children. It was a surprise to see the boy. He looked to be about ten years old.

I found the rock. I saw it flying the split second before it hit me. It looks like a medium sized rock or even a piece of broken concrete. I still have it sitting on the grill outside.

I have an idea. My mom is convinced that something is outside too. She has been talking to it, rudely. Using profanity and everything. I only noticed she was doing this about a week ago. Strange things have been happening inside the house lately. I think it may have something to do with her carrying on a dialogue with it.

I suggested to her that the next time she feels the urge to talk to it maybe she could tell it to go to the light. Maybe empathy would work better than anger.

I plan to cleanse the house with sage the next time my stepfather goes to his next doctor's appointment at the VA Clinic. He won't let anyone open the blinds or windows around here.

My marriage of ten years ended in May this year and I have been here trying to get my life back on track. I don't want to get on his nerves, but someone needs to open some windows around here.

Thank you for reading. I'm a good one for rambling.

- Maria

Odd question... The boy you spoke with... Did he come any closer than 5 feet to you, or did he remain 5 feet (or just a bit further) away?

Have you seen this boy since you spoke with him, anywhere about the neighborhood? Or was this a 'one-off' encounter in your yard? Additionally, is your yard open or fenced in? If fenced in would it be easy for the 'boy' to get into your yard?

Out of curiosity, did you find the rock that hit you? If so how big and what kind of rock was it. I ask because if you did not find it then it could have been something dropped by a bird and have nothing to do with anything else... Just wondering.

Thanks for sharing and the updates.

Respectfully,

Rook

Thank you for the followup, Lea. I am a trained librarian, though not currently working in libraries. I suspect that a previous resident of the property had a son named Mark. And I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this.

"My treasures are within." Sign on the Columbus Ohio Public Library.

I go past that well twice during my afternoon walk. Whenever I go over there and look at it I get that dwarf from the movie "Labyrinth" in my head. He says:
"This is an Oubliette... The Labyrinth's full of them!"
Ha 😆

RCRuskin,
At the Library a local historian helped me look up the history of our property.

In 1838 this property and the surrounding land belonged to General DeLoach. He sold it after the Civil War to Ashley Lawson. Lawson's children died young and are buried here somewhere. He and his wife are buried with them but they both died much later.

There was a farm house, farm buildings and housing for slaves. The DeLoach family had slaves but the Lawson family farm appears to have been a small affair. These buildings were destroyed to make room for the railroad tracks.

The railroad came through here in the late 1880s. To be honest, I'd like to go back to the library when I have another entirely free day. It was bewildering until I got help from an extremely informed library employee.

I had to go to the Valdosta library because the little one in this town isn't open on the weekends. It's not far to Valdosta and my mother wanted to go and check out some audio books.

Best Wishes, Maria ❤

I meant to say that I also thought it odd that a child was asking about my stepfather. Which is why I added the part to him about my mom being his wife. I didn't actually say he was my stepfather.

The whole situation with that child is confusing to me. I mentioned it to my stepfather and he thought it was very odd.

My stepfather made phone calls to some of our neighbors but we still don't know who that child was.

Hi RCRuskin,

Yes, the part of the field where I met the boy is our property. The entire conversation took place right outside our back door. The boy was about five feet away from me while I was talking to him.

It was my biological grandfather in the dream. My mother told me later that day, August 4th, was his birthday.

I'm not proud of myself, but I didn't know that. I had a vague idea of him having been a Leo but it's because I'm a Leo and I tend to remember who else is a Leo.

The house that was there looks to me like it was razed to the ground. Not much is left. I do know that there used to be cotton here. After that, they switched to tobacco but that was still very long ago. There are young looking pine trees that have taken over much of this ruin. The house ruins are just outside of our property line.

Now that you mention the library, that would be an excellent place to go. I have nothing going on tomorrow. I'll take a ride to the library on my bicycle around lunchtime and see what I can find.

I'll comment back with whatever I turn up.

Thank You for reading - Maria ❤

OK. Maybe I missed this story when it was posted, but I'm on a sort of mission to read every experience on this site. Got a ways to go since I'm not... Well, I do other things and sometimes I get distracted.

3:30 AM? Some attach significance to that time but I'm not entirely sure it has any significance. Lately, I've been woken at 3 AM-ish, to a mouse playing basketball. We found a mouse in the apartment, and so late at night, many sounds are magnified. Still not sure why it sounds like someone dribbling a basketball though. 🙄

First question: the field where you met the boy looking for Mark, is that your property, or outside the property lines? (Also, it seems odd to me that the boy knew Mark was your stepfather; I don't think you mentioned that to him and he replied 'no, Mark is a... Boy'.

Second question: You mention a dream with your grandfather in it, and also mention your grandparents divorced some decades ago. Did you know your biological grandfather? If so, follow up question, was the man in your dream your biological grandfather or your 'raised me' grandfather? (Hope you know what I mean there.)

Third question: what can be known about the house that used to be there? When did it burn down, assuming that is what happened? Who lived in it? If there's a town, or county, historical society, they might have some information. Also, looking at google maps, I see there's a library in town. Are they old newspapers on microfilm that might show a history?

I am very curious right now, but as I said elsewhere, this is something I'm not too keen on finding out about.:)

New developments in the backyard:
The other day something threw a rock at me at 11:30 am. I wasn't doing much besides just standing around.

The rock struck me just under my left collar bone. I looked around. My backyard is a very large field with tall grass growing in the areas that aren't on our property. It doesn't seem tall enough to hide anyone.

I looked around for a while and no one ever showed up.

Two hours later I saw a little boy wandering around in the backyard. I went outside but I didn't see him once I was out there. I sat down at the garden table.

Before a minute had elapsed, the little boy rounded the corner of the house. He never paid me any attention and kept staring at the ground.

He was wandering around in the most random directions. I asked him if he was okay and if he needed any help.

He asked me where Mark was. Mark is the name of my stepfather. I said that Mark went to the store with my mother, his wife.

The little boy said: No. Mark is a little boy that he plays with in that field.

That remark took me by surprise. I'm looking for a job but I'm here all the time and I don't remember ever seeing children playing in the backyard.

I asked him where he was from and he immediately ran away. Never looked at me once during the entire exchange.

This house is only two years old and my parents are the first people to live here. My stepfather has said that he has heard someone saying his name in the backyard. He heard this shortly after midnight.

Maybe someone named Mark used to live in the house that used to be close by. I don't know what to make of it.

Haaaa, that is funny! I read "It" also. Yes I think you're right. There was a home there once and it's still active. I lived in a haunted house too for 3 years. Hopefully they're friendly spirits. ❤

Cherubim,
There is definitely water in the well. There are many things in that general area that indicate that a house was once there. Everything is right over the edge of our property line.
I think that my grandfather was saying goodbye in the dream but maybe whatever was out there in the dark is attached to those other things outside.
I have also heard that water is a conductor for activity. In fact, while I was looking up at the stars, the place where I was sitting is directly over a sewer where rainwater drains.
My mother said I was crazy for sitting there because she's still afraid of that clown from the Stephen King book "It". Whatever lives down there would have a time trying to drag me down into that particular sewer because I won't fit. 😆

Maybe it was your grandfather saying goodbye. In the comments you were saying you found an old well, was there water in it? I ask because water is a conductor for spirits. ❤

Since I submitted my story I have found things in the tall grass and at the edge of the woods that indicate that a house or building used to be here.
I found a cistern, brick front porch steps and random masonry.
The town is called Hahira.
I have only lived here for three months. My parents have lived here a year and a half.
For some reason there is a mountain of old mattresses 500 yards beyond our property line. I don't walk there because of snakes or worse.
I've been thinking, there aren't many things that are more personal than someone's bed. Very old furniture gives me the creeps even at the best of times.
I wish someone would do something about the mattresses. I'm at a transition point in my life so I don't provide much criticism and my parents don't care because they think it's funny.
Maybe it is.

Wow! Your story is certainly more interesting and complicated than at first read!

silverthane61,
I agree. I think it was something trying to get close to me while I was already upset.
Several hours after I submitted this story, I found out from my mother that it was his birthday.
I don't know what it means. I still don't think it was him.
My elderly stepfather was up late smoking outside a week ago on the back porch and he heard a young woman's voice say his name three times fast:
"Mark Mark Mark"
In an excited way. There was nothing around and all the lights were on outside. Now he smokes out front.
I go on walks during the day. In the tall grass by the edge of the woods I found an old well. Quite close to where I heard footsteps. It has wooden boards covering the hole and some more boards marking the area around. That's a good thing because they are so old and weathered that they would definitely not withstand the weight of even a small child.
The land this house was built on was part of a vast cotton plantation during the 1800s, according to the internet.

I have heard that preternatural spirits often take the form of an acquaintance in order to fool the person into allowing it to come closer to you. These acquaintances are not always close to the person in real life. I hope you are able to effectively deal with any future occurrences.