Is Your House Haunted? Using Witchcraft to Detect a Ghostly Presence

Most of us have experienced it – a weird creak, a misplaced object, a movement in our peripheral vision, an event that can’t be explained. Paranormal activity comes in many forms. Many Wiccans believe not only in the supernatural but in the paranormal. Many Witches’ practices involve communication beyond the veil and contacting the spirit world, connecting with ancestors, and a belief in lasting energies. It makes sense, then, that many also believe in aspects of the paranormal.

As a Witch, you are more attuned to the energies of the Earth and Universe, so you likely have a higher sense of happenings around you. You might notice unexplainable things in your home or other frequently visited areas. If you are, you may begin to wonder if you have found a haunted location, object, or person. So how can you tell if what you are experiencing is due to a haunting by a ghost? First, you need an understanding of what a ghost is.

What is a Ghost?

Paranormal activity comes in many forms. Often what is perceived to be a haunting is, in fact, just a convergence of strong energies from the other planes crashing down onto ours. It manifests in ways that can appear to be perpetrated by a sentient creature, so these events are often attributed to ghosts without any hard evidence of a present and deliberate being.

It is difficult to define what a ghost is precisely. Different religions and cultures believe different things. In modern times, those ideas, combined with pop culture representations, have converged to a few different definitions. The most common definition, though, is the disembodied soul of a deceased person. A ghost is a soul that once occupied a human body and is now on this plane (whether that is by choice or not is often dictated by one’s own belief system). For those that believe in reincarnation, a ghost is someone who missed their next rebirth for whatever reason and likely takes the form of the last body they inhabited.

Because Wicca and paganism are such personal practices, there is no hard and fast definition. But the differentiation of a ghost having lived a life on Earth as a human being is a generally accepted description. This is a differentiation from other energies and beings that are tied to the supernatural and paranormal. A malevolent entity in your home is almost certainly not a ghost but some other type of creature, such as a member of the fae or another evil being (what some other religions might term a demon).

Is My House Haunted? And Is It a Ghost or Something Else?

In a belief system such as Wicca, where many supernatural and otherworldly creatures are believed in and connected with, it can be difficult to distinguish a ghost from a different type of magickal entity. Is the mystery of your constantly moving keys the work of a playful poltergeist or a mischievous faery?

Before looking to the supernatural, rule out the natural. That flickering light might be bad wiring. The creaking footsteps might be a pest problem. There are many mundane explanations for experiences people think are supernatural.

But once all those explanations are proven not to be the cause, you are likely looking at something paranormal. Odd noises are a common indication. Objects being moved or misplaced without explanation is another indicator. So is seeing shadowy movement. (If you see a full-on apparition, no need to wonder – you’ve got a haunting!) There are subtle things that may happen around your home to indicate something paranormal is occurring. Here are some examples of events that might indicate a haunting or supernatural event:

Unexplained Temperature Changes

A cold spot is generally not an entire room (that’s probably an issue with your ducts) but a specific, small area of a room or hallway that suddenly turns cold or is frequently cold when the rest of the room/area is not. This is generally believed to be caused by the energy ghosts consume in manifesting.

Misbehaving Technology

It isn’t just flickering lights. Ghostly interference can cause electronics to react in strange ways, such as battery-operated toys turning on by themselves, TVs changing channels on their own, phones ringing when no one is calling, and more.

Unusual Scents

Do you keep getting a waft of rose-scented perfume even though no one in your home wears any? Perhaps cigar smoke seems to be filling your nostrils, even though no one has ever smoked one in your home. Maybe you smell electricity or sulfur as if great energy has just been expended. Your nose can uncover a haunting just as much as your eyes and ears.

Pets or Children Behaving Oddly

Pets and children are much more open to the supernatural and paranormal than adults. If your dog keeps staring at a particular area that seems empty… Well, it might not be as empty as you think.

Feeling Watched

Sometimes you don’t have any tangible proof except the fact that you can just feel the presence of something else near you. We have a natural ability to sense things around us subconsciously, so if you frequently feel you are being watched, you just might be.

Different Types of Hauntings and How to Confirm Them

There are generally three types of hauntings:

- the haunting of a location, such as a home or battlefield

- the haunting of a person, where the ghost is tied to a specific person rather than a place

- the haunting of an object, such as a doll or chair

There are several tools you can use to detect a ghost in your home:

A skilled photographer taking photos in low light might be able to get an image.

EVP, short for electronic voice phenomena, recorded using analog devices, can capture the ghost speaking. Ask questions aloud to try and get a response from the ghost. Listen in the space between questions on the recording to see if the ghost responded.

Invite in a psychic or medium to try to communicate with the ghost. Be careful with this one, though, as there are many fakes out there.

You can try and determine a haunting on your own, but there are also groups who have experience that can come and do an investigation for you.