I will be writing more about this on paranormalhousewives.com, so please do stay tuned for the whole story. In the meantime, I wanted to talk more in general about the ‘scratching’ phenomenon that many investigators have experienced at active sites. I know of at least four investigators who have had this happen.
In my case, I was sitting on the floor in the women’s bathroom with several other investigators because I had seen a woman cross from the sink into a stall when it turned out there was nobody there at the time. I started to ask some questions for the first time in that session, directing myself to the female as if she were still alive and I were meeting her for the first time. Shortly thereafter, I felt like someone had placed a burning hand on my lower back, and I screamed and shot to my feet. The burning sensation continued, so I decided to take a look at my lower back. That’s when I saw the scratch mark, which looks something like a backwards ‘F’.
I am not happy about physical contact like this from the Other Side. It signals aggression and ill intent. I doubt that it was the woman who did this, but rather a male spirit who has shown up several times before; he likes to mistreat female investigators, touching them, leaning over their shoulders, and bullying the female spirit(s) that reside in this location. For some reason, he dislikes, disrespects and harasses women. We have collected plenty of evidence for the existence of this man from multiple sources.
I prefer to not waste my time with people like this in the flesh, and it’s not much better when they’re in spirit. This brings up a question that has been buzzing about my head for years now. Why do I return to places where nasty, mean, bullying spirits reside? Am I still trying to prove their existence? I do not doubt their objective existence. I have enough evidence for a lifetime. I don’t need to continue proving the existence of something that is so damn obvious (again, see scratch). So: WHY DO I KEEP GOING BACK???? Is it solely up to the individual to decide his/her fate, or can we intervene to assist them in their spiritual struggles? I should pray for them, but I worry what other people will think of me if I start praying for the soul of a spirit. I fear condemnation on FB or in the paranormal circles; people could accuse me of hubris, of being “one of those” investigators who thinks that I can “cross people over”. There’s lots of scorn for the investigator who claims to be able to lead spirits to the light. And, of course, there are those people who have no interest in liberating any spirits or sending them to the light (supposing that were possible), because their favorite haunts would no longer be haunted. That’s a topic for another time . . .
So. I can’t say if I have been, am, or could be able to “send spirits to God”, but I do think it’s important that I try. If I don’t, then the purpose of the investigation is lost for me. Once I know that certain individuals are unsavory and others seem to be stuck in an unpleasant environment, I should at least attempt to help them. I realize that I might end up the target of some criticism, but that hasn’t really stopped me in the past. Hell, there are people at work who think I’m crazy for attempting to contact the dead, much less sending them to the Light.
Every investigator has personal reasons for why they do what they do. I respect those reasons, even if I don’t share all of their beliefs or motivations. This is a personal quest, and I love my fellow investigators with all my heart. My frustration is with myself and not them. I don’t want to be scratched anymore or otherwise touched by a molesting spirit. From now on, if they do this to me again, I’m breaking out my rosaries, my saint cards, my holy water and whatever else I have in my bag. I’ll call on the Holy Spirit and pray for the nasty guy to wise up and quit scratching girls in a theater long after he’s dead. I hope my beloved friends and investigators understand. I may fail in my attempts, it may not be possible, it might even be folly; but it’s the only next step I can take, the only one that makes sense to me.
I apologize for the overly large picture of my lower back and the lovely moles that seem to crop up more and more every year. Aging. Fun.
–Kirsten A. Thorne, PhD/PHW
The Soul Bank: Stories, Research, Essays, (B)Logs 