Ghost Busters

Recently, a friend (unknowingly) moved her business into a haunted house and was at her wit’s end, trying to get rid of it!

Living or working in a haunted space can make you feel like you’re crazy until you realize you just have “company.” Sometimes the company is friendly – protective even. Other times, it can be like a child demanding attention in the most annoying ways.

This time of year, ghost activity tends to ramp up because the veil between worlds is thinner. The stairwell of Curio, Craft & Conjure is frequented by at least one ghost whose presence you can feel when coming up the stairs. I wouldn’t call this presence annoying, but if you have found yourself on the receiving end of an annoying haunting, here are a few rituals that you can use:

1. Sometimes, ghosts appear for a specific purpose. This can happen when there is a major change in the environment, like a remodeling job (which was the case with my friend). In cases like this, you may want to just ask the ghost what they want. If you can provide it, they will leave you alone.

2. In some cases, you may also be able to ask the ghost to stop harassing you. This won’t eliminate them, but it will make them easier to live with. If that does not work, keep reading!

3. Draw a boundary around your home. For this, you will need either Black Salt or a blend of banishing herbs. You can make a “banishing blend” with a combination of any of the following:

• Rue
• Salt
• Garlic
• Pepper
• Peppermint leaves

4. Smoke cleansing by burning Frankincense and Myrrh resin OR Rosemary and Copal.

5. Draw a banishing pentacle, protective symbols, or even just a large “X” on your doors and windows with cascarilla.

6. Dinner for the Dead: An old practice that gets rid of ghosts is by appeasing them. Prepare a delicious meal. Set your table and light white candles. If you know your spirits personally, including their likes and dislikes, you may wish to make their favorite dishes or beverages. Serve a generous portion, but do not eat it. Let it sit until it’s cold. Then, snuff the candles. Say…

“Alive or dead,

You’re now fed.

So be appeased

and take your leave.”

Next, burn cedar, and open your doors and windows to help the ghosts go on their way.

Follow this by making a “tea” of cascarilla and salt water. Sprinkle it in the corner of every room, across your windowsills and the thresholds of your doors, and around the edge of your property.

You are officially ready for Ghost Season! Hopefully, you won’t need this information, but you are now prepared!