Part 1 & 2 recap: A year ago, the crone-like spirit of an old woman haunted me. A medium explained that this spirit was my teacher in a past life, and that she’d returned to guide me in divination and intuition. My attempts establish a safe relationship with this spirit were not respected, so I asked a Shaman friend for help in clearing this entity from my house.
The night before my friend came over, I was so nauseous I could barely sleep. That entire day, I collected things for the ritual. I had thirteen red and thirteen white carnations, Florida water, the bell and candles from my own altar, and sage. I felt prepared, if uncertain. When I did sleep that night, my dreams were dark and disturbing. My husband, the cat and the dog all seemed on edge.
That morning, my friend arrived shortly after my husband left for work. Opening all the window and the doors, we began setting up the space by lighting candles and smudging every corner of the apartment. The sage burst and crackled, shedding sparks among thick, fragrant smoke. I lost two good duvet covers that day. Both pets retreated immediately beneath their respective beds, and stayed hidden for the duration.
Preparing to call the cardinal corners, my friend used his phone’s compass to confirm the directions. It was way off. I know my house (and my corners), and so oriented us correctly. But I felt suspicious, like maybe the entity herself was sabotaging our efforts to remove her. Finally, we began: my friend, beating a low, steady rhythm on his animal skin drum, invoked the guidance and protection of the spirit animals, of the earth and the sky. I followed behind him, ringing the alter bell as he spit-sprayed mouthfuls of spirit water throughout the apartment. Throughout this, two things rolled around in the back of my mind: the first, “what will the neighbors think?!” The second was that I might vomit. The nausea I’d felt since the night before had increased past the point of simple discomfort.
Next, my friend took the red carnations in batches, dipping them into a bowl of spirit water, then circling them in mid-air, just like we’d done while smudging. He went room by room, discarding the used flowers onto the newsprint we’d placed on the coffee table at the center of the apartment. Halfway through his work, he paused and suddenly rushed into the bathroom, becoming violently ill. In that exact moment, I lost the battle with my own nausea. Thank goodness for close friends and multiple bathrooms.
Eventually, he’d used all of the carnations throughout the entire space. Perched on our couch, he ended the ceremony with frantic drumming and full-voice singing. I could physically feel the energies in my home shifting around us. I gave one last thought to our neighbors, and then joined him. My throat raw from the smoke and being sick, I sang out in my loudest voice to move the energies swirling throughout my home.
Finally, the ritual was over. We placed the white carnations in a vase on the coffee table. If the ritual had truly exorcised the spirits, he said, the carnations would still be white tomorrow when we woke. I thanked my friend, and he left. At his instruction, I then bundled the red carnations in the newsprint and carried them to the seaside, burying them in the sandy soil near a banyan tree. I was too tired when I got home to notice if anything felt different. I simply stumbled inside and fell straight into bed, briefly mourning the burn-holes in my duvet. I slept most of the afternoon and all through the night.
The following day, the white carnations were still white. I also wrapped these flowers in newspaper, burying them beneath a different tree in the park. As I covered my parcel with the last handfuls of soil, the nausea I’d felt for days cleared instantly, like grey clouds clearing to reveal blue sky. I suddenly felt… fine. Also very hungry. I returned to a house that felt peaceful and ordered. I paid careful attention over the next several days, trying to suss out whether our banishment had succeeded. The crone was, and nearly a year later still is, gone.
Whew. I know that was a lot. I’ve had many strange and spooky experiences throughout my life. Holler if you’d like to hear more. Thanks for reading, folks.
submitted by /u/Alice_Vickery
[link] [comments]Part 1 & 2 recap: A year ago, the crone-like spirit of an old woman haunted me. A medium explained that this spirit was my teacher in a past life, and that she’d returned to guide me in divination and intuition. My attempts establish a safe relationship with this spirit were not respected, so I asked a Shaman friend for help in clearing this entity from my house. The night before my friend came over, I was so nauseous I could barely sleep. That entire day, I collected things for the ritual. I had thirteen red and thirteen white carnations, Florida water, the bell and candles from my own altar, and sage. I felt prepared, if uncertain. When I did sleep that night, my dreams were dark and disturbing. My husband, the cat and the dog all seemed on edge. That morning, my friend arrived shortly after my husband left for work. Opening all the window and the doors, we began setting up the space by lighting candles and smudging every corner of the apartment. The sage burst and crackled, shedding sparks among thick, fragrant smoke. I lost two good duvet covers that day. Both pets retreated immediately beneath their respective beds, and stayed hidden for the duration. Preparing to call the cardinal corners, my friend used his phone’s compass to confirm the directions. It was way off. I know my house (and my corners), and so oriented us correctly. But I felt suspicious, like maybe the entity herself was sabotaging our efforts to remove her. Finally, we began: my friend, beating a low, steady rhythm on his animal skin drum, invoked the guidance and protection of the spirit animals, of the earth and the sky. I followed behind him, ringing the alter bell as he spit-sprayed mouthfuls of spirit water throughout the apartment. Throughout this, two things rolled around in the back of my mind: the first, “what will the neighbors think?!” The second was that I might vomit. The nausea I’d felt since the night before had increased past the point of simple discomfort. Next, my friend took the red carnations in batches, dipping them into a bowl of spirit water, then circling them in mid-air, just like we’d done while smudging. He went room by room, discarding the used flowers onto the newsprint we’d placed on the coffee table at the center of the apartment. Halfway through his work, he paused and suddenly rushed into the bathroom, becoming violently ill. In that exact moment, I lost the battle with my own nausea. Thank goodness for close friends and multiple bathrooms. Eventually, he’d used all of the carnations throughout the entire space. Perched on our couch, he ended the ceremony with frantic drumming and full-voice singing. I could physically feel the energies in my home shifting around us. I gave one last thought to our neighbors, and then joined him. My throat raw from the smoke and being sick, I sang out in my loudest voice to move the energies swirling throughout my home. Finally, the ritual was over. We placed the white carnations in a vase on the coffee table. If the ritual had truly exorcised the spirits, he said, the carnations would still be white tomorrow when we woke. I thanked my friend, and he left. At his instruction, I then bundled the red carnations in the newsprint and carried them to the seaside, burying them in the sandy soil near a banyan tree. I was too tired when I got home to notice if anything felt different. I simply stumbled inside and fell straight into bed, briefly mourning the burn-holes in my duvet. I slept most of the afternoon and all through the night. The following day, the white carnations were still white. I also wrapped these flowers in newspaper, burying them beneath a different tree in the park. As I covered my parcel with the last handfuls of soil, the nausea I’d felt for days cleared instantly, like grey clouds clearing to reveal blue sky. I suddenly felt… fine. Also very hungry. I returned to a house that felt peaceful and ordered. I paid careful attention over the next several days, trying to suss out whether our banishment had succeeded. The crone was, and nearly a year later still is, gone. Whew. I know that was a lot. I’ve had many strange and spooky experiences throughout my life. Holler if you’d like to hear more. Thanks for reading, folks. submitted by /u/Alice_Vickery [link] [comments]
