Saturday, March 18, 2017

Pressed to Death- Antiques and Ghost Stories




Kirsten Weiss, author of the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mysteries, is here today to talk about her thoughts on antiques and ghost stories. 

In my second Paranormal Museum mystery, Pressed to Death, the heroine researches a supposedly haunted object – an antique grape press. But can objects actually become haunted?
My heroine, paranormal museum owner Maddie Kosloski, is agnostic on the subject. But many people believe the answer is “yes.” 
Search the Internet, and you’ll find dozens of famous examples. The “Cursed Mirror of Myrtles Plantation” is supposed to reflect the ghost of a Sara Woodruff and her children, who were poisoned. The “Hands Resist Him Painting” is so haunted, that buyers are warned the figures inside it move or vanish from the painting entirely at midnight. And then there’s Annabelle, the Possessed Doll, who wandered about under her own steam until she was locked firmly away in an occult museum.
Have you ever been afflicted by chill breezes, strange smells, or items moving on their own, within weeks of acquiring something antique or used? If so, you may have a haunted object on your hands.
Objects can become haunted in two ways: either a ghost attaches to it, or it’s cursed in a magical ritual. 
Let’s leave aside the whole cursing ritual business (because some things are best left alone). Ghostly attachments tend to happen in cases where the object comes into frequent contact with the owner, for example clothing, jewelry, chairs, mirrors, and beds. It’s believed ghosts can also become attached to items that have some significance to the owner – for example wedding rings or children’s toys.
What to do if you think you have a haunted object in your hands? The easiest answer is just to get rid of it (though as delightful as gifting it to your arch nemesis might feel, that would be seriously bad karma). You could also cover the item in salt and allow it to “cure” outdoors in the sun and moonlight for twenty-four hours. Or you could bring out the big guns and hire someone to spiritually cleanse the object.
So what do you think? Can objects be haunted or not?




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