Living With Ghosts

How will I know if it's haunted? This question might be asked by those on the market to buy a new home, stay at a hotel or eat at a restaurant; this is especially true if the place in question is rumored to be haunted. It might seem odd, but some of those who take great pleasure in investigating the ghostly realm will steadfastly refuse to spend the night in a haunted hotel room. Their reasons are simple; they want some rest. An example of this is my ghosthunting buddy who attends many of the same ghost conferences that I do. A few weeks ago we were in Virginia City and she had chosen to stay in a haunted hotel. After giving hotel personnel explicit instructions not to put her in the haunted rooms, she felt secure in the knowledge that her sleep, when it came, would be sound.

Well, that wasn't the way things worked out. Apparently there was one more ghost on the premises than the staff realized; this playful ghost wandered into my friends room and noisily kept her awake. Could she have known ahead of time about this spirit? It's doubtful! However, if she had been purchasing a new home she might have been more cautious. Ask questions when looking at the perfect abode. Many states have disclosure laws and ghosts and supernatural activity may fall under some of these. Be cautious about assuming that just because a home is brand new it isn't haunted. Remember that the land it sits upon is as old as the earth itself.

Of course there are those among us who would love nothing more than to live in a haunted house. In this case, questions should still be asked. There is an old rule about always realizing that haunted hotels are sometimes more boasts than ghosts. This might be especially true if the ghost in residence is the main selling point. There is also the possibility that the resident spirit likes the previous owners so well it will tag along after them, leaving the new owners ghostless. Even if the ghost should stay on, there are no guarantees it will ever appear. Or if it might choose to make itself known at the most inopportune of times. A dinner party for the new boss and his wife would probably not be a very good time for the spirit to suddenly turn playful. This might one way to ruin one's chance at the next promotion, and a good meal. Dining with a ghost at the local haunted restaurant is one thing, this is another. Again the old "more boasts than ghosts rule" applies. This isn't to say that there aren't plenty of haunted restaurants around, only that some may be more haunted than others. Some may even be reticent to mention much less talk about, their ghostly resident. And that's okay too. Living with ghosts is always interesting.

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