Thanks for the insights. I can say that the memory of it is fading, so I guess it didn't really shake me up.
You are very welcome. Please feel free to send me a private message if you have any additional questions regarding your experience, if you have another encounter with the spirit, or if you have questions about other paranormal phenomena. My inbox is always open.
Agreed, and as a Hindu we believe all living things have a soul, a "self", the proper tem being ātman. The ātman is part of Brahman, the ground of all being and existence. So if everything is Brahman, then dogs, cats, parrots, even centipedes have a spirit.
That is very intriguing to me, so thank you for sharing this information about your beliefs with me.
Which is a relief. Fortunately I never thought we had that problem.
Poltergeist activity is a fairly common occurrence in my home. It has been ever since we moved into the house twenty-two years ago, and it gradually began to increase after I started practicing mediumship fifteen years ago. I am very accustomed to seeing it and dealing with it now, and aside from one incident last year, it doesn't bother me when I witness it in my home or at a haunted location.
In fact, I will sometimes encourage it when I'm investigating a haunted location with other paranormal investigators and/or with skeptics. I will sometimes ask the spirits to make their presence known by knocking on a wall, moving an object, or turning the lights on and off. I've also used EMF detectors or REM pods to interact with spirits (blink the red light once for no, twice for yes) when I am actively investigating a haunted location with skeptics and other paranormal investigators. I normally use a spirit box, though.
It's possible it was just passing through. Btw, I don't know if I mentioned that it was pure white, if that means anything. As far as the dogs, I'm happy to have them around. It's also possible, however, that I'm not letting them move on. We still have their toys in the extra beds we always had, kind of like toy boxes. I think in time they will move on. Hindu belief holds that the soul can hang around and be with its family for a while before moving on to its next birth.
The spirits who have yet to cross over are referred to as "earthbound spirits."
I've never seen a shadow; the mist is the only thing I've ever encountered. And again, I don't rule out that it was one of my kooky dreams. in any case I'm definitely not going to poke the bear.
In your previous post, you said, "Her husband once told me he used to see a shadow at the top of the spiral staircase... his recliner is exactly where mine is," and that is what I was referring to when I said a shadow figure. It could have been a shadow person, but not much is known about these humanoid creatures within the paranormal field and Parapsychology. I think it could have been a spirit.
I don't regularly do any kind of cleansing, though I think my landlord said his wife did, unless one considers ringing the puja bell, waving the oil lamp and incense for the deities to be a cleansing of sorts. One thing I'll add is that when we do puja, our worship ritual, we pray to Ganesha first so he removes any obstacles; we ring the bell to cleanse the area; and offer light to the deities. The bell and light are said to get the deities' attention. At the same time the deity we are doing puja for is invoked and greeted.
I smudge and cleanse my home on a regular basis, especially when a negative spirit follows me home, either from a haunted location or from another location where spirits are aware of my ability to see and hear them. I don't cleanse my house to get rid of the positive spirits who pass through, but I will encourage these spirits to cross over. However, their presence does not bother me or my family.
So I hope the incident was just a fluke.
Maybe or maybe not. If you have encounter like this one, please let me know about it. Thanks.