I don’t mind psychologically, I mean literally living with ghosts! It takes some getting used to.

Yesterday was an odd day. More than usual, I mean. I recently listened to a story that Tabitha Brown was telling on Instagram about her mama leaving her dimes to find after she had passed away. I know that coins are often used by the deceased to send messages that they are there. In our first apothecary, the owner of the building died and we, and the other tenants, found pennies everywhere for the first year after. When my friend Lisa died, she left pennies as a sign to call her bereaved husband. I would clear the kitchen table. Nothing on it. Walk back in and find a penny on it. It made me wonder how the coins get there for us to see. I was sitting on the porch yesterday and right in front of me- believe it or not- a dime appeared. I watched it glint and appear. I know, I know. No, I have not been hitting the moonshine this fine Alabama morning.

I used to be absolutely terrified of ghosts. Nightmares, fear of the dark, the whole deal. Just terrified. I have always been psychic and am now a medium, but you don’t have to be that intuitive to see the shower curtain rattling for no good reason. At my daughter’s house, her baby’s electronic toys like to start playing by themselves. One can only explain things away for so long.

I think the reason that I was so scared is because in a religious upbringing, we were taught that any ghost is a demon and not of God. We are also taught the idea that when we die, we go one of two places (three if you are Catholic), and that is that. So anything left on earth is obviously evil. About every house I’ve ever lived in has been filled with spirits, and I finally came to realize that most of them are my own people! A spirit isn’t as scary when you realize it’s just Grandma.

A few weeks ago, our Google home started playing one song loud through the house on its own. “Little Bit of Life” by Craig Morgan was on the screen when I clicked open the Spotify app (that was not on before). We were not in the kitchen when it came on. I did not have my phone on me and that song had not been played before. Yet, when we tried to change the song, it would go right back and play it again. My grandpa recently passed away and I felt like it was from him, a good message for me at the moment. Just as I feel it was my grandparents that left me the dime yesterday. I’m having a tough time being 1200 miles from my children and grandchildren and the spirits have been very comforting. I’ve come a long way from being so scared of the unknown.

It’s super fluid out there, folks. Your mama can be at peace with Creator but also pop in and leave you a message to call your uncle or tell you she loves you. Spirits can come through electronics the easiest, it seems. Lights flickering, radio playing a song that reminds you of them, things turning on or off (we had a mischievous little boy spirit in our first apothecary that used to turn off the coffee pot. That would just make me crazy.), or google home playing you a song. I get screenshots of playlists on my phone that I never took. They seem to be able to work with coins easily and they often use them to show you they are there. You may wander across a quote or run into someone with a message they want you to know. They can come to you in dreams. They are all just working on the other side to help us. It’s a comfort.

Some homes are on an energetic line that makes it what we call, a train station. Lots of spirits passing through. My friend, David’s house, where we lived for a little bit, was so full of spirits, you could hear them dancing upstairs when no one else was home. Our daughter’s house is like that too. The east side of her house is just full of activity. I stepped out of the shower last time I was there and physically pulled myself back as someone rushed by me. I near got run over. It’s called a veil for a reason, it’s not that thick! But the myth is that ghosts are stuck here, or won’t go to the light. That is absolutely untrue. They are able to come and go as they please and are often there to help us when we need them.

Yes, there are some malevolent entities out there. I have been called to smudge out my fair share and they are as scary as you can imagine. They are very different than the spirits you will find touching your hair, playing with the kids’ toys, or blasting songs on the radio. (And just a side note: NEVER smudge your house with sage when there is something malevolent there. Sage opens portals and invites more in. This is a huge myth. Sage is used for prayer and blessing and blended with tobacco, sweet grass, and cedar. Use cedar to clear a house or a blend without sage in it.)

So, next time the radio comes on by itself, don’t be scared, just say hello. Grandma is just popping by to say she loves you.