10-29-2022 4:31am

Hoping to Be Haunted Again

Joni Mitchell said it best: “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” Many of us can testify to its truth. But I wonder how many of us would say that about “spirits” that have lived with us, “spirits” that have caused confusion, annoyance, and—in some cases—terror. How many would miss those “spirits” who apparently “moved on” and are no longer making their presence known?

Linda Anthony of Boyertown was bothered for years by the spirits who lived in her home. Annoyed and frightened at times, she reached out to a priest, a medium, and the Paranormal Spirit Seekers to make the spirits go away.

Yet today she calls out to those spirits hoping they return. She misses them. Who’d have thought.

Linda first knew she was living with spirits one Christmas. Her cat Willow behaved strangely blocking her from going into the attic, uncharacteristically crouching in a corner looking “devastated.” From that point on, she began noticing that objects in her home changed positions and then moved back into their previous position, seemingly, on their own.

She heard attic doors slam and saw them shake during the sound of slamming without cause. Her hair dryer turned on and off again for no reason. Batteries were drained of their charge. One time she found a light cord threaded through one of her afghans and knows that wasn’t something she’d have done.

“When the Paranormal Spirit Seekers to assess the presence of spirits, the ghosts went crazy—slamming doors and moving things,” Linda admits. “Using their equipment, they discovered a spirit in the basement named Chuck, not Charles, and explained that at one time the house was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Knowing about Chuck explained why Willow was bothered in the basement,” she adds.

One night she awakened and felt a light touch on her neck. She later discovered that her necklace with a cross had become unhooked somehow. But when an evil spirit visited her dreams, when she could feel a presence lifting her, and sense that the spirit was interested in illicit behavior, she became frightened and reached out for help.

“My dream was in all black and fluorescent green. I’ve never had a dream like that. Happily, after the priest came and blessed the house, that spirit never bothered me again,” she recalls.

“When the medium Cristina Leeson came, she discovered a spirit in the attic,” Linda shares. “Apparently, in his life, he was locked in the attic because he was blind and the family was ashamed of him. Cristina explained that he hadn’t moved on because he was afraid he wouldn’t ‘go to heaven’ because he had behaved so badly when he was alive. Eventually, the spirit was convinced to leave; it was really beautiful. She took his hand and led him away.”

“And now I miss them. It’s too quiet here, but I still talk to them and tell them I miss them,” she laughs.

Linda says she didn’t always believe in spirits, but she’s kept a journal of her experiences and has attended ghost walks around Boyertown. Friends have witnessed strange happenings in her home and are convinced that one of her spirits rode home with him one night.

Perhaps by reading this story Linda’s spirits will visit her tonight—just for old times’ sake. And maybe they’ll decide to stick around to keep her company.

Listen to Linda on Jane Stahl's "B Inspired" podcast on your favorite podcast platform.