When Ghosts Speak - Mary Ann Winkowski [35]
Sometimes earthbound spirits want to be sure I’ll convey a message to a particular person. In most cases, I have no way of doing so—it’s not like I’m going to call people out of the blue and tell them I have a message from a ghost! When I’m working with law enforcement, I do make sure I get the message to the proper authorities, but generally I feel it’s most important to get spirits to cross over, so I tell them whatever I think will get them to go. Often the person they want to get a message to has been dead for many years. In these situations, I tell ghosts that the easiest way to convey the message is to go into the Light and deliver it themselves.
Once they have recovered from their shock that I can actually see and hear them, many earthbound spirits are grateful for the opportunity to cross over. They ask me to thank the person who called me in. Others look back gratefully, just before they step into the Light, as if to acknowledge and thank me.
When making the Light and watching spirits cross over, I’m always struck by the way ghosts retain the same personalities and social courtesies we expect of living people. In groups, it’s generally “ladies before gentlemen”; adults will take children’s hands to walk into the Light with them. I’ve had old racist ghosts refuse to go into the same Light as someone of a different color. And I’ve had law-abiding spirits refuse to share the Light with less morally upright folks. When these situations arise, I simply do the practical thing: I let one spirit into the Light, allow it to close, and then make it again.
It is not physically tiring or difficult for me to make the Light. When I’m trying to hold it open for several or many ghosts to cross over, however, I can become mentally fatigued. Several years ago, I was asked to come in and clear one of Cleveland’s grand old theaters. Theaters are always full of ghosts. There are stagehands who can’t bear to leave, actresses and actors reluctant to step out of the spotlight, aspiring stars who can’t give up their dream of breaking out of the repertory company to headline a show, and the patrons themselves, who are thrilled to realize they have free unlimited access to every opening night. When I clear a theater, I go prepared to deal with a crowd.
At this particular theater, I spent most of the morning making the Light in three- or four-minute increments. And I have to admit, for the most part the spirits who were hanging around were very cooperative. The theater was well past its glory days and scheduled for renovation, and I guess most of the ghosts knew that they were overstaying their welcome. I would hold the Light open as men in top hats and women in sweeping gowns crossed over. Then I’d let it close, ask the others to wait a few minutes, and, after a brief rest, reopen it to the next group. By the end of the day I was exhausted, but the theater was empty.
When I clear a space of this size, I don’t usually talk to the ghosts who are crossing over. I may notice some particularly striking people, just as anyone would when observing a large crowd. The funny thing about doing this theater was that, a few months later, I was asked to visit another of Cleveland’s grand entertainment palaces. When I arrived, I actually recognized several of the ghosts from the first theater. Rather than crossing over, they had simply transferred their loyalties to another venue.
When Spirits Can’t—or Won’t—Cross Over
Of course, there are also times when either the homeowner or the ghost is less than cooperative. I’ve had people schedule appointments—but when I arrive at their houses and confirm the presence of a ghost, they tell me they want to