When Ghosts Speak - Mary Ann Winkowski [87]
• Police stations. It’s rare that I’ve ever met a police officer who didn’t have a spirit attached. These ghosts often have some unfinished business, usually having to do with how they ended up dead. The officer need not have been directly involved with the ghost’s particular case.
• Fire stations. For reasons I have never understood, there are always plenty of earthbound spirits at fire stations, but they rarely go home with the firefighters.
• Law offices or courtrooms. Lawyers and judges who specialize in criminal cases run a higher risk of attracting earthbound spirits.
• Mental health institutions. People who are institutionalized often have earthbound spirits attached to them. Such ghosts may travel home with the staff as well.
• Airports. Airline personnel, flight attendants, and pilots all have a tendency to attract earthbound spirits from all over the world. If you spend a lot of time traveling or in airports, you may bring a ghost home from your travels.
• Sports arenas. There’s no energy like the energy generated by rabid sports fans. I have worked with many professional athletes, who as a group tend to attract both spirits and negative energy in the course of their careers.
• Publishing houses. A year ago, I would not have expected to find earthbound spirits in publishing offices. Until I began writing this book, I had envisioned the book industry as a quiet, tranquil enterprise. And then I visited several publishing houses. Of course, once I saw the levels of activity and the floors and floors of high-energy individuals involved in book publishing, it made sense that so many ghosts could be found in these offices.
• Antiques dealers. Since many earthbound spirits like to stay with their treasured possessions, antiques and secondhand shops are usually home to several ghosts at any given time.
• Theaters and movie sets. In my lectures and on radio, I’ve often talked about how many earthbound spirits tend to gravitate to theaters, but I had never worked on a film lot before I became involved with Ghost Whisperer. Now I know that television and movie sets are full of ghosts. From my very first visit to the studio, I’ve had plenty of work to do convincing earthbound spirits that they’re no longer needed on set. And believe me, given the personalities involved, this is not an easy task.
I met my first real, honest-to-goodness Hollywood star the first time I was on the Paramount lot. As is my habit, I was walking around the set, pad and pencil at the ready, prepared to take notes on any spirits I saw. And, as usual, there was a small crowd following me. We rounded a corner—and there she was. I stopped dead in my tracks and blurted out, “Oh my gosh, you’re Miss Barbara Stanwyck!”
Some of the younger folk in the group were puzzled. “Who?”
“You know, Victoria Barkley, from The Big Valley,” I said, hoping that the well-known TV show might give them some context. I was also hoping that if it didn’t, they would just keep quiet. I could tell that Miss Stanwyck was none too pleased at their ignorance.
“Ah, some old TV actress,” someone muttered, clearly losing interest.
Well, that did it. Miss Stanwyck was furious!
I quickly set the record straight, giving everyone present a brief education in just who Barbara Stanwyck was. How she had been a star of stage and screen—a pioneer in the industry. I mentioned her good looks, her talent, her work ethic, and her success.
“She’s the real deal,” I told everyone. “And you all need to show some respect.”
When I finished my little speech, everyone was silent, and Barbara Stanwyck was looking mollified. Then, like any fan, I told her how much I admired her work.