Children Exposed to A Demonic Haunting

 Speaking in Latin tongues, evil apparitions,  rapping on the walls and strange activity throughout the house may just be a recipe for a demonic haunt. Not only is it the most difficult and dangerous haunting to investigate, it is also one of the most horrifyingly stubborn entities to get rid of.
  Just how does one become an unfortunate victim to a demonic haunting?  Demons do not appear out of nowhere. They have never been human, and this is why they are so hard to get rid of. They do not take kindly to simply "asking it to leave". Some of the ways demons enter our world are through means of divination such as the classic Ouija Board (can be innocent use, not meaning to call an evil entity), and the more devious method of conducting Satanic Rituals. There have been several recorded cases of people moving into a dwelling and not understanding why they are encountering this type of activity, only to find out the previous owners were practicing Satanism. Writings and drawings of Satanic Rituals have been found in bedrooms, closets, basements, attics, etc. And the victim is unsuspecting to the catastrophic activity that has been left in the house.
   The next question I am presented with, how and why does a person get possessed?  There have been several hypotheses to this question. A weak mind, very little to no spiritual beliefs, and possibly not being baptized are some reasons demonic possession is extremely easy. Some may argue about being baptized but there have been correlations to unbaptized individuals and demonic possession (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo) . Also, the Catholic religion by far not only is the most successful in exterminating demons, they have some of the strongest prayers.
  Recently, I watched a show on Animal Planet called The Haunting, which involves people's pets reacting to paranormal activity in the home. The episode was called "Demon House" which featured a family who was facing an obvious demonic haunting. Some of the classic symptoms of these types of hauntings include, and are not limited to, apparitions of dark black masses, shadow dogs, guttural growling noises, scratches, vulgar voices, poltergeist activity (objects moving by themselves in a forceful manner)temperatures becoming hot, a foul odor smelling like sulfur, and apparitions that have black holes for eyes. The family was facing several of these characteristics of a demonic haunt.
  Apparently, this family did their homework, and found their house had a series of tragic events. There was a murder suicide in the early 1900's and they found two cases where the owner faced an untimely death by falling down the stairs. This history should not have been ignored as most likely it was not a coincidence.  Horrific deaths have plagued the house for at least 100 years.
 Like most families facing demonic hauntings, they were at a loss of what to do. The family contacted Enfield Paranormal Society (founded in 2006) based out of Connecticut to conduct an investigation in their home. The group's founder, Matt Kondraki led the investigation. He and his team brought along their EMF meters, DVR camera's and digital voice recorders to capture the evidence. I do not think Kondraki was prepared for the type of entity he and his team encountered.
  One of the most disturbing aspects of this investigation of a potential demonic haunting was Kondraki's failure to realize potential signs of a demonic presence. I was shocked beyond belief that it did not appear as if Kondraki did thorough interviewing with this family or was even familiar with what signs hint at a demonic haunting. His very first and most detrimental mistake was conducting an investigation while the small children were sleeping in their cribs. Apparently, when the team checked in on the childrens' room there was blood all over the walls, floor and crib. Luckily, the children were unharmed.
  There are many reasons not to involve small children to demonic hauntings. One being, it is far too dangerous. A lot of times simply investigating can aggravate an already tumultuous haunting. Kondraki and his team potentially put the children in danger. Besides the blood stained bedroom, Enfield Paranormal experienced temperatures rise, as well as growling noises. In speaking with a colleague of mine, Mike Ricksecker, who is a ghost historian with Oklahoma's Society of the Haunted, as well as author to several books on the paranormal, including Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma , he also agrees children should not be present during a potential demonic haunting.  "If we're talking a demonic haunting, as that demon is being battled with, it can inflict physical harm on the child or even try to take control of him or her." Ricksecker also stated the only time a child should be present in the investigation is if they are possessed by the demon.
  Kondraki did admit during the episode of The Haunting, he was not familiar with this type of activity. I disapprove of his methods, as I believe he should have reviewed client interviews and examined more closely the potential that this was a demonic haunting. He should have never taken on this case and should have called in a team that could help the family. Ricksecker is in agreement with me on the subject of investigating demons.  "Demons are strong, unpredictable, and even individuals that are trained to deal with demons have problems eradicating them. Investigators that don't have experience with demons should call in someone who does or they're likely to get hurt and make the situation at the location worse," explained Ricksecker.
   The family did end up contacting Bob Baker of Connecticut Paranormal Investigators, who are experienced in demonic hauntings. Baker explained a lot of times families plagued by the demonic entities will go through a few investigation teams before they find one that will actually solve the problems. The team knew right way that they would need a priest in this case. The called in Father Bob Bailey, a Catholic priest out of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, who specializes in eradicating demonic hauntings, to help with the case.
   I am going to go on record stating that this is not my favorite aspect of paranormal research. It terrifies me, but in order to be a seasoned researcher, one has to study this ugly subject in order to become an expert. Knowing the red flags of a demonic haunting can potentially save a family's life. Paranormal investigative teams need to admit when specific hauntings are out of their realm. It is inadvisable to investigate these premises with no experience.Unfortunately, inexperienced groups cannot afford to do what I call "evidence collecting" on these types of cases. The life of the family and the investigators are at risk. Investigators can bring all the fancy pieces of equipment they want but it isn't going to resolve evil spirits. And when it comes to young children, groups need to assess the severity of the hauntings and take it very seriously.

I Am Not What I Do

Picture this, you're at a party, and there are people there you do not know. So you start talking to one of the guests at this party and the first thing they ask you is "What do you do?" Most of the time I would love to answer in a preposterous response such as "I fly kites for a living."
  I find this question to be one of the rudest and presumptuous questions out there in regards to getting to know someone. It is as if what you do matters and how you measure up or don't measure up in society. I have also found it to be a determinant in whether or not the person would like to be friends. And to be frank, I don't want to "Keep up with the Jones'".
  Some of you may say, well you are insecure about yourself, because why do you care about what others think? And honestly, I don't care about what others think, but I am a little insecure. It hurts when people try to get to know you and they're entertaining the idea of a friendship based upon what you do for a living or what your financial status is. Why is this so important for people to know what I do to pay my bills? My interests in life have nothing to do with what I do for a living. It is pretty low, in my opinion, if you only want to get to know someone based on their socioeconomic status.
  I work for a credit union handling debit card disputes and fraud. It does not pay much money and it certainly not what I had for envisioned for myself for the duration of my life. I went to school for Communications, graduated with my Bachelor's degree in Public Relations, with honors no less. I can remember when I once told my aunt and uncle what my degree was in, they said to me "Why the heck did you get your degree in that? Your not going to find a job in that field and it doesn't make a lot of money."  I am wondering if these comments and others like it are a product of the Baby Boomer generation where wealth was the central focus of life. There were so many careers I wanted to pursue, only to be told "It doesn't make any money", or "Your not smart enough to do that."
  After college, I found myself floating around and very indecisive about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Like many creative people, I had a hard time zeroing in on what area of creativity I wanted to focus in. I am an artist, a thinker and a dreamer, and that is what I do. I am great at cooking, writing, drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry making, scrapbooking, etc. It is very hard for me in these areas to focus one one because I am good at so many things in relation to the artistic field.
  The truth is, I do not want to climb a corporate ladder, and be a workaholic. I have no desire to work up to that level; kudos to those that have achieved that goal. I have to go to work because it pays the bills. I have a job that has minimal stress so I can go home to my family and be emotionally present for them. I also feel in my heart there is a cultural shift that is taking place where people are realizing that moving the woman back into the family life is far more important than any paycheck she might bring home.
 Homemaking should be a respectable career. Wanting to stay home with your family should NEVER carry with it a negative stereotype.  Our society sends the message one should have a full time job and be superwoman and raise a family at the same time. My friends who do stay home with their children have also expressed to me when they're asked "what they do?" by an inquiring individual they first meet. They feel forced to answer a distasteful question. It is as if these individuals resent people who stay home because in their mind, people who stay home are not amounting to anything.
  Indecision has been a demon in my life. I have felt inferior because I just couldn't quite "figure it out". I had lost confidence in myself because these continuous tapes of negativity play like a broken record in my mind. So I am not doing "what I want to do" or what you "think I should be doing".  I am faced with this internal question all the time. "What is it that I want to do?" And I keep coming back to the same answer of "I don't know." I don't believe I should even do the same thing for the rest of my life.
   We have to redo the tapes in our mind to say that we are so fortunate to be creative and full of many talents. We need to start telling ourselves "So what if I am not a....fill in the blank." We also need to stop justifying to others on why we have chosen these paths in life. What career we choose does not make us any less of a person. It is not your spirit or soul.  I am not a debit card processor. I am Kathleen Silvia and I chose not to let my choice of career define who I am.

The Boob

What do babies dream about? In my opinion, they dream about the stars, and a giant moon in the shape of a boob dripping with milk!

  In the first two months of Camille's life, I nursed her with just the boob. I honestly had no clue about breastfeeding even though I took a class on it. I am the type of person who likes to do the research after the fact. When my milk first came in, I had no idea it was supposed to hurt as much as it did, , that it was time consuming to breast feed, and the baby has no idea when it is done feeding (unless they fall asleep at the breast), that your boobs are not yours anymore, and last just how big they really get.

  On the topic of big boobs, I generally have an average size of 34 B so I am not used to having anything larger. What a pain these boobs are, and I remember crying a few times after I had Camille because I just thought these things were such an inconvenience. I thought they looked disgusting, and they were making me uncomfortable especially when I was trying to sleep. I still wonder if I will ever be normal again, and if I will be able to sleep on my stomach without milk leaking out all over the place? I also would like to literally and figuratively like to stop feeling like a cow, hooking up the utters to a machine every four hours.

 Today, I learned the purpose of these delightful body parts, besides something that feeds your baby or gives your significant other something to fool around with. They are part of being a mother in so many ways. I reflected on just how important boobs are in nurturing your baby. And to those of you out there reading my blog, I have nothing against bottle formula feeding. This is just something that I am trying to relate with the breast feeding moms out there.

  A friend of mine at work came into a situation where they became temporary foster parents to a newborn baby. I talked to my friend this week, and asked him how the baby was doing as I hadn't talked to him since my maternity leave. We came on to the subject of how him and his girlfriend had to basically get the newborn out of the habit of looking for a breast when they took custody of him.       

   My heart ached for this baby for so many reasons. I started thinking to myself, "What if I didn't breast feed?" All I could think of is that this baby had lost one of it's biggest comforts in the world. His mother first and foremost, being consoled, being held, and most of all being nurtured. How sad that this was taken away from him at such a critical point in his life. Imagine searching out for an object that was always there when you needed it, and all of the sudden its gone. I wonder if it is like losing a best friend?

  When I hold Camille this way when I was just amazed that I was continuing to give life. Not only did I carry her for almost nine months, but I am continuing to be a huge part of her growth and development. I look into these beautiful eyes when holding her, and I hear her sighs of content while feeding. She even has this look I call "the hungry face" and each time I see it I physically ache. I also emotionally ache because I want to take her hunger pains away. At this point because Camille is only just starting to interact, feeding from the breast is the only way in my head that I can physically show her that I love her. I am not quite convinced she understands what hugs and kisses are yet.

   I feel grateful that I am able to give her not only the food she needs to sustain her life, but also the comfort of letting her know with my body and soul that I am always here for her. Camille is in the phase of getting overly tired, and more often than not she will get into a crying/screaming fit that nothing I can do will calm her down. The only thing that works is putting her on the boob. It takes away her anxiety, and relaxes her to the point of sleep. I feel blessed that I am able to soothe her like this. My thoughts of inconvenience and taking too long have dissipated today.

  The breast has a new meaning for me. It is an integral part in the divine woman, giver of life. It is a necessary tool in what a mother is about. It is a very beautiful way to sacrifice a physical piece of yourself to give to a small and helpless being.

  

Is it Really Sleep Paralysis?

Lately, I have been wondering if it is really valid to be explaining away the "Old Hag" that pays nightly visits to innocent victims during their slumber. Is it really fair discount the thousands of reports of this experience and merely explain that it is sleep paralysis?
  I have been wondering this for several years. Wikepedia has the following definition:

In addition, the paralysis may be accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (hypnopompic or hypnagogic) and an acute sense of danger.^[9] Sleep paralysis is particularly frightening to the individual because of the vividness of such hallucinations.^[8] The hallucinatory element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely
that someone will interpret the experience as a dream, since completely
fanciful or dream-like objects may appear in the room alongside one's
normal vision. Some scientists have proposed this condition as an
explanation for alien abductions and ghostly encounters.^[10] A study by Susan Blackmore and Marcus Cox (the Blackmore-Cox study) of the University of the West of England supports the suggestion that reports of alien abductions are related to sleep paralysis rather than to temporal lobe lability.[1

A few questions that have been weighing in my mind in my research to this phenomena- Why do millions of people actually report the "Old Hag"? If this is some kind of hallucination, isn't it rather strange that so many people report this? While I do think sleep paralysis is valid, I do not think that you can explain every experience away with this cause. Also, there are documented cases that people have had to have their home exercised because the "Old Hag" was a nightly appearance.

I am sure some of you are wondering-What do I think the Old Hag is? Personally, I have had an experience, that could be classified as Old Hag. I did not see an Old Hag, but I was in bed, I could not move or talk, and the bed was shaking uncontrollably. I do think that it was an entity that did not want me in the house. I have not had this experience again. It happened once. I would classify this as a spiritual paralysis. I feel that the Old Hag is actually some type of spirit vampire. I believe this is something that wants to suck the life force out of you because it needs energy to do its evil. The Old Hag is not positive. It tries to attack what it thinks to be are weak and vulnerable people, children, and maybe people going through weak times in their lives.

Premonitions and Messages from The Dead: The Principal

My mother teaches fifth grade at a small elementary school in Rhode Island. She was very fortunate to have a lovely principal named Miss M (names are protected in the story for confidentiality). Miss M was a long time teacher at this school district and became an assistant principal in her last 4 or 5 years.
  Miss M had a very dry sarcastic sense of humor. She was always involved with her students lives. I got very close to Miss M because we had very similar personalities. I made friends with her before she became the principal. We used to write letters back and forth to one another. Miss M was stricken with breast cancer in the early 90's. She over came that and she went into remission. However, in the early part of 2000, when Miss M was the assistant principal she found out she had ovarian cancer and rapidly deteriorated, and died almost six months later.
  It was very hard for me to believe that such a charismatic and devoted individual was gone from this earth. I was unable to attend her memorial service and I have been upset about it for years. But part of me just wanted to remember Miss M for who she was, not reduced to ashes in an urn.
  Teachers often face a load of challenges. One of the reasons I have never joined the profession. But I believe it may have been a year or so after Miss M passed on that there was a teacher having a horrible time with one of the parents of one of her students. The teacher was accused of saying rotten things about a student by one of the parents. This particular teacher did not have a reputation of being harsh or mean. The parent was taking their grievances to the press, and also started a law suit of suing the school, along with that teacher. It was getting out of control.
    I had an unexpected and quite strange dream one night. I can testify, that I most certainly do not dream like this at all, but here it goes. In the dream I found myself in the teachers room, with the deceased Miss M. Miss M looked like she was going about her daily business, going back and forth with a lot of paper in her hands. She looked up at me, and said "Oh hi Kathleen." I am looking at her strangely and I said "Miss M, what are you doing here?" And she just smiled. And in my head I am thinking "what the heck is she doing she is dead". And then Miss M turned around and looked at me and said "You know that harassment case? Its going to be resolved." I looked at her confused and I said "Sexual harassment?" Miss M replied "No" and she laughed. Then she continued to move around with all of her papers.
   Then, all of the sudden, the dream turned into a stairwell. I was at the top of the stairs, looking down at the bottom, there was Miss M. She looked at me and said "Bye Kathleen" waved to me....and the best part your wondering? Her tooth flashed when she smiled and then she was gone. I can tell each and everyone of you in this group, although my dreams are very vivid, I do not dream like that.
     After the dream was over, I woke up! At the ungodly hour of 3:00 am....And that was my biggest clue, that it was not just a dream, but a prophetic one at that, and immediately, I knew about the harassment Miss M was referring to. She was referring to the issue of the parent causing all the commotion with the law suits was going to somehow be resolved.
    Of course I could not wait to tell my mother. I woke up at 7:00 am that morning. I told her, you will never guess who I dreamed about. When I told my mom, she was like "Oh that's so nice." And when I told my mom that Miss M actually had a message, and that the parent was going to stop with their lawsuits, she told me that she had no doubt Miss M. was watching over the school.
   After that dream, we had not really talked about it in a while. Then about a month later my mom and I were taking a walk and I asked my mom if the parent still had the lawsuit going on. She said to me "You know I forgot to tell you, but that parent dropped everything, the lawsuit and apologized for going to the press.
   Pure coincidence, maybe. But I like to believe that Miss M had something to do with this. And I feel that the more open I am to communication from beyond the more I get to enjoy experiences like these.

God is Always With You....even in the bad times

Have you ever stopped to think about practicing a random act of kindness? What about practicing a random act of kindness in front of a stranger's face? Yesterday I had an experience that I would like to share, because I just thought it was so rare and unusual. I thought about it so much yesterday and today, that I decided it would be appropriate to write it on here, as so much negativity takes place in this world we forget about the good.
   After work yesterday I had to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few things, and I figured while I was there I should get some cards as my mother's birthday and Father's Day  is coming up. Walking in the aisle, this older lady comes right up to me and says "You are so beautiful. You have a great smile and you glow." I was floored, because I haven't been feeling so great lately, let alone feel beautiful, as I am dealing with the lovely first trimester morning sickness. She went on to tell me she was sorry to approach me like this, but she had to tell me. I have no problem talking to strangers, and I did not feel put off by this one bit. This woman proceeded to tell me thirty years ago she was in a serious car accident and she said she died on the operating table a few times, and it left a different outlook for her on life. "It changed me" she said.
   I went on to ask her if she had a near death experience. And she said that she did. She said she was in a coma for three months, one side of her body was paralyzed, and she had to relearn to walk, talk, and all the normal human movements that we sorely take for granted. The woman explained to me many fascinating details of her experience, in that it only took her one month to relearn all these detrimental skills again. Her favorite poem (and one of mine too) is Footprints, and she said the last line of the poem "Footprints"  reminds her of her ordeal with the accident. "My son, my precious child, I love you and would never leave you, During your times of trial and suffering, When you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."   This line ALWAYS makes me cry....
  There are so many important messages she gave me, I feel like I am having a hard time believing   what happened was real. One message she gave me was of her near death experience. She said the first time she remembered anything of it was thirty six months ago. She does not know what triggered it, but somehow she recalled the feelings. She described the familiar white light, but she explained to me she actually walked into it which a lot of people do not make it that far. She said she was on the other side and she could feel so much love and felt people she loved were around her. I believe she told me that she even saw her dad.
    All of us are guilty of having poor me days, or when real bad things happen, you say to yourself "Where is God when I really need Him?" While I am not overly religious in the slightest, I too have had this question run through my head. This stranger assured me that God is with everyone, and he has been with them during all those good times too, and she told me she could see the light of God around everyone. She told me to take nothing for granted, as you never know which day is going to be your last....And so frequently this happens. And all of us think "It isn't going to happen to me", until we actually witness the loss of a life taken so early.
  How many of people would have actually made time for a conversation like this with a total stranger? My guess is not many people would, in fact, it is possible some would be so put off by something like this. But I have always felt I never know what shape or form my messages are going to come from. I try not to take information like this for granted. I always feel if I actually take time to smell the roses I will have the answers I was looking for eventually. And in the end, I believe we both walked away pretty happy people. I was blessed by her compliment and she reaped the rewards for making someone feel good.
 The whole time talking to this woman, she had very unusual eyes, and her energy field just radiated that pure white sunny light. And I am thanking all the many Gods that I pray to for sending her my way.
  Whether or not you are religious, I do believe that this experience has a lot of good messages. Be grateful for the time we get because we don't know when it is going to run out. And, last but not least, don't be afraid to practice a random act of kindness, whether or not it is to the person's face or you decide to buy the coffee for the person behind you in the drive thru. There is so much negative activity in our thoughts and words and we forget what it can be like to be positive.

Haunted "Surprise" of San Diego: La Casa De Estudillo

American Hauntings of the Travel Channel has deemed the Whaley House of San Diego one of the most haunted houses in America. Located in the heart of Old Town San Diego, this prestigious brick home has been graced with the presence of people from all walks of life. The house was essentially multipurpose, containing a general store, a theater and an infamous court house. The house was also built over the sight of a famous town hanging, which the man who was convicted of the crime was only stealing a row boat.
As your reading this your probably already thinking this is a place that is seasoned for a good full blown haunting. There is a courthouse, which in any event could literally determine one's fate in a matter of days, and the infamous hanging that already took place on the grounds. Today, I visited this famous Whaley House, a place that investigators have dreamed of exploring, only to be turned down countless times by the historical society, in fear the tape used to hold down the chords for audio and visual equipment will ruin the preservation of this antique building. I cannot blame them one bit for this fear, as it is already hard to restore once the damage is done.
  The ghosts of the Whaley House have been narrowed down to a few specters of the Whaley Family. The most reported ghosts are of Mr. Thomas Whaley and his wife Mrs. Anna Whaley and their daughter. Another unusual ghost that has been spotted on occasion was the family dog, a fox terrier. And, of course, the Whaley's themselves have also reported the ghost of "Yankee Jim" aka James Santiago Robinson, the man who was hung for his crime right on their property before the house was built. The Whaley's stated they could hear heavy footsteps moving throughout their house.
  Courtrooms hold a lot of trepidation and anxiety not only for the defendants, and plaintiffs but also for jury members as well as family members. This is what I felt in the courtroom of the Whaley House. I felt anxiety immediately as well as being scared and sad. This room of the Whaley House was the room I felt the most emotion in. I did not have any ghostly experiences there, but I did ask the docents and they were more than eager to share their experiences with me. All the docents were dressed in period clothing, and one of them reported to me while she did not "see" any apparitions, she did feel a small tug at her dress, almost very playful like something a child would do. She also told me many people over the years have taken pictures and have had countless ghostly images appear.
  While the Whaley House was certainly an interesting, and well awaited haunted adventure, this was not the experience I had in mind. The hotbed of paranormal activity lies in the town square of Old Town San Diego at a place called La Casa de Estudillo....
  A step back in time can be found in the town square of Old Town San Diego, where an old jail, a school house, a blacksmith, a hotel and stables still stand extremely well preserved. My husband and I were enthralled with the little shops surrounding this village, and in between the history sight seeing we took time to buy our souvenirs. Meanwhile, we nearly dismissed an old mission named La Casa de Estudillo. It was advertised as a free museum tour, and by the time we saw everything else in this square, we decided we might as well check out this free museum, because it was free!
 Walking in the mission was very beautiful. Designed in U shaped fashion, including a beautiful courtyard, this looked like it might have been a happening place in the 19th century. Captain Jose Maria Estudillo, a retired fort commander built this landmark in 1827 on a parcel of land granted to him by Governor Jose Echeandia. Captain Estudillo died in 1830 but the construction of the house continued under his son Jose Antonio Estudillo.  The rooms composed of La Casa De Estudillo are a chapel, a Priest's room, Living room, a study, two bedrooms, a children's room, work room, master bedroom and a guest room. The Estudillo family held several formal dinners and dances, so people were constantly staying at this mission.
   I was kind of floating around a bit through the courtyard, looking at the flowers and taking pictures while my husband wandered off to discover some of the rooms. I was just about to go off to my left where the chapel was located and my husband came out of the rooms and asked if I had gone into the chapel yet, and then to the Priest's room. I told him  I had not and I was just about to go into the priest's room. "I don't know what it is about those two rooms, but I don't like them and I don't want to go back in there," said my husband. So I went into the chapel, and immediately, I did not like it either.  I would like to get into my husbands feelings first about this place because it is stranger when he reports events like this because it is so infrequent. What is now the chapel (because some of the rooms were switched after renovations done at the turn of the century) he  felt a cross between being unwelcome and unwanted "and at the same time felt shivers down my spine."When he entered the priests room he said these feelings felt the same but amplified.
   When I went into the chapel, it felt sacrilegious even though there were all kinds of religious articles, the Catholic cloths, altar and candles. There was a darkness over the altar for me, as well as feeling the need to quickly see what I had to see and to move along. Well, the room I moved along into, I had to agree with my husband  there was the same sense of foreboding and darkness. I was not quite sure what was lurking in those two rooms, but we both knew that whatever was in there didn't want us to disturb it.
  I spotted a docent near the podium of the entrance talking to a couple and I decided to hang around close by to see if I could figure out why negative energy might be hanging around this mission. So far, he was talking about how the mission was built, out of the adobe bricks and wood planking. He also talked about the famous architect of the time, Hazel Waterman, who restored the mission in 1908. There was nothing elusive about this history. No reported untimely deaths or disasters which sometimes is a recipe for a good solid haunting.
   The docent was very detailed in this history making it easy for me to picture a lot of this in my head. And finally he did take notice of me, and politely asked me if there was something he could help me with, since I don't think he was positive I wanted to hear his history lecture. I just told him I was just honing in on his tour and wanted to hear about the mission, and he boastfully said, "Come join the party!" So I did and luckily the other couple wandered off and started their own independent tour. So, I asked the docent, named Bert, if this place was reportedly haunted because both my husband and I felt things, especially in the room of the Chapel, and the Priest's room. He looked a bit surprised, and then took a lot of interest in my husband and I. He asked us what we felt in those rooms. We both told him what we felt, like not being wanted and something dark in both the Chapel and the Priest's room. He then proceeded to walk us to each of the rooms to ask us what we felt... So we told him we were pretty sure those were the only two rooms that felt very dark, but we felt that the living room where the dances were held was a happy room and the other rooms appeared very mundane.
  I believe Bert knew more about La Casa de Estudillo. Bert was acting as the savy investigator himself in that he was trying to find out if we knew anything more than we let on about this grand building. But unfortunately, my husband and I knew nothing about this place. Bert was pretty bold with us asking asking if we were atheists. I told him I was more spiritual, and I believe in a higher power but I also take many different aspects of several religions and incorporate them into my own beliefs. I believe Bert does know about the darker aspects to this mission, and he knows its more than just a mere lesson in history. Mike and I both think he was trying to compare what our feelings were to the other reported feelings many tourists have said over the years.
  The story of Old Town San Diego ends the same way many other haunted attractions have concluded for me which is very freaky. I have had many instances of visiting or driving by places that I felt were haunted (but did not know about previously) and only to go online to find that suspicion was thoroughly confirmed. All I did was type in La Casa de Estudillo, and I got "Haunted La Casa de Estudio". Below is the website I found that basically confirmed this haunting. Some of the quotes I found are also from this website.
      http://www.hauntedhouses.com/states/ca/casa_de_estudillo.cfm

PSYCHIC RESEARCH

1.  
   1. In 1988, a research team gathered together by Riverside Press, to investigate the presence of ghosts in Casa De Estudillo during the evening hours. Usually, the living are only in Casa De Estudillo during the daylight hours when the museum is open.
      
      This research team, while in the process of their investigation, came up against an angry, indignant presence, not at all happy with either their research work, or their intrusion into the entities' time to have the adobe home to themselves.
      
      
      1. Members of the research team were surprised when brilliant red flashes of light came upon them.
         
      2. The photographer was physically attacked by an angry unseen presence, who broke the camera lens.
         
      3. The researchers did record a voice on tape, during an attempt to contact the entities in this house, telling them to "GET OUT!!!!"
         
   2. CSGR Chad Patterson on 2/15/2003 conducted an investigation, along with a group of about 4 other investigators, a Psychic, Virginia Marco, and two guests, during the time frame of 12:00 noon to 1:30 P.M.
      
      
      1. Psychic Virginia Marco saw a handful of entities throughout the adobe as she walked around.
         
      2. In the doorway area, leading from the master bedroom to the chapel, paranormal readings were picked up and Psychic Virginia Marco confirmed a presence of a tall man, which supported Chad's earlier investigation done in 1999 when he felt this same presence standing behind him and saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye.

STILL HAUNTED?

Yes indeed!

Because so many memorable moments took place throughout the years in such a beautiful place, it seems like a great place for entities from its varied history to gather.

1.  
   1. The entities don't mind sharing their adobe mansion with the living during the daylight hours, but don't appreciate intrusions from the living, especially researchers after dark! One of them has a temper and will show it.
      
   2. Not sure who is haunting La Casa ---Probably members of the De Estudillo family are among the entities, besides a priest and whomever else became attached throughout the years, enjoying La Casa. The older section of the adobe, mainly the master bedroom, the doorway to the chapel and the chapel itself have been the most active for CSGR investigator, Chad Patterson, who plans to come back with his team to look further around the place.

A lot of the same feelings we had today were reported in this very website, proving to me once again that our intuitions and gut are indeed a real guide and there for a reason. Although Mike and I are positive there is something lurking at this mission, we are not sure if the entities are tied to the mission itself. None of the antiques are native or unique to the mission. They refurnished the mission with period pieces from the sixteenth to the 20th centuries. As some of you know antiques can come with their own ghostly attachments. In any event,it proved to be a very interesting, and more productive in the way of ghost hunting than I could have hoped for. I plan to go back this week to confront Bert on how much he really knows about La Casa de Estudillo.

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