Research Brings Gifts...

Hi Tante Kati (German for "Aunt Kati")! I just moved into a new place and was told by the downstairs tenants that apparently our suite is haunted! One room specifically. The house is definitely old, probably at least 70-80 years. Do you know how I would go about learning more about the history of the place? Maybe you could come over and investigate it! I haven't noticed anything unusual going on, but I have only slept there one night so far since they are currently renovating it." Natasha, my niece, messaged me through Facebook one Thursday evening.

Of course I was intrigued, and wondered if the renovations would kick up activity. I would have to know more. With a few messages back and forth over the next few days, I received the address of the home and began my trek through the wonderful world of research. I let Natasha know that if anything unexplained occurred over the following week, to write it down, text me any time, and I would help as best as I could. I promised to get back to her within a week. A few days later, Natasha let me know her doorbell had rung with no one there, and she witnessed a shadow person, possibly a woman, looking at her.

Occasionally I receive visitations from spirits in my own home, usually the week prior to an investigation. It seems as if they know I am coming. Sometimes I get a feeling of whom it is, and other times I’m not sure. When I hear the footsteps on my bamboo runners, or the glass smashing in my kitchen, or knocks on my walls, I always rule out the obvious (living in a cement building transmits less noise than in other structures – I check thoroughly regardless). With the upcoming investigation at Natasha’s, I received a visit from what I felt was a female spirit informing me she was looking for someone. I read out the names of the families I had researched and landed on one that made absolute sense. I kept this information to myself.

Ten minutes after my visitor left, I received a text message from Natasha advising me her doorbell was ringing and she was sure no one was there. As she was afraid to answer it, I suggested she call out loud telling the spirit(s) to stop ringing the bell and to leave her alone. I suggested she make some house rules and read them aloud.

Window of the tiny "den" on the upper floor.

By the end of the week, my research was complete. I was excited about visiting the home. I packed VSPI’s equipment, gathered the information in written format, and headed out to meet up with a medium I had asked to come along. I had not shared any information with her. She was in the dark. We arrived at Natasha’s home 15 minutes later, received a big hug, met her roommate and proceeded to go inside. The home is located on a busy corner. I took note of the noise cars make whizzing by. The house is divided into 3 suites on 3 floors. Natasha's suite is on the top floor, with other tenants on the main and bottom floors. There are two entrances on the main floor, separated by a wall. We climbed a number of steps up a steep stairwell to reach the lovely suite. It gave off a homey feeling, with light reaching all corners of the rooms and the upstairs hallway. Standing at the top step we took note of the layout. The living room and kitchen were to the left, bathroom directly in front of us, and two bedrooms around a corner to the right, with a tiny den at the end that had a view of the street. I immediately felt comfortable, even though Goosebumps began rising on my body. I knew someone or something was observing us.

Without sharing information, I asked the medium to walk the apartment suite and give us her impressions. She advised that two main spirits, a "portly" older woman and an older gentleman, were present. They were possibly related but it wasn't a husband/wife situation. They were upset with previous tenants who had neglected to keep the place clean. The woman especially enjoyed the little den, and often stood there looking out the window. Natasha explained, while she had been in the bathroom one evening, getting ready for bed, she had looked out towards the den and saw a shadow person standing there, looking back at her. This may have been the woman. We asked what type of activity they were responsible for, and the medium stated they may move a coffee mug or straighten something out. I asked if she could tell us a name for the woman. The medium explained she wasn't fond of attempting this as that type of information is not often shared with her, but she gave two names, of which one was Eliza. This was the name I had come across in my research, and felt was the person who had dropped in on me earlier in the week. I said nothing.

Natasha asked about the doorbell ringing, and the medium explained it was the work of a third spirit who has been with Natasha for some time. She described him to be in his 50's-60's, tall, big but not oversized and was related to Natasha, having passed on a few years prior. He was with her due to resent stress and changes in her life. He thought it was fun to ring the doorbell. Natasha explained this "prank" had been ongoing in her previous home over a 5 month period, and now in her new place. We decided to show the medium a photo of my Father, Natasha's Grandfather, and immediately the medium stated with excitement "that's him!" He shows himself at a time of his life when he was proud. An ah-ha moment overcame Natasha and I, our eyes locking, as we knew my Father as a "joker" of sorts. I spoke out and asked my Father to stop ringing the bell as he was frightening Natasha.

We gathered in the living room where I revealed the information I had uncovered through research. I read out the list of different tenants (and their occupations) throughout the years, showing death/marriage certificates, census records etc. When we came to a family with a woman named Eliza, the medium stopped us. "This is the family!" she explained with excitement. Henry was the oldest, brother to Eliza and Florence, who also lived with their nephew Robert for some of the years of their tenancy. They had been in the home approximately 17 years before they moved out. Henry had passed in 1938, Florence in 1945, Robert (in “Essondale” – now known as “Riverview Hospital” – a “mental” hospital founded in 1913 by the provincial government) in 1960 and Eliza in 1962. I spoke my feelings that Eliza may be looking for Robert, as I felt she may not have known what had happened to him. The records pointed out that he had married in 1925, moved out of the home, and in 1931 his records disappeared, reporting his wife Grace living without her husband from that year forward. Robert's death certificate confirmed he had been living in Essondale for 28 years, 9 months and 13 days. This coincided with the year his name no longer showed on city directories until the date of his death. Incredible! Research truly brings gifts. I suggested we sit in the den to talk to Eliza. The three of us went to the den with a digital recorder (in hopes to capture voices we cannot hear with our ears), and two EMF meters (already having discovered the base reading of electromagnetic field at 0.2, we were looking for any unexplained spikes that may show spirit activity in the room). As I called out and asked for proof, one of the meters (with lights) began to spike to the colour red. In sync with this, the other meter (reading in numbers) would raise to 1.6, then down to zero. The medium rose, explaining that she would gather the documents which I should read out to Eliza. She stated it was what I was called to do. When she returned, I took the marriage and death certificates and read each one, asking for confirmation that Eliza had heard and understood. The meters showed reactions at both these points. Once I finished, I felt a shift within the room. As if, whatever had been there moments prior, walked out. We sat quietly for a moment and then the medium advised us Henry was there asking where Eliza went. I spoke out to inform him what had happened. There was a flash on one meter and then it fell flat.

With this, our investigation was nearly complete. I let Natasha know I’d review the video and recordings and would get back to her in a week. We ended the evening petting Diamond, a beautiful white kitty. Natasha had remarked earlier that the cat often hid under her bed and would not leave the room. She must be drawn to us to come out and hang with us in the living room. I felt drained and with that, we parted.

In the following week I discovered two pieces of evidence. A voice confirming information I read out, while in the little den room, to Eliza about Robert’s marriage. The next was a loud noise that sounded like a “pig” snorting or could be the German slang “ach”, meaning “whatever”, while I was asking my Father to stop scaring Natasha with the ringing of her doorbell. Wow! What a catch! Natasha had visited a nearby cemetery to look for Eliza and Henry’s graves. However, instead she found Florence’s grave where Eliza’s should be, and could not locate Henry’s. Now that I had a date of death, I could locate further information. I made an appointment to meet up with Natasha the following weekend to reveal our findings.

Windows of the two top floor bedrooms.

On Tuesday morning after the investigation, the medium contacted me to let me know Eliza had visited her to “thank us” for helping her. I took note to share this during my next visit at Natasha’s. The reveal of our recordings and new information about Florence went well. Natasha was not only surprised but elated to know that she wasn’t crazy after all. We walked around the suite using the EMF meters and digital recorder to see if the spirits were still in the home; however, we caught no further evidence. We both agreed the spirits may have moved on. I recommended Natasha and her roommate continue to keep a log of anything that seems out of the ordinary, and told them about Eliza’s visit to the medium. I expressed that in my experience, spirit activity usually dissipates within a few weeks of receiving the information they were seeking to help them move on. They may drop in from time to time in visitation. I also provided them with sage and showed Natasha how to use it to cleanse the space. Both girls were relieved and very happy with the overall investigation and results.

Looking back at all the investigations I have participated in, I have never had such a clear reading on why spirits were “haunting” a home. This was a special investigation, not only because it’s the home of my niece, but because of Eliza's visit asking me for help. For me to be able to pick that up, know with certainty that I had felt her and heard her, is incredible. Yes, I’ve been told that I have special talents connecting with spirits; however, I've not felt comfortable in sharing this knowledge and have clients think it is how VSPI gathers evidence. It's not. As I grow in this field and through investigations, I feel changes within myself. Positive changes, telling me I am on the right path. It is my passion to help clients and spirits find their way. It's not for everyone. I feel joy that I've found a way to bring peace into the lives of those I touch, and within myself.

Look for our evidence reveal on our website! I’ll be updating it shortly.

Thank you for supporting VSPI. Talk soon!

Kati