In a previous post I wrote about a visit to the abandoned cemetery Bachelor’s Grove, joined by some other ghost enthusiasts. I did a tarot card reading on a tombstone, attempting to communicate with any entities in the infamous graveyard. Not really a good idea. Afterwards I experienced a bout of bad luck, and I alluded to the idea that something might have followed me home.
http://occultview.com/2009/01/11/tarot-reading-at-bachelors-grove/
Bachelors Grove
A couple of months after my visit to the graveyard, I had an unnerving experience. I was asleep in my bed when I was awakened by a sound…a growling sound, loud enough to stir me from my sleep. It sounded like there was a growling dog in my bedroom and close to my bed. I don’t own pets. I became wide-awake; it was not a lucid dream or anything like that. I laid face away from the sound, and I did not move…I stayed perfectly still and listened to this low growl. I was afraid to turn and look at what was in my room. Instead I said a mental prayer for God to protect me from whatever was there and send it away. After the prayer…the growling just…stopped. Yet I still did not turn to see what could have been there. Afterwards, I wondered what I might have seen had I turned around…anything? Or maybe I’d be discovered the next day in my bed, dead from a failed heart.
I know someone who had her own personal encounter with a growling ghost. Once, seemingly from nowhere, this lady’s home began to experience a haunting. She knew of nothing that would have provoked this to happen. But she said, there came strange sounds like footsteps on the stairway. Her daughter caught a brief glimpse of someone in the house, who then disappeared. Her microwave oven would turn itself on spontaneously. The final straw was after an incident with the microwave oven in the kitchen, she heard a loud growling outside her open kitchen window. She went to the window to look outside…and there was absolutely nothing out there. She had enough. Being a Catholic, she lit candles every night for a week and prayed to God that whatever was in her home would leave. After a week of this…she never experienced any sign of a haunting again.
What to make of this growling ghost? Ghosts don’t growl. Ghosts are deceased human beings and a ghost of a human is still human and humans don’t growl. These growling ghosts are not ghosts, but inhuman spirits.
There is the folklore of the Black Dog, or Barghest. This spectral hound with glowing eyes is said to prowl cemeteries at night. It is considered an evil omen to see one, an omen of death, and is said to be associated with the Devil. There are many legends concerning these Hell Hounds who haunt the graveyards. They are not considered to be the ghosts of men or even dogs. But the spirits of something inhuman. To encounter one is to bring doom. According to demonology, demons cannot take human form, but appear as grotesques, human/animal hybrids and monstrosities.
When I visited Bachelor’s Grove, maybe a “black dog” of that sad, haunted cemetery did follow me home. Maybe the Black Dog is not only folklore. Beware of the Growling Ghost.
February 21st, 2009 at 8:12 am
Very interesting, but I think you are tainting your observations with your preconcievd ideas.
If you are into understanding the supernatural you have to start with a clean mind, more astude observation and less fear and emotional interference.
Just a sugestion
February 21st, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Hi buddha,
Those are good points. When someone experiences a ghost event, those are usually genuine experiences. If we know someone we personally trust, they won’t just make up these stories. Now, what is the reality behind these experiences? Are they hallucinations or the genuinely paranormal? That is where speculation comes in.
A haunting could be a trick of the mind, or seeing what we want to imagine. However, the tricky part about the hallucination answer is when someone who experiences this is a practical type of person, and several members of a household experience this stuff too.
As for trying to explain these events, that is speculation. Which is what my blog is about, speculating about the spiritual realm. Occult tradition has a coherent approach to this speculation, but it is still speculation. For instance, with the story about the growling ghost, what I find most interesting is that a religious ritual can easily banish a haunting. It seems the type of ritual, or the theology of the person does not really matter. Is it the power of the individual who believes something is banished, gets it banished? Or does a Higher Power intervene? The answer is nobody knows, so we rely on our own personal beliefs.
February 22nd, 2009 at 8:04 am
I would not do a tarot card reading on a grave stone.
February 22nd, 2009 at 8:28 am
I agree with you. It was treating a real person’s final resting place as a game…and bad Karma.
February 25th, 2009 at 1:04 am
Wow, I read both your posts on this cemetry. I think you are pushing the limits here. I hope you have a spiritual guide or some lucky charm or handy prayers to keep you safe.
February 25th, 2009 at 2:55 am
Hi Nayna,
Yeah…channeling, even by accident, in a graveyard like Bachelor’s Grove is not wise. The hobby of ghost hunting is mostly harmless, but there are exceptions.
February 27th, 2009 at 3:59 am
Next time if you do hear it again, maybe you should apoligise for interupting it in the graveyard and ask it to go back home..
I also think maybe the dog growling represents the real spirit of a dead dog that is protecting its previous owners spirit in the afterlife, and maybe in this case at the graveyard..
February 27th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
I believe aniimals have a spirit. In near-death out-of-body experiences, people have reported being visited by their pet along with their deceased relatives as they enter the tunnel of light on the way to the “Other Side”. That is a comforting thought for people who love their pets. But as for this growling spirit…I don’t think it was anyone’s pet. It was something dark.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:41 am
Great post, thanks for the info
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:24 pm
I really enjoyed your post, this was spooky!!
June 16th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
This is a very interesting story whether you are reading it as a way to find answers or look at hauntings in a spiritual or just curious nature or if are looking for a great “scary story”. I love it for both reasons and because it is about Bachelors Grove Graveyard. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:34 am
Hi Colleen,
I love your site! http://www.bachelors-grove.com/ Your forum is a great place to examine the abandoned Bachelor’s Grove cemetery and the paranormal in general. People outside the Chicago area don’t know much about what Bachelor’s Grove is, but its reputation has spread. Chicago has a lot of great haunted locations. In my opinion Bachelor’s Grove is at the top of the list.
July 26th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
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Sorry for the pic, the tattoo is not as faded as it looks, the flash was too bright on
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Click here to see my Tattoo picture
November 23rd, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Hi David,
I’m the exc. dir. of the Paranormal Studies & Investigative Group we’re based in Tx. (sigh) Dude, lol! You know what you were doing and yet… ouch same happened to me and like you said easy to despense with BUT, … if you are a paranormalist/ghosthunter you will notice that where you go the activity increases, (at least that is what happened to me.), now I am back in the field again instead of behind a desk! So hey for me it was a good thing but try not to antagonize any demons they never forget or forgive.
Thanx,
Bill
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Hi Dr. Deason,
Yes, exploring the paranormal can lead to unwanted consequences. Is there really any way to be careful when dealing with the unseen world? Maybe if someone is a natural clairvoyant they can sidestep dark spirits. The rest of us we are blind. The lesson is to avoid channeling anything. I learned my lesson.
Dave
November 30th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
My boyfriend and I are laying in bed freaked out!!!
We just heard a loud growling outside our bedroom window.
It then stopped, then started again, fainter.
It stopped again, then was at the bedroom window again.
We then heard what sounded Luke a door opening.
All our doors are locked.
We then heard noises in the hallway that I cannot describe..
The noises have all stopped again bur I don’t know if they will come back…
Fuck! More noises!!! Like, umm, a wooden sliding door kind of..
I am not making this shit up!
I am really scared!
we don’t have wooden sliding doors..
I have no idea what to do..
Can someone please write back to this asap!!
December 1st, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Hi TrashyVanitu,
If a wandering entity was paying you a visit, the best way to keep them away is to practice whatever spiritual beliefs you have (light candles, say a prayer). Doing that will put you in touch with a higher power, or with your higher self (same result0. This will drive away anything wicked. But before you do that…try to take some pictures around where you live and see if you capture any anomaly. It’d be interesting if you actually caught something in an image!
Dave
December 7th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Thanks David. I’m actually an atheist. So I don’t do any if that. It scared the crap outta me!! I have never been that scared in my life. I absolutley plan to take some photos… When I’m ready to take in what those pictures might reveal. We do have a ghost in our house, her name is tegan. I have spoken to her twice through oijia board. She died in the house next door. She said she means no one in the house harm and doesn’t want us to go. I fear tht while speaking to her, and trying to find other spirits to talk to I have let something else in. I went to bed the other night and I have a whiteboard next to my bed. I heard the sound of tapping fingers on it. Just thought I’d let you know.
February 4th, 2010 at 6:21 am
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March 2nd, 2010 at 4:49 pm
I’m from vietnamese… i can use tarot to read for anyone. I don’t need know their face. I only think about thing can connection with their such as a their pics or a ring, or a name. Now, i can use tarot to see your mind.
Sorry, i not good at english. I can development my skill ???
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:08 pm
I use tarot for tegan’s ghost and 1 ghost girl in Lion Red. The first Card is same “The Hanged Man”. They are ghost ? Realy ?. I never use oijia board to talk with ghost. i don’t know law, and some infor about oijia board and my friends talk with me is danger when you use in your home. That true ??? Please contact me. With my skill i speak, i only need think about ghost i want, i can talk with them by oijia board ????????
March 2nd, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Hi Thanh,
I personally believe that Tarot cards and Ouija boards can be a tool to contact spirits. Can it be dangerous? Yeah. I think we need to limit our contact with spirits. Like humanity, spirits can be good, destructive and indifferent. The problem is we really don’t know what we are dealing with, unless we have some psychic ability to discern that. Otherwise we are blind, and inviting random spirits to connect with us can be unwise. Yet, curiosity gets the better of me and I like to try sometimes anyway. Sort of like an experiment to see what happens.
Dave
March 3rd, 2010 at 2:07 pm
I don’t understand and know much about “myth” of Tarot and Ouija boads. Please send to some information important about it. I don’t use Ouija board, only use Tarot. And i use it to contact my sprit, my friends and use for some ghosts in my home and i think they good. I have researched about astrology and I know i have “Spirit Energy” skill. So i can use tarot for anyone in anywhere. That true ???. Now, I don’t believe have ghosts. Only use tarot as the same as curiosity. That is interesting !. If Tarot is a tool to contact, when you don’t use that tools, i guess you can contact with spirits. Yet, when i use tarot, i ask my spirit contact with other spirits, and use my spirit to draw cards. i think i don’t invite spirits. There are two spirits, of humans and of ghosts.