Adventures in Ghost Hunting- in my own home! Part 1 of 3

In March 2009, my husband and I began to notice that strange things were happening in our home. There was a constant hum/buzz sound and a feeling of pressure in our ears & head while we were in the home. Our computers, cable equipment, phones (both land-line and cell) began to malfunction frequently. I began to hear a constant high pitch ringing in my ears which kept me awake. We assumed it was an electrical short. I have a tri field EMF detector, an older model given to me by my electric company in 2004. (My chronic illness includes electro-sensitivities.) I found high readings on one wall where our water heater and heating/AC controls are located. We decided to call our electric company. Over the course of 3 weeks, they sent 3 different techs to our home. They could find nothing to account for what we were experiencing. They all could hear the buzz/hum and one guy could hear the high pitch ring. The last tech asked if he could pray for us before he left! Larry (my husband) and I found this very odd... We then called out 3 separate contractors, one general and 2 electrical. The general contractor said he could find nothing wrong with wiring, etc. The 2 electrical contractors found nothing as well, but the last guy said he considered the EMF levels coming off the wall toxic. Later , a neighbor informed me that one of the electrical contractors told her our condo was haunted!
Six weeks into trouble shooting our home, Larry and I both started seeing a shadow person moving through our condo, into the hall, and disappearing into the bathroom.
Then came a series of visitations by "ghosts". A woman would awaken me in the night with a sense of urgency saying "Ma'am!". Nightmares were frequent : always about our home being on fire. Our cat,a Maine coon named Thomas, was chasing little shadow creatures through our home, and we both could see them! I was experiencing tachycardia, severe muscle cramps, head aches, inner ear pain, insomnia, and sun burn like rashes on my body. I went to my doctor and my inner ear had become infected. My resting heart rate was 99. She ran tests, but could not find a reason for the higher than normal heart rate. At this point I knew that I would probably have a serious physical collapse if I couldn't determine what was affecting our home.
I kept wondering: who would have the type of equipment we need to analyze our environment for causes to the disturbances? After careful research, we emailed a local organization: Pacific Paranormal Investigations. (They are part of the TAPS family. The Atlantic Paranormal Society are the Ghost Hunters on SYFY.) As it turns out, hiring PPI may have saved the lives of ourselves and our neighbors. The investigation also turned up some unexpected and intriguing results, which I will reveal in part 2 and 3.

Butterfly Bouquet: a vivid dream

During my life I have recognized a pattern in my dreaming. My dreams often bring guidance , synchronicity, and inspiration to the issues I am facing.
Recently, my husband and I were presented with an economic crisis. After mulling it over (worrying!) for several days, I had the following dream: My husband and I receive an delivery of a bouquet of flowers. As we unwrap the cellophane surrounding the flowers , live butterflies are released from bouquet the into the air. The colors of both the flowers and the butterflies are vivid, luscious, and striking- very surreal. In this dream world, it is a ritual that upon receiving these flowers, one must send a similar bouquet to someone else. As we are putting together a bouquet to send, I say to to my husband: "Make sure that the blooms have living butterflies, because the butterflies are the message." At this point I wake up. As I am coming to awareness I think to myself "This dream reminds me of the movie What Dreams May Come". I am filled with longing to paint the butterfly bouquet on canvas. (I am an artist, and used to love to paint. Sadly, I have been unable to paint due to severe loss of eyesight combined with neurological problems, due to my illness: ME.) I also feel compelled to immediately tell my husband the dream. After telling him, we discuss that we both feel strongly that the dream is a positive omen regarding our current crisis.
As the day went on, I could not shake the stunning image of the butterfly bouquet. In a phone conversation, I tell my close friend Christine (in PA) about the dream. She said "Just like that movie What Dreams May Come!" (We have never discussed this movie before.)
Our crisis hasn't been resolved yet, but I will update this blog as the magic of the dream unfolds.

Why I Became Involved in Health Care Reform

Getting involved in an organized movement is new to me. My daughter is struggling with receiving proper health care for her severe illnesses. I couldn't stand by and watch these struggles without trying to make a difference.
My 24 year old daughter has had a 4 year struggle with repeated , severe staph infections that are life threatening. She has been in the emergency room every 9o days (except for one 6 month period this past summer). She works full time, and is going to school full time. She has supported herself for 6 years. She has been unable to get a job that provides health care. This was okay for the first 2 years. Then she started having the severe, repeated staph infections. It wasn't until her last visit to an urgent care center that she was informed that the staph has "mutated to her to system and her immune system is attacking her own body." The Dr. told her that this is very serious, and that she needs to have consistent, regular medical care, because her life is being threatened. Unfortunately, this is not an option for her. Last year, after accumulating approximately $60,000 in medical bills in a 3 year period, she tried to file for bankruptcy. She doesn't have the $1600.00 to pay for this process. Unfortunately, we can't help her. We are struggling as well.
Last week she was informed that she may be expelled from her school because of repeated absences. She had two staph infections last month and was bedridden for over a week. If she is expelled, she will still owe the school $12,000 for student loans.
The bottom line here is this: we have a 24 year old with a medical condition, no health care option available, and mounting debt currently totaling $72,000. She is a tax paying American citizen. What is wrong with this picture?
Her story is not unique. Her story is an average American story at this point in our country's history. I believe that health care is a human right (not a privilege) and it should be available to every American. This is why I am now involved in Organizing for America.

A Liminal Fruit

We all know the story of Persephone, Hades and the pomegranate seeds. One interpretation is that Persephone was tricked by Hades into eating the seed, forcing her to remain in the underworld one month for every seed she ate (6 or 7). Another version is that Persephone (the rebellious daughter) deliberately ate the fruit so she could spend time with Hades in the underworld, much to the chagrin of her mother Demeter. In all versions, we discover that the mediator between the Earth and the underworld is our old friend Hermes the trickster. In Wisdom tales the pomegranate represents desire, the binding force between spirit and matter. Persephone (as Wisdom herself) ate the fruit to bind her consciousness to the body. This is the Gnostic Sophia, lamenting her lost children (humanity). Descending into matter, she aspires to awaken them from their delusional sleepwalk... the dream we mistake for reality. Hermes, represents the nature of reality, a creation of our collective mind streams. This collective mind-stream is a very tricky place to navigate. Our consciousness keeps forgetting itself! It is the clinging to our desires that traps us.
Pretty potent stuff- this rich, red fruit that enables an immortal to move between realms.

"In the end the only events of my life worth telling are those
when the imperishable world irrupted into this transitory one.
That is why I speak chiefly of inner experiences, amongst which
I include my dreams and visions."
C.G. Jung; Memories, Dreams, Reflections

A Heartwarming Coincidence

In 1993, our second daughter, Laryssa, was born with a rare, spontaneous genetic mutation. (The probable cause of her condition was my own illness.) She was given 12 days to live, but she had other plans. She lived 1 year and 10 months. During our time with her, many wonderful people from the local hospice came to our home to help with her care. She died on 09/09/1995. And life went on...
Two years ago, my husband & I were trying to locate a doctor (under new health plan), who could treat my disorder. After a few false starts, I consulted with a neighbor (who is now my good friend) who worked in the administration of the largest hospital system in San Diego. She came to my home and made a phone call,asking one of the top people at the hospital "If you were very ill with a chronic immune dysfunction, who would you want to be your doctor?". A name was given to us. The Doctor's office was less that a mile from our home, and she was taking new patients. I set up an appointment. My husband accompanied me to the appointment, and sat with me in the office. When the doctor came in, she sat down reading my history. Then she stared to cry. She looked at us and said "I know you both. I worked with Laryssa as a volunteer." Suddenly I remembered her too, a young sweet woman who had lost her mother to cancer. We all cried and hugged. Then she said that she has a daughter now. I asked when she was born, and the doctor replied 09/09/1995. The very day Laryssa died! We were all amazed at the coincidences.
What a beautiful gift from the past!

A Word About this Blog

Due to my illness, my writing process may appear disjointed or fragmented. The things I write about may not be in sequence. There are times where my brain has problems with words (such as calling the dishwasher a washing machine). Often I have neurological problems which making typing difficult, for example, I may hit the caps lock key instead of the shift key. Then I have to retype everything. This makes things slow going for me.
The subject matter may hop around, because I will write it as it comes to me. If I wait another day, I may forget to write it at all.
And so, I ask the reader's forgiveness in advance...
If you want to read more about living with this illness check out other blog:
Life in Neverwell.