Rosemary's Ghosts (Tess Schafer-Medium)

by Deborah J. Hughes

  "I don't feel there is any danger, Rosemary. But, I can't seem to communicate with them."

  "Them?" Rosemary's voice squeaked in alarm. "There's more than one?" Before I could answer her, however, she waved a hand to dispel the question. "Of course there is. I've felt them enough to know that."

  My gaze fell on the round end table sitting between us and an idea hit me. "Rosemary, would you like to try and communicate with them?"

  The older woman's gaze was cautious as she considered the answer. "How would we do that?"

  I nodded at the table. "Have you ever heard of table tipping?"

  "No."

  I pulled the table around in front of me, set my empty mug on the floor and flattened my hands lightly upon the table's smooth surface. "Well it works like this. You lay your hands just so ... like I'm doing, and then you invite the spirit to talk." I put some pressure on my hands to make the table tip toward me. "When they feel compelled to speak to us, they'll tip the table like this." I did it a couple of times to show her what I meant.

  "Now as you can see, I'm exerting pressure with my hands to make the table tip, but when we do it to communicate with the spirits we don't exert any pressure. We just rest our hands lightly on the table and the spirit that wants to talk will tip it like I just demonstrated."

  "So why use our hands if we are not causing the table to tip? Why can't we just ask the spirit to tip it?"

  "They utilize our spiritual energy to create the movement. It's hard for them to manifest in our world. We operate within physical existence and they operate within a spiritual one. Physical objects are energy moving in slow motion, as compared to spiritual energy anyway, and although they can manipulate it, as they just did with the door and the chair, it takes a great deal of concentration and know-how on their part. Just as we have to learn to speak to those in spirit, they have to learn to speak to us." I nodded toward my hands. "By doing it this way, they just enter our spiritual aura and then easily manipulate the table by utilizing our personal energy field. Since our hands are in direct contact with the table, they can influence the table's energy field and make it do what they want it to do." I lifted a hand and waved for her to join me. "Slide your rocking chair over here and set your hands on the table and let's give it a try."

  Rosemary considered it but she didn't budge. "How does tipping the table help us talk to them? How are we going to know what they are saying?"

  "Well, we ask them a series of yes and no questions. We then tell them to tip the table once for yes and twice for no or vise versus." Seeing she still wasn't sure, I wondered what I could compare it to. "Have you ever heard of the Ouija board?"

  Rosemary's eyes widened in alarm. "I know that it's evil." She shook her head decisively and folded her arms in a defensive gesture. "I am not doing anything to invite more evil here."

  More? Did she think the spirits bothering her were evil then? Since I didn't really get that feeling, I figured Rosemary was of the mindset that all spirits were evil. Wondering if I should pursue this any further, I heaved a silent sigh. If Rosemary was set in her beliefs, we were not going to get anywhere.

  "The Ouija board is not evil. But evil can come through it if you don't know what you are doing. Table tipping is safer than a Ouija because the table doesn't act as a doorway to the other side and the Ouija board does."

  "So we won't be letting in evil by speaking to whoever is sitting in that chair?" As if in response to the question, the chair slid forward a few more inches. This time, however, it didn't make so much as a whisper of sound. Rosemary watched with quiet resignation. She was obviously quite used to such paranormal behavior. "Why is it the chair can move around the room but that table can't just tip without our assistance?"

  "Well, we are trying to conduct a conversation, Rosemary. Momentary flashes of energy like what just happened with that chair isn't going to be effective in communicating." Again I waved her over. "Let's give it a try. If you get scared or feel uncomfortable, then we'll stop."

  After a brief pause while she gave it some consideration, Rosemary pulled her chair across the floor then situated herself comfortably across from me. "Are you sure you know what you are doing?"

  "Yes. If I feel like I am losing control, I'll end the communication. I don't feel any negative energy, though, so I don't think we have too much to worry about." I was being honest when I said that but I also knew that things weren't exactly peachy between me and whoever was moving that chair either. The spirits here didn't trust me and all I could figure is they were being very protective of Rosemary. Understandable given all the traumas she's lived through, but they were scaring her to death.

  I indicated that Rosemary should place her hands flat on the table and once she had done so, she lifted her eyes to mine and waited silently for further instruction.

  "Don't press down hard. Just lightly rest your hands against the wood. If you feel it move, go with it. Don't help it and don't fight against it. Just let it happen. Okay?"

  "Okay." Although her tone was low and thin expressing her uncertainty, her hands stayed in place. They looked tense, however, and I knew she was trying hard not to let them rest too heavily on the table's surface.

  "Just relax, Rosemary. Simply rest your hands on the table. That's all you have to do." I saw some of her tension ease up when her shoulders relaxed and nodded approvingly. "There. Now, let's begin with a prayer."

  "No prayers. I don't pray. If you have to bring your God into this, then we might as well stop now."

  Okay then. I gave her a smile letting her know we'd do it her way then said a quick, silent prayer of my own. More than anything I wanted this to be a good session - a positive experience for Rosemary. "I want you to imagine a light around us. Make it a warm, bright one. I want you to think of this light as a sort of protective dome." Since Rosemary's eyes were closed and it appeared she was going along with my suggestion, I felt better about what we were doing. "Although it's imaginary, I want you to understand that to the spirit world, dark and negative energy cannot penetrate this light." I gave her a minute to form a clear image in her mind. She became visibly more relaxed as the seconds ticked by and I was glad to see her going along with the program. At least for now. "Do you have it pictured in your mind, Rosemary?"

  Her eyes closed and her graying lashes fluttering, Rosemary nodded. "Yes I've got it."

  "Great. Now I am going to invite the spirits who are in the room to communicate through the table."

  In preparation for the coming interaction, I took a moment to draw in a slow, relaxing breath. It helped to be in the right mental state to do this. The more open and relaxed we were, the easier it was for them to come through and communicate. The presence in the chair was so palpable I was honestly surprised I couldn't see her. I knew it was a female and for some reason this pleased me. I turned my head and glanced at the chair in question. Nothing. And yet something.

  "If you would like to speak with us then we are happy to do that but only if you mean us no harm. We want a respectful communication with you. We invite you to speak to us through the table. Tip it once for yes and twice for no. If you would like to spell out a word then tip the table for each letter we recite. When we get to the letter you want ... stop tipping. We will have to spell words one letter at a time."

  I looked at Rosemary, my explanation more for her than the spirits. Somehow they knew how to do this.

  As if aware of my gaze upon her, Rosemary opened her eyes a crack and gave me a nod of understanding. Then she closed her eyes again and waited.

  We sat in total silence for several minutes. It was rather odd not to hear any sound and yet all was completely still. Nothing outside stirred and nothing within. Even our breathing was silent. Rosemary sat with her eyes closed but I found I had to keep mine open. I needed to be alert and aware at all levels.

  It was not even five minutes when I noted my hands were beginning to grow cold. Great. Something was finally starting to happen. The spirit was building up its
energy and it wouldn't be long before the table would start to move. I no sooner completed that thought and the table shimmied briefly. Rosemary's eyes flew open, met mine in surprise then lowered to the table. Another shimmy and then it began to shake. Rosemary's mouth dropped into a silent "oh" and when the shaking grew worse, she looked up at me, a faint accusation in her gaze.

  "Are you doing that, Tess?"

  "No. They are building up the energy needed to communicate. Just relax, Rosemary, it will be fine."

  "My hands are cold."

  "Mine too. Spirit energy sometimes sucks warmth from the air. It just means we are close to communicating."

  The table continued to shimmy and shake, sliding this way and that. But it had yet to tip.

  "If someone is here that would like to speak to us, then we ask that you tip the table to let us know you want to talk."

  Immediately the table stopped all movement. Rosemary widened her eyes and started to say something when suddenly it tipped toward her, the two legs on my side lifting from the floor. After a few seconds, it slowly lowered back down.

  "Oh my. You didn't push that toward me did you, Tess?"

  "No. Please trust me here, Rosemary. I am not going to manipulate the table by pushing it or pulling on it or anything else. Did you see how you stayed relaxed while the table tipped toward you? It didn't require any help from you to do so did it?" I kept a careful watch on Rosemary's hands when the table had tipped in her direction, ensuring they remained relaxed and exerted no pressure. Honestly, though, the awe in her gaze was enough to tell me as much.

  "Are you sure you didn't accidently tip it toward me yourself?"

  I gave her an encouraging nod as I answered her. "Go ahead, Rosemary, and make the table tip toward me."

  Rosemary pressed against the table but all it did was slide my way. "You see? I couldn't have made the table tip toward you. The only person who could have made the table tip toward you was you ... or a spirit."

  "Then I guess we have a spirit!" Rosemary gave me a brisk nod. "Ask it a question."

  "Do we have with us a male? Please tip once for yes, twice for no." The energy felt softer, more like that of a woman, but I wanted Rosemary to get a feel for how the questioning would work.

  The table tipped in my direction two times.

  "So we have with us a female?"

  The table tipped once again but did so in Rosemary's direction.

  "So we have a yes answer that you are a female. Does Rosemary know who you are?"

  Rosemary's gaze flew up to meet mine and I smiled to let her know she had nothing to fear. Even so, she looked tense as the table tipped once in response.

  "Are you a relative of Rosemary's?"

  Another yes.

  I looked across the table, my brows raised in question. "Would you like to ask who it is? Have you any ideas?"

  "I am thinking of my mother but that is probably wishful thinking. Besides, why would she try to scare me like that?" Rosemary glanced at first the door, still standing wide open, then the chair. Which, come to think of it, seemed a lot closer than it was moments ago.

  "First of all, she isn't trying to scare you. She's trying to get your attention."

  "Well she has it."

  "Good. It probably is your mother then since she is the first one that came to mind. Their connection with us is actually happening on a spiritual level so our thoughts will be influenced by them. Who they are and what they are saying will drift into our minds. The table is merely a means to an end that really requires nothing in order to work. But, for whatever reason, our ego ... or I should say more appropriately our psyche ... seems to accept it better when communication happens through an object. Most of us reject the idea that we can talk to spirits ourselves but readily accept that it is possible to do when using a Ouija or a table. Communication can happen only when we accept that it is possible and allow it to happen."

  "So why is she haunting me? Ask her why she is trying to scare me."

  "Rosemary, your mother is not trying to scare you. Unfortunately, fear is the typical reaction those in spirit get when attempting to communicate with us. Believe me, it is not the response she is trying to effect. But, honestly, it's quite understandable to feel that way. It can be quite scary at first to talk to the other side. Especially when you don't know for sure what you are dealing with."

  "So ask her what is it she wants to tell me." Rosemary lowered her eyes to the table in anticipation and I again glanced at the chair.

  It now stood only a foot or so from Rosemary though it had been several feet away when we first sat down at the table. It was obviously creeping closer though neither one of us saw or heard it move. In fact, I don't think Rosemary even realized it was drawing near.

  "Just so you know, Rosemary, you can speak to her too. She can hear you as easily as she can hear me." But Rosemary gave a small shake of her head letting me know she didn't want to do the talking. I sent another quick glance at the chair, sent out a silent message that we wanted to communicate, then returned my attention to the table. "Are you Rosemary's mom?"

  The table tipped instantly toward Rosemary and stayed there. We waited for it to drop down but when time went on and it didn't do that, I exerted some pressure to bring the two legs back down to the floor. Nothing doing. It didn't budge.

  "Rosemary, slide one hand across to my side and push on the table." She did as I asked and when the table didn't drop, she pushed harder and still nothing. Rosemary lifted her eyes to mine and widened them with excitement.

  "What does this mean?"

  "It means she's determined for you to believe that she, your mother, is right here and wanting to talk to you."

  "So ask her what it is she wants to tell me."

  "You ask her."

  Rosemary nodded and looked down at the table. "Do you want to tell me something, mama?"

  The table dropped to all four legs and then tipped twice in rapid succession. Rosemary drew in a trembling breath and started to say something but before she could utter another word, the table began tipping first toward me then back to Rosemary, continuing on in this manner for several seconds.

  Rosemary's mouth dropped in a silent exclamation before she managed to find her voice. "Oh my!"

  "She's building up her energy. We should have a pretty good session here, Rosemary!" I no sooner said the words and the table stopped so abruptly our hands slid across its surface.

  And that's when the chair went berserk.

  It rocked from one leg to another, pounding against the floor violently as it did so. I was just about to try and stop it when it slid out of my reach, scuttling across the room moving faster and faster until it slammed into the dining table. Honestly I was surprised it didn't explode into a splintered mess it hit so hard. Determined not to lose control of the situation, I stood up and faced it.

  "What are you doing? This is not going to encourage us to talk to you." The energy was aggressive and nothing like it was only a few moments ago. I couldn't figure why. And then a shiver raced through me, rattling my nerves and messing with my breathing, making it hard to catch my breath.

  Another spirit, a negative one, had just entered the mix.

  Rosemary stood when I did and went rigid with alarm. "What are you doing, mama?"

  "It's not your mother, Rosemary. It's a man."

  Rosemary caught her breath on a loud gasp and when her eyes slid to mine, I saw defeated wariness in her gaze. "It's him." Her voice dropped low with dread and her eyes, bright with excitement only minutes ago, were now dull with resignation. "He won't ever leave her alone. Or me."

  She was talking about her father. Knowing what I now knew about him, it was crucial to get a handle on the situation. Somehow I had to get Rosemary to stand up to him and send him on his way. It had to be her that vanquished him from her life and that wasn't possible until she realized she had nothing to fear where he was concerned. But how to accomplish this? How to diminish his energy in the meantime and keep him
from coming near her?

  The front door swung closed, slamming against the doorframe so hard it made the walls shake. The noise rang in our ears and almost drowned out the rattling going on behind us. We turned just as the table we were using toppled over. Once it hit the floor it rolled around and around, spinning faster and faster as it went, nearly clipping Rosemary's legs as it did so.

  I put out my foot to stop it and closed my eyes to better focus on strengthening my personal energy field. It was time to activate my chakras, the seven energy centers located within our bodies. I imagined them spinning like a lighted vortex within me, growing brighter and brighter, creating a strong force against which his influence could not penetrate.

  Feeling like an invincible fortress, I opened my eyes and saw at once that he was hovering near Rosemary. A dark mass, like an unattached shadow, pulsated next to her. I directed my gaze toward it and imagined beams of light shining like lasers from my eyes, spearing into its center and scattering his energy. "You are not wanted here. You must leave and never come back. You will never bother Rosemary again."

  Rosemary saw where my gaze was directed and took a step closer to me, her hand reaching out for support. I entwined our fingers then gave her hand a gentle shake to get her attention. "We can defeat him, Rosemary. You must stop being afraid of him."

  "How?"

  I liked that question. It meant she was open to the possibility. "I want you to imagine yourself getting bigger and stronger. Just picture in your mind an image of yourself growing large and powerful. Once you get to a point where you know your power is much stronger than his, I want you to enjoy your power but do not ... I repeat, do not attack him. Do not wish him terrible things. Whatever you do, you cannot become what he is or you lose your power over him." I again squeezed her hand which was holding mine in a cold, tense grip. "Can you picture that, Rosemary? Can you see yourself as a very strong, powerful woman?"

  Rosemary gave an uncertain nod. "I'll try." She then squeezed her eyes shut, her grip on my hand so tight it made my fingers turn blue.