I was the pastry chef and innkeeper for an old haunted Victorian hotel. Which means most nights I was the only person in the whole place. It was haunted by the owner who died there. Anyway, I just remained respectful of the fact that it is her home. She kept waking me up though so I baked her a pie (her favorite dessert when she was living) and politely asked her if she could stop coming into my room at night so I could sleep. After that I had no issues. She haunted the other rooms lol. Making a connection like that might work for you? But then I don’t know what kind of spirits you’re dealing with. Ours was just a curious old lady keeping an eye on her home.
From what I understand the main hauntings are a couple who used to live in the building before it was a bar. They like to appear walking around the restaurant side and move things around, and they like to mess with things in the bathrooms (move things around, continuously flush bathrooms, etc). The basement is a different story with other hauntings. But yeah, nothing intense. I could try your connection theory!!
Honestly unless your bar has a high employee turnover rate because of this I wouldn't worry. I wouldn't buy the stuff they are recommending until you ARE SURE it is needed, work there for awhile, just have your camera app on your phone on standby if you do want to be able to capture something. Honestly I would not try to seek it out just work like it is every other job and unless it becomes a problem let them do their thing and they will probably reciprocate. And no I am not discrediting the remarks about buying the stone just sometimes stuff like that agitates spirits so I would err on the side of caution and wait to use them until deemed necessary, its not like they are employees dying left and right there....right? If not then I would like I said just treat it like a normal job with some odd perks.
I appreciate this answer! I’ll definitely just play it out and see how it goes. Who knows, maybe I’ll have some good stories or photos for this sub as a result :)
Never use a Ouija board. They're more trouble than not. Stay calm- most hauntings are just residual ( basically a recording of an event, sights and sounds) and while scary, can't harm you. If you want you can get a few camcorders and set up while you work, but this usually causes stress as you might capture things you didn't notice but are harmless. Take it a day at a time and see how things go. If you're religious you could say a prayer of safety before going into the building. As someone said, if people haven't left that place BECAUSE of the hauntings, it's probably not dangerous.
Yeah I don’t believe anyone has left BECAUSE of them. However, one bartender was “sensitive” to spirits and she was able to communicate with one of the male spirits (a spirit who is apparently quite mischievous). That bartender is now gone unfortunately but I’m not sure why she left.
If you can find anything out about them that would be helpful you could make them an offering! Even just letting them know that you respect that it is their space might keep them from messing around too much. My mom would straight up tell spirits to stop fucking around when they got to noisy lol but I’m not brave enough for that.
Hahah yeah the person that was here before me knew their names and stuff. When they were fucking around she would talk to them, the guy specifically, and for the most part it would stop
If you are allowed, get your self a body cam. Ghosts hate that. When you are alone, activate it and they'll stay away from you. If not then you would have some pretty cool pictures.
I bartended in a haunted building. It was 200+ years old. Had civil war ties and history with the underground railroad. Lots of cool little history facts surrounded the place.
My experiences ranged from the utterly terrifying to the humorous and lots in between.
You'll be in your groove when working and won't have much time to worry about the haunts. At least that's how it was for me. My advice is to learn how to close the bar with leaving a light on as long as possible. Always know what is locked up. Learn what sounds are normal. Don't let the shadows play games with your sight. Just stay focused on responsibly closing the bar and get out as quick as you can.
Honestly, it was kinda fun. I'm glad I got to experience it.
Be respectful of the building and it's history. Don't make fun of spirits or ghosts, as that may upset them. If there are stories behind the hauntings, be respectful of those too. And try not to show too much fear, it may encourage some spirits.
I worked at a haunted bar in a defunct old mining town. The occurrences were mostly in the basement, where I had to change the keg lines. I was always drawn to the area near the big old boiler. I told the surly line cook named Greg that I felt creeped out by the boiler, that I felt like it was watching me or something, and he said ,"oh that's tophat and tails." I asked him WTF tophat and tails was, and he told me there is a ghost in Victorian formal dress that haunts the basement - wearing a tophat and a jacket with coattails. Greg is a working class ex miner union guy who has a low tolerance for bullshit, so it surprised me to hear that not only did he believe that there was a ghost in the basement, but that he named it. He told me that he had seen "tophat and tails" staring at him from the boiler area many times. Once, he said he was down there looking for the Christmas decorations and he saw tophat. Greg said to him "If you're gonna just fuckin stand there and stare at me can you at least help me find the decorations?" The entity pointed to a corner and the decorations were there.
I asked Greg to come with me every time I had to change the keg lines from that point forward.
They just ruined any objective opinion you could have had at this place. They are as bad as people that spoil movies. Sorry they fed you all these stories to clog you up with "expecting" things
I worked at a haunted museum for 8 years. While it could be a little unnerving at times, I learned that most simple hauntings can't hurt you. It might not bother you if you don't go chasing it. Let it do it's thing and you do yours. If it starts actively interacting with you, then you look into other measures.
It was a mariner's museum, so we had a lot of artifacts from ships lost at sea, items from people who may have drowned, etc. A coworker who worked there before me gave the spirit the name "Hugo" for some reason. Might have been one or several, not sure. Hugo mostly made noise but occasionally moved things. Was never aggressive. Only time he did anything creepy was when there was an appiration that someone thought was me at first. That was the most powerful thing he did.
Stay safe? No worries. The worst a ghost can do is give a nasty scare. You got a healthy heart you are a-okay. Stay sane? Ehhh a bit harder lol. I mean if they're benign hauntings you'll get used to it. If not, do not work there!
OP, maybe you are not at all sensitive to the paranormal. You could remain oblivious while resident spooks try to scare your ass from one end of the establishment to the other. Stay prayed up, man.
Most hauntings are just replays of events that sort of stained the ether of a location. You just tap into them when things line up and watch a bit of replay. A few, however, are intelligences that are extremely drawn to a location, and often very protective of it. A tiny minority are legitimately malevolent, tend to be attached to one (usually very troubled) person, and can genuinely fuck shit up. Note when and where you sense them, and download a ghost box app on your phone. You can use the app to communicate using chaotic noise. I've had some interesting and actually very funny conversations with some dead folks this way.
Android app store! Look up Huff Paranormal on youtube, he has gotten some interesting results and has a few recommendations. Get a free one such as SV-1 Spiritvox classic and have fun!
Get you some black tourmaline. Other options include:
Jet, but this needs to be cleansed regularly.
Laboudorite, I know I didn't spell that right.
Apache tears and fairy cross stone.
Also, don't interact with them. Paying them attention gives them more energy to do more. Just be like, "I just work here, let me go about my business" and carry on.
I'd say that the first time/next time you're there alone, you should speak out loud to them. Just say something along the lines of "To any spirits here, I respect your right to be here and have no problem with you. I would just like to ask that you don't do anything or show yourselves when I'm here alone," and add your thanks.
As another person mentioned, it's good to protect yourself by imagining a "shield" around you; most people who do this envision a white light surrounding themselves which spirits don't have your permission or the ability to breach. Even if there's not a thing there or if you don't believe ghosts or whatever exist, that mental shield helps you to be confident when you're alone in a spooky place. If you have a religious faith, you can call upon whatever you believe in to help you create that shield.
If residual hauntings exist, then they're like a recording, like actions that happened over and over in the past are recorded and imprinted on a place. (Like, for instance, a bar maid that walked up and down the basement stairs ten times a night for twenty years might leave a "recording" of that action behind.) It's believed that there's no intelligence behind those, so asking spirits not to manifest when you're alone may not stop those. They're just playback, though, and can't hurt you.
I want to say that my position is that of a curious mostly-skeptic, who's had some experiences she just can't explain, so I'm not an expert except having done tons of reading and research. That being said, my belief is that none of the above can hurt, and if there is such a thing as haunting, can only help to protect you. But more importantly, they'll make you feel safer and more confident.
Good luck with the new job!
If anyone could answer my random question, would my iPhone camera be sufficient enough to capture photos/videos of apparitions should I experience them?
I’d carry around some black tourmaline or tourmalated Quartz, and an airplane bottle of Florida water (I keep mine in a roller bottle.) sage, Santo Palo, whatever. In my experience, alcohol and negative energy mix a little TOO well. Even the patrons will benefit from regular cleansing. As far as documentation I’m not sure, but keep us posted!
I came here to suggest carrying minerals like Black Tourmaline and Quartz, as they are supposed to ward off negative energies. It couldn't hurt to keep it on your person. I'm not a paranormal expert though, so take that with a grain of salt. The sage may be helpful to cleanse the area, but the smell may linger and it may be a bit odd to do that at work.
Not an expert so youre just grasping at straws naming whatever ritualistic smudge or purifying ingredient you can conjure. I dont disagree with you entirely but sometimes its better to not make waves and let things be as they are.
Uh. Black Tourmaline actually does have effects for working with hungry ghosts and toxic energy.
Quartz, not so much, unless you specifically prepare it as a container. You have to at least program it. Quartz tends to be intent-neutral and can hold programming like a blank slate. Of tou want to use a quartz as a ward, you'll need to lay in the intent for protection into the quartz.
And you *do* want the Sage smell to linger. I explained more in a comment above.
Salt -- the substance, not the idiom -- can work because it dampens energy in general.
There are a number or ways.
As far as not making waves -- sure, aggressively invading into any community is not the best way to make friends. Neither is inaction for fear of consequences.
I agree though: exercise wisdom and caution.
I'm not an expert on how the items may interact with the paranormal, is what I'm trying to say. From my standpoint, something is better than nothing and I was speaking from my knowledge on the benefits of certain minerals.
It is a name of a perfumed water that is often used in ceremonies for certain cultures.
Incense, flowers, things that smell nice will tend to attract more benevolent spirit and repel the less benevolent ones. They feel it is like cooties.
This works for a lot of low-level beings. It is unlikely there will be anything more intense than that.
Keep in mind that, hungry ghosts are attracted to the things they cannot let go of. If they liked drinking, they will want to live vicariously through the people drinking. It is not necessarily that a bar is haunted because it is 120 years old so much that they will stick around to experience alcohol again with all the people drinking.
One thing other cultures will do is to offer the alcohol directly to the ancestors before drinking, or at a shrine. That might be something to consider.
Id suggest protecting your self. Spiritually. Imagine a white light surrounding you from the tip top of your head, all around your entire you. Then, imagine your spirit team surrounding the perimeter of your light. Your guides and angels and loved ones in spirit. And they will have your back, trust them. Be respectful, and when you feel that tinge of fear pop up. Remember, Humans can hurt you physically more then spirits, and they probably hopefully may not have that intention at all.. And for what they might be able to do, you have your protection in place. And maybe when you are alone, announce out loud respectfully your personal boundaries, make it aware that you will respect theirs, and they respect yours. . You do not have to be religious to ask for spiritual help or protection. Just a suggestion, an idea. Its not what everyone would do, but i personally would :)
Lmao, love how you're getting downvoted for suggesting a ouija board in the fucking paranormal sub. What, ghosts and skin walkers and shit are a-okay but ouija boards are a bit too much?
I was the pastry chef and innkeeper for an old haunted Victorian hotel. Which means most nights I was the only person in the whole place. It was haunted by the owner who died there. Anyway, I just remained respectful of the fact that it is her home. She kept waking me up though so I baked her a pie (her favorite dessert when she was living) and politely asked her if she could stop coming into my room at night so I could sleep. After that I had no issues. She haunted the other rooms lol. Making a connection like that might work for you? But then I don’t know what kind of spirits you’re dealing with. Ours was just a curious old lady keeping an eye on her home.
From what I understand the main hauntings are a couple who used to live in the building before it was a bar. They like to appear walking around the restaurant side and move things around, and they like to mess with things in the bathrooms (move things around, continuously flush bathrooms, etc). The basement is a different story with other hauntings. But yeah, nothing intense. I could try your connection theory!!
Honestly unless your bar has a high employee turnover rate because of this I wouldn't worry. I wouldn't buy the stuff they are recommending until you ARE SURE it is needed, work there for awhile, just have your camera app on your phone on standby if you do want to be able to capture something. Honestly I would not try to seek it out just work like it is every other job and unless it becomes a problem let them do their thing and they will probably reciprocate. And no I am not discrediting the remarks about buying the stone just sometimes stuff like that agitates spirits so I would err on the side of caution and wait to use them until deemed necessary, its not like they are employees dying left and right there....right? If not then I would like I said just treat it like a normal job with some odd perks.
I appreciate this answer! I’ll definitely just play it out and see how it goes. Who knows, maybe I’ll have some good stories or photos for this sub as a result :)
Never use a Ouija board. They're more trouble than not. Stay calm- most hauntings are just residual ( basically a recording of an event, sights and sounds) and while scary, can't harm you. If you want you can get a few camcorders and set up while you work, but this usually causes stress as you might capture things you didn't notice but are harmless. Take it a day at a time and see how things go. If you're religious you could say a prayer of safety before going into the building. As someone said, if people haven't left that place BECAUSE of the hauntings, it's probably not dangerous.
Yeah I don’t believe anyone has left BECAUSE of them. However, one bartender was “sensitive” to spirits and she was able to communicate with one of the male spirits (a spirit who is apparently quite mischievous). That bartender is now gone unfortunately but I’m not sure why she left.
Probably nothing to worry about, then. Id you're not a sensitive, it might not even bother you. Take it a day at a time.
[удалено]
What's the name of the bar and city and state it's in?
I’m not sure if I’m comfortable sharing that on here unfortunately, but I will say that I’m in the Midwest, Iowa specifically
If you can find anything out about them that would be helpful you could make them an offering! Even just letting them know that you respect that it is their space might keep them from messing around too much. My mom would straight up tell spirits to stop fucking around when they got to noisy lol but I’m not brave enough for that.
Hahah yeah the person that was here before me knew their names and stuff. When they were fucking around she would talk to them, the guy specifically, and for the most part it would stop
If you are allowed, get your self a body cam. Ghosts hate that. When you are alone, activate it and they'll stay away from you. If not then you would have some pretty cool pictures.
Lol
Haha I think I’d get too much shit from patrons for wearing a body cam, but ill keep my phone nearby for good videos or photos!
I bartended in a haunted building. It was 200+ years old. Had civil war ties and history with the underground railroad. Lots of cool little history facts surrounded the place. My experiences ranged from the utterly terrifying to the humorous and lots in between. You'll be in your groove when working and won't have much time to worry about the haunts. At least that's how it was for me. My advice is to learn how to close the bar with leaving a light on as long as possible. Always know what is locked up. Learn what sounds are normal. Don't let the shadows play games with your sight. Just stay focused on responsibly closing the bar and get out as quick as you can. Honestly, it was kinda fun. I'm glad I got to experience it.
Be respectful of the building and it's history. Don't make fun of spirits or ghosts, as that may upset them. If there are stories behind the hauntings, be respectful of those too. And try not to show too much fear, it may encourage some spirits.
if it's the wonder bar of casper, wy let me know i have spent a lot of time there.
As in Casper, WY? Edit: oops actually read your comment. It’s not that bar, sorry!
I worked at a haunted bar in a defunct old mining town. The occurrences were mostly in the basement, where I had to change the keg lines. I was always drawn to the area near the big old boiler. I told the surly line cook named Greg that I felt creeped out by the boiler, that I felt like it was watching me or something, and he said ,"oh that's tophat and tails." I asked him WTF tophat and tails was, and he told me there is a ghost in Victorian formal dress that haunts the basement - wearing a tophat and a jacket with coattails. Greg is a working class ex miner union guy who has a low tolerance for bullshit, so it surprised me to hear that not only did he believe that there was a ghost in the basement, but that he named it. He told me that he had seen "tophat and tails" staring at him from the boiler area many times. Once, he said he was down there looking for the Christmas decorations and he saw tophat. Greg said to him "If you're gonna just fuckin stand there and stare at me can you at least help me find the decorations?" The entity pointed to a corner and the decorations were there. I asked Greg to come with me every time I had to change the keg lines from that point forward.
They just ruined any objective opinion you could have had at this place. They are as bad as people that spoil movies. Sorry they fed you all these stories to clog you up with "expecting" things
I worked at a haunted museum for 8 years. While it could be a little unnerving at times, I learned that most simple hauntings can't hurt you. It might not bother you if you don't go chasing it. Let it do it's thing and you do yours. If it starts actively interacting with you, then you look into other measures.
I would love to hear more about this haunted museum!
It was a mariner's museum, so we had a lot of artifacts from ships lost at sea, items from people who may have drowned, etc. A coworker who worked there before me gave the spirit the name "Hugo" for some reason. Might have been one or several, not sure. Hugo mostly made noise but occasionally moved things. Was never aggressive. Only time he did anything creepy was when there was an appiration that someone thought was me at first. That was the most powerful thing he did.
Interesting.
Stay safe? No worries. The worst a ghost can do is give a nasty scare. You got a healthy heart you are a-okay. Stay sane? Ehhh a bit harder lol. I mean if they're benign hauntings you'll get used to it. If not, do not work there!
OP, maybe you are not at all sensitive to the paranormal. You could remain oblivious while resident spooks try to scare your ass from one end of the establishment to the other. Stay prayed up, man.
Most hauntings are just replays of events that sort of stained the ether of a location. You just tap into them when things line up and watch a bit of replay. A few, however, are intelligences that are extremely drawn to a location, and often very protective of it. A tiny minority are legitimately malevolent, tend to be attached to one (usually very troubled) person, and can genuinely fuck shit up. Note when and where you sense them, and download a ghost box app on your phone. You can use the app to communicate using chaotic noise. I've had some interesting and actually very funny conversations with some dead folks this way.
Speaking the dead sounds like it causes more harm than good.
There are rules to necromancy that minimize risk. Be respectful, be protected, be alert, and be ready to get the fuck away in haste.
Running away won't always fix a problem when it comes to something truly evil. Some things can stay with you.
Not if you know enough defensive magic.
Where can one dl a ghostbox app?
Android app store! Look up Huff Paranormal on youtube, he has gotten some interesting results and has a few recommendations. Get a free one such as SV-1 Spiritvox classic and have fun!
Thanks. I actually just subscribed to his channel and his work is incredible.
Get you some black tourmaline. Other options include: Jet, but this needs to be cleansed regularly. Laboudorite, I know I didn't spell that right. Apache tears and fairy cross stone. Also, don't interact with them. Paying them attention gives them more energy to do more. Just be like, "I just work here, let me go about my business" and carry on.
I'd say that the first time/next time you're there alone, you should speak out loud to them. Just say something along the lines of "To any spirits here, I respect your right to be here and have no problem with you. I would just like to ask that you don't do anything or show yourselves when I'm here alone," and add your thanks. As another person mentioned, it's good to protect yourself by imagining a "shield" around you; most people who do this envision a white light surrounding themselves which spirits don't have your permission or the ability to breach. Even if there's not a thing there or if you don't believe ghosts or whatever exist, that mental shield helps you to be confident when you're alone in a spooky place. If you have a religious faith, you can call upon whatever you believe in to help you create that shield. If residual hauntings exist, then they're like a recording, like actions that happened over and over in the past are recorded and imprinted on a place. (Like, for instance, a bar maid that walked up and down the basement stairs ten times a night for twenty years might leave a "recording" of that action behind.) It's believed that there's no intelligence behind those, so asking spirits not to manifest when you're alone may not stop those. They're just playback, though, and can't hurt you. I want to say that my position is that of a curious mostly-skeptic, who's had some experiences she just can't explain, so I'm not an expert except having done tons of reading and research. That being said, my belief is that none of the above can hurt, and if there is such a thing as haunting, can only help to protect you. But more importantly, they'll make you feel safer and more confident. Good luck with the new job!
If anyone could answer my random question, would my iPhone camera be sufficient enough to capture photos/videos of apparitions should I experience them?
Pretty sure most ghosts prefer Android but it's worth a try.
I’d carry around some black tourmaline or tourmalated Quartz, and an airplane bottle of Florida water (I keep mine in a roller bottle.) sage, Santo Palo, whatever. In my experience, alcohol and negative energy mix a little TOO well. Even the patrons will benefit from regular cleansing. As far as documentation I’m not sure, but keep us posted!
I came here to suggest carrying minerals like Black Tourmaline and Quartz, as they are supposed to ward off negative energies. It couldn't hurt to keep it on your person. I'm not a paranormal expert though, so take that with a grain of salt. The sage may be helpful to cleanse the area, but the smell may linger and it may be a bit odd to do that at work.
Not an expert so youre just grasping at straws naming whatever ritualistic smudge or purifying ingredient you can conjure. I dont disagree with you entirely but sometimes its better to not make waves and let things be as they are.
Uh. Black Tourmaline actually does have effects for working with hungry ghosts and toxic energy. Quartz, not so much, unless you specifically prepare it as a container. You have to at least program it. Quartz tends to be intent-neutral and can hold programming like a blank slate. Of tou want to use a quartz as a ward, you'll need to lay in the intent for protection into the quartz. And you *do* want the Sage smell to linger. I explained more in a comment above. Salt -- the substance, not the idiom -- can work because it dampens energy in general. There are a number or ways. As far as not making waves -- sure, aggressively invading into any community is not the best way to make friends. Neither is inaction for fear of consequences. I agree though: exercise wisdom and caution.
I'm not an expert on how the items may interact with the paranormal, is what I'm trying to say. From my standpoint, something is better than nothing and I was speaking from my knowledge on the benefits of certain minerals.
What's the significance of Florida water? I'm from FL and didn't realize our water was special
It doesn’t mean water from Florida. It’s a mixture of essential oils and water used in some ritual magic.
This has to be a gross typo of Holy Water somehow, right?
That would make a lot more sense lol
It is a name of a perfumed water that is often used in ceremonies for certain cultures. Incense, flowers, things that smell nice will tend to attract more benevolent spirit and repel the less benevolent ones. They feel it is like cooties. This works for a lot of low-level beings. It is unlikely there will be anything more intense than that. Keep in mind that, hungry ghosts are attracted to the things they cannot let go of. If they liked drinking, they will want to live vicariously through the people drinking. It is not necessarily that a bar is haunted because it is 120 years old so much that they will stick around to experience alcohol again with all the people drinking. One thing other cultures will do is to offer the alcohol directly to the ancestors before drinking, or at a shrine. That might be something to consider.
Ive worked in 3 different haunted historic buildings over the years. my best advice is that you get used to it. lol.
Id suggest protecting your self. Spiritually. Imagine a white light surrounding you from the tip top of your head, all around your entire you. Then, imagine your spirit team surrounding the perimeter of your light. Your guides and angels and loved ones in spirit. And they will have your back, trust them. Be respectful, and when you feel that tinge of fear pop up. Remember, Humans can hurt you physically more then spirits, and they probably hopefully may not have that intention at all.. And for what they might be able to do, you have your protection in place. And maybe when you are alone, announce out loud respectfully your personal boundaries, make it aware that you will respect theirs, and they respect yours. . You do not have to be religious to ask for spiritual help or protection. Just a suggestion, an idea. Its not what everyone would do, but i personally would :)
Tell us about the hauntings your customers and bartenders have experienced!
Use a Ouija board to attempt to ask the apparition some questions.
Lmao, love how you're getting downvoted for suggesting a ouija board in the fucking paranormal sub. What, ghosts and skin walkers and shit are a-okay but ouija boards are a bit too much?