KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

July 5 through July 11, 2021

Our best bet for getting anything productive will be under Monday's Taurus Moon, as the rest of the week unfolds under a veil of emotional confusion and the tendency to go hide in our Cancer shells. We'll need to watch for gossip or misinformation on Tuesday and Wednesday as the Gemini Moon inspires people to share without the facts or make comments that could be taken the wrong way. Our best bet during this phase is to watch and listen, rather than advising or sharing our opinions. The Moon will dive into emotional Cancer on Thursday, culminating in a Cancer new Moon on Friday. If you feel the urge to hide out under the covers or draw the drapes and take the phone off the hook, it's not a bad idea, as feelings are easily hurt and self-doubt or confusion can make it difficult to interact with the rest of the world. On an up note, this time of isolation will give us a chance to go deep within and revisit our spiritual centers, clearing out whatever messages or ideas aren't working while encouraging us to trust our intuition more readily. Sunday's Leo Moon will have us feeling more like ourselves, ready to face the world again, and thanks to Mercury's entry into Cancer, encouraging us to share from the heart and soul.

The Psychology of Ghost Hunting, by Brandon Alvis

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Death is an inevitable part of life. Reminders of our own mortality surround us everyday. Any time we read a newspaper, turn on the news, or consume media, we are shown heartbreaking stories of a tragic loss of life. As the old saying goes, "If it bleeds, it leads." At some point throughout our lifetime, we will experience the loss of a loved one, a friend, an acquaintance. With each passing, we are faced with a question: What happens when we die? I was first faced with that question on September 8th, 1995, when my oldest brother Eric passed away from cancer at the age of 24.

Learning About Death
I was only eight years old at the time of my brother's passing. The concept of death was a lot for a third grader to take in, let alone understand.

It confused me.

Much of my childhood was spent at the cemetery where my brother was laid to rest. The more time I spent surrounded by tombstones, the more I started to comprehend what death was and how we would all meet the same end. As my mother would visit my brother and grieve, I did what any eight-year-old kid would do: explore. I'd walk around the cemetery. I'd read the grave markers, the names, the dates of birth and death. I'd speak with the groundskeepers and ask them questions about their job. What was it like working in the death industry? I watched as they would prepare the ground for upcoming burials, the funerals taking place close to my brother's gravesite. I would listen to the eulogies and observe how others handled grief. This is macabre, but it helped me begin my own grieving process. As the years passed and I grew older, thinking of our ultimate end became easier for me. In 2002 my grandmother passed away, peacefully in her home at the age of 73. She was ill in the later years of her life. During our final conversation before her passing, I knew her time on earth was coming to an end; and while I fought to cherish the little time she had left, I was prepared to grieve for her once she took her last breath. However tragic death was, I readied myself for this anguish.

I was confident I could properly grieve for my grandmother. Death wouldn't catch me off guard.

But in 2004, my brother Gary took his life. I couldn't see it through the rage I felt at that time, but my way of thinking about our final end would change forever.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die."
?Howard Phillips Lovecraft, The Nameless City

Paranormal Investigation as Grief Therapy
There are many reasons why people get involved in the search for ghosts and hauntings. Some are looking for an adrenaline rush, some for notoriety. One common reason is the passing of a loved one. In my 17 years of research, I have met hundreds of individuals who are willing to journey into the dark for answers about the afterlife, just as I was after the death of my two brothers. Many paranormal investigators have found a sense of peace in trying to communicate with those that have come before us. After hearing countless stories from those in the field, I realized that the act of paranormal investigation was a form of grief therapy. I only ever made that connection when I read a book titled Corpses, Coffins and Crypts: A History of Burial by Penny Colman, which showed up on my radar for a research project I conducted many years ago. In chapter two of Colman's book, she cites a study performed by psychologist Maria Nagy in 1948:

"The children, who nicknamed Nagy 'Auntie Death,' had discussions with Nagy and drew pictures. In addition the older children followed Nagy's request to 'write down everything that comes to your mind about death.' Nagy studied their responses and concluded that some children go through three stages in understanding death. The youngest children aged three to about five tend to be curious about death and ask matter-of-fact questions about funerals, coffins, and cemeteries. To them, death is a continuation of life but at a lower level: dead people can't see and hear as well as living people, they aren't quite as hungry, and they don't do very much. And they might return.

Younger children appear to think that death is at best not much fun and boring and at the worst lonely and scary. Beginning at about the age of five or six, children tend to realize that death is final and move into what Nagy named Stage 2. Although at this stage, many children realized that death was final, some of them thought that they could escape death if they were clever, careful, or lucky. Christy Ottaviano remembers thinking like that when she was in elementary school. 'I had to walk past a cemetery to get to school,' she recalls. 'I thought that I wouldn't die if I held my breath the whole way. So I did until I was about nine or ten years old.' Christy may have stopped because she moved into what Nagy identified as Stage 3 in understanding death. This is when children tend to realize that in addition to being final, death is also inevitable. Everyone dies, even clever, careful, and lucky people. Or people who hold their breath when they walk past a cemetery. 'Death is destiny,' wrote one ten-year-old child. Another ten-year-old wrote, 'Everyone has to die.' According to Nagy, Stage 3, which starts at about age nine or ten, continues throughout life." (Colman 29, 30, 31)

Death and the Final Frontier
Reading Maria Nagy's The Child's Theories Concerning Death completely transformed my thought process. Having basically grown up in a cemetery and losing someone so close to me at such a young age, I made the jump from Nagy's proclaimed stage 2 to stage 3 in a more advanced timeframe. Other studies have shown that, "children who experienced a parent's death, who are dying themselves, or who have witnessed violent, traumatic death will perceive death in an adultlike manner at much earlier ages than children who have not had such experiences." ("Death—The Development Of A Concept Of Death—Children, Dead, Nagy, and Age - JRank Articles") These experiences of the human condition led me early on in a lifelong pursuit of finding answers about the possibility of retaining consciousness after the brain dies. Like many others in the study of ghosts and hauntings, I have found comfort in journeying into the dark, and I carry this into every investigation I conduct, into every bit of research I perform, and the hours upon hours of footage I review. And I will continue to do so, until I meet my own ultimate end.

References
Colman, Penny. 1997. Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts: A History of Burial. N.p.: Henry Holt and Company.
"Death—The Development Of A Concept Of Death—Children, Dead, Nagy, and Age—JRank Articles." n.d. Social Issues Reference. Accessed December 4, 2021. https://social.jrank.org/pages/186/Death-Development-Concept-Death.html#ixzz7E9jWV4N5.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2022. All rights reserved.

I have several entities constantly around me at home, work and everywhere. I feel possessed. They manifest through touches on my body, music, and clicks in my ear to listen to music for a message. How can I get them to leave or cross over? They are obviously using me for energy. They are even attached to my body. I get vibrations all over, burning sensations, and can feel someone trying to whisper in my ear. I am almost sure of one's identity, but not the others. I have prayed and constantly rebuke them in the name of Jesus; this seems to help. They are strong-willed and refuse to leave. This has been going on for a year. I have no health issues that would cause this. It's like one is in love with me and the others take turns with me. I do feel relief when I meditate in prayer and do the white light thing, but it's temporary. I have told them to leave or cross over many times. I am now going to try a priest and exorcism. I feel bad because I think I know one of them who was a good person in life. This isn't a game as they try to make it out to be; for me it's serious as it is starting to affect my health. Can you give any suggestions? I can't afford to move and they follow me everywhere anyway. Thank you.

C.J.

Susyn:

The methods you are using to keep these entities at bay will only yield temporary results, which is why they keep returning. When you are feeling distracted, weak or not keeping up your spiritual shield, they will sneak back in. It is good that you are working with a priest and employing him as an exorcist. Ideally, he will be skilled enough to move these spirits into the light.

You must not feel guilty or troubled that you may know one or more of these entities. Good or bad, if they refuse to move into the light and on to the next step of their journey, they will remain stuck and keep you stuck as well. It is important for you to know that feeling concerned about them and attempting to identify them will undermine your attempts to rid yourself of them.

I recommend that you start a journal so you can record the sensations you feel, such as the vibrations, burning and whispering. Note how often they occur during the day or night and at what times. This will give you potentially valuable information. For example, you may notice that most of the activity occurs at night or early in the morning. Once you can establish this, you'll know when to be careful to keep your guard up. If the events seem random with no apparent pattern, make sure you let the priest know that, for it can help him identify how strong these presences are and what it will take to get rid of them.

Because these entities have found you to be an easy target (someone they can attach to who hears and notices them), other spirits could decide to attach to you as well. It is possible that you have a series of discarnates just waiting in line. Because of this, it is important for you to send the entities involved into the light, and also to strengthen your spiritual barriers so that you don't continue to have experiences like this in the future.

I encourage you to continue battling this possession. At some point, these entities will get the message and move on. This includes the entity you feel you may know. Once you have cleared these spirits, a calmness will come over you like you have never experienced before, and you'll be free to reclaim your life and peace of mind.

*****

Oceania:

I'm sorry for your distress, but I think it's premature to consult a priest at this point. I would be more thorough about exploring potential physical and psychological causes for your symptoms first! Think about what was going on in your life a year ago. Was there a significant event, loss or change? Stress can trigger both physical and mental illness. Did you start a new medication? If so, you may be experiencing side effects.

Ask your doctor about tinnitus, because clicking sounds are a symptom of this disease of the ear. Feeling vibrations or burning in the body are common examples of parethesias (unusual sensations), which can be traced to neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis and diabetic neuropathy. A variety of physical conditions can lead to muscle twitching, which resembles the sensation of being touched by someone unseen.

Along with your physician, I would consult with a psychiatrist, as many of the symptoms you describe can be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. I don't know how old you are, but schizophrenia tends to manifest in early adulthood, the most common symptoms being delusions (misinterpreting your experiences) and auditory hallucinations (hearing things others don't, particularly voices and whispers). Medication can treat those symptoms. Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia does not mean split personality. When someone's sense of self is shattered by trauma, it is called Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Physical symptoms can also be manifestations of psychological issues that need your attention. If we look at the theme of your experiences over the past year, they revolve around violations of your boundaries. The behavior of the entities may reflect experiences you are having with real people in your life. Perhaps there are some who annoy you or don't give you peace, never leave you alone, are overly attached, who bully you, play games or don't take you seriously. Does that list remind you of anyone? If so, you can address that relationship in therapy and get some support for changing the unhealthy dynamics between you!

You said you feel bad because one of the entities bothering you was a good person in life. That statement suggests that you may have unresolved anger towards the person. As you make peace with your feelings towards them, they will take up less of your time and energy.

I see no need for you to move, because no matter where you go, there you are. I believe your experiences reflect some disease or dis-ease within you. I wish you peace and healing.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.