Elma the Ghost - a Personal Account

Have you ever met someone who has lived with a spirit or ghost in their house? Have you heard horror stories like this? Or have you only seen it on television or at the movies. When I was young these types of encounters were too frightening to discuss with friends and sometimes even family. Now as people become more spiritually advanced and open to this type of information I have lost the reluctance to tell my story.

When I was young I lived in a very old house which was haunted. We were a seemingly normal family, living in Columbia, South Carolina on a the busy street, Trenholm Rd. From the outside things appeared usual, but from the inside things were definitely out of the ordinary!

This article tells my story about Elma the ghost. It also delves a bit deeper to reflect about how my encounters into another dimension changed and helped shape my life into what it has become today.

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Do You Remember the movie? Here are the lyrics:

"Oh, my love

my darling

I've hungered for your touch

a long lonely time

and time goes by so slowly

and time can do so much

are you still mine?

I need your love

I need your love

Godspeed your love to me

Lonely rivers flow to the sea,

to the sea

to the open arms of the sea

lonely rivers sigh 'wait for me, wait for me'

I'll be coming home wait for me

Oh, my love

my darling

I've hungered for your touch

a long lonely time

and time goes by so slowly

and time can do so much

are you still mine?

I need"

WOULD YOU BE AFRAID?

"But, Mommy, why are we moving here if it is haunted?" I asked, wanting to be brave but letting my fears surface.

"Elma is a friendly ghost, Bethy, like Casper," Mom answered, attempting to calm her ever questioning middle child. "Remember, she is Mr. Stone's mom and she will not hurt you."

"But how do you know that?" I asked, not yet satisfied.

"Because I just know," Mom answered, certain of herself and the safety of her children.

"Ok, I guess," I said, still unsure of the situation.

At the age of three I had visited the house we would live in. To me it was gigantic, with many dark corners and crevices for scary things to hide. At the time I did not know of the haunting. Mom had waited until moving day to tell me about it.

With Old Fashioned Maids Quarters

Yes, it seemed gigantic and scary to me at age three, but at the same time it was exciting and provoked the feeling of adventure to explore. We built a fort in the walk in closet over the kitchen and had the space all to ourselves. We even got to spend the night in there on occasion.

The backyard was a jungle and the lot behind our house was undeveloped so we had lots and lots of space to play outside. The main pine tree in the backyard was covered in vines, allowing us to climb up high along the trunk. One vine dipped down toward the ground and made the perfect little swing for tiny behinds.

Spooky

Elma was an elderly woman living in the home's maids quarters, above the kitchen. She had a room, a bathroom and used a narrow winding stairway to access the kitchen. She died in the house by falling down the narrow stairs.

Her bedroom remained mostly vacant during our stay in the house. It was always cold and dark, although it had plenty of windows for light. Instead of going to the light, Elma's spirit stayed mostly in this room after her death, for reasons we did not know.

We must have felt Elma's fear when we were in her bedroom and we stayed away. Guests didn't have the option, however, and my aunt still tells the story of her German Shepherd waking her up growling at night because Elma was on her rounds. How's that for protection!

Elma's Visit

We had heard stories of things moving around on their own from the people who sold us the house (Elma's family). It seemed she was not too happy that they were moving out and would misplace packing items routinely. She also slammed doors when they were packing, letting them know even more noticeably her dislike of the situation.

The maid had reportedly seen her standing in the kitchen and promptly quit before we moved in. I'm not sure what my mother did to dispel her negative attacks before we moved in, but whatever she did, it worked like a charm because nothing happened for quite some time.

Then my dad had a poker game. He and several of his buddies were sitting at our 8-person dining table, concentrating on their beers, pretzels and cards. Suddenly a candle lifted up from the candle opera, which was sitting in the middle of the table, and moved across the room, dropping to the floor by the front door. Everyone laughed and thought it was a practical joke. Everyone, that is, except my dad. He understood that Elma was ready for the party to end...

Mom's Side

My mom and her mom were sensitives and I grew up hearing stories about them just knowing things that would happen before they came about. After we moved into the haunted house, my mom found an old recluse named Dempsey to help her hone in on her psychic abilities. Dempsey lived out in the woods in a trailer, which, I remember was never cleaned. He was a very unique and loving person who was also very intuitive. And he wore a red wig!

Dempsey taught my mom to spirit write and she began using her skills to communicate with our house guest, Elma. Elma enjoyed this immensely and I have many fond memories of sitting around the dinner table for question/answer sessions. We got to know Elma as a friendly entity during this time and any fears I had completely vanished.

Elma Loved Them

My parents loved to have great parties and invited around 200 guests to come for a roasted pig. The whole pig was put on ice in Elma's bathroom the day before the party while the pit was dug. Early in the morning of the party the pig began roasting in the pit, with my dad and some of his buddies around tending it.

By the evening, the party was in full swing and guests were everywhere. The pig made it's way to the kitchen table and the living room was the dance floor with 70's music blaring and folks grooving to the beat. Elma enjoyed dancing and I remember pretending to dance with her to the tunes of Simon and Garfunkle.

In fact, Elma enjoyed parties so much that there was a room designated adults only for spirit writing. Many people had the opportunity to channel her messages while in this room, what an experience.

My Experience

I became to enthusiastic and delighted with the fact that I was living with Elma, the ghost, that one evening while we were sitting around the table I decided that I wanted to try spirit writing.

"You know this is only for adults, Beth," Mom insisted, not realizing how certain I was that I could do it.

"I know, but I can do it, ask Elma," I replied, not giving up.

"She says you can try it," Mom translated from her writing.

"Great!" I said, feeling more confident than ever in my skills. "Elma, what is your favorite animal?" I asked. I held the pencil gently in my hand and closed my eyes. After that I did not know what to do and became worried, so I purposely began drawing a picture while not looking. When I finished I opened my eyes and could see the shape of a bunny rabbit, so I said, "That's it, the rabbit."

Nobody was fooled by my attempts, however, so Mom asked, "Elma, did you draw the rabbit or did Beth?" We all waited a few tense moments before she answered,

"That's our little secret."

Nowadays we just say "channeling" when we receive messages from different planes of existence, including the lower frequency planes where ghosts linger who do not choose to go to the Light and also the higher frequency planes where spirit guides, ancestors and angels exist. My favorite book on this is "Writing the Divine..." by Sara Wiseman. Did you realize that I am channeling this information through the computer, a form of automatic writing? Divine, isn't it?

How Elma Shaped My Life

We moved out of the haunted house the summer before I entered third grade. It was traumatizing to leave Elma, my friends, and the east coast, but I soon made new friends in Alabama.

My experience with Elma gave me at a very early age my foundation in spirituality. Fear of the unknown was transformed into friendship. I saw into another dimension and was not afraid because although Elma was stuck in the earth plane she was kind and loving. It gave me a deep love for all that is Divine. I absolutely know that life exists after death and that we are here for one of many lifetimes. It reminds me daily to enjoy each moment and to love unconditionally. Love is all there is and anything else exists merely in the absence of this knowledge.

Elma helped shape my life to the point now that I realize I am here to spread the light. I do this on a personal basis and also through my writing and website, IshvaraJewelry.com.

Elma's sweet remark about my "cheating" writing has given me courage to develop my own personal intuitive skills and to consistently follow my Divine calling.

Peace, Light and Blessings!

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