Most of the time Pagans interaction with evoked beings tends to be through the medium of psychic connection, on the Astral Plane, and other non-corporeal ways. One exception are the class of entities known as Poltergeists, which appear to be able to move physical objects and make sounds, hence their name which is the German for “Noisy Ghost.” Poltergeist phenomena have been recorded for centuries and include localised rains of stones and coins, drumming noises, and objects ‘flying’ or being levitated.

In Pagan and psychic research circles there is some discussion as to whether these occurrences are the result of an independent entity, or the result of the activities of a person’s subconscious mind. Much of the psychic research done in this area suggests that the centre or possible cause of the Poltergeist action is a young person. Usually, but not always, a teenage girl or elderly person is the nexus for the Poltergeist activities. Most of the time the events go on for a few days or weeks and then fade away. Exorcisms seem to have little effect on this type of ghost and for this reason clergy of various mainstream religions can be reluctant to try that particular ritual.

Stories of things being moved around by an entity are something that are mentioned a lot in accounts of various hauntings. Sadly if you hear dramatic stories about such occurrences they are usually exaggerated or totally untrue. When a thorough investigation is made either at the time, or later on, the facts that come to light are a lot less dramatic than the stories would have people believe. One of the funniest accounts I have read about this is the “Amityville Horror” that first became famous in the 1970s as the ultimate haunted house. The case is too long to go into detail here, but a short version is that a couple moved into a house where a murder had recently been committed and they claimed that various “Demonic Phenomena” followed. This story became a media sensation and was even made into a film series with the latest one coming out at the end of June this year (2017).

However, when the events were properly investigated the alleged events became a lot less dramatic. Events that were supposed to have caused dramatic property damage and injury were found to be false when no evidence of the damage, any repair bills for said damage, or visits to hospital to treat injuries came to light. Eventually one of the parties involved confessed the story of the haunting was fabricated to get a new trial for the murderer with the defence that “The Devil made him do it”. When I was training as a hypnotherapist and counsellor one of the other students was a member of a UFO and paranormal phenomenon group and told me of their experiences of supposed “Poltergeists” in people’s homes. These homes were usually owned by the local authority and the occupants claimed that they had a poltergeist problem and needed to be moved. The group would come in and set up two sets of cameras and other detectors. One set they would set up where the people in the house said things happened and the other set was covert equipment that covered other areas of the house and that only the group knew about.

So far the results had been some evidence of genuine noises, things moving slightly in accordance with the Coriolis Effect, and other interesting but non dramatic occurrences. While all the dramatic things flying across the room, apparent levitation, and possession were shown to be done by wires, stage magic, and (very bad) acting. The latter all being caught on the hidden equipment, right down to the people who had asked for the investigation whispering instructions to each other when they thought they were out of range of the overt equipment. Frequently they weren’t, and were most upset to be caught cheating to hopefully be moved to a better area or flat. Especially as the group presented the results to the occupants and the local authority representatives at the same time.

Having said that there is good evidence of poltergeist activity in a number of cases using good evidence-based investigative techniques. Small light objects such as stones and teaspoons have been observed moving in an arc to the right in the Northern hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern hemisphere. This is the result of the Coriolis force mentioned above, which is a force devolved from the effect of the Earth’s rotation and best seen in weather patterns. The movements of the objects suggests some sort of connection with it although a lot of work is being undertaken by various groups as to how this fits in with how the objects take flight in the first place. In many cases the temperature of the immediate area of the activity can drop, suggesting the heat, or movement of the air molecules, is being used in some way. In the cases where a person is the centre of events the electrical/biological field that surrounds them might be consciously or unconsciously involved. Much as a piece of paper balanced on a pin is moved by concentration by novice magick users when they are learning to use and focus this ability to aid in spellcasting and circle casting.

In the Pagan worldview there seem to be two main hypotheses as to how poltergeists can have an effect on the physical plane if they are independent entities. One is that it can move objects by attaining a degree of solidity on the Physical Plane, or by influencing the movement of air molecules or interatomic forces directly. Then other is that is uses energy from a host - usually a human - and channels it to produce the same result. When I was discussing the Ritual To Visibility with a Ritual Magician they made a valid point that when a summoned entity builds itself a body out of the energy from the Mage and the incense particles in the air, this is type of poltergeist activity in itself. This is why well run rituals always include a banishing of some sort at the end of them as there is a chance that something can be left, be it an entity or a thought form that can interfere with things on the physical plane

These entities are generally more a nuisance than actually dangerous, but there have been cases where they have been brought under the control of a particular person and even been weaponised to some extent. In the next article we will look at the mechanics of banishing and exorcism and how even apparently friendly beings should be treated correctly.