Looking for the ideal knickknack to put on your mantle? Well, you might bring home something unintentional with that candelabra. That’s right … it could be a haunted object. So, buckle up. It could be a bumpy night unless you use these tips to find out if you’ve got a haunted object on your hands. Get the scoop after the jump.

Haunted Objects vs. Cursed Objects

Let’s clear up the confusion between haunted objects and cursed objects. They are 2 very different types of paranormal (or supernatural) entities.

Here’s a handy-dandy table to help clear it up:

Haunted Objects	Cursed Objects
Ghosts are anchored to object	Imbued with dark energy or hexes
Activities include communication, mischief or expressing grief	Causes harm, misfortune, or bad luck
Often stems from strong emotions tied to the object	Targets individuals or families with bad events increasing in frequency and intensity

In summary, a haunted object has a ghost or spirit attached to it, and it’s trying to deliver a message. In other cases, the spirt has unfinished business. On the other hand, a cursed object simply exists to inflict harm and misfortune on its owner’s life.

Common Types of Haunted Objects

It helps to identify which household items and toys could be a haunted object upfront. And it’s also important to realize that anything could become a haunted object. It all boils down to how much emotion the ghost or spirit pumped into it in life.

And as you review list, one thing really jumps out at me. It’s usually love that imbues the object, not hate or spite. I mean, why would a ghost hold onto something it hates? Death is a great way to jettison stuff you hated.

Ok, here’s the list:

Antiques with Sentimental Value

This shouldn’t come as a surprise because sentimental value is loaded with love energy. Jewelry, like rings, watches or lockets, fall into the most common grouping. Next, it’s furniture like mirrors, wardrobes, rocking chairs or any other favorite piece of furniture.

Dolls and Toys

Another common group of haunted objects. Kids love their toys, so I can totally understand why these objects some with an attachment. Dolls are obvious enough. I’ve had cases with toy cars, a LEGO set, and train sets.

Toys, even new ones, can be excellent trigger objects to use on your ghost hunts. If you haven’t tried them, give it a try with your next case involving a child spirit. I got to say, toys and dolls are the best!

Photographs and Artwork

Photographs, portraits and art have one of the strongest connections to the dead. If you think about it, these objects ARE the people in life. As for artwork, every artist puts their very being into their creations. Talk about a blast of emotional energy, eh?

Jake’s Experience With Haunted Photos

So … I’ve had an experience dealing with photos. Victorian-era death photos, that is. I stayed over at a friend’s house, and he collects death photos. One night, I slept on the couch with his cat, when she lurched up, clawed me, and leapt off the couch. As I opened my eyes to see what happened, a solid, shadowy figure leaned over me. Once I told it to go away, it slithered back to the dark corner where the death photos were. Wowza!

Diaries and Letters

I never really thought about this one before, but it makes complete sense. Diaries, a very personal item, and letters could carry the spirit of their owners. When you think about it, what’s more personal than holding a pen, pouring yourself into your writing, and then keeping it private?!

While I haven’t investigating these objects before, I’ll see if I can test them when I investigate an estate, archive or museum. If you have, let me know what you found in the comments.

Everyday Items

Household objects like clocks, teapots, or tools, often overlooked but still capable of hosting spirits. I mean, I’ve had 2 cases where the haunted objects turned out to be a dinner bell and a wooden cooking spoon. Someone must’ve loved to cook, eh?

Signs An Object Might Be Haunted

When you first bring home a haunted object, its ghostly activity may happen in a day or two. But it’s more likely to take a week or two before you notice something is a bit off in your home. You could say that it depends, and I hate saying that.

When the object does activate, you will begin to experience the following activity:

Unexplained Sensations

You may feel uneasy, cold spots, or tingling sensations around the object. In some cases, a sudden feeling of dread or sadness may overwhelm you.

Strange Sounds

It’s not uncommon to hear whispering, knocking, or soft footsteps when the object is nearby.

Unusual Activity

In my experience, lights flickering, electronics malfunctioning, or pets acting strange are the first signs of a haunted object activating. You may also experience small items (like your car keys) disappearing and finding them in a really weird place in the house.

I had a case where the keys would disappear from a bowl by the front door and reappear in an upstairs bathroom sink. Odd, right?!

Dreams or Nightmares

I find this one to be pretty common: You’ll have recurring dreams featuring the object or the ghost itself. This means you’d see a stranger in your dream and they’d want to take the object, for example. If you have nightmares, that tells me the spirit wants you to take action ASAP.

Physical Effects

These signs are rare, but you could experience headaches, nausea, or find scratches after handling the object. This is not a demon! Much like nightmares, it means you need to take action ASAP.

How to Test for Paranormal Activity in the Object

Now that you see signs of a haunted object, it’s time to test the object. Before you pull out the proton pack and ghost trap, I’d start with a gentler approach:

Basic Observation

First, write down your experiences. If you spot a trend in the activity, that could help identify the object. Once you have an idea of which object, take it out of the room to see if that changes things. You don’t know how many times putting something into storage shuts off the activity. That’s also a bonus because you don’t lose your money.

EMF Meters & Audio Recorders

Next, check how an EMF meter responds to the object. If you start to get spikes, then you might have a haunted object. Now, don’t expect every EMF meter to detect something supernatural. I find a compass will work well. If it starts to spin, that’s a big clue!

I also like to put an audio recorder in the room to see if I can capture ghostly voices (EVP). These could help identify the object AND the spirit. Just leave it out overnight or ask some questions that would ID the object. When you play the audio files back, you might be surprised by what you’ve just captured.

Video Recording

Another test uses video recording. If you have a home security system or web cam, aim it at the suspected haunted object. If you capture shadowy figures emerge from it or movements, then you might have something.

Spirit Box Session

Try communicating with the ghost attached to the object by using a spirit box. Simply ask questions you’d like answered. As the radio frequencies go by, you may hear a name or reason for the haunting. Once you identify the ghost, you may understand why it remains attached to the object.

Temperature Drops

Another test you can use measures falling temperatures around the object. Put a digital thermometer by the suspected object and wait for strangeness to happen. If you start getting weird feelings around the object, and see the temp has dropped by 5 degrees or more, you probably have a haunted object on your hands.

Additional Tips When Testing A Haunted Object

• Set boundaries: Verbally state that the spirit must not harm you or others.
• Avoid provoking the entity if you suspect something negative.
• Consider cleansing yourself and the space before and after tests.

What to Do If the Object Is Haunted

Ok, now you know you’ve got a haunted object. So, what do you do? Well, you have to decide how to handle it. Your choices are keep it, cleanse it, or rehome it.

If you keep it, then expect to have some spooky activity for a while. The ghost might settle in and realize that your home is now their home. Still, I don’t think I want a ghost watching me shower. Ick.

Next, you could try cleansing the object, which would diffuse its spectral energy for a month or so. It doesn’t really solve the problem because the ghost is likely to come back. If you continue to cleanse the object, you may end up severing the ghost’s anchor and it would have to move on. But that’s shitty to do to a (former) person.

If you want to cleanse the object, the best ways to do it include:

• Smudging the object every week
• Pouring a salt circle around it to contain the spirit

Lastly, you could rehome the object, which means take it back to where you got it. Another option to giving it to a paranormal museum or haunted collector.

In the worst case, you could bury it in a graveyard or cemetery. Just bury it a good 18 inches in the ground, if not more.

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Haunted objects will let you know you’ve got something paranormal or supernatural in your home. Once the signs appear, go ahead and start testing the latest items you’ve brought back from the thrift store or estate sale. Most haunted objects are benign, so you don’t have to be scared. It’s just a little spooky. If you don’t want that kinda creepy around, then you can rehome the object or cleanse it.

So, have you had an experience with a haunted object? If so, let me know in the comments below. I love a good haunted object story. Also, let us know what you did if you cleansed the object. Thanks for reading Ghostly Activities and take care!

Last Updated on November 21, 2024 by Jacob Rice