Years ago, a medium told the caretaker of a historic building that the spirits there had worked together to get her that job. They’d created situations that led the woman to that position.

This statement astonished me. I knew the medium was gifted, but could she have misconstrued the message? Could energies really guide us without us knowing it?

I pondered this topic for years, but didn’t have any answers. That was until last month, when an experience in Truckee, California granted me insight.

It happened during our Ghost Hunt Field Trip class in Truckee, California, a historic railroad and logging community nestled in the Sierra Nevada. We’d just started investigating the last venue of the night (three ghost hunt groups rotated between three buildings), a diner, when the owner unexpectedly arrived to watch us. Marie*, the proprietor, had disclosed to me the previous spring that she believed the spirit of her father-in-law spent a great deal of time there.

When I asked Marie if she’d like to use the dowsing rods to contact her loved one, she said yes. The rods—thick copper wires the width of a coat hanger with one end inserted into a wooden dowel—are a means spirits can use move the rods in specified directions to indicate yes or no to questions asked of them.

 

These are the rods used in the diner.

These are the rods used in the diner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Marie questioned her father-in-law, the rods moved determinedly with a consistent strength and control I’d never seen before. With her hands held rigid, she watched in amazement, her expressions ranging from surprised to thoughtful. At times, she laughed and at others, she suppressed tears of joy.

I recognized the healing this exchange provided Marie. At one point, she asked him, “Are you glad these people came tonight?” The rods swung out so widely they touched her arms, a definite “yes.”

I spoke up softly, as the atmosphere felt sacred: “The reason we’re here tonight is so you could have this experience.”

Even though her hands didn’t waver, both rods swung toward me and abruptly stopped, their tips pointing at me.

So how does this illustrate the notion of spirits guiding our actions? It’s due to the series of “coincidences” (if you’ve read my book or many of my posts, you’ll know that I don’t believe in random chance) that led to Marie’s encounter. They were:

1)      I hadn’t planned on investigating the paranormal at Marie’s business. The owner of the shop I’d initially hoped to include in the class had stood me up at our meeting to discuss this opportunity. To pass time until my next appointment, I’d been in her coffee shop when I was introduced to her and learned of the spirit activity there.

2)      I’d just bought a set of rods to be used in the class, something we hadn’t done in the ten year history of the Nevada Ghost and Paranormal Series. Our group was the only one of three that possessed dowsing rods. If Marie had visited at a different time, the opportunity to communicate with her father-in-law wouldn’t have existed.

3)      The night of the hunt, we had only been in the restaurant five minutes when Marie and her friends arrived.

4)      Marie hadn’t planned on dropping by during the ghost hunt as an event was taking place at her home. However, her friend somehow felt that Marie had to visit the coffee shop that very moment.

Marie’s need to communicate with her father-in-law was palpable to those who witnessed this interaction. I believe God allowed the soul of her loved one to intervene and help her through the grieving process.

*Not her real name.