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Dear Ghostmaster, It seems I have a habit of walking into my bedroom, looking at the digital clock by my bed, and seeing 11:11. Or I'll walk into the kitchen and see 11:11 on the microwave and stove. Is anything going on or is this just a strange coincidence? Dear Anita: You are indeed fortunate. The universe is opening some exciting new doors for you. Each time you glance at a clock and see 11:11, you are experiencing a "wishing moment." Next time it happens, pause a moment and make a wish. If you're like most people experiencing these wishing moments, you'll immediately feel light-hearted and optimistic about your future. Dear Ghostmaster, A friend and I were talking about Ouija boards, and my friend said that when ending a conversation with whomever you may contact using the board, you should always say "goodbye". She said that without a proper farewell, it could cause the spirit or ghost anger and cause disturbances and issues later. I suppose it's only polite to say "goodbye" to anyone when departing, but I was wondering if this is true? Can not dismissing a spirit properly cause bad issues? Dear Katie, Simply using a Ouija board can cause bad issues. As I point out in the next letter, when you summon spirits into your home, you may open the door to spirits you don't want in your home - and they may not want to leave. My advice, Katie, is to get rid of the Ouija board immediately. For more information on Ouija boards and negative spirits, read what Brad and Sherry Steiger have to say about "Resisting Negative Entities from the Unseen World." Read the entire article and pay special attention to their word of caution: "You should avoid providing these negative entities easy access to your psyche by injudiciously practicing such occult exercises as working with the Ouija Board or attempting on your own to contact spirits of the dead. " 
Dear Ghostmaster, My sister and I went to a cemetery at night. We heard noises. Is it possible those noises could have come from ghosts? Also, I have a ouija board at home. is it dangerous? It is possible the noises you heard were ghosts. It is more probable, however, that you were hearing the wind, the leaves rustling or some sort of animal. If we find ourselves walking through a cemetery at night, our imaginations are going to be turned up to maximum - so anything we hear is likely to be exaggerated and misinterpreted. The overwhelming majority of people "on the other side" have more important things to do than hang around cemeteries. The ghosts that DO hang around cemeteries are probably not ones you'd want to meet. As for that Ouija board . . . using it could be dangerous. When you invite spirits into your home, you may very well open the door to spirits you don't want in your home - and they may not want to leave. If you're looking for a good board game, I would recommend Monopoly. Dear Ghostmaster: I heard some "ghosthunters" talking about setting up a tape recorder in a cemetery to capture the sounds of ghosts. I find this idea depressing, because it suggests that I'm going to spend the afterlife hanging around my grave in a cemetery. I like to think the afterlife is a much nicer place. Is a cemetery the only place you can encounter ghosts? Not at all. Ghosts can be anywhere. The reason some people seem to encounter them in cemeteries is that they, the living, are more receptive to ghosts in that environment. It's for that same reason some people seem to feel the presence of ghosts during storms in the middle of the night. It's us - not them. Ghosts do not have a preference for darkness, electrical storms or cemeteries. They are just as willing to meet with you on a park bench in the middle of a lovely spring afternoon. In fact, departed loved ones are watching you far more than you know. Dear Ghostmaster: My Aunt Charlene recently passed away. A friend suggested using a Ouija board to contact her. Is this a good idea? No. Do not, under any circumstances, use a Ouija board or even have one in your house. If you do, you may very well invite an entity other than your Aunt Charlene into your house. If your Aunt Charlene wants to get a message to you, she'll do so in a dream. That said, keep in mind that every dream you have of Aunt Charlene is not necessarily a real meeting with her. If you dream about your aunt and it leaves you feeling sad, depressed, upset or confused, it was just a dream - nothing more. A real encounter with your aunt in your dreams will convey a message and leave you feeling optimistic and happy. Dear Ghostmaster: My friend told me that people were sometimes buried alive. Is this true? If so, how do we know it really happened? It's true, Jason. As recently as the late nineteenth century, people were quite fearful of being buried alive. In 16th Century England, lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes render people unconcious for a couple of days. Even the physicians of the time might not be certain whether the person was really deceased. The man or woman would be laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake." In England, as well as some other countries, it was tradition to reuse graves. A coffin might be in the ground only a few years. It would then be dug up and the bones taken to a "bone-house." When reopening these coffins, it was noticed that a small but significant percentage were found to have scratch marks on the inside and it was feared they had been burying people alive. To provide an escape mechanism, some people were buried with a string tied to their wrist. This string went through a hole in the lid of the coffin, up through the ground, and was then tied to a bell. A member of the deceased one's family would have to sit in the graveyard around the clock, including all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell. If someone really were buried alive they might be "saved by the bell" or be considered a "dead ringer."
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