Posts Tagged ‘ghosthunting north carolina’

Join me, Kala Ambrose, Your Travel Guide to the Other Side as I take you through the spectacular Haunted History this Fall exploring two of my books: Ghosthunting North Carolina and Spirits of New Orleans sharing what I experienced personally as a psychic medium and my research into the reports of supernatural activity in each location. Along the way, we’ll shop, dine, stay and party at the most delightful places in North Carolina and in New Orleans.

This week I’ll be at the beautiful, historic
Grove Park Inn
on
Saturday, October 27 from 2pm – 5pm
where I’ll be signing copies of my book: Ghosthunting North Carolina

Chapter Twenty: The Gentle Touch from the Pink Lady at the Grove Park Inn, excerpt from Ghosthunting North Carolina by Kala Ambrose:

“An enchanted life has many moments when the heart is overwhelmed with beauty and the imagination is electrified by some haunting quality in the world or by a spirit or voice speaking from deep within a thing, a place, or a person.”-Henry Louis Mencken

In 1998, I first visited the Grove Park Inn in Asheville. I had not previously heard of the Inn until some of our neighbors invited us to tag along with them for a weekend there.   We arrived at check in to find that we all had rooms in a part of the hotel called the Main Inn.

The Grove Park Inn is a stunning hotel built from granite quarried from the surrounding mountains.  The granite has a mixture of quartz crystal inside. Quartz crystal can hold energy and amplify this energy at a greater level. An example of how this energy can be magnified is the vortex that Gary Spivey opened at the Star Hotel, connecting with the quartz crystal in the land, which energized both the land and the crystals.  Quartz absorbs energy and reflects this energy back outward. When quartz is in the stone of a building like the Grove Park, it radiates with the energy of the people who work and visit the Inn.

Whenever I visit the Grove Park, I have an “instant experience” which is very positive in nature.  Each time that I enter the inn, I can feel the vibrational energy coming from the stone structure and it resonates with the happy energy of the many guests who have visited over the decades

A partial list of famous people, who have stayed at the Grove Park, includes: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Will Rogers, George Gershwin, Harry Houdini, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. Presidents that have stayed at the Inn include: William Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and most recently, Barack Obama.

The Inn opened in 1913 and was the architectural vision of two men, E.W. Grove, who made his money selling an elixir called Grove’s Tasteless Chill Tonic, and Grove’s son-in-law Fred Seely.  Grove found Asheville to be good for his health and the area inspired him to build a restful and rejuvenating inn. It took over four hundred men twelve months to build the inn, during which time they dragged hundreds of tons of boulders up the mountain using mules, rope, and pulleys.   The result is spectacular; the inn is warm and welcoming and it blends into the natural surroundings.  As my husband, son and I drove up to the entrance of the hotel; I fell in love instantly with the Old World charm of the stone buildings and rocking chairs waiting out front to greet guests.

We entered the Great Hall, which is over one hundred and twenty feet long with ceilings soaring over twenty-four feet high. At one end of the Great Hall are doors leading out to the Sunset Terrace with spectacular views of Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Two enormous fourteen feet tall fireplaces in the Great Hall immediately drew our attention.

At check- in we were given our keys and, to our surprise, we were directed to the elevator attendant standing by the fireplace. My husband and I looked at each other, both thinking the same thing– elevator operator by the fireplace? We approached him and asked him to direct us to the elevator.   Like something out of a Harry Potter movie, he led us to a door located in the fireplace.  The elevators are hidden inside the chimneys of the stone fireplace!  The operator rode with us, pushing the gate closed and working the elevator up to our floor.

The elevator door opened to our floor and we stepped off into the Main Inn, entering an area called the Palm Court Pavilion.  It was a nice open space to lounge with chairs and tables set with reading lamps. The décor made me feel like I was stepping back into the Roaring 20’s.

We were tired after traveling across the state of North Carolina. We settled in that evening to sleep and I was awakened about an hour later by my son’s coughing.  In his childhood he suffered from breathing problems and he was experiencing some difficulty that evening.  I gave him his medicine and we sat up together for a while. He still wasn’t feeling better and the room felt a little stuffy, so I threw on my robe and took him to sit out in the Palm Court area. The air was lighter there than in our room and I took a book to read to him to calm him down while we waited for the medicine to kick in and help his breathing. We sat side by side and were relaxing and talking and I was stroking his head and speaking softly to him.

It was close to midnight and the Inn was dead quiet. I felt a sudden chill in the air and pulled my robe tighter around me. My son also felt the chill and he snuggled in closer to warm up.  A few moments later, I felt someone around us and as I looked up from speaking to my son, I saw the ghostly image of a woman standing next to us. Not wanting to alarm my son, I remained quiet, observing her to see what she would do next.

At that time, my son looked up as well and saw the same woman.  It wasn’t alarming to either of us, as her energy felt compassionate and sympathetic towards both of us. She stood next to my son and seemed concerned for him and reached out her hand toward him, as if she meant to stroke his hair along with me.  She was with us for a few moments and then disappeared from our view.

My son and I looked at each other with wide eyes and smiled. It wasn’t the first time that we had seen a ghost; we had experienced several paranormal events together in a haunted house where we had once lived in Florida.  We headed back to our hotel room where my son jumped up on the bed to wake his dad and tell him the story.  My husband couldn’t believe he had missed it all. He was surprised that he had slept through everything, but that’s what the fresh mountain air does for you, relaxes you into a deep sleep.

My son was still not feeling well, so we packed up and left early to get him back home. As we were checking out, I asked the people at the front desk if they had ever heard any reports of a ghost at the Inn. They asked me why and I explained what had happened with my son and I in the Palm Court. The front desk clerks crowded around to hear my story.  They told me that I had seen the ghost of the Pink Lady, as she is known at the Inn.

The legend of the Pink Lady states that in the 1920’s, she fell, or was pushed from the hallway outside her room over the rail where she fell to the floor of the Palm Court Pavilion below.  The room that she stayed in was 545 and there have been reports from people who stayed in the room of experiencing cold spots in the room and sometimes seeing her apparition.

Some paranormal investigators might think that the Pink Lady is a time loop energy imprint apparition, replaying her death over and over in the Palm Court, but that is not what we experienced.  When she appeared to my son and I, she was engaged with us in the present moment and she was aware that my son was not feeling well. She stood by wanting to comfort him in a motherly way, just as I was doing.

The front desk employees told us that a few years prior to our visit, a doctor had stayed at the hotel and reported seeing her and that he had also reported that she seemed very welcoming to children.

Since that visit in 1998, we have returned to visit the Grove Park many times.   We’ve celebrated Christmas at the Grove Park, as well as Thanksgiving and Easter.  We’ve also visited many times to enjoy the inn’s new spa and I’ve been there for “girlfriend getaways” and romantic weekends with my husband and have wonderful memories with family and friends.  Ironically, we never stayed again in the Main Inn, preferring the wings and sometimes the Club Floor.

But each time we visit we do hop on the elevator with our friends and spend some time in the Palm Court in the late evenings, hoping that the Pink Lady will visit us again.

I traveled again this past year to the Grove Park to conduct further research for this book on the Pink Lady, as well as to research any other paranormal activity in the hotel. I brought a video camera along in case she decided to visit with me.  I didn’t see her during my visit and have come to the conclusion that she is really drawn to young children and that’s when she appears most often.  I’ve never slept in her room on the fifth floor, but have heard from employees at the inn that many guests report feeing her presence in the room and are often awakened by her in the evening.

While investigating paranormal activity at Grove Park I heard some other interesting stories from the employees about the hotel’s nightclub called Elaine’s. It is said to be the most haunted spot in the hotel.  We’ve been to Elaine’s Dueling Piano Bar during several of our visits and it’s always a very entertaining way to spend the evening. I’ve never seen a ghost or any sign of paranormal activity while there, but the employees report that the activity usually happens when Elaine’s is quiet and they are cleaning up the area the day after a long party the evening before in the club. Music is often heard playing inside Elaine’s club when no one is inside. Several ghostly apparitions have been reported to appear on the dance floor by the employees. They appear to be attending a party from decades ago as they are dressed in attire from the 1920’s and the music heard also appears to be from that time. Photographs taken at Elaine’s often show a large variety of orbs in photos, as the ghostly guests appear to enjoy being around the alcohol, the music, and the lively atmosphere.

A local TV station was once located in the building next to the Grove Park Inn and it is said that a ghost would often interfere with the equipment and enjoyed playing pranks on the staff. Some believe that the ghost is Alice, a servant who haunts the building, which originally was the Battle Mansion owned by Dr. Samuel Battle.  Others believe that the ghost was the Pink Lady from the Grove Park who enjoyed visiting the grounds and nearby home.  The ghost of Dr. Battle was also seen on occasion at the TV station. The TV station has since moved out of the Battle Mansion and the building was later demolished. New construction is ongoing on the site of the old Battle Mansion. It will be interesting to see if any haunted activity is reported during construction by the workers or by the new residents of the building.

The Grove Park Inn is a beautiful, warm and welcoming place to stay.  I’m surprised that it doesn’t have more ghosts who check in and never want to leave.

Kala on book tour speaking at Barnes and Noble

Award winning author, national columnist, inspirational speaker, and host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Radio and TV Show, Kala Ambrose’s teachings are described as discerning, empowering and inspiring. Whether she’s speaking with world-renowned experts on the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show, writing about empowering lifestyle choices, reporting on new discoveries in the scientific and spiritual arenas or teaching to groups around the country, fans around the world tune in daily for her inspirational musings and lively thought-provoking conversations.

A highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire, Kala teaches and writes about ancient wisdom teachings and how their techniques can be used in modern day living. Her books, The Awakened Aura: Experiencing the Evolution of Your Energy Body and 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled both cover these topics.

In addition, Kala shares her love of history, travel and the spirit world in her books Spirits of New Orleans and Ghosthunting North Carolina. Her books are designed to explore the history of cities in an entertaining manner while sharing haunted stories and offering travel tips on how to best see the cities to shop, dine, stay, and visit the haunted sites.

Kala writes for the Huffington Post, the Examiner, AOL, Yahoo and Fate Magazine and presents workshops nationally on the Mind/Body/Spirit connection including Auras and Energy Fields, Developing Business Intuition, Haunted History, and Wisdom Teachings at the Omega Institute, John Edward Presents Infinite Quest, the Learning Annex, LilyDale Assembly, and Daily Om. More about Kala at www.ExploreYourSpirit.com

Kala on book tour speaking at Barnes and Noble

The Spirits of New Orleans book tour is on a roll! We kicked off the tour with a weekend at the Pagan Festival where we handed out Mardi Gras beads in the spirit of New Orleans with beautiful Fall weather.  Now it’s on to radio interviews including DreamVisions Radio 7, Live Paranormal and a return visit to the Mudge Report with Jeff Mudgett on Thursday, October 4th at 10pm.

Last Thursday I was at Barnes and Noble to speak about two of my books, Spirits of New Orleans: Voodoo Curses, Vampire Legends and Cities of the Dead and Ghosthunting North Carolina. It was a great turn out for the discussion and I’m excited to say that the store reported to me that they had sold out of the books the day before my arrival and they had to gather more book from other stores for the event! As an author, that’s the most exciting news you can hear on book tour!  Thank you all for your support!

Coming up next week, is my live online event on ShinDig. If you haven’t heard of ShinDig before, check them out. Register for my event and you’ll be able to see me speaking live from your computer and if you’d like, you can also appear live on video and chat with me and ask me questions about the Spirit of New Orleans book. You can also have chats with other people attending the event and meet up with friends there as well. Here’s the information:

Explore the Spirits of New Orleans with Award Winning Author Kala Ambrose

Special One Night Event! Chat Live on ShinDig with Kala Ambrose on Book Tour with her new book, Spirits of New Orleans

This FREE event will be available on Thursday, October 11th from 7:30pm – 8:30pm EDT

CLICK TO REGISTER

Join Kala Ambrose on this special evening of her book tour, live on Shindig, on Thursday, October 11th from 7:30pm to 8:30pm Eastern, as she shares behind the scenes information about her new book, Spirits of New Orleans.

As “Your Travel Guide to the Other Side,” Kala shares insider’s tips on the best places to stay, shop, dine and party while in New Orleans! Chat with Kala as she takes you back to her roots to discover the Spirits of New Orleans.

During this journey, Kala explores the haunted history of the city and searches for those who decided to make New Orleans their eternal home as a resting place for some and a point of revenge for others. Prepare to embark on an enticing journey into the haunted history, paranormal activities and supernatural rituals and practices in order to fully understand and embrace the cultural significance of the variety of beliefs, superstitions, legends and lore.

Visit the resting place of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau in St. Louis Cemetery #1, have a drink at some of the most haunted bars in the city and spend the night in your choice of haunted hotels. With Kala as your guide, you’ll tread carefully through haunted Pirates Alley and down the streets of the French Quarter where ghosts, vampires and other supernatural beings lurk around every corner.

More info about Spirits of New Orleans at: http://www.exploreyourspirit.com/neworleansbook.html

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE FREE EVENT ON SHINDIG

Hey NC! Are you in Raleigh this weekend? Come check out the Pagan Festival at the NC State Fairgrounds.

Drop by the Explore Your Spirit Radio Booth to get your FREE Mardi Gras Beads (while supplies last) as we celebrate the release of my new book Spirits of New Orleans!

We’re also giving out other free goodies for my book Ghosthunting North Carolina too including Psychic Fish!

Here’s a spooky shot of Pirate Bones, hanging from the booth as we set up today.

Could these bones be from the infamous pirates who hid their treasure along the Carolina coast like Blackbeard and his men? Or perhaps they are from the time of Jean Lafitte and his band of men who ruled New Orleans and for a time, had Presidents, Kings and Queens all ask for his assistance.  Any ECU fans want to come verify for us? Ok, they’re our bones for the booth, but you get the idea.

Check out Ghosthunting North Carolina and Spirits of New Orleans: Voodoo Curses, Vampire Legends and Cities of the Dead to hear the rest of the story…

Information about the Pagan Festival event at: http://cncpaganpride.org/

Outdoor stage at The Lost Colony

It’s summer time in North Carolina and for many people here it’s time to getaway to the beach. When I visit the beaches of NC, my thoughts always return to Virginia Dare and the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Their time spent here on the beach was far less relaxing as they braved hostile natives, endured heat, mosquitoes and disease and struggled to survive from day to day.

Here’s how their adventure began… In 1584, explorers were sent to Roanoke Island (a narrow island situated between the Outer Banks and the mainland of North Carolina) by Sir Walter Raleigh to determine if the area would be well suited to establishing a colony. Upon their return, they delivered a positive report of the location, which included a list of the abundant natural resources surrounding the area and findings that Roanoke was better protected from the elements than the Outer Banks. The island appeared all around to be a good choice for a settlement with live oaks and plenty of other trees to build cabins and a variety of wildlife to hunt for food. Sir Walter Raleigh delivered the information to Queen Elizabeth and she granted Raleigh a charter to all the lands that he could claim in the area.

The next year Sir Raleigh sent out a group of one hundred men, mostly soldiers and craftsmen to establish the colony under the guidance of Ralph Lane, a military captain. The group met with poor results from the beginning and departed the area.

Sir Raleigh responded to the news of Lane’s departure by gathering a party of one hundred and seventeen men, women and children who were willing to sail from England in order to establish a permanent settlement in the New World.   As the group sailed to the New World, their leader John White included in his party his pregnant daughter Eleanor Dare.  Upon their arrival, the situation was hostile on all fronts and the colonists asked John White to return to England to gather support and supplies.

Three years after Eleanor gave birth to her daughter Virginia Dare, her father John White returned to Roanoke Island to find everyone and everything missing. All traces of the settlement had disappeared. There was no sign of struggle nor were there any signs of where the group had gone.  His heart raced with terror, were his daughter and his granddaughter alive? Had someone taken them?  There had been no way to get a direct message to them for the past three years. The colonists had no news source and relied on ships that very infrequently stopped in the area. It’s highly likely that the colonists might not have known about the war that had kept White from traveling back to them. They may have presumed White to be dead or lost at sea.

Imagine how Eleanor must have felt, a new baby and practically defenseless, waiting each day in such dangerous territory, cradling her small daughter Virginia while everyone rationed the dwindling supplies.  John White understood this and more, realizing that his dream of starting the first settlement in the new world and bringing his daughter with him, had led to her destruction.

White searched through the entire abandoned settlement and the only clues he found was the word CROATAN carved into one of the trees and the letters CRO carved in a second tree nearby. He had asked the group to leave a sign should they be forced to move further inland and suggested that they use the sign of a Maltese cross carved in a tree should they be under attack and forced to flee for their lives.

The lost colony of Roanoke remains a mystery to this day.  Many theories have risen throughout the years over what happened to the colonists. They include: a hurricane swept over them and destroyed the settlement and washed all the colonists out to sea; a hostile native tribe killed them all, buried their bodies and destroyed the settlement; and the settlers, angry at what they perceived as White’s desertion or death, and now hungry, alone, and cold, set out to live elsewhere and died along their journey, or they left and went to live with the Croatan tribe.

Supernatural explanations have also been raised, including werewolves attacking the group and turning the colonists into werewolves; or as they abandoned the settlement, the native tribes destroyed the camp and cursed it in order to keep others from returning.  One theory posits that aliens arrived on the shore and took all of the colonists with them onto their space ship. The area is considered to be haunted by the tragedies and deaths which occurred during this time.

Researchers continue to discuss and debate the lost colony of Roanoke. Many believe that the settlers argued during the months after White left, some believing that he would never return and others holding out hope. One opinion is that the group broke up into two parties and went their separate ways, some heading towards Chesapeake Bay where they had originally intended to settle and the others partnered up and assimilated into the Croatan tribe.

The settlers of Roanoke may have disappeared into the night without a trace, but they are certainly not forgotten.  The legends and stories of Virginia Dare and the other colonists inspired Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green’s play, “The Lost Colony”.  Each summer in North Carolina, visitors from around the world visit Manteo to see this outdoor theater performance.  The theater uses the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean in the area where the Lost Colony once existed. The play recounts the historical events leading to the disappearance of the first English colonists who settled on Roanoke Island over 400 years ago. This year marks the 75th anniversary season of the nation’s longest-running symphonic drama, “The Lost Colony.” The live performance theater on the beach is performed by a professional company of over 100 actors, dancers, singers and technicians and runs from June 1st through August 23rd. From epic battles and Indian dances to the pageantry of the Queen and her court, “The Lost Colony” educates, enriches and entertains.

Ghosthunting North Carolina by Kala Ambrose

Want to know more about what I saw and experienced while investigating the Lost Colony of Roanoke along with my interview with some of the leading researchers and archeologists who are working to uncover the mysteries of Roanoke?  It’s all in my new book, Ghosthunting North Carolina.

Commissioned in 1941, the USS North Carolina was considered to be one of the world’s most formidable ships.  During WWII, the North Carolina participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific, earning fifteen battle stars, and was known as the protector of aircraft carriers, including saving the USS Enterprise in 1942.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor using 353 Japanese fighters and torpedo planes.  Four battleships were sunk and four others damaged. Two destroyers and three cruisers were sunk and almost three hundred and fifty aircrafts were destroyed or severely damaged.  Over 2,400 men were killed and more than 1,200 injured. The overwhelming devastation was a huge shock to the nation.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, almost all of the Pacific fleet was destroyed. The first wave Japanese attack inflicted most of the damage and the second wave returned to demolish anything left standing. Japan and the U.S. were in peace talks at the time, so the attack came as a surprise, as no declaration of war had been delivered before the attack. With this act, the U.S. then declared war and entered World War II.

The surviving sailors in Hawaii were in a state of despair; they had lost many of their friends along with their ships and they were isolated on an island far away from the mainland. The attack had been swift. Reinforcements and supplies were going to take months to arrive in Hawaii. Feeling alone and grieving, the men waited for seven long months for reinforcements to arrive.

Then one day, the first naval ship arrived in Hawaii. It was the USS North Carolina and she was greeted in a mass celebration by an overwhelming crowd of soldiers, sailors, marines and air force pilots, hailing her presence from the beaches with cheers and delight.  Upon her arrival in Hawaii, many sailors were quoted as saying that she was “the most beautiful thing they had ever seen.”  

In my experience as a psychic and paranormal investigator, I have found that powerful emotional experiences of the most positive and the most negative nature leave an energy imprint on the object of the attention. Energy imprints are also left on objects surrounding the area as well.  I believe that the USS North Carolina battleship soaked up all of that energy that day upon her arrival in Pearl Harbor. In the water and in the air, she felt the pain and loss of the destruction which had occurred, while at the same time, she was greeted and filled with joy by sailors, pilots and marines who saw her as a saving grace and point of hope.  This, I believe, buoyed the battleship, giving her great luck and fierce determination in battle.

During the War, the Japanese reported on their radio six different times that they had sunk the North Carolina battleship, all of which proved to be false.  The Japanese did manage to hit the ship once with a torpedo, which cost five crewmen their lives. Five other men died aboard the ship from other circumstances and by some accounts some of them still remain on board and in active duty on the ship to this day.

The USS North Carolina battleship is now anchored in Wilmington, North Carolina where thousands visit her each year.  Many of those who visit and work on the ship have shared a number of ghost stories and other paranormal activity they experienced while onboard.

From the night watchman who sleeps aboard the ship each night, to daily tourists and visitors, the reports of the ship being haunted continue to grow.  Some of the ghosts are harmless, though they do catch people off guard, giving them a fright. Mostly, they are seen involved in their daily activities aboard the ship, looking for lunch from the kitchen, preparing for bed in their bunks and performing maintenance around the ship. The sounds of their banging as they work on parts of the ship can often be heard throughout the night.  These ghosts are hard workers; they bang with their tools, knock on walls, open and close hatches, yell at each other, have heated and animated discussions, and enjoy turning televisions and lights on and off.

In my new book, Ghosthunting North Carolina, I share what happened when I visited the haunted battleship to see what ghosts were ready to speak with me. Check it out and explore the haunted battleship with me.

Witches Corner at Korner's Folly in Kernersville, NC

Unlike the Winchester Mystery Mansion in San Jose, California, the Korner’s Folly home in Kernersville, North Carolina was deliberately designed with style in mind. At the Winchester House, Sarah Winchester, upon the advice of a psychic, had carpenters build new rooms in her house twenty-four hours a day until her death. This ongoing construction was supposed to confuse and trick the angry spirits who had been killed by Winchester rifles from locating Sarah Winchester in her home and haunting her.  Inside the Winchester home, doors open to several- story drops below and staircases lead to the ceiling, going nowhere. The entire house winds around like a maze and by the time you’ve walked through it, you’ve walked over a mile. The effect is eerie, confusing and at times maddening.  While Korner’s Folly also has a variety of unique rooms and twists and turns, the effect feels very different; it’s charming and each rooms pulls you into an experience for the senses.

Jule created Korner’s Folly for an entirely different reason and ghosts were the furthest things from his mind.  A talented artist, Korner wanted the house to be a showplace for his work, both artistically in size and scale and to give prospective clients an idea of the various types of interior design that he could create in their homes and buildings.    The house has twenty-two rooms and there’s no easy way to describe them. Each room is unique; some fit for royalty, palatial in scale. There are trap doors, over fifteen different styles of fireplaces, cubbyholes to tuck away in, murals, and a library.

The home has been wonderfully preserved, despite having served as an antique store and also a funeral home. Ring, ring says my psychic warning bell!  What a perfect combination to create a haunted building!  Antiques carry the emotional energies of their owners, and the grief is thick in a funeral home where the dead come to attend their own funeral; Together, it’s a psychic’s perfect storm.

Want to know more about what I found while investigating the haunted history of Korner’s Folly? Read about this story and others in my new book,  Ghosthunting North Carolina.

Enchanting Ways to Celebrate the Spirit of Halloween

The spirit of Halloween has a tradition for everyone to enjoy including spending some quality time with family and friends, while keeping it budget friendly this year. The economy is hitting everyone hard these days and it might not be the year to throw your most extravagant over the top Halloween party.

No worries, there are as many ways to celebrate Halloween as there are days in the year.

In the spirit of the season, I offer ten tradition-filled ways to celebrate and embrace the magic of the season including:

1.    Find love with a magic apple.
If you’re single, select a juicy red apple and peel the skin in one long piece. Hold the peel of the apple in your hand and say aloud, ‘As I fling this apple peel, my true love’s name will be revealed’. Fling the apple peel over your head and turn around to look at the shape that the peel forms on the ground. It is said that the apple peel will form into the first initial of your true love’s name.

2.    Dancing under the moonlight.
It’s a Crescent Moon Halloween, but Lady Luna will still be working her magic. Let your hair down, put on some music and dance in the moonlight.  Need I say more? Let your inner wild child come out and play!

3.    Celebrate the ‘Day of the Dead’ – Mexico style.
Honor friends and family who have passed on to the other side. Host a special dinner and set a place for departed loved ones at the table. Light a candle at their seated place of honor and include framed photos of them at the table. During dinner, share stories about all of the wonderful memories of your deceased loved ones.

4. Have a ‘Come As You Were’ costume party.
Take a step back in time and explore who you were in your past lives. Invite guests to come to your party dressed in a costume representing who they were in a past life. The conversations will be endless as each person shares who they were in a past life and how they lived.

5. Volunteer to help others enjoy the holiday.
Nursing homes appreciate volunteers to help out with holiday festivities, as do hospitals and charities with fund raising events. Spend Halloween spreading the spirit of the season with others and make a difference in your community.

6. Have a seed planting celebration.
Many cultures celebrate Halloween as the end of the year and November 1st as the New Year. Invite friends to celebrate on Halloween by making resolutions for the new year. Hand out packages of seeds to each of your guests and invite them to plant new seeds of thought this Fall which will manifest and bloom with new dreams in the Spring. Don’t forget to plant your carved pumpkins in the ground with your seeds, they make great compost.

7. Dim the lights and scare yourself silly by reading some good books including:

• The World’s Creepiest Places by Dr. Bob Curran
• Ghosthunting North Carolina by Kala Ambrose
• Weiser Field Guide to Witches by Judika Illes
• Real Monsters, Gruesome Critters and Beasts from the Dark Side by Brad Steiger
• The Real Men in Black by Nick Redfern

8. Enlighten others on the history of Halloween and help end harmful and baseless superstitions.
Help debunk a superstition that is based on fear, like the one that says black cats are bad luck. In Ancient Egypt, black cats were revered in honor of the goddess Bast. Many cultures find black cats to be the luckiest color of all. Read WikiAnswers for more information on how black cats have been revered throughout the ages by many cultures. Share how Halloween is celebrated in various customs around the world. This website has some beautiful photos showcasing how the holiday is celebrated in different countries.

9. Have a horror movie trivia competition and film festival.
Rent several classic horror movies and invite friends over to engage in a movie trivia competition followed up by watching the films. Read my article on Best Paranormal Movies of All Time to find a great selection to rent.

10. Listen to supernatural interviews on the Explore Your Spirit show with Mary Ann Winkowski the Ghost Whisperer (on whom the tv show Ghost Whisperer is based on) along with Werewolves with Dr. Bob Curran, Vampires with Brad Steiger and in October, watch Explore Your Spirit TV with psychic Gary Spivey.

Most all, enjoy yourself and the spirit of Halloween! Happy Haunting!

Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. For more articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her main page at National Haunted History Examiner.