For years now, some strange things have been happening to me--and moving never helps. It started when I was a teen living at my mom's. Odd things would happen. The stereo in my room would turn on, and the volume would go all the way up while there was no one in the room, lights would turn on and off while I was trying to read at night before bed, the stove would turn on by itself.

We paid no attention. When my grandmother passed away 5 or so years later, it started back up again but only not as noticeable. The cloth on my nightstand would get pulled off on its own when I would be home alone, and there was no wind in the house either.

Four years later, I moved into my own apartment in the city, and very strange things started to happen. I heard a man's voice clear as day at the end of my bed say, "Wow, she's getting big." In the middle of the night it woke me out of a dead sleep and my 3 month old puppy ran to the end of the bed and started growling. One morning I heard a young girl's voice say my name and wake me up.

Finally, I moved across the country and moved into a condo in San Diego. A month or so after moving in, I got a new dog and odd things started occurring. It started with a really heavy feeling when I first walked into the condo, like the air was heavy and this enormous weight was pushing on me. Then there were sounds at night like 2 X 4's of wood being clapped together in my living room.

Finally, things started to happen during the day. I would be taking a nap, and my dog would run to the side of the bed I slept on and stare up at the corner of the ceiling and would growl and bark. My boyfriend didn't believe me until one night it got extremely cold and you could see your breath. He woke me up and heard the noises from the living room that I had told him about. He of course went to investigate and nothing was there, but the cold wasn't throughout the condo.

We moved into our new townhouse on the other side of the city about 7 or so months ago, and everything has been fine--until recently. A few weeks ago, we would be walking up stairs to our bedroom and halfway up the stairs, we would get the feeling that something was there watching us. The cold spots started in our bedroom again at night. The dog will wake up and growl in the middle of the night towards where our sinks are. The lights go off and on by themselves in the living room.

A couple of nights ago while my boyfriend was at work, the dog woke up and had to go out. When I was about to walk down the stairs, she stopped and got into a very defensive position and started to growl. She's in no way shape or form an attack dog and has never shown any sign of aggression or being insane for that matter...

Why is this following me? I'm not a very spiritual or paranormal believer, so please give me your suggestions.

Yes it does sound like ghost, animals are keen into feeling things. But they seem harmless from what you have said.

I think dogs are remarkably perceptive, tuned into a higher plane than humans. Personal experience - when my husband died (in a hospital) my dogs (at home) howled. Frightened the heck out of my friend who was with them. Was it something else that caused them to howl? I'll never know.

In your case if you are concerned I would consult a psychic or clergyperson.

And as FrChuck said I see no indication that whatever it is is dangerous - but perhaps your dog does.

Whether you believe in something or not makes no difference in the reality of it. Hauntings and other spiritual manifestations don't happen to only those who believe in it. These spirits could be following you for any number of reasons. It most likely could go back several generations. They feel as if they have a legal right to you. I'm definitely on the "right-wing" side of the paranormal spectrum... I don't believe it is good to have these spirits around you, whether harm is apparent or not. I believe spiritual harm is sometimes more important than physical harm.

Are you just trying to figure our what they are or do you want them to leave?

Both I would lime to know why it's following me and to please just leave me alone.

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Well, like I said, why it is there probably has something to do with a family history. It's probably been around for awhile. So don't think of this as something YOU did specifically to make it come.

Getting rid of it might be easier said than done. You said yourself you're not very spiritual... and I take that to mean that you're not religious either. The most pure and true form of help you can possibly get is going to come from the church. That is the only source of total deliverance from this spirit. Would you be willing to talk to a local ministry about your issue?

I think I may agree to that, I know that my family's history isn't the prettiest, as we all have our own skeletons, so this doesn't surprise me none. However, after 10+ years I'm getting rather annoyed with it. This morning the lights would shut off every time I was trying to do something in the living room and it's really starting to annoy me. Yes, I would consider talking to a local church about it but the last thing I need is some church member to be dismissive towards me and lable me as a loon or go full on exorcist on me.

And I cannot promise you that you won't run into that. Just because somebody is a Christian does not make them perfect... and if you start to feel like they do not believe, my advice would be to move on to another one because they probably wouldn't understand the issue themselves. Whether most Christians understand it or not, taking care of this specific issue was part of the last thing Christ told the church before he ascended. The flip side of that is also this... it may very well take somebody coming to your home and commanding an exorcism. I think however, you are picturing what is shown in the media so much. This does not have to involve a catholic priest coming over with incense and candles. Exorcism is about authority, not ritual. It does not matter what denomination you talk to, as long as they believe the Bible means what it says. Go with who you are comfortable with. If I can help in any way let me know.

Yes, please tell me if there's anything I can do on my own first or do you not suggest doing anything at all for fear of pissing it off? I do have some faith however I consider myself more of an agnostic, I was baptised Catholic and given my family is VERY Celtic they forced me to go to church as a child and when I was old enough (18) I moved out and was dubbed the "black sheep" of the family. Since then I've only attended a Catholic church for funerals.

Unfortunately, there isn't much I believe you should try and do on your own. The pure authority over these spirits that Christ referred to for His church, is really only for born-again believers. Spirits can tell when the Holy Spirit is backing an individual or not and I wouldn't confront one with Him.

It's not an issue of you "pissing off" the spirit as so much that the spirit really doesn't have to listen to you. It would be like somebody who isn't a police officer trying to write and enforce a traffic ticket to a person who was speeding... the authority is simply not there.

Again, talk to some local ministries... I personally would try to point you to the Full Gospel or Pentecostal type of churches.

Burn white sage and sweet grass for protection and cedar needles for clarity and firmly command this spirit to be gone from your home and to never return tell it "In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit I hereby command you to leave my home and never return so long as I shall live." "So I have spoken, so mote it be!"