There are Old Ghosts in the Old Restaurant

Full transcript of the My True Ghost Stories episode “There are Old Ghosts in the Old Restaurant.” Listen to this episode.

A place from my past calls me back, not for a meal, but for something left unfinished. The energy lingers, the presence remains, but now it's time to set it free. Welcome to Episode 29 of My True Ghost Stories. Today's story involves the old restaurant of the restaurant owner from Episode 2 of this podcast, and that episode was called New Restaurant, and this story is about her old restaurant, her first restaurant. After I cleared a heavy lingering negative energy from her restaurant two weeks before its grand opening, the owner had called me to say that the opening had gone wonderfully and that the patrons were noting how clear and positive the energy was in the space.

She was so happy with the change there at her new restaurant. She asked if I could come and do the same thing at her old restaurant, clear the energy and any ghosts that might be there. Not that that restaurant had an energy that people noticed, but she figured she should do it anyway. This old restaurant of hers was a beloved neighborhood hangout, with a bar section that attracted a regular crowd of locals. I was happy to receive her call and happy to oblige.

I love doing this work, and it just so happens that I had history with this space. Besides eating there occasionally and being friends with the owner, this tavern was a restaurant before. A coffee shop actually. And it was the exact coffee shop from episode 15, titled, I lost my fear of ghosts in a restaurant. And it was in that coffee shop that I had my eye-opening conversation with my friend Victoria, the intuitive, the one where I confessed to her that I seek ghosts all the time and pointed the ones that were in that very coffee shop out to her.

That business had since closed and the space had been taken over by my friend. It was now a bustling, warm, local hangout, still a restaurant, but now with a bar and completely renovated and remodeled, what the ghosts had remained. The ghosts I had seen that day with Victoria, they were still there. Their energy, as far as I could tell, was not affecting the establishment, but it could have been that the warmth, joy, and busyness of the place was covering up any negativity that might be there. So the coffee shop where I first confessed that I seek ghosts was taken over by my friend and turned into her first restaurant.

And I was going to clear that restaurant of two ghosts from the coffee shop that had remained after the switch. So who were the ghosts that had remained with the building? There were two. I sometimes saw them when I went to that restaurant, but I had not yet felt that it was time to help them. But this is who I saw.

And these were two of the same ghosts that I saw at the coffee shop. A woman was standing in the back corner by the bathrooms. The same spot she was standing when I pointed to her out to Victoria that day, when this was a coffee shop. She was distraught and distracted and staring off into space. The second ghost was a man who had sat behind Victoria on that day in the coffee shop, giving me the thumbs up as I told the truth about my gift.

He was sitting in the same spot in this new restaurant and he always had an air of friendliness, familiarity and concern. I had over the years started calling him the mayor because he seemed very interested in everything going on in this restaurant. And he was always at the same table, relaxed and in charge. I set a date with the owner who I'm going to call Rhonda to come by one week day morning before the restaurant opened to do a clearing. But set up for the day was going to be going on while I was there doing my job.

So the kitchen guys would be there. So my first order of business after arriving to do my clearing job there was to protect everyone that was going to be in the space from any negative energy that might fly around while I clear the space. Rhonda went into the kitchen soon after I arrived to let the guys know I had to place a circle of protection around them and they all just filed out of the kitchen and stood in a line in front of me. It always thrills me when people just openly accept a spiritual exercise like this. They stood there and I explained to them what I was going to do and why and they said, okay, and stood there with their heads bowed as I motioned and waved over them one at a time.

Then they thanked me and went directly back into the kitchen, not a side glance among them. Again, I find this kind of acceptance thrilling. The next thing to do after protecting all the workers, me and Rhonda, was to help the spirit of the woman cross over. She was so distracted I knew it would be hard to get her attention and let her know she could move on to a better place. She seemed sort of frozen, staring off into space.

She had not asked me for help but I was getting a strong message from my guides that it was time to free her from this state. This energy clearing request, Permanda, was a signal from the universe that it was time for this spirit to cross over. Now I don't know why she was frozen in that spot. This building had gone through many different identities and where the bathrooms were, where she was standing, had been the back room of many different storefronts. Some less legit than others, so God only knows what may have gone on in that space back there.

But I could tell that this ghost was traumatized and stuck in the freeze aspect of the fight, flight or freeze reaction to danger. And I knew I had to gently coax her out of being frozen for just long enough to get her to go to the other side, where I believe there would be help for her. And while it would have been interesting to hear her history, who she was, would happen to her and why her soul is lingering, my job was to let her know that it's time to cross over. That she doesn't have to stay here, it's safe to leave and that things will be better on the other side. There she will get the help she needs.

And that is always my job to focus on helping spirits cross over. That's it. So I never get to learn that much about them. I began my process of helping this woman spirit to move on. I went into that back corner by the bathrooms and there was a short row of about six of those wooden high chair seats that restaurants used for kids.

There were three stacks of two. I told Rhonda that I needed to get behind them to talk to the spirit and then to clear the energy after she departed. Absolutely, Rhonda said. And she got one of the guys from the kitchen to move them into the main room. And the restaurant was still not open for the day.

And he moved them, revealing a fair amount of dust on the floor. So a dust clearing was going to be necessary as well as a spiritual one. Rhonda told the kitchen guy to clean off the bottom of the high chairs while they were out. And I got to work on the woman spirit. It was hard to get her attention.

She was staring off into space and I had to wave my arms a little and really let her know that it was safe to look at me. When she finally did look at me, it was heartbreaking. The level of fear and sadness that I felt from her was more than most spirits that I communicate with. And I just wanted to get her out of this spot and onto the other side for some relief. And that happened.

I spoke to her. I got her attention. She came away from the wall. She didn't respond when I spoke, but listen to the instructions that I was being given by my guides to give her to look up, to trust, to let these guides take her to the other side. And she finally exited with the help of two guides, one on each side.

I can feel it as they enter the other side and I cried as she exited, feeling her relief and knowing that her next step had begun. After she crossed over, it was time to clear her residual energy. I sprayed my concoction, waved some smudge, wiped down the walls, swept away the dust from the corners and mopped with my special blessed mop. Rhonda came over and helped a little, especially with the arm waving required for sending the spirit up and through after they've begun their ascension. I finished with the hallway by the bathrooms and that spirit crossing over and I took a minute to rest.

And then it was time to talk to the mayor, that friendly spirit who was sitting waiting for me at his usual table. I went over and sat across from him. The first time I had seen this ghost years ago at my coffee date with Victoria when this was a coffee shop. Back then, this ghost had been happy, engaged, observing everything that was going on and he had given me the thumbs up on being a medium. But now, he was still pleasant, but he seemed tired and less engaged and he needed to communicate with me.

When I talk to spirits, I talk in a low voice or even just in my head. And if there are people around, I keep it as quiet as possible. But it requires very intense level of concentration for me to communicate with them. So I really have to focus when I'm talking to a spirit. So I sat down across from the mayor.

I focused and said in my low spirit talking voice, I tell me what you need. And he was a very communicative spirit. He said that he had been watching over this location for many years and that he was tired and he wanted to leave. And he felt he could now because that lady, he indicated Ronda, the restaurant owner, was doing a great job of managing the place. But he needed to talk to her.

So could I call her over and help him have a conversation with her? I called Ronda over who had been waiting by the bar directing the kitchen staff but also keeping an eye out for me and staying ready to help. When called, she came right over and I introduced her to the mayor. I didn't have a name for him, so I just said he wants to talk to you and she knew who it was as I had described both ghosts to her. And I said to the mayor, here she is, he asked me to tell her that he was tired and he couldn't look after the place anymore.

And that finally there was someone here, Ronda, that he felt was taking proper care of the place. But he needed to hear her promise that she would take good care of this space after he left. He couldn't leave without hearing that promise. So Ronda is very cool and a 100% believer. So she finished listening to me, tell her this message from the mayor.

And then she looked directly at the spot that I told her he was sitting and she asked, what exactly do you mean? How do you need me to take care of the place? She needed specifics. And it was a very cool question. I was witnessing communication between two professionals, two shopkeepers.

She finished her question and I listened for his answer and his answer was quick and plain. The mayor said, safety, make sure there are no fire hazards, check all the smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. Make sure there are no tripping hazards. Make sure everything is sanitary. Fix that hole in the step down to the basement.

Stuff like that. Okay, Ronda answered. I will get started right away on that and she started to turn away as if to get started immediately. But she turned back and said to the mayor, I promise I will take good care of the place. And the mayor was satisfied with that statement from Ronda.

And after she walked away, he stood up ready to cross over. He knew he needed me to help him. He seemed to know all about how this works, that he needed help. His spirit had remained on this side long ago and now he needed someone like me, a spiritual medium to send him to the other side, which could be why he gave me the thumbs up all those years ago in this very spot. Maybe he knew that this was coming and that I was meant to start doing this work and be the very person who eventually helped him to cross over.

Who knows? So in order to help the mayor, I contacted some guides to help him cross over. He willingly accepted their help as he had accepted mine and he went. And I could feel his relief as he finally left his post in this restaurant and God only knows how many other identities of this 100 plus year old storefront. His had not been a sad lingering.

He had seen content the few times I had seen him before today, exuding positive vibes. But when you're done, you're done. And he was happy to go on to his next level. Since he had been a pretty positive ghost, there was not a lot of energy to clear from where he had existed, but I still waved him through the portal and sprayed and smudged the area after he crossed over. After that I did a general clearing, all the rest of the restaurant, mostly spring and waving with help from Ronda.

And we also ran through the basement where the offices and storage were, but there were no more ghosts. So it was pretty simple. Just spraying and smudging. By this point in the morning, the restaurant was about to open and there were already a few people waiting outside. I quickly removed the candles from the entrance and consolidated all of my equipment.

Up, spray, smudge, book, candles onto one table in the back where Ronda and I had a quick meeting and recap. And I left her with instructions on where the two portals were, where the ghosts had exited, and the methods for maintaining them and closing them up after three days. And I went on my way, exhausted and giddy with satisfaction. I love doing this work. Ronda texted me that evening and said, the night bartender had walked into the restaurant that evening and said, it feels extra positive in here.

What's different? What did you do? Ronda was very excited to tell me this and I was thrilled to hear it. She closed up the portals, three days later and texted me again to say that a few more people had mentioned the extra positive vibe in the space. And she had given them my business card.

So lots of good came from this job. And about those two spirits, I rarely get to see what is on the other side. I do get a sensation of what it's like because when they cross over, I feel the relief. So I know that those two spirits got relief. As always, if you have enjoyed this episode, please review, subscribe and share it with a friend to help the show grow.

And that's all for today. Thank you for listening to today's episode. And if you think your house is haunted, want energy cleared from your space or need a custom spiritual ritual, I'm here to help. Visit jpclearing.com or email me at jpclearing60 at gmail.com. Don't forget to join me here every Tuesday for a new episode. Until next time.