Have you ever wondered if you were seeing things? Have you ever wondered if there is a parallel universe with a black hole connection to earth or our world, where spirits can move back and forth between different dimensions? Have you ever watched Ghost Hunters or similar programs on TV and wondered if there really is any truth to what they are experiencing? Approximately one-third of Americans do.
On Memorial Day weekend, 2013, I decided my hard working husband needed a vacation and some rest. So we went to Vancouver, Washington to a local Inn. We planned on staying three nights. The next day was a sunny Saturday and we drove to Lincoln City, had seafood and watched the ocean waves crash on the rocks. I wondered if there were any mermaids there; but never saw any as we drove up the coast to Astoria and the Washington side of the Columbia river. Of course on the 27th of May, Animal Planet was going to show the documentary: Mermaids: New Evidence. I have a curious nature and watch this stuff and wonder about it, even if it is unscientific.
Sunday we planned on touring the Pittock Mansion in Portland, Oregon. I casually noted the place was haunted by some rather friendly spirits. We met my nephew and his wife and child at the Inn and proceeded to lunch at Applebee’s where it was decided they would accompany us to the mansion, since his wife had never been there,
After driving up a steep incline or mountain/hill to get there, parking was hard to find. Nevertheless, we piled out of the cars and began walking up to one of the most beautiful mansions I have ever seen! We passed the three car garage of this mansion and the mansion came into view. It was built in 1914, by Mr. Henry Pittock and his wife Georgiana Burton Pittock. The mansion was breath taking as we approached it. You could see down to the city of Portland and all the mountains surrounding the city. We could not tour the mansion because there was only 45 minutes before it closed. So we began a tour of our own. I felt the true joy of this wonderful place and knew it must have been truly loved by it’s owners. I felt nothing that was supernatural, only peace and beauty.
As we walked around the mansion and viewed the sites and flower gardens, we came to a third building that served as the quarters for their servants or hired help. You couldn’t go in the building, so we looked through the windows. After walking around to the back of the building, I began to feel a bit dizzy. That was only the beginning of my experience for the next two days.
By the time I got back to the room at our Inn, I was totally exhausted and laid down to rest. I fell immediately into a deep REM sleep. I awoke still feeling tired. As we watched television, I began to smell the most fragrant incense I have ever experienced. It was so strong and nothing like anything I had smelled before. I asked my husband if he smelled it too. He did not. I fell back to sleep again. When I awoke this time, I smelled a strong smell of flowers so sweet it took my breath away. Again, I asked my husband if he smelled the flowers. Again, he did not.
Shortly after that, I began to feel euphoric. I felt a loving comforting presence and began thinking about my brother (my nephews father and a USAF veteran who died recently) and our last days together before his death. It was 11:30 pm and this lasted until 3:30 am Memorial Day morning. I feel deeply asleep and when I awoke again it was about 5:30 am in the morning. I tried to get up to go to the ladies room and felt horribly dizzy. I was absolutely exhausted and felt totally drained.
We were leaving to go back to Seattle that morning and I felt even dizzier as the hours pasted. By 9:30 am I finally was able to get up and get our things packed. I managed to drive home to Seattle; but when I entered our house, it came back so strong, I felt nauseated. This feeling continued until the day after Memorial Day. I spent those two days lying in bed too sick to raise my head and too tired to even think straight. Oddly, I had no fever and/or signs of the flu or food poisoning.
By Wednesday morning I became extremely curious and began to read everything I could on spirits and encounters. Apparently, apparitions often do alert the person of their presence by using smells that are familiar. I found that whenever the ghost of Georgiana was present at the mansion, there was a strong smell of roses. Secondly, there is a belief that in order not to frighten the person the spirit is contacting, they alert them by using a scent that person can associate with the person trying to make contact or should I say spirit trying to make contact? Also, there is a belief that spirits can attach to the energy field or aura of a human person. Thus, one could have followed me from the mansion.
Incidentally, one side note,while we were driving to the Oregon coast, I began to feel a great deal of anger toward my brother. I began remembering all the past hurts and how we disagreed regarding religion, politics and family. My poor husband listened to a rather heated rant of mine! I was never a drinker and just did not get the life style my brother had after 33 years in the US Air Force where alcohol had played a role in the lives of service members before the Reagan Administration. In fact my officer husband was the drug and alcohol control officer during his years in the US Army. Neither of us used drugs and seldom touched alcohol. After having this rant, I felt really awful and wished I had not been so angry with his memory.
Okay, with all this being said, I am sounding too weird for even me to comprehend. So, I contacted the Puget Sound Paranormal Society to see if I could get some answers. So far they have not responded. I have never had an experience like this and am wondering what in the world did my imagination drum up or if I did indeed have a paranormal experience, for whatever reason.
Note: Just a side note. Roses have always been important in our family. My mother and daughter’s middle name is Rose and my favorite flower is the rose. Mrs. Georgiana Burton Pittock is called the Queen of Portland’s Roses. I have visited every rose garden in every city there was one. Incidentally, the state flower of Washington is the Rhododendron. In Greek” Rhodo means rose and Dendron means tree.
JOYSTECHTOOL 