I can't remember if I have mentioned this before or not but I was reading something yesterday that reminded me of my experience so I thought I'd mention it on here.

A few years ago, back when my partner and I lived in his last house which had a lot of strange things happening, he had left for work early in the morning as he often did when he was on that particular shift. I think he'd left just after 6am so I was still in bed.

On this particular morning, I was laying in bed trying to get back to sleep but despite facing the other way towards the wardrobes, I felt someone in bed with me. I could feel them gently tugging away at the covers and could perhaps hear them breathing (although can't remember the breathing bit for definite) but it was just like my partner was still in bed next to me sleeping, moving the covers a little as he moved about in his sleep as you do. That kind of sensation.

Thinking I was probably half asleep, I got up and switched the light on and everything seemed normal. There was no one in the bed. I told myself it was me being silly and got back in bed and switched the light off. The same happened again. I lay there for a short while wondering how this could be happening.

I thought it would just keep happening so I turned the light on, looked at the bed which was again empty and then decided to get up for the morning. I left the bedroom and walked out on to the landing, just in time to see a person disappearing down the bottom few steps and in to the kitchen.

This really freaked me out so it took me a while before I dared go downstairs again. I knew no one had broken in because we have a dog and the dog would have barked but she was sleeping quietly underneath the stairs, over the opposite side. I also didn't hear any footsteps when the man walked down them so I knew it wasn't a "real" person. This man was wearing a long black coat and a black top hat.

Yesterday I was reading tales about a similar man dressed in the same clothes called "the hat man" and I can't help but wonder if he was who I saw in our last house. Although, that house was built around the early 1900's so it could have been a former resident dressed in what they wore back then, walking down the stairs.

But I still think about that incident today. There were many strange happenings there but I never saw him again.

Albert says "An unfriendly spirit can influence us, only if we provide them with a key."

Yes. We need to be mindful of things that we do that provides the key or what I call a portal. Many years ago I read a book by Ruth Montgomery that made the point that thoughts are things. Thoughts have energy, and if the thoughts are not carefully monitored or are unclean, they can and do attract negative spirits who are attracted to such thoughts. It can devolve to the point where it becomes symbiotic, meaning that thoughts you think are your own are amplified by external entities.

Thoughts are not necessarily harmless.  Thinking about painting the house is one thing; being obsessed with burning it down may attract entities who relish the idea and add motivation to actually carrying out the deed.

C.S. Lewis' "Screwtape Letters" makes this point much better than I can. Definitely worth a read.

R