A New Orleans Protective Spirit

When I first started this blog I put a general post on about protective spirits. I also shared several posts about protective spirits that remain in a store where I have done investigations in the past. This kind of haunting happens a lot more often than the “evil” spirits that are glamourized on television. I find this kind of haunting very intriguing.

One early episode on the TV show Ghost Hunters actually was interesting in that this team were able to alleviate a families’ fears by pointing out to them the ghost that was haunting them was actually a protective spirit that helped prevent one of their children from being burned by hot liquid. This completely changed how this family viewed the spirit who shared their home. To my knowledge they haven’t done another show like this, which is too bad.

One of my all time favorite “firsthand experience” ghost stories is about a protective spirit. * It centers on a female ghost who stays with one family who lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. This ghost literally saved the life of the husband in this family. One afternoon this man who was not feeling well fell asleep watching television in the back family room. His wife and daughter left to go shopping. He awoke when he heard his name being called.

Coming out of a deep sleep, it took him awhile to realize there was a female figure in the hall staring down at him. He did not recognize her. Again he heard his name called out this time very loudly. The female then turned and headed down the hall. Now wondering whom this woman was the man rushed to the open door and looked into the hall. He could just see the form of the woman for she appeared to be fading away. He realized that a thick fog of smoke was floating down from the ceiling between them.

He ran through the smoke and headed out the front door. He coughed and gasped the fresh air in as he left the house. Within moments he heard a fire truck's sirens as it headed down his street. Once recovered the father in a panic looked around for his wife and daughter. When he didn’t spot them he rushed back toward the home worried his wife and daughter were inside. As he reached the porch a fireman physically prevented him from entering his home.

He pleaded with the man to let him look for his family. The fireman reassured him that they would save his relatives. This story had a happy ending for the man turned and saw his wife and daughter get out their car--returned from their shopping. He sobbed with relief when he realized they were safe.

Afterwards the man sat down with his wife and told her about the strange woman who had woken him up. He admitted that this woman had saved his life. The wife told him that it was her family’s ghost. It seems this spirit had stayed near various family members for at least five generations. She told her husband that she had seen this ghost herself just before family births and deaths. She stated the ghost would often make her presence known by walking loudly on the wooden floorboards or knocking on walls or doors.

The wife confided that this ghost who was her family’s harbinger was actually used to sooth the younger generations. As a child her grandparents had told her that she was lucky for she should never fear the dark because she had a very special guardian who would protect her always. In this instance this protective spirit had saved her husband’s life. This wife does consider herself very lucky.

* One source for this story is Victor Klein’s book, New Orleans Ghosts.