Welcome! This is my list of activities for a night of self care, a night to yourself, or any other circumstance where you need to relax and want to do it with an airy, spectral feeling.
These are the nights you've used up all your social battery and grow weary of having this mortal flesh that requires constant upkeep and social presence.
These activities can all be done alone, in complete silence, or maybe with some haunting instrumentals playing softly in the background.
- Candles
I put this one first because it can be incorporated into basically any of the other activities! Candles are such an easy way to make your home feel cozier, older, and more haunted.
Scented candles work well, especially if it's a light airy scent.
I prefer candlesticks myself to watch the wax drip down slowly. Plus, candlestick holders are super easy to find at thrift and antique stores and are always beautiful!
Bonus points if you turn off all the other lights and sit exclusively by candlelight, or maybe hang some string lights from the ceiling if that isn't bright enough. These all cast a hazy glow around the room that is so relaxing.
- Hot Baths
Seeing the steam rise from a hot bath can be super relaxing. The feeling of being in water at all tends to lend to that ghost feeling, kind of floaty and only partially existing.
Showers don't work this way for me because there's something about being submerged in water while able to lean back and completely relax your body instead of having to stand in a small space.
Although, at some point the water may turn cold. For some this may be a good end goal. Personally, I am averse to being cold and actually being warm and cozy helps give me the ghost feeling I prefer. Having to bundle up in layers makes me feel too bulky and crowded, and shivering only reminds me of the limitations of the flesh.
Hot baths can work especially well paired with candles. I recommend turning off the bathroom lights and only lighting a series of candles to set around the room. Bathroom fluorescence can be too exposing.
Alternatively, you may try sitting in complete darkness. For safety purposes, please use some sort of light when moving around. Sitting in complete darkness submerged in warm water can give a wonderful feeling of being nothing but a soft shadow lurking in the corner.
- Healthy Snacks
For the light feeling, I'd recommend any kind of fruit or vegetable with high water content. They tend to be softer and there's less of a need to chew. The lack of actions like this makes me feel more like a ghost.
For an extra bonus, try fruits with a cream cheese dip that adds to it. Grapes are my favorite for this, but anything goes well with cream cheese!
If that's not an option, adding whipped cream or topping to any fruits feels very spectral.
My favorite recommendations would be watermelon, raspberries, grapes, or cantaloupe. I don't like blueberries myself, but I can imagine these would also be perfect!
- Reading
This one is a classic. There's no simpler way to lose your physical body than to lose your head in a book!
Whatever catches your attention is perfect, although fiction may work best.
For this, I'd recommend something easier and less complicated to avoid getting bored and having your mind wander. Maybe a small mass market paperback from a thrift store with a compelling mystery or thriller inside.
You may even be able to double up on books with ghosts. An easy ghost story that's relatively short and may be read in one sitting would be perfect for this!
Remember, this isn't where we are searching for genius and literary masterpiece. We're searching for comfort.
- Journaling
There are an infinite number of things to journal about. The first one to come to mind may even be what you're reading about! A short reflection of your day, or any thoughts that come to mind will suffice.
The act of putting pen to paper is very ethereal in itself, especially with a nice pen and journal or even with a more cryptic vibe using scrap paper, a random dull pencil, and messy handwriting.
Journal entries could be about ghosts, from the point of view of a ghost, yourself, or fleshing out any haunting character stories.
Light candles and make journal entries their own mini ritual, or part of a wider ritual. Creating repeated habits and familiar circumstances for yourself will always succeed in creating the feeling of a residual haunting.
Remember that journal entries can be whatever you make them! They can be long and detailed, creating an overarching narrative, they can be personal, artistic, or short, vague, and cryptic.
- Tarot
Tarot reading in itself gives me a ghostly feeling. There's something about the reflection and symbolism it takes to read tarot cards that feels otherworldly.
Not to mention the feeling of communication it evokes, the idea that a separate consciousness is giving you answers, perhaps from the other side.
The problem I run into when sitting down for a session of tarot reading is knowing what I'm looking for. Find any spreads you can online--I find most of mine on Pinterest.
If there's nothing for you, a general spread is more than enough to get you started. This could be the focus of the day, week, month, or any upcoming events. Anything that has been lingering on your mind is open for discussion.
Another option is looking up journal prompts. Any of these prompts are good questions to ask your deck, and in turn can be used in journaling.
I recommend always recording your thoughts during a tarot reading. This is another kind of journaling exercise that slows the reading down and forces you to think hard about what your answers are before moving on.
That's all I have for now! I'm always open to comments or messages sharing your experiences with this topic or any others. Let me know what you think!
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