Ghostly Encounters

Posted byRebecca BuddPosted inBritish Columbia, Ghosts, LadyBudd, Sunday Evening Reflection, VictoriaTags:, , , ,

In our travels to Victoria, British Columbia, the Bent Mast becomes our go-to place for there is always a warm welcome.  Did you know that The Bent Mast, this House has ghostly encounters?

In my experience, I have found that unusual paranormal activities are best experienced before breakfast, in the morning light, rather than in the evening darkness.

Come with me as I ascend the stairs. 

 I am feeling a sense of well being.

The House was built in 1884 and was one year old when the “last spike” of the Trans Canada Railroad was hammered into place.   This building holds many stories and many iterations.  

Some believe that there are three spirits who live in this House.  A happy child who stays in the upper floor and likes to play on the stairway.  A grouchy, but harmless older man, who moved from the basement to the upstairs area and to the kitchen where he enjoys scaring the unsuspecting by hiding things or knocking things over. The last spirit is a motherly woman who has made the entire house her home.  She is known for her nurturing, compassion and care.

There have been many ghostly encounters over the years.  The spirits seem make contact in their own way.  A young daughter told her mother that she spoke with a little girl on the staircase. A customer saw an old man dressed in an old-fashioned suit sitting upstairs but was told no one was upstairs.  A phone with static and strange voices on the other side.  A security camera that captured the image of a bright, bowling ball sized orb appearing at the top of the stairs.

While there were no actual ghostly encounters on this day, there was a strong sensation that the House wanted us to be there.  When we return to Victoria, we know that the House and the benevolent ghostly tenants will be waiting to receive us with open arms.

Until next we meet, take care and be well.

Published by Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

80 thoughts on “Ghostly Encounters”

  1. A simply wonderful post, Rebecca. I love haunted places although I’ve personally never seen or experienced any ghostly activity, even in my own home which is supposed to be haunted. Maybe the ghosts of the gang members who died in this house help me write my paranormal stories…

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I was thinking of you when I put this video together. While many people are skeptical of the paranormal, there are many others who have had experiences that are unexplained. I found a 2014 Atlantic article that states that “Recent surveys have shown that a significant portion of the population believes in ghosts, leading some scholars to conclude that we are witnessing a revival of paranormal beliefs in Western society. A Harris poll from last year found that 42 percent of Americans say they believe in ghosts.“ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/why-do-people-believe-in-ghosts/379072/. You have a talent for writing paranormal stories!!!

      Liked by 7 people

      2. Wouldn’t it be fabulous if you and Catherine Cavendish joined me for breakfast. I’m certain that there would be a ghostly appearance if you came. Did you notice that in my video there were lights flickering when I was going through the upstairs? I didn’t notice it until I looked more closely. Hmmm…..

        Liked by 3 people

      3. Thank you, Rebecca, I love writing paranormal. I do believe in spirits and negative and positive energy forces. It must be so as energy does die, it is merely transferred. I’ve just not got those special eyes that see more than the obvious. Well, outside of a literary sense in any event.

        Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you for joining me at the Bent Mast, Rudi. This house has many stories other than the ghost stories. At one time the building was a roominghouse. On this same day as this video was taken, an older gentleman came for breakfast and sat in the table next to us. We found out that when he was young, he lived in one of the rooms upstairs. There is always a story waiting to be discovered.

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  4. Dear Rebecca, despite the fact that I am quite far away from “The Bent Mast”, I immediately felt cozy in this old house and in company with your ghosts hidden in it! It’s an experience I have never made so far, but who knows now that you have chalenged my couriosity!
    Maybe some people believe in ghosts and others in saints!
    Thank you very much, dear friend, for this very special excursion:)

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I am delighted that you joined me at The Bent Mast, Martina. This is a popular place and by evening every table is taken. The laughter and good cheer is heartening. I find that old houses have an aura of having lived many lives. And with that notions comes that feeling of continuity, of transitions, of declines and reclamations. Your last thought on “saints” has me on another exploration. Sending hugs across the ocean.

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      1. Oh, Rebecca, laughter, good cheer and continuity is sooo good to hear!
        In this sense I wish you a good week:):)
        PS. Please tell me what you find out about spirits /saints. I have read recently about this interpretation.

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      2. I will keep in touch on the spirits/saints. I would love to know what you have learned. I am currently reading Becoming Mrs. Lewis, by Patti Callahan, which is the story of Joy Davidman who captured the heart of C.S. Lewis. Anyway, one of the books mentioned in this book was C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters, which I read many many years ago. Anyway, one of my favourite quotes from The Scewtape Letters is: “For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity.” This suggests that we are connected to the unknown – and that is what makes life very exciting. Life offers the greatest gift – to be in a state of continual learning.

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      3. Dear Rebecca, I have read somewhere that for the Hebrews a HOLY PERSON ( a saint?) is, in very simple words, a very special person. As the spirits are supernatural beings with very special capabilities they could be one and the same couldn’t they!
        Within trinity there is also God father, son and holy spirit.
        Unfortunately I don’t know The Screwtape Letters, but fortunately we don’t know what will happen in the future and I agree with you that this makes life exciting. I think it is also a great to be always in a situation from which we can learn something, independent of whether this situation in positive or negative!

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  5. Loved this “spirit”-ed post, Rebecca! So engaging, and what a beautiful old building! If I were a ghost, I’d want to live there, too. I’m assuming I could pay the rent each month with invisible checks…

    Liked by 5 people

    1. I laughter out loud when I read “invisible checks.” I was thinking of all of the books that have been written about ghosts that reaffirmed our belief in the unknown: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allen Poe – even Shakespeare dabbled in the paranormal. I think my favourite book and movie, was The Ghost and Mrs Muir by RA Dick. I still enjoy watching Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, and George Sanders. I just found out that Natalie Wood played the young daughter, Anna Muir. Victoria has many grand houses that record the events of a city. Perhaps we see “ghosts” by recognizing that these places hold stories that will always remain hidden in the walls, in the stairways, in the rooms.

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      1. Thank you, Rebecca! 🙂

        And those are some great ghosts-in-literature mentions by you! I also loved Oscar Wilde’s story “The Canterville Ghost,” Edith Wharton’s ghost stories, the ghosts at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books, etc.!

        Liked by 3 people

  6. Oh yeah! I love scary stories. Although the house doesn’t look that scary, it even looks very nice and cosy. Well, maybe because the ghosts are such nice and harmless ones.😉 But still, it could look different at night! 🥶😂Thank you, dear Rebecca, for this beautiful and spiritual performance. 🤗🙏💖

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    1. Oh, I agree Alaedin. Nighttime and darkness creates an atmosphere that invites mystery and opens our minds to hear bumps and see things that appear to be unexplainable. Daylight brings clarity, doesn’t it? I agree, – this is a lovely home that is situated in James Bay, Victoria’s oldest neighbourhood. This area is known for its beautiful waterfront, Beacon Hill park, and charming Victoria Houses.

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    1. Our dear Shakespeare knew how to use the paranormal brilliantly. I always wanted to play one of the three witches in MacBeth and be able to say:

      “Double, double, toil and trouble;
      Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”

      I am delighted that you joined me at The Bent Mast. Once breakfast is over, we can walk over to Emily Carr’s house, together.

      Liked by 3 people

  8. Dear Rebecca,
    when I wrote my book about my favourite places in England my editor wanted me to include ghost stories. I looked into the “Who is Who of the British Ghosts” and visited all these places. I didn’t encounter any ghosts but was told lots of ghosts stories. I was travelling with a photographer, our problem may have been that she and I don’t believe in ghosts and even don’t know anybody who does. In Cerne Abbas, the village famous for its haunted houses, like in many other places it was easy to imagine ghost stories.
    C.G. Jung and Aniela Jaffe researched ‘sightings’ of ghosts. Their explanation ‘exteriorization of feelings’. I suppose that’s the best explanation I know. I would say of course there exist ghosts. The question is only where they exist within the person or outside a person. There was quite some research done – mostly in the US – who believes in ghosts or even thinks to have encountered them.
    Anyway, I am amazed that nearly every second American believes in ghosts – well, a lot of people believe in god as well …
    Thanks for sharing
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    1. What an extraordinary adventure you had, Klausbernd. To travel to all those “haunted” places. WOW!!!! The question of whether ghosts exist within a person or outside a person is an excellent way to explore the idea of ghosts. You have given me something to think about in the week ahead. I read that belief in organized religion is on the decline, but belief in the supernatural is on the increase – this is a global phenomenon. Ghosts stories have been with us since ancient times and are recorded in literature (think MacBeth) because humanity enjoys a mystery. We like being awed by something extraordinary and the sensation of being frightened makes us feel alive. I’m certain that I had a unexplained event. Many years ago, In the middle of the night, my lamp spontaneously turned on and flood the room with light. I was alone in the house. Imagine my surprise. Looking back, I have a feeling it was a faulty light switch. I have read many articles on how science has found explanations for these unusual events, but belief is powerful and our love of ghost stories does not seem to abate even in our age of science and technology. Thank you for adding depth and breadth to my understanding. Sending hugs and love to my dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley.

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      1. Good morning, dear Rebecca,
        ghost stories became very popular in the Victorian periode which was rather rational. It’s the dialectics how Hegel describes history. The believe in the irrational ballances out a lifestyle believing in the future of the rational thinking and acting. It was the haydays of the big lodges like The Order of the Golden Dawn and the Theosophical Society on on one hand, on the other the time of industrialisation. It seems to us that societies are often polar.
        To believe in ghosts is the easiest way of ‘understanding’ phenomenons. You need much more effort to explain them scientifically. Believing in ghost and super-natural is the same as beleving in god. If one isn’t on vogue any longer one can easy switch to the other.
        With big HUGS 🤗🤗 from the sunny sea
        The Fab Four of Cley
        🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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      2. I do love our conversations, Klausbernd. Belief is an interesting word, isn’t it, because there are two sides to the word. I believe in ghosts. I believe there are no ghosts. In both cases, a person believes in something. I agree – it seems that, throughout history, societies have often been polarized. I often think of the Houdini/Doyle friendship. Doyle was a staunch believer in communicating with the spirit world while Houdini was highly critical of spiritualism. Despite Houdini’s efforts to demonstrate the shortcomings of spiritualism, Doyle believed that Houdini actually had physic powers. And then there is the idea of Pascal’s wager which applies elements of game theory on the idea of God. Thank you so much for adding depth and breadth to this conversation – very much appreciated. Hugs and love to my dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley.

        Liked by 2 people

    1. I am delighted that you joined me at the Bent Mast, Linda. We were lucky to come in the early morning before everyone arrived. By the afternoon, every table is filled. It is a fun place. One server told us about her experience with the “ghosts” – a chill and a feeling etc. Another server said that she didn’t believe in ghosts. Stories always create a conversation don’t they?!!!

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  11. What an enjoyable story about a place from early Canadian history. This three story house gives us some interesting stories of ghostly encounters. It would be impossible to prove the non existence of ghosts, since most families can come up with their own strange encounters and strange experiences. Even I can come up with my own. We are seeing, nowadays, more stories that show us how close we are, in many ways, to the unseen space very close to where we walk on this our space of “solid ground”.

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    1. How very well said, Frances. Every family has their ghost stories that add to their family mythologies. I read one article that suggested that technology in time may be able to give us a final answer of whether there are ghosts or not. We live in the knowledge of now, but that changes with time. What was believed to be impossible a century ago, it now possible. Interesting and exciting things to consider.

      Liked by 3 people

  12. The spirits were speaking to you Rebecca. A breakfast with Cat would be wonderful. Indeed the pity is that now I live there,you both couldn’t come to my last house. It was indeed quite a place. xx

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      1. Let’s just say we were not alone in that house for nigh on 30 years and actually i am VERY sceptical of all of this but there ‘s things that could not be explained otherwise. I am smiling re the visiting, you have no idea of the visitors who ran out of there at times actually. Then there was the day we decided something had to be done, indeed we had an offer on that and every time I tell myself that there is no such thing, and nothing beyond this… I remind myself of that day. That is the truth. I just am never happy sharing these things cos I don’t want people to think i am crazy. I know the previous owner had the same probs there. They told me eventually. They said if they had told me at the time, we might not have bought the house. There you go.

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      2. Every skeptic will eventually come across something that cannot be explained. Here’s is a thought to consider. Science provides excellent ways to explain the unexplainable: 1) Dreaming with our eyes open 2)Faulty activity in the brain 3) Low frequency sound 4) Mold 5) Carbon monoxide 6) The Power of suggestion 7) Drafts 8) We like being afraid.

        But – science has never have given enough reasons to satisfy those who have experienced something unusual. Did you know about Abraham Lincoln’s Ghost? It seems that he has been seen in the White House by many people including Winston Churchill who said, upon meeting up with the Lincoln. – “Good evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage.” Lincoln smiled softly, as if laughing and disappeared.” And then, Alan Turing, the pioneering computer theorist was a believer in telepathy, or mind-reading. What I love most is the mystery of it all. There is always something to learn and experience. Sending many hugs!

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      3. Well, also. I can go back to a few things..like when i needed to know for the previous owner some things, I told them nothing re what we had experienced. And they told me thiers and it was ours. Then there was the time a throwing things at a particular red haired pupil of mine was really alarming. But worse was the time that we had a new bathroom put in. Now that bit of the house was two rooms and landing all knocked together and I gather that there were problems here. Anyway the builder’s wife came to see it all and I never saw anyone leave our house so fast and refuse to come back in after a plant pot fell on her head from the top of the boiler when she was standing several yards away. Yeah. As she explained out in the street, where she’d run hysterically, to let me understand, that pot never fell, it was flung across the room. And you know she was right. i was there at the time and there was no way where she as and it was, it fell And that kind of thing went on the whole time.

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    1. I agree, Julie. When I enter a room where there has been a disagreement, I feel the tension, which may be brought on by facial expressions. I was just reading an Atlantic article where scientists are gauging the atmosphere of the room through breath analysis. All very mysterious to me. When my son was about 10, he said to me that we all can make people happy. I said how can that be? Well, he responded with the air of a philosopher, “some of us by entering a room and some of us by leaving a room.” So glad that you joined me at the Bent Mast. I love when you enter a room!!!

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  18. Hahahhhh… That was such a fun video and post, Rebecca. From one who saw ‘so-called ghosts’, and spoke with them for the majority of my life to then being advised by spirit/consciousness that they (ghosts) were just a fun aspect of a fantasy we are having brought enormous confusion for a time!!!
    However, all that aside I can really enjoy the concept and get great entertainment from so-called haunted houses and the many stories offered by those who have, like me, had such experiences.
    Alas, all things change! I don’t now see or speak with ‘ghosts’. But, I do find the whole concept exceedingly entertaining and would not dare to pooh pooh anyone’s personal experience. After all, my first ‘ghost’ sighting was at age eight (I believe) when a man in a blue T-shirt bent down to kiss me.
    I ran into my mother’s bedroom and told her of this frightening experience. She turned to my father, her husband, and said…. “She has seen him, too.”

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you for joining me at the Bent Mast and for adding to this lively conversation. I had goosebumps when I read “She has seen him, too”. You reminded me of the movie, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, still one of my favourites. When I looked up “when did we start believing in ghosts?” I came across this story: “In the first century A.D., the great Roman author and statesman Pliny the Younger recorded one of the first notable ghost stories in his letters, which became famous for their vivid account of life during the heyday of the Roman Empire. Pliny reported that the specter of an old man with a long beard, rattling chains, was haunting his house in Athens. The Greek writer Lucian and Pliny’s fellow Roman Plautus also wrote memorable ghost stories.” Who knew that the ancients had ghost stories?!!! https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/historical-ghost-stories

      Liked by 2 people

      1. All very entertaining, indeed… Ghost stories have become a ‘movie’ genre of itself with some comical and dastardly, suspensefully gripping tales of horror and gore, or ethereal and other worldly, wistfully uplifting and sweet. Thinking Ghostbusters or Sixth Sense.. hahah
        Yes, Rebecca, my mother had many ‘visions’, which came to pass.
        The most momentous was the night she sent my father out to look about the house for her sister, my aunt. Mother said that Aunt Val was trying to wake them because their mother (my Grandmother) was in hospital.
        Father didn’t find Aunt Val that evening. However, the next evening there was Aunt Val tapping at the window with the news.
        Like me, she kept these happenings to herself – afraid of the consequences. Think Salem witch trials…. 😉 😉

        Liked by 2 people

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  20. I love a good paranormal story, and I do believe. It was interesting to learn that hauntings happen more in the early morning than in the traditional middle of the night setting. What a great idea to give an actual tour indoors! Thank you Rebecca!

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  21. What a perfect place for non-scary ghosts to haunt!
    Thank you for the tour of Bent Mast! Most delightful.
    And you look simply marvellous!
    I’ll bet the spirits adored having you there. That’s why they were quiet.
    The place I live in is about 130 years old. I’m sure there’s a spirit here.
    I think it’s female. Sometimes when I peer out the window at the lake, it seems I’m seeing what she saw.
    One day, awhile ago now, there was a great crash. Many framed pieces of art all fell off the walls at the same exact moment. No glass of frames were broken. That was our first connect. Norm thinks I’m a little nuts! Hugs!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. If no frames were broken, it is a sure sign that she was making contact. Someone once told me that ghosts/spirits only connect with those that are receptive. I was reading about children who have imaginary friends and then I looked up books that spoke about imaginary friends. There is so much we don’t know about our world. Even scientists are discussing multiverse. “While it may seem more fiction than science, it’s long been theorized that our universe is one of many; a collection parallel universes called a multiverse. But how can there be another universe — let alone many — where another you exists?”https://globalnews.ca/news/2870617/does-another-version-of-you-exist-in-a-different-universe/

      The discussion of ghosts is really a discussion about certainty. Can we be certain there are ghosts? Can we be certain that there are no ghosts?

      Thank you for joining me at the Bent Mast. It is a great place to meet up!!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. If the universe is infinite….it’s infinite. There are no limits in any direction.
        I’ve often thought about multiverses.
        Sometimes I think my body, as an organism …atoms, molecules… each of those could be a miniverse.
        Loved Bent Mast! Thank you!

        Liked by 2 people

    2. If no frames were broken, it is a sure sign that she was making contact. Someone once told me that ghosts/spirits only connect with those that are receptive. I was reading about children who have imaginary friends and then I looked up books that spoke about imaginary friends. There is so much we don’t know about our world And that is what I find so exciting..

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Interesting! Years ago, a critique group I belonged to used to meet in an upstairs room at the Bent Mast. We didn’t see or hear any ghosts, probably because we were too busy critiquing. I haven’t been there for a long time; it looks like it’s been smartened up somewhat. Thanks for the reminder, and the ghost stories!

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    1. I am delighted that you frequented The Bent Mast. I gather that the ghostly happenings appear after closing time when there is only one or two people in the building. I understand that the upstairs was once used as a boarding house. When we were having breakfast that morning, a older gentleman sat in the next table. He said that when he was younger he used to room in the upstairs. So many stories. Victoria is a wonderful place to live.

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  23. I love your story telling Rebecca. And one thing I can certainly agree with that you said – I’m more able to deal with the paranormal in daylight than the dark night time, lol. Hugs ❤

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    1. I am so glad that you joined me in the morning light at the Bent Mast. Just a couple of blocks away is Emily Carr House, another wonderful place to visit and feel the history of Victoria come alive. Sending hugs back your way!!!

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    1. I was hoping too! There was a feeling of energy when I went through the upper floors, but maybe that was just wishful thinking or was it????? I am delighted that we connected and look forward to our ongoing conversations.

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