Bringing Home A Ghost: Are Antique Items Haunted?
Updated 2025.07.21
A few weeks ago, I brought home an antique deer skull.
That night, I had the most lucid dreams and visions of my life. Upon waking up, I knew immediately that the piece was spiritually charmed.
I hadn’t saged it. I hadn’t even inquired about its history. And honestly, I hadn’t considered anything more about it other than its beauty.
Since this time, I have been much more careful about bringing in spiritual pieces that may or may not carry attachments.
When any antiques come into the home, I energetically clear them now. While you can likely be more casual then this with the pieces you add to your home, know all items hold energy.
Antique items have a history
The history of the piece can include:
The people who owned and loved it
The situations in which the piece was used
The areas where it was placed before you got it
The residual energy it may have picked up over the years
To be haunted means an antique item has an entity or energy attached to it - usually a deceased person. Usually, this deceased person is a previous owner or an admirer of the piece.
Sometimes attachments can be non-human entities, but typically they’re deceased spirits.
An antique item may be haunted if…
The person who previously owned the piece has not yet crossed over and they have a strong emotional or spiritual attachment to the item.
The piece was around low vibrational emotions, energies or people for an extended period of time.
Or if after receiving the item, you notice usual paranormal activity afoot.
All items, antique or new, do have the potential to have residual energy attached to them - which is why I recommend releasing this energy through a saging or smudging ritual when bringing the item home.
Some people instinctively wash new items when they come inside - this process serves the same purpose.
How do you know if an antique item is haunted?
Not all antiques have spiritual attachments.
Typically, what I recommend is that before buying an antique piece that you suspect may have energy around it, ask the seller if they know anything about the item.
If the seller doesn’t know anything, you’ll next try to read the energy of the piece.
Inhale and exhale, ask Archangel Michael or your Spirit Guides to be with you.
Touch the piece with your open palm face down on the item. Notice if you see anything in your mind’s eye, hear any telepathic messages or feel anything in your heart space.
What you receive intuitively from the item can indicate any stored or attached energies it has.
If you choose to take the item home, notice if anything unusual happens in the following days. Maybe a light is turned on that no one remembers turning on. Maybe the fire alarms go off with no fire anywhere.
Usual, unexplained activity can also indicate the presence of a new spiritual energy.
Another way to tell if an item is haunted is if other people or children “catch vibes” from the item. For example, you bring home a new vintage find and your roommate feels weird about it.
Other people around you may be able to read energy - even if they aren’t consciously aware of this ability!
How To Clear An Antique Piece
of both Spirit and residual energy
1. Clear the residual energy
Using sage or palo santo, light the herbs and put out the flame. Move the smoke around the item while asking all energies no longer serving you or the item’s highest good to please be released.
In your mind’s eye, visualize golden light wrapping around the object. Imagine all lower vibrational energies being washed away and out of the object’s energy field while it is encased in golden light.
2. Talk to any Spirit present compassionately
Ask that any Spirits attached to this item please come forward. Notice what you see in your mind’s eye or sense in your heart space as you do this.
If you pick up anything, ask the Spirit what their purpose is with the piece and what their attachment is. Ask that if their presence is no longer serving your or their highest good that they please go into the light to be with their loved ones.
If you sense the energy is non-human, ask Archangel Azrael to please come and assist this energy to another place.
3. Place the item and clear your energy
Place your object in its new home.
Now, ask that Archangel Michael please watch over you and your home. Ask all of your Angels to lift your energy up into the highest vibration available to you now and you’re done.
All in all, if you’re into antiquing, estate sales, thrifting or vintage items, at some point you may come across an object with a spiritual attachment or attached residual energy.
Most objects can be energetically cleared using the steps above but keep in mind you may not want to energetically clear every object.
Some people like to keep the Spirits around for various reasons with one of the main reasons being that many objects with evidence of spiritual activity have a higher resale value when these energies are left intact.
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