A new study proves that dabbling around in occult activities, which has become almost commonplace these days, isn’t as harmless as most people think.

According to Studyfinds.org, a new poll has found that 83 percent of 1,000 respondents reported some kind of paranormal activity inside their home. It was not at all surprising to learn that 27 percent of the respondents played around with a Ouija board, which exorcists claim is one of the most common reasons people become possessed. Another three in ten admitted to bringing a "haunted" object into their home, and three in ten watched ghost stories.

As Chris Melore reports for StudyFinds, “When it comes to what people are hearing or seeing in their spooky dwellings, 46 percent say they heard strange sounds in their home, while 42 percent said the lights started turning on and off by themselves. One in three (35%) heard voices in their home. While most Americans are sticking it out with their supernatural neighbors, the poll finds one in 10 respondents have actually sold their home because of a paranormal experience.”

Although this time of year is considered the “spookiest,” the survey found that most of the haunted events took place during the summer months with 39 percent of these activities occurring during May, June and August. Sixteen percent of these occurrences took place between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

These entities had no preference for the type of home they chose to visit with 23 percent occurring in an apartment building and 22 percent occurring in a condo or townhouse. A majority of these visitations (51%) took place when the person was alone, a third occurred in the living room and 31 percent in a bedroom.

What do Americans do when the encounter a ghost? The survey found that 36 percent contacted a religious figure, 29 percent resort to mediums because they want to speak to the ghost, and one in five look to the local “Ghostbuster” for help.

How successful were they?

As Melore reports, “One in three respondents encountering the paranormal say their attempts to remove a ghost failed. One in four claim they successfully got their unwelcome houseguest to leave and 43 percent decided to leave their visitor alone.”

This survey proves what exorcists have been teaching for centuries. Anytime we turn to occult activities such as Ouija boards, mediums, horoscopes, psychics, tarot cards, etc. we open doors to Satan that give him the right to enter more fully into our lives. And one of the first ways he does this is through infestations of some kind such as mysterious knocks on the wall, unexplained odors, the appearance of misty figures or whisperings in the night.

Contrary to what popular ghost story television shows claim, these manifestations do not occur due to restless spirits or the soul of someone who was murdered or committed suicide in the house. As Adam Blai explains in his book, Possession, Exorcism, and Hauntings: “One has to be careful because demons can take advantage of a known suicide or murder and pose as that person in that location. Also, the demon that helped encourage the murder or suicide could still be there.”

The moral of this story is that regardless of how popular it has become in our society, there’s nothing harmless about dabbling in the occult and the many New Age practices such as Reiki, crystals, etc. that have occult connections.

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