Please tell me reasonable un-woo things!

[woooooo]

I know I AIBU. Please tell me some reasonable things!

I'm sat in my front room. A Christmas card has just randomly fell of the mantlepiece. I was rationalising it (it's near the chimney, it's windy etc) when my little Christmas Victorian candle flickered (battery powered, it ran out 2 days ago). So I started getting more woo. The clock has started ticking loudly and my cat is looking awkwardly at the fireplace.

I was watching a horror film at the time which didn't help, so have switched to BBC News to help bring me back to reality 😬

I am usually a 'you should be more scared of the living than the dead' type of person but I'm a tiny bit freaked out.

Please share your explanations of reasonable causes and tell me I'm being ridiculous!

Your cat feels that you’re being anxious and picking up on that.

Batteries sometimes get bad after a short time of use. It’s coincidence that it happened after the Christmas card fell down.

Wind down the chimney or a draught , tiny bit of residual power in the candle , cat is being intuitive to your anxiety

The card fell because of the wind, or slight temperature changes in your home which are to be expected this time of night.

The electric candle flickered because there is a tiny bit of power left in the battery, it might have been doing it on and off for a while but you have only just noticed.

The cat looked up to see why the card had fallen.

The clock did not tick more loudly, you just feel like it did because you've become hyper aware because you are anxious.

Thank you for your reasonable explanations!

Ironically they are pretty much the explanations I would have given if someone had posted the same as me, but when it happens to you, and all in quick succession of each other, rational thought goes out the window.

It is interesting that some of you have mentioned the cat picking up on my anxiety. I had never thought of that. I wasn't displaying any outward signs (didn't move off the sofa or anything like that) but I was staring at the fireplace - almost waiting for the next 'thing' to happen. Can cats really pick up on non-verbal/physical cues?

Here she is 'guarding' me! She always has to have her feet touching me in some way! 😻

What a beautiful cat 😍😍😍.

Yes OP cats got a wrong reputation unfortunately.
They are seen by many as very antisocial but they are very sensitive and clever animals who are perfectly able to feel their human’s emotions.

Some cats are almost preternaturally intuitive. If mine hasn't been around for a while I only have to think of him and he's by my side within a minute. He then looks at me as if to say 'no need to worry about me, I'm fine' or 'you called?', before nuzzling my face and going about his business again.

A draught from the fireplace caused one of your cards to fall from the mantelpiece. The ostensiby dead battery in your candle experienced a brief revival which caused it to flicker. The clock always has an audible tick that you no longer notice unless your attention is caught by it. Your cat stared at the fireplace because it followed your gaze, or may have heard the sound of the draught and noticed a couple of particles floating around in it.

That's the non-woo explanation. The alternative is that there is someone in spirit who is trying to gain your attention. Either way, there's absolutely nothing to worry about, but by way of experiment place the card that fell down in a non-draughty spot and report back if it falls again.

Thanks @Honeybee85

I have 2 cats from the same litter who are both very loving but also they are chalk and cheese - one extremely placid and the other a bit cheeky. But boy can they ignore me when they want to! I even wondered if they were deaf one time, they were that oblivious (ignorant?!) to me calling them! Their hearing never fails when I shout "Ham!" though...

Honestly the winds tonight have been wild! I was led in bed earlier and the actual roof of the house 'cracked'.
My cat jumped up and started staring at the door too.

It's weather. Really. X

Thanks @DonKeyshot

I know in my rational head that tonight's actions can be explained with a scientific/physical reason.

But then your woo explanation has spooked me a bit. My grown-up DDs partner had some bad news today regarding a cancer prognosis of a close family member, so tonight (well, last night) I have been thinking about my mum who had a similar cancer and everything happened so quickly with her, from the time of her completely out-of-the-blue diagnosis to her dying was just 6 weeks, so my thoughts have been of that time and thoughts of Dd's partner and what a shit time ahead he will have 😞

Thanks @SnorkMaiden81 I know that the wind must be the cause of the card falling down, it has to be... It has been a bit windy here tonight, a few creaks etc. But wow, a cracking sound of your house, hope all's ok wherever you are!

I'm near the coast, it's wild. Never buy a new build.

@woooooo

Ours is exactly the same.
Usually when we’re out, she’s watching out our bedrooms window and overlook the street to see when we’ll come home. When she sees us she immediately leaves her spot to greet us by the front door.

But sometimes the little madam is napping and can’t be arsed to come out of wherever she is hiding and has us panic that she has escaped (indoor cat). The solution as always is to go to the kitchen and start making noise with plastic. She’ll be downstairs in 2 seconds.

Your biggest mistake is switching over to the News bulletin. That’s far scarier than anything the wind or the woo can do!

Cooking shows are the best antidote to creepy fear. Detailed enough to distract you, and once your tummy starts grumbling your reptile brain takes over the controls. No one can feel nervous while making a toasted cheese sammich. Or while eating it.

I have not slept for 5 days due to poorly children. Last night they are on the mend so was hoping for a good sleep but at 4am was woken by the sound of water pouring in my room- got up quickly and checked and nothing at all. The most random thing ever- now I'm wide awake again 😴

I'm 31 and have only ever seen one ghost. Many people go through life never having any experience at all. Let alone seeing anything.

When I did see it, I knew 100% what it was and there was no mistaking it. No 'it could be my imagination...or the wind...or the cat'. Because not only was it standing right there, but I could also feel it looking at me before I even turned to see it. Because you just know.

You don't have a ghost.

My instinct is to go with the non-woo explanation for a sequence of events which can easily be explained by natural phenomena rather than looking for confirmation that the supernatural is at work.

However, I would suggest you place the card that fell in a non-draughty spot and if it falls again I would take it as a sign that your mum is close by and is trying to comfort you, or letting you know that her prognosis is not necessarily the same as that of your dd's dp's close family member.

If this should be the case, there's nothng to be scared of. The love your mum felt for you in life is not diminished by death and she wouldn't do anything that could cause you harm. Why not have a chat with her? Either out loud or in your head. Imagine her voice and hear her answering your questions.

Anyone who has lost a loved one knows that this time of year can be particularly poignant. Remember your dm with love and laughter and know that she's never far from your side.

I always know when I see a ghost too, Pinkbonbon, but many folk don't realise or register what they've seen and lots of them tend to be the most adamant that ghosts don't exist.

Ghosts, awful,things. We had one at our old house even though I don't believe in them

That's true. You'd think if they really had one living in their own house with them though they would eventually cotton on, no matter how determined they were to believe otherwise though.

Always struck me as odd that some people would rather think they were literally going crazy before believing it was a ghost. I mean, I wasn't a massive believer before but I wouldn't have ruled it out considering thousands of ppl have been seeing them for thousands of years.

The card fell because it became a little bent. Cards often fall off shelves. The clock isn't ticking any louder but , because you are focussing your attention, in your silence noises are more noticeable.

The cat may well have seen a spirit but you are right, there is nothing to fear. Everyone and everything in the universe is made up of energy vibrating at different rates. It is the speed of the vibration that generates the form of it. Energy cannot die but can only change form. The cat may be seeing or sensing an energetic source which may be an object or the spirit of a person no longer in bodily form.

Sorry, not a non-woo response at all.