I have to be honest – I hate ghost tours. It’s my pet peeve.

Imagine paying good money to go through some dingy place and trying to feel spooky, while any real spirit would have gone ages ago and all that’s left is the residual energy of whatever happened there. It’s a bit like the hologram of Princess Leia in Starwars. “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” Princess Leia isn’t there, it’s just a recording playing over and over again. When I go out to clear houses, most often it’s this energy and not a Spirit.

There’s a haunted cafe I go to.

It’s an old converted house in Sydney where the bathroom is upstairs. Each time I visit, I meet a young lady in a brown late 18th-century dress. She’s a little anxious and pensive but walks right through me. She doesn’t notice me because she’s a hologram; leftover residual energy from the history of the house. The actual pensive lady is long gone. There’s a huge difference between a spirit presence and leftover emotions and energy embedded in a place. If you’ve ever visited historic battlefields or prisons you’ll know that feeling.

It’s not ghosts, it’s leftover energy.

Leftover energy can build in beautiful places too. I was brought to tears entering the church of Notre Dame. Centuries of devotional reverence and quiet contemplation of people connecting to something greater than themselves. That’s also residual energy. So how do you tell if it’s a ‘ghost?’

Ghost or not? Four ways to tell

Ghosts can be communicated with, residual energy seems to ignore you.

 Residual energies gather most on landings, stairways and doorways – that’s where you’ll see them.

 Spirits can move about independently.

Nobody is ever stuck, though many returns to give messages, warnings, or say hello. Meanwhile, if you enjoy watching someone get super ranty about a pet subject, check out the video below, and get even more tips on how to handle spooks.