The Haunted Vessel: Stewardship

The thing about belief is that it is a double-edged sword.  If for example you say you believe in inanimate objects being more than just “things,” it opens to door to much more than you might expect.  Do we then have a responsibility to these items?  Does that depend on what they are?  Or perhaps what is attached to them?  And where does the line get drawn?  I won’t begin to suggest that I have all (or even most) the answers, but they are interesting questions.

This topic has come up periodically at Den of Angels, in various threads regarding the care and even storage of a doll.  In general people seem to view these dolls as needing special treatment because of their price at least, while others also look at it from the vessel point of view.*  Questions are asked on how one should care for the dolls...where should you keep them?  Is it “abuse” to treat them poorly?  Are you obligated to keep your first doll?  

Another question that arises applies more to some of the dolls and/or items I’ve featured here before, like Anabelle or Robert.  If you know that an item is potentially dangerous, do you then have a responsibility to make sure it doesn't harm anyone else?  And, if you believe for example that an item is haunted by a particular spirit, what do you do?

The Warrens were one couple that were well known for not only their work with the paranormal, but also their collection of items.  They became the stewards of many items that were involved in hauntings, were possessed, were cursed, or had any other kind of bad energy attached.  They took Anabelle with them after the investigation concluded, and secured her in a glass case in their object room.  They were always very adamant about the importance of keeping these objects safely away from the public.

This also brings up an associate of theirs, John Zaffis.  Zaffis is perhaps most well known for his show on the SciFi channel Haunted Collector, and his museum where he houses the objects.  This show and Zaffis himself are actually quite controversial in the paranormal community, not so much because of the items but because of his practices.  People have questioned the validity of his investigations, and the process that often involves him taking a very expensive item from a client without really providing any compensation.  

I have encountered this topic with my own dolls, as well as a few items that have come into my possession over the years.  One is a button from a Civil War soldier uniform, and the other is a ring.  In the case of the former, I feel an obligation to keep it safe until I can figure out what the best course of action is for it.  The latter on the other hand I have spent years working with, and it is finally to a place where it seems to have run its course, and is relatively harmless.  I won’t be giving it away by any means (if not for sentimental reasons alone), but I’m glad to have gotten it to a safer status.

*The idea that the doll has a soul/is a vessel for a kind of soul.