Every story has an end. But if you ask Julie Pellissier-Lush, there is no final chapter in the book of her life. Julie believes her story will go on, even when she’s left this earth.
“I will be a great spirit.”
From a young age, Julie was immersed in the paranormal. As a baby, she and her parents lived in a house on Lennox Island many claimed was haunted.
“That old ghost in that house loved to scare people, adults. But he would never scare children,” says Julie. “He would leave children alone. But adults, they were fair game.”
You might think her fascination began then. The reality, however, is much less sinister.
Belief in the spirit world was tradition, part of Julie’s upbringing and history. “It was part of our storytelling, part of our culture.”
For the Mi’kmaw author, poet, and knowledge keeper, the ‘paranormal’ was known as something else. “We called it our ancestors,” says Julie. “The ones who have passed on, that help guide us on the paths that we need to take, to be there when we need to pray.”
It’s the younger generation that relates better to calling it the paranormal, Julie says. But the meaning has remained the same: it’s a bridge between the present and the past.
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“It’s a connection with our ancestors,” she says. “Who was here before and who can still cross over.”
As part of a team of paranormal investigators on Prince Edward Island, Julie tries to connect with those who have crossed over. Mi’kmaq Paranormal is a group that investigates locations where paranormal events occur or where the presence of spirits is felt.
Julie’s role is to document and record the investigations – and interpret their findings. “I have the ability to be able to hear things that most people wouldn’t hear or to identify things that most people wouldn’t be able to identify.”
Through the teachings of Mi’kmaq Elders, team members learned to believe in the paranormal at an early age. Julie even turns some of the Elders’ ghost stories into poetry to ensure they are saved for future generations.
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While storytelling is an important way to learn about past events, Julie says the paranormal is a way to stay in touch with people who have passed. “It’s an interesting way to keep connected to the ones that we’ve lost.”
Whether through poetry or the paranormal, staying connected to her ancestors is vital. “It’s a way to preserve the lives of those who’ve gone past, to be able to create an understanding that we aren’t just gone after we pass on.”
