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Ghosts are often depicted of a human size and shape (although some accounts also mention animal ghosts), but typically described as "silvery", "shadowy", "semitransparent", "misty", "human-like", "big", "scary" or "fog-like". Parapsychologists refer to the "substance" of which ghosts and other spirits are made of as "ectoplasm". Ghosts do not have a physical body like human beings, but only a subtle astral body. Sometimes they do not manifest themselves visually but in terms of other phenomena, such as the movements of an object, spontaneous throwing of a light switch, noises, etc., which supposedly have no natural explanation.
In the West, those who believe in ghosts sometimes hold them to be souls that could not find rest after death, and so linger on Earth. The inability to find rest is often explained by unfinished business, such as a victim seeking justice or revenge after death. Criminals sometimes supposedly linger to avoid Purgatory or Hell. It is sometimes held that ghosts reside in Limbo, a place between Heaven and Hell where the souls of unbaptized infants go. Although this view was once propounded by some Catholic theologians, it is no longer believed according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is worth noting that while mainstream Protestants and Evangelical Christians believe in the existence of principalities, they do not believe in ghosts (as spiritual manifestations of the dead) and would generally attribute more violent ghosts, such as poltergeists, to the actions of demons.
Some ghost researchers approach the possibility of ghosts from a more scientific standpoint, seeking to find correlations and causal relationships between recordable phenomena and the supposed presence of ghosts. Those who follow this approach most often believe that ghosts are not actual disembodied souls or spirits, but rather they are impressions of psychic energy left behind by a deceased (or in some rare cases, still living) person. They assert that traumatic events (such as a murder or suicide) cause mental energy to be released into the world, where it may be experienced by other people who are sensitive to its presence. This way of thinking classifies ghosts in the same category of preternatural unexplained phenomena as poltergeists/telekinesis, ESP, and telepathy. Theories from this approach often encounter difficulties in explaining ghosts that appear to be sentient, such as those which answer questions or react to specific actions from people present. However, it may be possible that enough of a dead person's psyche might be imprinted on an environment so as to give the likeness of thought or autonomy.
In Asian cultures (such as China), many people believe in reincarnation. Ghosts are those souls that refused to be "recycled" because they have unfinished business, similar to those in the West. Exorcists can either help a ghost to be driven away or reincarnated. In Chinese tradition, apart from being reincarnated, a ghost can also become immortal and become a demigod, or it can go to hell and suffer for eternity, or it can die again and become "ghost of ghost". The Chinese also believe that some ghosts, especially those who died of drowning, kill people in order to rob them of their rights to reincarnation. The victims of such paranormal "murders" are called t¨¬s¨ªgu¨« (ÌæËÀ¹í), literally "substitute death ghost" or "substitute devil" which in Chinese is a synonym for scapegoat. Also in China, particularly in the Guangzhou area, the Chinese people usually hold a Chinese version of the Day of the Dead ritual for their ancestors in autumn. The ritual consists of burning Hell Bank Notes and other luxury items made of paper mache as well as pouring wine three times on their grave and leaving food. An older ritual is for the living family to prepare a grand feast for their dead relatives "returning" home. During the time of feast, those relatives amongst the living are not allowed to leave their bedrooms regardless of how much noise the ghost makes.
Very detailed information about ghosts is given in Garuda Purana, a scripture from Vedic (Hindu) tradition. How ghosts fit into this worldview is shown here.
Both the West and the East share some fundamental beliefs about ghosts. They may wander around places they frequented when alive or where they died. Such places are known as "haunted"; the rounds they go on are known as "hauntings". They often wear the sort of clothing in which they would have been seen when alive.
Buddhist Samsara includes the concept of the hungry ghost realm. Sentient beings in that realm are referred to as "hungry ghosts" because of their attachment to this world. Asuras are also referred to as "fighting ghosts".
Poltergeists
The word words comes from the German tern poltern - "to knock" and geist - "spirit". This phenomenon has been researched extensively for years. It has been the subject of movies, but I don't think Carol Ann and her family were being plague by a poltergeist in the movie. There are a few different theories on what poltergeists are. I am going to discuss the one theory that I believe here and keep it simple as possible.
A typical poltergeist haunting seems to always consist of noises, such as loud knocking, and objects moving about on their own. There can also be voices, smells and apparitions in addition to the other symptoms. Usually these events are witnessed by numerous people in the home , including visitors. The events may start slowly with small noises and small objects moving and then may progress to something like furniture flying around the room and full bodied apparitions. The exact events differ from case to case as well as the progression and severity. Normally there is one person who seems more affected than others and is always present in the home when events occur. When that person is removed from the home, the events cease. This person is usually a preteen female who's hormones and the stress of that age combine and finally release subconsciously in a way that causes the poltergeist activity. The person is causing all of the phenomenon with the subconscious mind and they are not aware that they are the cause. This person can also be a teenager or into their early twenties and may be under some unusual amount of stress. When they are relived of the stress, sometimes by moving from the location, the problems stop. If the stress or causes continue, the "haunting" seems to follow them. Reliving the inner problems is the key to stopping the poltergeist activity.
Poltergeists are not often easily discernable from other types of spirit hauntings. The symptoms are often very similar. An onsite investigation and extensive research is often necessary to uncover the hidden existence of this type of phenomenon. This explains why many questions that investigators ask seem off base when they interview witnesses in a home. They are trying to rule out a poltergeist problem before they start the investigation into the possible spirit activity.
Types of Ghosts
The first type of haunting is exactly like a video playback of a historic or tragic event. This is called a residual haunting. The event unfolds in front of you and there is no interaction between you and the ghosts. They seem to not notice you and go through the motions of the event that occurred in the past. This event has been imprinted on the area or building and is replayed back later when conditions are right. The ghosts that you see in this type are not earthbound spirits, they are just visual play backs. Since everything is made up of energy, the theory is that some of the energy from an event can be recorded by certain materials and played back when the atmosphere triggers it. Remember that video and audio tape is just oxidized (rust) film that enables the images and sounds to "stick" to it. This type may be frightening when you see it, but you are in no danger so enjoy the experience. The second type of haunting is an interactive spirit that manifests in many ways. You may see a full bodied or partial bodied apparition. More frequently than that, you may here voices, music, footsteps, etc. You may also smell odors which sources cannot be found (i.e. pipe tobacco when no one smokes). You may also see orbs, mists and other light effects. You may feel touches, cold spots, and other light physical contact. This ghost is the spirit of a deceased human being. They may be stuck here (earthbound) for reasons such as tragic sudden death, fear of moving on, guilt or unfinished business. They also could be here visiting loved ones or to warn or pass along a message. These human spirits are the same as they were in life, so they may be good or bad, but not really evil. Think of all the people you know, probably a bit of good and bad, some worse than others. This type can cause some scary situations but you must think about the situation they are in, you don't see them but they see you. They will try to get your attention any way they can. Many times this is the terrifying event people will write to me about like the lights going on and off, items moving, noises, etc. For the most part these are just attention getters and nothing more. There are a few more mischievous human spirits that will do these things to bother you and scare you on purpose. They may just be a prankster or maybe they want you to leave the old home or not to change something in the home. They have all the same motivations you and I would have. These human spirits account for a majority of the hauntings we encounter and are relatively harmless. Yes, there are extreme cases and sometimes they can cause dangerous situations, but this is not the norm and is rare. The third type of ghost you may encounter is not a rare one, but is rare that they interact with the living. They are non human spirits, commonly known as demons and devils. They are mentioned in the bible numerous places in both the old and new testaments. People like Ed and Lorraine Warren have been dealing with this type of spirit for years. This type is dangerous and can cause you harm. I believe that if there is good, there must be a counter balance, evil. These non human spirits often disguise themselves and friendly and helpful human spirits. They often appear in cases dealing with Ouija boards, black magic and satanic worship. This is why I recommend not trying to contact spirits and doing ghost hunts without some understanding of what's out there. It's also why I recommend you go with or learn from experienced people before hand. That way you can ghost hunt with relative safety from these entities.
Ghosts of the Living
Often we hear of cases in which a person sees an image of a person they know while they person is really miles away at the time, alive. That's correct, alive and breathing. This type of apparition is called a crisis apparition and it is often studied by ghost researchers due to the similarities in these apparitions and ghosts of the deceased. This phenomenon can also manifest in the person hearing a voice of a friend or loved one with some message or warning while the person who is heard speaking is no where near and totally unaware that this has occurred. Most of these crisis apparitions occur when a person is in some form of danger or pain. It appears the person in danger makes psychic contact with a loved one miles away to let them know something is not right. The person in crisis is not aware that they are doing this. Here are a few examples of phenomenon:
December 1943: Mrs. Violet Almond was awakened by an apparition of her husband that floated above her for a few minutes. She learned later that her husband, who was on a battlefield in North Africa, was being shelled heavily and was praying to God to save him so he could see his wife again at the exact time she was seeing his apparition in their bedroom.
1951 - Helen Crone saw an apparition of a close friend who was alive miles away. The agitated apparition instructed her to go check on her baby. When she did this she found her child had managed to open a drawer full of sharp knives and was about to play with them.
These crisis apparitions may help us understand how and why we see ghosts., especially deceased human ones who are earthbound or just visiting. The person in crisis some how projects an energy to another person. The receiver's brain translates the energy into a human like figure that resembles the sender. Is this the same energy that is left behind or accompanies a deceased human spirit? Some people who are more "in tune" with a particular spirit's energy may see a full bodied apparition just like in many crisis apparitions. Others may not interpret the energy the same or at all and just see a light, a mist, or nothing. We can apply this theory of the spirit energy interpretation to spirit photos as well. The majority of photos are not full bodied apparitions but what researchers believe are spirits energy that the camera translates into the form of orbs, mists, vortexes and light rods. I view crisis apparitions as more proof that there is a part of us that can leave the physical body or live on without it and still make contact with others, accomplish tasks and operate as an intelligent entity. I think this is what we call the soul.
