What are ghosts?

Question

Obviously ghosts exist, because people see them. But what are they? Projections from our subconscious? Overactive imaginations? Spirits of the dead? Why do some people see them and not others? And what is the difference with poltergeists, possessions and so on - are these the same kinds of ghosts (just bad ones) or are they serious mental illnesses? Or what?

I'd like your well thought out opinions please!

Answer 1

I live in Athens, Ohio one of the most haunted towns in the world. My biulding is SUPER haunted. There is this one little girl ghost just stands in this one room all day, she doesn't move or anything. But she looks really creepy and if you try to touch her she disappears for awhile.

ANYWAY....I don't know what ghosts are. If they are dead people, why are they wearing clothes? Does your soul have its own set of clothes? Here is a link to the works of Thomas Edison and his machine for talking to ghosts.
http://www.prairieghosts.com/oh-milan.html

Answer 2

Most common ghost sightings are the 'replay' variety, an apparition that repeats a scene over and over. Like the sounds of footsteps people claim to hear after they've spent several nights in a haunted house.

Scientists believe these are mere recordings of an event that have met the required atmospheric conditions for someone to leave an imprint in the area. it sounds bizarre, but we are beings that generate electricity and this can be left as an imprint.

For example, a person is standing by a window in the top room of an old country house that overlooks a lake. That person sees a body floating in the water. Coupled with their own alarm that someone has drowned, they also feel an irrational emotion that the body in question is someone close to them. when they finally get to the lake, they see no evidence of a body floating on the surface. later they find out that someone did drown years ago and it was a family member, who saw the scene from out the very same window.

I personally believe we do leave such imprints on our environment, and these recordings can be explained as such

However, there are some entities that you feel rather than see, like someone watching you. How real these are, i don't know. Some have been explained. Electrical equipment can create low frequencies that make us perceive that there's somone else in the room that makes us feel we're being watched.

When it comes to old buildings, sometimes your senses are heightened because of its reputation. There could be nothing there and your imagination conjours up these spectres. Or there could actually be something there.

Possessions are more tricky. If it's cult based it can be down to the ritual, and if they use drugs in the ceremony then perhaps it can be explained.

I'm not a full blooded sceptic and I do believe there are some particularly unpleasant 'things' out there.

Answer 3

Human beings have more to it than their physical body. Once you pass away, you have another body- the etheric body. This body is what is most commonly seen when ghosts appear. Usually, this dies off a few days or weeks after physical death, but sometimes it gets rooted here. Anyway, some see them and others don't because some are more sensitive to them then others. Poltergeists can sometimes be teenagers going through puberty- my sister had some telekinetic abilities then(she could switch the radio on and off at will-spooky huh?). Possessions happen when a spirit takes over your body, for better or worse, 95% of the time...It's BAD. Obsession is kind of like possession, just more subtle. Ghosts, Demons, Angels, Fay, all can do this. But yes, sometimes it IS mental illness. Like MPD, that's not possession, it's someone with multiple personalities. Schitzophrenia, etc....But you have to test first, make sure all psychological, natural, and human causes for the above is ruled out. And no, ghosts aren't demons. But you can talk to both if you wish, Ouija boards are useful for that. Just be respectful. ;)

Answer 4

Ghosts are the spirit once it leaves the physical body. Since I have seen both human and animall ghosts, I know this is not limited to just humans. However since it is the spirit of the person, you have to remember that some people are good and some bad, their spirits will be the same.

Ghosts are said to stay on earth for many reasons
1- To help someone out
2- Because they don't want to leave
3- Because they don't know they are dead
I don't know if these are real reasons, but they seem plausible.

I know my Grandma came to me when she died, to tell me goodbye. I know the reason I saw the ghost oof a dog was because the dog was buried in someones back yard and wanted a proper burial. Once he was dug up, and buried properly,, his ghost no longer came.

The reason they appear to some people and not others is simple, it's the same reason one person can see something that someone else doesn't even notice in a room. If a person is so consumed with what they are doing, or their life, they are not open minded enough to think anything can exist beyond the reality they know. Children see more ghosts because their minds are so open, adults see less because they have been condidtioned by society to think ghosts are not real.

A poltergeist, I believe is the spirit of someone that use to live in the place it 'haunts', and personally if I were a ghost and I saw someone doing something bad like abusing theiir child or beating their wife, or whatever, I'd 'haunt' them relentlessly.

Answer 5

Nobody will ever know exactly what ghosts are, will they? A lot of pictures pop out on the net from time to time which have the same basic storyline going behind them-this picture was taken when it was thought nobody else was around and look! What appears in the picture! But they are not convincing evidences at all. Pictures can be tampered with in many ways. Dedicated scientists have even tried to invent devices which will be able to capture real photos of ghosts. Broadly speaking, the idea of ghosts as dreaded evil spirits which can do harm to you is a figment of imagination which helps the exorcists to carry out a living for themselves. I will also say that even 'good' spirits have been created by man themselves. Why? The answer is simple. Man doesn't like to think that death is the end of all things. I'm not strictly saying that such things don't exist but I will only say that any conclusive statement requires proof.

Answer 6

Depends of the observer. Some people can "channel" to the spirit (yeah, GHOST) and see them . Some people can't. It's because they've shielded the self in disbelief. It's best for you to do the same. They aren't all good and most want special attention.
Most people think ghosts are anomalies. I think they are just a reminder of how little we know about ourselves. Or maybe we are not meant to know anything like that.

Sure there are some documented cases of human possession.And I think it has to do something whit the not-so-good spirits I have spoken about. The ones that want attention or are jut angry for no reason. No wonder some Christians connect them to Devil figure. The image of evil.
It makes you wonder what kind of role does Christianity play in all this.

Answer 7

Ghosts are probably a combination of perception tricks, subconscious projections, over active imaginations and the power of suggestion.

The one thing they are not are spirits of the dead.

Everyone sees things occasionally that could be attributed to ghosts but not everyone jumps to that conclusion.

Poltergeists are supposed to be ghosts that can move objects. They would be the result of wind, bad memories and others playing tricks on us.

Possessions are most probably mental illness.

Answer 8

Traditionally, ghosts are the souls or spirits of the dead who for some reason have not, or cannot, cross over to whatever you believe is the land of the dead. Many people claim to have seen them, so there must be something to the belief, even if it is just mental instability. There are legitimate ghost stories from the early dynasties of Egypt, thousands of years ago. If ghosts are evidence of mental instability, then the human race has been mentally instable for thousands of years. (and why is that not a surprise?)

Answer 9

Ghosts is the word used by the paranormal investigators with no knowledge or experience of spirit. We are spirit within and pass into another realm (dimension) called spirit (on a lighter vibration) upon our physical body death. We can leave trails of energy behind and we can visit and be a part of the energy of material vibration.

The reason most people do not know about them and/or see them is because they do not take time to understand and develop their senses beyond the material vibration. Those that do are called psychics or mediums.

Very large topic for this short analysis. For more information and discussion, go to boards suited to the topic:
www.beliefnet.com Spiritualism
http://groups.msn.com/spiritualwisdom
www.nsac.org
www.snu.org

Spiritualism (religion, philosophy, science) is based upon the knowledge of spirit communication.

Answer 10

There are programmes that relate to this question....on one of these programmes they said that a ghost does not harm a person and the only reason you possibly see a scary ghost is they are trying to get your attention....how true this is,is anybodys guess.You never can really tell if this is true or not that they exist until you have been in a situation where you personally have seen one....me i have not but i have an open mind on this matter.

Answer 11

I believe that when a person dies...they're spirit goes to another place and cannot linger here. I think projection from our subconsciences is very probable. I also think that in some cases-they are demons trying to scare people or shake faith in God. Either way-ghosts are not good-but if a person keeps it in perspective and places their trust in the Lord, then they are not harmful either...does that make sense?