What the difference is between spirits and ghosts?

Answer 1

Well, I suppose to a certain degree you could suggest that they are one and the same, they are both essentially made of the same thing, energy.

However, a ghost is normally depicted as something that haunts people or places and therefore gives off a feeling of fear. The dictionary defines a ghost as "The Spirit or semblance of a dead person, believed to visit or haunt living people". Not very pleasant sounding, we know, but don't you remember as a child you would have been afraid of ghosts because it was always 'ghost stories' you heard, never 'spirit stories'!

That's not say that there can't be bad 'spirits', because occasionally there can. However, our perception of this is that ghosts are the energy or soul of someone that has died either unexpectedly or perhaps unpleasantly and so can be frustrated or somewhat lost whilst trying to pass into the spirit realm. So, they are more forceful, angry and even aggressive sometimes in an attempt to get our attention.

Unhappy ghosts such as these are often called Poltergeists. They feed off of our fear. This means that to get our attention they will do things to make us feel uncomfortable, or frightened, if you like. For example, banging doors, things dropping off walls etc.. It's all to get themselves noticed, and, once we acknowledge them without fear, and try to understand why they're about, things will calm down.

Spirit on the other hand, in general, are much more subtle in their approach. You may get the shivers or feel very hot as one draws near. You may feel tingles, as if someone is touching your arm, hand or shoulders for example. They can be mischievous, but never harmful. They too will try different ways of getting our attention, but not normally anything that makes us feel uneasy. Another example (and this happens to most people we know) is that things will go missing and miraculously reappear again a few days later. Usually a very good sign that spirit are around!

Spirit are usually here to guide us, whether it be the spirit of a physical person that we once knew (e.g. a late parent or grandparent) or a learned guide from ancient times (maybe an Indian or Egyptian) and so they may bring messages of comfort or advice. (See our page in the library on Spirit Guides for a bit more information.)

Ghosts on the other hand don't have anything much to contribute (except making us jump!) until they have accepted what's going on and have perhaps been helped to happily pass into the next realm!

(Thanks to the Mystic Mouse website for supplying the information)

Answer 2

There have been two sensible answers out of the fifteen I've read so far, so here comes the third.

There are no such things as ghosts or spirits, so there is no difference. If you want to earn a $1,000,000 cheque, take Randi's challenge and show him one, he will gladly give you the cheque I promise you.

Answer 3

Actually theres no difference, the only thing thats different is the name they call them some people say ghosts while others say spirits

Answer 4

Ghosts have never passed on to the other side. They are stuck here. Spirits have passed on and can come back. They have access to the physical world and the other side. Ghosts are lost, spirits aren't.

Answer 5

A ghost is simply laymens term for spirit. Psychics call them spirits, everyone else calls them ghosts.

Answer 6

a ghost is the remaining spirit of what was once corporeal, a spirit is an entity that never had a body of flesh

Answer 7

you can buy spirits by the bottle you cant ghosts

Answer 8

A GHOST IS SOMETHING YOU SEE WHEN YOU HAD TOO MUCH SPIRITS TO DRINK!
sorry for the joke!

Answer 9

You can't drink a ghost.

Answer 10

You can load spirits with a pitchfork.