If some people are to be believed, ghosts are terrifying spirits that cause great harm, but are they? Find out what ghosts are, and whether they are real or just fictional characters in scary stories.
It seems like a lot of ghost stories depict ghosts as powerful spirits who terrorize the living, and are very difficult to defeat. Then there are brave people who go on “ghost hunts”, deliberately seeking out the company of said ghosts. There are other people who say there is no such thing as ghosts, and anybody who believes in them is crazy. Who is right? Join SpiritualBlossom to find out. What is a ghost, and what are some ghost stories, describing what they are and some of the things ghosts do? Find out if ghosts are evil spirits or misunderstood spirits. Do you have a ghost and want to be rid of it? Find out how to do that and find out once and for all if ghosts are real or not.
What’s a Ghost?
A ghost is the spirit of a dead person or animal who inhabits the world of the living and whose presence is known through intuitive feeling or being sighted. Some people say that ghosts have no physical appearance, and others say they are slightly visible but partially translucent. Others say ghosts have appeared to them with the appearance they took while alive, and other people say there is no physical form but they get psychic images of a ghost. They have been written about and spoken about all around the world throughout many different periods of history, and are still talked about today.
Ghosts are said to spontaneously appear, to inhabit places like old houses or battlefields, or to be attached to objects such as jewelry, dolls, or even graves. Some people believe but ghosts move at will, going where they want, and others believe that ghosts are assigned to places and have no will of their own to go where they wish. Some people don't believe that ghosts exist because no scientific evidence has ever been inconclusively proven. Other people say that just because you can't prove something in a lab doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Multiple religions and cultures say that a ghost is produced at the moment of death and the spirit leaves the body of the deceased. Some people believe that some ghosts go on to become spirit guides. Read more about spirit guides here: Working with Your Spirit Guide
Ghost Stories
So, what are some ghost stories, telling us what ghosts are like? They are not always pleasant. The story about the haunting of the Baths in Plutarch’s hometown tells a tale of infatuation and murder. Tales of the dreaded strigoi of Eastern Europe gave rise to the modern vampire stories. The terrifying dybbuk of Jewish stories may or may not have been a misunderstanding of psychiatric disorders.
The Baths at Chaeronea
In the 1st century CE, Plutarch wrote about the hauntings of the baths at his hometown of Chaeronea. He was a senior priest of Apollo at the Oracle of Delphi, and he was not only a holy man, but was a writer and he wrote a story about a local ghost. He said that a young man named Damon was known for being strong and beautiful but he had a terrible temper. A local Roman captain was crazy about him due to his great beauty. Since Damon wasn't interested in the captain, the captain physically assaulted him. To get revenge, Damon took 16 companions and killed him. Damon and his companions were sentenced to death but instead they killed the magistrates and fled.
Not content to live a peaceful life after that Damon ravaged the countryside as a brigand, burning and pillaging at will. Desperate to get rid of him, the citizens lied and said that he was pardoned of his crimes and honored with a high position in public office. He fell for this ruse, went back to town, and was immediately killed at the local bathhouse. Although the people thought that Damon was done with, his ghost haunted the bathhouse. He appeared and groaned so loudly that he terrified the attendees and the bath house was shut down. It is said that to this day the ghost of Damon haunts the neighborhood.
The Strigoi
Romanian mythology tells us about troubled spirits that rise from the grave to torment the living. It's possible to become a strigoi if you are the 7th child of the same sex in your family or if you've died without being married or died by suicide or execution. If you were cursed by a witch or you lived a life of sin you might become a strigoi. Signs that you have a strigoi in town are a drought in the village, hailstones, or if it rains while the sun is shining. Strigoi said to take the milk from cows, strength from people, keep it from raining, and kill men or cattle. One strigoi, called Grando, was even said to rise from the grave 16 years after his death.
Anytime multiple members of the same family started to die of mysterious circumstances, that could be blamed on a strigoi. The body would be exhumed, and if it did not show signs of decomposition, steps were taken to kill the strigoi. The body could be staked through the heart, decapitated, burned, or all three. In more modern times the word vampire is used to describe what used to be called strigoi as well as the term revenant. Today, it is believed that the strigoi or vampires are scientifically impossible and belief in them was a misunderstanding of natural decomposition of bodies and disease. Read more about vampires here: Are Vampires Real?
The Dybbuk
Jewish mythology speaks of the dybbuk. It’s spirit that will possess a human being and an exorcism is required. They are believed to be the spirits of males and they would possess women assaulting them on the eaves of their weddings. Affixing a mezuza or parchment with holy writings from the Torah on the doorposts of the home would ward them off. Some modern Rabbis refer people who are suspicious of being possessed by a dybbuk to a psychiatrist. Some people believe that the dybbuk simply represents unusual sexual urges. Other people believe that these creatures are real and relentlessly search for a host to prey upon.
They're said to enter your body, cut your soul in half, and completely control you by speaking through you. Interestingly, no Kabbalah or Talmudic literature speaks of this creature so it is believed to be a modern belief that comes from about the 16th or 17th century Europe. Some historians say belief in this was used to explain psychiatric problems. Some said that these spirits came about when their human bodies were not properly laid to rest or that their crimes and sins during life were so great they were not allowed to cross over into the afterlife. Driving out one of these creatures was done by 10 holy men and a ritual bath and prayers.
Are Ghosts Evil?
It depends on who you ask whether ghosts are evil or not. People who believe in spirits like dybbuks or strigoi say that those are evil spirits, but other people would say that a ghost is not specifically an evil entity. Like people have the potential to do good things or evil things while they're living, some people say that ghosts do too. Do you need to worry about your safety with a ghost? Keep in mind that ghosts do not have bodies anymore, so they cannot physically harm you. You are more likely to be assaulted, injured, killed, or even just have your feelings hurt by a living human being than a disembodied spirit like a ghost. So don't worry if ghosts are evil or not.
How to Talk to Ghosts
Some people think that you have to use specialized communication to talk to ghosts, but you really don't. Just talk to a ghost the same way you would talk to a person- with respect. If you sense the spirit's presence and you're not sure who that spirit is, introduce yourself, and ask the ghost if it will make itself known to you. If you feel any fear at all, the ghost will be able to sense this. Don’t be afraid of ghosts. They are just like people. If you've tried to speak to the spirit, and you don't feel like communication is getting through, reach out to a psychic medium and have them speak to the spirit for you.
Sometimes it takes a while to get used to how spirits communicate. Ghosts don't have bodies anymore, so they can't talk back the way that they could while they were living. Your personal intuition comes in and helps with this. While you're trying to speak with the ghost, pay attention to what's going on around you. If a book falls from the shelf, see what page it opens on and what the words on the page say. That could be a ghost communicating with you. Knowing how to listen during spirit communication is very important. Find out how to be a great listener here: How to Become Great at Listening
One thing to keep in mind it's not to follow cues from horror movies. In some horror movies, terrified young people will call out and say , “If there is a spirit here, make your presence known” , and that's when disasters start to unfold. It's disrespectful to demand the spirit prove itself to you, and it's disrespectful to speak aloud to a strange spirit just for fun. Remember that spirits exist everywhere and the fact that you have sensed a spiritual presence doesn't necessarily mean that the spirit is there to communicate with you. Sometimes we pass the spirit in the same way that you pass a living person in public, and you both go about your business.
How to Get Rid of a Ghost
There are countless stories circulating about ghosts that frighten people. A lot of people feel very uncomfortable with the thought that a ghost could reside in their house or on their property, and they want the ghost to leave. Usually, we can coexist with spirits and have no problems, but if you decide you don't want to do that, there is a way to get a spirit to leave. Tell the spirit that it's not welcome. Remember that you reside in your home and you have a right to decide who or what is welcome. It i's within your power to make it leave your home or your presence. You don't need any magical spells or powerful holy people to kick a spirit out. Tellit to leave and expect it to leave and it will. Speaking of getting rid of things, did you ever wonder how to lift a curse? Find out how here: What Are Curses - Are They Real?
Are Ghosts Real?
So, are ghosts real? Ghosts aren't like the ghosts and the movies that burn down houses haunt people to the point of insanity, and punish the living, and nobody can prove spirits like the dybbuk exist. Ghosts are just the spirits of people and animals that used to be alive but don't have a body anymore. Some people say that ghosts are the spirits of the dead, but some people say that only the body dies and the soul lives forever, so to some people, ghosts aren't actually dead, they've just moved to a different level of existence.
Some people say that they keep in touch with their loved ones after death. You can build an ancestor altar placing photographs of the people and pets you love who departed, and putting little gifts there for them like their favorite foods, things that they had while they were living or gifts of things that you know that they would have liked. To establish first time contact with them after you've built your altar, light a single white candle and sit at your altar, speaking aloud to your loved one. Sometimes you can feel their presence the minute you say their name, but sometimes you have to spend a little bit of time reaching out to them before they make their presence known.
How do they do that? Sometimes they visit you in dreams, and other times you see symbols of them somewhere. If you start noticing the smell of their perfume when you go places, it's not a coincidence. It’s their loving presence. If you can feel their love near you after you've tried to establish communication, that means you've been successful. You might start hearing their favorite song play a lot, or notice their favorite animal everywhere you go. You might hear phrases that they used to use come out of other people's mouths in conversation. You might feel an unexplained sense of love and comfort come over you. That is the ghost, or spirit of your loved one reaching out. Remember, your pest visit in ghost form too, reminding you that they love and miss you. Read about black cats here: The Magic and Superstitions of Black Cats
Some people are terrified by ghosts. They believe that ghosts are malevolent spirits who exist only to terrorize the living but we need not fear ghosts. Ghosts are just the spirits of people or animals who have died of physical death and no longer have a body. While ghosts can experience all the same things that human beings do including fear and anger, being a ghost does not make them a negative entity. While ghosts do reside everywhere that human beings would reside, if you are terribly uncomfortable with the ghost, all you have to do is ask it to leave. All of your experiences with ghosts can be positive ones, just treat them the same way you would want to be treated and all will be well.
Would you like to speak with a psychic medium about encounters you've had with spirits? We are here 24/7 to answer any questions you have, so get a reading started with us today.
About the Author: Lady Saoirse has studied magic and lore for most of her life but started walking her own Magical Path after being spiritually reborn in the desert. Today she is a High Priestess for The Temple of the Goddess, she is a psychic advisor and spiritual counselor, she shares her gifts as a Psychic and Content Writer for Mysticsense and SpiritualBlossom, and she writes for The Green Egg Magazine and PaganPages.Org emag.
