Ghosts and Spirits

It has long been known that mans first and greatest fear is the fear of death. Of course we find this quite understandable. Even in the age of the "miracle cure" we are all deeply aware (at least subconciously) that we must die someday. In this way we are no different than our distant forefathers. Although most people have some opinion as to where we "go" after dying, nearly ALL believe that some remain as earthbound entities...or ghosts

Poltergeists (noisy ghosts)

This is the only form of ghost that most people are familiar with. It has been popularized through movies and television. It is fairly common, yet we know very little about it. Poltergeists seem to be attracted to certain situations and people. Many researchers think the poltergeist itsself is simply a persons own energy being projected in chaotic ways. These manifest themselves mostly as movement of or manipulation of objects, even when that person isn't in the room. Young people reaching puberty seem to have the most poltergeist activity surrounding them. It seems to be true mostly of girls. Its thought that perhaps all that misdirected energy and angst sort of takes on a "life of its own" or just gets out of control and manipulates its surroundings at random. Poltergeists supposedly aren't harmful, but get bonked on the head by a flying ashtray thrown by one and you may come to a different opinion. They seem to leave after the turmoil dies down...small comfort to somebody who has one.

Residual Hauntings

There are several types of ghosts. Most of which will not harm the "haunted" individual. A classic example of this is known as a residual haunting. During a phemomen such as this, a person may see a situation "played out" in front of them. The spirit itsself is merely a shadow of the past. It has no intellect or awareness of any kind. It cannot be interacted with. This sort of manifestation is more like a broken record than anything else. It usually revolves around an area or object which was located during a time of great emotional pain or turmoil. This, apparently, is what causes the image to re-appear. Another receptor for this anomoly appears to be stone and other natural formations. A great deal of residuals seem to appear in castles due to their stone structure as well as their age. Other residual hauntings have shown up outdoors and in other older structures. A certain tavern in Wales was thought to be "haunted" for years due to whispers, laughter and other general voices heard by the staff long after hours. It was found that the conduit for these sounds was a particular wall which was an original part of the ancient tavern. This wall was made from a particular kind of stone which acted as a recorder and actually played back sounds from the past! This was deduced from snatches of the conversation which appeared to be in Gaelic, dating back hundreds of years.