Hauntings

Is a Ghost Different from a Spirit? Yes, but it's really a play on words. A Spirit is the whole encompassing being of an ethereal being. Each incarnated being has within it's physical body a soul, or a portion of the larger encompassing spirit. When we die and cross over to the ethereal realm, it's the soul that lets go of the physical body and moves back to the larger enlightened spiritual being. You can learn about this process by reading more about Reincarnation. Basically our Spirit guides or those we encounter from a spiritual level are Spirits who are not bound to the earth, nor are they typically connected to one person, place or location. They are enlightened, loving and compassionate beings who try to help incarnated beings on their spiritual path in various ways.   A Ghost is a soul that doesn't not know it has crossed over into the ethereal realm, doesn't want to leave the physical world, was suddenly taken from the physical world and is confused, or is angry and refuses to move on into the Divine light. They do not rejoin their larger spiritual self, and therefore limit their knowledge, understanding and enlightenment. They retain their physical emotions and reactions, and this can be troublesome for those of us here on the physical plane.   The Process of Life and Death First we have to talk about crossing over and what that means to the soul. When we begin setting up the "blue-print" for an incarnation, we choose certain karmic situations to redeem. We give boundaries that will help us set-up situations for spiritual lessons and growth. We even determine how and when we will cross over into spirit again. When a soul completes the journeys set up in their "blue-print", they may choose to stay a little while and revel in their accomplishment or cross over and continue their journey through other means. But even the adventure of crossing is aiding in our spiritual knowledge and therefore our evolution.   For instance, if someone dies in this life through drowning, it may be a situation they decided to set-up in this life to have the experience of feeling helpless, or just the experience of the drowning itself. It could also be a way to redeem karma, perhaps the individual who drowned in this life, killed someone through drowning in a past life. There are many reasons and ways to view the event, but bottom line, the manner of the crossing into spirit aids in the spiritual advancement just like any other experience.   Sudden Death and Suicide Some souls who are killed, or die before they're ready to go get trapped here in the earthly ethers. Some ghosts are taken so quickly, either through murder or accident. In these situations, the soul is pluck from the physical body so quickly or brutally that the conscious falls into a state of confusion and the person doesn't know what to do. They are for all intensive purposes, stuck in limbo.   The same is true for suicidal deaths. However, this manner of crossing into spirit is considered to be one the greatest sins. The Universe does have an order to it, a set of Universal Laws and a hierarchy that governs the evolution of spirit. To deny your soul and the commitments you made to other souls when you created your blueprint, is breaking one of these Universal Laws. In these cases, the soul is automatically cast into a limbo state for a period of time. How long or how short depends on the person, their karma and level of enlightenment. But limbo it is, with no light, no connection with others living or dead.   What are Hauntings? The problem with limbo is that a soul maintains their personality, their desires, likes and dislikes. Often these souls become bitter, and can lash out at living. Angry that their wants and needs are not being met. They may even realize after a time that they are dead, and they can no longer enjoy the fruits of physical life.   But there are also some souls that might enjoy their situation and become part of the family. A lot of people share stories of ghosts living in their houses, some scary and vindictive (those seem to be the ones everyone wants to hear about), but others are more kind and friendly. But the Universe does maintain a balance, and it's very plausible that there are just as many nice ghosts and there are nasty ones.   Anyway, some of these souls don't know they've died and they simply hang around the last place they lived in. They don't understand who someone new is moving into their home and they lash out to protect their property. As if the ghost is trying to get rid of an intruder. Others know they've died, but they weren't ready to go and are trying to hold on to this existence instead of accepting their passing and moving on, where they'd be much happier.   Moving Ghosts To The Light In all situations, the best thing to do is try and help the ghost see the light. To help them understand they have passed on and if they would just look around they'll see the light of God shining upon a path for them to walk into the divine realms.   This can be done by a single individual, but it is best to do in a group. The gathering of people will aid to the combination of energy and maintaining the intent of the effort. It is best to have an intention to clear the energy of a house, with an underlying intent of helping the soul find it's way to the Divine. Here's one possible process for making this happen.   Protection and setting an intent As a group or an individual, the most important step to any process of clearing energy, it to protect yourself and the group. This can be done with prayer and visualization. Imagine a white light from the Divine force coming into form and surrounding the group. Say a special prayer to the Divine and your personal guides to aid in the protection, to help keep out negative forces that might interfere with the intent of the group. Then explicitly state the intent, make is clear that the purpose is to move any negative force or energy from the area (or house) and to place this space in pure divine protective energy. State the underlying intent is to help any earth bound spirits who are currently in this space, find their way along the path of white light and into the realm of the Divine energies. Where they can once again find peace and love.   Gathering information. With the protection set and the intent stated, the gathering should try to contact the ghost and gather as much information from this spirit as possible. Why they are stuck in this particular location, how they died (if they don't know, ask one of your guides for assistance), and how long they have been deceased.   Opening the door to the Divine Once you have a little information, the group can use creative visualization to open a gateway into the Divine realm. Simply ask your guides and God to open a path, imagine a doorway with a pure bright white light shining through into the area you are in. Then through talking to the ghost, try to help them see the gateway. You can try to call upon any relatives or souls that might have a significant connection to the ghost. Use whatever information they provided during your initial queries to help them see the path of light.   Each case is different, and will take varying amounts of time. As long as your protection and intent remains, you can help these suffering souls find the peace and happiness they are missing.   It is an amazing feeling to help a soul cross into the light. The energy of the house or area is lifted and filled with such love and joy, it's hard to express.   There are some ghosts who aren't capable of being helped and these are the ones to be cautious of. You really have to know how to "feel" the energy of a ghost to know if it's just someone caught in limbo or if it's a soul with such negative energies and purposes that they are beyond assistance. These are the earth bound entities you should be protecting yourself from when you begin spiritual work, psychic experiences or channeling of any kind. These creatures seem to be here for the sole purpose of doing harm and they do it well.   If you are in a situation where this might be occurring, you can still clear the space, although it may take some doing and a number of people with a great deal of knowledge and experience.   Final Thoughts Bottom line, if you feel frightened by a ghost, demand they leave your house immediately. Light a white candle, say a prayer for protection and ask for assistance from the Divine. Then stand firm in your own energy. You are just as powerful as they are, maybe more so, because you have the realization that they are dead and that little bit of knowledge can be used in your favor.   So set your demands and use creative visualization to clear and cleanse your house of their energy. Help the souls that are capable of being helped, and clear the ones that can't be assisted or don't want to be. Just remember, it's your house. You are the one who is in physical form, and this area or home is a physical structure. You have the right to be here, they don't!   Additional Reading For more information about Ghosts, Spirits and Hauntings, you might take a look at these additional postings:   What is Reincarnation? Ghosts and Spirits Spirit Guides ~ What are they?

Sources: 1, b1, b3, b7, b13, b15 Created: 10/14/1996       Updated: 03/07/2008