Understanding spirits

(Part I of II) 

WITH the celebration of All Souls’ Day earlier this month, stories of ghosts and hauntings have surfaced — as if they never existed even beyond the said season. 

To be very upfront, ghosts exist everywhere and mingle among the living. The existence of the other dimension is real and a fact we can never deny or subdue.

The spirit world is very complex, and to a point, still unexplored. Common sense dictates that meddling with unseen and unpredictable energies is something one must seriously think about.  But first let us try to describe briefly what a spirit is. 

A spirit defined as a being unseen.  It moves about in and out of dimensions and in different forms. Basically, there are two kinds of spirits: the good and bad. There are numerous types of spirits, from angelic beings to demons and ghosts to elementals. We will talk about this carefully in the coming issues but for now, let us keep the confines to ghosts only. 

So what are ghosts? Ghosts are spirits of people and other beings that manifest themselves in the physical world even after detaching from the physical body. They move around places and things knowingly and unknowingly. 

How do ghosts manifest? Ghosts appear around dark, damp areas, cellars or basements, forests, bathrooms, dark closets or corners. 

It can be caught randomly with any film or still camera, with or without flashes, seen in a split second or through the corner of the eyes called peripheral vision. Their voices can also be “recorded” or taped as deep, far sounding voices and may be coherent or non-coherent sounds. They can also manifest by making sounds, footsteps or rappings on the wall. 

Spirits glow at times, too. This is because of a matter called ectoplasm. Some people define it as a glow in the dark thing as popularized by the movie “Ghostbusters.” This matter makes the spirit have that ghastly appearance so that they can be felt and seen more by mortals.  

Apparitions and haunting seem to be synonymous with each other. When a spirit is seen for the first time in a place, it is called an apparition. Apparitions are also not-too-frequent sightings of spirits in a place. However, when the spirit manifests repeatedly, it becomes a haunting.  Whether you see an apparition or a haunting, you cannot discount the fact that there is, indeed, a paranormal occurrence. 

Why do we have ghosts?  Ghosts “appear” or even “haunt” certain places because of several reasons:

Unfinished businesses. When they were alive, a special project  or job that is of utmost importance were their focus. Their efforts and time were devoted on the endeavor that they have special attachment to it. A spirit of a doctor working on a special medical case would be reported seen in his study tinkering or reading a book, 

Strong attachment to places, people or things. Emotions can bind the spirit to a place or person. Say a favorite park, a cafe, rocking chair, a book, mirror, a comb or a brush, table or a bed. These things can be sentimental to any of us that when we have so strong an adherence to these, it would be hard to let go even when we pass on to the next life. Dedication to a job is a very strong link to this physical realm, too. Stories of a floating nurse doing the hospital rounds, a spooky janitor mopping the floor at the wee hours in the morning or even a priest gliding through the seminary corridors at 3 a.m.is not uncommon. These are perfect examples of strong affinity to the physical world. 

Unaware he is dead or not accepting of death. Not knowing he is already dead, a spirit goes back to where his last memory was. If he was riding a car when he figured in an accident, on a death bed because of an illness, or in a place where a crime was committed against him, the spirit will be drawn to where he breathed his last. That is the reason why there are so many ghosts in hospitals, scene of the crimes and road mishap locations. Simply, they are unaware of the fact that they have left this world for good. 

Spooked at this point? Don’t be.  

This is just at the tip of the humongous topic about spirits. In my next column, I will discuss the matter from a parapsychologist’s point of view and will not attempt to coin any specific religion to it. We will have more about spirits…the intelligent approach. 

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Stargazer is a life coach, aura reader, psychic/clairvoyant, and lecturer on the paranormal. She uses the aura, energies & vibrations as focal points of her psychic readings. Using several techniques involving the psychological, spiritual, paranormal and her own experience of the intricacies of life, Stargazer makes one get in touch with his inner and understand life in a positive manner. Faith in God and belief in self is what Stargazer emphasizes on. Currently, Stargazer is a radio anchor of DZMM Teleradyo, the radio arm of ABS-CBN. Her show “Pinoy Vibes” has been airing every Sunday morning since Sept. 2007. For more information, please visit http://stargazer.ph/.