Hauntings: Intelligent or Traditional Ghost

As I have mentioned already in past sections, I don’t have all of the answers about ghosts and probably never will.... at least until I have the opportunity to become one myself. People often ask me if I have ever seen a ghost... but I really can’t say for sure. I have certainly seen a lot of things that I cannot explain except to say that they were paranormal in nature. Besides that, seeing a ghost is not the only way to experience them. Ghosts are known for the sounds and sensations they cause and the activity which they cause to occur. They are known for these things as much, or perhaps more, than for the sightings which are reported.

Many things happen in the course of a paranormal investigation which might be caused by a ghost. I know that I cannot explain some of the things which happen any other way than to say they were caused by spirit energy... but are these things always caused by ghosts? Perhaps, or even probably, not.... you may not believe some of the strange things that can happen that are caused by natural means. Obviously, weird things can and do take place that are easily explained away.
But what about those things which are not so easy to dismiss?

The following is a quick study of the nature of various hauntings. This is certainly not the final word on the spirit world.... I have never claimed that it could be. The idea that a ghost, or a type of haunting, could be one, all-encompassing thing is a nice idea, but unfortunately is an unrealistic one. I wish that it could be that easy but even the word "ghost" is rather misleading. We are forced to use it as a generic term for "spirits" and "apparitions", paranormal manifestations that are actually very different things.

There seem to be several different kinds of paranormal events which have been linked to ghosts. Are they all cases of spirit activity? That is for you to decide. I will present the facts, the theories and the evidence and you can use that information in conjunction with your own ideas and investigations.

- THE TRADITIONAL OR INTELLIGENT HAUNTING -

This type of haunting is perhaps the most widely accepted kind of ghostly activity, although not as common as you might think. In this case, the spirit or entity involved is an "intelligent" presence in a haunted location. It is there because of a connection to the site of to the people in the location.

This ghost is best (and most simply) described as the personality of a person who once lived and who has stayed behind in our world instead of passing over to the other side. This sometimes happens in the case of a murder, traumatic event or some unfinished business that took place in the person’s life. At the time of death, the spirit refused to pass over because of these events. The spirits often linger because of the emotions that tie them to the earth, from anger to love. It may not have been that the person did not pass because they couldn’t... it may have been because they did not want to. In other cases, there is the chance that the spirit did not yet even realize they were dead. This can occur when the death involved is sudden or unexpected.

We have to remember that these spirits are now made up of the energy that once made up the soul of some living person. These Intelligent spirits are not evil or demonic, as some so-called experts would have you believe. I have never encountered an "evil spirit" in the time that I have been involved in this field. I have, however, run across a few "negative" spirits though, and realizing they were the personalities of people who were angry and bitter in life, I could explain the types of behavior they were manifesting in the location. Spirits are simply human personalities, or souls, and if the spirit was a kind and caring person in life, the spirit will most likely hang onto those qualities. On the other hand, those angry and cruel people will also keep those same qualities if they choose to stay behind after death.

These negative spirits can be frightening, especially to people not trained in the paranormal, and in very rare cases they have been able to harm the living... but that is generally not the case. It is much more common to hear of an encounter with a benevolent spirit than with a negative one.

So, what can you do if you if you get involved in a case like this? The fact that some of these spirits have remained behind because of some unfinished business is a hard obstacle to overcome. There are many spirits remaining in our world who have left behind relatives and love ones, or tasks which they feel cannot be completed by anyone other than themselves. They may not rest because of some injustice done to them or maybe because of something as simple as wanting to see their children grow up.

For the most part, the idea of these spirits being still here in our world is actually very sad. In all of our excitement over finding a ghost, we also must keep in mind that many spirits are confused over what has happened to them, sometimes not realizing they are dead. Many of them died suddenly. Others cling to life, afraid to let go of something they no longer have. Because of this, they are drawn back to places where they experienced joy, peace and happiness during their lifetimes. Many of these spirits just felt they had too much life in them and have refused to pass over.

These ghosts often need help to be convinced that they don’t belong here anymore. They don’t need to be exorcised (they aren’t demons), they just need to be shown the right way to go and introduced to the fact that there is now more for them in the next world than in this one. There are many different ways to accomplish this, ranging from simple explanations to perhaps a prayer from a clergyman of the spirit’s former faith.

SIGNS OF AN INTELLIGENT HAUNTING: The spirit will usually manifest itself in physical ways like slamming, opening and unlocking doors and windows; strange sounds; voices; cold chills and a strong presence. It may make itself seen and it will most likely look as it did when alive. The witness should be sure however, that the visible spirit seems to interact and is not just an imprinted image.

The annoyance factor with this type of haunting will be very high as the spirit seeks to get the attention of the living occupants at or in the location. These spirits are known for hiding objects; moving things about; turning things off and on and other nuisances that would be similar to a child seeking attention. In this sort of case, the spirit may be looking for assistance to pass over or to accomplish a certain task. It has also been documented that the spirit may just be seeking company from the residents, or even from the investigators themselves.

© Copyright 2004 by Troy Taylor. All Rights Reserved.