Ghosts and Spirits - How to tell the difference and get rid of them

This is a generally accepted term for appearances, images or apparitions of the dead. Evidence for the appearance of ghosts dates back in history. There are similarities and differences in the description of ghosts an d their behaviour, and it seems likely that there are a number of different types of ghosts. Most witnesses agree that the spontaneous ghosts are in fact no the wispy, transparent, ethereal figures of fiction but apparently substantial and three dimensional, though it does often suddenly disappear and material walls and licked doors are no bar to its movements. There is good evidence for 'ghosts with a purpose', apparitions that seem to materialise for a specific reason - to draw attention to lost papers, to put to rights a wrong or to show the circumstances of their death - and once this particular matter has been resolved, the ghost will go.

The Ghost Whisperer and Medium series currently on TV are great example of ghosts with a purpose. Download a free copy of the Ghost Whisperer and Medium below and have a look for yourself.

There is also good evidence also for 'death -bed visions', appearances of a dying or recently dead person to a relative or a friend, often many miles away, who is not aware of the death until later when it may often be established that the death took place about the time the ghost was seen. For example, many years ago, I visited a psychic medium for a psychic reading, which in itself is a story, who described to me a young man who had been killed in a car crash and wanted to tell his mother he loved her. I knew of no such young man, and certainly no one who had been killed in a car crash. I dismissed it and went home and carried on with my daily activities, not thinking about it again.

Later that evening, my mother telephoned me to tell me that my cousin had been killed in a car crash in Italy and had died around 11am that day. I had my reading at 12.30. It was even stranger than that. My aunty had been on holiday and they had difficulty getting hold of her. She arrived at the hospital about an hour after he had died. After discussing the matter with my mum we decided that we should phone my aunty and tell her what had happened. She was over the moon that he had gone to so much effort and it brought her real comfort. There was one other piece of information he gave which validated that it was truly him and it was personal to my aunt and her son so I'm not going to pass that on - but it truly established that it was really him for her.

Earth Spirits

I have personally had experience of spirit energies which cause problems for a family or for a business. The degree to which these spirit energies create problems differs. Some ghosts or spirits simply will not move on due to former addictions, attachments, earthly pleasures, or because something is familiar to them.

I came across a family who where experiencing door banging and things moving in a particular part of the house. It turned out that the house used to belong to an old lady who had passed but had not accepted death. She just wanted to continue doing what she had always done - clean the house. She could not understand what these people were doing in her house and just wanted them to leave. Once it was explained to her that she had died she gladly moved towards the light and the family have never had any more trouble.

Ghosts can have unfinished business here on earth and may need help
getting a message across to someone, or an item found that was hidden by them.
Keep in mind that a few ghosts can be very negative; while other spirits may just be
visiting and have positive feelings and even messages for us - e.g. loved ones, spirit guides and angels. Always stay open-minded, trying to understand what the ghost may be trying to communicate with you. Listen to your inner voice and you may come to understand what it is they are saying - you don't need to be psychic.

How do you get rid of earth bound spirits?

Tell the spirit or ghost to go towards the light and to enter the next dimension and that their loved ones will be waiting for them; and that they will be treated with love, kindness and forgiveness no matter what has happened. Tell them that the light should not be feared as it is love, peace and truth. In most circumstances the ghost will go towards the light and will never bother you again.

Negative Ghosts

I have come across spirit energies which are much more mischievous and go to great lengths to annoy and spook the people around them, which I call negative ghosts or spirits. We own a small country pub in Yorkshire England and have had a number of experiences with spirit energy. The pub is 450 years and has seen many owners. We had a spirit who took great pleasure in moving the glasses of shelves and levitating them in front of our customers and then replacing them on the shelves. Customers and staff have seen this more than once. Whoever it is does not want to talk and he has been seen by a number of people. He's never harmed anyone, he's more entertainment. I have never tried to send him away and he has never tried to communicate. He's happy and its helping trade.

This may un-nerve some people, but ghosts can possess people. However, I don't intend to talk about that here as it's a whole subject on its own.

Can you get rid of negative spirits?

Yes it is possible to get rid of negatives ghosts.

Don't get unemotional - if you do get someone else to do it. Be unemotional but express love, be direct and stay in control. Don't be afraid because like a dog they will feed of your fear. Speak out loud and tell them they are not welcome and ask them to leave. They should know that they

Tell the spirit or ghost to go towards the light and to enter the next dimension and that their loved ones will be waiting for them; and that they will be treated with love, kindness and forgiveness no matter what has happened. Tell them that the light should not be feared as it is love, peace and truth. In most circumstances the ghost will go towards the light and will never bother you again.

Where the ghost or spirit refuses to go, it's time to ask for help. Some suggest that you break a small window and 'smudge' the property with dried bundles of sage (available at most metaphysical stores). I personally think that you can get into all sorts of trouble, so consult a medium or spiritual church or spirit clearing services.

Poltergeists

Mischievous energy whose unpleasant characteristics include noise of every kind, the breaking of crockery and other articles, movement of objects, the starting of small fires, the appearance and disappearance of objects, the throwing of stones, coal or other fragments which are sometimes warm to the touch; and occasionally imitations of the human voice: whistling, singing, talking or whispering. In short poltergeists make an unmitigated nuisance of themselves in dozens of ways, using the minimum of energy.

Poltergeist infestations or visitations begin quite inexplicitly, run their course and then cease as mysteriously as they began. An adolescent (more often a girl than a boy) is almost invariably present in the house, and this young person appears to be the nexus and attraction of the occurrences. Should he or she be moved during the height of the strange happenings then the disturbances will often move with them and reappear wherever they go.

Generally, poltergeists are not connected with the spirit of someone who has passed on. They are not ghosts. Though not completely understood, it is believed that a form of mind over matter energy is expended from the living person.

Can you get rid of poltergeists?

Poltergeists are said to thrive on attention, with activity getting worse the more its presence is acknowledged - try ignoring it and it might just get bored and go away.
However some poltergeists can be very harmful. It doesn't happen often but this type can possibly be very angry spirits. If you ever experience a problem like this it's best you call a professional. If you try to get rid of it on your own it might make things worse. Of course chances are very, very slim that this will ever happen to you or anyone you know.....so don't get scared, stay calm and in control so it can't feed of the fear.

Ghosts and spirits can and do manifest physically in various forms. They can appear as:

Orbs of spirit lights - These balls of light which more often than not float or move at rapid speed across a room. They have been known to hover or even dance. They are unmistakeable and there is no explanation for where the light has come from. They are beautiful and bring a real piece to the room creating a sense of calm and fascination in their audience.

Mists and Ectoplasm - This is the typical description of a ghost or spirit - a form of smoke or fog or chewing gum like substance. It can be part of the spirit or ghost, such as the face or hands or it could show a fully formed entity.

Dark Shadows - Known as "black ectoplasm," these ghosts will often be seen moving about. They come quickly and go in a flash very rarely do they stay around long.

Apparition - This is very rare but it is know that people see the full-bodied or solid form of a spirit. For example, a friend of mine lost her husband to cancer a couple of months after his 60th birthday. Due to his illness he never had a birthday party so the family decided that his wake would be his birthday party and what a party we had - a live up beat band, loads of food and bottled spirits - and we had it in the village pub which was one of his favourite places. A picture was placed at the end of the bar where he stood and a pint was placed in front of it. When she got into bed that night he appeared in the corner of the room with his arm resting on the pub bar and just put his thumb up as a sign of approval and left.

Ghosts can manifest anywhere but mainly appear at night. It is thought that there appearance at night is because people are less active and more relaxed and therefore more susceptive to the subtle energies of spirit.

Ghosts or spirits have been captured on camera. However, photographs have to be viewed with caution. Even 100 years ago, the ability was there to tamper with the photographs and during this time if you presented pictures of a spiritual nature you could earn a lot of money. Today the e-technology available enables people to do all sorts of weird and wonderful things. I do believe that half of the time the pictures of orbs are a mixture of dust, dirt, insects, water particles etc. and half of the time they are ghost or spirit. There are though many genuine pictures which enable you to get a good idea of what I have explained above. Just be a little critical of the photographs and now a days the videos.

In almost every house there is a spirit present. This is commonly called your spirit guide, guardian angle, whilst others just recognise that it is a loved one who just watches over them. Whichever there are very few of us without this support.
How do you tell if they are there? There are some quite common features which will tell you whether they are there.

- Cold spots which exist in certain places in the house and there is no material reason why that area is so cold. The area gives you goose-bumps and you feel chilled when visiting the area.

- Movement of physical objects, such as doors, items missing or moved, sometimes its simply water turning off and on. Sometimes, it's a smell or odour from a loved one. My grandmother for example loved lavender and therefore when she is around always smell lavender. My husband aunty loved sweet Williams and we always get that fragrance when she's around.

- Sounds, such as foot steps, music, voices, whispers, rapping, banging, something being dropped, etc. Sometime things levitate. We have had glasses which have levitated in front of people and then replaced on the shelve

- If your lucky, you will have the physical sight of balls or orbs of light that appear and float around or you might ever see mists or vapours.

- The most telling is own the behaviour of pets. Our dog for example often runs widely around the house and then stops and stares into nothing as though someone is looking or talking to her.

When you have a mischievous ghost or spirit you will know about it. If it's troublesome ask for help.

This is not an exact science and can take sometime to prefect, but if you are interested read on.

It is quite easy despite what some might tell you. Sit comfortably in a chair or lay in bed. Relax, close your eyes and try to blank your mind. Drift into the darkness. After a minute or so you will start to get some images in your mind, sometimes this is colour, sometimes they are faces, both are beautiful and no they are not your imagination.

As you perfect this, you may start to get some shapes or symbols and the longer you do this you will be able to interpret the messages. You may also in time get a single spirit visitor who will start to give you more information. I'll explain in a later squidoo some of the meanings of these symbols and how to interpret the messages.