A recurring manifestation of strange and unexplained sensory phenomena - smells, sounds, tactile sensations and hallucinations, which are believed to be caused by spirits attached to a specific location.
As a rule, the ghost lives in the house where this person lived before his death, or in the place where he died. The appearance of ghosts can be noted in places where the deceased often visited or loved to be, or where he was overtaken by a violent death. There are "unintentional" apparitions of ghosts that cannot be explained.
It is impossible to give a general description of the ghost. Some of them manifest themselves at regular intervals or constantly, sometimes for several days; sometimes it lasts for centuries. Some ghosts can only be encountered on certain days associated with "anniversaries." For example, Christopher Wren's spirit could be heard sweeping up and down the stairs of Hampton Court every year on the anniversary of his death on February 26, 1723.
Not everyone who visits or resides in a rumored haunted area will experience this phenomenon.
There is a perception that sometimes ghosts can be got rid of with the help of a rite of exorcism performed by a priest, or by resorting to the help of people who have a mediumistic gift, who are believed to be able to communicate with spirits. Some phenomena stop on their own for unknown reasons. Those ghosts that can be viewed as "psychic givens" or impressions perceived by individuals do not lend themselves to exorcism. Such ghosts can be an endless repetition of what happened …
It is widely believed that most ghosts are ghosts or spirits of the dead.
In fact, they represent only a small part of the cases described.
Much more often, strange phenomena are in the form:
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- sounds: mysterious steps, rustles, whispers, sounds of animal voices and howls, thuds, tapping;
- odors - mainly flowers, perfume, burning wood or decaying meat;
- tactile sensations: cooling tingling sensation of the skin, light cold breeze and light touch, as if someone is touching with an invisible hand.
Some ghosts detect the energy of a poltergeist - rearranging furniture, stopping clocks, sudden falls of glass items and mirrors, paranormal movements of objects.
In ghost habitats, percipients often experience negative emotions, including anger, fear, and hatred. They can also sense the presence of an evil force. Other ghosts may be friendly or kind spirits. Some mediums claim to be able to establish contact with the souls of the deceased living in haunted houses, and are able to direct them on the path leading to the other world (see Liberation).
Some ghosts may be phantoms of animals, such as beloved dogs, cats, and horses, which are seen, felt and heard in their familiar places.
Objects can also be ghosts. For example, in Britain there are many stories of ghost turtles that scream unheard of as they move from their seats to the house (see Shrieking Skulls).
Poltergeist-related ghosts cause significant physical impairment:
- objects flying and hanging in the air, - slamming doors, - attacks on people, - knocking and hitting sounds.
These violations are often caused by living people, but in some cases they can be created by spirits.
Little is known about why and how ghost phenomena occur. Since the late 19th century, psychologists and parapsychologists have systematically studied thousands of such cases. Numerous theories have been put forward, but all of them are not convincing enough to accept one or another point of view. Frederick W. Myers, one of the founders of the Society for the Study of Psychic Phenomena in London, who did extensive work on the study of ghosts in the late 19th century, believed that for the most part, ghost phenomena are fragmentary and meaningless in nature. They are particles and scraps of residual energy that people give up after death.
Other researchers, relying on the theory of Myers, made the assumption that the ghost should not be considered as the spirit of the person, it is a registration of energy passing from the person to the percipient with psychic receptivity. Psychic susceptibility can manifest itself in different ways in a place where ghosts live: one person perceives the phenomenon, and the other does not.
Eleanor Sidgwick, a former secretary of the Society for the Study of Mental Phenomena, believed that ghosts were a form of psychometry. Just as each object absorbs and retains the "vibrations" of its owner, which appear as impressions when it falls into the hands of a medium or telepathic, so memories or psychic impressions can be retained at home. The home can absorb the thoughts, actions and emotions of its former occupants, which it presents as ghosts to mentally susceptible people.
Oxford philosopher Harry H. Price and American parapsychologist William T. Roll were among those who developed Sijwick's theory. Price's theory, called "deferred telepathy", states that there is a "psychic ether" that is a bridge between mind and matter and pervades all matter and space. Some thoughts and events are imprinted on this ether and remain there for a long time, even over a number of years. When a tragedy occurs, it creates a corresponding mental state, and its imprints are preserved. Sensitive people who come into contact with a haunted home can telepathically contact these thoughts or emotions, which appear to them as ghosts. "Delayed telepathy" has been criticized for not providing an explanation for object movements,what sometimes happens in such cases.
Roll suggested that all objects have a psi space in which they exist and from which they stand out. The receptive person makes contact and reads the impressions recorded in the house from their psi space during the appearance of the ghost. This theory, like Price's theory, has been criticized because it has been proven that ghosts have been encountered by people who do not have or do not show telepathic abilities.
The Italian parapsychologist Ernesto Bodzano studied several hundred cases of the appearance of ghosts and analyzed their characteristic features, based on various existing theories on this matter and his own spiritualistic views. Bodzano drew five conclusions that support his opinion that ghosts are the spirits of dead people:
1) ghosts can live in places where the deceased did not live and did not die;
2) the phenomenon of ghosts is accompanied by telekinetic movements of objects, which implies a certain type of physical impact;
3) ghosts are more associated with death than with other tragic events or emotional manifestations;
4) ghost appearances are intermittent;
5) when performing such actions as exorcism or prayer for the peace of the soul, the phenomenon stops.
There are many ways to combat ghosts in the world. Some of them are quite simple. For example, annoying spirits are swept away with a broom. Others are more complex, such as elaborate exorcism rituals. But the measures taken do not always bring the desired result.