Tag: ghosts

Death, Dying, Dead

What is it about the paranormal that frightens us, and why are we so afraid of death, dying, and the dead?

I was watching an episode of Ghost Adventures, mostly to laugh at them, when all of a sudden I start hearing bangs and creaks on my end. It sort of startled me, as things had been relatively at ease only moments before. Now, as I have stated in previous posts, my house is haunted and I am used to it. I am not used to, however, going from sudden stillness, to suddenly being surrounded.

The experience did, however, get my mind twisting and turning. What is it that actually frightens us? If we stop and think about it, a ghost is just the memory of our former consciousness trapped in an ethereal like body. I realize it is more complicated than that, but essentially what I am trying to say is…they are people, just with no bodies.

I’ve sat down and mapped it out in my brain, and each one comes back to one common factor: Control–or lack thereof. I’ll explain my thought process here.

Being around the dead (as in corpses) makes a lot of people uncomfortable. I don’t mean the gruesome, morbid decay of flesh, or the horribly mangled bodies…Just… dead people. Like, in a funeral home. The idea of being near a body, touching a body, etc makes a lot of people nervous. I had a good talk with a friend of mine a few nights ago, and she stated the reason for her unease was she couldn’t “feel anything”. There was no life, there was no spark, no soul to animate the flesh. Just a body. Being around the dead acts as a constant reminder of our own humanity. Everyone knows they are going to die, but it is very hard, if not impossible, to imagine simply no longer existing. Because of this, I honestly believe it is one of the biggest reasons why people believe in heaven, hell, reincarnation, etc so strongly. It gives us something to look forward to, our minds can continue onward. But our death is something that we cannot control, and what happens after we die is out of our hands as well.

Watch any show about ghosts, and you’ll see it pretty quickly and easily that people are terrified of them. Why? Because it is part of the “unknown” factor. The idea of someone, or something, being around us that we cannot see is the ultimate paranoia, something that has been embedded in us from the start. To some, having a ghost or spirit around is similar to having someone break into your house. You’ve no idea what they’ve touched, what they’ve seen, what they’ve taken, etc. Our home is our safe spot, our fortress if you will. Others are not supposed to invade our safe zone, and yet, here is this being that floats around without our knowing. What are they watching us doing? What have they seen? What do they know? Not to mention the fact, how can we be sure it is a ghost? What if it is something worse, just pretending to be a ghost? It all leads back to the unknowns, and we cannot control the unknowns.

Even weird people like me get startled sometimes, as I’ve already explained. I find the human body to be a fascinating topic, and I find death and the afterlife to be equally as fascinating. I’m one of those people who wants to learn what is beyond the grave, so to speak.

Do you agree? Is it really as simple as being reminded of our humanity, and losing control of the situation?

Ghosts, Goblins, and Scares. Oh my!

Hello everyone! Did you miss me? I know I missed all of you! I’d like to take a moment to thank all of my readers for visiting; I appreciate you so very much! As I have warned before, I am using my phone, so forgive any odd typos I might make. Autocorrect is a blessing and a curse.

But, the main purpose for this blog is not to discuss the wonders (ha ha) of the technological world, it is instead geared towards what happens after we have all perished. For those of you who know me well, personally, I have always been very open about my beliefs, especially in regards to the afterlife. I’ve had so many paranormal experiences in my own home alone that it would be impossible for me to recount each one for you. Ever since I was a child, I have been aware of ghostly entities drifting around me, and many have commented at the fact that I treat each one very casually.

Doors have opened by themselves, voices around me while home alone, figures standing over me as I’m asleep in my bed, and so many other things are on my list of supernatural experiences. That being said, however, I would like to draw everyone’s attention to something that has happened recently. I was lying in bed, playing with my phone (like most do before bed now), when I felt a strange sensation on my hand. Logically I jumped to the conclusion that three phone was plugged in charging, and I was more than likely feeling that electricity. It felt like a hand was resting on mine. I dismissed this, having found the reasonable excuse, and continued what I was doing. Suddenly the sensation stopped, and a gray hand comes at my face. I was so shocked by this that I actually backed away, but all this hand did was disappear as it brushed fingers through my hair.

Now, I take great pride in my bravery, and my ability to shrug things of this nature off. I even go so far as to talk to the ghosts in my room when I’m bored or lonely. But this scared the absolute crap out of me. I think it frightened me so because I’d shrugged off in favor of rationality, and the result was so sudden that my logical brain went MIA. Which is finger because Pfffft. Logic.

The experience also had me wondering. Before I explain my ponderings, I’ll explain my beliefs a bit further. I am a pagan, a proud and actively practicing one. In our belief, winter is the time of death and dormancy, spring is the time for life (which also fits scientifically as well). Around Halloween (yes, I realize Halloween is in autumn), the veils that separate our world and the spirit world are at their thinnest, while in spring, they are closed pretty tightly. Again, a time for celebrating life, not the afterlife. Which brings me to my question: If spiritual and paranormal activity are supposed to be quieted and dormant for the time being, why are there so many paranormal events happening so suddenly, so strongly, and so close together? There have been others that happened other than the hand thing, but I can’t remember each one. Is someone trying desperately to get my attention to tell me something? Are the ghosts just clinging to me for some reason?

Then again, many of my closest friends have had an increase of supernatural experiences as well. Paganly speaking, this is not normal. Normally speaking, having ghosts that you casually talk to isn’t normal either. To which I say Pfffft to you.

So, for all my ghost lovers out there. What do you think? Have you seen a strange and sudden increase in ghost-like activity? Do you have strange stories to share?