Ghosts And Hauntings
Hauntings have been a fascinating topic of enthrallment for centuries the world over. These are classified in various ways by those in the paranormal circle, some of which will be explained here: Residual presence and activity where there is no interaction between the entities and humans; Intelligent hauntings; and Poltergeist activity.
Residual:
A residual haunting is described as a supernatural occurrence that appears to be a scenario that is relived by a spirit like a recording on a loop; an event trapped in an eternity which is replayed at various times in the future. It is not therefore, strictly speaking, a haunting. Merely an enactment without conscious effort, the events of the playback reoccur in a repeated manner whether there is a witness present or not.
The spirits in a residual haunting are oblivious to their surroundings and any presence of a living being. Therefore, they do not acknowledge or interact in any way with the living. Examples of residual hauntings include those of an auditory nature: hearing footsteps on the floor above, in hallways or on staircases when nobody is actually there, the sound of windows opening or closing. Other sensory sensations have been reported such as particular smells or visual sightings. It is widely believed that residual hauntings are a result of a traumatic event being experienced or an occasion of high emotions and feelings occurring in a particular location. These events can be either harrowing or joyous occasions. The energy created in these heightened situations is imprinted in that place. Therefore, sites of intensified emotional energy are common locations for paranormal investigators and enthusiasts to visit due to the increased possibility of witnessing a residual haunting- murder sites, hospitals and prisons are amongst the most popular places.
Consequently, living beings in the future may report experiencing seeing a sort of ‘recording’ of the past events. Residual hauntings pose no threat to the individuals experiencing them, however frightening they seem to be at the time.
Paranormal investigators and researchers recognise ‘The Stone Tape Theory’ which argues that a significant emotional occurrence may be captured through physical energy and remains impressed on a particular building or environment. It is argued that a structure such as a stone, wood or metal framed building attracts the emotions associated with a tragic or highly emotive event and records it like a video. This theory is attached to the notion that everything consist of matter and energy and that energy can be transferred to different media.
Whatever the reasons and theories behind the residual haunting, it is important to recognise that these are the most common form of hauntings reported and are, in fact, benign.
Intelligent Hauntings
Another common type of haunting acknowledged by those interested in paranormal activity is what is known as an intelligent haunting. This is also known as a traditional haunting. The main belief is that in these types of hauntings the spirit or spirits are types of energy with consciousness: they are aware of their surroundings and purposefully interact with the living.
A way of communicating with this type of spirit is by a voice box or a ‘spirit box’ which is an instrument used to attempt to capture spirit voices. In an attempt to communicate with paranormal entities, the box uses radio frequencies to generate white noise which, believers suggest, provides these entities with the energy they require to send messages. Voices and other sounds may be heard through the static during a spirit box session. Other forms of communicating with these entities is through bumps or bangs in response to questions or, in some cases, moving objects.
In addition to verbal and auditory communication, spirits of intelligent hauntings can also attempt physical contact with the living. This type of interaction can be friendly and playful or, indeed, more sinister. Witnesses have reported their hair being touched or a part of their body being touched when there is no living person around to be responsible for it. In the more malevolent occurrences that mainly involve negative forms of contact, the spirit may attempt to cause physical harm on the living. Events such as being yanked out of bed at night, shoved down the stairs or having objects launched at them are all examples given by witnesses of this sort of spirit behaviour. Adam Ellis, a resident in New York, appears to have a ghost in his apartment by the name of ‘Dear David’. It is unclear whether this spirit of a young boy means to cause harm or not: https://hellogiggles.com › Lifestyle
It is a popular belief that these spirits remain in the living world because they have not yet ‘passed over’. Researchers theorise that traumatic events such as a sudden, unexpected death or murder results in a spirit not realising that they are, in fact, dead. Some believe that the entities remain in our world, residing, as a result of emotions that may attach them Earth such as rage or devotion to another. Spirits may not cross over because it is not something they want to do, particularly if a loved one can sense their presence or even see or hear them. In these cases, assistance may be needed from a spiritualist medium whereby they ask them to go towards the light and not to be afraid. Witnesses of such crossings describe a sense of calm and happiness in their surroundings when they feel the spirit has gone towards the light and passed.
Poltergeist
Poltergeist activity is a well-researched phenomenon and instils fear in its victims. The word ‘Poltergeist’ derives from the German language and its meaning is ‘noisy ghost’. The German term ‘poltern’ means ‘to knock’ and ‘geist’ means ‘spirit’. It has been widely believed that poltergeist activity is attributed to negative entities: angry, troublesome spirits or ghosts. However, more recent studies provide a more convincing view that poltergeists are, indeed, related to ‘psychokinesis’, the ability to move items with mind power alone. It is one of the only theories in the paranormal world that holds some scientific evidence.
The basic theory is that poltergeists are a form of energy that a person controls subconsciously and, therefore, without awareness of it. This usually occurs where there is an adolescent female present in the residence. The activity has also been reported to be centred around someone who may be suffering from extreme stress.
It is reported that when the individual is removed from the residence or the stress is no longer there, the poltergeist activity will cease to occur.
The most obvious sign of poltergeist activity is a sudden change to the physical surroundings. Typical happenings that have been reported involve things that do not pose any physical threat to witnesses: lights flickering, tapping or knocking noises with no visible cause, inexplicable movement of furniture or other household items, the disappearance of items and the closing and opening of doors. Other activity is more harmful. Items thrown at witnesses, bites and scratches have been reported along with physically being pulled out of a bed or shoved. The beginnings of poltergeist activity are usually calm and episodes are infrequent. This generally becomes more agitated as they near the climax of their energy- which is when the activity can become harmful to the living.
Occasionally, extreme poltergeist activity has been linked to malevolent spirits. Not all cases of poltergeist activity involve individuals who are disturbed or stressed and it is often difficult to categorise activity. One of the most well-known and frightening accounts of a poltergeist activity in a family attributed to a spirit is the ‘Bell Witch’ http://www.bellwitchcave.com/ghost_hauntings/bell_witch_legend.htm. Other articles argue that the activity is caused by the presence of an adolescent. http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/11/poltergeists-teen-angst-telekinesis/
Which do you believe?
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