Category: Ghosts and Other Spirits

Ghosts and demons may be connected. Or, they may not be.

Let’s say ghosts are spirits of some people who once lived among us.

By contrast, demons never lived as humans. They are very different kinds of beings.

Some religions don’t believe in Satan, the Devil, or similar entities.

Usually, those religions don’t believe any entity could be a significant threat to Deity.

In fact, among those religions, it’s heresy to believe in a supremely powerful, Devil-like being.

However, if spirits exist, some seem to have better intentions than others.

At extremes, some spirits may be benevolent and described in angelic terms.

Others seem to thrive on evil and malicious behavior.

Many investigators use the word “demon” to describe energy representing something profoundly malicious. It’s a relative term with a lot of variations.

Ghosts can be pranksters, or even angry

First of all, ghosts aren’t always well-behaved. Some may be pranksters or mischievous, like poltergeists. Some may be angry or territorial; those ghosts can be frightening.

Nevertheless, there is a distinction between ghosts and demons.

Demons’ intentions seem dangerously different

Most first-person encounters suggest that demonic energy is intent on fooling us so we drop our defenses. Then, it attacks.

Crossovers may exist. Some ghosts were, and perhaps still are, under the influence of demons.

I’m not sure of that, but if a spirit seems malicious, I avoid it.  If danger is possible, I leave.

I’d rather be too cautious than spend months — or even years — regretting a foolhardy moment.

I’ve listened to demonologists I trust, like John Zaffis and the late Father Andrew Calder. Their tales have been terrifying and convincing.

However, ghosts do not become demons, and demons do not become ghosts. So, there seems to be no direct connection between them.

Ghosts and demons are different kinds of entities in the spirit world. When they interact with us, their behaviors are very different.

I don’t believe that ghosts are “just energy.”

Maybe this is an issue of semantics, but I often feel as if we’re trivializing spirits when we describe them in entirely energy terms, instead of something connected to a spirit that once lived in our world.

Then again, maybe what we encounter at investigations is just energy. Perhaps the rest of our perceptions are… I don’t know… telepathic? Imaginary? Wishful thinking?

That doesn’t make sense to me. Not in every case, anyway.

If ghostly spirits have energy, we may be measuring that ghostly energy as EMF.

Likewise, we may be photographing it as anomalies.

At the moment, I don’t think anyone has reliable evidence, one way or the other.

I believe that if ghosts are real – actual spirits – they have a consciousness. They’re unique individuals, and each one finds unique ways to communicate with us.

If you’ve seen the Patrick Swayze movie, “Ghost,” you’ve seen how – as a ghost – he had to learn to interact with the world he’d left behind.

It wasn’t easy. He had to channel his energy.

Is that an accurate portrayal of what ghosts deal with, trying to cross the gap between the living and those who’ve passed on?

I’m not sure.

At the moment, we’re following any paths that ghosts are able to use.

• Sometimes it’s through EVP.
• At other times, they seem to make noise, or get a flashlight to turn on and off.
• Some have learned to communicate with talking devices such as the Ovilus, Frank’s Box, Ghost Radar, and so on.

Others are able to share impressions with psychics, mediums, and sensitives.

However, as communications devices, many of those range from tedious to unreliable. In many ways, our current tools are far too primitive.

And, whether it’s a recording, photograph, or someone’s impression, skeptical critics can debunk them. Sometimes, that’s far too easy to do, and it makes researchers look gullible.

It’s frustrating.

Now, I’m about to sound like the geek that I am.

Can we use computers?

First, remember that computers are based on binary activity.  That is, something is on. Then it’s off.  It’s all zeroes (nothing) and ones (something).

Maybe the on/off flickering of a flashlight or EMF surges with K-II device could be filtered into zeros and ones.

Anything that can produce zeros and ones can convey complex data with the right interpretive tools.

At this point, the issue is speeding up the data transfer. And how do we explain this to a ghost, even one from the 20th century?

(That was a rhetorical question. In fact, taken to an extreme, computerizing consciousness – aka mind uploading – is exactly what several researchers and engineers are working on. The question is: Are we ghost hunters making this concept too complex? Are talking devices worth the effort? For now, each person is likely to have his or her own opinions. We don’t have proof, one way or the other.)

Ghosts… energy or something else?

Something is creating the anomalies. We’re not sure what.

Energy seems to be involved. We can measure it with a variety of devices, from EMF meters to thermometers.

However, is that energy connected to consciousness? And, is it what we call a ghost?

It’s evidence, but we don’t know what it proves.

My bigger concern is that investigators are so busy focusing on ghost hunting equipment, they may be missing more powerful phenomena that could lead to breakthroughs in paranormal research.

Yes, the tools are helpful, if only so we can point to unexplained EMF surges and other anomalies. We can say, “See? That’s evidence that something odd is going on.”

But… what is it?

For now, we don’t know, but something is interacting with us. And, in most cases, it seems to be intelligent. Often, the spirit knows things that investigators didn’t know until after the investigation, when they researched whatever it is.

I believe that, at some haunted sites, something we can’t see (or see only briefly) is trying to communicate with us. That’s all I can say with confidence.

I believe that some “ghosts” are people who are alive and well in a parallel world. I mentioned that in my article about ghosts existing as energy.

I’m not sure if there are geographical locations where the veil (or the membrane) between us is thinner. Nevertheless, I’m certain that many hauntings have nothing to do with dead people.

We’ve seen glimmers of this possibility throughout history. Stories of doppelgangers could be explained in quantum terms.

Even within our world and time, some paranormal researchers believe that EVP can be a recent energy echo.

For example, archaeologist and ghost excavator John Sabol recorded EVP that sounded exactly like a previous investigation by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson at the same location.

Was that a time echo? We don’t know.

Some spirits may be visiting us from the other side. If they are, I think they represent a small percentage of the entities and phenomena we label “ghostly.”

I’m closely watching studies related to gravity. It’s an anomaly. Gravity doesn’t make sense.

As explained in the Wikipedia entry about five-dimensional space, “Physicists have speculated that the graviton, a particle thought to carry the force of gravity, may ‘leak’ into the fifth or higher dimensions, which would explain how gravity is significantly weaker than the other three fundamental forces.”

I’ve discussed this in several articles, including What if EMF is Leaking into Our Universe?

I believe that better answers may emerge as we understand more about discrepancies and flows connected with gravity and higher dimensions.

They may help us understand parallel realities, the beings that inhabit them, and those that seem to interact with us.

It may sound completely “sci-fi,” but if you try and explain electric lights to some ghosts, they react with equal skepticism… and often think we’re demons.

For now, I’m keeping an open mind. I like the idea of alternate dimensions and realities. I think they’re among the best explanations for some odd things we encounter in ghost hunting.