Before I get into the details of this topic, let me first give you the text book definition for the word 'ghost'. It states that a ghost is the soul of a dead person thought of as living in an unseen world or as appearing to living people. This is a fairly accurate definition. Not surprisingly, almost 50% of the population in the United States believe in ghosts, at least to some degree. Of those people, 22% claim to have seen a ghost. When it comes to religion, ghosts have played a particularly huge role within almost every single type of organized belief system ever known on the planet. Thus, ghosts are hardly a new topic, and the belief in them goes back almost to the dawn of humanity itself. Within the alternative belief systems (pagan, wiccan, voodoo, etc.) elder followers often work with people who have what some might call 'ghost issues'. There is a ghost that won't leave the property. They have seen a ghost that they are in fear of. There are a number of reasons people have 'issues' with ghosts. However, the most primary reason is the fact that they do not have a real understanding about ghosts, in general. While science has yet to explain ghosts (at least being able to prove - without a shadow of a doubt - that ghosts do exist), most scientists will tell you that yes, ghosts do exist...we just don't understand why.
To an elder Alternative Practitioner ('AP'), ghosts are a common thing. Elder APs not only are very comfortable around ghosts, but also are capable of 'expelling' them, just as many Catholic priests are fully trained on how to properly exorcise ghosts, as well as demons. The elder AP, however, will be a bit more involved in the understanding of a ghost, often choosing to just leave it as it is, so long as it is not harming anyone, or anything. If we take a look back at the known history of humanity, scientists can see very clearly various details of human lives. What people ate. How they dressed. If there was plague during their lifetimes, or rampant diseases (TB, Polio, influenza...etc.). What was farmed. What they probably wore, and, how they looked. This gives the priest, AP and other such counsellors, a really good look into the ghostly realm of the after life. It can help answer basic questions. Why is the ghost here? What does the ghost want, if anything? Who was this person while they were alive? Does this ghost even realize that he/she is dead? And so forth. Theoretically, ghosts are everywhere. There are some places that people would claim to be 'obvious' places for ghost sightings. Salem, Massachusetts is one such place. Other places include Alcatraz, Buckingham Palace, Tombstone, Arizona and the Great Wall of China.
We can also take a look back to well documented medical histories and see places where there may be a larger number of ghosts. Asylums, prisons, hospitals and mass graves are 4 such places. Other places, such as theaters, ancient castles and burial grounds are also said to have a good ghost population roaming about. The question 'why' is almost immediately answered in these cases. Large numbers of people died as a result of disease, famine, execution or plague. Easy answers that are readily acceptable. They are not always accurate, but they are the most widely accepted answers. Elder APs from alternative belief systems understand that what you 'see' may not always be as easy as doing a bit of research on the property, or the history of that era. New Orleans is one such area that alternative APs have a proverbial field day when it comes to studying the ghostly dead. They are in abundance there. The question is, why there? Simple answer: New Orleans is much like New York City. It is a melting pot of people that originate from many areas of the globe, who were brought together in one city (either through slavery, work or the desire to make their lives better in some way). Haitian, African, European, South American....and many other ethnicity's...all came together in this one location. The evidence is very clear in both the architectural beauty of the city itself, and the religious practices within the walls of those buildings.
We dont' have to look too far in order to find our own little 'ghost hunting' areas. Ghosts are all around us, regardless of where we live. If humans lived there before us, there's a darn good chance you're going to run into at least 1 ghost at some point in your life. Modern humans tend to be scared out of their minds of ghosts. In contrast, humans that lived centuries before us, were not as frightened by a ghost. In fact, some of them talked to a ghost as if they were talking to a living being. The Christian community is filled with writings about this particular practice. The most common of which is the 'discussions held with the holy ghost' (referring to Jesus, and/or God). There is really nothing unusual about communicating with a ghost. Humans have been doing this for thousands of years, and, quite successfully. People tend to get a bit creeped out when they see abandoned places. They tend to think that there will be evil ghosts coming out of what's left of the wood work there, that will intentionally scare them into their own deaths, or, at the very least, make them go insane and leave horrible marks all over their bodies. I hate to be the bearer of bad news here but, having your body marked up with scratches, bruises and puncture wounds is not something that is likely to happen when you encounter a ghost. I'm not saying that it has never happened. I'm simply stating that the likelihood of it happening to you, is slim to none.
We have all heard the stories (and some of you may have even had a first hand experience with this) about people who have felt a haunting presence...only to get out of the shower the next day and find scratches on their body that they never knew were there, and would have had no way of getting to those particular locations, without some external source putting them there. Many of us have seen the show Ghost Hunters. In that show, there are many times when they will ask the ghost to prove that they are really there by rolling a ball, making a noise or moving a rocking chair. Then, we see a ball roll, the chair moves and there's a noise that seems to come out of no where. They record 'ghostly foot steps' and show people 'ghostly photographs'. I am by no means discrediting this at all. However, I am saying that these are only a few means by which someone will encounter a ghost. Elder APs are usually trained so well with their intuition and understanding their nervous system (and how it works to a more detailed level than the average person), that they can simply walk into a room and give you a fairly accurate estimation as to how many ghosts are currently present. They dont' need high tech tools and gadgets for this. They simply feel the ghosts around them. They know that a cool patch of air in a normally warm room is a good sign that there is something 'off' about that one area. They know that the 'bump in the night' is normally just a ghost going from one place to another...and not the boogie man coming up the stairs to slaughter them all over the place. In these cases, the elder AP is likely going to just say "Oh for the love of the gods, you know the door is there, mind your step would you please? You're scaring the cat again."....as if they're talking to an accident prone child.
Then there's the question of, "If a ghost is at peace, then why doesn't it move on and why does it have to show itself to everyone"?. Answer? Because it can, and it wants to. A ghost might appear because it wants you to know that they are also living here with you. It might not move on because that particular place is where the ghost has always felt at ease. Until we can actually figure out how to talk to all of these ghosts, no one will really know for sure, and it's all one big guessing game. OK, it's a fairly well-educated, highly experienced guessing game. But, a guessing game none the less. A ghost will not change clothes. Therefore, if you see a ghost that appears to be wearing a particular article of clothing, that's because this is what the physical body was wearing at the time of death, or burial. It's not like the ghost has a wardrobe in the after life. So, if you see a ghost, or think there is a ghost lurking around, try talking to it. See if you get a reaction. If you need help understanding ghosts, talk to someone who is trained in that area. A minister, priest, rabbi, elder AP, voodoo priestess...whichever you prefer. They're all willing to help anyone in need of 'ghostly assistance'. Finally, if you think there's a ghost tormenting your pets, fear not. Animals are extremely good at letting the ghost know its place. Yet another service that your pet provides for you. Ghost hunting.
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