The Supernatural / the Ghosties!
 

Do you believe in Spirits?

I'd say that I know spirits are real. Being that I've had so scary experiences in my childhood. Having something that held me down and I couldn't speak or move, then it would run away. (Maybe it was a Bill Collector)

Also the fact that I have some kind of spirit awareness.

Anyways...Spirits, real or not? If so, then explain why you believe they are real.

I am rather skeptical about a lot of ghost and spirit sightings, as it seems that almost all are pathetic blotches on cameras, shapes superimposed by people who believe what they want to believe, and sometimes flat out fantasies.
Also, a lot of that ghost-hunting stuff appears to be nothing but scam artists and quacks working with elecrical devices that they have no idea how they work. So long as people pay them though, they will keep prowling.

However, I cannot say that I rule that stuff out completely. One of my former roommates told me about experiences he had at this one house that he lived in Houston, where basically his toys were literally animated before his, and his older brother's eyes. And he is a very reliable and truthful guy, who does not give into crack-pot ideas either, so I can trust his word.
There have also been other stories from some of my friends about other experiences they have had.

I personally feel that these "spirits" are actually demons just appearing when it is convenient to try and get them all wowed up over these trivial things, and distract them from what is really important, which is God.

Well, a demon is an evil spirit. That is what attacked me when I was half asleep one night. I got scared all of a sudden then something just ran into my room and held me down so I couldn't move or speak.

I'm sure it was an evil spirit. You are right about them just being a distraction from god.

Something I've noticed over my lifetime is that you're connected more to the spirit world when you're half asleep. That's exactly why most sightings happen at night.

See, that right there seems like a load of tripe. Why would you be especially connected to the spirit world when you are half asleep? My observations have generally been that when you are haf-asleep, your awareness of the real world becomes dulled, and your mental imagery starts to have more prominence on your consciousness. Nothing spiritual is actually taking place.

As for things happening during the night, it is just the way in which the human mind works. Various sporadic shades of darkness and faint light are impulsively filled in with meaning by your visual cortex. Your brain is trying to make sense of nonsense, and this is nonsense especially sense we are daytime dwelling creatures. All the characteristics of objects during the night are still not too well embedded within our brains, so we try to piece things together using our daytime interpretive abilities. This is something you cannot really control though, and this is something you must be very aware about before you start off concluding that you saw a ghost or spirits.

Also, care to give more details on your experience? I think I already know what it is.

You're thinking more logically about the whole deal. You can't really explain it like that. I just know because that's when I'm more in touch with spiritual feelings. I can't exactly explain it all out, part of it is feeling it yourself. Like God.

Also, not everyone has spirit awareness.

But as for the whole recap....One night when I was younger, I was really scared because of something my sister told me (which proves I need to exterminate her sometime). I keep myself up with fear, basically.

When I was really really really close to falling asleep, I got a jolt of fear. That's when this kind of being came running in and held me down. I felt like someone was pressing down on me really hard, I felt it standing right by me. I couldn't speak or move at all, only think. Like 10 seconds later it let go after thinking some godly thoughts. Then I felt it run out of the room. Then I conviently remembered something my mom said, "the devil is afraid of the lord".

Actually, this is a common story. I'm sure a moderate amount of other individuals went through that.

Ghosts and spirits are something created by the mind to give an explanation as to why something happened. For some reason as humans, everyone needs to have a solid concrete explanation as to why the window shut or by the picture frame fell over. People go "Oh, it was a ghost!" just to justify something that didn't really need to be justified.

No one's ever happy with "it just happened". There HAS to be a reason.

How about you were tired and your arms hadn't woken like the rest of your body yet? Or you were dreaming?

Again, you can't really explain it with Logic.

Spirits are on the same level as detecting God. Have you seen God with your 2 eyes lately?

Yeah, I was smoking pot one day and there he was in all his holyness. And that's when I knew I found my fucking dealer for LIFE!

If you want another explanation for that "not being able to get up" problem, try this thread.

I'm not sure what the difference between the two is, but I think they're real.
For some reason, I think kids one and under are in touch with the spirit world a little. More sensitive then older people. I don't know about anyone else, but my niece would always wave to someone or something, when no one was present. I'd look at her and say what is it, and she just keeps waving. then she stops...

Also, when I was five or six, a ghost/spirit was calling my name. I screamed for my parents. Don't know what they thought. There was a girl who died in that house.

I've had something similar happen to me twice, but in both instances it occured after I fell asleep. I was suddenly wide awake, and I felt like something was crushing me. I could move, but it still felt rather strange. It felt like there was something in the room, although I didn't see anything.

I dismissed it as a case of nighttime fancies.


Anyways, to get back to the original topic at hand, I believe in spirits, but not ghosts. I'm not even sure if there's a difference, but I think of ghosts as in a ghost of a dead person, or a spectre. Spirits, on the other hand, remind me more of something less tangible and more amorphous. I'm not saying that ghosts are tangible either, since you can't physically touch them or anything. (I'm not really sure how to say this. :doh: )
Wow, that was a whole bunch of gibberish.

I wonder how they can touch us then. Or, at least that's what I wonder after watching Discovery channel's A haunting in...

Ouch. I didn't expect a response with Pot in it.

But anyways, it still stands. I know what I felt. I can't explain the feeling to you. (I know it wasn't cause by pot though, dawg). Build a time machine and travel back into time to my bedsite and document what you see.

Well, on second thought, I guess you can touch them, but not really in the traditional sense of touching. Maybe it's like touching air. Technically, you are touching the air around you, but you might not think of it as the same way you can touch water or a solid. As for ghosts touching people, I guess it could be in the same way that people can sort of touch ghosts, that is, if they can touch us but pass right through while doing so.

Did that program say anything about that, or perhaps ghosts strangling people?

Uhh... so in essence everytime I wave my hand through the air I could get getting to second base with some hot ghost chick?

Awww man that's hot.

Again, I believe that they can only physically touch you when you're close to your sleep state. That's why some people have said they woke up with marks on them (frat party?). My sister actually said that happened to her.

But, as for trusting TV Shows for that type of stuff, I'd say Nada.

Double Post:
elwe, your post is right too. We pass through each other. I believe that being half asleep is the equilibrium.

About the t.v. show- It is based on what people have seen or whatever. It's their stories. Whether it's true or not, I can't say, but it is interesting nonetheless and actually scares me.

But I know that something was calling my name and it wasn't my parents or my sisters.

Something was there.

[/QUOTE]
But, as for trusting TV Shows for that type of stuff, I'd say Nada.
[/QUOTE]

Sorry. I thought that "Nada" sounding funny there.
But, as for trusting Tv Shows for that type of stuff, I'd say nothing.

I've actively seen one ghost and I've "felt" more than a few over the years so I'm pretty convinced at this point. I'm still not sure exactly what to make of it though and I doubt I ever will as i tend to look at thing scientificly and at this moment science hasn't really even gotten a vague idea what the ghost thing is all about. they're kicking around the idea that ghosts are detectable by raised electromagnetic field levels so I think that's how they're trying to detect them but that can be hosed up by electronics being on and any number of random crap. It could explain how soem peopel are more sensitive to it than others though as for example I can tell when a area haunted quickly by a certain feeling which is the exact same one I get when electronics are on around me only more intense and with an emotion attached to it usually.

I don't think direct physical interaction can take place though as my finacee's dad's house is incredibly haunted and ina really hostile way and the only physical manifestation has been all of the crap flying off of her grandmothers dresser on it's own. Which trust me you can just feel that place wanting to kill you and if it could more than knock shit over it would.

Nahual, That's completely possible that a spirit was calling your name. That is something that happens to my Sister a lot. You might have someone who actually wants to communicate with you or needs to rest in peace.

Anyways, about the show. I still don't know. They could just be paying people to tell those stories.

What if it's a poltergeist? o_0

Those tend to be more active and follow a specific person. That's been the only incident of that type so I'm doubtfull. Though they are usualy linked to people who are troubled and unhappy and her grandmother is bedridden and slowly becoming demented but if it were a poltergeist it would just be added on top of what was already there as it was haunted before she moved in.

Well if logic and neurology can explain it... then why not? Why must one immediately resort to conclusions of immaterial, illogical systems, when dealing with unknowns? (People are probably going to get on my case about my religion, after writing that. Oh well, I still think I am being consistent.)

Yes, it is a common story. It is sleep paralysis, as evidenced by that thread. For centuries, people have been talking about how they feel that certain spirits, or ghosts, or witches, were on their chest, giving them a feeling as if they were being crushed. That is sleep paralysis, hypnagogic paralysis in your instance (which is somewhat rarer than the other form, which is during waking up: hypnopompic paralysis). I gurantee you that your experiences are no more special than anyone else's throughout history.

However, it doesn't seem like my skepticism is going to be entertained all that much in this thread.

Actually I agree with you about the sleep paralysis thing. People have invented all sorts of crap to explain it over the years usually evil spirits of some sort and it's bs. My fiancee has them all of the time they're nothing but a particularly disturbing misfire of the brain.


That really is an odd choice of explanation of the whole spiritual thing though for a godboy. How exactly does that jive with your beliefs anyway?

Paritally I believe in spirits because of the bible. It was said in it that spirits roam the Earth.

Another third is because of the feelings I get when I happy or mad. When I'm happy I feel as though my spirit is lifting and that Good spirits are passing through me. When I'm mad I feel as though something evil is getting near and watching me. Also a feeling of heat.

And the last piece of the pie...I just don't believe that everyone just dies and stays in the ground. I just don't believe that somehow, everyone would just stay dead when they have some unsettled business. Like being raped and killed. There's a reason they say "Rest in Peace" for common courtesy. You can't really rest in peace if you died know that nobody loved you or something. (This explanation might have been a little harder to grasp then the others)

Basically, it jives with my beliefs in that I think that this universe was created with a specific and unique design. Many of the feelings that we get are part of this design. Additionally, I do not think that all things are explainable through naturalistic means, such is the case with the question about design itself, as well as miracles. I am still fleshing out this change in perceptions however, but I myself do not see an elimination of my faith; rather, I see a further crystallization of it that I have not experienced before, and it has so far helped me make more sense of a lot of stuff.

I wonder why I even brought up the poltergeist. :(
I guess I just forgot that you've seen a ghost.
Oops.
Dang it!.

I didn't see it in that place though it was in a sears warehouse that I worked at. I asked one of my coworkers and he said he'd seen it as well so I figured it wasn't just my mind being wierd. Rather benign sort of ghost though you'd see him just walking around checking boxes and ignoring you completely out of the corner of your eye.


Hmmm I suppose that makes a bit of sense but it seems liek the sort of tool that could easily turn in your hand against your faith. But then maybe I'm just projecting how my mind works onto you.

Yes, I believe in spirits. I believe that a spirit is the "real" man, not what you can physically see. I believe there's good spirits and I believe there's bad spirits as well.

Yay. That makes me happy. Funny ghost though. I wonder what he was looking for.

I got the impression he was just so serious about his job that he still did it after he was dead. Looked liek a very serious 50's hard working type of fella so I suspect that he was still piddling around keeping an eye on things. And if you abide by the theory that ghosts are something along the lines of psychic residue in place it could just be a a recording of him working as it were.

I personally do not believe in spirits of any sort, and I think most sightings of ghosts and such have a scientific explaination. The brain is capable of many weird things which are purely physical, and have nothing to do with spirits. It's not something I will argue strongly for, I could very well be wrong, since I think there are many things in existence which we know nothing about. But since I have not personally seen or heard anything which supports the existence of spirits, I withold any really firm judgement.

Yes. According to my sisters, everything we do is the result of good or bad spirits passing through us. I thought that was a bit of an extreme statement but I just wonder...

I think there are some situations where a supernatural element so to speak can be present. I believe that when you lose someone you love it may feel like the person is still there with you, in some cases you might even hear his or her voice. I don't think there's anything strange about that, if fact it's nothing more then your mind not willing to accept the fact that the person isn't there anymore. That's how most people think about it.

Anyway I'm pretty sure people mostly see what they want to see. Just go sit in your room alone, turn off the lights and make sure it's very silent around you. Your mind will play tricks on you, making you see all kinds of shapes and figures and that's exactly what most so called "ghost sightings" are.

I honestly don't know if ghosts are real. I've had an encounter with a humanoid figure that I don't really understand, but I cannot say for certain if it was a ghost or not. It could have been a trick of the light or my mind being in a partial dream state without me knowing.

Have you read the thread about sleep paralysis? :p

I don't believe in spirits since their existence hasn't been proven, also it seems kind of illogical. Also, why are you always pulling up the subject god in this?

I've experience some things in the past. Stuff falling over and so, but SuperNova said it extremely well with:
"People go "Oh, it was a ghost!" just to justify something that didn't really need to be justified.
No one's ever happy with "it just happened".", I think just the same.

I've seen a ghost before and he touches me in my no-no spot at night.

lol, jk. Never seen a ghost, hardly believe in them. Until I become one, I don't think I can truely believe in such a thing.

Also, I've noticed something. Mostly with all this "experiences" of different people, these cases are almost always applyable:

1) He/she was a kid when it happened.
2) He/she was half asleep when it happened.

These two things explain much, I think.

I think spirits and the like are just explanations for things we don't understand. This is true of most mystic type things, like UFOs ghosts and (I think, don't get on to me) religion.

I didn't always think this way, but through the years I have become more scientific in thinking and personally think that absolutely everything can be explained with enough evidence and study. The problem with this kind of stuff is the lack of evidence and study. Since it is so sporradic and unexpected, it is nearly impossible to study properly, and it's usually over in a few seconds or minutes on top of that.

Someone I know told me stories about UFOs and encounters with demons that were very real and frightening. They freaked me out for a long time. Later, it was discovered that he has some schizophrenia in him, and that he hallucinated these things.

Of course, I sincerely doubt that all ghost sightings can be attributed to this, but it made me realize how powerful the brain is, and how easy it is for it to create and alter perception.

Yes, and that's rather scary.
Imagine how easily it would be for your brain to play several tricks on you and in the end make you extremely f-ing insane.

I've noticed that as well. That and the fact that a lot of people who are really hardcore about this sort of thing are also fairly mentallly unstable. That being said the experiences I've had were all while I was wide awake and I'm not particularly mentally unstable.

Plus really how do you explains all of the shit flying off the dresser of a sleeping crippled woman in the middle of the night while all of the animals are outside and all the other people are upstairs? I've yet to come up with a particularly logical way of explaining that one and we checked to make sure the cats didn't do it first thing.

While I agree with number two, I can't wholeheartedly agree with number one. That one can go both ways.

Kids who have been molested say someone touched them.
Kids say they've seen a ghost.

Just because someone was a kid doesn't mean something happened.
I was a kid, I heard one call my name. And that's the truth! :edgarrock:

Interesting.... Others call it an astral rape--the feeling that an entity of some sort is raping you (hence the crushing feeling) at your most vulnerable state of physical and mental being...
I'm not a believer, but supernatural/ghost stories are always entertaining to listen to.

Spirits make up my chi mannnnn....I call them for POWA!!....

But seriously, the supernatural is something to ponder on, whether believe they exist or not. The 'cold' feeling of an apparition is a feeling I get alot when walking alone after class, but yeah, I could say to some extent that I believe in ghosts, spirits, and the 'hovering' wind.

Most of my family have claimed that they have seen ghosts. When I was a kid my sister and I were playing some dumb game where we pretended our rooms were our houses and we'd stick a sheet of paper with a door number on. My sister used the number "130" and forgot to take it down that night, anyway that night she claimed to have seen an outline of a woman just standing there smiling at her. Her cuboard door never shut properly and made a DING noise whenever it was forced to shut properly, and the ghost went over to the cuboard walked through it and the door DINGed shut behind her.

My brother said that he saw a ghost once too, but instead of screaming he told it to fuck off and went back to sleep. My Dad said he's seen a ghost twice, once when he was a kid in my Nana's house and once on a holiday when he stayed in a caravan.

Me? I'm not sure if I believe in them or not, i'm definetely interested in the supernatural though.

I posted this in my journal, I was more amused by the turkey scream the guy does but apparently it's footage of "The Smith Building Ghost". There was supposed to have been a fire there that killed a girl and these guys caught her on camera standing in a corner of the room.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/57506/...on_tape_scary/

The first shot she's in the corner, the second in the corner again, the third apparently walking to the camera and the fourth in the corner right before it cuts off. I'd say it was a fake, but still I find watching these things amuses me =p.