| Ghosts are usually conceived as vestiges of the dead | | | | instance, Molly Stewart, licensed with the International |
| who have not been able to pass entirely into the | | | | Ghost Hunters Society, reports that Ghosts have |
| heavenly (or infernal) realms. Ghost-hunting | | | | reportedly pulled the hair of guests on her Salem, |
| researchers encounter entities that seem to have | | | | Massachusetts tour. Ghosts pull the hair In China, for |
| some kind of post-life trauma. Ghosts have died cruel | | | | instance, Ghosts killed by drowning are said to kill |
| or shocking deaths, witnessed terrible things before | | | | people in order to prevent them from reincarnating. |
| they died, lost something very dear to them which they | | | | In general, Ghosts seems to be making contact |
| still cling to after death. | | | | because they are "stuck" in some pattern, expressing |
| Perhaps the film, Ghost, with Patrick Swayze, Demi | | | | their pain or fear- or sometimes. Like Swayze as he |
| Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, is not a perfect | | | | reaches out to Moore in the film, Ghosts actually want |
| paradigm of what Ghosts really are, but it does have | | | | to tell us something, something as strange as how |
| some things in common with the above definition. | | | | they were killed or to assure us about something. But |
| Swayze, like the Ghosts we speak of, is hanging | | | | not everyone has the same degree of sensitivity to |
| around because of the cruel manner of its death and | | | | them. |
| that it could bring some kind of danger to his girlfriend. | | | | It would seem, if you believe Sylvia Browne, that |
| Patrick's lingering on Earth is a temporary phenomenon, | | | | disembodied spirits, including releatives, are very close |
| often due to trauma or to hanging onto one's | | | | to this world. And, they attempt contact a lot, but we |
| surroundings. Some accounts of Ghosts would say | | | | do not recognize it. In other, more tribal, shamanistic |
| that Ghosts are often just fragments of better, more | | | | cultures that contact is perhaps more frequent and |
| whole personalities that have not passed on to other | | | | expected but these cultures don't necessarily keep |
| dimensions of the Afterlife. | | | | written records in any quantity so it may be difficult to |
| The film Ghost may be flawed in many ways, but | | | | know. |
| perhaps it can give us some framework for | | | | Perhaps with our EMF and "white noise" machines, |
| addressing some of the questions about the reality | | | | science is coming closer to some kind of answer |
| and behavior of Ghosts as addressed through | | | | about contacting Ghosts? Why hasn't it found that |
| historical anecdote, contemporary reports, | | | | answer yet? Well, looking for Ghosts might be |
| parapsychological studies and ghost-hunting. For | | | | compared to wanting to study sea creatures at a |
| instance, in the film, Swayze learns to influence matter | | | | certain depth, but not having the science of |
| from a strange, half-insane ghost on a subway. | | | | submersibles developed enough to be able to go there |
| In fact, can Ghosts hurt you or actually touch you? I | | | | securely and stay long enough to take photographs. |
| would say that many people believe that Ghosts can | | | | The Ghosts are there but we don't have the |
| touch you and some say they can hurt you and even | | | | technology. |
| kill you. Many people report a ghostly touch. For | | | | |