Why Do Some People Become Ghosts After Their Death?

Ghost Town is a wonderfully funny ghost moviewas already dead. I had the sense she had told this to
starring Ricky Gervais and Tea Leoni.the woman several times, but the woman didn't believe
After having encountered thousands of ghosts (so far)her.
in my lifetime, I couldn't help watching it with a little bit ofI wasn't for certain if this was true until I began trying to
a critical eye. It's always interesting to see whatlocate her son. At that moment I felt his presence
creative license Hollywood will do with reality, and thisbehind me. He had already crossed over, and showed
movie is no different. (Though it's still REALLYup in that moment to help his Mom to get to the Other
enjoyable, I highly recommend it.)Side.
In the movie, all of the disincarnates stay behindShe didn't see him at first, she was still too consumed
because they have unfinished business on the earthwith her reality as she knew it.
plane.I used my energy to help connect the two of them, or
So, do people stay behind after their death solelyin other words to help her to see him. After I did that,
because of unfinished business?she saw him clearly. She dropped her reasons for
Myth or Reality?staying on the earth plane and crossing her over
Well, a little of both actually.became easy. Her caretaker went peacefully as well
First, people choose to stay behind for numerousand she thanked me as she left.
reasons, not just because they have unfinishedSo yes, some ghosts do stay behind because of
business.unfinished business in their life. But resolving that
Second, some people do stay behind because theysituation may not be enough to help that person move
have unfinished business that they want to resolve. Buton to the Other Side.
there are several caveats to that. Staying behind (akaThis is because the longer a person/a ghost stays on
not crossing over to the Other Side) doesn't meanthis side of the veil after their death, the more they
you'll be able help resolve anything. And even if thebegin to lose touch with reality. As in the case of one
situation does get resolved, that may not be enough toof my ghostly visitors, after a ghost has been here for
get you home.a while, they may no longer have enough presence of
For example, I recently was contacted by a friend ofmind or awareness to recognize what has happened
mine who can see AND hear ghosts. But she hasn'tor even that time has passed.
yet found the courage to try to guide them home.Ghosts always give us valuable mirrors and insight into
Because she can see and hear them, she tends toour own lives.
attract a fair lot of them to her home. When theyIn this case we see the expensive costs of trying too
make noise or become annoying with their presence,hard to hang on to what was, while resisting the gifts
she talks to them and tells them to knock it off.of what comes next.
Hopefully one day she'll feel comfortable enough withThere is a natural flow to Life that we have to learn to
her abilities that she'll use them to help these lost soulstrust. It can be frightening when we can't see what
find Their Way Home.comes next. When we're young, that curve in the road
In the meantime, she calls me if the ghosts get out ofis exciting. By the time we've gotten older we've
hand and don't respond to her.learned to fear the unknown and to expect the worst,
The last time we talked she had two older femaleand usually the risk is more than we're willing to bear.
ghosts in her home that talked incessantly. Even herBut there's a spiritual reason for everything and
daughter heard them and would walk around thealthough we can't always see these reasons clearly
house trying to find the source of the voices.when we want to, those reasons are ultimately
Unable to get them to quiet down or leave, she calledworking for our highest good.
me.We play a role in creating everything in our lives, and
I connected with them energetically and they 'saw' meI'm a huge believer that developing your awareness,
immediately. I could tell from their energy that theysetting goals, being proactive and deliberating creating
were anxious for relief so I knew I'd be seeing them inyour life can help you achieve what you want. Though
my home very soon.none of that means that we can control everything
I continued with my work on the computer and theythat happens in our lives, much less the lives of others.
showed up within the hour. In my home, they wereI think that this ghost story in particular, shows us the
quiet and respectful as they waited for me to put myreal value of trust. We need to learn to trust ourselves,
computer down and turn my attention to them.trust our path, trust the inherent value in who we are,
Though I don't know that they had a relationship on thetrust the Source and trust the flow of Life.
earth plane, one of the women functioned as aWhen we worry, fret and fear (even for others) we
caretaker for the other woman. She wasn't going toliterally strangle the joy from our lives. In fact, the very
leave until she knew the other woman had gone first.word 'worry' comes from the Anglo Saxon word
I respected the friendship that had developed here, butweregan which means 'to strangle'.
I didn't agree with her choices. If she really wanted toWithout trust, without faith and belief, we're just like the
help this woman, and it was clear to me that she did,ghostly mother from the story. A wanderer in the dark,
she would have had a much stronger ability to help herwithout direction, bereft of insight of any kind.
if she herself had crossed over to the Other Side first.When we surrender to the power of trust and we
As I began to guide the second woman home, she toldplant the seeds of faith, we open the lines of
me that she had stayed behind to help her son whocommunication for the healing power of Divine
was sick and dying. She resisted going home and keptGuidance. And we make ourselves ready for the joy
repeating that she couldn't leave him.and the gifts to come.
The caretaker whispered to me that the woman's son