The History of Ghosts & Spirits

First allow me to define the difference between a Ghost and a Spirit. A Ghost is the soul of a deceased person who “has not crossed over” or “stepped into the light”. A Spirit is the soul of a deceased person who “has crossed over” and is given the ability to travel back to Earth. A Ghost may remain bound to this world to protect a certain location or object they felt attached to during their previous human life. They may also be afraid to cross over into the light or in some cases may choose to refuse. Ghosts have also been known to be trapped in a constant replay of motion capturing a certain part of their previous human life. Spirits have been known to come back to warn family members of danger and is seen more as a light of energy, where Ghosts are seen more in human form.

These lights of energy can sometimes be captured on film as an Orb or a Light Anomaly. Some people believe these to be the soul of a deceased person contained in a small white ball of light or a fluorescent string of bright colors, and some believe them to be nothing more than dust particles, insects or moisture. An Anomaly is a person, object or event that can be described as an unexplainable phenomenon. Anything weird, abnormal, strange, odd or difficult to classify is considered an Anomaly. Apparitions are the ghosts we see in the shape of a human form, usually remaining harmless. Entities are the spirits who come back to help, sometimes attaching to a human for influential purposes. Specters and Phantoms are seen more as grisly Apparitions and in most cases are the results from a horrible human death. A Doppelganger is basically the ghostly twin of a living person and is mostly seen in a dream state. It is said that seeing your own image in a spirit form outside your dream is highly bad luck and may cause an immediate death. From both Irish and British mythology Banshees and Fairies are seen as female spirits and known as the messengers of death. It is said that if you hear the cries of a Banshee or Fairy, someone close to you will soon die. These terms and definitions were created throughout history, some are mere story tales and urban legends, but some have been well documented throughout human existence and whether you choose to believe them or not, there is still a history for the unexplained.

According to sources there has been evidence of archeological and anthropological discoveries which prove the belief in ghosts and spirits through the early stages of mankind. The practice of exorcisms have been claimed to originate in prehistoric Shamanistic beliefs possibly dating back as far as 11000 BC. Archaeological evidence was found for Mesolithic Shamanism in November 2008. Researchers announced the discovery of a 12,000-year-old site in Israel that they regard as one of the earliest known Shaman burials. This could mean that the belief in ghosts and spirits actually may date back as far as the Stone Age.

The earliest history of ghost phenomenon ever recorded came during the year 827 BC when King Hsuan according to Chinese legend executed his minister Tu Po. King Hsuan was warned that Tu Po’s ghost would seek revenge and 3 years later he was shot and killed by Tu Po’s ghost with a bow and arrow in front of an assembly of feudal lords. In Greece around the time of the 5^th century BC, stories were told of horrible and frightening spirits who would terrorize villages and haunt unsuspecting citizens. Ancient Greeks also believed cemeteries and graveyards to be haunted by these evil spirits from the dead, these locations of the final resting places were highly avoided. Public ceremonies of mourning became a sacrificial ritual to ward off the evil in the case of a possible return. The ancient Greeks also invited spirits to annual feasts to honor the families of the dead; although once the feast had ended the spirits were kindly asked to leave and to only return during the same time next year.

Religion and ghosts have differed in many ways since the days of early adoration. Occultism is known as a paranormal belief system in the search for the hidden truth beyond pure reason and physical sciences. Magic, alchemy, extra-sensory perception (ESP), astrology, spiritualism and numerology are often used within the Occult. Major religions frown upon this system strictly because of these used methods, although there have been early adherence of these beliefs to some religions such as Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Luciferianism, Thelema, and Neopaganism. The Hebrew Torah and the Bible contain only few references to ghosts. In the First Book of Samuel (I Samuel 28:7-19 KJV), King Saul disguised himself and ordered the Witch of Endor to summon the spirit of Samuel. In the New Testament, Jesus has to persuade the Disciples that he is not a ghost following the resurrection, Luke 24:37-39. Jesus followers at first believe him to be a ghost when they see him walking on water. In Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad, ghosts were described as “a vapor, gibbering and whining into the earth.” Homer’s ghosts had little interaction with the world of the living.

In the 1st century AD, a ghost was reported to haunt a house in Athens belonging to Pliny the Younger. According to Pliny the ghost would rattle chains and take the form of an old man with a beard. The first Poltergeist ever recorded was in 856 AD at a farmhouse on the banks of the River Rhine in Germany. The spirit tormented the family by throwing stones, banging on walls and making fires. Even when several priests armed with holy relics came to visit, they were scared away from the house followed with a hail of stones. The word Poltergeist actually comes from a German term that means a “noisy spirit”. Young women or individuals with a “sensitive” or “medium” ability are often targeted by a poltergeist haunting. Cases usually begin with slow activity and can eventually become very spontaneous and dangerous. It is also believed that large amounts of Limestone and Quartz may cause activity when close to a teenage girl who express’s a sad or angry emotion. It has been discovered that these stones may have the capability to increase high amounts of electromagnetic energy.

Early poltergeist activity or mischievous spirits were often blamed for sickness and tragedies. An infant with a terrible undiscovered illness or deformity was most likely considered either possessed or a spawn of the Devil. Early mediums and psychics were also blamed for the tragedies, for if you can speak to spirits than you shall be accounted for as well. Religious leaders received backlash for not warning the community from the signs of evil spirits at work. Some of these signs were normal events in nature, such as an eclipse or a harvest moon. Anything unexplained or out of the ordinary was most likely considered an act of an evil spirit. Exorcisms are mainly thought of as the rite of driving out these evil spirits or more importantly the Devil and his demons from a possessed person. The practice of an Exorcism is believed to exist as early as the prehistoric days but the term itself is derived from the Late Latin exorcismus and from the Greek exorkizein meaning “to swear in”, “to take an oath by”, and “to conjure”. Throughout popular belief, an Exorcism is not given to drive out the Devil or a demon but to rather put them on oath. Under normal assumption, it is believed that all Exorcisms are practiced singularly through the Roman Catholic Church, but some Protestant denominations such as the Pentecostal, Anglican, Methodist and the Lutheran groups practice it as well. Jesus himself was known as being devoted to casting out demons, he also passed this knowledge on to his followers.

During the medieval period, the actual difference between ghosts and spirits were made. The distinction of new religions became more widely spread which in turn made early ghost research more complicated. An apparition of a ghost was documented from the year 1211 which at the time was the Albigensian Crusade. Gervase of Tilbury wrote that the image of a boy named Guilhem who was murdered in a forest, appeared in his cousin’s home in Beaucaire near Avignon. Speaking through his cousin, Guilhem allegedly held conversations with anyone who wished to speak with him until the local priest requested to speak to Guilhem directly, this lead to an extended disquisition on theology. It was believed that Guilhem also narrated the trauma of human death and the unhappiness of his fellow souls stuck in Purgatory. He also reported that God was most pleased with the ongoing Crusade against the Cathar heretics which was launched three years earlier. The time of the Albigensian Crusade in southern France was marked by intense and prolonged warfare with constant bloodshed and dislocation of populations which were the context of the reported visits by the murdered Guilhem.

The belief in the interaction between humans and spirits came to formation with the acceptance of Mediums and Psychics. The term Mediumship or Psychic describes a human to have the ability to listen and relate conversations with spirit voices. They may also go into a trance and speak without knowledge of what is being said and even allow a spirit to control their body and speak through it. Relaying messages from the spirits to those who wish to contact them can sometimes be used with a physical tool, such as a writing instrument. Ectoplasm is said to be the formation of ghosts produced by a Physical Medium. In 1905 the term was coined by a French physiologist named Charles Richet who devoted many years to the study of the Spiritualist phenomena. Although beyond scientific belief, Ectoplasm is documented as a gauze-like substance that protrudes from a Medium’s body. Spiritual entities are said to drape this substance over their nonphysical body which enables them to interact in our physical universe. Spirits are also known to enter our world through a swirling funnel-shaped mist, this entry door is known as a Vortex. Séances were held using another tool known as The Ouija Board or also known as a Spirit Board or Talking Board. There has been a historical mention of a board used as early as 1100 BC in China that resembles a Spirit Board. Although the first undisputed use of an actual Talking Board came with The Spiritualist Movement in The United States in the mid-19th century.

The Spiritualist Movement was said to be established on March 31, 1848 by two sisters named Kate and Margaret Fox of Hydesville, New York. The Weekman family prior to the Fox’s, lived in the house before them and reported strange knocking sounds throughout their home. The Weekman’s left the house and 2 weeks after Kate and Margaret moved in they too heard the knocking but eventually discovered a system that allowed them to interpret the knocks. Apparently the messages came from the spirit of a murdered peddler man, which later had his skull unearthed in the basement. In 1849 Margaret Fox began to use her new found abilities to channel spirit messages and communicate with the dead. Spiritualism became known as a religion and was said to have reached 8 million followers by 1897. The duration of the religion’s popularity lasted from the 1840’s – 1920’s, which then evolved into three different directions we see today. Syncretism, Survivalism and the Spiritualist Church.

This leads to the theory of ESP or Extrasensory Perception. ESP is casually referred to as a sixth sense or someone with a psychic ability. A French researcher by the name of Dr. Paul Joire used the term ESP in 1892 to describe a person who can sense things without their own senses while in a trance or a hypnotized state. In the 1930s an American parapsychologist named J. B. Rhine from Duke University popularized the term to include psychic phenomena similar to sensory functions. There are three main categories associated with the term ESP: Telepathy, Psychokinesis and Clairvoyance. Telepathy is the ability to VISUALIZE into another person’s thoughts. It is said that a Telepathic Psychic can see into another person’s mind no matter how far the distance. Psychokinesis is the ability to DISTORT or MOVE an object simply with the mind, also known as Telekinesis. Clairvoyance is the ability to gain INFORMATION on a person, object or event in the past, present and future beyond the reach of all the known senses. Retrocognition is the ability to see the PAST while Precognition gives a Clairvoyant the ability to see the FUTURE. There are certain extra-sensory terms that also relate to Clairvoyance. Clairaudience is recognized as the ability to HEAR and LISTEN in a paranormal manner. Clairsentience gives the ability to FEEL and TOUCH the emotions in both a human and a spirit. Clairalience allows for psychic knowledge through the means of SMELL. Claircognizance is the ability to KNOW something without a possible explanation and Clairgustance is a term used for containing the psychic ability of TASTE without actually placing a substance within the mouth. All of these terms are still categorized under the theory of Extrasensory Perception (ESP) and will always be under scrutiny by scientists and skeptics.

Ghosts, spirits and psychic phenomena have always been a fascination within the celebrity world. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was an extreme believer in Spiritualism and even wrote documents on the subject. Harry Houdini made it his mission to “debunk” fake spiritualists and even went as far as giving his wife, Bess Houdini, a coded message, for if it was possible to channel himself through a psychic this message would have been proof. Since 1927 every year on Halloween séances were recorded and to this day no message has ever been produced. It is still claimed that Marilyn Monroe’s ghost haunts the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. She often stayed at the hotel where her ghostly image is seen in a full-length mirror that once hung in her poolside suite. Marlon Brando has said to have seen sheets mysteriously fly off his bed and cold ghostly lips whispered to him “I should not have died”. The actor’s former wife, Anna Kashfi, said he was convinced it was the ghost of Dag Drollet, the man Marlon’s son Christian pled guilty of manslaughter to. Ghosts and spirits are still believed in all levels of society, Hollywood has never been an exception.

Whether with good or evil intentions, ghosts and spirits are categorized within four main levels of a haunting. 1. Residual Haunting – Think of a video showing a scene that plays over and over again in the DVD player. The actions may happen on a time schedule or sporadic, and the ghosts rarely respond to your actions. 2. Intelligent Haunting – They are aware of your presence and may or may not be irritated by you. They may have a connection to a house or object and they always make themselves known. 3. Poltergeist Haunting – Movement of objects is usually witnessed, voices and noises are heard plus possible physical trauma is seen. Young girls or mediums are the usual focus of attacks. 4. Demon Haunting – A black shadowy mass is usually seen and a distinct sulfur like smell is witnessed. Possession is possible and removal is necessary.

Throughout the world there have been reports of a haunting in every type of location you can imagine, no matter the temperature, sea level or population, wherever there has been death, there is a good chance a ghost or spirit can be found. The following are some areas that have been known to be the most active in the world. The Myrtles Plantation, built in 1796 by General David Bradford in St. Francisville Louisiana, is said to be haunted by as many as ten restless spirits. Handprints in the mirrors, footsteps on the stairs, mysterious smells and vanishing objects are just some of the activity you can witness at the Plantation. The Tower of London, a historic location filled with the executions, murders and tortures of innocent people over the last 1,000 years. Henry VI, Thomas A Becket and Sir Walter Raleigh are just some of the many ghosts said to haunt this gruesome reminder of a medieval past. Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, is the home to one of the most famous ghost pictures ever taken, The Brown Lady. This picture was captured in 1936 by Captain Provand and Indre Shira from Country Life Magazine. The apparition is believed to be that of Lady Dorothy Townshend who still to this day haunts the oak staircase and other areas of Raynham Hall.

Even with the advancements of science and technology our world is still filled with the legends and mysteries of the unknown. The true existence of Ghosts and Spirits may remain hidden for the rest of our lives. Whether you choose to believe in the facts or remain skeptic to the myth; one thing is certain; there will always be a History to the Unexplained.

Thank You to the following authors and websites for their References and Resources:

Wikipedia.com
Discovery Communications, Inc
Bill Knell: http://www.ufoguy.org
Paul Keene, Gemma Bradley-Stevenson and Bryan Saunders: The Ghost Hunter Chronicles
Dr. C S Shah: http://www.geocities.com/neovedanta/a20.html
Gertrude Schmeidler, The City College, New York: http://www.themystica.com/
Dr. Dave Oester: http://www.ghostweb.com
Stephen Wagner: http://paranormal.about.com/
North Texas Skeptics: http://www.reall.org/
Brad Steiger: http://uforeview.tripod.com/conspiracyjournal483.html
Molly Edmonds: http://history.howstuffworks.com/middle-ages/crusades5.htm
Moshe Sluhovsky: http://www.historycooperative.org