By Anne-Marie Kinney
Because our culture today is so extremely media-infused, a great deal of what we learn about ghosts comes directly from television, film, newspapers, magazines, books, radio, or the Internet, etc. We have learned many things about ghosts, or discarnate beings, but they are not always correct.
The world of entertainment wouldn’t be doing its job if it didn’t do just that – entertain – so, writers, producers, actors, and directors have to be extra-sensationalistic to keep viewers “tuned in.”
Most of us have seen or are at least aware of films and TV shows like “The Exorcist,” “The Omen,” “Stigmata,” “The Sixth Sense,” “The Ghost Whisperer,” and “Medium” – just to name a very few.
These films really do not depict ghosts and/or the paranormal in a very credible manner. For example, in the popular television shows “Medium” and “The Ghost Whisperer,” both of the main female characters, portrayed as psychic mediums, carry on several quite lengthy conversations with a ghost (or two or three) each week. Such is the world of film! This just doesn’t happen in real life.
First, ghosts do not have long, clear, coherent conversations with someone; they do not “travel”; and they do not appear only to those who work as mediums or psychics. Ghosts do not discriminate! They can appear, move items, ring the phone, create cold spots, sometimes call your name, and even communicate with you – usually through telepathy, which we all possess, in different doses, even those who don’t consider themselves psychics or mediums – but they are not evil, they are not out to “get” anyone, and they certainly don’t intentionally try to frighten us.
Ghosts are just people – just like you and me. Sometimes they are people who are either not aware or refuse to accept that their physical bodies have died and other times they’re people who have come back to “visit.” When encountering someone who has had difficulty accepting their own passing, we should do all we can to try to help them understand that they have changed form and passed over, and encourage them to go toward the light, where they will ultimately find peace with their loved ones again, but we must also respect their wishes if they choose not to go.
It is not up to us to decide their fate – ghosts are still functioning within their own consciousness, and they will, sooner or later, make the choice to move toward the light, which serves as the bridge to the other side. But until they do, we must at least try to meet them halfway by being as educated as we can about who they are, why they are in their ghostly form, and that they can not be “caught” or “busted.” Ghosts are sometimes just people who do not or can not accept that they have passed over. And just like all people, we should treat them with absolute respect.
Ghosts are part of our universe; they are here, all around us, and just because you can’t always see or sense them, it does not mean they aren’t here; they do exist, and they do come around us – most often, for no other reason than to feel comfortable in a place that they once knew, long ago, and return to, again and again, until they are really ready to move on.