Ghosts Among Us - James Van Praagh [71]
There are many key signs that can alert you that a ghost is inhabiting your physical space:
The ambience in the room seems dark or dense. Whenever I go to a place where there is a lot of ghostly activity, the room feels a bit heavy, as if I am walking through tar.
There are unexplainable electrical surges in your house or in machinery and appliances like lights, computers, televisions, radios, garage doors, and Jacuzzis. If your appliances turn on and off by themselves, you can bet you’re sharing space with an earthbound entity.
There is a distinct smell in the room or the scent of a perfume that is unrecognizable.
Temperature changes are also a telltale sign. You feel cold spots in one particular area of your house. Perhaps you feel cold breezes around you or goose bumps and chills. Cold spots and breezes when windows and doors are closed or the heat is on is a sure sign that a ghost is draining energy in those areas.
You feel that someone is watching you when there is no one around.
You feel as if someone has touched you.
You hear a knocking or rapping sound, footsteps, banging, voices, whispers, or music.
Out of the corner of your eye, you see a small flickering of lights. These are known as spirit lights.
Objects in your home have been moved from one place to another without your touching them. Or objects completely disappear and you never find them again.
The water in your house turns on and off of its own accord.
Your pet’s behavior seems strange. You see your cat or dog staring at something in the air that is not there.
You notice impressions or indentations on the bed, couch, or chairs that were not there before.
The telephone rings and no one is on the other end. Instead, you hear a lot of static.
You have thoughts that are not your own, as happened with my nonsmoking friend who felt the urge to buy cigarettes.
THE ANGRY GHOST
The term poltergeist comes from the German and means “noisy spirit.” It first made its way into the mainstream vernacular with the popularity of the 1980s Steven Spielberg movie Poltergeist. The types of activity associated with poltergeists include strange noises, moving or disappearing objects, and unpleasant odors. Perhaps owing in part to how these spirits are depicted in movies, many people believe that poltergeist activity has to do with an angry ghost, or one that wants a lot of attention. I believe that a poltergeist is not necessarily an evil ghost, but perhaps one that can gather up enough energy in the environment to manifest in a strong and obvious way.
Poltergeist activity usually occurs very abruptly and ends just as abruptly. So far no one knows why. Even paranormal scientists who study such activity debate the origin of the activity and the origin of a poltergeist itself. Many believe that a majority of the cases revolve around what is known as an “agent.” An agent is a living person, usually a woman or child, who seems to display an enormous amount of the phenomenon known as psychokinesis, which is caused by the person’s subconscious mind. In other words, someone’s mind is active enough to make objects hurl around the room. It is quite rare. However, I believe that the mind is capable of anything.
Several years ago, I was at my local health food store, wandering the aisles, looking for toothpaste. Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to look, and a rather tall, lean man, with brown hair, in his late twenties, stood in front of me. He seemed extremely nervous.
The young man stuttered, “Ahh…please forgive me, ahh…but are you Mr. Praagh?”
“Van Praagh,” I corrected him.
“Please forgive me for bothering you, but I recognized you from television and thought you might be able to help me.”
“I no longer do private