What is the difference between a ghost and a spirit?
I like to think of it as a ghost being in human form and a spirit in non-human form, like a mist or an energy spike. Ghosts are more restricted to earth and can not proceed to the afterlife yet, while spirits can go from Earth to the afterlife as they please. Ghosts usually have to have something finished in order to "move on." It is usually the job they never finished when they died.
What is an orb?
An Orb is a tiny ball of collected energy that is only able to be seen through a camera. Finding an orb does not mean that there is a ghost nearby. It just means there was a bit of concentrated energy. It's nothing paranormal. Some people believe that the concentrated energy is coming from the ghost or spirit and that an orb is a paranormal phenomenaThey can be found anywhere in the world, desert, river, forest, powerplant, cemetery, house, car, etc.
What are the different types of hauntings?
There are a few types of hauntings. Residual, intelligent, demonic (or non-human) and a Poltergeist.
A residual haunting appears entirely oblivious to the observer(s), and acts towards them as if they are invisible. They are completely unaware of the time period they are in and can not interact with the living in any way.
Cases have been reported of people seeing ghosts dressed in old fashionded clothes walk right into walls, walls that once had doorways in them a long time ago. Other cases report a whole family at a dinner table at one moment eating. The next moment they are all gone, and a sound was never heard. The ghost or ghosts are just repeating a moment in their lifes over and over again unknowingly. Of course, this is just a theory we ghost hunters and paranormal investigators use to explain it.
An intelligent haunting IS completely aware of our presence and will interact with us as it pleases. This is also the most popular haunting. Interactions include tapping of shoulders, tugging of hair, cold chills, shadows, smells, talking, sounds of walking, throwing of objects such as toys, keys, and watches. Other interactions include items missing and being found several days later in a totaly opposite place from where they were missing from, and people being pushed or grabbed. These ghosts are the kind we ghost hunters capture on tape a lot through voice recorders and cameras.
A demonic haunting is a very scary haunting and one many people don't like to be involved with. The non-human spirit will torture one person in a family, sometimes the whole family, and gradually the torture will progress. The torture includes slapping, pushing violently, shaking of bed, evil voices, shadows, and deep bloody scratches that appear right before you eyes. At this point the thought of leaving the house and moving is pointless because the demon will just follow you. (Thats why it's a good idea to know why the house you would like to buy is for sale at such a low price.) Eventually this torture progresses into a demonic possesion. It is usually the person afraid of it the most that gets possesed. It is a good idea to contact a religious leader, like a priest, when the torture starts. From there they will prepare for an exorcism.
Exorcisms are when the priest extracts the demon from a person. The person gets tied down extremely tightly and the priest begins his prayers. It is easier to extract a demon if you know it's name, so the priest will ask the demon its name and force it to come out and leave the house. This process is very long and is not easy. After the exorcism, the house will feel extremely lighter and much more "happy". At this point you know that the demon is gone and you can now move on with your life. Exorcisms are performed very rarely and it's a good idea to keep them a secret. Thats why no one hears about them being performed, because they are a well kept secret.
Another type of haunting is a Poltergeist. The activity that takes place will be very violent and will start off with knocks and bangs and furniture starting to move around by itself. Then, the activity will become more intense, manifesting itself through voices and even the appearance of full apparitions.
Poltergeists tend to last for an unknown amount of time and can leave as quickly as they came - no to cases are the same. Poltergeists are experienced by several people, but they seem to center around one certain person. They also tend to be situated with a young female, but not always.
Poltergeists might sometimes leave if you can find out why it is there. One theory is that if the individual involved gets some medical care the poltergeist will go away.
What are EVP's?
An EVP is a sound recording of either a spirit or ghost that is not heard at the time of the recording.
They are commonly recorded by paranormal investigators and are classified into three classes.
Class A: Voices can be heard and be identified by anyone. They are very obvious and are very clearly spoken.
Class B: Voices speak more rapidly and more softly, but are still plainly audible to an attentive ear. They might need headphones to be heard.
Class C: Voices are very low in volume and require headphones to be heard. These EVP's usually contain the most information and words.
Why do ghost hunters perform investigations at night?
Ghost hunters usually perform investigations at night because ghosts 'supposedly' give off light when they are seen. Also because life and nature is much calmer at night. There are not as many cars going by or animals making noises. Catching a ghost is just a bit easier at night.
Why is a brand new house sometimes haunted?
A brand new house can be haunted because sometimes ghosts attach themselves to a piece of land, rather than the house on the land because the land has had a great sadness or anger involved with it, not the house. Basically. sometimes ghosts stay with the land, rather than the house that is on the land.
Can a ghost follow me home?
Yes. There have been a few instances where a person visiting a graveyard was followed home by a spirit. Sometimes ghosts can attach its energy to an object, like a coffee table for example. If you purchase the coffee table at a yard sale and bring it to your house, you may have gotten more than you paid for. The ghost that is attached to the table is now in your house. Most of the time though these spirits or ghosts are not malicious and do not harm people.
Can a ghost haunt more than one place?
It is not common for a ghost to do that, but it has happened before. It has been reported that the same ghost was haunting two different homes. It would dissapear from one home and go to the next every few months or so. Think of it this way, when we are alive, we go many different places. So why can't a ghost do the same?
Why are children so much better at contacting ghosts or spirits than adults?
Children are still open to the world. They have not been forced to accept certain "truths" about the real world that adults live in. When they get older they sometimes loose this openness.
Why can some people sense ghosts and other people can not?
Some people are more open-minded and will more easily accept their natural instincts. It is all about how open-minded someone is to those instincts. If you feel you're not alone, your probably right.
Can a ghost physically hurt me?
Yes, a ghost can hurt you if it really REALLY wanted to. There are always incidents of physical contact, but very rarely are they ever violent. If a ghost wanted to push you down the steps im sure it wouldnt be hard to do, but just like you and me know, that could seriously hurt someone. The ghosts are probably aware of that because they were people too and they dont want to hurt you. Instances of serious injury are extremely rare.
The way i've seen it is if a person is malicious in life (ex. murderer), chances are they are going to be the same way in the afterlife, and visa versa.
Demons on the other hand only exist to hurt people. If you are constantly being attacked by a spirit that you feel is trying to hurt you it could probably be a demon of some kind. If this is the case you need to contact a religious official and see if they can exorcise the demon from your home or from yourself.