The history of Halloween dates back to Pagan, Celtic and Galic festivals, such as Samhain, and the Christian celebration of ‘All Hallows Eve’, the evening before ‘All Saints’ Day’ on the 1st November. Many believe the veils between the physical world and spirit world are thinnest on Halloween and the celebrations were to ward off evil spirits coming through the veil to haunt the living.

So whilst the ghosts and ghoulies most people will see this Halloween will be the fancy dress kind, there are some who are living with the reality of seeing and experiencing ghostly phenomenon. Myself included!

As a teenager, who had played around with a Ouiji board (I do not recommend this – it opens you up to all sorts of ghosts and entities – most you wouldn’t want to make friends with!), I saw ‘ghosts’ marching across my room which terrified me! This led to me hiding from my clairvoyant and spiritual abilities for many, many years.

Another time I was babysitting when I heard footsteps upstairs, only to find that the children were fast asleep and no one else was in the house (I later found out the parents knew it was haunted by a lady they quite liked sharing their home with, because they felt she watched over the children!).

I have had many experiences with the Spirit World since and I know numerous clients, friends and family members who have seen or experienced ghostly phenomenon, that there are too many to list here. Though I do retell one poignant story later.

So what is a Ghost?

A Ghost is the Soul (which can also be referred to as the ‘Spirit’ or energy) of someone who has died. It is the eternal energetic part of us that continues to exist after our body dies and our Soul returns to the Spirit World after passing. Our Soul is actually who we are – our human body is merely a vehicle for us to use in the physical, like getting into a car to get about.

Departed Souls

So let me explain about Souls. A Soul who has passed over can still return to visit loved ones here on Earth, and may do so to watch their own funeral, try to comfort loved ones, let others know they are there, pass on messages or to witness family celebrations, such as weddings. It is these Souls that Mediums contact to pass on messages and help loved ones come to terms with their loss and grief.

Visits from loved ones who have crossed over often occur as the person is dropping off to sleep or waking up. This is because our brain waves change for dream time and it is easier for Spirit to make contact then as our conscious mind is not so active at these times. They also often visit in dreams. There are many reports of people being visited by those that have passed without them knowing they had died.

I received a ‘message’ that someone I knew had died – I was ringing her doorbell at the time, unaware she had passed in her sleep! She also appeared to another friend of hers – who didn’t realise she was dead either.

Our loved ones want us to know they are okay even though they are no longer in a physical body!

Earthbound Souls

However, there are some Souls who have become Earthbound. These Souls can also be termed ‘Ghosts’ or ‘Spirits’, and they are literally stuck on the Earth plane as they did not cross over appropriately. This can happen if they died suddenly and they don’t realise they are dead, or they have unfinished business here, or if they didn’t want to leave a particular person or place. They can also get stuck on the Earth plane if they are fearful of moving into the light through not knowing if they will continue to exist or what is awaiting them after they cross over. They are reluctant to move on.

Earthbound Souls will stay around the person or environment linked to their life here. They are no longer connected to ‘Source’ or to the ‘Light’, so instead they need to get their vital force energy from the person or place they are attached to. They will create some negative energy that they resonate with and this is often upheld by the person or place where they reside. Hence why a ‘creepy’ atmosphere can often be felt around haunted properties.

If they don’t realise they are dead, Earthbound Souls may be scared and confused, wondering why no one around them can hear or notice them. They may literally carry on doing the things they did in their earthly life, hence a Clairvoyant may see “Uncle Harold” still sitting in his favourite chair reading the paper, or “Grandma” still going through the motions of baking cakes in the kitchen.

If there is great trauma or sadness with a passing, such as in war and murder, the Earthbound Soul can become stuck reliving the event and this is why some Ghosts are seen playing out those moments in time.

Malevolent Souls

The longer the Soul has been Earthbound, the more it can learn to manipulate energy until it can be heard, seen and even move objects. The people the Earthbound Soul knew may have long crossed over themselves, leaving the trapped Soul alone and even more bewildered. These Souls may become cross if ‘their’ house is sold and other people move in and can become angry and aggressive towards the new occupants. Hence, the oppressive feelings and strange phenomenon that can come with some hauntings.

The kindest thing we can do is move these stuck Souls along and help them reach their loved ones on the other side.

A Ghostly Encounter

In fact it was an Earthbound Soul that instigated my choice to do the work I do.

When my daughter was a toddler, I used to think she had come into my room and got on my bed in the night. I would get up and check on her, but she’d still be in bed asleep. This surprisingly didn’t freak me out and I wasn’t scared at all – just a little bewildered and confused.

This was before I did spiritual work myself and I was compelled to secure the services of a reputable medium who explained that there was the ghost of a little girl in my home! She had died with her mother, in a car accident outside a shopping centre, but hadn’t realised she had passed. She had come home with me because she couldn’t find her Mother and I apparently looked similar to her and, as I also had a small child, I was resonating (similar energy vibration) like her Mother.

This little girl’s Soul had been living with us, and my daughter’s Soul had apparently made friends with her. The Medium explained that my daughter’s Soul had come to say goodbye to the little girl and had left a present of a white pony or teddy bear (in fact my daughter had become pony mad around this time, even having a pony themed birthday party!).

When I went up to bed, imagine my surprise when there was a little white unicorn soft toy belonging to my daughter by my bedroom door! She’d never put it there before. I put it on the side and went to bed.

The following morning the first thing my daughter said to me was “Where’s the pony I left for you”?! All her conscious mind knew was that she’d left the gift for me, however, on a subconscious level she’d been drawn to leave that little white unicorn for that little girl’s Soul!

I felt blessed that the little girl had been helped over to the other side to be reunited with her Mother.

Yes, there are Ghosts living amongst us and things that can go bump in the night, but do we really need to be afraid?

Happy Halloween!