The scenario goes like this…

A team of inquisitive explorers enter an area where there have been reports of ghosts, specters, apparitions, or other paranormal activities. The investigators use multiple technologies and intuition in an attempt to communicate with the unseen entities. Throughout their time on site, they capture evidence of the entities that is then presented to the caretakers of the area along with presenting the findings to a digital audience glued to their seats in search of validation of the paranormal. After the reveal, the team leaves the area and moves on to the next.

Sound familiar?

To some experiencing the investigation, and definitely to the trained psychopomp, a question surfaces, “What about the entity?” The team did a great job collecting evidence to support the presence of one or more entities at the location, yet, in most cases, nothing is done to support the entity in moving on. Sometimes, it is reinforced to the caretaker that the entities are there but are benevolent. This may be comforting to the caretaker, but the spirit/entity is still, essentially, trapped in the location with no support to transition to the reality, dimension, or home in which it belongs.

The is where the psychopomp can help.

According to Merriam-Webster, a psychopomp shepherds souls to the afterworld ( https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychopomp). Although this is a good, high-level definition of this work, the services of a psychopomp go beyond these facts. The psychopomp uses the skills learned through training and practice to communicate with spirits to facilitate the identification of and transition to the place which will welcome and contribute to each spirit. To clarify this, it is good to provide a basis of how a psychopomp conceptualizes a spirit.

There are two primary types of entities that are commonly associated with producing paranormal events: deceased humans and non-human beings. When these entities inhabit a location, it is often called a haunting. When a living person is the host for the entity, the person is said to be possessed. Haunted locations can be tourist attractions; however, the possession of a living human can be a nightmare and violation of one’s personal space. In both cases, it is important to treat the caretakers and the entities with compassion.

For the deceased human, in a psychopomp worldview, a human is made up on one or more soul parts. When a physical body dies, these parts are released to return to the soul’s place origin. Depending your cosmology, this origin is known as Valhalla, Heaven, Minoo, Nalani, Elysium, Zion, Pacha, Duat, Vyraj, Rarohenga, Hades, Kur, and many others. Normally, the soul essence of the deceased effortlessly transitions to the cosmological thoughtform best fitting their knowledge. Sometimes, however, the soul gets a bit lost and remains in the confines known during life. This can manifest in multiple ways including an intelligent haunting where the spirit is conscious of the physical world and residual haunting where the spirit goes through daily life repeating patterns learned over a lifetime. It is also possible that the spirit will attempt to inhabit a living person to help it navigate this world. In all cases, all or part of a person’s soul is still present on the physical plane one, ten, hundreds, or even thousands of years after death of the physical body. So, one must ask, “Would you want to wander as a spirit in a world governed by physical laws or venture on to your next existence?” There is no right answer to this question. It is just the question that rarely gets asked during the paranormal investigations.

When a non-human entity is present during the supernatural inquiry, there is a similar but slightly different situation. The non-human spirit has entered a world of wonder. Imagine experiencing our physical reality having no or limited understanding of the laws of physics on this planet or the sentient beings that roam it. It might be tempting to cause mischief just by doing what the entity is used to doing in its home realm. It could be viewed as a place where the spirit could rule the puny humans. It may be a space where the spirit can influence or possess the creatures like a puppet master. In these cases or the infinite other options, the non-human entity can wreak havoc on the area it roams.

Like in the case where the activity is caused by the spirit of a deceased human, the non-human spirit does not belong on this plane and the paranormal investigations team may not be equipped to facilitate the transition to a more suitable space. The team, occasionally, calls in an exorcist or other person to cleanse the energy. This can be a violent and scary situation where force is the primary weapon. There are other options.

As mentioned above, the psychopomp is adept at finding, communicating with, and shepherding spirits to a place that is more in line with the needs of the entity. Paradise normally fits to the human spirits and worlds incomprehensible to most for the non-human energies. By incorporating a trained psychopomp into the team, the paranormal researchers would be able to help not only the caretaker who put out the call for assistance, but also the spirit. If one does a basic internet search, there are cases in Maryland of hauntings that go back over 230 years. In England, locations like St. Briavals Castle and the Tower of London have documented reports of paranormal activities and hauntings going back hundreds of years. Possession of living beings by spirits, former humans and otherwise, is seen throughout history, sometimes, with drastic consequences. From a compassionate point of view, however, one can look at these instances and ask why the spirits have had to exist in this world for so long after death or how non-human spirits can be guided back to a place of contribution.

It is worth repeating that many locations use the paranormal activity associated with the spirits as a tourist draw. Again, one must ask, “Is this the afterlife you would want for yourself or your loved ones?” Calling in a psychopomp does not necessarily mean that the spirit will transition. It would just give the team and the caretakers the opportunity to ask the spirit if it wants to remain. This seems the least one can do to show compassion for an entity. For the non-human entities, the psychopomp offers the chance for the spirit to move to a more conducive location thereby removing any undue influence on this plane. All in all, the caretakers gain sovereignty over their area and the spirit finds compassion and, hopefully, their home.

Shine!

Mark