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Ghosts: Real Or Just Our Imagination?

I've posted a story from b3ta a couple of times, about a Hindu belief that deceased animals sometimes can't find their way 'onward' without help. If you haven't seen it I'll dig it out again for you as it always goes down well!

Edit: here it is anyway as I found it right away. Hope you like it.

The night our dog died

When our family dog died, I was in my early twenties still living in the home I was raised, an Indian family in the suburbs of London

As anyone who has had a pet will know, it was devastating for all of us and it marks the one creepy story in my life

The evening that our dog passed away, my younger brother walked into my bedroom at about 2am and quietly asked if i was awake. Of course, that did the trick and I said I was. "Can you hear that?". With such a question, I was wide awake in a nano second and sitting upright.

I strained to pick out what he seemed to hear very obviously, but couldnt hear anything. he repeated twice "there, can't you hear that?".

I might add at this point that my Brother is very level head-headed. Very anti drugs and anti anything that results in loss of mental self control, very stoic... So i did not think then, or now, that he was imagining it and asked him what he could hear. "I can hear Dad outside calling me"

I got out of bed and in my sleepy state, I imagined that perhaps our Father had gone sleep walking or got stuck outside (why, I didnt know, but I was trying to match scenarios to what my Brother was telling me). He had never done either. So, we walked to my Parents room and peered into the darkness.

I quietly called out "Dad?" and he woke with a slight start obviously a bit suprised to have both his adult sons looking in to the room. This time my brother just said he could hear a voice in the garden and now the whole family was awake

What followed would be comical if it wasn't so odd at the time. We all quietly trooped downstairs and I picking up the nearest solid object as now I supposed there must be an intruder in our back garden

Our garden is accessed by huge sliding glass doors. It means that you can see the outside clearer than the inside because of the ambient light from the street. As we walked towards the doors, it was obvious that the garden was empty

Again, my brother asked "Cant you all hear that???" By now he was slightly bewildered more than anything. My Father asked "what exactly can you hear?" and he told him what he told me orginally "Dad, I can hear YOU calling out to me". I still remember my Father's reaction when he asked him to repeat what he just said.

My Father's face showed a sense of recognition & sadness. He seemed to nod.. He looked out at the garden and said to all of us "everyone go to sleep, I am going to stay up a while"

At this point I just thought the whole thing was rather silly and happily trooped up to bed, and was asleep immediately

The next morning, I came downstairs and of course asked what all that was about. My brother was already awake, but my Father was waiting for me to get up before saying anything

My father is a hindu. The religion is the world's oldest major religion and is a unique combination of culturally led traditions, supersitions & dogma. My Father is a humble man and never imposed the religion on us London born boys (he even sent us to Roman Catholic Schools without blinking).

So he chose words knowing that his audience were in many ways removed from his beliefs, neither familiar nor overly skeptical

He told us that according to Hindu belief, when animals die, they dont know that they have passed on. Humans know that they have died, so, unless they have 'unfinished' business, they dont hang about. But pets want to come back into the home that they have lived in for years.

As they are on the outside, they call out to someone in the family in a human voice that this person will recognise in the hope that they will let them in.

I went quite cold, and my Brother was so unnerved, his face actually went completely blank

My Father then said that he had sat facing the garden and prayed for our pet dog and told her to go in peace.

I never questioned my Brother about it and he did not defend what he said he had heard nor started to fob it off as something imagined

We never spoke about it again.

I have read it before here and find it the most amazing story. Unsettling, yet beautiful at the same time.
 
weak points
the armchair is a metalic thing in the cars back (there is an identical one to the other side)
and its impossible to tell if the collar is bleeding into the frame due to the exposure
As I said some people 'want to believe'...
;)
 
I'm happy to throw my cards on the table and to state without doubt that I believe in ghosts. I've seen and heard a number of them in my lifetime. Some were people close to me, others had no association to me personally, though I'm certain had an attachment to the building where I had the experience and some have been animals (I've written about the ghost cat I lived with elsewhere on these forums). One I can offer no explanation for.

Without boring you, a very brief summation of some of the encounters I've had.

Age 14, 1979. My family move to a large rambling 49 room house in the country. Old by Australian standards. The house was in a ''U'' shape with one wing two stories and the former staff quarters. Exploring rooms full of leftover items from the previous owners, I use the upstairs bathroom one afternoon. I wash my hands and exit the room only to see on the landing a figure in what appears to be a military uniform staring out the window. I could see right through him. He was outlined in a fuzzy, purple haze which appeared to be as though it was electrified. I was no more than 20 feet from the figure and watched it for 30 seconds or so until it simply faded before my eyes. My only exit was down the stair via the landing where it had been standing. It terrified me. My mother also saw a ghostly woman walk out of one bedroom, down a hallway and into another bedroom one night. There is a gatehouse on the property where I believe something evil resides. That's a whole other story.

Forward to 1987. My father had passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage in November of 1985. No signs of illness beforehand. He woke up, went to work, collapsed and died the following afternoon. My sister and I donated both of his kidneys. My fiancee at the time and I had moved into a new apartment. We both smoked at the time. I woke one night with the feeling that something was not right. I went downstairs only to see a faint glowing, golden light. My father was standing there. I had the overwhelming sense, that although he didn't speak, that he was trying to say that he (and everything) would be alright.

1989 to 1997 The house with the ghost cat that I have written about previously. He was big and black and regularly sighted. He was quite a friendly creature I sensed and he never bother me or my family.

2011 to Present. My wife and I own two gift stores. One is definitely haunted. It previously was the town bakery and the baker was an Austrian fellow who had a reputation as quite a drunkard. He didn't die on the premises, but when the store is closed, you can hear footsteps walking on the floorboards and he loves to mess the greeting cards up especially after we've just finished tidying them up. He's not sinister at all, just playful. You sometimes see the occasional shadow moving about, though rarely.

Our home, 2008 to present. My first wife and I separated in 1990. She passed away in 2009 after taking her own life. Around a month after the death, I was at home working along (doing graphic design/web design work) when I distinctly heard her voice say both my name and ''Goodbye''. The only other living being in the house at the time were our two small dogs, who certainly cannot speak. I found this to be quite disconcerting and eerie. I assumed she was coming to see me one last time, though I couldn't understand why as we were not on good terms.
My present wife (together 18 years) and I also had two ghosts in our home, one a little girl who we'd often hear weeping or talking to herself and and older lady who we'd sometimes see moving from door to door across the hallway. A psychic friend of ours told us that the older woman was scaring one of our dogs, hence why he was wetting inside all the time, so after reading some up on some banishing rituals, I gave it a try and moved them along. It seemed to have worked as we have not heard nor seen neither since, and our dog is much better behaved.
Our female dog Poppy passed away in October just gone, yet twice in the past two weeks, I've been convinced I've seen our other dog Toby running down the stairs or hallway, only to find he's been with my wife on both occasions (he's a mummy's boy). I'm hoping it's her, still enjoying her home here with us. The glimpses have been fleeting, but they make me happy.

Make of all of the above what you will. I can't tell you what ''ghosts'' are, I can only tell you of what I've personally seen and heard.
An astonishing range of experiences there LL. You are clearly more tuned in to this stuff than most- it can't be a coincidence that you continually stumble into "haunted" environments. Personally I can't make up my mind whether I'm missing out or I'm glad that your type of experience eludes me.
 
An astonishing range of experiences there LL. You are clearly more tuned in to this stuff than most- it can't be a coincidence that you continually stumble into "haunted" environments. Personally I can't make up my mind whether I'm missing out or I'm glad that your type of experience eludes me.

Never felt afraid aside from the first experience I described. It was unexpected (but then aren't all encounters?) and not what I'd hoped to see in a new home that I considered old and creepy. It felt haunted from the moment we moved there.
Of all the others, the voice of my ex-wife was unsettling. She was not a kind person, selfish to the end but perhaps there still was some sense of guilt or emotion she felt she needed to express before moving on. Her voice was as plain as someone in the room with me and truly spooked me.
I hope you have your own encounter someday and that it's interesting and exciting and not just a mundane occurrence where you think to yourself , '' Oh, I've just seen a ghost'' and carry on as though something unique and unusual didn't happen.
 
I believe that ghosts aren’t just one thing. Like some are you replays and some are lost souls etc. I do wonder if we do see them with our eyes or with our mind. I have a feeling that water and electrics can influence our seeing of them, so maybe it does something to our mind. It doesn’t mean that our mind made them up though. Especially when several people report seeing the same thing.
 
Yep I'd be fully clothed as well- wouldn't want to scare people too much.

Dunno though, I've sworn to ghost-moon certain acquaintances should they outlive me.
 
Never felt afraid aside from the first experience I described. It was unexpected (but then aren't all encounters?) and not what I'd hoped to see in a new home that I considered old and creepy. It felt haunted from the moment we moved there.
Of all the others, the voice of my ex-wife was unsettling. She was not a kind person, selfish to the end but perhaps there still was some sense of guilt or emotion she felt she needed to express before moving on. Her voice was as plain as someone in the room with me and truly spooked me.
I hope you have your own encounter someday and that it's interesting and exciting and not just a mundane occurrence where you think to yourself , '' Oh, I've just seen a ghost'' and carry on as though something unique and unusual didn't happen.

I've told this one before but it's relevant here -

My old dear was close to a sister in law when they were young women. The sister in law sadly died quite suddenly of a brain tumour, leaving small children, and Ma and the family were heartbroken.

Several weeks on, Mother just couldn't get over Auntie's death. My father began losing patience with her.

One night Mother woke up to Auntie's voice, with her familiar Midlands twang, saying 'It's all roight, Love! It's all roight!'
Mother fully believed it was Auntie consoling her and from then on started coping with the grief.
 
I've told this one before but it's relevant here -

My old dear was close to a sister in law when they were young women. The sister in law sadly died quite suddenly of a brain tumour, leaving small children, and Ma and the family were heartbroken.

Several weeks on, Mother just couldn't get over Auntie's death. My father began losing patience with her.

One night Mother woke up to Auntie's voice, with her familiar Midlands twang, saying 'It's all roight, Love! It's all roight!'
Mother fully believed it was Auntie consoling her and from then on started coping with the grief.
I had a similar experience on the death of a loved one. Thought I'd barely make it through. A couple of months later had a very vivid dream when someone ( I don't know who, probably my sub conscious) repeatedly told me to "hang in there, it's not the end." Somehow it did bring some element of peace, and of course it proved not to be the end.
 
This may be really obvious, but this occurred to me the other day. I finish work at 12 noon on Tuesdays, home alone with the dog until about 9pm. At about 2.30 I tend to fall asleep on the couch for a bit. Whenever i wake up I'm quite cold, even on a warm day like today.

Our front room (being Northern, it's a front room), is North facing. The temperature difference between the back of the house and the front can be quite marked.

If someone reports that a room must be haunted because it is always cold. Perhaps it just faces North.

This may be a well known factor, but it just occurred to me today.
 
Last night I’d been ordered (not asked mind you) by the wife to purchase a new ironing board, as the one at home had collapsed on her.

There is a hardware shop in a nearby town which I knew stayed open quite late, and that sells ironing boards, so after work drove to it and bought one.

I put the board vertically on the back seat of my car and drove home. The town is about 3 miles from my house, and the most direct route home, is via very dark and winding back country lanes.

I was the only car on the road and apart from the car’s headlights It was pitch black, there was no moonlight, as the trees in the woodland on either side of the road had formed a tree tunnel.

You can imagine how spooky the scenario was, which put me in a fortean frame of mind.

From the corner of my eye I noticed light in my rear view mirror, so I obviously had a fellow motorist behind me, but when I looked into the mirror to judge how far back the car was from me, I could see an evil face staring at me from the back seat.

I screamed like an old woman, and nearly swerved the car into a tree.

This was the evil face


Iron Board.png



Yes I know, but in my defence it was very dark and It had been a long day.

:p
 
This may be really obvious, but this occurred to me the other day. I finish work at 12 noon on Tuesdays, home alone with the dog until about 9pm. At about 2.30 I tend to fall asleep on the couch for a bit. Whenever i wake up I'm quite cold, even on a warm day like today.

Our front room (being Northern, it's a front room), is North facing. The temperature difference between the back of the house and the front can be quite marked.

If someone reports that a room must be haunted because it is always cold. Perhaps it just faces North.

This may be a well known factor, but it just occurred to me today.
Anyone falling asleep who isn't covered up will feel cold when they wake. That's why toddlers are often grouchy after a nap in the pushchair when they're out; they've woken up cold.

When I did care/nursing work I'd always chuck a blanket over a patient who was napping on a bed or chair.
 
Last night I’d been ordered (not asked mind you) by the wife to purchase a new ironing board, as the one at home had collapsed on her.

There is a hardware shop in a nearby town which I knew stayed open quite late, and that sells ironing boards, so after work drove to it and bought one.

I put the board vertically on the back seat of my car and drove home. The town is about 3 miles from my house, and the most direct route home, is via very dark and winding back country lanes.

I was the only car on the road and apart from the car’s headlights It was pitch black, there was no moonlight, as the trees in the woodland on either side of the road had formed a tree tunnel.

You can imagine how spooky the scenario was, which put me in a fortean frame of mind.

From the corner of my eye I noticed light in my rear view mirror, so I obviously had a fellow motorist behind me, but when I looked into the mirror to judge how far back the car was from me, I could see an evil face staring at me from the back seat.

I screamed like an old woman, and nearly swerved the car into a tree.

This was the evil face


View attachment 20686


Yes I know, but in my defence it was very dark and It had been a long day.

:p
Just to be safe and make sure it's not occupied by an evil entity, I'd spray paint a big smile on it! Tell the wife that's all they had. After that attempt to scare you into a crash in the tree tunnel..
 
First day back in work today, hope you all had a peaceful Christmas.

I had an interesting chat with Mrs DT over the Christmas break. She has no real fortean interest, but the subject came onto the supernatural, and she told me something that happened years ago, that I couldn’t believe she didn’t share with me at the time.

Back in the summer of 2000 Mrs DT’s Grandmother passed away. She had been in hospital for the past few months, and was growing weaker with every visit, so I knew she wouldn’t last long.

My wife was very close to her Grandmother, and I can remember it being a very distressing time for all, so put what happened over the next few weeks down as probable emotional stress.

A couple of days after the funeral, I came home from work and as soon as I walked through the front door, was met with what I can only describe as an oppressive presence in our flat.

I tried to shake it off by telling myself that it was my imagination running amok, but the thought that I was being watched was really quite strong – I’ve certainly not experienced anything like it before or since, and I would go as far to say that whatever was causing this feeling was very malign.

The feeling continued in the flat for the following 3 weeks, and if anything seemed to get worse. It was highly unpleasant and I started to think of excuses to keep out of the flat for as long as possible. To make matters worse my wife was working as cabin crew, so was away for days at a time, and during those times I would go and stay at my Mum and Dad’s

Of course I didn’t dare say anything to the wife as I didn’t want add to her stress levels or grief.

Then one Saturday afternoon we came home from a shopping trip, and straight away I could feel the atmosphere of the flat was back to normal, it really was quite weird as only that morning I was showering, and I could feel this brooding presence just outside the shower cubicle door, then by the afternoon nothing, it had gone just like that.

Anyway on Friday night whilst chatting, my eldest Daughter (who shares my fortean interest) asked my wife if she had ever had a supernatural experience, and my wife replied yes, when her Grandmother had died….I sat bolt up straight on the sofa and asked her to tell me about.

She said that had felt a presence not long after the funeral, and that although still very upset at her Grandmothers passing, she found the presence warm, loving and comforting and she didn’t say anything to me as she felt the presence was probably imagined.

Isn’t it odd that whatever was there imagined or not, felt loving and welcoming to my wife, but downright scary and threatening to me.
 
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