Ghosts and Spiritualism: Fact or Fiction?

by Verity in Paranormal, October 8, 2008

Ghost, according to tradition, is a spirit of a dead person that visits the living. Most people do not believe in ghosts, but some do. Reports of seeing or hearing ghosts have been common throughout history–more so in ancient and medieval times than today. There have been many stories, books, motion pictures, and plays about ghosts. In most stories and reports about ghosts, the ghost resembles its living form. Many ghosts are transparent or shadowy. Some ghosts are pictured as white sheets shaped somewhat like a body.

Many ghosts are malevolent. That is, they try to do harm. But some ghosts are friendly. A malevolent ghost is usually the spirit of a person who was murdered or otherwise harmed by relatives or friends. Such a ghost may try to reveal who murdered it – as in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet – or try to frighten the murderer – as in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Most malevolent ghosts haunt the place where, in their real form, they died or were buried. A ghost that haunts a place by making strange noises and causing doors, furniture, and other objects to move by themselves is sometimes called a poltergeist. Friendly ghosts include Marley in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Marley helps Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character, become a better person.

In many stories and reports, a ghost returns from the dead without being contacted by anyone. In others, a medium (a person with special powers) calls the ghost back to earth. Ghosts – which are associated with darkness and night–usually end their visits by dawn. Some ghosts refuse to leave. Methods used to get rid of them include reburying the corpse, piercing the corpse or its grave with a stake, and praying.

Ghosts play an important role in some religions. Many American Indians and tribes people in Africa and the Pacific Islands believe in spirits that influence the living world. They perform rites to please the spirits in order to assure success. Many peoples fear the dead and observe special funeral customs to make sure that ghosts do not return.

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In essence, the basis behind the beliefs of ghosts lies in the foundations of spiritualism. Spiritualism is the belief that spirits of the dead can communicate with the living. This belief exists in various forms throughout the world. In the United States, the modern spiritualist movement began in 1848. In that year, Katherine and Margaret Fox, two sisters from Hydesville, New York, near Rochester, heard knocking in their home. They could not attribute the knocking to any material source. The sisters devised a code to interpret the noises in order to communicate with the spirit they believed was sending them messages. The events at Hydesville led to the formation of many independent churches and philosophical organizations to advance the ideas of spiritualism.