I have often marvelled at how ghost investigators on television can act cold and callous when dealing with lost spirits.
In one popular ghost hunting program, SyFy’s Ghost Hunters, the show’s stars will often ask the disembodied entities if they need their help, even to the point of telling the specters that they are indeed there to assist them. However, as the paranormal program nears the end of each episode, I am left waiting for the promise of help to be delivered. It never seems to happen. The ghosts are forgotten and the homeowners (and viewers) are catered to. I want to stand up and exclaim, “Ghosts are people, too!”
It just may be that such shows created solely for entertainment drove me to explore the idea of helping those in the invisible. After all, if we can hear and see ghosts from time to time, it might indicate we can also communicate with them and possibly assist them in order to resolve troubling issues. I’m all for helping the homeowner, like Ghost Hunters, but I think we are only scratching the surface by choosing to cater to homeowners solely.
This Spring, my new book will be published about how we can aid ghosts. The following is a short excerpt from the pages of Helping Ghosts:
“I become frustrated with television programs that show ghost hunters who capture ghostly evidence, even cries for help, then abandon the lost spirits after attempting to communicate with them. Some even choose to taunt and provoke earthbound spirits for the sake of a reaction in order to prove their existence. Those of us who embark upon paranormal investigation have got to become more understanding of the ghost mentality, with compassion being the motivator behind our actions.
The more I work to understand the reasons behind the behavior of ghosts, the more I come to realize that we must remain open to all possible explanations for why the spirit of a person may remain behind. Many ghosts do wish to relay messages to loved ones and seek to resolve past issues. Sometimes being a good listener is all that is required to ease the mind of the suffering spirit.”
Oh, there is more. Not all ghosts are easily compelled to step forward into the light and leave their past behind. Like many of us, self-condemnation in various forms seems to be prevalent:
“…other ghosts are simply afraid to move beyond the only world they have known, this realm providing their only source of comfort. The more time they can spend with people, often those whom they can strongly identify with, the better they might feel if company eases their fears for awhile. Even though their greatest fears are for a time abated, eventually those worries and concerns will surface to haunt them much like they haunt those whom they want to remain close to.
The intensity of the fear the disembodied spirit suffers can vary dependent upon the beliefs they learned while in-body. What could a ghost possibly believe awaits them in the future, that could be so terrifying? It’s something all of us feel from time to time. Many fear judgment for past mistakes.”
If we work to investigate haunting by ghosts, I suggest that we should attempt to put ourselves in their shoes. After all, it is possible for a ghost to be someone we might know, such as our Aunt Sally, or Grandpa Mac. How would we feel if we eventually met up with people in spirit whom we once knew? What could we say to explain our careless behavior? Considering the ghost hunting craze of the last few years, I have to wonder if such a scenario has happened from time to time.
Can we move beyond chasing after ghosts, like a dog attempting to run down a car, and possibly consider the opportunity that may be presenting itself when we encounter ghosts? Would you be open to communicating with ghosts, and if so, willing to help guide them out of suffering, if possible? If so, you just might find a new journey, far greater and exciting to embark upon. Think of it as reconciling the damned, the lost, the hurting.
For more about Louis Charles’ upcoming book, check back here or visit his website Angels & Ghosts.
