ArcaMax

We have been talking about ghosts recently and one of the most obvious big problems with this discussion is that many people are just not convinced that they are real. Showing folks that ghosts figure prominently in every single religion over thousands of years just does not convince them and I completely understand their skepticism.

What we are talking about takes what we think is true about the world we live in and just blows it to smithereens. I have no desire to turn paranormal cynics into ghostbusters. All I want to do is lend an open ear to people who have seen ghosts and try to understand what they mean for a life of faith.

In addition to the unbelievers I have encountered in this ghost round-up, I have also encountered people who live with ghosts the way some of us live with hamsters – they are just always around them and sometimes they hear them squeaking on the wheel. These are people like N, from Lake Worth, Florida:

Q: You wanted stories about ghostly encounters? Well, ghosts are a part of my everyday life and have been since I was 12 years old. I have had numerous "why me" conversations with God about this but I still have no idea why ghosts are so attracted to me. Here are some of the types of ghosts who seem to always know my address.

Ghosts: Humanlike entities that look exactly like they did in life. They can hold a conversation and mine have always come to deliver a message. The first time I saw a ghost was when my younger cousin died and my dead grandmother came to explain why he had to die. We had a long conversation. She left and I never saw her again. Another ghost came to me on my daughter's wedding day. Her father (my husband) had died two weeks earlier. I was at the beauty salon waiting to get my hair done and I was just getting dressed after getting a massage. I looked up and her father was sitting on the end of the massage table wearing a white tux and a red rose. I expressed surprise and he answered, "You didn't think I would miss the wedding, did you? Please, tell her I love her and that her life is going to be beautiful!" I promised I would and he left. Never saw him again.

Spirits. Spirits are unseen but felt and sensed. I believe they are the soul and they emerge in the last breath. They are going to an afterlife but they can take their time and shed the effects of life on Earth ( rules, untruths, etc). They may take on completely different personalities. For example, my mother was the most unhappy person in the world, vicious and cruel. After she died, she came back as a wind spirit who loved to help, play jokes and have fun. Wish she had been like that in life. I believe that spirits become angels and some come back as guardians. During Covid, every time someone I knew died, I could feel their spirit pass by to let me know they were gone.

Wraiths. Wraiths are like what you see on ghost hunter shows. they are scary and unfriendly and want something that you probably can't help with. They are threatening and are trying not to leave Earth. They resent dying.

Poltergeists. Poltergeists are only for people with tons of patience. We had a poltergeist in one of our houses. They are usually young and playful. They can be unruly and aggravating. Ours was all of the above. When I started going back and forth to Florida, my son was living in my house in Delaware. He refused to believe in the ghost even when it took stuff from him and hid it. When I arrived in Florida, I got a call from my son who told me he had cleaned out the fish pond for me. I thanked him and asked if he had a problem. "Yes, after I cleaned the pond I turned the filter off, but it wouldn’t stop running even when I unplugged it. You have to be firm. Speak to the Poltergeist in a strong voice and tell him to turn it off. Tell him I am going to be mad if it breaks. "I can't do that", he said. "People will think I am crazy." An hour later, my son called and said, "He turned it off. Goodbye."

Now I have a question. I don't understand the bible verse about not talking to ghosts, "in the verse in Deuteronomy 18:10-12. I don't call these spirits up and it's clear to me that they are messengers from God. So am I supposedly in danger of sinning?

A: My God, dear N, you are indeed a ghost-intoxicated person. My advice is to listen to them, don’t talk and definitely check out your fish pond!

(Send ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com. Rabbi Gellman is the author of several books, including “Religion for Dummies,” co-written with Fr. Tom Hartman. Also, the new God Squad podcast is now available.)

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