Sep 25, 2008

Adrian Phoenix Writes About Ghosts - Part 1



GHOSTS

Today Adrian Phoenix, author of Rush of Wings (Pocket, 2008) and the sequel In the Blood (Pocket, January 2009), treats us to part 1 of her articles on Ghosts. This is spooky stuff! Deep down inside even the most skeptical among us wonders if maybe there might be something to this. At the end of this article look for contest information.

Welcome, Adrian and thanks for guest blogging today!

Thanks for inviting me to your Vampire Notes, Patricia. I love this site and its musings on the paranormal, and I appreciate the opportunity to toss in a few musings of my own.

What follows is part one of three; an inquisitive and spooky lead-in to Halloween – Samhain – the night the gates between worlds swing open and the dead mingle once more with the living.

What is a ghost? The soul of one who has died? A memory seared into the fabric of time by the raging fire of emotional intensity? A person in another time, living still, but seen through a thinning veil? Parts of our darkest and most primal selves, lashing out as poltergeists?

All of these and more – so I believe. Of course, these are only my reflections, my musings, my experiences.

Part One: Souls of the Dead

I believe in ghosts, even though I’ve never seen one. (I‘ve felt them, however, heard them and, sometimes, smelled them.) But I’m not always sure that what is seen is the departed spirit of a dead person. Sometimes, yes. On other occasions, I believe the veil of time thins and two periods hundreds, even thousands of years apart, parallel each other briefly. And on both sides of this translucent veil, each side believes the other to be ghosts.

The question of ghosts isn’t a simple one. Nor will the answers be, if found. But I can tell you this, I love the possibility of ghosts and what their presence represents: We go on in some shape or form. And the world is yet full of mystery and magic and always will be.

My father bought a series of Time/Life books when I was a kid and the one that fascinated me the most was one on the supernatural and unexplained. I’d study the photographs of supposed ghosts, fascinated and just a little scared. Reality would seem to ripple as I imagined looking up from the book to see a transparent figure glide past, its face nothing but darkness beneath the cowl of its hooded black robe. (A photo taken in a church, I believe.) Looking at that picture always goosebumped my arms and chilled my blood.

I realized then that we lived in two worlds – the seen and the unseen. The unseen flowed around us like water around rocks. But sometimes this stream pooled in shadowed, quiet spots. Sometimes it sieved through rocks scraped thin by time or pocked full of holes like hardened lava.

And in these quiet places and pocked rocks, the seen and unseen entwined, shaping mystery and magic into our world, our lives. And even into our deaths.

The question is: why do the souls of some people remain after death instead of moving on? Do they wish to stay? Are they trapped somehow?

(Perhaps they didn’t receive a Now that You Are Dead primer once they kicked the bucket. Damn UPS!)

During times of violent death, murder, or even unexpected death – an accident, a sudden illness – the spirit remains in his home or returns to it if his death occurred elsewhere (as if not knowing where else to go). Often the spirit will linger at the site of her death. Some flit between the two, home and death-site.

In the case of accidental death, perhaps they are not even aware they’ve died. They slip from their bodies and return home as if everything was normal. Except now, no one sees them or hears them, and all attempts at communication fail.

And some are lost, frightened, and alone. Others are merely stubborn – refusing to accept either their death or the need to move on. Or so we imagine. I’m not sure if a ghost has ever revealed exactly why or how they haunt the living world. I wonder if they even know.

A few, I think, are not aware that they are dead and carry on in a dazed fog as though all was as it had always been. Think of the movie The Others starring Nicole Kidman. Better yet, watch it. A creepy and chilling story. And one, in my opinion, brimming with truth.

Another example: A young man who worked with his father and brothers at a lighthouse, was killed on his way to the lighthouse when a rock tumbling from the cliffs above struck his head. Shortly afterward, his father (unaware, of course, of the young man’s accident and death) saw his son open the door and enter the lighthouse, a dazed look on his face, his head bloodied, his mouth open as though he was trying to speak. When his father rushed to him, the young man vanished. His body was discovered later. I’ve read and heard many variations of this story.

It seems that the young man, knowing he’d been hurt, was seeking help, unaware that he’d died. I’ve also heard many instances of visitations from the recently deceased attempting to soothe their loved ones – very aware they were no longer a part of the mortal world – their words full of regret and love.

Does our grief sometimes bind the dead to the physical world and to us? Keeping their spirits sorrow-caught like autumn leaves upon thorns? Or is it that death doesn’t sever the ties and relationships between us? A mother still wants to comfort her son, a husband, his wife. A child still seeks his father’s strong arms.

With violent crime or murder, it often seems that the death site is haunted by both victim and killer. Fascinating, if true, because they would’ve died at separate times, probably decades apart. What would summon a dead killer to the place where he murdered his victim? Is he seeking the spot out of nostalgia? Because it was a time when he’d wielded the ultimate power over another? Could it even be regret, a desire to turn back time and undo his murderous act?

Is it because the murder victim still seeks justice? Or did the violence forge psychic chains binding both victim and killer to the bloodstained ground? Sometimes, the crime and the body have been hidden, and the victim wants to reveal both and point a finger at the guilty party.

Here’s another intriguing thought: When an ancient castle, hold, or manor house is haunted by more than one ghost, are they aware of each other? Do they interact? Fall in love? Even if they’ve died centuries apart?

I heard a story about a manor house in the UK that was haunted by ghosts from several eras. Glowing orbs, moving objects, and apparitions had been recorded over the centuries. But one thing had been constant – a chair that’d move from a sitting room to a position at the base of a staircase. It’d be easy to imagine that the chair had once, indeed, belonged in that spot and that whoever/whatever moved it was returning it to its rightful place.

Easy, yes, but wrong. A chair was always moved to the same spot at the foot of the staircase, but it wasn’t always the same chair. It seemed to be whatever chair was handy. A chair mysteriously moved. For what purpose? The answer intrigued me.

A man who’d lived in the manor house as a servant several centuries before apparently still tended to the house and its occupants. And a young woman who’d died from an illness a century later walked it’s upper floors. The dead servant was moving the chair so he could sit and wait for the young woman to step from her room. He watched her every day.

Was it possible that a spirit from one era had not only seen a ghost from a later period of time, but had fallen in love with her? Did she respond to him? Did she descend the staircase to join him for a walk in the garden?

Did either of them know they were dead?

And what happens during those long and quiet and dusty years when the manor house is empty? Do its ghosts wander its stone and timbered halls, rock empty cradles, move a cup from a cabinet to the sideboard? Do they glance at one another as they pass? Or do they divide their domain into territories? And if their deaths are separated by centuries, how do they view each other and their world? Do they each see it as it was during their time? Or are they silent witnesses to the changes each new generation of living bring to their world?

One of my favorite shows (even as cheesy as it can be at times, adding to its charm – for me) is Most Haunted. They are doing what I would love to do – traveling to ancient locations in the UK to verify their haunted histories. And, even more importantly, trying to prove the existence of life after death. Hoping to communicate with those who still linger in the dust and cold shadows.

In one episode of Most Haunted, a medium described a “spirit-person” walking briskly through the room, then disappearing into a wall. A check of historical records revealed a door had once been in that wall. For that particular “spirit-person”, the building was as it’d been during his time.

Now here’s another thought I’ve mulled over: When the house or castle or whatever is empty, do the ghosts hibernate like a computer monitor or a slapped snooze button? Do they switch off? When there’s no living person to witness their ghostly actions, do they carry on as usual? Is a place still haunted if there’s no one to witness it?

I believe our living energy awakens ghosts, sparks them into action. Batteries often fail in heavily haunted locations, drained of all power, and intermittent problems with electricity in the same locations aren’t unusual. But most ghosts aren’t just mindless apparitions feeding like vampires on energy. Some are aware of their condition, their surroundings, and even the mortals in the room trying to communicate with them via rappings, Ouija boards, (My advice? Don’t.) table tipping, etc. Some even manage to swallow enough energy to become partially visible or to make sounds, even words. And some use a medium’s body like a meat puppet.

Note: I find some mediums to be dramatic (and sometimes amusing) frauds and I find others to be genuine. Now, back to the meat puppet.

And what does a ghost convey through a medium’s mouth? The things that had happened to them centuries ago, the emotions as raw as if the death/murder/illness/rape had just occurred. And maybe that’s why they haven’t gone wherever the dead are supposed to go – time hasn’t diluted their anguish or rage or sense of abandonment or loss. It’s as sharp as thorns in their hearts and restless souls.

Souls whirling around an astral roundabout, unable to exit into the afterlife.

Some have revealed that they stayed behind to care for others – a nanny for a child, a mother with her baby, a man for his lost love, always searching and calling for her – choosing to remain in the mortal world.

Skeptics ask (understandably) why the dead never tell us anything useful, never reveal anything new, never offer any convincing proof of life after death.

I believe the only spirits we can contact are those who are stuck here, by choice or by accident. (Other things might respond pretending to be spirits of loved ones, but that’s yet another subject.) The souls that have passed on, can’t answer us. They are gone forever, hopefully well on their way into the next part of their journey. They can’t be summoned back by medium, Ouija board, or spirit cabinet. And they are the ones who know the answers to some of our questions. Maybe no one, living or dead, knows the big picture, just parts of it.

For the spirits remaining behind for whatever reason, their world consists of the walls surrounding them, their slice of frozen time, the events of their ending or of their happiest time. They don’t know any more than we do about the afterlife. If they did, they wouldn’t be here.

After decades or centuries of being isolated in a twilight world with no true way to communicate to the vibrant beings whirling through and past you, just how sane and coherent would you be?

It’s also possible that we are nothing more than shadows in their world, annoyances disturbing their routines as our worlds intersect and we brush past one another.

And I believe it happens all the time. The seen and unseen swirling together.

Think back on all those moments when you felt watched, the hair prickling on your neck. Think back to those moments when you heard someone walk up behind you and turned around to face an empty room.

Ever awakened abruptly at night to the sound of your own name and thought maybe you’d only dreamed someone was calling you even as the echoes rippled away into night’s black stream?

Those quivering movements you catch from the corners of your eyes – vision disturbances or a shadow’s stealthy slide?

Ever see a person in a place they didn’t belong? A person no one else saw? Or a tall shape at the foot of your bed?

Even when we’re by ourselves, we’re never alone. Whether that’s a chilling or comforting thought depends on you. And whatever’s standing just behind you.

___________________________________________________________

Contest Information

At the end of the article Adrian asked some provocative questions. Can you answer any of these? Do you know a "true" ghost story?

*Each answer to a different question will count as an entry.

*Ask Adrian questions. The first two questions each count as an entry.

*Link to Patricia's Vampire Notes and send me the URL. Each link counts as an entry.

Be sure to include enough email information so that I will be able to contact you.

The contest runs from 8am on Sept 25 to 11:59pm Sept. 26


41 comments:

Margay Leah Justice said...

Adrian, I am a true believer in things that are otherworldly. I have had too many things happen in my life - both when I was growing up and recently - not to believe it. I had a cat that passed away almost two years ago and I still see his shadow passing by periodically.

And I have seen a figure standing at the foot of my bed - my father. The night he died, I saw him at the foot of my bed. And mind you, I live in Massachusetts, he lived in Virginia at the time of his death; we hadn't seen each other for months prior to his passing, so I think he just wanted to let me know he was okay.

RebekahC said...

Very creepy and interesting article. I personally have never had a known experience with a ghost, but many of my family member have. My dad once worked security for an amusement park in Conneautville, PA. Many decades before that there'd been a devestating fire in a hotel in that location.(I think this is long before the amusement park came to be.) Years later when the park opened they redid the hotel (I can't remember if it was for people to stay in or just for prop. I'm thinking prop, but don't quote me on that.) Anyhow, one night when my dad was doing his late night patrol rounds through the park he heard old dance music as he passed outside this old hotel. There should not have been any music coming from within, so naturally he had to investiate. Upon looking in to the building my dad saw two ghostly figures, a man and a woman both dressed in clothes of the era from the fire, dancing together. I can't remember if he said they took note of him or not, but it was enough to spook him in to hurrying on his way.

My grandma's sister (on my dad's side) used to live in a famous haunted house in one of the Carolinas (can't remember which now). My grandma tells stories about the crazy stuff that would go on there just when they were visiting. Furniture and objects moved. They'd see shadows moving outside the bedroom door at night- as if someone was walking by, but there was no one there. They would hear children running up and down the halls at night, but the only kids there were their own and they were asleep. Objects disappeared. And once my grandfather had a conversation with his SIL only to have her come in the front door minutes later with his wife. They'd both been out the entire time, and not one to joke he knew the SIL hadn't been pulling one over on him. He had been talking to someone who sounded just like her, but he'd never looked at her because she'd been standing behind him. To this day they have no idea who he was talking to.

If you could interact with a ghost firsthand, what would you hope to experience or gain from the situation?

Also, do you think anyone you know might be ghost that you've sensed in the past but didn't physically see?

Thanks!

RebekahC
littleminx@cox.net
www.readysetreadreviews.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Adrian - cool thoughts! I liked the idea of a ghost from one era falling in love with a ghost from another - that would make a great story.

We have a photograph from my childhood. I'm sitting in the bottom drawer of a dresser, and in the mirror atop the dresser a woman is peeking into the side of the frame. She's no one we know, and she wouldn't have been able to stand in the room without the photographer seeing her. She was only in the mirror.


--Pati Nagle
http://patinagle.com
read my fantasy story "Kind Hunter" at http://patinagle.com/kindhunter.html

Daelith said...

Very interesting article. Looking forward to the next two.

I used to be sensitive to ghosts. Not sure if I still am or if I just haven't been anywhere to notice them. Definitely used to get that chill and prickling hair on the back of the neck.
Once when I was in my early 20s, we were attending a horse show in middle TN. We stayed at hotel that was in a building that dated back to before the Civil War. When we first entered the hotel lobby, the prickling started and I asked the lady helping us just how many ghosts they had in the place. Her jaw dropped for a second then she called for the owner. I repeated the question to him and he grinned. He said they had had many sitings at the hotel especially on the third floor, but I was the first to ever feel the presences so quickly. I never saw anything while there, but I could never shake the feeling of them being close by.

I've have some other experiences too but don't have time to type them out since I'm at work and should be working. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Margay,

I've seen glimpses of one my kitties who has passed away and often feel him brush against my leg when none of my cats are around at the time.

Another friend has also seen her kitty companion after death as well.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Adrian

Anonymous said...

Hi Rebekah,

Wow! Cool stories! I would've been very ...um...spooked in both situations. I lived in a house with activity like that and some of that will be addressed in the 3rd part of my blog.

If I could interect with a ghost I would love to know why they are still here. Are they trapped? Did they choose to remain? Do they need help to move on or do they need to finish something first?

Adrian

Anonymous said...

Forgot your second question, Rebekah, but the answer is no. Not yet, at least.

Anonymous said...

Great and creepy story, Pati! Wow! How cool. Did anyone in your family recognize the woman peeking in? Was she thought to have lived in the house at some time?

Very cool!

Anonymous said...

Hi Daelith, I would think that you'd always remain sensitive to ghosts unless you deliberately shut it down. You have a fascinating gift!

Asylumgirl said...

This is all so interesting. I love all things paranormal and would love to hunt ghosts for a living. My husband's family has an older house that has been remodeled and they have seen and heard many things, including seeing a man in a top hat walk past their window only to rush outside and see no one. The water starts running in the sinks, tv comes on and I've personally heard footsteps on the stairs when nobody was there. Also, when my daughter was only a few years old, we were visiting and she was upstairs by herself when one of the bedroom doors slammed in her face. My husband's aunt was laying in bed one day when she looked up and saw a man standing in her doorway looking at her and then he disappeared.
Several years ago, we brought a topiary home and started having strange things happen. My little boy would stare at things that weren't there and we would hear noises. We burned the topiary and have had no more trouble.

Deidre
deidre_durance@hotmail.com

Cathy said...

From age 8 to around 11, I used to see my dead grandma whenever I was sad or angry. I would smell her perfume first, then feel the touch of her hand on my head or shoulder. Her appearance was always a bit fuzzy, but definitely her. I still miss her and wish to feel her presence again.

Anonymous said...

yep
i also had my bed move , like some1 shaking it, WHILE AWAKE , and my step dad, tore my bed apart looking for a rat /snake/whatever ,lol
nothing and it kept doing it till we move about year later



tashat
gypsywitch36@yahoo.com

Carol M said...

I've never seen a ghost but two members of my family have. My grandmother saw my grandfather after his death. She was in their bedroom and she turned and saw him watching her. She felt that he just wanted to be sure she was ok. My father saw my uncle a few days after his funeral. My father hadn't been able to attend it because he was sick and my father felt my uncle came to say goodbye.

Lots of people have seen ghosts but has anyone been able to communicate with them? I would love to hear what they have to say!

Carol M said...

Fogot my email.
mittens0831 AT aol DOT com

I've never seen a ghost but two members of my family have. My grandmother saw my grandfather after his death. She was in their bedroom and she turned and saw him watching her. She felt that he just wanted to be sure she was ok. My father saw my uncle a few days after his funeral. My father hadn't been able to attend it because he was sick and my father felt my uncle came to say goodbye.

Lots of people have seen ghosts but has anyone been able to communicate with them? I would love to hear what they have to say!

thystle said...

I call lingering souls 'memory mists', and not necessary of a direct memory. The man who once lived in my house repaired transitor radios in an upstairs bedroom. I did not know the man nor was he alive when I purchased the house, but I have heard a transistor radio upstairs although there are none physically present and I started hearing the sounds before learning the previous owner worked on radios. I've had other experiences too numerous to list. Thanks for providing such an eloquent and reaffirming article. I'll be looking forward to future posts. Thystle

Minding Spot said...

When life is at the bottom of the bucket, or so I thought, in my darkest hours I would see a shadow at the end of the bed where I lie. Sometimes I feel a brush of wind against my forehead - its comforting to me. I believe in ghosts and spirits, and believe those I've seen/felt in my life are my loved ones watching over me.

I've really enjoyed reading your article and look forward to more of your books!

wendyhines (at) hotmail (dot) com

Anonymous said...

Great article thanks so much for being here today!

I have had lots of paranormal experiences. We used to have a shop across the street from a cemetery. (Jimi Hendrix is actually buried there).

There was all KINDS of activity. The most memorable was the door coming open by itself several times. It was a heavy glass door with metal on it, you had to really give it a good shove to get it open. It would only come open just a few inches, but it was enough to let us know we had a visitor.

Where do you see your series headed? More books? Or are you working on something new?

Thanks again!

Book Sp(l)ot said...

Those quivering movements you catch from the corners of your eyes – vision disturbances or a shadow’s stealthy slide?
Definitely the latter...

and ever since I was little and lived by a abandoned school house we decided was haunted I've believed in ghosts or something...That's also why I'm reading this whole post in the daytime ;) (But I'm commenting now because tomorrow's busy and I don't want to miss out.)

-Lucile

Unknown said...

Ever see a person in a place they didn’t belong?yes i have i have seen people or "spirits and it has never been extremely scary its just a matter of wondering what they want or are doing there ... except one time and thats a story in itself /// A person no one else saw?yes i see them and it doesnt scare me well anymore // Or a tall shape at the foot of your bed?i seen them all the time and it makes me wonder what they want or if in fact its just a matter of wanting someone to know they are there ////
my "true" ghost story consists of my dad . its a nice thought and if you knew my parents it would make you smile ..... the day my father past away i was sitting at home with then my 2 year old son he had been getting into things all day and finally got sat down for a time out ... 2 minutes after he had been in his rocking chair my phone rings my mother is telling me my father is telling her to have me give billy, my son, a hug and he is to stop being anughty boy. i get a phone call from my fathers nurse 10 minutes later telling me he is not responding and i should come to the hospital. i get there my father s says to me as soon as i enter ilove you please i wanna go home . me not thiking go and ask for the dr. i walk down the hall my dad flatlines and thats that . my mom moves in with me . every night i would wake up and hear my mom talking. one night i walked in and my mom was talking to the end of the bed / the usual postion for my dad to talk to my mom when he was alive/ she asked me if i could see himi said no but i noticed my bed was sagged down on that corner and i left . the next day i was cleaning my room , my son was in his room playing with toys , when i turned down the music i heard my son was laughhing and saying "papels i wuvel you " .... thats what my son called my dad and wuvel was meant to be loves. i started crying. my son was looking in the chair my dad would sit in to watch my son sleep. i asked my son who he was talking to and he said look its papel pointing to the chair. i walked to my room and sat down . cried my eyes out and then out of no where my bed sank down on the end and i felt a arm aorund my shoulder and i hand on my cheek just like my dad did when i cried over a broken heart. this is only one !!!! but its one thats less scary lol .....

Anonymous said...

Hey Deidre,

You've had some amazing and scary experiences! My youngest son had something very similar happen when he was about 3 when he came to me with a bloody scratch across one cheek and told me the funny kitty had done it. We didn't have pets at the time.

It's interesting that things stopped after you burned the topiary.

Thanks for sharing!

Adrian

Anonymous said...

When did you stop feeling your grandmother's presence, Cathy?

Her absence is probably a good thing since it means she's moved on. I understand you missing her, though.

Adrian

Anonymous said...

Hey gypsywitch, when you moved, did you take that bed with you or did you buy another one? Curious as to whether the phenomena was releated to the bed or to the house.

Adrian

Anonymous said...

Hi Carol,

Deceased friends and family members turning up to say goodbye or reassure loved ones seems to happen a lot. My father said his mother came to him after she'd died and told him she was all right and not to grieve.

I think death doesn't sever the ties between us and, even when we're moving on to the next part of journey after death, we still want to say farewell and comfort loved ones.

I'm with you, Carol. I'd love to hear what ghosts had to say.

Anonymous said...

Hi Thystle,

I LOVE the transistor radio story! Wow, that would've been fascinating and creepy to hear. He might've been trying to communicate through a medium he was very familiar with.

Adrian

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for your kind words, Wendy! I've heard from other people who've seen figures standing at the foot of their beds or beside the bed. Sometimes the appearance was a warning - a health problem that needed to be discovered, etc.

I'm comforted also by the thought that we go on after death.

Adrian

Anonymous said...

Hi Rachel,

Thanks for sharing your experience at the shop you used to have across from the cemetery! Maybe a few spirits were browsing...LOL. What kind of shop was it?

Pocket has purchased books 3 and 4 in the Dante/Heather series and I see this particular story arc going 4 books. I'm planning other story arcs for Dante's world of nightkind, mortals, and Fallen.

I'm also working on a dark fantasy about the British poet, John Keats, and am hoping to do a series following the adventures of an international paranormal investigation team in 1926 London.

But Dante, Heather, and Lucien, and the rest of the characters from A RUSH OF WINGS and IN THE BLOOD have my heart. So, right now, I'm working on book 3.

Thanks!

Adrian

Anonymous said...

took the bed with us, actually still have it, it was a cedar bedroom set. that is a tad bit older than me, my daughter sleeps on it, of course new mattresses LOL

so wasnt the bed, was the place, or im not really sure, though i admit i was scared at first but got used to it, and just get mad cause of losing sleep , lol

though no one else felt it. my mom slept in it to see, an uncle came and slept there one night, but it only moved with me, so i guess im the weirdo as my family said LOL
but ok im weird, but i FELT something bessides the bed though i refuse to tell any one else that at the time. they was done looking at me and thinking padded room.
ive not felt my bed move, but have felt that something over the yrs, im now 40, was 20 then

its kinda like soem1 standing way behind you ,not close but you know some1 is there but no one is
gyspy

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your comment, Lucile! I've believed in ghosts since I was a kid and would explore (um..sneak into) abandoned houses I hoped were haunted and usually scared myself silly. LOL.

Anonymous said...

Hi TT,

Thanks for sharing your touching story about your dad! He sounds like an amazing man, and the fact that he was able to communicate with all of you after he'd passed away is very moving. Do you still feel his presence or has he moved on?

Adrian

Ladytink_534 said...

I believe in just about everything until proven right or wrong. I've never had an experience to my knowledge but I've been reading ghost stories for as long as I can remember lol. I don't think I've ever seen Most Haunted but I watch Ghost Hunters (not the international one, because I can't stand those guys) every week it comes on!

Sometimes, especially at my grandmother's house I would get this creepy feeling and just get up and go into another room and although I've never seen it, my grandma claimed that sometimes my grandfather would shake the end of the bed or stand in the doorway like he used to do when he was alive.

Cathy said...

Hi Adrian,

We had moved that year, and I met my two best friends that year, as well. Like to think that my grandmother knew I was in a good place in my life.

Patricia Altner said...

I have read every story here and am amazed at the many "paranormal" events that have affected so many lives.

After first reading Adrian's blog a few weeks ago I shared a memory of my own. I thought I would go ahead and post it here as well.

The only time I had anything that might be considered an "encounter" happened several years ago. I was working at Cleveland Public Library. John, one of my fellow librarians, was very ill with melanoma. Usually the department head kept the staff up to date on how he was doing, but a few weeks had gone by and there wasn't much to say except he wasn't getting better. Then I had a dream. I was walking down the main street of nearby Akron, OH and I saw John walking towards me. I said, "John!! How are you?" He smiled and answered, "I'm fine." That's it. End of dream. I woke up, yet that dream had seemed so real. I thought to myself, "John must have died. I'm glad he's OK." And quickly dismissed that thought because why would he tell me? Later, while at work the department head called the staff together to tell us that John had died early that morning. I was shocked!

I call it a dream but it felt like reality.

Betty BeadBug said...

I definitely believe. In my instance I believe it was love. I was feeling very low...my father was ill, they thought terminal and I was so sad it was a chore to get out of bed. I was taking a nap, one of many, and dreamed of my uncle. But it was more than a dream. so clear and full of color. I could smell him, that smell that was just his. I remember how warm his hands felt when they held mine. In this dream we were all together for a holiday and I stepped outside with him to argue he shouldn't be there, he was gone. He took my hands and told me that it was just stolen moments, that life is full of them. I won't say I was magically cured or everything was suddenly perfect but I can say that it did help me and started an up swing for my life in general. I will happily take any stolen moments that come my way.
Loved this blog and look forward to the others. You asked so many questions that I have always wondered about. Maybe we will get most of it figured out yet.

honeygirl101370@hotmail.com

Nancy said...

I am an avid photographer and my favorite places to visit are cemeteries. I never tire of them. The are amazingly peaceful and greatfully quiet to me. Sometimes I even pack a luncht and will sit on a bench and enjoy the moments of solitude. The last time I visited my favorite bench I felt a soft breeze pass me and could have sworn that I felt a presence next to me. I continued to eat and when I finished I felt another breeze come and then go. Looking back on that day I know that I was sad for a dear friend was having problems and I was too far away to help and wish I had her near. Maybe some presence at the cemetery felt my saddness and wanted to keep me company? I will probably never know, but was greatful for the experience.

Anonymous said...

Hi Gypsy,

So it was the place and not the bed, that's kinda what I figured. You probably have the kind of energy that makes you sensitive to ghosts and draws them to you.

Again, thanks for sharing your story!

Anonymous said...

Hi ladytink,

That creepy feelings you had at your grandmother's would count as ghostly/paranormal experiences, I think.

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi Jules,

That was a beautiful and very moving story, thanks so much for sharing it! I'm also glad that it triggered an upswing in your life!

Adrian

Anonymous said...

Hi darlingdiva,

That is a great story and you might be right on why a ghostly presence felt drawn to you, perhaps felt a need to comfort.

There is so much out there - seen and unseen!

Adrian

Anonymous said...

Patricia,

Thanks so much for inviting me! I've had a great time and I'm looking forward to the next two parts of the blog in which I'll examine more of the questions I asked in the opening paragraph of this blog.

Thanks everyone for sharing your ghost stories and experiences with the paranormal!

We are most definitely not alone. ;)

Patricia Altner said...

Thanks to all of you for participating and telling your riveting stories.

Adrian, your post has generated much thought on a topic that truly touches everyone. I look forward to the next two articles - Oct. 8 and Oct. 22.

Early next week the contest winner will be announced.

My best to all!

Julie Ferguson said...

Awesome blog Adrian!

You should come check out our blog "Above the Norm" we talk about all those creepy things in the paranormal world. We just recently started a few months ago, and would love your input!! If you have time of course, lol.