I’ve had an interesting relationship with ghosts over the course of my life. As a child, I sensed magic everywhere. I felt the promise of other dimensions, even without knowing how to describe such a thing. I felt the watchful eye of fairies in the woods – sometimes benevolent, sometimes mischievous, only once or twice sensing malevolence. Maybe you’ve sensed such things as well!
Could it be our imagination?
Sure. I always had an outstanding imagination. I thought up elaborate fantasies and pretend play for my friends and me. I dreamed entire adventures every night. I wrote stories.
But I also intuited the presence of spirits. When I was twelve and thirteen, I was very popular at slumber parties for holding séances that went on for hours, as we had conversations with troubled ghosts. Was it all an elaborate production of my imagination? Could have been. I don’t think even I knew for sure.
As an adult, I went through a stage when I didn’t believe in ghosts at all. I had lost my belief in magic, and my imagination was no longer big enough to consider ghosts. Plus, I hadn’t had any experiences that told me otherwise. Ha!
Like our experiences alone are the
measure of what is real!
But then my aunt told me about a real haunted house near her place in southern Kentucky – a Civil War era home that had been a hospital during a nearby Civil War battle. We went during the day to check it out (she was friends with the curator), and my mind began to open.
It wasn’t that we had huge experiences that day (though we did have an experience), but it triggered the memory of the magic and other-world that I used to recognize daily. And then I heard the EVPs – the electronic voice phenomenon that had been captured by various paranormal investigators and shared with the curator. To say it was compelling is an understatement.
It worked. My mind cracked open,
and then I began to be curious.
This led to several visits to that house over the years, as well as to other places, including paranormal investigations with real investigators. And more experiences, as well as evidence. Electromagnetic field detectors going off, objects moving, doors opening or closing. And on the recordings, more EVPs. Voices. Even apparitions caught on camera, and being touched when no one was there.
There are many things in the universe that exist,
whether we believe in them or not.
And belief is fickle. It’s impacted by what we’ve been taught by our parents, our culture, our religion, sometimes even social media. It can be influenced by the persuasiveness of an argument or the charisma of the one making the argument. And it can be affected by whether we’ve personally experienced something… or not.
But now I’ve had some personal experiences. Compelling ones, with digital evidence to corroborate it in many cases. I could have chosen to ignore that evidence, to stick to my long-held beliefs out of fear as to what it might threaten in my believe structure. Or I could look at it as an opening to understand something more.
Because if ghosts exist,
then whether I believe in them or not
becomes sort of irrelevant.
And if they do exist, and since I no longer believe that fear comes from God (see ‘Contemplating the Spiritual Journey: Is it okay/safe to challenge our long-held spiritual beliefs?’) then maybe it’s time to open my mind.
Maybe it will lead to spiritual growth that I can’t yet anticipate,
but which I already know I need not fear.
So what does all this mean, if ghosts are real? What are they, and what does it mean that we sometimes encounter them? Are ghosts trapped souls, doomed to wander the earth? Are they not souls at all but demons trying to fool us? Or could it be that they are energetic entities in another realm, one not so far away as we might think?
First of all, quantum physicists theorize that space and time
do not exist in the quantum field in the way we were taught,
and in fact may not objectively exist at all.
For example, scientific research has demonstrated that things that we perceive to be far apart in the physical world do not behave as if they are far apart in quantum physics. Additionally, there is evidence that time is not only relative, but uncertain in the quantum field. In fact, many quantum physicists theorize that all possibilities, including what we perceive as past, present, and future, exist simultaneously. It is the core of the concept of the multiverse, as well as the idea of Schrodinger’s Cat, and how it can be both alive and not alive at the same time.
If space and time do not work like we’ve always believed, and if we can acknowledge that millions of people around the world have had tangible experiences with “ghosts”, then it begs the question:
What if the spirit realm is, in fact, not far away?
Because if space/distance don’t objectively exist or are irrelevant, then the spirit realm could be all around of us, just outside our perception. It could literally be as close as the other side of the “veil”. As I recently heard described, when we are in the womb, we believe it’s the entire world. It is contained and known, and we believe we understand its limits. In reality, the real world exists just outside the relatively thin barriers of tissue and flesh surrounding the womb, and it is unknown and expansive.
And what about the nature of the spirit realm? In other posts, we’ve talked about the vibration of our energetic being, and how quantum physicists have shown that we attract and multiply that which resonates with or matches our vibration. Science has also shown that unconditional love, joy, and peace are very high on the vibrational scale, whereas hate, anger, guilt, shame, resentment are very low.
What if the spirit realm is more like
another dimension (or system of dimensions)?
Since in quantum physics, every system is made up of energy and consists of vibrational frequency, then the spirit realm must also have vibrational frequency[1]. In fact, like most systems, the spirit realm could in fact contain a spectrum of vibrational frequencies. We can then apply this concept to certain foundational spiritual beliefs. For example, if what we think of as “heaven” is a paradise of unconditional love, then it follows that it would be a dimension of the highest vibrational energy in the spiritual realm. What’s more, what some religions think of as “purgatory” may in fact be a lower/middle vibrational dimension in the spiritual realm. It may also follow that “hell” is the lowest vibrational dimension in the spiritual realm. You get the idea.
If this is the case, the higher your vibration,
the closer you get to God/Source/Creator
(who resonates at the highest vibrations).
What does this mean in terms of our understanding of ghosts/spirits? Let’s consider this question:
Have you ever been visited by a deceased loved one in a dream
that felt so real, you woke up feeling love and peace?
If the spirit realm is not far away (or if distance is irrelevant), then perhaps the higher vibrational beings, the spirits that rest in love and peace (what we sometimes think of as those that have “crossed over” or “gone into the light”) come back to check on us, to give us comfort, and sometimes to say “Hi”. They are not stuck. They simply have the ability to visit.
Additionally, other benign spirits that have retained attachments to the physical world may likewise have the ability and inclination to visit. It's just that our ability to perceive them may be impacted by our own vibrational frequency, our connection to them, how developed our perceptive abilities are, but also whether they intend for us to perceive them.
In fact, there may be spirits popping in to visit all the time,
and we just don’t know it!
What’s more, what if the ghosts that we think of as “stuck” are spirits that could not let go of the darker, lower vibrational experiences of their human life when they died?
They still carry the guilt, shame, fear, hate, and they don’t see the light because their vibration is too low to see it.
They too are in the spirit realm, which is not far away, but they do not perceive their spiritual freedom within the spirit realm because they simply cannot see that there is more. From a spiritual viewpoint, they do not reach the heavenly realms because they have not released their “sins”, the negative attachments that continue to burden them. From an energetic standpoint, this same attachment keeps their vibration too low to ascend into higher frequencies.
Here's the cool thing. I don’t think any of that is scary. (And also, fear does not come from God/Creator/Source! I wrote a blog on that, if you are interested: see ‘Contemplating the Spiritual Journey: Is it okay/safe to challenge our long-held spiritual beliefs?’).
Instead, these concepts highlight something beautiful
about the possibility of eternity.
As we’ve touched on above, science has shown that unconditional love, joy, and peace are very high on the vibrational scale, whereas hate, anger, guilt, shame, resentment are very low. Also, high vibrational energy is much more powerful than low vibrational energy and can, in fact, overcome it. We also know through science (and in many faiths) that thoughts are powerful in the quantum field (the “Prayer Dimension”, as I like to call it), as well as in our energetic body. Thus, we know that we can raise our vibration by focusing on love, hope, joy, gratitude. Again, that’s a measurable scientific fact.[2]
And you know what else? It is also a choice!
This concept has significant implications.
If we can raise our vibrational energy, with our limited earthly awareness, there’s a real possibility that we can vibrationally connect with our loved ones that have passed before us,
in a safe place of love and peace.
How wonderful is that?
It also implies that if we exist in a high vibrational state, we have some natural protection from low vibrational beings. Not only will your high vibrational frequency not attract low vibrational frequencies/beings, the stronger your high vibrational resonance, the more power your energetic being has to overcome them and cancel them out. So in essence, if you encounter a negative entity, it will have little effect on you. Also, because your high vibrational intentions are more powerful scientifically than low vibrational intentions, you have the power to protect yourself from low vibrational (i.e., negative) entities. In other words, send them away with love and peace, and it will be. So no need to be afraid! (Once again, a recurring theme ).
But it means something else important. It also means spirits that are “stuck” can, with awareness, make a choice and do the same thing too.
"Stuck" spirits can raise their vibration by choosing to release the low vibrational energy of fear, guilt, shame, hate and choose instead to embrace love.
And in doing so,
they will be able to see the light![3]
We say that like it’s easy...
But just like in the physical world, it takes recognition of these attachments, as well as acknowledgement of what we can learn from them, and once we’ve done that, we can forgive ourselves (and allow ourselves to “receive” God’s forgiveness, which was there all along, since God exists in unconditional love).
You might think of it as what we call
in Christianity the idea of “repentance”.
In repenting, our “sins” are washed away. They are released, and no longer have power over you, including the power to keep you out of the light (i.e., in lower vibrational frequencies).
Energetically, we have released those
low vibrational attachments and we now feel peace,
and we have also opened up our capacity for love –
love for ourselves, love for those that we hurt,
and love for those who hurt us.
And what happens when we experience those emotions, when we feel gratitude for the peace and embrace the love?
Instant increase in vibrational frequency!
Likewise, we suddenly see the light, and it lights up the other dimensions that were previously invisible to us...
And we move closer to God.
To summarize, our experiences with ghosts and spirits can be positive. Not only might they be a visit from a loved one, but even negative encounters can bring valuable insight. They can inspire in us the desire to learn more, to venture down the spiritual path in ways that we didn’t expect, but that, if we follow with faith, peace and love and the highest intentions, will enhance our Spiritual Journey (see ‘Spiritual Journey vs. Soul Journey and Why You Should Consider Both’).
They may also help us identify our own negative attachments, and the need to examine and release them while we are still in the physical realm.
Perhaps they can even help us understand our
interconnectedness with a compassion
we haven’t previously known.
So don’t be afraid of the ghosts!
Because, remember, fear is never the answer and never comes from God/Creator/Source. Instead, keep those vibrations high, ask your guides for guidance, and be open to learn and grow.
Continue challenging those long-held beliefs
with an open heart and intentions
for the highest good and the harm of none.
And let’s see where we may venture next!
I would love to hear your feedback and reactions to these thoughts and concepts in the comments below!
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[1] Sources: The Physics of Consciousness: In the Quantum Field, Minerals, Plants, Animals and Human Souls by Ivan Antic; The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, by Lynne McTaggart; The vibrational hierarchy set forth in Power vs. Force and in Transcending the Levels of Consciousness: The Stairway to Enlightenment, both written by David R. Hawkins. [2] There are many techniques for raising your vibrations. Here are some resources: https://chopra.com/articles/a-complete-guide-to-raise-your-vibration
and https://sunwarrior.com/blogs/health-hub/how-the-law-of-attraction-works-understanding-energy-and-vibration
[3] There’s a lot to explore further with this concept, like that what we think of as hell may in fact be a self-imposed imprisonment. Also, there’s much to explore around how the teachings of various religious scripture actually aligns with these concepts when you read them differently, from your own higher vibrational frequency. But that’s a post(s) for another day!