CLASSIFYING A HAUNTING



If you have spent any amount of time thinking about the paranormal (and let’s face it, who hasn’t?) you have probably wondered from time to time what causes hauntings.

  In our scientifically-based world it makes little sense to conclude that after someone dies their spirit comes back to earth in some form to stand at the foot of your bed while you sleep. I mean, why would they want to? Shouldn’t they “go towards the light” and into their shimmery afterlife realm like you’ve seen in countless movies and that be the end of it, as far as we, the living, are concerned? No one can answer this. 

  Even though it doesn’t make logical sense, we can definitely conclude that hauntings DO happen, through research, data and eyewitness testimonies, even if we never learn why or how.

That being said, here are the main types of “afterlife entities”, in case you were wondering if Casper the Ghost is all there is to it. (It’s not.) 




INTELLIGENT HAUNTING


This is your traditional, classic and often interactive ghost. I say traditional and classic because it is the easiest way to convey the type of entity this refers to. (Plus it sounds like pizza crust choices). These common ghosts/spirits can appear out of nowhere, and generally look like a real person with facial features and clothing. They tend to interact by moving objects and are generally regarded as harmless but who can say for sure? I wouldn’t turn my back on one, let’s just say that.

I, and other family members, have experienced this type of spirit many times. 


Have a look through our blog for reports of ghost faces in photos, countless objects moved or taken (and returned in odd places), doors seen opening and closing. You get the idea.
               

An “intelligent” haunting in Nova Scotia: our very own Five Fisherman restaurant in downtown Halifax can barely keep the glasses and cutlery on the tables. 





RESIDUAL


A residual haunting is paranormal activity that acts like a playback of a past event. It involves an apparition doing the same thing over and over and has no interaction with living people. Researchers often study residual hauntings, as the activity is predictable, and may be caused by imprints of memories in time. This is why people sometimes report seeing this type of haunting on the anniversary of a death. Often, they occur where something traumatic took place (any death with especially negative connotations, for example a murder, or premature death). This is not always the case though.

A perfect example of this is the phantom car I have written about several times. 



A famous Nova Scotian “residual” haunting: 





SHADOWS/SHADOW PEOPLE


A very common type of haunting, shadows appear as non-human shapes with no discernible limbs or features; are often seen in dimly lit or dark rooms and pretty much float around creepily, capable of passing through walls.

Spine-tingling account of experiences with Shadow people entities: 




POLTERGEISTS 

From the German for “noisy ghost”, poltergeists are malevolent, violent entities that intend to do harm. They can get physical by scratching and biting, throwing things, starting fires, creating lots of noisy and destructive behaviour. In short, they can be your worst nightmare. Your little friendly ghost that hides your keys all the time doesn’t seem so bad now, does he?

Poltergeists can be extremely frightening and ridiculously hard to get rid of. Call a priest. 

A fascinating example is “The Great Amherst Mystery”, which you must have heard of: 




DEMONS


You don’t want these bad boys paying you a visit. They aren’t really considered to be human spirits and the experts believe they are purely evil energies and were never living people. They tend to look hideous and their goal is to take over a person ‘s body and soul through possession. They can also attach themselves to objects (dolls, etc) and wreak havoc that way. They beat poltergeists on the evil scale and prey on the weak and vulnerable until you have a full-blown possession on your hands. Ugh.

CAUTION: 
Here are some better-known cases of demonic possession. Only proceed if you do not get easily upset and can handle graphic images and details of this phenomenon. 





ECTOPLASM / MIST 

These are misty masses of shapeless foggy stuff (technical term) that tend to swirl and move around, sometimes transmorphing into more of a human shape. They are thought to be spiritual forms of the deceased and are usually white or grey. There have been instances when hoax-y mediums have “produced” substances they referred to as ectoplasm as proof of their paranormal ability, but were quickly found to be fraudulent. However, that is not to dismiss actual ectoplasmic spirits that may be getting their haunt on somewhere right now as you read this.


Not too far from me is the well known restaurant “Cellar Bar & Grill". 
On the menu? A good old fashioned ectoplasmic ghost: 





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