I've always been interested in the paranormal, from ghosts to psychic powers to things that this site is free of. My earliest book I remember checking out from the school library was "Gus the Friendly Ghost" and later "True Ghost Stories" and similar books.

My dad died when I was 7, I was more or less spoiled and raised by an overprotective mother, with an aunt and grandmother being the other two major influences in my life until later when my uncle was more in the picture.

My stepfather killed himself upstairs in this house when I was in my early teens I think.

My mom died when I was 19 and my aunt and uncle took me in for a while - I was (and still am) socially maladjusted.

All this time I've maintained an interest in the paranormal and such, read countless books, 'old' and contemporary, used the oujja board, done past life regressions, went to psychic fairs, bought the ESP test kit from Duke University, have a few copies of the Journal of Parapsychology, etc. I've heard stories from friends and family members about various experiences and events they've witnessed, including an apparition, here in this house.

Yet I've not seen or heard anything "unusual" that I cannot easily say was the old house settling, or my bad eyes, etc. I've never seen any "apparitions" or ghosts, nothing's ever "flown off the shelf", etc.

So what's the deal? At the very least, my stepfather shot himself and was mentally unbalanced and I'm sure part of his reason was because I had such a loathing for him, etc - there was a lot of stress and anxiety and negativity in the house for all this - shouldn't his "ghost" have made an appearance at some point?

I've more or less, in fact, came to the conclusion that "ghosts" may be a great many things, including manifested psi abilities or even "aetheric echoes", but one thing I don't believe them to be are sentient, willful, independent entities.

well you should tell them ghosts to show themselves or be square!

I think you may be right about a certain type of ghost which is probably no more sentient than video film of somebody or a tape-recording. However, there are other types of ghost which seem very conscious indeed, such as those which take their leave of family and friends shortly after departing or those which return, sometimes years later to bring comfort to those left behind. I am given to understand that on "the other side" space and time are meaningless and some departed souls may either be confused by earthly space and time or they find things much too exciting over there and think we should be left to wait and see for ourselves. Who knows? I have definitely seen ghosts in my time but never of anyone in my family, in spite of the fact that my father and I made a pact that, whichever of us died first would make a concerted effort to return in some form or other to confirm the continuation of consciousness after physical death. My father died in 1975. However, I have only seen him and other family members (including my cat ho ho) in dreams. Nevertheless I HAVE seen ghosts of other people, strangers to me. In fact I am now in the midst of "writing up" my account of a ghost I saw in the cellars of a bar-cum-pub in Madrid. In this case I was with a friend who shared my experience and afterwards it was corroborated by other members of the staff of the place.
I'll post the account as soon as I have it together. Your question as to why you have not yet seen a ghost is a good one. I ask myself why I have not seen MORE ghosts ha,ha. I think though that the day WILL come when your wish and mine will be satisfied. That is my hope for us both. LONECAT

You may have hit upon something...but after reading some of your previous posts this dosen't surprise me. In the field of parapsychology, where so much research has been done....and yet...soo little is still known, there can be no difinitive answer. Do you believe that your maladjustment and the afore mentioned upbringing would have THAT SIGNIFICANT an effect on your psychic sensitivity? If that is so, then you may be a case-study in and of yourself, lol. I myself have never seen a ghost as well....at least none that I am aware of, and I would say that I have had a fairly "normal" upbringing.....but then again...I haven't delved in to the realm of the spiritual and psychic as in depth as you may have. Without being to long-winded(to late...I know), we may be in the same boat( in terms of never seeing a ghost), but we have had dissimilar backgrounds, which would lead me to believe that this "lack of visual experience" is purely individualistic....and cannot be attributed to anything specific.

I dont think any kind of psychologically colourful background, necessitates an encouter with a ghost or metaphysical experience. In literature such reports indicate many random encounters and factors that seem to have importance that your own predispotition.

So do you really have an anti aura? The answer is no. Do you have any more chances in seeing a ghost? Again I think that no is most likely. You never know though...

it's alright JPATT, as you know, I'm on the same anti-wierd level as you.

I think I agree with you, in a way..Even the stupidest person I've ever met, is a complex individual with many thoughts and motives. If ghosts were entire minds and souls; they should behave in a much more varied way than they seem to..
If they are more than an echo or playback, or even just a fragment of leftover personality; I'd be very surprised..

*points* Falco!

Where!!? Oh God!! We're gonna die!!

I'm already pretty much "least expecting to see a ghost" since I'm not really convinced they exist as people think. I'm also not 'religious' in the normal organizes sense of the word - I believe in "God" after a fashion, but I'm not a Christian, though I think most of the Christian ideals are fine things to live by.

The stepfather was a drinking biker too, it seems like if anybody would be a troublesome ghost, that would be a good bet - then again maybe my dad's ghost beat up my stepdad's ghost and told him to hit the bricks. =/

My uncle, who lives elsewhere, says he was troubled by my dad's and mom's spirits, and his own father's, for a few years, where he'd hear them talking to him, my mom was having trouble accepting that she died from cancer etc (I was holding my mom's hand in the hospital when she died). But my uncle is a bi-polar manic depressive on two medications and mental disability.

I've had those "corner of the eye" glances of what seems to be a person now and then, or you think it even looks like someone you know and it turns out they're somewhere else - but I myself put that down to faulty mental apprehension, where your vision is obscured at the corner of your eye and seems to form a pattern, and in a split-second, your brain and imagination takes over and places the idea you've seen a person or creature there - similar to seeing dragons or messages in clouds etc.

It seems to me that this new-age claptrap about spirits and people who are 'familiar with death' (I have GOT to be included in that) are more sensitive and yadda yadda is ... bunk. But then I'm on medication for chronic depression - maybe I'm haunted and don't know it. *rolleyes*

ive never experienced anything unexplainable, maybe some strange smells that come and go but thats all.

if you think about it, if ghosts do exist, then there cant be one for every person who has died, think of the madness! they would be come every day occurances, so maybe only certain people are able to be ghosts, like people say they have unfinished business or somthing.. (!?)

I think unfinished business is one reason. I also believe that spirits who have crossed over can occasionally come back for some important reasons, such as helping a dying loved one cross over, or to give a warning about something. In my opinion (and that of many others) ghosts and spirits are two different things. It is thought that a ghost may simply be a replay of a past event (an intense energy imprint????) and is not actually a spirit.

I'd say you are in quite large company because I think the vast majority of people are born, live and die without ever having seen a ghost or spirit manifestation. I personally only know 2 other people who have (aside from my own family), in my offline life. I suspect you may be sick of hearing this, but I really do believe that certain people are more sensitive to the presence of spirits than others are. That doesn't make them more "special", it simply is what it is (IMO).

You may have read my threads about the spirit entity that is in our home. My daughters and I have all seen/heard things as well as seen the physical evidence of this spirit's activity. There have been times when, for instance, my daughters and I all heard a voice speaking at the same time, yet my husband, who was in the same room, heard nothing. If it were not for the physical evidence that he can see, he would not believe any of this is happening.......but some things he knows defy explanation. Case in point: Recently my B-I-L was here for the day. There was a large piece of furniture in our bedroom that I've been wanting moved for some time, but it is heavy and my husband needed help with it. I asked my B-I-L if he would help after supper and he was happy to help out. After supper I remembered that our bed hadn't been made, so, neat freak that I am I sneaked into the bedroom to make the bed before my B-I-L came in there. The comforter on our bed is reversible, flowers on one side and stripes on the other. I'm partial to the striped side so I never place the flowered side up. I made the bed.....striped side up, as I normally do. As I was making the bed, my husband came into the room, alone, and teased me about making the bed in a hurry. When I finished making the bed we both left the room. A short time later all 3 of us went into the bedroom. I wanted to instruct the guys on where to move the piece of furniture to. I didn't say anything to my husband, but when I stepped into the bedroom I was shocked to see the bed neatly made, but with the flowered side of the comforter facing up. No one else was home to have switched the comforter around and my husband and B-I-L had not gone into the bedroom.....that I know for certain because I was with them. Later on, after his brother had left I mentioned the comforter to my husband. He had seen the bed right after I had finished making it and knew as well as I did that when we left the room the striped side was facing up.

It is only incidents like the one above that have made a believer out of my husband, because at this point he has never seen, heard or even sensed a thing.

I personally believe your relatives know what you are saying and after reading this and your desire to have them visit keep an open mind and see what happens in the future.
Remember the Spirits of our relatives who have passed over are aware of everything that is going on in our lives and in your post here I see a desire to make some sort of connection, and perhaps now you have had time to think about your grandfather and work out some of the reasons for the Conflict.

I think it might be helpful for you to keep a helpful journal and write down all the things you feel in an effort to set some of the past with your relatives to rest and it could be as you write your feelings and they read them all of you may be a lot happier and more at peace in the future.

Keep in mind that although some of your relatives were very unhappy and committed suicide in an effort to escape some of their problems when their body died their Spirit survived and went higher into the Spirit World and for a time they were looking back at the very problems they were trying to escape.

People cannot escape problems by committing suicide but I'm sure by now they have no doubt adjusted to their life in the Spirit World since they have not made themselves known to you and no doubt have chosen to go on with their progression but still they no doubt return time and again to check with their relatives still on Earth.

Pay attention to your dreams and see what they are telling you because this is definitely one of the ways that our departed relatives visit us.
I write everything down, time and date it and analyze these things and as time goes on I see that I get dreams then when I'm awake more information comes to me to form a more complete story.

To me Ghosts and Spirits are all the same.

The Ghost is the Spirit trying to materialize to you so you will know they are present.

Most people are terrified of Ghosts and so some Spirits may be afraid or embarrassed to materialize to you and I am on here to try to tell others don't necessarily run screaming and afraid when you hear loud noises or see the shadow of a Spirit because they just want to tell you they are there and don't be afraid because one day after you die you may want to return to tell others you survived Death and then others will be afraid of you.

My Guides and relatives appear to me and talk quite often and I have this one particular Guide who appears dressed in a very expensive black hat and overcoat, he always appears at my glassed front door and peeks in to say he's here to talk and write.


Yesterday some of them and I went shopping again, and they give me lots of advice on these little outings but they aren't here to prove that Ghosts go shopping they just want me to tell the World they are free to travel about much like they did when they walked the Earth.

And while I have quite a few friendly and happy ghosts who want to help me, anyone who has read my posts knows that I have three Relatives and Dr. Petas who resent my working with othes and have caused me quite a bit of trouble.

When I write I try to give people a true picture of the good and bad of Spirit Communication beacuse as we all know sometimes people we don't get along with die and we don't know always how they feel unless they tell us.

The other day my Guide appeared and tossed down a Number 2 Yellow School Pencil and said this means you and I are here to teach others what you have learned through Psychic Research.

Yesterday a Pope appeared to me who was quite large, dressed in white with lots of glitter.
I said to myself I don't think that was Pope Paul he looked much larger.