Do You Believe In Ghosts?

Recently, a local publication assigned me to write a story on a historic hotel, built in 1889. But the focus of my story was not on the architecture or genealogy of the building. No, my angle honed in on the permanent residents of the hotel. The ones who never truly left, even after death.

I am referring to the ghosts who still haunt the hotel hallways.

Do you believe in ghosts?

Have you ever seen a shadow or possibly a silhouette, out of the corner of your eye only to look and have it vanish? Or maybe fell a sudden chill or breeze? perhaps you dismissed it as nothing there or a figment of your imagination. But a Harris poll shows 42 percent of Americans say they believe in ghosts and the possibility of spirits returning to previous places.

What is the first thing we do when we hear an eerie noise or experience an unexplainable sight? We try to rationalize it.

We seek some sort of logical explanation. It is how our brains are wired.

When we cannot find an explanation, the summation often comes up as the work of the supernatural.

Maybe you have felt a tap on your shoulder or a brush of your hair. Maybe you have been touched by a ghost. Only what kind of ghost?

The five types of ghosts.

The people in the know about ghosts have categorized five types of spirit encounters. Have you had one?

1. The Interactive Personality Ghost is probably the most common type we consider when referring to a ghost. It is usually someone who has died that you may be familiar with, such as a family member, friend, or even a historical person. Depending on their personality, the encounter may be benevolent, or not. These ghosts can appear visibly, make noise, touch you, or sometimes emit an odor such as perfume to signal they are present. They retain their personality and may be visiting you to convey a message or offer solace, especially if they happen to be a departed loved one.

2. The Ecto-mist ghost. If you have ever seen an eerie fog that seems to be swirling, moving, or hovering over the ground, you just might have encountered a spirit as an ecto-mist. The ghostly fog appears white, gray, or black and may or may not take on a shape.

3. The Poltergeist. Thanks to Hollywood movies, many people are familiar with the term Poltergeist. What you may not know is that the word actually means, noisy ghost, due to its nature and ability to knock things over or make a racket. While these types of dramatic hauntings make great storylines, capturing one's attention, they are actually considered one of the rarer forms of spirit encounters.

4. Orbs or balls of energy. Orbs are an anomaly that often shows up in photographs or video. Especially when you least expect it. They can appear as translucent balls of light usually hovering above the ground or whizzing quickly through a video, much like a game of pinball. One belief from ghost experts is that orbs are the energy of a person or animal that has died and is now moving freely around from place to place. While this may be a nice notion, it is a rather hard one to prove.

There was one photo we took in the hotel where a ball of light appeared to be sitting on a couch. My partner explained it away as light from the side table lamp near the couch. Only there was no side table or lamp next to the couch. Hmmmm…… an orb or not an orb?

5. The Funnel Ghosts. Have you ever walked through an old building and suddenly felt a cold spot in the room? It could be the start of a funnel ghost, taking shape as a wisp of light suddenly swirling into a funnel shape. Much like the Wicked Witch of the West suddenly appears to Dorothy in a cloud of spinning smoke in the Wizard of Oz.

Paranormal followers believe these sightings are of loved ones returning or a previous resident attached to the home. Which is why they are common in old, historic buildings.

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Whatever the folklore, stories of the spirit world have surfaced for centuries, being re-told time and time again. Perhaps providing a sliver of an explanation to the unexplainable.

So it is for the lore of any legends. Including the tales told to me as I stayed in a haunted hotel.

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Here is my favorite recipe to serve to any ghost or ghoul you invite to dinner.

MaryRose lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest between mountains and water; she is a traveler, massage therapist, a vegetarian foodie, and mom to two amazing grown kids.

Find out what else MaryRose is doing via her website, MaryRoseDentonWriter.

She believes in the spirit of Meraki, the magic that happens when you leave a piece of yourself, your soul, creativity, or love, in your work. When you love doing something, anything, so much that you put something of yourself into it.