Ghosts, or Spirits?
We tend to use the terms ghosts and spirits interchangeably (even me) but there is a significant difference. Once we make the transition to the other side — through the veil, across the river, walking in a valley, or into a white tunnel — we are in spirit form. We still have bodies, but they’re much less dense, “ethereal” as in ether* (in physics and some philosophies space, or ether, is a 5th element.) We can shapeshift, and after an initial period the “door” to the other side swings both ways! But a ghost…
…is a soul that still inhabits the earth plane as a spirit. Whether by choice, confusion, or a lingering attachment, ghosts haunt people and places from their life. It could be a sentimental attachment, the result of a troubling lifetime or trauma, or even intentionally malevolent. Here is a collection of stories I’ve written on these subjects from my energy healing experience. I consider it a healing to help ghosts move forward, or to communicate the message a spirit wants to relay! Next week, for Halloween, I’ll have a new one to share from my archives.
Get Bear McKay’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
So which is it — a ghost or spirit? Decide for yourself…
Ghosts Can Be Stubborn — Shadows in the hallway. Lights switching on and off. A spirit determined to make a family leave their home. When my students and I began communicating with him, we found something beneath his anger that changed our approach.
Unfinished Business — After a teenager’s sudden death, his family’s lights and alarm clock began behaving strangely. He had something urgent to tell them. I share the message he brought through, along with an unexpected detail that helped his sister recognize him.
Too MUCH History — A historic hotel had struggling businesses, unsettled residents, and an employee afraid to enter the basement. I was invited to investigate. There were plenty of stories in this building, and some of the people behind them were still there!
Ghostly Adventures — We had just bought a beautiful Victorian house, but I was becoming afraid to move in. This was long before my formal healing training. Here’s how I approached my very first house clearing, and what a neighbor later told me about the attic.
A Crazy Scene — Sometimes a property brings together every complication I’ve encountered in this work. A family’s San Francisco flat was one of those places. I share what I found, and why my recommendation wasn’t the clearing they hoped for.
Respecting Nature’s Shadow Side — Could a Montana cabin with a violent past become a welcoming place for guests? The owners asked me to find out. What I sensed led beyond the cabin’s history and into the mountains themselves, raising a question about when to intervene and when to respect what’s there.
Sacred Lands — A beautiful Aspen home had been on the market for four years. With no former residents or lingering ghosts, I turned my attention to the land. I share what I found beneath this house, and why the neighboring property needed an entirely different approach.
Mysterious, Magical Fall — Why do some spirits linger, and how can we help? I reflect on fall’s connection with those who have died and share a story from a struggling ranch, where a conversation with the land’s determined guardians brought an unexpected possibility.
Bear
*ether, in physics, a theoretical universal substance believed during the 19th century to act as the medium for transmission of electromagnetic waves (from the Encyclopaedia Britannica)
