Tag Archives: Sadness

Phantom Travelers ~ a.k.a. ~ Ghostly Hitchhikers

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There have been countless reports of these preternatural creatures throughout the centuries. Phantom travelers are supposedly the spirits of humans and/or animals that haunt certain locations like roads or well traveled areas. They’re thought to originate from the catastrophic events that happened at these locations, therefore intensifying tenacious emotional attachments that heighten the supernatural energy of these places. Such horrific events include car crashes, train wrecks and motorcycle accidents just to name a few that have proven fatal.

These spirits appear as if they are among the living, like you and me. They seem tangible without any transparency at all. Yet, they are not to be confused with doppelgangers for they are not harbingers of doom. The opaque apparitions seem deeply saddened, traumatized and severely lonely.

They are commonly seen alongside roads, railroad tracks and even cemeteries. Often, a passerby traveling will see these life-like phantoms as they suddenly appear in the car’s headlights. Looking as if they are distressed, the driver will ask the ghost if they are in need of any help or possibly wanting a ride somewhere. Several reports claim that when the living person’s kind offer was accepted, there was little interaction with their ghostly passenger. And once destination was reached, the phantom traveler exited the vehicle only to vanish into thin air, leaving the driver completely terrified and confused.

When I was growing up, an urban legend floated around town that mystified all those who listened. The details, for me, were never clear, but I somehow remember the tale of a headless woman that haunted a small bridge on a county road. It was said that anyone stopping on this old bridge around the hour of midnight, turning off their car and then repeatedly flashing the headlights, would see the vision of the headless woman carrying her head in front of the vehicle. Did I ever try this alleged paranormal experiment? Of course I did with many of my friends, but was unable to witness anything conclusive.

Perhaps the ghostly hitchhikers aren’t aware of their passing or are simply too distraught to move on, causing them to be trapped in our physical realm. Who knows….

Get a copy of my novel, The Spirit Within on Amazon!

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Twitter @sheilarparker.

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Poltergeists: Why are they here?

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Now this next topic is something entirely different from the earlier one that was about intelligent and residual hauntings. Previously, I discussed the difference between the two types of hauntings. Intelligent is spirit interaction with a conscious energy and residual is energy that has been “recorded” from the past.

Ok, so what’s a poltergeist you ask? Well, the word “poltergeist” is German and loosely translates to meaning “noisy ghost”. I suppose you could say it’s similar to that of an intelligent haunting because it does interact with the living whereas a residual haunting is composed of “left-over” energy that’s a repetitive playback of itself. Poltergeist activity is quite often thought to be the work of malicious spirits wanting to wreak havoc upon the living. Many people have reported crazy things happening, like personal items being misplaced without plausible reason. Example: Wrist watches being left on a nightstand before falling deep into slumber only to awake to them being mysteriously relocated to another part of the house or lights flickering, television sets turning on by themselves, doors opening and closing, etc. etc. On a more frightening note, poltergeists have been known to be more physical in nature, inflicting pain like hair being pulled, poking or jabbing and even scratching people. The list of poltergeist activity can be very extensive and seem almost “made-up”, but accounts like these and many others date back centuries, coming from stories of old. They are not to be taken lightly and can be quite detrimental for anyone involved. People of all religions and spiritual paths have experienced such encounters.

A common belief claims that poltergeists are demons or “evil ghosts” that possibly are here to torment the living. An alternate belief claims that the origin of poltergeists actually derives from the individual experiencing it. For instance, a severely depressed person who harbors a lot of pinned up pain and frustration. Unfortunately, the saddened individual can often get so wrapped up in their own depression, that whatever negative energies they have can unconsciously project outward, out of the person’s psyche and body and manifest into something malevolent, thus taking on it’s own consciousness. And by this happening, this newly formed entity can form what is known as a spirit attachment to the living individual who is being haunted.

Parapsychologists believe that poltergeist activity can be explained by a phenomenon known as psychokinesis which is an alleged psychic ability that allows an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. However, there is no proven evidence that validates the existence of psychokinesis.

 

Get a copy of my novel, The Spirit Within on Amazon!

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Twitter @sheilarparker.

The Afterlife ~ A Corporeal’s Transition

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Crossing over into the afterlife isn’t an easy subject for many to talk about simply because it involves the thought of losing a loved one who is very dear to them.

Unfortunately, next week will be four years since my father’s passing. His death was extremely untimely and a total shock to me and my family. I’ll never forget that call I received in the wee hours of the morning of the heartbreaking news. It was a moment that had changed my life forever. There were so many questions left unanswered and so many raw emotions revealed. I was angry for months on end and wanted to know why he was taken from us so abruptly without warning.

And then, one random night while in my sleep, my father appeared in a dream. He didn’t say a word. His face was solemn and guarded, yet caring and warm. In the dream he was observing me like he was making sure that I was ok. The morning after I awoke, I was saddened because of the lack of communication, but also grateful for his visit.

It wasn’t a dream like any other. It felt very real with vivid imagery that still resides in my memory to this day. That was actually the first of several dreams where my father made his presence known. Over the course of a few months, each dream my father would become more interactive. The most recent time he visited me, he hugged me and we said “I love you” to each other. That was the last time that I saw him. It was a good visit, something needed as in a sense of closure for us both.

My father is always with me in my heart. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him…. missing him. Our relationship as father and daughter wasn’t an easy one, but nevertheless, there were some really good times that still make me smile.

The deceased visiting their loved ones in dreams is actually a common phenomena experienced by many. When people die, sometimes there are some who may hang around for whatever reason they have. Sadly, some spirits may not even realize that they’ve passed on and they’re trying to continue living their lives just as they did before. Others may stick around to complete unfinished business that they believe only they can accomplish. Then, there are the ones that I believe are like my father, that hang around long enough to make sure that we’re ok after they’ve died.

Spirits and the living are very similar. The living possess a myriad of personality traits that cause some people to be good while others to be bad. It’s the same with spirits, some are good and some aren’t. However, a lot of spirits may become angry after their passing due to the fact that they might feel cheated out of life for whatever reason they died. Although, several spirits are more accepting and are ready to move on.

Our loved ones have many ways of making their presence known to us. Some, like my father, appear to us in dreams because it’s when our minds are most relaxed. Many may appear as simple signs recognized only by the surviving loved ones like butterflies fluttering nearby while the living is thinking of them. Often, people have reported hearing their deceased loved ones call out their names when no one else is around. Or a random odor or fragrance will faintly be noticed by the living, reminding them of the deceased ones when there is no plausible explanation for the smell to exist. For example, I occasionally smell my father’s cigarettes out of the blue (I don’t smoke) and there are no visible signs of smoke either. Only the faint odor wafting by for a brief second.

It has also been reported that many spirits have been seen at their own funerals. Why? Some people believe it’s because the spirits know that a gathering of their loved ones will be there and it could possibly be the easiest way for them (the spirits) to have closure before crossing over, saying their final good-byes.

Can everyone see spirits? No. But I do believe that spirits make their presence known to those who will be more receptive to seeing them. The key is to be open minded. There’s a huge world of the unknown out there. Don’t fear it, accept that it does exist…

Get a copy of my novel, The Spirit Within on Amazon!

~ Sheila Renee Parker on Twitter @sheilarparker.