was this a ghost ?

keystone

maternityfashion wrote: »

it wasn't a ghost, because ghosts don't exist.

Oh goody - thats settled that then!

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Cheers

Catti

I always denied believing in ghosts. Had a fairly religious upbringing and 'ghosts' didn't fit with those teachings. As I got older, I just stopped practising religion and never gave ghosts a thought, other than to laugh if anyone thought they had seen one.

Until one night I was with some friends in a very old pub. My friends were actually looking after the pub for the Landlady and we were alone with said friends after closing. *We had not been drinking heavily!!!!*

I suddenly saw someone enter the bar and duck down behind it. He was no more than a few feet away from me and I shouted - honestly believing that someone had crept back in the pub or had stayed after closing and was a potential threat.

Three of us jumped over to the bar - it was an enclosed bar so no-where to get out the other end. Absolutely nothing to see. No one was there. I was able to give a clear description of the 'man' I had seen, and said he was wearing a black hoodie type of top.

We checked the premises thoroughly and there was no intruder - no unwelcome threat.

It was only later when the landlady returned that we discovered the bar area used to contain the steps to the cellar and it would have been quite normal for someone to disappear 'down' what were once steps but had since been filled in. That summed up what I had seen precisely and really spooked me. We also discovered that a previous landlord had committed suicide in just that place.

A big part of me still doesn't believe in ghosts - but I just cannot explain that figure away in any rational manner!

BugglyB

If you've ever taken hallucinogenic drugs you'll know the mind is incredibly malleable. Its more than capable of allowing you to see things that simply aren't there. People, goblins, elephants, on one particularly memorable occasion, Daffy Duck.

Also, aliasojo, its possible to have a 'mass hallucination', something I've read a bit about.

I'm not saying that to ridicule anyone or belittle anyones experiences. Just that the more rational explanation is that the brain has made something up, rather than the spirit of a dead person is in the room with you. Hope no-one thinks this is rude.

aliasojo

BugglyB wrote: »

Also, aliasojo, its possible to have a 'mass hallucination', something I've read a bit about.

I've just googled this and it would appear to be something that 'builds' or spreads, rather than something that is experienced by more than one at the same exact instance (with no previous sign).

pulliptears

At the risk of ridicule, here is my 'main' story...

Had a strange conversation this morning with my neighbour, we got to talking about ghosts etc. Now before I carry on I'll tell you about my OH. He is a rational, sane man with little belief in paranormal. He's a civil servant and not the type to suddenly become in fits of hysterics, so when we bought this house 15 years ago I was a bit taken aback when he said there was a 'girl' in the house. Ok....comes my reply. He tells me he's caught sight of someone about 5ft2" out of the corner of his eye. Over the years I've taken the mickey a bit, things have vanished and reappeared but its something I've always put down to me putting things away and forgetting.

One incident was when my DS was about 4, his friend came to play and when she came to leave we couldn't find her shoes. An hour of searching ensued and they were finally found on the top shelf of the airing cupboard - over 6ft high. The kids had no access to chairs etc and the shoes were placed in their pair side by side neatly so its unlikely they were thrown. Only the 2 small children, myself and her Mum were in the house.

A few years later a friend came to stay, she's always claimed to be a bit 'sensitive' but I was skeptical. I'd mentioned nothing of this and neither had OH so we were a bit taken aback when she asked over breakfast if we knew about 'the girl' in our house.

The last incident was about 2 years ago now, OH was in the bath and we had a towel holder on the wall with a towel on it. I was sat watching TV when he yelled. As he'd soaked he swore the towel moved upwards as though scooped by hands to wipe a face, a face about 5ft tall. Poor bloke was as white as the wall tiles when I walked in lol

Still though nothing has really happened to me, and we have always said if there is anything in the tale then she's a visitor rather than a houseguest and playful.

Anyway, back to the point. I was discussing the house I mentioned earlier in the thread with my neighbour who is attached to my house, the girl has never been mentioned and is something that doesnt come up in conversation for fear of people thinking you are a bit mad. She went on to tell me that back in the early 80's, in the summer she had come home and the house was freezing. She told me she'd never believed in anything like that but couldn't work out why the house had cold spots. Overnight she said it went from being a family home to a place she dreaded coming home to. Still trying to figure out why one day she went to answer the front door and said she was amazed to see a girl, about 5ft2" walk past and up the stairs. She said she was as clear to her as ever and described a girl with a short, dark bobbed haircut. In the end she asked the local priest to come and bless the house, he told her that the cross she had on her living room wall would have been a comfort and thats why she suddenly appeared. After the priest left she never had issues again.

I then went on to tell her about our 'girl', but thought that the strangest coincidence. We have been neighbours for 15 years and neither has mentioned to the other the story until today. Makes me wonder now if OH was right?

motherofstudents

Thanks so much to everyone for sharing experiences. I hate to be on the fence but I honestly just don't know. I've read that a 'ghost' could be some sort of memory or recording that for some reason becomes visible whereas the spirit of a dead person would actually be present/conscious. It's so interesting because really, it does come down to the basic questions people have asked through the ages, why are we here ? what happens when we die ? When my mum died I kind of wanted her to contact me just for the reassurance that she is ok, but I just feel that it isn't possible or maybe possible but not advisable. I'm not religious but if you think about when Jesus appeared to the disciples after his ressurection THEY DID NOT RECOGNISE HIM. Also it says that many of us have entertained angels unawares. Oooooo, it is such a fascinating subject. I'm sorry some people have been upset, I think it is probably because they are sharing some very personal experiences and then being told it is ridiculous. Anyway, let's not be nasty to each other, season of goodwill and all that. We are all entitled to our beliefs and opinions on both sides, and even me here on the fence.

olibrofiz

OP, when my DD stays at her dads house which is an old chapel on the moors, she stays up late in her room (flippin facebook!) anyways, she says she often hears someone come upstairs and open a door - her dad & his partner are asleep. Freaks her out.

I'm neither a believer or unbeliever, I think there are some things, science or no science, that just cannot be explained. Things that are neither black, nor white.

Creepiest thing that happened to me was when DD was 15mths she'd talk about the 'lady' in her bedroom, every time she went in there. I never saw or felt anything (freaked me out tbh). She never did this anywhere else.

Another was when my mum and I were trying to pick songs to be played at my fathers cremation and the front door blew wide open at one particular song. T'was the wind you would say - the door is a s*d, it takes at least two good shoulder shoves or yanks to open, and close. It was shut, and there was no breeze that day.

And on the subject of kids, friends DS, when he was two, pointed out his dead grandfather in a photo and said 'thats xxxxx, he makes me laugh' - he'd never met him, heard his name spoken, or seen a picture of him.

Interesting, unexplainable things, happen.

aliasojo

olibrofiz wrote: »

Another was when my mum and I were trying to pick songs to be played at my fathers cremation and the front door blew wide open at one particular song. T'was the wind you would say - the door is a s*d, it takes at least two good shoulder shoves or yanks to open, and close. It was shut, and there was no breeze that day.

And on the subject of kids, friends DS, when he was two, pointed out his dead grandfather in a photo and said 'thats xxxxx, he makes me laugh' - he'd never met him, heard his name spoken, or seen a picture of him.

Interesting, unexplainable things, happen.

Those comments reminded me of two other things. (I seem to attract weirdo incidents. )

My aunt and 2 cousins used to come for a visit most saturdays. The room I was in (in the aforementioned Edinburgh tenement flat) had a loose door, it used to always swing open as soon as someone walked past. We always had to wedge a newspaper in it to get it to stay shut. It had a simple pull handle and a ball latch rather than a handle you have these days where you press down iyswim.

Anyway, cousins and I were just mucking about in this room and Mum called us for lunch. Only, we couldn't get out the door. We tugged at the door but it wouldn't budge. Mum and aunt thought we were mucking about and got angry at us. They were pushing the door from the other side whilst we were pulling but it would not move.

Eventually Mum said she was going to get the man next door in, and the door just swung open like it always did. Neither her or my aunt ever believed it wasn't us holding it shut. Their 'reasonable and rational' minds wouldn't allow them to even consider any other possibility. I was really upset for a long time after that, but only because she didn't believe me.

The other occasion was after Mum had died and we had brought her things from her house to mine. One day I saw my eldest son (who has learning disabilities) sitting on the edge of her bed smiling and clapping. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was playing 'clappa handies' with Granny. (Edited to add...he said he 'saw' her on the bed beside him at that time, it wasn't a memory.)

Again, I'm quite open to rational explanation.

AdmiralX

BugglyB wrote: »

a 'mass hallucination', something I've read a bit about.

There was poisoning from a fungus paracite in wheat I read in 1951 in a village Pont-Saint-Esprit in france people eat a bread infected by ergot fungus. They still not sure if this was the cause as they believe authorities did not tell all. In mediaeval years this bread caused a problem.

pulliptears

aliasojo wrote: »

One day I saw my eldest son (who has learning disabilities) sitting on the edge of her bed smiling and clapping. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was playing 'clappa handies' with Granny. (Edited to add...he said he 'saw' her on the bed beside him at that time, it wasn't a memory.)

Again, I'm quite open to rational explanation.

My DD used to talk about 'the old Nan with the dog' which was my Nan who'd died when I was 16, long before DD came along. There were no photos on display and it wasn't something that had been mentioned. When I did show her a photo she said 'Yes, Nana with the dog!'.

Someone I once knew used to be able to draw plans and pictures from inside tanks as well when he was a kid of about 4 or 5, his parents were baffled as they were really accurate. He said he used to drive them before he died. All very odd but as he grew up he mentioned it less and less until the whole thing was forgotten.