Believing in ghosts

[Sophisticatedsarcasm]

Taken off the back of the ‘conspiracy theory’ thread made me think about people believing in ghosts.
I personally believe as I’ve seen it, as has my mum, Nan and DP.
We have a ghost whom we call Mary. No particular reason we just use that when talking about her so the kids don’t get scared if we say ghost.
It all started 9 years ago when we first moved here. As it was a very harsh winter we had all windows closed (usually sleep with them open) at around 1am we heard a massive bang. Turned on the side light to see 3 deodorants all fallen on the floor. This went on for 8 nights in a row, it became normal and didn’t surprise us. A few months later I saw a white ghostly figure of a women standing over my sons cot. As I live for this kind of stuff I was not bothered. Since then we’ve witness more and more things. When you tell others some believ and some don’t. One of my friends used to take the piss out of me until one day he stayed at a relatives house in the countryside and witness a strange ghost like figure. It’s true what they say, seeing is believing. On my bucket list is to visit some of the most haunted places in America.
I tried to find out if anything had happened before we move here but from what I can make out it’s a saintly town which has only ever had one murder in over 100 years and a was severely affected by the great storm of 1987.
Who else believes?

We had a ghost that only manifested the first 2 months in our old house- myself and my 2 year old encountered her. Then she disappeared and nothing for 15 years.

In our present home silly things happen- this last week for example- I looked at the clock on the side 4:15, and I went to the toilet. Dp came in and was taking his shoes off as I came out of the toilet, I walked into the living room followed by him and he said why did you do that? Do what I said? That! And pointed at the clock. The clock was face down on the side with the battery removed. We haven't found it yet.

A few days before I came out of the shower and went into the bedroom. Bent down to plug in my hair dryer and an empty laptop box fell off the top of the wardrobe straight in front of me. It's a Pax wardrobe, flat top. It was not ontop of anything.

That's just this last week......

When we travel to my FIL we usually go in the evening after work and the last bit of the journey we go through a load of country side. On one of the roads there is literally no houses for about a mile but at one of the junctions I always see a guy peeing in the Bush. As it’s dark I can’t really make out the details. However we go up 4 times a year for the last 6 years and every time we go past I see this. My DP has noticed the last 3 times. Now you can call it coincidental however I doubt that due to the amount of times I’ve witnessed it. I will always say it’s a ghost. Maybe someone who got killed in a road accident at thT very point. The last time we went past my son even said to me ‘mummy why is that man standing at the Bush’ Bearing in mind we’ve never mentioned it whilst in the car due to the kids getting freaked out.

I'd like to believe as after I die I'd like to watch over my children.
But, science kinda trumps these thoughts..

The magazines fell out because you'd fiddled with them. The pressure of the ones still lined up pushed on the one that had been fiddled with and some of them got squeezed out onto the floor with some force.

The guy peeing in a bush is the bush.

This is a question for the Non believers, so what happens to your soul when you die? Not everyone follows the light and enters a different realm, some for so many reasons stay behind and attach to a place or an object that is familiar to them. I am really curious about this.

The clocks thing has jolted a memory.

In our last house (we were there 5 years) twice all the clocks in the house stopped at 6 o'clock. The first time we shrugged it off. The second time ... well, we shrugged it off again actually. But with a longer look at each other. What can you do? What can you say?

Just to add another odd thing: big family hols 2 years ago to Dorset and stayed in a rental cottage. Lovely place. Massive electrical storm one night, lightening flashing all over the sea for an hour or so. Some of us up and watching some of us slept through it.

Next morning coming down to breakfast family members were wandering in cursing about their mobiles being out of battery. Those who hadn't checked went to check and every mobile was flat out of battery. Some had been plugged in all night, some hadn't. Weird. To do with the storm? Co-incidence? Dunno. Eight mobiles.

I believe that what some people call the soul doesn't go anywhere when we die.

The body and brain just stop functioning and that is it.

I would love it if there were an afterlife but you have to believe in god to believe in an afterlife; I believe that if god exists he must be evil and heaven must be dire.
Only an evil god would create diseases that cause terrible suffering.

This is a question for the Non believers, so what happens to your soul when you die?

There's no evidence of a soul. We are our brain. You only need to see how brain damaged people are affected.

I saw our Marion many years ago at my mums current home. She was stood by my light switch on the wall near my door. Just the outline figure not like facial features like, anyway every night we heard a sewing machine, the ones with the foot pedal come from my mums room, weeks and months the same sound yet no one was actually there.

Did some research history on the property and the occupants both passed away 4 and 5 years previous to us moving in, she was called Marion and he was called Walter. She was a very keen sewer. She was found dead in the bedroom (mums) slumped on her machine. He passes away in the garden doing the gardening. Never saw his spirit but she is very active in the home.

So I am a believer of ghosts/spirits

Ok. If my grandad was a ghost or in heaven would he still have dementia??

If ghosts exist then how come no one reports seeing any for example at Auschwitz Birkenau where nearly 2 million people were killed??

Snowsinapril, I was telling a boyfriend about a creepy experience I’d had once, when a glass of wine tipped over. It was on the other side of the room on a perfectly flat shelf. Weird. He was very woo and just said ‘Oh, they’re here’ !

I believe! I have had many experiences, including one time when I went ghosts hunting and I felt a little hand take mine but there was no one there.

Never seen or experienced anything but others have mentioned a couple of times that I don't seem to be alone when they see me since my Granny who helped bring me up died. I don't have any proof she's here but it would be comforting to think she was.

Nope. I don't believe in ghosts.

I think people "see" things eg odd shadows and the brain tries to make sense of it.

I do think places have an energy, for want of a better word, which makes people feel things. For instance buildings can be designed to make people feel calm or to guide people to walk/sit in certain ways. A lot of older buildings are intimidating and about power and in the case of things like hospitals or work houses they are designed for the people in them to feel watched. The poor designs often mean they have odd drafts and shadows and the like.

Sewing machine ghost: the noise heard was just a noise. It was decided it was a sewing machine after the research found she was a keen sewer and died at the machine. People assign meaning to things if they can make it fit. If research had found sewing ghost ghost enjoyed another hobby and died doing that hobby, the sound would be assigned a whole new meaning.

I grew up in a haunted house. I saw many ghosts and experienced many odd things, as did many of our visitors including DH who is the most sceptical person I know. The house had actually been exorcised by the previous owner (a very well balanced solicitor), it obviously hadn't worked. Some people believe the stories I tell, others don't. Doesn't bother me either way. I know what I experienced.

@SmashedMug was before the research not after. I was there you wasn't. Thanks

I'm sure that's how you remember it. It's like when children say spooky things. People only remember the times he child says things like "when I was alive before" or "when I was a man" and forget all the times they claimed to be a space cowboy or that they used to live with little green men in a hole in the ground. I think the whole idea of how people selectively remember stuff like this is very interesting.

@tabbymack yes I would expect the respect to believe whatever I choose without people thinking that just because my views are not the same as their's then my views are open to ridicule as you put it childish etc, whilst you may not believe don't be so narrow minded that you can't accept that other people may have different opinions and views.

Smashedmug. I agree.

@SmashedMug I understand what your saying but you as a non believer will have different views.

Sceptics hold up lack of evidence as their evidence. The reason for their scepticism.

But if the human brain is unreliable (memory) and photo/film is fakeable then what firm evidence can there ever be?

A lot of the things with me some people would see as premonitions.

I perfect example is that yesterday I was reading about conspiracies because I fell in a rabbit hole. It is not a topic I've put a lot of thought into so that was an unusual read. I'm not a regular mner however today I logged on. And lo! A conspiracy theory post came up on Mumsnet.

Of course, I also read a lot of other things yesterday but they don't count.

A few days back I randomly decided I wanted a green cardie. Green is not a colour I wear and I'm not a cardie person so a bit random! That same day I walked past a shop and the shop assistant is putting a green cardie on the mannequin. A bit odd. It was only when I got home and realised that there is an advert with a lady in a green cardie on a peice of paper that has been on my dining table for a few days!

A lot of stuff like this happens to me eg very old songs will pop into my head, then I'll hear them on the radio (again, ignoring all the other songs I've been singing that haven't been on the radio). It does freak me out sonetimes but there is always a logical explanation.

I think I'm probably very easily manipukated by subliminal messages! Haha!