Ghosts/paranormal

[Ablemaybel]

Just that really, do you believe, have you ever experienced anything.
I'll start with mine, didn't actually happen to me but to my son.
My father died several years ago, he had been ill and house bound for the last few years of his life.
At the time my son who had a very special relationship with his grandfather was traveling, and was in Argentina.
At around the time my father died my son said he woke with the feeling he wasn't alone. At the end of his bed (he was living with an Argentinean family) there was a bright light that hovered. He said he felt very warm and safe, and at that moment said he knew his grandfather had died.
The only time I've experienced anything was when I was pregnant with my son. We lived in a flat at the time. It happened during the day when I was alone. We had a large walk in cupboard, more like a small room which we used as a wardrobe. My husband plays guitar which was stored in this room.
I was in the bathroom (next to said room) when I clearly heard the guitar strumming different notes. Remember feeling very uneasy, but turned on light and looked in room. The guitar was propped against the wall in its sealed case. This happened years ago, can't think of any reason why, but I didn't imagine and it really shook me up at the time.

I'll certainly never forget how fast we ran( after my mum regained use of her legs)!

These are fascinating!

I haven't had an experience with a human ghost, but one of my dear little dogs died in my arms.

She still continued to welcome me home every evening, running down the stairs, and getting fainter and fainter as she came nearer. This continued for about 6 months.

My other dogs would often look at "her" corner, and start to wag their tails. I couldn't see anything, but I'm sure she was there and that they were aware of her presence.

As a child growing up in an old Tudor farmhouse I was constantly terrified of the light switches turning off and the creeping floorboards etc. Now I know this to be old electrics and settling of an ancient house.

However there are a couple of instances o cannot explain.

1. I had got my horses in from the paddock one dusky afternoon. Whilst picking the feet out of one, I noticed a black shadow walk a across the drive. Normally I would have put this down to my bad eyesight but my horse also looked up at exactly the same time. It then just disappeared .

1. The most frightening which very nearly prompted me to sell my house. March 2006, I'm laying in bed and my bed starts moving and my bedroom door swinging. I swear to god I nearly shit myself, I slept with the light on that night......only to wake and hear the uk had an earthquake!!

I believe animals definitely have a sense we are unaware of. Great stories, am sure it was such a comfort for you having your dear dog with you. Personally I'm sad to say I don't know if I'd have ever gone home again. Would like to say I would! Intriguing. As for the earthquake...what a relief! The black shadow...not so much

I know my case of the 'lived here before' little boy is a bit different, but I don't understand how people who put it all down to imagination/psychology/hysteria, etc. can explain how a young child unable to read, could blithely come out with the ancient-Greek name of his former friend, that he had almost certainly never have heard before?
He actually said it was a funny name, and that it sounded like something much more familiar (a modern-usage noun, nothing to do with proper names ancient or modern).

I do sometimes think that determined scoffers are perhaps very insensitive to atmosphere, or their brains are somehow wired differently - which is not to say that their wiring is inferior.

Although I've never experienced anything ghostly, I'm very sensitive to atmosphere in houses. While house hunting once, I couldn't wait to leave a house that was perfect on paper, but it felt so cold - and I don't mean as in temperature.

My mother was occasionally acutely telepathic, but only in cases of severe distress or trauma in family members far away. She would dream exact details, and it was never a case of being wise after the event - she would be worried enough to tell us all. Whatever it was would be fully corroborated later, and the dates always tallied exactly.

I have twice known this happen over distances of 2000 miles or more.
And no, before the scoffers say it, the events and details in question were not the sort of things that could possibly be put down to coincidence.

Her ability could never have been proved under lab conditions, since AFAIK it only ever happened in a few cases of trauma/distress.
This is what I mean by people's brains being wired differently - she was perhaps an extreme case, but none of us has inherited her 'gift'.

What exactly is a death rattle? I have heard the expression but didn't know it was a real thing!

A death rattle is the noise people make with their breathing just before death.

There have been a few cases of odd things happening in our family, on my mother's side. When I was little, and probably getting in the way, my Nana told me to go and play on the piano in the front room (the room only used for weddings and funerals and posh visitors). When I went in there, an old lady was looking for something in a drawer. She was huffing and puffing and obviously annoyed that she couldn't find whatever it was. She was dressed in what I'd now recognize as turn of the 20th century clothes. I went back to my Nana and said "I can't play on the piano because a lady is looking in the drawer". Nana said "It's alright, Pet, she's gone now", and sent me back in there. The room was empty. I assumed she was my nana's friend. Years later, I was talking to my aunt about that house, and she said "I hated that front room. I saw a ghost in there when I was a child". I was astounded when she described exactly what I had seen! I think my Nana must have presumed I'd seen what Auntie Jean had seen.

On another occasion, about 18 months after our Grandad died, my 10 year old cousin Margaret was in church at our Uncle's wedding. As the bride and her father walked up the aisle, Margaret stood up and tried to get past her parents to get out of the pew. Later, after the vows, she did the same. Her mum was angry with her and asked her after the service "What did you think you were doing?" And she said "I was going to go with Grandad!" Apparently she'd seen Grandad walking behind the bride and her father. He'd stopped. gave her a beautiful smile, and held out his hand for her to come with him. When her mum stopped her going, he shook his head and signalled with his hand "That's ok, stay there". Then he walked up the aisle and stood with his arms around the bride and groom, looking from one to the other and smiling. Then he turned , walked back down the aisle, and again held out his hand to Margaret. Even though she knew he was dead, it didn't seem odd to Margaret, she assumed everyone could see him, because he looked real.

So many .

My daughter reported for weeks being patted on the back to help her sleep. She was tiny.

My Grans house had a horrible feeling upstairs, a really had horrible vibe. I used to run to the toilet even as an adult! My Gran saw things. I didn't stay up there long enough .

As a child I was playing in the street and someone from the window of our house waved. I waved back and walked to the house (I couldn't see who waved as I was the other end of the drive.
When I got there no one answered the door to let me in. No one was there. My Mum had nipped to the local shop and left a neighbour watching me. The house was empty.

I've twice seen the lady who roams the local old mansion grounds.

We saw someone in our old house too.

We've had strange experiences were we are now but my great grandad knew the people here when the house was built and they were lovely so doesn't worry me as much!

What exactly is a death rattle?

It is a hideous, long-drawn out, phlegmy, damping final breath that very often occurs just before a person dies.

I have been told that the dying person is unaware of the fact that they are choking for their last lungful, but it sounds horrific in the extreme - awful - it stays with you a long time.

I spent the night in a reputed haunted castle - it was a Youth Hostel so very basic dormitory accommodation.

The whole room ( 8 of us) was woken up by a huge crash but when the light was flicked on there was nothing to account for it so we all went back to sleep.

I woke a couple of hours later to see some beautiful blue lights floating between the door and me. They were like vertical neon tubes and pulsating gently from pale to dark blue as they moved around the room. There must have been about a dozen of them. 4 of us saw them (the other 4 were asleep). After about 30 minutes or so I was rather bored with watching them and went back to sleep!

I told my friend about this thread and she told me about her Aunt who is a home carer. The Aunt had a lady she visited twice a week. Her Aunt dreaded the visits. The lady was lovely, however twice when her Aunt had gone to the airing cupboard on the landing for towels the bedroom door (upstairs of the house was unused as lady couldn't manage stairs) was open and this lady's husband was sat in a brown shirt and trousers on the end of the bed. (The Aunt lived in the same village and knew this lady and her husband from her childhood so recognized him instantly).He had died many years before.

So many stories!
I love hearing other people's experiences.
When my father died several years ago I was abroad, as was my son at the time.
I was told dad was very poorly in hospital, and took the first available flight home leaving my husband behind.
I never made it back in time and have always hoped he'd come to me so that we could say our final goodbye.
I miss him very much, think of him often, and continue to hope he will make contact.

So sad Ablemaybel. I once read that it is often when we kind of resign ourselves to the fact that our love ones aren't going to make contact that we notice signs that they actually are.

Don't know how non- believers just disregard stories like this

I don't know how believers just disregard the lack of clear, verifiable evidence.

Lots of stories of objects flying thru the air, stuff moving on its own, ghost sightings. But no evidence. Everyone has cameras and video on their phones, but nothing. Millions of cctv cameras everywhere, in houses, offices, high streets, shops...etc, yet not a sniff of a ghost.

Why do people always see ghosts when they are on their own. Why not in Asda on a Tuesday afternoon, surrounded by others.

Why do people always see ghosts when they are on their own. Why not in Asda on a Tuesday afternoon, surrounded by others.

Maybe we do, but aren't aware that they are ghosts.

Maybe ghosts didn’t die in ASDA, have a connection or need to go shopping. I’d possibly haunt a bakers, annoying not being able to eat what you see though.

Some people DO see ghosts while out shopping etc. Not very long ago I read of a woman who see's a figure at a table in Tesco cafe and there are also many well- reported sightings of a ghostly woman in a department store near where I live.

Why do people always see ghosts when they are on their own

As I posted above you - there were multiple witnesses to the things I heard and saw

DS and I both saw something very, very clearly on the top deck of a bus in broad daylight a few years back. A very young child, who interacted with us, smiled, played peek-a-boo around the back of his seat and gave no indication of being anything other than a little boy on a bus with his granny, but when granny gathered her things and got off the bus, she was on her own and he was simply no longer there. He definitely hadn't passed us, which he'd have had to do to get to the steps, and he was far too young to navigate steps on a moving bus on his own in any case.

Maybe ghosts didn’t die in ASDA

I didn't know that's how it worked. I'm off down my local hospital, there must be thousands of ghosts there.

Next question. Why are there no caveman ghosts, Roman soldier ghosts, Viking ghosts. Why are ghosts mainly Victorian. In fact, why were ghosts not really a thing at all in the UK, until after Dickens wrote a Christmas Carol?

There are many ghost stories of Roman Soldiers- York, for e.g is rife with them. I've heard of Vikings too, although personally no cavemen.
Ghosts were a 'thing' in UK well before Dickens, Iook at all the early storytellers and playwrights.

elphame was it carbisdale castle in Scotland?

Ghost stories go back much further than Dickens. Suspect they’d be lots of Ghosts in hospital, near me is an old hospital converted to luxury flats and houses, it’s previously been on one of those ghost TV shows, pre development, certainly not helping sell the houses