The term ghost really encompasses a few different types of what one might term, “ghost activity.” When the word ghost comes up, most people envision the disembodied spirit of the dearly departed, but in actuality, what someone may take for a ghost, may in fact be something else.The Residual Haunting is where an observer may see a replay of an event, such as many of the sightings reported at Gettysburg. In this case the ghost, or ghosts seem to be replaying the same dramatic event over and over again, and to the observer it would be something akin to watching a movie, or a play. The specters in this type of haunting do not interact with the observers.
Though it is not known for sure what this type of haunting is, it is thought that it is some type of recording on the atmosphere, which replays itself when the atmospheric conditions are just right.
The difference between this type of haunting, and a traditional ghost is that with a traditional ghost or spirit, there may be some type of interaction between the entity and the observer. The interaction could be as simple as the spirit looking directly at the observer, as if to acknowledge their presence, or the spirit may actually talk with the person. There have even been reports of feeling the touch of a disembodied spirit.
It is believed that these are the ghosts of the departed who have stayed earthbound for some reason. Possibly they are attached to some place or object, and in some instances they may want to stay near their loved ones.
In addition to these types of ghosts, is what is thought to be the non-human entity. These can be difficult to detect, especially at first, they tend to mimic traditional ghost activity. The non-human spirit is an entity that has never been in human form, some may call them demons, or parasites, though what is commonly thought of as angels can be classified in this category as well.
Another difference between the traditional ghost, and the non-human spirits is that these parasites tend to be much stronger, and feed off of negative energy. Exactly how dangerous these entities are is debatable. Some believe that they are very dangerous and hard to get rid of, while others believe that by simply refusing to acknowledge these spirits, you are denying them the energy that they need, so they move on.
Traditional ghosts, and parasites, as well as spirits that may be classified as angels, are interdimensional beings, but there may be others that are not so easily classified.
One such phenomenon is that of the Shadow People. It is not know whether these are actually ghosts, or some other type of being.
Ghosts can appear as solid as a living, breathing person, or they can be semi-transparent. Whitish-gray mists or vapors of ectoplasm are thought to be that of ghosts, and some also peculate that the orbs often caught on camera may also be spirits. These orbs have been seen with the naked eye, though this is highly unusual.
What ghosts are is difficult to know for sure, all that you can do is place the different phenomena in categories according to behavior, and continue in your quest to discover the truth behind this mystery.
