What Is A White Lady?

White lady ghosts appear to people in cultures all over the world. White ladies are a type of traditional ghost—always female—that is invariably connected with a local legend of great personal misfortune. As the name suggests, they are almost always dressed in white.

Most stories that explain the appearance of white ladies involve romantic tragedies of one sort or another, with betrayals by a husband or lover being the most common, and the untimely death of a betrothed or other lover, or of the young woman and future white lady herself, running a close second.

White lady ghosts are almost exclusively rural manifestations, and they are known to haunt castles, houses, cemeteries, and even entire landscapes that are associated with the terrible loss they suffered in life. [Read more…] about WHITE LADIES

“It Is A Good Idea To Press One Eyeball Slightly. . .”

What should you do if a ghost suddenly looms before you? Right off the top, we can advise that you not scream and run—especially if it’s dark. This is because you could hurt yourself by tripping and falling, or by running into something. If you’re on a stairway, you could even take a neck-breaking tumble—which would no doubt then be blamed on the (probably) innocent ghost.

Also, it’s almost never a good idea to turn your back on something you think might be dangerous, be it a bear or a disembodied being.

Nor should you throw a rock or other object at the ghost just to see if it’s real; your projectile is is likely to travel right through the wraith and break something or injure someone on the other side. And, again, you wouldn’t pelt a bear with a rock, so why would you throw one at a ghost?

Beyond these few safety advisories, noted British ghost hunter Peter Underwood offers some further guidance on what to do if you see a ghost in his 1986 book, The Ghosts Hunter’s Guide. The thing that Underwood stresses most is to stay still and remain calm—ghosts almost never harm anyone. Their boo is worse than their bite.

“There is nothing to fear,” says Underwood. [Read more…] about WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A GHOST

Poltergeists Are Playful—But Not Much Fun

What are poltergeists? This is one supernatural question that most of us think we’re qualified to answer—after all, we’ve seen the movies. Therefore you likely already know that poltergeists are those most physical of disembodied spirits—that they are able to make noises, open and close doors, move furniture and other objects from one place to another, throw things, pull blankets off of beds, occasionally pinch, bruise, or even leave bite marks on people’s skin, and in other ways manipulate their surroundings in a playful, mischievous, or destructive manner. Of all the different kinds of ghosts, they’re probably the most worthy of worry—if you believe in them, that is—because they are capable of causing pain and property damage.

What most people might not know is that the term “poltergeist” was first used in print by Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther (1483-1546), who was a firm believer in the malicious activity of evil spirits.

Unlike other sorts of ghosts, poltergeists almost always remain invisible. According to a 19th century tract on ghosts quoted by Owen Davies in his 2007 book, The Haunted: A Social History of Ghosts, “A ghost’s power of making noise, and exerting what seems to be great physical energy, is often in inverse ratio to his power to make himself generally visible, or, at all events, to his inclination to do so.” [Read more…] about WHAT IS A POLTERGEIST?