The Walking Dead: Ghosts You Can Touch And Feel

Acording to European folklore, not all ghosts are vaporous, intangible spirits. Some of the dead return to haunt the living in the same bodies that carried them through life.

From the Middle Ages forward, these material or “solid” ghosts were called “revenants,” a word derived from the Latin word for “returning.” Prior to medieval times, the Vikings talked of animated corpses they called draugar (singular: (draugr or draug) which sometimes guarded buried treasures and/or possessed magical powers. [Read more…] about REVENANTS, VAMPIRES, & ZOMBIES

Spirit Worship: The Foundation Of All Spirituality

When early humans first contemplated their universe—the living world around them along with the night sky, the wind, the depths of waters, and their own dreams—they determined that unseen spirits were at work in and behind everything they saw. Eventually groups all around the world who had no contact with one another independently developed supernatural beliefs that centered on the respect, fear, or worship of spirits, often including the ghosts of their own dead ancestors and other loved ones. Rituals inspired by these beliefs included ceremonial interment of the dead, sacrificial offerings of food and other goods to disembodied beings, magical procedures for the handling of animals killed during a hunt, and an array of other actions taken to maintain the goodwill of the spirits.

These similar belief systems together are known as animism, and they formed the foundation of all later, more “sophisticated” religions. However, not only does animism continue among some native peoples of the 21st Century, but contemporary religions are still nourished by their hidden animistic roots. In fact, in Hinduism as well as in Buddhism as it is practiced in many countries, animism is not hidden at all, but openly and tightly entwined. [Read more…] about ANIMISM

What’s The Difference Between Ghosts, Demons, And Spirits?

Are ghosts and demons the same? Is every spirit a ghost? If not, what are the differences? And what about angels?

First off, a spirit is any supernatural, usually incorporeal (bodiless, massless) being. Ghosts, demons, and angels all are types of spirits. Clearly, then, not all spirits are ghosts. In fact, in the set of ancient belief systems known collectively as animism, everyone and everything has a spirit, including animals, birds, trees, and rocks.

Nor are demons and ghosts the same. While both are spirits, there is one important distinction. [Read more…] about GHOSTS, DEMONS, AND SPIRITS

People In Thailand Provide Shelter To Ghosts

In Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand, the Buddhist religion mixes more or less comfortably with a much more ancient belief in spirits, known in the West as animism. Many, if not most, people in this region believe that ghosts and other invisible disembodied spirits move among them constantly. These spirits can be good or evil, and they can cause mischief or serve as protectors.

In order to stay on the good side of these ghostly visitors—and perhaps even to enlist their unseen assistance—families and businesses alike erect and maintain miniature dwellings where the spirits can rest. These spirit houses can be found in front of homes, shops, factories, office buildings, and company headquarters. They also overlook places in need of special protection, such as fish ponds and gardens. [Read more…] about SPIRIT HOUSES