When we consider our lives and the many twists and turns that we experience throughout a lifetime, many of us never consider that one of those twists and turns might be an encounter with a ghost. For many people, the term “ghost” has been used to describe several things. It can be used to describe those things that haunt us from the past…a fear, a trauma, a horrible memory, even a bad and recurring dream. Sometimes it is a person from the past. I remember feeling like I had seen a ghost when I encountered someone that I had not seen since elementary school. At that time, he was a good friend. It felt weird to know so many years had gone by, and we had not crossed paths at all since his family moved away when we were in grade 5. I missed him like crazy at first. Then, as time went by, I thought about him less and less, until I forgot about his presence in my life. Then suddenly, there he was, a fully grown man being introduced to me at a large gathering. As we shook hands, I asked if he was the one who attended our school way back when. His eyebrows raised and he said, “Actually yes. How did you know?” I said, “I was your friend back then.” At first, he did not believe me because, well, I no longer have that first or last name. But then I told him about certain events that took place on the playground and when we visited each other’s homes. Then he was able to piece it together and was very impressed that I even remembered him. We spent a bit of time catching up, and then the focus turned to the purpose of the gathering. Afterward we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. I never saw him after that…at least not to date. It definitely felt like a ghost from my past.
So what is a ghost? Well, according to the Egyptian Book of the Dead, there are many aspects of the self and ghost is just one of them. There is the Ren, which is your name (and the energy that goes with that name), there is the Qi (the energy that flows through and around you), and there is the Akh (your own ghost…we will get into that in a moment). Then there is the Kah (your life force), the Bah (your Soul), the Shiut (your Shadow Self) and your Seku (your physical remains).
When performing Soul Retrieval, it is important to call on all these parts of the self and blow them into the body at the chakra points. This unifies the self. Additional Soul energies can then more easily be brought home to the temple of the body.
We don’t often think of ourselves as a ghost (or Akh), but we all are a ghost. We may not be dead as yet, but we all have that energy within us. And our ghost does not have to remain earthbound after we die. When that happens, it is often the result of some aspect of the person’s life needing to be somehow resolved when it has not been as yet. Ghosts are not something to be afraid of. They can be thought of as an aspect of a person’s consciousness that lingers after the person has already passed on. Rarely are they actually malicious, but often they can be disturbing to the living. Let’s face it, a lot of people walk this earth without every having been consciously aware of a ghost in their presence. That does not mean that the ghost is not there. It simply means that we are unaware at that particular moment. But when we do become aware of the presence of a ghost, most people immediately become afraid…because they are not comprehending what is actually happening and don’t know how to interpret the situation.
Think of it this way. Some dude walks up to you at a party and tries to strike up a conversation but is also socially awkward. Things do not come out right when he is trying to converse. After a few moments, you make your excuses and walk away, hopefully without him following you. What we just described is how many encounters with ghosts will look like. It tries to communicate and does not do a very good job of it, and so we walk away, hoping it doesn’t follow us around. The only real difference is that a human dude we can see and know is “real” and a ghost is often second guessed as to whether or not it is real…which it is.
The thing is that it is not just up to the ghost to communicate. It is also up to us. This is something that most people feel quite inept about doing. That is why there are people available to us who are proficient at communicating with ghosts. In doing so, we are able to help them to resolve their issues and then move on into the LIGHT, if you will, and leave this realm behind and in peace. Hollywood is full of movies and various series that address this relationship that the living have with the dead. Granted a lot of it is completely blown out of proportion. But there are some gems in there as well that can be utilized when dealing with ghosts. For example, it is important to not show fear. Fear will mess up what you interpret the communication to be. Also, do not assume that their presence has anything to do with you. This is about them, not you. If they have something to communicate, they will find a way to do that. Most often, however, it is more about just passing on a message to someone else so that they can find peace…peace for both the living and the dead.
I find it helps more to think of a ghost as a person who is mostly made of energy and is simply trying to find a way to let go of baggage from this life and move on to the next life. And sometimes I have the honor of being the doorman for that person. I open the door. They walk through. It is as simple as that. I do plan on writing more about ghosts in the near future. After all, it is coming up to that time of year when everyone becomes just a wee bit more conscious of them.