Ghosts and Spirits: The Differing Perspectives

I’m sure that most of us have either asked or have answered the question on what the difference is between a ghost and a spirit. Most likely we have nodded in agreement, or we have shaken our heads in argument. But why is that? Why are there so many differing perspectives for the meaning of the words “ghost” and “spirit”? Well, honestly, it all depends upon who you ask.

I posed this question to a number of people, from a Catholic priest to a psychic medium and so on. Each of their answers fascinated me. They made me re-think what I thought I believed, while at the same time cementing what I believed, if that makes any sense.

One day, several years ago, it had dawned on me that as a Catholic, when we cross ourselves, we say, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” However, I had noticed that many of the older generations continued to say, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” At that time, I decided to pose my question directly to my local Catholic parish priest, Father Holtzinger.

Father Holtzinger had said, “Using the term ‘ghost’ was changed in order to reconnect us with words that do not confuse angels with spooks in the modern sense.” As our conversation continued, I learned that priests only use the words “ghost” or “spirit” when referring to the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Ghost/Spirit). Father Holtzinger said these words referred only to God and that there were no other ghosts or spirits – period. Suddenly, what I had thought was a ghost or a spirit was something totally different. According to Father Holtzinger, an entity that I referred to as a ghost or a spirit was actually an angel. Of course, I immediately began to wonder about angels, so I asked him if there were good or bad angels and if they could appear where we could see them, and his answer was a positive “yes.”

Turning away from the religious perspective, let’s focus on a perspective from a paranormal researcher and investigator. I inquired with Michael White, founder of Paranormal Research and Investigations, regarding the difference between a ghost and a spirit. Michael explained to me that “a ghost can be so many things, not just an apparition. It’s like a memory of an emotion, idea, or even a personality. To me, it is just a general term to mean that something out of the ordinary is happening, has happened, or is a presence that people feel, see, or think they see. A “ghost” requires no spiritual belief.”

With regards to what a spirit is, his take was very interesting. He stated that, “Somehow the word “spirit” implies a spiritual belief to some degree. Attributing paranormal activity to a spirit or a ghost can be interchangeable. Not necessarily can the same be said the other way around. A spirit is also connected to belief in the soul by some.”

Michael ended with what I think is a very important take on the difference between the two, and that is, the difference is attributed to a person’s own belief system, particularly those that are reporting (paranormal) activity.

Continuing with perspectives in the paranormal community, I posed the question to June Lundgren. June is a psychic medium, demon seer, healer, animal communicator, professional nurse and an international author. I was particularly interested in her perspective as a psychic medium and a demon seer.

June told me that a ghost and a spirit are completely two separate entities. She stated that, “A ghost is a soul that resides within the physical world plane of existence. A spirit is a soul that has made the transition from the earthly plane of existence to the angelic plane.”

When I had asked if she could physically see or feel the differences between the two, she replied, “A ghost usually appears as they looked in their last earthly life. A soul (spirit) can appear as they were in any of their past lives.”

In the movie The Sixth Sense, most of us didn’t even notice that Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) wore the same clothes throughout the movie until the end when we discovered, along with him, that he was a ghost. This seems to be the general theme in Hollywood’s view of a ghost, but June’s explanation of a spirit appearing as what they were in their past lives could explain why some see an entity that has no “known” connection to a certain property or dwelling.

What fascinated me the most with June was her perspective as a demon seer. According to June Lundgren’s website, a demon seer is a person who can “see, hear, communicate and remove negative entities.” I had asked June if there was a relationship between a ghost and a demon, or a spirit and a demon. I must admit that her explanation gave me a bit of the chills.

June stated: “A spirit or ghost has a residual self-image. A demon reaches into your mind and picks up on your image of what a demon is, and then becomes the image only more terrible that you can imagine.“ She continued on to explain that the relationship between a ghost and a demon is one where “demons will basically make slaves of the ghost, using them to influence people and feeding off (of) their energy.”

Turning to a person not involved with religion or the paranormal community, I asked a lady named Joanne what she believed was the difference between a ghost and a spirit. Joanne’s view of a ghost was in unison with what the general population believes, which is that it is someone who had once been alive and no longer has a physical body. Her take on a spirit was something I had never heard before. Her perspective on a spirit is that it is a “life force.” It is something that everyone has. She stated that a life force is dark or light and it is made of energy.

Going deeper into our conversation, I gave the example of a house that is supposedly haunted by a ghost. Joanne stated that “the negative energy left over in a house is misinterpreted as a haunting”. As many of us in the paranormal field believe, we are made up of, give off or are surrounded by energy. Joanne believes that our energy never actually goes away when we die. It is here and will continue to be here. If a person’s energy was positive, then the energy left after a person is deceased will stay on as positive. The same can be said about negative energy. This gives me some thought for another topic to study, which would be to learn how a spirit relates to quantum physics.

The last person I asked for their perspective on this subject was Steven Thomas. Since Steven is a member of Shadow Keepers, I thought it would be beneficial to know his take on ghosts and spirits since we do our paranormal investigations together.

Steven believes that a ghost and a spirit are one and the same. Steven said that a ghost or spirit is “as part of you as any other part of your body.” He continued to mention that the ghost or spirit is a particle which is not known to man at this time. Meaning, it is not totally understood, and has yet to be proven with documented facts. In Steven’s theory, he believes this particle exists on a physical plane and an unknown plane.

And what is my perspective, you may ask. What do I believe? Although I sometimes challenge my own beliefs based on newer theories, experiences, or evidence from investigations, I still continue to believe that a ghost and spirit are one and the same. To me, in agreement with Father Holtzinger’s response, I think that the word “ghost” was changed in modern times to the word “spirit” to shine a more positive light on entities from the other side.

For example, if you were to scream the word “ghost” in a darkened house, I would be willing to bet that those outside the paranormal community would most likely bolt for the doors or flip on the nearest light switch. But screaming the word “spirit,” I tend to think that these same people would pause for a few seconds before heading for the exits or turning on the lights. To me, these few seconds of pausing would be because the word “spirit” has less of a scare factor than the word “ghost” does.

Until we have hard physical proof that can be tested and proven in a scientific setting, I think it would benefit all of us not to discount another’s belief or theory. Who knows, in the end they may be right, and you may be wrong.