I often get emails from people seeking advice on Spirits that the seeker has come in contact with. For someone who lacks experience with the spirit realms, such contact can be alarming and confusing. I don't claim any ultimate authority on the workings of the spirit realms, but I can speak from an understanding that has been built from about thirty years of direct experience.
It would be difficult, if not impossible, for me to make any reasonable guess as to what might be going on in any specific encounter without directly experiencing the situation myself. But when someone reports hearing, seeing, and/or sensing contact with spirits, here's a few things that might be going on:
They might be spirits of folks who have passed beyond the veil but don't realize it.
These "lost" ones can sometimes be a nuisance because of the seeming randomness of their behavior. (Generally, spirits like this tend to repeat common behaviors they exhibited in life.) They're trapped, but don't seem to realize it. They are also generally oblivious to the living, and any contact between them and the living is accidental and meaningless. Basically, they can't move on because they don't know they're dead. A living person who is psychically sensitive can usually tune into and sense these spirits. Sometimes one can even make some limited contact with these spirits. The goal of such contact is often to help free the trapped spirit and aid them in crossing the veil.
They might be spirits who haven't moved on because they have unresolved business.
These spirits will continue to work out their issues, whatever they are, until they can move past whatever holds them here. They may or may not be aware of the living, and may or may not try to interact with the living, depending on what is keeping them stuck between the worlds. This unresolved business doesn’t need to be negative, however. Some great souls choose to remain between the worlds to better facilitate the spiritual growth of the living. Sometimes called “Avatars,” these spirits are powerful forces of good.
They might be spirits that are personally connected to you in some way.
They might be your spirit guides, trying desperately to get your attention. This sometimes happens if your life is getting seriously off-track from what your deeper life-purpose is. The intentions of these kinds of spirits are always helpful, although if you are generally deaf to the spirit worlds, they can nag quite loudly to get your attention. They generally won't try to do things to scare you, like identify themselves as demons, or try to cause harm. Spirit guides are generally thought to be incapable of lying to you, and they don’t usually try to trick you. (This rule does not apply to spirit guides on a shamanic journey however. They frequently do trick you as part of the learning process. But that’s a different phenomenon entirely.) Sometimes they might be the spirits of people who are related to you. Many people have reported deceased family members who cross the veil to offer comfort or guidance to the living. For some, it’s a one-time visit; for others, it’s a long-term relationship. At certain times of the year, notably at Samhain and Beltane, the veil between the worlds begins to thin. We can all expect to see more interaction between the worlds during these periods.
They might be spiritual manifestations of your own personal energy that is expressing itself outwardly.
Poltergeists are good examples of this type of spirit. A poltergeist is generally associated with emerging adolescence... the intense energy surges that accompany hormonal surges can sometimes manifest themselves as a destructive spirit. Spirits similar to poltergeists can be created in a similar manner... Almost any intense emotion can manifest as a seeming spirit. If you have unresolved issues, they might easily be manifesting as spirits that are trying to mess with you. Since these spirits are inwardly generated, they cannot usually be banished by traditional means. These kinds of troublesome spirits require deep inner work to find resolution.
Possession is an exceedingly rare event, despite what Hollywood might show.
Sometimes people worry that attempting to contact the spirit world will accidentally lead to possession. I wouldn't be too concerned about this. Generally, you have to actively invite a spirit in to possess you, and even then, it doesn’t always work. In order for spirit possession to actually occur, you have to really work at it. It typically doesn't just happen. And finally, all spirit possession is temporary. There is no such thing as permanent possession. It's very difficult for a living soul to squeeze aside enough for a non-native spirit to take over.
Skilled magickal practitioners can train themselves to be a vessel for a spirit, (it is considered by many to be a sacred act to become a channel for the spirit world) but still, after a short period, the living spirit kind of snaps back into place, bouncing the visiting spirit out. The most skilled practitioners of this practice can only allow themselves to remain "possessed" for an hour or so. Most people can only sustain a spirit possession for a few minutes. And these are skilled people who are seeking this experience. It's certainly a good idea to establish good psychic shields when attempting deep contact with the spirit realms, but unless you are prone to psychological instability, the risk of accidental possession is very low. Therefore, I can reasonably reassure most people that they will not become spontaneously possessed through contact with spirits.
If spirits have come to get your attention, I would suggest giving yourself an opportunity to hear what they have to tell you. Whether they are outward manifestations of your own inner spirits, or spirits from beyond the veil seeking you out, they have something important to share with you. You can communicate with them without attempting to channel them.
One easy way to do this is through "automatic writing." Get yourself into a relaxed frame of mind, (no drugs or alcohol, though), pick up a smooth-flowing pen, and simply start writing. Deliberately try not to think about what you're writing... just let your arm move smoothly, guiding your hand and pen across the page. Let your eyes half-close, and try to slip into a quiet head-space. If you have a question for the spirits, write it out and let your pen move into an answer. Write for several pages, or until you feel you're "empty." Put it aside for a little while, have a snack or a drink of water, then go back and try to reread what you wrote. It's often surprising what you'll find. When the spirit worlds are attempting to communicate with you, it’s usually worth your time to hear what they have to say.
~Flame RavenHawk
February 7, 2008