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 There
was something awesome in the thought of the solitary mortal standing
by the open window and summoning in from the gloom outside the spirits
of the nether world.
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Do you have a unique awareness that is
completely unrelated to your five senses? Do you sometimes know
things, yet you cannot explain how you know them? It is said that some
individuals are so exceptionally sensitive to their environment, they
can perceive what most cannot-- disembodied spirits. Perhaps, you are
one of these "exceptional” people. All cultures have legends, told in
hushed voices, as the tellers look fearfully around. They speak of
spirits who cling tenaciously to this world. They are no longer of
this earth, yet they remain among the living; sadly unaware they are
dead. In the "scare you to death” movie, the Sixth Sense, this was the
explanation given for ghostly visitations. According to the movie, a
few "gifted” individuals are capable of perceiving these ostensibly
unwelcome spirits. Unfortunately, since I missed the first few minutes
of the movie, Bruce’s lack of respiration came as a heart stopping
revelation to me, just as it did to poor, wretched, dead Bruce Willis.
Oops, sorry, I forgot, his heart had already stopped. Are you a ghost
magnet such as the mendacious, beleaguered semi-heroine of Ghost,
Whoopi Goldberg?
Are spirits powerless to move on because
of a thirst for revenge, a desire to protect the living, or, perhaps,
because of a horribly brutal death? We have no definitive answers for
these questions. Sane, responsible individuals have reported
encountering these displaced spirits. Eleanor Mondale (daughter of the
former vice-president) insists a ghost visited her one night at the
vice-president’s house (Evans & Huyghe, 2000). It is said, that
Presidents Abraham Lincoln and James Garfield did not "leave the
building” when their terms expired. They are still there, alarming
unsuspecting guests. Why do some visitors see the illustrious former
presidents and others do not? Are you one of the special people who
could see Honest Abe or feel his ghostly presence? Let’s take the test
and see. Hush. Wait. Did you hear that noise?
The "Can You See
Ghosts” Test
1. Have you ever known
the phone was going to ring before it rang?
Yes___ No___
2. Have you ever felt a
sudden chill in a room, when there was no apparent reason?
Yes___ No___
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3. Have you ever seen
anything that could not be explained by science and logic?
Yes___ No___
4. Have you ever felt you
were being watched when you were alone?
Yes___ No___
5. Have you ever had a
vision or a dream that came true?
Yes___ No___
6. Have you ever had a
successful session with a Ouija Board?
Yes___ No___
7. Do you have an open
mind about the supernatural?
Yes___ No___
8. Would you refuse to
spend the night in a "haunted” house?
Yes___ No___
9. Do you meditate?
Yes___ No___
10. Have you retained the
childlike ability, simply to "accept” new experiences without distorting
preconceptions?
Yes___ No___
11. Are you more likely
to make decisions using your "gut feeling” than your "thinking logic?”
Yes___ No___
12. Have you ever been
told that psychic ability runs in your family?
Yes___ No___
13. Do you wear black 90%
(or more) of the time?
Yes___ No___
Scoring your test:
Give yourself one point
for each "yes” answer. As for question "13,” I was just kidding. I wear
black much of the time…but then, now that I think about it, there was that
time I was alone in my 100 year-old farmhouse, and I heard… Perhaps, I
will share that in the next book.
Understanding your
Score:
Scores 1 – 4
Your psychic ability has
not been fully developed. Perhaps, your personality is rational and
pragmatic and you prefer to see "phenomena” that can be explained by
logic. However, if you are interested in improving you psychic ability you
can practice meditation and open yourself up to new experiences. There are
on-line sites that offer information about and guidance in the fascinating
world of the supernatural, which has a virtual Ouija Board. Werner
Heisenberg (Physics and Philosophy: The Revolution in Modern Science)
wrote, "… many new elementary particles may be created from the available
energy and the old particles may have disappeared…” In other words,
something dies and something new is created from its residual energy.
Makes sense to me. Is this a possible explanation for the presence of
ghosts…if, indeed, they exist? See, logic and reason…
Scores 5 – 8
You are coming along
quite nicely. Your score indicates that you are open to unique experiences
and you esteem an open, inquisitive mind. You may have experienced the
supernatural. Perhaps, you would like to enhance this area of your
personality by learning more about spirits. Here are several fascinating
sites:
http://www.rockymountainparanormal.com/
http://www.torontoghosts.org/
http://www.sgvpr.org/
Scores 9 – 12
It is certainly possible
that you have psychic ability. Your score is very encouraging. You, as
well as the last group, may have experienced the supernatural. It would be
a pity if you did not learn more about this enthralling subject and about
your innate ability. Look at the sites listed and perhaps take a ghost
tour, plan a vacation to spots that are rumored to be haunted and read
some scholarly books on the paranormal. Good ghost hunting!
Our Guest Experts
Dr. David Oester, of the
International Ghost Hunters Society was kind enough to provide this
information (personal e-mail) on key character traits for a ghost hunter.
"It has been our experience over the last combined 28 years of ghost
research that the people who have experiences with ghosts are those with
an open mind and those with a closed mind, as in total skeptic, fail to
have any experiences. It is okay to be skeptical, but a skeptic's mind is
closed to anything paranormal. An open mind is the only characteristic
that we have discovered. We had have over 4 million visitors to our site
and all of them with experiences if married, and their spouse is closed
minded will not have any experiences with the paranormal. This open
mindedness spans race, color, creed or sexual orientation and equally so,
those that are closed minded are closed to any kind of paranormal
experiences.”
Wendy Haver, a Spiritual
Counselor, from Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society, was kind
enough to provide more insight (personal e-mail) into the personality of
ghost hunters.
"Many seem to be more open to having such experiences occur. Not that they
believe in ghosts necessarily, but will admit to it being a possibility.
Education level does not seem to be a factor, but intelligence might be.
Those of an average or slightly less than average intelligence seem not to
report as much activity as those of a higher intelligence or those of a
significantly altered intelligence such as mental retardation (higher
functioning so as to be able to report events)
Age may not be a factor but the environment in which they were raised does
seem to factor. This has changed over time and so it will skew any age
related reports.
One must take into consideration those who have had experiences vs. those
who are willing to report their experiences. There are many who will not
openly admit to such things. Therefore, you could say that being willing
to talk about this sets them apart.”
When you have eliminated
all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however
improbable, must be the
truth. …Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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About
the Author:
Dr. McCoy is a psychotherapist, writer and
police consultant. Her published books are: From Shyness to Social
Butterfly, The Ultimate Book of Personality Tests (the
article is from this book), and The Manipulative Man. She
resides in Boone, North Carolina with her Great Dane, Sophie.
Last
night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full
house and four people died. 
