7 Types of Spirit or Ghost

a) The Imaginary Ghost

It is personification of one's own fear. When intensified terror or apprehension develops into a conviction, it takes the shape of visual image. Under hypnosis an individual can be made to see things which do not exist. A terrified person makes out a human figure out of a bush in darkness. Fear creates confusing in mind and apprehensions produce living images perceptible to senses. In this way eyes and ears record audio-visual signals generated in one's own mind as those coming from without. The skin feels as though the subject is being touched, grabbed or possessed by a spirit. When the mind is weak and susceptible, whatever is imagined appears real. Thus persons troubled by imaginary sightings of ghosts do not have the least doubt about the reality of the event. For them everything actually happens. In this state whenever the level of fear or apprehension crosses a certain threshold the ghost is perceived and it also creates disturbances of various kind.

b) Psycho-Somatic Disorders

Psychological disturbances give rise to diseases like mental disorders and hysteria. As a consequence, abnormalities appear in man's actions, facial expressions, habits, speech, likes and dislikes. The patient does not talk normally and behaves strangely. Ayurveda (An ancient treatise on medical science) gives elaborate descriptions of psychic disorders which are mistaken for possession by spirits. Finding a suitable environment, suppressed desires manifest as hysteria or sudden loss of consciousness. When one is forced to live in an unfavorable environment from which there is no opportunity to escape, the accumulated stress creates confusion in the information-sensors of mind making the person behave as if he is possessed by some spirit. At times in order to attract attention, individuals also pretend to be possessed or relate tales regarding their fictitious encounters with ghosts. This is also a type of psychosomatic disorder. Some young brides do not find the new environment of married life favorable. The perturbation and frustration due to helplessness create a stress manifesting s symptoms comparable to those seen in persons possessed by spirits. At times individuals dissatisfied with the behavior of family members manage to create impressions of haunting in order to trouble, harm or fleece money. Cunning servants rogue neighbors, tricksters and exorcists too create situations simulating haunting. The phenomena are thus a social malady.

c) 16. Clones created by Residual Bio-energy

Seeds of a plant fallen on the ground remain inactive for some period and sprout in the next favorable season. Likewise the residual charge left over by the bio-electric particles of certain extraordinary persons or abnormal events involving strong emotional outbursts in people persist for a long period in the inanimate objects of the house or related place. Finding an appropriate environment, these particles become reactivated and clone into a virtual 'living image ' off a person dead or alive. Let me illustrate these phenomena with an experience of my own. Once a certain gentleman came to me seeking my advice on a recurring dream in which he saw a beautiful woman forcing him to have sex with her. This man, a person of high character, could not even entertain a thought about such an immoral sinful act. He became much more perturbed when one day he saw the woman of his dream in a red-light area. Inquiries revealed, that the house in which he had lately shifted in was previously occupied by that woman of ill repute. I advised this gentleman to vacate the house, since the bio-electric particles therein were cloning the woman in his dream. The man left the house and his obnoxious dreams ceased.

  At ancient historical places and places of pilgrimage, at times flashes of personalities of yore are seen. Living images of saints appear before the devotees. Visitors to Sevakunj in Vrindavan, U.P. India sometimes see Ras lila being performed by Shri Krishna. Similarly, at Kurukshtra, Indraprastha, ancient characters of Mahabharat era have been observed. The places of pilgrimage are specially charged with spirituality of famous supper persons of yore (saints, thinkers, evolved souls) who had lived at such places. The spiritual charge left during lifelong activities creates a lasting field and motivates the devotees and pilgrims.

From the foregoing it is evident that the phenomena related to haunting by spirits are generally found at places, where human body has been abnormally used. The environment around places of cremation, execution, slaughter-houses etc. is particularly eerie. Because of the abnormal use of the body-instrument, some of its particles are permanently absorbed by the place of event and become manifest from time to time the mental body of persons coming in the vicinity of such places interacts with these energy-particles and creates various experience of fear and intimidation. At places where people were killed, or some other such violent activities like tortures were carried, similar dreadful environment is created. The people concerned in such cases, might have died long ago and reborn elsewhere, or may even be living at the moment, yet the clones produced by their Sukshma Sharirs (Astral bodies ) continue to live and behave like them independently for long-periods, appearing in the fields of perception of living persons from time to time. Such clones may also react violently like other evil spirits.

d) Sensually Dissatisfied Souls

Spirits of persons who die with suppressed desires specially terrorize their close associates of earlier life, since being familiar with them and because of earlier experience; they think it feasible to satisfy their unquenched desires through the former. Such spirits seek association of earlier life for a variety of reasons. Some wish to eat or drink according to their tastes of previous life. A few seek a courtyard, tree or some other suitable place to live. Yet others, who are interested in virtuous activities like giving alms, performing pilgrimages, visiting shrines etc., motivate by interacting with the astral body of the living. Such spirits may create disturbance to achieve their purpose and calm down as soon their desire is fulfilled. Spirits of this class often trouble persons who deliberately or unknowingly desecrate their place of living. They specially become more aggressive around noon or middle of night. Such spirits may react to settle some score of previous life.

e)17. The Infatuated Soul

Individuals who are very much attached to certain persons in life too inhabit the Pret Yoni (species of spirits) after death, and move around the place of living of their favorite ones. They take pleasure in finding the place of living of their loving ones enjoying life. They never harm anyone but rather warn their favorite persons in moments of danger and at time even help them. In parlance of spirituality, such spirits are known as Pitar. Most of such benevolent spirits of persons who dies at an old age, are harmless.

On the other hand, persons dying in their youth with very strong and selfish desires, wish to drag their dear ones to their own status of Pret Yoni. With this motive they may even plan to kill their favorites. It is particularly true of young women, who die leaving behind young children as orphans. The infatuation to live with their children in the astral world motivates them to do so.

f) The Spiritual-Robots

By practicing disciplines of 'Tantra' (Exorcism in western parlance) spiritual robots (Chayaa Purush) are either created or various types of powerful spirits and divine powers brought under control or personified (Bhairavi, Bhavani, Baital, Pishaachini and the like of them) for achieving a particular objective, acquiring some sesired object or punishing someone in some way. Such spiritual robots personified by self-projection of mind (Sankalpa Pratma) do not have a mind of their own. They work at the command of their creator like a robot. The Tantrik (Exorcist) creates and controls these invisible robots by energizing his own psychic energies (occult power) by practicing for long disciplines of Sadhana with strict procedures. In spite of their being willful creation of the Tantrik (Manas Putra) such robots appear to have an independent existence of their own. The capability of the genie created and its strength naturally depends on the Shraddha (Infallible conviction) and Sadhana (Practice of discipline of spirituality/occultism). The spiritual robot created by a psychically weaker individual may be overpowered by another one produced by a more powerful person and defeat the purpose of the former. Tantriks in Nepal use such robots for many dreadful objectives like killing the adversary by the device known as Maran.

g) The Liberated Souls

About the souls of persons who had died after living a contented life, much has been said in the earlier chapters. Spirits of such persons are ever engaged in motivating people to follow the path of virtue. They feel happy in finding persons engaged in virtuous activities and help them in their progress. There are quite a few Siddha Mahatmas (Achieved Saints) and Mahapurushas (Super Souls) moving around in the invisible astral world, helping human beings in their welfare activities.

Having known about the seven types of spirits, the reader would conclude that with the exception of the Liberated Soul, all other are more harmful than beneficial to the living persons. There is no need to discuss the merits of the liberated souls, since everyone likes being helped, but when someone is being harmed by an evil spirit, there is a cause for consternation and we have to think of remedial measures.