Q. Hello Anne. I am surprized by the way www.sjgrkids.org describes the appearances of ghosts. And you must be very brave or have a better  understanding of ghosts than I do because even though I find the mysterious  and unknown fascinating, I am also scared easily. I am very sorry Anne <br> because I can't tell you my name. I was tought never to give personal  information over the internet as there are alot of predators over the net.  Anyway I just want to know what to do when encountered by a ghost. I am not afraid of all types of ghosts. I even feel sympathetic for most ghosts and <br> wonder how I or anyone can help these poor beings. But my fearfulness does <br> depend on many things, like how scary the ghost looks, what it is doing, and  is it safe or harmful. Are there ghosts that are harmful in any possible  way. If so what precautions should one take and how can one avoid these  dangers. I want to learn how to control my fear of ghosts. Finally I would like to learn how to communicate with ghosts if possible. Take your time  with delivering this information to me. I really appreciate your help. Thank  you.

A. Wow...you asked some tough questions!! I think you should look at ghosts the same way you look at strangers. If you see someone walking down the street and you don't know who they are, you naturally won't know if the person is a good person or a grouchy one. It's the same way with ghosts. And just as you were taught never to talk to strangers, you shouldnt really try to start a conversation with a ghost either. By communicating with a ghost I mean it is NOT ok to try to call ghosts into the room for a conversation. Some people try to do this with a ouija board or by having seance but this is NOT safe. You may get in touch with a ghost who is not friendly. It is ok to tell a ghost to leave if you are afraid or to tell him to go to the light. Most of the time they will leave. To help you get over your fear of ghosts, just remember that almost all the time ghosts do not look scary at all, and almost all the time they are just here visiting and would never hurt you. Some ghosts are even here to help you!


---


Hello,

My name is Max im 11 years old.
I have some questions I would like to ask you...

1. My friend has just enhareted some property and his uncle died in the house
there. It is not a very big house so he sleeps on the couch next to the
window. He says he sees a figure (in the shape of a man) walk by the window
and look in... But the thing is he lives out in the country and he only has
one neighbour who uses his house as a get away.
Do you think my friend's uncle has came back to say a friendly "Hello?" or
is there an explanaition to what is happening...

2. We are doing speeches this year and I am doing my speech on ghosts i have
some questions about them because I cannot find them on the internet...

What are ghosts made of?
Can there be ghosts of animals?
How dangerous can ghosts be?
Can a ghost take over someone's mind?
Do ghosts always look like someone hiding underneath a bed sheet?

3.How dangerous can a ghost encounter be???

Please answer my questions! I know it is alot but I have a very big mind :-P

Love the site (hope to become a ghosthunter myself)

--Max

A  It could be your friend's uncle, but it also could be someone from an earlier time. There may have been someone living on that land even before the house was built!! To answer the questions for yout speech: Ghosts are made of energy. Yes, ghosts of animals have been reported. Ghosts are rerely dangerous. No, a ghost can't take over a person's mind. Ghost's don't look like they are under bedsheets...they usually look like regular people.

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Q. i think i havee a ghost. my cat will look somewhere as though a person was there. then she would run away. also my lamp almost got knocked over and my cat wasnt there and  there was no draft , i once saw a calioco cat in the living room and i would go in my room and my cat is there sleeping, also my doorknob shaks as if someone is doin it on the othere side. i can see through my door cause it has windows and no ones there. also my bathroom sliding door vibrates, my shower turns on and power goes bizzerk but nothing is wrong pleeze tell me that i not going crazy!!!!!
thanx kayla

A.  Well it's true that pets are very sensitive to spirits and your cat may be seeing one, however not every strange thing that happens is because of a spirit. If you live on a main street with alot of traffic, or if there is construction going on near your home it may cause things like doors or windows to vibrate or shake. You should consider that before you are comvinced it is a ghost. The shower going on is another story!!!

Q. Anne,  Hi. My name is Brewster92 (Sara).  My family and I know that there is a ghost in our house. We don’t have any pictures, but we have one. I can’t send it, but I might be able to send it to you by scanner. Right to the point. Today, my friend and I did a ritual in my dining room. That’s where the ghost’s room was. My friend, sister, and I were not scared because we know that if a ghost does show up, that is just another person. But there is only thing. Nothing showed up. How do you ghost? Did you ever talk to one of them? Can you give me some tips? Did you ever see one? Do you have a specialty, meaning poltergeists, avengers, message bringers, or haunters? I love all that freaky stuff. I got a book from the book order at school. It also has good tips, but I need one from an actual ghost hunter. And I’m glad that I could get your email and I’m glad I saw your picture. You don’t look like one of those grumpy kind of ghosts hunter. You look like a nice, happy person.  Thanks for your help.
 

A. Thank you for the compliments!!
To answer your questions, yes I have seen ghosts. Mostly they look just like people and stay there only a few seconds. To talk to them just talk like you would talk to a living person. If a ghost is doing something such as opening and closing doors, you can just say something like "Please stop slamming the doors." usually that will work.  I am not sure what you mean by "avenger". I would advise against doing any rituals. You never know what type of spirit may contact you. Stay away from ouija boards. Feel free to write any time:-)

Q. well if ghost have to be in darkness how come some have been found in the day?
chris TX

A  Ghosts don't have to be in darkness. We do investigations in darkness because ghosts can sometimes be seen with infrared video cameras and infrared video cameras only work in the dark!

Q. Hi my name is sonjia. Would you believe me if i told that when i went to Washington D.C. on my 8th grade trip my friend had to push me into the Peterson house where President lincoln died because i would not go and and the next when we went to Ford's theater i felt the level that we were sitting on start to fall which i had a few year after Lincoln's death I'm 14 years old and could tell u more things about being in D.C. accutally in fact i was not the only one who thought this was strange but in gettysburg when we were going to little round top where the The statue of the man pointing and the mermorial for new york i believe, just to stand while our guide finished her stroy. As we climbed up to where the statue was it suddenly got cold and windy, and as we decended it got warm again and the wind started blowing. I do wierd things when i sense something is watching my exspecially on the battlefield of picket's charge. I get scared and i will not go to anyplace unless force that i may think is haunted. Thanks for listening to me hope to hear from u soon.
Thanks,
Sonjia
p.s my friends could tell you the same thing i don't like places that i get bad feelings about.

A   It sounds to me like you would make a great paranormal investigator!! The places you had weird feelings about are all places reported to be haunted. It's nothing to be afraid of. In fact it's pretty cool that you can feel that way when other people don't! I started out exactly the same way you did. When I was your age and even younger I used to go to places like that all the time with my grandfather. We lived in Philadelphia and went toplenty of historic buildings, cemeteries and battlefields. It was because I felt that way that I started doing alot of reading and decided to think of it as something I could learn from and not something to be afraid of. You should take a look at my other web page www.helpforsensitives.com. There are some tips there that can help you so you will not be afraid of what you feel in places with alot of spirit energy.
 

Q. Why do some ghosts only appear once? Once when my grandma was doing laundry with the windows open because it was a hot day. It was shortly after my great-grandpa had died, and he HATED the windows open. Suddenly, all the windows shut, with a loud bang! My grandma laughed because she knew who did it. But, he never appeared again. Why?

A. That's a good question. I don't know the answer! Maybe he was there more than once and she just didn't know it:-)

Q. Okay this is such a good story okay. My sister was in her swing when she was like lets say 6 months old. Her B-Day is April 13th she wil be 1. well she was in her swing and we had a big september 11th picture in a glass fame. The one with all the little pictures that make it into the american flag. well its was on the fire place and my sister was under it. All of the
picures fel down and none of them hit her not one and the pictures were right abover her. I don't understand and like it seems like it would have have to because of were she was located. Do you think it was an angel~ or just good luck.

                 I LOVE MY SISTER!!
                Please email me back becuz I need yr answer right away.
               Thanks
              My sister has an angel~ watching over her!!!
 

Q. I agree with you! I think everyone has a guardian angel!!

Q. I wanted to ask that why I keep seing things I see like circles but their clear their like spotsbut they also look like a light.And I get scared.But I see it often and I think im just to it hen I tell my sister to turn aound to see what I see,she says I dont see nothing.And I say look its right there but maybe she thinks im weird.I dont know if there ghost but its weird because nobody in the house see it only me and Im sure that I dont imagine things.can you please tell me whats wrong and why is it only me that I see and not my family I don't know if my family belives me but its freaky can you plase help me in this weird problem

A. Nothing is wrong with you:-) Some people can see things that others don't. This is really common with kids. Many kids see things that their parents don't see mainly because their parents don't believe! The spots you are seeing are called orbs. They are the energy present in the room when a spirit is around. You can see some pictures on them on this website: www.sjgr.org
You can try taking pictures of them yourself with any camera!

Q. Hi I have a question. I'm 14 years old and I really like learning about ghosts and haunted places. Is there any place that I can volunteer at to hunt for ghosts? I've always believed that they are real. Also whats the difference between a ghost and an orb?
          ~Allie~

A. If you live in New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Deleware you can look for SJGR's special lectures for kids your age. You can set one up by emailing us. If not you can look for a local group and ask if they have lectures or seminars. Sometimes the lecture will incluse a short investication afterward. Hopefully some other groups in the US will follow SJGR and start programs for young people. If you do decide to hunt for ghosts, make sure you research the place frist to make sure it's safe and bring with you a responsible adult. A ghost is another word foe a spirit. An orb is not a spirit. It is the energy in the are that is present wher there is a spirit around. It is light but it is not at a wavwlength that you can see with your naked eye. That is why we see them in night vision cameras and regular cameras that an infrared light to automatically focus. It is usually in the shape of a ball just because if the laws of psysics...something like ball lightening.

Q. Where do ghosts usualy live ?

Thankyou Samantha

A. Places ghosts usually live:

Cemeteries: The age of the cemetery is not important but the older cemeteries have had more time to accumulate ghostly spirits so you may find more. We don't understand why cemetery are a good place to find ghosts. The place where a person is buried is not something that the person would have know during thier lifetime. So we find it strange that cemeteries are haunted. But the fact remains that ghosts are found in cemeteries. Some people believe that spirits are drawn to their former bodies.

Schools: Schools and sites of former schools are a good place to look for ghosts. Schools are places that could have an accumulation of psychic energies and impressions of highly emotional events that have happened there. Children are very emotional beings and if something happens to them they leave a lot of energy behind.

Theaters: Actors are very sensitive, emotional people and theaters have been filled with human emotions. Actors love their profession and do not like leaving what they love doing. Theaters are a good place to look for ghosts.

Battlefields: Battlefields are filled with strong psychic energies left by the violent deaths of soldiers. The stress and turmoil of battle leaves a very strong psychic energy in the area.

Churches: People have strong emotions for their church and there is a history of dedicated souls returning to their church after they die. It could a place that offered them comfort are maybe they have returned looking for salvation.

Hotels/Motels/Boarding houses: These sites are often places that had some type of dark dealings or highly emotional events take places in their rooms.

Historic Locations: Many historic buildings are places where historic events and people with strong emotions have passed through these sites. The ghost's spirit often gets attached to the site. Historic buildings are often open to the public, which will allow you to enter and begin a ghost investigation. You could speak with the caretaker and ask permission to gain access to the building after hours.

The Old Insane Asylum: The places that people were locked away years ago when they were mentally ill are known to be haunted. The poor souls spend their last remaining years in this location and they sometimes do not pass over.

Nursing Homes: This is a place where someone has spent their last remaining years and some choose to stay on.

Hospitals: People who have had prolonged illnesses sometime remain. People that died suddenly sometime hang around because they're not aware they have died.

Lighthouse: Lighthouses are associated with ships sinking and people dying. The people who work there are souls that are devoted to their jobs. Lighthouses are often haunted by the people who went down with the ships and the people who worked the lighthouse. The lighthouse keeper may have died but still remains because of their dedication to their job.

Fire House: There are stories of many firehouses being haunted. Fireman are also people that are devoted to their jobs and are sometimes killed in the line of duty. Fireman have been know to remain at the firehouse after they have died. These individuals were devoted to their jobs and continue to remain.

Police Station: Police officers are also people that are committed to their work and sometimes get killed in the line of duty. Police stations across the county have experienced strange phenomena, including sounds of walking and things being moved. The officers may have died but they do not always pass on.

(From "Where To Look For Ghosts And Spirits" MGSA)

Q. How can you tell if a ghost is in the room?    cutiekitty

Q. Is there a way at home that we can tell if there is a ghost present?  Thanks, R.

A. There are several ways you can tell. It may get cold all of a sudden. You may smell something like flowers or perfume. Maybe you will smell a cigar.  Sometimes you may hear someone talking when nobody is there. You may even see a ghost.

Q. Okay this isn't about me it is about my friend.~

My friends best friend moved. Now they sleep over each others houses more. Or at least they did. well anyway when she first went to see her friends new house she had to go to the bathroom. At the time she was in the basement and the basement has a bathroom in there. So she went to the bathroom then she saw a green face in the mirror while she was washing her
hands. She was afraid to go into the bathroom and she still is. but she is in girl scouts and one day they were sorting out girl scout cookies in her friends basement. Well her friend went up to the top of the stairs. my friend was stil downstairs. Her back was turned to the bathroom then she heard a deep vioce laughing at her. She turned around and it was him the same ghost or whatever it was in the mirror. It was in the bathroom doorway laughing at her. Then my mom and I went over there to get our cookies. She had told my mom to go into the bathroom. My mom did and she said that her chest started hurting and she was breathing funny. I am scared for my friend. She says that they are at her house. She has handprints all over her walls and like greasy hands touched it right after the wals were painted. Please help me and my friend we are scared.

                            ~Email me back please~
 

A. First of all, don't be scared. Remember that even is there really is a ghost there he won't hurt you, and remember that even if it looks scary it doesn't mean it's not a friendly spirit. I think your friend should tell her parents what she is afraid of. Maybe they can help. SHe should also try to tell the ghost to go away. She can say something like 'Please leave...you are scaring me!". She may have to do it more than once bit it should eventually work.

Q. do you know how much parapsychologists make?
thanks  Andy Perryman

A. That depends on what you mean by parapsychologist! If you are talking about paranormal investigators who do research on ghosts and help people with their hauntings they do not make much money at all. Most good investigators do not charge people to help them. Some investigatore write books about thier experiences and can make some money that way. Parapsychologists study all kinds of things,  like how the brains of people who can see ghosts, see the future or read other people's minds are different from the brains of people who can't. These parapsychologists can do research for colleges and universities and can also teach classes. They can also wrote books. A parapsychologist can probably make more money than a paranormal investigator but it is very hard to find a job. There are some schools that give parapsychology degrees but none that give degrees in ghosthunting.

Q. Do ghosts hate humans? Do they want to hurt me? pleeeeeeeeeeeze answer

A. Of course they do not hate humans, Remember,,.Ghosts are just humans without bodies!

Q. Hi! Our names are Brea and Taryn and we are interested in ghosts! We have tried a Séance before but it didn't work! What were we doing wrong? Thanks bye!

            Brea and Taryn

A. Having a seance is not safe. I would not try to contact ghosts. Sometimes you may contact a nasty spirit. Please do not try to do this. You may get stuck with a mean one who you can't get rid of!

Q. Dear Anne:
I often feel as if I am being watched. Two years ago, I moved into a  new house and have had dreams of a women of about 20 in an old wedding dress standing in my back yard. I'm just wondering if there could be any connection between what I feel and what I have dreamt. Could you tell me what the feeling could be or what it could be caused by?
    Thank you for your time.
                        Wondering

A. Sometimes spirits do try to tell us something while we are asleep. This is because sleep is a time when your mind is open to all suggestions. Sometiimes when a person is awake they will brush off a vision or a thought as being their imagination. The spirit may be able to create a stronger image while you are sleeping because your concious mind isn't pushing it away and it can get through to your subconcious. There may have been a wedding in your yard at one time and the bride just wants to tell you about it. Of course it may also be just a dream!

Q. I wrote to you before about my sister. She sleeps on my floor and says she sees stuf. Well at christmas, my sister, wouldn't sit with Santa even though they said she woudln't get her presents if she didn't. so I sat with santa to show her it was ok but she still wouldnt. My mom took some pictures and in the first one there is stuff, looks like a white ball to me by santa. In the second one you can see my sister sitting on the fireplace and that is as close as she would get to Santa. It doesn't make since to me cause she sat on Santa's lap at the mall but wouldn't at the house. Anway just thought you might like to see these and let me know what you think.
Micah

A. Looks like therea re some orbs there! I put your photos on the photo page:-)

A. No need to be afraid of dark places. Try a little flash light if you need to go into a dark place. You can get one that is on a key chain and keep it in your pocket in case you ever need it.  And don't be afraid to turn around if you think someone is behind you. This is epecially important if you are walking somewhere alone outside. You should always be aware of who is around you. I would worry more about being followed by a stranger than by a ghost. A ghost won't hurt you but a stranger may. Don't ever talk to strangers!!