ghosts? ever seen one?

[menthe]

Must establish first of all that I do not possess ESP or am even an ordinarily observant person.  So, whenever this subject comes up, I used to be as sceptical as the next person, except today, I thought I saw one of these elusive individuals.

Lovely warm day today, first in ages so I went for one of my customary walks which takes me out of the village, downhill to a geese farm (at least there were geese until the pandemic and the subsequent avian flu) and then uphill to a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and valleys.  Nice walk, challenging but not shattering and I could do it in around 90 minutes.

There was I, swinging my sticks and walking along teaching myself to be more observant of my surroundings.  I passed the entrance to the geese farm and, occasionally, a car belonging to the farming family would pass and the occupant/s would wave and smile. 

About a year ago, I heard from a neighbour that the family there was not the trouble-free country folk from "Tales of Rural France".  The mother apparently killed herself some years ago by loading her pockets with stones and drowning herself in the fishing lake on the other side of the road.  I must admit that, as I looked at the "étang", no not for the poor drowned lady, but for the heron which sometimes sits there on the edge and at the lily pads and the buds about to open in all their glory.

At the farm entrance, a large 4x4, greenish-grey in colour slowed momentarily in a gesture to allow me to cross safely.  In fact, I had already stopped walking to allow it to come out of the entrance onto the road.  I looked into the car windows to see if it was one of the sons and prepared to wave and mouth a "bonjour".

I was immediately puzzled at the sight that met my eyes.  In the driver's seat, the sole occupant was swathed completely in black, like a hooded cloak (on such a warm day and the sun bright in the sky!) The figure looked neither to left nor right.  I looked once, I looked twice and, no, my eyes did not deceive me.  The whole head was covered, except for the face which was white, as white as a clown's make-uo or a geisha's face, the mouth was a slash of black.  Without being to say exactly why, I thought it was a woman.

Someone off to a fancy dress party?  But it's not halloween and it's not a normal hour for a party.

Did I see a ghost?  So what I want to ask is, has anyone else ever seen or thought they'd seen a ghost?

I believe that this is the second "ghost" I have seen in my life and I am convinced I saw an angel once on the compostele road but I am not talking about those previous sightings today.

[anotherbanana]

Who the heck was driving then, do ghosts have driving licences?

My Ma was terrible; there were places she would not go into as she said she could feel that there had been violence there. The last time was in an art gallery in Abbotsbury. I went back and asked about it and they said that in the room my mum would not go into there had been a murder.

A couple of years ago Angela and I were in Lisbon Castle; there was a room there that I could/ would not go into as I felt an extreme darkness. I asked the guide and he said that yes, there had been much violence there.

Menthe, was the child real or the driver, fancy dress party, kidnap job, sect? Given that you are Welsh I would expect you to feel and see things others do not. Odd people rural farmers!

[menthe]

No, I didn't know the lady who killed herself so would not have been able to put a face to her.

The 2 cars that normally leave the farm are a utility type vehicle or a small red Citroën.

It was just so odd to see someone wrapped up like that except for the face in such warm weather.  I looked back at the car but it was out of sight round a bend.  I also noticed that it was driving slowly for the mad folk that drive "à toute allure" around these country roads and the car also seemed to weave a bit as though the driver was uncertain about the driving.

Also, where were the dogs?  There are 2 dogs that always bark, regardless of which side of the road I walk on.  Looking at the farm, all was quiet, no other cars in the forecourt as per usual.

Couldn't be a burglar in disguise as the last burglary round here was about 12 years ago during the weekend of our fête and the fair people were blamed.

 

[Gardian]

Twenty or more years ago, I had a very ‘spooky’ experience.

Went up on a Sunday evening to the Company training centre which was based in S Yorkshire in the middle of knowhere.

I was able to stay over, simply because it made the drive up on the Monday less arduous.

It was an old ‘country house’ - quite a big place, but I didn't realise until I got there that I was the only person in residence. I also knew that it was said that it was once a vicarage and that the vicar had done some foul deeds to a young lady on whatever occasion decades ago!

Anyway ........... the place was very, very spooky that evening.  All that I can say is that I was glad to get to bed and go to sleep.

Nonsense?  Of course.   Did I feel spooked?  Yes.

[anotherbanana]

Well, S. Yorkshire, what do you expect, full of spooks, Gardian!

[Lehaut]

We were having dinner at a UK families house in France a couple of years ago.  He was in high level insurance agent in Lloyds, ex army.  We were chatting about families and a candle suddenly waved about in an odd manner.  He chap looked at the candle and said, in all seriousness " Ah, dad is here".  He firmly believes the spirit of his dead father joins family gatherings on odd occasions.  His wife and two adult daughters did not bat an eyelid.  

We felt nothing.

[menthe]

I'm not surprised that you "felt nothing" Lehaut.  I didn't FEEL anything on the two occasions this had happened to me, it was a complete surprise, with no warning, and I only thought about it AFTER the "event".

The only other time was in completely different circumstances, indeed in a different country.  I was on holiday with my sister who lives just outside Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

She took me to a friend's house so that we could catch up on our news.  I was sitting perfectly happily and comfortably in her friend's sitting-room and exchanging conversation and drinking nothing stronger than tea.

Out of a back room, a lady dressed in a flowery ensemble (no time to see what style of clothing) appeared, smiled, bowed slightly and exited the room.

After the visit and we got back to my sister's place, I asked her whether the lady WE (I thought we all saw her) was her friend's mother?  I said "mother" because in those days out there in Malaysia, the middle classes still had domestic servants and I had no idea of the status in the household of the person I saw.  No, my sister said, my friend lives alone, her mother died a few years ago.

So who was the lady who came into the room?  What lady?  It was only at that point that I started wondering about what or who I had seen.  The "lady" was plain as plain as the room was brightly lit and there was nothing "shadowy" about her.  She had normal colouring and her clothes were bright and colourful; she was of medium build and there was nothing to suggest to me that she wasn't a real person.

How does one explain this kind of phenomena?  My common sense tells me ghosts can't really exist but I don't have any logical explanation to refute that, not even to myself.

Neither "ghost" was known to me and I cannot think how I could have conjured them up.

Then there was the angel I saw on the Compostelle but I don't know if you could count angels as ghosts so I will not tell that story here.

 

[anotherbanana]

What is the difference between a ghost and an angel?

[menthe]

I dunno, Wools.  But, I can tell you this:  a ghostly is ghostly and spectrally and an angel is er..angelic and possibly holy😂

[Jamessmith0901]

On 15/05/2023 at 00:49, menthe said:

Must establish first of all that I do not possess ESP or am even an ordinarily observant person.  So, whenever this subject comes up, I used to be as sceptical as the next person, except today, I thought I saw one of these elusive individuals.

Lovely warm day today, first in ages so I went for one of my customary walks which takes me out of the village, downhill to a geese farm (at least there were geese until the pandemic and the subsequent avian flu) and then uphill to a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and valleys.  Nice walk, challenging but not shattering and I could do it in around 90 minutes.

There was I, swinging my sticks and walking along teaching myself to be more observant of my surroundings.  I passed the entrance to the geese farm and, occasionally, a car belonging to the farming family would pass and the occupant/s would wave and smile. 

About a year ago, I heard from a neighbour that the family there was not the trouble-free country folk from "Tales of Rural France".  The mother apparently killed herself some years ago by loading her pockets with stones and drowning herself in the fishing lake on the other side of the road.  I must admit that, as I looked at the "étang", no not for the poor drowned lady, but for the heron which sometimes sits there on the edge and at the lily pads and the buds about to open in all their glory.

At the farm entrance, a large 4x4, greenish-grey in colour slowed momentarily in a gesture to allow me to cross safely.  In fact, I had already stopped walking to allow it to come out of the entrance onto the road.  I looked into the car windows to see if it was one of the sons and prepared to wave and mouth a "bonjour".

I was immediately puzzled at the sight that met my eyes.  In the driver's seat, the sole occupant was swathed completely in black, like a hooded cloak (on such a warm day and the sun bright in the sky!) The figure looked neither to left nor right.  I looked once, I looked twice and, no, my eyes did not deceive me.  The whole head was covered, except for the face which was white, as white as a clown's make-uo or a geisha's face, the mouth was a slash of black.  Without being to say exactly why, I thought it was a woman.

Someone off to a fancy dress party?  But it's not halloween and it's not a normal hour for a party.

Did I see a ghost?  So what I want to ask is, has anyone else ever seen or thought they'd seen a ghost?

I believe that this is the second "ghost" I have seen in my life and I am convinced I saw an angel once on the compostele road but I am not talking about those previous sightings today.

Hey Menthe, that's quite a thrilling story! I always find it exciting to listen about encounters with the supernatural. It's amazing that you've managed to see ghosts before and even an angel! I'm curious to know if these paranormal sightings have any connection to each other, or if they were just random occurrences. 

[menthe]

No connection whatsoever, Jamessmith.  Different time of day, even different countries:  Malaysia, Spain and France.

I also was doing nothing out of the ordinary, twice I was walking using my nordic sticks and once I was sitting down chatting and drinking tea.

Also I was not frightened, just in wonder afterwards and thoroughly puzzled.

Have you yourself had any experiences of this kind.

In fact, I felt so "normal" and not at all "weird" that I told my husband about the ghosts but not about the angel!  I think THAT might has stretched his credibility too far😜

 

[Jamessmith0901]

I can imagine! 😧 Your husband would probably flip if you told him about the angel sighting. But honestly, I'm all about that supernatural stuff. Me? Nah, I haven't seen anything like that… yet. But who knows? Maybe one day I'll have my own spooky story to tell.  I believe anything is possible 😄

[ShadowScribe]

I haven't experienced anything paranormal myself, which is good because I'm easily scared. But I'm still curious and excited to hear ghost stories, especially now that Halloween is coming up.

[clark_sam]

On 02/10/2023 at 15:38, ShadowScribe said:

I haven't experienced anything paranormal myself, which is good because I'm easily scared. But I'm still curious and excited to hear ghost stories, especially now that Halloween is coming up.

Same! I haven't experienced anything paranormal myself, and I never dream to experience any of that. The idea of that really scared me. 

[wilsondavid]

7 hours ago, clark_sam said:

Same! I haven't experienced anything paranormal myself, and I never dream to experience any of that. The idea of that really scared me. 

I have been experiencing some weird stuff from the last few years. Told few of my friends about that. They just laughed off while listening to it, which is quite embarrassing. I might share some of my experiences here 

[anotherbanana]

I have definitely felt ‘presences’ as did my mother; most recently there was a small room on Lisbon Castle that I just could not enter as I felt a great sense of violence there. Later we discovered that there had been murders in the room. My mother was the same; refused to go round Corfe Castle in Dorset and a small art gallery in Abbotsbury where, we later found out there had been a murder too.

So, ghosts, maybe.

By the way, the further west you go in France, ie Brittany and the further north and west in UK, the more ghosts there seem to be.

[DaveLister]

Grew up around a lot of this. My father was an exorcist.

[anotherbanana]

Do say more, svp.

[DaveLister]

Not a lot to say really. It wasn't exactly his day job. Normally he'd get a call when someone 'felt something'. Most times it was just an over active imagination but there were times when he had to 'ask' a presence to leave. Very occasionally it didn't work which was when he'd call in the professionals. I grew up hearing ghostly tales around the dinner table and when I reached puberty I was taken to a known haunting site to see if I had the gift. I didn't.

Shortly afterwards I discovered punk and lost interest in ghosts.

[menthe]

On 16/10/2023 at 12:48, wilsondavid said:

I have been experiencing some weird stuff from the last few years. Told few of my friends about that. They just laughed off while listening to it, which is quite embarrassing. I might share some of my experiences here 

Oh yes, do share.  The thing is, I have only had three experiences in my life and in each case, I had not realised anything was out of the ordinary.  It was upon reflection quite a few hours later on that I began to question what I had seen with my own eyes.

And, in response to other posters, it was not the least bit "scary".....how could it be when I wasn't questioning anything at the time?  Then by the time I thought about it, it was done and dusted so no longer any reason to feel frightened.

I have however passed that same duck pond several times as it's situated on one of my regular walking routes but I have never before or seen that person or ghost again.

[clark_sam]

On 17/10/2023 at 01:50, DaveLister said:

Grew up around a lot of this. My father was an exorcist.

Really? I don't know if looks cool or scary at the same time. What was the worst case he did encounter?

[clark_sam]

On 16/10/2023 at 18:48, wilsondavid said:

I have been experiencing some weird stuff from the last few years. Told few of my friends about that. They just laughed off while listening to it, which is quite embarrassing. I might share some of my experiences here 

Oh right. Tell us more, we won't laugh.

[DaveLister]

3 hours ago, clark_sam said:

What was the worst case he did encounter?

I don't know how you would describe "worst". Certainly there were some cases that were more difficult then others but it was never a case of 'good ghost, bad ghost'. The way it was explained to me as a child was that the world was full of echos of past lives. Like ripples on a pond. Most people swim through the ripples without noticing they exist but occasionally someone will be 'buffeted'. The bigger the ripple the stronger the turbulence and the more likely the memory of the past life would be seen. I was being simplistic when I called my father an exorcist. He's job was more to deal with the living, educating them to not be afraid of what they were experiencing. Nine times out of ten, once the fear was gone so did the 'ghosts'. They hadn't of course it was simply that the living had learnt to swim through the ripples.

Occasionally there was an echo so terrible that no one in their right mind would be able to happily live alongside it. Then the only options were to either remove the object from the home or, if that was not possible, remove those who were sensitive of the event from the scene. As 99.9999% of people won't see anything in their lifetimes it's quite reasonable to sell a house because for you it was haunted.

[menthe]

DL, that's an excellent explanation and I like the analogy of ripples in a pond.

The "ghost" I last saw, by coincidence, died in the ripples of a pond.  As I didn't know this lady and have nothing to do with her farm, I think she was just going about her ghostly business and I happen to come upon her.

So, no reason at all for me to see her again so she can just go about her own business and I'll go about mine😄 

[wilsondavid]

It happened 3 years back. I have a small tank outside my house, where I harvest some fish. I had to change it water pump thrice a day. Generally I change it every 8 hours. That day I forgot to change it. Before going to bed, I had realised I didn't switch the pump to the secondary one. I live in a two-storey house. My dad was, visiting me. While going downstairs, I saw my dad walking outside through the window. It was 12.30 in the morning. I was like, why is he walking so late. He generally walks before going to bed. I went outside to check on him, but no one was there. I came back to the room he was staying, and he was sleeping. Till this day I wonder what did I see that. Sadly after that incident my dad passed away after 2–3 months after that incident.