What is it that goes bump in the night? Is it the boogey man? Is it a stray branch, gently tapping at your window? Or could it possibly be a ghost, described by most ghost hunters to be a simple psychic recording, or imprint in time[1]. Although commonly mistaken for a spirit (see Spirits), a ghost isn't an intelligent manifestation, but simply the replaying rotation of someone's life. Take for instance, a woman who does the same thing everyday. Let's just say she works as a nurse and she wakes up, everyday at 6:00AM. to go to work. She returns home at 12:00PM. for lunch and goes back to work for two more hours. After this, she re-enters her home once again and cooks dinner for her husband and kids. She repeats this same schedule everyday of her life. Eventually, her re-doing of this same schedule wears into the time around her. Once she passes, another family moves into the same home and begins to hear strange noises and expieriencing strange anomalies at the times of 6:00AM., 12:00PM, and 3:00PM.
The family has reported seeing the figure of a woman leaving and entering the house and standing near the stove. The family may feel like they are being visited by someone from the after-life, but this is only a ghost. If they were to become frightened that the mysterious woman was trying to hurt them, they could rest at ease knowing that ghosts aren't able to interact with the world around them. This will continue to be replayed in the house hold and eventually fade away.
Origin: Though strange as it may sound, the ghost can't be traced back to one culture or time because they are so diverse. There is some form of ghost, or other spectral manifestations in every culture around the world.
Appearance: The appearance of the ghost depends on what the deceased person who's patterns are being replayed. Because there are infinite numbers of different people, the appearance of a ghost is limitless.
Influences On Modern Day: There are millions of ghost stories, but it is hard to find one that is actually a ghost story and not a story about a spiritual haunting, or intelligent haunting. It may sound depressing that it would be rare to find a ghost story, but if we were to find one, it would pretty much have to be a narrative about a life that is stuck in a rutt, and lets face it. Who really wants to hear a story about a depressed person who lives a dull life in which everything is the same for an eternity.
[1] Starr, Patti. Ghost Hunting in Kentucky and Beyond. Lexington, KY: McClanahan, 2002
