Thoughtful Thursday-Do the Dead Affect the Living?

Photo courtesy of Matt Harris via Flickr

I've heard of ghosts affecting the living in ways that manifest as sickness, paranoia, anxiety and depression. I've even heard of ghosts affecting the living in ways that make them fight, drink and (in extreme cases) commit crimes. On the flip side of the negative, ghosts have been said to offer guidance, comfort and help people make life-saving decisions (ie. taking a different route to work--thereby avoiding an unforeseen car accident).

So...do the dead affect the living?


There are three categories of thought when it comes to this topic.

Self-fulfilling Prophesies: The negative: if you live in constant fear of ghosts=negative entities; then that fear can affect your health in many different ways.
The positive: if you have the outlook that the dead are here to help and guide us, positive influences are experienced as well.

"Out of the Blue" Feelings: "Out of the blue" feelings such as anger, depression or elation have been attributed to the influence of spirits. Sensitive people are said to be especially affected.

Spiritual Residue: While house-shopping--have you ever experienced feelings of anger or anxiety upon entering the house? If there was a great deal of fighting, physical, emotional, drug or alcohol abuse, it is said to leave behind spiritual residue. Until the "residue" is cleansed, the house will hold onto those feelings, which in turn, affect the living. (Likewise, experiencing feelings of peace and happiness would be the same kind of residue.)

What do you believe?