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I believe in the afterlife because I had three experiences before, two of them at my cabin and one at my old school. The first time I encountered something paranormal was when I was about 11, I went with my mom to my sisters volleyball game. My mom was taking pictures, and in three of the pictures, blue orbs appeared. I'm positive it wasn't a reflection. About 10 years before that happened, there was a school shooting, and the janitor died. Maybe it was him. Anyways, the second time I was about 17 or 18 at my cabin. I was on my laptop in the middle of the night and I was covered with a blanket. I repositioned myself and when I stopped moving, part of the blanket kept moving. That freaked me out for the rest of the night. The third time happened a year ago at my cabin again. I decided to check for spirits by my pond. My camera would keep powering on and off. Turns out there was something there. I asked it to give me a positive sign that it was there, he/she said "soul" in a soothing voice. I did some research. I think that the spirit is a revolutionary war veteran who owned the property after the war. His name is Obed Garwood. Well, now that I think about it, something also happened to my friend. He was riding his minibike around, and it stalled where I taped the spirit. He thought it was just a coincidence. About an hour later, my dad told him to cut the grass by the pond. The lawnmower stalled in the exact same spot as before. I went back there as it stalled, and he was running and told me to "RUN!!!". So I ran. That's my story. I believe that you go to heaven, hell, or for some, stay on earth until you find a passage.
What I have learned about experiences like your's is, spirits that return, are in limbo.
Usually the human body they were incarnated in, had a horrific, and quick end to it's existence.
This could be as a result of an accident, plane crash, murder, etc..
Spirits can not sustain when in matter that is no longer viable.
In the case of a healthy body, that expires naturally, the spirit slowly disembarks from the body, knowing full well, the body is in a state of impending death, but in a body that there is no impending death, and death happens suddenly, the spirit is not ready to leave the body.
The body dies, and over time decays, but the spirit continues to exist in the surroundings it was comfortable with .
You mentioned a lake, where you said someone was shot.
The spirit of that person, for all intents and purpose, is not ready to leave the area, because it never had time to prepare for the death.
It could take many years for the spirit to finally know that it is a futile attempt to regain that existence which it lost through a shooting.
It is in limbo because it can't move forward to the world of the spirits, and it cannot return to the body it was once a part of.
Being in limbo is also known as "lost soul".
In my EVP experiments, I have heard from a few of these lost souls, and as a matte of fact, my very first encounter was that of a woman crying for help.
She was one of these lost souls.
When we as humans experience some sort of paranormal encounter with a spirit, the source of that encounter is more often than not, that of a lost soul.
Bob.
I believe in the afterlife because I had three experiences before, two of them at my cabin and one at my old school. The first time I encountered something paranormal was when I was about 11, I went with my mom to my sisters volleyball game. My mom was taking pictures, and in three of the pictures, blue orbs appeared. I'm positive it wasn't a reflection. About 10 years before that happened, there was a school shooting, and the janitor died. Maybe it was him. Anyways, the second time I was about 17 or 18 at my cabin. I was on my laptop in the middle of the night and I was covered with a blanket. I repositioned myself and when I stopped moving, part of the blanket kept moving. That freaked me out for the rest of the night. The third time happened a year ago at my cabin again. I decided to check for spirits by my pond. My camera would keep powering on and off. Turns out there was something there. I asked it to give me a positive sign that it was there, he/she said "soul" in a soothing voice. I did some research. I think that the spirit is a revolutionary war veteran who owned the property after the war. His name is Obed Garwood. Well, now that I think about it, something also happened to my friend. He was riding his minibike around, and it stalled where I taped the spirit. He thought it was just a coincidence. About an hour later, my dad told him to cut the grass by the pond. The lawnmower stalled in the exact same spot as before. I went back there as it stalled, and he was running and told me to "RUN!!!". So I ran. That's my story. I believe that you go to heaven, hell, or for some, stay on earth until you find a passage.
Obed Garwood is my 9th generation Grandfather.....wierd.....Like to see pictures of the cabin!!!!
Many who frequent this forum know that for some time, I have been involved in the study of spirits, and the afterlife.
After reading numerous post dealing with this, and other paranormal behavior, I find there are many different opinions, as well as experiences some have had with the paranormal.
My question are:
Why do you believe, or not believe in spirits and an afterlife?
If you do not believe, how do you account for you?
Where do you go once you pass on?
Please share your views with others on this forum, as I am sure many are interested.
Bob.
I believe that spirits exist.
I also believe that just as we were born into our physical existence, we don't remember where we (our spirit essence) came from before we were born here, that's where we return when we have our physical death.
I have a difficult time understanding people who place too much importance on their ancestors and where their family came from. I believe that we were born by chance into the bodies we have now, and we could have easily been born into any body, in any country, and at any time period on the planet. What is most remarkable is that we were born at "this" time, in a particular place on the planet, and the people you associate with also affect your life as you affect theirs. I think it's more important what you leave behind as your mark as an individual than your lineage and where your family comes from.
In my mind the body is just a host for our energy and once our energy level is too low to maintain the host body we pass on to the next form of living, which may be what some call spirits.
The people that are able to see spirits are able to expand their perception to this other wave length of energy. Kind of like expanding their sight in to a neighboring dimension if you will.
When I was living with my late grandmother last fall, I remember one particular night terror she had. It was by far her loudest and most fear filled one, but she claimed to have seen "people" at the end of her bed, how many she never said, but she did say that a man was among them.
She would also see man-shaped shadows along the wall in her room.
However, she had dementia, you can chaulk it up to that, but...
There were a couple nights where I was up in my bedroom or in the backroom/den where I would hear footsteps pacing about the house, naturally thinking this was grandma I thought she was stirring about, however I check on her and she is sleeping in the exact same position that she was in hours prior.
Then after last Christmas, during her worst episode, she wasn't sleeping, she was wide awake and aggressive. She kept saying there was a woman around me, although I never had a woman with me in that house, she swore as plain as day that there was a woman with and around me. It could just be dementia talking, but she was indeed, months away from passing.
I will start by offering an experience I had a week ago with one of my tenants.
As everyone knows, I have firm beliefs in the spirits, and afterlife.
Last week I was out in the yard, talking with one of my tenants.
She is elderly, and still somewhat active.
If I had to say what is the predominant feature of this woman, I would have to say her belief in Jesus Christ, and love for her fellow humans.
She is probably the most outspoken person I have ever met with her devotion to her religion.
This was very evident when she filled out her application for tenancy.
After every line where she filled in the information needed on the application, she put the sign of the cross in quotation marks, an example... (here I will use the letter T to designate the sign of the cross.)
Next to her name is this name...Jane Doe "T".
Occupation... Retired "T".
This carried through for all of the application.
After moving in, she wrote me a short letter thanking me for allowing her to move in.
After each and every sentence, there was the sign of the cross between quotation marks.
She has this thing about thanking Jesus for everything, and wants to kiss, and hug everyone she meets,doing it in the name of Jesus.
Strangers do not matter, she wants to give everyone she comes in contact with, a hug in the name of Jesus.
Well, as I stated in the beginning, we were out in the yard talking, and the subject of spirits, and afterlife came up.
She flat out told me she does not believe in an afterlife, or spirits that, in her words, "This is all there is".
She constantly speaks of her destiny to be in heaven next to Jesus when she passes.
Her entire existence is built around that premiss.
I asked what form she would take when seated next to Jesus in heaven, and she replied, I'M not really sure, but i think I will look like I do now.
I continued, so you won't be a spirit, you will meet Jesus as the human you are now?
Her reply, for sure.
The next question left her somewhat bewildered.
I asked, how will your human body get from the grave to heaven?
She thought for a minute, then replied, Jesus will see that I get there.
I continued, so if I believe what you are telling me, there are no people buried in the cemeteries, they are in heaven, not in the ground.
She never did give a direct answer to that question but rather stated, some are in heaven, and some are in hell.
I walked away thinking, how can someone so devoted to Christ, and the church ,not believe in spirits, and a life after we leave this world?
What has she learned from Jesus, and the church in all these years?
Bob.
Bob I think this woman has a psychiatric disorder not a true and cohesive spiritual belief system.
If I were the landlord and someone put little crosses - or any symbol sent to every word I'd be on high alert. Even if a normal person believed that this was a good way to write, the reflective and functional mind would curtail the impulse to do anything that odd when applying for a rental house or a job or anyplace else where conventional sanity is valued. I mean it was not this forum and she had no idea of your beliefs. I'm not sure I'd have rented to her!
Bob I think this woman has a psychiatric disorder not a true and cohesive spiritual belief system.
If I were the landlord and someone put little crosses - or any symbol sent to every word I'd be on high alert. Even if a normal person believed that this was a good way to write, the reflective and functional mind would curtail the impulse to do anything that odd when applying for a rental house or a job or anyplace else where conventional sanity is valued. I mean it was not this forum and she had no idea of your beliefs. I'm not sure I'd have rented to her!
Yeah, this is a crazy person.
The reason I rented too her was because she is a friend of a friend, and she had excellent references.
In talking with her at other times, I have figured why she is like this.
Apparently in her younger days, she was , by her own admission, not a good mother.
She drank , and was at the point of disowning the family,and that may have been a two sided coin.
She claims she reached the end of her rope, and reached out to the lord for help.
Obviously that help came, and now she is fanatically devoted to Jesus, to the point where it rules her every move.
Bob.
The reason I rented too her was because she is a friend of a friend, and she had excellent references.
In talking with her at other times, I have figured why she is like this.
Apparently in her younger days, she was , by her own admission, not a good mother.
She drank , and was at the point of disowning the family,and that may have been a two sided coin.
She claims she reached the end of her rope, and reached out to the lord for help.
Obviously that help came, and now she is fanatically devoted to Jesus, to the point where it rules her every move.
Bob.
Bob, as a former land woman, I can understand your position.I did not mean my comment as an attack - not at all!
I believe that we have a long way to go in understanding the true nature of our existence. Is there an afterlife? I don't know because I haven't died. I have had a lot of experience with ghosts and other visions and dreams, some of which I have mentioned on City Data over the years, some I would not dare mention on here for fear of being ridiculed or thought of as crazy. I have been searching for answers all of my life due to one thing that happened to me as a teenager and I have studied it from every conceivable angle, both spiritual and scientific, and I still don't know what it was. A whole life looking to explain one incident might seem futile to some but it has led me down so many interesting paths in my life and is about to earn me a degree in psychology so I don't think it's futile at all. I'm still no closer to finding an answer, but I do have an open mind and am willing to give serious thought to all opinions. I am not religious and was not raised as such so I don't have the default belief that spirits exist but I do accept the possibility.
I think that if we do have a spirit and it does live on after our body has died then its state of existence will depend on the conscience of the person at death, we are each our own strictest judge. Perhaps if we are unfettered by our brain's ability to hide things from conscious thought, we might see ourselves as we truely are and punish or reward ourselves accordingly. Perhaps the spirit is pure energy without conscious thought but becomes negative or positive according to our lifes works and adds to the light or dark of the universe after death. Who really knows? But it's something that I have thought about a lot in my life and probably always will. I love a good mystery
I think the best thing , for those interested in this field of study, is to read all you can, when ever you can, then put those readings into perspective as it relates to what it is you have experienced.
If some thing you read parallels closely what you experience, then that would be a pretty good indicator of what may be the truth.
So many articles, and studies are really flawed, so it is just a case of comparing what you read to what you yourself experience.
Bob.
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Obed Garwood
