Ghosts are real. And we can all feel them. As Halloween ( all hallows eve) approaches. Samhain. The Day of the Dead. Do you feel the veil between living and dead thinning? Do you sense the movements out of the corners of your eye? Do you feel a thrilling dread in the cold chill of the night before the dawn, when only a slim membrane separates the worlds of spirit and substance? Do you talk aloud to your dead loved ones, and hear them answer back? You are sensing the current shift into the season of Dead, the slow approach of winter, and the opening of the dark earth which reveals the spirits who are wandering here with us, trapped where they do not belong.

Are you afraid of ghosts? Well stop. They have no power over you. You're the one in the body. You're the one with business here on earth. Ghosts are mostly lost souls who are not supposed to be here. They missed the bus to pass over, and now they're just wandering around, sucking energy from you and everything in this world in order to survive where they don't belong. They are parasitic. They must draw energy from the living and the material world in order to feel comfortable sticking around on this earth plane.

Most ghosts wandering around today are simply lost tourists. Shortly after death, they were given the chance to pass over, into the Light, through the Tunnel but they didn't go. Why? Well, the earth is a sticky place. It's hard to let go of all those delicious vices and desires even for the pleasure of all-encompassing peace and serenity. A person who is too connected to the things and people here on earth has a tough time letting go to pass over. A person who is filled with rage, revenge, hurt, anger, or even adoring love also can have a tough time releasing these passions to move into peace and oneness. Stubborn humans. You've got Free Choice. So no one's going to make you pass over if you don't choose it, even after you die. You run your own show.

Are you a ghost-enabler? Do you think it's fun or sexy or cute to have ghosts around? Do so at your own risk. "Ghosts have just as much right to be here as I do," you say. "They aren't hurting me, so why should I tell them to leave?" From an energetic standpoint, that's not true. Ghosts draw energy from people and things. That's why a car or a house that is haunted is harder to maintain, breaks more, and generally has an icky feeling.

People can be haunted too. When a person is haunted, they often intuitively feel they are never alone. They sometimes "know" that someone is following them. They often have energy-draining health problems that are difficult for the medical profession to diagnose. Hello...Stress, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

So what do ghosts want from us? Energy. Power. Human experience. Opportunities to reminisce through our experiences of life. A ghost who was a big drinker or drug user during life is often drawn to a living drinker or drug user. Heavy drinkers or drug users are easy to suck energy from, anyway, because drinking or drug use blurs boundaries, physical and energetic, making them easy targets with no real defense systems. Plus, that ghost misses the energy of being in a drunken or drug state..

We each transmit our own unique energy/vibrational frequency. If I'm a co-dependent needy boy/girl, A person transmits a big energetic/vibrational wave, all the time, that says "Co-dependent needy boy/girl here! Get your needy boy/girl! Step right up!" And guess who comes running! Co-dependent men/women, victimizing experiences, and ghosts who miss that co-dependent energy. In this way, we really do ask for our life experiences. And we also ask to be haunted. We draw ghosts that feed into whatever stuff we've got going on. They attach themselves to our energetic bodies, and suck our vital force right out of us. We end up getting more colds, feeling more tired, and sometimes even experiencing the ghost's addictions/needs/emotions, depending on the depth of the haunting.

I don't recommend talking to ghosts - not because it's dangerous - just because they rarely have anything useful to say. Your standard earth-bound spirit is extremely confused. Heck, they think they're still alive. They are often emotionally overwrought, and they rarely have a real grasp on what's happening on the earth plane. Don't take their advice. You don't know who you're talking to, and you don't know what the costs are going to be. If you really really want to speak with spirits go to a professional channeler or shaman and set your Intention. Intention is the most powerful tool you have. State what you want, and what you don't want. Like, say out loud "I Intend to talk to my spirit guides who can give me helpful information for my Highest Good" and then you'll get something that is fun, entertaining, and for your own good. If you want to really have some enlightening times, try calling up your own Spirit Guides and Angels.

What about those really mean nasty ghosts like in Poltergeist? Yes there are some of those. But not many. And even these have no real power to hurt you if you are strong in your own Core Self. Yeah, that's the kicker. You have to be strong in your Core Self. But hey, if you're not, you're going to attract living people that are at least as scary as the skeletons at the bottom of the pool in Poltergeist. And regardless of how malevolent a being you might come across, no thing, no being, no one at all has more power than you do at a base level. A little skill can be helpful, of course, and if you really did come in contact with a nasty ghost, you'd probably want to enlist a little help from someone like a channeler, shaman or witch who is a natural ghostbuster with tools for the job, experience with their tricks, and confidence to kick their butts.

Charles Lightwalker is a Metis shaman, author, medical intuitive, and healer. For more information call Charles at 509-389-7290 or visit the web site: www.thefamilyoflight.com