Ghosts - research, evidence, and discussion.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Newsletter Subscription:
Subscribe to our free monthly email newsletter:


Features Archive:

2009 Archive:
Haunted Cape Encounters - Ghost Chronicles
December 30, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ouija/Talking Boards with Robert Murch By 30 Odd Minutes
December 17, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Psychic Vampires with Michelle Belanger By 30 Odd Minutes
December 10, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Rosemary Ellen Guiley - Ghost Chronicles
December 9, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Astral Projection with Robert Bruce By 30 Odd Minutes
December 4, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Four Predictions for the USA in 2010 by Lee Prosser
December 3, 2009

Column - regular feature

Secrets of the Holy Lance - Ghost Chronicles
December 2, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Investigating the Gettysburg Engine House - Ghost Chronicles
November 18, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Hindu Perspective on the Paranormal by Deonna Kelli Sayed
November 17, 2009


Animal Spirits with Melissa Sehgal By 30 Odd Minutes
November 12, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

There's Something About Resurrection Mary by Ray Johnson
November 12, 2009


Psychic Recommendations By Tiffany Johnson
November 2, 2009

Column - regular feature

Best of Paranormal Journeys By 30 Odd Minutes
October 27, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Anniversary Show - Ghost Chronicles
October 27, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

What are Ghosts? by Rob Conover and Brad Conover
October 26, 2009


Ghostvillage.com - 10 Year Anniversary By Lee Prosser
October 23, 2009

Column - regular feature

Investigating Alcatraz By Mike Brody
October 14, 2009

Column - regular feature

Life, Death, and the Magicians - Ghost Chronicles
October 14, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Conspiracies with Dean Haglund By 30 Odd Minutes
October 8, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Investigating Anawan Rock - Ghost Chronicles
October 7, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Reincarnation By Tiffany Johnson
October 6, 2009

Column - regular feature

Tarot with Scotty Roberts By 30 Odd Minutes
October 1, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Faeries with Rosemary Ellen Guiley By 30 Odd Minutes
September 24, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Crop Circles with Freddy Silva By 30 Odd Minutes
September 17, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Myrna the Death Doll - Ghost Chronicles
September 16, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Skinwalker Ranch and April Slaughter By Mike Brody
September 15, 2009

Column - regular feature

A Psychic Rant By Tiffany Johnson
September 8, 2009

Column - regular feature

Parapsychology with Loyd Auerbach By 30 Odd Minutes
September 3, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Doppelgnger By Lee Prosser
September 3, 2009

Column - regular feature

Fort Delaware - Ghost Chronicles
September 2, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Derby Gaol with Richard Felix By 30 Odd Minutes
August 27, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

When Live TV Goes Wrong By 30 Odd Minutes
August 20, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Demons and Exorcism By 30 Odd Minutes
August 13, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

The Pet Whisperer - Ghost Chronicles
August 12, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Interdimensional Beings By Lee Prosser
August 12, 2009

Column - regular feature

UFOs and National Security By 30 Odd Minutes
August 6, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Ghosts, War, and the Paranormal - Ghost Chronicles
August 5, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Eveleth's Haunted Recreation Building By Mike Brody
August 4, 2009

Column - regular feature

2012 By Tiffany Johnson
August 3, 2009

Column - regular feature

Childhood Nightmare or Past Life Memory? By Andrea Leininger
July 30, 2009


Paranormal Comedy By 30 Odd Minutes
July 23, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery - Ghost Chronicles
July 22, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Developing Your Psychic Ability By 30 Odd Minutes
July 9, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Accuracy in Psychic Readings By Tiffany Johnson
July 9, 2009

Column - regular feature

Ghosts and Hauntings - Ghost Chronicles
July 8, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

10 Things Guaranteed to Ruin Your Paranormal Investigation By Beth Brown
July 7, 2009


The Ghost of Tim Hardin By Lee Prosser
July 3, 2009

Column - regular feature

Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) By 30 Odd Minutes
June 25, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Investigating the Legend of Dudley Road - Ghost Chronicles
June 24, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Fearing Tavern By Mike Brody
June 22, 2009

Column - regular feature

Ohio Grassman By 30 Odd Minutes
June 18, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Night Terrors By Lee Prosser
June 8, 2009

Column - regular feature

Vampires By 30 Odd Minutes
June 5, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

Those Who Have Crossed Over By Tiffany Johnson
June 1, 2009

Column - regular feature

Thayer's Historic Bed & Breakfast By Mike Brody
May 21, 2009

Column - regular feature

Your Worst Nightmare By 30 Odd Minutes
May 14, 2009

30 Odd Minutes - webcast

A Demonologist the Title Doesn't Make by Adam Christian Blai
May 8, 2009


My Clientele By Tiffany Johnson
May 4, 2009

Column - regular feature

The Ghost Huntress, Marley Gibson - Ghost Chronicles
April 29, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Ghosts of Atlantis - Ghost Chronicles
April 22, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghosts and Talking Rocks - Ghost Chronicles
April 15, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

A Journey Into the Future? by Richard Senate By Richard Senate
April 9, 2009


Investigating Turtle Mound - Ghost Chronicles
April 8, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Spring Evolution By Tiffany Johnson
April 3, 2009

Column - regular feature

Spiritual Healer, Kelle Eli - Ghost Chronicles
March 25, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Most Haunted's Richard Felix - Ghost Chronicles
March 18, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Return of the Haunted Dibbuk Box - Ghost Chronicles
March 11, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Talismans By Lee Prosser
March 6, 2009

Column - regular feature

A Haunting at the Inn on Washington Square - Ghost Chronicles
March 4, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Manifestation By Tiffany Johnson
March 2, 2009

Column - regular feature

Jane Doherty Investigates - Ghost Chronicles
February 25, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Retrocognition at Mission La Purisima Concepcion By Richard Senate
February 18, 2009


Interview with Brian "The Monk" - Ghost Chronicles
February 18, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

In Search of Edgar Allan Poe Part 2 - Ghost Chronicles
February 11, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Pacific Northwest Ghosts By Lee Prosser
February 9, 2009

Column - regular feature

In Search of Edgar Allan Poe Part 1 - Ghost Chronicles
February 4, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Decompression By Tiffany Johnson
February 1, 2009

Column - regular feature

David Wells - Ghost Chronicles
January 28, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Live at the Circles of Wisdom - Ghost Chronicles
January 21, 2009

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Painting By Maurice DesJardins
January 19, 2009


Missouri Hauntings By Lee Prosser
January 12, 2009

Column - regular feature

A Night on the
Queen Mary By Richard Senate
January 6, 2009


How Do You Know You're Psychic? By Tiffany Johnson
January 1, 2009

Column - regular feature



November 17, 2009

The Hindu Perspective on the Paranormal

By Deonna Kelli Sayed

Rajeev Rajashekar from Kerala, India, is a United Nations staff member in Manama, Bahrain. He often works after hours in his second-floor office. Around 10 pm one evening, the hallway lights began turning off and on. The door to a colleague's office repeatedly opened and closed. Rajeev was startled, yet remained until the activity became unbearable.

He wasn't the first staff member have these experiences. The building once housed the Korean Embassy. A female diplomat allegedly committed suicide in her second-floor office. This made sense to Rajeev. A practicing Hindu, he believes suicide traps a soul on this earth, delaying the next stop on a reincarnate destination.

The Hindu Way
The Hindu path is the world's oldest religious perspective. It is a philosophical system as fragrantly diverse as its associated cultures from India to Africa to Hari Krishna devotees in the West. Expansive in approach, Hindu cosmology is intriguingly paranormal friendly.

Most Hindus refrain from calling Hinduism a religion, preferring "philosophy" or "mythology." Paranormal events in India are explained within local folklore, often hybrid theories between Hindu and Islamic influences.

Religious texts include the Bhagavad-Gita Gita, Vedas (to name a few) and approaches are as diverse as the 330,000 supernatural beings available for worship. The scriptures are mythical in nature and reveal extant beliefs in reincarnation, the concept of subtle bodies (ghosts), and gods that travel by flying apparatuses. There isn't one "Hindu" approach to the paranormal. There are several tantalizing ways to discuss some widely discussed paranormal concepts.

Reincarnation
Hindu beliefs embrace the concept of reincarnation. The purpose of the soul on this earthly plane is to seek knowledge for spiritual advancement. Upon death, the soul is placed back into the cosmic order and reincarnated based on collected karma during the physical life. Bad actions equal bad karma, thus a lower reincarnated status.

Dayavira Das of a temple outside of Durham, North Carolina explains, "Someone like Hitler, for example, may come back as an animal. While Mother Theresa may be elevated to the celestial heavens for some time. And it is like a credit card. You score points for good karma, but once those points are up, your soul is recycled. This is a continuous process."

The never-ending journey of the soul makes Dayavira reluctant to accept the validity of past life regression.

"We have so much emotional and karmic baggage of this life. How could we cope with carrying that from all of our previous lives?" He suggests that the soul may retain ambiguous imprints of previous experience. This may rationalize why some people are inexplicably drawn to certain hobbies or interests.

Folklore in India suggests small children can recall past lives. These memories diminish as children age. When a child exhibits mature knowledge or discusses unexplained experiences, these are considered signs of past lives. Dr. Kirti Rawat attempts to document such memories in children. He is the director of the International Centre for Survival (of the soul) and Reincarnation Researchers. He claims to have evidence, the strongest being a small child who is able to detail the events of her previous death as well as happenings prior to her reincarnation.

Astral Realms and Matters of the Soul
There are three "realms" in Hindu cosmology. One is the earthly realm, another is the in-between world, and the last is the realm of the gods. The godly realm is one of extremely high energy, existing at the quantum level of the universe.

Souls travel throughout the realms and enjoy a physical body while on earth. Death continues the journey when the soul is "freed" from its corporeal constraints. In an ideal situation, death is a spiritual evolution, with the goal of ascending to the realm of the gods.

Cutting this journey short through self-inflicted death is believed to leave the soul trapped in the in-between realm, at least for a while. The soul remains attached to the subtle body (or astral body), unable to fully ascend to the astral plane in its allotted time. This subtle body is the ego, intellect, and energy behind the physical. This could be what Western paranormal researchers refer to as an "intelligent haunt."

The physical body is considered a spirit container while in the earthly realm. Cremation is necessary to completely disassociate the soul with the physical and assume full ownership of the subtle body. Dayavira suggests paranormal activity may be heightened in Western societies due to the tradition of burying the body. The soul remains in the in-between zone, unable to proceed. The Hindu perspective is in contradiction to some Western ideas that a "proper" burial reduces the likelihood of a soul returning to haunt.

This in-between zone has three subdivisions. One is the realm of the higher mental plane and thought to hold angels. The second subdivision is the world of the departed where Earth-bound souls reside. The final subdivision is the abode of darkness where the asura (demonic) forces are found. Sinful souls may have to hang there for karmic justice before being reincarnated back to the earthly realm. However, the concept of an eternal hell and heaven do not exist. Souls are in constant journey.

Things That Fly
The journeying of the souls is not the only form of celestial travel. Hindu scriptures are peppered with descriptions of flying chariots and machines called vimana. Several scriptures reference winged chariots of the gods, while others provide detail of mechanical aircraft. Moreover, the deva (angelic celestial beings) and asuras (demonic) are imbibed with superhuman power, including the ability to fly throughout the cosmos in vimana. While this doesn't offer "proof" of UFOs, it raises questions how such an ancient mythology (texts date from 1500-400 BCE) include such intriguing references. Current UFOlogists find Hindu scripture insightful both in the sophistication and detail of flying objects and astral weaponry. Furthermore, Hindu texts are so explicit in measurement and understanding of Time that more study is needed to appreciate how the knowledge emerged.

Many Hindus see these stories as myths, but Dayavira begs to differ. He explains there are celestial planets beyond the realm of our universe, "beyond what scientists can see or comprehend," where gods and elevated souls reside. Yet he suggests that the deva and asura have no incentive to make their aircraft visible.

Harmony of the celestial spheres is meshed with Hindu philosophy. Vedic astrology impacts every day life. Marriages are arranged to take place during auspicious planetary alignment. The misfortune of birth under inconvenient planetary arrangement may be an omen.

Astral projection is the ability of the soul to temporary travel outside of the body, is associated with Surat Sabda yoga. Reaching a state of spiritual perfection allows one to travel through the astral spheres. Dayavira says there have been spiritual masters who could "enter the Ganges River at one end and immediately emerge somewhere else." The Ganges itself may be a spiritual portal, but some devotees assert astral projection is unlikely to occur in the current age.

"We don't have long enough life spans to master this technique," he explains. Many Hindus believe we live in the age of Kali Yuga, where human life is too short to reach such elevated spiritual planes. Kali Yuga is also characterized by disharmony, hardship, and spiritual poverty. This era is thought to last 432,000 years and began roughly around January 23, 3102 BC. Time is cyclical in Hindu scripture. At the end of this epoch, Satya Yuga, the first era, will begin with humanity harmoniously realigned with the gods.

The paranormal side of Hinduism is a deeply fascinating, curry-scented approach. Christian, Spiritualist, or Western paganism currently informs contemporary paranormal metaphysics. This allows a "Westernization" of paranormal thought where alternative approaches are unintentionally excluded. The supernatural side of things is enjoying global popularity. Considering non-Western approaches may yield new theories while encouraging innovative technology in documenting the unexplained.


Deonna Kelli Sayed is an American-Muslim writer and paranormal investigator with Haunted North Carolina (TAPS family). Married to a United Nations diplomat, she has lived and traveled throughout the world. Her work has appeared in TAPS Paramag. Deonna is currently working on a book about America's fascination with the paranormal. Visit her site at www.deonnakellisayed.com and follow her on Twitter @deonnasayed




2014 Haunted New England Wall Calendar by Jeff Belanger photography by Frank Grace
Check out the 2014 Haunted New England wall calendar by Jeff Belanger and photography by Frank Grace!


Paranormal Conferences and Lectures
Don't miss the following events and lectures:

Jeff Belanger and “The Bridgewater Triangle” at Dedham Community Theatre - April 6, 2014 9:00PM

The Spirits of the Mark Twain House - Hartford, Connecticut - April 12, 2014

Paracon Australia - East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia - May 10-12, 2014