Intelligent Hauntings are the type of haunting that people usually think of when they think of a haunting. In an intelligent haunting, the entity is aware of its surroundings and interacts with the present. These hauntings are considered to be intelligent because communication with the living usually occurs. This ghost is best described as the spirit of a person who once lived and has stayed behind in our world instead of "crossing over" or "going into the light" to get to the other side. This sometimes happens in the case of murder, a traumatic event or if there is some unfinished business in the person's life. If these things happen, the spirit may be unable to or may even refuse to cross over. In some cases, the spirit may not even realize it's dead. This can happen if the person died very suddenly or unexpectedly.
The spirit will usually manifest itself in physical ways like slamming, opening and unlocking doors and/or windows; weird sounds, disembodied voices, disturbance of electrical devices, cold chills and a strong presence like the feeling like you're being watched or the hair on the back of your neck standing up, goosebumps, etc. Sometimes these spirits will hide things, move stuff around, turn things on and off or do other annoying things like a child looking for attention. These are examples of ghosts trying to get noticed so it can communicate from the other side. The spirit might need help to cross over or maybe it needs to take care of some unfinished business. Maybe it needs to deliver a message from the other side or just wants to watch over loved ones. In some cases, the spirit may be afraid of death and moving on to a new world. It has also been documented that the spirit may just be lonely and want some company. In some cases, as has been my personal experience, a loved one will visit in dreams and visions, especially right before or after sleep when we are most open to contact. I remember asking my father a question a few days after he passed away and he answered it in a dream that same night.
Believe it or not, it's fairly common to actually see a ghostly loved one. It's most common for ghosts to materialize between the hours of 11pm and 4am. This time period seems to be the easiest time for entities to manifest themselves because it's darker between those hours. Most spirits aren't strong enough to show themselves during the daylight because it takes too much energy. It's similar to turning on a light in the daylight; you can hardly see it and it's pretty much not worth the effort. This is how spirits work as well. If they use too much energy during the day they will be too weak to show themselves at night.
These spirits can be benevolent or mischievous, depending on the reason they're haunting a location. Perhaps they used to live there and they want you to leave. If they discover that someone can see them, they might decide they want to stick around. In some cases, there might be some kind of object or keepsake they are are emotionally attached to and want to be close to. They could also may be looking for something or someone. Sometimes the spirit may not be willing to accept that they're dead.
When people die, their spirits keep the same personality they had while they were living. Negative spirits are usually people who were angry and bitter in life. If the spirit was a kind and caring person, the entity will most likely hang onto those qualities in the afterlife. Negative spirits can be frightening, and in very rare cases they have been able to harm the living, but that is generally not the case. It is much more common to hear of an encounter with a positive spirit than with a negative one.
There are many spirits remaining in our world who have left behind relatives and loved ones and don't want to leave. It's possible they feel they can't leave until they finish a certain task or deliver a certain message. They may not rest because they suffered some injustice and want to help solve the mystery before they go. Sometimes they just want to see their children grow up.
Overall, knowing that some spirits hang around is actually kind of sad. Although we might think it's cool and exciting to encounter a ghost, we have to remember that many spirits are confused about what has happened to them and may not even know they're dead. Alot of them died suddenly or traumatically. Others cling to the life they know and are afraid to let go and move on to something new.
These ghosts frequently need help to be convinced that they don't belong here anymore. They aren't demons and don't need to be exorcised. Most likely they just seek direction to find where they should go. They need to be made to understand that there's more for them on the other side than there is here. It's possible to help them by simply talking to them or maybe calling in a priest of minister to pray for them.
