Sugar, Spice and Ectoplasm
Living creatures have organic bodies made up of flesh and blood. These bodies consist of complex organs that produce and process fluids, keeping the body alive and functioning. Our bodies also provide a housing structure for the electrically functioning brain and nervous systems. When the human body dies, the organic tissue begins to decay. This process is fulfilling the scientific law of conservation that states, “Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Energy can only be transformed from one form of energy into another form of energy.”
The organic matter of the human body decomposes and transforms into a new form of energy, but what happens to the electrical impulses centered in the human brain and nervous system? No scientist has absolutely determined what happens to the energy inside a living creature at the point of death. According to the rule of science, the energy flowing through a living being cannot simply fade out of existence. That energy must be transformed into a new form of energy, which means that it still exists after death, but in a different form.
The environment dramatically changes when ghosts are present. Parapsychologists believe that when ghosts are present, there are abnormal electromagnetic fields. The same EMF (electromagnetic fields) that surrounds every living creature is also detectable when ghosts are present. The EMF fields that accompany ghosts are usually strong enough to interfere with manmade electrical devices. (Television sets turn on and off. Radio stations change. Computer equipment will stop working.) The levels of static electricity will rise in haunted environments. Almost everything touched will burst with a static charge. The air will feel different as particles become charged. The temperature will change, becoming colder (or hotter) for no apparent reason. The strange temperature spots can fluctuate as much as ten degrees. Ghost-hunting equipment such as air ion counters will detect abnormal ion particle charges.
Ghosts seem to function like a battery. When ghosts are full of energy, they are capable of a variety of paranormal abilities such as moving objects, interfering with electrical appliances, mimicking sounds and voices, manipulating shadows and appearing as apparitions. However, the ghost becomes drained when it manifests abilities that use energy. As the ghost’s energy weakens, so does its influence and capabilities. A ghost will rest when its energy levels are exhausted until the used up energy has been replenished and then the haunting process can start again.
Individual ghosts will have different energy capacities and will utilize energy in different ways. It depends on the particular ghost and the situations surrounding each haunting. Some ghosts seem to have limited energy levels and will only be able to conduct a restricted amount of paranormal abilities, while other ghosts seem to have endless amounts of energy that allow little restrictions to the haunting. The reason for the varying degrees of power between different ghosts is unknown. Theories suggest that certain locations provide a ghost with additional energy. The earth does release invisible electromagnetic energies. A ghost that happens to be in close proximity to a release of energy could use that natural energy as a fuel.
Ghosts are also said to produce a substance called ectoplasm. Ectoplasm is a paranormal residue that oozes and materializes from people or objects after contact with a ghost. Ectoplasm can be in the form of mists, clouds and liquids. Allegedly, ectoplasm is an energized blanket of moisture that moves and twists through the air. Sometimes photographs can show evidence of ectoplasm not visible to the human eye at the time of the photographs. In the late nineteenth century, fraudulent psychics and mediums duped hundreds of people by mixing soap, gelatin and egg whites together to create ectoplasm. Despite the fact that frauds took advantage of the belief in ectoplasm, that does not discourage the belief in ectoplasm. People who come in contact with ghosts claim to see strange white twisting figures around the apparition and smell a distinct ozone smell common in the reports of ectoplasm. (The ozone smell is consistent with electrical charges and static bursts of electricity.)
There are numerous mysteries, inconsistencies and paradoxes when dealing with the “bodies” or forms of ghosts. Ghosts do not have physical bodies to block light yet a ghost can still cast a shadow. A ghost can move through a room and leave behind a vapor trail or mist. A ghost can appear with a lifelike body only to suddenly walk right through a solid wall. There are many enigmas surrounding ghosts that are yet to be fully understood.