What Is The Difference Between a Ghost and a Spirit
I have been asked this question many times, and people are usually surprised to hear what my thoughts are on the matter. From my experience, most people view ghosts and spirits as the same thing. This belief is not valid in my opinion.
A ghost is an imprint from the past. It is an event that was so emotionally charged that the surrounding environment or structure absorbed the energy of the event, and now the event will be played back whenever it is triggered. The playback of the event can be started by a specific time, date, or action.
You could live in a house that has a ghost and not trigger the playback for many years. An example of this could be if a heated argument started the playback and you live by yourself. It could be years before the right circumstances would occur before the ghost appears.
Another difference between a ghost and a spirit is you cannot change the outcome of what happens with a ghost because a ghost is an imprint that will repeat repeatedly. You will not be able to change the outcome no matter how hard you try. If the ghost is of a woman walking past your bedroom door and then down the stairs before she disappears, that is what will always happen.
A spirit is someone who did not leave this world when they died, and they will have kept some of their human traits and personality. If they were a good person, it is a good chance they wouldn't pose a threat. Thats not to say they won't be bored and find entrainment at your expense.
A spirit who was an evil person during their life can be very dangerous and cause you much harm. An evil spirit could be life-threatening; because of this, I recommend that you banish a spirit as soon as it is discovered.
What Attracts Spirits
Spirits are lost souls wandering the Earth for eternity. A spirit you might encounter could have been around for hundreds of years. Keeping that in mind, one of my thoughts on spirits is that even the good ones are bored and move around. If your home is not protected correctly against spirits, you could become entertainment.
Spirits appear to be attracted more towards women. More specifically, teenage girls who are suffering emotional turmoil seem to be the primary type of person they are attracted to.
I have recently read that spirits are attracted to people who abuse drugs or people who are depressed. This belief seems like it is becoming more popular of late. It makes a lot of sense because spirits can get very bored at times, and they might find people who suffer from drug abuse and depression to be more entertaining.
A place that a lot of trauma or a tragic event has unfolded, spirits become attracted to those types of sites.
If an object or particular person or place had meaning to a spirit during its past life, sometimes they become attracted to that thing. So you might want to think twice before you purchase that antique you have been eyeing up.
Do Spirits Follow Their Ashes
The short answer is no. A spirit is most likely following the person who has the ashes. This makes sense because the person who is keeping the ashes of the spirit is probably a loved one that meant something to the spirit in its past life.
How to Keep Spirits Away
When it comes to keeping spirits away, I believe in a multi-layered defense. It starts with building your outside defensive permitter. I like to keep Rose bushes, Snapdragons, and Tulips around my house for their magickal association with protection against spirits.
Suppose you live in an apartment or do not have the ability to planet flowers around your residence, thats okay. It is only the first line of defense against spirits.
For the inside of your house, you have many different options of what you can do to protect your home from spirits.
I would recommend making a protection sachet or protection spell jar. Make sure to use ingredients that have magickal associations with protection against spirits.
Some ingredients you can use in a protection sachet and a protection spell jar against spirits are below.
Protection sachet from spirits recipe:
Herbs: Rosemary, angelica, cloves, and sage.
Minerals: Salt or even better black salt (here is a guide on how to make black salt )
Material: Red thread or ribbon, and a black, blue, or white sachet.
Protection spell jar recipe for spirits
Herbs: Add basil, garlic, salt, rosemary, and sage.
Crystals: Add agate, iron, or jet.
Candle: A black candle to use while making the spell jar.
The last step I would recommend taking is creating a sigil of protection against spirits. If you do not know how to make a sigil, here is a post I wrote on the subject: How to make a sigil
Added bonus
For additional protection from spirits, you should smudge your home at least monthly. I would suggest using cedar to smudge your home because it has magickal associations with protection from spirits. I wrote a post on how to smudge your home if you are unfamiliar. Check it out here: How to smudge your home
A Banishing Spell for an Evil Spirit or Ghost
You will need one black candle, two white candles, and something to light the candles—a pinch of salt, some basil, and rosemary oil—a tool to dig with, an agate crystal, and a cup half full of water.
Cast the banishing spell on a waning Moon (crescent moon) is when the Moon looks like a crescent and the crescent decreases ("wanes") in size from one day to the next.
After you gather the ingredients, you will want to place the candles on your altar or a table in the form of a triangle. The black candle should be first with the white candles on the triangle's right and left sides.
Now place the crystal in the center of the triangle.
Next, go ahead and anoint your candles. Sprinkle some of the basil and salt on the candles, then pour a small amount of rosemary oil on them.
Light the candles (the power of fire) and say the following incantation while lighting them:
"I call upon powers far and near
To banish what's not welcome here
By this candle with this crystal
I banish what can cause me harm
Then I ask this charge I lay
Send unwanted things away."
Now meditate for five to ten minutes while you let the candles burn. While you are meditating, focus on imagining the candles' fire forcing the spirit from your home.
Next, take the black candle and drip some of the wax onto the crystal, and say the following incantation while you are dribbling the wax onto the crystal:
"I banish you by the powers of the goddess and god. I banish you by the powers of the Earth, Air, Fire, and Water
Be gone and never return."
Now blow out the white candles (the power of the air) and splash some water onto the crystal (the power of water).
Let the black candle burn out and take the wax and bury it (the power of Earth) somewhere away from your house.
The spell is complete, and you should be free of any spirits.
If you want to remove a ghost, all you need to do is smudge your home. You can learn how to smudge your home Here