Are ghosts real or not?

Not.

Not.

Don’t know & neither does anyone else, despite claims to the contrary.
I mean, wouldn’t put it past us humans to loiter after our time is up.

Yes, depending on what you mean. They’re just not as seen in Ghostbusters or most other films etc. The ones I’ve seen or experienced are like tricks of the mind that seem much more improbably to me as “these were all tricks of the mind” than as something else.

It seems to me that the people who insist as first principle that they need physical proof of something non-physical and that everyone reporting such things must be crazy or lying, are being extremely illogical and dogmatic.

I know quite a few people who do spirit work who have their heads screwed on straight, are analytical people, etc.

I also know very skeptical people who have had out of body near-death experiences.

I’m rather analytical and skeptical myself. But I quite respect the rationality and skepticism of the people mentioned above, and I have had several experiences myself. Seen and heard what seemed to be people where there was no one. And most convincing to me, I have experienced minor possessions that spoke through me and identified as the spirit of a former human saying things I was not making up and had no prior idea about.

And no I don’t have rock solid physical evidence that what we’ve experienced isn’t some sort of subconscious psychological something or other. But neither does that seem to me to be the most plausible explanation, and it’s certainly not the most useful one.

Apparitions I prefer to call them.
Was working as a Baker for a large grocery store that was revamping the entire which took year and a half to complete, so I had to inventory all the Bakery goods and equipment and label and pack up the things not required for two weeks as the Bakery still was selling our goods during Tourist season. I worked 5 am – pm and so the basement was dark in some places and quiet until I looked up and a lady was staring at me? I ignored her until she talked to me and asked “Are you a Ghost?” I answered I wish it was doing all this work..laughing.

She still continued to stare and stay in one place as I walked up to her and told her flat out NO I am not!
She let out a sigh of relief as I asked her if she sees this phenomenon often and she replied not often but always down here in the basement. I recognized her as another clerk that worked in the sore periodically.
She left then a few weeks later again with me trying to get my work done, this time I was searching among the Bakery cases that were made of acrylic or Plexiglas and were portable enough to take back up to the bakery to display baked goods on a counter after cleaned etc
I returned back down stairs for another one and did not notice her standing off to the side near the stair well ( prob for a quick get away). I walked into an open archway where all the equipment especially the bakery cases were stock piled on the floor.
There was little room to maneuver among these cases (only for one person) and just as I was about to pick out one case two what looked like construction workers walked through the path and almost knocked me over, in fact I had to step back to avoid being pushed.
They passed me then turned around to face me and asked me what I was doing down here?
I told them that I work in the Bakery and was getting cases, of which they gave a humph saying ” There is No bakery here”! I shook my head then showed them my Bakers Cap and apron and name tag and stated “Oh yeah then what is this?”
I told him that this is a basement of a two story Grocery store and I was going back upstairs to take these cases. They stated” What cases? We don’t see any cases”
Exasperated at this I waved my hand to all the cases piled up and one on the floor that I ahd taken out saying “well then what are these then?”
Suddenly surprised they saw everything (present) and one man said the the other “Hey Pete, take a look at this!”
Pete spoke in French accent broken English of which I had heard all my life.
They thought that these cases were glass? I told them No not glass Plexiglas and they were confused. I bent down and showed them by opening the Plexiglas cabinet door and one man tried it gingerly with one finger as I am sure that the thought that he would be cut with glass, they had never seen clear glass he said and later I understood why?
That was when that clerk hiding near the stair well blurted out “who are you talking too?
The two men walked further to the back wall away from me and of course her too and that was when I noticed there clothes were strange?
The boots came up the ankle almost to the knee and soft leather, baggy pants made of sack material etc They wore small black wool hats (touques) but the second man had old lumber jack bomber jacket style red and black checks.
That clerk came up to me to see and they took off to the walled area and turned left.
Thought nothing of it until clerk told manager who questioned me???
Apparently this clerk ( senior) views apparitions over the years and she wanted a witness?
Long story short mgr and I went to the end of the wall turned left and just a brick wall stood there no way out unless back my way?
He asked if I saw ghosts? I laughed and told him that two workers came through and because I was busy I did not she them leave.
Conclusion: two years later on opening the Store it was discovered during excavations of the basement area a bottle of wine from 1900–1920“s! signed by Pete and ? ( illegible).
Later talked with a Mason long time friend of mine who explained this to me:
With communication one needs a transmitter and a receiver.
He simply stated that the clerk was a transmitter and I was a receiver. She could feel them but not see them for some reason only I..it was so real! No Ghost image..real flesh and blood.
So if you see an apparition look for the transmitter and receiver as you could be one or the other?
It was a fascinating experience but I did not talk with that clerk for a very long time as she refused to explain? ( maybe she couldn’t?)
P.S. There are sensitive people whom can bring up images of the past in real time.

I’d like to think I have, but there was always a logical explanation so, No. Ghosts are not real. Neither is Bigfoot.

Yes there is a logical explanation as my Mason Friend of long standing told me before he passed away.
And here it is:
Imagine a person whom sat in his recliner or rocking chair every night all his life.His essence is on that chair and anything connected to him that was his.
When he passes onto the spiritual realm or another dimension etc whatever one believes,well then his signature or in other words his vibration is on whatever he cherished while in this physical realm.
At times this vibration is so intense that very sensitive souls in our world can pick up on his presence through sight,smell,( favorite cologne etc) touch of the object etc
Everyone has some means of connecting but not all connect the same way or means and so people contact spiritualists or mediums . Not all are legitimate mediums as in other professions not all are honest as well.
A man died on his chair and he always wore old spice cologne and his grand kids would remark that they could smell his cologne at times. Usually this contact is fairly close to his passing as this entity wishes to say his goodbyes. Some move on while others stay and linger to watch over loved ones. If some mystery is to be solved within the family they stay around until it is solved so that they can move on settled etc.
This was relayed to me as above by my late friend who passed away age 76 in 2003.
He told me about a lot of things unseen but warned me that people are not ready for everything and that all will be revealed in due time. He mentioned that beings are already on this earth and walk among us to learn of our life on Earth.
I was younger than him and took this with a grain of salt but years later I discovered that he may had been right.There are many books on this subject, do your research before disputing whats out there .

No, I mean, there is an earthly, non-mystical logical explanation. Like, physics.

Oh, I have researched quite extensively, especially when I was a lot younger and really wanted to believe in this stuff. When you want to believe you can always find something to back it up.

I’ve had my energy drained by what I thought of as a ghost. It was fueled by my imagination. So in a sense it was real in that it effected me. Turned out to be guilt. Maybe thats what a ghost is. Unresolved issues. Now the D&D level draining ghosts I’m not sure if they exist. I am open minded. However I belive in level draining and ability score damage from other sources.

I’ve seen those shows where people have ghosts in their houses. I give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s the same with people who claim to have seen a u.f.o.