ghosts !!!

[kevars]

Being a newly wed , ( 2 years ) i am always finding out new things from my thai wife , the latest is ghosts , i never realised how shit scared thai people are of ghosts ! and i mean SCARED ! , we been looking at properties just recently and top of the agenda , the G word , she will not go look at a place let alone go inside if there is a bit of history , i mentioned ghost busters but she was not having none of it , any stories ?

[lomuamart]

I don't claim to fully understand the Thai thinking on this, but a lot of their superstitions evolve from the fact that most of them are animists - spirit worshippers. Thailand may be a Buddhist country, but they have altered the religion to suit their way of life - and in particular to embrace the concept of the spirit world. Hence all the spirit houses here. Most homes and businesses will have one to keep the spirits happy and ensure harmony.
Havn't really got any stories about ghosts, as I don't believe in that sort of stuff, but it always interested me how people went about getting the three numbers for the lottery in Buriram province when I used to visit with my ex.
The belief was that certain trees had a guardian spirit (they're usually banyan trees and you'll see multi coloured cloth tied round the trunks). The family would go to one for anything up to a couple of hours, praying and giving offerings to the spirit in the hope that she would appear - was always a woman - and give them the correct digits. Once the spirit had appeared, a piece of bark was scrapped of the trunk and they'd spend a while looking at the exposed area as patterns revealed would eventually form the numbers. Once these had been decided upon, it was a visit to whoever to put their money down.
When I first heard about this years ago on Samui, I spent an hour or so with a couple of beers staring at a big tree on the bungalow complex - I'd had one or ten. After getting eaten alive by mosquotoes, went back to the bungalow and proceeded to give the ex the first three numbers that came into my head. Despite telling her in the morning that I was only messing around, she put money on them and they came up, but one digit out. She was convinced that I'd seen the spirit, but probably hadn't offered enough so it had only given me two out of the three numbers.
That's my big eperience. Best not to "take the mickey" out of it directly with the Thias. They do fundamentally believe in it. Just look at all the people who won't visit the areas hit by the tsunami.

[jambo]

get the blair which progect in thai or subtitled they hate the ghost but they cant but help to watch a movie think she will be close to you for a few nights
cheers
jambo

then tell her you go out at night man in big orange towel with no hair keep askin you for sooooooong baaaaaaaht soooooooong baaaaaaaaaaht this will really freak her out
on secpnd thoughts dont take my advice (i am single)
but they do love to tell ghost storys

[Randy Cornhole]

Was having a party at my old bungalow last year and took a picture of my mate Martin sitting outside. It just so happened that I had a cigarette in my hand and the smoke from it drifted across the lens, it also helped that Martin was apparently looking at it! When the girls saw it they went crazy 'Pii Pii' came the cries, Cigarette smoke I exclaimed, no Pii. They wouldn't have any of it and kept wai-ing the camera. After that none of them would set foot in the bungalow again....

[bj.blackowitz]

That brings an extra dimension to ways to get rid of people who are hassling you,
Just show them a Picture of someone looking at smoke that is blurred and tell them this was taken at you house the night before. They will never visit again...

[Perente]

I can only add that the Thais do take this very seriously. Visit most of the guesthouses and you will see the scrawls the monks leave on the doors, the windows, the fridges, the photos, anything else that didn't move. Check the roof on a lot of taxi's for the same symbols. They are to protect from ghosts, to wipe out previous bad luck, and to introduce new 'good' luck. One of the scariest things I have heard was a BG complaining to day staff that a ghost tried to rape her in the room overnight. The BG was adamant - she left at 5am without payment! - and the staff were horrified. Quick call to the temples, another visit by the monks, and the place was 'clean' again. Something farangs may scoff at, but as I said, the Thais take it very seriously. Dont be afraid of the dark, but be vary alarmed by ghosts !!!!!

[Jim]

No personal experience, but we did have to have a ceremony to clear the site our house is built on of ghosts before we could begin construction. Certainly not a laughing matter and it was important to make sure that all the workers would be safe from spirits before any work could begin.

[Guess]

most of them are animists - spirit worshippers.

Does that mean most of are animist or most of them are spirit worshippers?

Thailand may be a Buddhist country, but they have altered the religion to suit their way of life

Exactly like every other religion on the planet especially Christianity and it's sibbling Islam.

Hence all the spirit houses here.

There are many meanings of the word spirit. The Hindu Spiritlism is a basic belief and substantiated understanding of the component parts of the personna (or presence as written in certain translations, mostly from Sanskrit). These are the Body (understood very well by Westerners, The Mind, likewise, the Soul, not truly understood by Westerners but most are aware of the existence of it, especially in religious circles although they do not really understand, The Spirit, which I can only just about start to comprehend and then finally the Psyche which is way beyond my intellectual capabilities. What I do know odf the Spirit is that is has abolutely nothing to do with Ghosts or Whiskey. It is something within yourself that needs some consciousness and maybe meditation to understand.

She was convinced that I'd seen the spirit, but probably hadn't offered enough so it had only given me two out of the three numbers.

The answer to that one is it was pure coincidence. My wife uses my age, the number plate on the car, the dreams she had the night before or just plain picks the number from the air.

The overall result is that she wins about as much of the time that statistics would suggest.

Anyway to summarize this and take into consideration your comments about the Tsunami.

When a place of terrible tragedy has taken place and the visitor is aware of the history it causes a chill in the spine and a very uncomfortable feeling. I visited the Tsunami hit areas four days before the event, I revisited 10 days after. In certain areas I got a strong feeling of being misplaced and unwelcome that I have never experienced before.

After a long discussion with an old Hindhu friend of mine he told me that what I had experienced should have given me an inkling into the workings of the Phsyche.

I am still confused to this day. I have heard that people who have visited the Somme Battlefiled in Belgium and Nazi Concentration Camps experienced a similar sensation.

The belief in Ghosts, which exists all over the world has some connection in my belief. Why the Human being and maybe other animals have developed this sense is still the subject of research. I do n ot expect a conclusion to be made in my lifetime or indeed anybiody's lifetime who is alive on this planet now.

he belief that some power that can be communicated with can predict the future is, like like after death, just a myth that people like to cling on to.

If there was any truth in it the world would be full of bmulti-millionaires that made their money from predicting lottery numbers, football results and Horse Race results.

To my knowledge there is not one single person on this planet who has done this out of the seven billion plus that are inhabiting it.

Anyway good stuff Lomu it certainly stimulated my thoughts, or maybe it was my Psyche.

As for ghost sightings ther is a theory within Quantum Mechanics that cater sfor the possibilty of light particles to be recreated under exteme circumstances and have the appearance of a Ghost. THisg I have a problem with though is why should the only display animals and not trees and mountains.

[HansMartin]

My story

About 5 years, I came down with a particularly nasty cold out here in California. I finally went to a doctor who gave me the "go home and take aspirin" routine. That didn't do much, so I went back in a couple of days. I got a perscription for strong aspirin. At this point, I figured it would go away so I went back to work.

A couple of days later my wife called me at work, and said she had another appointment for me. As I had already been to the doctors twice, I figured this would be a waste of time, but i went as she had already made the appointment.

So I go to see a new doctor. He listens to my chest, takes some X-rays, and immediately sends me to the hospital where I am stuck in intensive care for 5 days with antibotics dripping into my systems. Turns out I had a particularly bad form of pnemomia (possibly Legionella).

So why did my wife drag me to the doctor for a third time? Turns out her mother who had been dead for a decade appeared to her in a dream and said, "If you don't get your husband to a doctor immediately, he will die."

Think what you want about the Thai and ghosts and spirituality; but don't ignore the connections. The Thai are spiritual (not religous) and rmake connections that we don't.

[jambo]

wow thats bizzare

[Guess]

The Thai are spiritual (not religous) and rmake connections that we don't.

Hans,

You have at least got an inkling of what I posted. My belief though, along with many orientals is that you have experienced is the Phyche at work.

This sense only worlks in the subconcious either at sleep or im meditation.

It is a vbery powerful sense that if understood can give man an advantage over others and then be ablen to reproduce.

I would love to have converstaion with Charles Darwin on this.

There is no magic in it. It is just an extension of the human thought process that seems only to function when there are no distractions whatsoever.

[Guess]

I think the story now about me falling asleep in the armchair one night only to wake up to find that every single item in the room had been stolen and that they had all been replaced with exact replicas, is now well know around the globe.

A minor but similar event has just been discovered.

I had a laminated sticker advertising HHAD on my toliet wall just to the right of the urinal. It was metciculously placed butting against the tile joins.

The other night, Matt who is involved in the new radio Station Surf 102.5 came to me and asked if he could display his laminated advertisement in the toliet. Of courser I agreed as it would then, along with the HHAD sticker return my urinla back symettry which I find extremely important.

Anyway lo and behold the HHAD stiicker had vanished. I searched the premises from top to bottom but there was absolutely no sign of the ad.

I then decided to allow Matt to place his radio station sticker in the position that the HHAD sticker had been.

The next day I went to the dunnie and took a leak ony to discover that the HHAD ad had been modified and replaced above and assymetrically abover the Surf Radio sticker and not lined up with the tiles. The casued me a great feeling of discomfort.

I now am convinced that this is the work of the sprits.

In some cases I believe the the spirits actually take of the human body and turn them into puppetes to server particular services.

What is their purpose though. Sure it can not just be to wind me up.


Has anybody any thoughts on this???

[Lev]

Anyway lo and behold the HHAD stiicker had vanished. I searched the premises from top to bottom but there was absolutely no sign of the ad.

Either someone really likes us or really hates us, I'd be willing to bet on the latter though.

[hollygolightly1]

Anyway to summarize this and take into consideration your comments about the Tsunami.

When a place of terrible tragedy has taken place and the visitor is aware of the history it causes a chill in the spine and a very uncomfortable feeling. I visited the Tsunami hit areas four days before the event, I revisited 10 days after. In certain areas I got a strong feeling of being misplaced and unwelcome that I have never experienced before.

After a long discussion with an old Hindhu friend of mine he told me that what I had experienced should have given me an inkling into the workings of the Phsyche.

I am still confused to this day. I have heard that people who have visited the Somme Battlefiled in Belgium and Nazi Concentration Camps experienced a similar sensation.

I was in New York ten days after 9/11, and it was hard not to feel aware of all those bodies. Perhaps it is to do with being confronted with our own mortality and, as you say, the notion of ghosts is more comforting than the idea that the person is irretrievably lost. Apparently many Victorian women were into spiritualism for this reason - because the rate of infant death was so high, they used the idea of communicating with the dead as a way of grieving almost.

[DawnHRD]

I think the "supernatural" is something you either believe in or don't. I don't think it's a psychosis to help deal with grief. In the week or so after my boyfriend died, I had countless experiences that I know were him communicating with me. He also visited his son. Some of these can be explained "rationally", but others can't. For instance, how did a new item of donated "stock" get into the shop? I was the only person who had the keys at that time & I carried them with me (door is also padlocked, lock bought by me, not Shopping Mall). I was the last person in the shop before his funeral & the first after. In between those times there was a new donation placed squarely in the middle of the desk. Du worked in the shop a lot, opening & closing for me & also covering shifts for me. It makes perfect sense to me that he brought some new stock in. Only time he's been in there, since, though...