Is Savannah Georgia Haunted?

Savannah is a town with a lot of history, a town that is said to be the most haunted town in America. Now since I have come to live in Savannah, I have seen all the hype concerning these claims. This includes a converted Hurst and black trolley-car that drives tourist around town while the driver tells them ghost stories. There is also a graveyard tour, which some people have claimed to have bazaar experiences with the paranormal. In fact, the entire town is built on the remains of the dead, which would make the whole town a graveyard. Because of this, "ghost" have been said to have been seen though out Savannah. Here are some of the "hot spots" for ghost (or spirit) activity.

• The Mercer House
• The Moon River Brewing Company
• Marshall House
• The Shrimp Factory
• The Pirates House
• East Bay Inn
• Colonial Park Cemetery

When I first came to Savannah, I was appalled by the fact that many companies were making money off of the tragedies of people who have passed. Especially when they could not prove that these places were indeed haunted. After all, I do not believe in ghost; I do believe in spirits, but not the spirits of the dead! This belief was tested when I came to live in a place known as "The Sleeping village." This is a place that has its own share of tragedy; for it is in this location that four people have died, one burned to death and one committed suicide.

I do strongly feel that this place does have spirits, for many strange events have happened at this site in just the short time I have lived there, (slightly over a month). Objects have been moved, and people have claimed to have seen apparitions. I myself, I have heard the sound of a woman laughing and screaming right behind where I live, and yet when I went to investigate, there was nobody there. However, I could still hear the woman's voice. Being a Christian with a pass, I rebuked the spirit in the name of Jesus, and then went back to bed.

This worked for this incident, with no other unusual experiences happening for over a week. Then all hell broke loose...literally! The most intense and strange event happened on the last night of September. It happened when one of my camp mates came down from his tent to where I was camped to talk. This was late at night and he had a candle burning on a table right in front of his tent. I looked towards his tent, and suddenly saw a bright flash. At first I thought his tent was on fire, until I realized that the fire was in a fire pit a little ways from his tent. The strange thing about this is that the fire had burst into flames, not starting slowly, as it would if someone started the fire normally, without the aid of gasoline or some other fuel.

We analyzed all of the possibilities of someone sneaking into the camp and setting the fire as a particle joke, or trying to scare us. This camp is only about an acre of land, with a chain-link fence topped with barbwire on one side, with nothing but swamp behind it. On the other side is a brick wall with a channel right below. There is only one "easy" way into the camp, which is narrow path at the head of the camp. The only other ways into the camp, is a small opening in the fence, or climbing over the wall next to the channel. One would have to be highly skilled at traveling at night to be able to come in and start the fire and leave without being detected. This seemed impractical, if the intent was just to light a fire and leave.

The next night there was more strange events, like the tarp that I use as a door for my tent, being untied and then dropping to the ground, in a way that could only be done by a person. However, there was no one around! Both I and my other camp mates are Christians, and so we commanded what we believed to be demons, to leave the camp, under the authority of Jesus Christ and the power of his shed blood. Only then did this disturbance leave!

So what is really going on in Savannah? Is it the ghost of the dead, or something much more sinister? In the nest two sections, I will further explore the possible explanations.

If you read some of my earlier writings, you will come to see that I am no stranger to the Paranormal. In fact, for over twenty years of my life, I had perused the supernatural. This has leaded me to having many unusual encounters with what many would call the Paranormal. However, I now believe that all of these encounters are nothing more than deception. They were not caused by spirits of the dead, or even aliens, but in fact, demons, who are here to deceive the very elect if they can!

From early childhood, I have been what many might call "sensitive" to things that "normal" people do not seem to be as aware of. The first true apparition happened on the night that my sister died of Cancer. I awoke with the strange feeling that something was in the room watching me. The room also seemed to be "electrified" or charged with energy... When I closed my eyes again to go to sleep, I saw a vision of my sister lying with her arms folded. This happened close to the time she died.

The next set of experiences happened after I became heavily involved in the Occult in my early twenties. I was living in a two bedroom duplex, and had converted one of the bedrooms into a ritual chamber, that I used for the practice of magic. I would end up having many bizarre encounters at this location, which included objects being moved and two actual apparitions. One apparition seemed to come out of what some may call a vortex. It was a door like "object", (but not solid, for I could see though it). It was a dull gray in color and the spirit that appeared out of this "doorway" was also gray. In fact, this entity appeared as a gray suit, with no face or hands. It moved about the room, seeming not to be aware of my presence. The suit appeared to be of the time period of the late 1800's, almost like a wealthy gentleman would have worn. It even had a gold pocket watch. (At least I assumed it was gold).

The next encounter with something I could physically see happened when I was meditating while starring though a candle’s flame into a mirror, in the same room of the other encounter. This time the entity was a bright yellow color, almost like sunlight. For a moment it just stood and watched me, then it move right though me (or my reflection). When this happened, I felt a surge of energy enter me. I have also have had some very strange dreams in which I was “visited” by people who had died. Physics who I had talk to, claimed that the two entities that I encountered were actually spirit guides.

That was then, and this is now…I no longer believe in “spirit guides” or “familiars”. I have shut the door to my pass beliefs. However, some times the door seems to creeps back open, and keeping that door closed, can be a lot of work!

There are many theories that try to explain the existence of ghost. And many, who have studied these phenomena, tend to categorize the encounters into two separate groups. Intelligent Haunting and Residual Haunting, The first group is said to be capable of communication with those who have had the encounter; often those who could be classified as "sensitives" or "physics". However, what some call Residual Haunting is considered to be some kind of "physic recording", in which the "ghost" is not even aware of its surroundings. One renowned "expert" Hans Holzer, who is best known for his investigation into the Amityville Horror Case, described his own conclusions this way:

"A ghost is a human being who has passed out of the physical body, usually in a traumatic state and is not aware usually of his true condition. We are all spirits encased in a physical body. At the time of passing, our spirit body continues into the next dimension. A ghost, on the other hand, due to trauma, is stuck in our physical world and needs to be released to go on."

Back in the time of the ancient Egyptians, their belief was that the human soul was divided into five parts, the Ren, the Ba, the Ka, the Seut, and the Ib. The Ka was the essence of a person that left the body at the time of death. They also believed that the Ka was sustainable though food and water, and this is the reason that the Egyptians left food and water offerings alongside their mummies. There are some Occults that felt it is this essence that is perceived as a ghost, and the Ka has been sometimes referred to as the "memory spirit".

Many "ghost hunters", psychics and mediums, also claim that the ghost is a person's soul that is trapped here on earth until someone "helps" them cross over. In the following section, I will explore the reasons why I do not believe that this is the case.

The first verse that I want to use in proclaiming what the bible states about what happens to a person after he dies is Ecclesiastes 9:6 which clearly states:

"The living at least knows that they will die, but the dead knows nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. Whatever they did in their lifetime-loving, hating, and envying-is all long gone. They no longer play a part on anything here on earth."

For me, that one statement sums it up pretty well, for if you do not have any awareness or knowledge of anything, then how can you communicate with the living? If the Bible is indeed true, then there could not be any possibility of an "intelligent haunting"! Taking it a step farther, Isaiah 26: 19 goes on to announce:

But those who die in the Lord will live, their bodies will rise again, those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing in joy."

This makes it plane that when we die it is like going to sleep. Even so, this invites the question: are ghost the "dreams of the dead?" At one time, I did consider this possibility, and yet this would go against the premises presented by king Solomon in Ecclesiastes. Another verse to consider in reaching a Bible based conclusion about what happens to the dead is Hebrews 9:27. In this verse it states that men "die once and then the judgment". This verse is also a good argument against the Bible promoting reincarnation. If we are reincarnated, then does this mean we are judged separately for every life we live?

The Bible also denounces and forbids the practice of "calling forth the dead" (Deuteronomy 18: 10-12). Even King Saul was punished for consulting a Medium to contact the spirit of Samuel (1 Chronicles 10:13). All though the number one reason that I do not believe that these apparitions the spirits of the dead, stuck here on earth, is that they will leave, when one cast them out in the name of Jesus. I have yet to see this fail. Sometimes, the spirit that is confronting you may be extremely stubborn, and will not leave until it is commanded to do so In the name of Jesus. However, in the end it will leave!

In closing, I just want to make it clear, that I did not write this to criticize the beliefs of others, but instead present another view, another side of the coin, so to speak. For I think it is important to reach some kind of conclusion about what is really going on when we have an encounter with something that could be view as supernatural, so we cannot say that we did not know the truth!