THE

WORD

GHOSTS

(Continued)

Desire Ghosts of Dead Men

AS the taste element in the gross food is the elemental food which is transferred by the sense of taste and by organic action in the living man to the hog desire ghost of a dead man feeding on or through the living, so is likewise, by bodily action through the sense of feeling in the living man, an inner elemental feeling transferred to the desire ghosts of the dead, which are of the nature of sexuality or of cruelty. This essence drawn off through the feeling is the food of the desire ghosts.

The desire ghost of the dead is either in the body and feeding through the act and feeling of sex, cruelty, greed, or it is feeding through the individual atmosphere of the living man. This atmosphere is a magnetic bath connecting the man and ghost. In such case there goes on an osmotic or electrolytic action, which transfers to the desire ghost of the dead man—which is of one of the forms of greed or sexuality or cruelty—the elemental and essential food necessary to it through sex, taste and feeling. The strong desire ghosts of dead men, though not visible to the eye, are to the inner sense of sight fairly well defined in outline, and appear in a more or less substantial body.

The desire ghosts of dead men who have been impotent, weak, or of unstable and uncertain natures, are misshapen animal forms often ill defined in outline and apparently heavy or sluggish of body. The weak ones are usually content if allowed to fasten themselves like leeches to some living body of like nature until they have drawn enough matter to allay their immediate hunger; then they roll off and bathe in the atmosphere of the living prey, and soak up new energy from his unresisting form. The more active desire ghosts behave differently. The hog or boar or sow desire ghost of a dead man will snort its disapproval of the tardiness of its victim, and root him into action to supply its wants. When the man complies with its demands it grunts its satisfaction or squeals with delight. The fatter the hog the hungrier is it.

The wolf desire ghost of a dead man hungers for gain, pants in the breath of the living; in his atmosphere it slinks and there stalks its prey until the opportune moment, and then it pounces upon the victim to devour it. The hunger of the wolf desire ghost is different from the hunger of the hog desire ghost. The hunger of the hog desire ghost is for sensuous foods through the sense of taste; that of the boar or sow desire ghosts, as such, is for sensual gratification through sensual feeling. The hunger of a wolf desire ghost is for gain by a person’s loss, or the hunger is for blood. The wolf desire ghost of the dead gratifies its desire for gain through the body of a living man of like desire. Not the accumulation of wealth nor the acquirement of possessions is sought by the wolf ghost. It cares not for wealth nor possessions. It is gratified only by the peculiar subtle psychic sense of taking from another by craft or struggle what that other strives to hold. The gain-hungry wolf desire ghost of the dead is gratified when the victim is completely despoiled. The gain-hungry wolf desire ghost is not gratified by the victim who is despoiled, but through the living man who despoils the victim. The blood-hungry desire ghost of a dead man is not satisfied with gain. It wants blood, animal or human. Acts of murder are invariably caused by desire ghosts of dead men, especially when the act is not in self-defense or in defense of honor. The blood-hungry wolf desire ghost of the dead urges through such feelings as hatred, anger, revenge, the living man, through whom it feeds, to murder. Then the wolf ghost extracts from the gross life blood that subtle psychic life essence which the dying man loses.

The cat or tiger ghost will rub against the human and prowl around and beat the atmosphere with its tail, until such feelings as jealousy or envy are sufficiently aroused to cause the living to do some act of cruelty which gratifies the cat.

The snake ghost coils around the body, or rolls in graceful movements in the atmosphere, until it fascinates and allures to acts the one through whom it feeds by sensual feelings. Desire ghosts of cruelty or sensuality may feed on the bodies through whom they act, as well as on those on whom the acts are performed.

The desire ghost of a dead man which is the result of an inordinate desire for and the imbibing of alcoholic drink during life is somewhat different from other desire ghosts. The alcohol desire ghost of the dead, which was the controlling desire of a confirmed drunkard during life, is almost, if not entirely, devoid of desire for sensuality or cruelty. The particular root of desire from which it springs is that of greediness, which it manifests as thirst, and which it seeks to satisfy through the sense of taste. The alcohol desire ghost is not specialized as any of the known animal forms. It is a misshapen, unnatural thing. Its semblance, if it may be said to have form, is that of a sponge, of changeable shape with irregular organs. It is as thirsty as sand, and will soak up the spirit of the alcohol in strong drink as eagerly as sand all the water given it. Drink or alcohol desire ghosts of the dead frequent places of insobriety, like clubs, saloons, carousals, where the bowl flows, because they may there find and select such men as will best minister to their needs. Without a living man an alcohol ghost cannot partake of the liquor, even though barrels full were exposed to it. If an alcohol desire ghost of the dead succeeds in conquering and making a man its slave through his desire for drink, then it will periodically or permanently sink itself into his body and brain, and will drive out conscience, self-respect, and honor, drive out his humanity, and make of him a useless, shameless thing.

(To be continued)