Getting rid of ghosts

O you feel the presence of someone or hear "sounds" in your house? Are your children falling sick too often?

Unexplainable occurrences - doors opening and closing and lights flickering - could be caused by an unholy spirit in the house or a haunted property.

So how does one deal with such paranormal situations? Worried dwellers usually end up selling the house instead of resolving the issue.

I have received email from readers asking about mysterious happenings in their houses and wanting to know what a ghost is and what it looks like.

"Ghost" is a common term for the spirit of a human being who has left his or her physical body. From the scientific perspective, a ghost is a body of intelligence or consciousness with a frequency between pure energy and matter. It can appear in a transparent white form, a shadow in the dark or a dark form and could also appear as a light or mist.

How a ghost appears depends on the sensitivity of an individual. It also depends on the ghost and how it wants to appear to humans - the mischievous ones would want to scare while the considerate ones want to just blend in.

Normally the ghost of a person who has just died would appear in a physical form and usually looks just as the person did before death. I had several experiences when I did my research and study on ghost busting under my Vasthu master, Yuvaraj Sowma, in Chennai, and psychic investigator, Josef Frank B Regis, in Manila in 2002. The latter is the author of the book titled The Ghost Manual.

The most frequently asked question is - why do ghosts exist?

When a person dies, only his or her body disintegrates. There are other parts that do not "die", and these include emotions, feelings and spirit. These are referred to as the "soul".

When the soul continues to circulate in the material world after death, they are termed as ghosts.

Ghosts are earth-bound souls because they are unliberated spirits. They die suddenly before their time and have not fulfilled their desires and duties. Spirits roam day and night (defying common belief that ghosts only appear at night) and they are everywhere, especially in places like hospitals.

 However, it is easier to spot these impure spirits when there is less light and they will surface as a misty or white shadow popularly referred to as the "woman in white".

 Where to find ghosts?

 Ghosts are more easily felt than seen. Many people are unable to see ghosts because they believe such things do not exist.

 Unoccupied, abandoned and empty rooms invite invisible spirits. This is why such spaces should be cleansed regularly and not be left empty.

 Houses that have had a history of tragic and unnatural deaths are prone to unexplainable happenings.

 This is why Vasthu stresses that all dwellers should clean the house before moving in and also perform prayers in their respective faith to remove these unseen entities. Prayer is one of the most powerful energy fields to invoke in the presence of a ghost. It can also help in the healing and liberation of the unseen spirit.

 Most earth-bound spirits are human beings who died violently in an accident, were murdered or committed suicide. Owing to sudden and tragic death, they are trapped and these souls seek help to be set free.

 Newly departed souls stay around for a while, sometimes for a few years, until they come to a stage where they are spiritually healed. Then they move on to a higher level.

 It is incorrect to brand all ghosts as bad.

 Symbols and figures of saints and spiritual gurus should be hung on the east wall facing west in strategic areas of the house to help in spiritual protection.

 How to get rid of ghosts?

 In Vasthu, when there are such sightings in a house, a Vasthu expert must be called in to clear the spirit. Home owners are advised not to attempt to rid the spirit on their own.

 The first thing the expert will do is to visit the site on the start of a moon day and place jasmine flowers all around the house border. From ancient times, the powerful fragrance of jasmine has been known to ward off negative energy.

 The consultant will collect four bottles of seawater and bury them in the four corners of the house. Following this, a cockerel is brought into the compound of the haunted house and set free to roam in the area for a day.

 At midnight, the cockerel is slaughtered outside the main entrance of the house as an offering to the unsettled soul and to ask for it to leave to leave the premises. After this, the Sri Chakra yantra (mystical diagram) is buried at the doorway of the house.

 The power of Sri Chakra

 Sri Chakra, the king of all spiritual symbols, should be placed in a house. Of the many symbols used in Vasthu, this one requires no prayer or chanting of mantras before it is placed. The symbol is an overlap of triangles and the five downward pointing triangles represent skin, blood, flesh, fat and bone; the four upward pointing triangles represent marrow, semen, air and life.

 This symbol can be drawn on paper or on the floor and can also be made out of gold, silver and copper. Sri Chakra is to be kept flat on the ground and not upright or slanting and should not be hung on the wall.

 Since ancient times, it is known as a powerful symbol which is helpful when there are harmful elements disturbing the peace or creating bad effects in a house

 Vasthu talks

 The columnist will give a talk on ancient wisdoms related to Vasthu Sastra, science of pyramids, astrology, meditation, mantras and aura analysis on April 16 at 3pm at Kalamandapam Hall in Jalan Scot, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. 
Admission is by contribution of RM10 to V. Murugan's kidney transplantation fund.
To register, call Nivas Ragavan 0123830389.

Another talk will be on May 6 at 3pm at Kolej New Era, Lot 5 Section 10, Jalan Bukit, Kajang. 
Admission is by contribution of RM10 to the Iraivan  Temple . 
To register, call V. Balu Devado at 0166148565.

T. Selva, The Star’s Maritime Editor, has spent years researching this ancient Indian science of construction, better known as ‘Indian feng shui’. He is a student of 7th generation Vasthu Sastra Master Yuvaraj Sowma from Chennai, India. He can be contacted at tselvas@pd.jaring.my