How Not To See a Ghost

Myths too strong to discard

There are two things we were severely warned not to attempt when we were growing up. Everyone including our parents was very serious about it.

These things might sound like myths but they are too strong to be discarded.

I have discarded a lot of myths but these.

This is all about a ghost; how to see a ghost or spirit of a dead person. Everyone in the family knew about this teaching.

We were taught the two ways to see a ghost but we were never allowed to practice them.

What kind of teacher does that?

What is the essence of waking a sleeping dog when there is no work for it? I have asked myself several times whenever I remembered this teaching.

I was curious and adventurous while I was growing up. I had tried every other brave thing but not these two.

Who wanted to see a ghost? We heard how dangerous ghosts were at that time.

We were told to discard any water which was used to birth dogs. We were severely warned not to use the same water we used in washing the dog’s face to wash our faces.

Dogs, we were meant to believe, see ghosts and spirits. Using the water that was used to wash its face will open our inner eyes and will cause us to start seeing ghosts, spirits, and other invisible beings.

I am yet to see any person who has given it a trial but there are works of scholars that tend to back up the claims about dogs.

I will discard this myth someday but not until I see who has tried it and proves it otherwise.

We were taught that anyone who bends and looks back through his legs will see a ghost.

This is the second and another way of seeing a ghost. We were forced to believe this.

I didn’t try this too but friends did and said they saw many people in the market who were walking but their legs were suspended on the air, little above the ground.

And this is actually what we were warned about. We were taught that Ghosts and spirits have their feet suspended on the air as they walk in the crowd. They may all appear and disguise like humans.

The only way to discover who is a human and who is not is to find out who is really walking on the ground. And the only way to find out is backing the crowd or being in the midst of the crowd, bending and looking in between our legs.

My friends who were brave enough to bend in the crowds recounted how someone quickly walked up to them and warned them not to try such again. But they saw suspended feet.

Recently, I went to Mom and told her I would try this second claim. I told her I was writing something about it and I needed to get first-hand evidence as proof to back up what my friends told me.

But Mom said something that added to my fear.

I didn’t pry further. A word is enough for a wise!

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