A Magickal Journey
The Ghost of Dickens’ Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens’ story, A Christmas Carol, is a favorite among many people. But how realistic are the ghosts in the story?
Marley’s ghost appears to Scrooge and rattles his chains.
“The chain he drew was clasped about his middle. It was long, and wound about him like a tail; and it was made (for Scrooge observed it closely) of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel.” -Dickens, “A Christmas Carol”
Today, we rarely hear of a ghost rattling chains. In fact, ghosts which appear in forms similar to the living, rarely make any noise. Ghosts which knock, rattle objects (including chains), and even speak, are usually invisible.
However, there are exceptions. In the first century CE, Pliny the Younger documented a ghost who was seen and heard by Athenodorus, at a villa in Athens. The ghost wore chains, and pointed to a spot in the garden before vanishing. The next day, Athenodorus had that spot in the garden dug up, and a skeleton in chains was found buried. They re-buried him in a proper cemetery, and the ghost never appeared again.
But ghosts in chains are not entirely in the past. Even today, a tall, evil-looking man appears on back roads and highways in Yorkshire, England, and jumps out to frighten late-night travelers. He’s known as “Jack in Irons.” Most people who’ve seen him comment that the ghost appears wrapped in chains.
Of course, Marley is not the only ghost in Dickens’ famous tale. There are the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.
As Scrooge is led through scenes of his past, his ghostly companion informs him, “These are but shadows of the things that have been…They have no consciousness of us.”
This is a superb description of paranormal phenomena we call “residual hauntings.” These hauntings are like a hologram or video, played on a continuous loop. Events from the past appear to be played like a movie, over and over again. The participants may or may not be spiritual entities. Most are probably mere images of people who took part in the events, many years ago.
One of the best examples of residual hauntings, is the visions of war seen in the United States, at Civil War battlegrounds.
Residual hauntings are a ghost hunter’s best opportunity to see a “ghost” that appears in human-like form. However, these forms rarely react to or interact with people viewing them. In fact, most ghost hunters believe that these hauntings are just energy imprints on the environment, replaying the events on a repeating and regular schedule.
In the United States, one of the clearest examples of a residual haunting is near Tiverton, Rhode Island on the Sakonnet River. Two or three canoes appear on the river, each carrying six Native people. Sometimes they fight, sometimes they simply row to shore and vanish, sometimes they continue on their journey down the river. These images have been reliably reported as recently as 1996.
But what about Scrooge’s visions of Christmas Present?
It is important that Scrooge did not see himself in his visions of the present. Thus, we could speculate that his experience was similar to astral travel, with minor time elements involved.
Many people question the validity of astral travel. However, the Wilmot Apparition is one of the most famous and well-documented examples.
S. R. Wilmot had been aboard a ship crossing the Atlantic for many stormy days. On the night of October 11th, 1863, he dreamed that his wife entered his cabin and bent over to kiss his sleeping form. What alarmed him the most was that his roommate, William J. Tait, had been awake at the time and clearly saw the apparition of Mrs. Wilmot. Adding to the mystery, Mrs. Wilmot had dreamed about visiting her husband that night, and awoke feeling as if the experience was real, not just a dream. Despite intense research, no one has been able to explain this event in terms other than paranormal.
A second, well-documented apparition of the living, or doppelganger, appeared in May 1822 at a villa near San Terenzo in Italy. The houseguests at this villa included the poet, Shelley. He claimed that he saw himself on the terrace, one day. On two other occasions, he was seen on the terrace by Mrs. Edward Williams, another houseguest. However, at those times, Shelley was many miles away.
So, we can say that Scrooge could have seen Marley, could have seen images of the past, and may have traveled within his own time to see others’ Christmases. However, what about the future?
In his autobiography, philosopher Goethe (1749 - 1832) described an event similar to what Scrooge experienced, but in a much more benign context: In about 1772, “…I saw myself on horseback coming towards me on the same path dressed in a suit such as I have never worn…”
Eight years later, Goethe was on that path again. This time, he was on horseback, and–glancing down–realized that he was wearing the suit he’d seen “himself” wearing, many years earlier. Had he seen himself in the future? Perhaps–like Scrooge–he did.
Of course, Dickens’ tale was never meant as a literal account of events. His story delivers a message about living our lives in a way that benefits others as well as ourselves, with spiritual wealth far greater than gold.
Nevertheless, it is interesting that the various ghosts and spirits of A Christmas Carol are not pure fantasy, but based on events that could really happen.
For additional reading:
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.
Ghost Sightings, by Colin Wilson. (c)1997, Robinson Publishing, Ltd., UK
True New England Mysteries, Ghosts, Crimes, & Oddities, by Charles Turek Robinson. (c)1997, Covered Bridge Press, N. Attleborough, MA.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings, by Tom Ogden. (c)1999, Alpha Books, Indianapolis, IN.
The Ghost Hunter’s Guidebook, by Troy Taylor. (c)1999, Whitechapel Productions Press, Alton, IL
It’s not all floating sheets!
Some people see ghosts. Some people hear them. But there are many other ways we can receive messages from others, including spirits on the “other side.”
There are many stories of psychic encounters in dreams. Sometimes, people are sent cute reminders, in the form of a number, or an unusual word, or a favorite tune.
Others know that they were helped by a guardian angel, a deceased friend or relative, or some other spiritual entity (other than Deity), in times of danger or crisis.
Dreams
A surprising number of people have had contact with the “other side” in dreams.
Of course, it’s easy for people to hear these stories and say, “Oh, you just wanted to hear from so-and-so.”
However, some of the most compelling proof of valid communication in dreams, appears among genealogists. These are the people who trace people’s family trees, or ancestry.
Many genealogists have received messages and clues from people they’ve never met. They’ll hear a voice from nowhere, when searching dusty library files. At other times, a book falls open to just the right page, and it seems more than coincidence. Or a microfilm was in the wrong box, and “by accident,” the researcher discovers the records he’d been searching for, for weeks or longer.
Several report a visit, in a dream, from the (deceased) relative whose records they’re searching for. In the dream, the relative tells the researcher exactly where to look.
Upon checking this resource, the records are found. (Some of these stories are at Serendipity: Genealogical discoveries with a little help from above.)
Other people report lengthy and lucid conversations, in dreams, with people who’ve passed on.
In some cases, the friend or relative provides an important message or warning to the living, which changes the course of future events.
There are too many of these kinds of events, to dismiss them as “coincidence,” or wishful thinking.
Reminders
Ask just a few people, and you’ll quickly find someone who says something such as, “Oh, every time I hear [a particular song], I know that Aunt Janie is thinking of me.” It’s easy to raise an eyebrow at this sort of claim, but…is it really such an unlikely communication?
My mother is convinced that her uncanny ability to find convenient parking spaces in crowded lots, is due to the assistance of her late father.
Infrequently, someone reports a telephone call from a deceased relative. Usually, the message is brief and perhaps cryptic. Sometimes, they carry on a short conversation before the line becomes eerily quiet, or a dial tone interrupts.
Others have had the unsettling experience of receiving a letter, apparently days, months, or even years after the sender had died.
It’s more reasonable when someone “just happens” to find a loved one’s journal, or a stack of old letters that convey important information. However, did they really find the papers by coincidence?
Interventions
By far the most dramatic encounters with the “other side” are when a ghost or spirit manifests fully, at a time of danger.
Ask firefighters and policemen who’ve seen “miracles” occur in situations where death or injury seemed inevitable.
Many of these stories will include a helpful person who “appeared out of nowhere,” and disappeared just as mysteriously.
Now and then, the person who escaped injury–or his/her family–will explain that the description of the mysterious stranger matches someone who passed on, long before the near-tragedy. There is usually a tell-tale item, such as a favorite dress, or a distinctive hat or tie, which makes the appearance particularly difficult to explain in reasonable terms.
Conclusions?
Combine the many stories of “ghosts,” apparent hauntings, and messages received in dreams or by “coincidence.” Add the miracles, where someone escapes harm, or perhaps death, thanks to the intervention of a mysterious stranger, who’s description matches someone on the “other side.”
It is nearly impossible to avoid the conclusion that–at the very least–there are a large number of things that science and skeptics cannot explain.
It is even more difficult to argue with someone who has had a ghostly encounter, that they simply imagined it, or unconsciously embellished a perfectly natural event.
The explanation…?
In time, we may understand some of what we now call “paranormal.” Until then, most of us will experience a slight shiver when a ghost story sounds almost too true. And, at Halloween and other times when the veil between our world and the “other side” are supposed to be especially thin, we’ll question odd coincidences and experiences and wonder if there really are ghosts.
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