Encounters Beyond the Known

Haunted Thoughts

As Halloween approaches, I find myself thinking more about ghosts and hauntings—two things that have always fascinated me. I’ve watched the ghost hunter TV shows, and I’ve even met people who swear they’re real. Though I haven’t experienced a ghost myself, I’ve had moments where odd happenings made me question things. Moments where I wondered if what I was experiencing was a part of this life or another.

It’s strange to think there could be a world beyond the one we know. Religion tells us about an afterlife, but I feel there’s so much more—a complexity we can’t fully comprehend. Maybe there are different dimensions that we can’t see or feel unless we have a psychic sensitivity. And it’s likely more intricate than a simple heaven and hell. We humans categorize and classify things to make sense of them, but what if none of it makes sense in the way we understand?

There’s no math to compute these unknown worlds, so why should our language or reasoning be able to explain them? That’s why I feel we need to be open to a broader understanding of our existence—one that mixes science and all religions. I believe that within this all-encompassing view, there are patterns, similarities, and peculiar nuances that can guide and explain, but never tell us the full story. The story remains unfinished, incomplete, beyond anything we know.

Encounters of a Different Kind

One of my strangest experiences came through an ex-boyfriend. He once shared how, after experimenting with a Ouija board with friends, he started experiencing bizarre incidents involving a ghost that seemed to try to choke him and his parents at night. A priest eventually had to bless the house to make it go away. He never wanted to discuss it, and when I tried to get him to open up one night, he became visibly uncomfortable. Just then, we heard a loud bang on the ceiling of our apartment. It was strange because our apartment was made of concrete—we rarely heard our neighbors. We never spoke of it again, but I still feel it was tied to some sort of energy from his past. I’ll never know for sure.

A Guiding Presence

There was also a time in my life when I felt truly lost—alone, struggling to find my way. I was dealing with a breakup, jobless after college, and living at home. During this dark period, I had the most vivid dream: I was driving down a pothole-filled road, somehow avoiding each one. In that moment, I felt my Grandma’s presence wrap around me—she’d passed away over a decade before. She whispered that she would guide me, help me find my way, and catch me if I fell. I woke up in tears, feeling as if she’d really been there with me.

Not long after, things began to turn around. I found an internship, moved to a new city, and slowly began building a life. Sure, there were more potholes along the way, but I made it through. And perhaps, just perhaps, my Grandma was there helping me the entire time. I’d like to believe that.

Messages from Beyond

The most recent experience happened within the last ten years, shortly after Nic’s maternal grandma passed away. I struggled to sleep, feeling guilt and sadness. I regretted not being there with her in her final moments. We’d visited two days before she passed, but when I suggested staying with her, Nic resisted. He was afraid, not wanting his last memory of her to be her death. I understood, but I couldn’t shake the guilt of not supporting his mom at that moment.

One night, as I lay in bed, a voice—somehow both mine and not mine—spoke out loud: “It was not your place.” I repeated it, and I knew immediately what it meant. It was his Grandma, telling me that being at her bedside was not my place. It was a moment for her daughter and son. Though a trace of guilt lingered, I felt more at peace. I knew it was okay that I hadn’t been there.

Then, a couple of nights later, Nic and I both had the same dream. We saw his Grandpa sitting in his chair, with Grandma standing over him, watching. It felt like a message, a reminder that his Grandma was still present, somehow.

Beyond the Shadows

These aren’t typical ghost stories. They’re subtle, personal, and perhaps all in my head. Humans, after all, try to use logic to explain what can’t be explained. But I believe these experiences are glimpses of something beyond, something spiritual that connects us to those we love, even after they’re gone. I may never feel their presence this strongly again, but I believe they’re still there. I believe Grandma watches over Nic’s grandpa. I believe my Grandma guided me when I needed her most.

I believe in ghosts. There, I said it.