United Paranormal

We have all contemplated what ghosts may actually be, from silhouettes of those who have passed on, shadowy figures that don't have the ability to "manifest into a proper form yet," the soul of someone who has died and not been able to move on (or can transition between this plane and some unknown plane of existence)... Folklore and public opinion could probably offer up a few thousand more definitions, and the debate of whether ghosts even exist or are simply a figment of overactive imaginations has to be taken into account as well.

Let's just assume that ghosts may actually be real for a minute. What exactly IS a ghost? Rather, what would a ghost be made up of? One definition seems to surface more than any other, which is that a ghost is made up of matter. If you consider that everything IS matter - if a ghost exists in any form, it has to be in the form of matter. Okay... Rather generic and open to interpretation, don't you think?

It is no big secret that I am not a fan of "theories" as they relate to paranormal phenomena, because they seem pulled from thin air most of the time, without any real thought put behind them and even less in the way of backing them up - other than by saying, "I think..." Such as "I think ghosts exist on a 6th dimension," or "my theory is that ghosts drink pink lemonade." However when taking matter into consideration, it may actually have some merit to lend to a theory or two.

For starters, what is matter? Simply put, matter is defined as:

• the substance or substances of which any physical object consists or is composed.
• physical or corporeal substance in general, whether solid, liquid, or gaseous, esp. as distinguished from incorporeal substance, as spirit or mind, or from qualities, actions, and the like.
• something that occupies space.

So if a ghost is made up of matter, wouldn't the next logical question be: what type of matter? Here is where defining what a ghost is gets a little more complicated. If you consider that all things are made up of matter, then it would mean that ghosts are matter, too (haha). One question that I've contemplated for some time is whether ghosts may be plasma. Now before you roll your eyes, take a look at a picture of a free floating plasma orb that was created scientifically and consider if it could be plausible to make a similar connection; often times we read the argument that if it can't be reproduced in a laboratory, it can't be seriously considered, and I would submit that plasma is definitely able to fit that criteria.

No, it does not prove that ghosts are plasma - but that is not the objective here. The objective is to provide some backing to the idea that the physical make up of ghosts could be plasma. But we need to be clear what plasma is before we jump to any conclusion...

Plasma is the "fourth state of matter," and has unique physical properties distinct from solids, liquids and gases, and plasma densities and temperatures vary widely.(1) Plasmas are conductive assemblies of charged particles, neutrals and fields that exhibit collective effects. Further, plasmas carry electrical currents and generate magnetic fields. Plasmas are the most common form of matter, comprising more than 99% of the visible universe, and permeate the solar system, interstellar and intergalactic environments."(2)

(1) source: http://fusedweb.llnl.gov/cpep/chart_...atematter.html
(2) source: http://www.plasmas.org/basics.htm

In a past discussion I had about this very topic, the question of how a ghost would 'hold itself together' came up. I have recently read that plasma actually has its own 'outer skin' which would offer a reasonable explanation. If this is accurate, it may be why ghosts, shadow people, etc. have been reported in their 'forms' normally associated with them. I have also read that because EMF meters aren't constantly picking up an entity's presence (since plasma carries an electrical current), it is valid to assume that ghosts could not be plasma; but this statement suggests that ghosts are always present in the same location and never moving, which I find rather difficult to believe. Then there are places that just aren't haunted... The point is, we have no idea of knowing if ghosts are even present at any location in the first place, so how could we assume any EMF meter would - or should - detect them?

There have also been other articles that do an excellent job of describing some fascinating observations that suggested plasma could "mimic the functions of a primitive cell," such at this 2007 article from Unexplained Mysteries. This same article goes on to report that physicists were able to "create plasma spheres in the laboratory that could grow, replicate and communicate" (this article is an absolute suggestion to read, by the way). Another "theory" is that ghosts have the ability to manipulate energy to manifest, make their presence known and even communicate; Is it possible that what some of the article suggests could have something to do with this "theory?"

Learning more about the properties of plasma is needed before any type of study - or at the very least, observation - could be documented while on any paranormal investigation. A great place to learn more about plasma (that is not written in over-your-head science speak) is: http://www.plasmacoalition.org/publications.htm Scroll down to the "About Plasmas" section for some excellent PDFs.

But is there another explanation to consider when trying to connect the dots between ghosts and the laws of physics? Hmmm... There is something known as the "Dark Plasma Theory" which one may or may not believe to be credible - but it is there, nonetheless. If we are interested in learning more about what ghosts might actually be, the important thing is that we begin to look for explanations that can be backed up by plausible explanations, which must include science and not simply rely on the "convenient explanations" that are all too commonly accepted and repeated as fact - simply because they sound as good as any other thing out there.