While there are many reasons why people want to communicate with spirits, all paths lead to only one purpose: healing. Healing can take numerous forms, from emotional closure to physical health. It can be understanding, insight, knowledge, or acceptance. We speak of this healing as being "guided by the light" -- undertaken with the protection of the Divine, however you define it within the framework of your belief system.

Comfort from the Other Side

Countless people, grieving the loss of loved ones, find comfort in contact with the other side. Sometimes it is loved ones who have passed who initiate the contact, reaching from beyond to comfort and even protect those on this side. Sometimes contact comes indirectly, from other spirits who want to reassure the living that those who have passed are at peace.

Often, relatives who have passed become regular visitors. In their communications, they have joyous stories to share. They want to be of comfort, to establish that existence continues beyond what we view as the boundary of death. As a result, many people live the remainder of their physical lives in regular communication with spouses, parents, grandparents, siblings, other relatives, friends, and associates who were close to them before passing. And they lose whatever fear of death they might have had, as they become confident that existence continues.

Unfinished Business

Communicating with those who have passed gives us an opportunity to wrap up loose ends. Family members are sometimes at odds with each other, lovers quarreling, siblings squabbling, friends bickering. It happens; it's a part of life. But we seldom know in advance when we've reached the end of our physical lives. Sometimes the physical part ends before the disagreement does, leaving the living steeped in grief and guilt.

Contact with the spirit that has passed can give both parties the chance to mend rifts. Sometimes the contact is direct, in which the spirit of the departed appears to the the living loved one and there is a one-to-one communication. Sometimes the contact is indirect, as when a third-party spirit appears to say, "Robert is here. He wants you to know that he is fine and he's sorry for that argument right before his heart attack. It wasn't your fault, and his love for you will never die." There is great comfort in being able to apologize, explain, forgive, reconcile, say "good-bye" or "I love you" -- whatever communication needs to take place.

What about spirits who are apparent strangers to us, and don't have a message from departed loved ones but instead just want to communicate with whatever physical entities they can reach and who will respond? Such spirits typically have their own reasons for making contact. In some way, they need help from you so they can continue their evolution on the higher, or other, side. Perhaps you're the contact point because you are in a space, such as a house, that belonged to or was familiar to the ghost in its physical existence. Maybe there is something about your life mission that intersects with the spirit's mission. Such a spirit has unfinished business, and you can help bring completion and resolution for the spirit.