Early this week, a young high-school-aged friend came over to help me with some yard work. We got to talking across the weed patch and he shared that he thought he was losing his mind. He had recently visited a ghost town on vacation with his family and had been freaked out when he saw what looked like his little sister in old-fashioned clothes where he knew his sister couldn’t have been. He was sure it was a spirit.

Then he shared a story about a dark figure he had seen that was only a black shadow. He worried he was going crazy or had been watching too many scary stories. I assured him that he wasn’t crazy. That what he was experiencing was a gift of the Spirit. It’s that gift I want to talk about today.

Gift of the Spirit

It’s a gift from the Lord to be able to see spirits. (See Moroni 10:14) Sometimes that can be a sweet and faith-building experience. And other times it can be scary and wake you up to the realities of the dark one.

But in every instance, you are seeing these spirits with your spiritual eyes, almost like your heart is seeing something your physical eyes cannot. And you are being granted a glimpse through the veil. There isn’t a ton of revealed truth about spirits, just that we all have them and that when we die, we go to the spirit world. Because of that, a lot of what I write here will be from my inspiration — so if it tastes good or makes sense, take it in. And if not, I won’t be offended.

In this series, I’m going to share some experiences I have had with spirits. I’ll explain some of my understanding and give you a few tips for if and when you encounter dark spirits. But I must tell you that 90% of the time, you will see spirits that are good and full of light. Many are even sent by the Lord at key times in your life to lift and guide you. Let me explain.

Temple Visit

Washington D.C. Temple grounds

One weekend many years ago, I was in the temple with friends. We had intended to do an endowment session for those who had passed away, and I had the name of the sister I was going to be doing the work for. Usually you get that name and proceed right to the temple session. But this time there were several delays.

One sister in our group had not felt well and we had needed to delay our session to get her some food. When a second delay happened, I remember being in the locker room in my changing stall. And I remember saying to this sister in my head that I was sorry for the delays, and that I promised her I would get her work done that day.

In my mind’s eye, I suddenly saw her. She had dark hair in an older style, was a little overweight, and smiling. She laughed and said, “Honey, I have waited all this time. What is another hour?” I felt such comfort and a lifting of my spirits at her reply.

Spirits Are There to Bless Others

That experience has stayed with me all these years and was a real testimony builder that what we do in the temple is for a deeper purpose. That there is a real person there accepting the work done on their behalf. I shared the story with the sister who had researched and found this family name, the descendant of the woman I saw in the locker room, and it made her very happy to know her great-something-grandmother was accepting the work we were doing for her.

I have to tell you that most of the time when you have a spiritual experience, seeing a spirit is to bless you or another person. So I have learned to share my experiences with those close to me. In almost every instance, it was to lift and encourage us both.

Hollywood Ghosts Aren’t Real

When I was in college, my roommates and I had a movie night where we watched M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense. (Spoiler alert: In this movie a small boy sees dead people who didn’t know they were dead.) They carried with them the evidence of their demise. One lady had half her head blown away. This is NOT how spirits are.

A person may lose a limb in this life, but their spirit is still whole. So, if you encounter a spirit, they are whole. They do not look gross or creepy. And often you can feel their feelings when you meet them. It can be startling to see these spirits, but as you get more used to having these experiences, you will find your ability to sense them will grow. For example, the first time I felt a spirit, it was a very vague feeling. As I have gotten older, I can sense more about that individual.

Haunted?

I used to work at a title company in a small town. The office had been built onto an old house. It was really cool. But when I started, the first thing the other office ladies warned me about was that the house was haunted.

I don’t believe in ghosts, so I assumed they were trying to freak me out. But they were right — there was a spirit who visited the house often. She was a younger woman in old fashioned dress who had a motherly feeling around her. I saw her on the staircase once and in the upper hallway, and a few times in the basement. But she only seemed to visit the older parts of the building. The new addition never had her presence.

But she was a loving spirit, and I got the feeling she was just checking on a beloved home. She wasn’t there all the time, and that is in direct opposition to what Hollywood would have you believe about ghosts. Hollywood thinks that spirits are trapped where you see or sense them. But I believe they are simply visiting somewhere they loved in life to see how things are going.

Be Comforted

To read more of Abby’s articles in her Living in Harmony column, click here.

If you see or sense a spirit, please know you are being given a gift. It is proof that there is life beyond this earthly experience. Our loved ones who have passed away are around us all the time. We simply don’t always see or feel their presence.

In this series of articles, I want to help you better understand visiting spirits. I want to show you that there is love and light and nothing to be afraid of when encountering a spirit. And I want to give you tools for when you encounter a dark spirit. (Hint: You already know them.) That will be in the next article. See you next week!

(Episode two will include visits in dreams, spiritual eyes, casting out dark spirits, how they visit you, and more personal experiences.)

Related posts:

Making the Most of Personal Revelation How Do Latter-day Saints Know the Prophet is Telling the Truth? Strengthening Faith What I Learned from President Nelson’s Devotional