A Gathering of Ghosts - ZOOM

Session One: Types of Ghosts. Professional psychic, ghost hunter and magician Ron Cain discusses the difference between a ghost and an apparition, the origins of Halloween, and the six types of ghosts or hauntings. The class will learn about haunting hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, time slips and residual hauntings, poltergeists, malevolent entities from the other side, and spirits of the dearly departed. Origins of the boogeyman, bed sheet ghost, and etheric revenants like the old hag or succubus will be examined. The famous poltergeist case “The House of Flying Objects” in Long Island will be presented to the class. Students are encouraged to share their own stories.

Session Two: Haunted Houses. Ron discusses the many ways ghosts manifest themselves. Students will learn about living corpses, lifelike ghosts, see-through specters, ghosts as white figures, ghosts as lights, headless haunts, animal apparitions, and inanimate ghosts and haunted objects. Stories about “will of the wisps,” the “real” Sleepy Hollow, the curse of Black Shuck, the Lincoln Ghost Train, Annabelle the Doll, and the Island of the Dolls will be told. Cain sheds light on famous haunted houses like the Amityville Horror, the Bell Witch House, and the Entity case. Students are encouraged to share their own stories.

Session Three: International and Celebrity Ghosts. Ron discusses the many reasons ghosts return from the dead, such as reenacting their own deaths, completing unfinished business, engaging in activities from a former life, protest or punish someone, protect or reward the living, and to reenact a tragedy. Students will learn about crisis apparitions, harbingers of doom, Banshees, the Flying Dutchman, the Borley Rectory, and Pookas. The class will include information on ghosts from around the world, such as ghosts of Mexico (La llorona, El Cuco), Japanese ghosts (Yurei, Yokai, and Oni), Chinese ghosts (Jiangshi), Native American ghosts (Chindi, Dust Devils), Jewish spirits (Dybbuk), and Romanian ghosts (Strigoi). Cain will also discuss ghosts of the White House and celebrity spirits. Then students will learn how to hunt and banish ghosts. Students are encouraged to share their own experiences. Via ZOOM, registration required.