Ways to Contact a Spirit

• When trying to contact a spirit it helps to maintain a strong image of the deceased. Andrew Bret Wallis/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

  Many people believe that we cross over to the spirit world when we die and that is possible to contact the deceased in the afterlife. There are a number of different ways to attempt to make contact with a spirit, but all of them should start with a desire to reach a loved one or the intention to attract only good spirits.

Meditation

• According to Dr. Raymond Moody, whose books on the afterlife include "Life After Death," it is possible to contact the dead when you are in a state of heightened awareness, or deep meditation. Moody suggests surrounding yourself with photographs and personal belongings of the deceased and concentrating on remembering them as they were when they were alive. Place a lighted candle behind you and a mirror directly in front of you. You should be in a relaxed state and stare into the mirror without seeing. Moody says you should start to feel a tingling sensation in your fingers, and the mirror should become hazy or dark in appearance, indicating that a vision is about to appear. A range of experiences have been reported, from hearing the deceased talk to feeling their touch; but it might take practice and patience to achieve the desired result.

Ouija Board

• Ouija Boards are used to spell out messages from the dead. It has the alphabet printed around the outside and those who are trying to contact the spirit world place their hands on a glass or object in the center that the spirit then guides to the letters to spell out words. In this way, it is possible to ask questions for the spirit to spell out an answer on the board. Questions that require a "yes" or "no" answer work best. If there are several people present, it is possible that someone will guide the glass, subconsciously or otherwise, making it difficult to ascertain whether it is really a spirit who is trying to get in touch.

Medium

• A medium is a person who claims to be able to receive messages from the spirit world via telepathy. The spirit transfers an image or thought to the medium to pass on to someone. Much of the communication is personal to whomever is being contacted by a spirit. Mediums often conduct private sessions, and in most cases you will pay for the service. Alternatively, many people visit a spiritualist church in the hope that a departed loved one will make contact with them.