THE BERCLAIR MANSION - GHOSTS?

My friend, Susan, recently emailed me a link to an article about and recording in the Berclair Mansion. It's been in area news often lately. I don't believe in 'ghosts' per se - not the way they are usually thought of and presented. It really is a fascinating subject, though. Anyway, because I am lazy, I am just copying and pasting my letter to her.

Hi Susan!

I've been reading about that in the Bee-Picayune. Thanks for the link. I hadn't heard the EVP recording...didn't know it was out there. I remember when we stopped there on the way back from Bastrop and took photos. Nothing unusual in my photos. How about yours? I am not really convinced, though, that there is anything 'of note' there. I don't know. I mean, why would 'ghosts' be talking about such mundane things. Not that every word would have to be a pearl of wisdom or lofty thoughts or anything. ;) And the house was built in 1922, I think? So everyone who lived there is known. So where did the little girl come from. Or 'Adam'? Sure, the little girl could have visited there, but the house wouldn't have been of major importance in her life, so that she would have come back there as a ghost, I wouldnt think. Adam could have been someone who was working there or something, I guess. Or another visitor.

Or... how about this scenario. Time is not as we know it - a straight line from point A to point B. Maybe it overlaps on itself as in a 'all things (timewise) can 'be' at the same 'time'. So then the little girl could be one of the ladies who lived there. Even though they lived there only as elderly adults, they were still little girls at one time and they could be as little girls in any 'time' or place where their adult bodies were at one time.

You know I'm Catholic, so I believe in 'purgatory' as a place or 'condition' of purification, suffering (to whatever degree), and reparation. Since nothing impure or imperfect can enter into heaven, and we all have the residue of sin on us - even small faults - from things that were not truly repented from in this life, we need a cleansing. So my normal take on 'spirits' or ghosts is that they are in their purgatory being cleased from this residue. It would be suffering for them to know they are dead, know the truth of God's love and awesomeness, yet be denied, for a time, full entrance into His presence. Through God's mercy, they are in purgatory. (Not hell, because there is a big difference between say, murdering someone and wasting hours daily playing video games to the detrement of one's duties.) LOL! (Personal experience!) So maybe they are on 'earth', in whatever location, going about whatever normal business they would have in life. Sort of. More or less. I take it as an indication that they need prayer. As we all do.

BUT it could be evil spirits trying to lead people astray from the truth of Jesus and the Gospel. If people get preocupied with searching after ghosts and that kind of false spirituality...leading them to ouija boards, seances, fortune tellers etc. then they are not putting their faith in God, but maybe thinking the afterlife is just some kind of ghost party thing or something. LOL! Not heaven or hell and right or wrong.

OR the voices could be some kind of 'residue' of sounds in the past - not the spirits actively interacting with people here, today, but a kind of leftover sound still resonating in that place, through some scientific principle that we don't understand yet. Or it could be some kind of static signal from somewhere else (in the here and now) transmitted in some way that we don't understand yet.

Okay, those are my many theories. LOL! What do you think? What are your best takes on it, so far, Susan? This is a fascinating subject for sure. I am hoping to hear more about the Berclair Mansion, although I don't think there will ever be a definative answer.


QUESTION OF THE DAY: What are your ideas on this subject?