Michael Newton - Destiny of Souls - Ghosts

Many researchers into the paranormal have written about ghosts. I do 
not consider myself proficient in this field, although I have had some 
exposure with souls as ghosts. At my lectures I am often asked how 
benevolent spirit guides can allow these beings to wander around lost, 
unhappy and alone.

 


My contribution to the study of ghosts will be to 
review what I feel are some misconceptions and to explain this phenomenon from the perspective of the ghost rather than from those who see them on Earth. 

When I began to devote my hypnotherapy practice exclusively to the 
study of life between lives, it took years before a client came to me who 
had been a ghost for an appreciable amount of time after a former life.

 


I don't consider short-timers ghosts in the traditional sense. For instance, 
I had a client who died young in a schoolhouse fire while saving the 
********. This teacher stayed around town for some months afterward 
just checking on the **** and other people who were grieving at her 
untimely death. When I asked what prompted her to finally leave she 
said, "Oh, eventually I got bored."

 


I have come to the conclusion that only a small fraction of souls have ever been ghosts, beyond the normal 
amount of time it takes for the new discarnate to adjust before leaving 
Earth. I don't believe we are being haunted by that many ghosts around 
the world. 


The cases which follow will demonstrate that our guides do not 
compel or coerce us to move into the spirit world if our unfinished 
business is so overpowering that we do not want to leave Earth's astral 
plane. I find this is especially true if the soul has a permissive guide. 
Some guides have much more of a hands-off approach. Then, too, our 
guides typically don't make personal appearances next to us at the 
moment of death at ground zero. 


For most souls, the pulling sensation right after death is gentle and 
only grows more deliberate as we leave Earth's astral plane. There is no 
question that higher beings are instantly aware of our death. Yet the 
wishes of the deceased are respected. Keep in mind that time means 
nothing in the spirit world.

 


Discarnates don't have a linear clock in their heads so staying behind for days, months, or years doesn't have the same relevance as with incarnates. A ghost who has haunted an English castle 
for four hundred years and finally returns to the spirit world may feel in 
spirit time this amounted to forty days, or even forty hours. 


Some people have the misconception that ghosts don't know they are 
dead or how to escape their situation. Yes, in a sense, they are trapped 
but this is a condition of mental obstruction rather than any material 
hindrance. Souls are not lost in some confined astral plane and they do 
know they have made a transition out of life on Earth. The ghost's 
confusion lies in the obsessive attachment they have to places, people 
and events where they can't let go. These actions of self-displacement 
are voluntary but special guides, called Redeemer Masters, constantly 
watch for signs that the known disturbed spirits are ready to exit. We 
have the right to self-determination, even with our death experience. 
Spiritual guides will honor poor decision-making. 


From what I have been able to observe, ghosts are less mature spirits 
who have trouble freeing themselves from earthly contaminations. This 
is particularly true if their stay in limbo is for prolonged periods in 
Earth years. The reasons for staying behind are varied. Perhaps the life 
ended in an unexpected manner, which caused a deviation from a major 
path. These souls may feel their free will has been thwarted in some 
way. Quite often there was a terrible trauma connected to the ghost's 
death. Perhaps they want to try and protect a person they care about 
from danger. 


In 1994, a young woman driving at night on a road not far from my 
house in the Sierra Nevada Mountains tumbled down a steep embankment and was killed. No one had seen the accident or noticed the wreck fifty feet down the hill where for five days her three-year-old son clung 
to life. This accident attracted national attention when it was reported 
that a passing motorist saw a ghostly apparition of a nude young 
woman lying on the highway directly above the wreckage. This was a 
dramatic way for this ghost to be noticed and it worked because her 
***** was found just in time to save his life. 


I find the underlying cause behind disturbed spirits to be a sudden 
change in their planned karmic direction that they perceive to be not 
only unexpected but unjust. The most common cases of ghosts appear 
to involve souls who were murdered or wronged by another person in 
life. My next case begins as a typical ghost story but then reveals how 
these matters are resolved constructively for the ghost. 


The Abandoned Soul


Belinda came to see me because of an overwhelming sense of sadness 
she was unable to comprehend based upon her current life experience. 
During my intake interview I learned she was forty-seven and had 
never been married.

 


She moved to California from the East Coast after 
a stormy breakup with a man called Stuart some twenty years before. 
Belinda cared for Stuart but she had broken off their engagement after 
making a decision to change her life and come west to pursue a new 
career. She asked Stuart to come with her but he did not want to leave 
his job and his family.

 


Stuart pleaded with Belinda to marry him and 
stay in the area where they had both grown up but she refused. Belinda 
told me that Stuart was devastated by her leaving him but he wouldn't 
follow her. Eventually, Stuart married someone else. 

 

 

Some years later, Belinda said she met Burt and they had an intensely 
passionate relationship for a while but eventually he left her for another 
woman. I wondered if this was the source of Belinda's unexplained sadness but she told me no, she had been hurt, but that it was a good thing he hadn't married Burt. Belinda now realized that besides his being an 
unfaithful lover, she and Burt were temperamentally unsuited.

 


Belinda added that, for some reason, long before her relationships with men 
began she had these strange feelings of abandonment and loss. 


Case 14 

 

 

It is my custom to move subjects into their most immediate past life 
before we enter the spirit world. This hypnosis technique allows for a 
more natural mental passage following a death scene. I asked Belinda to 
pick a critical scene to open our discussion about her former life. She 
chose one of great mental anguish. She said she was a young woman by 
the name of Elizabeth living on a large farm near Bath, England, in the 
year 1897.

 


Elizabeth was on her knees holding the coattails of her hus-
band, Stanley, who was dragging her through the front doorway of their 
manor house. After five years of marriage, Stanley was leaving her. 

 

 

Dr. N: What is Stanley saying to you at this moment? 


S: (now begins to sob) He says, "I'm sorry about this but I need to 
get away from this farm and go out to see the rest of the world." 

 

 

Dr. N: How do you respond, Elizabeth? 
S: I am imploring—begging Stanley not to leave because I love him 
so much and that I will try harder to make him happy here. My 
arms are aching from holding his coat and being dragged down 
the hall to the front steps. 

 

 

Dr, N: What does your husband say? 
S: (still crying) Stanley says, "It's not you, really. I'm just sick of this 
place. I'll be back." 

 

 

Dr. N: Do you think he means it? 
S: Oh ... I know a part of him loves me in some way but his need to 
escape this life and all he has known since he was a boy is too 
overpowering, (after this statement my subject's body begins to 
shake uncontrollably) 


Dr. N: (after soothing her a bit) Tell me what is happening now, 
Elizabeth. 
S: It's about over. I can't hold him any longer ... my arms are not 
strong enough—they hurt, (subject rubs her arms) I fall down the 
rest of the steps in front of the servants—I don't care. Stanley gets 
on his horse and rides away while I watch helplessly. 


Dr. N: Do you ever see him again? 
S: No, I only know he went to Africa. 


Dr. N: How do you maintain yourself, Elizabeth? 
S: He left me the estate but I do not manage it well. I let most of the 
staff and workers go. In time we have almost no livestock and I 
am barely subsisting but I cannot leave the farm. I must wait for 
him should he finally decide to come back to me. 

 

Dr. N: Elizabeth, I now want you to go to the last day your life. Give 
me the year and the circumstances leading up to this day. 
S: It is 1919 (subject is fifty-two) and I am dying of influenza. I 
haven't put up much resistance in the last few weeks because I 
have just been existing. My loneliness and sorrow... the struggle to 
keep the farm going ... my heart is broken. 
I now take Elizabeth through her death scene and attempt to bring 
her into the light. It is no use because she remains grounded to the farm. 
I soon discover this rather young soul is about to become a ghost. 


Dr. N: Why are you resisting moving up away from Earth's astral 
plane? 
S: I won't go—I can't leave yet. 


Dr. N: Why not? 
S: I must wait longer at the farm for Stanley. 
Dr. N: But you have waited for twenty-two years already and he has 
not returned. 


S: Yes, I know. Still, I just can't bring myself to go. 
Dr. N: What do you do 
now? 


S: I hover as a spirit. 
I talk to Elizabeth about her ghostly appearance and behavior 
around the farm. She does not zero in on Stanley's energy vibrations to 
locate him anywhere in the world, as an experienced soul would do. 
Further questioning indicates that Elizabeth has the idea that if she can 
scare away any potential buyers the estate might remain in the family. 
Indeed, the property does sit idle with no new occupants because 
everyone in the district knows it is haunted. Elizabeth tells me she flies 
around the manor house crying over her abandonment.


Dr. N: How long do you wait for Stanley in Earth years? 

S: Uh, four years. 

 

Dr. N: Does this seem like a long time for you? What do you do? 
S: It is nothing—a few weeks. I cry... and moan over my sadness, I 
can't help it. I know this scares people, especially when I knock 
things over. 

 

Dr. N: Why do you want to scare people who have done you no 
harm? 
S: To express my displeasure at what was done to me. 


Dr. N: Please explain to me how all this comes to an end. 
S: I am ... called. 


Dr. N: Oh, you have asked for a release from this sad situation. 
S: (long pause) Well... not actually... sort of... but he knows I am 
about ready. He comes and says to me, "Don't you think this is 
enough?" 


Dr. N: Who says this to you, and what happens? 
S: The Redeemer of Lost Souls calls to me and I move further away 
from Earth with him and we talk while waiting. 


Dr. N: Just a minute—is this your spirit guide? 
S: (smiles for the first time) No, we are waiting for my guide. This 
spirit is Doni. He rescues souls like me. That's his job. 


Dr. N: What does Doni look like and what does he say to you? 
S: (laughs) He looks like a little gnome, with a wrinkled face and a 
top hat which is all beat up—his whiskers shake when he talks to 
me. He tells me if I want to stay longer 1 can but wouldn't it be 
more fun to go home and see Stanley there. He is very comical 
and makes me laugh but he is so gentle and wise. He takes me by 
the hand and we move to a beautiful place to talk more. 


Dr. N: Tell me about this place and what happens to you next. 
S: Well, this is a place for grieving souls like me and it looks like a 
beautiful meadow with flowers. Doni tells me to be joyful and he 
infuses my energy with love and happiness and purifies my mind. 

He lets me play like a ***** again among the flowers and tells me 
to chase the butterflies while he rests in the sun.


Dr. N: It sounds wonderful. How long does all this go on? 
S: (rather put off by my question) For as long as I want! 


Dr. N: During this time, does Doni talk to you about Stanley and 
your behavior as a ghost? 

S: (reacts with distaste) He absolutely does not do that! The 
Redeemer is not Tishin (subject's guide). Those questions will 
come later. This is my time to rest. Doni's old face is so full of 
kindness and love, he never scolds. He just encourages me to play.

His job is to bring my soul back to health by helping me cleanse 
my mind. After Elizabeth's energy is rejuvenated, Doni escorts her to Tishin 
and kisses her goodbye. Then the preliminary evaluations begin as with 
a normal orientation for someone returning to the spirit world. I was 
able to access this conference with Elizabeth-Belinda and it was instructive. In the beginning she stated that her life as an abandoned wife was 
wasted. Certainly, Elizabeth pined away much of her life in suffering 
without making adjustments or accepting change. Under Tishin's guidance she saw that this lesson was not wasted. Belinda today is a very 
independent and productive woman who has weathered many emotional storms. 


By now, I am sure the reader has figured out that Stanley is Stuart 
today. When I relate this part of the story to people, some say to me, "Oh, good, she was able to turn the tables on that bastard with the 
same treatment to get revenge for what he did to her."

 

This thinking shows how we misunderstand karmic lessons. The souls of Elizabeth and 
Stanley volunteered to assume their roles today as Belinda and Stuart. Stuart needed to feel the emotional pain of what he had wrought on Elizabeth. As Stanley, he had made a commitment of marriage in a 
culture and time when women were quite dependent upon their 
husbands. Because his action to leave her was swift and 
uncompromising, it was particularly brutal.

 

This does not excuse 
Elizabeth, who took no responsibility for making changes in her life. 
Her suffering and nonacceptance of the situation was so extreme she 
ultimately became a ghost. 

 

By assuming Stanley's role in her current life, the soul of Belinda had 
to learn what motivated Stanley's feelings of entrapment in an undesirable location. Belinda was not Stuart's wife when she left the East Coast 
so the commitment was not quite the same as Stuart had with her in 
their former life when he was Stanley.

 

Yet in this life they were lovers 
again and Stuart felt forsaken by Belinda's desire to leave their town, 
friends and family to seek adventure and opportunity elsewhere. Because 
she had the courage to do this alone, Belinda's soul has now acquired the 
insight that Stanley did not leave her out of a malicious desire to inflict 
emotional pain. Stanley wanted freedom and so did Belinda. 


Belinda has carried the mental imprint of this past life into her life 
today. From a karmic standpoint, Belinda has a dose of residual sorrow
as Elizabeth which she was unable to comprehend until our session. 
Belinda told me she still thinks about Stuart and he probably cannot 
forget her since she was his first love. They are soulmates in the same 
group and I think it is likely the two of them will assume a new role 
together in their next life, balancing what they have learned in the last 
two lives. 


For those of you who are curious why Belinda had to endure the 
brief unrequited love affair with Burt, this was a test. Burt is another 
member of the same soul group and he volunteered to trigger Belinda's 
soul memories of being Elizabeth to see if she had learned to stand up 
to the emotional pain of a broken heart. Burt's actions also served as a 
wake-up call for Belinda to realize in her current life how Stuart felt 
when she left him. The blade of karma cuts both ways. 


Spiritual Duality
Some years ago a magazine article recounted the travels of an American 
woman who was driving through the English countryside and felt inexplicably drawn to a small side road away from her intended destination. 


Soon she came to a deserted old manor house (not Stanley's). The 
woman was told by the caretaker the house was haunted by a ghost who 
looked very much like her. Walking around the grounds she felt an eerie 
connection to something. Presumably she was there to help release herself. The two portions of her soul could have been drawn to each other in the same mysterious way that two people living parallel lives with one 
soul might be if there was a compelling purpose. 


In chapter 1, i touched upon the duality of souls and how they are 
able to divide their energy to live more than one life at a time. A portion 
of the energy of most souls never leaves the spirit world during their 
incarnations. I'll discuss soul division further in the next chapter, but 
splitting soul energy is particularly relevant to the study of ghosts.

In my last case, even though Elizabeth was in limbo for a while as a ghost, 
another part of her energy remained in the spirit world working on 
lessons and interacting with other souls.

 

That other portion may also incarnate again and move on to a new life, which is what I believe 
happened with the woman who found the haunted house. 


I disagree with some ghost authorities who state that ghostly forms 
only represent an earthly shell without a soul's core of consciousness. 
There are life cycles when souls choose to take less energy than they 
should into a human body.

 

However, even if they become ghosts, such 
souls are far more than an empty shell of energy. One would think that 
the balance of a ghost's energy remaining in the spirit world ought to be 
more helpful to their disturbed alter ego still hanging around Earth. 
From what I hear, most immature souls who cross over are unable to 
perform this transfer and integration of energy by themselves. The 
following excerpt is a report I received from the soulmate of a ghost. 
This ghost is a young level I soul who was my subject's first husband. 

 

Case 15 
Dr. N: You have told me that your first husband, Bob, was a ghost 
after his last life. Please explain the circumstances here. 
S: Bob became a ghost because he was killed early in our marriage in 
that life. He was so overcome with despair and concern for me he 
wouldn't leave. 

 

Dr. N: I see. Can you tell me approximately how much of his total 
energy he carried with him into that life? 
S: (nods her head in assent) Bob had only about a quarter of his 
energy and it was not enough for him in this mental crisis ... 
he misjudged ... (stops) 


Dr. N: Do you think that if Bob had taken more of his energy to 
allow for this contingency he might not have become a ghost? 
S: Oh, I can't answer that, but I think it would have made him 
stronger ... more resistant to sorrow. 


Dr. N: Then why did he take so little energy to Earth? 
S: Well, because he wanted to be more engaged with his work in 
the spirit world. 

 

Dr. N: I'm confused about why Bob's guide didn't just make him 
take more energy to Earth. 
S: (shakes her head negatively) No, no! We are not pushed around 
that way. We are free to make our choices. And Bob didn't have 
to become a ghost, you know. Bob was advised to take more but 
he is stubborn and he was also considering another life at the 
same time, (a parallel life) 


Dr. N: Let me make sure I understand. Bob underestimated his 
capacity to function more normally in a crisis with a body 
having only 25 percent of his energy capacity? 
S: (sadly) I'm afraid so. 


Dr. N: Even though in death that body was gone? 
S: It didn't matter. The effects were still with him and he didn't have 
enough strength to combat the circumstances. 


Dr. N: How long did Bob stay a ghost before the rest of his energy 
was restored to him in the spirit world? 

S: Not long, about thirty years. He couldn't seem to help himself... 
lack of experience ... part of his lesson ... then our teacher was 
called by... you know... those beings who patrol Earth watching 
over the disturbed ones . . . to go get the rest of him to come 
home... 


Dr. N: They have been called the Redeemers of Lost Souls by some 
people. 
S: That's a good name for them, only Bob's soul wasn't lost exactly, 
only tormented. 


Souls in Seclusion 


My next case involves a more advanced subject who provided me with 
details about entities who are not ghosts but won't go home after death. 
As the case unfolds we will see that there are two motivating factors that 
drive these types of souls into seclusion. 


Case 16 
Dr. N: Are there people who die who are not ready to return to the 
spirit world? 
S: Yes, some souls who are released from their physical bodies don't 
want to leave Earth. 
Dr. N: I suppose they are all ghosts? 

S: No, but they can be if that is their desire—most are not. They 
simply don't want to be in contact with anyone. 

 

Dr. N: And their spiritual energy does not go home right after 
death? 
S: That's right, except there is a part of their energy which never left 
the spirit world. 


Dr. N: So I have heard. But let me ask if you consider these secluded 
souls as short-timers or do they stay in limbo for a long time in Earth 
years? 
S: It varies. Some want to return as quickly as possible in a new body. 
These souls don't want to give up their physical form for any length 
of time. They are different from most of us who want to rest and go 
home to study. Many of this type have been real front-line warriors 
on Earth. They want to maintain a continuity with their physical life. 


Dr. N: Well, it is my understanding that our guides won't permit us to 
be in some kind of holding pattern near Earth and go right into a 
new life. Don't these souls know they must go through the normal 
process of returning back to their groups, receiving counseling, 
studying their lessons and taking some part in the selection of a new 
body? 
S: (laughs) You're right, but the guides don't force those in extreme 
distress to return home until they see the benefits of doing so. 


Dr. N: Yes, but they won't give them a new body right away until 
after some sort of period of readjustment. 
S: (shrugs) Yes, that's true. 
Dr. N: Is it also true that other disturbed souls don't want to go back to 
Earth and won't go back where they belong in the spirit world 
either? 


S: That's right—another type ... 
Dr. N: But if both soul types don't prowl around Earth as 
discarnates bothering people as ghosts, should I be calling them 
disturbed when all they want is to be left alone? 


S: They are divergent. Their actions are the result of something 
unfinished ... traumatic ... overwhelming. They are unwilling to let go 
and this conduct is not usual. They won't talk to their teachers 
because of the extent of their unhappiness. 
Dr. N: Why don't their guides just take charge and pull them up deeper 
into the spirit world despite their resistance? 

S: If souls were forced to do what is right for them they would learn 
nothing from getting into a funk and shutting themselves up from 
everyone. 


Dr. N: Okay, but I still wonder why the souls who want to come back 
right away, with no stopovers in the spirit world, can't just be given a 
new body immediately? 
S: Can't you see that placing a disturbed soul into a new body would be 
totally unfair to a baby just starting life? These souls have a right to 
be in seclusion, but they will eventually make the decision to ask for 
assistance. They must come to the conclusion they can't progress 
alone. Being given a new body won't help them. 
Dr. N: Where do the souls go who don't want to wander the Earth as 
ghosts but won't go home? 
S: (ruefully) It's any space they want to create for themselves. They 
design their own reality with memories of a physical life. Some souls 
live in nice places like a garden setting. Others—those who have 
harmed people, for instance—design terrible spaces for themselves 
like a prison, a room with no windows. In these spaces they box 
themselves in so they can't experience much light or make contact 
with anyone. It is self-imposed punishment. 


Dr. N: I have heard that disturbed souls—the ones associated with 
evil—are taken into seclusion in the spirit world. 
S: That's correct, but at least they are ready to face the music and have 
their energy healed properly with love and care. 


Dr. N: Can you give me some indication of how our guides deal with all 
types of souls in self-imposed exile? 
S: They give them time to sweat it out. This is a challenge for teachers. 
They know these souls are concerned about their evaluations and the 
reactions from their soul groups.

 

They are full of negative energy 
and not thinking clearly. It may take many reassurances by those 
who wish to help them before these souls agree to give up their self-imposed places of confinement. 


Dr. N: I assume there are as many techniques of persuasion as there 
are guides? 
S: Sure ... depending upon the range of skill. Some teachers will not 
go near a disturbed student until that soul is so sick of being in 
seclusion they voluntarily call for help. This can take quite a 
while, (pause, then continues) Other teachers drop in often for 
chats. 


Dr. N: Eventually, will all these disturbed souls release themselves? 
S: (pause) Let's put it this way. Eventually, all will be released one 
way or another through different forms of encouragement... 
(laughs) or persuasion. 


Those of you who are familiar with my work know that I have 
strong convictions about the influence soul memory has on 
human thought. The isolation and solitude of souls expressed 
in case 16 might well give one the impression of a Christian 
purgatory as a place of atonement.

 

Could this religious 
concept have sprung from the fragmented soul memories of 
seclusion in the spirit world only to be subverted on Earth? 
There are similarities and great differences between my 
findings about soul seclusion and purgatory as defined by the 
church. 


Christian doctrine has purgatory as a state of self-purification for 
those who must eliminate all traces of sin before proceeding on to 
heaven. I hear that some souls in seclusion undergo self-cleansing while 
others may require energy restoration.

 

However, we don't come out of seclusion totally purified or there would be no need to reincarnate 
again. Also, soul confinement is not banishment. In recent years the less 
conservative elements of the Christian church do not stress hell as much 
as in the past. Nevertheless, the church still rejects universalism, the 
belief that everyone goes to heaven.

 

To them, souls who die in a state of 
unrepentant mortal sin bypass purgatory and descend into hell where 
they suffer the punishments of "eternal fire." To be eternally damned, 
according to the church, is a separation from God as opposed to those 
who are blessed. The Christian churches simply do not accept the 
concept that everything is forgivable in the afterlife. In my experience, 
all souls are repentant because they hold themselves accountable for 
their choices. 

 

From all I have learned, soul energy cannot be destroyed or made 
nonfunctional but it can be reshaped and purified of earthly contamination. Souls who demand to be left in solitude after death on Earth are not self-destructing, rather some feel isolation is necessary out of concern for contaminating other souls with negative energy. There are also 
souls who don't feel contaminated but they are not ready to be consoled 
by anyone.


The important thing to keep in mind is that souls have the ownership of their energy and most ask their guides to be taken to the centers of healing and rejuvenation in the spirit world. These are therapeutic 
areas away from their soul groups where there is solitude and time for 
personal reflection. However, this is a form of directed therapy.

 

The disturbed souls case 16 talked about had not yet chosen to receive help. All 
my case histories indicate to me that after death we have the right to 
refuse assistance from our spiritual masters for as long as we wish. 


I have been asked at lectures if the places of self-imposed exile are 
"lower planes" or "lower worlds." I can't help but feel these ideas come 
from fear-based dogma. Perhaps it's a question of semantics.

 

I think a better translation of this state is a self-imposed space, a vacuum of subjective reality designed by the soul who wants to be alone. Separated space, away from the soul's spiritual center, is one of its own making. I 
don't see these souls as being lost in some realm divided from the spirit 
world where others reside. The disjunction is mental. 


Souls of silence know they are immortal but they feel impotent. 
Consider what they do in solitude without help. They relive their acts 
over and over again, playing back all the karmic implications of what 
they have done to others and what has been done to them in their last 
life.

 

They may have harmed others or been harmed by them. Quite 
often I hear they feel victimized by events over which they had little 
control. They are sad and mad at the same time. They have no interaction with their soul groups. These souls suffer from self-recrimination 
and restricted insight. 1 must admit these conditions fall within some of 
the definitions of purgatory. 


Sartre said, "We have an imaginary self of the world with tendencies 
and desires and a real self." To this statement I would add that of 
William Blake, "Perception of our true self may threaten mergence with 
that self." In their space, the souls of solitude have given up their imaginary Self for a large dose of self-flagellation. Solitude and quiet self-analysis is an important and normal aspect of soul life within the spirit 
world.

 

The difference here is that these disturbed souls are not yet ready 
to seek relief from their torment by asking for help, moving forward 
and making changes. It's a good thing that these souls make up only a 
small fraction of the population of souls crossing over each day