Ghost Seers

In folklore throughout the world, it is believed that certain people are born with the clairvoyant ability to see ghosts, spirits, omens, and hidden things that remain invisible to ordinary sight. This gift is often linked to the exact time, day, or circumstances of a person’s birth.

In Lancashire, England, children born during twilight were believed to possess the power to know which of their acquaintances would die next. In other parts of England, the magical birth hour was said to be midnight, or the hour immediately after midnight, when the boundary between the living and the dead was thought to be especially thin.

In several European traditions, the day of birth was considered more important than the hour. In Denmark, children born on a Sunday were believed to be able to perceive hidden signs, including warnings of approaching death. In Scotland, those born on Christmas Day or Good Friday were said not only to see spirits, but also to command them.

Other traditions hold that ghosts can only be seen by particular kinds of people, or under specific conditions. According to Finnish lore, the ghosts of the dead may be seen by shamans, while ordinary people can encounter them only in dreams. In parts of the Antilles, some traditions say that the dead may appear on the road only when a person is travelling alone.

In many cultures, ghost-seeing was also connected with altered states of consciousness. Seers sometimes used sacred or intoxicating substances to intensify their visions and receive information useful to the community. In the Amazon and North Brazil, seers were traditionally given narcotic substances to induce visions that might reveal hidden knowledge, such as the identity of a criminal. Similarly, some Native American groups in California once gave children intoxicants so they might receive visions of enemies or dangers.

The figure of the ghost seer therefore stands between the worlds of the living and the dead. Whether born under a special sign, trained as a shaman, or placed into a visionary state, the ghost seer serves as a witness to the unseen realm.

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