Mmm...Idk. I've seen "ghosts" only during my childhood(probably before I was 10 years old).
The first time basically we were expecting a visitor, I was curious to see who it was, since he was once my mother's boyfriend (before I was born). I looked through the window and saw a grey haired overweight black man wearing a brown suit. I was surprised that my mom dated someone old enough to be her father. So I described him to her and she was like, "What? no, My ex boyfriend is about my age." So I went to the front door to see him and there he was just a middle aged white dude, dark hair wearing a white shirt. No sign of the old man I had seen.
My family just conclude that he had to be some spirit guide, specially because his father followed an African religion that "sets" a guide to protect people. My mom also considered it could be his father himself(that btw never liked her and had died) but she said he was bald and the man I saw had hair.
So there's no way it could've been a residual ghost. This house has always been w/my family, was just a lot in the past, it seemed that who I saw was following him like a bodyguard.
Other "ghost" I've seen was when I was playing w/shadows, making bunnies w/my hand past midnight while my mother was washing dishes. I was alone in my bedroom and another shadow hand appeared playing w/me. I just froze
I didn't want to look to my left to see if there was someone there. I walked away not looking to my side.
One funny thing is that in my family at least two female cousins have seen a "ghost" shadow playing back to them when they were children, "who/what" it could be we have no idea. Maybe this is a more common occurrence? (gonna google to see if anyone mentions the same lol)
Another "ghost" was when I heard a sound of fork falling down in the kitchen and I kept asking my mother and an older cousin to come w/me and look what was the sound. They ignored me as they were more interested in discussing a soap opera episode. I then decided to go alone, but I was short and couldn't turn on the lights. I saw a faceless spectral boy, just made of white light, I could see the contour of his whole body and clothes. It was as if he wore a shirt, a short and even a baseball cap. Despite the darkness he glowed and he was in front of the stove. He seemed to be, judging by his height 11 to 13 years old. And he looked at me, as if caught by surprise, ran and disappeared within the stove.
- The thing is OP, I don't think the first "ghost/guide" even noticed me, he seemed unaware of me watching him, he just walked straight as a bodyguard on duty. I don't think he tried to induce me to seeing him.
- The "ghost/shadow" was trying to play, so I guess it could've made an effort to be seen, materialize, etc. I don't think it was my imagination, if I was to make an imaginary friend I think I'd be glad I was seeing it and not scared of it. (never had imaginary friends btw).
- The "boy in the kitchen ghost" seemed to be caught by surprise/accident so I also guess he didn't want to bring attention to himself whatsoever and that's why he ran away.
And what about haunted places that supposedly lots of people see the ghost at the same time? Could a ghost induce so many people to see them inside their minds at once?
I never got to see a ghost again, I know for sure I would never fake a picture. I could never try to capture them in a photograph as I wasn't expecting to see anything at all and was too young.
So I don't know, what Goswami said seems to make sense. For a medium seeing a ghost is trivial, still we don't see many credible pictures. Why don't they take one? As your author said, because these ghosts are only being visualized by the mediums' mind and do not exist
physically. Still I don't know if I agree all ghosts induce us to see, judging by my own short experience. For me it was like they were minding their business and I got to spot them by chance.
I guess a ghost can induce a medium or a normal person(that share some sort of bond) to visualize them in their mind when they want to make contact thus making easier to establish a connection. But they can also be seen by accident, without trying. I feel like what he said is right, but not the rule, just the facilitator.
My grandma has lots of stories and holds some weird beliefs like: if we leave leftovers in the kitchen ghosts come to (try to) eat it and that in a funeral if we look to the coffin behind your own legs you get to see the ghost of the deceased person. That is the one that brings me more curiosity but I'm a coward so I never tried
She says she saw the deceased man sitting above the closed coffin. O.o' Anyone willing to try and see if can get a picture?
Other funny stuff: a santa claus toy without batteries(for a year probably) once started playing out of nowhere and a duck toy also without batteries started quacking, normally w/batteries if you pressed his hand we would quack "Singing in The Rain", but without batteries he just started emitting single quacks. lol Random quacks out of nowhere. We got rid of the toys.