The figure of the ghost is a transient concept. It changes with time, context, audience, and intent. The modern ghost may be referred to as spirit, entity, presence, and, in some cases, demon. A ghost is created by unfinished business, often injustice. Ghostliness can be equated with displacement. As a result, in many of its cultural expressions, especially among modern ghost hunters, a ghost, spirit, or entity is disembodied, immaterial, diminished, and often imperceivable.

 

Ghosts play a dual role within our consciousness: they remind us of unfulfilled deaths and insist that these wrongs can be fixed, even after death. The figure of the medium plays not only the intermediary role or a bridge between worlds, but as a guide for both the living and the dead through grief towards peace. The idea that no one, even after death, is beyond salvation is an immense comfort and an enduring concept (O’Halloran 2012: Bastion 2016). 

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