Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.
My Account | Help | View your shopping cart Shopping Cart We accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express
Browse ProductsAuthorsArticlesBlogsEncyclopediaNewslettersAffiliate ProgramContact UsBooksellers
Advanced Search
ENCYCLOPEDIA
Glossary
What's New
Most Popular
List of Articles

Email Exclusives
Sign up to receive special offers and promotions from Llewellyn.

Get the Latest Issue of New Worlds

March / April 2010 Issue

New Worlds Catalog

Download the PDF File version of the latest issue of Llewellyn's New Worlds Catalog


The Llewellyn Encyclopedia
Print this Term Print this Article

Evil from Beyond the Grave

This article was written by Keith Randolph on May 13, 2002
posted under Psychic Protection

Thousands of Grade-Z horror movies and hack novels with occult themes—not to mention thousands of years of superstitious beliefs—have caused most human beings to think of the dead as a threat to the living and ghosts as entities up to no good. The evidence from human experience, documented in the serious literature of psychical research, shows us otherwise, however. While contacts between the dead and the living are in fact not at all uncommon (as any number of polls and surveys have shown), the experiences are positive in the great majority of cases. Usually they involve the return of a deceased spouse, relative, or friend, and they provide a measure of comfort to the grief-stricken living.

But it is not only good people who die and survive. There are deranged people who die but who remain, even as spirits, evil. They may also attack normal people who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Evil spirits may also come from those who were not bad people, but who led desperately unhappy lives, or who died terrible deaths. Their spirits have been affected adversely—in other words, by the circumstances of their lives or deaths. It is even possible that these spirits are not consciously evil, but simply confused, desperate, and not fully aware of the consequences of their actions. But they can still be dangerous to the living.

Malevolent discarnates are usually associated with haunted houses, of course, but they are certainly not limited to such places. They have been known to occupy other geographical locations, such as a stretch of highway (where they may cause deadly accidents), a swamp, a factory, or in fact, just about any place one can imagine. Typically the discarnate is associated with the place in some way; he may have died there, perhaps, or committed some monstrous act.

We also know that at least some evil spirits are not bound to any particular place and can follow their victims to the ends of the earth if they so desire.

Curiosity is a great cure-all because it generates energy and enthusiasm. Even if you don’t have much control over your present circumstances, you can nevertheless indulge your curiosity with simple tarot readings. The following is a “card search” technique that gives you something to look forward to. As you shuffle your deck,... read this article
The Astrological Elements: How Compatible Are Your Sun Signs?
The Everyday Clairvoyant: What’s Your Gift? (And Does It Help You Clean The House?)
Court Cards, Part I: The Kings of Tarot
Court Cards, Part II: The Queens of Tarot
Court Cards, Part III: The Knights of Tarot

Most recent posts:
Spirits Out of Time is a finalist for the ForeWord Book of the Year awards!
Spirits Out of Time, by Annie Wilder, has been named a finalist for the ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards in the Autobiography/Memoir...

Ostara…It’s Not Just for the Kiddies Anymore!
This week, to help prepare for Ostara festivities on the weekend, we have a guest blogger stepping in! Bronwynn Forrest Torgerson, author of One...

The Manga Tarot's Hierophant
I included this deck just to try and make your brains explode. This is another compelling deck designed by my friend Riccardo Minetti. In this...


Some of you may be familiar with the name "Oliver Haddo." It's the name Aleister Crowley used (he used lots of pseudonyms) when he wrote a few...



Llewellyn's 2010 Astrological Calendar Llewellyn's 2010 Astrological Calendar
By: Llewellyn
Price: $13.99 $7.00 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2010 Witches' Datebook Llewellyn's 2010 Witches' Datebook
By: Llewellyn
Price: $10.99 $5.50 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2010 Witches' Calendar Llewellyn's 2010 Witches' Calendar
By: Llewellyn
Price: $13.99 $7.00 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2010 Moon Sign Book Llewellyn's 2010 Moon Sign Book
Plan Your Life by the Cycles of the Moon

By: Llewellyn
Price: $10.99 $5.50 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2010 Magical Almanac Llewellyn's 2010 Magical Almanac
By: Llewellyn
Price: $10.99 $5.50 On Sale!