Question: Will an angry ghost hurt us?
"My dad passed away December 10," says Cathy. "Is it possible that he is here? My mom swears that she saw and heard him the other night. He was really angry because she is going through some stuff and getting rid of unusable items. She is worried that he will hurt her. I don't think he can, but you never know.... Can he? Or is that just the grief that is making her mind play tricks on her? Should I do a test to see if he is there, causing some unneeded worry on her behalf or should I just let it ride? What do I do?"
Cathy, this is a complicated situation and it's difficult to give advice when I do not know all of the family dynamics. It certainly is possible that it is the grief your mother is feeling that might be bringing up illusions of your father's image and voice. Your mother could be feeling guilty about going through and discarding some of his belongings. This could be just a psychological problem.
Explanations such as this should always be considered first, before leaping to the paranormal. Your mother might need some grief counseling to come to terms with her loss.
Could it really be your father's ghost? There's no way of saying for sure at this point, but there have been cases in which spirits of recently departed (or sometimes long departed) people make it known that they do not approve of the behavior of the living friends or relatives left behind. They don't like it when a favorite object is sold or even moved, or they don't approve of alterations to the place where they lived.
If this is the case, then I do not think your mother is danger of any physical harm. She could try talking aloud to the spirit, assuring him that she means no disrespect to his memory, and that she is just making adjustments so she can move on. She should assure him that what she is doing is out of love for him and the family. (Doing this can be beneficial to your mother, whether there is a ghost or it is just psychological.)
If it is a spirit, you should not try to appease it, even if it does seem angry. If he doesn't like the changes that are being made, that's really too bad. He has to move on just as the living do. Things are not the same. It's your house. Explain that to him with all kindness.
I also advise that you do not do any kind of test. I doubt that there is any need, and doing so might only aggravate the situation for all involved. My guess is that any paranormal phenomena will fade and disappear in a very short time.
Your family should do what it needs to do to move on, and do so with an attitude of acceptance and love. Fill your house with an atmosphere of love and support and I'll wager that all will be well.
