James continues with his example of John Jones: “If anyone were to have told Jones’ former partners and business associates that they were now being influenced by Jones from the spirit world, they would laugh scornfully. They were sure their hunches and their knowledge of their professions were sufficient to account for their every instinctive move of buying and selling. Yet the fact that John Jones watched over their shoulders and frequently (if inaudibly) shouted, ‘Buy, buy, now’s the time,’ or, ‘Sell, don’t be caught in the decline that’s coming,’ probably influenced many a deal. Jones may not have known any more of the situation than the man he was influencing, and his advice may or may not have been correct, but his interest and his strongly projected thoughts penetrated the minds of his associates, whether or not they were aware of it.” What are the karmic implications of Jones’ post-death behavior? And if a former associate had spiritual protection against such interference from the earthbound dead like Jones, how would that have appeared to Jones? Or would such protection be invisible to Jones as well, given the non-spiritually progressive state he was in? What can Creator tell us?

This question is best dealt with in the context of considering the importance of humans having free agency and free will, and that continues once they leave their physical body on its expiration and begin their transition. As a discarnate spirit, it is up to them to navigate. Many spirits are unable to do so with proficiency, and that is a consequence of the limitation of their thoughts in terms of what seems doable or desirable to do. Such spirits are truly marking time to no purpose and losing out on life. Those who can influence the living, in some way or another, will not have the wherewithal to do so in an effective fashion even to envision an agenda that has a logical purpose and a potential benefit. Whether in a state of confusion, unawareness, or diminished reasoning ability, lost soul spirits have little to offer the living, and it is certainly no blessing to the living to sense a loved one who is now a ghost haunting their home, because they will not be able to feel something positive about this spirit presence they are sensing, as the lost soul spirit, being relatively low in vibration, is diminished precisely because their divine disconnection will prevent lofty notions, including loving feelings which are among the highest of vibrations. More often, loved ones in the presence of the spirit of a departed relative will sense negativity, a kind of disquiet, uneasiness, because the spirit is in a state of turmoil all too often because of the circumstance of being lost in limbo. Such spirits might hang around indefinitely because they are drawn to the energy of the living, seeking a safe haven themselves, but this will not be very rewarding nor a contribution to the living who share their environment. There might be a soul recognition, that the consciousness of a loved one is seeking their attention and the deep subconscious of a living human might invite in that spirit, especially if it is a loved one known to them, but that could happen with someone who is simply lost, confused, alone, and yearning for comfort, by making a humanitarian gesture to invite them onboard, so to speak, and the spirit may remain as an attachment indefinitely. This is not a blessing, even with loved ones attached, because such spirits are diminished, confused, often in emotional torment, and will be unhappy at a minimum, and that is not an asset to add to one's energy, not to mention having another consciousness within the body's energy field can be quite confusing and a source of disharmony, inadvertently, as well as a major liability if the spirit is in a state of torment. Many times, lost soul human spirit attachments are beings who lived disordered lives and, being incapable of transitioning fully, attach to the energy of a living person out of desperation and will drag them down emotionally because their negativity will rub off on their host.