I don't know why, but every time I hear the word “phantom” mentioned in some way, my ears perk up. The word itself conjures up all sorts of meanings. I think that is why some companies have adopted the name Phantom. It is mysterious, interesting, paranormal and secretive. If we look in the dictionary for the meaning of the word, we usually find definitions like a ghostly appearance, or something that is not really there, but someone thinks it is. It can be both a noun or an adjective and describe things like phantom sounds or sights. The word was considered good enough to draw attention to a comic book character that was named The Phantom who lived in a fictional African country.

When some people lose an eye they experience phantom sight in the eye that isn't there. They might see shadows and lights. The same is true when a limb is cut off. Sometimes people lose a leg and still feel pain in that leg, but it doesn't exist anymore. Sometimes a virus checker, or malicious software finder, might list an object that doesn't exist. The problem is especially bad with one brand of product that will remain unmentioned. There are those that state that when people say that they see ghosts and spirits they are seeing phantom objects. Their rational for this is that they claim that these people are either in a state of such fear that their mind conjures up illusions, or that they want to see something so bad that they convince themselves that they are seeing it. They will even tell you that when large crowds of people all see the same thing, it is because of self hypnosis. I am sorry, but I just can't agree with that conclusion.

One disease that is annoying thousands of people is called tinnitus. This is something that some people have, where they think that they are hearing ringing or whistling. It is phantom noise that they are hearing, because the noise does not really exist. There are some noises that people claim are phantom noises, but they are not really. The reason I say not really is because some people are hearing these sounds, even thought it might be a small percentage of the population. Auckland has been the site of a strange hum. It is estimated that it is running at 56Hz and some people are hearing it. It has been described as an unidentified acoustic phenomena. One person described it as the humming of sand dunes, whatever that means. Central New Mexico is the home to a hum that is not only heard by some people, it is heard by some of the hard of hearing. I find that this is a fascinating fact and makes the hum even more mysterious.

Ghost In Photo
Photo Source: Public Domain

Phantoms have been seen since the beginning of time and have been photographed since the early days of the camera. Sometimes people claim that they saw nothing, but when they looked at a photo that they had taken they and others saw a phantom or ghostly figure in them. This always brings up the problem of whether the photos are genuine, or they have been altered in some way. So many altered photos have been found that all photos of disputed objects and people have now been put in doubt. Then there are those that claim that they saw a phantom or ghost with their own eyes. When people testify to this sort of thing they are usually ripped apart by skeptics and sometimes even the public at large. I wouldn't recommend talking to anyone about a sighting unless you know beforehand that they are not going to try and make you look like a fool. I know that while I may not agree with what some people tell me, I never make fun of them, or try and make them look foolish so that I can build up my ego. That can be verified by the many people who have told me about their experiences over the years.

Lately there have been those that have claimed to see phantom planes. These are planes that change shape into other things. Several people once claimed that they witnessed a helicopter changing into a plane, others have stated that they saw UFOs changing their shapes into something else. One person I know about even stated that he thought that a large black SUV had changed into a UFO and flew off. It sounds absurd at first blush, but if we think about it, why couldn't an advanced civilization project an image on a vehicle to make us think that it was something else, or if they were really advanced actually change the shape of something? We have to keep an open mind on these things if we want to get to the center of what is happening.

Phantom companies are being advertised every day in our emails. How many times did I get offers by email to “Get In On The Bottom Floor” by buying stocks from some company based in Nigeria? The letters were from phantom people also. They would identify the writer as the CEO of XYZ company, or some such thing and I was supposed to feel flattered because he, a stranger, wanted to let me in to some sort of initial stock offering. Yeah, sure.

Phantom Of The Opera Poster 1920
Photo Source: Public Domain

Sometimes having a phantom in a play or musical is not a bad thing. The Phantom Of The Opera has been running on Broadway, in New York forever. Well not forever, but for a very long time and is really raking in the bucks.

The Crusaders were great at describing phantoms that they stated they saw. On several different occasions some of them stated that Angelic Hosts appeared in their ranks and turned the tide of battle in their favor. When the British Army of 80,000 men was in full retreat from the German Army of 300,000, something happened that saved most of the British soldiers in that World War I battle and one soldier who saw it described it this way in a letter to his family:

British Soldiers That Survived Battle Of Mons Retreat
Photo Source: Public Domain

He said that the men had joked about the shells being fired at them, but it was really “a seven mile hell”. A rear guard had been assigned to protect the retreating soldiers. As the soldier watched he saw a tremendous host come out of the allied trenches and move against the German lines. One soldier of the 1,000 rear guard muttered a saying in Latin calling on St. George for help. At that moment it felt like lighting had gone through the bodies of some of the British soldiers and the one that had invoked help from St. George heard Array! Array! He looked up and heard thousands shouting St. George! St. George! He saw thousands of bowmen shoot their arrows. The other soldiers began to notice that the Germans were falling, not in 10s or 100s, but in 1,000s. Something strange was happening. When the Germans examined the battlefield they found tens of thousands of dead German troops, but they had no wounds that they could find. This account of phantom bowmen was confirmed by others in the British ranks.