FILES KARINA MACHADO
Karina Machado is a journalist, host of the
Spirit Sisters podcast and the author of Spirit Sisters, Where Spirits Dwell and Love Never Dies, a non-fiction series exploring the extraordinary experiences of ordinary people. Now, on The Ghost Files podcast each week, Karina will introduce a guest who’ll share their personal encounter with the spirit world.
DARKNESS AND LIGHT
When I became fascinated with the afterlife as a child of about 7, it was the hope within these encounters that drew me. To me, ghosts and other mysteries weren’t scary, they pointed to a thrilling surprise beyond a horizon we couldn’t see. What child doesn’t love a surprise?
And yet, there is unquestionably a scary side to these stories. I have interviewed enough terrified people over the years to know it. Paradoxically, these experiences encompass darkness and light, and it’s not uncommon to experience both sides of the paranormal coin. Mark, my guest on this week’s episode of The Ghost Files podcast, can relate. There are two key moments that define his understanding of the other side, and they are polar opposites, as the Sydney father of two tells me.
As a young graduate, Mark lived in an old share house (what is it about share houses, by the way? They’re magnets for paranormal activity!). Frightening events took place there that he’s never been able to forget. And yet, years passed before anything strange happened again, and when it did, it was the beginning of a chain of events that brought reassurance, the opposite of fear.
Losing a dear friend to cancer in 2012 devastated Mark and his wife, but then the friend’s spirit began to make herself known in a way that was characteristic of her personality and sense of humour. More visits would follow, with both of Mark’s young children indicating they could see the beloved family friend they’d never had the chance to meet in life. Death wouldn’t stop her, that much was clear.
For Mark, these visits were nothing like what he’d experienced back in 2001. This time, interaction from beyond the veil delivered comfort and hope – precious memories to lean on.