Different spiritual traditions suggest that certain souls remain near the living for a time. These situations are described as exceptions, not punishments, and the reasons vary. Some stay because their love for a person feels too strong to loosen. Others pause out of guilt, regret or the weight of unfinished conversations. A few feel confused, unsure that they have actually died, especially if their passing was sudden.
From the perspective of the soul, time doesn’t behave like ours. What appears to us as months or years may feel like a blink, a suspended moment.
Three kinds of lingering presences
