We have the words \u201cghost,\u201d \u201cspirit,\u201d and \u201csoul\u201d which are similar but
\nslightly different when we use them or think about them. Soul is used
\nwhen discussing life after death in Christianity: your soul goes to heaven
\nor hell. You might become a ghost after you die, but not before, if your
\nsoul decides to hang around on earth for a while. Spirit can refer to a
\nghost or a soul or just a lot of life energy: that girl has spirit.
\nI was explaining to my daughter that Americans use the jack-o\u2019-lantern to keep the
\nghosts out of the house on Halloween, but when I asked her why the Japanese invite
\nthe ghosts in for Obon, my wife who was listening became very upset and said they are
\nnot ghosts. She said they were relatives – but not living; do Japanese have a word
\nwhich means something different from ghost, spirit, or soul?<\/p>\n
John<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"