Casper has lots of friends. But cartoon friendly ghosts don’t follow ghost rules.

Usually the ghost needs to resolve what ever led to their untimely death. That’s not always possible, but if they were murdered or died from neglect, they pass on once the cause of there death has been held accountable.

Now, let’s say there is the spirit of a murdered person. And shortly after wards, the murderer dies from something unrelated. The ghost never gets resolved and just hangs out for eternity.

Rules? Ghosts?

I’m pretty sure you can make up the rules if you make up the ghosts.

There are no such thing as ghosts. When you die, you die. That’s all, that’s it. Just like when a fly dies.

Good GOD, man. Are you culturally illiterate?

There is a tome.

Best luck getting a living look.

It’s not generally about rules, unless you just mean… oh do you mean in the Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon series?

As we’re not sure if ghosts really exist, there are no rules, and certainly no written rules, for them.

I am undecided as to whether ghosts exist. If they do, it may be that at the end of an individual’s physical manifestation their spirit unable to let go of their ego because of an emotional attachment to people they loved or hated in life.

Perhaps your question is about the “rules” involved with crafting spirits for “tales of the supernatural”. If this is the case, I can’t imagine you’re going to find a list of dos & don’ts for characters whose primary characteristics defy the laws of both physics and common sense.

Perhaps try some Google searches or research on your own. Think you may have better luck.

Fluther isn’t always the best place for everything.

Well there are people who are sure ghosts exist, and could give you information. My understanding is that there is not one fixed set of rules. It’s more that when someone dies, part of them isn’t ready to leave and sticks around. Usually there is a frame of mind which may have a reason, rather than a rule per se.

For example, with the guidance of such a person, I have met and communicated with the spirit of a former child who had died and was scared of what was next, so he was hanging around for comfort. We were able to offer him some better company that helped him choose to move on.

If there were any rules for Ghosts number one would be to accept that one has passed on.

I agree with @Inspired_2write. Another reason that the spirits of the deceased resist transcending a material reality is that they are attached to their emotions, particularly anger and guilt.

There are no such things as ghosts.