Very interesting thread! First, SoupDragon, I'd like to pass along my condolences regarding the passing of your father. It is so difficult when we lose a parent. Your father will always be with you in your heart, and I believe, is still with you now.

I had a similar experience happen the evening my mom passed away. We had hospice set up for her at her best friend's house a few houses down from mom's. This is where mom actually passed. She had been there for about a week. A few times in her weak, somewhat delusional, state she commented, "I wanna go home." Unsure what she meant by this (or if she even knew what she was talking about) we dismissed it. Mom remained at her friend's.

I had been staying at mom's house since I live out of state. Mom passed away in the afternoon. Later that evening (maybe around Midnight or later) unable to sleep I was laying on mom's couch watching T.V. I was the only one in the house. As I laid there I heard a creek in the hallway and immediately it got my attention. The only way this floor area creeks is if someone walks on it. I shot up off the couch and glanced around only to find nothing there. So I shrugged it off as my imagination.

Well, a few moments later I felt a presence next to me, on the couch, by my feet. The couch cushion didn't lower as if someone was sitting there but I felt an overwhelming sense of mom! Ever since I was a little girl mom would do this if I was lying on the couch watching T.V. She'd sit at my feet, maybe caress my leg, and talk with me. This is exactly what this felt like to me except I felt no touch. And strangely, it wasn't a frightening experience. Rather, it felt very comforting as if mom was actually there. Call me crazy, but I genuinely believe this was mom checking in on me to make sure I was okay. Also, because of this, I now can't dismiss mom's comment about, "Wanting to go home." I can't help but wonder if maybe this experience was two-fold. Mom wanted to return home and wanted to check on me?

And this energy, presence, of mom doesn't stop there. A year or so before mom passed away she visited me and helped paint the interior of my house. She spent most of her time in my dining room peeling off wallpaper and painting. Every now and then I'll get a sense of mom's presence in the dining room. I've seen fleeting glimpses of orbs in there and my dog will occasionally bark, staring, directly into the dining room only to find nothing there.

Also, I have some collectibles I inherited from mom in my china cabinet which used to belong to her. I genuinely believe mom still visits me and the reason why she seems to always manifest in my dining room is because of her attachment to this area (where she worked and repainted for so long) and her energy linked to her collectibles. I know some people roll their eyes and believe this stuff is a bunch of hogwash. However, there has been a good amount of research, scientific proof, etc... that proves spirits, ghosts, entities, whatever you'd like to call them, can be attached to antiques, objects, etc... they had a strong bond with.

Now, I am much more open minded than many on this topic. I have spiritual/metaphysical beliefs and have done a fair amount of energy work over the past few years. I've been ghost hunting and have some excellent photos of mists, orbs, etc... because I felt a shift in energy and sensed photos should have been taken in these areas. So I do believe in energy transfer and that spirits can manifest for a variety of reasons. I won't get into all that here and I'm certainly not an authority on the topic! I can only speak to what little I know and from my own personal experiences. However, if you'd like to PM me and discuss this further I'd be more than happy to.

So guess my question to you is this, SoupDragon: You mentioned locating a spiritualist or a spiritualist church. What is it you'd like to try to accomplish? Are you frightened or curious to learn more? Are you interested in locating a psychic/medium to confirm or deny your experiences? Are you wanting to contact your father? Are you wanting these episodes to stop? Again, as mentioned above, if you'd like to PM me, please feel free.

Wishing you and everyone the best.

Peace and healing energy to all...

~*PositiveKarma*~