My late dad worked in the press for more than 2 decades. He said sometimes when people or children go and swim at unused mining pools, lakes, swimming pools, river and sea…and drowned, it may be due to them being pulled down by a vengeful water spirit.
These were based on some new reports he had edited where survivors swore they saw usually a female spirit who tried pulled their legs down.
There are multiple cases with such reports of sightings… but only by those who lived to tell the story or someone who managed to rescue the victim. Sadly, most people especially children who got pulled down would not live to tell their story.
I remember reading a story posted by a person who experienced this in US. He said he knew what he saw, a female swimming up from the depths and pulling one of his legs down which he managed to wiggle off after much struggle. He mentioned he know no one would believe him but he knew what he saw and he said he was not hallucinating. He was neither drunk nor high on drugs.
Well, if he is in Asia, then his story would not be considered odd. As our Malay and Chinese media would report fully including paranormal while the English papers tend to downplay anything that science could not explain.
Yes science can explain that there are a kind of suction in disused mining pool that can act as a force to pull a person downwards. Which could be a possible cause too. But it does not explain the sightings from survivors.
When I was growing up, Chinese children were prohibited from going near the 7th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, also known as the Hungry Ghost month. Usually during these month more accidents and drowning seemed to happen as it is said the Gates of Hell opens up and vengeful spirits are allowed to take revenge on those who have wronged them.
Some of these wrongdoings may have been done on a previous lifetime.
While some are just pure nasty and try to take the life of a person who is low on luck or have low life force energy (this happens actually throughout the year).
So far, I find the best protection against such spiritual attacks is that we should have good morality and virtue. In Buddhism, it means to observe the 5 Precepts. Kindness in heart is important as we would attract protection when our hearts is good.
We need not be religious if we do not wish to but need to live our life with our conscience clear. For I have seen many people who preach stuff are hypocrites themselves. They emotionally abuse their family, engage in gossip and speech that breaks people up. They often think badly about people. Such people whose mind are engrossed in thoughts of ill will would not have much protection as their behaviour causes harm to others.
I believe we have protective beings or guardian angels who are there to protect us. But they can only get near and the heavens would be in a position even if our aura or energy is low. Through experience I have meditating in sometimes scary places, I become aware that the best protection is not amulets or religious symbols…but virtue and a good heart. Don’t get me wrong, those things may protect but sometimes, the circumstance may be that we lost that item or it had been broken when the ‘danger’ time comes as externals may be.
But one thing that would not leave us is the inner goodness which often are developed and strengthened by consistent spiritual practice.