So read the hitchhiker story and are you telling me that when little me felt watched theres a good chance I actually was?
I’d say that 99.9999999999999% of the time you feel like you’re being watched that’s your ancestral “BUT WHAT IF THERE’S A TIGER??” instinct going off because you had neurons firing in it’s general vicinity and it wants to be helpful. It was a very helpful insitinct back in the day and that’s why your ancestors handed it down to you. The reflex is essentially your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother reaching forward through time to tell you, her beloved hypothetical descendant, to Be Safe. So next time you feel it, say “Thanks Grandma Oog! I’m OK.” And know that you were loved millenia before you were born.
As for Ghosts and Other Entities:
1. Unlike humans, Entities won’t get up in your business without a good reason. It takes effort to get Here from wherever they’re from, so it’d be like driving all the way to Woosterville, Ohio just to leave a bag of flaming dogshit on Cliffton P. Muddkier’s doorstep. Cliff would have to fuck up real bad to warrant that kind of action. Did you murder someone? Burn down a holy site? No? You’re probably good.
1.1 Much like Humans, pretty much no Entities have beef with you and pass you on the street with as much interest as you pass a pigeon. “Huh. Neat Human.” they might think before forgetting about you entirely in favor of contemplating slushie flavors.
1.2 99% of Ghosts are Dogs and other friends waiting around for thier BFF to join them so they can go to the afterlife together. If you hear something in your house at night it’s a former pet or relative checking on you. Possibly great^42 Grandma Oog mentioned above.
2. The only difference between People and Ghosts is that Ghosts know what dying is like, so I imagine the bridge is not much more than the one between Humans who haven’t given birth and those that have. They’re still as generally amiable, moderately clueless, sorta petty and Generally Helpful in Emergencies as Regular Humans. So the way to avoid pissing off an entity is the same as not pissing off a human person: Don’t be an asshole.
2.1 Of course, manners vary all over, but in general:
Ask for something before taking it, and say please when you do. If there’s a human caretaker for the residence of the entity, ask them, they’ve got better intraplanar communication skills.
Don’t get mad when the Answer is “No”. Autonomy and Consent are Important regardless of circumstances or origin.
If there is no caretaker and you need it for an emergency, apologise for imposing first, and come back with compensation when you can.
Unless you’ve been told it’s OK to touch, Don’t. This is also good advice for disease mitigation and respecting Human boundaries.
Unless you’ve been invited, don’t enter. Vampires were right on this one.
If you need to make an introduction follow the Inigo Montoya Method: state who you are* (”I am Inigo Montoya”), why you have business with them (”You killed my father.”) and set clear expectaions of what youw ant out of this encounter (”Prepare to die”). This is also how you make effective introductions at school or job interviews or on dates.
If you need to make an arrangment with an entity, state your terms clearly- what you want, what you’re willing to give and what the consequences will be if either of you fail to hold up your end. Do not allow the arrangment to commence until your terms have all been met. This is also how you do business with humans.
2.2 Don’t worry about the Names thing. You’re a human you’ve got a zillion names and by now there’s a generally accepted “limited use liscencing” agreement in place installed at the court battle of “The Good Folk vs. The Fluid And Inconstant Nature of Language, Particularly Common Vernacular” in 1852, generally heralded as the event when Lawyers outsrtipped The Good Folk in terms of being Slippery Bastards.
TL:DR: If you feel like you’re being watched it’s your ancestors looking out for you and if it’s not you’re probably just a really interesting pigeon and if you DID fuck up real bad you’ve got better odds against them than you do against your local parking authority, who can usually be swayed by the use of a strongly-worded letter. TL; DR: TL;DR: You’re good.
