Raising the dead

I've heard of ressurection spells where, when someone dies you can take the life force energy from someone else and put it into the person that has died. I'm not sure if it works though, and if it did it would probably not be a very good thing to do since, by doing it someone else who is perfectly alive would have to die in the process.

NightmareKid, I don't think so. It is certainly possible to "possess" a person (though I've only ever heard of spirits being able to do it, and usually only with consent), but you can't transfer the "life" within a person into another body (life-energy doesn't count, that's just a technical term for magical energy). I think that reanimation is possible (necromancers must have been able to do something convincing), but you cannot actually bring the dead back to life. The body can be made to move again, but the mind and soul shall never return.

its possible to talk to the spirit of the person to come back but you cant physcaly bring someone back to life but its kinda rude to summon a spirit for no reason

I would like to thank all of you for responding^_^ You have all taught me a lot. But I have another question.

So you cant bring the dead back to life, but is it possible for a spirit to occupy a corpse for a little while, like a puppet?

From what I hear, some people believe that it's not easy for a spirit to enter a body when another soul occupies it. Unless the soul within that body is week of will and mind.

but what if there is no soul in the body the spirit wants to take over?

That is greek necromancy. The rituals and spellwork still exist if you're willing to look hard enough. Its rather impossible to perform now because of regulations concerning corpses. However I've heard of people attempting such things on recently deceased animals. I personally don't feel it is right to drag a spirit back to its body. But I'm not going to deny that it isn't possible. A spirit/soul can occupy any vessel. And the body is a vessel. That doesn't mean the body will reanimate. But it does draw the spirit closer to the physical. It's a means of bridging the veil.

Yes, exactly.

The body continues to remain a physical link for a spirit. That was why the Egyptians spent so much effort to preserve the body. In egyptian belief the ba (soul) continues to return to the ha (body). However the body lacks its "ka" or life's spark, therefore it remains dead.

The belief of the soul having a link to the body has lasted throughout the ages. Even to this day, in some cultures, it is customary to "share a drink" at the burial sites of their friends or family, or even have a picnic there with an empty place setting for the deceased.

People visit the graves of loved ones because they feel closest to them when in the presence of their "resting place". And it is an unspoken custom to speak to the deceased loved ones at their grave, believing that the words will have more of a chance to be heard.

Perhaps it is our own thoughts/beliefs that cause the link to occur or perhaps we subconsciously sense a link that is already in existence. I tend to believe the latter is true because many of us gain strong connections with our belongings in life, and our bodies are our most personal possession.

It looks like this thread has enough answers already, but I'll throw mine in.

Most of the time, no, it isn't possible. However there are certain circumstances in which there could be an exception. I have found that if a creature dies recently from certain fixable causes, it is possible to repair the damage and bring the creature back to life. I have only ever done this with a snake. Chances are something larger or more complex, such as a human, would not be nearly as easy and I wouldn't even call my experiment with the snake easy.

Gardner snake died, immediately after I focused my energy into it and willed it back to life, after awhile it came around. I provided food and water and it seemed happy for a reptile.

The exceptions to the possible exception would be: If the spirit has already moved on, if the spirit is unwilling to come back, if the damage to the body is beyond repair, or if the person who wants to bring the deceased back simply doesn't have the necessary energy or the willpower to bring it back.

Spirits deserve respect and should never be forced back against their will. Even if Hollywood methods of bringing the dead back were possible, it is merely a matter of making the body suitable for the spirit and helping the spirit reconnect with it's body. You do not control the brain, you do not have strings on the person's body, and you will not be able to control a zombie army if that is your goal.

tell me you didn't get this notion from Practical Magic. i love that movie, but a lot of the magic parts of the movie, can't happen... though stiring your tea with your power and lightly blowing on a candle to light it would be fun. unfortunately, bringing back the dead falls under defying physics [nature actually but go with me] so we can't do it because it involves changing a fact of life.