Hmm, reading this thread brings to mind the theme song to the movie "Pocahontas".. "Colours of the Wind" by Vanessa Williams.

Particularly the lyrics...

"You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name

You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew"

I think that the "method" that spirits use would also likely depend on what kind of spirit it is and how "progressed" it is in regard to the new realm/plane that it now exists in/on.

The human spirit/ghost/soul (call it what you like) goes through a "learning process".

People who have died unexpectedly can often react with shock, horror, intense grief or simply not know what happened or where they are and they need to find their way and work it all out for themselves - perhaps even come to peace with it.

Unexpected passing guts them like it does us.

Those who were expecting to pass - terminal patients and the extremely elderly often make peace with the "next step"... They were ready to go.

After the passing the human spirit needs to feel it's way... How to get from point A to point B... What gets the attention of the surviving loved one... Can they move this or that object etc.

The ability to manifest as a "ghost" (easily identifiable) is not an easy feat for a spirit... I am not talking orbs etc here, I am talking honest to God genuine ghost.

Quite often we find that witness accounts of ghost sightings are of somebody dressed in clothing from an age gone by... Not necessarily in last year's Dolce & Gabbana or tracky dacks from K-Mart... These spirits have had decades if not centuries to perfect the ability to manifest (of "phantasm" as it's known).

The ability to do easier things... Flit from Jane to John's house, move objects, bang and thump etc are what spirits discover they can do first... So they give it a go!

I regularly visit a psychic web site that I think is awesome. Through that site I've had quite a few personal readings (in real time) and have connected with my husband. Through these reading I've learned quite a bit about not only what his life after life is like, but other things as well.