There are many differences between a seeker and a ghost doing spiritual practice.

• Different intentions: The primary difference is in the intention behind doing spiritual practice. For seekers, it is to dissolve their five senses, mind and intellect towards God-realisation. By dissolving the five senses, mind and intellect, we mean identifying with the Soul or the God within us, in all our activities in life. For a ghost, it is to gain spiritual power or energy. For a seeker, this means reducing the ego which is a function of the five senses, mind and intellect and for the ghost it means enhancing the ego.
• Diminishing vs enhancing desires: A true seeker strives to reduce desires, whereas ghosts use their spiritual energy to satisfy their desires by possessing people etc.
• Uplifting vs harming society: The true seeker works for the betterment of society at a spiritual level in the Universal sense of the word, whereas ghosts garner spiritual energy to harm society.

The bottom line is that doing spiritual practice and gaining spiritual power is akin to working in a company to earn money. In addition, what the person finally intends to do with that money is pretty much up to them. The purpose for which one uses the spiritual energy defines whether we go the ‘seeker’ way or the ‘ghost’ way after we die.