Cold reading, if I understand it at all, may be a unique skill which can be refined through training and experience and permits one to recognize very subtle cues from the "readee" (or whatever the one being "read" is called). Your brother may actually believe he has some special "power" granted him from a spiritual source, but it may be an inherent capability that many have lost due to our dependence on spoken language.

As for ghosts, never seen one, never had an experience with one, and like alien visitors, I think belief in them requires a particular bias which I seem to be lacking.