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A
Abductee:
An
abductee is someone taken, generally against his or
her will, by nonhuman beings. An experiencer is
someone who has been taken by nonhuman beings. An "experiencer"
is considered an alternative to "abductees," and less
pejorative of the experience.
ABSM:
An ABSM could be any of a variety of reported hairy
bipeds from around the world. Although the term is
derived from Abominable Snowman, it is considered a
less sensational alternative. (Ivan T. Sanderson).
Afterlife:
One of several terms used interchangeably to refer
to life after death. The word "afterlife" has been
used since 1615, and is generic enough to use in
almost any setting and culture. Other terms include
"crossing over," "the Otherworld," and "the other
side." Most ghost hunters avoid specific religious
terms such as "heaven" when discussing ghosts,
hauntings, and an afterlife.
Agent:
A living person who is the focus of poltergeist
activity.
Agriglyph:
An agriglyph is a large design created in a field of
vegetation by pressing down parts of the growth. The
term is an alternative to Crop Circles. It was
introduced to reflect the higher complexity of many
such anomalies.
Aliens:
Visitors from other planets. We differentiate aliens
from visitors that might live in parallel worlds,
the Otherworld, or what's generally characterized as
the afterlife.
Anomaly:
Something that is out of place and unexplained. In
paranormal studies, it refers to any phenomena that
we cannot explain. Example: A lens flare in a photo
is not an anomaly, but an orb that we cannot explain
is an anomaly.
Anniversary Imprint:
An imprint that usually manifests around the same
time each year. See Residual Haunting.
Amulet:
An object that is thought to bring good luck or have
the power to protect from ghosts or spirits and ward
off evil.
Apparition:
The appearance of a ghost or spirit, usually taking
the form of a visual image of a deceased individual
in either real life or on film. However there are
apparitions based on each of the five senses.
Usually visual, auditory, tactile, or olfactory
apparitions appear in conjunction with each other,
but occasionally only one of the senses are
involved. Very rarely is the sense of taste
involved.
Examples include:
* Visual: The appearance of a person who was
commonly associated with the area in life.
* Auditory: Sounds of walking, voices, doors
opening, or battle are the most common types of
auditory apparitions.
* Olfactory: Smells or odors, such as perfume or
cigar smoke, commonly associated with the area or an
individual or event.
* Tactile: Feeling a slight wind in a closed-off
room, or a slight tug on a person's clothing with
nobody in the immediate vicinity.
Apport:
A physical object that can materialize and appear at
will in the presence of a medium.
Ararat Anomaly:
The Ararat Anomaly is a large object (over 100
meters in length) photographed on Mount Ararat in
Turkey. Some people believe it is Noah's Ark.
Arkeology:
Arkeology is the search for the physical remains of
Noah's Ark.
Asport:
A physical object that a spirit teleports to another
location or makes disappear.
Astral Body:
The body that a person occupies during an
out-of-body experience.
Astral Plane:
A world that is believed to exist above our physical
world.
Astral Projection:
The intentional act of having the spirit leave the
body, whereas an out-of-body experience will happen
involuntarily.
(See out of body
experience).
Astrology:
The theory and practice of the positions and aspects
of celestial bodies in the belief that they have an
influence on the course of natural earthly
occurrences and human affairs.
Aura:
Energy or life force surrounding all living
individuals. The color of an aura can determine the
mood or physical condition of an individual. Spirits
can sometimes use a physical aura for energy,
thereby depleting the person whose energy was taken.
Automatic Writing:
Expressing subconscious thoughts or influences by
doodling.
This method of
obtaining information from disembodied spirits is
used by mediums in which the spirit takes control
over the medium causing them to translate
unconscious information on paper without being aware
of the contents.
Automatism:
An unconscious or involuntary muscular movement
caused by spirits. (See automatic writing)
Autoscopy:
The visual hallucination or image of one's body
looking back at themselves from a position outside
the body. (See out of body experience).
B
Ball Lightning:
A rare form of
lightning in the shape of a glowing red ball that
can last anywhere from a few seconds to several
minutes. Typically associated with Thunderstorms,
these spheres are thought to consist of ionized gas.
Banshee:
A wailing spirit or “death omen” that will appear to
be in two different places at the same time.
C
Call:
A call is the response that is made by a subject
during a card-guessing test or during any other type
of ESP test.
Card Guessing:
Card guessing is used as an experimental test for
ESP in which a subject tries to guess the identity
of a set of cards.
Case Study:
An in-depth investigation of an individual subject.
Channeling:
In this modern day method of spirit communication, a
spirit will pass information directly to a medium or
channeler who will then relay the information on to
the listener(s).
Chi:
Asian term for a "life force" or biological energy
that is inhaled and can be manipulated for specific
purposes (also called ki).
Clearing:
or space clearing -- Ridding an area of lingering
unpleasant energy. It does not "kill" a ghost. Space
clearing may encourage ghosts to cross over, or at
least leave the haunted location.
Clairaudience:
An auditory form of ESP paranormal information is
received outside the range of normal perception
through voices, whispers and auditory impressions.
Clairsentience:
A general term for clairvoyance and clairaudience.
Clairsentience typically occurs in the form of ESP
through physical sensations or smells.
Clairvoyance:
An acute insight or perceptiveness that enables you
to see objects or events that cannot be perceived by
the senses in the form of mental imagery and
intuition. (See ESP)
Clearing:
Ridding a location of ghostly activity.
Closed Deck:
A set of cards used in a card guessing deck in which
each card will appear a fixed number of times. The
statistical analysis obtained from a closed card
deck differs from that of an open card deck. (See
Card Guessing).
Cold Reading:
This is a technique commonly used by fake mind
readers, mediums and magicians which allows them to
obtain previously unknown information about a person
by asking a general series of statements, questions
and answers.
Cold Spots:
Self-contained patches of cool air strewn about
haunted locations. They may be ghosts that cannot
fully materialize.
Control:
This is a procedure in paranormal psychology that
ensures that the experiment is conducted in a
standard fashion so that the results will no be
influenced by any extraneous factors.
Control Group:
A group of outside subjects whose performance or
abilities are compared with the experimental
subjects.
Collective
Apparition:
When more than one person witnesses a ghost or
spirit phenomenon, independently or simultaneously,
it is classed as a collective apparition. Nearly ten
percent of reported cases of apparitions fall into
this category, and once fraud has been ruled out,
they are more likely to be genuine sightings.
Crisis
Apparition:
An apparition that is seen when a person is
seriously ill, seriously injured or at the point of
death.
D
Dematerialization:
This word is used to describe a spirit or specter
meaning to deprive of or lose apparent physical
substance or in simpler terms, without flesh.
Déjà vu:
An impression or dull familiarity of having seen or
experienced something before.
Demon:
An inferior deity often spoken of in religious text
as pure evil. Historically, this term has included
deceased individuals. However, since the early 18th
century, it usually refers to an evil spirit,
sometimes more powerful than man, but less than
Deity. Today, we generally do not use this term to
indicate a deceased human being. The female demon,
very rarely mentioned, is a demoness.
Direct Voice
Phenomenon (DVP):
An auditory “spirit” voice that is spoken directly
to the sitters at a séance.
Dice Test:
An experimental test in which a subject attempts to
influence the fall of dice. This study is used for
the investigation of psycho kinesis.
Doppelganger:
A ghost of the present that looks identical to a
living person but behaves differently.
Double:
A ghost of the present that looks and behaves
identically to a living person.
Dowsing:
Interpreting the motions of rods, sticks, pendulums,
and other such instruments to obtain information
(also called divining).
Dream Communication:
Experience in which the departed individual (spirit)
can manifest in the form of a dream in order to
communicate with the living. Usually associated with
the very recent death of the individual attempting
to make contact in order to inform the dreamer of
his or her death.
E
Earthbound:
A term referring to a ghost or spirit that was
unable to cross over to the other side at the time
of death and is therefore stuck on earth.
Ectoplasm:
Commonly understood to be a substance secreted by
spirits and exuded from mediums communicating with
the spirit world, ectoplasm is now widely associated
with a cloudy vaporous mist that may take the form
of a human body. It has been captured
photographically, and is seen to hover above the
ground as a swirl of gray or white matter. It may
linger in one place or travel fast and is usually
spotted outdoors.
EMF:
Electro Magnetic Field, or Electro Magnetic
Frequency. As the name suggests, it's a combination
of electrical and magnetic fields. You'll find high
EMF levels around power sources, fuse boxes,
electrical outlets, computer monitors, microwave
ovens, etc. Unexplained EMF fields often indicate
something paranormal. EMF fields can be measured
with various tools, including an EMF meter or a
hiking compass.
Electromagnetic
Energy:
A hybrid of electrical charges and magnetic fields
that binds nature.
Electronic Voice Phenomenon
(EVP):
Voices and sounds
from beyond that are captured and recorded on
magnetic tape or digital recording devices.
Elemental:
An inhabitant of one of the four elements (fire,
earth, air, and water). Elementals exist somewhere
between the realm of the human and spirit worlds.
They are often associated with forces of nature
rather than the souls of the deceased, but they are
nevertheless powerful metaphysical entities which
sometimes inhabit the bodies of the living and
possess them. Another definition of elementals is
spirits which can change into solid matter and back
again at will.
EMF Detector:
An instrument for
measuring the magnitude and direction of a magnetic
field typically used by paranormal researchers to
detect a ghost’s magnetic energy.
Entity:
A conscious, interactive ghost, Any being, including
people and ghosts.
Epicenter:
Person or persons that a poltergeist or haunting
tends to focus on. Paranormal phenomena usually
increases when the epicenter is present.
ESP:
Extrasensory perception. Most individuals have this
ability, although in can be dormant their entire
life, In many cases, a traumatic event may allow a
percipient to actually communicate with the spirit
of a dead individual.
Enteric Body:
A layer of the physical body, mimicking its design,
but composed entirely of energy.
Evil Spirit:
A shape-shifting non-human spirit that usually
appears after being summoned, either with a Ouija
board or through satanic worship. It can appear as a
monster or may disguise itself as a friendly spirit,
but it is dangerous and seeks to harm and cause
destruction.
EVP:
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) refers to voices
that appear on recording devices (such as tape
recorders) with no apparent source. The voices are
often not understandable or audible without changing
the speed of the playback.
Extra Sensory
Perception (ESP):
Communication or perception by means other than the
physical senses.
Exorcism:
Ridding a person or a location of evil spirits by
using religious rites.
The banishment of
an entity or entities i.e. spirits, ghosts and
demons that is thought to possess or haunt a
location or human being or animal. The ritual, which
can be religious in nature, is conducted by an
exorcist who will call upon a Higher Power to cast
away any evil forces that may reside there.
F
False Awakening:
The event in which a person believes they are awake
but are actually dreaming.
Faeries:
Usually, this means beings that live in the
Otherworld or Underworld, parallel to our world and
not far from it. Many people who readily accept the
reality of ghosts don't believe in faeries.
Faustus, Doctor
Johann:
(b. circa 1455, d. 1540) Scholar, physician and
alchemist from Wittenberg, Germany, who was renown
for his proficiency in treating victims of the
plague contagion (to which the Doctor seemed
strangely resistant), and the basis for the stories
by Johann Wolfgang Goethe and Christopher Marlowe
about a learned man who sold his soul to the devil
through his infernal agent Mephistopheles in
exchange for "four and twenty years" of knowledge,
youth and power.
Fetch:
A spectral double of a living person.
See also: Doppelganger and Wraith
Fetish:
Aside from the modern sexual connotation, a fetish
is a shamanistic tool in the form of a figurine,
animal part or a pouch containing items with magical
associations.
Floating Orb:
Spherical image, usually translucent white, though
sometimes of a reddish or bluish hue, which
inexplicably registers on photographic film and
videotape, also known as "Globule."
Frank's Box:
A device
used for contacting spirits through the use of radio
frequency. These devices or so called
Ghost box also
known as
Spirit box or Frank's box are used as an
electronic medium for the purpose of direct
communication
with a spirit.
G
Ghost:
A recording of one or more persons or objects that
had either a repetitious routine or a very intense
emotional experience. This recording is not
sentient, but rather simply something that plays
over and over, gradually losing energy over time,
This recording can be recharged under certain
circumstances, such as the appearance of certain
individuals. (see Epicenter)
Ghost Box:
A device
used for contacting spirits through the use of radio
frequency. These devices or so called
Ghost box also
known as
Spirit box or Frank's box are used as an
electronic medium for the purpose of direct
communication
with a spirit.
Ghost Hunter:
A person who investigates haunting to find
explanations for possible paranormal phenomena
involved. There are two types of ghost hunters. The
first kind is the scientific hunter who uses
scientific methods and equipment in order to make
accurate calculations and observations about a
haunting. The second type is the psychic or
intuitive ghost hunter, who uses psychic impressions
or intuition to learn about a haunted area.
Ghost Lights:
These have been sighted all over the world and in
many cultures. They are mysterious lights, seen at a
distance, usually appearing as blue or yellow
spheres, which can appear to blink. Some reports
liken them to a bobbing candle flame. This
phenomenon is also know by its Latin name ignis
fatuus, or "foolish flame," because anyone
attempting to follow or catch one of these lights is
thought to place himself or herself in mortal
danger. Skeptics attribute it to swamp gas,
magnetism, or electricity. Ghost lights have been
reported for centuries and were once known as
"will-'o-the-wisp," an omen of death representing
the ghost of a sinner condemned to wander the earth
forever.
Ghoul:
A grotesque, flesh-eating demon that robs graves to
satisfy its evil hunger for the recently buried. It
has its origins in Arabic folklore and is best known
today as the living dead, a reanimated corpse
inhabited by evil spirits. Ghouls are rumored to
live near graveyards and are nocturnal; some believe
they are vampires that have degenerated into
inarticulate and ravenous automatons, robbed of
freewill, intelligent thought, or the ability to
feel pain. They are commonly described as having
long arms, sunken gray faces, bulging eyes, and
sharp teeth and nails.
Goat:
An experiment in which the subject does not believe
in the ability for which they are being tested.
Gray:
A
Gray
(or
Grey)
is an alien type that first became famous in the
1980s. Typically shorter than humans, hairless, with
large black eyes
H
Harbinger:
A ghost of the future that brings warning of
impending events.
Hallucination:
The perception of sights and sounds that are not
actually present.
Hellhound / Black
Shuck:
A spectral death omen in the form of a ghostly dog.
Hypnosis:
A technique that induces a sleep like state in which
the subject acts only on external suggestion.
Haunting:
Any repeated appearance of phenomena commonly
associated with ghosts, spirits, or poltergeists.
Usually a combination of cold spots, apparitions,
missing objects, and other forms of paranormal
activity that tend to be witnessed by more than one
person over an extended period of time.
Hoax:
A restaged or preplanned series of events to give
the impression that something paranormal has been
occurring in any given place. Usually made by people
who wish to draw attention to themselves or to
debunk or test ghost hunters and parapsychologists.
Hot Reading:
A devious or fraudulent reading in which the reader
has been given prior knowledge of the sitter.
Hot Spot:
A site within a haunted location where the activity
is prominent and/or energy fields are focused.
I
Ignis fatuus:
A phosphorescent or spectral light that that is
alleged to be an indication of death. This
phenomenon is thought to be caused by spontaneous
combustion of gases emitted by rotting organic
matter.
Illusion:
A delusional perception between what is perceived
and what is reality.
Imprint:
Ghostly activity that appears non conscious and
redundant.
Intuition:
Non-paranormal knowledge that is gained through a
perceptive insight.
Ion
A electrically charged atom or molecule.
J
Jason Hawe:
Founder of "The Atlantic Paranormal Society"
TAPS
K
K2 Meter:
A K2
meter picks up on the energy fields that spirits
disturb when they are present in the environment.
L
Levitation:
To lift or raise a physical object in apparent
defiance of gravity.
Life Review:
A flashback of a person’s life that is typically
associated with near-death experiences.
Lucid Dreaming:
A dream state in which one is conscious enough to
recognize that one is in the dream state and is then
able to control dream events.
M
Magnetosphere:
The magnetic field surrounding the earth.
Manifestation:
The tangible signs of a haunting, including tactile,
auditory, olfactory, and visual. These can be
measured in an investigation and can be used to
support the evidence that a place is indeed haunted.
(See also Apparition)
Materialization:
The act of forming something solid from the air.
One of the most difficult and impressive
materializations is when part or all of a ghost or
spirit can be seen, especially if the face is
recognizable.
Medium:
A person who channels a spirit, or through whom a
spirit or entity communicates.
Someone who professes to be able communicate with
spirits on behalf of another living being, acting as
a midway point halfway between the worlds of the
living and the dead.
Medium - Mesmerism:
A hypnotic induction of a sleep or trance State (See
Hypnotism).
Mist:
A Photographed anomaly that appears as a blanket of
light. There is no substantial proof that these are
related to paranormal phenomenon.
Motor Automatism:
Bodily movement or functions that are accompanied
but not controlled by consciousness (See automatic
writing).
N
Natural:
A rare phenomenon that appears ghostly but in fact
is created by some scientifically known property of
the present nature.
Nanteos Cup:
During the
Reformation in the 1520's, when King Henry VIII
ordered the closing and destruction of England's
Catholic monasteries, the monks of Glastonbury Abbey
bequeathed a small, unassuming vessel made of olive
wood to the stewardship of a certain family in
Wales, saying only that it was their greatest
treasure. The remnant of this bowl is now in the
keeping of the last living member of this family.
Many believe this to be the actual 'Holy Grail,' the
cup of which Christ partook at the Last Supper, and
whice, the legend tells us, was conveyed to Cornwall
in A.D. 37 by Joseph of Arithamathea (who, as a
prosperous tin merchant, would have been familiar
with this trade route). Healings have been
attributed to the Nanteos Cup.
Nazca
Lines:
In the Nazca
Valley of southern Peru are etched enormous tracings
of figures of a club wielding man, a splendid
spider, a horse, a duck and other figures. Estimated
to have been painstakingly etched into the rocky
soul more than a millennia ago, these enigmatic
representations can be beheld in their entirety only
from an arial viewpoint (by ancient, sub-equatorial
balloonists. perhaps?).
Near Death Experience (NDE):
An experience that
is reported by people who clinically die, or come
close to actual death and are revived. These events
often include encounters with spirit guides, seeing
dead relatives or friends, life review, out-of-body
Experiences (OBE), or a moment of decision where
they are able to decide or are told to turn back.
Necromancy:
Interacting with the dead, particularly for the
purpose of communicating or resurrection.
Necronomicon:
A grimoire (that
is, collection) of ancient sigils and incantations
of nebulous origins, discovered in the 8th century
by the "Mad Arab," Abdul Alhazred, said to be
capable of opening a chasm to the "Dread Dimension"
and unleashing the wrathful power of the timeless
"Elder Gods." Although some occultists believe this
tome to be at least derived from genuine (and
nefarious) sources, we are fairly confident that it
sprang from the fiction of Providence, Rhode
Island-born horror author, Howard Phillips (H.P.)
Lovecraft (b. 1890, d. 1937).
Necronomicon
Spellbook:
A toned-down,
elegantly printed companion book to the 'Necronomicon,'
also by Avon Books.
Nexus:
The
transitional, or joining point connecting physical
matter (which, in a sense, is energy condensed) and
pure energy, and containing properties of both
definites, i.e. the physical brain producing a mind
through its network of dendrites and firing axioms',
or the body's connection to the spirit. The concept
of the Nexus is the basis for much conjecture and
postulating.
Non-religionist:
A materialist, one who embraces no formal religious
beliefs; a more descriptive term than atheist or
agnostic.
Nosferatu:
Slavic, old
world term for vampire, meaning "undead."
O
Occult:
From the Latin, meaning something that is concealed
or covered. Since the 16th century, it has meant
anything that is mysterious. Today in America, it
generally refers to magical, mystical and
experimental studies.
Orbs:
Translucent spheres of light which hover above the
ground and dart erratically through the air. Many
believe that ghosts prefer to take on an orb shape,
as it requires less energy than other apparitions.
They differ from ghost lights in that photographed
ghost scenes show orbs as spherical lights (rather
than a flickering flame), some with a nucleus,
others transparent. If moving fast, a trail of light
may appear to emanate from the sphere.
A photographed
anomaly that theoretically represents the “spirit”
of a deceased person.
It will appear as
a ball of light on film though is some cases; they
are not seen at the time of the photo. Since there
are many reasonable circumstances (dust, snow, rain,
insects, reflection, lens flare, etc.) orbs still
remain a highly controversial subject.
Old Hag Syndrome:
A nocturnal phenomena that involves a feeling of
immobilization, suffocation, odd smells and feelings
and is sometimes accompanied my immense fear (See
Sleep Paralysis).
Oppression:
The
state before possession (see possession)
Original Momentum:
The initial force or energy necessary to create
motion telekinetically.
Ouija Board:
It's name
comes the French and German words for "yes," this is
a
pre-printed
spelling board with letters and numbers on which a planchette
(or marker) is placed in order to communicate with
spirits of the dead.
The device is intended to communicate with and
through the spirit world, obtaining answers to
questions. Many ghost hunters don't include them in
scientific investigations, and some people object to
them on principle...
A word of caution...it can actually be used to summon
spirits other than those initially sought after. It
is very difficult to rid an area of a spirit that
has been conjured through a Ouija board.
Best advised not to go there. "period"
Out-Of-Body
Experience:
When one's consciousness exits the restrictions of
the physical body (also called OBE).
sensation
or experience in which ones self or spirit travels
to a different location than their physical body
(See Astral Projection)
P
Paranormal:
Anything out of the normal range of explanation.
Term is usually used in conjunction with ghosts,
UFO's, and other phenomena that cannot be explained
by traditional scientific theories and hypothesis.
Paranormal
Group:
A group of individuals dedicated to discussing,
investigating, or exploring possible explanations to
haunting and other paranormal or supernatural
events.
Paranormal Research:
The study of phenomena currently considered
unexplainable by the mainstream sciences.
Parapsychology:
The study of mental abilities and effects outside
the usual realm of psychology. Parapsychology
includes the study of ESP, ghosts, luck,
psychokinesis, and other paranormal phenomena.
Pendulum:
A small weight at the end of a cord or chain that is
usually about six to ten inches long. The movement
of the weight, when uninfluenced by other factors,
can be used to detect areas of paranormal energy.
Percipient:
An individual involved with or observing a
paranormal event.
Phantom Animals:
Many corporeal ghosts take the form of animals
rather than humans. It may be the benign spirit of a
loved pet or faithful companion which appears to its
master and is often seen performing a habitual act,
such as lying in front of the fire or waiting by the
front door. However, there are many sightings of
strange and malevolent beasts such as ghostly black
dogs, phantom birds, or horses.
PK:
Acronym for "psychogeneses" see Telekinesis).
Poltergeist:
German for "noisy ghost." A paranormal manifestation
that is generally centered around an individual
(usually an adolescent going through puberty) in
which objects disappear or are thrown about. The
individual the phenomenon is centered around is
called the epicenter. There is very little
communication between the spirit and the epicenter,
and many researchers believe that the cause of the
poltergeist is actually a latent telekinetic ability
rather than an actual spirit.
Portal:
A theoretical doorway of energy, through which
spirits may be able to enter or exit a location.
Possessed Objects:
Inanimate objects that move, change appearance, or
make noise. Sometimes an episode occurs while a
person is watching, or they return to find that a
disturbance has taken place while they were away.
They include vehicles such as ghost ships or phantom
trains heard bumping along tracks that were removed
many years earlier. This phenomenon is often
associated with the influence of a ghost that is
emotionally attached to a place or object and may be
showing anger or disapproval of how the present-day
occupants or owners have changed it. Ghost vehicles
are often linked to a fatal accident.
Possession (of a
person by a spirit):
The entry of a spirit into the body of a willing or
unwilling host, in which the spirit takes control of
the individual's motor and cognitive functions.
Precognition:
Seeing or knowing activity received from the future
using ESP.
Premonition:
A psychic awareness of future events, often with a
negative outcome.
Primary Readings:
The initial measurements of energy taken at a
haunted location, used for establishing an
investigation's direction.
Protection:
Objects, rituals, routines, tactics, or processes
through which you guard yourself against psychic,
demonic or paranormal intrusions and effects.
Psi:
A general, all-encompassing term for "psychic
phenomena."
Psionics:
The use of physical tools to assist in accessing or
interpreting one's ESP.
Psychic:
From the Greek word meaning of the soul, or of life
(Paul uses it in the Bible, I Cor ii, 14), this word
usually refers to the world outside the domain of
physical law. "Psychic" can relate to the spirit or
the mind, depending upon the context.
When someone is described as a psychic, it usually
means that he or she is able to perceive things that
are outside traditional physical laws and
perceptions.
Psychic Impression:
A form of idea or message that a percipient may
encounter about an area, a person, or an event.
Usually associated with precognition, retro
cognition, or psychometry.
Recording: See Ghost.
Psychical:
The popular British term used as an adjective or
adverb, for what Americans call "psychic."
Psychokinesis:
or psycho kinesis - To move something with the
powers of one's mind, alone. It may be a factor in
some hauntings, and particularly in poltergeist
phenomena. It's usually called "PK." (Also see
telekinesis.)
Q
Quabbala (also Cabbala, Kabbala):
A very ancient and complex system of Jewish
mysticism, probably influenced by
Assyrian-Babylonian and Macedonian beliefs and
existing as the basis of an underground cult during
much of the middle ages.
R
Radio Voice
Phenomenon (RVP):
Receiving the voice of a deceased human being
through a regular radio.
Reciprocal
Apparition:
An extremely rare type of spirit phenomenon in which
both the agent and percipient are able to see and
respond to each other.
Remote Viewing:
Used by some psychics, this is a procedure in which
the percipient or psychic attempts to become
physically aware of the experience of an agent who
is at a distant, unknown location through ESP.
Residual
energy:
Many ghost hunters believe that emotionally charged
events leave an imprint or energy residue on the
physical objects nearby.
What distinguishes residual energy from an active
haunting is that the energy/impressions repeat
consistently, as if on a loop. The energy levels may
increase or decrease, but the content remains the
same with each manifestation.
By contrast, in what we term an active haunting, the
ghost may respond to environmental stimuli and
direct contact.
Residual Haunting:
This is the playback of a past event, trapped in a
continuous loop. It is often associated with past
events involving great trauma and tragedy. A person
is seen or heard performing a repetitive
action—walking down a flight of stairs, crossing a
garden, screaming in agony—at the same time or place
and by many different independent witnesses.
Researchers believe that it is possible for certain
building materials to retain the energy of an event,
and "record" it electromagnetically in a similar way
to modern video or audio tape, and then replay the
eerie fragment when the atmospheric conditions are
right, or when a person who is especially sensitive
to its bizarre energy passes by.
Retro cognition:
Seeing or knowing activity from the past using ESP.
An experience in which a
person finds themselves in the past and is able to
see and experience events in which they had no prior
knowledge.
Revenant:
An entity that comes back only a few times after
death.
S
Séance:
A meeting of individuals in order to contact the
spirit of a deceased loved one or other person
(usually consisting of a medium, assistants, loved
ones of the departed, or other interested
individuals). Many séances were exposed as hoaxes in
the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Shadow Ghosts:
Easily confused with normal shadows, these dark
ghostly apparitions are often spotted at a distance
or in peripheral vision, and are between two and ten
feet long. They are often experienced as a small
darting essence in the corner of the eye, or as a
larger and more menacing humanoid presence.
Simulcra:
This is a word used to describe the seeing of faces,
figures and images in ordinary, everyday object such
as rocks, foliage, etc.
Sparkles:
A visual effect described as the sparkle of embers
falling immediately after a fireworks display. These
small, sparkling lights usually occur no closer to
the camera than ten feet. They are often 20 to 50
feet away, or more. Sparkles are seen during and
especially immediately after the flash on a camera
is used.
Even the most vivid sparkles will not show up on
film. (If they do, check for dust or insects.)
Sparkles are paranormal phenomena.
"Sparkles" is a proprietary term developed in the
1990s by Fiona Broome during research for Hollow
Hill. Other researchers have adopted the term to
describe this unique phenomenon.
Specter:
A ghostly apparition; a phantom (See Ghost).
Spike:
A sudden and unexplainable jump on an Electro
Magnetic Field Detector (EMF) causing it to quickly
rise and fall or "peg" the meter.
Spirit:
The actual consciousness or soul of an individual
that has passed on and continues to be observed in
an area. There are four main reasons that spirits
exist: (1) The person does not realize that he or
she is dead; (2) there is unfinished business or an
un kept promise after death; (3) the spirit is simply
saying goodbye to a loved one; and (4) the spirit
has returned to offer advice.
Spirit
Box:
A device used
for contacting spirits through the use of radio
frequency. These devices or so called
Spirit box
also known as
Ghost Box or
Frank's box are used as an electronic medium for the
purpose of direct communication
with a spirit.
Spiritualism:
The belief system
that the dead are able to communicate with the
living, through an intermediary or medium.
Belief in a spiritual world and/or the ability to
communicate with spirits of the dead.
Spiritualists:
Spiritualists believe in communicating with the
spirits of discarnate humans. They believe that
spirit mediums are humans gifted to do this, often
through séances. Anyone may become a medium through
study and practice
Stigmata:
Unexplained bodily marks, sores, or sensations of
pain corresponding in location to the crucifixion
wounds of Christ.
Subjective
Apparitions:
Hallucinations of apparitions or other phenomena
that are created by our own minds.
Supernatural:
Of or relating to existence outside the natural
world. As opposed to paranormal, the term
"supernatural" often connotes divine or demonic
intervention.
Synchronicity:
The product of numerous, seemingly unrelated
variables joining to create a common event or
remarkable "coincidence."
T
Tarot Cards:
A set of (usually 72) cards that include 22 cards
representing virtues and vices, death and fortune
etc. used by fortunetellers to help predict future
events.
Telekinesis:
The ability to control one's physical environment
without using physical manipulation or force (also
known as psycho kinesis, TK, or PK.
Telepathy:
The process by which a mind can communicate directly
with another without using normal, physical
interaction or ordinary sensory perception.
Teleportation:
A method of transportation in which matter or
information is dematerialized, usually
instantaneously, at one point and recreated at
another.
Thought Form:
An apparition produced solely by the power of the
human mind.
Trance:
A hypnotic, cataleptic, or ecstatic state in which
one becomes detached from their physical
surroundings.
U
UFO:
UFO is an acronym for Unidentified Flying Object,
designating any airborne object that does not fit
known descriptions of existing aircraft.
Ufonaut:
A ufonaut (or UFOnaut) is the entity that operates
or travels in a UFO.
USO:
Unidentified Submarine Object or Unidentified
Swimming Object (USO) is used to designate an
apparently te
V
Vortex:
The center of spiritual energy, where it is focused
or concentrated. Usually accompanied by cold spots,
electromagnetic disturbances, and increased
paranormal activity.
Since the time of Descartes, this has indicated the
rotation of cosmic energy around a central point or
axis. Beginning in the mid-19th century, the word
"vortex" has meant any whirling movement of energy
or particles.
Some people use this term to explain lines or narrow
cylinders that appear highlighted in ghost photos.
W
Warp:
A location where the known laws of physics do not
always apply and space/time may be distorted.
White Crow:
This refers to the
principle that to prove
White Crows exist, you only
have to have one. Therefore, it justifies spending
considerable resources on a single case, if the
investigator believes that case can be definitive.
White Noise:
An Acoustical or
electrical noise of which the intensity is the same
at all frequencies within a given band.
Window:
A window area is a
region with an unusually high number of
paranormal/UFO reports over a significant period of
time.
Wraith:
Sometimes a person sees a loved one appear briefly
to them, or hears their voice offering a warning or
advice. The loved one needn't be a ghost; they are
often alive and many miles away. In some cases these
appearances coincide with the death of the loved
one, or occur during a time of crisis for the
witness.
X
Y
Yaweh:
(ronounced "Yah-vay") According to ancient Hebrew
and Quaballistic teaching, the name of God
abbbreviated to "YHWH," (in Hebrew, pronounced "Yud-hey
vav hey"), which is the Tetragammaton, whence is
derived "Jehova." It was deemed forbidden to
pronounce, or even seek to learn, the full, true
name of the Absolute. (The more archeological
evidence uncovered which tends to support Biblical
accounts, the more arises suggestion and speculation
that, approx. 3,000 years ago, a powerful
extra-terrestrial presence took a particular
interest in a nomadic, mercantile, tribal group of
desert dwellers who would come to be known as the
Israelites, the "People of God.")
Yeti:
A legendary creature of Tibet's Himalayan Mountains
region, an anthropoid with both human and ape
characteristics, the "Abominable Snow Man." As with
its western counterpart, the Sasquatch or Bigfoot,
credible witnesses have reported sightings and
numerous tracks have been found, but photographs and
purported bodily remnants of the creature remain
inconclusive.
Z
Zarcanor:
A malevolent spirit which attacks people while
they're asleep, inspiring nightmares, and sometimes
even inflicting minor injuries such as scratches,
bruises and what appear to be finger marks. The name
is possibly of Slavic origin.
Zener Cards:
A set of 25 cards for use in card-guessing tests of
ESP. Each set contains 5 of each of the following
cards:
Circle, Square, Greek Cross, Three Wavy Lines,
Five-pointed Star.
Zephyr:
Spirit bourne upon, governing, or manifesting as the
western wind.
Zombie:
Prevelent in Haitian lore, a cadaver disintered
shortly after burial (ere it spoils) and reanimated
through the use of Voodoo, its sole purpose
thereafter being servitude as a mindless slave.
Combine secret pharmaceuticals inducing simulated
death with oxygen deprivation in a tomb, then a
hasty exhumation in the dark of night, and there
emerges the horrid premise behind the myth.
Zoomorphism:
Representation of a deity or devil with animal
attributes.
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