Paranormal Glossary
Agent - A living person at the site of a haunting. Some human agents act only as witnesses to paranormal events while others are believed to be the method by which the hauntings occur,such as with Poltergeist-like hauntings.
Apparition - A spectral image, or supernatural manifestation, that is better known as a ghost. Thought to be the soul of a deceased human, or animal, it is an imprint with distinct features. They are usually connected to residual hauntings rather than spirit related ones.
Astral Body - An exact replica of the physical body but composed of psychic matter. The astral body is the representation of the subject in out of body experiences reported in psychic research.
Astral Projection - Often known as "out of body experience". It is believed to result when the
astral body, or spirit, separates from the physical body.
Astral World - The level of existence that immediately follows physical death.
Aura - A field of radiant light, or energy, believed to surround living creatures.
Autography - The phenomenon of direct writing by a spirit.
Automatic Writing - Phenomena in which people write without conscious thought. Many feel that it is spirits writing through the body of a living person. Parapsychologists feel that the phenomena is due to automatism.
Channeling - A modern term for medium-ship whereby spirit entities convey philosophical advice, spiritual advice, or healing through mediums.
Clairaudience - Receiving paranormal messages through sound/voices or information that comes to The mind as thoughts; the gift of hearing.
Clairessence - Having the supposed ability to smell that which is not present. (see below)
Clairgusance - People with this gift can smell things that are not physically present; the gift of smell. (see above)
Clairsentience - It is like a radar that is on all the time. People with this gift can psychically feel the environment as they go through their daily lives; the gift of sensing.
Clairvoyance - Having the supposed power to see objects or events that cannot be perceived by The senses; the gift of seeing.
Cold Spot - An energy area associated with a temperature change.
Collective Apparition - The witnessing of an apparition by two or more persons
Crisis Apparition - The appearance of an apparition within moments of a crisis such as death, sudden illness, or accident.
Demon - A hostile and resentful entity, allegedly of non-human origin, and which some believe to be fallen angel.
Demonology - The study of demons or evil spirits sometimes coupled with a branch of magic that deals with such beings.
Direct Voice - A spirit voice, audible within the normal range of the human ear, without a visible source of agency.
Discarnate - Having no physical form or body
Dowsing - The oldest form of divination known to man, possibly thousands of years old. Dowsing is the action or a person - a dowser - who uses a rod or stick called a dowsing rod to locate such things as underground water, buried metal, oil, or even locating ghosts. Dowsing is not based upon scientific or empirical laws or forces of nature, and even experienced dowsers will admit that the reasons the procedure works are unknown.
Ectoplasm - A semi-fluid organic material which is a product of psychic energy which usually forms as a fog like mist, solid white mass, or vortices.
Electromagnetic Field - The electrical force that surrounds or permeates life. Many believe areas that are haunted will show high electromagnetic readings. Scientists dispute this, saying most areas and all living things radiate electromagnetic fields.
Electromagnetic Field Meter (EMF Detector) - A device that detects the changes in the Electromagnetic Field. This field is around everything, from TV's to power boxes. It is thought that ghosts and other paranormal phenomena will disrupt the EM Field when present. The normal reading for paranormal activity is between 2.0 and 8.0 mg. Above this is usually man-made in origin.
Electronic Video Phenomena - Term describing the appearance of paranormal images on
television sets (typically when the television is turned off).
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) - Sounds or voices recorded on magnetic tape which is only heard upon playback. Discovered by Konstantin Raudive. Usually recorded in a range from 0 - 300 Hz (Human speech is generally within 500 - 2000 Hz, and has never been recorded below 300 Hz.)
Elemental - A term used by Spiritualists to describe angry or malicious spirits. Others refer to them as "earth spirits".
Empath - An individual who is particularly sensitive to the psychic emanations of his or her surroundings, even to a degree of telepathically receiving and experiencing the emotions of others in their proximity. Obviously, psychic empathy can be regarded as a mixed blessing, and the empath must learn to gain a measure of control over this ability.
Exorcism - Stated by Edward Smedley in Occult Sciences (1855), exorcism is "to bind upon oath, to charge upon oath, and thus, by the use of certain words, and performance of certain ceremonies, to subject the devil and other evil spirits to command and exact obedience."
Extrasensory Perception (ESP) - A term denoting awareness apparently received through channels other than the usual senses. Phenomena related to ESP include clairvoyance, telepathy, and precognition.
Ghost- The bioelectric commponent of human existence that has not dispersed into the local environment after the existence of the physical body has ceased. As poppularly used, this term denotes only the apparition of a deceased person
Haunting - A repeated manifestation of supernatural phenomena occurring over a period of time in a specific location. It may include apparitions, sounds, smells, cold spots, moving or disappearing objects, etc.
Intelligent Haunting - When spirits seem to live in a specific area, and act with free will, as well as show intelligence (i.e., not residual). Spirits don't necessarily haunt the place they die at, but could haunt the most comfortable place for them to stay (i.e., their old home). The spirit will interact with witnesses at a location and attempt to make its presence known.
Malevolent - A spirit that wishes to hurt a human or that has ill intent.
Malicious - A spirit that is evil or spiteful, usually non-human. These spirits will destroy things of personal or financial value for the sake of hurting others.
Manifestation - The appearance of an entity when it takes form. It can also mean the outbreak of activity.
Orbs - Round, opaque lights that are captured on film and believed to be spirits, or some sort of paranormal activity. This can be the most common type of spirit energy to be captured on film. Although a number of these are legitimate orbs, the majority of the ones shown in photographs are nothing more than faulty photography such as light refractions imprinted on the film from dusk or water particles in the air.
Orb Trail - An orb trail is a ghost orb traveling at a high rate of speed that is faster then the camera can catch, thus the orb is often shown as a long tube and at other times as a ball having a comet-like tail.
Paranormal - Beyond the range of normal experience or scientific explanation; Above or outside the natural order of things as presently understood.
Paranormal Researcher - Someone who uses their own theories/ideas to test new research methods, protocols, and equipment. A true researcher is not biased to an old idea, but works to disprove or prove further the old idea, to expand the knowledge of the community. Typically, a researcher does not work to prove a paranormal occurrence as genuine, but to disprove the occurrence legitimately. Only when all possible false-positive contaminants have been ruled out can something be defined as a true anomaly.
Poltergeist - Literally means "noisy ghost" in German. Although it actually refers to traditional ghosts and hauntings, and in other cases, it can be used to describe the actions of the human agent. It manifests as noises, knockings, moving objects, fires, marks on body, or general disorder. Often purported to be associated with the release of kinetic or psychokinetic energy of pubescent adolescents.
Psychic - An all-encompassing word that is used to describe a person who is allegedly sensitive beyond the normal means. Such a person may be able to see and hear things that are not available to most people.
Psychokinesis (PK) - The ability to move physical objects utilizing only the power of the mind. In many poltergeist-like cases, human agents affect objects in an unconscious manner.
Reciprocal Apparition - A rare type of ghost sighting when both the spirit and the human witness see and respond to one another.
Residual Energy - Energy left over after a person has died, sometimes in a home or even on a piece of furniture associated with the deceased. This appears to be the kind of ghostly energies that manifest in spirit recordings where ghosts are seen to be doing the same task over and over again.
Residual Haunting - Not technically referred to as a haunting, but more of an energy imprint. When a spirit is seen doing the same thing at specific intervals constantly. Perhaps the spirit is trapped repeating a specific moment in life, or perhaps it is just a flash from the past during a traumatic moment in someone's life.
Skeptic - One who instinctively doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions. In parapsychology, one who insists on ruling out all possible natural causes for a phenomenon.
Sleep paralysis - A medical disorder where one awakens from sleep to find something pressing down on their chests, obstructing normal breathing and hindering them from moving.
Smells (Psychic) - Smells ascribed to a paranormal origin due to a lack of cause.
Spirit Photography - A term used for both legitimate attempts to capture ghosts and paranormal energy on film and also for the work of fraudulent photographers during the Spiritualist era.
Spirit Possession - Also known as a Walk-In, when a discarnate or earthbound spirit enters the body of a living person, but usually never completely.
Supernatural - Events or happenings that take place in violation of the laws of nature, usually associated with ghosts and hauntings.
Telekinesis - A term denoting the ability to move material objects by implementing psychic force.
Temperature Changes - Marked changes of temperature sometimes occur as paranormal activity or in conjunction with paranormal activity.
Urban Legend - A mysterious or shocking story that is told over and over again, is embellished, until it creates a reality all of its own. Although urban legends are typically bogus, sometimes the spirit world responds to the telling of the tale and molds reality accordingly.
Vortex - Tornado-like Ectoplasmic manifestations.
Wicca - The 20th and 21st religion of Witchcraft that is steeped in the ancient Celts and other similarly spiritually minded people throughout the world. Wicca merges ancient pagan festivals and beliefs with 19th, 20th, and 21st century occultism. Some claim Wicca is merely a nature religion made up primarily of gentle folk lore who believe in horoscopes, wear capes and flowers in their hair, revere the Lord and the Lady and hold a special significance for Stonehenge.
