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Glossary
There are many terms used to describe the paranormal and paranormal investigations. Some of the phrases and abbreviations can be very confusing to someone unfamiliar with ghosts and the paranormal. This list is provided by the Paranormal & Occult Research Team to help you understand some of the more common terms, phrases, and acronyms commonly used to describe ghosts, spirits and paranormal activity.
If there is a term or phrase you think we should add to this list please contact us.
AMORPHOUS: Without definite form or shape.
ANGEL: A nonhuman entity who's believed to be aligned with God.
ANOMALY: An experience, occurrence, or object outside of the normal.
APPARITION: A spirit that a witness can see; a supernatural appearance of a deceased person or animal. It is often too distant to be in the normal range of a person's view and is uncommon to see an appearance. A full bodied apparition shows the entire body of an animal or person. A partial bodied apparition is shown more often but only show part of a body such as; torso or arms. They often appear as white (or various shades of white/gray) or solid black. Usually apparitions can appear to hover in the air. It is rare that apparitions show their legs or feet.
APPORT: The appearance or disappearance of an object during a ghostly experience.
ASTRAL PROJECTION: Voluntarily or involuntarily leaving one's body and traveling somewhere else.
AUTOMATIC WRITING: A method of spirit communication where a spirit uses the hand of the living to write words or draw pictures. These intelligible messages are created without conscious control of the host, often used in conjunction with trying to channel a spirit or entity into yourself. This can be a very dangerous method! As with all channeling methods (Ouija boards, crystals, etc.) you are opening a door way and have no control over who or what may come through, and no way to be sure to make it leave and "close the door".
BILOCATION: The presence of a person or object in two places at once.
CHANNELING: Communication by a spirit through a human being where the spirit comes through the Channeler.
CHANNELER: Someone who allows a spirit to temporarily possess their body to allow for communication with the living.
CLAIRAUDIENCE: The ability to hear things not audible within normal hearing ranges. This is an example of Extra Sensory Perception. (ESP) It includes the audible perception of ghosts, spirits, and those who are on the astral realm. Clairaudience is essentially the ability of hearing the paranormal as opposed to seeing it.
CLAIRVOYANCE: The ability to communicate with the other side, see the future, or be given other information using only the mind.
CLEANSING: Using occult or nontraditional means to remove something supernatural from a place.
COLD SPOT: A small, defined area of intense cold (5+ degrees colder than the surrounding area) that can not readily be explained by other natural or mechanical causes (e.g. A/C, drafty window, ice or snow). In paranormal research the prevailing theory is that when an entity is trying to manifest itself it draws on many sources of energy. One of those sources is the heat energy in the air. As the entity draws the heat out of the air the area in that specific immediate location becomes unusually cold.
CORPSE LIGHT: The glow sometimes seen around the spirit of the departed.
CRISIS APPARITION: A one-time paranormal experience where the spirit is seen at the time of its death by a loved one as a way of saying goodbye or communicating information.
DEBUNK: Reported paranormal evidence or paranormal activity is said to be "debunked" when a simple, logical and non-paranormal explanation can account for the reported event(s). Even if the activity is genuinely paranormal, if a simple and reasonable explanation can also be applied, because of this ambiguity a prudent paranormal investigator has to side with the debunking explanation until further evidence of paranormal activity can be obtained. Care has to be used since it is easy to be skeptical of any report or evidence. Usually if the non-paranormal explanation is complex or requires many assumptions it may be over analyzing the situation.
DEMON: One of many nonhuman spirits. According to the Catholic faith demons are angels that were cast out of Heaven by God during the rebellion against God that was lead by Lucifer. Although the term is commonly used in the Judeo-Christian tradition, the term applies to many different spirits and traditions. There are several levels or hierarchies of demons, each with different powers. Other faiths may have different concepts of what demons are.
DEMONIC HAUNTING: A haunting by a nonhuman entity can be very dramatic, even violent. Demonic hauntings often start out with subtle and relatively simple paranormal activity, and then quickly increase to stronger activity. Most often affects people or families that are already under great personal stress from conditions such as alcohol or drug use, psychological or emotional problems, family or marital problems, etc. It is believed the nonhuman entity takes advantage of people in such weaken psychological and emotional condition. This phase is considered infestation. Persons who believe they and / or their families are the subject of a demonic haunting should immediately seek both professional paranormal assistance and counseling help by those specifically trained.
DEMONOLOGIST: A person who is an expert in demons and nonhuman entities. They actively pursue demons and other nonhuman entitles both for study and to help people rid them from their lives. Usually demonologists are very religious people as they believe strongly that only faith has the power to combat a demon. They are also usually schooled and or experienced in the field of psychology and mental health. IMPORTANT: Active pursuit of demons and demonology is not something to be tried for fun or kicks. Serious injury - both physical and mental - can occur! Please read out article on Demonology 101.
DISCARNATE: Another name for a ghost.
DOPPELGANGER: The spirit of a living person viewed by that person. Doppelgangers are seen as a bad omen, usually as a sign of impeding death.
DOWSING (a.k.a. Divining): The ability to use a pair of rods (typically metal) held in the hands to locate objects, most commonly water. A "Y" shaped tree branch can also be used to find water. This is also known as water witching. In the paranormal investigation field Dowsing Rods are sometimes used to locate energy sources that could be paranormal in nature.
ECHOLALIA: A professional clinical word that means to repeat back what you hear. As applied to the paranormal field it means when a ghost or spirit repeats back something you have just said in order to show they are there and are trying to communicate with you. The words repeated back could be EVP questions or just casual conversation. It is not clear why an entity might repeat back your words rather than respond on their own. Perhaps it is easier / simply for an entity to repeat what it has heard rather than form new words.
ECTOPLASM: The substance left behind when an entity tries to manifest itself. Although still largely theoretical (none has yet been collected for chemical analysis) it has been photographed on many occasions. Ectoplasm often appears in photographs as a thick white mist or smoke in nearly straight lines. Vapor and humidity is often mistaken for ectoplasm. It is rarely seen with the naked eye. It can, however, be felt as a dense area of cobweb-like strands.
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD (EMF): In its natural form it is the natural electric field (sometimes thought of as an aurora) that is generated by all living things and many inanimate objects such as metals and certain minerals. EMF is also generated by man-made electric sources such as lights, radios and wires. In paranormal investigations the theory is that entities are largely composed of energy which may be electrically based. By trying to detect EMF it may be possible to locate an otherwise unseen entity. The stronger the EMF detected the potential greater the paranormal phenomena.
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD (EMF) METER: One of several devices used to measure EMF and detect a ghost.
ELECTRONIC VOICE PHENOMENA (EVP): The hearing of unexplainable disembodied voices during the playback of a recording made on an electronic recording device. The voices cannot be readily identified as persons speaking or events (mechanical sounds, background noise, etc.) that took place while the record was being performed. EVP's can be captured on both tape and digital recorders, as well as on video recorders (not film however).
ELEMENTAL: An inhuman spirit who is closely tied to the elements.
EMPATHS (empathetic abilities): Some people are sensitive to the typically stronger feelings a paranormal entity gives off. They may also be able to see people and events that have occurred years in the past at a given locations. While feelings are hard to confirm or deny, when recorded along with other paranormal evidence that can be documented, empathic ability can be a helpful investigation tool.
ENTITY: A generic all-encompassing term used to describe a paranormal object / being that is presumed to be a ghost or spirit. Since no one is yet 100% sure what paranormal objects really are the term "entity" is used as a pronoun to include any and all possible things such as ghosts, spirits, poltergeists, non-human spirits, etc.
EXTRASENSORY PERCEPTION (ESP): An awareness of outside happenings or information not attained through the normal human senses.
FAMILIAR: Any animal that is used by a witch for surveillance or for casting spells. A familiar can also be the witch in animal form.
FEAR CAGE: A term used to describe a confined area such as a walk in closet, hallway or basement with very high EMF readings. The combination of being close and confined within an area of strong EMF often brings out extremely great feelings of uneasiness, anxiety, paranoia and / or uncontrollable fear. When this occurs the best thing is to quickly and calmly leave the area and go to a more open area with lower EMF.
FULL-BODIED APPARITION: A ghostly encounter where the complete body of the ghost is seen.
GHOST: A spirit or shade of a dead person / animal believed to haunt people or previous habitats / locations. The spirit remains of a living being, strongly attached to the living realm by some form of emotional force. Often ghosts do not realize that they are in fact dead. Others live out the routine of the day they died, and continue this in a cycle. Other ghosts interact with everyday life of the living.
GHOST LIGHT: The disembodied essence of someone.
HALF-REAL OBJECTIVE: When you perceive nothing subjectively but obtain objective documentation.
HALF-REAL SUBJECTIVE: When you subjectively perceive something that was not documented via objective means.
HAUNTING: The interaction between the paranormal and the normal.
IMPRINT: It is theorized that events and strong feelings / emotions can leave a copy or record of themselves on places (tunnels, rooms, fields, etc.) and objects (furniture, buildings, personal affects, etc.). Most notably this occurs when a sudden and violent death occurs such as a powerful accident, a murder or other crime, a war or battle area, etc. The energy that is left can result in a non-intelligent haunting, usually a residual haunting. In these cases people often report seeing and hearing the same thing over and over like a tape playing, rewinding and playing again. Sometimes the event seems to be recorded on the specific location rather than a building, room or object. There have been cases reported where an imprint haunting has occurred in a building, the building is later totally demolished and a new one built (or the area just left vacant) but the haunting still continues. In the situation of imprinting on an object the haunting can follow the object through several owners. This is often reported with items purchased at a yard sale or flea market.
INFESTATION: A haunting that implies multiple spirits or something demonic. The word is also associated with a rise in the intensity of a haunting.
INFRARED (IR): Infrared light is light from the lower end (long wave length/low frequency) of the electromagnetic spectrum (between the visible light spectrum and microwaves). IR light is not visible to the naked human eye without the use of special equipment. IR is not to be confused with thermal imaging. While IR and thermal energy are both on the short end of the electromagnetic spectrum they are not the same thing. There is evidence that ghosts/spirits and other paranormal entities may be more susceptible to being viewed (including video and image photography) using the IR light spectrum. IR sensors are also often used for measuring temperature and detecting movement. Click here to read our article about using alternate light spectrums for paranormal investigations.
INHUMAN SPIRIT: A spirit that was never a human. The two most common forms of inhuman spirits are elementals and demons. Entities (ghost or spirit) that are not the result of a human person that once lived on Earth. This category also includes angels, demons, devils, etc. It is not known exactly where these kinds of entities come from but it is reasonably well accepted by the paranormal community these spirits are not from people who had lived on Earth and have since died. Encounters with inhuman spirits are rare and usually dramatic. Extra care should always be used if dealing with a potential inhuman spirit!
KINETIC ENERGY: Energy needed to force an object at rest into motion. Objects in motion have kinetic energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. As the kinetic energy diminishes it changes into potential energy.
LEY LINES (a.k.a. Ley): The theoretical lines that can be drawn to connect ancient (and some modern) sites across a country, even around the world. The term "Ley Line" ("Ley" being a Saxon word meaning meadow or cleared strip of ground) was first coined by Alfred Watkins in the early 1920's. He noticed that many ancient and prehistoric structures (e.g.: mounds, stone circles, temples, river crossings, ceremonial hilltops, etc.) could be connected by straight lines. Often these lines exactly fit compass directions, and sometimes at certain times of the year match up with star alignments. He also noticed that many of these lines intersect and where they intersect are significant other structures such as churches, temples, and burial grounds. Some people believe Ley Lines also follow the natural magnetic forces of the Earth and therefore are very powerful for spiritual and mystic activity. Ley lines are also known as corpse ways, church paths, church lines, and coffin lines.
"LIGHTS OUT" INVESTIGATION: A paranormal investigation, usually conducted indoors and at night, where all the light sources and other electronic devices in the building have been turned off. The equipment used for paranormal investigations is typically more sensitive at night and in the dark. There are many theories that the barrier between the living and the dead dimensions is thinner as the energy from the Sun isn't as strong at night. Having lights & power off reduces the possibility of false or misleading evidence caused by reflections, glares and EMF generated from them.
LIVING GHOST: The manifestation of a ghost or entity, usually a living close family member or friend, that appears a long distance (sometimes hundreds or even thousands of miles away!). This event usually coincides when the other person (the one manifesting) is facing an immediate great stress or life-threatening danger. Examples include an aircraft pilot or crew flying through a storm, a soldier on the battle field, an automobile driver or passenger during a sever accident, etc. Some believe this is related to astral projection and out-of-the-body experiences. This phenomenon is related to the moment of mortality manifestation.
LOST TIME: With paranormal ghost / spirit activity it is possible that a small concentrated area of high paranormal activity may briefly alter the physical environment (see Warp) such that time slows down or stops altogether. For example, a person in such an effected area may be in the area for 20 minutes as measured by a clock outside the area. But the person's watch only shows them in the area for 15 minutes. What happened to the 5 minutes difference? This phenomenon is similar to what sometimes in reported UFO cases.
MANIFEST or MANIFESTATION: The act of an entity trying to make itself appear in our world. Entities are believed to exist mainly as energy with no physical form. When an entity is trying to make itself appear or make its presence known in our world it is said to be manifesting itself; trying to make itself into some form of physical state.
MEDIUM: A person who has a special gift and believes he or she can act as a bridge between the world of the living and the other side.
METAPHYSICS: A field of study dedicated to the nature of reality and an individual's distance from it.
MIST: An energy field that looks like a cloud or haze but has a paranormal ectoplasm substance. There may or may not be any particular shape, color (typically white or light colored), thickness, or consistency.
MOMENT OF MORTALITY: A ghostly manifestation that occurs when someone is at the exact moment of their death. A ghost, spirit or other apparition appears to a close friend or family member and can happen over great distances (hundreds, even thousands, of miles away). This phenomenon is similar to the living ghost and Death Bed Visions phenomena.
NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE (NDE): The experiencing of temporary death or loss of biological life where the subject goes through an archetypal event.
NECROMANCY or NECROMANCE: The attempt to conjure, summon or raise the dead in order to learn secrets and insights from the spirits. This is usually intended to gain personal advantage or fortune over others. The person who is trying to perform the necromancy process is called a Necromancer. This deals heavily into the unsavory realm of magic, spells, and dark / forbidden witchcraft rituals and can also be attempted with Tarot cards and Ouija boards. Regardless of the process used, necromancy is highly dangerous from the point of view that you are opening a doorway and have no idea what thing may come through and into your life!
NIGHT SHOT: A setting common on hand held video cameras. Originally it was a term used to describe the night vision (total darkness or 0 Lux) recording capability of the Sony Handycam series of camcorders. This term has since become synonymous with meaning any night vision / total darkness video camera or recording device regardless of the manufacturer. The night shot feature uses a built-in IR (infrared) illumination source. An external IR illuminator can often be attached for additional viewing range.
NIGHT TERROR: The sudden overwhelming of a person during a nightmare or unexplained nocturnal occurrence.
OBSESSION: The process by which a demon gains its initial access to a targeted human. The subject literally becomes obsessed with the demon.
OLD HAG SYNDROME: A nighttime experience where one wakes to a heavy force on the chest and is unable to move. Folklore tells of an old woman who sits on you and steals your breath while you sleep.
ORB: Orbs appear to be a form of energy of an unknown origin. An orb can take different shapes. They can also be seen by the naked eye, but most of the time you only get orb sightings in photographs, and on video tape (VHS). They seem to defy gravity and change directions quickly. They seem to also twinkle. The presence of people makes them react. They appear both indoors and outdoors. False orbs tend to be transparent and pale white, or blue. Real genuine orbs tend to appear dense or brighter on film. To increase the probability of you getting a photograph of a genuine orb, it is good to take the photograph at the same time as other unusual phenomenon are experienced, such as sharp changes in temperature, and increases in electromagnetic energy. In a genuine orb there is a nucleus. It has concentric circles or bands within. It can be active in visible realm, but more active in infrared. They appear abundantly in supposed haunted locations. Drops of rain, specks of dust, insects, reflections, as well as many other things can be mistaken for orbs.
OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE: Leaving one's body during an unexplained event, most times during a near death experience.
PARANORMAL: A term used to describe unusual activity that involves ghosts, apparitions, spirits, hauntings, poltergeists, etc. These events are considered above the normal or everyday experiences and that cannot be readily explained by known conventional reasons and / or commonly accepted science. Not to be confused with Supernatural that implies a deity explanation.
PARAPSYCHOLOGY: The study of phenomena, real or supposed, that appear to be inexplicable to presently accepted scientific theories.
PENDULUM: A crystal or rock suspended from a chain; used for divination or spirit communication.
PHENOMENON: A term used to collectively categorize an event or occurrence that cannot be explained by science or the natural world.
PHYSICAL MEDIUMSHIP: A form of mediumship in which the spirit communicates using both the physical energies and consciousness of the medium.
PLANCHETTE: A pointing device used in conjunction with a channeling board.
POLTERGEIST: Term is German for "noisy ghost". It can be dependent on a certain individual or group of individuals. They usual make the biggest impact on physical objects. They tend to be temporary. In some instances a poltergeist can appear as the psychic extension of a person, usually most common in adolescent females. Tend to be mischievous and like to play pranks. More recently developed theories move away from ghost activity to the realm of spontaneous and unconscious (unintended) telekinesis.
POSSESSION: The result of a demonic attack where a demon may take complete control of its victim for an unknown purpose.
PRECURSOR NOISE: Any noise or signal recorded during an EVP signaling the beginning of a communication.
PROGRESSION HYPNOTHERAPY: The act of visiting past lives through the use of hypnosis.
"PSI": A term used to describe psychic ability or power.
PSYCHIC: A person who uses feelings or abilities to engage nonphysical forces.
PSYCHOKINESIS: The ability to move objects using only one's mind.
RESIDUAL HAUNTING: Non conscious and unintelligent (no thought or purposely actions), usually appear as person but can sometimes be a group of people, and animal or any non living thing. An example is the famous "Flying Dutchman" legend. There are no interactions with observers. They stay in same location replaying the same event over and over usually on some rhythmic cycle or pattern (though what the pattern is can be hard to determine) sometimes causing electrical environment interference to occur. They are often compared to a video recording that automatically plays itself over and over.
SHADOWS: (Shadow Beings, Shadow Entities) Shadows refer to the possible paranormal apparition which appears as a dark human-form manifestation. We say "possible" paranormal apparition since the true nature of this type of paranormal event is still unknown and the subject of much research.
SIXTH SENSE: A term used to describe psychic ability or "psi".
SPIRIT: Any entity who is not part of the known natural world.
SPIRIT WORLD: The ambiguous place spirits go after death. This term does not imply any religious idea but rather a general dimension or place.
SPIRITUAL GUIDE: A spirit that watches over a living person and offers wisdom or guidance. Some may refer to one as a guardian angel.
SUPERNATURAL: Anything beyond the accepted definitions of the natural world. Events or happenings generally attributed to the will of a deity. Usually includes the concept of angels, demons / devils, and other God-like creatures.
TABLE TIPPING: One of the original forms of Spiritualist ghost communication where the responses of the spirit are related through the movements of a table or similar device.
TELEKINESIS: (telekinetic power) The ability to manipulate physical objects using the body’s static electrical charges. Chi is the Asian term for telekinesis. Psychic extension of the person transported through the electrical field surrounding the individual, more commonly known as a persons' ability to move object with just their mind and thoughts.
TELEPATHY: Communication using the mind as opposed to other senses.
TIME SLIP: A displacement where the witness experiences a different time, usually while in the same place.
TOUCHED: The act of experiencing physical contact from a ghost, spirit or other paranormal entity. Can be as simple as a tug in your shirt or pressure on a part of your body to scratches, burns or being pushed / shoved. However, serious physical injury is very rare.
TRANCE MEDIUMSHIP: A form of mediumship in which the medium shares their energy with a spirit through the use of trance.
ULTRAVIOLET (UV): Ultraviolet light is light from the upper end (long wave length / low frequency) of the electromagnetic spectrum. As with Infrared light, UV light is normally not visible to the naked human eye without the use of special viewing or photography equipment. Some paranormal investigators have experimented with using UV light to take video of ghosts and other paranormal entities. The results have been indeterminate. Other paranormal investigators have claimed UV light is an effective barrier to block demonic entities.
URBAN LEGEND: Any story told as having happened to a friend of a friend. Many reported hauntings are recycled urban legends.
VORTEX (vortices, vortexes): A concentrated yet brief area of high electromagnetic energy often found in photographs taken at paranormally active locations. The often appear as sold (opaque) white or silver tubes, rods, or elongated ovals. They can also appear to be braided like a rope or chain (care has to be taken to ensure it is not a rope, chain, camera strap etc). A vortex is not an entity. However, some paranormal researchers believe a vortex is a momentary doorway or portal to another realm that allows entities and other paranormal phenomena to come into our world. Some researchers also believe vortexes are linked to the Earth's own Electromagnetic Field which at least in part helps determine when these portals open/close. It is also believed that some locations are more prone to having active vortices due to the alignment of the Earth's magnetic field and local geological structure.
WARP: There are two possible meanings:
1. Areas where conventional laws of physics can break down, linear time may not always apply. They can be locations infested with entities, imprints, and barrage of other paranormal activities. They may be unpredictable areas that can twist perceptions beyond the understanding of logic.
and / or
2. Areas of paranormal activity so intense that time itself changes. Time may speed up, slow down (Lost Time) or briefly stop altogether. The area effected is very small and of short duration.
WHITE NOISE: White noise is the random non-descript static sound produced by various electronic devices. The sound covers and combines all wavelengths and frequencies. In this way it is like the color white, a combination of all colors. Hence the name white noise – the combination of all sounds. Examples of common white noise sources are the radio or television static when set to an empty channel, the hum of an electric fan motor and the babbling sound of a fast moving stream or brook.
WHOLE REAL: When you are able to document an experience both objectively and subjectively. There are three different types of whole real:
Type I: When the subjective and the objective appear at the same time.
Type II: When the subjective and the objective appear at different times.
Type III: A combination of types I and II when the subjective and objective match but additional information is documented on either side.
XENOGLOSSY: The ability to write or speak in a language not known. |
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