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Glossary
These are definitions of
words that paranormal researchers use most. We have added them for you so you
can understand the terms we use most.
Agent:
A means by which something is done or caused. A force or
substance that causes a change. An agent in paranormal research is
usually a person who unknowingly causes poltergeist activity
(poltergeist activity seems to be between the categories of ghost
and psi (the term applied to unusual abilities of human origin such
as ESP/psychokinesis/etc.. and investigating "exceptional human
experiences" such as out of body and apparitional experiences).
Angel:
A typically benevolent celestial being that acts as an
intermediary between heaven and earth, especially in Christianity,
Judaism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism. An Angel is a spiritual or
celestial being sent to earth to relay a message to a person, serve
as a protector or help them in their transition into the afterlife.
Anomalous Experience:
A term referring to unusual experiences that cannot be
explained in terms of current scientific knowledge.
Anomalous Phenomena:
Natural phenomena that cannot be explained in terms of
current scientific knowledge.
Anomaly/Anomalies:
One that is peculiar, irregular, abnormal, or difficult to
classify.
An irregular image that appears on photos, video, or digital media.
[See "Orb", "Ectoplasm", Vortex", and "Apparition" for more info.]
Apparition:
An unusual appearing ghostly figure. A ghostly figure; a
specter. Spirit energy that is usually seen in the form of the
entity that has passed. Some psychics, mediums and clairvoyants see
them on a regular basis. Catching an apparition on film is what
every ghost hunter aspires to do. They show up in a transparent
human form and usually wear the clothing of their period. Also note
that people have been known to see animal apparitions also.
Astral Projection:
An out-of-body experience.
Aura:
An invisible breath, emanation, or radiation.
A distinctive but intangible quality that seems to surround a person
or thing; atmosphere.
It's believed that everything and everyone has an auric field around
them. These can often be seen by those who are clairvoyant.
In Kirlian photography when the film is developed, an aura like a
halo of colors can be seen around the object or person. The colors
in the photographs belie show several factors such as stress, ill
health in living organisms, and the state of your soul. It is
analogous to Spiritual Healing which can also be felt but not seen.
Example: See The Spirit Research Society Matt Ferrell's Auric photo
here. [Also see "Kirlian Photography" for more info.]
Authentication:
To establish the authenticity of; prove genuine.
The verification of facts and details surrounding an occurrence of
paranormal phenomenon. This can be independent statements from
witnesses, written documentation, or other corroborative evidence
supporting the report made by the subject concerning their
experience and the events to which was apparently related.
Automatic Writing:
This is when you write something without being aware of the
contents. Some people use this method to receive messages from
Spirit.
Being:
To exist in actuality; have life or reality. The state or
quality of having existence, a living entity.
Channeling:
When a medium apparently allows a spirit to communicate
through them.
Clairaudience:
The supposed power to hear things outside the range of normal
perception.
Auditory form of ESP (compare with Clairvoyance).
Clairsentience:
The supposed power to feel or smell things outside the range
normally perceived by the senses.
Physical sensations (or smell) form of ESP. (compare with
Clairvoyance).
Clairvoyance:
The supposed power to see objects or events that cannot be
perceived by the senses.
Acute intuitive insight or perceptiveness.
A subset of ESP. The viewing of distant scenes not apparent to the
eye, may appear externally - either replacing the normal visual
scene (visions) or being incorporated into it (as could be the case
with apparitions) - or internally, in the form of mental imagery and
intuition.
Clearing/Cleansing:
The act of eliminating ghostly phenomena from a location.
Coincidence:
A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have
been planned or arranged.
An occurrence, within a short space of time, of two or more
meaningfully related events and without any apparent causal
connection between them. Coincidences are sometimes bizarre and
extraordinarily improbable.
Cold Spot:
An area or place that for an unknown reason seems to be
cooler than the surrounding areas. Paranormal investigators usually
use thermometers to detect the fluctuations of temperature in a
location.
Collective Apparition:
This is when more than one person sees a phenomenon at the
same time & location. Collective apparitions are good in proving
that what was seen was really there, and wasn't just the person's
mind playing tricks on them, since more than one person saw it.
Communication:
In mediumship, a message purported to be from a discarnate
entity.
Communicator:
A discarnate entity from whom the medium receives messages.
See also drop-in communicator.
Crisis Apparition:
An apparition that's usually seen by a person when he/she is
at the point of death or is the victim of a serious illness or
injury. Also apparitions that are seen in places of traumatic events
(Like battlefields) are known to be called Crisis Apparitions.
Daemon
(Daimon)
A guardian spirit who communicates inspiration and advice.
See also guardian angel.
Death:
The act of dying; termination of life. The termination or
extinction of something.
Generally understood to be the extinction of an organism's life.
Many doctrines assert some form of mental or spiritual survival of
physical death.
Deathbed Experience:
A dying person's awareness of the presence of dead friends or
relatives.
Dematerialize:
To deprive of or lose apparent physical substance; make or
become immaterial. To suddenly disappear. Example: an object or
spirit.
Demon:
An evil supernatural being; a devil. An evil spirit or being
which is said to have not ever lived on earth in human form.
Demonology:
The study of demons.
Deport:
The paranormal movement of objects out of a secure enclosed
space.
Discarnate Entity:
A spirit or non-material entity. Often used to refer to the
personality of a deceased individual.
Disembodied Voice:
A voice or sound heard or recorded that comes from no
physical body or known source. [Also see "Electronic Voice Phenomena
(EVP)" for more on capturing voices of Spirit on recordings.]
Doppelganger:
A spiritual or ghostly double or counterpart; an apparitional
double of a living person. A mirror image or double of a person.
Drop-In Communicator:
An uninvited communicator who 'drops in at a sitting.
Ecto/Ectoplasm:
An immaterial or ethereal substance, especially the
transparent corporeal presence of a spirit or ghost. A semi-fluid
substance exuded by a physical medium from which materializations
may form. Ecto is also what we call the smoky mist like substance we
capture on film that we believe to be spirit energy.
Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) Meter/Detector:
Also called a gauss or magnetometer, these let you know the
Electro Magnetic Field readings in an area. The presence of spirit
has been known to often produce/disturb electro magnetic energy in
the area. Lots of things throw off EMF's though (Lamps, TV's, etc
Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP):
This is the capturing of disembodied voices on audio devices.
Elemental Spirit:
A lesser spirit bound to the fundamentals of nature (earth,
wind, water, and fire).
Entity:
A real being, whether in thought or in fact; being; essence;
existence.
A disembodied or preternatural spirit.
EVP:
See "Electronic Voice Phenomena".
Exorcism:
A religious or quasi-religious right to drive out evil
spirits. [Also see "Possession" for more info.]
Experiment:
A test carried out under controlled conditions. A test under
controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth,
examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy of
something previously untried.
Extra Sensory Perception (ESP):
Communication or perception by means other than the physical
senses.
The ability to gain knowledge through means other than the five
physical senses or logical inference.
Focal Person:
Person who is at the center of poltergeist activity. [Also
see "Poltergeist" for more info.]
Ghost:
People tend to put Ghost and Spirit in the same category and
definition even with The Spirit Research Society we have found
ourselves switching back and forth from Ghost to Spirit when talking
about them because they both basically get the same idea across..
But most paranormal researchers distinguish the two by these
definitions:
A Ghost usually refers to a residual energy of a person,
animal, or even an inanimate object
that has been imprinted in the location, only to be played over and
over again like a recording in time. Unlike Spirits, Ghosts don't
seem to interact. [See "Spirit" for more info.] When a person has
preformed events over and over again in a location they tend to
leave a psychic impression on the area, which sometimes stays in the
location long after that person has passed on. Traumatic events in a
location may also leave a strong psychic impression on the area
(Like people seeing soldiers fighting battles on battlefields, etc.)
Ghost Hunter/Investigator:
A person or group who tries to record evidence of spirit or
ghosts. This may be done by means of photography, video, EMF
(Electro Magnetic Field)/Thermo readings, trying to capture EVP
(Electronic Voice Phenomena) on recordings, and other means.
Ghost Hunt/Investigation:
A ghost hunt is an attempt to capture spirit activity in a
location not known to be haunted. A ghost investigation is an
attempt to capture spirit activity usually at a location already
known, or presumed to be haunted.
Haunting:
To inhabit, visit, or appear to in the form of a ghost or
other supernatural being.
This can be sounds of activity, objects being moved, sightings of
apparitions, etc. in a location when no one is there physically.
Hot Spot:
An area or place where frequent paranormal activity occurs,
such as hauntings.
Illusion:
The condition of being deceived by a false perception or
belief. An appearance that leads the person to draw mistaken
conclusions.
Imagery:
The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects,
actions, or ideas. The ability to perceive images in the mind. These
may be visual, auditory, tactile, etc.
Immortality:
Endless life or existence. The belief that some aspect of
personal existence survives death.
Incubus:
A spirit supposed to descend upon and have sexual intercourse
with women as they sleep.
Indirect Voice Phenomena (IVP):
Phenomenon in which an entity appears to speak using the
vocal apparatus of a living person. Often the voice will sound very
different from the person’s normal voice. [Also see "Direct Voice
Phenomena (DVP)" for more info.]
Intuition:
A sense of something not evident or deducible; an impression.
The act or faculty of knowing or sensing something without the use
of normal senses.
Levitation:
To rise or cause to rise into the air and float in apparent
defiance of gravity.
This is a form of telekinetic activity, sometimes associated with
poltergeist type hauntings. It is when a person or object is raised
off of the ground and sometimes thrown by an unseen force.
Luminous Phenomena:
The experience of strange lights or glows, often around
objects or people. [Also see "Aura" for more info.]
Materialization:
To cause to become real or actual; To cause to become
materialistic. The appearance of spirits in material form.
Meditation:
A devotional exercise of or leading to contemplation.
Meditation is the process of relaxing, emptying your mind of all
thought or reaching a different state of consciousness. Meditation
can aid in spiritual development and/or inner peace. There are many
types of meditation.
Medium:
A person who professes to be able to communicate with
spirits.
A person thought to have the power to communicate with spirits of
the dead or with agents of another world or dimension.
Mediumship:
Activity of a medium.
Mental Mediumship:
The paranormal obtaining of information by a medium.
Mist:
An anomaly (not usually seen at the time with the naked eye)
that appears on photos/videos as a "cloud of smoke" thought to be
Spirit energy, also called Ecto [See Ecto/Ectoplasm for more info.]
Near-Death Experience (NDE):
The out-of-body and other experiences people report having
when they are close to death.
Events within NDE include: An Out-of-body Experience (OBE), life
review, a tunnel experience, encounters with spirit guides, seeing
dead relatives or friends, a moment of decision (or being told) to
turn back.
Necromancy/Necromancer:
The practice of supposedly communicating with the spirits of
the dead in order to predict the future. A form of prophecy, in
which the seer or sorcerer/sorceress raises the spirit of the dead
in order to have the wraith foretell future events. It was thought
that upon entering eternity, the spirit would have full knowledge of
the past, present, and future.
Objective Apparitions:
Apparitions or phenomena that appear independent of our
minds, thoughts, or feelings.
Occult:
Of, relating to, or dealing with supernatural influences,
agencies, or phenomena.
Orb:
A sphere or spherical object. Something of circular form; a
circle or an orbit. A sphere of energy looking like "balls of
light." The Orb theory is represented by the soul of a departed
person. It is theorized by many that an orb is a spirit that has a
willingness to stay. True orbs have different appearances, sizes and
more than one type and colors exist. The human spirit or ghost type
Orb are usually the most seen. At times they contain figures and/or
faces. They can be completely transparent or display themselves in a
bright solid form. The consensus is that small orbs take up the
least amount of energy and apparitions and other fuller shapes take
up the most. They are also known as ball of lights or ghost lights.
Out-of-Body Experience (OBE or OOBE):
The experience that the self is in a different location than
the physical body.
Paranormal:
Beyond the range of normal experience or scientific
explanation. Above or outside the natural order of things as
presently understood.
Paranormal Dream:
Dreams in which the dream imagery provides paranormal
knowledge (e.g., ESP or precognition). [Also see "Announcing dream"
and "Lucid Dreaming" for more info.]
Parapsychology:
The branch of science that studies psychic phenomena. The
study of the evidence for psychological phenomena, such as
telepathy, clairvoyance, and psycho kinesis, that are inexplicable
by science.
Past-Life Memories:
Mental images that are believed to be memories of previous
lives.
Past-Life Regression:
A technique of hypnosis involving regressing people to
supposed previous lives. [Also see "Reincarnation" and "Past-life
Memories" for more info.]
Percipient:
Having the power of perceiving, especially perceiving keenly
and readily. A person who sees (i.e., perceives) an apparition or
ghost.
Phantasm:
A phantom or an apparition. Also called phantasma. [Also see
"Apparition" for more info.]
Phasmophobia:
The Fear of Ghosts.
Phenomenology:
An approach to research that aims to describe and clarify a
person's own experience and understanding of an event or phenomenon.
A philosophy or method of inquiry based on the premise that reality
consists of objects and events as they are perceived or understood
in human consciousness and not of anything independent of human
consciousness.
Poltergeist:
A ghost/spirit that manifests itself by noises, rapping’s,
and the creation of disorder. Poltergeist, German for "noisy
spirit", seems to be between the categories of ghost and psi (the
term applied to unusual abilities of human origin such as ESP and
psycho kinesis and investigating "exceptional human experiences"
such as out of body and apparitional experiences). As the name
suggests, they are noisy, often throwing objects around, pinching
and prodding residents and generally disrupting the residence. They
may not be "mean" or "evil" just active, wanting to let people know
they're there.
Possession:
The state of being possessed. The complete control by an
entity of the body of a living person.
Precognition:
The ability to predict things beyond present knowledge.
Knowledge of something in advance of its occurrence, especially by
extrasensory perception; clairvoyance.
Premonition:
A presentiment of the future; a foreboding. A warning in
advance; a forewarning. A forewarning of a future event.
Presence:
The state or fact of being present; current existence or
occurrence. A supernatural/paranormal influence felt to be nearby.
The feeling that an unseen person, spirit or being is nearby.
Psi:
Parapsychological phenomena or abilities considered as a
group. A letter in the Greek alphabet that denotes psychic
phenomena.
Psychic:
A person with above average ESP abilities. Capable of
extraordinary mental processes, such as extrasensory perception and
mental telepathy.
Psychic Impression:
Energy left in an area that can later be "played back" like a
recording in time. Psychic Impressions left in an area are not
interactive and are often associated with a haunting, called
"Residual Hauntings". [See our "Types of Spirit" page for more on
Residual Hauntings.]
Psychical Research:
A term coined in the late 19th century to refer to the
scientific study of the paranormal. Now largely known as
'parapsychology'.
Psychic Photography:
General term used to refer to paranormal photographic images
Psychokinesis (PK):
The power of the mind to affect matter without physical
contact. The production or control of motion, especially in
inanimate and remote objects, purportedly by the exercise of psychic
ability.
Psychometry:
ESP of events associated with inanimate objects. The ability
or art of divining information about people or events associated
with an object solely by touching or being near to it.
Radio Voice Phenomenon (RVP):
Receiving the voice of a deceased human over a regular radio.
[For more info on hearing spirit voices see "Electronic Voice
Phenomenon (EVP)".]
Raps:
The name given to unexplained knocking sounds associated with
physical mediumship and poltergeist activity. [Also see "Haunting"
for more info.]
Raudive Voices:
Intelligible voices recorded on magnetic tape under
conditions of silence or white noise which are heard only when the
tape is played. A phenomenon discovered by Konstantin Raudive. [Also
see "Electronic Voice Phenomena" for more info.]
Reading:
To receive or comprehend. To attribute a certain
interpretation or meaning to. To have the ability to examine and
grasp the meaning of. Information given to a person by a psychic or
medium.
Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis (RSPK):
A technical term for poltergeist activity.
Regression:
A statistical technique that enables predictions to be made
from a set of data. A technique used in hypnosis, involving
suggesting to hypnotized persons that they are returning to an
earlier time. Sometimes the regression occurs spontaneously, without
suggestion. [Also see "Past-life Regression" for more info.].
Reincarnation:
A reappearance or revitalization in another form; a new
embodiment. The rebirth of a soul into a new body.
Remote Viewing:
An ESP procedure in which a percipient attempts to become
aware psychically of the experience of a person, event, of other
info located at a distant, unknown target location.
Scrying:
A term used to cover a wide range of divination techniques
which parapsychology would tend to classify as types of ESP. Most
scrying techniques involve some degree of fixation on a surface with
a clear optical depth (crystal ball, a pool of ink or deep water) or
on an area which shows random patterns (flames in a fire, smoke),
the idea being that subconscious information available to the
scrying will be manifested in their interpretation of the imagery or
random patterns they see.
Séance:
A meeting of people to receive spiritualistic messages. A
group of people who gather in an effort to communicate with the
dead.
Sensitive:
Capable of perceiving with a sense or senses; Susceptible to
the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others. A person who
frequently experiences ESP (Extra Sensory Perception). [See "Extra
Sensory Perception (ESP)" for more info.]
Shadow People:
Spirits or ghosts which are usually black in appearance
and have no discernible features. People usually see them out of the
corner of their eye, and have also been known to be captured on
film.
Shape-Shifting:
Paranormal ability to assume the form of another person, an
animal or other entity.
Sixth Sense:
Grasping the inner nature of things intuitively. An ability
of perception seemingly independent of the five senses (touch,
smell, sight, feeling, taste); keen intuition. [Also see "Extra
Sensory Perception (ESP)" for more info.]
Skeptic:
One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or
disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions. A
person inclined to discount the reality of the paranormal and to be
critical of parapsychological research. Generally seeks rational or
scientific explanations for the phenomenon.
Soul:
The spiritual element of a person, generally believed to be
immortal. [Also see "Ba" and "Spirit" for more info.]
Spectre/Specter:
An unusual appearing ghostly figure or image. A ghostly apparition;
a phantom. A haunting or disturbing image or prospect.
Spirit:
People tend to put Ghost and Spirit in the same category and
definition, even at The Spirit research Society we have found
ourselves switching back and forth from Ghost to Spirit when talking
about them because they both basically get the same idea across..
But most paranormal researchers distinguish the two by these
definitions: A Spirit refers to an actual living essence, or soul,
of a person that has remained after their physical body has died
which usually still retains the entities traits and personality and
can communicate with the living, unlike Ghosts which tend to just be
psychic impressions left in an area, or "recordings" of time in a
location that don't seem to interact and are played over and over.
[See "Ghost" for more info.]
Spirit Guide:
A spiritual being who is assigned to a particular person to
assist them in their spiritual or life journey. It is said that each
person can have more than one spirit guide. These guides can be
highly evolved spirits of people who have lived before.
Spirit Photography:
Capturing evidence of spirit on film. Spirit photographs,
when developed, show anomalies that were not seen at the time the
photo was taken. Examples include orbs, vortexes, ecto/mists and, on
a more rare scale, apparitions.
Spiritualism (Spiritism):
The belief that the dead communicate with the living, as
through a medium. A belief system that spirits of the dead can (and
do) communicate with living humans in the material world.
Spontaneous Cases:
Paranormal phenomena that occur in everyday life, unsought
and unexpected.
Subjective Paranormal Experience (SPE):
Or Subjective Psi Experience. An experience that the person
who has it believes to be paranormal.
Subliminal Perception:
Perceiving without conscious awareness.
Succubus:
A female spirit supposed to descend upon and has sexual
intercourse with a man while he sleeps.
Supercharged Orb:
These are orbs that tend to leave long streaks behind them,
probably from them moving so fast. Watch for light sources in the
area though.. Moving the camera around quickly will usually produce
streaks of light on the photo of whatever light sources are present.
Keep your camera steady and try not to move it around too much. If
the rest of the photo is clear (as in the camera was being shaken
around a lot) and there weren't any light sources in the area of the
streaks of light, Yet you get them in your photo, You may have
caught some super charged orbs. [Example photo of this: Linda and
Betty's Anomaly in St. Augustine, Florida.]
Supernatural:
Of or relating to existence outside the natural world.
Something that exists or occurs through some means other than any
known force in nature. As opposed to paranormal, the term
"supernatural" often connotes divine or demonic intervention.
Survival:
The belief that some aspect of the person (e.g.,
consciousness, mind, personality, soul) lives on after death of the
body.
Telekinesis:
Paranormal movement of objects. The ability to move something
by thinking about it without the application of physical force.
Telepathy:
The direct passing of information from one mind to another.
The sympathetic affection of one mind by the thoughts, feelings, or
emotions of another at a distance, without communication through the
ordinary channels of sensation.
Teleportation:
A hypothetical method of transportation in which matter or
information is dematerialized, usually instantaneously, at one point
and recreated at another. A kind of paranormal transportation in
which an object is moved from one distinct location to another,
often through a solid object such as a wall.
Thermometer/Thermoscanner:
An instrument that takes instant temperature changes. Used in
ghost research to detect cold or warm spots and temperature
fluctuations in an area.
Thought Form:
An apparition produced by the power of the human mind.
Trance:
A dissociated state of consciousness, generally involving
reduced awareness of surroundings and external events.
Trance Medium:
A person who enters a state of trance in order to produce
mediumistic phenomena.
Transpersonal Psychology:
The study of experiences, beliefs and practices that suggest
that the sense of self can extend beyond our personal or individual
reality. The subject matter of transpersonal psychology overlaps to
some extent with parapsychology, but the two disciplines tend to
have different approaches and emphases. Parapsychology is primarily
concerned to investigate evidence for and against the reality of
paranormal phenomena. Transpersonal psychology, on the other hand,
is more interested in investigating the transpersonal significance
of such phenomena.
Vortex (Vortices):
A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all
that surrounds it. A photographed anomaly that appears as a funnel
or rope-like image (sometimes creating a shadow) that is not seen at
the time of the photograph that is thought to represent spirit.
Other theories include; a collection of orbs, a 'gateway' to where
orbs originate or travel to or a wormhole in time-space. Sometimes
camera straps in the way of the lens can produce what looks like a
vortex, so to not have false evidence it's best to remove you camera
strap.
Warm Spot:
An area or place that for an unknown reason seems to be
warmer than the surrounding areas. Paranormal investigators usually
use thermometers to detect the fluctuations of temperature in a
location.
White Noise:
Acoustical or electrical noise of which the intensity is the
same at all frequencies within a given band. A hiss-like sound,
formed by compiling all audible frequencies.
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