A
ALCHEMY - The Science of turning base metals into gold or silver by chemical means.
The byproduct, "Quicksilver," was thought to have magical powers. This was a very
perfected science in Egyptian times and lasted all the way up into the 14th-16th
Century A.D. when some of the alchemy methods were lost due to war and fire.
ANOMALY
- Something that cannot be explained by currently accepted scientific theories. Anything
difficult to classify is considered an anomaly.
APPARITION - An apparition may be
visible to both the naked eye and appear in photographs. It is a supernatural manifestation
of the soul of a deceased human or animal, or of a living person too distant to be
within the normal perception of the observer. Some apparitions can seem quite normal
and solid in appearance to the observer while others may see just faint images, blobs,
streaks or patches of light.
ASTRAL PROJECTION (see Out-of-Body Experience)
AURA –
An energy field of radiant light believed to surround all living creatures. Each
color represents a different aspect of that person or object. Every time a person
comes into contact with someone new, the aura reacts to the other person. If the
aura's frequency are close to the same, a person would feel an immediate bond.
AUTOMATIC
WRITING or AUTOMATIC ART – The ability to freely channel words, music, or art without
the interruptive interference of the mind.
B
AUTOSCOPY - The viewing of one's physical body while experiencing astral projection.
BANSHEE
- An omen spirit from Ireland and Scotland that appears to people to warn them of
impending violent and untimely death.
BILOCATION - Appearing to be in two locations
at one time. Often associated with astral projection.
BOGEY - Also referred to as
the bogeyman in British folklore, these are classed as horrible or evil spirits that
love to be mischievous. Sometimes synonymous with the devil, in the past the threat
of calling upon the bogeyman was used by parents to frighten children into good behavior.
BOOGYMAN
– See Bogey
C
CHANNELING - Channeling is a process where information from an external source of
consciousness is accessed and expressed. People can channel entities, their Higher
Self or energy.
CLAIRAUDIENCE – The ability to hear voices, astral music or discarnate
beings. This is considered a form of channeling. A person may actually hear spirits
talking or singing in their head while there are no auditory sounds.
CLAIROLEOFACTOR
– Having an extraordinary sense of smell, as if you could smell flowers before they
bloom or smell trouble before it occurs.
CLAIRSENTIENCE – Having the ability to clearly
feel another person's emotions and sensations.
CLAIRVOYANCE – The ability to have
lucid mental perceptions and keen insights about people and life situations and to
have clear visual mental images, pictures, to "see" auras and other psychic phenomena.
The visions may also be in the future, and some times in the past. Clairvoyance is
an umbrella term that often refers to telepathy, spiritualism, psychic research,
second sight, prophetic visions, and dreams.
CLASSIC HAUNTING - The spirit of a once
living person that for some reason did not cross over at the moment of death. A
Classic Haunt involves a spirit that has the ability to interact with you and vice
versa.
COLD SPOT - An area of psychic energy with a considerable amount of temperature
change from the surrounding area. May be free floating or stationary. All other possibilities
for the temperature change must be ruled out before this is to be considered authentic.
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.
CROSS-SPECIES COMMUNICATION - To have a special rapport and
understanding with animals, plants or alien beings.
CRYSTALOMANCY - The art of gazing
into a crystal globe, a pool of water, a mirror, or any transparent object to see
visions or summon forth spirits.
D
DEJÀ VU - Certain events and experiences that seem as if you have experienced them
before. As familiar as the experiences are, you cannot recall nor figure out when
they happened.
DEMATERIALIZATION - The disappearance or fading of a physical object.
DIRECT
WRITING – This is when spirits actually write using any means. This may be done by
slate writing or by pen and paper.
DISCARNATE - Having no physical form or body.
DIVINATION
– The ability to obtain unknown knowledge or future events from omens. Astrology
may be considered divination.
DIVINING ROD - A forked rod used to indicate the presence
of water or minerals underground.
DMILS - Abbreviation of Direct Mental Interaction
with Living Systems. Used to denote instances where one person is attempting to influence
a distant biological system, usually the physiology of another person. As it is unclear
whether this represents an influence (see psychokinesis), a case of ESP on the part
of the influence (see ESP) or an opportunistic selection process, the term 'interaction'
has been adopted.
DOPPELGANGER - A spirit of a living person or animal outside of
the physical body. Being exact duplicates of the living person including dress, this
could possibly be an projected out of body experience either consciously or unconsciously
or a death omen. Typically "double-goers" are seen by others in distant locations
just as the individual in question is about to die or has died.
DOWSING - To be able
to find underground water and/or underground minerals.
E
ECTOPLASM - A product of psychic energy that usually forms as a fog like mist, solid
white mass, or vortexes.
EKIMMU - The legendary evil ghost of an individual who was
denied entrance to the underworld and is doomed to walk the earth for eternity. Ekimmu
means "that which is snatched away." One could become an Ekimmu by dying a violent
death such as murder, drowning, or any other unsavory death.
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD
METER (EMF Detector) - This tool detects changes in the Electromagnetic Field found
around just about everything, from TVs to power lines. The normal reading for paranormal
activity is between 2.0 and 8.0, anything above this is usually man-made in origin.
EMPATHY - Rarely used in modern parapsychology, the popular usage of this term refers
to a low-level form of telepathy wherein the empath appears to be aware of the emotional
state of a distant person. An empath may also be able to "broadcast" emotions to
others.
ESP - Extrasensory perception (ESP) is the knowledge of external objects or
events without the aid of the senses. It is most commonly called the "sixth sense"
as it is sensory information an individual receives which comes beyond the ordinary
five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.) Many people have experienced
dreams, visions, or unexplained feelings where they could predict some future event,
sense a spirit or presence of something or someone, or even read someone else's mind.
EVP
- (Electronic Voice Phenomena) The practice of recording spirit voices on tapes,
usually audio. Usually nothing is heard at the time of the recording, it is only
during playback that the hushed and gravely voices are heard. 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).
F
G
GANZFIELD - A state of mild sensory deprivation, characterized by the presentation
of homogenous sensory fields.
GHOST - Usually the visual appearance of a deceased
human's spirit soul or the spectre of a dead person. This is the most popular term
used to describe paranormal oddities. Generally ghosts make there presence known
through mysterious smells, noises, cold breezes, and the movement of objects.
GHOST
HUNTER - A person who uses protocol set by researchers to search for haunted areas.
GHOST
LIGHT - An unexplainable light visible to the naked eye. It may be seen traveling
in a conscious manner, giving the appearance of intelligence.
GHOST MIST/FOG - This
is a fog or mist that is visible on photographs but was not visible to the naked
eye. A feeling of a presence, cold chill, smell, or phantom footsteps may be felt
prior to capturing these phenomena on photos.
GHOUL - A demon thought to feed on
the dead.
H
HAUNTING - Paranormal experiences occurring over a period of time in a specific location.
May include apparitions, sounds, smells, moving / disappearing objects, etc.
I
INNER VOICE - Receiving guidance and assistance from your own mind.
INTELLIGENT HAUNTING
- When spirits seem to live in a specific area and act with free will and/or show
intelligence. Spirits don't necessarily haunt the place they die at, but might haunt
the most comfortable place for them to stay (i.e., their old home, favorite getaway,
etc.)
INTUITION - The act of knowing without the use of usual rational processes. Based partly
on subconscious pattern association of known information, and partly on subconscious
psi impressions. To get information without knowing where it came from.
J
K
KINETIC ENERGY - The ability to use pure energy to move objects.
L
LEVITATION - See Telekinesis.
M
MEDITATION - Private devotion or mental exercise consisting in any of innumerable
techniques of concentration, contemplation, and abstraction, regarded as conducive
to heightened spiritual awareness or somatic calm. It may serve purely quietistic
aims, as in the case of certain reclusive mystics; it may be viewed as spiritually
or physically restorative and enriching to daily life.
MANIFESTATION - When an entity
takes form or makes an appearance. Can also mean the outbreak of activity.
MATERIALIZATION
- The deliberate, though usually temporary, visible and/or physical formation of
a spirit.
MEDIUM - A psychic who communicates with spirits.
METAPHYSICS - Derived
from the Latin word Meta which means beyond. Literally means that which is beyond
the laws of physics.
N
O
ORB - An orb is a sphere like object generally captured in photographs only. Orbs
are thought to represent the soul of a deceased person.
OUIJA BOARD - A board with
the alphabet and other symbols on it, and a planchette that is thought to move in
such a way as to spell out spiritualistic and telepathic messages.
OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE
(OBE) or ASTRAL PROJECTION - To be able to leave your physical body and project your
soul, consciousness or what appears to be your mind to another place and return via
a silver cord. OBE is the most reported and documented type of astral projection.
When the consciousness leaves the body in this fashion it is virtually always in
the here/now plane, and close to the physical body. Most OBEs have common features.
For instance, the subjects often see their own physical body during the experience,
like any other object in the room. They usually report having "ghostly" bodies that
can pass through solid objects during the experience. There have even been reports
of other people witnessing the person as they astral project.
P
PARANORMAL - Something that is beyond the range of normal human experience or scientific
explanation.
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.
PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION - The act of going to an allegedly haunted
location, gathering data such as photos, audio recordings, video, electromagnetic
field monitoring, etc., and summarizing your data in reports.
PARAPSYCHOLOGY - Derived
from the Latin word Para, which means beyond, parapsychology literally means beyond
psychology. It is generally defined as the scientific study of paranormal phenomena.
Term coined by J.B. Rhine.
PAST LIFE RECALL - To remember or have mental flashes about
previous lives.
PHANTASM - Vision of absent person.
PHANTASMAGORIA - A crowd of dim
or unreal figures. It is also a device used for ghost making as a popular entertainment
in the 18th century developed by E.G. Robertson around the 1790's for projecting
convincing figures before an audience.
PHANTOM - An apparition or specter that exists
only as an energy form.
POLTERGEIST - (German for "Noisy Ghost") A general term applied
to a variety of site or person specific physical phenomena. These may include temperature
variations, anomalous sounds, and movement of physical objects. Currently, poltergeist
phenomena are usually considered to be related either to unusual physical conditions
at the affected site, or to be related to psychokinesis. Anecdotal reports suggest
that many poltergeist focus on an individual under some form of emotional stress.
Poltergeists have also been blamed for violent actions such as throwing stones or
setting fire to clothing and furniture. Such events are said to be sporadic, unpredictable,
and often repetitive. According to popular belief, a poltergeist's activity appears
to concentrate on a particular member of a family, often an adolescent, and its object
being harassment. When strangers are present, the unusual phenomena often cease.
POSSESSION
- When a person's mind or body are believed to be taken over by ghosts, spirits,
or other supernatural entities.
PRECOGNITION - Pre-knowing; where nondeductible information
about a future event is acquired.
PRECOGNITIVE DREAMS - To have dreams of events or
incidents before they happen.
PREDICTION - To be able to predict future events before
they occur.
PSI - A general term for parapsychological phenomena that includes informational
(RV, ESP) and energetic (PK) effects. Psi, or Y, is the 23rd letter of the Greek
alphabet.
PSYCHIC - Popular term used to denote a person who regularly uses or appears
to be especially gifted with psi abilities. Also refers to general phenomena related
to the mind (from Greek psyche.)
PSYCHOKINESIS (PK) - See Telekinesis.
PSYCHOMETRY
- To touch an object with your hands and get information about the object, it's creator,
its owner, or it's history.
Q
R
RADIO VOICE PHENOMENON (RVP) - To receive the voices of a deceased human being over
a regular radio. (CB, AM/FM, and HAM etc.)
REMOTE VIEWING (RV) - The ability to access
distant or shielded information primarily of visual character such as natural or
structural features via an unknown mental process. RV may include other sensory modes,
such as feelings, motion, or sound. Some individuals associate specific approaches,
or protocols, with RV. It is the ability to produce information that is correct about
a place, event, person, or object located somewhere in time/space, which is completely
blind to the remote viewer.
RESEARCH SITE - A true research site is when a controlled
environment is established and then visited frequently (normally on a regular basis,
weekly, biweekly, etc.) to test new theories and research ideas. To a researcher,
the benefits of a long-term research site is the ability to find out what is normal
for that location, therefore deviations from that norm may be recorded as data. This
is not possible on an investigation where one may only visit a site a few times.
RESIDUAL
HAUNTING - This type of haunt generally occurs at the same time every time and is
the same scene over and over. There will be no interaction for the spirits don't
even see you. These hauntings usually involve a visual sighting of a past traumatic
event that occurred at that location. It may not be technically referred to as a
haunting, but more of an energy imprint.
S
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 (e.g. a crystal ball, a pool
of ink or deep water) or on an area which shows random patterns (e.g. 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. Techniques using a clear optical depth are actually very similar to the idea
behind the homogenous visual field used in Ganzfeld ESP research.
SÉANCE - A séance
generally involves communication between the physical realms and one or more entities
from other dimensions. A 'medium' usually is the vehicle that contacts the spirit
world. A group of people mentally calling to spirits will create a stronger energy
field than one person. It is a sitting organized for the purpose of receiving spirit
communications or paranormal manifestations via the services of a medium.
SKEPTIC
- In parapsychology, one who insists on ruling out all possible natural causes for
a phenomenon before calling it paranormal.
SHADOW MEN - These ghosts usually appear
as a shadow normally seen from the corner of your eye or in a mirror. It is difficult
to distinguish shadow men from regular shadows on film or in photography, that's
why it is important to see if it is possible to recreate the shadow.
SIXTH SENSE -
See ESP.
SPIRIT - The principle force within a living being. The soul. Also, a supernatural
entity.
SUBLIMINAL PERCEPTION - Sensory impressions below the threshold of conscious
awareness.
SUPERNATURAL - Something that exists or occurs through some means other
than any known force in nature. As opposed to paranormal, the term "supernatural"
often denotes divine or demonic intervention.
SYNCHRONICITY - Meaningful coincidences
that often are mediated by subconscious psi activity. Our intuitive/psi faculty nudges
our paths into meaningful intersections in times of need.
T
TELEKINESIS, PSYCHOKINESIS, LEVITATION - To move an object or your body without physical
means. A common theory is that TK works by energy fields (magnetic or electric) or
by "waves" of psychic energy that are actually dense enough to push/repel an object
or draw it inward. Most people's only encounter with TK is accidental-something mysteriously
falls over or objects fly around a room, a phenomena often mistaken for a poltergeist
when it may actually be a person with spontaneous telekinetic powers.
TELEPATHY -
To know what others are thinking; thought transference including the sending and
receiving of thoughts.
TERRAFIRM - To be connected with the planet Earth as if it
were a part of you.
TONE HEALING - Your tone of voice affects others by disturbing,
catalyzing, soothing, lulling, inspiring and quite often healing them.
TOUCH HEALING
- To impart through your hands soothing and healing vibrations of energy.
TRANSMEDIUMSHIP,
TRANSCHANNELING - To have severe personality shifts.
U
V
VORTEX - In photography this is the appearance of a vortex in a photo. It may appear
in several shapes. One might resemble a telephone cord, another a twisted Birthday
Streamer, ropes, striped ropes, or smooth tubular shapes.
W
WHITE NOISE - A hiss-like sound, formed by combining all audible frequencies. Often
used as a background to EVP recordings.
X
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