GLOSSARY
A
Afterlife - The belief that the human soul or spirit survives after it leaves the body from cause of death. How the spirit survives will depend on which culture you are referring to.
Amulet - An object that is thought to bring good luck or have the power to protect from ghosts or spirits and ward off evil.
Anomaly - An occurrence or condition removed from ordinarily understood experiences.
Apparition - a spectral image of a person that materializes even though a physical body is not present.
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.
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.
Attachment - The seeming connection a haunting or entity may have with an item or person.
Aura - Energy or life force surrounding all living individuals. The color of an aura can determine the mood or physical condition of an individual.
Automatic Writing – 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.
B
Banishing - To force or drive out an unwanted spirit from a person or place.
Banshee – A wailing spirit or “death omen” that will appear to be in two different places at the same time.
Black-Eyed Children - Paranormal creatures that resemble children between the ages of 6 and 16, with pale skin and black eyes, who are reportedly seen hitchhiking or panhandling, or are encountered on doorsteps of residential homes. Tales of black-eyed children have appeared in pop culture since the late 1990's.
Bloody Mary - a folklore legend consisting of a ghost, phantom, or spirit conjured to reveal the future. She is said to appear in a mirror when her name is chanted repeatedly. The Bloody Mary apparition may be benign or malevolent, depending on historic variations of the legend.
C
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 channel who will then relay the information on to the listener(s).
Cleansing - 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.
Cold Spot – A small, defined area of intense cold (at least 10 degrees colder than the surrounding area) that can not readily be explained by other natural or mechanical causes (e.g. air conditioning, a drafty window, ice, or snow).
Crisis Apparition – An apparition that is seen when a person is seriously ill, seriously injured or at the point of death.
D
De-materialization - 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.
Demon - A supernatural, often malevolent entity. Often spoken of in religious text as pure evil.
Doppelganger - An exact spirit double or mirror image of a person but behaves differently.
Dowsing (aka Divining) – The ability to use a pair of rods (often metal) held in the hands to locate objects.
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 - An immaterial or ethereal substance, especially the transparent corporeal presence of a spirit or ghost.
Electromagnetic Field (EMF) - The natural electric field (sometimes thought of an aurora) that is generated by all living things and inanimate objects such as metals and certain minerals. It is also generated by man-made electric sources such as lights, radios and wires.
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) – Unexplainable voices and sounds that are recorded on an electronic recording device or on magnetic tape. These sounds resemble speech, but are not the result of intentional recording or rendering. EVP are commonly found in recordings with static, stray radio transmissions, and background noise.
Elementals – 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.
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.
Empath - Someone who is 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 location.
Entity - A disembodied “consciousness” commonly referred to as ghost, spirit or (if of an apparently malicious or resentful nature) demon.
Epicenter - Person or persons that a poltergeist or haunting tends to focus on. Paranormal phenomena usually increase when the epicenter is present.
ESP (Extrasensory Perception)- Communication or perception by means other than the physical senses.
EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) - The recording of spirit voices on audio tape.
Exorcism - Ceremonial expulsion of invading spiritual/demonic entities from a person or dwelling.
F
G
Ghost - The image of a person witnessed after his/her death, reflecting the appearance of the living, physical body yet less substantial.
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 Hunting - The investigation or search of ghosts, poltergeists, apparitions, or any other paranormal activity for fun, science, or ghost removal.
Ghoul – Demonic or parasitic entity that feeds upon human remains.
Gray Ladies - These are the ghosts that are gray in color and are of deceased, usually noble women that had died or have been killed violently in relations to love or are searching for their lost love.
H
Harbinger - A ghost of the future that brings warning of impending events.
Haunting - Paranormal activity such as spirits, apparitions, unexplained sounds, or moving objects that are consistent with a particular location.
Hell-hounds - A spectral death omen in the form of a ghostly dog.
Hot Spot - A site within a haunted location where the activity is prominent and/or energy fields are focused.
I
Imprint - Events or strong feelings/emotions that leave a copy or record of themselves on places and objects. Most notably this occurs when sudden or violent death occurs, such as a powerful accident, murder or crime, or a war or battle.
Infestation - Occurs when a demon has attached itself to a thing or place, possibly because someone performed a Satanic rite there or engaged in similar activity.
Intelligent Haunting - A haunting that will interact with the people by any means of communication. Noises, voices, touching, moving objects, and so forth.
Integration - Occurs when a person allows a demon control and blends his or her will with that of the demon. Integration is voluntary.
Intuition – Non-paranormal knowledge that is gained through a perceptive insight.
J
K
K2 Meter - Picks up on the energy fields that spirits disturb when they are present in the environment.
L
La Llorona - The lore states a woman was abandoned by her husband and was left alone to raise her two sons, whom she instead drowned in a river out of grief and anger. As a result of her actions the woman is condemned to wander for all eternity until she finds the bodies of her children, often causing misfortune to those who are near or hear her.
Levitation - To lift or raise a physical object in apparent defiance of gravity.
Lights Out Investigation - A paranormal investigation, usually conducted indoors and at night, where all of the light sources and other electronic devices at the location have been turned off.
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
Manifestation - The act of an entity trying to make itself appear in our physical world.
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: An individual held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and the world of spirits.
N
Necromancy - The attempt to conjure, summon or raise the dead in order to learn secrets and insights from the spirits.
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.
O
OBE (Out of Body Experience) - When a persons soul, or spirit leaves their body from just a few feet away, to as far as other worlds or dimensions.
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.
Oppression - Demonic oppression is the work of evil spiritual forces that urge us to sin, to feel spiritually dead, and to be in bondage to sinful things.
P
Paranormal – Referring to something that is beyond the range of normal human experience or scientific explanation. Paranormal phenomena are distinct from certain hypothetical entities, such as dark matter and dark energy, only insofar as paranormal phenomena are inconsistent with the world as already understood through empirical observation coupled with scientific methodology.
Paranormal Investigation – A carefully controlled research project in which various methods and equipment are used to investigate reports of ghosts and hauntings.
Parapsychology - A branch of psychology that deals with spirits, psychic phenomena, clairvoyance, telepathy, etc. (PSI)
Pareidolia – is a psychological phenomenon where a person attributes human or recognizable feature to inanimate objects or things. Most common is seeing faces and shapes in clouds or shadows.
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.
Pentagram - A symbol of protection and invocation. Always depicted point-up. Symbolizes the union of the five basic elements.
Percipient - An individual involved with or observing a paranormal event.
Poltergeist - a non-human spirit entity which literally means "noisy ghost" but is usually more malicious and destructive than ghosts of dead human beings. Traditional poltergeists activities are thumping and banging, levitating or the moving of objects, stone throwing and starting fires. It is thought that poltergeist activity in some instances may be brought on subconsciously by an adolescent agent or females under the age of 25.
Portal - A theoretical doorway of energy, through which spirits may be able to enter or exit a location.
Possessed Object - 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 objects 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 - 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.
Primary Reading - 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.
Psychic - A person who is responsive to psychic forces with above average ESP abilities.
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, retrocognition, or psychometry.
Q
R
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.
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 at the same time or place. There is no interaction with observers.
S
Séance - A meeting or gathering of people, usually lead by a medium to receive spiritualistic messages, manifestations or communication with the dead.
Shadow Person - Entities which manifest mostly during night. They are a deep black color and usually take a humanoid form. They are said to be able to induce sleep paralysis and cause the witness to feel pure terror in their presence. They are possible psychic vampire which feed of those feelings. They generally take one of five forms: The Hat Man. The Old Hag, The Hooded Figure, The Little Girl, and Swirling Smoke.
Sleep Paralysis - The inability to move during a period of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep but is always temporary. It usually takes place while you are waking up or falling asleep. The key feature of sleep paralysis is that your mind is awake but your body is still asleep.
Slenderman - Resembling a thin, unnaturally tall man with a blank and usually featureless face and wearing a black suit. The Slender Man is commonly said to stalk, abduct, or traumatize people, particularly children.
Smudge Stick - a bundle of dried herbs, usually bound with string in a small bundle and dried. The herbs are later burned as part of a ritual or ceremony. Plants that are often used include sage and cedar.
Spirit - A supernatural being or essence, as a: Holy Spirit; Soul; an often malevolent being that is body-less but can become visible; a malevolent being that enters and possesses a human being.
Spirit Rescue - Attempting contact with entities, intended to alleviate the entities’ distress and aid them in the resolution of their conflicts, and in “crossing over” to a higher, spiritual plane.
Spiritualism - The belief system that the dead are able to communicate with the living, through an intermediary or medium.
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 - Events are "meaningful coincidences" if they occur with no causal relationship; yet, seem to be meaningfully related.
T
Touched - The act of experiencing physical contact from a ghost, spirit, or other paranormal entity. It can a simple tug on a shirt or pressure on a part of the body. More severe examples of this are scratches, burns, or being pushed/shoved. Serious physical injury is a very rare occurrence.
Trance - A hypnotic, cataleptic, or ecstatic state in which one becomes detached from their physical surroundings.
U
V
Veridical Apparitions - Convey specific information to someone that the person is not aware of at the time, but research later determines the information to be true.
Vortex - A popular belief is that they are some kind of portal or doorway between this world and the spirit world. The most common color for a vortex to be is white.
W
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 - Random noise from a wide range of frequencies usually sounding like static.
Window - A window area is a region with an unusually high number of paranormal/UFO reports over a significant period of time.
Witching Hour- The time in which all paranormal activity is at it's strongest according to superstition which takes place at 3:00 AM
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 a loved one or occur during a time of crisis for the witness.
X
Y
Z
Zombie - Prevalent in Haitian lore, a cadaver disinterred shortly after burial 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.
Afterlife - The belief that the human soul or spirit survives after it leaves the body from cause of death. How the spirit survives will depend on which culture you are referring to.
Amulet - An object that is thought to bring good luck or have the power to protect from ghosts or spirits and ward off evil.
Anomaly - An occurrence or condition removed from ordinarily understood experiences.
Apparition - a spectral image of a person that materializes even though a physical body is not present.
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.
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.
Attachment - The seeming connection a haunting or entity may have with an item or person.
Aura - Energy or life force surrounding all living individuals. The color of an aura can determine the mood or physical condition of an individual.
Automatic Writing – 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.
B
Banishing - To force or drive out an unwanted spirit from a person or place.
Banshee – A wailing spirit or “death omen” that will appear to be in two different places at the same time.
Black-Eyed Children - Paranormal creatures that resemble children between the ages of 6 and 16, with pale skin and black eyes, who are reportedly seen hitchhiking or panhandling, or are encountered on doorsteps of residential homes. Tales of black-eyed children have appeared in pop culture since the late 1990's.
Bloody Mary - a folklore legend consisting of a ghost, phantom, or spirit conjured to reveal the future. She is said to appear in a mirror when her name is chanted repeatedly. The Bloody Mary apparition may be benign or malevolent, depending on historic variations of the legend.
C
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 channel who will then relay the information on to the listener(s).
Cleansing - 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.
Cold Spot – A small, defined area of intense cold (at least 10 degrees colder than the surrounding area) that can not readily be explained by other natural or mechanical causes (e.g. air conditioning, a drafty window, ice, or snow).
Crisis Apparition – An apparition that is seen when a person is seriously ill, seriously injured or at the point of death.
D
De-materialization - 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.
Demon - A supernatural, often malevolent entity. Often spoken of in religious text as pure evil.
Doppelganger - An exact spirit double or mirror image of a person but behaves differently.
Dowsing (aka Divining) – The ability to use a pair of rods (often metal) held in the hands to locate objects.
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 - An immaterial or ethereal substance, especially the transparent corporeal presence of a spirit or ghost.
Electromagnetic Field (EMF) - The natural electric field (sometimes thought of an aurora) that is generated by all living things and inanimate objects such as metals and certain minerals. It is also generated by man-made electric sources such as lights, radios and wires.
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) – Unexplainable voices and sounds that are recorded on an electronic recording device or on magnetic tape. These sounds resemble speech, but are not the result of intentional recording or rendering. EVP are commonly found in recordings with static, stray radio transmissions, and background noise.
Elementals – 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.
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.
Empath - Someone who is 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 location.
Entity - A disembodied “consciousness” commonly referred to as ghost, spirit or (if of an apparently malicious or resentful nature) demon.
Epicenter - Person or persons that a poltergeist or haunting tends to focus on. Paranormal phenomena usually increase when the epicenter is present.
ESP (Extrasensory Perception)- Communication or perception by means other than the physical senses.
EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) - The recording of spirit voices on audio tape.
Exorcism - Ceremonial expulsion of invading spiritual/demonic entities from a person or dwelling.
F
G
Ghost - The image of a person witnessed after his/her death, reflecting the appearance of the living, physical body yet less substantial.
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 Hunting - The investigation or search of ghosts, poltergeists, apparitions, or any other paranormal activity for fun, science, or ghost removal.
Ghoul – Demonic or parasitic entity that feeds upon human remains.
Gray Ladies - These are the ghosts that are gray in color and are of deceased, usually noble women that had died or have been killed violently in relations to love or are searching for their lost love.
H
Harbinger - A ghost of the future that brings warning of impending events.
Haunting - Paranormal activity such as spirits, apparitions, unexplained sounds, or moving objects that are consistent with a particular location.
Hell-hounds - A spectral death omen in the form of a ghostly dog.
Hot Spot - A site within a haunted location where the activity is prominent and/or energy fields are focused.
I
Imprint - Events or strong feelings/emotions that leave a copy or record of themselves on places and objects. Most notably this occurs when sudden or violent death occurs, such as a powerful accident, murder or crime, or a war or battle.
Infestation - Occurs when a demon has attached itself to a thing or place, possibly because someone performed a Satanic rite there or engaged in similar activity.
Intelligent Haunting - A haunting that will interact with the people by any means of communication. Noises, voices, touching, moving objects, and so forth.
Integration - Occurs when a person allows a demon control and blends his or her will with that of the demon. Integration is voluntary.
Intuition – Non-paranormal knowledge that is gained through a perceptive insight.
J
K
K2 Meter - Picks up on the energy fields that spirits disturb when they are present in the environment.
L
La Llorona - The lore states a woman was abandoned by her husband and was left alone to raise her two sons, whom she instead drowned in a river out of grief and anger. As a result of her actions the woman is condemned to wander for all eternity until she finds the bodies of her children, often causing misfortune to those who are near or hear her.
Levitation - To lift or raise a physical object in apparent defiance of gravity.
Lights Out Investigation - A paranormal investigation, usually conducted indoors and at night, where all of the light sources and other electronic devices at the location have been turned off.
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
Manifestation - The act of an entity trying to make itself appear in our physical world.
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: An individual held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and the world of spirits.
N
Necromancy - The attempt to conjure, summon or raise the dead in order to learn secrets and insights from the spirits.
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.
O
OBE (Out of Body Experience) - When a persons soul, or spirit leaves their body from just a few feet away, to as far as other worlds or dimensions.
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.
Oppression - Demonic oppression is the work of evil spiritual forces that urge us to sin, to feel spiritually dead, and to be in bondage to sinful things.
P
Paranormal – Referring to something that is beyond the range of normal human experience or scientific explanation. Paranormal phenomena are distinct from certain hypothetical entities, such as dark matter and dark energy, only insofar as paranormal phenomena are inconsistent with the world as already understood through empirical observation coupled with scientific methodology.
Paranormal Investigation – A carefully controlled research project in which various methods and equipment are used to investigate reports of ghosts and hauntings.
Parapsychology - A branch of psychology that deals with spirits, psychic phenomena, clairvoyance, telepathy, etc. (PSI)
Pareidolia – is a psychological phenomenon where a person attributes human or recognizable feature to inanimate objects or things. Most common is seeing faces and shapes in clouds or shadows.
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.
Pentagram - A symbol of protection and invocation. Always depicted point-up. Symbolizes the union of the five basic elements.
Percipient - An individual involved with or observing a paranormal event.
Poltergeist - a non-human spirit entity which literally means "noisy ghost" but is usually more malicious and destructive than ghosts of dead human beings. Traditional poltergeists activities are thumping and banging, levitating or the moving of objects, stone throwing and starting fires. It is thought that poltergeist activity in some instances may be brought on subconsciously by an adolescent agent or females under the age of 25.
Portal - A theoretical doorway of energy, through which spirits may be able to enter or exit a location.
Possessed Object - 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 objects 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 - 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.
Primary Reading - 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.
Psychic - A person who is responsive to psychic forces with above average ESP abilities.
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, retrocognition, or psychometry.
Q
R
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.
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 at the same time or place. There is no interaction with observers.
S
Séance - A meeting or gathering of people, usually lead by a medium to receive spiritualistic messages, manifestations or communication with the dead.
Shadow Person - Entities which manifest mostly during night. They are a deep black color and usually take a humanoid form. They are said to be able to induce sleep paralysis and cause the witness to feel pure terror in their presence. They are possible psychic vampire which feed of those feelings. They generally take one of five forms: The Hat Man. The Old Hag, The Hooded Figure, The Little Girl, and Swirling Smoke.
Sleep Paralysis - The inability to move during a period of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep but is always temporary. It usually takes place while you are waking up or falling asleep. The key feature of sleep paralysis is that your mind is awake but your body is still asleep.
Slenderman - Resembling a thin, unnaturally tall man with a blank and usually featureless face and wearing a black suit. The Slender Man is commonly said to stalk, abduct, or traumatize people, particularly children.
Smudge Stick - a bundle of dried herbs, usually bound with string in a small bundle and dried. The herbs are later burned as part of a ritual or ceremony. Plants that are often used include sage and cedar.
Spirit - A supernatural being or essence, as a: Holy Spirit; Soul; an often malevolent being that is body-less but can become visible; a malevolent being that enters and possesses a human being.
Spirit Rescue - Attempting contact with entities, intended to alleviate the entities’ distress and aid them in the resolution of their conflicts, and in “crossing over” to a higher, spiritual plane.
Spiritualism - The belief system that the dead are able to communicate with the living, through an intermediary or medium.
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 - Events are "meaningful coincidences" if they occur with no causal relationship; yet, seem to be meaningfully related.
T
Touched - The act of experiencing physical contact from a ghost, spirit, or other paranormal entity. It can a simple tug on a shirt or pressure on a part of the body. More severe examples of this are scratches, burns, or being pushed/shoved. Serious physical injury is a very rare occurrence.
Trance - A hypnotic, cataleptic, or ecstatic state in which one becomes detached from their physical surroundings.
U
V
Veridical Apparitions - Convey specific information to someone that the person is not aware of at the time, but research later determines the information to be true.
Vortex - A popular belief is that they are some kind of portal or doorway between this world and the spirit world. The most common color for a vortex to be is white.
W
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 - Random noise from a wide range of frequencies usually sounding like static.
Window - A window area is a region with an unusually high number of paranormal/UFO reports over a significant period of time.
Witching Hour- The time in which all paranormal activity is at it's strongest according to superstition which takes place at 3:00 AM
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 a loved one or occur during a time of crisis for the witness.
X
Y
Z
Zombie - Prevalent in Haitian lore, a cadaver disinterred shortly after burial 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.
