Terminology

Amulet - These are charms which are said to bring good luck or have the power to protect the person from evil or ghosts etc. most are in the form of gold or silver jewellery, gems or religious items like pentacle, cross, ruins etc. Ancestral Worship - The worship of one’s ancestors. Family members put out food and drink for the dead in the belief that the ancestral spirits will bring good fortune to the family and protect them from evil. Ancestors are worshiped as deities.  Apparition - The visual appearance of a person whose physical body is not present. (e.g. ghost) The person appears to be transparent.  Astral Body - The spiritual life force of a person, which is also referred to as the Soul. It is believed by many that our Astral body can separate from our physical body, travel around, (often while we are asleep) and return at a later time Astral plane – Believed to exist above our physical world. A place where thoughts, memories, dreams and everything in the world exist. It is a place said to operate on a higher frequency than our physical plane and have many levels Astral projection – This is the process in which our etheric body, mind or spirit separates from the physical body whilst maintaining a level of consciousness. Astrology - The theory and practice of using the positions and aspects of the planets, in the belief that they have an influence on the course of earthly life and human affairs.  Aura – A coloured energy field which surrounds our earthly body which is invisible to the naked eye. It is thought to reflect our personality and change colour depending on our mental and physical well being.  Automatic Writing – This is when a person is able to write something while being unaware of its contents. The writing is believed to be messages from the spirit world via the hand of that person.  Channelling – A method of spirit communication, it is believed that spirit can pass information directly to a medium or channeller who will then relay the message to the listener.  Clairaudience - A form of ESP. A person is able to ‘hear’ voices outside the normal perception.  Clairsentience – A person can experience Physical sensations. (smells and odours) Spirit/ghosts are sometimes known to make their presence known by smell. Many hotels etc. have reported stories of guests that have detected a certain perfume or cologne which is attributed to the ghost of a long dead guest. Strange odours could be an indication of paranormal activity although there is no positive proof.  Clairvoyance – A French word for ‘clear seeing’. A person is able to view distant scenes, people, places or objects, which are not apparent to the eye, in the form of mental imagery and intuition. A form of E.S.P. Death Bed Visions – There have been many reports that a dying person has an awareness of the presence of dead loved ones. These visitors are said to come and help the dying with their transition from life to death.  Demon- An inferior or evil entity often talked about in religious text. Some believe they have the ability to enter your home via the Ouija board and attach it’s self to an individual and able to follow where ever that person goes, similar but not quite the same as possession. Christians believe demons are evil beings who serve the devil. And only have one purpose, which is to lead man to sin. Ironically, the gods and goddesses of Pagan religions became demons in Christianity. Demons are known to have been blamed for just about everything that went wrong but positive proof of the existence of these being has not been documented as of yet.  Earthbound - A term used to refer to a spirit/ghost that hasn’t crossed over, for what ever reason and is believed to be stuck on Earth. Ectoplasm - A substance which is supposed to emanate from the body of a medium during trance and believed to be spirit.  Electro-Magnetic Field (E.M.F.) - An instrument for measuring the magnetic field (a gauss meter) as well as its strength, direction and fluctuation. It is used by paranormal investigators in an attempt to locate a spirit/ghost’s magnetic or energy as it is believed that a high level of electromagnetic energy can indicate spirit energy.  Electronic voice phenomenon (E.V.P.) - A recording device is used to try and capture spirit communication. Questions are asked by the investigators and sometimes if lucky you can hear an answer when played back which wasn’t heard at the time.  Exorcism – The term used to banish an entity thought to be in possession of a living persons body. Extra Sensory Perception (E.S.P.) - The ability to be able to use the five senses to gain extra knowledge. Ghost - A ghost is believed to be the energy or soul of a living being. When that living being dies, the spirit/soul leaves its earthly body and travels to a higher plane but is still able to travel revisiting loved ones and places on the earth.  Ghost Investigation - A research project carried out in carefully controlled conditions, using different methods and equipment to investigate reports of ghosts and hauntings, in the attempt to find proof of paranormal activity. Guardian Spirit/Angel - This is a spirit that is seen as a protector for a living person.  Hypnosis – A state like sleep in which the subject acts on external suggestion by the hypnotherapist. Used to help find roots to a problem the client is facing, to recall details of a pacific event and to recall a past life (Past life regression).  Intuition - The ability to have the knowledge of a situation or to draw the conclusion about events without using the rational thought process.  Karma - A belief that what comes around goes around. If you do something bad or evil you will be repaid if not in this life time, then in the next.  Legends – Are stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. They usually contain a good deal of historical information, with a bit of fantasy.  Levitation - The raising of an object or person by psycho-kinesis, which is to be able to lift a physical object in apparent defiance of gravity.  Ley Lines – An alignment of ancient sites which are considered to be earth's natural energy lines. Some believe that if two Ley Lines cross, then there’s a possible chance of a portal opening into other dimensions.  Life After Death - A belief that there is something after we physically die. As in the belief of reincarnation. Malevolent - A term used to describe a malicious paranormal force that causes harmful acts to living beings.  Materialization - The term used when something solid is produced from out of nowhere. Like the formation of an object or human figure that is often reported to have appeared during a séance.  Medium - A person who professes to be able to communicate with spirits in ways other than the normal five senses.  Motion detector - A device used to alerts the user of the presence of a moving object within the field of view.  Near death experience - A flashback of a person’s life that is reported by people who clinically die, or come close to actual death and revived. People have claimed to see a glimpse of the life after death. Most commonly reported are a tunnel with a bright white light at the end; they describe it as a place of great beauty and of meeting their loved ones. Necromancy - Also known as Dark or Black Magic. It is believed that through this ancient practice, the one who practices necromancy can conjure up and control the dead, they use the summoned spirit for gain; to cast spells on others, learn about the future and to even hurt other living beings. Night vision - The ability to see in a dark environment, often found on cameras which can be used to photograph in dusk conditions. Orbs – A photograph which contains an anomaly which is not seen at the time of the photo being taken. Some believe that orbs are the spirit/ghost of a dead person in the form of a ball of light. It is also a belief that they show themselves as an ‘orb’ as it uses far less energy than manifestation. However than are other explanations as follows:-     Dust - These are the most common types of orbs. All you have to do is scuff your feet, disturb the air or shake a cloth or something. They will look like little bubbles, little spheres which can shine if the flash catches them.   Moisture - This is another common type of ‘orb’ They are denser than the dust orbs and are commonly seen above water or where evaporation takes place as moisture from the warmth is drawn up into the air.    Lens flare - This are where the light shines into the camera lens, often in the centre of the photo and manifests itself as a ball of light. Light can bounce off an object like windows, glass and door knobs etc. when using a flash. Ouija Board - It is a printed board with letters, numerals, and words used to receive spirit communications. A planchette or glass is use to spell out words, numbers or letters. It is also known as a spirit or talking board. Palmistry - An art of ‘reading’ a person's future by the lines and features on their hand. Paranormal - Something above or outside the natural range of normal human experience or unscientifically explained. E.g. ghosts/spirits. Parapsychology - The scientific study of psychic phenomena.  Phantom - Something that is seen, heard, or sensed, but has no physical reality (See Ghost). Phone Calls from the Dead - There have been reports of phone calls from the dead, even when the phones has been disconnected it has still rung. Planchette - A palm sized triangular platform, usually made of wood, which is used either with the Ouija board or has a small hole to inset a pencil which rests onto paper. A person then rests his hand on the planchette in the hopes that spirit will communicate via their hand and leave messages. Poltergeist – A noisy ghost which is often more malicious and destructive than ghosts of dead human beings. Poltergeists activities are usually tapping and banging, levitating or moving objects, throwing items and starting fires. It is thought that some poltergeist activity can be brought on subconsciously by a young adolescent, mainly females under the age of about 25. They can stop as quickly as they started. Precognition - To be able to predict or have the knowledge of something before it has occurred. Psychic - A person with above average E.S.P. abilities.  Psychometry - The art of gaining information about people or events b the use of an object solely by touching or being near to it. Reincarnation - The belief that the Spirit/Soul of a person leaves the physical body after death and is reborn into another life at a later date.  Retrocognition - An experience in which someone finds themselves in a past situation and is able to see and experience the events in which they previously had no knowledge of.