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GLOSSARY OF PARANORMAL TERMS

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Haint - Slang for a haunted locale or ghost.

Hand-Helds - Battery operated, two-way radios.

Haunting - A specific location where a paranormal activity occurs regularly. 

Hoax - Anything deliberately faked or being passed off as legitimate paranormal phenomena for the purpose of notoriety, money, or other personal gain.

Hot Spot - Any area where a higher than average temperature inconsistent with the environs is recorded along with paranormal phenomena. Could also refer to a very active haunted locale.

Hunt - A group of people with or without equipment in search of paranormal phenomena. 

IGHS- International  Ghost Hunters Society    

Infrared - Of or relating to invisible, electromagnetic radiation with wave-lengths greater than   visible light  and shorter than microwaves.

Infrared Meter - A digital EMF measuring device.

Ignis fatuus - Latin for "Fool's Fire".

Instant Camera -  Another name for a  Polaroid camera. 

Instrumental Transcommunication - communication from the dead via a device such as a phone, radio, television, walkie-talkie, etc.

Investigation - An organized group of researchers in search of paranormal phenomena to document with scientific instrumentation.

IR - infrared

ITC- instrumental transcommunication

Jack-O-Lanterns -  Corpse Lights.

Kobald - According to German legends, this is a malicious spirit who haunts metal-bearing mines.

Last Quarter - One-half of the moon appears to be illuminated by direct  sunlight. Illumination is decreasing. 

Lemures - A ghost who returns to haunt its living relatives. This spirit was so named by ancient Romans. 

Liekko - In Finland this is the lost ghost of a child buried in a forest.

Lunar Cycle - The precise, calibrated phases  of the moon through a calendar period.

"M" Class Flare - A term used to describe when  solar x-rays of the M-Class variety become active. It denotes a geomagnetic storm will engulf the earth with charged particles within  24 hours to 5 days time. A Mega-Flare.

Magnetometer - device which compares the  intensity and direction of magnetic fields.

Manifestation - The appearance of a spirit energy, ghost, or apparition visible to the naked eye or caught on film.

Marion Apparition - Materializations of what is believed to be the Virgin Mary.

Meditation - A spiritual or devotional exercise of contemplation usually concerning a philosophical or religious subject. A planning or intending of the mind to fill oneself with positive energies. 

Medium - A person who communicates with the dead. A medium may accomplish this through a séance.

Mega Flare - A term used to describe when an unprecedented solar x-ray event has occurred.

Metaphysics - The study of events beyond or outside of man's understanding of classical physics.

Micro Cassette  Recorder - Small analog tape recorder  with an internal  or external microphone. Used for recording EVPs.

Microwave Radiation - Invisible electromagnetic waves in the region between infrared and short-wave radio wavelengths. Gives false anomaly readings to EMF devices.

Motion Detector - A an electronic motion sensing device used to locate  areas where there are moving orbs of light or other spirit activity.

NDE - near death experience

Near Death Experience - A phenomena whereby a person clinically dead sees a vision of the afterlife, usually a bright white light inside a tunnel or the appearance of deceased relatives guiding them forward. When medically revived from death, persons claim to have witnessed such visions or claim to have left their body and floated around the room watching their own demise.

New Moon - The moon's unilluminated side faces earth. The moon appears as a dark disk or crescent sliver.

Night Shades - Same as Shadows.

Night Vision Scope - A device with infrared-sensitive viewing capabilities in complete darkness. Because of a scope's infrared night  vision, it is used to help locate spirit activity in the IR ranges normally invisible to the human eye.

NOAA- The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration which monitors atmospheric conditions on earth.        

Non-Contact Thermometer - An IR digital thermometer .

Normal - A term used to describe when solar x-rays are quiet.

OBE - out-of-body experience

Olfactory - Of or relating to the sense of smell.

Orb - A circular-shaped ball of spirit energy believed to contain the soul, personality, and emotions of a deceased person or animal. These may be visible to the naked eye or invisible until caught on film. They may also have streaking tails of ectoplasm or glowing energy.

Ouija Board - A game board with an alphabet and planchette that when touched with the fingers will move to spell out spirit messages or telepathic writings. It can be a dangerous tool which opens a portal to malevolent spirits and invites them into your home. 

Out-of-body Experience - Psychical experience whereby a person's ethereal body separates from the physical one.

Paranormal - The word "para" means beyond. Something that is beyond logical or scientific explanation.

Paranormal Group - A group of people who actively seek out paranormal phenomena in order to research, document, and learn about it.

Paraphysical - The human body's physical reaction to being exposed to paranormal phenomena. This includes phenomena felt as cold spots, hot spots, electric tingles, goose bumps, hair raising sensations, nausea, vertigo, headaches, etc.

Parapsychology - The study of unexplainable phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis.

Pareidolia - The term used to describe a phenomena where the human brain perceives random patterns and shadows to be one recognizable image which are mistakenly assembled from the totally unconnected parts. Usually this is the perception that independent mosaic pieces are human faces.

Pendulum - A small dowsing tool composed of a dangling crystal or metal plumb which is used to answer questions or find things through psychic energies.

Percipient - The person who sees a spirit manifestation.

Phantasm - A phantom. A French derivation.

Phantom -  A term for an apparition. Derived from French cultures.

Phantom Traveler - A human or animal spirit that haunts a particular road or highway. Often this is a hitchhiker who rides with living people, then inexplicably disappears.

PK- psychokinesis

Polaroid - A camera which contains self-developing film producing instant photos.

Poltergeist - Means "noisy ghost" in German and, despite the name,  refers to a psychokinetic manifestation rather than a spirit manifestation. Psychokinesis is a psychic phenomena generated by a living person, usually a child, with unvented negative energies. These energies produce loud, destructive results which mimic true paranormal events.

Portal - A multi-dimensional gateway which spirits of the dead may enter or exit from their world into ours. This may be accomplished via a vortex.

Possession - The act of a malevolent spirit or demon taking over the body of a human or animal, manipulating it, and using it for its own purposes.

Postcognition - Same as retrocognition.

Precognition - Clairvoyant knowledge of something prior to its happening.

Premonition - A psychic forewarning of a foreboding event.

Presence - Any spirit energy on the earthbound plain.

Primary Readings - The first in a series, list, or sequence of paranormal documentations. Also instrument readings of the best degree, quality, or importance.

Psychic - A person with abilities of extrasensory perception or metal telepathy.

Psychic Impressions - Intuitive knowledge gained through psychic abilities.

Psychic Imprint - Believed by some to be a replayed psychic event which is  "recorded" in space and time and continues to loop the same scene over and over again in a particular location. This view portrays the repeating events of a residual haunting as mindless, soulless imprints of past lives, not as the active, intelligent movements of spirit energies.

Psychic Photography - Another word for spirit photography.

Psychic Protection - Any deliberate metaphysical method by which a person attempts to ward of spirits.

Psychokinesis - Using the mind to produce motion of inanimate and remote objects.

Psychometry - The ability to perceive information about people, places, or things from touching objects associated with them.

Quiet - A term used to describe when earth geomagnetic fields are  quiet.

Rappings - Loud knocks or hits against surfaces often produced by spirits. May be associated with boisterous energies seeking attention or recognition by humans. Also may occur during poltergeist phenomena.

REP- real exciting phenomena

Residual Haunting - Any haunting where spirits are seen repeating the same actions, behaviors, or movements over and over again in the exact same way.

Retrocognition - Occurs when a person (percipient) is transported through time and experiences past surroundings and feelings. This is reported in some paranormal phenomena.

Revenant - A recently departed spirit who returns very briefly to make contact with loved ones. This may serve as an act of closure before going on to the Afterlife.

RSPK - recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis

RVP - Radio voice phenomena where spirits use radio band waves to communicate.

Sage - an aromatic herb used when dried to cleanse an area or to serve as a protective barrier against negative spirits. The sage is lighted and the smoke distributed where desired to promote positive energies or vibrations.

Séance - A metaphysical ritual performed by a Medium with a gathering of people to make contact with the dead. 

Sensitive - A person who can feel the presence of spirit energy through any of the five senses : sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste.

Shadows - An apparition appearing as a flickering black or smoky gray mass of any size or shape. Often seen out of the corner of the eye before disappearing completely or may be caught on film.

Solar Flares - Temporary bursts of solar gases from the sun's surface which are a source of intense radiation. Spirit activity rises during intense solar flares. 

Solar Terrestrial Activity Report - A graphed comparison chart documenting solar cycles. The report includes info on sunspot numbers, solar fluctuations, and indexing  for earth geomagnetic fields. Increases in paranormal phenomena  can be  checked against  this report to confirm if geomagnetic fields have increased.

Solar X-ray Status Monitor - The scientific monitoring of solar x-ray activities on the sun.

SP - sleep paralysis

Spheres - Orbs.

Sleep Paralysis - A sleep disorder (apnea) where a person half-awakens during the night feeling they are being watched, choked, pressed upon the chest, or otherwise paralyzed by an evil, invisible force attacking them. A ghost may be falsely accused of trying to harm them.

Smugeing - An ancient spiritual cleansing ceremony using natural herbs and spices to ward off negative spirit energies. A smoky fire is produced in a smudge pot and distributed throughout an area and over people. 

Soul - The continuing electromagnetic energy field of a human or animal retaining all the characteristics of the once living soul, body, and mind.

Soul Rescue - An act of metaphysical intervention between a living person and a spirit whereby the earthbound energy is advised and instructed on how to leave the earthly plain and go into the Light to begin it's new afterlife existence. Often a Channeler or psychic will act as the human agent for this event.

Space-Time Anomaly - A residual haunting caused by strong emotional feelings embedded within a departed spirit. Negative emotions developed during life become a force holding a spirit earthbound to perform repetitious behavior. This view holds that residual hauntings are caused by active, intelligent spirits consciously repeating their actions while trying to resolve past emotional issues.

Sparklies - Small glowing dots (not dust, pollen or pollutants) seen through a camera viewfinder during the flash mode which may indicate the presence of spirit energies.

Spirit - The electromagnetic and electrostatic energies containing the soul, personality, and intelligence which survives after the death of a human or animal. 

Spirit Detector - A compass

Spirit Photography - Capturing the images of paranormal anomalies or spirits on film. Also called psychic photography.

Spirit Voices - Capturing the voices of spirits on audio tape. EVPs.

Spiritualism - The belief that the dead communicate with the living, usually through a medium. Emphasizing the spiritual over the material.

Spiritualist - A person with the philosophy, doctrine, or belief that the dead communicate with the living. 

Spook - A ghost who haunts a particular place. The word's origins are Dutch.

STA-space-time anomaly  

Still - A single photograph.

Storm - A term used to describe when a geomagnetic storm is bombarding the earth. This is an ideal time to conduct paranormal investigations.

Synchronicity - The state of being synchronous. A chronological series of events that indicates parallel existences and occurrences. A coincidence in time or rate.

Table-tipping - A method of communication by spirits where people sit or stand around a table, touch fingertips upon its top, and then invite spirits to come forth. Yes and no questions are asked and floor taps generated by the bouncing table legs indicate the answers. One tap for "yes." Two taps for "no." This may invite malevolent spirits into your home.

Telekinesis - The unexplained, supernatural  movement of objects by the use of psychic powers. 

Telekinetic - A person with the ability to move objects with their mind.

Telepathy - Communication between minds by exercising psychic powers and without the use of the normal five senses.

Telepathic - A person who uses telepathy.

Thanatology - The study of Near-Death Experiences.

The Light - A portal or entranceway into the afterlife or another dimension and is used by spirits to leave an earthbound existence. 

Thermal Radiometry -  The use of a device to detect and measure radiation fluctuations related to temperature variations in the environment.

Thermal Scanner -  A  digital thermometer equipped with an infrared laser-scanning beam.

TK- telekinetic

Tri-Field Meter - A device that measures EMFs by triangulating between three points of reference.

Unsettled - A term used to describe when earth geomagnetic fields are unsettled.

Vapor Apparition - A misty, white ghost.

Video Camera - An analog or digital  Camcorder.

Vortex - A white tornado-shaped, ectoplasmic form that usually appears during family gatherings or celebrations. They may also be the transport mechanisms through which orbs travel in and out of our dimension.

Waning Crescent - The moon appears to be partly but less than one-half illuminated by direct  sunlight. Illumination is decreasing.

Waning Gibbous - The moon appears to be more than one-half but not fully illuminated by direct  sunlight. Illumination is decreasing.

Waxing Crescent - The moon appears to be partly but less than one-half illuminated by direct  sunlight. Illumination is increasing.

Waxing Gibbous - The moon appears to be more than one-half but not fully illuminated by direct sunlight. Illumination is increasing.

Will-o'-the-Wisp - Faint green and red lights seen  at night above, bogs, marshes, and swamps.

Wraith - A  legendary ghost that brings misfortune or death to anyone who sees it. Sometimes a cloak-hooded figure with glowing red eyes.

"X" Class Flares - A term used to describe solar x-rays of the "X" Class variety.

X-Rays - Relatively high-energy photons   within the approximate range of 0.05 angstroms  to 100 angstroms. A stream of these photons have a very effective penetrating power. Solar x-rays create geomagnetic storms.

Zero-Point Energy - According to physicists, this is the infinite electromagnetic energy found in what looks to be empty space around us and which remains active at absolute zero when all other activity is stilled. This force also interacts with gravity and may be a possible energy source for PK phenomena.

ZPE - zero-point energy

35 MM Camera - A camera with manual or auto-focus capacities that uses film rolls. Includes SLR and instamatic cameras.

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