Paranormal Glossary:

Afterlife- The place to which the human soul is believed to go after the body dies. Many people believe that a soul in the afterlife can contact the living.

Ambient Noise –  Background noise at a given location.

Angel- a spiritual being that is believed to be much more powerful than a human. Angels are composed of ethereal matter, thus allowing them to take on whichever physical form best suits their immediate needs. In Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other theologies an angel can be one who acts as a messenger, attendant or agent of God.

Animal Mutilation- a term which refers to cases of animal corpses (usually cattle), which have been found with strange injuries.  These injuries are often difficult to explain in terms of accident, predators and illness.  Often the corpse has missing body parts (e.g. genitals), has been drained of blood and many injuries appear to have been carried out with surgical precision.

Anomaly- Something that is different, abnormal, peculiar or not easily classified within a scientific aspect

Apparition – The appearance of a ghost or spirit, usually taken the form of a visual image of a deceased individual in either real life or on film. There are apparitions based on the five senses. But very rarely is the sense of taste involved.

Visual – The appearance of a spirit visually.

Auditory – Sounds of walking, voices, doors opening, music playing, sounds of gunshots, etc.

Olfactory – Smells or odors, such as perfume or cigar smoke, commonly associated with the area or an individual.

Tactile – Feeling a slight wind in a closed off room, or a tug on your clothing when no one is in the immediate area, being pushed, or having you’re hair pulled.

Astral Projection-  When the soul, spirit or mind separates from the physical body, while maintaining a level of consciousness.  Once separated from the physical body this soul then begins to operate at a higher frequency allowing it to travel on the astral plane.  This astral plane also operates at a higher frequency than that of the physical plane.

Aura- an emanation, breath or radiation that is invisible to the naked eye. It is often thought to be an invisible surrounding glow emanating from each individual.  Some persons believe that they can actually see the aura of a person and depending on its color and form, this is taken as an indication of the mental and physical well being of that person. Kirlian photography deals with the supposed art of photographing this type of phenomena.

Banishing - Formal, ceremonial, procedure to cast an invisible presence or influence out from an area. This term can refer to a spiritual cleansing.

Banshee - is a name given to a female spirit, which can be found in Irish and Scottish folklore.  The wail of a banshee is associated with the foretelling of an imminent death in the house, outside of which the banshee has previously visited.  An omen of impending death in a house, a banshee is a female entity said to herald death by groaning and screaming.

Benign Spirit - A spirit that is not evil or harmful to man. Angels and spirit guides fall into this category as would spirits of loved ones that come back to tell us something.

Bilocation - When an object is seen in two locations at the same time. Padre Pio was said to exhibit bilocation.

Cold spot - an isolated area of dramatically decreased temperature in contrast to the ambient air temperature of the surrounding area.

Curse - To speak a wish of evil against someone or call down forces to hurt someone.

Deja Vu - Certain events and experiences seem as if you are re-experiencing the event or situation that has happened at another time. As familiar as the experiences are, you cannot recall nor figure out when they happened.

Demon -  A very powerful and manipulating non-human entity. These creatures are very strong, unlike human spirits, and they don’t mind showing it. There have been cases where people have been thrown through the air and even attacked. Their main goal is to break down a person’s free will in order to make way for possession. This can take days, months, even years, but time is of no concern to them. They have a hatred for mankind that dates back to the days of God and Lucifer. They have lived for millennia and will be here long after we are gone. You can not destroy a demon. You can remove a demon from a person or a dwelling through religious provocation. A demons appearance is always changing. They can portray themselves as a small child, or a tall man, They can have the head of an animal, the torso of a man, and the hairy legs of an animal. Most demons are associated with Shadow figures. There are many different types of demons.

Demonic Possession – is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by malevolent or supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting, drastic changes in vocal intonation and facial structure, superhuman strength, sudden appearance of injuries or lesions (scratches, bite marks), access to hidden knowledge (gnosis) and foreign languages (glossolalia), and anger towards religious figures and objects. Unlike Channeling or other forms of possession, the subject has no control over the possessing entity. The entity will pursue the victim until it is forced to leave, usually through a form of exorcism.

Demonologist – A person who studies Demonology.

Doppleganger - Also known as a fetch, this ghost is supposed to be the double of a living human being. If people are unfortunate enough to see their own doppelganger , it can be an omen that they will die in the near future.

Ectoplasm (Ectoplasm Phenomena) – is a term used by Charles Richet to denote a substance or spiritual energy “exteriorized” by physical mediums. Ectoplasm is said to be associated with the formation of spirits, and asserted to be an enabling factor in psychokinesis. Ectoplasm is said to be produced by physical mediums when in a trance state. This material is excreted as a gauze – like substance from orifices on the mediums body and spiritual entities are said to drape this substance over their nonphysical body, enabling them to interact in our physical universe.

EMF (Electromagnetic Field) – A field of force that consists of both electric and magnetic components, resulting from the motion of an electric charge and containing a definite amount of electromagnetic energy.

ESP – (Extrasensory perception) –  involves reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind

EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) - Disembodied "voices" and sounds imprinted on audio recording devices. Electronically generated noises that resemble speech but are not the result of intentional voice recordings or renderings.

Exorcism - Ceremonial expulsion of invading spiritual/demonic entities from a person or dwelling, present in virtually every worldly culture. The Jewish and Catholic Christian faiths each have a formal 'Rite of Exorcism' to be conducted by the respective Rabbi or Priest

Ghost – In traditional belief, a ghost is the name given to that soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living
Hallucination- An image which seems real, even though it does not physically exist.

Haunting – a haunting consist of high amounts of paranormal activity in one location over long periods of time.

Incubus - An incubus (nominal form constructed from the Latin verb, incubo, incubare, or "to lie upon") is a demon in male form who, according to a number of mythological and legendary traditions, lies upon sleepers, especially women, in order to have intercourse with them. Its female counterpart is the succubus. An incubus may pursue sexual relations with a woman in order to father a child, as in the legend of Merlin. Religious tradition holds that repeated intercourse with an incubus or succubus may result in the deterioration of health, or even death. Medieval legend claims that demons, both male and female, sexually prey on human beings - generally during the night when the victim is sleeping.

Inner Voice - Receiving guidance and assistance from your subconscious mind.

Levitation – (from Latin levitas "lightness") is the process by which an object is suspended by a physical force against gravity, in a stable position without solid physical contact. A number of different techniques have been developed to levitate matter, including the aerodynamic, magnetic,acoustic, electromagnetic, electrostatic, gas film, and optical levitation methods.

Libations –  is a ritual pouring of a drink as an offering to a god or spirit or in memory of those who have died. It was common in many religions of antiquity, including Judaism:

Ley Lines- were 're-discovered' by a man called Alfred Watkins (1855-1935), on the 30th June 1921.  'Ley lines, or Leys, are alignments of ancient sites stretching across the landscape. Ancient sites or holy places may be situated in a straight line ranging from two to several miles in length.  A ley may be identified simply by an aligned placing of marker sites, or it might be visible on the ground for all or part of its length by the remnants of an old straight track.'  Ley lines and water lines are found at most ancient monuments and sacred places such as Stone Henge. These magnetic lines and underground water systems are thought by some to be an easy way for spirits to travel or move around by using the extra energy supplied by this naturally occurring earth phenomenon.

Manifestation – the tangible signs of a haunting, including tactile, auditory, olfactory, and visual. When a being collects enough energy to reveal itself.

Marsh lights- Shimmering, moving flames that are sometimes seen at night in marshes and other wet areas. They are also known as Will-o'-the wisps. Marsh lights are caused when the gases of rotting vegetation begin to burn of their own accord.

Matrixing – When the brain does not recognize what the eyes are seeing and relates it to a familiar image.

Moon Madness - As the Lunar cycle waxes to its full point, incidents of psychotic behavior, violence and crime seem to escalate. To a lesser degree, the phase of the New Moon seems correlated to a rash of abnormal behavior. Current understanding of human psychology and physiology refutes the observation that our moon can exert significant influence on the human mind, 'though statistics support it.

Moon Phases- displays the moon's current phase and estimates the time of the next full moon, using a calculation of the moon's rotation and the date. Paranormal activity is thought to increase during a full moon due to the increased magnetic field.

Orb – a sphere of energy that can produce light that may appear as many different colors. The most common color is white.

Optical Illusion- An optical illusion (also called a visual illusion) is characterized by visually perceived images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed in the brain to give a perception that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source. There are three main types: literal optical illusions that create images that are different from the objects that make them, physiological ones that are the effects on the eyes and brain of excessive stimulation of a specific type (brightness, colour, size, position, tilt, movement), and cognitive illusions, the result of unconscious inferences.

Oppression – When an outside force/energy is manipulating an individual subconsciously to perform certain tasks. 

Past Life Memories- To remember or have mental flashes about living in another lifetime.
 
Possession – The entry of spirit into the body of  a willing or unwilling host, in which the spirit takes control of the individuals motor and cognitive functions. 

Precognition- where nondeductible information about a future event is acquired. Knowing an event is going to take place before it happens.

Precognitive Dreams - To have dreams of events or incidents before they occur.

Prediction- To be able to predict future events before they occur.

Provocation – The act of provoking.

Psycokinesis(PK) -  A form of psi, meaning a technique of mind over matter through invisible means. Examples of PK are movements of objects, bending of metals, and determining the outcome of events. It can occur spontaneously and deliberately which indicates it is both an unconscious and conscious process.

Psychometry - To touch an object with your hands and get information about the object, it's creator, its owner, or it's history.

Séance - An effort or ceremony to contact the spirit world.

Smudging - smudging is the burning of sacred herbs in tribal cleansing, purification, and prayer ceremonies.

Soul- The spirit of a person. It is not part of the physical body. It is believed to be immortal, surviving after the body dies.

Spirit- The essence of a person that is said to remain after death.

Succubus - In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus (plural succubi) is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus. Religious traditions hold that repeated intercourse with a succubus may result in the deterioration of health or even death. In modern fictional representations, a succubus may or may not appear in dreams and is often depicted as a highly attractive seductress or enchantress, in contrast to the past where succubi were generally depicted as frightening and demonic.

Subliminal Perception - Sensory impressions below the threshold of conscious awareness.

Superstition- not always rational, the belief that certain objects and actions have supernatural meanings and in some way can bring about unlikely events, or good or bad luck

Supernatural- Departing from what is usual or normal, especially if it appears to defy the laws of nature

Trigger Object – An object that is used to attract an entity. Normally the trigger object is something that the entity used or would recognize from when they were living. For example: If you were investigating a location that was involved with the civil war, some paranormal investigators would bring a musket, cannon ball, or wear civil war uniforms in order to attract entities from that time period.  

Vortex – A concentrated yet brief area of high electromagnetic energy found in photographs taken at paranormally active locations. They often appear as solid (opaque) white or silver tubes, rod, or elongated ovals. They can also appear to be braided like rope or chain (cares had to be taken to ensure that it is not a rope, chain or camera strap). A vortex is not an entity. However some paranormal researchers believe that a vortex is a momentary doorway or portal or realm that allows entities and other paranormal phenomena to enter our world. Some researchers also believe that vortexes are linked to the Earth’s own electromagnetic field which help determine when theses portals open/close. It is also believed that some places are more prone to having active vortices due to the alignment in the Earth’s magnetic field and local geological structure.