Paranormal Terminology
AGENT- a living person who is the focus of poltergeist activity. Typically a teenage female
who subconsciously directs poltergeist activity.
ANGEL- messenger's of God who can also protect and guide human beings.
ANOMALY- something that is out of place and unexplained.
APPARITION- a disembodied soul or spirit that can be seen visually.
COLD SPOTS- patches of cool/cold air strewn about haunted locations.
CRISIS APPARITION- an apparition that is seen when a person is seriously ill, seriously
injured or at the point of death.
DEMON- fallen angels under the command of Satan.
DEMONOLOGIST- one who studies and practices the art of demonology. An individual who
specializes in the removal of evil or demonic forces from a given environment using the art
of demonology.
DEMONOLOGY- the study of demons or beliefs about demons.
DIRECT WRITING- where spirits actually communicate by the use of writing.
DISEMBODIED- having no physical body.
DIVINING/DOWSING RODS- a forked rod from a tree said to indicate the presence of water
or minerals underground. May also indicate an energy field. Can also be made of metal.
DOPPELGANGER- a ghost of the present that looks identical to a living person, but behaves
differently.
DIVINATION/DOWSING- interpreting the motions of rods, sticks, pendulums, and other
such instruments to obtain information (also called diving).
DIRECT VOICE PHENOMENON (DVP)- an auditory "spirit" voice that is spoken directly to the
sitter's at a seance.
ECTOPLASM- a substance that allegedly oozes from ghosts or spirits and makes it possible for
them to materialize and perform feats of telekinesis.
ELECTRO-MAGNETIC FIELD (EMF)- a physical field produced by electrically charged
objects. It effects the behavior of charged objects in the vicinity of the field.
ELECTRONIC VOICE PHENOMENON (EVP)- disembodied voices or sounds that are captured
on recording (audio or video) devices.
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.
ENTITY- a conscious, interactive ghost. Any being, including people and ghosts.
EXTRASENSORY PERCEPTION (ESP)- the knowledge of external objects or events without
the aid of senses.
EXORCISM- ridding a person or a location of demons/evil spirits by using religious rites.
EXORCIST- a person who performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who
are alleged to have possessed a person, or (sometimes) a building or even a object.
FEAR CAGE- an area of high EMF readings which can bring out feelings of uneasiness,
anxiety and fear.
GHOST- the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or
other manifestation, to the living.
GHOST BOX - a 2-way communication device used for communicating with spirits/ghosts.
HAUNTING- repeated manifestations of unexplained phenomenon that occur at a particular
location.
HOT SPOT- a site within a haunted location where the activity is prominent and/or energy
fields are focused.
INCUBUS- a demon in male form who, according to a number of mythological and legendary
traditions, lies upon sleepers, especially women, in order to have sex with them.
INTELLIGENT HAUNTING- a haunting by an intelligent or conscious spirit which interacts
with living persons.
LEVITATION- to lift or raise a physical object in apparent defiance of gravity.
MANIFESTATION- the tangible signs of a haunting, including tactile, auditory, olfactory,
and visual.
MATERIALIZATION- the act of forming something solid from air.
MEDIUM- a person with the gift of communicating with the dead.
OLD HAG SYNDROME- a sleep phemenomena that involves a feeling of immobilization,
suffocation, odd smells and feelings and is sometimes accompanied by immense fear.
ORBS- round "lights" caught on film (still or video) that are believed by some to be related to
paranormal activity. Very controversial. Most appear to be dust, bugs or moisture.
OUJIA BOARD- a flat board marked with letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0-9, the words
'yes' 'no' and 'goodbye'. The Oujia board can supposedly be used to communicate with spirits
of the dead. NOTE: CAN UNKNOWNINGLY INVITE DEMONS/EVIL SPIRITS INTO THE
HOME. WPI DOES NOT EVER RECOMMEND THE USE OF OUJIA BOARDS.
PARANORMAL- anything beyond what is normal.
PARAPSYCHOLOGY- the study of mental abilities and effects outside the usual realm of
psychology. Parapsychology includes the study of ESP, ghosts, luck, psycho kinesis, and
other paranormal phenomena.
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.
POLTERGEIST- german for "noisy ghost", usually associated with knocking or movement of
objects, which usually involves a agent.
PORTENT- something that foreshadows a coming event; omen, sign.
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.
PSYCHIC- a person who is sensitive beyond the normal mean. May be able to see and hear
things that are not available to most people.
PSYCHOKINESIS- to move something with the power's of one's mind. Usually associated
with poltergeist activity.
RESIDUAL HAUNTING- a repeated haunting in which no intelligent entity or spirit is directly
involved. This is the playback of a past event, trapped in a continuous loop. It is often
associated with past events involving great trauma or tragedy.
SEANCE- a meeting of individuals in order to contact the spirit of a deceased loved one or
other person (usually consisting of a medium, assistants, loved ones of the departed, or other
interested individuals).
SENSITIVE- a person who professes an ability to perceive information through extrasensory
perception (ESP).
SHADOW PERSON- dark fleeting entity seen out of the corner of the eye.
SOUL- a soul, in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions, is the corporeal
essence of a person of living thing or object.
SPIRIT- the actual consciousness or soul of an individual that has passed on and continues to
be observed in an area. An angel or demon.
SUCCUBUS- a female demon appearing in dreams, who takes the form of a human woman in
order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse.
TELEKINESIS- the ability to control one's physical environment without using physical
manipulation or force (also known as psycho kinesis, TK, or PK). Usually associated with
poltergeist activity.
TELEPORTATION- a method of transportation in which matter or information is
dematerialized, usually instantaneously, at one point and recreated at another.
WHITE NOISE- a sound, such as running water, which masks all speech sounds. Used in
collection of EVP's.
WRAITH- an apparition of a living person that appears as a portent, just before that person's
death.
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