Ghost Glossery

Absent Healing
The administering of the healing energies directly from the universal source or though the direction of a spirit doctor to the inflicted without coming in direct contact with a healer or medium.

Angel
A divine being without physical form that is occupied in the service of God. In specific religious literature, such as Spiritualism, considered an entity who has gone thorough the physical change of death and is now a spiritual being.

Anomalous Experience
A widely general term referring to unusual experiences that cannot be readily explained in terms of current scientific knowledge or understanding.

Anomalous Phenomena
Any given phenomena that cannot be readily explained in terms of current scientific knowledge or understanding. An alternative term is "Fortean phenomena".

Apparition
A usually spontaneous and unexpected visual appearance of a presence; normally of one that is deceased or at a distance, ghost.

Astral Body
Etheric body or double; an exact replica of the physical body; however, non-physical; the means of out of the body exprience (OOBE).

Astral Plane
Term often encountered in theosophy literature. Considered the first sphere or plane after the deth of the physical body. Considered by some to be a material world of refined nature. A spiritual dimension or parallel universe comprised of spiritual energy.

Astral Projection
A spontaneous or induced experience of separating one center of consciousness or astral body from the physical bodyhowever, the astral and physical body remain connected by the silver cord.

Aura
A field of energy surrounding and emanating from a physical being, a place or thing and projecting to the sensitive in a variety of color fields; each color indicating different aspects of the psychological, spiritual and physical conditions of the being.

Cold Reading
A reading given with no prior knowledge of the sitter. Often a mixture of very general statements which could apply to anyone, together with inferences made from cues presented by the sitter by physical appearance, clothes, tone of voice, or statements made.

Contact Mind Reading
A technique simulating telepathy, in which the "mind reader" (who generally holds a hand or arm) responds to slight muscle movements produced unconsciously by the person whose mind is apparently being read

Cold Spot
An isolated pocket of air which is decidedly cooler in temperature that the surrounding environment. Often believed to be a classic sign of a ghostly presence.

Collective Apparition
A ghostly apparition sighted simultaneously by more than one person.

Death
Generally understood to be the extinction of an organism's life. Many doctrines assert some form of mental or spiritual survival of physical death.

Deathbed Experience
Term used to describe a dying person's awareness of the approach to the afterlife or the awareness of dead friends or relatives who have come to help the dying 'cross over' to the afterlife

Demon
A low-level spirit that interacts with the living world, and is concerned with the direction of the lower-plane activities

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. One who brings demonic forces out of their slumber to be cast away. Someone who uses the art of demonology to incantate demons for ones use in battling them.

Demonic Sins
A list of seven demons who each have control; over one of the seven deadly sins, and possessing the power to make men and women commit these sins. Lucifer-pride; Mammon-avarice; Asmodeus-lechery; Satan-anger; Beelbebub-gluttony; Leviathan-envy; Belphegor-sloth.

Direct Voice
A disembodied voice which does not seem to emanate from any person in a given environment. Commonly associated with seances of the Spiritualist Movement, direct voices seem to come from out of thin air or through a medium's trumpet which was specifically used for this purpose. Sometimes used by paranormal investigators to describe a ghostly voice which is readily heard without the use of electronic enhancement or recording devices.

Discarnate Entity
A spirit or non-material entity. Often used to refer to the personality of a deceased individual.

Ectoplasmic Mist
Term popularly used in the amateur ghost hunting community to describe "psychic mist" or ghostly manifestations which appear as a light mist, inexplicable smoke, or a dense fog which may take on apparitional form.

Electromagnetic Field
The coupled electric and magnetic fields that are generated by time and varying currents and accelerated charges.

Ghost Figures
Term commonly used to describe ghostly faces and figures which appear unexpectedly in photographs of natural formations such as foliage, rock formations, and clouds. Almost invariably a trick of light and shadow.

Ghost Hunt
Sometimes defined as a pseudo-scientific attempt to prove the existence of a ghost in a particular location, the term has come to mean any investigation into a reported case involving ghostly activity.

Ghost Hunter
A paranormal investigator or one who explores ghostly phenomenon through active research and documentation of alleged cases involving paranormal phenomenon.

Haunting
Term used to describe the appearance on multiple occasions of a ghostly figure which appears of its own violation .Paranormal phenomena such as apparitions, unexplained sounds, smells or other sensations that are associated over a lengthy period of time with a specific location.

Haunting Apparition
A single, ghostly "apparition" which is seen repeatedly in the same location. This form may or may not be cognizant of the living, but is generally regarded to be a conscious "discarnate entity" which does not repeat its actions in a ritualistic manner such as those found in cases involving a "residual haunting".

Indirect Voice
Mediumistic phenomenon in which the discarnate entity appears to speak using the vocal apparatus of the medium.

Near-Death Experience (NDE)
Experiences of people after they have been pronounced clinically dead, or been very close to death.

Paranormal
Phenomena which seem to defy the known laws of science.

Parapsychology
Refers to the study of paranormal phenomena.

Phantom
An apparition or a specter. Existing only as an energy form.

Phantomania
Paralysis that occurs when someone is under attack from supernatural or preternatural forces, also known as psychic paralysis

Poltergeist
A German words that means "Noisy or mischievous ghost." A destructive spirit that has the ability to move objects by solidifying the ambient air which results in the movement and/or teleportation of objects.

Possession
Refers to cases in which a person's body is apparently taken over by another personality or entity.

Psychic
A person with the ability to see, hear and feel by the use of senses other than the natural senses.

Psychic Attack
An attack that can either be physical or mental by a spirit.

Reincarnation
The belief that some aspect of a person's being survives death and can be reborn in a new body at some future date.

Residual Haunting
Believed to be a psychic imprint of a scene that keeps repeating itself. With this type of haunting no interaction with the ghost occur.

Spirit
Spirits are believed to exist in an invisible realm that can only be seen under certain circumstances or by people with special abilities.

Vortex
This is a swirling funnel shape when in motion. They can also appear long and narrow and having a tread like design. Some theorize this is a vehicle to transport spirits in the shape of orbs from their realm to ours.