Ghost Term Glosasry
Ghost Glossary
Anniversary Haunting-a haunting that happens on the day at the same time every year, caused by a traumatic event. See also Residual Haunting.
Apparition-full or partial bodied figure of a ghost.
Astral-pertaining to the unseen or spiritual world. An astral body would be the counterpart to the physical body that exists in the Spirit World.
Attachment-when a ghost or spirit seems to only manifest activity in the presence of a certain person or object, the ghost is said to be attached.
Audi et alteram partem- (latin) hear the other side too.
Channeling-the act of allowing a spirit to speak through you, sometimes mentally, sometimes verbally, where the entity ‘uses’ your vocal cords.
Clairaudience-a person who can hear psychically.
Clairsentience-a person who can sense feelings or emotions psychically.
Clairvoyance-the ability to sense events that have not yet come to pass.
Classic Haunting-a haunting in which an apparition appears and seems to interact with the living.
Cold reading-when a psychic uses the subject’s reactions to questions to produce seemingly psychic information. For example, you walk into a psychic’s reading room, and the psychic asks you questions. When asked if you’re married, you frown. The ‘cold reader’ then says, “Oh, no, I can sense that you are not married.”, and you are unaware that this information was not received psychically but in fact from your frown.
Compass-a tool used for finding direction. In its ghostly application, compasses are said to spin wildly in the presence of spirits. This is believed to be caused by the reaction of increased EMF waves and the effect they have upon the magnet in the compass.
Curse-a prayer or invocation meant to cause harm.
Demon-commonly thought to be evil spirits straight from hell.
Dowsing rods-metal “L” shaped rods that are held in the hands and used to guide the bearer in the direction of underground water, or possibly ghosts. Dowsing for wells is still a common practice, and can be accomplished using forked willow twigs.
Dust Orb-an orb caused by flash reflection off of dust particles in the air. This is the reason experienced ghost hunters never take pictures in windy or dusty conditions.
Ectoplasm-a substance that is mist or vapor like in appearance that is thought to be caused by ghost or spirit activity. In the early days of Spiritualism, mediums were photographed while in trance with ecto oozing from their bodies.
EMF-Electro-magnetic Field. Ghosts are believed to causes changes in the ever present electro-magnetic field, which can be measured with an EMF meter, or gauss meter. Odd readings can point to ghost activity.
EMF meter-a device used to measure changes in the electro-magnetic field. Three popular meters in ghost hunting are the Dr. Gauss, Cell Sensor and Tri-Field meter.
Empath-A person who can feel the energy or emotions of spirits or other living beings, human or animal. Empaths are usually clairsentient.
ESP-Extra-Sensory Perception. See Sixth Sense. The ability to sense outside of the basic five, those being taste, touch, sight, sound and smell. Commonly used to refer to psychic ability, telepathy and the like.
EVP-see http://aaevp.net . Electronic Voice Phenomena or ghost voices being recorded purposefully or accidentally on tape.
False Positive-any piece of paranormal evidence caused by a natural occurrence, such as Flash Reflection. Another common false positive is when cigarette smoke is captured on film, causing false ecto or mist.
Flash Reflection-when the flash of a camera reflects off of any shiny (reflective) surface. Items such as glass, doorknobs, windows, ovens, brass, wood paneling, book dust jackets, polished cooking pots, file cabinets, etc have all caused this to appear as a ghostly ‘image’ in a photo.
Gray Lady-usually the ghost of a woman who has committed suicide over the loss of love or a lover. Common gray ladies are brides who commit suicide on their wedding day upon hearing the groom does not intend to marry them after all. Gray ladies almost always are described as being pale, in a long white gown.
Ghost-Believed to be the spirits or souls of deceased humans or animals that have not moved on to the Spirit World, but continue to reside here on the earthly plane with us.
Ghost Lights-Inexplicable flashes or balls of light, sometimes occurring at sacred site. One famous ghost light case is at Marfa, Texas.
Haunting-the active presence of a ghost.
Ick-the very technical term for the feeling negative energy causes. The Baker Hotel would be a ten on the ick-meter.
Infra-Red Thermometer-a non-contact digital thermometer that measures the temperature.
Levitation-the ability to rise or hover above the ground without touching it or being held in place by any apparatus. Yeah, that thing David Blaine does that freaks everyone out.
Manifestation-the appearance of a ghost, spirit, or supernatural occurence.
Medium-One whose organism is sensitive to the vibrations of the Spirit World. A person who can ‘tune in’ and hear spirits, and sometimes produce physical phenomena, such as ectoplasm. Two presently popular mediums are John Edward and James Van Praagh.
Mist-a vapor-like substance, also called ecto. Mist may be formed by natural causes, or it may be an emanation of a ghost. Mist commonly appears in photos containing orbs and apparitions.
Nature Spirit-these are elves, nymphs, dryads, sprites and the like. They are very commonly believed to be myth, and to be guardians of their environment.
Orb-a bright ball of light thought by many to represent the human being in spirit form. Orbs can be caught on film, video tape and digital pictures, and can sometimes be seen with the naked eye. Orbs most often are white, but can be of many colors.
Ouija Board-Parker Bros. heads into the spirit world! A game board used to contact the spirit world. Ouija boards are considered dangerous by some, as you cannot choose the spirit who reaches out to you, and generally and frowned upon by the spiritual community.
Paranormal-not scientifically explainable.
Phantom-usually a malevolent ghost.
Phantasm-a projection of the mind, and illusion. Also, a spirit or ghost.
Poltergeist-literally “noisy ghost” in German. Typically, poltergeists are not ghosts at all but PK energy gone awry. Poltergeists usually manifest in homes containing prepubescent adolescents.
Portal-technically, a portal is a doorway. Usually understood in paranormal terms to be a doorway between two worlds; the physical and the spiritual. See also vortex.
Psychic- a person who can communicate with unseen forces, spirits, or entities. A person who is telepathic, has ESP ability, or can see into the past or future.
Psychic Jeopardy-an unpleasant game seen often in ghost research groups. One psychic in the group will try to out-do another. This manifests as the psychic playing the game always feeling something first, feeling it stronger, seeing things in more detail, and trying incessantly to prove that they really are psychic. It's childish, unprofessional, and best avoided.
Psychic Vampire-a living person (not one of the undead) who sucks the energy out of people and situations. In the presence of a psychic vampire, one will feel tired, worn out, void of ideas and emotion and unmotivated. As you're feeling like an empty shoe, the psychic vampire will be bubbling over with energy. Most psychic vampires are unaware of their tendencies.
Psychokinesis (PK). See also Telekinesis. The ability to move objects using the psychic energy of the mind.
Residual energy/haunting-this is not only the classic ‘anniversary haunting’, but any haunting which happens repeatedly under the same circumstances every time. For example, the stairs creak at 3am on the dot every night. These are not classic hauntings at all, but more likely an expulsion of built up energy, like an imprint on a tape, or a time loop. If I walked down the stairs and fell one night at 3am breaking my leg, this would create a pocket of intense energy. This energy would repeat itself until it wore itself out. If a residual haunting isn’t caused by an intense event, but by a long repeated one, such as brewing coffee every morning at 6am for 40 years, the result would be the unexplained aroma of coffee at 6am every morning long after the brewer has passed on.
Séance-a gathering for the purpose of contacting the dead.
Sixth Sense-see ESP. A psychic sense used to obtain information not available to the other five senses.
Specter-see ghost.
Spirit-the soul of a human being after physical death. A ghost could be a spirit who has not moved on to the Spirit World.
Spirit World-the dimension in which spirits reside. Also commonly thought of as Heaven, the Summerland, Valhalla, the Other Side.
Spiritualism-see http://www.nsac.org . A religion originating in the 1800’s with the Fox sisters accidentally communicating with the ghost of a murdered peddler in their cottage.
Supernatural-departing from what is normal especially those things that appear to transcend the laws of nature; also instances attributed to an invisible agent (as a ghost or spirit)
Telepathy-the ability to read the thoughts of another, or convey a message to another without speaking or using any outward form of communication. Mind-reading. AKA Mental Telepathy.
Telekinesis (TK). See also Psychokinesis. The ability to move objects using only the power of the mind. See also Carrie, by Stephen King.
Third Eye-a psychic center said to be located in the middle of your forehead.
Vampire-mythical creature who feeds on the blood of humans for survival and is immortal.
Vortex-a tunnel like form of energy caught in ghost photographs. Some believe vortices to be orbs in motion, some believe a vortex to be a portal between this world and the next.
Witch of Endor-Biblical medium who was able to conjure spirits.
Anniversary Haunting-a haunting that happens on the day at the same time every year, caused by a traumatic event. See also Residual Haunting.
Apparition-full or partial bodied figure of a ghost.
Astral-pertaining to the unseen or spiritual world. An astral body would be the counterpart to the physical body that exists in the Spirit World.
Attachment-when a ghost or spirit seems to only manifest activity in the presence of a certain person or object, the ghost is said to be attached.
Audi et alteram partem- (latin) hear the other side too.
Channeling-the act of allowing a spirit to speak through you, sometimes mentally, sometimes verbally, where the entity ‘uses’ your vocal cords.
Clairaudience-a person who can hear psychically.
Clairsentience-a person who can sense feelings or emotions psychically.
Clairvoyance-the ability to sense events that have not yet come to pass.
Classic Haunting-a haunting in which an apparition appears and seems to interact with the living.
Cold reading-when a psychic uses the subject’s reactions to questions to produce seemingly psychic information. For example, you walk into a psychic’s reading room, and the psychic asks you questions. When asked if you’re married, you frown. The ‘cold reader’ then says, “Oh, no, I can sense that you are not married.”, and you are unaware that this information was not received psychically but in fact from your frown.
Compass-a tool used for finding direction. In its ghostly application, compasses are said to spin wildly in the presence of spirits. This is believed to be caused by the reaction of increased EMF waves and the effect they have upon the magnet in the compass.
Curse-a prayer or invocation meant to cause harm.
Demon-commonly thought to be evil spirits straight from hell.
Dowsing rods-metal “L” shaped rods that are held in the hands and used to guide the bearer in the direction of underground water, or possibly ghosts. Dowsing for wells is still a common practice, and can be accomplished using forked willow twigs.
Dust Orb-an orb caused by flash reflection off of dust particles in the air. This is the reason experienced ghost hunters never take pictures in windy or dusty conditions.
Ectoplasm-a substance that is mist or vapor like in appearance that is thought to be caused by ghost or spirit activity. In the early days of Spiritualism, mediums were photographed while in trance with ecto oozing from their bodies.
EMF-Electro-magnetic Field. Ghosts are believed to causes changes in the ever present electro-magnetic field, which can be measured with an EMF meter, or gauss meter. Odd readings can point to ghost activity.
EMF meter-a device used to measure changes in the electro-magnetic field. Three popular meters in ghost hunting are the Dr. Gauss, Cell Sensor and Tri-Field meter.
Empath-A person who can feel the energy or emotions of spirits or other living beings, human or animal. Empaths are usually clairsentient.
ESP-Extra-Sensory Perception. See Sixth Sense. The ability to sense outside of the basic five, those being taste, touch, sight, sound and smell. Commonly used to refer to psychic ability, telepathy and the like.
EVP-see http://aaevp.net . Electronic Voice Phenomena or ghost voices being recorded purposefully or accidentally on tape.
False Positive-any piece of paranormal evidence caused by a natural occurrence, such as Flash Reflection. Another common false positive is when cigarette smoke is captured on film, causing false ecto or mist.
Flash Reflection-when the flash of a camera reflects off of any shiny (reflective) surface. Items such as glass, doorknobs, windows, ovens, brass, wood paneling, book dust jackets, polished cooking pots, file cabinets, etc have all caused this to appear as a ghostly ‘image’ in a photo.
Gray Lady-usually the ghost of a woman who has committed suicide over the loss of love or a lover. Common gray ladies are brides who commit suicide on their wedding day upon hearing the groom does not intend to marry them after all. Gray ladies almost always are described as being pale, in a long white gown.
Ghost-Believed to be the spirits or souls of deceased humans or animals that have not moved on to the Spirit World, but continue to reside here on the earthly plane with us.
Ghost Lights-Inexplicable flashes or balls of light, sometimes occurring at sacred site. One famous ghost light case is at Marfa, Texas.
Haunting-the active presence of a ghost.
Ick-the very technical term for the feeling negative energy causes. The Baker Hotel would be a ten on the ick-meter.
Infra-Red Thermometer-a non-contact digital thermometer that measures the temperature.
Levitation-the ability to rise or hover above the ground without touching it or being held in place by any apparatus. Yeah, that thing David Blaine does that freaks everyone out.
Manifestation-the appearance of a ghost, spirit, or supernatural occurence.
Medium-One whose organism is sensitive to the vibrations of the Spirit World. A person who can ‘tune in’ and hear spirits, and sometimes produce physical phenomena, such as ectoplasm. Two presently popular mediums are John Edward and James Van Praagh.
Mist-a vapor-like substance, also called ecto. Mist may be formed by natural causes, or it may be an emanation of a ghost. Mist commonly appears in photos containing orbs and apparitions.
Nature Spirit-these are elves, nymphs, dryads, sprites and the like. They are very commonly believed to be myth, and to be guardians of their environment.
Orb-a bright ball of light thought by many to represent the human being in spirit form. Orbs can be caught on film, video tape and digital pictures, and can sometimes be seen with the naked eye. Orbs most often are white, but can be of many colors.
Ouija Board-Parker Bros. heads into the spirit world! A game board used to contact the spirit world. Ouija boards are considered dangerous by some, as you cannot choose the spirit who reaches out to you, and generally and frowned upon by the spiritual community.
Paranormal-not scientifically explainable.
Phantom-usually a malevolent ghost.
Phantasm-a projection of the mind, and illusion. Also, a spirit or ghost.
Poltergeist-literally “noisy ghost” in German. Typically, poltergeists are not ghosts at all but PK energy gone awry. Poltergeists usually manifest in homes containing prepubescent adolescents.
Portal-technically, a portal is a doorway. Usually understood in paranormal terms to be a doorway between two worlds; the physical and the spiritual. See also vortex.
Psychic- a person who can communicate with unseen forces, spirits, or entities. A person who is telepathic, has ESP ability, or can see into the past or future.
Psychic Jeopardy-an unpleasant game seen often in ghost research groups. One psychic in the group will try to out-do another. This manifests as the psychic playing the game always feeling something first, feeling it stronger, seeing things in more detail, and trying incessantly to prove that they really are psychic. It's childish, unprofessional, and best avoided.
Psychic Vampire-a living person (not one of the undead) who sucks the energy out of people and situations. In the presence of a psychic vampire, one will feel tired, worn out, void of ideas and emotion and unmotivated. As you're feeling like an empty shoe, the psychic vampire will be bubbling over with energy. Most psychic vampires are unaware of their tendencies.
Psychokinesis (PK). See also Telekinesis. The ability to move objects using the psychic energy of the mind.
Residual energy/haunting-this is not only the classic ‘anniversary haunting’, but any haunting which happens repeatedly under the same circumstances every time. For example, the stairs creak at 3am on the dot every night. These are not classic hauntings at all, but more likely an expulsion of built up energy, like an imprint on a tape, or a time loop. If I walked down the stairs and fell one night at 3am breaking my leg, this would create a pocket of intense energy. This energy would repeat itself until it wore itself out. If a residual haunting isn’t caused by an intense event, but by a long repeated one, such as brewing coffee every morning at 6am for 40 years, the result would be the unexplained aroma of coffee at 6am every morning long after the brewer has passed on.
Séance-a gathering for the purpose of contacting the dead.
Sixth Sense-see ESP. A psychic sense used to obtain information not available to the other five senses.
Specter-see ghost.
Spirit-the soul of a human being after physical death. A ghost could be a spirit who has not moved on to the Spirit World.
Spirit World-the dimension in which spirits reside. Also commonly thought of as Heaven, the Summerland, Valhalla, the Other Side.
Spiritualism-see http://www.nsac.org . A religion originating in the 1800’s with the Fox sisters accidentally communicating with the ghost of a murdered peddler in their cottage.
Supernatural-departing from what is normal especially those things that appear to transcend the laws of nature; also instances attributed to an invisible agent (as a ghost or spirit)
Telepathy-the ability to read the thoughts of another, or convey a message to another without speaking or using any outward form of communication. Mind-reading. AKA Mental Telepathy.
Telekinesis (TK). See also Psychokinesis. The ability to move objects using only the power of the mind. See also Carrie, by Stephen King.
Third Eye-a psychic center said to be located in the middle of your forehead.
Vampire-mythical creature who feeds on the blood of humans for survival and is immortal.
Vortex-a tunnel like form of energy caught in ghost photographs. Some believe vortices to be orbs in motion, some believe a vortex to be a portal between this world and the next.
Witch of Endor-Biblical medium who was able to conjure spirits.
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