| Here you will find a reference to terms more commonly found throughout the paranormal community. Please keep in mind that this is a reference tool only and does not indicate that ParaFPI endorses the rituals or practices (such as the Ouija Board) that are indicated throughout this list. |
|
Afterlife:Life after death. The continuation of existence after death.
Agent: The person(s) that are the direct focus of paranormal activity. Amorphous: Matter or energy that has no definitive shape. Anomaly: Something that deviates from the considered "normal." That which is not easily classified. Apparition: The act or instance of appearing. Apport: The transference of an article from an unknown source, to you, or another place by unknown means. Astral Projection: The paranormal interpretation of an out-of-body experience purportedly experienced via lucid-dreaming or deep meditation. Aura: A subtle field of energy, or radiation, that surrounds living objects. Automatic Writing: The product of written material that is not derived from the consciousness of the writer. Automatism: The spontaneous performance of physical acts without the conscious control of the agent. Banishing: A ceremonial procedure used to cast an unwanted energy from a person(s) or place. Banshee: A female spirit, in Irish mythology, that appears as an omen of death with messages from the Otherworld. Benign Spirit: An entity which is not harmful. Bi-location: The projection of a double. Being in two places at one time. Channeling: The process of receiving and relaying information from an outside entity while in an altered state of consciousness. Clairvoyance: Clear-seeing. The ability to obtain information of an object, energy, location or event through means other than the five senses. Clairaudience: Clear-hearing. The ability to obtain information of an object, energy, location or event through hearing, but not present to the ear. Clairsentient: Clear-feeling or clear-knowing. The ability to feel and capture information through emotional and physical sensations. Cleansing: An informal act used to rid a person(s) or area of unwanted energies. Cold Spot: Either a concentrated or general area where the temperature is lower than the surrounding area. Collective Apparition: A paranormal event witnessed by two or more person(s) at the same time. Deja`Vu: An experience accompanied by a compelling sense of familiarity. Some believe it to be a "sign" from the higher power that one is on the "right-track" in their lives. Dematerialization: To deprive or lose apparent physical substance; make or become immaterial. Demon: Hostile and resentful entity, purported to be of non-human origin, which some believe to be "fallen angels." Discarnate: Having no material body or form. Discernment: The internal search for answers to the question(s) of the unknown. Disembodied: Energy or spirit functioning without a physical body. Disembodied Voice: A voice that emanates from other than a physical body. Divination: Obtaining information of the unknown, or future events, through the use of sources other than the five senses. Ectoplasm: The physical manifestation of a spirit. Elemental: Spirits that govern, or reside within, the four basic elements of air, fire, water and earth. Fairies would be considered an elemental. EMF (Electromagnetic Field): A physical field produced by electrically charged objects. EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena): Disembodied voices or sounds captured on audio recording devices. EMF Detector: A tool that reads electromagnetic fields. Empath: A person that is very sensitive to the psychic emanations of his or her surroundings, even to a degree of telepathically receiving and experiencing the emotions of others in their proximity. Having psychic empathy can be regarded as a mixed blessing, and the empath must learn to gain a measure of control over this ability. Evocation: The act of summoning a spirit, demon, god or other supernatural agent. Exorcism: A ceremony performed to expel spiritual/demonic entities from a person or place. ESP (Extra Sensory Perception): The ability to acquire information by paranormal means. Ghost: The spirit or energy of past persons or events as witnessed or experienced by the observer(s). Haunted: A person, place or an object to which a spirit is attached. The spirits can be human or inhuman in nature. Haunting: Paranormal phenomena such as apparitions, unexplained sounds, smells or other sensations that are associated over a period of time within a specific location or surrounding a certain person. Hex: A magical incantation or spell cast to influence a person's will or fate, most often referred to a curse rather than a blessing. Icon: A rendering or image of particular significance. Incubus: A demonic entity capable of sexually arousing and/or assaulting living females. Infestation: Repeated and persistent paranormal phenomena. Intelligent Haunting: Paranormal activity that takes place around a person or location that is caused by an intelligent or conscious spirit. Indirect Voice: A phenomena, witnessed mainly in mediums, in which an entity speaks using the vocal chords of the medium. Invocation: A formula for conjuring or summoning spirits. Levitation: The raising of a person or object into the air without any visible means. Lycanthropy: The ability of a human being to undergo transformation into an animal. Macro-PK: Psychokinetic effects that can be directly observed rather than only inferred from statistical analysis. Malevolent: An energy or spirit that is angry or evil and is capable if doing harm to the living. Manifestation: Recurring or transitive phenomena. Materialization: The creation or appearance of matter from unknown sources. Matrixing: The natural propensity of the human mind to rationalize sensory input to make more sense. As children, we "see pictures" in the clouds. Medium: A person that acts as an intermediary between the physical world and the spiritual world. Metaphysics: The study of that which is beyond the laws of physics. NDE (Near-Death Experience): The experience of a person's consciousness after having been claimed "clinically" dead. Necromancy: A special mode of divination utilized through summoning the dead. Occultism: Knowledge of the hidden and mysterious forces. Orb: Spiritual or particulate matter appearing as a ball of light to its observers and/or captured on video recording devices. A much debated topic within the paranormal community. Ouija Board: A tool used for channeling spirits that involves a board with letters, symbols and numbers in which a planchette is purported to be moved by spiritual energies giving answers to the players. Paranormal: Phenomena that can not yet be explained through scientific means. Parapsychology: The study of the paranormal. Pentacle/Pentagram: The traditional five-pointed star design, with its interior pentagon delineated, generally representing both spirituality and protection when the point is "up", and diabolism when the point is "down". Phantomania: Paralysis occurring as a result of attack from supernatural forces. Poltergeist: A German word derived from "poltern", meaning to knock and "geist" meaning spirit. A spirit capable of moving inanimate objects or that makes a lot of noise. Possession: To have some degree of control over something or someone else. A person can be "possessed" by an unknown entity or spirit. Precognition: Direct knowledge or perception of the future obtained through extra-sensory means. Premonition: The feeling, or sensing of the future obtained through extra-sensory means. Psychic: A person who possesses extra-sensory abilities. Psychic Attack: To be attacked by astral entities. Reincarnation: To be made flesh again. The belief that one comes from spirit into physical body more than one time during the course of eternity. Residual Haunting: A haunting that is replayed in which no intelligent ghost, spirit or entity is directly involved. An imprint of past energy or events left at a certain location. Retroactive Psychokinesis: The paranormal influence that an agent can have on an experiment after the experiment has been completed. Retro Cognition: Paranormal knowledge of past events. Revenant: An entity that projects the appearance of being lost or in distress. Seance: A group effort to contact the spirit world. Shape-Shifting: The ability to assume the form of another person, animal or entity. Sleep Paralysis: A period of inability to perform voluntary movements either at onset of the sleep cycle or at awakening. Specter: Ghost or entity. Spirit: The essence of a living person/animal that survives the death of the body with its mind and consciousness intact. Spirit Rescue: Communication with spirits intended to alleviate their distress and aid them to resolve their conflicts and cross over. Stigmata: Bodily marks, sores or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus. Subliminal Perception: The act of perceiving without conscious awareness. Succubus: A demonic entity said to inspire lust in men which is capable of also assaulting them. Telekinesis: The ability to manipulate physical matter through use of the power of the mind. Telepathy: The act of communicating directly through mind-to-mind contact. U.F.O.: Unidentified Flying Object. Vortex: An anomaly of energy or matter that appears as a spinning, funnel-shaped mass. White Noise: A random signal formed by combining all audible frequencies. Wraith: The image of a person appearing shortly before or after his/her death. |