Paranormal Dictionary

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 tool. This material is copyrighted material, collaborated and written by one of our Founders. Before using this material to publish on your website, please obtain permission first from our Webmaster. Thank you!

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 radiaation, 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.