A

Apparition - A visual manifestation of a spirit or entity, ranging from a full-bodied form to a translucent or shadowy figure.

Apport -   An object that allegedly materializes or is transported by paranormal means, often reported during seances.

Astral Body - A subtle, non-physical body believed to be capable of separating from the physical body, often associated with astral projection.

Astral Projection - The practice or claimed ability to consciously separate one's astral body from the physical body and travel independently of it.

Aura -  An energy field said to surround living beings, sometimes claimed to be visible to sensitives or capturable through Kirlian photography.

Automatic Writing - Writing produced without conscious control, believed by some to be guided by spirits or the subconscious mind.

B

Banshee - A spirit in Irish folklore whose wailing is said to foretell a death in the family.

Bilocation - The claimed paranormal ability of a person or entity to exist in two separate locations simultaneously.

Black-eyed Children (BEK) -   Reported entities resembling children with solid black eyes, associated with unsettling encounters and requests for entry into homes or vehicles.

Book of Shadows -   A personal journal used by practitioners ofWicca and witchcraft to record spells, rituals, and magical knowledge.

C

Channeling - The practice of allegedly serving as a vessel for communication from spirits, entities, or higher consciousness.

Clairaudience - The claimed psychic ability to hear sounds or voices not audible to normal hearing, often attributed to spirit communication.

Clairsentience - The claimed psychic ability to perceive information through feeling or physical sensation.

Clairvoyance - The claimed psychic ability to gain information about an object, person, or event through extrasensory perception.

Cold Spot - A localized, unexplained drop in temperature often reported during paranormal investigations and attributed to spirit presence.

Cryptid - An animal or creature whose existence is claimed but not scientifically confirmed (e.g., Bigfoot, Chupacabra, Loch Ness Monster).

Cryptozoology -  The study of and search for cryptids.

D

Demon - A malevolent supernatural entity, often depicted in religious and folkloric traditions as a fallen angel or evil spirit capable of possession or haunting.

Divination -The practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown through supernatural means, such as tarot, scrying, or pendulums.

Doppelganger -    A ghostly double or look-alike of a living person, historically considered an omen of bad luck or death.

Dowsing-The practice of using rods, pendulums, or other tools to locate objects, water, or paranormal energy.

E

Ectoplasm -   A substance mediums claimed to exude during seances, said to be the physical manifestation of spirit energy.

EMF (Electromagnetic Field) Meter - A device used by paranormal investigators to detect fluctuations in electromagnetic fields, theorized by some to indicate spirit activity.

Empath -  A person claimed to have heightened sensitivity to the emotions and energy of others, sometimes considered a psychic ability.

EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) - Sounds or voices found in electronic recordings that are believed by some to be communications from spirits, not audible at the time of recording.

Exorcism - A religious or spiritual ritual intended to expel a demon or spirit believed to possess a person or place.

Extrasensory Perception (ESP) - The claimed ability to acquire information through means beyond the known physical senses.

F

Familiar Spirit - A supernatural entity, often taking animal form, believed to assist witches or practitioners of magic.

Feng Shui -   A traditional Chinese practice of arranging living spaces to align with the flow of energy, or "chi."

Full-Body Apparition - A ghost sighting in which the entity appears as a complete, solid human form rather than a partial or transparent figure.

G

Ghost - The spirit of a deceased person believed to be capable of manifesting or interacting with the living.

Ghost Box (Spirit Box) -A device that rapidly scans radio frequencies, theorized to allow spirits to communicate using fragments of sound.

Ghost Hunting - The practice of investigating locations reported to be haunted using various tools and methodologies.

Grimoire-A textbook of magic, containing spells, rituals, and instructions for summoning or invoking spiritual entities.

Guardian Angel - A spiritual being believed to be assigned to protect and guide a particular person.

H

Haunting - The recurring manifestation of paranormal phenomena at a specific location, often attributed to the presence of a spirit.

Human Pendulum -   A dowsing technique where a person's own body sways in response to yes/no questions, believed to be influenced by subconscious or spiritual forces.

I

Incubus - A male demon believed in folklore to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women.

Infrasound - Sound waves below the range of human hearing, sometimes theorized to cause feelings of unease or apparitional experiences.

Intelligent Haunting -  A haunting in which the spirit is believed to be aware of and able to interact with the living, as opposed to a residual haunting.

K

Karma -  A spiritual principle from Eastern traditions holding that a person's actions influence their future, often across multiple lifetimes.

Kirlian Photography - A photographic technique claimed by some to capture the aura or energy field surrounding living objects.

Kundalini- In yogic and Hindu tradition, a form of primal energy believed to lie coiled at the base of the spine, capable of being "awakened."

L

Levitation - The claimed paranormal phenomenon of an object or person rising and floating in the air without physical support.

Ley Lines - Hypothetical alignments of ancient sites and landmarks believed by some to mark paths of earth energy.

Luminosity/Light Anomaly- Unexplained lights or orbs of light captured in photographs or observed at reportedly haunted locations.

M

Manifestation - Any physical or sensory sign of a spirit's presence, such as sounds, movement of objects, or apparitions.

Medium - A person claimed to have the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead.

Mesmerism -    An early precursor to hypnosis, developed by Franz Mesmer, involving the manipulation of an invisible natural energy ("animal magnetism").

Metaphysics - The branch of philosophy concerned with the fundamental nature of reality, being, and existence, often invoked in discussions of spiritual and paranormal phenomena.

N

Near-Death Experience (NDE) - A profound psychological event reported by individuals who came close to death, often including sensations ofleaving the body, moving through a tunnel, or encountering light or deceased loved ones.

Necromancy - The practice of communicating with the dead, often for the purpose of divination or raising spirits.

Numerology - A belief system asserting a mystical relationship between numbers and events or personal characteristics.

0

Obsession (Spiritual) -  A state in which a spirit is believed to persistently influence or attach itself to a living person without full possession.

Occult - Referring to knowledge or practices concerned with supernatural or hidden (esoteric) phenomena.

Orb -  A circular anomaly of light frequently captured in photographs at reportedly haunted locations, often attributed to spirit activity, though frequently explained as dust, moisture, or lens artifacts.

Ouija Board - A flat board marked with letters, numbers, and symbols, used with a movable pointer (planchette) allegedly to communicate with spirits.

Out-of-Body Experience (OBE) -   A sensation of consciousness existing outside of the physical body, sometimes occurring spontaneously or induced.

p

Paranormal - Phenomena or events that lie outside the range of normal scientific explanation.

Pareidolia - A psychological phenomenon in which the mind perceives familiar patterns, such as faces, in random or ambiguous stimuli - often cited as an explanation for apparent ghostly images.

Phantom - A synonym for ghost or apparition, often referring to a recurring or place-specific spirit.

Poltergeist - A type of spirit or phenomenon associated with physical disturbances such as loud noises, object movement, or destruction, often linked in folklore to adolescent presences.

Possession - The claimed state of a spirit or entity taking control of a living person's body and mind.

Precognition - The claimed ability to perceive or predict future events before they occur.

Psychic - A person claimed to possess heightened extrasensory abilities, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, or precognition.

Psychokinesis (PK) -   See Telekinesis.

Psychomanteum - A darkened chamber containing a mirror, used in rituals intended to facilitate visions or communication with the deceased.

R

Remote Viewing - The claimed psychic ability to perceive a distant or unseen location or target using extrasensory perception.

Residual Haunting -  A haunting theorized to be a recording or "replay" of a past event, with no interactive intelligence behind it.

Reincarnation -The belief that the soul, upon death, is reborn into a new body or form.

S

Scrying -   A form of divination involving gazing into a reflective or translucent surface (such as a crystal ball, mirror, or water) to receive visions or messages.

Seance - A gathering in which participants attempt to communicate with the spirits of the dead, typically facilitated by a medium.

Sensitives - Individuals believed to have heightened perceptiveness to paranormal or spiritual energy.

Shadow Person - A reported entity appearing as a dark, humanoid silhouette, often seen briefly in peripheral vision.

Skinwalker - A malevolent figure in Navajo folklore believed to have the supernatural ability to transform into animals.

Spirit Guide -A  non-physical entity believed to offer guidance and protection to a living person.

Succubus - A female demon believed in folklore to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men.

Synchronicity - A concept introduced by Carl Jung describing meaningful coincidences that appear causally unrelated but are experienced as significant.

T

Table Tipping - A seance practice in which participants place their hands on a table, which is said to move or tilt in response to spirit presence.

Talisman -   An object believed to be imbued with protective or magical properties.

Telekinesis - The claimed paranormal ability to move objects with the mind, without physical contact. Also called psychokinesis.

Telepathy - The claimed ability to transmit or receive thoughts directly from one mind to another without using known sensory channels.

Thoughtform (Tulpa) -  An entity believed to be created through focused intention or belief, said to eventually develop independent consciousness.

Trance - An altered state of consciousness, often used by mediums to facilitate spirit communication.

U

UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) - Any aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained.

Ultradian/Circadian Anomalies - Irregularities in biological rhythms sometimes reported by individuals in reportedly haunted or high-strangeness locations.

V

Vortex -  A term used in some paranormal circles to describe a perceived swirling energy anomaly, sometimes theorized as a portal between dimensions.

w

Walk-in -   A New Age concept describing a spirit believed to have taken over a living person's body with the consent of the original soul, which departs.

Warlock -  A term historically used, though now considered inaccurate by many practitioners, to refer to a male witch or practitioner of magic.

White Noise - Random, evenly distributed sound sometimes used in EVP sessions, theorized to give spirits sonic material to manipulate into words.

Witching Hour - A time, traditionally around 3:00 a.m., believed in folklore to be when supernatural activity is at its peak.

X

Xenoglossy - The claimed paranormal ability to speak or write in a language one has never learned, sometimes cited in reincarnation and possession cases.

z

Zombie -    A reanimated corpse, originating in Haitian Vodou folklore, later popularized in Western fiction as a mindless, often flesh-eating undead being.

A Note on Terminology

This glossary presents terms as they are commonly used within paranormal research and folklore traditions.