Afterlife
A term used to describe any form of life after death
Angel
A divine messenger guardian spirit and spiritual attendant of god
Apparition
the active appearing or becoming apparent of ghost figure
Apport
An object materialising by apparent supernatural means
Astral body
the spiritual part of a body that is thought able to leave the physical body
Astral plain
the dimension that astral bodies are thought to move through
Aura
A sort of halo that supposedly surrounds the body
Automatic writing
The ability of certain people to write on unfamiliar topics and different styles of handwriting and being guided to do so by another being
Banshee
An irish folklore a female spirit who wailing warns of impending doom and death
Bi-location
The experience where one person apparently divides into two so they can be seen at the same time by a group of people or person, the images of the 2 people are often weakened in clarity.
Black dog
spectral animals thought to be guardians of local areas. featured mainly in the British isles and western Europe
Channeling
The passing of messages, information and art etc through a medium
Clairaudience
The faculty of "clear hearing," the ability to hear sounds inaudible to the normal ear, such as "spirit" voices; a faculty analogous to clairvoyance, but considerably less frequently met with.
Clairvoyent
The ability perceiving things visually that are beyond the natural range of the 6 senses
Clairsentience
(also know as psychometry) is the ability to hold an object or touch someone and sense the energy surrounding that person, place or thing. Spiritual advisors and counsellors use clairsentience to feel and sense the information and thought-forms in energy fields.
Clairscentist
Clear Scent. These are people who are able to smell fragrances, or substances that are not near them. This can include perfumes, smoke, alcohol, food, coffee and so on.
Clair cognizant
Clear Recognition. People often confuse this with clairsentience. This is the ability to know something, no-one tells them and it is not something that they’ve read before, they just simply know it. It is an inner feeling, gut feeling, something which is just known. They have an ability to answer questions and back them up with facts; when before they did not know anything.
Clairgustant
Clear Taste. These people are able to taste substances without even putting anything in their mouth. This could be cigarettes, food or drink. Sometimes the person will drink water or something with no taste in order to pick up/receive tastes from a person that they are reading.
Dematerlize
to disappear without a trace, with no material remains
Demon/Daemon
An evil spirit
Demonism
to believe in the existence and power of demons
Demonology / Demonologists
The pursuit of study of the actions and abilities of demons/ those who pursue
Disembodied
lacking a body or free from attachment to a body
Doppleganger
a double of the same person, often regarding as a warning of death.
Earthbound
confined to Earth and unable to ascend to the higher levels
Ectoplasm
Substance the comes from the medium during trance and seance conditions, spiritual entities use the ectoplasm to interact physically with the environment. Smell is typically a sulphur odour.
Eerie
a place of atmosphere which is mysterious and disturbing
EVP Electronic Voice Phenomenon
the recording of voices of the deceased onto electronic magnetic tape and devices.
Entity
something having a real and distinct existence
ESP Extra Sensory Perception
The ability of individuals to obtain information without use of the traditional senses
Evoke
to call and summon spirits to appear
Exorcise/Exorcism
to expel spirits through the process of prayers, commands and religious rites.
Fantasy
A mental illusion or hallucination
Folklore
unwritten stories, myths and legends attached to a place group or activity.
Fortean
Charles Fort who collected and assessed strange and curious phenomenon. Fortean is now the term used for such a practise
Gatekeeper
An arranged individual spirit who works as a bodyguard, protector and filter for mediums who conduct seances and their ilk
Ghost
spirit of a dead person or animal. The word ghost is commonly used for different phenomenon such as apparitions, poltergeists and black shadows.
Ghost Busting
practise of ghostly phenomenon
Ghost Hunting
practise of investigating ghostly phenomenon
Ghoul
malevolent spirit
Graveyard
burial ground for the deceased
Hallucination
perception of an object or person when they are not present, Caused by medication, alcohol, drugs, hypnosis or illness.
Halo
A ring of light surrounding a person or object in depiction of the halo above a angel or saint.
Haunt
to a visit a person or place on a regular basis.
Hypnopompic
the state between awake and asleep
Hypnosis
an induced state of relaxation and concentration, where it is believed we can access our sub-conscious and deeper memories, as well as being highly suggestable
Illusion
A false or deceptive impression
Illusory
Deceptive or unreal. Something based on an illusion
Imagination
mental images or concepts. of something that is not present or has not been experienced.
Incarnation
something inhuman possessing a human form.
Incorporal
something without material form
Incubus
A demon in folklore with the intention of sexual intercourse with a woman who is asleep.
Kirlian Photography/Aura Photography
A method of taking a photo of a persons aura.
Legend
A popular story whose truth has been been ascertained.
Magic/Magik
The art of using spells, to invoke supernatural powers to influence events.
Malevolent
To wish evil or the effect of evil on to others.
Manifestation
to become manifest
Medium
a person with the ability to communicate with entities and spirits of the present and departed.
Mesmerism
Mesmer was an Austrian physican who developed the knowledge of putting individuals into a state of hypnotic trance hence "Mesmerism"
Meta Physics
However Metaphysics firstly is one of the principal works of Aristotle and the first major work of the branch of philosophy with the same name.
A commonly employed, secondary, popular, usage of metaphysics includes a wide range of controversial phenomena believed by many people to exist beyond the physical.
Monk
A male member of a religious community, bounds by rules and vows of poverty and chastity.
Mystery
An unexplained event or phenomenon
Myth / Mythology
A collective of stories associated with a culture or person.
NDE / Near Death Experience
An reported experience of being close to death, sensing detachment from their physical body and visions of the afterlife.
Necromancy
The practise of conjuring departed souls and spirits from the other side in order to gain and have access to knowledge.
Nun
A female member of a religious order, bound by rules and vows of poverty and chastity.
Occult
Events and activities that are beyond human understanding, magikal, mystical and supernatural.
OBE / Out of Body Experience
Where a person consciousness seemingly has left the physical body. Frequent in reports of NDE, Astral Travel and Remote Viewing.
Ouija Board / Spirit Board
a board or display on a flat surface of letters and numbers typically in a circle. Answers to questions are spelled out by a pointer of glass held by the fingertips of the participants, the answers alledgedly come from the spirit world. There is no spiritual protection / Gatekeeper or spirit guide other than the prime user of the Ouija board. Users present must have a level of understanding of the working and experience in working with a spirit / Ouija board before undertaking their own practise.
Paranormal
Paranormal is a term that comes from the latin Para, which means above, beyond or outside. Paranormal, an event, occurrence that is outside of the normal.
Parapsychology.
A study of mental phenomena, such as telepathy, remote viewing which is beyond the scope of psychological and physical means.
Phantasm
Illusion of an object or person
Phantom Scenery
term given to the occurrence of surroundings which seem changed and often "out of time".
Physical
something relating to the body, such as an effect or sense.
Poltergeist
The phenomenon believed to occur and manifest by way of physical interaction, and by acts of mischief and frustration. Caused often by psychological change or trauma to an individual, frequently occurs in teenagers going through life cycle changes.
Precognition / Precognitive
Ability to see future events, a medium whose skill and ability is that of future sense.
Premonition
The event / vision of seeing the future
Presence
Sensing something that is unseen
Priest Hole
Secret chamber built into houses across England, used as hiding place for those hiding from the crown and the Church of England, who were typically Catholic Christians.
Psychic
A person who is sensitive to para-psychological influences.
Psychometry
The supposed ability to get information and deduce facts from objects just by touch.
PIGE
Paranormal Information Gathering Exercise - An NPN term, Typically a light hearted meeting, to visit an active area with those who are learning or interested. Used also to find out more about areas currently not flagged as being haunted by paranormal phenomenon but in fact are.
Reincarnation
A belief founded in Buddism, it is the belief that the spirit upon death is reincarnated to the earth into another body.
Remote Viewing:
A psi-ability where ones vision is taken to a location that their physical body is not
Research
Investigation into facts or principals or to collect and gather information.
Skeptic
A person who doubts the authenticity of experiences, without tangible proof.
Seance
A meeting conducted by spiritualists attempting to contact spirits. Seances are usually conducted in low light conditions.
Sense
A perception of awareness by our 6 senses sight, sound, taste, smell, touch and balance.
Shade
The literary name for a ghost
Sinister
suggestion of evil or a threat
Soul
Non-physical part of a person, regarded as the part that lives on after physical death.
Spectre
A ghost, phantom or apparition of something menacing or threatening.
Spirit
Another term for the soul of a person and animal.
Spirit Guide
An entity of the spirit world, a guide to the steps necessary for the development of greater spirituality. Spirit guides will often change over time, once you have obtained the level of the development that guide works to offer.
Spiritualist
A person who believes in contact with the spirit world or a member of a spiritualism religious movement or order, example the Spiritualist National Union The SNU
Spook
Slang for Ghost
Spooky
Slang for ghostly or eerie
Succubus
A female demon in the appearance of a beautiful woman often in folklore and myths depicted as a vampire. Fabled to have sexual intercourse with men, while drained their life force.
Supernatural
relating to thinks or occurrences that cannot be readily explained by current natural laws.
Telekinesis
Movement of objects over distance caused by though without physical act of force.
Timeslip
The sensation of having transferred though time. The appearance of Phantom scenery. Time seemingly past with no recollection of events - sometimes distance is covered during this event. A belief that windows can open in time, so visions of the future will come through.
Tomb
Vault for the deceased, a burial location.
Trance
A hypnotic state in which a person is unaware of their surrounding. Trance is characterized by lack of movement, rigidity and lack of sensitivity to external stimuli.
Tumulus
Burial mound dating back to times past, Tumulus precursor to tomb.
Undead
The animation of the dead, such as a skeleton, this also includes vampires and zombies.
Undine
Female water spirit
Vampire
In folklore it is a corpse that arises nightly to feed on the blood of the living.
Vapour
particles of moisture or such likes suspended in the air such as cloud, smoke etc
Vardogers
Similar to dopplegangers it is as double of a person that is seen before the actual person arrives
Vigil
A purpose watch maintained to observe, guard or pray.
Vision
Mystical or religious experience of seeing a super-natual event or vivid mental image.
Warlock:
An individual not typically male who practices the art of magic and sorcery, working with magic and sorcery where the end results are to cause harm.
Weird
Eerie, strange or bizarre, suggestive of, or relating to the supernatural
Werewolf
A person who is said to metamorphose into a wolf on nights of the full moon.
Wicca
Wiccan are the followers of Wicca, typically worship a God (traditionally the Horned God) and a Goddess (traditionally the Triple Goddess), who are sometimes represented as being a part of a greater pantheistic Godhead, and as manifesting themselves as various polytheistic deities. Other characteristics of Wicca include the ritual use of magic, a liberal code of morality and the celebration of eight seasonal-based festivals.
Witch
A person not necessarily female who performs acts of magic and sorcery. Witches typically are practiconers of Wicca,
Witchcraft
The art of bringing and invoking magic/magik powers to bear or the practise of attempting to do so
Worship
To show devotion, respect and adoration to God any person or object regarded as divine in origin.
Wraith
The apparition of somebody thought to be alive, close to death. Wraiths in folklore often commit revenge on those who have done harm to the physical person.
Kind regards to John and Anne Spencer whose copyright is not intentionally infringed upon, but as a development to their work on a similar presentation published in 2000 by Harpercollins, which was the inspiration for the glossary appearing here every area has been expanded upon along with a greater number of titles and descriptions.
