Useful Terms and Definitions
- Anomaly
- A strange, unrecognizable shape in a photograph.
- Apparition
- A spirit manifesting itself in the form of a human being (either full or partial).
- Cemetery
- A gathering of tombstones, headstones and other resting places for the dead. Often public.
- Demon
- An evil, non-human spirit of the dark side.
- Ectoplasm
- Spirit manifesting itself in the form of mist, most often seen in photographs.
- EMF
- Electro Magnetic Field. A detector of these fields are used to suggest spiritual activity.
- Entity
- Any being or beings with live force of some type; this includes spirits, demons, and even people.
- EVP
- Electronic Voice Phenomenon. The term used to describe voices of spirits caught on tape.
- False Positive
- Fake or accidentally faked photograph of a spirit or other supernatural being. An example of this is mistaking one's breath for ectoplasm.Click for examples
- Geomagnetic Field
- The magnetic field around the earth. Changes in fields influence spiritual activity.
- Ghost
- The spirit of someone deceased or the entity of something unexplained (can be human or non-human).
- Ghost Lights
- Unexplainable spiritual energy, often colored. Visibility can vary depending on conditions.
- Globules
- Orbs that emit a certain color.
- Graveyard
- Resting place for the dead (almost always accompanied by a church).
- Haunting
- Spiritual activity that is strong in a certain, designated, place.
- Hunt
- Searching for paranormal activity where none has been reported before.
- Investigation
- Researching a location that has had a history of past paranormal activity.
- Investigator
- Person(s) carrying out a hunt/investigation.
- Light Rod
- Colored, straighter form of a vortex.
- Location
- Place where the paranormal activity is occurring; Spot of investigation
- Manifestation
- How spirit energy presents itself to humans or life.
- Moon Phase
- Current status of the moon. Different phases affect spiritual activity.
- Non-Human Spirits
- Spirits that were never actually living. These are often dangerous.
- Orb
- Common round object found in many photographs. Can be made of dust, moisture or energy.
- Ouija Board
- Board used for communicating with spirits. Very dangerous to use. We NEVER use them during an investigation.
- Photo Run
- A quick investigation where only photo are taken, nothing more.
- Poltergeist
- A noisy, mischievous spirit. Will move things, make noise, or attempt to grab attention.
- Portal
- Strong energy gateway between the spirit world and our world.
- Preliminary Investigation
- A pre-investigation to determine if a full, professional investigation is needed.
- Procedures
- Set rules one follows during a hunt or investigation.
- Professional Investigation
- Full investigations where every detail is given attention.
- Psychic
- A person sensitive to the spiritual world. Too risky plus too unpredictable to use on hunts and/or investigations, usually. Also, legitimacy can be a problem with psychics.
- Psychic Photographs
- Taking a photograph whenever one has a strange or off feeling.
- Residual Haunting
- A playback of a past event; the spirit involved is completely oblivious of outside occurences.
- Second
- Term for a person(s) who come along on an investigation once or twice for extra hands or help. Not a permanent member of the team.
- Shadow People
- Spirits who appear or manifest in a darker form than others, often no different from other spirits.
- Solar Flares
- Flares from the sun that affect geomagnetic fields.
- Spirit
- An entity that is not of the human world. May or may not have been part of the human world at some time.
- Vortex
- A funnel of spirit energy.