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A
Angel: "Messenger of God," a celestial being, benevolent in nature and
if visable, appearing in human form, and possessing miraculous abilities such as teleportation, healing powers and knowledge
of future events. There have been accounts of angels aiding people in times of crisis throughout the ages, albeit with no
real consistency to their 'modus operandi.'
Anomaly: An occurrence or condition removed from ordinarily understood
experience.
See also: Paranormal
Anthropomorphize: The humanocentric tendancy of imposing human perceptions and priorities
upon spirits and other wordly creatures or forces, assuming that all consciousnesses must be akin to ours on some basic levels.
(This is a logical assumption when applied to the survival instinct and perhaps to physical procreation; anything more is
merely a guess.)
Apparition: The projection or manifestation of a quasi-physical
entity.
Aura-world: A reflection of our own sphere of existence composed
of the electromagnetic emanations of us. It is another dimensional plane proceeding from one in which we exist.
B
Banishing: Formal, ceremonial, procedure affected to cast
an invisible presence or influence out from an area. This term can refer either to a spiritual cleansing, or the closing of
a magical rite, when the invoked powers are dismissed.
Bogeyman: A grim spectral figure who delights in menacing mortals with rather gruesome
pranks and abductions. Although the lore of this character has degenerated into a familiar device used to threaten rambunctious
children, the 'Bogey' was formerly soundly dreaded in Celtic regions, and was said to prowl the stretches of fields, marshes,
and moors, looking for hikers and travelers who had strayed from their paths.
C
Construct, Psychic: It has been theorised, and experimentation has been conducted
to support this premise, that through directed psychic energies a responsive spirit-like entity can be created, continuing
for a time to exist independently.
Continuance: Commonly refered to as
life-after-death, survival of the psyche post cessation of the biological organism which had generated it.
Cleansing (Psychic): A less ritualized form of exorcism, where-in a dwelling or site is purified
and malevolent influences are banished through prayers, spoken as the petitioner moves through the area.
Crypto-zoology: The branch of paranormal research which deals
with the exploration of legendary creatures such as Bigfoot, lake and sea monsters, etc.
D
Demon: Hostile and resentful entity, supposedly of non-human origin,
which some believe to be "fallen angels."
Doppelganger: German for "Double-goer." A person's duplicate or identical
counterpart, seen as a result of bi-locational or astral travel. This phenomenon has been overshadowed by the more modern
(and viable) concept of cloning, with its speculative ramifications.
Druid: A Celtic priest
of the Bronze or Iron Age, trained in healing, divination and astronomy, whose tradition was passed on to successors by oral
tradition.
Dee, Doctor John: (b. 1527, d. 1608) Alchemist, astrologer, seer and advisor to
Queen Elizabeth I of England who, along with his somewhat unscrupulous associate Edward Kelly, supposedly devised a method
of deciphering an angelic language, known as the "Enochian Calls."
E
Ectoplasm: A filmy, quasi-solid substance which supposedly issues from the bodies
of mediums (from the mouth, nostrils, eyes, ears, navel or nipples) during trance states. In photographs, this phenomenon
seems to resemble soaked muslin fabric. Whether or not it has ever been genuine, curiously, virtually no ectoplasm has been
reported in the past fifty years.
Elemental: In magical tradition and ceremony, spirits which
govern the four corners of the earth and are associated with, or reside within, the four basic elements. They are called Sylphs
(the east, air), Salamanders (the south, fire), Undines (the west, water), and Gnomes (the north, earth)
Empath: An individual who is particularly 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.
Entity: Commonly referred to as ghost, spirit or (if of an apparently
malicious or resentful nature) demon.
E.V.P: 'Electronic Voice Phenomena.'
Disembodied "voices" and sounds imprinted on audio recording devices.
Exorcism: Ceremonial expulsion of invading spiritual/demonic entities
from a person or dwelling, present in virtually every worldly culture. The Jewish and Catholic Christian faiths each have
a formal 'Rite of Exorcism' to be conducted by the respective Rabbi or Priest.
Extra-terrestrials: Life forms originating on planets other than
our own.
F
Fetch: A spectral double of a living person.
Floating Orb: Spherical image usually translucent white, though sometimes have a red
or blue hue, which inexplicably registers on photographic film and videotape.
G
Ghost: The image of a person witnessed after his/her death, reflecting
the appearance of the living, physical body yet less substantial. These forms often seem to exist in a dream like state of
semi-awareness, at times though not always cognizant of their human observers.
Golden-rod: A rare anomaly seen in videotape recorded at the site
of a suspected haunting, appearing as bright, white or yellowish lines rapidly moving across a room.
H
Haunting: The manifestation of a ghostly presence, or presences,
attached to a specific locale. Hauntings can be categorized into four distinct types, these being Intelligent, Poltergeist, Residual and Demonic.
Hex: A magical working, or "spell," cast to
influence a person's will or fate, most often referring to a curse rather than a blessing or healing.
Hypnosis: A state of profound mental focus,
actually self-induced although an external agent - a "hypnotist" - often acts as the catalyst, or director, for the subject
entering this state.
I
Infestation: Repeated and persistent paranormal phenomena, generally
centered around a particular location or person(s).
Influence: An invisible entity of undetermined nature, affecting
the inhabitants of a dwelling. This may initially manifest as an inexplicable feeling of uneasiness, then be followed by more
definite signs which reveal a haunting.
Intelligent (Haunt): A spirit or entity who has knowledge
of it's surroundings. This type ot haunt is aware of the environment and those in it, it also has the ability to intereact
with the living and communicate with the living as well. They are sometimes known as clever or mischevious spirits having
the ability to move objects and control environmental things as to cause notice of their existance.
L
Levitation: A phenomenon sometimes encountered in hauntings, particularly
with Poltergeists, rare yet credibly reported, where solid objects (including persons) are moved and lifted by an unseen force.
Lore: Collective beliefs and legendry relating to a subject.
Lucifer: In Christian theology identified as the Devil; Lucifer
is also known as Satan.
M
Materialization: A ghost appearing visually, suddenly or gradually,
sometimes indistinct, sometimes seemingly quite solid.
Matrixing: The natural tendency for the human mind to interpret
sensory input, what is perceived visually, audibly or tactiley, as something familiar or more easily understood and accepted.
O
Ouija (Board): A divining implement consisting of a small, round
or more often rectangular platform with letters, numbers and various symbols printed upon it, and a "plancette" which, when
the fingers of two participants are lightly placed along its edges, is intended to glide across the smooth surface of the
inscribed platform and indicate messages. Conceived of as a parlour game in the wake of popular spiritualism, this is potentially
a very dangerous tool for inviting in unpredictable, invasive forces. CAPT vehemently advises
against their usage.
P
Paranormal: The realm of occurrences and phenomena removed from those to which people
see as normal.
Pentacle/Pentagram: The traditional five-pointed star design, with its
interior pentagon delineated, generally representing both spirituality and protection when point "up"; when inverted, it is
said to signify diabolism.
Poltergeist: German for "noisy ghost." This is an extremely rare occurrence
wherein random objects are moved and sounds produced by an unseen force, the sole purpose of which seems to be to draw attention
to itself. The phenomenon always involves a specific individual, frequently a child or adolescent.
Possession: Invasion of the human mind by a spiritual or demonic entity,
where the invading agent for a span of time, influences or entirely subverts the personality of the human host. It is in these
instances that the boundaries of psychology, religion and spiritualism are rendered less distinct.
R
Radiant Child: The apparition of a child which is seen glowing
or surrounded by a bright aura.
Reincarnation: The belief that a person's soul will, following bodily death,
inhabit a new body in a long cycle of rebirths, purportedly for the soul's evolution through gaining experience.
Residual (Haunting): Psychic imprint of a scene which is repeatedly played
out, where the witness of such phenomenon essentially is peering into the past. The ghostly participants of these time-displacements
often seem unaware of their living observers.
S
Satan:
Hebraic term for "Adversary," the "Tester" in the Biblical Book of Job,
the most familiar name of the Devil, the "Fallen Angel" and the "Evil One."
Séance: A group effort to contact the spirit world. In standardized format,
the lighting of the chamber in which the séance is conducted is subdued, and the participants sit around the table, either
holding hands or with hands palm down, flat against the table's surface and with fingertips touching those of the adjacent
partners. A candle generally is set on the center of the table. The appointed director or "medium" addresses the spirit(s)
with whom contact is sought, and then it's "We await a sign..." CAPT Note: We do not endorse the use of séances.
Spirit: Existence apart from, or transcending, the purely physical.
V
Voodoo: African magic traditions with a veneer of imposed Catholicism
from the new world, taking root in the Caribbean, particularly the dark populous of Haiti.
Vortex: pl. Vortexes or Vortices. An anomaly which sometimes shows up in
still photographs taken at the site of a suspected haunting, appearing as a translucent white, tube or funnel shaped mass.
Some researchers believe this may be a porthole to the spirit realm.
W
Wicca: Witchcraft as a recognized religion, the practitioners
of which refer to their system as, "The Old Way" and "The Ancient Religion." Wiccans in their rituals align themselves with
elementals and the earth's natural magnetic fields, personified by the names of ancient Greek, Egyptian and Sumerian deities.
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