Ghosthunter`s Dictionary

An Orb

Orbs are believed (by many) to be ghosts in the form of balls of light. They are life forms that travel in groups and are believed to be the human soul or life force of those that once inhabited a physical body here on earth. Psychics claim to talk to them on a regular basis, and ghost hunters encounter them quite frequently.

Since the introduction of domestic digital photography c.1995, it seems that the field of ghost research has become inundated with photographs of "orbs" - small spheres, of differing colours, sizes and opacity, reputed by some people to be the "Basic Spirit Form" (BSF), the first stage in a manifestation. Many of us believe orbs are bunkum and are just invisible cloud s of small particles, such as water and dust.

A Ghost

A ghost - or spirit or apparition - is the energy, soul or personality of a person who has died and has somehow gotten stuck between this plane of existence and the next. Most researchers believe that these spirits do not know they are dead. Very often they have died under traumatic, unusual or highly emotional circumstances. Ghosts can be perceived by the living in a number of ways: through sight (apparitions), sound (voices), smell (fragrances and odours), touch - and sometimes they can just be sensed.

A Vortex
Vortexes are created, not by wind or water, but from spiraling spiritual energy. Vortexes are believed to be spiritual energy to facilitate prayer, mediation and healing. Vortex sites are believed to be locations having energy flow that exists on multiple dimensions. The energy of the vortexes interacts with a person's inner self. It is not easily explained. Obviously it must be experienced.

A Portal

The idea of a "portal" or a "doorway" to another dimension is not a new one. Many researchers believe that there are places all over the world that serve as "doorways" from our world to another. These doorways are thought to provide access for entities to enter our world. They may be the spirits of people who have lived before, or they could be something else altogether. Some researchers even believe that they could be otherworldly beings from another dimension.

A Poltergeist

Poltergeist (from German pol tern, meaning to rumble or make noise, and Geist, meaning "ghost" or "spirit") denotes an invisible spirit or ghost that manifests itself by moving and influencing objects, generally in a particular locale such as a house or room or place within a house. Poltergeists have been reported in many cultures. Each has its own name for the phenomenon, while the features of the phenomenon are the same everywhere (rapping noises, object movement etc). This does not prove that the phenomenon is real however, but rather that it is a common experience and may be due to a common psychosis. Places that poltergeists have been reported include India (where they are known as a Mumai), the United States, England, Japan and Brazil.

Automatic writing

Automatic writing is the process or method of writing material that does not come from the conscious or deliberate thoughts of the writer. The writer's hand forms the message, and the person is unaware of what will be written. This form of writing is often performed while in a trance state. Other times the writer is aware of his or her immediate surroundings but not of the actions of their writing hand or the messages being written.

Ouija
An Ouija board (also known as spirit board or talking board) is any flat board with letters, numbers, and other symbols, used to supposedly communicate with spirits. It uses a planchette (small heart-shaped piece of wood) or movable indicator to indicate the message by spelling it out on the board during a séance. The fingers of the participants are placed on the planchette that then moves about the board to spell out messages.

Séance

A séance (pronounced /?say-ons/) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma" ("a movie session"). In English, however, the word came to be used specifically for a meeting of people who are gathered to receive messages from spirits or to listen to a spirit medium discourse with or relay messages from spirits; in modern English usage, participants need not be seated while engaged in a séance.

Planchette
A planchette is a triangular or heart-shaped board supported by castors which moves to spell out messages, or answer questions. Paranormal advocates believe that the planchette is moved by some extra-normal force. Sceptics attribute the motion to the ideomotor effect. In typical usage, a pencil would be attached to the planchette, printing letters or other designs on paper to be later interpreted by a medium.

EMF Meter
An EMF meter (sometimes referred to as an EMF detector or "ghost detector") is a scientific instrument for measuring electromagnetic radiation. EMF may be an abbreviation for electromagnetic field or electromagnetic fluctuation. The device is also used widely by ghost hunting groups to identify any normal sources of EMF, which may contribute to paranormal reports, to reveal unexplained EMF "spikes" from unknown sources, or to attempt communication as seen with the K-II meter on Ghost Hunters. The meters may also be modified for specific purposes.

Critics of paranormal investigation contend that EMF meters are grossly misused for this purpose, as the study of electromagnetism is a very complicated discipline, and no one has ever shown that an EMF meter actually detects ghosts.

Dowsing
Divining rods are used in dowsing, a type of divination that claims to be able to find ground water, oil, and other mineral resources by non-scientific means. Expert dowsers are allegedly capable of dowsing exact depth measurements of water veins, electromagnetism, currents and telluric phenomena. They are also allegedly capable of measuring blood toxicity, white cells, and sugar levels, and detecting human illness and health. Expert dowsers are allegedly not limited to any specific time and space, claiming the ability to dowse any material at any given time from any location. Besides dowsing, divining rods were also used as revelatory devices. Sometimes a rod would be held up in the air, and the rod man would ask a question. If the rod moved, the answer was yes. If it did not move, the answer was no. The source for this was believed to be either magical spirits or God; sometimes these types of rods were referred to as a "Mosaic rod" or "rod of Aaron", referencing the Old Testament prophet Moses and his brother Aaron, who both used rods (presumably straight ones). No scientific study has ever shown that divining rods have worked in practice, under any circumstance.

Ectoplasm

Ectoplasm is said to be produced by physical mediums when in a trance state. This material is excreted as a gauze-like substance from orifices on the medium's body and spiritual entities are said to drape this substance over their nonphysical body, enabling them to interact in our physical universe.

Although the term is widespread in popular culture, the physical existence of ectoplasm is not accepted by mainstream science. Some tested samples purported to be ectoplasm have been found to be various non-paranormal substances, including chiffon and flakes of human skin. Other researchers have duplicated, with non-supernatural materials, the photographic effects sometimes said to prove the existence of ectoplasm.

Table Turning
Table Turning or "Table Tipping" is a type of séance in which participants sit around a table, place their hands on it, and wait for rotations. The table was purportedly made to serve as a means of communicating with the spirits; the alphabet would be slowly called over and the table would tilt at the appropriate letter, thus spelling out words and sentences.

Spirit Photography

Spirit photography is a type of photography whose primary attempt is to capture images of spiritual entities. It was first used by William H. Mumler in the 1860s. Mumler discovered the technique by accident, after he discovered a second person in a photograph he took of himself, which he found was actually a double exposure. Seeing there was a market for it, Mumler started working as a medium, taking people's pictures and doctoring the negatives to add lost loved ones into them (mostly using other photographs as basis). Mumler's fraud was discovered after he put identifiable living Boston residents in the photos as spirits.

Thermal Imaging Camera

Thermal imaging camera (colloquially known as a TIC) is a type of thermo graphic camera used in fire fighting. By rendering infrared radiation as visible light, such cameras allow fire-fighters to see areas of heat through smoke, darkness, or heat-permeable barriers. Thermal imaging cameras are typically handheld, but may be helmet-mounted. They are constructed using heat- and water-resistant housings, and ruggedized to withstand the hazards of fire ground operations. While they are expensive pieces of equipment, their popularity and adoption by fire-fighters in the United States increasing markedly due to the increased availability of government equipment grants following September 11, 2001.

Parapsychology
Parapsychology is a discipline that seeks to investigate the existence and causes of psychic abilities and life after death using the scientific method. Para psychological experiments have included the use of random number generators to test for evidence of precognition and psycho kinesis with both human and animal subjects, sensory-deprivation and Ganzfeld experiments to test for extrasensory perception, and research trials conducted under contract to the United States government to investigate whether remote viewing would provide useful intelligence information. The results of such experiments are regarded by some parapsychologists as having demonstrated the existence of some forms of psychic abilities. In contrast, the consensus of the scientific community is that psychic abilities have not been demonstrated to exist. Critics argue that methodological flaws may explain any apparent experimental successes. The status of parapsychology as a science has also been disputed. Many scientists regard the discipline as pseudoscience because parapsychologists continue investigation although no one has demonstrated conclusive evidence of psychic abilities in more than a century of research.

Ghosthunter`s Dictionary

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