Paranormal Terminology

Paranormal Terminology

Apparition:

A appearance of a person or animal that is not physically there. There are many theories of what they may be such as psychological hallucinations, spirits of the dead, or astral projections.

Atlantis:

Fabled island-continent of ancient times that had allegedly sunk beneath the sea in a cataclysm.

Chupacabras:

Since the 1970's, the island of Puerto Rico has witnessed bizarre events featuring a creature called the chupacabras, also called "goatsucker".

Crop Circles:

In 1979, these types of mysterious diagrams began to be noticed in the U.K. They are patterns formed by flattening out of grain crops.

Cryptic animal:

A "hidden" animal such as Bigfoot, Lochness Monster, and others that have not been proven to exist.

Cryptozoology:

Defined as "the science of hidden animals." Cryptozoologists study reports of animals that do not fit the descriptions of any known species.

Extrasensory Perception (ESP):

The ability of the mind to acquire knowledge of the world without the use of the known senses. Under the heading of ESP are various phenomenon including telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and retrocognition.

Fafrotskies:

When unusual objects and substances fall to the earth. This term is is an acronym derived from the phrase "fallen from the skies."

Magic:

The claimed ability to effect change in accordance with a person's will and by invoking the supernatural. Magic has existed universally since ancient times. The forms of magic range from low sorcery, or spell casting, to high or ceremonial magic.

MAJESTIC 12:

A secret investigative group that was reportedly set up by the government after the alleged saucer crash at Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.

Near Death Experience (NDE):

This is when a person has come close to death and later revives sometimes reporting memories of unusual experiences they had while unconscious. The NDE often includes an out-of-body experience. According to the International Association for Near-Death Studies, more than 8 million people have had a NDE.

Parapsychology:

The scientific study of PSI phenomenon. The term was coined by German psychical researcher Max Dessoir in 1889.

Philadelphia Experiment:

Also known as Project Rainbow. An alleged experiment conducted upon a small destroyer escort ship during World War II. The goal of the project was to make that ship invisible to enemy radar or, some say, the prize sought was invisibility to human sight. As the story goes, the experiment was a success except instead of becoming invisible they got teleportation or possibly actual time travel.

PSI:

Unusual powers believed to be derived from the mind. PSI is seperated into two categorize: Extrasensory Perception(ESP) and Psychokinesis(PK).

Psychokinesis (PK):

The apparent ability of a person to influence the environment without using any known conventional means such as muscular action.

Runes:

A general term applied to a form of sticklike writing of Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, and Scandinavian origins. They are said to have various magical, mystical, and divinatory properties.

Stonehenge:

One of the most famous ancient megalithic sites in the world. It is located on the plains of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England. The original purpose for it is unknown. The theory that Stonehenge is associated with Druids is believed to be false.

UFO (unidentified flying object):

The term was coined by American Air Force captain and anomalies researcher Edward Ruppelt to refer to the mysterious aerial phenomena that had been reported by thousands of observers in the 1940s and 1950s. When a UFO is identified it is called a IFO (identified flying object).

Vampire:

In folklore, the undead. There are many types of vampires in beliefs all over the world. The term "vampire" came into usage in 1732, handed down from German and French accounts of vampire superstitions discovered in Eastern Europe.