Ghost
In the book Mysteries of the Unknown: Phantom Encounters by Time-Life Books explains that former associate of the Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man (FRNM), started by Joseph Banks Rhine in 1962 at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, Graham Watkins coined the term vortex to explain a “psychic field” of energy in a fixed location that was created by a traumatic event or sudden death. He went on to theorize that this energy could remain for centuries after the actual incident and could impress upon people the incident. So, ghosts are not actual spirits. Parapsychologists call this a residual haunting, where events from the past will inevitably play out in front of certain individuals, especially around the anniversary of the incident.
Angry Ghost
In his book, The Case for Ghosts, the Spiritualist J. Allan Danelek explains that many Spiritualists believe that strong emotions, especially anger, can bind a spirit to the earthly plane of existence. Some may believe that when an angry person dies, their personality and attitude lives on and can cause an oppressive or uncomfortable feeling in the still living.
Attached Ghost
J. Allan Danelek explains that a Spiritualist might explain a residual haunting as intelligent enough and believe that the personality was a person who was very attached to their belongings and become more active when their former homes are being remodeled or new families move in.
Companion Ghost
Some will fondly remember a ghost from their childhood who often kept them company when everyone else was too busy. Companion ghosts are usually deceased family members or the soul of a child that had lived on the property or near the vicinity. Of course, most people call these imaginary friends. A great book on this topic is My Life as a Search for the Meaning of Mediumship (1968) by Eileen Garrett. However, Quest For the Unknown: Ghosts and Hauntings by Reader’s Digest gives a different account of companion spirits. The book chronicles the accounts of different hikers who were in high altitude places without much oxygen. These percipients believed they had a nameless, invisible companion; they could only describe as a “presence” or refer to as “the other.”
Curious Ghost
J. Allan Danelek believes that science-minded people and atheists spend a short time earthbound because they did not believe in survival after death and are understandably curious about the afterlife.
Denial Ghost
J. Allan Danelek believes that this is a personality that refuses to move on and a remains attached to their loved ones, which Spiritualists believe doesn’t allow the still living to stop mourning.
Familial Ghost
This term came from the book Family Ghosts and Ghostly Phenomena (1933) by Elliott O'Donnell.
- Balls of Light (BOL): The book Exploring the Unknown by Reader’s Digest lists quite a few of Balls of Light (BOL) anomalies, including Corpse Fire, said to hover over graves or in cemeteries and are believed to be omens of misfortune or death. Certain families from Wales see these before disaster strikes.
- Banshee: In the book, Banshee (1907), Elliott O'Donnell explains that banshees, or bean sídhe (“supernatural women”), were singers at ancient Irish funerals. Certain Irish families believe that the banshee will sing a woeful lament before someone in the family dies.
- Bean Nighe: Gaelic for “washer woman;” the Scottish version of the banshee, who appears dressed in funeral clothing washing blood-stained clothing in rivers, the blood of someone who is about to die in a Scottish family.
- La Llorona: Certain Mexican families are warned of death by La Llorona, or the “wailing woman,” that is always seen wearing white.
- Lady in White: The book Exploring the Unknown by Reader’s Digest explains that Prussia’s royal family, the Hohenzollerns, are warned of death by a “Lady in White.”
- Morag: The lake monster Morag of Loch Morar is a familial ghost for the Gilles Clan.
- The Headless Horseman: In the book Mysteries of the Unknown: Phantom Encounters by Time-Life Books, readers learn that the infamous Headless Horseman, whose real name is Ewen Maclaine but is often called,” Ewen of the Little Head,” appears before a Maclaine family member is about to die.
- The Phantom Drummer: In Death Warnings and Family Ghosts, author Elliott O’Donnell explains that this apparition is either heard or seen by members of the Airlie family.
- The Radiant Boy: In Death Warnings and Family Ghosts, author Elliott O’Donnell explains that the apparition of a boy emitting a brilliant light is a death omen for the Howard family.
Fearful Ghost
J. Allan Danelek believes that this personality may not have been on their best behavior in life, even though they were brought up impressed by Christianity. They are well aware that they are dead but would much rather stay at home as a shade than accept their mortality and risk burning in Hell for all eternity.
Jealous Ghost
J. Allan Danelek believes these are personalities that survived death and are still attached to their former lovers. They will allegedly cause problems with any new relationship until the agent makes them understand that they have both moved on.
Legacy Ghost
J. Allan Danelek calls this type of spirit a legacy ghost because some people confess to unknowingly channel artistic pieces that are not their own, but from a famous artist or musician whom they believes wishes to carry on their work.
Mischievous Ghost
Spiritualist J. Allan Danelek admits that it is rare that a child’s personality remains earthbound, but if they do, the ghost is usually immature and childish and likes to play pranks on the living, if nothing but to scare them.
Mission Ghost
The most popular belief in ghosts is that they all seem to have some form of unfinished business. Once they communicate with the living and their needs are fulfilled, or justice brought, they finally move on. In Haunted England, Christina Hole defines this sort of spirit as a Purposeful Ghost; one that appears briefly to accomplish some sort of task.
National Ghost
A spirit that seems bound to a certain geographic area and are often harbingers of death for those who see or hear them. Elliott O’Donnell coined this term in his book Animal Ghosts or Animal Hauntings and the Hereafter.
Sad Ghost
J. Allan Danelek believes this usually happens with suicide victims. After taking their own life, their personality remains just as unhappy and Spiritualists believe can cause a sense of sadness in the living. However, people who were deeply depressed and died of natural causes can also end up earthbound. Some believe that this is the origin of many cemetery ghosts, who are still mourning the passing of a loved one even though they too have passed on.
Unaware Ghost
The popular notion is that many ghosts are not aware that they are in fact dead, but go about their daily lives never considering their own mortality. This phrase was coined by Spiritualist J. Allan Danelek in his book, The Case for Ghosts.
Unredeemed Ghost
A phrase coined by Aniel Jaffe in Apparitions and Precognition (1963) to describe a spirit who returns to seek forgiveness from someone they had wronged in life.
Ghost Motifs
In Ghost Worlds, author Melba Goodwyn gives an excellent list of ghostly themes that reoccur in almost every city in the United States:
Battlefield Ghost
Sudden loss of life during both the American and British Civil Wars and the atrocities associated with them help perpetuate stories of the apparitions of soldiers or even whole battles. However, it is also common to hear of a historical home used as a makeshift hospital for the wounded and dying to be haunted by the men.
Cave Ghost
Creepy caves that are said to be haunted always seem to be the residence of the spirit of an old hermit who allegedly made his home inside.
Cemetery Ghost
Contrary to popular opinion, cemeteries and graveyards are rarely the site of paranormal activity. On the rare occasions stories about these phantoms circulate, they are usually tales of grieving souls that return in black to mourn the loss of someone they had lost in life have.
Historical Ghost
The period-dressed apparitions of important figures in regional history are almost commonplace in places listen on the Register of Historical Places. And why not? These people were passionate and probably died without seeing their dreams met.
Hospital Ghost
Hospitals, asylums, nursing homes and sanatoriums always seem to be haunted by at least one former patient. This isn’t surprising considering the magnitude of people who pass away inside the buildings.
Hotel Ghost
Former guests who died tragically sometimes return in spirit form and are sometimes exploited as ghosts by hotels that offer, “haunted getaways.”
Library Ghost
Prudent former librarians who appears wearing drab colors to match her personality usually guard the oldest books. With pursed lips, she wrings her hands in worry that some unknown disaster will befall her cherished books.
Prison Ghost
Desperation and fear are only two emotions that seem to imprint on old jails and penitentiaries. Former inmates, especially ones that were executed on site, are often reported in their former cells. Often, visitors succumb to an ambience of demoralization said to resonate from former prisoners.
Roadside Ghost
The “phantom hitchhiker” looking to be picked up is a common theme along windy, dark and deserted back roads. These souls are supposedly ghosts of people who were murdered nearby.
School Ghost
Ghosts at high schools are usually teachers or students who have died on the way home from school and for some reason return. College and university ghosts are usually prominent figures in the history of the institution.
Tavern Ghost
Many historical taverns, bars and casinos have well documented turbulent pasts that seem conducive to ghost stories. It’s not uncommon to hear of the apparition of a card-holding man who died when he was caught cheating at poker and now returns to the site of his untimely demise. Another common theme is the lady of the evening who was murdered while she was with one of her customers. This type of spirit is usually known for their affections towards male employees and occasionally even visitors.
Theatre Ghost
Thespians are a superstitious lot and there are so many plays featuring otherworldly visitors that it’s no wonder so many theatres are called haunted. This is usually by a former actor or actress who enjoys returning around the time curtains go up.
Spirit
If an earth-bound spirit doesn’t always repeat the same patterns over and over again and will interact with people, parapsychologists will call this an intelligent haunting. Many spiritualists believe discarnate souls stay on earth because they have unfinished business, but they typically do not realize they are no longer living. Many different classifications were coined by French spiritualist Allan Kardec (his real name was Hippolyte Leon Denizard Rivail), who wrote many important books including: Introduction to the Spiritist Philosophy, The Spirits Book, The Book on Mediums, The Gospel According to Spiritism, and others.
Familiar Spirit
Mysteries of the Unknown: Phantom Encounters by Time-Life Books gives a wonderfully detailed account of familiar spirits. This is the alleged appearance of the spirit of a living person isn’t as rare as you might think. In Germany, they are called doppelgangers, which means, “double-goer,” and it is believed that seeing your own double is an omen of impending death. Queen Elizabeth I of England found this to be true because after she died one month after she saw her double. In Victorian England they are called fetches, or familiar spirits, so named because of their striking resemblance to a living person. It is different from the usual out-of-body experiences because the person is always fully conscious and alert while the double acts independently. In Examples of the Supernatural (1894), author Frederick Lee defines a double as a wraith.
Genius loci
Roman phrase which indicates a protective spirit over a certain location.
Guardian Spirit
Also called a tutelary or genius, they serve the same purpose guardian angels do.
Nature Spirit
From the animism belief system that believes that all things in nature contain the divine spark, so that all things have a soul.
Obsessing Spirit
This term was used by Kardec to describe a spirit that can influence and coerce a living person. Usually this influence is subtle and involves no more than drawing someone to a certain location or piece of information that later proves revealing and helpful or constructing seemingly random coincidences to provide answers to questions. However, at times an obsessing spirit can begin to change a person’s personality to resemble their own when they were living. Pains that have no medical explanation are not unheard of, only to discover the influencing spirit may have had the actual medical condition. Sometimes they are called attachment spirits, and are always drawn to people with whom they feel some sort of affinity for or had something in common with while they were living. The effects are usually temporary for a ghost hunter, and the further away from the vortex you are, the less grip the spirit has on you. In some rare instances, however, the spirit remains around someone and ceaselessly changes his or her personality.
Poltergeist
In A Dictionary of Ghosts, Peter Haining defines a poltergeist as a German phrase that means, “noisy spirit.” This is because the typical poltergeist phenomena are loud and troublesome. It usually starts out with strange knocking sounds that eventually evolve to moving and/or disappearing objects, phantom footsteps, discarnate voice and in a few rare instances the house being showered by stones falling from the sky! The Time-Life book Mysteries of the Unknown: Mind Over Matter gives an excellent history of parapsychologists that pioneered the thought that perhaps this wasn’t actually a ghost at all, but a force called psychokinesis.
In Haunted People: Story of the Poltergeist Down the Centuries (1968) Hereward Carrington retells an investigation that took place in the 1930s where he formulated the idea that poltergeist activity was caused by internalized emotional trauma during the onset of puberty was somehow externalized in a supernatural spectacle. Alan “A. R. G.” Owen updated this theory in his book Psychic Mysteries of Canada (1975), explaining that the externalized tension could cause the phenomena between the ages of 10 and 20. Quest For the Unknown: Mind Power by Reader’s Digest explains that Professor Hans Bender of the Freiburg Institute in Germany theorized that sexual tension and frustration could be included in the idea that sexual development played an important role in poltergeist activity. He also added that menopause and erectile dysfunction could also bring on these anomalies.
In Hauntings and Poltergeists: Multidisciplinary Perspectives by James Houran James and Rense Lange, we discover that William G. Roll of the Psychology Department ate the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia was the first person to this phenomena Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis (RSPK).
Assaultive Poltergeist
The book Poltergeists and the Paranormal: Fact Beyond Fiction by Doctors Philip Stander and Paul Schmolling uses this term to describe poltergeist phenomena is malicious. Usually, one person in particular is apparently attacked by unseen forces, but is not seriously injured. Their hair is pulled, scratch and bite marks appear on their skin, and they are sometimes shoved.
Fire Poltergeist
This is a classification Michael A. Thalbourne, Ph.D. uses in his book, A Glossary of Terms Used In Parapsychology (2003), to indicate the poltergeist phenomenon of mysterious fires starting.
Proto-poltergeist
The book Poltergeists and the Paranormal: Fact Beyond Fiction by Doctors Philip Stander and Paul Schmolling explains that this term is used when poltergeist phenomena seems to affect only electrical equipment and machinery.
