Paranormal Reference Guide

This thread is for information about any and all types of paranormal entities, different abilities, etc. These are just the most common things that you first hear about while researching the paranormal, this is certainly not everything. If you would like to add information or a differing view to this thread, please let me know.

Vampires: Vampires are real. They may not be the blood-sucking-middle-of-the-night-white-face-dark-hair ones you think about from the movies, but there are energy vampires. The top two signs that indicate that you are being fed off of one are 1) you get very tired almost immediately when around someone, and 2) when you wake up in the middle of the night, you cant move (also called sleep paralysis: feels like your chest or back is being pressed down, and sometimes you can't breathe). This might even mean that the energy vampire feeding off of you is using their spirit form to do so. Contrary to popular belief, an energy vampire does not need to touch or be near you to feed. There are many kinds of these vampires as well, including sexual vampires, which take energy through sexual acts, and also psychic vampires which usually have other psychic gifts. Vampires sometimes are not aware that they are a vampire, and their feeding is random. However, it can be controlled.

Poltergeist: a typical spirit, unless very disturbed, is not going to hurt you, they are merely looking for a way of communication. Poltergeists, however, will physically hurt you, and typically possess houses. If you're being attacked by a ghost, your problem could be a poltergeist and it is recommended to try an exorcism of the home. They tend to drift towards one or two people in the household, usually young girls and boys.

Psychics: psychics come in many forms - they can be pre or post cognitive, they can just have premonitions by dreams or visions. Pre-cognitive psychics see glimpses of the future, usually an event that is going to happen. This can be in dream form or visions, and can be a future event that happens today or years from now. When this happens, you usually get a very high sense of déjà vu. Post-cognitive psychics are those who can sense the past, usually by touching items or by visions.

Mediums: to be a medium, you do not need to actually see spirits. Some people can, but they can't communicate. Others can communicate, but can't see them (only sense them), and others can do both. Mediums were chosen to communicate with spirits by opening up a part of the mind that not many people can open. Those that can see and hear have opened their minds freely, while those who can hear and sense have a blockade-type thing and may be able to open their mind a bit more. Those who can just see have not opened up the door for communication.

Healers: these are people who can take illnesses or physical injuries away from a person through mind and energy transfer. Healers do not have to be near a person to take away an illness, it can be through communication (phone, internet) or severe concentration. Physical injuries, however, have shown that you need to be near the person who is injured.

Astral Projection: one can, with a completely open mind and concentration on a destination or purpose, can astral project during periods of extreme rest. When one has enough concentration, bringing things back is possible. For example, you go to bed just after a shower. You astral project yourself onto a beach and you accidentally cut your foot on a seashell... You wake up in the morning and your foot is bleeding, and there is sand in your bed...

Chakras: Your body is composed of 7 chakras, and in perfect health, all chakras are cleansed and in balance. When ill, chakras can be unbalanced and dull.

• Chakra 7- Crown Chakra which represents a connection to the next world (or spirit world)
  
• Chakra 6 - the Third Eye or Brow Chakra which usually represents psychic ability
  
• Chakra 5 - Throat Chakra which represents communication
  
• Chakra 4 - Heart Chakra, represents love and peace
  
• Chakra 3- Power Chakra, or Solar Plexus Chakra, represents personal will
  
• Chakra 2 - Water Chakra, located in abs and lower back, and represents emotions and sexuality
  
• Chakra 1 - Foundation Chakra, found at the base of the spine, represents Earth and survival
  

To cleanse my chakras, I usually take a nice warm bath, close my eyes and concentrate on washing all the "bad stuff" out of my system. Taking a nap while playing sounds of Nature works well, too.

Auras: here are a few definitions of the basic colors of the aura. There are various differences in each color. For example, in the red category there is deep red, magenta, clear red, bright pink, dull pink, and fuchsia.

• Red - worries, obsessions, anxiety. Clear, bright red can mean perfect health and survival-oriented
  
• Orange - vitality, good health, excitement, creativity
  
• Yellow - intelligence, easy going, inspiration
  
• Green - growth and balance; healing gifts if emerald green
  
• Blue - cool, calm, collected
  
• Indigo - Third Eye, deep feeling, sensitivity
  
• Violet - violet is hard to tell apart from indigo, and many people claim that it's the same color; psychic power, artistic, futuristic
  
• Lavender - day dreamer, imaginative
  
• Silver - abundance, awakening
  
• Gold - Divine protection, enlightenment
  
• Black - unforgiving or health problems
  
• White or crystal - pure, spiritual, angelic in nature
  

People usually have 2-4 aura colors and have different colors surrounding different parts of the body. For example, if you have breast cancer, you may have black only around your chest, but the rest of your body will be your normal aura. Auras can change depending on your strongest emotion, not permanently, but until that energy is released.

Demons:
I will post about demonology at another time and will post the link to that thread here.

Orbs: one of the leading theories concerning what orbs are is that orbs are not a spirit at all. The orb is the energy being transferred from a source (powerlines, heat energy, batteries, people, etc.) to the spirit so that they can manifest. This may not even be a conscious thing that the spirit is doing, just a natural way of getting their energy. This would also explain why the orbs are round spheres. According to the laws of Physics, energy being transferred like this would assume its natural shape of a sphere - this theory can also be tied to the EMF readings we get during spirit activity.

Shadow People: shadow people (also known as shadow men, shadow folk, or shadow beings) are supernatural shadow-like creatures that people claim to appear as dark forms seen mostly in peripheral vision. It's still unknown what exactly shadow people are, but various authors and paranormal-themed web sites have drawn beliefs and speculation regarding shadow people from religion, parapsychology, metaphysics, cryptozoology, demonology, and the occult, proposing that shadow people represent a Thoughtform, ghost, or demon that was created by events in which extreme physical/emotional stress/trauma has taken place, and have been purposefully summoned through black magic or other occult practices, or are creatures who exist on a separate plane of existence that occasionally overlaps with ours.

EMF: an EMF meter (or EMF detector) is a scientific instrument for measuring electromagnetic fields. EMF is an abbreviation for electromagnetic field or electromagnetic fluctuation. Most meters measure the electromagnetic radiation flux density (DC fields) or the change in an electromagnetic field over time (AC fields). With this instrument it is possible to locate and track energy sources. It is a common theory that spirits disrupt this field in such a way that you can tell if one is present by higher than normal readings with this meter. Before using the EMF as an investigative tool, be sure to walk around the area and take initial readings around energy sources such as light poles or electrical outlets to be sure of the readings you receive while scanning the area during the investigation. Most units when purchased come with a manual describing most household and major appliances and their corresponding electromagnetic reading. When using the EMF as a tracking device, look for fluctuations of 2.0 to 7.0, this usually indicates the presence of a spirit. Anything higher or lower normally has a natural source.

EVP Techniques: Here, here, and here are three sites with useful EVP techniques.

Ghost Hunting:
Ghost Hunting 101 can be found HERE