Akashic record A pictoral record of all of your soul’s actions and travels, past, present, and future that occurred since the beginning of time, imprinted in the astral light.

apparition A visual manifestation of spirit energy.

archetype A pattern of images that represents a specific and universal realm of experience, such as the hero or the victim.

aura A final, outer layer of energy that surrounds the body.

bits and pieces The term for the way mediums express the fragmented way in which information sometimes comes to mediums, especially at the beginning of their development.

cerebrum The largest and most highly developed component of the brain.

chakra One of the seven centers of energy within your body.

circle A group of people, usually having mediumistic abilities, who gather to connect with spirit entities.

clairaudience The psychic sense of inner hearing.

clairsentience The psychic sense of inner knowing.

clairvoyance The psychic sense of inner vision.

closed circle A group that meets regularly with the same members.

collective unconscious The combined shared experiences of all humankind.

communicator The spirit that is bringing you the message.

cosmology A culture-specific description of the origin and structure of the universe.

discarnate spirit A spirit without a physical body.

dowser A person who uses divining rods or a pendulum to search for water or to check energy fields. In healing, dowsing is also used to balance the chakras (bodily energy centers).

earthbound spirit A spirit existing between the earth plane and the higher side, commonly referred to as a ghost. ectoplasm A substance spirits produce to make themselves visible; comes from the Greek words ecto, meaning “outside,” and plasma, meaning “a thing formed.”

embalming The process of preserving the physical body after death to prevent its decay and deterioration.

epinephrine A natural chemical your body makes that stimulates heartbeat and breathing.

extrasensory perception (ESP) The nonphysical senses that gather impressions and perceptions about physical and nonphysical experiences.

fake A person who pretends to make the desired contact, sometimes with the best of intentions (to help you feel better).

fishing The medium gives out small bits of information and then asks questions to fill in the picture.

fraud An intentional fake motivated by self-interest that is almost always financial.

free association The practice of saying or writing the first thing that comes to mind in response to a particular word or image.

gustation The technical term for the sense of taste. healer A person (who may or may not be a medium) who has the ability to receive healing energy from the higher side and direct it to people on the earth plane who are ill or injured physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

human energy field The composite structure that contains your physical existence.

hypnosis A sleeplike state in which behavioral patterns can be changed to create healing.

invocation A prayer or formal greeting that invites spirit presence.

kami The spirit of a departed family member that remains among the family and community.

karma The energy of cause and effect that you put out into the universe that comes back to you in this and other lifetimes.

Kirlian photography A process of taking pictures in which the photo shows the object and its energy field.

levitation The action of a physical object, sometimes a person, lifting into the air through spirit energy.

materialist medium A medium who receives spirit messages that manifest themselves in physical appearances, such as images visible to others who are present.

message work The portion of the service that presents spirit communication in the Spiritualist Church.

metaphysical A term generally used to describe experiences and events that have no apparent physical explanations.

mythology A collection of a culture’s popular beliefs used to explain the unknown, such as the origin of life, to define acceptable behavior, and to teach moral lessons.

near-death experience A phenomenon that occurs when the physical body experiences clinical death and the spirit leaves, and then life returns to the body.

olfaction The technical term for the sense of smell.

open circle A circle for spirit contact that anyone can attend, with a wide range of mediumistic ability present.

pagan beliefs Worship of multiple deities, gods, goddesses, and natural events such as the changing of the seasons.

Paleolithic period Period of time in history that began two and a half million years ago and that is considered the dawn of modern humankind.

paradigm A model or framework of collective beliefs and behaviors.

paranormal phenomena The events and sensations people attribute to the presence of “ghosts,” such as unusual sounds and sights for which there are no obvious explanations.

parapsychologist A scientist who studies psychic phenomena.

past life regression therapy The process of exploring past life connections to present issues and concerns.

philosophy A formal system or structure for studying and applying a society’s beliefs and standards.

physical plane The level of existence at which spirits take physical form (our physical world).

power animal An animal spirit with special traits or characteristics that represent attributes or qualities that you have or need.

prana A Sanskrit word meaning life energy.

precognition The psychic sense that permits you to perceive experiences across the boundaries of time, into the future, seeing them before they happen.

psychic skills The skills through which unspoken communication takes place between people on the earth plane.

psychical skills The skills through which communication takes place between people on the earth plane and entities in the spirit world.

psychical vocabulary of symbolism The “dictionary” of symbols and representations that a medium acquires to make communication with spirits possible.

psychometry The ability to sense a person’s residual energy on objects and in locations.

purgatory A station of transition, in certain religions, where the soul goes to await judgment following death of the physical body.

Reiki An ancient system of hands-on energy healing.

reincarnation The return of the spirit to a physical body and physical existence.

spirit chemist A spirit guide that works through healing to change the biochemistry within the body.

spirit physician A spirit guide that works like a physician on the earth plane might.

spirit plane The level of existence at which there are no boundaries of tangibility, time, or space.

Spiritualism A faith system based on belief in the continuity of life beyond physical death.

subtle bodies The seven layers of the human energy field.

telepathy A process of thought transference in which one person receives information from another without using any physical means.

theology The study of God and God’s relationship with humankind within the context of a structured religion or faith system.

thought transference The process of being able to communicate one’s thoughts without physical means such as speaking or writing.

totem An emblem or symbol that has spiritual significance.

trance A state of altered consciousness in which the medium allows a spirit to speak through him or her.

trance medium A form of spirit communication in which the medium enters a state of altered consciousness that allows spirits to communicate through his or her body.

transfiguration A spirit’s physical characteristics superimposed over a medium’s features, presenting an image of the spirit entity.

universal energy field The energy of all existence, encompassing the physical and nonphysical worlds.

vision quest A ritualistic spiritual exploration seeking contact with power animals, spirit guides, and the spirits of loved ones who have passed to the higher side. Many times it is used as a rite of passage.

visitation A phenomenon when a spirit speaks to you rather than through you.

Zener cards A deck of 25 cards, with 5 cards each of 5 symbols, that researchers use to measure telepathic ability.