POLTERGEIST: From the German word poltern "to knock" and geist "spirit" this term is used to define a mischievous or malevolent ghost characterized by noises, moving objects, and physical disturbances.

• Also associated to Telekenesis and ESP.
• Usually involving around a teenage adolecent female entering puberty but is not limited to females or teens.
• Revolves around a single subject who seems to be the focus of the activity.
• Phenomena include: Spontaneous fires, levitating objects and subjects, disembodied voices, electrical disturbances, psychic projection, property destruction.

TECHNICAL TERMS

ECTOPLASMS: Vaporous substance, often white in appearance, sometimes forms into faces, limbs, or entire bodies of ghosts.

ORBS: Energy anomalies that are recorded on film, digital cameras, infrared monitors, and videotape. They have also been seen using night vision goggles. Considered the most basic form of a spirit.  Orbs provide the best evidence of a haunting.  Do be careful of photographing reflective surfaces as these can create orbs in a photo.

ELECTRONIC VOICE PHENOMENON: (EVP) recording on audiotape, videotape, film, or digital recorder for which there is no physical source. Most often, these voices are difficult to understand.

BILOCATION: Teleportation of an object by some unknown unseen force.

Do you have an exact double somewhere in the world? Can a person be in two places at once? There are many intriguing accounts throughout history of people who claim to have either encountered apparitions of themselves - their doppelgangers - or have experienced the phenomenon of bilocation, being in two separate locations at the very same time.

"Doppelganger" is German for "double walker" - a shadow self that is thought to accompany every person. Traditionally, it is said that only the owner of the doppelganger can see this phantom self, and that it can be a harbinger of death. Occasionally, however, a doppelganger can be seen by a person's friends or family, resulting in quite a bit of confusion.

In instances of bilocation, a person can either spontaneously or willingly project his or her double, known as a "wraith," to a remote location. This double is indistinguishable from the real person and can interact with others just as the real person would.

Emilie Sagée

One of the most fascinating reports of a doppelganger comes from American writer Robert Dale Owen who was told the story by Julie von Güldenstubbe, the second daughter of the Baron von Güldenstubbe. In 1845, when von Güldenstubbe was 13, she attended Pensionat von Neuwelcke, an exclusive girl's school near Wolmar in what is now Latvia. One of her teachers was a 32-year-old French woman named Emilie Sagée. And although the school's administration was quite pleased with Sagée's performance, she soon became the object of rumor and odd speculation. Sagée, it seemed, had a double that would appear and disappear in full view of the students.

In the middle of class one day, while Sagée was writing on the blackboard, her exact double appeared beside her. The doppelganger precisely copied the teacher's every move as she wrote, except that it did not hold any chalk. The event was witnessed by 13 students in the classroom. A similar incident was reported at dinner one evening when Sagée's doppelganger was seen standing behind her, mimicking the movements of her eating, although it held no utensils.

The doppelganger did not always echo her movements, however. On several occasions, Sagée would be seen in one part of the school when it was known that she was in another at that time. The most astonishing instance of this took place in full view of the entire student body of 42 students on a summer day in 1846. The girls were all assembled in the school hall for their sewing and embroidery lessons. As they sat at the long tables working, they could clearly see Sagée in the school's garden gathering flowers. Another teacher was supervising the children. When this teacher left the room to talk to the headmistress, Sagée's doppelganger appeared in her chair - while the real Sagée could still be seen in the garden. The students noted that Sagée's movements in the garden looked tired while the doppelganger sat motionless. Two brave girls approached the phantom and tried to touch it, but felt an odd resistance in the air surrounding it. One girl actually stepped between the teacher's chair and the table, passing right through the apparition, which remained motionless. It then slowly vanished.

Sagée claimed never to have seen the doppelganger herself, but said that whenever it was said to appear, she felt drained and fatigued. Her physical color even seemed to pale at those times. 

Works Sited: About.com http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa111102a.htm

All cultures have descended from the same basic humanity that existed thousands of years ago. By looking at the practices of people throughout history, we can better understand where the current practices of other cultures come from. When we know about the background of the traditions of different cultures, we are less likely to be judgmental of them.

There is evidence that tells us about the burial customs and practices of ancient man, dating back to Neanderthal times, all the way up to present day. Little is known about the Neanderthals and what they believed, but there is evidence that they buried their dead with flowers (Ann Turner, 3), much like we do today. This shows that the Neanderthals showed some emotion or concern over the dead. Most of the burial practices indicated that people in early times believed that the dead were "sleeping". For example, they would bind the dead bodies in a curled up position, and bury them facing the sunrise (Turner, 4). This shows they may have held a belief of an afterlife. The sleeping positions indicate that they may have believed that the dead would "awake" to a new life.

There is other evidence that tells us a little about what the Neanderthal people, and the Cro-Magnon following them, believed. Both of these groups practiced cannibalism in burials. This may have been because they believed a person’s soul or "life stuff" was in their head, and would be absorbed into them (Turner, 7). Because they believed this, they were paying respect to the dead, by letting their spirit exist inside of them, when they practiced cannibalism. Also because of this, they practiced "skull burials", in which the dead were buried with other skulls (Turner, 7). They very likely carried the skulls around, believing that they would have the "life stuff" of the people who the skulls came from. When someone died, they were often buried with other skulls.

The Cro-Magnon people (35,000 BC - 10,000 BC) buried their dead with ceremony. They were buried with shells, necklaces of deer teeth, fine skin clothes, and good tools. The dead bodies were also colored with red earth, to look like new-born babies (Turner, 7). This is a good indication that they believed in a rebirth after death. The jewelry, tools, and clothes were probably believed to be carried into the next life with them. The items may have been included to make the dead happier after death.

They may have wanted the dead to be happy because they cared, or they may have had fear that the dead would come back and haunt them, and wanted the dead to stay where they were, safely away from the living. That fear may have motivated skull burials. They may have thought that without a head the dead could not harm the living (Turner, 8). Because of this they beheaded the dead before burying them. The collections of skulls that were formed show a mixture of "love, respect, and real fear" for the dead (Turner, 8). They showed love and respect because they believed that they could absorb a person’s soul or "life-stuff", therefore wanting the dead to still be part of the living, and they showed fear by their efforts to make the dead powerless.

The Cro-Magnon people may have believed in an afterlife of some sort. The red earth they placed on the dead indicates new birth and may symbolize a re-birth into another world. The fact that they buried people with food and tools could be a sign of believing in an afterlife. The food and tools may be there to help them on their journey, or to keep them happy in the next world. The Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon people often buried their dead on an east/west line, facing the rising sun (Turner, 8). This indicates that they believed the dead may wake up when the sun rises.

In some burial sites, "Venus figurines" have been found (Turner, 8). This could be evidence that the Cro-Magnon people believed in a supreme female goddess. The female represented by the figurines could also represent a goddess of the dead, or one who helps the dead on their journey after they die. We will never be able to know exactly what these cultures believed, but whatever they did, they did show caring and respect for their dead.

Tombs have been dug up that were created around 3000 BC, in England. Many people were buried in huge tombs and mounds. Old bones were kicked away as the new dead were brought in (Turner, 11). The people of that time must have believed that the spirit leaves when the flesh leaves. The people were buried with their favorite and loved possessions, food, and beer (Turner, 11). The possessions may have been left both as a tribute to the dead, and as a bribe to keep the dead away from the living (Turner, 13). The tombs were constructed very strong and had extremely thick walls. This was the first time in history that people wanted a lasting monument for the dead (Turner, 15). The thick walls may have also been a method they believed would keep the spirit inside of the tombs, safely away from the living. After the burial, a festival was held outside of the tomb (Turner, 13). The tombs were also similar to the churches of today. They were a place where people of a culture could gather, share their common beliefs, and grieve.

In an Aborigine tribe, when a person is dying, the village is very quiet and calm. They believe a dead person is like poison and will cause bad hunting (Turner, 67). They feel that a death is always a murder, there are no natural causes. "How else could you explain how a person died so suddenly, who before had been so full of life?" was their reasoning (Turner, 69). The relatives of the dead are responsible for finding the murderer (Turner, 69). They would have to question everyone. After a person dies, everyone in the camp raises up a wailing, and shows their pain of mourning. Sometimes they would do this so they would not be suspected of the murder (Turner, 69).

Once the person is dead, they spread red earth on the body, which looks like the blood shed at birth (Turner, 70). This indicates that the dead person is being reborn into another world. They then paint the designs of the clan in white and yellow on the chest and stomach. They believed that "these signs would change the dead man into a sacred being who could then enter the world of the spirit" (Turner, 71). They then placed the body in a tree. After three months, the body is removed, and the bones are cleaned (Turner, 75). They then watch the bones for 2-3 months, to make sure the spirit is gone. Then, the bones are placed in a log in the center of the camp (Turner, 76). The aborigines try to help the dead on their way to the spirit world, and continue watching to make sure that the spirit has made it. Through this, and in the treating of the dead’s remains with respect, they show caring towards the dead of their tribe.

Most people today do not practice the customs of the older cultures that have been mentioned previously. But, many of today’s religions’ practices are tied into those of the past. The majority of all of today’s religions are monotheistic, meaning they believe in one supreme being or God which created and governs everything.

The Christians of Ireland are one of these such religions, and their practices are similar to all other Christian burial practices. When someone dies, they are kept in a "wake house", which is traditionally the house where they lived and died (Turner, 110). Traditionally people placed salt on the bed, which was believed to keep evil and ghosts away from the mourners (Turner, 110). People may still do this because it makes them feel more at ease, even though they do not believe that it has any effect. Candles are also traditionally placed around the bed (Turner, 110). Friends and family walk into the room where the dead is laying, and say a prayer for the soul of the dead. In Irish custom, everyone shares a smoke - the tobacco was important to have at a wake (Turner, 111). It probably helped people be more at ease, and be able to share their feelings and cope with their loss. The friends and family of the deceased sit around and talk how good of a person the deceased had been (Turner, 111). They also share all of their memories of the dead, showing respect for and honoring the dead as they did. They also talked so that they would forget their sorrow.

The mourners later put the body in a coffin and carry it to the graveyard, taking a long route. This was done to fool the "other ones" (fairies and the dead who have died before) (Turner, 114). If anyone was walking along the road and met the procession, they would walk along with it for a ways and say a prayer.

There is a custom of "keening". It is an old custom that dates back to Celtic times. Keeners sang and wailed about the person’s life and virtues. This is done at either the grave or the bedside (Turner, 110). The women also wail and lament about the deceased while standing over the grave (Turner, 116). After the funeral rites are done, people leave the grave one by one. The men go to the pub, and the women to home. They believed that too much mourning was not good for the dead (Turner, 116).

Some believed that on a day when more than one burial was taking place, the deceased carried in the last of the processions to reach the cemetery had to take care of the other dead souls buried that day. This happened in big cities, and sometimes fights even broke out (Turner, 115).

As for what causes death, the Irish used to believe that the "other ones" took the young ones, but everyone goes at the end (Turner, 113). The Irish believed that the death of a young person was unnatural, like a murder, but they realized that the death because of old age is natural.

Another major monotheistic religion is Islam. Islamic people believe in a peace from "total submission to and acceptance of the One and Only God (Allah) and His will" (Sedki Riad, 1). People who submit themselves to Allah are called "Muslims". Muslims believe that their lives on this earth are only a transition that precedes their afterlife.

Muslims ancestors were ancient Arabs. "The ancient Arabs had no conception of either resurrection or the existence of another life after death" (Said Ennahid, 1). Even so, they seemed to believe that the dead continued on after death. It has been shown that they had ideas of wandering and thirst associated with dying. They believed that the dead who were left without burials and those whose death was not avenged were left with their spirits wandering and thirsty (Ennahid, 1). With the advent of Islam, they believed that life and death were divine decrees, given by god, not by events or parents (Ennahid, 1). They also believe that their God judges them after death and that the spirit continues on after death. Said said, "by embracing Islam, Arabs substituted the notion of community of faith to the previous notion of community of blood" (1).

In an Islamic cemetery, funerary monuments are always common (Ennahid, 1). But, Riad claimed that only a stone with no writings may be used to mark a grave’s location (4). Islamic cemeteries are normally placed on the exterior of the city walls, near the gates of the city. The slope or foot of mountains is also a place where cemeteries are sometimes placed (Ennahid, 2). This traditional placement away from the populace may come from a superstitious fear of the dead. Apparently, it is a practice that if forty years pass since the last burial, "the land of a cemetery can be reused for burying the dead or any other use." (Ennahid, 2).

Muslims have their own set of funeral rites, which somewhat resemble the rights practiced by other religions. "According to the Sunna, it is preferable to whisper the shahada in the ear of a dying man whose face is turned to Mecca" (Ennahid, 2). The "Sunna" is the teachings of the Islamic prophet Mohammed, and the "shahada" is an Islamic prayer (Ennahid, 4). This act is similar to the sacrament of anointing of the sick, which is practiced in the Catholic and other Christian religions (The anointing of the sick was traditionally known as the "Last Rites").

After someone dies, they wash the body several times, but always an even number (Ennahid, 2). "Muslims have this common tendency to start everything from the right," commented Said. Even after they have died, they are washed starting from the right side (Ennahid, 2).

When placed in the grave, a white shroud is commonly worn. Other colors are allowed, but not red. The eyes of the dead are closed, they tie up the jaw, and the clothes are tied tightly, but then loosened once the body is placed in the grave (Ennahid, 2). This is similar to many other religions. Both the Islamic and Christian religions close the eyes of the dead. Many religions in the past have bound their dead. They may have bound their dead for the reasons of fear of the dead, but it is more likely that they do it now more out of tradition than out of any real fear.

When an Islamic funeral procession passes along a street, the people sitting along it are obligated to stand as it passes, as a sign of respect (Ennahid, 3). This is similar to the tradition in some Christian religions where passers-by walk along with the procession or say a prayer. People in both of these cultures show respect for other people’s loved ones when they die.

Said commented, "the burial must be done on the same day of death or the following day, but their are some exceptions." A nighttime hurried burial is not approved (Ennahid, 3). When it actually comes time to put the body in the grave, it is placed in the grace by the nearest relative. Muslims always make sure the body is buried facing Mecca (Ennahid, 3). Following their tendency, they place the body on its right side (Riad, 4).

There are other, non-monotheistic religions, such as that of the Native Americans. When someone dies in a Dakota Indian tribe, there is mourning and wailing. The women gash their legs and arms until blood flows (Turner, 79). The men blacken their face with ash. After the wailing, the Dakotas prepare people for a scaffold burial. The deceased is dressed in fine clothes. They also paint the dead’s face red, the color of life (Turner, 80). They also believe that the dead are reborn, or have a life after death, as shown by their coloring the dead red.

The Dakota build platforms on the outside of their camp. The dead are placed on these platforms with all of their favorite things (Turner, 81). This shows both caring for the dead, and also fear that they might want to come back if something is forgotten.

Sometimes, if the dead is a child and was very treasured, the parents will keep a "ghost lodge" for the child’s spirit (Turner, 82). There are a lot of ceremonies involved in this, and the parents must devote a lot of time and effort if they decide to make a ghost lodge, but the Indians feel it honors the spirit, and helps the tribe. In the lodge is kept a lock of the dead’s hair, along with their favorite possessions and a feeding bowl (Turner, 82). The poor and starving of the tribe can also eat from the bowl (Turner, 83). Generosity is the way of the Dakotas. In this burial practice, they not only honor the dead, but also help the less fortunate of the tribe.

The Tsimshian Indian people of the west coast consider the world to be like a huge box, in which all the souls of the universe start and end. A family group is contained in a house constructed like a box, having the living people enter through the front and sides, and the dead leave through the back (by removal of planks). The souls leave through the smoke hole above the hearth in the center of the house (Andrea Laforet, 1). They believe a house is like a living form of a box. Like a house, the universe is believed to be like a box, with the sun coming in the front (symbolizing life), and leaving through the back (symbolizing death) (Laforet, 2).

Some people do not believe that when someone dies that they survive as a permanent entity. Sidney Field said that the "part of the personality that survives bodily death [is an] echo, instead of an astral body" (3). They believe that the length of a person’s life on the other side depends on the strength of the individual’s personality on earth (Field, 4). But, one important difference between their beliefs and that of many other cultures is that they believe that "there is no permanent substance that survives the death of the body. Whether the ego lasts one year, ten thousand, or a million years, it must finally come to an end" (Field, 4). They believe that all people are part of the stream of humanity and that a person only becomes something semi-permanent when they "step" out of that stream. When a person is alive, they are part of that stream, and when they die, they eventually become part of that stream again (Field, 14).

Almost all cultures have beliefs in ghosts. To primitive societies, a ghost was like a "bomb" to the living. All of their rites and ceremonies were to keep the "bombs" from going off (Turner, 119). They wanted to make sure the spirits stayed in the next world, safely away from the living. People feared that they "could ‘catch’ death from the jealous dead" (Turner, 119). Certain ghosts were believed to be more powerful and feared more than others, especially leaders and strong men who died in their prime. The people felt that those people had the most to lose when they died, so they became more envious as ghosts. People believed that those would become the most powerful ghosts, since they were the most powerful people (Turner, 120).

There are some protections against ghosts that were followed in many cultures and some of them are still followed today. One thing is shutting the eyes of the dead, so that the ghost can’t "see" where he is (Turner, 121). That is still practiced today. The reason is more for respect that it is done today, but some of it may go back to the fear of ghosts, and wanting to be protected from them. In some cultures, after a death, they would not speak the name of the dead, and in some cases the name is dropped from the language. They believed speaking the name of the dead may anger them or call them back (Turner, 121). In some cultures, they destroy the dead’s home, or move away from the camp where the dead had died. In other cultures, they believe they must let the soul out, so they open a window, remove a roof tile, and/or turn mirrors around (mirrors are believed to be "soul catchers") (Turner, 121).

In early cultures, they bound their dead, figuring that the spirit would also be bound, and unable to harm the living. The Saxons of early England cut off the feet so their corpses could not walk (Turner, 122). Some aborigine tribes cut off the head of the dead, thinking that the spirit would be too busy searching for his head to worry about the living (Turner, 122). Some of this may seem extreme, but we can be sure that they did not have any dead corpses walking around after these practices!

Some cultures believed that a ghost could only come back through the way that they left. This led to bearing the dead through windows, and sealing them afterwards. Some houses in Italy and Denmark had special doors for the dead, which would keep the main doors "clean" from death. In some extreme cases, people would make a hole in the wall of a house, move the dead out through it, and then wall it up again, insuring the spirit cannot reenter the house (Turner, 122).

Another method of protection from ghosts is trying to confuse the spirit. One way of doing this is rushing the coffin around before burying so that the spirit will be confused so as to not find its way back. If an old person died, the belief is that they treasured their grandchildren and may want to take them with them to the next life, so the grandchild is whisked around the coffin, getting the spirit’s attention, and then hid away, causing the spirit to be too busy to look for it’s grandchild to bother with the rest of the living (Turner, 123).

Cultures also try to scare away other ghosts at the graveyard. Some practices to do this are beating on the grave, shooting of guns, funeral bells, and loud wailing (Turner, 123). All of these which we think of as being ways of showing respect and grief may go back to the fear of ghosts, and wanting to scare them away.

The custom of leaving gifts at a grave is practiced today, and there is evidence of it being practiced in Neanderthal times. This practice goes back to "niceness for the ghost", in order to keep them happy and, more importantly, away (Turner, 124). But this practice also has the effect of showing respect for the deceased, not just trying to bribe their spirits. Romans and Greek even had tubes running to the inner tomb where they bury leaders, so that they could "feed" the spirits (Turner, 124).

There are multiple purposes to building a tomb, or just placing a tombstone. The one thought of most in recent times is for respect, but the original purpose of a tomb(stone) is just as likely to have been to hinder spirits in affecting the living. Tombstones may go back to the belief that ghosts may be "weighed down" (Turner, 124). The spirit would be bound to the tombstone, and be unable to affect the living. Many tombs, walled up with boulders and mounds of earth may have been for the same purpose (Turner, 124). Another purpose of tombs is to confuse the spirit. An example of this is placing a maze in the entrance (or exit, from the ghost’s point of view). This was believed to be very effective since it was also believed that ghosts can only travel in a straight line. Another way used to keep a ghost way was to build it a nice, comfortable "house" (Turner, 124).

Although there have been exceptions, the general rule has always been to keep spirits away from the living, and avoid them at all costs. Ghosts were thought to be stubborn and mean (Turner, 125).

Every culture has some things in common with some of the other cultures, and all cultures include the same type of humans, with the same type of fears, needs, and all descend from the same ancestry cultures. Along with understanding the beliefs and customs of other cultures, we can obtain better understanding just by understanding and learning about our own culture and heritage.

Works Cited: http://www.brainerd.net/~esserste/essays/mclit.htm

The word words comes from the German tern poltern - "to knock" and geist - "spirit". This phenomenon has been researched extensively for years.  It has been the subject of movies, but I don't think Carol Ann and her family were being plague by a poltergeist in the movie.  There are a few different theories on what poltergeists are.  I am going to discuss the one theory that I believe here and keep it simple as possible.

A typical poltergeist haunting seems to always consist of noises, such as loud knocking, and objects moving about on their own.  There can also be voices, smells and apparitions in addition to the other symptoms.  Usually these events are witnessed by numerous people in the home , including visitors.  The events may start slowly with small noises and small objects moving and then may progress to something like furniture flying around the room and full bodied apparitions.  The exact events differ from case to case as well as the progression and severity.  Normally there is one person who seems more affected than others and is always present in the home when events occur.  When that person is removed from the home, the events cease.  This person is usually a preteen female who's hormones and the stress of that age combine and finally release subconsciously in a way that causes the poltergeist activity.  The person is causing all of the phenomenon with the subconscious mind and they are not aware that they are the cause.  This person can also be a teenager or into their early twenties and may be under some unusual amount of stress.  When they are relived of the stress, sometimes by moving from the location, the problems stop.  If the stress or causes continue, the "haunting" seems to follow them.  Reliving the inner problems is the key to stopping the poltergeist activity.

Poltergeists are not often easily discernable from other types of spirit hauntings.  The symptoms are often very similar.  An onsite investigation and extensive research is often necessary to uncover the hidden existence of this type of phenomenon.  This explains why many questions that investigators ask seem off base when they interview witnesses in a home.  They are trying to rule out a poltergeist problem before they start the investigation into the possible spirit activity.

The existense of ghosts has been debated for centuries.  It is only in modern times with technology having advanced to it's current stage that we may now capture on film and audio what many believe to be images of the supernatural.  The questions of why some can and yet others cannot see or sense the presense of these entities has been contested with numerous theories both for and against the subject of spirits.  One such cause for speculation is do our children see and sense what many adults either cannot or will not see?
   One theory is that children have not had years to adjust their thinking and have not had the time to train themselves as to what to accept or not accept as reality like adults have.  Adults program their thinking and consequently refuse certain images, noises, and feeling as real simply
because in our minds we cannot accept impossible or unproven science.
   Some parents unknowingly start to teach and train their children at a very young age to block these images.  They do it out of protection and misunderstanding of the situation.  How many parents have tucked their little ones back into bed with the words that they thought were reassuring; there are no such things as ghosts, you just had a bad dream, it wasn't real, it
was just your imagination? I think most parents are guilty of this including myself.  How many parents are guilty of telling their children that their imaginary friend is not real, maybe not realizing that not only is that friend real but a ghost?  I am sure it has happened before. Do you ever wonder if any of those bad dreams, those images seen in the night, those imaginary friends how many may actually be ghosts that for whatever reason have shown themselves to a child?
    When we tell our children it was just a bad dream we may inadvertently teaching them to mistrust what they may have actually be seeing.  Eventually training themselves to block what they have been taught cannot be real.  Where as the opposite side of this theory; the parent who teaches their children that sometimes for whatever reason, a spirit may linger after death,
is leaving a space in that child to be able to accept the vision, the noise or the feeling of the supernatural.  Could this be why some people are able to accept the supernatural with an open mind and yet others cannot? Does the door get shut at childhood or can it remain open?  This is just one of the may theories used to explain why children see more of the supernatural world
then adults do.