We all know what ghosts are, right? They're spirits of the dead that are stuck here, and haven't moved on - right?
Well, maybe. The truth of the matter is, we really don't know exactly what we are dealing with, and there are many questions and few answers. Ghost hunters put labels on different types of phenomena, but in reality we can't say for certain what these things are.
At UPROAR we generally classify spirits into the following broad categories:
- Residual spiritual energy / hauntings
- Ghosts
- Shadow Beings
- Animal Spirits
- Elementals
- Demons
It's not entirely accurate to call a residual haunting a ghost, as it's more of a replay of a past event. Any visible apparitions are completely unaware of you, and continue to perform the same actions over and over again. There is a hypothesis known as "The Stone Tape Theory", wherein it is the speculated that hauntings of this nature are analogous to tape recordings. As the theory goes, mental impressions during emotional or traumatic events can be projected in the form of energy, "recorded" onto rocks and other items and "replayed" under certain conditions.
Needless to say, this is a highly controversial theory and residual hauntings are not well understood. The important thing to know is, while these may be frightening, there is no danger to anyone.
When it comes to ghosts, yes, we believe we are usually dealing with the spirits of dead people that have not moved on. We can often illicit responses via EVP's (electronic voice phenomena) or thru a spirit box, and those responses sometimes include details that allow us to match the identity of a spirit to a deceased person. Or so we think.
Are there actually animal spirits? Many Native Americans believe so, and some ghost hunters have encountered spirits that they believe to be of an animal. I've seen one account of where something that appeared to be a spirit cat rubbed up against a person's leg, and an EVP of a "meow" was captured.
What exactly are shadow beings? Are they just ghosts that appear dark and featureless? Nobody seems to know for sure. For reasons that aren't entirely clear, people seem to seeing a lot more "shadow people" these days than they did in the past.
Many people seem to think shadow beings are more frightening than a typical ghost, and they seem to be thought of as more malevolent. I think the jury is still out on that one.
Elementals belong to a class of spirits that are non-human. These spirits have never lived or died, and their exact nature is poorly understood. Are they a creation of nature, or were they conjured up in a secret ritual? Whatever they are, they appear to be more powerful than a typical ghost, and are capable of causing a lot more problems. By default they appear to be malevolent.
Demons are very dangerous. I can't tell you if they are truly Satan's servants straight out of hell, but they are highly malevolent and powerful. They seek to spread fear and chaos and can possess humans. They are not encountered very often, and we will not knowingly investigate any location suspected of being haunted by a demon.
...demons will often masquerade themselves and appear to be a harmless spirit - quite often that of a young female. Their intent is for you to let your guard down, so they can burrow their way into your soul.
