Little Known Terms of the Paranormal

Kachinas

A kachina is a spirit of the ancestral dead, worshipped among the Pueblo. Kachinas were believed to perform beneficial actions, such as bringing rain. Some kachinas, however, were said to murder ruthlessly. Kachinas were considered to be the spiritual equivalent of an intermediary between humans and the gods. In Zuni beliefs, kachinas are called "koko," and they reside at the bottom of the Lake of the Dead.

Newspaper Test

Similar to the book test, and developed by the same medium. Spirit communicators, in theory, would give a medium information about a news story that would be published the next day, including the page number upon which the story would appear. The medium would then read the next day's paper to see if the spirit's prediction came true. Like the book tests, newspaper tests were remarkably successful, but not considered conclusive evidence of life after death.

Phone calls from the Dead

Quite literally, a phone call from a deceased person. The phone may ring normally, but the line may sound flat or the reception/connection may be poor. The voice of the dead can be heard, usually softly, and oft fading abruptly. Sometimes, if the person being called does not realise the caller is dead, the conversation can continue for up to thirty minutes. The purpose of the call is usually to say "goodbye," or to give an important piece of information to the living.

My own grandmother believes that she receives a phone call from her deceased sibling every year on the anniversary of his death. True enough, someone in the family will always receive a phone call that is picked up after the first ring, and there is nothing but eerie silence on the other end of the line. Whilst no voices are heard, the fact that the phone call comes every year on the anniversary certainly adds to the legend!

Planchette

The 19th century precursor to the Ouija board, the planchette was developed to open a person up to the phenomena of automatic writing or automatic painting. Mediums used the planchette to communicate with the dead, or to look into the future. The planchette consists of a heart-shaped platform on three legs, two of which are on wheels and the third is a pencil. Placing one's fingertips on the planchette invites spirits to communicate through the planchette and write messages or sketch pictures.

Source:

Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, by Rosemary Ellen Guiley