Classifications of Manifestations
By Christopher J. Williams

Introduction

To the lay person the term ghost is interchangeable with many other words that may or may not mean the same thing.  Popular culture uses words such as apparition, spirit, shade, poltergeist, and entities to describe virtually identical occurrences. The result has been a jumbled mess that does not differentiate manifestation characteristics, location or the causes of paranormal activity. Most of the definitions described here are based on a wide variety of paranormal thought and writings. A broad overview of historical and current percipient accounts of sightings were taken and categorized based solely on characteristics. What is needed is one system of classification that is restricted to observable behaviors and eliminates conjecture on the part of the researcher. This is not an endorsement of one theory over another, but a compilation of distinguishable traits that have been noted by informants and comprise documented investigations into the paranormal.

First, we need to talk about some of the ideas that are pervasive in our culture, and others too, about the spirit.  Human kind has always had to deal with death.  Archeological finds have revealed that our pre-historic ancestors buried their dead with flowers, weapons, tools and other votive items.  The assumption was that the innate qualities that humans possessed while living were eternal. Aware that the physical parts of people decay and ceases to exist, the other eternal qualities had to take on a separate form.
This became known as the spirit or soul.  This form escaped the body after death and was transported to another place.  This idea of a separate spiritual form is universal to all cultures; however, it led to countless interpretations and manipulations.  They range from spirit entities that never had a material form such as Angels to the notion that everything from rocks to plants has a spirit. To reinforce this paradigm and to gain cultural permanence the spirit had to take a material form and reveal itself. Sightings have been reported throughout recorded history and interpreted in many ways collectively it is known as phenomenon.

Phenomenon: is a term used to describe an occurrence of any type that is perceived by the senses.  It must be believed to be real to the mind, regardless of whether its existence can be proved or not. Most natural phenomenon can be explained by physics, biology, geology, et al, however, we are concerned with those that currently have no known cause. This is referred to as Paranormal Phenomenon.  It is a very broad heading that includes ghosts and Angels, phantom houses and trains, and strange balls of lights.  The category extends beyond the bounds of our research to include UFOs, crypto- zoology etc.  We will focus on the phenomenon that can be classified as Manifestations.
 

MANIFESTATIONS

A manifestation is the indication, reality, or presence of something paranormal in nature. It usually reveals itself in the form of /or relating to a spirit and most often a disembodied one. There are two forms that present themselves and it is this presentation that distinguishes the groupings and provides a convenient means to classify them. The main difference is whether they exhibit interactive or non-interactive qualities.

Phantom Manifestation

The phantom manifestation applies to a materialization that can be seen, heard or sensed but has none of the following: physical reality (material or spiritual) and/or interactive or conscious quality. They appear to be unaware of their surroundings. Their actions may be repetitive and has no bearing on the physical world.
 
 

Types of Phantom Manifestation

Everyone has heard the tale of the Flying Dutchman.  A ship that is said to appear during storms near the Cape of Good Hope.  The captain and crew were doomed to sail the seas for eternity.  Sighting the ship was believed to be an omen of bad luck.  This would be a classic example of an Inanimate Phantom.   It is the manifestation of an object that was never a living organism and lacks any interactive behavior with the observer, except for being seen and/or heard.  Other examples of inanimate phantoms would be appearances of houses, cars, and telephone booths.

An Animate Phantom is the opposite of the inanimate phantom.  This is the appearance of a living organism that lacks any interactive or conscious qualities.  Many researchers refer to this type as a residual or recording ghost. The attribute of this phantom is that it appears to be unaware of its surroundings and it goes through motions in a repetitive manner.  Some researchers have likened them to films that are being projected, it is the image playing over and over in an endless loop. One theory is that the actual surroundings have absorbed these images and then plays them back.  Absorptive material has ranged from types of stone used in construction, to water, to the atmosphere itself. As mentioned earlier Phantoms are images only.  They lack any kind of spirit.  It would be analogous to saying a photograph is not the real person just a reflection of that person.

Anomalies are appearances that are unusual and irregular.  They do not resemble a known living organism or anything that can be identified as being manmade. Any kind of conscious and deliberate action cannot be detected.  Quite frankly, it is hard to tell what these are. They are included with phantom manifestations due to the fact that they may not be spirits at all.  They could be natural phenomenon we have not been able to detect yet or the result of faulty equipment used to capture their image.  The important distinction is that they do not display a conscious, interactive trait. Examples of this type of manifestation would be; balls of light, vortexes, and orbs.
 

Sentient Manifestation

The other type of manifestation is the sentient manifestation.  It is a form that displays some type of consciousness.  This can include attempts to communicate, move objects, open and close doors and windows, even to come and molest or harm the living.  The behavior is usually deliberate and involves the interaction with something material and physical.

Types of Sentient Manifestations

A sentient manifestation has to display conscious and /or interactive qualities. This grouping is divided again based on whether the manifestation has characteristics that are identifiable as common organisms or uncommon organisms.

Uncommon Sentient Manifestations

A Specter is an old term that is appropriate for those Sentient Manifestations that reveal visual and/or audible traits that are uncommon. The dictionary defines it as a haunting or disturbing image.  The best way to describe them is odd creatures  In a cemetery it has been reported that a large dog like creature that is pure black roams about. However, it doesn't move in the same manner as regular dogs.  There has long been creatures known as an elemental that has inhabited old castles in Ireland. Banshees and trolls would fit this grouping if you were inclined to believe that these tales have some basis in reality. These can also reveal themselves audibly.  Often referred to by an informant as an unearthly scream or growling as, Ive never heard anything like it before. The standard for classification would be:            sentient and otherworldly. Examples of uncommon sentient manifestations would be a creature with wolf like features that walked up right or an animal with horns and a long serpent tail.

Types of Common Sentient Manifestations

This final grouping is based on the observable characteristic of being of recognizable organic origin, i.e. human, plant or animal. Keep in mind that the trait of demonstrating conscious and interactive qualities must also be satisfied. Most manifestations that make it to this classification have visually revealed themselves, however some can make it by clear audible utterances. Examples of the common sentient manifestations would be people, dogs, horses and slugs

Apparitions have a specific resemblance to religious images. Many of the manifestations in this group convey messages of a religious or prophetic nature.  Angels, the Virgin Mary, and even demons make up this group.  This distinction is important because the percipient generally has a religious background that recognizes such entities.  The content of the message has to be of a nature that reinforces and/or validates a particular religious perspective.  Another type of manifestation that may or may not make this classification is the Hitchhiker apparition.  Here again the content of the message is what distinguishes it.  If the message is Follow Jesus or suffer eternal damnation this is clearly of religious foundation.  The message can also contain a prophecy, for instance the mysterious hitchhiker that proclaims the end of the world is near than vanishes. There must be a grandiose proclamation of a religious or prophetic nature, with the inability to verify the validity of the message and the exact identity of the manifestation is speculative in order to be considered an apparition.

The final two categories are Cryptic Ghosts and Ghosts. This type is associated with the common haunting or an intelligent haunting as referred to by many researchers. They are presented together here because they disclose many of the same traits. Both of these manifestations have all the appearances of being of organic origin.  They have interactive qualities that demonstrate a consciousness and they interact with the material environment. There will be noises, moving objects and materialization that resemble humans and/or animals. The main difference is whether a positive identification can be made. The term cryptic means having hidden meaning, mystifying. A ghost, on the other hand, is the ideal manifestation that every researcher would like to come across.  It is sentient, reveals itself as organic (preferably human) and its identity can be verified. Any information that can be gathered that establishes its identity will reinforce the researchers claim that it is a ghost.  Examples of information that would clearly establish identity are eye-witness verification (analogous to a police line-up); information that could not be known by the informant and is later verified; and/or recognition of ghost as a known relative or associate.

Summary

This classification system was developed to focus the researcher on what can be determined empirically.  The determination can be based on information from witness accounts or by direct observation.  From this a data base can be developed that removes the speculative and bias nature that comprises most of the current body of research into the paranormal.  Understandably, this type of system puts the onus on the researcher to account for and justify any claims and/or theories they propose.  It mandates that these claims be based on clear and recognizable occurrences that meet the criteria established for each major group.  Furthermore, it aids the researcher to determine what information is lacking in order to establish a manifestation into another group.  This promotes creative ways to gather the needed information and helps the researcher formulate questions that will assure proper placement.

If a researcher follows these guidelines they will accumulate a database that displays clear, precise and retrievable justifications for their theories.  It will also assist in identifying patterns and inconsistencies that may change your theory or force you to explore alternative explanations.