Classifications of Hauntings

What is it that you think of when you think of a place being haunted? While most people generally pile all forms of phenomena into the category of haunted or paranormal, they do not think about the fact there are several classifications of hauntings relating to these forms of phenomena. And Here I will cover these topics.

Now the term paranormal relates to things unexplainable, or anything that goes beyond the normal scope of scientific thinking. The word paranormal is a broad classification where anything unexplainable falls. This includes, spirit hauntings, demonic activity, psychic abilities, UFOs and cryptids. Even though psychic abilities, UFOs and cryptids fall into the category of paranormal, I will not be covering these topics here in this posting. The goal for this is to help people more fully understand hauntings, the possible cause behind what is causing the haunting, and how to potentially handle certain situations in regards to these occurrences. 

The "Traditional Haunting"

The traditional haunting, which is what most people encounter, it covers a broad selection of spirits that don’t fall under a more specific classification, and depending on the strength of the spirit, how they interact with the living world can vary. One may be able to physically manifest, while another may only be able to verbally manifest. And then there are times when you can only sense their presence.  These spirits are those that tend to haunt the place that they lived, died, or a place they had a strong emotional attachment to which can include a person like a life partner, a friend, or even a child. An emotional attachment can even be to a specific item that was important to them in life, or it could be furniture where they died. These spirits tend to have an interactive personality even those that act out because they want to be left alone. These spirits tend to be friends, family members, and historical figures and can even include those who have died due to trauma that includes murder, suicide, disease, or accidental circumstances like a car wreck or house fire. Most are harmless, but others in not-so-rare circumstances can pose a danger to the living and can often be mistaken for demonic activity. It is thought that once a person dies, they carry the personality they held in life into their afterlife. Spirits were people once too, so it is not surprising to think that in death, a person is the same as when they were alive. They are still people, even though they no longer have a physical form.

Interactive personality or intelligent hauntings can manifest in a plethora of ways. Such as physical manifestations, disembodied voices, phantom scents like perfume or cigar smoke, physical contact, objects moving, unexplained noises such as footsteps or knocking, cold spots, or even as simple as reaching out with their aura. The intentions of these encounters vary per spirit. Some have unfinished business, such as a message they need to pass on. Sometimes with a traumatic event like murder, spirits can linger until their murderer is caught, or the trauma holds them bound to their location and requires help to move on. While others simply wish to remain. In most instances, it only requires communication to find out what these spirits want, and once those requirements are met, these spirits will move on. There are instances that spirits wish to move on, but they are unsure of how to do so, and require some help to move on. But some spirits simply wish to remain, and it is ultimately their decision to stay or movie on.

Most spirits that you will encounter are harmless and you can peacefully co-exist with them. In the off chance that this is not the case, a simple smudging ritual can help you remove these energies. It is important to note, that some spirits linger as a form of protection for those in the location, or the property itself. In situations where you have both negative and positive energies in the home, and only wish to banish the negative energies, a simple smudging with Palo Santo will generally suffice. White Sage, which is the most commonly known to cleans spirits/energies from a location will work, but it is important to note that White Sage not only removes the negative energies, but the positive ones as well essentially creating a "blank slate." It is also important to note that smudging with White Sage on its own, may in fact cause certain spirits to become angry, and cause an increase in activity if not performed correctly. There are instances where negative energies have been removed from the home, only to come back once the effects of the smudging have worn off. When I perform a smudging ritual, I generally Use White Sage, and then repeat the process with Palo Santo, but most often I just use Palo Santo. White Sage removes ALL energies within the location, Palo Santo on the other hand just removes the negative energies and allows the positive energies to remain. 

There are many different choices for herbs to use when performing a smudging or cleansing ritual, and it is up for you to decide which of those you want to use. I go over these and the proper smudging technique in a different post which you will find on here.

For darker and harder to remove spirits or energies, a combination of White Sage and Cedar, followed by Palo Santo will work well for this.

Residual Haunting

Residual hauntings are another common occurrence as far as hauntings are concerned. The thing to know about this type of haunting is that they are not actual spirits, but more of an echo of an event that happened in the past that held so much emotion that it left an imprint in time. The stone tape theory suggests that this type of haunting is caused by energy released during certain emotional or traumatic events that can play out when certain conditions are met. These hauntings generally happen on the anniversary of that specific moment in time. Certain situations that were similar in circumstance to the situation can also trigger residual hauntings. The most common of these hauntings is a traumatic event such as a murder or accidental death like a car accident. Phantom cars on the roadway could be considered residual haunting due to a traumatic roadway death. Residual hauntings aren’t always based on negative energies but positive energies as well. If you’ve ever been somewhere and heard phantom sounds of a party, music, and laughter this is a sign of a residual haunting based on positive circumstances. Communication with this type of haunting is generally thought to be impossible as these are not spirits, but memories of past events imprinted in time.

In the instance of a residual haunting, you can perform a smudging ritual for your own piece of mind, but it is not necessary as these types of hauntings are essentially harmless. Now depending on where you are, or what you are doing, yes, there can be the possibility of it becoming a dangerous situation, such as being on a ladder or descending a flight of stairs, and seeing the manifestation of these occurrences can cause an accident where you fall. But that is the extent of the dangers of these occurrences.

Animal spirits

Animal spirits are typically cats or dogs but other species have been sighted. Animal spirits are much rarer than the spirits of humans and usually haunt where they lived and not where they died. They tend to linger in areas they feel most comfortable, generally around their owner but also near where their bed or food used to be. Animal spirits are more commonly heard and not seen, but this does not mean they can't be seen. They often interact with objects like toys, or they will leave imprints on furniture where they preferred to nap when they were alive. This type of haunting is rarely dangerous and are almost impossible to communicate with. Smudging rituals surrounding this type of haunting is not necessary, as they are, for the most part, harmless. The dangers with this type of haunting are situational depending on what you are doing when the phenomenon occurs. 

Crisis apparitions

Crisis apparitions are technically not a haunting perse as these events are a one time occurrence. A crisis apparition is a manifestation of a person at the time of their death. They usually manifest to their loved ones to either say goodbye, or to send a psychic S.O.S. The circumstances or crisis surrounding these manifestations include disease, severe injury and death, but are not limited to these. They appear during or sometime after. This is not a spirit, but a telepathic energy or message released during the crisis. Some occurrences happen while the person is still alive as a form of reaching out for help, and they also occur at the time of death as a form of goodbye to their loved ones. In this instance you may choose to cleanse your home but this is not necessary as there is no spirit in your home. Crisis apparitions pose no danger or threat to those that whom they appear to and disappear moments after the vision ends. Performing a smudging ritual is totally optional, because even though this falls under a classification of a type of haunting, it is technically not a haunting.

In the sections below I will discuss classifications of hauntings that are considered to be the most dangerous out of all of the classifications of hauntings. When dealing with these situations it is HIGHLY recommended that you seek help from an experienced professional. It is not recommended to handle these situations on your own as they can be dangerous and potentially fatal if not handled correctly.

Elemental Hauntings

I am including Elemental hauntings in this section of the more most dangerous. This classification is somewhat of a gray area, as the experiences relating to these hauntings can either be good, bad or even fatal.

Elementals are classified as supernatural beings that unlike humans, do not have souls. There is however, lore surrounding the ability for the offspring of an elemental and a human to have a soul. Generally they are neither good or bad, but more neutral/chaotic. They way they behave towards humans depend on several factors including their experiences with humans. Through the research I have done, I am including the lore of these beings. While some fully believe in the existence of these creatures, it is up to you to decide what you believe. But at the end of the day all legends of mythology and lore are based around factual truths.

Belief in nature spirits is common in all cultures throughout history. It is said that they have been around since the dawn of time. The description of elementals vary. They have been described as sometimes having a human or animal form and sometimes described as being half human and half animal. Their intentions vary in their encounters. They can be benevolent and helpful, or they can be deceitful and malevolent. There are four categories of elementals which include gnomes, undines, sylphs and salamanders which correspond to the four main elements of earth, water, air and fire. These elements are considered the building blocks of nature. The first written record of elementals date back to the 16th-century by a man named Paraclesus. His work A Book on Nymphs, Sylphs, Pygmies and Salamanders, he identified each of the Elementals belonging to one of the four elements. In his book he identifies them as not being specifically spirits, but falling somewhere between creatures and spirits. He describes them as normally being invisible to the human eye, and can usually only be seen by those with clairvoyant abilities and they eat, sleep and wear clothing just like humans.

Undines are said to be the most similar to humans, their element is water, and they reside in and have power over streams, fens, rivers, marshes, oceans and even fountains. They have an association with rain, mist and fog as well.  Their names are generally derived from the body of water in which they reside. They are considered to be fond of humankind and they are emotional beings and have a love for plants and flowers. Other beings classified as undines include water sprites, mermaids, kelpies and selkies (original lore states that selkies are male). Tibetan and Indian cultures include Nagas, which are human/serpent hybrids. They are associated with prosperity, hidden treasure and are dharma protectors and it is said that angering them can cause illness.

Sylphs relate to the element of air and have power over clouds, snow, gasses and the winds. They are said to sometimes assume human form but for only short periods of time. They are said to prefer mountain tops but also reside in the air around us. Sylphs vary in size but are generally smaller than humans, and sometimes considerably smaller. The lore behind fairies originates with Sylphs and are similar to Undines in the aspect of their views of human kind. It is believed that the Muses of Greek Mythology are sylphs. The personality of Sylphs tend to be mirthful, changeable and eccentric. 

Gnomes (from Greek genomus translates to "earth dweller") are elemental spirits of the earth and vary in appearance and stature. They have power over plants and the earth itself. They reside within the earth or in forests and caves and are said to mine and guard treasures found within the earth. While they tend to be reluctant of human interaction, when encountered they can be either helpful or harmful. Gnomes are said to be the protectors of the Earth's energy systems.  Other elementals that fall under this classification are forest sprites, satyrs, pans, dryads, elves and brownies.

Salamanders are fire elementals, they have power over flame and smoke. In medieval works they are reported to have a lizard like shape but lore behind these beings report that they appear as balls of light, fireballs or tongues of fire. It is reported that St. Elmo's fire on the rigging of ships is related to fire elementals. It is believed that salamanders are the most powerful of all the elemental spirits. It is believed that salamanders are dangerous and deemed unpredictable to work with.

While most accounts attribute elemental "hauntings" to being in locations out in nature like forests, mountain ranges and such, due to population expansion needs, human invasion of where these beings reside is unavoidable. Indigenous cultures are known to perform ritual offerings to maintain balance to coexist with these beings. Interaction with elementals vary just like humans and the situations involved. Just like a human being they can be friendly or they can become dangerous under the right circumstances. Phenomenon related to elementals can vary, and are sometimes similar to a ghostly haunting, but the steps you would utilize to remove a spirit from your home will for the most part, not work on an elemental. And it is best to either try and coexist with them, or to move on. If you move to a location that has phenomenon associated with an elemental, that is their land and it is best to come to an agreement to coexist with them. They will not leave the area because you want them to, and attempts to remove them will generally make things worse.

Phenomenon associated with elemental include but are not limited to

• poltergeist-like activity: items being blatantly moved, slammed, destroyed, loud knocking on walls at night
• personal items going missing or moved to odd places – jewelry, keys, heirlooms, etc.
• aggressive physical touch – being grabbed, pushed, hair pulled, bitten, blankets being pulled off of you in the middle of the night
• balls of glowing light or lightning-fast wisps of light
• milk, beer, and other food items spoiling long before their expiration dates
• hearing far-off music, specifically harps, violins, and whimsical sounding songs OR faint drumming in the distance
• fairy rings just outside your front or back door

It is easy to label phenomenon associated with an elemental spirit as a ghostly haunting or demonic activity, and if you are experiencing the phenomena mentioned above and have done everything possible to remove the entity, and the situation does not improve, there is a possibility that you are experiencing an elemental haunting. If you are experiencing an elemental haunting, chances are that you have angered the spirits is some way such as causing the elementals to be displaced, or you have invaded sacred land, or you have angered the elemental in some way. The chances of removing an elemental being from a location, for the most part is unlikely. But there are a few things that you can do if the activity is problematic. 

• leave an offering (traditional offerings include milk, butter, cream, cakes, wine, mead, ale, etc.)
• apologize and ask the elemental for a peaceful working relationship
• hang low-tone windchimes around your house (warding device)
• hang iron horseshoes around your house (iron wards off the wee folk)
• ring a bell or bang pots and pans to scare it away (make sure you open a door or window to allow the spirit to escape)
• wait it out or move
• seek to appease it by setting up a garden, planting trees, or honoring nature in a big way
• salt is also supposedly a way to get rid of certain household fae (but do your research first because some household fae consider salt beneficial and will take it as an offering!)

Eyewitness claims regarding earth elementals report tiny men (reports of females are rare) that are mischievous and can be threatening to humans with gruff voices. They do not like man-made metals and they can cause animals to behave in ways that are not generally considered to be normal.

Human interaction with water elementals can result in an obsession with water and is considered the reason behind suicide by drowning. Unexplained issues with water, such as unexplained and recurring plumbing issues and pooling of water. Through scientific research, it has been discovered that flowing water is a natural conductor of EMF.

Fire elementals have been reported to be responsible for spontaneous fires erupting. It is believed that an obsession with fire is believed to be a symptom of exposure to this type of elemental. Although spontaneous fires are a symptom of a fire elemental, spontaneous human combustion is not associated with these beings.

The most commonly reported phenomena associated with elemental hauntings relate to Air Elementals and their influence and are most often confused for Poltergeist activity due to objects being thrown or broken. There are occult texts that suggest that sexual assault can be attributed to this type of elemental, and they can cause discord between humans. It is also believed that the suicidal urge to jump from high places can be attributed to these spirits. Other phenomena associated with these elementals include unexplained abduction (similar to and possibly some accounts of alien abduction) or unexplained moments of lost time. I have personally experienced moments of lost time, and have encountered strange occurrences of objects being disturbed. I had a woman that I had never met tell me that the fairies were trying to communicate with me. common phenomena associated with this type of elemental include fairy rings, fairy forts, cairns, and stone circles. Unexplained animal sightings include horses, badgers, hares and pigs. Changelings can also be attributed to that of air elementals. for hundreds of years there have been stories of children being abducted and replaced with changelings.

As mentioned at the start of this article, the information I have provided here is based on information that I have found through research. My intention is to provide you with the lore surrounding these beings, not to convince you of their existence. While the lore surrounding spirits and supernatural beings is built up on some factual evidence, it is up to you to decide what you want to believe in. But if the human spirit can linger after death, and demons exist, who is to say that these elemental beings do not? There is a lot that we as humans know, but just as much as we know, there is so much more that we do not know, and there are some things that the human race may never know. 

Haunted Vessels

Information regarding this type of haunting will be coming soon. This classification of haunting was recommended after the posting of this article. 

Poltergeist

Many people are familiar with this term from the poltergeist movies, which were rumored to be cursed. Poltergeist is the German word for noisy spirit. And reports of these types of hauntings date back to Ancient Roman times. This type of haunting is known for its violent manipulation of physical objects and is also one of the rarest types of hauntings.

Occurrences related to this type of haunting include its ability to manipulate the environment by knocking things over, moving furniture, disembodied voices, making noise such as knocking, lights turning on and off, doors slamming, things flying off the shelves, mysterious fires and can sometimes the appearance of apparitions. This type of haunting begins slow and mild and gradually increases in intensity. Many times this type of activity can be harmless and ends quickly, they can actually become quite dangerous and can be one of the most terrifying. The most common theory behind this type of haunting is that is created by the energy and emotional stress of a living person within the home, most commonly centered around females in their teen years.  

There is a theory that suggests that Spontaneous Recurring Psychokinesis is responsible for this due to an overload of built up stress is unconsciously projected outwards in the form of mental energy which affects the physical environment and produces the phenomena associated with poltergeists. When the cause of a poltergeist is not based around a female in her teenage years the culprit is usually several spirits in a location. In this case the spirits will combine their energies to gather more strength to create the activity. This is generally due to anger, such as building on sacred grounds. Generally, this can be fixed by finding the root of the problem and fixing the situation.  While this origin of poltergeist activity is a matter of debate, the removal of this type of haunting on your own is highly unrecommended. A professional is recommended for the cleansing and removal of this type of haunting. It is also thought that removing  the person this activity is centered around will help remove the activity.

If you are experiencing this type of haunting, Shamans are generally used to cleanse the location of these types of hauntings.

Demonic

Here we will dive into what is the most severe of all paranormal occurrences. Demons, although paranormal, they are not actually spirits in the normal sense. Most people consider demons to be entities that were never human. I don’t consider them to be a spirit at all, but more of an entity. One of the many reasons why this is one of the most dangerous of paranormal experiences is the fact that they can disguise themselves as friendly spirits, and once the dialog is opened, it is hard to remove these entities. Demonic entities feed off the living and even possess those of a weaker constitution. This can include mental illness and those in emotional distress, as well as those that are going through addiction. It can be hard to identify demonic activity until they have taken root, and by this time, it is often too late. Two of the major signs of demonic presence. Feelings of lethargy or depression without a family history of depression in the family, this could be an indication that a demonic entity is stealing their vitality, or if a person develops a shocking personality shift, even for short bouts of time, this can indicate temporary or long-term possession. If you believe that you have a demon in your home, I can not stress this enough, do not try and communicate with the entity. Doing this will be seen as acknowledgment and welcoming of the demon. Please seek help from a priest or Shaman who will perform the proper rituals to rid you of this haunting.

*Please note that the information provided here is not to misdiagnose mental health issues for being demonic activity. If left untreated mental health conditions can result in serious consequences.