A
Anthropomorphism - (from the Greek anthropos, “human” and morphe, “shape”) is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts. Examples include animals and plants depicted as creatures with human motivation that are able to reason and converse and forces of nature such as winds, rain or the sun.
C
Cryptozoology - (from the Greek kriptos, “hidden” and zoology, “study of animals”) refers to the search for animals which are considered to be legendary or otherwise nonexistent by mainstream biology. This includes looking for living examples of animals which are extinct, such as dinosaurs; animals whose existence lacks physical support but which appear in myths, legends, or are reported, such as Bigfoot and el Chupacabra; and wild animals dramatically outside of their normal geographic ranges.
L
Ley Lines - are alignments of a number of places of geographical interest, such as ancient megaliths. Their existence was first suggested in 1921 by the amateur archaeologist Alfred Watkins, whose book The Old Straight Track first brought the phenomenon to the attention of the wider public. The existence of these apparently remarkable alignments between sites is easily demonstrated. However, the causes of these alignments are disputed. There are three major schools of thought:
Anthropological - According to proponents of some ley line theories, the early inhabitants of Britain determined the placement of Stonehenge and various other megalith structures, buildings, monuments, or mounds according to a system of these lines, which often pass through, or near, several such structures. Some of these theories believe leys to have had some astronomical significance, or to relate to traditional religious beliefs associated with these sites. Others simply see leys as marking trade routes.
New Age - Some have claimed that these points resonate a special psychic energy. These theories often include elements such as geomancy, dowsing or UFOs.
Skeptical - Skeptics of these ley line theories believe that they belong in the realms of pseudoscience. Most skeptics believe that ley lines can be explained completely by chance alignments of random points that appear intuitively unlikely, but can be demonstrated to be unsurprising coincidences. Some skeptics are investigating if these points have electrical or magnetic forces associated with them.
N
Nensha - better known to English speakers as thoughtography or projected thermography or nengraphy, is the ability to psychically “burn” images from one’s mind onto surfaces, or even into the minds of others.
P
Pareidolia - the self protective trait of the human brain, which translates unknown shapes into something familiar, to calm our fears. It describes a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus, often an image or a sound, being perceived as significant. Common examples include images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon, and hidden messages on records played in reverse. The Rorschach Inkblot Test uses pareidolia to attempt to gain insight into a person’s mental state.
S
Simulacrum - an insubstantial form or semblance of something, anything that has a superficial likeness to something else.
Skotography - (from Greek skotos, “darkness” and graphein, “to write”) was coined by Felicia Scatcherd, a member of the London chapter of the Society for Psychical Research. It describes instances where spirits appear or write messages on unexposed film.
T
Thoughtography - The name was first coined in the book Clairvoyance and Thoughtography (1910) by psychology professor Tomokichi Fukurai at Tokyo University in Japan, which, as Quest for the Unknown: Mind Power by Reader’s Digest explains, was until then known as Dorchagraphy. This gift had already been documented by parapsychologists in Japan, who called it Nensha, the ability to “burn images” from one’s mind onto an object. It was also studied in the 1960’s by psychiatrist, Jule Eisenbud after his work with the out of work, heavy drinking, Ted Serios of Chicago. Ted was allegedly able to imagine an image, cover the lense of a Polaroid camera, and impress the mental image onto the instant film. All of this work was released to the public in 1967 when Jule Eisenbud published The World of Ted Serios: “Thoughtographic” Studies of an Extraordinary Mind.
