Paranormal- Page 6

All major religions have adherents who practice some form of mysticism, which is defined as a means of learning a hidden truth and, in many cases, achieving unity with a divine being.

Omens are occurrences that are interpreted as being signs of luck, either good or bad, to come. For example, among the Scots, Irish, and Welsh, some people believe that seeing or hearing

Occultism is an umbrella term for a broad range of beliefs, rituals, and spiritual practices rooted in the idea that hidden forces—spirits, subtle energies, and unseen intelligences—exist alongside the material world and

Also called the principle of simplicity, Occam’s razor is often referred to by sceptics commenting on investigations of the paranormal. This principle essentially states that when several explanations for a phenomenon are

Headquartered in Altadena, California, the Skeptics Society investigates paranormal phenomena and publishes the quarterly magazine Skeptic. Its board members include the noted media skeptic James Randi, who has actively worked to disprove

The hollow-Earth theory postulates that Earth has a hollow, inhabited centre. Believers in the hollow-Earth theory disagree on who these inhabitants are. The most common claim, however, is that the centre of

A city near Paris, France, Lourdes is a place where many people believe that miracle cures have taken place. Seemingly miraculous cures began happening in 1858, after fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous, while visiting

Sceptics say that memories of a paranormal experience, which sometimes can only be recalled with the help of hypnosis are false—that the events the subject recalls did not happen but were implanted

A pentagram is an image of a five-pointed star, often inscribed within a circle. This image, also called a pentacle, has been associated with magical spells for centuries. The image is often

Pendulums are objects suspended from a fixed point so that they can swing freely back and forth. Small pendulums hung from strings, cords, ribbons, light chains, or similar strands are often used