Defining the Paranormal
Welcome to Field Notes from the Beyond!
General Paranormal Studies
Robert Bigelow - An American businessman who owns Budget Suites of America and is the founder of Bigelow Aerospace. He has provided significant financial backing for numerous studies of the paranormal, including most significantly UFOs and various parapsychological topics, including the continuation of consciousness after death.
Ghosts & Hauntings
Structured Light Sensor (SLS) Camera with (Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) - A newer version of an SLS camera that uses LiDAR technology to project infrared grids to map 3D space to detect human-shaped figures, including in complete darkness. They are marketed as having superior accuracy and real-time mapping to a traditional SLS camera. They are also significantly less bulky than a traditional SLS camera. There are some apps that will do this. Here’s a video about them if you’re interested:
Cryptids
Rocky - A freshwater lake monster found in Rock Lake, Wisconsin. It is a dark brown, spotted animal with a horse-like head, long neck, and eyes like a snake. The coloring is said to resemble that of a pickerel.
Aliens & UFOs
Soft Disclosure - The indirect, gradual, or subtle release of information, often used to prepare the public for, or hint at, a major, controversial, or hidden truth. This term is often used to describe the type of disclosure that is done by governments, particularly the US government, related to the possibility that extraterrestrial intelligent life has visited Earth.
Non-Human Entities
Brahma - The Hindu creator god and part of the Trimurti. He was born from a lotus or golden egg and creates the universe at the start of each cosmic cycle or kalpa. He is normally depicted with four heads, four arms, and Sarswati as his consort. He is responsible for the universe and sentient beings; he also revealed the four Vedas.
Psychic Abilities
I Ching - Also known as the Yijung, this book is usually translated as either Book of Changes or Classic of Changes. It was originally a divination manual in the Western Zhou period (1000-750BC). It is used for a form of cleromancy in which bundles of yarrow stalks are manipulated to produce sets of six apparently random numbers ranging from 6 to 9. Each of the 64 possible sets corresponds to a hexagram in the I Ching, which is then interpreted.
Magic
Evocation - Calling forth or summoning a spiritual entity to appear outside oneself.
Coming Up Next
Next in Field Notes from the Beyond:
4/27: This Day in Paranormal History
4/29: Anomalies Update
5/1: Defining the Paranormal
This Month on Beyond the Human: Exorcism
Next Month on Beyond the Human: Near-Death Experiences
Who are we?
We are a group of scholars interested in understanding paranormal, supernatural, and anomalous phenomena from an academic perspective. We want to document and validate experiences people have and study them in a rigorous way to bring credibility to these phenomena. Join us for our monthly podcast Beyond the Human and follow us on Spotify, Instagram, and Patreon to learn more about who we are, our methods, and what we want to learn!