An apparition is the appearance of a human ghost or the vision of a disembodied soul or spirit. Typically, ghosts physically resemble the deceased and frequent places the deceased person lived, worked or often went. Dictionaries define apparition as an unexpected and unusual sight, and most people who see ghosts would certainly agree the encounter was unexpected!
In the 1970s, Celia Green and Charles McReery studied a large number of apparition reports to analyze their characteristics. Their results indicate that:
*
apparitions rarely speak
*
apparitions tend to appear under everyday circumstances
*
apparitions tend to be characterized as solid rather than transparent in nature.
Green and McReery reported that, contrary to popular belief, apparitions do not always involve frightening encounters. Many apparition stories recount soothing and reassuring experiences.
Religious Apparitions
Religious apparitions involve biblical figures: The Virgin Mary is one of the most commonly reported religious apparitions. These apparitions typically center around a crying statue or painting.
While Virgin Mary apparitions have been recorded throughout history, perhaps, the most famous recent occurrence happened when the Virgin repeatedly appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917.
Mary also appeared to six children in the rural hamlet of Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina in 1981, carrying the baby Jesus. As young adults, today these six people continue to claim that they receive religious visions that thousands of people travel to see.
There are conflicting evaluations of the apparitions in Medjugorje. In fact, the first Bishop who traveled to the hamlet reported that it was possible to explain the apparitions by natural means.
Paranormal Apparitions
Paranormal means "beyond the normal or unknown." For this reason, paranormal apparitions include an extremely broad category that encompasses any appearance of a deceased human being.
Apparition sightings occur in many locations. The Tower of London, for example, is home to a number of apparition sightings, including:
* a bear
* Anne Boleyn, who was beheaded by her husband, King Henry VIII
* Guy Fawkes
* Sir Walter Raleigh
* two young princes whose bodies were never properly buried.
One witness died of shock upon the encounter with the Tower of London's bear apparition. In an encounter with a different apparition, a soldier fainted when he realized the person he was fighting was a ghost (the knight’s story was later corroborated by two other witnesses).
Apparition Photos
One of the most famous apparition photos was taken of the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall, in Norfolk, England. Multiple houseguests, including King George IV and Colonel Luftus, have claimed to have seen a woman wearing a brown dress walking through the home. In 1936, two photographers for a country-themed magazine were sent to the home and captured a now famous photograph of the apparition on a staircase.
Proving the Existence of Apparitions
Believing in apparitions is a matter of personal choice and belief, as no one has yet proved or disproved their existence. Although photographs and electronic voice phenomena recordings may suggest that an apparitional encounter occurred in a particular location, modern technology does make it easy to produce digitally-enhanced images that can be passed off as apparition photos.
However, for those who are interested, apparition photos abound on the Internet and in books. Regardless of whether or not you believe the encounters, stories of apparitions continue to be passed from person-to-person, as well as from generation-to-generation, as ghost stories are endlessly entertaining and intriguing.
In the 1970s, Celia Green and Charles McReery studied a large number of apparition reports to analyze their characteristics. Their results indicate that:
*
apparitions rarely speak
*
apparitions tend to appear under everyday circumstances
*
apparitions tend to be characterized as solid rather than transparent in nature.
Green and McReery reported that, contrary to popular belief, apparitions do not always involve frightening encounters. Many apparition stories recount soothing and reassuring experiences.
Religious Apparitions
Religious apparitions involve biblical figures: The Virgin Mary is one of the most commonly reported religious apparitions. These apparitions typically center around a crying statue or painting.
While Virgin Mary apparitions have been recorded throughout history, perhaps, the most famous recent occurrence happened when the Virgin repeatedly appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917.
Mary also appeared to six children in the rural hamlet of Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina in 1981, carrying the baby Jesus. As young adults, today these six people continue to claim that they receive religious visions that thousands of people travel to see.
There are conflicting evaluations of the apparitions in Medjugorje. In fact, the first Bishop who traveled to the hamlet reported that it was possible to explain the apparitions by natural means.
Paranormal Apparitions
Paranormal means "beyond the normal or unknown." For this reason, paranormal apparitions include an extremely broad category that encompasses any appearance of a deceased human being.
Apparition sightings occur in many locations. The Tower of London, for example, is home to a number of apparition sightings, including:
* a bear
* Anne Boleyn, who was beheaded by her husband, King Henry VIII
* Guy Fawkes
* Sir Walter Raleigh
* two young princes whose bodies were never properly buried.
One witness died of shock upon the encounter with the Tower of London's bear apparition. In an encounter with a different apparition, a soldier fainted when he realized the person he was fighting was a ghost (the knight’s story was later corroborated by two other witnesses).
Apparition Photos
One of the most famous apparition photos was taken of the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall, in Norfolk, England. Multiple houseguests, including King George IV and Colonel Luftus, have claimed to have seen a woman wearing a brown dress walking through the home. In 1936, two photographers for a country-themed magazine were sent to the home and captured a now famous photograph of the apparition on a staircase.
Proving the Existence of Apparitions
Believing in apparitions is a matter of personal choice and belief, as no one has yet proved or disproved their existence. Although photographs and electronic voice phenomena recordings may suggest that an apparitional encounter occurred in a particular location, modern technology does make it easy to produce digitally-enhanced images that can be passed off as apparition photos.
However, for those who are interested, apparition photos abound on the Internet and in books. Regardless of whether or not you believe the encounters, stories of apparitions continue to be passed from person-to-person, as well as from generation-to-generation, as ghost stories are endlessly entertaining and intriguing.
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