Ectoplasm (paranormal)
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| Paranormal / Parapsychology Terminology |
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| An image purporting to be of a man with his late wife, partially materialised | |
| Details | |
| Terminology: | Ectoplasm |
| Definition: | An unidentified substance said to be excreted by mediums during trances/A slime like substance associated with hauntings |
| Signature: | White/Gray/transparent, viscous. Resembles mucus. Said to ooze from solid objects or from medium's bodies involving mucous membranes (nose, eyes, mouth). Usually takes form as a misty substance. |
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| Coined by: | Charles Richet (1923) |
| See also: | Mediumship, Spiritualism, Ghost hunting, Parapsychology |
Ectoplasm (from the Greek ektos, "outside", + plasma, "something formed or molded") is a term coined by Charles Richet to denote a substance or spiritual energy "exteriorized" by physical mediums.[1] Ectoplasm is said to be associated with the formation of ghosts, and hypothesized to be an enabling factor in psychokinesis.
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[edit] Phenomenon
Ectoplasm is said to be produced by physical mediums when in a trance state. This material is excreted as a gauze-like substance from orifices on the medium's body and spiritual entities are said to drape this substance over their nonphysical body, enabling them to interact in our physical universe.
Although the term is widespread in popular culture, the physical existence of ectoplasm is not accepted by mainstream science. Some tested samples purported to be ectoplasm have been found to be various nonparanormal substances, including chiffon and flakes of human skin.[2][3] Other researchers have duplicated, with non-supernatural materials, the photographic effects sometimes said to prove the existence of ectoplasm.[4]
[edit] In popular culture
Ectoplasm has become a staple in fictional supernatural lore. Notable examples include Noel Coward's 1941 play Blithe Spirit, and the 1984 film Ghostbusters, in which "ectoplasmic residue" is secreted by ghosts and portrayed as a viscous, cloudy, greenish-white substance similar to nasal mucus. In the film, Bill Murray says the famous line, "He slimed me!", after an angry ghost charges him in a hotel corridor. The sequel, Ghostbusters 2 revolves mainly around the discovery of a new form of ectoplasm, "mood slime", which is shown as being pinkish and amplifies humans' emotions causing them to become either extremely outgoing and pleasant or aggressive and murderous, based on positive or negative emotions the substance is exposed to. It is also capable of bringing inanimate objects to life and used to animate the Statue of Liberty.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Ectoplasm—Glossary of Key Words Frequently Used in Parapsychology, Parapsychological Association (2006-01-24).
- ^ Keene, M. Lamar (1997). The Psychic Mafia. New York; Amherst, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press; Prometheus Books. ISBN 1573921610 (reprint).
- ^ Baker, Robert A.; Joe Nickell (1992). Missing Pieces: How to Investigate Ghosts, UFOs, Psychics and Other Mysteries. Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. ISBN 0879757299.
- ^ Dawn M. Peterson, "Mysterious Beings or Mere Accidents?", Skeptical Briefs newsletter, June 2004.
[edit] External links
- "General Conclusions on the Sixth Sense", excerpted from Our Sixth Sense (Rider & Co.) by Charles Richet, SurvivalAfterDeath.org.uk.
- Ectoplasm used during spirit materialization, Example of physical medium Ethel Post Parrish producing ectoplasm to materialize the entity Silver Belle during a seance under test conditions in the United States, 1953.
- A photograph taken in the dungeon of Alnwick Castle
- The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
