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Bacchus: The Greek god of wine, associated with unreserved pleasure.
backward blessing: The practice of reciting the Lord's Prayer backwards, said to invoke the Devil.
Balneum Mariae: AKA Bain Marie, A kind of double-cooker originally used in alchemy.
banshee: A benevolent household spirit of Irish and Scottish families. Said to wail at the death of a family member.
Basilisk: Mythical king of repltiles, said to kill with a glance.
Beelzebub: Translates literally as "Lord of the Flies", regarded as the leading representative of the fallen gods. Referred to in Matthew 12:24 as the "Prince of the Devils".
belomancy: A method of divination using arrows. Messages are attached to arrows and fired - the one which travels the farthest is taken to be the truth.
Belphegor: Originally, the Moabitish god of licentiousness and orgies. In medieval times, the name given to a devil.
Bennington Triangle: A wilderness area in Vermont, USA, where a number of people have mysteriously disappeared.
Bermuda Triangle: An area in the Atlantic Ocean boundaried by Bermuda, Florida and Puerto Rico. Various paranormal events have been reported from the area, in particular, a number of missing planes and sea vessels.
bicorn: A mythical creature said to grow fat on the flesh of devoted husbands. A female bicorn is known as a chichevache.
Bigfoot: One of many names given to a legendary ape-like creature said to live in the wilderness of North America. Bigfoot is generally regarded as the USA version of Sasquatch (Canada) and Yeti (Nepal).
bilocation: The appearance of a person in two distant places simultaneously.
birth stones: A series of stones linked to the 12 zodiac signs.
black magic: Opposite or perversion of white magic, concerned with evil and/or selfishness.
black mass: A perversion of the Christian mass. Involves various distortions of Christian rituals, e.g. Backward blessings, sacrifices of toads or chickens, sprinkling urine instead of holy water.
Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna: (1831-1891) Russian-born American mystic who co-founded the Theosophical Society.
bogy: A hobgoblin.
Book of Changes: The I-Ching.
Book of Dyzan: An Eastern occult book used by Madame Helena Blavatsky as a reference for the first book of her Secret Doctrine (1888). Relying heavily on symbolism, the book provides a history of cosmic evolution.
Book of the Dead: An ancient Egyptian collection of texts designed to ensure the safe passage of a person's soul through Amenti (the Egyptian Hell).
Book of Thoth: A mystical book containing spells and knowledge, said to have been buried with the Prince Neferkaptah in the City of the Dead. Also refers to the tarot card deck designed by occultist Aleister Crowley.
Borley Rectory: A famous haunted house in Britain.
botanomancy: A method of divination using burning herbs, tree branches and leaves.
Bridgewater Triangle: An area in Massachusetts, USA, said to be the location of strong paranormal activity.
brontoscopy: A method of divination by listening to the sound of thunder.
Brothers of the Shadow: AKA Dark Brothers, Grey Brothers. People who choose to follow the teachings of black magic.
Browne, Sylvia (1936-): Well-known Americian psychic.
bunyip: Mythological creature from indigenous Australian folklore.