P

Palladino, Eusapia (1854-1918): A well-known Italian spiritualist.

Palmistry: A method of observing the characteristics of a person's hand to understand their personality. Some palmists also claim that future events can be predicted by hand-reading.

paranormal: Events or abilities outside the range of normal experience that remain unexplained by established science.

paranormal photography: The endeavor of collecting physical evidence of the paranormal in the form of photographs.

parapsychology: The study of the human mind's ability to perform paranormal feats, e.g. ESP, telekinesis, etc.

passing bell: A bell rung in church when a person is near death, in order to frighten away evil spirits who might try to take the departing soul.

philosopher's stone: In alchemy, a stone or substance which can transmute base metals into gold.

Phrenology: The study of the elevations and depressions of the skull, based on the belief that they indicate a person's character and mental capacity.

planchette: A triangular pointing instrument used with a ouija board in seances.

poltergeist: A mischievous ghost or entity that makes noises and upsets physical belongings.

possession: A condition in which a person is said to be under the control of a spirit, demon or other external force. The cure is exorcism.

precognition: The ability to foresee the future.

premonition: A warning of a future event, typically an accident or disaster. Premonitions are often reported as an intense feeling of foreboding or dread.

pricking: A method of identifying witches during the witch hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries, in which the suspect was jabbed with a sharp object. If they showed no pain they were considered to be a witch.

Project Alpha: A hoax run from 1979 to 1983 in which two young magicians convinced a university research laboratory that they had supernatural powers.

projection: Out-of-body-experience.

prophecy: A vision or revelation of the future. Religious prophets are people chosen to spread a divine message.

pseudoscience: Any type of research or conclusion that has the initial appearance of science, but fails to meet the criteria for scientific validity.

psi: A term used to describe a range of paranormal abilities and phenomena, e.g. ESP, telekinesis, etc.

psychic: A person who allegedly has paranormal abilities of the psyche, e.g. ESP, psychokinesis, clairvoyance, etc.

psychokinesis: The influence of the mind over the physical world, e.g. telekinesis (moving objects with the mind).

psychometry: The art of sensing the history of an object by touch and psychic perception.

pyramid: A shape which is sometimes said to possess supernatural properties.

pyromancy: A form of divination using fire.