Here I've tried to index some of the terms you may have heard in the movie Vibes together with a brief explanation of their meaning and also other associated or relevant phrases/topics.

Intro.

The plot in the movie is centered around the 'talents' of the two central characters; Sylvia Pickel and Nick Deezy. Other characters also have paranormal abilities such as Ingo, Dr. Steele's sidekick.

Sylvia has a spirit guide (see spirit/spiritualism) as a constant companion within her head who seems able to advise on all manner of things such as the outcome of a horse race but has yet been able to help find the ideal man for Sylvia, admittedly this is probably Sylvias' fault.

Ingos' talents are not so easy to define. He can identify Zener cards by mind reading and beat street card sharks at their own game. He also has a genuine talent for reading ancient hieroglyphics.

A-Z

Astral projection

This is the term given when a person is able to leave their physical body and travel in their astral (or etheric) body. It is said that the astral body is linked via an invisible 'elastic' cord which links the forehead of the physical body to the back of the head of the astral one. Once the astral body is in an upright position the link is severed leaving the Astral body free to begin it's travels.

It is said to be achieved in many ways including; singing special songs to practicing yoga or simply through sheer will.

Astral Travel

In the movie Sylvia describes how as a child she would visit happy places such as the movies. There are many documentaed accounts of astral travel, where the traveller has actually interacted with those he has met. Interaction has been in the form of questions or just testimony to being in two places at once. Many people have claimed that during operations they have left their physical body to view the operation from above.

Breath/breathing

Breathing is the first and last thing you will ever do so it is understandable why it plays a significant part in many aspects of spiritualism, from yoga to hypnosis. In mediumship deep and rapid breathing is often associated with regression to a former life or with manifestations of both mental and physical mediums.
Connections have been made by Hindu teachings that levitation can be controlled by correct breathing. Also phenomena during a seance is said to be enhanced through steady controlled breathing of the sitters.

Clairvoyance

Our first glimpse of Sylvia comes in a scene which demonstrates x-ray clairvoyance. This is when a person is able to tell the contents within a locked room or box, or as Sylvia does, the contents of a sealed envelope.
More general clairvoyance is when a person senses or is able to see a mental picture of persons, events or objects not visible to the rest of us.

Demons

Evil spirits{From the greek : Daimon, meaning a spirit good OR bad}
Christian dogma decreed that all pagan spirits to be under the command of the devil, and so demons came to be association with evil an association which has continued ever since.

ESP

A collective term for receiving and transmitting information through means other than through the known senses;

• Clairvoyance and clairaudience are the ESP of objects or events
• Precognition is the ESP of future events.
• Telepathy is the ESP of direct contact between the minds.

Fortune telling

Fortune telling comes in a variety of forms such as; Tarot cards, palmistry or even numerology. Whether one way is better than an other is a matter for debate however most clairvoyants would agree that those most gifted will produce better results whayever the method.
As with most aspects of the paranormal there have been many charlatans in this field, however many clients of these fortune tellers have said the words "She/He knew things about me that nobody else could know" so I guess the jury will be out for some time to come.

Guardian spirits

Do we all have a guardian spirit watching over us? This is the explanation many give when inexplicably they feel warned against a certain course of action or get a feeling of impending danger. A guardian spirit, unlike a spirit guide does not make actual contact with it's subject, they just help you along.

Guide

In Vibes, Sylvia has a spirit guide named Louise. A spirit guide is thought to be a benevolent and helpful guiding influence who's only wish is to protect.

Hazel

Known as the tree of knowledge in Ireland, it is widely known for it's 'magical' properties. Said to have power against all enchantments including being able to ward off rheumatism and lumbago (diseases inflicted by malicious elves) it is also said to harbor it's own elf (Hind Etin) who guards all the nuts on the tree:)
Magic wands and staffs were more often made of hazel wood (See magic wands)

Inductor

Any object which a psychometrist might endeavour to tell the history of.
A comical moment in Vibes is when Nick is with his girlfriend. He discovers by chance when handling her panties that she has been unfaithful.

Jabber

A word one might use to describe the nonsense heard when hearing tongues.:)

Kook

A word one might use to describe a person speaking tongues in a public place:)

Kobold

Germanic mythological spirit : 1.familiar spirit; a brownie. 2. an underground spirit, in mines etc..

Magic wand

Mentioned briefly in Vibes the magic wand is a complex instrument which can be traced back to the staffs used by kings, priests and healers, even Moses.
Wands are often depicted as agents of transformation used commonly by todays magicians and conjurers on TV. They have long been associated with energy, good and bad and in ancient times feared greatly.
A magicians wand would normally be made of iron in order to harnass the power of the Universe, whilst for ritual magic it would be made of cypress wood or a graveyard tree and an emblem of death.
Witchcraft would use a wand of hazel. Great care must be taken when creating the wand; It would be cut and stripped with a special knife at sunrise and stained with sacrificial blood. Prayers would then be said to encourage the greatest possible energy force in to the wand.

Mediumship

The ability to act as a vessel to communicate with the spirit world and our world.

Nostradamus

(b. 1503-66) French astrologer and doctor, real name Michel de Nostredame.

Having studied philosophy and humanity he took the degree of Doctor of medicine at Montpellier in 1529.

He married in 1534 and had two children, unfortunately he lost his family to the plague which he was instrumental in fighting some years earlier.

This tradegy sent him off the rails somewhat and it was at this time when he became something of a wanderer, that he discovered his prophetic skills.

"Whilst out one day he was seen to fall to his knees at the feet of a Fransiscan monk and address him as his holiness. Seen with some amusement by onlookers as they knew the monk to be of humble parentage and origins, they weren't to know that In 1585, 19yrs after the death of Nostradamus that this monk, who had earlier become Cardinal of Monalto would then be made Pope Sixtus V."

Ouija board

The most simple form of ouija board, also known as a planchette, takes the form of a board which has arranged in a circle the letters of the alphabet. The words 'YES' and 'NO' also tend to feature and sometimes the word 'REPEAT'.
A group of people will sit around the board which will have an upturned wine glass or tumbler in the centre. Each member of the group will lightly touch the top of the glass with their fingertips, they will then proceed to ask questions. The questions are said to be answered by a spirit often with quite startling results, the glass spelling out the answers by moving to each letter under the influence of the spirit.
Many members of the church believe the ouija board should be banned as they believe that the boards are driven by evil spirits and represent potential danger to those who use them.

Precognition

Knowledge of future events or states obtained by means other than through the known senses.

Prediction/prophecy

One of the most famous and well known prophets is Nostradamus. He has been responsible for some of the most accurate and bizarre prophecies ever heard.
Prophecy put simply is the prediction of future events. Prediction is thought possible throgh ESP, many eminent psychial researchers believe there is sound evidence to support these claims, however manymore predictions have proven to be wrong than right.

Psychometry

Nick Deezy in Vibes has this power. - Reading the history of an object associated with people, either living or dead by touch alone.
The word was invented by an American (Prof. Buchanan - Eclectic Medical Institute, Covington Kentucky 1842). This came about when a colleague seemed able to identify metals by touch through a taste materialising in his mouth.
The object is called the 'Inductor' and enables the psychometrist to receive detailed information concerning the person whom the object is associated with. Psychometry is also considered to be a form of ESP.

Q

Retrocognition

Knowledge of past events or states obtained by means other than through the known senses.

Sensitive

This term describes a person who has psychic abilities, however unlike a medium they cannot contact the dead, their talents lie more in the fields of telepathy, psychometry and clairvoyance

Spirit

A spirit is an immaterial being such as a demon, angel, fairy or ghost which has no earthly body. There are spirits such as 'Louise' who act as intermediaries between the living and those who have 'passed on to the spirit world' and also celestial spirits who are said to dwell in a world of light and harmony and have attained vast spiritual intelligence far exceeding that of humans.

Telekenesis

This 'talent' is depicted in the beginning of Vibes where a subject manages to move an ashtray from within a marked circle without any physical contact through sheer will power. Comically he also manages to wet himself in the proccess.
Telekenesis is also widely reported in cases of poltergeist activity.

Telepathy

Also known as thought transference, clairaudience and as a form of .ESP Put simply, this is the communication between two minds without the use of words or non verbal forms of communication. Many experiments have been made appearing to verify the existance of telepathy to be more than just a parlour trick, but many repeated experiments fail to reproduce the same results.

Tongues

glossolalia is a common term used in psychial research for speaking in tongues - An uncontollable utterance of often unintelligible sounds/languages whilst under the influence of a mystical force. Very common within fundamentalist religious groups. speaking in tongues is often a sign of possession by a demonic force

Ummmm.

Vibes

Vibrations, especially in the sense of feelings with regard to atmosphere.

Vision

A mental picture; prophetic sight.

Wands

Xenoglossy

Yoga

There are many types of yoga, but all involve breath control. Raja Yoga is the royal path that leads to spiritual perfection and is also of interest to students of the supernatural as it deals with psychic development.

Zenner cards(Pictured above)

Further reading:

• Underwood,Peter. Dictionary of the supernatural. London:George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd. 1978.
• Fisher, Joe & Commins,Peter. Predictions. London:Sidgwick & Jackson 1981.

Sites to visit for further information

• International society for paranormal research