What is an Apparition ?

A ghost or ghostlike image of a person.

The following informations gives a run down on various
apparitions. Although not scientific it has an overview
which is very close to being accurate.

An apparition is defined as the supernatural manifestation of
the soul of a decease person or animal, typically referred to
as a ghost. Apparitions are visual experiences. Throughout
history human beings have seen ghosts. Despite research
efforts there is still very little known about apparitions. They
are the most compelling part of the supernatural field. The
one thing that is known about apparitions is that no two are
exactly alike. They are as complex and diverse as each living
person. Every apparition will have it's own cause, origin and
meaning. It's up to the ghost hunter to analyze the facts of
each case and develop solid conclusions. To help the ghost
hunter acquire a better feel for the kind of apparition they are
dealing with, apparition categories have been created. You
will find that most apparitions will fit into at least one of these
categories or share characteristics with a couple different
categories.

What is an Atmospheric Apparition ?

This type of ghost sighting is not actually believed to be a real
ghost, but instead a visual “imprint” that got left behind in the
environment from a past event. These events typically
include, but are not limited to, violent and tragic events. What
witnesses report seeing is the continuous replaying of past
events exactly as they happened. The ghostly scenes are
played and replayed with both picture and sound. A
particularly strange aspect of atmospheric apparitions is that
the visual picture fades down over time. As the years pass
the ghosts are reported to become more and more
transparent until there is no picture left at all. Over time, the
sound too eventually fades away.

The most popular theory for atmospheric apparitions is
represented in the field of quantum physics. Light particles
become suspended in the atmosphere where they remain
dormant in the environment until an outside variable
stimulates them. Once stimulated the light particles vibrate in
the atmosphere. Witnesses then see the frozen light particles
vibrating creating a holographic vision of the past event.
There are certain conditions needed for this phenomenon to
occur that supports the particle imprint theory. The area must
be indoors or where weather conditions cannot interfere.
These apparitions can only be seen from a particular angle
and at the proper distance. This means that ten people may
be in the same room and only a few will be able to see the
apparition.

What is a Historical Apparition?

These apparitions are one step up from the atmospheric
apparition. They typically haunt older homes and appear in
solid forms acting natural. They are always dressed in period
clothing and do not speak, communicate or acknowledge the
presence of the living. They are seen in more than one
location of the residence.
What Is A Recurring Apparition ?

Recurring apparitions are ghosts that occur in regular cycles
over a period of time, usually once annually. This type of
ghost sighting is one of the most popular. The date of
manifestation usually occurs on an anniversary date or a day
of special importance to the deceased. These apparitions can
include both ghosts of people and animals. Reports of
recurring ghosts include individuals who have committed
suicide, murder victims, and entire phantom armies marching
across battlefields.
What are Modern Apparitions ?

Modern ghosts are the spirits of present-day ghosts. Not all
ghosts are from ancient haunted places or of two hundred-
year-old dead people. These ghosts are relatively new,
looking and sounding like modern people. They still have all
the same characteristics as the older haunts, (strange noises,
odd odors, cold spots, etc.). Of course as decades of time
pass the haunting will become more traditional and the
apparitions will look dated. The times and styles will continue
to change but the apparitions will not.
What are Crisis and Death Bed Apparitions ?

These apparitions appear to loved ones or close friends just
before or soon after their death. They are very common
ghost sightings that almost never occur after more than four
days after death. Crisis apparitions are most popular during
periods of wars were hundreds of cases of the appearances
of dying or dead service men thousand of miles away are
reported. The crisis ghost appears one last time to fulfill a
promise, say a final goodbye, or express eternal love to help
ease the sadness of death for the living left behind.
What is Family Apparitions ?

These spirits attach themselves to a particular family, thus
the name, family apparitions. They will haunt every member
of the family through each generation until the family line
comes to an end. These ghosts include the spirits of deceased
family members and animals. The appearance of these
ghosts usually signals that someone within the family is about
to die. Usually there are no prior health problems until the
phantom manifests, then family members suddenly fall ill and
die or become the victims of some other untimely death.
These apparitions are considered to be dark omens and are
the hardest ghost to get rid of. All charms, spells and even
exorcism fail. It may be because these apparitions are not
actually causing the deaths, just foretelling them in an eerie
manner. The only escape known for this haunting is the end
of the family line.

Information Courtesy of spiritdemons.com