Dawn-ee, I loved your post and am delighted to read your list of dawnitions! It can be somewhat daunting to organizing one's thoughts and beliefs and then lay them all out on the public table for everyone to see. So I applaud you for the courage and for the insight and intriguing new viewpoint you have given to me and anyone else that takes it all in!

Firstly, hoo hoo hoo... nearly half century, eh?

Secondly, let me get out my thinking cap and comment on your definitions. I'm so pleased we can disclaim that "everyone of us could be right", and that opinions are in evolution (amen). Okaaay then...

Ghosts: You know, I just realized I have never really thought of how I would define this. So I think you're saying it's a catch-all kinda phrase. I'm cool with that.

I've heard Residual Hauntings defined like yours. Sounds good. And I have also heard/read Poltergeists defined as you have said, and that it is related often to an adolescent's possibly psychic powers at a time of great upheaval in their maturing body.

Spirits I have always thought of as similar to your definition, I'd say. I am totally undecided on whether or not I believe in demons, but so many people insist they exist, so... I have experienced entities in my mind's eye (some form of clairvoyance that is crystal clear) that demon-like, but I feel nothing but positive coming from them. However, I have also read accounts that I fully believe in which people experience temporary death or OBEs and go into the etheric level/layer of disquieted beings that torment them and could be termed demons... except that I believe all things are comprised of core Godness no matter their problems or presentation. The closest thing I have experienced to negative is spirit spiders and I believe I create them as representations of my fear. Okay, I'm droning on...

Your dawnition of Discarnates is interesting! Sounds reasonable.

Wow, I really enjoyed reading about your orb experiment! I always got more when I was excited about them and communicated to them. The other night I did capture a massive field of them when we were outside on the lawn walking toward the circus tent (yes, we went to the circus and it was fun)! I took several photos out on the huge grassy area still far from the tent, but I could feel the excitement in the air and when the flash went off, I saw millions of tiny particles lit up. Thirty seconds later in the same spot, none. It does come and go very swiftly and for some reason it does correlate to some visible tiny things in the air sometimes. But reading about your experiments was very informative for me. I know someone who on occasion captured orbs when doing the dust test, but how could I convince him that those few photos were real orbs that coincided with his tests?

I can't argue about your dawnition of faes, elementals and wee beings.

UFOs: I didn't think much about them either. I mean, I was interested in any and all things out of the ordinary, always have been. But I didn't know what to think. Then as I began pursuing spirit, reading books, etc., they "cropped" up. Then I started having some very curious dreams about UFOs that seemed extremely real. And over time, my consciousness began to slowly perceive the reality of "alien" entities and I began having nightly altered-state interactions with them. Very scary, but not necessarily negative.

Extra interesting reading your dawnition of Big Foot crypto critters! I like this point of view. I can believe that Fae play pranks like this. More for me though (my dawnition), I think that earth has a spirit that includes the whole of all the vegetation upon it. Then the subdivision of the earth spirit are devas over certain areas. This breaks down at some point into fairies, and under that are other wee beings, which are all manifestations of the earth spirit (my evolving theory).

I noticed in one of my bush walk photos that a rock and some plants were showing a face that mimicked my dog's face as he was standing right there. I began noticing that my dog was being mimicked in a few other photos of him as well. Maybe they are mimicking me, too, and I can't see it? I don't really consider it a prank or anything negative in this case, but is my only example thus far. To me it is trying to express, possibly communicate in this example.

Meanwhile, I think Bigfoot is real somehow (whether just close to this dimension, or even totally in this dimension). Not 100% sure.

This has been great fun. I hope more people will share their evolving definitions and ideas. I find it very helpful! Thanks, Dawn.