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Ghosts & Monsters

A Paranormal Field Guide

How To Classify Apparitions and Other Ghostly Manifestations

How To Classify Apparitions and Other Ghostly Manifestations

October 24, 2016 Jacob 'Jake' Rice

Use this handy ranking system to classify apparitions and other ghostly manifestations you meet on your ghost hunts.

Many ghost hunters and paranormal researchers haven’t classified apparitions like they have with EVP. Ghostly Activities details our system that you may use to describe the ghosts you encounter on your ghost hunts.

Each class will have the data points and descriptions, so you can check your evidence. Not every class will fit your evidence. If the evidence fits 3 or 4 of the criteria below, it belongs in the class.

Note: This list is for human ghosts only. It isn’t intended to measure elementals, fairies, shadow people, demons and poltergeists.

There is also a new characteristic to define, physical form, and its attributes, corporeal and non-corporeal. Corporeal means the ghost is solid. It has fully manifested in a physical way. It can touch you and pick things up. Non-corporeal ghosts are not solid. Objects will pass through them. They cannot touch you, but they can walk through walls. In general, corporeal apparitions can become non-corporeal by choice or when they deplete their energy.

Ghost Manifestation Classes

Class 0

Manifestation description: A ghost may try to manifest, but it’s too weak to make an impact in the physical world. You and your pets probably don’t notice it. Some psychics may sense a ghost, but it’s fleeting.

EMF change: +0.2 mG

Temperature change: -1°F

EVP Class: Class D

Physical Form: n/a

Example: Class 0 manifestations are easy to dismiss. The EMF and temperature changes are small. If there’s EVP, it may be too weak to be heard on recording equipment.

Class 1

Manifestation description: Ghostly mists tend to be the most common form. You may capture it on camera and it doesn’t have a natural explanation. If it’s cold, you may have to reject it because it could be someone’s breath. Occasionally, the mist may take a human-like silhouette. Psychics can tell something is present and wants to communicate. If you have pets, they may go to the mist and check it out. They may or may not show signs of anxiety.

EMF change: +0.3 mG to +0.4 mG

Temperature change: -1°F to -3°F

EVP Class: Class C or Class D

Physical form: Non-corporeal

Example: Gettysburg is known for its ghost mists. They can appear day or night, and they’re often found by monuments and mass graves at the site.

Class 2

Manifestation description: Ghostly lights form and float around a suspected haunt. These lights are opaque. They have different colors like white, green, blue, pink and gray. Ghost lights indicate an intelligent haunting. Psychics have strong feelings and may see what the spirit looked like in life. Pets will react. In some cases, they may look over to the lights and go back to their business. In others, they may react with fear.

EMF change: +0.5 mG to +1.0 mG

Temperature change: -3°F to -4°F

EVP Class: Class C

Physical form: Non-corporeal

Example: There are many images of ghost lights. They look like orbs, but they are a solid color. These lights may try to interact with you. The best example comes from Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery. The blue lights will chase you down the road leading to the graveyard.

Class 3

Manifestation description: At this class, partial apparitions form. You may see a ghostly hand, head or other limb. In some cases, these ghosts appear full-bodied, but lack detail. These manifestations may be residual hauntings or intelligent hauntings. At this point, ghosts may move small objects like coins. Psychics may be able to communicate with ghosts. At the least, they should hear the spirit speak to them through the psychic’s clairaudient gift. Pets may try to escape the area: They could also show anxious behavior like pacing or shaking.

EMF change: +1.1 mG to +1.9 mG

Temperature change: -5°F

EVP Class: Class B or Class C

Physical form: Non-corporeal

Example: Most residual hauntings fall under Class 3.

Class 4

Manifestation description: At this level, full-bodied apparitions manifest. You can clearly make out the physical characteristics of the ghost. Class 4 manifestations have all the characteristics of classic hauntings. At Class 4, ghosts can move small objects like stuffed animals or silverware. If it’s an intelligent haunting, psychics may become overwhelmed or psi-static neutralizes their abilities. Pets could get angry and try to attack the ghost.

EMF change: +2.0 mG to +5.0 mG

Temperature change: -6°F to -9°F

EVP Class: Class A or Class B

Physical form: Non-corporeal

Example: Gray ladies are the most common full-bodied apparitions. As for a site with many Class 4 ghosts, check out Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery.

Class 5

Manifestation description: A Class 5 manifestation is a ghost that has fully materialized in our world. They could easily be mistaken for a person, although their clothing would reflect their period of death. These ghosts may cancel out psychic abilities. Pets would likely attack it or run away in fear. It can communicate through speech or clairaudience. Class 5 apparitions are always intelligent hauntings. They may also have a full set of supernatural abilities like teleportation, telekinesis and pyrokinesis. Some Class 5 ghosts can possess the living and they can harm people. Class 5 manifestations are so rare, you may never meet one. If you do, run like hell. It doesn’t end well.

EMF change: +5.1 mG to +7.0 mG, but higher levels are common

Temperature change: -10°F or more

EVP Class: Class A

Physical form: Corporeal

Example: Only the most evil specters would reach Class 5. There is another kind of supernatural entity, meta-demons, that may fall under this category.

We will discuss meta demons in another post.

Feature image source: i.ytimg.com/vi/8i_SEuviY4k/maxresdefault.jpg

Jacob 'Jake' Rice

Jacob Rice began investigating and writing about the paranormal in 2007. He has published 3 books on ghost hunting, ghost stories and paranormal protection. His podcast, Ghostly Activities, dives into these topics even more. You can also watch his ghost hunts on the Ghostly Activities YouTube channel. He lives in Olympia, Washington.

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5 thoughts on “How To Classify Apparitions and Other Ghostly Manifestations”

  1. Kat says:
    May 19, 2020 at 9:06 am

    Hi, I really enjoyed this article. I am positive I have experienced all five classes several times. Thanks for posting.

  2. Jacob Rice says:
    March 19, 2019 at 5:09 pm

    Hi Joshua, thanks for commenting. I’m afraid I don’t have a scale for those entities.

  3. Joshua Savage says:
    March 19, 2019 at 3:44 pm

    Do you have a rating system for servitors or thought-forms/egregores? And to your comment: we say no debate. If we can and are all able to communicate and speak the same lingo it will be easier for us to compare notes, analyse data, etc.

  4. fer alonso says:
    January 26, 2018 at 12:55 pm

    wow!! such good info! loved this post!

  5. Jacob Rice says:
    November 24, 2017 at 12:37 pm

    Hi gang. I wrote this article because I think we, as ghost hunters, need to use a common scale to define our ghostly encounters. That just means you can say you had a Class 3 interaction and everyone will know what you’re talking about. It’s definitely open to debate.

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