What is Residual Energy?
A ghostly image representing residual energy. Photo: Unsplash
Residual Energy Definition
In the world of paranormal research, residual energy is defined as a sort of residue or imprint left by an intense situation or strong emotion. It is believed that everything that occurs in this world leaves behind residual energy like a footprint.
Sometimes if the event is significant, such as a death or a horrible crime, the event may repeat itself over and over again like an echo. This is called a residual haunting.
Some paranormal researchers claim that EVP technology can be used to determine if a haunting is an active spiritual presence or just residual energy. If you ask a question and an intelligible answer appears on an EVP then it is an active spiritual presence. If you don’t get an answer or you get an answer that seems disconnected to your question then it is probably just residual energy.
For more information about residual energy and the connection to hauntings check out our article on residual hauntings.
When they reached the car, they found that the driver was dead, and her 18-month-old daughter, though alive, couldn't have been the one speaking.
For more than a hundred years, a ghostly ship has appeared on the Platte River roughly every 25 years. Each sighting has been said to predict the death of someone known to the witness who spotted the eerie vessel.
In the early 1900s, the MacKenzie family line in Scotland experienced several different paranormal omens, warning them about deaths that would soon occur in the family.
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In 1957, Jacqueline and Joanna Pollock lost their lives in a car accident. Their parents believe they were reincarnated the following year as their twin sisters.
A fleshgait is a creature that imitates the voices and appearances of people in the woods, with the intention of luring them away. People who have seen fleshgaits describe them as tall, thin, grey beings with long claws and no hair.
In 1971, strange stains in the shape of human faces started appearing on the kitchen floor of a house in Bélmez de La Moraleda, a little village in Andalusia, Spain.
The Stikini is a humanoid owl that can supernaturally transform from a seemingly ordinary human into the form of an owl.
Black Annis is a blue faced witch from English folklore that is said to have a taste for human flesh and a penchant for wearing the tanned hides of children around her waist.
The Alp of German folklore is a nefarious entity that haunts the nightmares and drains the life force of its unsuspecting victims.
A Victorian-era house stands proudly at 65 Mulberry Street in Quitman, Arkansas. It was built in 1891 and is reportedly haunted by numerous spirits including a WWI soldier, an old man, and a particularly terrifying entity known as the "Dog Boy”.
According to the legend of Tomino’s Hell, if you read the poem aloud you will become cursed.
In the late 16th century, a Newgate Prison inmate in London wrote a terrifying account of a ghostly Black Dog hunting prisoners. Today, reports continue to circulate about this Black Dog haunting the area around the prison.
In Greek folklore, there is an evil undead creature called the Vrykolakas, said to be a type of vampire. If a Vrykolakas knocks on your door and you greet it you will be soon to die.
The Nigerian legend of Madam Koi Koi tells of the spirit of a teacher who haunts boarding schools, preying upon students who arrive too early or stay too late.
La Sayona is a vengeful ghost on the Venezuelan plains, known to seek out and punish unfaithful men who do not escape her wrath.
In 1996, Ukrainian artist Svetlana Telets created a strange painting of a woman in the rain. She has sold it several times, each time it was returned due to the unsettling paranormal activity it brought with it.
If you’re out after dark in Abbeville, Alabama, you might run into Huggin’ Molly. Huggin’ Molly is a 7ft tall woman who loves to grab children in a hug-like embrace and scream in their ears.
Hannah Cranna was a woman accused of being a witch in Connecticut in the 1800s. Legend has it that she had the ability to curse those who wronged her. Some say she even haunts the area to this day.
The Badlands of Dakota are a strange and eerie place, with colorful but bleak peaks and labyrinthine canons, that some say are haunted by a banshee.
There exists a concealed cave that harbors a sinister history spanning more than three centuries. Legend has it that all that enter the cave are cursed.
The Cyhyraeth (pronounced 'cuh-huh-raith') is a ghostly spirit or apparition that is part of Welsh mythology and folklore. It is described as a disembodied moaning or wailing voice that is heard before the death of a person.
La Carreta Chillona is a ghostly unmanned wagon that drives through the streets at night, collecting the soul of anyone who lays eyes upon it.
The Sallie House in Atchison, Kansas has a dark history of death and sorrow. Many claim to have experienced paranormal activity while in the house including receiving unexplained injuries and having objects melt for no reason.
An urban legend spread throughout Latin America in the late 1980s telling of a knife being hidden in Fofao dolls. It turns out it was somewhat based in reality.
Several people have reported seeing a large cat lurking around the US Government buildings in Washington D.C. Some say the cat appears as a warning before significant events.
In 2015 a spree of suicides took place in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Some believe these were caused by an evil spirit called Walking Sam.
According to Chinese legend, Diao Si Gui are the souls of those who took their own lives or were executed. These spirits may manifest as a body with a protruding, lengthy red tongue and attempt to persuade those who cross their path to join them in the world beyond.
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