There are many different kinds of ghosts and spirits that haunt the human world. Here’s a reference spot for you. Sources listed at the end of the post.

Benign Ghosts

Just like it sounds – a benign ghost isn’t going to hurt anyone. It goes about its business as if you weren’t there. Benign ghosts have a broad range of activities. The key point is they’re harmless. They may manifest as a full-bodied apparition and move objects in your room, but they won’t hurt you. Personally, we don’t consider benign ghosts the same as a residual haunting. Benign ghosts may interact with you.

Anniversary Ghosts

These ghosts manifest at the same time every year. Well, that’s a bit misleading. This kind of ghost could appear on a given date, time, day of the week, every 3 years….you get the point. It’s recurring. Usually, anniversary ghosts are residual hauntings and harmless. In other cases, the ghost just wants to communicate and leave a message for you. For example, if your grandfather has passed, you may suddenly smell his cigar or a picture with the two of you may be found in an out-of-place location. Anniversary ghosts don’t stick around very long – only long enough to deliver its message.

If the ghost wanted to attack you, then it would be classified as a revenger.

Invisible Apparitions

We won’t bore you with repeating the other kinds of apparitions (partial, full body and solid); we’ve covered them before. But, invisible apparitions are noteworthy.

Invisible apparitions are those blurry, smokey or shadowy figures you see when you look at your video or photographic data. You can’t see them in real-time. You may feel a cold spot and get an EMF spike, but you don’t see them until to analyze your image data. Believe me – They’re fun and surprising to see on your computer display!

Historic Ghosts

Historic ghosts share many similarities with Anniversary Ghosts. Usually, these ghosts attach to a very specific place like a former battlefield (i.e., Gettysburg) or former battlefield clinic or hospital. In most cases, historic ghosts are residual hauntings – a simple echo from past events.

Hitchhiking Ghosts

We covered hitchhiking ghosts in a previous post.

Messaging Ghosts

Messaging ghosts also share many characteristics with an anniversary ghost, however, they can appear at any time. They simply want to deliver a farewell or give something valuable to the receiver. Then, they pass on to the Netherworld of spirits. Sometimes, they’re called crisis apparitions.

Poltergeists

We covered poltergeists in this post. We even have their ‘ghostly symptoms’ listed for you in this post.

Renovation Ghosts

We just had a case with Renovation Ghosts. Simply, these ghosts manifest when you start work on a home. Usually, the home has a link to a historic event like a massacre or battlefield. In our case, the house was used as a battlefield clinic. Once work started on the kitchen, the ghosts came out. Usually, the renovation ghosts settle down when the work finishes. Renovation ghostly activities range from benign to intelligent hauntings. Some will interact with you and others will ignore you. It’s hard to say what you’ll experience.

More Ghostly Types from Previous Posts

For more ghostly types (including demons and ghostly orbs), use these handy links. We’ve covered them in older posts. I didn’t see the point of re-hashing it here.

Demons

Ghostly Orbs & Lights

Animal Ghosts

Sources (“Book Title,” Author. Publisher, Date)

“How To Clear Your Home of Ghosts & Spirits,” Debi Chestnut. Llewellyn Publications, 2014.

“Chasing Graveyard Ghosts,” Melba Goodwyn. Llewellyn Publications, 2011.

“The Ghost Files,” Jeff Belanger. New Page Books, 2007.

“So You Want To Hunt Ghosts?,” Deonna Kelli Sayed. Llewellyn Publications, 2012.

“101 Ways To Find A Ghost,” Melissa Martin Ellis. Adams Media, 2011.

“Ghost Worlds,” Melba Goodwyn. Llewellyn Publications, 2011.

Last Updated on March 21, 2024 by Jacob Rice