What is a Poltergeist?

When you hear the word "poltergeist" you probably think of the 1982 Steven Spielberg film.  While much of this movie is just Hollywood dramatization and special effects, the basic premise is not far off.  There have been numerous eyewitness accounts of poltergeist activity in homes built on what was reportedly sacred Native American land.  In those cases, spirits attached to the land became somehow disrupted by unwanted human behavior and lashed out at the uninvited guests.  However, not all poltergeists are vengeful Native American spirits, so this begs the question: what exactly is a poltergeist?

According to Google, a poltergeist is "a ghost or other supernatural being supposedly responsible for physical disturbances such as loud noises and objects thrown around."  The word itself is German for "noisy ghost" or "loud spirit."  So this suggests a poltergeist is basically just a ghost with a grudge, or a spirit that can produce a great deal of energy to move objects or cause loud noises.  But what makes them so different from your average everyday ghost or spirit?  Is it the manner by which they died that decided this fate?  Or, perhaps, they didn't die at all.

As I've mentioned before, ghosts and spirits are really just manifestations of energy.  But what if that energy comes from someone who is still among the living, with or without their knowledge?  An adolescent girl, for example, could be so overwhelmed with the changes her body is experiencing that she psychically manifests enough energy to levitate an object or even a person.  She may not even realize she is the one behind the supernatural forces, and that's how this phenomenon differs from full-on telekinesis. Now you may be thinking this sounds like the plot for a bad horror movie, but it's just one theory to explain the origin of poltergeists.

So what if there are no adolescents present when the poltergeist activity occurs?  What would you do if you walked into your dining room one day and found all the chairs stacked precariously on top of the table with no logical explanation?  A religious person might conclude this to be the work of a demonic or inhuman entity.  This is a common assumption when dealing with paranormal activity, especially the kind that can physically interact with objects or people.  However, just because an invisible entity has enough strength to throw a rock or levitate a person doesn't necessarily mean that it's evil.  And that's not to say demons or inhuman spirits don't exist, there's just more to distinguish them from poltergeists that I will cover at a later time.

The bottom line is that there are a number of conflicting views on the source of poltergeist activity and what causes it.  Maybe one poltergeist is the psychic manifestation of a pubescent teenager, while another is an angry Native American spirit, and yet another is just a powerful ghost with unfinished business.  Each of these potential culprits can summon enough energy to manipulate the physical world in ways no average ghost or spirit can.  They also further emphasize how much we still don't truly understand about the paranormal, and why there is a need to ponder such things.

What are your thoughts on poltergeists?  Comment below if you would like to discuss!