Book of Stone: Spirits

For April, Stone Soldiers.info is celebrating the A to Z Blog Challenge with daily letter-themed entries about the people, places, and things of the series. To view past and present entries visit the Book of Stone by clicking on the link on the righthand side of this page.

SPIRITS

Description:  Term for a non-corporeal beings

Arising from the Latin word spiritus ("breath"), the term Spirit is soften used interchangeably with words like ghost, phantom, specter, spook, or apparition. That is, a being believed to be on of the dead, roaming the world in an incorporeal form, often invisible and ethereal. 

It should be noted, however, that spirits are actually distinct from ghosts. In the pre-Christian era, the ancient Greeks voiced the distinction between the spirit and the soul. In the Holy Bible, there is of course the Holy Spirit, one of the trinity of God, Holy Spirit, and Christ. 

Many paranormal researchers distinguish between the spirit and the ghost, attributing the term ghost to a being that once lived as a human. What then are spirits?

A number of non-corporeal entities are claimed to exist, from cultures and societies around the globe. There are demons, who many believe are the ghosts of dead nephilim, djinn--a kind of middle eastern demon-like entity--and even the nature spirits many might call elementals. 

Overall, it is best to be cautious when dealing with any non-corporeal being or entity. Never assume a spirit is a ghost. Their very nature makes it difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain their true origins. The best course of action is to simply acknowledge that an intangible, barely-detectable being is as ephemeral as the breath we named them after. 

Behind the Scenes

One of the key points in the Spectral Ops series will be the exploration of the spirit world and those who seek to manipulate it for their own ends. In the Stone Soldiers series, supernatural enemies often were tangible, mortal (or at least killable) creatures of flesh and blood. But for the new series, the spectral battlefield will be considerably more difficult to navigate as enemies who may or may not be killable interact with the physical world.