The Spectral Realm

   What is the spectral realm? There are two initial meanings of the word specter:  "of, or relating to, or suggesting a specter;" and "of, or relating to, or made by a spectrum."  Arbitrarily this presents a choice, yet who is to say that in reality the two aren't blended? Perhaps apparitions are but the next phase in a spectrum.  A specter is a visible disembodied spirit. It's something that haunts and perturbs the mind.  A spectrum may be defined in many ways, from a continuum of color when white light is dispersed through a prism, to any continuous sequence or range of effectiveness against pathogenic organisms.  Phantoms are pathogenic.   For the purposes of our narrative, we will assume they are quite virulent. That's what makes them scary.  A spectral realm would be a region where malevolent spirits manifest in a fashion not unlike a rainbow lacking a verifiable prism to produce it, one not so colorful as one might imagine.  It has been suggested that light itself may serve as the prism through which ghosts are dispersed into our view.  Certain conditions with light and juxtapositions at its dimmest may bring these phantasms into view for us, yes.  But to posit that light itself may be the prism through which phantoms are disseminated...the question arises if that would be stretching the matter, to say the least.  Others have suggested the organ referred to as the human eye to serve as the missing prism.  We will keep that in mind as we venture deeper.    

   The definition of realm:  a kingdom, sphere, or domain.  It's also used in marine geography for dividing the earth's surface.  We have only scratched the definitions of these words.  Now it is time for us to dig further, into their root sources.  'Spectral' as an adjective goes back to early 18th century meaning "capable of seeing specters" or "pertaining to a spectrum."  The noun specter itself goes further back to early 17th century where it came to mean "a frightening ghost," derived from the French word spectre, "an image, figure, or ghost."  Whereas in Latin, spectrum means "appearance, vision, apparition."  A detached fusion of these viewpoints results in a spectral realm comprised of a spectrum of frequencies surrounding us, including but not limited to one which most human beings are specifically tuned (about the 450 Megahertz bandwidth) as well as the cosmic microwave background radiation from radio, microwave, infrared, to right here in the midst of our visible light and beyond into the ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays.  In this decidedly spectral realm, multiple visionary viewpoints interlace into a singular tapestry we like to call "reality," but which does not exist without us; therefore rendering us the equivalent of the co-conspirators as well as the lost spawn of the great countenance.  Our cosmos may be considered a realm, and in fact, as it pertains to ourselves, it is our kingdom.  The differing phases which comprise the various spectra surrounding us suggest other vibrational dimensions in coexistence with our own continuum.  Here lies the great secret out in the open for only the most dedicated followers of mystery to look up from their shoes and see.