Term: Seance

DEFINITIONS

Séance: A type of ritual where a group of people known as “sitters” get together with a person (the “medium”) who has powers to communicate with non-physical entities for the purpose of communicating with spirits, usually of the dead. Also known in some areas as a “sitting” or a “circle.”

Although there is a long history of this sort of activity, it became popular in the West in the mid-19th century as part of a religion known as Spiritualism or Spiritism. Many occultists of the period were involved with this movement, and some occult groups looked askance at it. Two fake spiritualists, Mr. and Mrs. “Horos,” tricked the head of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, into believing in them, and this episode ended up making the Golden Dawn public in an embarrassing way.

After the massive deaths of WWI and the flu epidemic that followed, the desire to contact the dead achieved a fever pitch. Many scientists in other fields were involved, as was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and possibly Abraham Lincoln.

Whenever such an interest grows, there are people who take advantage of it, and the history of séances and Spiritualism, unfortunately, has many darker and fraudulent markers. When the famous magician Houdini needed to put some fire under his flagging career, he started exposing fake mediums, a practice some conjurors continue to this day.

Spiritualism and the séance are still practiced today, albeit in smaller numbers. Many of the practices were absorbed into New Thought, the New Age movement, and various occult traditions and orders.
source: Donald Michael Kraig

Also See: Seance

ARTICLES

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Spiritism

Spiritism, or as it is more commonly known, Spiritualism, is a religion which holds that it is possible to communicate with the souls of those who have gone through the transition known as death. Although some occultists would disagree with this ...

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The Astral Body in the Séance Room

We have already mentioned briefly the role astral guides play in mediumistic seances. These guides serve as "controls" who facilitate communication between discarnates on the astral plane and the living persons at the seance. But what happens to ...

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The New and the News in Your Tarot Reading

Curiosity is a great cure-all because it generates energy and enthusiasm. Even if you don’t have much control over your present circumstances, you can nevertheless indulge your curiosity with simple tarot readings. The following is a “card search” technique that gives you something to look forward to. As you shuffle your deck,... read this article

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