Paranormal Path

Séances

The word séance is French and literally translates to seat, sitting,
or session. When we hear the word séance we think of people sitting
around a table in a dimly lit room, while a spirit medium attempts to
contact the deceased. Usually these experiences are sought by those in
mourning who need closure.
One of the first widely documented accounts of a séance was in 1848
with Kate and Margaret Fox. These sisters were frightened by loud
knocking and banging sounds in their New York home. One day Kate
decided to ask the source of these noises to knock in response when
she snapped her fingers. This test was successful and the girls formed
a system with the spirit that gave them yes or no answers. Soon they
learned that they were communicating with the spirit of a man that had
been murdered in their home. The story became widely known and soon
the girls had an audience. They began to hold séances around 1850.
Later the girls admitted that a lot of the knocking sounds had been
staged but many held onto the idea that these séances were legitimate
ways to communicate with the dead.
Later spirit mediums began to use “spirit cabinets”. These were either
actual pieces of furniture or a curtain that the medium would sit
behind. Usually the medium was bound to a chair, with items such as
musical instruments placed at their feet. During the session ghostly
hands and faces would appear through a hole in the cabinet or through
the curtain and the instruments would begin to play. Upon opening the
cabinet or pulling the curtain the audience would see that the medium
was still bound, proving it was actual spirit communication.
Other popular practices during a séance were table tilting and
automatic writing. Table tilting was done by a group of people usually
4 or 5. Each person would sit with their hands flat on a table.
Usually there were several sessions before anything would occur. When
this practice was successful the table would vibrate or move and
knocking sounds would be heard. Automatic writing was performed by a
medium during a trance or an altered state of consciousness. The
medium would write out words or sentences, supposedly messages from
the spirit. This was allowing the medium to be used
as a tool for the spirit to communicate through, in itself a
dangerous practice. The practices of table tilting and automatic
writing were believed to be more of an act of the subconscious and a
way to tap into the psychic energy of the living.
Unfortunately with the popularity of séances, came many frauds. A dark
room and a few simple magic tricks accompanied by wigs and make-up
were effective ways to convince an audience and make money. Some
mediums would hide wigs and make-up in their seats for a quick change
while the participants were waiting with closed eyes. Faces were
painted on balloons to create a floating apparition and objects were
tied with fishing line so they would appear to levitate. The spirit
cabinet made a wonderful hiding place for any escape artist to make
their session seem real. However not all mediums were frauds. Soon
scientists and even some magicians would come to check the authenticity of the
session and ensure there were no illusions planned. These were in a
way the first paranormal investigators. One of my favorite stories of
séance debunking involves Mr. Harry Houdini himself. His training in
magic allowed him to expose frauds. He would often attend sessions in
disguise with a reporter and a police officer. He wrote about his
experiences in his book A Magician among Spirits. Before Houdini’s
death he and his wife Bess agreed that if his spirit would ever return
he would utter the words “Rosabelle Believe”, this was from a play
Bess performed in when the couple first met and the name was engraved
inside of her ring. Houdini passed away on October 31st 1926. Bess
held séances every Halloween for an entire decade but Houdini never
appeared. The practice is still continued with magicians throughout
the world to this day.

Sources
http://www.prairieghosts.com/seance2.html
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Seance—History-and-Origins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini