Seance

The Origins & History of the Séance

The word “séance” is French, and it means basically, ’sitting’, ’session’, or ’seat’, –however, later the word was adapted to mean an event in which a small cluster or crowd of people would attempt to contact the dead, or some religious entity. Séances are shared by various cultures around the world, and are even popular ...
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The Rise and Peak in Popularity of Séances and Spiritualism

The history and popularity of the modern séance was stemmed from the publication of Dialogues with the Dead written by George, Lord Lyttelton in 1760. The publication documented dialogues of the deceased- sometimes famous historical figures such as William Penn, and Plato. Later, with the creation and rise of the religion of Spiritualism in the ...
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Modern Séances

The séance is an integral part of Spiritualism, a belief that the souls of the departed are able to make contact with the dead through a “sensitive” or “medium” or when a person is in a subconscious state of mind, such as a trance. A modern séance is a gathering of individuals who wish to ...
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How To Perform A Séance

Séance. That word conjures up a variety of meanings to different people: Creepy, Ghostlike, Witchcraft, Comforting. No matter how one views the word, one thing cannot be denied, this is a spiritual practice for those who believe. Séance is a word, derived from the French, that means communicating with the spirits. This can be done ...
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Famous Spiritualists & Debunkers

Séances and spiritualism were there most popular in the late 17’th century. Although the first book to capture popularity on the subject was a book called Dialogues with the Dead published in 1760. It’s popularity and public favor grew to the point that even Mary Todd Lincoln was reported to have had séances at the ...
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Seance

A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word “séance” comes from the French word for “seat,” “session” or “sitting,” from the Old French “seoir,” “to sit.” In French, the word’s meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of “une séance de cinéma” (”a movie session”). In English, however, the word ...
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Spirit Boards and Ouija Boards

Spirit boards, also known as talking boards, or Ouija boards (after a well known brand name) are flat tablets, typically made of wood, Masonite, chipboard, or plastic. On the board are a number of symbols, pictures, letters, numbers and/or words. The board is accompanied by a planchette (French for “little table”), which can take the ...
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Mediums and Debunkers

Mediums Popular 19th century trance medium lecturers include Cora Scott Hatch, Achsa W. Sprague, Emma Hardinge Britten (1823-1899), and Paschal Beverly Randolph(1825-1875). Among the notable people who conducted small leader-assisted séances during the 19th century were the Fox sisters, whose activities included table-rapping, and the Davenport Brothers, who were famous for the spirit cabinet work. Both the ...
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