What Is A Seance?

A seance is a group ritual intended to provide a bridge of communication between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. Often a seance is held for the purpose of achieving ‘closure’ for those left behind in this world. Opinions vary on the ‘truth’ about seances with many considering it a sham, where others have had extraordinary experiences with the paranormal. It all depends on who you talk to about the subject. Seances were very popular at the turn of the last century. Unfortunately, too many frauds were reported committed by those who sought to capitalize on the entertainment value of seances and many well meaning clairvoyants felt it necessary to create a ‘show’ in order to satisfy paying customers.

Most people imagine a seance based on images from the turn of the century: A psychic medium acts as a spiritual adviser, In bad movies, the medium is commonly portrayed wearing a headscarf and plain dress with a crystal ball for gazing into the spiritual domain.

Many psychics years ago worked with a brewed tea for tea leaf reading or had tarot cards on hand. The room of the seance is adorned with incense, beads and other various instruments of meditation or worship, and is usually darkened of electric lights, and illuminated by a few candles for the shadows they project. It is hard for most people to grasp that in the ‘modern’ seance, there are no props and the focus of the ritual is to bring spirits into contact with a professional medium or to provide a means for spirits to make their presence known.

The sйance is often performed at night. That is typically a throw back to the old ‘entertainment’ seances of the turn of the 19th century. The idea was that the cloak of darkness was said to allow the spirits the protective cover they require to travel unnoticed in this world. While the moon is a formidable icon in the silence of the night. And storms can bring helpful noises and flashes of light to assist in unnerving the victim. For the more modern psychics and mediums, there is no difference between a daytime seance or night. Night provides one advantage that it is far more quiet and the attention of the group can be more focused.

To begin, the psychic medium leading the sйance will perhaps explain certain rules and limitations of the proceedings so as to confine the expectations of actual results as much as possible. A professional clairvoyant may offer information on the types of spirits one may encounter or how certain paranormal activities may occur. It is important for participants to be grounded and informed, especially about whatever rules the psychic medium may layout to protect his or herself and the group. Some spirit medium work with spirit guides to act as intermediaries between the group and the spirit world. A few psychic mediums are ‘trance mediums’ and work towards allowing spirits to speak through them, but usually ONLY their spirit guides. Most experience psychic mediums strongly caution against allowing random spirits to use a person as a means to contact this world. This physical gesture further commits the victim to believing anything is possible.

Almost universally, professional psychics, mediums and channelers strongly advise everyone involved in a seance to pray for protection an guidance. One key way you can distinguish a psychic ‘entertainer’ from a professional psychic medium is that an ‘entertainer’ completely disregards the important spiritual aspects of a seance. And, a prayer for protection and guidance is vital, according those who still work in the seance/paranormal field. If you are reading this in order to hold a seance, it is recommended that 1) You work only with an experienced psychic and 2) that you always respect the spiritually behind a seance and offer prayers.

One could say that the really modern seance is ‘ghost hunting’. All the fundamentals are the same. Seances are more about drawing in spirits, especially the spirit of one who has passed on recently. Ghost hunting is more about searching out spirits and doing so from a more scientific perspective. Either way, it is about exploring the paranormal aspect of spirits.

For contacting the spirits, check out Ask The Spirits where you will find some talented mediums and spiritualist. You might really be impressed with Psychic Sophia who is a potent clairvoyant and minister with the Spiritualist Church. She is also someone great to talk with about seances.