How to Hold a Séance

Weak of heart be warned: do not tamper with the spirits unless you are prepared for the ramifications. Ensure your own safety and set your boundaries when entering into this weighty task.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Gather all seance participants in a circle around a comfortable table.

2. Place a white candle and an altruistic religious symbol (rosary beads, etc.) in the center of the circle for protection.

3. Turn off the phone, move pets to another room, and remove any potentially distracting objects (such as wind chimes) to avoid unwanted noises.

4. Dim the lights to a comfortable level. Some prefer to turn the lights off all together, while others prefer a dim lamp. Choose whichever is most comfortable for those in the room.

5. Ask all participants to place their hands upon the table, with their fingers slightly spread. Each participant should touch pinkie fingers gently with his neighbor on either side.

6. Begin with a pre-determined opening prayer. The prayer should be short and sweet, designed to state benevolent purposes and to offer protection for all involved.

7. Concentrate on opening your circle to the arrival of spirits for a few moments. After a sufficient amount of time, ask if there are any spirits present.

8. Continue to focus upon the spirits in the room. Ask the spirits relevant questions which can be easily answered by indications of "yes" or "no."

9. Communicate with the spirits to the best of your abilities until you feel that it is time to end the session, or until you begin to feel tired.

10. Bid farewell to the spirits in the room, and state your gratitude for their participation in your meeting.

11. End the seance with a closing prayer similar to that which you opened with.

Tips & Warnings

• You should remain alert at all times, but as relaxed as possible. Spirits sense tension, just as earthbound creatures do, so try to display a feeling of alert serenity.
• If a "harmful" spirit joins your seance, ask it to leave immediately and recite your opening protection prayer.
• Be very careful when dealing with spirits from another place and time. Treat spirits with respect and know when it is time to put the event to a halt.

on 7/3/2006 In the late 1800's when Spiritualism was practiced by millions of people, guidelines suggest that participants dress comfortably. Eat a light meal about an hour beforehand, preferably vegetarian (dairy okay). Some suggest sitting boy-girl-boy-girl if possible. A good idea is to hold the circle at the same time each week.

By yourself, practice "sitting for development." Like meditation, this is where you sit quietly (again, at regularly scheduled times) and practice being in a receptive state of mind so you can learn how to sense when spirits are present and tell what they are saying. According to the old-timers, everybody has a certain amount of psychic ability; anyone can become a medium or communicator, and it does not require a special gift.

The reason for the regular schedule is to keep spirits from thinking you or your circle are a 24-hour switchboard.