How to Conduct a Séance

How-to Technique #1

1. Assemble three or more participants. No fewer than three people should attempt a séance. The number of participants is suggested to be divisible by three.
2. Choose a medium. This should be a person who has had experience with séances or someone who tends to have psychic abilities.
3. Use a round or oval table. This helps create the symbolic circle believed necessary for the ritual.
4. Set the table with food, such as bread or soup. This is believed to help attract the spirits who still seek physical nourishment.
5. Light no fewer than three candles in the center of the table(or a number divisible by three).
6. Create some atmosphere by dimming or turning out the lights. Eliminate any distractions, such as music and television.
7. All participants should join hands and not break the connection throughout the ceremony.
8. All participants summon the spirit together by chanting "Our beloved [name of spirit], we bring you gifts from life into death. Commune with us, [name of spirit], and move among us."
9. Wait for a response. The medium can request a specific type of response, such as tapping if desired. If none comes, repeat the chant until the spirit responds.
10. Communicate. If and when the spirit responds -- either by rapping or some other means, or through the medium -- ask any questions you may have.
11. Begin by asking simple yes and no questions at first -- one rap for no, two raps for yes, for example.
12. Communicate directly. If a spirit chooses to speak through the medium, you may ask any kind of question.
13. Maintain control. If the séance seems to be getting out of hand -- participants are becoming upset or the medium seems to be out of control -- end the séance by breaking the circle of hands, extinguishing the candles and turning on the lights.
14. End the séance. When you're done with your questioning, thank the spirit for joining you and tell them to go in peace. Break the circle of hands and extinguish the candles.

Ask your question, then hold your pointer on the planchette and follow it as your answer is revealed!
Web Ouija

This procedure was found at Other World Society.

Our Technique

The technique we will use is from ancient Greece, with some later Christian additions.

Four people-or six or more-will sit around a wooden table. We may not use five people, for Christ was murdered with five wounds, and five-symbolized by the pentagon and the pentacle (the five-pointed star)--draws sinister forces. (The victims of Jack the Ripper-in 19th century London-were positioned to form a huge pentagon in the city.)

The hands of the four must be placed flat on the table, with the little fingers of each hand touching the hands of the people on either side.

In the center of the table we will place a clear glass bowl filled with olive oil. A single drop of fresh blood-drawn from the finger of a volunteer--will be placed in the oil. During the séance, focus on the bowl of oil and blood. (Michel de Nostredame, the famous seer who was also called Nostradamus, used a bowl of blood and sometimes a bowl of water. The last was later replaced by an eighteenth century invention, the crystal ball.)

Two candles will be positioned on the north and south sides of the bowl. A bible opened to 1 Samuel, chapter 28 (the text details a communication with a spirit) will be positioned on the west side. (The west-the point of the setting sun and rising moon-symbolizes the land of the dead. By positioning a bible there we will draw good spirits). A single piece of quartz will rest on the open book. On the east side of the bowl, we will place a lily. (The lily is a flower of death, and the fresh scent will draw good spirits. Vile scents draw demons).

Outside the circle, we will position a bell (this drives away spirits), a steel knife (steel, especially with an edge, repels spirits), and some rock salt. (Salt thrown into a fire drives away spirits, including demons). These things will be used to defend ourselves from any mischievous apparitions.

The Process

During the séance, do not speak. Only the medium will speak. Remain serious and respectful. Do not laugh. According to legend, the dead cannot laugh with joy and therefore levity offends them. Do not break the circle by moving your hands. Focus your attention on the bowl of oil and blood.

Remember, the spirit may be perceived through any sense. Be aware of scents, feelings, sounds, and sights.

Contact may occur in various ways, depending on how successful the ceremony is. Sometimes direct contact occurs during the actual séance and may be perceived through one or more of the senses. The sense of smell is the most emotive of all senses and as such, is the most common form of contact. Another common form of contact is through the sense of touch, such as feeling something very cold. Sometimes a spirit may be heard through a sound or a voice. The rarest form of contact is visual. When this occurs, an orb, light or apparition may appear. Most commonly, the ghost will appear in a dream of someone who sleeps in the house that night.

It is possible for a spirit to be present though we may not be aware of its presence. One good measure is through a dog's reaction. Dogs are particularly sensitive to the presence of ghosts and spirits. My dog Zephyr (check out his personal lens here) always starts barking and talking in his funny Zephyr voice when spirit activity is present. Another sign to look out for is the color of the candle flame. When it burns blue, it is believed to signify the presence of a spirit.

There are special conditions that are helpful for making spirit contact. First, spirits are most easily contacted at night. Strong emotions such as anger, sorrow, and terror tend to attract spirits. People, especially women and children who are sensitive to the world of the spirit, helps to open the door to the other side. Quartz crystals attract spirits but metals like iron and steel will repel them. Rain, particularly when it is lightening, and any moving body of water such as streams, creeks, and rivers, is helpful for making contact. Conducting seances in cemetaries and graveyards are especially scary.

Channeling is the communication of information to or through a person (the channel or medium), from a spirit or other paranormal entity outside the mind (or self) of the channel. Channelling is part of the belief systems and rituals of many religions, such as Candomblé, Voodoo, Kardecism, Umbanda, and more.

Channelers have claimed to have channeled the likes of Buddha, Jesus, and archangels, people who have died, and higher dimension beings. Channels may use tarot cards, crystal balls, special stones or other objects to focus their psychic energy and connect to the world of the spirit. Some channellers use meditation to connect to another dimension. Conscious voice channeling is one technique whereby the channeler allows the spirit to speak through the voice of the channeler.

Similar to spirit possession, 'trance channelling,' occurs through deeper meditation in which the channeler appears to have their consciousness leave their body and the 'source' enters. Trance channelling appears to use the same dynamics as astral travel.

One common element of a séance is the Ouija board (pronounced: wee-jah or wee-jee). The word Ouija has its origins in the French word for "yes". Ouija boards are considered spirit boards because they essentially function as a means of connecting to the world of spirits.

Traditionally, Ouija boards are flat boards made of wood, with a planchette or pointer also made of wood. The board has a variety of magickal symbols, numbers, and/or words on it, most commonly including letters of the alphabet. Today, these boards are made of cardboard with plastic planchettes.

To use a ouija board, one or more of the participants in the séance place one or two fingers on the pointer which has been placed in the middle of the board. One person acts as the medium, and asks questions to the spirit(s) that they are attempting to communicate with. The questions asked are to have been agreed upon by all present. If there is a spirit present, it will use the energy that is the source of everyone's focus and spell out messages using the symbols on the boards. Obviously, it is easy for someone to mislead others by moving the pointer in an attempt to trick or scare others who are present.

M. Lamar Keene (as told to Allen Spraggett), The Psychic Mafia, Prometheus Books, 1997, (Originally published in 1976 by St. Martin's Press and published by Dell (publisher) in 1977).

James Randi (1995), An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural. St. Martin's Press.

Other World Society

The Skeptic's Dictionary
A Collection of Strange Beliefs,Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions from abracadabra to zombies.

Web Ouija
An informative website on the nature of Ouija boards.

UFO Seek
Paranormal Search Engine

Parascience- An excellent and informative website on paranormal research

Paranormal Database
The Paranormal Database is a serious ongoing project to quantitatively document as many locations with paranormal / cryptozoological interest as possible, region by region, in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Sixty-five areas are currently covered, now totaling over 7200 entries, with frequent additions and current stories continuously updated.

Parapsychological Association
International professional organization of scientists and scholars engaged in the study of 'psi'' (or 'psychic') experiences, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, psychic healing, and precognition ("parapsychology").

Image by Sarah Elise Stauffer