How to conduct a spiritualist séance?

 Spirit calling is probably one of the most common forms of spiritualist séance. The word 'séance' itself comes from the French word seance (pronounced seąs) and means a meeting, a session. Participants in such a meeting attempt to make contact with the spirit of a deceased person. This can be done in several ways. One is to use a medium, i.e. a person who can make direct contact with the spirit. Spiritualistic séances also use the technique of automatic writing, i.e. writing under the influence of a spirit, or communicating with a spirit by means of a tapped code. A popular method at spirit séances is to read out words, indicated, it seems, by the spirit, letter by letter.

And what might such an encounter look like? More on that in a moment. Nevertheless, it is important to know that such encounters with beings from beyond the ordinary dimension should not be arranged out of curiosity, but for entertainment. This is because "playing ghosts" can turn negative forces (in religions associated, for example, with Satan) towards us, causing psychosomatic ailments, such as anxiety, recurring migraines or trouble sleeping. Flirting with dark forces can compromise our independence in the spiritual sphere.

And here is an example of a plan for a spiritualist meeting:

1. preparation and conditions and necessary props
2. invocation - initiation
3. making contact - first remarks
4. conversations - recognition
5. recall of the spirit

Re.1 Preparation and conditions - necessary props
At least two people are needed to perform the séance (however, 3 to 5 participants are recommended). These people must not have taken any drugs beforehand (it would be good if they also refrained from eating meat before the séance). It is advisable that at least one of the participants already has some experience, so that he/she can react appropriately in case of unforeseen developments. In the room where the séance takes place, there should be no religious objects (including crosses) or objects associated with the occult (amulets, talismans) and no pentagrams. This may interfere with contact with the spirits. If a séance were to take place at home, it would consistently take place in a windowless room chosen for this purpose. Usually, spirit séances take place in the evenings or at night, but in reality the time of the séance is not so important. It is most likely to be about enhancing the experience, about silence and about the darkness heightening the mood of horror. For communicating with spirits, it is best to have a so-called "Ouija" set. This is a suitable set of utensils which includes a special board and a movable pointer. It is well known that such equipment cannot be bought "off-the-shelf" from the shop around the corner. Schematic drawings of a 'Ouija' board. can be found online. A round wooden table is used during the séance. In salons adapted for spiritualist séances, one encounters tables with a black top, with letters of the alphabet and numbers painted on the edges of the table. In the centre of the table, an upturned glass or plate should be placed (in cases where a large number of people are attending the séance). This upturned dish acts as an indicator. The participants gently place their index finger on the upturned glass (plate). If this is the will of the spirit, the vessel will begin to tremble when answering a question. The séance can take place with lit candles, the number of candles does not affect the course of the spirit meeting.

Re.2 Evoking spirits - initiation
After the participants, the environment and the props have been properly prepared, the index finger is placed on the glass (or plate - see information above). A spirit is then summoned by saying a specific formula, for example: "We, gathered here summon a spirit (here we give its name) to speak. Spirit, if you are with us give us some sign or move the glass and point to the word [YES]". This rule has to be repeated many times until the glass (or possibly the plate) starts to move. When this happens, it is likely that the spirit will already be accompanying the participants (the word "likely" should be emphasised, as often the movement of the glass/dish can be caused by psychokinetic abilities of one of the persons participating in the séance). The arrival of a spirit can be recognised by a perceptible cooling of the air at the place of the spiritualist séance Other signals also appear then, but their recognition requires a little experience and feeling. Otherwise messages, e.g. from the superconscious, can be interpreted as messages from the spirit.

Re.3 Establishing contact - first remarks
Very important when contacting spirits is the fact that they have the ability to read our minds. Therefore, in order to find out whether a particular entity really is the spirit of a deceased person and not another entity, (it is essential to do so!), it is necessary to ask the spirit something that only a selected participant in a spiritualist séance will know. This particular participant must withdraw from the séance for a moment so that the spirit cannot see through his or her thoughts. If the spirit's answers match those of the participant, it means that, in all probability, we are dealing with the soul of the deceased and not some other 'visitor'. The next important thing is to be aware that ghosts often like to lie. Therefore, one cannot be suggested by all the answers of the spirits (this applies mainly to the initial contacts, when spirits come claiming to be other spirits, impersonating other spirits). The ability to catch lies told by spirits will deepen with experience, once the specific behaviours of spirits are known. Distinguishing features of their behaviour may be their energy state, the speed and specificity of their moving the glass/dish, the place they are in during contact (e.g. armchair, sofa, door etc.) etc. Another issue is whether the soul will want to come to meet the living. If you do not succeed in summoning a particular spirit for a long time, you have to stop summoning it. One must move on to invoking another spirit. It is still another matter whether the spirit wishes to communicate something to us. It is possible for a spirit to arrive and not express a desire to communicate with us. Then we should dismiss it. And information to sum up, if you do not know who to call from the hereafter - address yourself to a deceased person from your close family or one of your deceased friends.

Re.4 Conversations - Recognition
It was mentioned earlier that it may be the case that the called spirit is not at all who it claims to be. It is also very possible that he or she does not have good intentions towards those taking part in the séance. He may have a malicious eye for one person or be hostile to everyone. Sometimes such an attitude is held by spirits who, already living on earth, have concentrated on doing evil - e.g. serial killers. Such spirits continue their work of hatred even beyond the earthly plane. If they enter our reality as a result of some kind of interference (for example, a spiritualistic séance), they will continue to do harm. They will deliberately lie, deceive, impersonate other spirits. This is why it is essential to ask the induced spirit a few questions before we start an exchange of words with him. And then carefully observe its reaction -( Re.3 ). Firstly, let us ascertain from where he came to us (heaven, hell, etc.). Secondly, let's ask if the spirit in question wants to hurt someone and if it intends to talk to us at all. The next step is to make sure that it is definitely the spirit we intended to talk to and that the deceased person is the spirit we wanted to evoke (by asking them some personal questions related to their earthly life). After these steps, we move on to the conversation proper, related to the purpose of its invocation. During the conversation, it is important to remember not to strain the patience of the spirit in question too much. He may not know the answers to some questions. It should not be forced to give them to us necessarily. In spite of the transition to another dimension of life, spirits are not necessarily omniscient. They can be intelligent and cunning, but not necessarily omniscient. It can happen that spirits arriving at a spiritualist séance communicate in a way that the participants do not understand. This may be the language of the dead, the meaning of which is hidden from those who have not crossed the borders of the shadow land.

Re.5 Calling off the ghost and ending the encounter with it
After each successful séance, the spirit must be recalled. As with invocation, there are several ways of recalling, or dismissing a spirit. The simplest involves thanking it for the contact and sending the spirit back to where it came from. This can be done, for example, by saying "Spirit [name] we thank you for the contact, we apologise for disturbing your peace, go away from where you came from and before leaving move your glass to the word [I'm ending]". The moment the spirit does this and the glass (or plate) stops moving, the hand should be moved away. Removing the finger from the upturned glass, as it were, closes the door behind the spirit.