Al Mann - Seance - A Heavenly Odyssey

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Copyright (1983) by Al Mann Bxclusives

FOREWORP "If a man dies, shall he live again."

Job.

Mortals choose to believe that they will. It is indeed beautiful to choose to believe. Mortals also choose to believe in miracles. 2000 years ago, miracles were everywhere. The saints and some magicians, could walk on water, heal the sick and command the elements! Many mortals are not content today to read about miracles that happened 2000 years ago. They insist in seeing miracles todayl So! ••• "The age of miracles is forever here." Thomas Carlyle Miracles are mass produced today through the scientist's laboratory. But for the thrill of your life you must needs go to a -- SEANCE! Ahl What a heavenly treat! The Medium is levitated by the spirits, so high that he can write your name or any name on the ceilingl The medium can command the spirits to levitate and float around a heavy piano, that would take 10 good men to move it! The spirits will write you a message on a slate that you have just cleaned and are holding in your hand! We can lock the medium in a room and he can come out right through the wall! But best of all, through the kind medium, we can speak to the dead! "A seance is just too, too divine." Elsa Maxwell So proceed with caution, all you brave initiates who dare partake of forbidden wisdom.

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SEANCE

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

?a e *'U I/L~ 'k!l'eJ.d e"The purp ose of this trea tise is to reve al the firs t time , in prin t, the sacre d secr ets of the Medifor ums. Secr ets that have neve r been expo sed. Many expo ses, deta iling the antic s of the mediums in the seanc e room have appe ared in book s, maga zines pamp hlets . The read er only has to read one, since they allandsay abou t the same thing . The expo ses tell you abou t how the mediums make smal l table s and chai rs levi tate. How they ring bells and bour ines by relea sing them selve s from the circl e or from tamThey tell you abou t the medi um's cabi net, mate riali zatio rope s. ns, ectop lasm , etc. , etc. But when searc hing for the truly marv elous man ifest ation s that take place durin g a sean ce, the read er finds a silen t Home and Egli nton , both levi tated them selve s to the ceilivoiq! ng to the baffl emen t of all pres ent. Eusa pia Palla dino levit ated hers elf hori zont ally three feet off the floo r. Home and Char les Fost er levi tated heav y table s and heavy pian os when no one was near . Home levit ated while sitti ng in a chai r, r and all, and allow ed the sitte rs to pass thei r hand s undechai r the legs of the chai r to prove it! Home and Fost er levit ated table s and furn iture that were flipp ed in the air and throw n abou t! Thes e marv elous man ifest ation s have neve r been expl ained . Magic book s tell you of "arm hook s" and "wai st hook s.Thes e hook s are a myth and were prob ably inve nted by the expo sers or some ente rpris ing magic deal er afte r hear ing the eye- witn ess repo rts of the lifti ng of heav y table s. A good medium WOUldn't be caug ht dead ing one of these clum sy and most ridic ulou s gadg ets. (Youwear can read abou t these 'hook s' in Cori nda's Thir teen step s to Ment alism , p. 291) You sure ly could not pick up a piano while wear these hook s as they would cause irrep airab le damage to the pianing o. But keep in mind that the top mediums cause d the piano es to floa t while no one was near and while every one was sitti ng at the seanc e table hold ing hand s. A prof essio nal medium (like a good Men t) carr ies noth ing on his perso n of a trick y natu re othe r thantalis a few well hidde n nail- writ ers. Mediums allow them selve s to be searc hed befo re and afte r the sean ce. Both Home and Fost er could levi tate heav y tables and pian oes in anyo ne's home and in rooms they had neve r seen!

** - - So, with a trem bling hand we turn this page to embark on a heav enly odys sey to the far reach es of Univ Mind , the realm of Gods and Warl ocks , and searc h out sacre dersal wisdo m that has lain hidd en for one hund red year s!

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AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

SEANCE

i!t(;itatt.6&f" 9kCQf t)A-f eerJlJ "Blessed are they who see miracles, for they shall be thrilled. AM II

MIND MOLDING, Before levitating a heavy table, the medium must first prepare the minds of the sitters to accept the awesome deed. He does this by first levitating small objects such as chairs and light tables. Once the sitters are convinced of the power of the medium by seeing him in full light (sometimes subdued light) levitate small tables and chair~ (at·times the chair is levitated while someone sits on it!, at other times the chairs are thrown up in the air while no one is near, the sitters can impart movement to a small table, etc.) they will then be ready mentally to see the levitation of a heavy table or piano. Many methods have appeared in print on how to levitate small tables and chairs. Here are some of the besta 1. The medium can levitate a small table in subdued light, by the aid of her thumbs as shown in Fig. 1. 2. A thread can be wrapped around the table so that the medium can simply slip her thumbs under the thread on top of the table and lift it. J. The medium can lift the table by first tilting it with her hands and then slipping one foot under the table's leg and lifting it by pressure of the hands and foot. 4~ Fig. 2 shows~______________________, a Dunninger ex- I pose of the medium's assistant wearing a false hand over her arm. The false hand with glove is placed over I the table while '-_ the real hand --------------------.---goes under the Fig. 2 table and does the lifting. Fig. 1 5. A small person sitting on a chair with his feet flat on the floor can be levitated by simply pushing on the back of the chair. This is Slade's trick. He always used a small person, weighing about 150 pounds or less. The medium simply pushes towards the back of the sitter and the energy is deflected 90degrees upwards and the chair is lifted upwards while the sitter is on it, but his feet remain on the floor, and the phenomenon is most convincingl

4 AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

SEANCE LEVITATING HEAVY OBJECTS

cont. .•

Mediums always did this test in subdued light. Slade did it in full light and made it popular and has been identified with his name. A small low armless chair is used. This test will be detailed on page 8 , Slade made hypnotic passes in front of the sitter's eyes while he was pushing on the back of the chair and impressed many famous people with it. But Home made an uncanny effect out of it doing it in subdued lightl Everyone was convinced that the sitter and the chair were levitated. 6. SLADE'S FLYING CHAIR. This effect is detailed in Eff-Oes. It can be done while the sitters and the medium are sitting around the seance table holding hands, as follows. Medium indicates that he will summon the spirits to manifest. He calls for lights out and asks that the sitters sing a hymn. or one of his assistants turn on some 'spiritual music' While silence is otherwise maintained. To summon the spirits one of the assistants rings a tiny bell periodically. While the room is dark, hidden assistants rig up Slade's Flying chair. But, Alasl the spirits do not manifest during the darken ritual. So the medium calls for lights, and as soon as the lights come on, one of the assistants excitedly points to the chair which is hovering near the ceiling saying, "Lookl A chair has been thrown up in the airl" When the sitters turn to look, the chair comes crashing down. That is one thrill that the sitters will not forget the rest of their lives. 7. Fig. 3, shows a simple way of levitating a chair. A hidden assistant must pull the string which causes the chair to jump and gyrate in mid air. It will also be transported along the string clear across the room. This is a modified version of Slade's Flying 11 chair. The effect is most profound when done in sub, i, ) dued light. A red bulb is the best. 8. During the darken ~eance, the spirits sometimes pick up one of the sitters, chair and all and place him on top of the table. To do this test. the medium importunes the spirits to manifest. He calls for lights out and instructs the sitters to remain Fig. 3 seated with their hands on the table

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5 SEANCE LEVITATING HEAVY OBJECTS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE cont.

and to not be alarmed as no one knows what the spirits will do. A hymn is sung as music plays. Very quickly, two hidden assistants run up to the table and pick up one of the sitters, chair and all and quickly place him over the table. The medium may be holding the sitter's hand to prevent him from falling. Medium calls for lights after the assistants dash out of sight. You can be sure that this one person will tell his grandchildren about his experience. 9. The Magician's Floating Table is ideal for the Seance room. The tables that can pass examination are the best. Owen's Magic Supreme make one of the best Floating Tables, but they are expensive. Fig. 4 shows an examinable table. When the table is upright, the top can be inspected by passing the hand over it and nothing can be found. But when the medium inverts the table, Fig. 4 two wooden pegs fallout as shown in Fig. 4. Then the medium places his hand over the wooden pegs and squeezes to get a grip on it. There is sufficient hold to swing the table, etc. When the pegs are released they fall back into their holes and meld with the design. Owen's Floating Table has a hidden balled stud that is elevated when a side screw is pressed, allowing the magician to clip the balled stud with a special finger ring with a slot. 10. The 'Adnormal Lift' can be done with great effect in the seance room. It should be done as a preliminary test. Fig. 5 This is the test where a heavY person is asked to sit on a chair and four other members of the audience place their index fingers under his arm pits and knees and lift the person effortlessly into the air! This test is well written in other books. A detailed account of it is in the AME release 'Psycho-Mentisis.' I will treat more on this later. Anybody can do this test. All you have to' do is try it. It works almost automatically with the proper instructions. 11. Last,ly, there are "The Gyrating Tables!" The sitters are told tc place their hands around the top of a small table. By ideo-motor action, the table moves, rocks and knocks! Any number of these tests are done to prepare the minds of the sitters for better thingsl So, let's take a look at some of the seances as done by Foster and Home. The following is quoted from The Salem Seer, p. 111.

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SEANCE LEVITATING HEAVY OBJECTS

cont. • •

"On one occassion, the Honorable Mrs. W.C. and her sister-in-law desired to try some in my dunker-kammer, a room the Baron von Reichenbach had taught me how to darken properly for experiments on the od force and the odic light emanating from living organized bodies. This room afforded opportunities for marvelous manifestations. When the light was excluded, the two ladies were seated on one side of a heavy rose-wood octagonal table with drawers, weighing at least seventy or eighty pounds. Mr. foster and I were on chairs opposite them. Suddenly a great alarm seized Mr. Foster; he grasped my right hand and beseeched me not to quit my hold on him, for he said there was no knowledge where the spirits might convey him. I held his hand, and he was floated in the air towards the ceiling. At one time Mrs. W.C. felt a substance on her head, and putting up her hands, discovered a pair of boots above her head. At last Mr. Foster's aerial voyage ceased, and a new phenomenon presented itself. Some busts as large as life, resting upon book-cupboards seven feet high, were taken from their places. One was suddenly put upon Mrs. W.C.'s lap; others, on my obtaining a light were found on the table. I removed these to a corner of the room and put out the light. Then, the table was lifted into the air, and remaind there for some seconds. Then, it gently descended into the place it had before occupied, with the difference that the top was turned downwards, and rested on the carpet. And more to the same effect. The utter simplicity of Mr. Foster's modus operandi is also in his favor. He has no paraphernalia- absolutely none. - No cabinet, with a little aperture in front and the dark behind no dimly lighted room, no ropes, or instruments, or contrivances of any kind. The sunlight is welcomed in the day time, and the full blaze of the gas in the evening. An ordinary table, a supply of writing paper and a few pencils constitute his entire stock in trade. " Notes and Studies in the Philosophy of Animal Magnetism and Spiritualism London 1863 by John Ashburner, M.D. Royal Irish Academy e~periments

Mr. Ashburner's account recalls to my mind the following: About 12 o'clock one sumMer night, we met Oregon Wilson and one or two friends on Broadway. Mr. Wilson as usual, was in a lively frame of mind, and insisted upon our going to his studio to look at some new curios, which he said were of great value. This however, was only a pretext, as his real objeyt was to induce Mr. Foster to give some physical manifestations. Mr. Foster was quite friendly with him, and he had 'often tried to persuade Mr. Foster to give him and his friends a dark seance; but Mr. Foster always refused. We had been in the studio a few moments only when Mr. Wilson turned off the gas without giving any warning, and we were in utter darkness. What happened that night will not be forgotten by any of us, for it seemed for a few moments as though the world had come to an end; and that the building had been blown up by dynamite, or that an earthquake was upon us! It seemed as though everything in the studio would be broken and ruined. Even I was frightened, for it seemed as though there was danger of being hurt. We simultaneously said, "Wison light the gas." and when the gas was lighted, we found only a few things untouched; and it is a mystery to this day how to account for the hurlubrelu. Poor roster was faint. He could hardly stand, was pale as death, and there was a cold perspiration on his forehead. Wilson was not disturbed. He laughed heartily, seemed to think it a good joke, and said to roster, "That is first-rate, old man, better than I supposed you could do. What a shaking-up! Charlie, how did you do it?" George C. Bartlett The Salem Seer

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SEANCE

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

LEVITATING HEAVY OBJECTS cont. •• Sounds scarry and forbidden, doesn't it? And Foster only did a dark seance occassionally. On the other hand, Daniel Dunglas Home levitated heavy tables, pianoes and other pieces of heavy furniture almost on a daily basis. Reading "Heyday of the Wizard" by Jean Burton about the life of Home is an education for any one interested in mediumship. We read about a heavy table that moved in every direction, floated and pushed the sitters, chairs and all against the walll At the Tuileries, Paris, massive pieces of furniture, which needed six men to lift, rocked violently in Home's presence and armchairs flew across the room as if blown by a hurricane. Tables would rock like a ship in a storm. At other times, tables were levitated when some one was sitting on them. Sometimes furniture would pile up one on top the other! How were these fabulous deeds performed? Let's take them one at a time.

CHARLES H. fOSTER

EFFECT a Home has gone into a trance and is apparently out cold slumpt in a chair. Home always instructed the sitters to talk while at the table. Talk about anything. And he would complain if the sitters stopped talking. (other mediums would have the sitters sing hymns). One of the shills would next holler and point to a chair at the far wall. The chair was moving. It stood up on two legs and then jumped into the air and then it was thrown violantly across the room and crashed against the wall. Next Home would come to and say that the chair he was sitting on was also shaking DANIEL DUNGLAS HOME and then it levitated. At this time Home asked the sitters to come and pass their hands under the four legs of the chair to be convinced that it had indeed levitated with Home sitting on it. This was excellent misdirection. If anyone suspected trickery about the crashing chair, they were now distracted by Home's predicament. Another miracle. Home was floating in air! Here is Home's fabulous methoda The crashing chair was easy, it was done with a string as shown in Fig. 3. The room is dark under subdued light so that the string can not be seen but the

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SEANCE LEVITATIONS OF HEAVY

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE OBJEC~S

cont. .•

chair is easily seen. The sitters are asked to talk or to sing hymns. This will keep them occupied and will drown out the small noises that may be necessary to pull the string, etc. After the chair stands on two legs, the string, which is attached high on the wall, is pulled hard. The chair is thrown into the air and then it slides downhill on the string and appears as though someone threw it. It is allowed to crash against the wall. The string itself is a loop which can be pulled free off the wall and coiled up and hidden. For the chair levitation with Home on it, Home used the Slade trick mentioned in item 5, page 3. To perform. For best showmanship, have someone tie you to a small armless chair. The medium says that he must be tied to the chair so that he may not falloff while in trance and hurt himself. The sitter's (shuteyes) believe this and also never connect the medium with the phenomena which follows as they assume that the medium is in trance and securely tied to his chairl The medium is tied around his chest and around the back of the chair, but his arms are free. The tieing this time is done in full light but as soon as the medium is tied, the lights are lowered. After the first chair incident, Home says that his chair is also acting up and it is seen that the chair Home is sitting on is now standing on its hind legs. Home simply pushes back the chair so that he is leaning on the back legs. Two of the assistants rush to Home's side. One stands behind him and the other in front. to prevent him from falling, they say. Home steadies himself by grabbing the seat of the chair with both hands and planting his feet squarely on the floor. The assistant behind him, secretly pushes forward on the back of the chair and this force levitates the chair into the air. Home's and the assistant then allow the chair to come crashing down making a big noise. Then the chair is levitated a second time and the sitters are invited to come and pass their hands under the four legs of the chair to prove to themselves that the chair is indeed floating on airl That, Gentlemen, is an uncanny demonstration. Keep in mind that the sitters are still reeling from the shock of the first crashing chairl (see the Yogi Levitation. p. 17) LEVITATING HEAVY TABLES AND PIANOES. In the days of Foster and Home, the deed was easy. Once Home went into a trance, the sitters assumed that he was incapacitated. That he could not move and everyone assumed that Home would remain in a deep trance all during the seance. But the opposite was true. As soon as the lights were cut off, Home would come to life and start moving and throwing furniture around. He would get under the heavy table and push up with his back. first at one end and then at the other end p and then at the middle. This created the effect of the table being lifted, first

9 SEANCE LEVITATING HEAVY OBJECTS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE cont ••

at one end, then at the othe r, and then comp letel y off the floo r. Gran d pian oes were float ed and moved abou t the room in the same fash ion • Appa rentl y Fost er could outdo Home in this . Acco rding to Bart lett, the room looke d like an earth quak efield had hit it. It is littl e wond er, then , that the medium was bathe d in swea t afte r this demo nstra tion. Anot her way of crea ting the illus ion that the m has no part in the hurlu brelu , is for the medium to remamediu in at table and hold hand s from whic h he late r relea ses hims the seanc e elf, or be tied down with rope s and whic h he esca pes, or use assis tants ! ASSISTANTS. Ever y medium, due to the natu of his work , has to hire assi stan ts. Some assis tants are only rehired to assi st in the atmo spher e of the seanc e room, to ring tiny bells to summon the spir its or to burn incen se and to enco urage the medium . One or two of the most trust ed assis tants are led in on the real secr ets. Thes e assis tants must take a bloo d-oa th that they will keep the secr ets and very rare ly does one betra mast er. Thes e trust ed assis tants usuall~ become mediums y his r. As we have seen , Bert Reese by his own admi ssion saidlate that he had work ed with Fost er. He was prob ably the one who prod uced the raps on the wall s and ceili ngs. In Home's sean ces, some sitte rs had been mediums them selve s at one time and no doub t that these woul d help in prod ucing the pheno mena . r,tABLES THAT ARE LEVITATED AND TURN A FLIP IN MID AIR WHEN N9 ONE IS NEAR. This phenomena is done also in ued ligh t and is done with a strin g. A ligh t weig ht tablesubd , like a card table is used . A full turn is made with the strin g aroun top of the table so that when the strin g is pulle d, the d the jumps up in the air and gyra tes, turni ng a flip and thentable legs up. This is an exci ted moment. Ama zingl y, the sitte falls to notic e that the table is a ligh t weig ht table . In the rs fail ling , this fact is neve r ment ioned . The rest of the worl rete lhear s abou t it assum es that it was a heavy dinin g room d who table and are awed by the very thou ght. Late r on the eye- witn esses also think that it was a heavy table ! A GRAND PIANO FLOAT S AND MOVES AROUN HE ROOM WHEN NO ONE IS NEAR-Io---This deed is not notic ed untiDl T afte r it has happ ened . ---X n-as sista nt dress ed in black gets unde r the piano it, durin g subdu ed ligh t and while the medium is at theand moves disp layin g some othe r mira cle. Afte r the assis tant has table moved the pian o, one of the shil ls calls atten tion to it by sayin g, "I saw the piano move!" T he host who owns the piano will then notic e that it indee d has moved seve ral feet. What a creep ing thri ll! The piano Can also be moved by the medium.

SEANCE

10 USIVE EXCL AN AL MANN

RELEASING ONE HAND I Dr. Moll of Germany demo nstra tes in Fig. 8, the simp lest and best method for relea sing one hand from the circ le of sitte rs at the seanc e tabl e. Dr. Moll , at cent re plac es his two hand s over the sitte r's hand s. Afte r the ligh ts are turne d off he simp ly bring s his hand s toge ther and cove rs the two sitte r's hand s with only one hand , his left hand . This is not felt by the sitte rs becau se the two wltD..... at the bellaFIll- L Thi, lIhoto&r~,h Ihow. Dr. Koll aDd ar. h.ld. In illite of till.. arttClel good doct or is forev er DIDe of a "aDc.. ;ft'ote how haDdl appear. fidg eting with his hand s. His righ t hand is now Fig. 8 free to ring bell s, appo rt es, artic les, shake tamb ourin and activ ate ghos ts unde r the table and pull strin gs and hand le reach ing rods , etc. Figs . 9 and 10, show another meth od. Befo re the ligh ts go out, the hand s are held as in Fig. 9. Afte r the ligh ts go out, the medium begs to release his righ t hand to wipe his forhe ad, then he cros ses his left leg over his righ t Fig. 9 and asks the sitte r at his righ t to resume the hold whic h resu lts in Fig. 10. However, in this trea tise we are inter este d in relea sing both hand s and in fact the whole mediuml FULL RELEASE. The easi est way to do this is to simp ly not hold hand sl The sitte rs may only be told to place thei r hand s flat on the table or they may not be told Fig. 10 anyt hing . In Home's sean ces the sitte rs were free to his sofa chai r and move arou nd, whil e Home went into a tranc e dinthere . slum pt low and every one assum ed he staye

SEANCE

11 AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

fP~lt¢d(,'n~ fi In Fig. 11, squares 1 to 5, is shown Eusapia Palladino's most amaZing one-hand release. In her method there was no need to excuse herself to wipe her brow. She could release her hand undetected. Only an experienced researcher under test conditions was able to detect her. This happened in Cambridge in 1895. Fig. 11 square 1, shows the youngish Palladino holding the left hand of one sitter while another sitter holds her left hand. 2, Palladino has maneuvered the hands closer together. Square ), She places .her left hand over her right hand during her fidgeting. In square 4 she substitutes hands thereby freeing her right hand. Square 5 shows her right hand ready for action. And here is what she could do with it. THE MYSTERIOUS CHAIR LEVITATIONI In a seance at Colonel Rocha's villa, the chair that Eusapia was sitting on, levitated and rose over her left shoulder and landed on the lap of the sitters next to her upside down. According to the testimony of the investigators p no trickery was possible since all her limbs were under control (?). What appears to be the answer is that Eusapia was able to wriggle the chair from under her. It. was a light cane chair. While she remained in a sitting position, she picked up the chair with her free right hand and brought it over her head and left shoulder. Needles to say, everyone was mystified. At other times, mediums would say that they had levitated and that the chair was not supporting them, so, please someone remove it! Eusapia could also maneuver herself chair and all onto the table! One of the amazing things that happened during this seance was that iusapia moved the needle of a letter weight to full, apparently without touching it (?). But alas, she appears to have used misdirection with one hand and touched the scale with the other. It also appears that she had excess to a thread as the scale moved to the edge of the table and toppled to the floor very spookily, of course. While she was making vertical magnetic passes at the scale, her fingertips came within 1-1/5 inches close, according to the observers. It is amazing what misdirection will do.

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SEANCE RELEASES

AN AL MANN EX:CLUSIVE cont. ••

THE 'CLAPPING' RELEASE. In full light, the medium starts clapping his hands together in rhythm with his patter as he summons the unseen forces to manifest. The light is gradually dimmed as chairs and tables are seen to jump up in the air when no one is near. The room is finally in total darkness as the medium continues his line of patter and clapping his hands. Phenomena begins to happen on the seance table. Lights are seen jumping about, bells ring and tambourines are played. The sitters are touched mysteriously, etc. The sitters are instructed to join in on the hand clapping, which they do keeping in time with the medium. Large sofa chairs move about the room, the seance table is levitated and pianoes are moved. This is only seen after lights are called for. The How. The medium claps his hands together in full light. After the lights are turned off, he slaps his left cheek with his left hand, which sounds exactly as before. The medium's right hand is now free to ring the bell, etc. When the sitters join in on the clapping, the medium steps back and moves the sofa chair, piano and table. And then resumes his place at the table and calls for lights. SPIRIT ROPE TIES. Rope releases are the most dramatic of all and most effective in the seance room. The Robert Gysel Spirit rope release is oy far the best. Every mag1c1an knows this tie and it is used regularly on stage as a comedy stunt. But in the seance room, this rope release takes an entirely different hue. It is uncanny I As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, two pieces of rope are used. Each piece is about 30 inches long. One piece is tied to each wrist by anyone of the sitters and is done in full light. The sitter is instructed to make sure that the ropes are tied securely. Then the lights are dimmed as the medium sits on a chair. THIS PART MUST ALWAYS BE DONE IN SUBDUED LIGHT FOR BEST RESULTS. When the medium sits on the chair he crosses his arms all in one move, ~ and he takes the rope tied to his left arm into his right hand and

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Fig. 13

13 AN AL MANN EX.CLUSIVE

SEANCE SPIRIT ROPE TIES

cont. ••

takes the rope tied to his right arm into his left hand and offers them to the sitter to tie behind the chair. The medium instructs the sitter to pull hard on the two ropes and to tie several knots. All the while the medium acts the part of being securely tied. But actually his arms are free and he jumps out of the chair as soon as the lights are out and turns. the room upside down and then returns to the chair placing the loop of the ropes behind the chair and crossing his arms again. The medium next begins to moan as many lights are seen gyrating about him. When the lights vanish, an assistant calls for lights and the medium is found bent forward on his chair and still secured by the ropes. The room of course is a mess. (The lights were produced by luminous cards that the medium had in his coat pocket. He just takes them out and waves them about and then replaces them). FAST RELEASE WITH ONLY ONE PIECE OF ROPE. Nothing could be simpler or faster. Medium uses one piece of rope about four feet long. He has one end of it tied to his right wrist. The rope is then passed over his chest and around his left side, and behind the chair and around his right side and the end of it is tied to his left wrist. The medium is actually tied to the chair, but he can release himself quickly by just throwing his hands up and over his head. To return to the tied position, the medium just crosses his hands in front of him and throws the loop of rope over his head and behind the chairl

A~OTHER

THE qOMEDY FAST ROPE RELEASE. This is the . 4 . . ropeonrelease t F1g. 1 use d by mag1c1ans sage as a comedy~__~__________~__________ act. As seen in Fig. 14., a piece of rope about The Secret of the ComedY TIe. at Left. and. Rleht. How the two feet Hand. Are Held to Conceal the long is Loo.en... of the Knot tied to the __--&...;;:;: magician's right wrist at the loop of the rope. This tieing of the right wrist is done with the magician's hands in front of him, so that all the audience can see. The magician then places his hands behind his back and has the assistant tie the other wrist as shown in the Fig. As the assistant begins to tighten the tie, the magician crosses his hands and then turns around so that the audience can see the tie and instructs the assistant to tighten up the ropes as much as possible. But due to the twist of the hands, there is ample slack for a quick release.

The Performer Ia Tied in the Sack, at the RilhtL and a Few Seconds Later Iit_eJlI Out with the Sack OY" His Arm, at Left

SEANCE

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The secret of The Medium's Sack Escape is that the sack has a one-inch hem at the top through which the drawstring is threaded. The hem is sewed in the inside of the bag and Fig. 15 a two-inch piece is secretly left unsewn. The medium can stick his finger through this opening and get hold of the drawstring. He does this while he is half way in the bag. He then instructs the assistant to pull the bag over his head and secure it. As the assistant raises the bag, the medium holds onto the drawstring until he has a good yard of string in slack inside the bagl The rest is easy.

* * *

A WAY-OUT TABLE LIFT. "- all you need is quite a good deal of patience, a group of people and a table. We worked with tables that ranged from bridge tables to heavy dining room tables. Over the course of a year, we met and experimented on a average of once a week. Not once did the table fail to respond in some mannerl At first, it took about two hours of sitting in complete darkness with our hands making a complete circle around the table. There was no Hocus-pocus •• No singing of hymns. What did help, we found, was to breath in unison. As time went on and we never failed to get some kind of result, we experimented more and more. We finally reached a point where we no longer worked in darkness. We sat in a room with a shaded lamp to one side. We removed our shoes and balanced the table legs on the quick of our big toes. (the slightest pressure would have brought a howl of pain). At one time we had one person lying on the floor looking under the table. And yet, not once did the table fail to re-act! On some occasions, the table would rise completely off the floor! On others, it would balance on one or two legs. Quite often the table would seem to rotate under our fingers. We got quite contemptuous of these .manifestations after a while and would surround the tests with more and more safegaurds against fraud. (watch out for those thumbs, fellows. AM). The most astonishing test was one we worked out - this was with the lights on, where we placed a small table on top of a larger table. Then reaching up above our heads we placed our hands on the top, small table. Yes - the table lifted. - we don't know how or why it works, all we know is that it doesl" Bruce Elliot p The Phoenix No. 36, p. 150.

15 SEANCE

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

THE LEVITATION OF THE HUMAN BODY Friday, Jan. 13th, 1882 Calcutta, India Magician Harry Keller, dean of American magicians is in Calcutta with his stage show. By coincidence, English Medium, William Eglinton, is also in Calcutta reaping a harvest with his seances. Eglinton sends Keller a special invitation to attend a seance. Tuesday, Jan. 17th, Keller is a guest of honor at a seance held at the home of Mr. J. G. Meugens. Keller is seated at Eglinton's left and is holding Eglinton's left hand. Eglinton commenced to levitate and went higher and higher. Keller had to jump on the table to keep from loosing hold of Eglinton's hand. Eglinton was hovering near the ceilingl Keller was deeply puzzled and for many years was unable to account for what he witnessed there. He publicly stated, "I went as·a sceptic, but I must own that I came away utterly unable to explainp by any natural means, the phenomena that I witnessed Tuesday evening." Almost 40 years later, in a letter to Joseph Rinn dated July 26, 1921, Keller again stated, ItI admit, franklyp that I was as much puzzled at what took place there as anyone in the party." (60 years of Psychical Research, Rinn) How do mediums created the illusion of levitation? First, the medium proves to the sitters that he can levitate by doing it in full light or subdued light. The sitters see this phenomenon with their own eyes and are convinced. They see tables and chairs or heavy furniture move about and levitate. They see the medium levitate while sitting on a chair. So when the lights are out and the sitters touch the legs of a chair or the medium's boots hovering over their heads, they are not surprised. In their mind's eye they see the medium levitated clear up to the ceiling. At one time, Home levitated sitting in a chair. He then told the sitters to remove the chair because it was not holding him at all. So the sitters removed the chair which was in mid air and they assumed that Home was also in mid airl The medium has many ways of proving levitation. We have already seen several, like the Yogi Levitation (Slade's Trick) which by itself is a convincer. Plus chairs and tables that levitate when no one is near. So let's assume that we have a group of sitters that have never been in a seance room. They are seeing these miracles for the first time, which is usually the case, so we start from the beginingl

16 AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

SEANCE THE DIVINE GIFT

cont. ••

1f6#10"C14 a.~ . We are going to convince the sitters that levi~tions are commonplace in the seance rooml So for the preliminaries, we do some abnormal lifts. The reader may already be acquainted with the 'abnormal lift' done with a person sitting on a chair. This trick has appeared in print many times. A heavy person sits in a chair and four persons stick their index fingers under his knees and arm pits and lift him up effortlessly. No one has been able to explain how this happens, as the sitters could not lift 50 lbs. with their index fingers without breaking them. Here is another abnormal lift that is little known. Fig. 16, shows a man being lifted while in a standing position, by five ladies who use only one index finger eachl It is hard to believe that this experiment works with a heavy man and he remains suspended for a few moments supported only by the lady's five fingersl To DOl Have the man stand in the middle of the floor. Have one lady place her index finger under his chin. Two other ladies place their index fingers under his insteps and two other ladies place their index finger under his arm pits. At your command the ladies lift up and the man goes up in the air. Another person should stand behind the man to avoid him falling backwards although that is very unlikely. 6 The breathing exercises can also be Fig. 1 used here to add to the mystery. Try the test with a small man first until the method is mastered.

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IfIll4.ttl"4 l Another abnormal lift. Two ladies lift up

a man effortlesslyl Have two ladies stand facing each other. A man is then told to stand between them facing the audience. The man is told to bend his arms at the elbow at about 90 degree angle with the hands towards the audience. The ladies are then told to place one hand under the man's elbow and to hold the man's hands with their other free hand. At your command the ladies lift and the man goes up in the air. Caution. The man's upper arm must be in a vertical position and the man must not be too heavy. Choose a slim, person. These tests are done in full light. They mold the minds of the sitters for more mysteries to follow. Strange things are happening and the sitters sense it and slowly rationality flies out the window.

17 SEANCE

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

THE DIVINE GIrT

cont . ••

Now is the time to follo w with the Yogi Levi tatio n with the medium sitti ng in the chai r. A good bit of busin ess is to place the r over a shee t of news pape r and have a lady squa ting on your chai righ t side instr ucting her to pull the pape r as soon as the chai r levi tates . When the chai r is levit ated the firs t time , the lady pull s out the news pape r clea r of the chai r and this is anno unced to the othe r sitte rs, and it shou ld bring some AHSt out of them . You will finis h this part in semi -dark ness so you will be ready to levi tate like Eglin ton! ••

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:

(The chai r levi tatio n, from an early manu scrip t) A spec tator is invit ed to sit on a chai The chai r is tilted so it rests on its back legs . By simp lyr. plac ing the fing ertips of one hand on the back of the chai r, it sudd enly levi tate s, spec tator and all. No appa ratus is used in this test - inste ad you depen d upon the littl e known "Law of Leve rage. " Tell the spec tator to sit on the chai and tilt it back so it rests on the two rear legs . Hind legs rof chai r touc hing floo r only , he must grip the botto m of the seat with both hand s. and plan t his feet firm ly on the floo r. Now that the spec tator is tilte d back in this posi tion , step in back of the chai r and simp ly place seve ral fing ers of one of your hand s on the chai r, near the top rear . Push forw ard and away from you with your ers, hard agai nst the back of the chai r. Prov iding thefing spec tator keep s his grip on the seat of the chai r and feet firm ly plan whol e chai r p spec tator and all, will now raise itse lf ted, the from off the floo r. T he effe ct is very star tling for appa rentl y the chai r and ., all goes up in the air abou t a foot or so, and the smal l amou nt of push ing done on your part pass es unse en. Real ly no stren gth is need ed at all for the law of the lever age care of the chai r "lev itati on" - that , and the spec tator 'stakes own legs him and the chai r, altho ugh neith er he nor the audie nce supp ort real izes it." Mind Read er's Budg et Offe r No. 1 N. Geno vis, NYC

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Have someone you wish ess sitti ng on your left . Sitti ng on your righ t shou ld tobe impr a confede rate. One of your trust ed assi stan ts. Get a good hold on the perso n to your so that he cannot let go. The room is next plung ed into left tota ness and a few psyc hic man ifest ation take place p like lighl tsdark and knot ing of hank erch iefs, etc.

18 AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

SEANCE EGLINTON'S LEVITATION

cont. ••

While the spirits manifest, you get your right foot on the seat of your chair and then your left so that you will be in a squating position, while everyone thinks you are still sitting on the chair. From that position you secretly stand up slowly so that it appears like you are levitating. Mention the fact that something is happening. The forces are moving you and you know not where they will take you. "Don't let go of my hands whatever you do." you say. After you reach a full standing position, next place your feet on top of the table and squat there and then start to stand up again. All this while soft spirit music is playing and other things are happening, like bells ringing etc. One of your assistants, a trusted one, places your chair secretly on the table, noiselessly of course and carefully. This chair is fixed with rubber pads under the legs so that it will not make noise or slip. Next you get on the seat of the chair and squat there again and so on so that you can reach as high as you wish and write anything on the cealing. If you have the situation well in hand, you can actually use a ladder to do the climbing, starting from the floor and then having the ladder placed over the table. In a dark room, anything goes, so you have a free hand and beautiful and heavenly illusions resultl Amazingly, no one can detect anything providing they are all holding hands. You keep your left arm sticking out as much as you can to keep the person on your left from bumping against the chair or ladder. But even if someone bumps into them, they have no idea what it was, providing also that they are still holding hands and cannot feel around them.

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The miracle of levitation with the assistance of the spirits was demonstrated by all the mediums when they levitated, chair and all to the top of the table. We have seen (page 11) that Palladino could levitate a chair over her head and on top of the table or land it on someone's lapl By the same token, she could, after liberating one hand, maneuver the chair around so that the back of the chair leaned against the edge of the table. She would then be on a squating position on the chair. Pretending levitation, she could then stand on the chair and then get on the table and take the chair with her. After she resumed the hold on the sitters with both her hands she could then sit on the chair and call for lights! Amazingly, in the retelling, the sitters never mentioned what took place in full light and what took place in total darkness. To them it means nothing as they saw everything in their mind'S eye, and no one on earth can tell them different.

19 SEANCE

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

NEVER TAKE CHANCES. For the special seance where you have invited someone you wish to impress, take all the precautions necessary. There should only be twelve or less sitters. Home only allowed a total of nine, counting himself. Half of these should be assistants so that they can sit between the invited guests so that they can hold their hands and make sure they will not break the circle, or shine a light. If anything goes wrong, the assistants will give the secret warning. The room must be in total darkness, which means that the windows must be fully covered and opaque so that light from the street can not enter. All light switches must be under your control. All bulbs should be removed if possible. The advantage to the medium .is that he alone says who are the invited guests. If you use a ladder, it should be painted dead black. BREATHING EXERCISES, say the mystics is the secret behind all levitations. So use breathing exercises in your presentation of the abnormal lifts and the Yogi Levitation, etc. PALLADINO'S PULP. After reading the exploits of Eusapia Palladino, the Italian medium, the reader must come to one of two conclusions, that she was either a genuine medium doing real miracles or that she was a genius of a trickster, the greatest in the world. Some of the eye-witness reports about Palladino sound unbelievable and can only be explained by saying that she did a miracle. A well versed Mentalist or investigator can see right through most of the reports. Nandor Fodor in his encyclopedia says the following. Quoting investigator Chiaia. " - we found the medium stretched out, her head and small portion of her back supported on the top of the table, and the remainer of the body extended horizontally, straight as a bar, and without any support to the lower part, whilst her dress was adhering to her legs as if the clothing was fastened or stitched around her." Sounds too good to be true. It also sounds exactly as the broom levitation that magicians do on stage in full lightl Palladino was "straight as a bar," which means she was wearing one of those expensive gimmicks strapped to her body under her dress. Very clever, what~ She could also have just been holding up a stretcher with a pair of shoes at the end, while her body was hid by the end of the table!

e",,(?~.46't.I'c q"t-cx,v-it'l! : This is the antithesis of levitation. Alberto Fontana, the medium, after a levitation, remained as nailed to the floor and nobody was able to move him. This brings us to our next topic ofa

20

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

SEANCE

'7~ 1'ldllC-J.i!t«.lte

*1K4":

It appears that Fontana, the medium, did a version of the unliftable man. There are several secrets connected with this phenomena, depending on what the 'medium' is able to do and sell. One stage performer, allowed anyone to lift him by placing his hands around the performer's bare waist. And then he defied anyone to lift him against his willl There are two ways to proceed for making yourself, non-liftable. 1. Performer places his left hand on the lifter's neck at his right side and applies pressure on the jugular vein with the index finger AND at the same time, performer places his right hand on the left wrist of the lifter. By applying pressure on both points, the lift becomes impossible. 2. Another method is that the performer takes both of the lifter's wrists in his hands and twists the wrists outward. This action divides the lifter's force making the performer excessively heavy. These experiments must be practiced many times in order to learn the technique. In presenting them, magnetic passes and breathing exercises must be done for effect.

~.4f;(!Iu.·e ~i9IA.CtJ: Psychic lights are very much a part of any seance room and psychic laboratories. While the medium is in trance, lights dance and gyrate about him. Fig. 17, shows a way of displaying lights in the darkened seance room. The medium has been tied with ropes, etc. and lights soon appear. A thumb tack that has been painted with luminous paint is attached to the bottom of the shoe. But one must not take these lights lightly, for as will be seen, psychic lights display intelligence by answering questions, and writing Wids ..........do tied • II. ...PcIe" .tard•• messages in mid airl 1110 .udie.... b" w.";•• •_ ri." iIliaIs< .fte. cheA A psychic light does not have to Clark...... l_moYa tack _ 1110 dance to earn its keep, a steady ..... Ie che_a. unexplained light is the most mysterious of all. Steady unaccountable lights have been seen in the seance room, in the psychic laboratories, Fig. 17 in haunted houses and cavesl A good Mentalist can produce one of these mysterious lights, simply by reflecting a light from an outside source through a hidden mirror in a box and aiming it down a darkened staircase or dungeon. Tiny holes in the box will do the trickl

21

SEANCE PSYCHIC LIGHTS

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE cont. ••

Now you may feast your eyes on what a genius like Charles Foster can do with the psychic light as shown in Fig. 17. While in Boston, Foster was begged to do a dark seance. He consented reluctantly, but it appears that he had foreknowlege of it and prepared himself in an uncanny fashion. Present at the seance were Robert Dale Owens, famous psychic investigator, and Boston poetess, Lizzie Doten. A dining room table was chosen for the seance, the kind that have removable leaves in the center to shorten them. So it was decided to remove the center leaves, and 10 and behold, when they tried to close the table, it wouldn't. So it was decided to proceed anyway, with the table having a gaping void in the center. Here was a chance, (prearranged ?) for Foster to give the sitters a good peek at all the spirits that gather under the table while the medium is in a trance. ,George C. Bartlett speaking, "I considered it fortunate that the leaves were left out. Many surprising physical manifestations occurred, so startling in their nature that I can hardly believe that they occurred myselfl __ " "-Numerous questions were asked and answered by Mr. Foster, when suddenly, looking through the aperture which the vacant leaves left in the table, I perceived numerous small lights, like little balls of fire, in size from a large pinhead to that of a pigeon egg. The entire space of the lower part of the table was filled with these electric sparks, and this to me was a wonderful phenomenon. "When a question was asked, and the answer was no, which was signified by one rap, one of these sparks or balls of fire, darted against the side of the table or on the floor, producing the rappi~g, and disappeared. If the rap was low, a little ball of fire; just in proportion to the loudness of the rap was the size of the ball used. A loud rap evidently required a large ball of fire to explode. - - This lasted for nearly one hour. When the answer was yes, we could see three little balls of fire separated themselves from the others, run one after another, strike and disappear." "That night's experience satisfied me forever that there were raps produced through an agency which has not yet been eXplained satisfactorily." II

Foster's feet and legs must have been aching after that ordeal. And he must have used at least one good dozen of luminous thumb tacks 1 You can also see that Foster even had his agent Bartlett, buffaloed. Boston, (circa 1873)

22 AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

SEANCE

A few decades ago, the light about to be described, created a sensation in the seance room. And its secret was in great demand and jealously guarded. In the dark it resembled a far away first magnitude star. It was a tiny but very brilliant light. It displayed intelligence and could obey the medium and answer questions. To create this light all you need is a pen flashlight. The bulb of the light is painted with dead black paint and given several coats so that when the light is turned on, no light is seen. After the paint dries, take a knife and make a tiny scratch on the tip of the bulb. Only a pin point of light should come through. (about the size of a pin head). To answer questions, the medium displays a cluster of lights (luminous tacks stuck to the bottom of his shoe) that gyrate and move about. If a 'yes' answer is needed, Vulcan dashes out from the cluster three times. If a 'no' answer is needed, Vulcan dashes out only once, etc. MESSAGES WRITTEN IN FIRE. Vulcan can also be used to write names and words in mid air. A real spooky way of writing in light in mid air is to write with a luminous wax stick on a blackboard. The words remain in view and appear to hang in the air until the slate or blackboard is turned over. The audience are never shown the blackboard and do not know that one exists.

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A seance shou!d be programed in the same fashion as a stage show. Consider the table your stage and the sitters your audience. And you are there to entertain, mystify and thrill the sitters and to give them a good show. You must start the 'show' with a fast convincer to get the attention of your audience and to prove your powers, then you go into the meat of the seance and finish with a brainbuster effect like levitations. So, let's programe the seance in three parts. 1. The opener effect, 2. The main event, the meat of the seance and last 3. The closing effect, a brain crippler. 1. The opener effect. This should be a fast convincer like a fast billet test. Acidus Plus would be ideal here. 2. The main event. Here you do some mediumistic effects in full light. The Kolophon is great here followed by other tests. Book tests, slate tests etc. BUT of vital importance at this time is "Communication with the deadl" Many sitters come to a seance for that one purpose alone. They wish to speak to their dearly departed. (To be detailed later). 3. The closing effect. This has to be spooky. Here you let the spirits manifestl Slade's Flying chair, moving pianoes, table levitations, etc.

~~"""""~----~4 23 AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

SEANCE PROGRAMING THE SEANCE

cont. ••

The ancient pysOhic formula of, Tell them what you are going to do. Do it. And tell them what you did, should always be used. This is done after the opening effect. You give them a short lecture. Tell them what you have done in the past, etc.

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'714' 'DeIL4 .1 For a Mentalist,

this phase of the programe is easy. All you have to do is to first read the minds of the sitters and then converse with the unseen inhabitants!! This is best den.e with billets. THE INVOCATION SLIPS. You may want to go through the trouble of having printed 'Invocation slips.' Or they may be handwritten. These slips instruct the sitter to write the name of the spirit (dearly departed) with whom they wish to communicate. The question they wish to have answered, the age at death of the dead and the day that they died and the sitter must sign his name at the bottom. (see Fig. 1~ The slips are written (or printed) like questionairs. The sitters are told that if they wish a communication they must fill in the slips and sign them. That no one will see what they have written. To fold the billets twice after they are finished and to not show them to no one or tell anyone what they have written. You say that in order to invoke the spirits, they must be called by name, etc. This slips may be filled out before the seance starts and the sitters are told to hold on to them. The use of clip boards or impression devises would be ideal here, but nothing impresses the sitters like a fire ritual. So you must burn the slips in a fire ritual vessel on the center of the table. If you already know what is written on the slips, so much the better, otherwise you must do a billet switch and the "Inner Space Odyssey" switch is recommended. So let's say that you're in possesion of the slips or the information, so now you have the room plunged in total darkness as you communicate with spirits! THE MESSAGES are given in the dark, sometimes verbally, sometimes written in fire, or on a slate. A trumpet would be also ideal here. You read the message by covering yourself with an opaque blanket. You use a flashlight under the blanket to read the message. You then holler the answers through the blanket and it will sound like your voice comes from an abyss! One of your assistants can sit near you and repeat the messages. Difficult questions are not answered, but are referred to a private reading. You say that the spirit is not ready to answer at this time as it has another vital message to give the Sitter, etc. During the private reading later, for an extra fee. you do the Charles Foster routine and get the answer from the sitter's mind (see The Foster Account). If the sitter does not know the answer then any answer will do!

•

24 SEANCE COMMUNICATING WITH THE DEAD ••

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

INVOCATION Fig. 18, e.hows a sample of an NAME or DEAD RELATIVE _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Invocation slip. RELATIONSHIP With the information gotten AGE AT TIME or DEATH _ _ _ _ _ _ __ from this slip, miracles will be YEAR Of DEATH forthcoming. CAUSL or DEATH You can answer the question QUESTION: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ like Foster by saying. "Now a female spirit comes to us (or SIGNED _ _ _ _ _ __ is standing by you smiling)." "MY I How young and beautiful Fig. 18 she looks, etc." NOTE. The phrase 'young and beautiful' applies to anyone from a child to an 80 year old woman that died. No matter the age of the deceased, the sitter assumes that in spiritland her dearly beloved dead is now young and beautiful. During a seance, sometimes the medium must resort to cold reading, due to insufficient information or perhaps the billet has not been sighted yet. So the above phrase of, 'how young and beautiful she looks;, is always used. During the readings and messages from the dead, a tiny bell is stroke only once periodically, say at intervals of 15 seconds or so, by an assistant. Occassionaly lights are seen and tiny explosions occur ( a mouse trap snapping). An assistant may sing an ode in a low soft voice or spirit music is played very softly. If a light is seen from under the blanket as you use the flashlight, one of the shills jumps and says, "I see a spirit light!" This is your que to be more careful. 3. After the readings, you do the spooky stuff so that your sitters will have a lot to talk about. Then if you wish you can close by having a good-will message for the sitters appear on a slate. End of Seance. NOTE. Instead of a blanket, the medium may just use his coat which he throws over his head and the Vulcan Spirit light mentioned before. While delivering messages from the dead, the spirits, speaking through the medium, console the living, giving them good advise confort and good will and predict pleasant things for the future. Here is an example. D~ar Father-It is as great a satisfaction to me as it can be to you to have this meeting. Do not think of me as lying in the ground. All that was material has gone back to dust. But I am still existing but in a better world and very happy. I stand near you every day, and always will stand near you to guard and guide you. We shall meet again, and finally make an unbroken family in heaven. George. And who among you, dear reader can find fault with that or even say that it will not happen?

25 SEANCE

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

EFFECT. An examined handkerchief is placed on the center of the sence table. The lights are then turned off and while all the sitters hold hands with the medium forming a complete unbroken circle, the handkerchief comes to life and moves, and floats and coils like a serpent. When the lights are turned on, it is found that the handkerchief has one or more knots tightly drawn I The lights are tUrned off again and the circle of hands is formed, the handkerchief again comes to life, This time it moves and jumps as wished by the sitters. The medium asks one of the sitters, a person that has never attended the seance before, a total stranger, to decide whether the handkerchief should jump to the left or right or on top of the medium. Whatever is decided, the handkerchief obeys and ends up on the lap or shoulder of one of the sitters to the left or right of the medium, or ends up on the medium's headl MEr HOD. Note that in the effect, the lights are turned off and - - a split second later the circle of hands is formed. During this split second and as soon as the lights are turned off, the medium snatches the examined handkerchief and exchanges it for one with a good knot or two. Immediately the medium says, "Everybody please take your next sitter's hands and form a complete circle all around, and do not break the circle." "I see the handkerchief moving -- it is jumping - it is now coiling like a snake - my goodness! it is knotting itself- lights! lights I please turn on the lights!" The assistant who is sitting by the light switch by a far wall turns on the lights and it is found that the chain of hands is unbroken all around. When the handkerchief is examined it is found knottedl "Let's try another test," says the medium as he points to the assistant by the light switch. The lights go off and immediately the medium takes the handkerchief and places it over his head and says, "Everyone hold hands again, and no matter what happens don't let go of your neighbor's hand." "Mary." says the medium addressing the lady across the table. "You have never been here before, right? This is the first time here and you and I are strangers g right?" "Goodl I want you to mentally guide the handkerchief. Mr. Lewis is on my left and Mrs. Rogers on my right. Now where do you want the handkerchief to jump to? To Mr. Lewis or to Mrs. Roger or to me?" Whatever is decided, the handkerchief obeys as the medium says, "The handkerchief is moving - it is floating in mid air - it is jumping up and down - now it is running in circles etc. " The sitter who was chosen next feels the handkerchief

26 AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

SEANCE THE SPIRIT HANDKERCHIEF

cont. ••

drop on his lap or shoulder. - "Now the handkerchief is moving towards Mr. Lewis," etc. - "now it is at the edge of the tableit jumpedl" At this time Mr. Lewis or whomever, feels the handkerchief drop on his lap or shoulder. "Lightsl Turn on the lightsl" The medium throws the handkerchief with a jerk of his head, either left or right as needed. This move must be practiced to get the correct slant on it. If it is decided that the handkerchief jump on top of the medium, so much the better, as the handkerchief climbs up the medium's chest, to his shoulder and up to the top of his head! A strange sight awaits the sitters when the lights come on! THE LATTER DAY SEANCE. The flyer at rightannou nce sase ance. Not in the year 1870 but in : YOU'VE EVER WOND the year 1980. AN::gc~ DURING 'l'1iErR~~T KINDs OF THINGS As can be seen, the IKGO~~~~=OF~:~=tP~ORM. latter-day seance is in •• DID IT. ANDLEAVEYOUPUZZL. no way different than the seances of 2000 years ago. The main attraction at a seance is 'communication with the deadl' It fills a human need. EUaa EVElfllfG WITH Close behind are EIf£BURG£R ghosts, goblins and d spooks. It'. PCJrt horror : : his SPIRIT FRIElfDS really geta Into the ap'WPClrtfreVival of old faahlo eel T he icing on the to 8atirizin th n parlor or h g e sham of the h........ ~ ~r theatre that cake is the mediumistic I ' --, ongUlaJ. -