Are Seances real, or just another scam?

Are Seances real, or just another scam? When we think of hauntings the natural next thought could be seance! But what is a Seance?

A séance (pronounced /ˈseɪɒns/) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma" ("a movie session"). In English, however, the word came to be used specifically for a meeting of people who are gathered to receive messages from ghosts or spirits or to listen to a spirit medium discourse with or relay messages from spirits; in modern English usage, participants need not be seated while engaged in a séance. One of the earliest books on the subject of communication amongst deceased persons was Dialogues with the Dead by George, First Baron Lyttleton, published in England in 1760. ^[1] Among the notable spirits quoted in this volume are Peter the Great, Pericles, a "North-American Savage," William Penn, and Christina Queen of Sweden. The popularity of séances grew dramatically with the founding of the religion of Spiritualism in the mid-nineteenth century. Perhaps the best-known series of séances conducted at that time were those of Mary Todd Lincoln who, grieving the loss of her son, organized Spiritualist séances in the White House, which were attended by her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, and other prominent members of society.^[2] The 1887 Seybert Commission report marred the credibility of Spiritualism at the height of its popularity by publishing exposures of fraud and showmanship among secular séance leaders. ^[3]. Contemporary séances continue to be a part of the religious services of Spiritualist, Spiritist, and Espiritismo churches today, where a greater emphasis is placed on spiritual values versus showmanship. - Wikipedia

However with that said, how many have really contacted the dead? One of our staff as a teenager had a guidance counselor who he'd grown close to. She died over one weekend during his Junior High years. The counselor was in a habit of driving him to school everyday. The Sunday of that weekend he received a call from what he thought was her. She stated that she wouldn't be able to drive him to school on Monday and to take the bus instead. The phone call then ended with a static noise growing louder and finally ending in a dial tone.

Millions and millions of personal accounts exist of being contacted by relatives and friends shortly after their demise.

Harry Houdini even devised a code so that his wife would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was he that was calling from beyond the grave. However, no one ever gave the right code to her before her passing.

Ouiji (a.k.a Ouija) have been used during Seances to allow the dead a medium to communicate with the living during the session. We provide such items in the Phantasmagoric World Store Old Technologies if you're curious!
Pendulums have also been used to communicate with the dead which is in some ways simpler than using other mediums. A person can either swing the pendulum over an object and ask simple yes or no questions or they can use it as a dowsing direction finder to locate a spirit.
Pendulum dowsing has been sworn to be many water dowsers which also use it for diagnosing aches and pains which we don't recommend!

And finally, spiritualist claim to have the ability to either be possessed by the spirit or talk to the spirit which can't be verified! Whether Seances actually do talk to the dead or whether their just another scam we may never know!

Thanks for your time and attention! Have a Phantasmagoric Day!

I've been slimmed!

Ectoplasm, what is it?

We've heard throughout our lives about ectoplasm being left after a haunting or manifesting during seance. However, ectoplasm is (from the Greek ektos, "outside", + plasma, "something formed or molded") is a term coined by Charles Richet to denote a substance or spiritual energy "exteriorized" by physical mediums.[1] Ectoplasm is said to be associated with the formation of ghosts, and hypothesized to be an enabling factor in psychokinesis.

Although the term is widespread in popular culture, the physical existence of ectoplasm is not accepted by mainstream science. Some tested samples purported to be ectoplasm have been found to be various non-paranormal substances, including chiffon and flakes of human skin.[2][3] Other researchers have duplicated, with non-supernatural materials, the photographic effects sometimes said to prove the existence of ectoplasm.[4]

Since its inception in the field of spiritualism, the concept of ectoplasm has escaped to become a staple in popular culture and fictional supernatural lore. Notable examples include Noel Coward's 1941 play Blithe Spirit, and the 1984 film Ghostbusters; in which "ectoplasmic residue" secreted by ghosts is portrayed as viscous, cloudy and greenish-white, similar to nasal mucus, famously referred to in Bill Murray's line, "He slimed me!" - Wikipedia

Those that have claimed to have seen this substance say that it is a filmy white substance however, recent photographs of the substance show it to be greenish in color.


Others have said ectoplasm to look like a spider web in appearance.

The effects one experiences from this substance is those akin to out-of-body experiences. Leaving the person feeling drained or conversely, highly energized. The purpose of this substance still isn't quite clear except to prove that the medium has contacted "the other side!"

Thank you for your attention and time! Have a great Phantasmagoric World Day!

Remote Viewing and Astral Travel, the only way to fly!

Astral travel/projection, remote viewing has been used by the military as well as intelligence agencies in an effort to collect information from the "enemy." How much success and whether these methods are used today is also classified. However, many have been interviewed and proclaimed that they in fact used these methods for clandestine purposes. But, let's see what remote viewing and astral projection/travel really is/is not!



Remote viewing is the purported ability for a person to gather information on a remote target that is hidden from the physical perception of the viewer and typically separated from the viewer at some distance, a form of extra-sensory perception.[1][2] The term was introduced by Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff in 1974 - Wikipedia

And Astral Travel, (a.k.a Astral Projection) is a paranormal interpretation of an out-of-body experience achieved either awake or via lucid dreaming or deep meditation. The concept of astral projection assumes the existence of another body, separate from the physical body and capable of traveling to non-physical planes of existence. Commonly such planes are called astral, etheric, or spiritual. Astral projection is often experienced as the spirit or astral body leaving the physical body to travel in the spirit world or astral plane - Wikipedia

With that said, there are a host of cults that claim the use of Astral Projection such as Eckankar which purports to be able to travel to other dimensions of existence.

Astral Travel/Remote viewing has also been reported by patients having Out of Body Experiences (OBE).
These occur mainly during surgery whereby the patient experiences floating about the doctors and then traveling to various places and encountering other beings.
This usually occurs where the patient is close to death or in a state of arrest known as a Near Death Experience (NDE).

To date, there hasn't been any scientific proof that these people have had an actual NDE or OBE. However, there have been millions of personal accounts that they have! We leave this for you to decide!

Thank you for your time and attention! Have a Phantasmagorical World Day!