In 1848 two sisters, Catherine and Margaret Fox, claimed to have talked to the spirit of a man. Together they devised a tapping system to discover that the man, a peddlar, had been murdered and buried in the cellar. The story hit the papers in New York and the Spiritualism Movement began. NOTE: In 1888, Margaret Fox claimed the sisters faked the encounter, but a human skeleton was actually found buried in the walls of the cellar in 1904. Ms. Fox recanted her confession the following year.
Spiritualism-the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living. Anyone may receive spirit messages, but formal communication sessions (séances) are held by “mediums”, who can then provide information about the afterlife. (Wikipedia)
1852- Mrs. Maria Hayden, a medium from the US begins practicing Spiritualism in England. Although there were mediums practicing in England, she is widely credited with giving series momentum to the Spiritualism Movement in England.
1875- Helena Blavatsky, a Russian immigrant who is said to have possessed demonic occult powers, founds the Theosophical Society in New York with Colonel Olcott. The Theosophical Society currently maintains its international headquarters in India. Two of Ms. Blavatsky’s books, Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine, laid the foundations for the current New Age Movement.
Séance- used specifically for a meeting of people who are gathered to receive messages from spirits or to listen to a spirit medium discourse with or relay messages from spirits. (Wikipedia)
Communicating with the Dead
Crystal Balls-is a crystal or glass ball believed by some people to aid in the performance of clairvoyance. It is sometimes known as a shew stone. As early as 2000BC, Celtic tribes in Britain were using crystals for divination. (Wikipedia)
Tarot Cards- From the late 18th century until the present time the tarot has also found use by mystics and occultists in efforts at divination or as a map of mental and spiritual pathways. In the 15th Century, Tarot cards were introduced from Egypt as playing cards. (Wikipedia)
Table rapping- form of communication with spirits of the dead
Mental Telepathy- the transfer of information on thoughts or feelings between individuals by means other than the five senses.
Ouija board- also known as a spirit/fire key board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0-9, the words ‘yes’ ‘no’ and ‘goodbye’, and other symbols and words are sometimes also added to help personalize the board. It is commonly believed to be a way of communicating with spirits of the dead. Similar instruments were used in Ancient Greece, China, Rome
Automatic Writing- Writing said to be produced by a spiritual, occult, or subconscious agency rather than by the conscious intention of the writer