Ok I admit it. I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing and ended up looking up how to talk to dead people. Enjoy!

Table rapping–this is basically knocking on a table. Three raps mean yes, one means no and 2 raps means I don’t know. Most communication is limited to yes or no questions. There is a complicated series of raps and pauses for sentences but usually more complex communications involve the possession of a medium. I found one reference saying the first time it is mentioned is by Tertullian of the fathers of the Catholic church in 250AD said that demons made prophesy this way. Fast forward to 1554 to Rushton Hall in England and a servant was reading from a bible and asked if there was a God and there were three raps upon the table.

Table tipping/turning-A table that has the alphabet circling the edges either on a cloth or embedded in the wood and uses a metal ring that picks out the letters by tipping or turning the table. The first documented case of this is in 360 AD when Valens, then Emperor or Rome wanted to know who the next emperor would be, the letters spelled out T-H-E-O-D and he had everyone put to death with that name. Theodosius was the next emperor. This is like an early Ouija board, which was used during World War 1 by the spiritualists.

Speaking/Singing–this is possession by the entities allowing them to use the mediums voice. This tradition goes back to the Oracle of Delphi

Automatic Writing-just the hands are possessed and compelled to write what the spirit wants to communicate. The medium can be in a trance or waking state.

Scrying–basically you stare at a reflective, translucent or luminescent substance to communicate with spirits or divine the future. This is the classic crystal ball, but stones, glass mirrors, water, fire and smoke are often used. Nostradamus is said to have gotten his visions from peering into bowl of water. Bloody Mary is probably the best known folklore associated