Séances

We’re back and and we’re in the dark. While we’re told that darkness is essential for séances, it does make it tricky to watch when the medium starts dancing. Also, if the spirits are going to start shooting pistols near us, we’d prefer to be able to see where the guns are pointed. Happily, Napoleon is here to offer some practical military advice to these otherworldly gunmen. We just hope that he doesn’t leave us quite as wet and sticky as last time. It plays hell with our zithers! Main Topic: Séances As a belated coda to our discussions of Victorian Spiritualism, we thought we’d go through some contemporary accounts of Victorian séances, looking for inspiration. Our earlier discussions glossed over the details of what actually happens in a séance and how they differ from what we see in popular media. The truth turns out to be far weirder than any fiction. Our goal, as ever, is to offer inspiration for games. If you do decide to include a séance inspired by these accounts in one of your games, we’d love to hear about it! Links Things we mention in this episode include: * Victorian Spiritualism episodes * Experiences in Spiritualism: A Record of Extraordinary Phenomena Witnessed Through the Most Powerful Mediums by Catherine Berry * Keeping in Touch – an Anthology of the Victorian Séance by Megan Bruening * Mesmerism * Lisa Morton’s London Fortean Society lecture * William Stainton Moses * Spiritualist churches * Thomas Edison’s spirit phone * “The Statement of Randolph Carter” by HP Lovecraft * Most Haunted * Fox Sisters * D&D * Satanic Panic * Spirit cabinets * Catherine Berry * The Third Man (1949) * Francis Ward Monck