Adrian Paul
Spence
Search results
A séance or seance (/ ˈ s eɪ. ɑː n s /; French:) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word séance comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French seoir, "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general and mundane: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma" (lit. ' a movie session ').
Examples of séance in a Sentence. Recent Examples on the Web Join us in a sunshine seance by scrolling on to shop one (or all) of the special spring-occasion candles ahead.
- Overview
- Creating the Right Atmosphere
- Choosing a Tool to Contact the Dead
- Welcoming the Spirits
- Ending the Séance
A séance allows you to contact the spirit world to ask questions or seek guidance. For best results, you’ll need a group of spiritual believers who are open to contacting a spirit. Set up your séance in a quiet room, then sit with your participants in a circle. When you’re ready, begin the séance and ask your questions. After the spirit stops answering or you’re finished, close the séance by thanking the spirits.
Move to a quiet room and invite other spiritual people to participate. Prepare easy questions for the spirit and set a table with candles and ritual supplies.
Choose a tool for contacting the dead—like a spirit board, pendulum, spirit rapping, or ask a psychic medium to be a conduit.
Sit in a circle and join hands with all candles lit. Recite an opening incantation, ask the spirit questions, and decipher its answers.
Choose a quiet room to use.
It's important to conduct the séance in a place where there will be as few interruptions as possible. Choose a quiet space with lighting you can adjust to a dim setting. Make sure the room is comfortable and not filled with distracting electronics, loud artwork or other items that might take away from the experience.
Many people mistakenly think that a séance must be conducted in a haunted place. The room or building you choose does not have to be haunted. Spirits will come to any place if they feel welcome when you call them.
You may, however, wish to hold the séance in a place that holds spiritual meaning for you and the others who will be present. For example, you could hold it in the home of a loved one who has passed on if you seek to connect with that person through the séance.
Invite people who believe in the spirit world.
A séance is much more powerful if everyone there really believes that it's possible to communicate with spirits. Skeptics weaken the energy of the séance, making it hard for spirits to come through. Choose people who believe in the supernatural and desire to contact spirits.
for easy communication with spirits.
A spirit board usually has the alphabet and the words “yes,” “no,” and “maybe” printed on it. This allows the spirit to give more detailed responses so you can ask more than just yes-or-no questions. Additionally, anyone can use a spirit board. Include a spirit board in your séance if you want clearer answers.
For instance, a Ouija board is a popular type of spirit board.
Follow the instructions that came with your spirit board. Typically, everyone at the séance places their hands on a pointer, called a planchette, that moves across the board to indicate the spirit’s answers.
by writing the alphabet and basic answers like “yes” and “no” on a piece of paper.
Use a pendulum if you’re asking simple yes-or-no questions.
Be seated in a circle and light the candles.
Have everyone sit down and patiently wait while you light the candles in the center of the table. Make sure electric lighting has been turned off or dimmed. Light incense and turn on instrumental music if you wish. Once everything is ready, assess the environment and make adjustments if necessary to create just the right atmosphere.
Check in with the other sitters to make sure everyone is relaxed. If necessary,
for 5-10 minutes so that everyone is focused on the spirit world.
Make sure everyone is ready to take part in the séance.
Talk to the sitters and get a feel for their moods. It's normal for people to be a little anxious, and some may giggle nervous or look worried. However, if someone is cynical or frightened, you might ask them to sit out.
Continue the séance as long as you're still receiving answers.
A séance can last anywhere from 15 minutes to longer than an hour. Ask everyone to stay in the circle until the spirits seem to be gone, you’re no longer receiving answers, or you’ve run out of questions. Decide to end the séance when it feels right.
A séance can be an emotionally intense experience that elicits a range of different reactions. If someone is crying or upset, it’s best to end the séance or to allow them to leave.
Thank the spirits for coming when you're ready to stop.
It's always a good idea to give a séance closure, as you would any other type of spiritual service or ritual. End the séance by thanking the spirits for joining your circle. You may want to say a prayer of closure. Thank the sitters for their participation as well, then blow out the candles to formally end the session.
You might say, “Thank you Grandma Greta for joining our circle tonight. We appreciate your guidance and love,” or “We thank you spirits for coming to our circle and sharing your guidance with us.”
- Michele Debczak
- SPIRIT RAPPING. The famous Fox sisters had spirit rapping to thank for their careers. After their mother heard mysterious knocks coming from the walls and furniture of their home, she concluded the noise was metaphysical in nature.
- MANIFESTATION CABINETS. Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain. After first appearing on the séance scene in the 1850s, manifestation cabinets, or spirit cabinets, soon became a staple of the genre.
- SPIRIT SLATES. As an alternative to the tedious task of spelling out messages one letter at a time via ouija board, mediums often used slates that spirits could supposedly write on themselves.
- ECTOPLASM. Getty Images. On occasion, lucky séance participants were treated to the sight of ectoplasm oozing from their mediums. The gauzy substance was said to be part of the supernatural veil separating the spiritual realm from the physical one.
séance. noun [ C ] us / ˈseɪ.ɑːns / uk / ˈseɪ.ɒns /. Add to word list. a meeting where people try to talk with dead people: They're holding a séance this evening. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Souls, spirits & ghosts. apparition.
Séance, (French: “sitting”), in occultism, meeting centred on a medium (q.v.), who seeks to communicate with spirits of the dead. Because strong light is said to hinder communication, a séance usually takes place in darkness or subdued light. It generally involves six or eight persons, who normally.
Séance definition: a meeting in which a spiritualist attempts to communicate with the spirits of the dead.. See examples of SÉANCE used in a sentence.
