The United Kingdom really knows how to rock the whole Spiritualism thing. In Part 1 of my Mediumship in the UK series, platform medium Marion Hover shares a bit about her background with Spiritualism, two very cool experiences involving her mediumship, and her work with development circles and the Ouija.
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I’ve blogged about the Scole group several times here at The Big Séance. Like many people, I first read a bit about this group as it is simply highlighted in many books on the topic of spirit communication. Then, when I saw the documentary, The Afterlife Investigations, it seemed so much more real. I then had to read the book The Scole Experiment: Scientific Evidence for Life After Death by Grant and Jane Solomon. From reading the book
The “Scole Hole”, where most of the experiments took place.
I learned that in 1996 the Scole group formed “The New Spiritual Science Foundation”, and they published A Basic Guide to the development of Physical Psychic Phenomena using energy. This guide was written to help groups all over the world wanting to start similar spiritual energy circles, and sometimes it is just referred to as “A Basic Guide”. Of course, I had to have it. To my knowledge it can now only be obtained by downloading it from the link above.
If you’re not familiar with this group and the really cool phenomena that they documented, below is from one of my previous posts.
The Scole Experimental Group was started by two mediums who joined several other spiritual individuals in what most probably know as a spirit circle, which is also similar to a séance group. One thing I didn’t know before reading this book was that the structure of the group and the experiments were pretty much organized and guided by their “spirit team”. The team was composed of around 6 main entities, but other spirit scientists and technicians were involved in the process. Most of their communications came by using the two mediums in trance, but this was not the case every time. Some of the phenomena were moving spirit lights, manifestations of hands and faces, being touched, surround sound-like voices speaking in the room, levitating objects, faces and pictures showing up on sealed photographic film, and some of the cooler experiences involved many gifts of apports (the manifestation of an object seemingly coming from nowhere).
What was the goal of this group? In his first visit, Manu, the “gatekeeper” and leader of the spirit team told the Scole Group that “The team of beings I represent is made up of many thousands of minds from the many other realms of existence. We will be working with your group to provide very tangible evidence of the reality of these other realms. Our plan is to pioneer important methods of communication between the dimensions using ‘energy’ rather than the more traditional methods such as ectoplasm.”
It might be easy to blow this group off and say that there is no way to prove any of this phenomena and the experiences were real, but there are a number of scientists, psychologists, parapsychologists, and other wise and educated professionals who were present and inspected and studied the experiments. Some of these individuals were connected with the highly critical Society for Psychical Research.
I have some séance plans for this fall, but spirit circles are quite a bit different. If you’re interested in forming or joining one, then you should definitely check out the guide, especially if you’re wanting amazing results like the Scole group.
Well, the handbook gives guidance on how to choose members for your group and stresses the old saying that “like attracts like”. It might take several sittings to find the right balance and harmony of group members. Once a group is established, no member outranks another, however, group members should consider themselves members on a trial basis at first. On a side note, I’ve heard from people who have had experience in spirit circles. Some people end up getting their feelings hurt when they end up not fitting into a group’s harmony. I’ve heard of power struggles that go on in some groups as well. It seems to me like finding that harmony would be a tough trial period to get through.
The Scole group received many specific and necessary instructions from their spirit team, and the room and its layout was apparently a part of those instructions. Your room ideally should be used for nothing else but your spirit circles (tough one). It should be free of unnecessary furniture and decorative items, other than a table and chairs arranged in a circle around it, and other recommended items (including a required glass dome) used for experiments. Unnecessary electronic equipment or powered items should be removed. And, perhaps most importantly, these sittings are to be carried out in complete darkness. This could make finding a location a challenge. The Scole group admits that this requirement is sometimes controversial, but the spirit team insists that it is necessary for phenomena to occur in any spirit circle. Perhaps for obvious reasons, a location with only one way in or out is ideal. Something I thought was cool was that luminous tabs (for the table, other experimental items, and wrist bands for sitters) is recommended.
The handbook also gives instructions on general procedures, such as how often you should meet, when to arrive, how long a session should be expected to last, settling in and relaxing, opening prayer, quite a bit of instructions about music that should be used (as a music teacher this was very interesting), a healing exercise that should always happen after the main session, and lastly, a closing prayer.
Forming or joining a spirit circle just may be in my future. I find it very interesting.
My last post about Scole discussed creative energy, music and vibrations, and light. Here is my final post about my thoughts on The Scole Experiment: Scientific Evidence for Life After Death by Grant and Jane Solomon.
Photograph from 28 February 1994 of the front page of the ‘Daily Mirror’, 16 December 1936. A copy of the original was obtained. It was almost identical to the photograph, with some minor differences which indicated it might have been from another edition on the same day. The newspaper was tested and proved to be genuine wartime paper. (Caption taken from the book) This showed up on sealed photographic film after a sitting.
During a session, instructions for building a Germanium receptor (for better communication) manifested on sealed photographic film. This signature appeared at the end and is thought to be that of Thomas Edison, since compared to existing documents, his signature from life seems to be identical.
All of the color photos of phenomena and apports that are included in the book can be found on the Scole Experimental Group’s page, or you can click on the photos above.
The spirit team answered many of the Scole group’s questions, which are included in the book. Here are some of the shorter question/answers that I find interesting.
I’ve always found it interesting how many people insist on there being a heaven and a hell, angels, devil, demons, dark side, etc. My current opinion is that it’s all nonsense, but I’m always open to learning and changing my opinions. It felt good to read this first question/answer. Is the spirit team saying there’s no evil outside of us? No hell? No devil?
Is there a negative side that fights this very positive energy?
No. It is man in his ignorance that causes problems. If man lives his life without aspiring to a spiritual awareness, he lives in ignorance. Ignorance breeds negativity and negative thoughts create a negative force as, in a similar way, positive thinking creates a positive force, so we have to work on the negative forces. Not, however, those outside of man, but those within man.
Do the Akashic Records exist and can we have access to them?
It is true to say that much information is stored in other realms and spheres. But again, perhaps not as much as you are led to believe. Some of the records are accessible to higher beings. There are also some on Earth who claim to have access to them, but I do not know if this is true.
As always, any thoughts?
I’ve read a lot on paranormal and spiritual topics, but for some reason most of the books I read avoid the topic of “table tipping”. Or, at least they don’t get into the subject very deeply. Along with discussing séances, mediums, etc., the book I’m reading now (which is not necessarily spectacular) discusses table tipping a bit. If you’ve followed my Scole Experiment posts recently, you’ll know that some of the major phenomena for them involved the table in the room. Apparently, in one sitting, the table levitated completely off the floor, turned on its side, and spun around like a fan. Can you imagine? It was recreated and dramatized in the introduction of the Scole documentary video I posted.
Can you spot the trickster in this photograph?
But table tipping has roots way before Scole. Beginning in the middle to late 1800s, table tipping was just one of the phenomena being experienced by the Fox sisters, most famous for spirit “rapping” and really introducing modern Spiritualism to the world. Along with some EVP (electronic voice phenomena), I tend to get a lot of rapping in my home. Table tipping sometimes happens in a séance, usually involves a medium, and requires all sitters to gently place hands (sometimes just finger tips) on the top of the table. Usually a smaller, lighter table, and made out of solid wood. The idea is that spirits use your energy to rock or tip the table, making it easy to communicate.
Of course, this form of spirit communication involves a lot of trust. All the sitters must be able to trust that their fellow sitters are not causing the rocking or tipping themselves. I think this is probably why the practice has a lot of skeptics.
I’ve never been involved in table tipping. Have you? Thoughts? Feelings?
Enjoy these videos (there are also many others online) and discuss.
If you enjoyed the documentary video and my recent post on The Scole Experimental Group and their Scole Experiment, then you may just enjoy the book that chronicles and recounts the 5-year experiment of life after death, and many of the simply amazing experiences that few people have ever been lucky enough to see. And it all happened in the “scole hole”, a dark cellar in a Norfolk village in England.
The Scole Experimental Group was started by two mediums who joined several other spiritual individuals in what most probably know as a spirit circle, which is also similar to a séance group. One thing I didn’t know before reading this book was that the structure of the group and the experiments were pretty much organized and guided by their “spirit team”. The team was composed of around 6 main entities, but other spirit scientists and technicians were involved in the process. Most of their communications came by using the two mediums in trance, but this was not the case every time. Some of the phenomena were moving spirit lights, manifestations of hands and faces, being touched, surround sound-like voices speaking in the room, levitating objects, faces and pictures showing up on sealed photographic film, and some of the cooler experiences involved many gifts of apports (the manifestation of an object seemingly coming from nowhere). Most of these apports were historical in nature, and many of them, such as an old newspaper (see below for correction), were inspected and verified to be authentic.
What was the goal of this group? In his first visit, Manu, the “gatekeeper” and leader of the spirit team told the Scole Group that “The team of beings I represent is made up of many thousands of minds from the many other realms of existence. We will be working with your group to provide very tangible evidence of the reality of these other realms. Our plan is to pioneer important methods of communication between the dimensions using ‘energy’ rather than the more traditional methods such as ectoplasm.”
It might be easy to blow this group off and say that there is no way to prove any of this phenomena and the experiences were real, but there are a number of scientists, psychologists, parapsychologists, and other wise and educated professionals who were present and inspected and studied the experiments. Some of these individuals were connected with the highly critical Society for Psychical Research.
In future blog posts, I may have to share some of my favorite interesting parts from the book and some of my “aha” moments. As many of you know, I’m preparing for some possible séance experiments coming up soon, and this is just one of the books I’ve been researching in preparation for this next experience.
*Correction: I discovered a piece of information that is incorrect in this post. I mentioned an apport of a newspaper that was verified to be authentic. It turns out this wasn’t an apport. It was actually the photo of a newspaper, ‘The Daily Mirror’, from 1936. It manifested on sealed photographic film during a sitting. The following is from the caption of the photo in the book: “A copy of the original was obtained. It was almost identical to the photograph, with some minor differences which indicated it might have been from another edition on the same day. The newspaper was tested and proved to be genuine wartime paper.”
I am about halfway through The Scole Experiment, a book that documents a 5-year investigation into life after death by The Scole Experimental Group. It all started in 1993 in a cellar in Scole, a Norfolk village in England. I don’t think there’s ever been anything quite like it since.
Below is a documentary of the experiment. If you’re not familiar with The Scole Experiment, be sure to at least watch the introduction. It’ll give you a good idea of what I’ve been reading for a few days now. I have another outpatient surgery tomorrow with some recuperating time this week, so I’ll get it finished in no time and report back.
Peace!
*The filmmaker has requested that I remove the link to the video. If you’d like more information on the documentary you can go to http://www.theafterlifeinvestigations.com/#! or simply search YouTube for several videos that are there.
