Jacob Shelton

We’re willing to bet that most of what people know about séances comes from movies like Drag Me to Hell and Paranormal Activity, but séances rarely (if ever) end in Ouija boards catching on fire or goat demons destroying the home of a couple of middle-class twentysomethings. Séances are meant to answer questions and provide a deeper understanding of the world we can’t see. To do that, you need séance rules, or at the very least, a loose set of guidelines to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

A séance can be an intense emotional experience, and if you go into it without taking the proper precautions, you can do anything from ruin everyone’s night to destroying yourself spiritually. If you’re curious about what séances are like, keep reading this handy guide for how to conduct yourself while in the mystical circle.

How do séances work? This is the most common question asked by people who are interested in making contact with something beyond their normal world. You can just sit in a circle with your friends and blindly ask a Ouija board some questions, but if you want to truly connect with something else, there are rules for séances that should be followed. Those rules vary depending on whether or not you’re on a first-name basis with your medium and what kind of séance you’re attending. It may sound confusing, but as you continue reading, everything will become much more clear.

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• No Shouting, Talking Out Of Place, Or Yelling
Photo: Richard Lewinsohn / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

It makes sense that mediums don’t want a lot of cross-talk in the middle of a séances.

Not only can all the chatter send a mixed message to whatever is being channeled, but it ruins the atmosphere of the experience – and isn’t that what you’re really looking for?

• • Have A Sense Of Purpose Before Beginning Your Séance
Photo: Rene Leonhardt / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Even if your only purpose for getting your friends together to call upon spirits from another realm/dimension/the other side/whatever is just to have fun, you should make that clear from the beginning. On the other side of the coin, let the rest of the people in your séance group know if you’re trying to get some real answers out of the experience.

If you don’t communicate clearly, then no one’s going to get what they want.

• • You Have To Want To Be There
Photo: O. Murani and M. L. Patrizi / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

If you’re the kind of person who can’t turn the sarcasm off and live in the moment without having a cynical view of the situation – then you probably shouldn’t attend a seance.

Not only are there a lot of pretenses that need to be dropped when you’re dealing with magic, but if you’re rolling your eyes and scoffing at every transcendental thing that happens, you’re going to look like a real jerk.

• • Listen To Pleasing Tones
Photo: Cesare Lombroso / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Before starting the séance, it’s a good idea to put yourself into a relaxed state where you’ll be more open to receiving positive vibes from beyond the mortal realm. The easiest way to do that is by listening to isochronic tones that range from 7.83Hz to 10Hz. These tones help release serotonin in your brain, encouraging relaxation and a sense of well-being.

Worst case scenario, by using these tones, you’ve put everyone in a great mood.

• • Don’t Be Rude To The Spirits
Photo: William Hope / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

As Patrick Swayze’s character from Road House would say, “Be polite.” Remember, you’re inviting a guest into your space.

On the other hand, if you’re dealing with a presence that’s being rude to you, it’s always best to end the session politely and call it a day.

• • Make Sure You Know The People At Your Séance
Photo: Albert Schrenck-Notzing / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Even if you’re just trying to have fun, séances are transformative experiences where people open themselves up to mysteries beyond our understanding. Things can, and probably will, get weird.

You want to make sure that the people with whom you share those experiences are open to the same things you are.

If you invite someone that you don’t know to your séance, you have no way of knowing what their intentions are. Don’t take the risk.

• • Don’t Drink And Séance
Photo: Harvey Metcalfe / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Some mediums and spiritualists might say that by being drunk, you invite negative energy into your circle, but you also close yourself off to any positive energy that’s floating around you.

Do yourself a favor and save the red wine for after the séance – you’re going to need it.

• • Keep Your Séance Room Clean
Photo: Kunnas, Väinö / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

If you believe in ectoplasmic mediums (spiritualists who can physically manifest something from another dimension while in a trance) and want to have a séance, you need to keep your special séance room clean and under control.

While the mediums can produce something from another place, they also often take in things from the room around them. One story suggests that while an ectoplasmic medium was in surgery, debris from the room where they were conducting a séance was found inside their abdomen.

• • Cut The Lights
Photo: Richard Bergh / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

When you’re taking part in an ectoplasmic séance, it’s important to turn out all the lights so the heat the lights produce doesn’t affect the material produced by the medium.

Supposedly, light sources can cause the umbilical-cord-like organ that produces ectoplasm to recoil and cause damage to the medium.

• • Restraining A Medium Is Meant To Put You At Ease
Photo: Bain News Service / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Some mediums actually prefer to be restrained by ropes, Velcro, or cable because they believe that it makes their guests feel more comfortable.

It’s hard to find someone who isn’t a little skeptical of a medium, so if said medium is restrained and still producing information, or even physically manifesting something from the beyond, they’re a little easier to trust.

• • This Is Not A Game
Photo: H. Mairet / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Despite being marketed as a game by Parker Brothers, Ouija boards, talking boards, and any kind of spiritual contact isn’t meant to be something you play around with.

Christopher Ree puts it best when he writes, “If you approach this work as a game, you will find yourself connecting with energies that just want to play, and some of these can be harmful.”

• • Don’t Give Up Too Much Personal Information
Photo: Noel F. Busch / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

If you’re taking part in a séance with a medium you don’t know, it’s important that you don’t tell them your life story. Not only does it make you an easy mark, but if you give up the goods, there’s no way to know if the information being relayed to you is for real or just a regurgitation of your early conversation.

It’s important to maintain a healthy skepticism while still remaining open-minded.

Graveyard Shift

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