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My missus has been reading the cards since long before we met. I regret infecting her with scepticism tbh, she stopped for a long time, but a few evenings ago she did a reading for me that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
My most remarkable ouija experience was almost twenty years ago, only three of us were present and a message came through for one of the group (a PhD psychology lecturer). He was poleaxed by the messages he was receiving, and explained apologetically through floods of tears how he knew exactly what was happening, he is an ardent atheist and sceptic who needs no introduction to the ideomotor response, but the conversation with the deceased continued regardless.
I guess my point is that regardless of the participant's awareness and understanding of the act having no spiritual basis, the impact can still be to shake them to their core. I've never seen 'seance' type acts presented as entertainment (not including Edwards/Acorah psychic mediums here), and I wonder if the practitioners of this art who are members here are accustomed to such profound audience experiences?

I don't think you ever get used to watching as someone who dearly wants to say one last thing to someone who has passed over gets to do so. For the participants, it's a situation that gives them permission to release that pent up desire to let go, say good bye or even hello - even sometimes for people, such as psychologists, who might actually understand what's actually happening. It's a very human act.

I ran a workshop & seminar a few weeks ago that had been organised by Jonathan Royle. One of the attendees was a hypnotist and psychology student. When we experimented with the glass moving (essentially a ouija board but on a table with an upturned wine glass), this guy received a message from his grandmother. He was visibly shaken by it. Afterwards he said, "I'm a hypnotist and a psychology student. I know how this stuff works! And yet I still believe that my grandmother came through and talked to me."

He had an experience that he really couldn't explain despite his knowledge of ideo-motor function, wish fulfillment etc. It is indeed a weird and constantly fascinating branch of our art.

Do you guys actually pretend that you are speaking to people's dead relatives, or do you explain it is all magic and trickery?

I'd have a real moral issue with the former.

I never do the former, but i have only just started doing this kind of thing. The magic wand can tell you much more as he has done many performances.

you dont explain it either way.You let the individual audience member make his or her mind up.
Now, i should tell you, and Paul will agree with me here, at least 90% of those that attend spirit shows are 100% died in the wood believers in the afterlife, and the fact that spirits do return. the others that attend go along for the same reason people ride the ghost train at the Fair.
Switching the lights on at the end and showing teh threads, and teh hidden devices, will actually do more harm to the audience because you potentialy shatter their whole belief systems, and also are as good as calling them a fool for falling for all teh mumbo jumbo.
Also, If you do this kind of show,you will find that things happen that you just cant explain.

I always say that I am a skeptic.. Pauls heard me say that many times, yet often The unexplained happens around me.. some of which i have no memory of after the event. and only find out about what happened when others tell me.


oh, and you NEVER say you are speaking to anybody.. they speak to the room, either by the glass, the board, or my preffered method, the pendulum and glass.

screwystewie wrote:Do you guys actually pretend that you are speaking to people's dead relatives, or do you explain it is all magic and trickery?

I'd have a real moral issue with the former.

I explain that everyone is perfectly safe and that if anyone feels uncomfortable they should say so and I'll explain what's actually happening, either in private or to the entire room if they all want to know.

screwystewie wrote:Do you guys actually pretend that you are speaking to people's dead relatives, or do you explain it is all magic and trickery?

I don't pretend to be doing anything whatsoever. I'm nowhere near the glass/ouija board. What happens, happens. Whether you believe it is the spirits, ideo-motor function, wish fulfillment, or a mild form of hypnosis is up to your own personal belief system.

Whatever it is, it's certainly not trickery. IE there are no wires, magnets, etc. It is what it says on the box. The audience make up their own mind.

daleshrimpton wrote:I always say that I am a skeptic.. Pauls heard me say that many times, yet often The unexplained happens around me.. some of which i have no memory of after the event. and only find out about what happened when others tell me.

So, to clarify, you actually let the audience walk away thinking they just witnessed a real seance with real spirits and you pretend that you have no memory of what happened?

How does that differ from Derek Achord's approach?

Tomo wrote:

screwystewie wrote:Do you guys actually pretend that you are speaking to people's dead relatives, or do you explain it is all magic and trickery?

I'd have a real moral issue with the former.

I explain that everyone is perfectly safe and that if anyone feels uncomfortable they should say so and I'll explain what's actually happening, either in private or to the entire room if they all want to know.

That seems an elegant, honest and gentlemanly solution.

themagicwand wrote:

screwystewie wrote:Do you guys actually pretend that you are speaking to people's dead relatives, or do you explain it is all magic and trickery?

I don't pretend to be doing anything whatsoever. I'm nowhere near the glass/ouija board. What happens, happens. Whether you believe it is the spirits, ideo-motor function, wish fulfillment, or a mild form of hypnosis is up to your own personal belief system.

Whatever it is, it's certainly not trickery. IE there are no wires, magnets, etc. It is what it says on the box. The audience make up their own mind.

I guess we've got different interpretations of the word trickery.

Another way to phrase my original question would be:

Do you let your audience leave a seance thinking that they just witnessed real spirits?

No Daim, i let people walk away with exactly the same outlook on life, or after life they arived with.

You know all too well that what ever branch of magic you are involved in, our job is to entertain, not convert.

If i wanted to convert, I would be involved with some political or religious group, not somebody involved in entertainment.

screwystewie wrote:Do you let your audience leave a seance thinking that they just witnessed real spirits?

I guess you'd have to run an exit poll on everyone to find that out. Or read their minds

You seem very interested in this oft-discussed issue - have you ever been to one of these performances?

screwystewie wrote:Do you guys actually pretend that you are speaking to people's dead relatives, or do you explain it is all magic and trickery?

I'd have a real moral issue with the former.

Whenever i do my Ouija routine i NEVER would tell them to contact their dead relatives, that could be emotionally damaging. i just let it happen, without any real explanetion. then at the very end i do some debunking by explaining the Ideomotor response.

i personally believe that its just immoral to make someone believe in what you absolutely know to be plain Bullsh*t. especially something that can be as damaging as Spirit Contact. With great power comes great responsibility

Well said dale!