talkmagic.co.uk

I make no secret that I thoroughly enjoy magic which leans towards the psychic, mentalist side of things - as long as it's clearly understood to be magic and not to be taken as reality - and by sheer chance I caught the programme on BBC 2 last night about the close ties between science and séances.

For those who didn't see it, there was quite a bit of info about the Fox sisters and the way they inadvertently started Spiritualism, although no mention of Margaret Fox's 'confession' in later life that it was all a hoax. What really surprised me was that so many well known names in science became Spiritualists or were involved in the movement - Arthur Conan Doyle was fully convinced and spent 20 years of his life lecturing and promoting Spiritualism, Marconi also turned to it and was convinced that he could make an instrument which could communicate beyond the grave, Thomas Edison was known to be working on a device to do the same thing but, strangely enough, no plans, drawings or other paperwork was found after he died. Learned scientists all seemed to be trying very hard to link latest discoveries with spiritual communications and magnetism, the cathode ray tube, the telephone, radio and many others inventions all seemed to be allied in one way or another. The obscene numbers killed during World War One left established religions floundering to explain and console and Spiritualists seemed to be offering an alternative way of coping. Trends were examined whereby for a time, table lifting was the 'in' thing and everyone was doing it - long before David Berglas did it! Another popular trend was production of ectoplasm but the photographic examples were poor and obviously used muslin or netting of some kind. In one photo the hemmed edge of what looked like net curtains could be clearly seen. Reassuringly, our old friend the Spiritualist cabinet was referred to and these days it's hard to understand why folks accepted this sort of thing as reality. As the programme was an examination of the relationship between science and séances, it's probably understandable why Harry Houdini wasn't mentioned but we all know he featured very prominently at the time in connection with his friend Conan Doyle and his denouncement of Spiritualism.

The programme didn't prove or disprove anything but, then again, absolute proof is not to be expected in any discussion of such things as faith and beliefs. As part of the process the Church of England actually stated that many of the mainstream events of Christianity are taken on faith therefore they couldn’t actually dismiss Spiritualism as not being relevant.

And it was all started by two bored teenaged girls playing pranks on their family for simple amusement!

I watched this with interest because I'm fascinated by what others simply choose to believe in the face of rational explanation. I think choice is important here. Even when two of the Fox sisters announced they were frauds and demonstrated how they had produced their phenomena in 1888, people still clung to the idea that there must be a reason for them saying these things, other than that they were now simply 'fessing up due to a bitter family rift. In fact, spiritualism had already become a proper church with believers. It still is.

I think the belief in psychic or "beyond the grave" phenomena is comforting in the face of the idea that when we die, the "you" inside your head simply stops happening.

It's also comforting to believe we can have psychic powers, so I'm also fascinated by the rise of psychic schools where one may be trained to be psychic. Whether the people running these schools genuinely believe they're passing on their mystical expertise or are, in fact, cynically tricking the gullible into learning cold reading while believing they're actually learning to exercise their inner psychic ability is open to question.

Belief is an extremely powerful master, as those trained in NLP or hypnosis know. I used to feel uneasy about incorporating people's beliefs into my mentalism, but now I realise it's okay to give them a thrill on their own terms. After all, despite my best efforts, I can't change what people believe, but communicating in ways that confirm their beliefs is highly effective. If all I have is a marked deck with me, for instance, and the subject believes in telepathy, so be it!

What makes me furious, however, is the control and manipulation of people via their beliefs. Having had a friend be deeply scarred bya trip to a spiritualist after losing his baby boy, here's a dark and mischievous idea...

Put several fake obituary notices in the local paper over a period of few weeks, and also attend a local spiritualist church to see if any of your fictitious corpses try to make contact.

I am really sorry to hear about your frined being manipulated It really is horrible what some greedy people will do to others, afterall, you can`t keep the money when you go

I don`t know if the 'you' in your head dissappears or not and if even if it does, 'you' won`t be around to see it

All in all, one should live your life to the best of your ability. So if spiritualism allows people to do that, why not? As long as the person holding the belief realises it is just that, a belief, which is ultimately beyond proof by definition.

My deepest Condolences to your friend

Sincerely
Jacques

Mandrake wrote: as long as it's clearly understood to be magic and not to be taken as reality - Margaret Fox's 'confession' in later life that it was all a hoax - The obscene numbers killed during World War One

Sorry but I have picked out three parts of your post to comment on. I hope they are not out of context.

Firstly, (as is my profession) marketing is a strong force both psychologically and physically. I will explain more if asked. We all market ourselves or fail. Magic has to be seen as either reality or tricks. People don't buy into tricks - a hard lesson but true - they like to belive and be baffled even if it is snake oil.

Secondly, Margaret Fox realised her confession was not bringing in the dollars so later went back to the "tricks". In the days before TV this was easily possible - new audiences - new fools.

The third point is so valid and I greatly admire the statement from Mandrake. Anyone who does not know the truth but wants to be entertained whilst learning should see a production of Oh What a Lovely War. I was privileged to appear in a run of this amazing theatrical production and it changed my perception of life. If, as aspiring or existing magicians you have any doubt that people can be fooled by words, watch this performance. Did you know that the German republic made the barbed wire that was sold to the English to protect their trenches from the German troops. There was a value and they found it. Many multi-millionaires were created whilst out grouse-shooting in the highlands of Scotland.

Darker side of things ... yes. But (sorry, I cannot deny my madness) there is somewhere a world of sparkling lights and sparkling smiles, sunshine and dreams, sunsets and foaming waves, dancing lights and dancing girls. Your chosen role, if you aspire to it, is to make a world of wonderment and dreams and to make the world a happier place with illussion and spectacle. The dancing lights are turned off at the end of the performance ... the dancing girls sit down to rest ... but the smiles you create in the eyes of a child or an adult live on in their dreams even whilst they sleep. If you do magic ... do it well ... it is real. Sermon over with gratitude to Mandrake. Much love. Kryzal x