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Conference hydra::dejavu

Title:Psychic Phenomena
Notice:Please read note 1.0-1.* before writing
Moderator:JARETH::PAINTER
Created:Wed Jan 22 1986
Last Modified:Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2143
Total number of notes:41773

252.0. "A Sinister Seance" by INK::KALLIS (Support Hallowe'en) Mon Dec 01 1986 11:33

    This is worth sharing, but the only way I can enter it is by agreement
    to change the names, in the words of Jack Webb, to protect the
    "innocent."
    
    A man whom I will call "Trevor" is a serious student of the occult.
    His SO, a woman I'll call "Ginny," knows of his studies and often
    says he's wasting his time "with B.S.," yet asks for and receives
    Tarot readings.
    
    Ginny and Trevor were entertaining some friends of her family --
    two late-teen girls, "Rita" and "Alice," and an elderly woman,
    "Yvonne."  After snacks and several Tarot readings, Ginny said she'd
    like them to have a seance.
    
    Trevor wasn't in favor of it, but finally, if reluctantly, agreed
    to it.  He brought down some paraphenalia (the entertaining was
    at Trevor's house) and set up some wards.
    
    Chief among the items was a crystal ball (a beauty: a 4-inch glass
    with virtually no striations), which he said could be used as a
    focus.  The only light was from a candle belind Trevor, so the room
    was effectively dark.
    
    After the preliminaries, Trevor had everyone join hands and they
    tried to call anyone.  They tried for a few minutes, and then the
    candle flickered unaccountably.  Trevor said something on the order
    of, "Not in the candle [which was in a hurricane-lamp-type glass
    enclosure] -- in the glass."  The candle flame settled down, and
    the base of the crystal ball grew cloudy.  Something seemed to stir
    within it, but there seemed no solid contact.  Finally, Trevor said
    to put on the lights.
    
    When the lights were lit, two things:  Yvonne was crying silently,
    saying she'd seen an indication of her son, "Greg," who had died
    years ago.  Nodody else had seen more than luminous shifting.  But
    the second thing: Ginny's eyes were streaming tears and she had
    no understanding why.
    
    Trevor suggested it might be some sort of psychic resonance.  Everybody
    took a break before trying again.
    
    The second time, all the women decided on trying to raise a mutual
    friend, "Bob," who'd died about eight years previously.  Trevor set up the
    circle and then they tried.
    
    This time, there was something in the crystal ball, and it didn't
    come into focus immediately.  Rita asked for a rap if the friend
    was there, and there was a single rap.
    
    The glass then darkened, and then something stirred in it again.
    Rita said something like, "I see eyes.  Red eyes." 
    
    Trevor observed that whatever it was was _not_ Bob, and told it
    to reveal itself.  As he was doing that, Rita said, "Come out! 
    Come to us!  Come out."
    
    I understand the next happened very quickly.  Rita screamed, saying
    the eyes were getting brighter.  Ginny and Alice broke the circle
    and moved close to Rita.  Each of them later swore they, too, saw
    the eyes.  Just as Rita cried that a white flash of light was reaching
    out to her, Trevor slapped his hands over the crystaL AND SAID,
    "Enough!  Turn on the lights."
    
    Rita was in hysterics, and the other women weren't feeling much
    better.  Trevor performed some cleansing/banishing rituals and got
    things back in order.
    
    Later, the room was examined.  Trevor was honest enough not to discount
    the possibility of stray light beams causing the effect.  However,
    the position of all light sources, external and internal, were such
    that stray beams producing the effect were virtually impossible.
    
    Trevor thinks that there were no spirits in the second incident
    (if in the first).  Whaty he thinks happened was that some discarnate
    entity (of the kind that's up to no good) was able ti tune into
    the goings-on, and was rather stymied by Trevor's wards until Rita
    called very strongly for it to come in.
    
    All of the women now agree with Trevor that conducting seances,
    particularly just out of curiousity, would be something they'd ever
    want to participate in again.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    
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252.1stick to the facts, ma'amTPLVAX::FOXMon Dec 01 1986 17:2617
    Hi Stevers,
    
    What's a ward?  From the context it sounds like it may be something
    to "ward off" evil spirits.  
    
    I've never been able to conjure up any spirits, though I've tried
    with "the girls" in college -- sounds like we could be lucky that
    we weren't successful.  I've read in various books that generally
    the kind of spirits that are reachable are the ones most closely
    bound to the physical and/or the least evolved spiritually (?)
    je ne sais pas ... that wouldn't seem to apply in the famous minister
    who said he would make contact from the other side (of course I
    can't think of his name!).  
    
    This red-eyed guy was pretty formidable to cause such a stir, eh.
    
    
252.2INK::KALLISSupport Hallowe'enMon Dec 01 1986 17:4616
    A "ward," is, as you guessed, a device to help keep evil beings
    away.  From the conditions, I suspect if Rita hadn't been so insistent
    in her invitation, the red-eyed whastever wouldn't have caused that
    kind of "stir."  Ginny and Alice also both saw the red eyes (though
    not the beam reaching for Rita), too.  Trevor, who was opposite
    Rita at the table, saw only the misty shape and no indications of
    any eyes. 
    
    Trevor is convinced that whatever it was, it was not a spirit, if
    by "spirit" one means a ghost of one who has died.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    
    P.S.:  I believe the minister you were thinking of was reverend
    Pike.  ...Or was he a Bishop?                     
    
252.3RE 252.3EDEN::KLAESThe right computer finally came along.Mon Dec 01 1986 18:1310
    	What would this "entity" have done if it had reached Rita -
    or just "gotten out", for that matter?
    
    	After seeing all these notes on Ouiji Boards and spirits, either
    a tremendous hoax or mass suggestion is being played on everybody,
    or we should all heed those old corny B-grade horror movies which
    claim that there are some things better left undisturbed by humanity.
    
    	Larry
    
252.4INK::KALLISSupport Hallowe'enMon Dec 01 1986 18:4928
    Re .3:
    
    I haven't the slightest idea.  From the account, Trevor said Rita
    was so frightened that he stopped the procedures abruptly and solidly.
    I can trust the accuracy of the reporting, but since nothing happened
    -- other than one very frightened 19-year-old -- anything else would
    be speculation.
    
    I don't think this is as much a "there are things Man was not meant
    to know" situation as that it someone is going to investigate these
    areas that he or she do so in a professional and rigorous fashion.
    I noted earlier that Trevor wasn't in favor of doing the seance
    because he suspected the others were viewing it as entertainmant
    -- a sort of "let's pretend" thing -- and hence were totally unprepared
    to cope with and face something that they might have felt was purely
    imaginary before they experienced it. 
    
    I'm familiar with the principals who were involved in the seance,
    and every one of them is convinced that what they experienced was
    genuine.  _None_ of them (except Trevor) is really interested in
    studying occult subjects, and so none of them really wants to "fool
    around" in the area further.
    
    I think any area of investigation, if approached at all, should
    be approached seriously.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    
252.5This was a bad idea to start with....TWEED::REINKEFri Dec 05 1986 18:419
    In my opinion, one must be centered in one's true self (the Christ
    in You, in Christian terms) and one must challenge any entities
    that reveal themselves or appear to do so, as to whether they have
    seen the Light.  Else, one leaves open the possibility of possession.
    
    Playing seance as a parlor game is like playing tag in a power
    station.  Even electrical engineers would avoid the latter.  
    
    Donald Reinke
252.6ObservationBRAT::WALLISThu Jan 15 1987 01:1112
    
    
       re .3 & .4
    
            re 'some things are better left undisturbed'.  This begs the
            question whether one believes there really are things we 'shouldn't'
            move into, or do we always get what we can handle?  
            Anothr way of putting it is to ask yourself if you believe
            in a random or loving universe ...  and where would YOU
            effect free will?
                           
        Lora
252.7Investigate, but do so professionallyINK::KALLISSupport Hallowe'enThu Jan 15 1987 11:1228
    Re .6:
    
    My response (.4) I'll amplify on a little.  I don't believe that
    there areas of _investigation_ that are strictly taboo.  In the
    example, Trevor apparently was able to handle the situation that
    developed sufficiently to kerep it from getting out of control.
    The point I was making in my response is that if someone really
    wants to investigate anything that has the potential of harm, the
    person who's doing the investigation should do so seriously and
    rigorously.
    
    A non-arcane analogy: every so often, say every decade, there will
    be a news story of one or two teenagers who get into a private
    airplane, start it up, and manage to get it airborne.  Outside of
    "having fun," there's not a malicious bone in the body of any such
    youngster.  However, once airborne, the youngster(s) are will be
    found to be in a _very_ serious situation.  A person who's had no
    pilot training may have a more-than-easy time of getting out of
    the situation he or she placed him- or herself into.  If that person
    is lucky, he or she might be "talked down"; likely as not, whoever
    was in the aircraft will be hurt or killed.
    
    Similarly, anyone who takes a seance or Ouija session as a light
    evening's entertainment rather than a seriousd investigation may
    be in no position to handle what's been set in motion.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    
252.8PointerERASER::KALLISHallowe'en should be legal holidayThu Feb 26 1987 19:274
    See also 316.1.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.