Yesterday I met with a friend who had recently attended a 'training course' for physical mediumship. She asked me what I thought about the method taught, regarding 'sitting still' when in trance. At first I thought she meant that often when a medium falls into trance their body physically shakes...
but this wasn't what she meant at all. What she meant was that a medium might feel a compulsion or desire to move, or they might experience a spontaneous movement to stand or move their arms, and the 'instructor' was saying that they shouldn't follow this through, but should instead determine to sit still.
Why?
From my personal perspective, the Lodge is simply a room within my home. I regularly stand within that room. Nothing untoward has happened to me whilst doing this, and others visiting my home have experienced likewise. As I understand it...when a developing physical medium is experiencing a trance state they are becoming blended with spirit. When this happens the medium often takes on the features (appearance, mannerisms and sometimes voice) of the 'blending' spirit. Why then would a medium be required to sit still and unmoving? Surely this would be considered a form of rebuff by a connecting spirit person?
Perhaps, as many séances are held in the dark, it is a requirement for mediums to remain seated within the cabinet area? This (perhaps) is considered the best way to validate the phenomena of materialisation...when a spirit form walks around the room independently of the medium? However, as I (and many others) have witnessed (within lit conditions) mediums being released from their restraining bonds...clearly such restraints are of no 'value' ...aside from offering Spirit the tools needed to demonstrate this form of amazing escape-release phenomena? In my personal opinion the only way to be certain that the medium remains seated within the cabinet during demonstrations of materialisation is to open the cabinet and have a dim light source so that they can be seen sitting there. This is not a crazy notion...there is plenty of historical photography that offers such evidence.
Ethel Post-Parrish
Helen Duncan
Materialisation (seen independently of the medium) is not the only evidence that is of value. Recently I have witnessed a medium standing within clear dim light, with a spiritually effected energetic 'overlay' obscuring the appearance of their physical form to the extent that they appeared taller, slimmer and with facial features clearly representative of another person. They were able to move whilst maintaining this appearance, which lasted for a full 17 seconds before the energetic overlay dissipated. I have also seen more than one medium standing in similar conditions whilst their head or arms have gradually become transparent! Therefore the physical form itself can be effectively used/altered in appearance in order to evidentially present the appearance of 'someone else'.
What then is the reason for developing physical mediums being taught to 'sit still' and what beneficial relevance does it have? Surely such constraint simply acts as an unnecessary man-made barrier to an otherwise invited spiritual connection?
