SEANCES – AN EXPERIMENT IN GROUP PERCEPTION

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I think for the most part, a majority of people who know or have heard of a séance obtain their information and its ritual from television and movies.  Everyone holds hands, candle in the center, and select a particular famous person in which to contact.

A real séance (and those that choose to perform them) know that you can focus on one individual, but you can also focus on a location, or specific event that occurred in the past, etc.  The secret really is to make sure all who are in the group are focused and open to reception and non-judgmental about images and impressions you might obtain during the séance.

I have seen séances within a circle holding hands, I have seen them in large groups without holding hands.  I have seen where most of the people in the séance are merely spectators and one or two are the mediators. 

A good friend, author Janie Oberding for example, when she holds séances, she sits the group in a large circle and does not require anyone to hold hands (unless they wish to).

She will lead the séance with a location, or individual, but she never rules out contact with anyone else whom may make a connection.  She asks that everyone in the circle participate if they receive an impression of a person, an incident, a color, smell, etc.  The overall intention is to share with the group.  I think her goal is that the information that is received could collectively be used to corroborate with history to compare to see how close we can come to an actual event in history, or maybe by an individual, by collecting the images and impressions of all that attend, and not just one séance leader.

I think this is a smart practice, and while I have seen her hold a number of séances in this fashion, I completely agree on the practice and method she chooses.  Some of the information may not be relevant or have any connection to the subject of location of the séance, but down the road in historical research, it might indeed have relevance, it just may not have presented itself during the actual séance.

To me personally, séances are like Ouija boards, you will get of it what you bring to it.  If you are not focusing, or if you expect nothing but demons and monsters, then that is what you will receive.  I don't put much weight personally into Ouija or spirit boards, as I think superstition takes hold more than common sense and reality, but I also think there are times where it could be genuine.

We do plan to hold a live séance on air on our show tonight (see podcast link above to listen when available a day or so after the show goes live) to contact any survivors of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, as we are housed (the station) inside the old Odd Fellows building, while the original 1800's building was destroyed by the fire department in an effort to put out other fires around Market street, the original brick foundation remains intact where the new building was constructed after 1906. 

Verna, Linda and I plan to touch the wall of brick for a few minutes in order to have actual physical contact with a structure that was standing and remained after the devastation that took so many lives of women, men and children.  This will help us when we proceed to hold the séance after the 9:00pm hour live on air to see if anything or anyone comes through.

Join us at home and hold your own séance as we try to reach into the distant past of one of our cities largest tragedies and see whom we can communicate with.

- Anthony Anderson

IF YOU CALL THEM FORTH...

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When we look back at the history of seances, there were two reasons the home circle got so popular. Life spans were shorter and mortality was more fragile.Children did not always survive their childhood diseases, women died during childbirth, we had no antibiotics to fight off flu and pnemonia,( and those two diseases are still dangerous) and consumption was more common. No one was aware till later that it was contagious. People were looking for proof of life beyond the crypt. Also it was a way for them to get in touch with their loved ones and get closure. We hear about the tricks and frauds of certain mediums but rarely do we hear the positive side of what good they did. A skilled medium who was sincere helped many a grieving family. That was the reason places such as Lily Dale have excisted for so long. The good that spiritualism did outweighed any trickerythat preyed on vulnerable people. As it has been said, the truth will always shine forth.

But what happens when someone has passed and we did not always have the best relationship with them. Unsaid words and regret always hang in the air when we realize we will never have that chance on this earth ever again. We go through our daily lives always wondering if we could have handled the situation any differently. If you are experiencing this now. Don't wait any longer if you feel a push that something can be done. Non action can follow us for years.If it's fixable then take care of it now. Be careful with your emotions too. Hurt words can also stay with us for years and you can't take them back once someone has passed. I was very lucky with my mother shown above with my father here. We forgave everything when she was in hospice and her last words were I love you. Our relationship growing up was stormy. She was not easy to get along with. If I managed to repair what happened between us and it was a lot, then the way forward was going to be much lighter for me and for her.

But what happens if you never managed to get there for one reason or another and you still feel the need to make it right. Is there a chance? The answer is absolutely.  I am speaking from personal experience. I regretted never getting to communicate much with my aunt Verna who I was named after and who looks just like me. Almost like a twin. I was so sad to hear she passed away and one night I sat thinking about it and wondering if I should have written her or picked up the phone. Then that night I had a dream...

My father came forth with his sister and she came up to me and gave me a big hug. She took me aside and told me all about herself and how my grandmother happened to name her Verna. She explained that she was named after my grandmothers best friend and the two friends were so close that people worried a little about their friendship.(she said this with good humor.) after that I don't remember any more but it did show me that my thoughts reached them and somehow they decided to show me that it was still possible to stay in touch.

Think very carefully before you decide to call forth someome in a seance. Are you ready for their presence to show up? What will you say to them? What did you wish to achieve with that person? If you feel resistance or pressure when thinking of it, then don't bother. It's not time yet or you are better off leaving it alone. Always approach with an open mind and do not try to call in the departed if you are emotionally fragile. It can leave you depleted and open you to energies you do not wish to bring in. I know that in reading about audiences back in the early spiritualist days most people were grieving and emotionally distraught when coming to the home circle. Hopefully they were instructed the same way I am relaying it here.

I have instructed others before on how to make contact by them selves when not joined with others in a seance. I will give these instructions again in a future blog for those who would like to know more about it. Meanwhile do tune in with us tonight as we call forth former Odd Fellows since we will broadcast from the Odd Fellows building. (and we are also Odd Fellows too.) and we will also call forth former victims of the 1906 earthquake since the wall in the basement of the studio originates from that period. We will touch and meditate on the wall before we begin the broadcast.

Be sure to ground and protect your self after this is over. I will instruct others how to do this. Thank you for taking part in this very special journey with us.

A MESSAGE FROM FAR AWAY

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It was a simpler world back in the 1950's. Not that I would know this.I wasn't born yet. By the time I started reading about Geroge Adamski and other contactees who claimed to have been in touch with people from other worlds, many of these so called contactees had long left this earth with only their stories and a legacy of papers and photos to pass on to the next generation. But back to the time period. If we look back at the culture and see how people thought and lived, we begin to realize that behind the every day facade of life that was presented, something was emerging behind the scenes.

Many people came out of their seemingly normal lives and occupations to talk about what they had seen and heard. They risked ridicule and public scrutiny to speak out about the craft in the skies and meeting face to face with the pilots that flew them. These people were well grounded and far from delusional. They all had stable backgrounds, jobs and education. And they adamantly stood by what they saw and heard. They had plenty of warning before they started speaking publicly..They were told: you will not have an easy time of it and you will not be believed. It was a hard truth to live with and required a great level of trust and integrity. Often these people kept a low profile after their stories were published (but not always as in the Adamski case where he taught and did lectures) and lived very private lives.

So what can we learn from reading the saucer stories a few decades back? perhaps rather than endlessly debate on whether the stories were genuine or not,  we should turn our attention to the message it's self. What are these people who are observing our planet trying to tell us? The world as we know it is a more dangerous place than ever with acts of violence occuring in our towns and schools. Our environment is changing. Species of animals are going extinct. Religious groups still point the finger at one another. Each claiming to be on the true believers side.No wonder they are here among us even if we rarely hear of it anymore. They are from a species that that has preserved their planet where ever that may be. They have mastered space travel. and from what I read so far, they have an out look on living in peace and seem to have over came many of the problems that plague our society such as poverty and sickness. We should be paying more attention to their message. It may open doors and perhaps save lives.

On the other hand, what are they learning from us? Human beings are complex and have much to offer when it comes from the heart.Our planet stands out as one of the most beautiful in the solar system.We could relay to them words of wisdom that only comes from living a full life on earth. I have a feeling they would listen.

Maybe some day we can arrange a panel of people from different walks of life and faiths to read these books and lectures and discuss what they are trying to convey to us.

The answers may surprise us all.

I look forward to speaking more on this subject over the air.

CONFRONTING THE ANGEL OF GRIEF

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As of late I have been visiting some beautiful cemeteries enjoying the green fields, abundance of different growing flowers and plant life, but deep inside while reading the many names and dates, and examining the exquisite art work, I am reminded by a thought that keeps floating above my mind every now and again: some where someone was or is still grieving a loss. You can feel it lingering in the air even among the peace and quiet.

It has been said the deeper the love the deeper the mourning. I first experienced loss as a child of nine when my father passed away. We were close even at my young age. He supported and took an interest in everything I did. Losing him left a big gap in my short life and I learned the meaning of sorrow and loss much too early. There was no guidelines or counsel at the time on how to deal with it. The cycles of life just rolled forth and I had to get through each day as best as I could.  I have experienced loss quite a few more times since then and I can’t say that in adult life it got any easier. It tends to take one by surprise in both mind and body and we carry it with us for the rest of our lives. It can be felt even decades after one has left this earth. No wonder there is a quiet restlessness even among the most tranquil graveyards. 

Not long ago I experienced a burial with the Odd Fellows of whose order I am a member, of a little girl whose coffin was found 120 years after she was originally buried in the old Odd Fellows cemetery. Crowds of people along with the press came to watch this historic moment. It was a touching ceremony of which the whole community came to witness so that this little girl who died at only three years of age it was estimated would not be forgotten. I watched as the coffin was lowered into the ground and in my mind I wondered how her original parents must have felt at the loss of their beautiful child. How astonished they would be to see her reburied and remembered again after so many years. Did the spirit of the angel of grief comfort them somehow? (The statue is only a symbol but I do believe we have angelic spirits who help us through grief) Perhaps they were too caught up in their emotions to feel it. The plot located in Colma where this child who was called Miranda until her real name is discovered is a special one for abandoned children whose parents are unknown so that the child can be buried in dignity and not forgotten.

It left me thinking when it was over that there are so many who are in hospitals, nursing homes and other places where they are dying and already forgotten. I witnessed it in a veteran‘s hospital when visiting my father as a child. These men who fought in wars and protected our country were living their last days neglected and alone. One hopes they eventually had a decent burial with full honors. But in these days of high funeral expenses, for many people that is not always possible. We all deserve to be remembered with dignity and surrounded by beauty. 

When death over takes our lives, it changes our outlook forever and these sites with their beautiful monuments remind us that life is transient  So say the words you have always wished to say to your loved one now. Forgive if possible and hug often. 

And if you walk past a grave and feel an impulse to stop and look then perhaps it’s a sign that an angelic presence is pointing it out to you. Don’t forget to leave a beautiful flower.

I welcome your thoughts and stories on the air.

Verna Wilson

WANDERING THE FOREVER LAWNS

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When you are under ten years old, you never make the distinction on what a graveyard is actually or, it is a place to be laid to rest, so that your loved ones can visit whenever they wish.  For a kid under ten it is a creepy, cool place to look at old headstones with old date markings and strange and odd sounding, old fashioned names and taking on the challenge of trying to pronounce them out loud as you pass by.

As we grown older we play tag in the graveyard when the sun goes down, adding to the creepy factor as we scare each other and ultimately, ourselves in the process.

We always assumed this would be the place to see a ghost if there ever was one, right?  Over the hill in the back of the cemetery, a woman wearing a white dress, would float down the hill towards me and send me running out the front gates and not stop until I reached home.

Kids never mean to be disrespectful by looking around a cemetery, they are trying to understand our races' understanding of death and how we prepare and deal with it.  Adults think kids are up to no good or possibly out to vandalize, I am sure there are some that are set out to do this, but the majority of us, are trying to understand what death is all about at an early age.

Why do we plant our dead bodies in the ground?  You would think once we leave our physical vessels that burning the remains would seem far simpler and make much more sense.  We continue to put them in boxes and into the ground.  It seems an odd filing system, like someday we may be back and we will need to know which row and which section our body was placed and cataloged in case we need to retrieve it.  Carry over rituals from Egypt perhaps, build a tomb to house our body and all your belongings so that you can have them when you "cross over?"

When I became a ghost hunter I lost my fascination with cemeteries along the way.  I am not sure why or how, you would think it would have increased but that was not the case.  I have a theory why this could be, as I travel all over and investigate what might be around us that we do not see or hear (for the most part), it makes me think that we move out of our physical bodies and onto something new.  We have no need for our former shells.  I have done plenty of investigations in cemeteries and have captured some interesting voices, but I think for the most part, not many people hang out, staring at their gravestones.  Who would?  Are you supposed to wander around the "Forever Lawns" looking for unfinished business?  Who cares by this point?  Life has begun anew, why would you live the life of mystical folklore and ghost stories?  If I was in this situation, I would head straight to the movies or see a play, etc.  No job, no commitments? Why bother?

The mystery of the graveyard has weakened, even though I appreciate the efforts of the headstones and crypts and architecture that was put into them as a reminder and a marker of someone who once walked the earth and did exactly the same things we all do at some point in time.

I visit cemeteries and still wonder who people were and what life was like for them.  I still try to pronounce names (now with better luck) and still do some Electronic Voice Phenomena as well (hey they may be looking for a grave as well you know!).

I don't have any fears of cemeteries nor am I afraid that I might spot a mystical ghost wavering over the hill, headed my way.  I would love that, but I put little faith into ever seeing such a vision.

I will continue to visit all the "Forever Lawns" of the world through different outlook and eyes.

Anthony Anderson