Pink lighting conditions. 2 hour duration.
Transfiguration medium: Jon (seated in open cabinet)
Sitters and witnesses: Chris. Lynne. Jack. Margaret.
The seance began slightly differently to usual as the vessel, normally seated with a certain familiar presentation was instead exhibiting some movement indicative of spirit presence in some other manner. After awhile the vessels presentation 'returned' to what sitters consider to be familiar. The faces, again a familiar demonstation, then developed and flickered across and 'within' the medium's own.
Interestingly within seance, whilst the faces were being presented, Chris felt that the cabinet curtain moved, but set this aside as being imaginative (although in fact she had 'felt' similarly when seated in a recent previous seance). Later on within the seance two sitters independently mentioned seeing the same. This therefore needs to be acknowledged here. We seldom report phenomena experienced by just one person and prefer to regard presentation witnessed by more than one person to be worthy of note.
Following the transfiguration demonstration Charlie came forward and responded to many questions asked by sitters. This was followed by his offering assistence to another member of the spirit team, who came forward to support the healing of one of the sitters.
As Charlie finally took his leave Billy came through and he too had a chat with sitters and asked questions posed by them.
Transcript (taken from the audio recording) of sitters conversation with Billy:
Billy: Hiya
Chris: Hiya
Margaret: Hello
Chris: Who was that then? Referring to the apparant attempted communication from another spirit.
Billy: He didn’t want ‘em.
Chris: Oh, ok.
Billy: Do you know who it was?
Chris: I don’t. Chris suspects the attempted communicators might be two spirit children.
Billy: There’s only one person he won’t let in isn’t there?
Chris: Laughs.
Billy: Well, two actually.
Chris: Yeah. Why didn’t you want them then?
Billy: I didn’t mind…
Chris: Oh, you didn’t mind, ok.
Billy: … it’s not up to me. You alright then?
Chris: Yeah, all fine.
Billy: How is everybody?
Group: We’re all ok.
Chris: What've you been doing?
Billy: Knitting! What have you been doing?
Group: Laughter.
Chris: Sat here chatting to you lot.
Billy: My crochet work is coming along really nicely.
Group: Laughter.
Chris: Perhaps you can apport a bit for us to see.
Billy: I think the others might have things like that, but that’s not up to me.
Chris: We haven’t had that here yet, so that would be fine.
Billy: Mmm, I know. Unless he stops being so stubborn you won’t get it either.
Group: Laughter.
Chris: Who’s objecting to them then?
Billy: Hmm?
Chris: Who objects to them then?
Billy: He does.
Chris: Oh. What, the medium or Charlie?
Billy: No, Charlie don’t mind.
Chris: Oh, it’s just the medium.
Billy: Yep.
Chris: Doubtful of the reality?
Billy: MmHm.
Chris: Ok. You’ll have to hit him with a big brick, then, so he won’t notice.
Billy: You’d be surprised how big that one nearly got.
Group: Laughter.
Chris: Oh, he should go along with it. He might in time.
Billy: Hmm. We’ll get there I think.
Chris: Yeah, they’re alright. Referring to the fun filled children.
Billy: Probably not for a while yet though.
Chris: No. Is it because he doesn’t believe it’s them and thinks it’s him?
Billy: Ahh, I can’t say, it’s too late in the day now. Referring to this present seance, which has been running for quite some time. The energies are now lower and the vessel's consciousness is returning. This makes it difficult to talk about him without his knowing!
Chris: Ok. Yeah, he’s too aware, ok.
Billy: It’s alright with me though.
Chris: Yeah. Yeah.
Billy: Mumbles.
Chris: Laughs.
Billy: Mmm.
Chris: They’re pretty strong aren’t they? Referring again to the two potential communicators
* There is a knock behind Jack’s chair. This was heard clearly on the audio recording and by three of the sitters present. We later lkearned that this was caused by the spirit children.
Chris: Yeah. Bless ‘em.
Billy: I don’t know, he wants one thing and then uh can't, make his bloomin’ mind up. Jon enjoys the demonstration of active physical phenomena within seance conditions and often mentions this to Chris as being something he'd like to experience more of.
Group: Laughter.
Billy: Anyway, did you have a good night tonight?
Chris: Yes it was really very good, lots of different faces. Jon's spirit team's primary focus at the present time is upon the development and demonstration of stable transfiguration (and other related phenomena) such as might be captured clearly on a video recorder in clear lighting conditions.
Margaret: Yeah.
Billy: Did it look a bit different tonight?
Chris: Yeah.
Billy: Good, we made a bit of an effort. The camera was set up but failed to record due to the incorrect lighting setting. It is a new camera and no-one is yet used to the multiple 'gadget' factors.
Chris: Yeah, well, its worth, you know, putting the camera on and just seeing. I mean, I don’t know whether anything will show yet. I think it’s a bit early, but we’ll see.
Billy: I don’t know. You’ll have to just see how it goes.
Chris: We’ve got to test the camera out anyway, so…
Margaret: It was very good. Referring to the transfiguration demonstration witnessed this evening.
Chris: We’ve got to get used to using it haven’t we? Referring again to the camera.
Billy: In time you’ll be able to look back and use them as markers. So even though you might not see much now, you might see faint indications and then later on you’ll be able to go back and say “now we saw that one then, see, the first time”.
Chris: Yeah, that’s right.
Billy: But probably not much to see now though.
Chris: No, that’s alright. We’ll just give it a go. And its getting used to using the camera anyway. Takes me about 6 months to learn how to turn the thing on!
Billy: Let’s hope you have more success than you did with the tape recorder! Chris often fumbled with the old audio tape recorder when sitting in blackout seance conditions. This inept control often resulted in 'system failure'. We currently use a digital recorder to record most seances, with excellent results.
Group: Laughter.
Chris: Yes. Like I’d be allowed to forget that! Difficult for you working tonight isn’t it, with all this lot. Referring to the two visiting spirits who have been trying persistently to get through, and have made their presence known in many small ways.
Billy: It’s busy!
Group: Laughter.
Chris: Yeah. I’m aware that they’re both there, so it’s alright. It’s nice to see them, I’m quite happy for them to pop in and out now and again.
Billy: Mmm. Wish the same could be said for everybody. Again referring to Jon's misgivings.
Group: Laughter.
Chris: Fine. They’re pretty busy with what they’re working with most of the time, so. It’s only now and again innit? The two visiting children work regularly with another medium and are not expected to visit the lodge on a regular basis, although their expertise would be welcomed by Jon's team.
There is a long pause while (again) different spirits attempt to make themselves known.
Billy: You carry on, we won’t be long.
Chris: No, it’s alright. Whatever. We’re fine.
Billy: We’ll probably be with you in a minute or two.
Chris: Yeah, that’s ok.
Billy: Don’t mind us.
Chris: It’s interesting watching the different bits and pieces; different controls and things. It’s good. It’s interesting for him (the vessel) too, different feelings, different stuff going on. Rather than him sitting there getting bored.....
Billy: It’s like having two bags…
Chris: Umm.
Billy: .and trying to fit one loaf of bread into two bags without breaking it. This discriptive reference may be beyond our understanding...although Margaret seems to have grasped it....
Margaret: Gosh, yes.
Chris: Yeah. Interesting stuff. You certainly work hard.
Billy: Anyway, while that’s been going on, how are you lot?
Chris: Yeah.
Margaret: Fine thanks.
Chris: Still fine.
Billy: You don’t have to be quiet all the time you know; it’s nice to hear your voices sometimes too. Especially if you see something specific, or significant, feel free to say because we’re busy working and not always watching what’s happening on the outside. So sometimes, just hearing a voice now and again…
Chris: Yeah. Certainly when the faces are changing.
Billy: … if we got something right we can intensify that bit.
Chris: Yeah. Yeah.
Billy: That doesn’t mean you have to feel obliged to talk all the time if you don’t want to.
Group: Ok.
Billy: Feel free if you do. You don’t have to sit here like you were all dead, at funeral or something!
Group: Laughter.
Chris: I don’t want to jog him out of it by chatting like mad but…(referring to whether chatting might disturb the vessels trance condition)
Billy: You might wake him up, but don’t worry about it, it doesn’t actually affect what we’re doing at the time.
Chris: No. And I’ve no doubt you’d be able to put him deeper if you needed to anyway....
Margaret: We did notice the curtains going. And that was interesting. Within this seance several of the sitters noticed some slight movement to the cabinet curtains.
Chris: Mmm....she had seen the cabinet curtains move, but had felt this may have been her inagination...
Jack: I saw the curtains moving.
Margaret: Sorry?
Jack: I saw the curtain moving.
Margaret: Yeah.
Chris: Yeah, yeah. I’m glad you two said that. Their confirmation was welcome. 'We' seldom report phenomena that has not been witnessed by more than one sitter. It is easy to imagine things, and such imaginings are not helpful. The purpose of the Spirit Lodge Circle is to provide an environment through which spirit teams can enable evidential phenomena to be displayed. Our mutual intent is to publish genuine evidence of continuing spirit consciousness after physical death.
Billy: Yes, well. Our young friends here have got ideas and plans. One day they might even be allowed through.
Chris: That’s fine. It might liven things up a bit.
Margaret: It’s interesting isn’t it?
Billy: Well, is there anything else?
Chris: No, I think that’s about it really.
Billy: I’m glad I popped by for all that then.
Group: Laughter.
Margaret: We like hearing you.
Chris: We’ve finished all our questions, because we asked Charlie them....!
Margaret: Yeah. We’ll have to save some for you.
Chris: We haven’t got anything deep and meaningful for you.
Billy: It doesn’t have to be meaningful....
Margaret: Just a question, ok. We’ll have to think of some for next week.
Billy: Here’s a question for you then.
Chris: Ok.
Billy: What’s the difference between a tree and the wind?
Margaret: Well, one you can see and one you can’t see. One is solid, appears solid, and the other one you can feel.
Billy: Well I’ll leave you to think about that then, but you’re close; along the right lines anyway.
Margaret: Oh, thank you.
Billy: Or you could just say “the leaves”.
Chris: Hmm, why?
Billy: Think about it. Well, you didn’t bring me any questions.
Group: Laughter.
Billy: You want me to answer my own now do you?
Margaret: All right fair enough.
Billy: You sit there asking me questions, expecting me to know all the answers and I ask you a simple one like that, even give you half the answers, and then you sit the same way....
Group: Laughter.
Margaret: We’ll try to think of one for next time.
Billy: Yes, alright, I’m only teasing you.
Margaret: I know you are. But we do neglect you with questions don’t we?
Billy: Not really.
Margaret: Not really?
Billy: No, I usually have plenty of questions. But then they usually just start off with a little one and get very deep very quickly, so don’t worry I’m only teasing.
Chris: Right. Thinking of a question... What did your mum and dad do with you, and well themselves, when they needed the doctors and things, because....?
Billy: They buried me fairly quickly, before I started going smelly. Billy died by drowning...
Group: Laughter.
Chris: So the doctors weren’t terribly efficient in your time?
Billy: More efficient than you would suspect.
Chris: Ok.
Billy: Obviously they weren’t the same as you have now, but there was a lot of healing that happened, and a lot of people survived, and a lot didn’t.
Margaret: Yes. Was there more use of herbal remedies then?
Billy: Just a little bit.
Margaret: Oh right.
Billy: What did you expect? They didn’t have little white pills then, so it was either herbs or nothing. And anyway, where do you think the stuff that goes in the little white pills comes from?
Margaret: Well, yeah, that’s true.
Billy: It’s only concentrated forms of the herbs, but something gets lost. You get the concentrated forms now, and stuff gets lost ‘cos they look for what they call the “active ingredient”, and then think that if they can just get that on its own then that’ll be perfect, well it does work, but you lose the benefit of everything else.
Margaret: Yeah.
Chris: Did you used to know what sort of herbs did what, or was it always your parents, because you weren’t that old were you? Billy has told us that he died when he was young
Billy: Well, everybody knows. You grow up with it. You learn what the plants are called and what they’re for.
Chris: Can’t you give us a remedy for something then?
Billy: Not unless you know the old names, or I could point you to the right plant...anyway..I don’t know if I could do that anyway. So, things like; something we used to use called tangle-wort. We used to use that for when you got the knotty, umm, knotty lines in your legs…old ladies.
Chris: Varicose veins.
Billy: Yes. You get the tangle-wort and you could make a poultice of it and put it on and it would untangle things. That’s why it’s called tangle.
Chris: Oh, I see. Ok.
Billy: So if you look at the old names they usually tell you what they are for.
Chris: Ok. What things would make you sleep, apart from a hammer on your head?
Billy: I don’t know, there were lots…
Margaret: Valerian.
Billy: I don’t know…we had a small white flower on a tall stem; I couldn’t say what it was.
Chris: No, they’re all called different names now aren’t they?
Margaret: Yeah.
Billy: A lot of the old names for them are still there though. Though everyone knew a little bit about what was good and what was bad, you went to the specialists and the doctors. The ones who were thinking new thoughts, they still were trained in the old ways as well.
Chris: It’s a pitty most of that’s been lost, or, you can’t just do that as easy as that now.
Billy: Not as much is lost as you might think, it’s still there, but it’s just been overshadowed.
Chris: Mmm.
Margaret: I think there’s more interest in it now, isn’t there?
Billy: Yes. If you want to know you can find the information, it is there, and there are people who can still teach it still, but not many. It’s not as widespread as it was, it’s not as common, because we didn’t have anything else. But, if we had, say if you broke your leg then you was a bit buggered really, ‘cos you could wrap it in as many herbs and poultices as you like but it was still broken. That’s another thing; you’ve got it better now. And a lot of the stronger medicines were a bit hit and miss, they didn’t always cure you, but if they did it made you stronger; easy to overdo it a little bit sometimes; depended a lot on the individual.
Chris: Mmm, interesting stuff. Gosh, the time’s going on. Looking at the clock and realising that the medium has a long drive ahead of him...
Billy: Well, if you’re bored we can always go…
Chris: No, I wasn’t bored, I just realised the time was going on, and we’ll have a problem....
Billy: It is getting a bit late now. I apologise for that bit of confusion earlier on.
Chris: No, that’s absolutely fine.
Billy: We’ve had a couple of funny ones today.
Group: Laughter.
Billy: Not just them, but also before as well. Chris later understood that a spirit-healer was present earlier in the seance, attempting to communicate through the vessel to offer support to one of the sitters. I was trying to get everything to work and it didn’t quite work right.
Chris: Yeah, ok.
Billy: It’s really more down to him here than them really. Again...the medium finds unusual energies difficult to accept and subconsciously rejects the unfamiliar.
Chris: Yeah.
Billy: Not used to the different ones. He was looking for the ones he recognised and they weren’t there.
Chris: Yeah, he’ll get used to it.
Billy: I try to tell him by giving him the pain in the knees.
Chris: That’s lovely.
Billy: That’s supposed to be another one for him to recognise, but it didn’t work well. Anyway, this must be time to go now.
Chris: Ok, thank you ever so much.
Group: Thank you.
Chris: I’ll put the closing music on now then.
Towards the end of the seance there appeared to be some confusion as various potential communicating energies were apparent around the medium and within the cabinet area. This situation too was mentioned by Billy.
A particularly interesting seance....but aren't they all?
