As a certified Medium I have had the blessing of conducting, and attending many many seances. The following is just a few guidelines that have helped me out.
The word "sance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." This is a common word in the French and didn't necessarily mean a session having to do specifically with Spirit communication. However, the it has come to be used in English common parlance as specifically about a session where people sit to receive communications from Spirits though the ministry of Spiritualist Mediums.
Since the rise of Modern Spiritualism in 1848 people have sat in Seances and communicated with Individuals in the Spirit World. This communication is possible because life is eternal! There is never a point in time when we stop living. There is a time when the organic body will cease to function in its material capacity, however, our personal identity and what makes us 'us' will NEVER die! This is our birth right as children of God.
A seance isn't meant to be a scary thing. It isn't supposed to evoke feelings of dread or fear, but it is supposed to evoke the exact polar opposite of these feelings. One should enter into a seance and leave a seance with elevated spirit, peace, joy and love. Why? Because we are communicating once again with those whom we love. We realize anew that while they may be separated from us physically they are never far from us!
I must stress the importance also, of not participating in seances as just a form of entertainment. It is a religious experience and should be treated with respect. Playing with the Spirit World, or using it's inhabitants as just a form of entertainment is considered rude. Also, be advised that the Spirit World is composed of many levels. There are many different types of individuals in the Spirit World, and you do not want to attract the wrong type of company. Using a seance like a form of entertainment is like putting your name, phone number, and address on craigslist and leaving the door unlocked. Not a smart thing to do.
Now, with that being said the following is considered as a guide when sitting for your own seance.
1. Assemble a group of like minded people, at least 4 people. The seance will work better if all of the individuals at the table agree that communication with the Spirit World is possible. These should be individuals that aren't just looking for entertainment, but who really want to communicate with the Spirit World for uplifting reasons. Make sure that one of the group participants takes notes as to what happens and what type of communication comes through.
2. Choose a location that will be quite and free from interruptions. High traffic areas are not good. Please do not conduct your seance in a room where people will be walking through interrupting the seance. This could be a danger to the sitters involved. This is because when connection is made with the Spirit World the vital energy of the group will be connecting with the Spirit World. Any quick breaking of this connection can be painful physically, and can be harmful.
3. Open your meetings with prayer. Pray that only the highest and best Spirits be allowed to communicate. Ask your Angles and Guides to guard your seance, and ask that only positive information come through, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! Failure to dedicate your seance to the highest and best can result in negative forces coming through. Remember, you don't want to put your name, number, and address on craigslist and then leave your door unlocked and go to bed. It's just not smart!
4. Be ready to sit for a long time before anything happens.
5. Do guided meditations as a group, and have the person taking notes write down anything the others in the seance see, feel, smell, taste or otherwise perceive. Spirit communicates with us in various ways...and it's important that we speak out loud what we are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or perceiving. When we say it out loud our Spirit Friends from the Spirit World will know that they have made contact. Then they will try other methods.
6. Only sit for about 30 minutes each session.
7. Close with prayer
8. Eat somthing... have a communal meal with seance participants.
9. Always remember, you will have better luck if you keep the seance on the same day at the same time. Let the Spirit World know that your group plans to sit for seance every Thursday and 7pm for 30 minutes. That lets our friends and loved ones on the Spirit side of life know what are schedule is.
Remember, they wish to speak with us as much as we desire to speak with them. Have fun, but remember you may not get results on the first night. Keep at it...IT WILL HAPPEN!
Cody Blair
Certified Spiritualist Medium
The Progressive Spiritualist Society of Austin