This week the Acacia Centre in the Murcia region of Spain held its first International Festival of Physical Mediumship with physical medium David Thompson and his partner Christine Morgan and what a great week it has been – full of laughter, friendliness and phenomena – as well as fascinating ‘educational’ sessions on trance, physical and mental mediumship.
People came from across the world, some staying all week, others just 2 days – Circle members came in support, from Australia and England; and there were participants from Brazil, Portugal, Florida and Los Angeles; from Norway and Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, UK and all over Spain – truly International and with one purpose to touch the Spirit and join the two worlds together. Some were experienced but most were first time sitters.
Firstly, our most profound thanks must go to Robert and Barbara McLernon, whose centre it is, for all the extremely hard work they have put into preparing for this week.
Just less than 2 years ago the whole garden and purpose built séance room were under 2 feet of water as storm water poured down from the adjacent higher orange and lemon groves. When the water drained away the whole garden and building were coated in stinking mud.
Determined to have not only the building restored but as much of the garden as possible these last few weeks they personally have been reconstructing the inspirational labyrinth and shovelling 13 tons of granite chippings over the old mud coated chippings so the garden was a pleasant place to walk and sit in.
The séance room, thanks to the expertise of a member of their home circle, was completely lined with wood and new doors and entrance added to make it totally light proof. An efficient quiet air conditioning unit was the finishing touch for comfort in the 30+ degree weather.
The swimming pool beside the separate teaching room was sparkling and available for use but most of us just sat with our feet in it to cool down during lunch and tea breaks.
The week started on Sunday afternoon with David and Christine talking about trance and his development. This was followed in the evening session by David being entranced and his guide William answering questions from the audience – some very good answers too.
I noticed particularly when David speaks naturally he has the Londoners’ ‘f’ instead of ‘th’ – like Billy Cotton’s ‘forty fousand feathers on a frush’ – for those old enough to remember it. When William spoke this aberration was absent.
He explained to us that ectoplasm was used to coat David’s vocal cords so that he could speak in his voice but because the ectoplasm was still within the body the light of the room was not affecting its production. A most enjoyable evening with lots of humour.
Monday afternoon saw two speakers relating occurrences in two very different circles. I told them of the development, with photographs, of the ectoplasmic mediumship of Minnie Harrison and it felt at times as though it was Tom telling the stories, – and just as he used to do I also ran out of time. After a short break Robin Foy connected his laptop to the projector and told everyone of the very different energy based phenomena they had in the Scole Circle.
It was a good foundation and probably ‘mind-boggling’ for many who were attending a physical mediumship event for the first time and had never sat in a physical circle before – as they were about to do. The excitement and energy were building and people were bonding together.
At 7pm we all gathered in the teaching room in preparation for the séance. David spoke to us for quite a time before Christine took over to give us instructions as to what was expected of us.
- To sing along enthusiastically – even if you don’t know the words –‘lah lah’ it and particularly the second one which is an Irish jig – an audition for River Dance but with the mouth, not hands and feet – no clapping.
- To join hands with the person next to you whenever she told us to – which was whenever any phenomena was about to happen and keep hold until it had finished.
Mind you we were so close together our shoulders were touching the people either side of us so you knew that they hadn’t moved out of their seats but by holding hands no-one could grab or swipe at anything that came near, as had happened once, we were told, when a trumpet had come very close to someone’s face and David suffered burns as the ectoplasm retreated rapidly. - To keep as still as possible and feet in close to your chair which is normal in other circles I’ve sat in.
David selected the 2 independent checkers, one man and one woman, who were previously unknown to him (and in fact on both evenings I sat the 2 men had not even been at any of the talks but only arrived for the séance that particular evening).
Their job was to:
- Check the séance room, cabinet and chair and its bindings that secure David’s arms and legs, the length of material that is used as a gag, the ‘trumpet’ and its bag, the luminous plaque, drumsticks, harmonica, and horn.
- Do a body check on him Christine and the two other circle members who had travelled to be there.
- Select and check the strength of the cable ties which were to be used to secure the fastenings on the bindings and the gag and the smaller ones which secure the buttonholes of the cardigan once David has buttoned himself into it with the buttons down the front.
Having removed belts and all jewellery, or taped over rings that could not be removed, to reduce any adverse interaction of the energy/ectoplasm with metals, we were all given a body check to make sure we were carrying nothing into the room.
We were taken across in groups to the porch entrance to the séance room where we removed our shoes before stepping inside on to the cool tiled floor where David ran a metal detecting wand over each of us before directing us to a seat. Where two people wanted to sit next to each other this was allowed. There were around 12 chairs down each of three sides of the room and 2 to3 each side of the cabinet but a few feet away. Once we were all in place the independent checkers carried out the checks on David and the circle members. The cardigan was secured and its ties checked.
David was fastened into the chair and each fastening over bound with a cable tie then Christine gagged his mouth tightly and a cable tie was closed over the knot at the back of his neck. Finally the curtains are dropped over the front of the cabinet
This done the checkers took their places, one either side of the cabinet, the man next to Christine at the left of the cabinet (as we look at it) and the woman next to Sarah, the circle member who was controlling the music player, on the right. The other visiting circle member sat amongst the rest of the sitters.
Now all was ready, the stand lamp by which the room had been lit was unplugged and placed outside the door so too was the torch by which the binds had been checked in the cabinet. Robert then locked the door and sealed the blackout so the only light in the room was from the small luminous tabs on the CD player to enable Sarah to find the buttons.
On the Monday evening after we had started it was noticed there was a very faint glow from the covered display panel of the air conditioning but William said it would not cause a problem and on the Wednesday more tape had solved that problem.
The key was handed to Christine to give to the male checker sitting beside her on the opposite side of the cabinet from the door. If the door, the only opening into that room, had been opened daylight would have streamed in, so of necessity it had to be locked.
After an opening prayer Christine called for the music and we sang, hummed, lahlahed – whatever with gusto to ‘Search for the hero inside yourself’, dodiddo’d to the Irish jig, joined in the bits we knew in ‘True colours’ and ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’. A great feeling of joy and laughter filled the room, at last we were there and we were ready.
We heard a cultured voice speaking and Christine called for us to join hands which we did.
It was William welcoming us all and after speaking for a while he called for questions and when someone asked a question he would ask if he could approach them, walk over to them and stand in front of them then ask if he could touch them and a large hand would be placed on their head – once or twice the person thought it was two hands it was so large. Occasionally a cheek was stroked too. (David’s hands are quite small.)
When he returned to the cabinet we were permitted to release hands, which was a relief as they were getting very sweaty. But in no time Timmy, the young boy, called for the trumpet which Christine placed in front of the cabinet and having joined hands again we were treated to an amazing light display from the luminous band on the large end as the trumpet was manipulated rapidly from one side of the room to the other. Looping and swirling, faster and further than I have witnessed before banging on the top of the cabinet and striking the blades of the overhead fan (stationary) and the ceiling. It came close to knees and heads, sometimes pausing to prod someone in the chest before it was away again – great fun, causing lots of laughter and again raising the vibrations to a new high. Then the trumpet was finished with and it was returned to Christine to be put back into its bag to hide the luminous band.
Timmy also went around the circle touching people and trying to separate their hands, prising apart fingers so they could feel his tiny fingers. Robert described them as being as small as his 5-year-old granddaughter’s fingers and there was certainly no one as small as that in the room that night.
On the Wednesday night we were told that there was more energy than Monday and so they could show his fingers against a luminous plaque. This was carried around the circle so everyone could see tiny slim fingers silhouetted against the top edge of the bright plaque. For the sceptics – if those marks had been on the plaque when it was examined they would surely have been seen by the independent checkers.
But back to Monday. It was now time for personal contacts and to my delight Timmy asked if there was an ‘Ann’. I replied there was and he told me he had two very important people coming for me and one of them was a very big indian so he couldn’t say no because he was frightened of him.
But first there was another man… I was being told to encourage him to give the vibration for him to be able to draw close and I am familiar with that because of all the years I have sat with Stewart Alexander.
Faintly, I heard a familiar ‘Ann…’ and I called to him so he had my vibration and direction. I heard him walking haltingly towards me, my lovely Tom – just 10 months since he passed over. I believe he found it difficult because of the emotion of being together again as he said to me ‘I always was sensitive.’ – he did easily become emotional especially in ‘Ghost’. He said he had been beside me during the talk. Then, having placed his hands on either side of my head, he kissed me on the forehead.
He released me and walked across the room to speak to Robin and Robert who were sitting directly opposite me. As he went his voice became stronger and more like his own normal voice, so much so that one lady from Switzerland who has watched his video about 5 times said was definitely recognisable as Tom Harrison and this was backed up by Barbara, whom with Robert we have known since 2002 so they know Tom well.
Tom returned to the cabinet and we heard the gurgling sound made as the ectoplasm dematerialises and reforms almost instantly I heard heavy footsteps coming to towards me and felt in front of me a tall pillar of cold energy and from above my head came Sunrise’s special greeting to me. He then went on to say something else but until I can listen to the recording I shall not know what, as by now I was too overcome. It was just too wonderful – to have this special privilege of having my love and our special friend there in front of me. He made his way back to the cabinet and dematerialised.
Timmy then asked for Lynne or Linda There was only a Lynne sitting directly opposite the cabinet. Her father wished to come and speak to her.
This is her report:
This was my first experience of sitting in this type of séance. I had been well versed as to what could happen and was looking forward to it.The checking of the people taking part was thorough as was that of the tie restraints, the clothing, and the chair of our medium David Thompson.
The evening was full of the most amazing spiritual characters. They spoke in varying different voices with intelligence but also with a strong sense of humour.
My own father came through, he reminded me of a rabbit I had when I was young and I instantly remembered it. His voice was like I remembered it, firm but gentle although at first it was a little rasping. He told me that I was his “special little girl” which is what he used to call me when I was very young. He told me that he loved me and was proud of me. He cradled my face in both hands and kissed me on my forehead. I was talking back to him all the time calling him Dad like I used to.
It was without doubt a life changing moment, being made more memorable as my father and I had very little time together when he was alive.
The whole experience was one of total love and energy from every person and spirit present. I will never forget it.
Lynne Jones 24/08/2011
A wonderful harmonious night.
In the Wednesday séance two more ladies had personal encounters. The first had her grandfather and spirit guide build together and both stand in front of her at the same time to speak to her. This was a ‘first’ for the Circle of the Silver Cord.
The second lady had her father come to her and when she couldn’t remember a particular incident he told her that she always was scatterbrained, which she admitted was very evidential, as it was the sort of unjustified remark he would make.
This is part of what she wrote to me:
I was so excited when Tim, who encourages and helps spirits to come through, called my name out saying there was someone for me who seemed to be my father! Before I knew it, I heard my father’s voice about a foot in front of my face, talking to me from ‘thin air’. It was my father’s voice, unmistakeably. It actually sounded just like him! I knew he found it hard to come through and use the ectoplasm which I gather is hard for most people to use for the first time coming from the spirit world, but I kept encouraging him and he did a wonderful job of talking to me – his voice getting stronger and not only that but his character came through so well that he even managed to push one of my ‘buttons’ like he did on this side years ago! He talked to me about three evidential things.. one was something way back in my childhood that I eventually remembered though I had wished at the time that he’d asked me something more recent, then he spoke to me about his mother regarding something that was a major hallmark of his whole life and supplied one of the most important missing pieces of a jigsaw for me (too long and personal to describe here) which was also something that I could verify later, independently, and then he told me how much he liked the paintings I’d been creating, also incredibly evidential, because for the week before the séance, in every spare moment I’d had over that previous week, I’d been creating some artwork and it was something I hadn’t done in several years now.. so it was very evidential all round. In fact not to put too fine a point on it, it blew my mind, and along with saying I missed him, and him saying he missed me, I was even more gobsmacked when I felt his two hands take hold of my head and plant an emphatic, real kiss on my forehead with his lips, that the whole séance room must have heard! After that the energy went and he left, to the sound of gurgling ectoplasm which is a hallmark sound of physical séances, leaving me absolutely amazed to have been able to have a one to one talk with my ‘departed’ father. It’s an experience that left me with such certainty about the spirit world and life ongoing there, it was fantastic, specially as I’d not had the opportunity to be around this kind of thing for a very long time. I feel very lucky indeed to have been able to have this experience. I feel truly exhilarated. Almost like having been on the most incredibly ‘holiday’ to another planet – (Louisa Livingstone)
On both of the evenings that I sat Quentin Crisp also came and entertained us with his smooth repartee and walking over to Robert McLernon on the Monday night, told him he had a transvestite friend with him who wanted to speak to Rob. It was, to Rob’s great delight, his guide ‘George’ – a flamboyant transvestite, who asked that he now be called ‘Georgina’. Rob declared it: ‘Brilliant’ – so infrequently does a trance medium have the chance to physically speak to their own guides. Then on the Wednesday evening some long-stemmed roses had been brought by Bill, the other Silver Cord Circle member (whose hand I had the pleasure of holding for most of that evening) to be given to ladies in the séance. Quentin took one from the vase between Christine and the cabinet and gave it to a lady directly opposite the cabinet and a second rose was placed in the lap of Barbara, our hostess for the week.
Again on both the Monday and Wednesday evenings, the séances closed with the medium and his chair being levitated out of the cabinet and across the room to land some 3 metres in front of the cabinet. It landed with such a crash I thought some of the new tiles might have cracked. On the second occasion they brought David out of trance before they did it. We heard David say from within the cabinet, “I hate it when they do this.” We heard a small thud, which I suspect was David’s head against the cabinet top, before there was a loud crash and a scraping noise and David told us the chair was still moving.
The séance was now closed and the door unlocked for Robert to retrieve the light. Once we had illumination the independent checkers were called to inspect the binds; to note that the cable ties were still in place, over the knot of the gag, the buckles of the arm straps and securing David’s legs to the chair legs. The cardigan was now on back to front with all the ties still in place. The wire cutters which had been in the pocket of the male checker throughout the séance were now swiftly used to cut the ties so that the buckles could be undone and the cardigan removed.
On the Wednesday, of course, the gag was removed from David’s mouth before they brought him out of trance and William asked for this to be done at the time. Christine crossed the room with the key from the checker so that Rob could unlock the door to get the torch. The two checkers stood at the cabinet with the torch, watching as Christine eased the gag from between his lips and left it around his neck. They then returned to their seats, the torch was put outside and the door relocked before David was brought out of trance.
David was still in a very sensitive state, having been more than one and a half hours in trance, and noise was kept to a minimum until he had left the room for a welcome cup of tea. Then you can imagine the chatter that erupted in the room at the wonderful contact we had all had.
The two talks during the day on Wednesday by David and Christine about the Circle of the Silver Cord were entertaining and highly informative with David making use of the available projector to show us various pictures including those of apports and pictures taken of the ectoplasm in the circle.
Thursday saw a day of relaxing, sunbathing and exploring until the evening when David and Christine demonstrated their mental communication skills and a number of very detailed links were given, constrained a little in their flow by the recipients language difficulties.
And, of course, Tom finding he has a good link with Christine, having already made himself known to her in Australia, decided to close the evening by giving her lots of snippets about himself of which she could know nothing – even to the rum we used to put in our hot chocolate every morning, finishing the evening on laughter.
It was a good, if emotional, evening.
Friday started early (too early for me as I overslept) with a session by Christine on mental mediumship and a chance for a few to receive help with their development. One of the centre’s members was ‘persuaded’ to have a go and gave an excellent message whilst being unable to see or hear the recipient.
That evening in the séance having earlier asked a question of William about language in the spirit world her grandfather built and spoke to her in German, her first language.
This is what she wrote to me:
“With the help of another Spirit helper “Jack” my Granddad managed to speak to me in German… He said “mein Liebling” various times which means “my darling” and “das ist wunderbar” which means “this is wonderful” – unfortunately his voice was very quiet and I couldn’t get it all but Spirit Jack took over after my Granddad couldn’t stay any longer and said to me, “Your Grandfather says he is your Geistfuehrer, whatever a Geistfuehrer is, do I know what a Geistfuehrer is,” and he walked away from me mumbling about the word Geistfuehrer….. I then explained that Geistfuehrer simply means “guide” in English…. Later the lady who sat next to me confirmed that she understood German and it was audible to her as well…. (Katja Symons)
As many have said, with the checks that were in place, that no-one could move without others knowing – we had spirit there in that place and individuals had specific evidence that no one could have known.
The week was alive with love and we can only thank Robin and Sandra Foy for the input they have had in the organization, together with Robert and Barbara for opening their centre to the world, coping with sensitive people, and achieving a dream not only for themselves but for so many to come together from across the world.
Thank you and we look forward to the next
Ann Harrison
* PS. It wasn’t until Robin posted his account on PM4U that I remembered Emma Hardinge Britten coming through at the sitting on Monday and that beautiful voice. But her thanks must have been going to Linda Smith for all the work she did in raising the funds for the restoration and the memorial although Mavis Pitilla did put in a large effort into the project as well.
Then on Wednesday William Davenport came through in the séance. David had spoken about the work they had done at his grave during the afternoon so it was good to hear from him. And I have no doubts of the genuineness of both communications. Energy follows thought and we know if you think of a person they communicate on this level of life never mind the next where thought is all.
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