The science of things spiritual was the title of a two day symposium programmed by photographer, author and student of the paranormal, Shannon Taggart. Shannon over the years has become a PF grantee and our Rogo Award Winner for Parapsychological Media and subsequent good friend. She has been convening these thought provoking symposiums annually for nine years on the last weekend of July, aided in part by her husband Ralph at the Lily Dale Assembly in upstate New York, outside of Buffalo. She is the author of the critically acclaimed photography and essay book, SÉANCE now in its second edition by Atelier Editions which I heartily recommend for those interested in Spiritualism, photography and the search for ectoplasm.
Lily Dale is a welcoming location well primed for an exploration into a subject often misunderstood,
overlooked and or marginalized by academia—a wrong that Shannon aims to right. Taken from the Lily
Dale 2023 program it states “Here you can breathe…and embrace both the beauty of nature and the
charm of the Victorian era. It is the largest center for the Science, Philosophy and the Religion of Spiritualism now celebrating its 144th year.” There are daily presentations of mediumship as well as classes for spiritual development and growth with nature trails through old growth forests, a museum, library, bookshop and other attractions all providing a serene and inviting backdrop to delve into diverse topics. Speaking of topics this year’s crop was an eclectic mix of speakers. For myself and Anastasia Damalas, we were eager to hear such presentations as:
A History of London’s College of Psychic Studies with Gillian Matini, Principal of the College. Eileen Garrett early in her career practiced mediumship there as well as scores of well known and lesser known mediums.
“You Are to Do What We Say”: The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle and his Spirit Guide Pheneas
with Michael W. Homer. Unpublished materials were shared to explore the seances in which Pheneas
appeared to Doyle’s home circle.
Séance with Shannon Taggart within her illustrated presentation shared stories and pictures from her twenty years of photographing mediumship, explaining how these investigations developed into her book which illustrates Spiritualism’s influence on art, technology, politics, its relationship with celebrity spirits and the religion’s intrinsic bond with photography.
Publishing the Paranormal with Charles and Penelope Emmons provided their first hand experiences as prolific authors and students of the paranormal.
We were especially excited to, in addition, listen to:
Ted Serios: The Mind’s Eye with Emily Hauver. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Special Collections houses the Serios/Eisenbud archive exploring dimensions of the Serios phenomenon including photos illustrative of “thoughtography” the process whereby Serios purportedly was able to document his thoughts onto unexposed film. Dr. Jules Eisenbud was a PF grantee and conference participant and close associate of Garrett. I met them in my youth and have always been fascinated. While no resolution was presented the apparent ambiguity of the phenomena was well worth further consideration. It pleases me that UMBC is now the new home of the PF’s Eileen Garrett Library which I am sure helps to contextualize this phenomena and others raised in the study of psychical research.
As I personally believe that psychic occurrences encompass more than just tales of “things that go bump
in the night” several of the symposium’s presentations covered the artistic interface with the
phenomena:
Reclaiming Art with JF Martel argued that art is an inborn human phenomenon that precedes the
formation of culture and even society. As a contributor to the second edition of SÉANCE he reminds us
of art’s unique power to awaken us to the fundamental mysteries.
Touched by The Hand of Ithell: Writing Genius of Fern Loved Gully with Amy Hale presented the life
and work of Ithell Colquhoun, a little known surrealist and participant in Britain’s occult underground
and explored the convergence of cultural moments currently illuminating her work.
The Art of Madge Gill: Myrninerest, Marconi, Mars and Music with Vivienne Roberts, Archivist and
Curator, College of Psychic Studies, London. Known for drawings of female faces floating within
patterned backgrounds of calico and on postcards and pieces of cardboard and handwoven textiles the
question was posed as to whether she was an advocate of spirit inspired art or was it a convenient mask
to hide her compulsion to create.
Spiritual Spectacles: Mother’s work and the Shaker Era of Manifestations with Maria Molteni introduced me personally to the Shakers who sought to build Heaven on Earth within their organized egalitarian communes. Mediumship was utilized by young Shaker “instruments” who channeled messages. The Era of Manifestations was contextualized with its overlap with Spiritualism along with some of Molteni’s responsive artwork as artist and researcher at various Shaker villages. The interface with Music and Magic was not forgotten.
Music from Elsewhere with Doug Skinner discussed his book of the same title a collection of music attributed to non-human inspiration. He played some of the pieces from his archive revealing the stories behind them, including channeled music by the Shaker community and the “musical medium” Rosemary Brown.
Dr. Raymond Buckland’s ‘Wide World of Spirit’ with Steven Intermill, Director of Cleveland’s Buckland Museum presented Buckland as a spokesperson for the modern Witchcraft Movement who was a student of Spiritualism and a frequent visitor to Lily Dale.
Defying categorization remained two other excellent presentations:
Grave with Allison C. Meier presented her on-the-ground research on the American cemetery as she frequently gives tours of mediums’ graves and Spiritualists such as Mollie Fancher and the Fox sisters. She traced the changes and the ongoing transformation of the grave and burial practices.
The Trash Stratum with Phil Ford discussed how divine messages may be perceived in forms and when you least expect them which had us considering the complex relationship between truth and trickery in spiritual life.
A most memorable rounded out the symposium:
An Introduction to Lily Dale with Michele(Shelley) Takei consisted of Dr. Takei speaking in costume and character as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, sharing Stanton’s experiences in Lily Dale and friendship with Susan B. Anthony along with her mediumship and impact as an originator of the nineteenth century Woman’s Rights Movement. Breaking character a presentation of the difficulties in understanding “Spiritualism” along with an examination of its relationship with science ensued culminating in her personal experiences with synchronicity and past lives.
All in all you can certainly appreciate the panoply of ideas presented. How lucky we were to attend and how fortunate that Shannon Taggart makes this series available. Count us in for next year!