Spirits Seers & SéancesSteele Alexandra DourisLabel: Llewellyn PublicationsU.S.Description: Spiritualism in the Age of Sherlock Holmes and Edgar Allan Poe A woman wearing a black veil convenes a séance. A magician puts a volunteer into a trance. A fortune-teller leans over a crystal ball. Everyone knows what Victorian mysticism looks like because our modern imagery language and practice of magic borrows heavily from the Victorians. But we have little understanding of its spiritual cultural and historical foundations. What made the Victorians turn to mediumship hypnotism and fortune-telling? What were they afraid of? What were they seeking? This book explores the history of automatic writing cartomancy clairvoyance and more. It reveals how Victorian belief in ghosts fairies and nature spirits shaped our celebrations of Halloween and Christmas. With historic examples and hands-on exercises you will discover how spiritualism in the time of Jack the Ripper Jane Eyre A Christmas Carol and Dracula left such a profound impact on both the past and present.
