Recap

Spiritualism & Magic

Ian welcomed writer Christine Wicker, who discussed her work as a religion reporter for The Dallas Morning News as well as her research into spiritualism and magic, which she defined as "all those things that science will not allow us to believe anymore."

Wicker shared some of her experiences in Lily Dale, a community in Southwestern New York dedicated to the religion of Spiritualism. While there, Wicker attended a séance where she witnessed what appeared to be spontaneous and unexplainable table tipping. She later discovered a more down to earth explanation for why the table moved about--it was a pedestal table that responded to vibrations in the room caused by the séance attendees.

Wicker also talked about spirit paintings, ouija boards, sex spells, the conflict between Christian fundamentalism and science, as well as legendary medium Jack Kelly and billet reading, the magic systems used by drug dealers, and other topics related to the dark magical arts.

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