Occult lore
Seance
Direct answer
Seance is a spiritualist gathering intended to communicate with the dead.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Spells & Occult Terms
- Related
- Spell, Grimoire, Discernment, Spiritual Warfare
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The story behind Seance
The organized sitting for spirit communication spread rapidly from the United States in the 1840s, became a mass phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic, and was investigated, and frequently exposed, by contemporaries who attended them.
Why Seance matters
Seance matters because it belongs to modern spiritualist history and popular occult culture.
Sources and editorial method
This entry summarizes the tradition in the Almanac's own words; where no source is listed, it is an editorial summary rather than a primary text, and symbolic readings are named as the tradition's, not as fact.
Recorded here as history and lore. No rite is taught on this page.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Spells & Occult Terms
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
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Common questions
What is seance?
Seance is a spiritualist gathering intended to communicate with the dead.
Where does seance come from?
The organized sitting for spirit communication spread rapidly from the United States in the 1840s, became a mass phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic, and was investigated, and frequently exposed, by contemporaries who attended them.
Why does seance matter?
Seance matters because it belongs to modern spiritualist history and popular occult culture.
