Archive for the ‘Fox Sisters’ Category

Fox News

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

October is the month that Spiritualism and related spirituality gets an up-tick, largely because of Halloween.  YNN is our local Rochester, New York news station on Time Warner Cable, and we watch it quite a bit.  This morning, I saw a spot on the Fox sisters, who are the folks credited with discovering Modern Spiritualism.  The Fox home is close to Rochester, in Wayne County, and the site (which is now just the foundation) is protected by a shelter erected by the Spiritualist Church.

It’s a nice piece.  Well done, and not the usual spooks-and-gooks affair that is typical of news coverage.  Pastor Robin Higgins from the Plymouth Spiritualist Church in Rochester is featured in the spot, and she is the minister who married us last year.

Posted in Famous Spiritualists, Fox Sisters | No Comments »

Fun and games with names

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

I got to tinkering with a name anagram site, specifically http://www.deanjackson.dj/nameanagram/index.php  You can put in your name, and it will output words from the name, using every letter.  Here are some interesting anagrams that are spiritual in nature.

Mediums of today:
John Edward’s anagram name is ODD WHEN JAR.
James Van Praagh’s anagram name is JAR VAMP SANE HAG.

Mediums of the past:
Helen Duncan’s anagram name is NUDE CHANNEL.
Margery Crandon’s anagram name is GRANDER ACRONYM.
D.D. Home’s anagram name is ODD HEM.  Expanded to Daniel Douglas Home, his anagram name is ALIEN AGED HOODLUMS.

Famous Spiritualists:
Allen Kardec is known for Spiritism, and his anagram name is NAKED CELLAR.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s is not only the author of the famous Sherlock Holmes stories, but a famous Spiritualist.  His anagram name is CARRY ON, HOUND TALE.

The Fox sisters, who were famous for communicating with deceased peddler Charles B. Rosna and founding Modern Spiritualism:
Kate Fox’s anagram name is FOX TAKE.  When spelled “Katie Fox”, her anagram name is ATE OK FIX.
Margaretta Fox’s anagram name is FAT MARX TO RAGE.
Leah Fox’s anagram name is HOAX ELF.
Charles B. Rosna’s anagram name is NOBLER AS CRASH.

Skeptics and debunkers:
Joe Nickell is a skeptic, and his anagram name is JOKE IN CELL.  Hmmm….. ;-)
Harry Houdini, the famous magician, was also famous for debunking fraudulent mediums.  His anagram name is OH! HID URINARY.  His actual name was Erik Weisz, whose anagram name is WE IRK SIZE, or when spelled “Ehrich Weiss”, his  anagram name is SHREWISH ICE.
Other spiritual things:
Near Death Experience’s anagram name is EXERT NEEDIER PANACHE.
Trance Mediumship’s anagram name is CRUMMIEST PINHEAD.
Full Trance Mediumship’s anagram name is MISPLACE MIRTHFUL NUDE.
Ouija Board’s anagram name is A BIJOU ROAD.
Spiritual Development’s anagram name is PRIMEVAL, INSULTED POET.

A few that make you think:
Spiritualism’s anagram name is I SIP ALTRUISM.
Spiritualist’s anagram name is IT IS ULTRA SIP.
Psychic’s anagram name is CHIC SPY.
Lily Dale’s anagram name is IDLE ALLY.
And last but not least, Mediumship is HIP DUMMIES.  Hmmm… ;-)

Posted in Arthur Conan Doyle, Famous Spiritualists, Fox Sisters, James Van Praagh, John Edward, Lily Dale, Mediumship, NDE, Ouija board, Psychic, Skeptic, Spiritism | No Comments »

Mulling over the local geography

Saturday, February 21st, 2009

As I mentioned in my previous post, Hydesville is Southeast of Rochester, NY (US).  It’s the foundation point for Modern Spiritualism, and is where the Fox sisters heard raps from a deceased peddler.  The town of Palmyra is nearby.  It is the foundation point for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), (a.k.a. the Mormons), and is where Joseph Smith talked with the angel Moroni and discovered the plates, which became the book of Mormon.

Lily Dale is in Cassadaga, NY, which is about two hours drive from Rochester, and it is the capital of Spiritualism in the US.

The Genessee river runs through the middle of Rochester, and it flows from South to North, which is a rarity on our planet.  (In addition to the Nile, there are other rivers that flow from South to North.)

Do these spiritual influences and the geography of the region somehow go together?  I’m not sure, but I’d like to know.

Posted in Cassadaga, Fox Sisters, Lily Dale, Spiritualist | No Comments »

The House in Hydesville

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

The Fox sisters lived in a small cottage in Hydesville, which is a very small town that is Southeast of Rochester, New York (US). They heard spirit raps in the cottage, and learned how to communicate with the spirit there, who was a peddler who had been murdered in the house years before.  The news of their ability to communicate spread like wildfire and became the catalyst event for the foundation of Modern Spiritualism.  Here is an excellent first-person account of their experience, and a historical account that describes their lives and experiences with Spiritualism. The Lily Dale Museum has items from the Fox family.

The House in Hydesville is a play that just finished running in the Geva Theatre in Rochester.  I went to see it.  The acting was excellent, and the stage was well done.  It’s a beautiful place.  There’s not a bad seat in the house, and it was two or three seats short of a sellout.

As a Spiritualist, I found the story very disappointing.  On the way out, one of my spirit folks said “Skeptics win on this one”, and that describes it quite accurately.  I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone.

Posted in Fox Sisters, Mediumship, Spiritualist | No Comments »