Table-tilting - a DIY Guide
Table-tilting is where a 'sitter group' - a gathering of people who meet at the same time and same place each week - sits around a small table in a darkened room with their hands placed firmly on the table. Table-tilting was immensely popular in Victorian times, and the technique was used as the basis for the well-known Philip Experiment conducted by the Toronto Society for Psychical Research in the 1970s. After some time the table will produce small sounds (usually creaks and groans) which grow in magnitude. The group can also experience slight movement of the table, cold breezes and small lights manifesting in the immediate vicinity. As the group progresses they can achieve rocking of the table, sliding or lifting of the table legs and eventual levitation of the table! In some extreme cases objects can also appear (known as apports) that were not in the room to start with. How to Start 1. Gather a minimum of four people (note: they must be open-minded individuals) 2. Procure a table, preferably a small card table (or something light enough for one person to tilt on their own when deliberately trying to do so) 3. Meet at the same location for each session and avoid interruption (no one else should be in the house at the same time) 4. Meet regularly and always involve the same people 5. Create a light-hearted atmosphere - sing, tell jokes, chat informally - and avoid terribly serious things like meditation 6. Don't draw too much attention to phenomena or it may dampen it 7. Avoid inviting intensely sceptical individuals along to watch - previous experience suggests these people act as a negative force to any phenomena So what causes it?
Well, we don't really know - is it psychokinesis through some kind of 'group mind' or is it some kind of intelligent spiritual presence ie. a ghost? Whatever you think it might be, we here at Ghostwatch would love to hear about your experiences with table-tilting so drop us a line! Further Reading Ghostwatching - The Ghosthunter's Handbook by John Spencer and Tony Wells (Virgin, 1994) The Paranormal Investigator's Handbook by Valerie Hope and Maurice Townsend (Collins & Brown, 1999) If This Be Magic by Guy Lyon Playfair (Jonathon Cape, 1985)