Table Tipping a la Mexicana (with selected English and German language youtuberie)

GUEST BLOGGER: C .M.  MAYO

Of course I'd heard of Ouiji boards, but table tipping?  It was not until I happened to translate a very rare and obscure book published in 1911, by the leader of Mexico's 1910 Revolution and President of Mexico from 1911- 1913, no less, that I first came upon the term. Here is what that long-ago author, Don Francisco Madero, had to say about it in his Manual Espírita, or Spiritist Manual:

Q. Now I beg you to tell me, what is understood by table tipping?

A. This name designates the phenomena produced by small tables, or similar furniture, in transmitting messages by means of raps, as at a door.

Q. Of what importance is this phenomenon?

A. It was very great in the mid-19^th century, the first days of Spiritism, and it still serves to confirm the Spiritist phenomenon in one of its most interesting phases; but as a means of communication, it has fallen into disuse as mechanical writing mediumship has proven both easier and faster.

Q. In enumerating these phenomena you have mentioned moving objects by means of psychic powers together with spirits’ powers. Can you tell me something about this interesting phenomenon?

A. It is the same as with the little tables.

Movements of objects by means of occult powers (which, for brevity, we will call psychic or spiritist) serves to demonstrate the existence of the invisible world which surrounds us and is interested in and cares about us and takes part in our endeavors.

As materialism was extending its unhealthy influence over the world’s most civilized nations, it was precisely the apparition of these very natural phenomena and others which were so clamorous in order to gain our attention. In sum, we can say that those phenomena at the origin of Spiritism were the knocks by which the spirits called at the door of our material world to announce their visit. Once we opened the door and admitted them into the house, in calmness and solemnity, they have revealed the object of their visit. They have come to tell us that our spirit is immortal, that life continues after our mortal shell has dissolved, that this life and space are one, that there is no debt that goes unpaid nor agreement that goes unfulfilled; in a word, they have revealed to us the Spiritist doctrine, as summarized in this manual.

 

When, by happenstance (long story), I came upon Madero’s slender Manual Espírita in a Mexico City archive, I recognized that, whatever its contents, its political importance was profound, for it would illuminate the thinking of Mexico’s “Apostle of Democracy.” (This was a point made in Mexican historian Enrique Krauze’s Místico de la libertad in 1987.) At once I volunteered to translate it, figuring it would take, oh, maybe a couple of weekends. I had reason for such confidence: I’d already translated many works of short fiction and poetry by some of Mexico’s leading contemporary writers, and Madero’s can-do evangelical prose was, by comparison, pedestrian. The subject matter did not particularly appeal to me, yet neither did it give me pause; from highschool in California on, I’d dipped into esoteric literature, mainly on ESP, psychokinesis, reincarnation, remote viewing, UFOs, and out of body travel. So I was curious, and more than that: in some rock-solid yet mysterious way, I simply knew I had to do it. 

Francisco I. Madero

Three years into this translation project, I was still slogging through the metaphysical literature, Hi-Liter in hand, trying to make sense out of so many concepts and phenomena that, though Madero presented them in simple language, were thoroughly exotic, for my previous reading in the fields of esoterica, broad as it was, had not provided me with the foundation of historical and philosophical context.

Table tipping, it turns out, first became a generalized phenomena in the mid 19^th century with the Fox sisters, Kate and Maggie, in their house in upstate New York. Knocks and raps disturbed the girls, then they found they could clap and call out questions, and the noises, which they claimed came from a murdered peddler, returned an answer. As if by contagion, this phenomenon, as well as others such as pencils writing by themselves, or on a planchette, levitation, clairvoyance, the appearance of strange lights, levitation, "spirit photography," and —yes—tipping tables, spread quickly throughout the region, and into Canada, England, and Europe, as scores of mediums emerged, claiming to communicate with spirits. Spiritualism developed into a new religion, as did its French branch, Spiritism, led by Allen Kardec, author of the Spiritist classics, The Book on Mediums, The Book of Spirits, and many others.

Legions of curiosity-seekers as well as not a few leading intellectuals (among them, Victor Hugo, W. Crookes, and Alfred Russell Wallace), after attending séances, joined the ranks of the converted. Apart from the Fox sisters, who went on to spectacular fame, among the several outstanding mediums in this period were the Eddy Brothers from Vermont, William Stainton Moses in England, Eusalia Palladino in Europe, and the Scottish-born American Daniel Dunglas Home, who toured England and the continent, where he performed séances for the Emperor Louis Napoleon.

There is more to say about tipping tables, but why not have a look for yourself on YouTube? The following are modern videos of mediums and tables, purportedly tipped, spun, and even flown about, by spirits.  

SELECTED TABLE TIPPING YOUTUBERIE

At the Bee and Thistle Inn in Lyme, Connecticut
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvrir-arFOk

(Gets very interesting at about 5:30)

German table tipping
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQpsHRx0LcU&feature=related

At Lampne Castle, UK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z5-iASpx28&feature=related

Kenneth Batcheldor Table-Tipping Documentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2eDDP0fHRs&feature=related

(Clip from the late 1970s with the psychokinesis researcher)

Small table gets violent with lone medium in France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0HobUgbgtQ

Computer table, one medium plus chair

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg48JSQPJT8&feature=player_embedded#!

Tiny table, two girls, just thumbs

Read more about the Spiritist Manual and my translation, as well as Spritism in general, on the book’s dedicated website:
http://www.cmmayo.com/SPIRITISTMANUAL/spiritist-manual-HOME.html

which includes Q & A, podcasts, bibliographies, and other resources for researchers.

Download the Kindle edition on amazon.com
http://www.cmmayo.com/SPIRITISTMANUAL/spiritist-m-download-ebook.html

P.S. I’m working on a revised and expanded introduction for a second edition; if you’d like to be notified when that is available, I invite you to join my mailing list.
http://www.cmmayo.com/join-cmmayo-mailing-list.html

P.S.S. Nope, I’ve never had a table tip. I did have a staple remover flip on my desk once, though. That happened in Yaddo, the arts colony in a 19^th century mansion in upstate New York. Two other writers who had later been assigned that same room told me they’d experienced similar phenomena, items jumping and moving around and especially on that desk.

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C.M. Mayo is the author of the novel The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, which was selected as one of the best books of 2009 by Library Journal. She is also author of the widely-lauded travel memoir, Miraculous Air: Journey of a Thousand Miles through Baja California, the Other Mexico, and Sky Over El Nido (one of my favorite books), which won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. 

C. M. Mayo

Founding editor of Tameme, the bilingual Spanish/English) chapbook press, Mayo is also a translator of contemporary Mexican poetry and fiction. Her anthology of Mexican fiction in translation, Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion, was published by Whereabouts Press in March 2006

I could fill this blog with all of C.M. Mayo’s awards and accomplishments but instead, I’ll refer you to her Website at www.cmmayo.com  where you can read it all for yourself.

Exciting, New Feature!

Blogs are often soapboxes for their authors’ viewpoints. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, the blog may become little more than navel-gazing, the sound of one hand clapping, if the author is not careful.

My intention in this blog has been to bring to my readers new information about metaphysical locations from all around the world. While I will continue down that path, I have decided to also branch out onto other paths, exploring metaphysical practices and beliefs; personalities and events. To make sure that I cover these areas effectively, I will be hosting guest blogs on this site in addition to my own. I hope you find this new approach to be an interesting one; leave a comment and let me know what you think.

I am pleased to report that C.M. Mayo will be my first guest blogger. I have known her and her work for many years and I’m sure her blog will fascinate you. Here’s a little bit about her:

C.M. Mayo is the author of the novel The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, which was selected as one of the best books of 2009 by Library Journal. She is also author of the widely-lauded travel memoir, Miraculous Air: Journey of a Thousand Miles through Baja California, the Other Mexico, and Sky Over El Nido (one of my favorite books), which won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction.

Founding editor of Tameme, the bilingual Spanish/English) chapbook press, Mayo is also a translator of contemporary Mexican poetry and fiction. Her anthology of Mexican fiction in translation, Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion, was published by Whereabouts Press in March 2006.

I could fill this blog with all of C.M. Mayo’s awards and accomplishments but instead, I’ll refer you to her Website at www.cmmayo.com  where you can read it all for yourself.

Without revealing too much about her upcoming blog on this site, I can say that C.M. has recently translated Francisco I. Madero’s Spiritist Manual from Spanish into English. Madero was the leader of Mexico’s Revolution of1910 and became that country’s president. But he also had a life-long fascination with Spiritism.

Table-tipping anyone? Stay tuned for C.M. Mayo’s intriguing blog!

The Dudleytown Curse - Part II

My first visit to Dudleytown occurred at least twenty years ago, in a time when cameras were still using something called “film.” I had gone there to do some research on an historical piece I was writing. Jay Baca, a frequent visitor to Dudleytown, served as my guide. We were the only two people on the mountain. Although it was a beautiful and sunny summer day, the deep woods cast cool shadows over the crumbling stone walls and cellar holes of ruined houses. The woods were eerily quiet; not a single bird sang.

I took many pictures of the old walls, cellars and wells, all overgrown with thick vegetation. In one cellar hole I discovered a broken Ouija board and felt a shiver course through my spine. I left the board there.

After I returned home and developed my film, I was shocked to discover what looked like a face peering at me from one of the cellar holes. Colored like the vegetation, it resembled a “Green Man.” Thinking I was looking at a pattern of leaves and bushes that just happened to resemble a face, I enlarged the photo. The face became only more distinct. That’s when I called Ed and Lorraine Warren—America’s godfather and godmother of ghost hunting—and told them what I had found.

I lived in the same Connecticut town as the Warrens and they invited me to bring my photos to their home. They examined the photos and said that I had captured some kind of anomaly, but they were not all surprised and proceeded to haul out a collection of scores of photos they had taken at Dudleytown, each of them marked by unrecognizable streaks, blurs, and various colors, all of which they said had paranormal origins.

Over the years many people have explored Dudleytown and have felt unexplainable chills and cold spots and have captured photographic anomalies. There have also been reports of satanic rituals taking place there, although that has not been verified (but I do wonder about that Ouija board I found there so long ago).

Dudleytown is located on private property and the police routinely roust out trespassers so it’s not an easy place to visit today. Still, its legends—and maybe its ghosts—still linger. Sharp in my mind, their stories are the inspiration behind my paranormal novella, Dark Entry, available as an e-book on Amazon.com. Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Entry-ebook/dp/B008OZEWTS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1346003398&sr=1-1&keywords=dark+entry

The Dudleytown Curse - Part I

Tucked up in the hills of northwestern Connecticut is a ghost town called Dudleytown. Settled in the eighteenth-century the hamlet’s history is rife with stories of Indian massacres, murder, suicide, fatal accidents, disappearances, and insanity. So much mysterious calamity plagued Dudleytown—also nicknamed Dark Entry—that by the nineteenth-century the settlement had been abandoned. Today, all that remains of Dudleytown are crumbling stone walls, cellar holes and a few foundations, all hidden in the deep, dark woods.

Some people think that Dudleytown’s trials and tribulations could be directly tied to a curse that followed the Dudley family. Before any Dudleys came to America, two of them had already lost their heads to the executioner’s axe in Merry Old England. Edmund Dudley was executed in 1510 for supporting a plot to overthrow King Henry VIII—who seemed to be quite fond of beheading people. Like father, like son, as John, Edmund’s son, also went to the chopping block years later for again trying to overthrow the crown. Finally getting the message, John Dudley’s son Robert fled England. Eventually, the Dudleys arrived in America. Joseph Dudley was born in Saybrook, Connecticut in 1674 and it was three of his sons that brought property in the hills of Cornwall that became known as Dudleytown.

Other settlers followed the Dudleys into the woods and it wasn’t long before tragedies began falling upon them like autumn leaves. Some Dudleytown residents died at the hands of Indians during the French and Indian War. In 1774, an epidemic wiped out an entire family named Carter. Another Carter family, relatives, moved to upstate New York, devastated by the loss of their kin. There, Indians tomahawked to death the head of the family, Nathaniel Carter, as well as his wife and infant; the Indians kidnapped the other three Carter children and brought them to Canada.

In 1804, a Revolutionary War veteran, General Herman Swift, went insane when lightning struck and killed his wife Sarah as she stood on their front porch. In 1872, Mary Cheney, the wife of the famous journalist Horace Greely, killed herself; she had been born in Dudleytown.

Toward the end of the nineteenth-century few residents remained in Dudleytown, but the curse of the Dudleys was still at work. After John Brophy’s wife died of consumption (tuberculosis), his two children disappeared into the woods. Brophy then set fire to his house, burning it to the ground, and walked away from Dudleytown; he was never heard from again.

In 1920, Dr.William Clark from New York City built a summer home in the now abandoned Dudleytown. With some friends he established the Dark Entry Forest Association with the intent of maintaining the former settlement and woods as a nature preserve. A few years later, Dr. Clark was called to the city on an emergency, leaving his wife alone at their house in Dudleytown. When he returned home, he found his wife cowering in a corner. She had gone insane and spent the rest of her life in a mental asylum. No one knows what happened to her but some people say that “something” from the forest attacked her.

Today, Dudleytown remains part of the Dark Entry preserve. It is private property and trespassers are prosecuted. Yet, the curious continue to sneak into the woods to find evidence of the Dudleytown curse . . . or worse.

Stay tuned to find out what they have discovered. 

Ggantija Temple - Malta

Ġgantija Temple

A few years ago I had the pleasure of visiting Malta for two months. One of the world’s tiniest countries, it was easy to visit its celebrated historic sites. The Ggantija Temples sits on the island of Gozo’s Xagħra plateau. On cliffs high above the azure Mediterranean Sea, they face south-east, in the direction of the rising sun.

The day I visited the temple was cloudless blue with a refreshing breeze rising up from the sea. Tall palm trees nodded on the wind. There were only a handful of visitors to the site—a tour bus full of Japanese tourists arrived just as I was leaving the site—and other than the gulls crying in the air and the surf pounding far below the cliffs all was silent. 

The Ggantija Temple is actually two connected megalithic structures from the Neolithic period erected sometime between 3600 – 3500 BC. They are the oldest free-standing buildings in the world, older even than the Pyramids of Egypt or England’s Stonehenge. The temple was possibly the site of a fertility cult; archeologists believe that the numerous figurines and statues found on site are connected with that cult. According to local Gozitan folktales, giantesses built these temples and used them as places of worship.

Despite the restorative work that was going on at the time, I was able to wander through the complex. The plan of the temple incorporates five large apses with traces of the plaster that once covered the irregular wall still clinging between the blocks. The temples are built in the typical clover-leaf shape (some think the shape resembles the womb, which would seem appropriate for a fertility cult) with inner facing blocks marking the shape which was then filled in with rubble. This led to the construction of a series of semi-circular apses connected with a central passage.  The apses were originally covered by roofing. The structures are all the more impressive for having been constructed at a time when no metal tools were available to the natives of the Maltese islands, and when the wheel had not yet been introduced. Small, spherical stones have been discovered. They are believed to have been used as ball bearings to transport the enormous stone blocks required for the temple’s construction.

I slowly walked through the temple, the hot sun beating down upon me, and wondered what kinds of rites were practiced here. There was some evidence of animal sacrifice but the exact nature of the sacred rituals of these prehistoric Maltese remains a mystery to us. It is clear, though, that sacred sites such as these leave some imprint upon the environment, a spiritual essence that the sensitive visitor can still feel after so many thousands of years. It should come as no surprise that even today worshippers of the goddess find their way to the Ġgantija Temple to practice their modern-day rites.

Mea cupla, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! It's been awhile since I've last posted and, no doubt, you've noticed. Starting this blog has taught me one thing. . . they are difficult to keep current. I could cite the fact that over the last few months I've been busy with new books, or that I was a speaker at Ohioana Library Festival, Mid-Ohio Paranormal Conference, and Paracon on the Lakeshore II, or that I've been traveling throughout the U.S. to visit family and friends, as reasons for my absence. All that is true, but no excuse for not posting new material.

So, okay, I apologize and promise to do better in the future. Stick with me, please, and you'll see.

John