Comments for Table Tipping: Page 1

Thanks for that additional history, Manafon. I must be getting table turning confused with another practice, maybe automatic writing?

Holy! That's eerie! That must be lots of energy for the spirits to move a table that sized! I don't know what to say about this but really, I am going to do some research then come back, very strange and I kind of suspect this kind of activities usually. I will come back.

Thanks for sharing!

E.Lynx

kindly refrain and Argette--Table tipping was originally tied in with Spiritualism and bacame a popular "parlor" activity in the early 1850s. Its popularity then waned when the Spiritualism movement declined in the 1920s. Of course the early psychical researchers were interested in it and conducted experiments at table tipping sessions, mostly during the late Victorian period.

They commonly uncovered trickery but not always. It's really interesting that there was a more light hearted and jokey atmosphere when your group attempted table tipping at the fire hall Kindly refrain. The early table tipping sessions were usually conducted in a serious atmosphere. It just goes to show that spirits aren't necessarily drawn to such serious vibes!

Just an additional note: Table tipping sessions are no longer possible at the fire hall. Recently, it was torn down and a couple of months ago a Harvey's restaurant (Canadian fast food burger chain) opened on the site. I wonder if they have any odd sightings?

trentinray, I am glad you liked the account.

I will try to look for the Jonny Carson bit.

I am not sure if the table quit its movements when Bill lifted his hands from the table. But I think it did. The hands on the table part of the process seems to be important to these sessions. The energy is supposed to be coming through the people.

I found the whole thing weird and remember, I went in as a skeptic (a gullible skeptic perhaps) looking for trickery.

The table stopping and starting so quickly also took me by surprise. I have to say that I expected a drawn out invocation period. If I was going to fake a session I certainly would make the whole thing more atmospheric.

Argette, I am glad you liked the account. I should look up the history of table tipping. I did not know it was popular in the 20's and 30's.

I have not participated in one since by the way. I feel that if I experience ghostly manifestations without asking for them that is one thing but if I go looking for them and try to interact with them that is quite another. It may be opening a can of worms that I would rather not have open.

I am not sure.

valkricry, thanks for fixing my link. I am quite frustrated with photobucket. I tried the link I made three times and each time the pictures came up but some in different sizes. When a friend tried the link it worked every time for him.

The link you provided seems to work much better.

Again, thanks.

Manafon1, as you can imagine, when only questions that generate a yes or no answer can be asked it can be a slow process in deciding whom you are speaking with.

When Bill was a boy he grew up in the area where this fire hall was later built. In the neighbourhood lived an old woman who all the local children were afraid of. She would walk, reading aloud passages from her open bible and then quickly turn to Bill and his friends and say, "you better "effing" well do it too". The firefighter who saw the ghostly woman from the torso up described her to many of the firefighters on the job. Bill said that that the description fit Mrs. Percival to a tee.

This was the first person they tried to contact but they got a "no" answer. They also tried to contact her brother who was also a ghostly suspect; also a "no".

They then went through quite a mental list of recently and not so recently deceased fire fighters.; two of which came up "yes".

Owing, I believe, to this being a first time doing anything like this, for all but one person, the questions were not very deep. They revolved mostly around recollections of events and people during life and also some general questions about "post mortal coil" happiness etc. I must admit that I was mostly just trying to take pictures.

In the wrap up at the coffee shop across the road they discussed who they contacted and that the answers seemed satisfying. I was still in full debunking mode.

As far as the group being serious, there was a lot of laughing, partly because of the "unbelievable aspect to what was going on and maybe nervousness. Instead of a mystical session in which all of us should have been wearing robes and pointed hats with arcane symbols on them, the whole event felt more like friends going out for pizza. The faces of the participants that I had to blot out were often smiling.

As far as involuntary muscle movement, you can see from the pictures (I have many more) that all hands were on deck. While the movements of the table, while all the legs were still on the floor, could be accounted for in a non-supernatural way I can't see a way the table could be lifted involuntarily or through trickery. After the session I tried as I could to tip the table while I sat at it alone. I could manage to tip it toward me but I would have to block the legs with my feet and strain quite a bit to manage it. The pictures show a different story. In all the table tipped in three directions ruling out deception from Bill.

More recently, I spoke to people who were at a session in a grave yard near Bill's house. Nothing much happened so Bill's wife asked for a last hurrah from the spirits. Reportedly, almost instantly, the table launched from under their hands and flew 20 feet away.

I seen something that reminded me of this on Johnny Carson, this guy had a table and glasses, and you put the tip of your finger on the glass. I don't remember what he or his tricks were called, but it was pretty cool. I did have a couple questions though. When Bill put his attention, and the flash light, on you the activity just stopped? Is it that the host's attention was away from the table, or that his fingers were not on the table? Just curious on this, I find it weird that it stopped suddenly and then restarted as soon as Bill regained attention. But I have no knowledge on how this sort of thing works. Thank you for sharing, I really enjoyed it!
Trentinray

What a fascinating account! And thank you for the photos and explanation. As I recall, table tipping was popular in the 1920s and 30s, but I've never seen photographs showing what it looks like.

Thanks, Kindly!

Hi kindly refrain--Your table tipping account and photos are fascinating. By looking at the photos (thanks valkricry) it seems the group received a lot of "yes" answers. Do you remember the questions that were asked and which were answered "yes" or "no"?

Any indication on who the spirit was that was interacting with the group? I have never attempted table tipping but the group you were with in the fire hall seem like they were very serious about the undertaking. Skeptics of table tipping often state that intentional trickery or involuntary muscle movements are to blame for the table's actions but there seems little reason for trickery in your account and the "involuntary" muscle movement theory has always struck me as a typically dismissive skeptics answer.

Impressive stuff kindly! The combination of what you experienced in the hall, along with the experiences of Bill and the table tipping session, point to a location with some rather strong paranormal activity. If you can recall any of the answers received and who the group was communicating with, that would be very interesting. Thanks for sharing this wild account.

Kindly_refrain, the link you provided didn't work for me.
So I'm supplying this one:

Http://s1259.photobucket.com/user/Kindly_refrain/library/Table%20Tipping?sort=3&page=1