Energy-Based Physical Phenomena - Is it Really New?

Ever since the energy-based work of our 1993-1998 ‘Scole Experiment’ (with its unique physical phenomena) became well-known within the realms of Psychic Research and Spiritual Science, the connections with ‘energy’ seem to have caught on and now seems to be the ‘in thing’ – this being a very popular expression used within both mental and physical mediumship alike. 

The majority of newer groups and circles who sit for physical phenomena, often follow advice from Spirit as outlined in the Scole Experiment’s ‘Basic Guide’ and use the specially blended mix of three different sources of natural energy which Spirit refer to as ‘Creative Energy’. I personally know of a number of experimental groups who have already achieved excellent energy-based phenomena developed in this way.

However, what I do find surprising (and what worries me to a certain extent) is that a number of bloggers, writers, authors and mediums themselves have begun to refer to their work, and that of groups seeking to develop energy-based physical phenomena, under the general heading of having been engineered by Spirit using ‘new energy’.

Whilst it is quite correct to describe most of the energy-based physical phenomena witnessed during the Scole Experiment as ‘unique’ and ‘incorporating brand new types of physical phenomena’ which had never, to our knowledge, been previously witnessed anywhere else in the world at that time, it would not be accurate to state that the work and phenomena could be accredited simply to the use of ‘new energy’. 

As we were told by our Spirit Team, many other circles, groups and physical mediums in the past also worked in this energy-based way, right back (way beyond modern Spiritualism) to time immemorial and the days of Atlantis! The difference at that time was that few of them actually understood that they were working with ‘Creative Energy’. We were extremely lucky at Scole, in that our own wonderful Spirit Team (many of them scientists and engineers during their earth lives) chose to discuss their methods and spirit technology with us in as much depth as possible so that others might gain a clearer understanding of exactly how energy-based phenomena worked. We were also led to believe that for the first time in decades, the work at Scole enabled our Spirit Team to control the use of energy-based phenomena in better ways than were previously possible.

Let us look at some examples of physical mediumship and its phenomena and why I believe that ‘Creative Energy’ played its part – just as it did for us at Scole:

Henrietta ‘Etta’ Wriedt

​Arthur Conan Doyle, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Henrietta “Etta” Wriedt (1859-1942) of Detroit, Michigan, was described by some researchers as the ‘best ever physical medium’. She was studied and validated by esteemed researchers such as Sir William Barrett, a physics professor who co-founded the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), Sir Oliver Lodge, a physicist remembered for his pioneering work in electricity and radio, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the physician who created Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John S. King, a physician who founded the Canadian branch of the SPR, and Vice-Admiral William Usborne Moore, a retired British naval commander turned researcher.

Wriedt was not a trance medium. Her mediumship came under the heading of ‘Independent Voice’ mediumship, where Spirit Communicators were able to speak independently of the medium’s vocal cords, with the voices appearing to come from ‘mid-air’. While skeptics claimed that direct voice mediums were expert ventriloquists, Wriedt was observed by researchers talking to people sitting next to her at the same time as spirit voices came through. It was reported that as many as four spirit voices would be talking simultaneously to different sitters and, although Wriedt knew only English, spirits communicated in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, Dutch, Arabic and other languages. 

Usborne Moore, who had investigated a number of mediums in England before sailing to the United States, first visited Wriedt in Detroit in 1909 and then again in 1910 and 1911. He arranged for her to visit England in 1912. Moore noted that the spirit voices came through in broad daylight or gaslight, but they were louder in the dark. Moreover, Wriedt was open to sitting anywhere in the room so that the investigator could watch her and rule out fraud.

Moore further observed that Mrs. Wriedt spoke ‘Yankee,’ yet the voices of his English relatives and friends came through in ‘pure English,’ while discussing ‘very evidential’ personal and family matters. There was never any talk of Etta Wriedt using a cabinet for her work, or of any direct observation by sitters of any form of ectoplasmic substance. These are indeed the classic conditions ideal for Energy-Based Physical Phenomena, and I believe that Etta Wriedt’s work was therefore, energy-based.

Pearl Judd

For me, this is yet another case of early Energy-Based Physical Mediumship and ‘Independent Voice’ Phenomena. Pearl Judd was a young girl who sat with her uncle Clive Chapman in a family home circle at Dunedin, New Zealand during the 1920’s. The ‘Independent Voice’ phenomena occurred in the light and was very strong. Full details are in a (now rare) book published by Clive Chapman in 1926 called ‘The Blue Room’, which I can thoroughly recommend to anybody who has not yet read it! Once again, there was no cabinet, no trance and no mention of ectoplasm. Classic Energy-Based Physical Phenomena.

The Elmer Browne Home Circle in Leicester

I joined my first home circle in 1973 which proved to be a ‘Physical Circle’ run by local businessman Elmer Browne in Leicester in the UK. There was no cabinet in the circle; trance was not allowed, and nobody ever witnessed ectoplasm, as such. Elmer (‘Bill’ to us) ran the group under similar conditions to Pearl Judd’s Dunedin Circle – aiming for ‘Independent Voice’ in the same way, and using ‘The Blue Room’ as his ‘Bible’. In the two years I sat with that circle, I did indeed witness several examples of ‘Independent Voice’ during sittings, along with being ‘poked in the back’ by a ‘teleported’ Spirit Finger! Looking back, I have no doubt that the phenomena I witnessed there at Leicester was indeed energy-based.

The Rita Goold Circle in Leicester

There were a number of reports in the Psychic Press during the 1980’s of the ‘new type’ of physical phenomena that was being witnessed at that time in the home circle of Physical Medium Rita Goold. The circle was experiencing materialization in a ‘different’ way, so it was said. The Spiritualist Community was suspicious that the phenomena was not genuine, as ‘everybody who was anybody’ in that community argued vehemently that materialization could only come about through the use of ectoplasm. In the Goold Circle, ‘solid’ Spirit personalities were visiting the circle every week, including the very solid Spirit boy Russell Byrne who acted as a guide and Spirit ‘compere’ within the circle. Another regular prominent Spirit helper in that circle was the famous materialization medium Helen Duncan. In life, Helen had been a large lady. When she manifested in the circle, she occasionally sat down on a settee during a séance and her heavy weight was felt by other sitters in a physical way!

Russell Byrne’s parents attended the circle at the invitation of Rita, and were able to verify absolutely 100% that the solid visitor Russell was indeed their son! The Spirits of Russell and Helen spoke in their own voices during sessions (see the book ‘Russell’ by Gwen Byrne – Janus Publishing). Our friend Alan Crossley (medium and experienced psychic researcher regarding physical mediumship) who knew Helen Duncan well and used to organise some of her séances when she was alive, also stayed with Rita at one point and attended her séances. Alan was able to confirm totally that the solid visiting Spirit of Helen at Rita’s séances was indeed Helen herself, and that Rita’s mediumship was genuine. On more than one occasion (not during a séance), Alan actually watched stuffed toy animals climbing up the wall in full daylight!

It is still a mystery to me as to why, but Rita was dramatically vilified by much of the Psychic Press because leading Spiritualists could not understand how her phenomena was produced. Shamefully, Rita even received a number of ‘death’ threats at the time, which eventually led to her abandoning her amazing, successful and absolutely genuine mediumship! I do not think that it was ever explained to Rita’s Circle during sittings that the materialisation and independent voice phenomena they were experiencing, was actually energy-based and was similar to our own Spirit Team worked at Scole. I have no doubt whatsoever that Rita’s phenomena was indeed an earlier manifestation of our energy-based phenomena at Scole a decade later, and that the materialisations of spirits who visited Rita’s seances were in fact teleported into the room in exactly the same way that was used during ‘The Scole Experiment’.

The Streatham ‘Theatre School’ Circle

This was another amazing circle in the 1990’s where energy-based physical phenomena was prevalent. During a seminar by the Noah’s Ark Society, which I founded in 1990, Sandra and I were approached by a delegate who was sitting in this circle (which apparently had no medium as such), but which was nevertheless experiencing amazing phenomena including Materialisation and Independent Voice. We agreed to sit with the circle for a while to assess the situation and offer advice if necessary, which led to our sharing several sittings with the group over a period of time. It was a few months before we were able to conclude that a young French man in the circle was actually the medium, as the initial assessment seemed to point to the fact that the group as a whole supplied the ‘Creative Energy’ for their Spirit Team to operate.

On the first occasion, we climbed the stairs to the third storey room and (in full light), I was again ‘poked in the back’ by a solid Spirit finger urging me up the stairs. We were able to verify that the phenomena was unusual in the way that it was engineered by the Spirit Team, and comprised of everything that the delegate had originally described – and more! This group had a tea and cake break in the middle of the sitting and we all left the room and moved across the corridor to a kitchenette. An Independent Spirit Voice’ would tell us when it was time for the break and if we stayed too long, would inform us that it was time to return to the séance room as they were waiting for us.

There was no cabinet in the room in which the circle sat, nobody went into trance and there was no suggestion whatsoever of ectoplasm but with everybody wide awake, the phenomena happened! The Spirit Visitors amongst us were quite solid to the point that – on more than one occasion – a large and heavy male Spirit person gently pulled up one of the ladies in the room and danced with them! This happened to Sandra, and she was quite blown away by the experience. Knowing what we do now, and after the later sessions we held at Scole, it is quite obvious that the superb phenomena was energy-based, and that the solid Spirit visitors were teleported into the room in exactly the same manner as we later enjoyed at Scole.

So you see – in my own mind – with all these examples to draw upon, I am absolutely certain that energy-based phenomena is not new, but has been ongoing for over two centuries, if not longer.

​Note: This article was originally published in the Afterlife Magazine by The Otherside Press which has since joined the PDN group.