The Victorian Occult Obsession Seances and Scammers
Summary
This episode explores the Victorian obsession with the occult, tracing how grief, scientific doubt, and the Fox sisters' rappings sparked a mass spiritualist movement. It details the rise of grassroots séances, the role of female mediums, and the emergence of organizations like the Golden Dawn and Theosophical Society. The narrative also covers the intense backlash from scientists like Faraday and Huxley, as well as religious critics who condemned these practices as fraud or demonic.
Topics discussed
Introduction: Managing Indolent Systemic Mastocytosis
Victorian Britain's Obsession with the Occult
Scope: Grassroots Fascination and Prominent Figures
Why Occultism Flourished: Anxiety, Death, and Science
Origins: Mesmerism and the Fox Sisters' Rappings
Spiritualism as Religious Complement and Social Pastime
Séance Etiquette and the Rise of Female Mediums
Table-Tipping and the Social Status of Séances
Sensational Mediums: Florence Cook and Personal Grief
Grassroots Infrastructure: Societies, Press, and Planchettes
Ghost Clubs and the Society for Psychical Research
Royal Endorsement: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
The Theosophical Society and Helena Blavatsky
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Scientific Skepticism: Faraday and Darwin
Exposing Fraud: John Lancaster and Sir William Crookes
S.P.R. Investigations and Blavatsky's Deception
Cultural Backlash: Punch, Browning, and Religious Critique
Legacy: Impact on Victorian Society and Culture
Conclusion and Sponsor Acknowledgments
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