Ectoplasm

An ectoplasm is an alleged substance or spiritual energy produced by physical mediums when in a trance state.

Etymology

The term derived from the Greek words ektos (outside) and plasm (substance) and was coined by Professor Charles Ricket, one-time president of the Society for Psychical Research.

Description

The term was coined to described the substance which comes from the body of a psychic medium during a seance. It has been variously described as being a gelantinous, jelly-like and viscous, and is usually white in color, and characteristically comes from the medium’s mouth. When mediums in seances were first conjuring up ectoplasm, it would be often in the shape of a hand or sometimes a hand and an arm which was called a pseudopod. pseudopods could often move like a real arm or hand. They could hold things, pick stuff up, and shove things around. They shook the hands of those people taking part in the seance. Some of these ectoplasmic formations looked very realistic, while others looked nothing like a humans hand or arm.

Theories about origin and existence

Spiritualists believe it to be the materialization of the astral body. Spiritual entities are said to drape this substance over their nonphysical body, enabling them to interact in our physical universe. Some mediums have reported they experienced pain when the ectoplasm was touched or exposed to light.

Medium Eva C. supposedly produced an ectoplasmic face from her ear during a séance. Many of her "faces" were later revealed to have been cut from a Paris newspaper.

Many mediums were caught creating their own, fake ectoplasm by using thin strips of muslin, egg white, mixtures of soap, chewed paper or gauze that they regurgitate during the Seance. Other researchers have duplicated, with non-supernatural materials, the photographic effects sometimes said to prove the existence of ectoplasm. One investigator stated that the ectoplasm that he studied was nothing more than "butter muslin." He added: "It always has been and always will be.. I did seem some produced in a séance once. It smelt appallingly of body odor, which wasn't surprising, considering where it was kept." Houdini once wrote that: "Nothing has crossed my path to make me think that the Great Almighty will allow emanations from the human body of such horrible, revolting, vicious shapes, which like 'genie from the bronze bottle' ring bells, move handkerchiefs, wobble tables and do other flapdoodle stunts."