Here’s an impromptu spoon bending session by Ron Nagy at The Knickerbocker in Linesville.

Peg and I persuaded Ron to bend some spoons for us and I had my camera handy, so I made the most of it. I’m sure you’ll be more than impressed by my video editing (lol)

I had heard Ron did this Spoon Bending thing, it was all new to me at the time. I wanted to see him do it but I kept missing out on it. I had seen spoons he bent at The Knickerbocker because he had gifted them to Peg and they were on display on the first floor. Those spoons looked like they had been in a blender or a Tornado or something.

On this particular afternoon Ron had just driven in from Lily Dale and Peg and I were chatting with him at the coffee bar. I brought up the subject of Spoon Bending and after a little conversation Ron said he would give it a go. My understanding is the spoon bender must be in a reasonably relaxed state of mine and have the energy and concentration to successfully do the bending. Anyway, Ron said he would give it a go, I grabbed my camera and we off the to races. The video below is the result. At the very end I pan the camera to Peg and she makes a statement. Unrehearsed, she is soooo cool!

[View with PicLens]

Here are the spoons Ron bend at The Knickerbocker, then gifted them to Peg Knickerbocker.

Be sure to check out The Knickerbocker Ghost Cams. Three full time streaming Ghost Cams with Chat.

The Political Equality club along with the Summer School of Psychic Science each called the Octagon Building home. The School of Psychic Science was an all around series of class preparation for the Religion of Spiritualism. This school 1893-1902 was the forerunner to the Morris Pratt Institute, Whitewater, Wisconsin.

Mrs. Stearns either sold or gifted the Octagon House to Lily Dale in 1898. The Junior League-a [precursor to the Mediums League] and the Mediums League have used the Octagon Building for as long as anyone can remember.

Atlantic Monthly, September 1881 (summary)

One opens this work of Zollner with great interest, with the expectation of something substantial and more edifying than the dreary accounts of table tipping, and the insane conversations of great men who, entering into nirvana, have apparently forgotten all they learned in this world, and have nothing better to do than to move chamber furniture. We must relegate this work on Transcendental Physics to the limbo where we have consigned the physico-physiological researches of Baron Reichenbach. One rises from its perusal with a feeling of sorrow. Is there anything in this book, which purifies the heart? No. Is there anything, which elevates the mind? No. Does the intellectual faculty grow keener by reading it? No. Why, then, should one spend time discussing it? Simply because it is calculated to do harm from the weight of authority of the scientific men who support the utterances in the book, and because it is an evidence of certain states of mind. Zollners investigations begin with a coloring of scientific reasoning. He discovers that the habitat of the spirits is the fourth dimension in space. The scientific gloss is given and it is very thin. There may be beings that have this ability to work in a fourth dimension; perchance there are gnomes beneath the crust of the earth. These suppositions appeal to an audience of children rather than full-grown men. The rest of the book is filled with the usual accounts of spiritualistic manifestations and a jargon of commentary colored with metaphysics. Why do the claims of spiritualists all have such a strange likeness to each other, an unhealthy thinness, and a nightmare atmosphere born of indigestion? It is not logical to call in the aid of the spirits to account for phenomena, which may be peculiar states of mental action, or the impression of the nerve centers of one person by those of another. The first step is to study mental action.

The article goes on to imply that the power of suggestion, the conviction of one man can persuade many to believe what their calmer senses tell them is untrue. The study of the human mind and the peculiar action of the brain should be analyzed and first understood. When the mind of man is better understood, perhaps we shall perceive that what we call spiritualism must necessarily exist…

Swiss psychiatrist and pioneer psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung was influenced by literature, symbolism, religion and the occult. Speaking in 1897 as an undergraduate at Basel University Jung discussed the occult in a lecture to the Zofingia Society, a student club. Jung said the soul does exist, it is intelligent and immortal and not subject to time and space. He declared the reality of spirits and spiritualism, on the evidence of messages of dying people, hypnotism, clairvoyance, telekinesis, second sight and prophetic dreams. Jung gave a lecture at his alma mater in 1905, Basel University, “On Spiritualistic Phenomena” a lengthy discourse on spiritualism in America, England and Europe. Jung had a life long interest in occult phenomena and enough cannot be said to do his life’s work proper justice. Professor Zollners life ended before he could further investigate, research and complete the final arguments and mathematical formulas needed to convince the skeptics of the reality of the fourth dimension and beyond.

excerpt– Slate Writing-Invisible Intelligence

Spoon Bending

Presented by Ron Nagy

Thursday, August 23, 2012
7:00 pm – 9 pm
Assembly Hall

Fee: $30 per person

Class limit 40
(Gate fee not included in workshop fee)

Bending spoons is a category of psychokinesis and spoon bending is an  excellent example of it. During our lives we have programmed ourselves with many negative thought patterns that block higher energies that empower us. One must learn how to let go of all former limitations…”To let go and let God”.

This workshop will explain the basic mind over matter aspects of bending metal objects and also explain how the mind and body can react together and cause harmonious health conditions. This workshop is intended to be fun and also provide experiences previously believed to be impossible that should reduce some of the artificial limits we have placed in our lives. It may seem remarkable that with very little training one might be able to accomplish this extraordinary proof that belief in spirit and mind over matter is more powerful than certain realities.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own silver-plated or stainless spoons — the more the better. Bring multiple spoons to enjoy the evening.

Ron Nagy is Lily Dale’s historian, walking tour guide, ghost walk commentator and a year round resident of Lily Dale. Ron is an amateur ghost investigator and published writer whose latest book is “The Spirits of Lily Dale” a history of early Spiritualism, Lily Dale and it’s pioneers. Ron conducts spoon-bending parties in Western New York, Pennsylvania and within the Northeastern United States.

http://ronnagy.net/ronsblog

Jack Kelly, Mr. Vosburgh, Mae West—dedication of Healing Temple Lily Dale.

A personal recollection of events concerning the origin and erection of the Healing Temple. By Robert Zagora [step son of Rev. Jack Kelly]

Early in the 1950’s Rev. Kelly’s spirit teachers advised us that they were working to add healing to the Trance and Independent voice phases of Mediumship usually displayed publicly, while the medium was reading sealed billets. Early in the season of 1953 an incident occurred which perhaps more than anything else became the genesis of the Healing Temple. After completing a message service at the Auditorium, Rev. Kelly walked out the back door with my mother by her side. He was approached by a lady wearing sunglasses, walking on the arm of her husband while using a cane in the other hand. She said, “I did so want a message today but did not receive one.” As Rev. Kelly was about to give his stock answer, “ I’m sorry but once out of trance I can’t tell you a thing” His spirit Teacher, who could be heard speaking through the solar plexus of the medium interrupted to say, “Have her sit down, we want to work on her eyes.” She did as she was directed, sitting on a bench outside the Auditorium, where Rev. Kelly worked on her eyes and after a few minutes she exclaimed that her sight was returning. (Some weeks later we were able to question one of the Rev. Kelly’s spirit teachers in class concerning this incident and the teacher told us, “We were able to discern that there was a break in the optic nerve and by concentrating the healing power at that point, fuse the break together.”) Needless to say this caused quite a furor among people in the area who witnessed the healing.

One of those who took notice was Louis T. Vosburgh, who operated a bookstore on the present site of the Lily Dale offices and served as Lily Dale president in 1955. He spoke at length about his belief that there should be a special temple set aside to accommodate the highest form of mediumship. While Mr. Vosburgh started making plans for the erection of the Healing Temple, Rev. Kelly held healing services at the Auditorium on Sunday evenings in 1953 and 1954. Further questioning of the woman whose sight was restored elicited the information that she had lost about 90% of her sight after being involved in an auto accident in which her head hit the windshield. The prognosis from doctors just before her healing was it was not certain that her sight would return.

Mr. Vosburgh acted as his own contractor and using subcontractors supervised the erection of the Healing Temple, to the best of my knowledge with his own money. (Between 25 and 30 thousand dollars) It was erected for Rev. Kelly’s exclusive use and dedicated on July 3, 1955, but after 1957 Mr. Vosburgh turned it over to the Dale Assembly. Ironically, Mr. Vosburgh erected the Healing Temple (the only public building erected in the Dale in the last 66 years) not only without the aid of the Dale Assembly but almost in spite for the lack of knowledge concerning its origin. The Temple remains largely the same today except for the addition of an organ and the paneling in the Temple itself. Since Mr. Vosburgh had the foresight to add a heating system to the building he not only left the Dale a heated Temple, but a church building used all year round.

During the second half of the 19^th century and early 20^th century, pencils cut from solid pieces of soap stone were used by school children for use in the class room to write on 5”x7” tablets cut from the harder grades of slate. Slate pencils were available with the slate core unwrapped, wrapped in paper or encased in wood. Slate pencils were advertised as late as 1914, wood cased slate pencils were still sold as late as the early 1930’s but were difficult to obtain. The chalk used today, (black board chalk), which is used on the large schoolroom black boards is made from calcium sulfate and is primarily of plant origin.

At Ira’s house he was anxious to talk about the good old days and explain his part in all the controversies and explain his secret of the spirit cabinet. Davenport charmed the young escape artist Houdini. Davenport picked up a cord of rope, moved his chair close to Houdini and smiled—Houdini realized he was now watching history. Houdini’s notebook was at the ready.

Davenport opened his wrists to display the proper way to catch an extra loop of rope and the way of putting his hands behind his back and then tied-enough slack in the rope to slip out.

When Houdini departed he never bothered to travel the extra 20 miles to Lily Dale-the largest community of mediums in the United States. Houdini was not at war with the Spiritualists—that would be a few more years.

Precipitated Spirit Painting of Azur the Helper

Azur the Helper was the Spirit Guide of Allen Campbell and Charles Shrouds, better known as the “Campbell Brothers”, Precipitated Spirit Painting Artists of the late 19^th and early 20^th century. The Campbell Brothers were both committed Spiritualists and held strongly too their religious beliefs of the afterlife and communication with the other side but also were able to take that belief and combine their extraordinary psychic powers and produce materializations on canvas that still exist today.

Azur was one of many Precipitated Spirit Paintings, but why does Azur stand out from other Campbell Brothers Precipitated Spirit Paintings such as Nora, Abraham Lincoln and Napoleon? First: there is an affidavit signed on June 15, 1898 by six prominent community witnesses stating they had witnessed Azur appearing on the canvas. Second: Allen Campbell while still in trance…Azur used Allen’s vocal cords to speak of who he had been and his lineage when he had lived on Earth.

The third reason Azur stands out from all the others happened recently.  I requested Anna Marie Warriner the Iridologist who had done the Iridology assessments in the book Precipitated Spirit Paintings by Ron Nagy, Galde Press to return to Lily Dale and asked if she could photograph and assess other paintings for a Fate Magazine article I wanted to submit. Anna Marie agreed, arrived with her digital camera and I obtained an eight-foot stepladder. In the Maplewood Hotel at the Lily Dale Assembly where the Precipitated Spirit Painting of Azur the Helper graces the wall, I positioned the stepladder and Anna Marie climbed the steps with her digital camera. Anna Marie said, “there is something strange going on here, the eyes seem to keep going out of focus like they are moving”. So I climbed the ladder on the opposite side, now both of us were staring into green eyes that looked so real and human I was getting dizzy. Those eyes were looking thru me…mesmerizing.

A lot of photographs of the eyes were taken finally to Anna Marie’s satisfaction. Then by chance she turned to take photos of Azur’s hand pointing upwards.  What we now observed had never been noticed or recognized before. The index finger pointing up had a fingerprint, as if it was coming from within the finger not reversed as if someone could have put this on superficially. Photographs were taken of the fingerprint, clear digital photographs.

After the hours spent looking into Azur’s eyes and the discovery of the fingerprint Anna Marie went home and I was completely exhausted. Now all I had to do was wait for the photographs and Iridology Assessments, especially the photo of the fingerprint.  The next week I received an e-mail telling me: Sorry Ron, The photos were a washout. I will not be able to do an assessment from them. I tried to forward them to you to show you how they looked but that wasn’t working either…very strange. Anna Marie

Whatever happened or why those photos did not turnout is beyond me. This is not the first time this has occurred when someone has tried to photograph a Precipitated Spirit Painting. The printing of the pictures in the book Precipitated Spirit Paintings has been difficult. Each book seems to have a mind of it’s own. Other images or oddities seem to keep appearing within the Precipitated Spirit Paintings, with no two books images the same. I guess that is why they are called Spirit Paintings?

Jennie Jackson Brown

impulse of warm and tender affection.

On Sunday morning, the 12th, Mrs. R. S. Lillie gave her usual discourse, upon the platform were the Chairman, Mr. H. D. Barrett, Miss Jennie B. Hagen, Mrs. Clara Watson, of Jamestown and Mrs. Lyman (a speaker and medium who is en route for the East, where she has engagements for the season).

At the conclusion of her discourse, Mrs. Lillie very considerately dismissed Miss Hagen, and communicated to us the fact (which was no news to many of us) that Miss Hagen was contemplating matrimony, which was to have taken place very quietly in Buffalo the next morning  – the newly married pair to proceed from thence directly to Jennie’s home in North Framingham, Mass., her mother being to sensitive at the prospect of giving her beloved only child to the keeping of another.  Though unquestionably a man in every way worthy of her, to feel that she could witness the nuptials.  But we of Cassadaga Camp, feeling that we are next to her mother in affection and Spiritual relationship to Jennie, she being in a spiritual sense the child of our adoption had persuaded her to change her plans and be married here in this big family of salacious and loving hearts.  The plan was approved and warmly responded to and on Monday was carried out to perfection.

There was only a single day in which to make preparations for the marriage and give her such as “send off” as our hearts desired.  But on Monday every hand and every heart entered into the work as with a single impulse of love.  Water lilies were gathered from the lakes and the fields, woods and lawns were rifled of their flowers and foliage and by a little past noon the rostrum and vicinity constituted a bower of tint and odor.  A bell composed of pure white flowers on the outside and of green leaves and ferns inside, hung from the ceiling over the bride and groom; a table made of beautiful bright clover blossoms in the center of which were two white lilies, representative of the two pure lives about to be united, stood in front of the rostrum; wreaths, hearts and other ingenious and pretty devices of flowers and ferns were overhead and in every nook and corner.

Some little time before the appointed hour (2:30 o’clock) the auditorium was filled with beaming expectant faces.  Miss Porter of Corry, Pa., presided at the piano, and as she struck up the wedding march the wedding party proceeded from the cottage of R. S. Lillie, down Cottage Avenue to the Auditorium.  At the head was Mrs. Gaston (wife of President A. Gaston).  Mrs. Lillie came next. Mr. Lillie and the groom, Mr. Bradford D. Jackson, whose bearing was that of a noble and manly man. Then the two bridesmaids, little Jessie Darte and Maude Calhoun arrayed in white and carrying bouquets of flowers.  Mr. A. Gaston with the bride elect upon his arm brought up the rear.  Mrs. Gaston and Mrs. Lillie came first upon the rostrum.  The latter, whose face beamed with the inspiration of the hour, stepped forward, and gave a brief speech upon “Marriage as Viewed In The Light Of Our Spiritual Philosophy”.

To a few notes of the wedding march the bride and bridegroom stepped forward, and Mr. Gaston performed the office of giving away the bride.  As we looked upon her in robes of spotless white, the fleecy folds of the bridal veil falling about her with no adornments save those of natural flowers, we thought: yea verily, thou art the child of spirit!  One whose face spreads a character of such loveliness, such purity and innocence, is a fitting companion and vicegerent of the angels, and we can but call them blessed.

As Mr. Gaston placed her hand in that of the groom he pronounced the following ceremony:

“Bradford D. Jackson: As a representative of Cassadaga Lake Free

Association; as a worker in the field of reform to which this Lady’s life has been dedicated: as a friend and acquaintance of hers in the years have passed; and in the name of the Spirit world, I give into your keeping Jennie B. Hagen and in giving I trust that you will not only cherish and protect her, but that you will aid in carrying forward this great work to which her life has been devoted; and as you assist her and the spirit-world in carrying out this may you be blessed in the union”.

Then followed the spiritual part of the ceremony given inspirationally by Mrs. Lillie.  One who had watched over Jennie from her childhood and opened with the following lines:

“By the powers that watch above you

your hands are placed together

to tread the pathway of earth-life,

In storms and pleasant weather”.

and broadened into a poetic portrayal of life, as we find it, and the magical power of love  in increasing the joys and lessening the ill which are the common inheritance of humanity.  She then said:

“We shall not adhere to the old custom of exacting promises of obedience except by saying to you jointly: Will you in the presence of these witness and the Spirit-world promise to fulfill the obligations of husband and wife in accordance with the laws of this state?”

This being assented to by both, Mrs. Lillie continued:  “Should we exact a promise of obedience from you, Jennie we should exact it equally of both; but, in your case, obedience to a higher power is required of both of you”.

“Now don’t look so serious,” said, “Boy White” (a humorous control which most of us are familiar with) “you have, both of you, got to mind us.”

Then in a more serious vein the ceremony was concluded as follows:

“Now in the presence of these witness and the higher intelligence’s – in the name of love, the most divine power than which there is no higher – in the name of the Spirit world and of the intelligence’s which control your organism, and in the name of the Infinite Spirit, I pronounce you husband and wife”.

Mr. Gaston Then stepped forward and said: “By the power vested in me by the law; I also pronounce you husband and wife”.

Mrs. Lillie remarked jocosity that they were now tied together in a double bowknot.  Congratulations were extended to the happy pair, and the entire company proceeded to the hotel, where a sumptuous repast was served in the most approved and gratifying manner.  Mr. and Mrs. Gaston occupied the seat of honor at the head of the table, with Mr. and Mrs. Skidmore on the right, the bride and groom at the left, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Lillie, Mrs. Judge Lott, Mrs. Rathburn and other notable workers in the cause of truth.

excerpt from “The Spirits of Lily Dale by Ron Nagy

Ron Nagy’s The Spirits of Lily Dale captures the mood and exuberancy of the heyday of Spiritualism and “The World’s Largest Community of Spiritualism, Lily Dale, NY.” The reader experiences a first hand account of what life was like back then through the clever narrative device of excerpts from popular publications such as the Banner of Light and the Sunflower! Excerpts from these publications make you feel that you are back in time experiencing the vibrancy of Spiritualism and Lily Dale at its peak. You feel you know some of the major founders and free thinkers of the day! The photos take you back in time and you get an overall feel of the climate of the nation and the events that led up to the formation of Cassadaga Lake Free Thinkers Association and ultimately to Lily Dale “The Worlds Largest Community for the Religion of Spiritualism”. As a resident of Lily Dale it takes me back to what the Dale represented yet also has me looking forward with optimism about the future of such an important spiritual community.
I can feel the Spirits of Lily Dale when I walk the grounds now.
Highly Recommend! Thank you Ron for your dedication to preserving the history and spirits of Lily Dale!