24th May 2006.
Chris's report of her very first seance experience:

Last night David and I went to a physical séance at Jenny’s Sanctuary in Banbury.

David and myself arrived at the Sanctuary at 5.30pm. On site was a bungalow and a cottage. David went to the door of the cottage to ask where the nearest pub was, as we’d arrived early. Warren Caylor opened the door. Warren said “Oh…you’ve come to see me zonked out tonight have you?”....he then told David of two pubs nearby.

David and I drove to the two pubs, both were closed til 6pm. We waited til 6.15pm and then returned to the Sanctuary, by which time Warren, with a carton of milk in hand, was unlocking the door of the bungalow.

We three entered the hallway which was in fact a large room. A well worn patterned three piece suite graced the area. There was a plain blue carpet and a few odd tables. An assortment of chairs and oddments of furniture. It was also very cold (no heating!).

As we stood there, not knowing what to expect, some local people arrived, all seeming to know each other. They appeared very chatty and friendly. These were ordinary people. Some wearing faded fleece track suits, trainers, jeans. Nothing out of the ordinary, just average honest, open, country people.We all stood around, most chatting in groups. We understood that most had been there before, but there were a few others who said they didn’t know what to expect, like ourselves.

We’d been told that there was a £30 fee to attend this seance. I counted 28 people, but as they didn’t stand still I felt unsure. We stood or sat around, freezing, for over an hour. It seems that a few people on the list to attend hadn’t arrived.

The doors were locked at 7.10pm. This is when I began to worry.Handbags, wallets and so forth were left in a room (which concerned me). I began to have butterflies and to wish I hadn’t come. We were all offered advice about séance safety, and were then searched. This worried me further and I started to shake a bit.

We were afterwards each invited to enter the séance room (an annexe of the bungalow) where we were ‘zapped’ for metal objects by a hand-held scanner and part-searched again. By now I was feeling uncomfortably fearful.

The room we entered was bare aside from chairs around the edges and a tape player (for music). A small red hurricane-style lamp stood near this. Everybody was shown to seats around the edges of the cold room. There were no vacant chairs remaining. Toys, drums, trumpets etc were then placed neatly in the centre of the room along with a pencil and paper. I felt puzzled by this, but too fearful to give it much thought.

In one corner a metal frame was supporting curtains. The space within the frame was approximately 4ft.6ins square I guess. A black sheet of wood was laid on top of this frame. A chair with wide straps fastened to the arms was placed inside. The straps were nailed or screwed to the chair. Warren Caylor walked across to this area and sat in the chair. At that time I didn’t know why.

The straps were then used to clamp Warren’s arms and legs to the chair. On top of these nylon straps were fixed cable ties. I watched the tying and when Ron, the circle leader, invited a member of the public to examine the ties, out of curiosity I actually stood up and checked them and also checked around and beneath the chair and looked around the frame also. By this time my fear had subsided a little and I was close to getting a fit of the giggles instead! Warren was sitting strapped into the chair. It was simply too bizarre to take seriously! He finally had a gag placed in his mouth and a bag was placed over his head as well. All these things were done in full sight of everyone in the room. It was myself and three other ‘new’ people who checked everything.

I noted that the other newcomers appeared to be as baffled as I was.The door to the room was then taped up and the chairs moved slightly to close the exit. A short prayer was spoken. I took a look around the room and began to feel worried again, but before I fully realised what was happening the lights were switched off and I was seated in total darkness.

We had been asked to sit quietly for the duration of the first two pieces of music. This was easy! I was too scared to open my mouth, my tongue was dried and stuck to the roof of my mouth and I felt as if my eyes were popping out of my head!

After a few moments I heard other people chatting together in whispers. I felt they were wrong to do this, as we had been asked to be quiet. I waited for the organisers of the event to tell the whisperers to be quiet. When this didn’t happen, I decided it must be all part of the ‘act’. I relaxed a bit then, as I realised it was all a joke! As there seemed to be a lot of whispering, emanating from around the room, I wondered how many of the ‘staff’ were paid members of the stage crew.

A little later I felt this to be an unlikely concept as 28 people paying £30 a head gives a maximum of £900. Obviously the more stage hands there were the less profit there would be. I solved this issue by deciding that they probably didn’t need to pay many staff as the whispers could be recorded. Then if they had a good speaker system set up, probably within the walls, it would be comparatively inexpensive.

Soon high pitched laughter and other sounds began to fill the room. This came from all different places in the room. High up, low down, all over the room. Different voices. I cast aside the idea of the in-wall speakers and instead assumed this to be part of the main tape recording, even though the sounds were so scattered.

However…..when the taped music stopped the variously scattered voices began conversation with people sitting in the room. Responses caused further response and there was real-time genuine conversations going back and forth. Laughter, jokes. No way was this from a recording! My mind felt totally confused. I decided to stop trying to work it all out and just listen.

When my mind felt calm again I decided that voices were being ‘thrown’ around the room by members of the séance group. However, it wasn’t long before my puzzlement over the voices was replaced. Before long lights began to flash around the room. Clearly these people had brought in a lot of small torches? Then whistles. Above my head, right above my own head! A whistle! One of those whistles which has a ‘pusher’ thing in the end to change the notes! How the heck could THAT be done above MY head? Speakers inside the wall? The same whistle then moved around the room….as did other musical instrument sounds. My brain began to fry a bit!

Clearing my mind again I tried to think logically. This proved to be difficult!Lights, sounds, voices, real-time conversations continued to confuse me. THEN a voice I recognised.

I felt my eyes open wider with shock! No way could that person be faked....his voice and his personality…..I now had to believe that something serious was happening. This evidence was followed by the misty forming of a body and a face, which was displayed under red-light conditions. I could see the shapes of sitters all seated in their chairs around the room. Many other things occurred, many others. I lost track of time, I was too stunned to think straight.

Three hours after the séance began it ended.As the lights went up the room looked like a battle field! The curtains were thrown off the cabinet and there was a chair on top of it. The medium’s chair had all the stuffing out of it (this, along with a chair spring, had been handed around the room). His jumper and T shirt were off. Toys were all over the place. Words had been written on the paper scraps.Before leaving I again tested Warren's ties, which remained firmly intact. He was sitting partially clothed …with his chair askew and his eyes unfocused. What on earth had been happening?

Everyone left the séance room. They helped themselves to tea or coffee and the bread rolls that had been provided for them. I couldn’t eat, I sipped a little tea with great care. I was stunned.It was just after10pm. David and I left at 10.30pm.The drive home was quiet. David was thoughtful. I was simply stunned.

I knew I couldn't ignore reality. Scientific theory, at sub atomic level, suggesting all that is solid is merely the vibration of energy, is the reality that proves the reality of all things. There are no boundaries. We simply cannot see all that exists. I needed to somehow persuade my mind to accept this fact, otherwise I would remain ignorant. I knew with clarity that my previous belief was incorrect.

Next day I felt the same. Throughout that day I ate dry toast and drank luke warm water.
I was amazed that something like this wasn't being proclaimed a joyous miracle of discovery. For surely those who have lived upon the earth must have so much to teach us?

Chris Di Nucci