HOUDINI SEANCE
Did Plant Respond?

Here's a good post Halloween question for you.

Can the dead communicate with the living through a plant?

Strange as that question may be, some members of Redwood Chapter, American Society of Magicians were asking it after last night's annual seance in Santa Rosa held to try to make contact with the late famed magician, Harry Houdini.

What got them excited was what they described as a "definite violent" vibration from the plant, a philodendron, during the seance.

That will take a little explaining, but briefly, leaves of the plant were wired to, electronic equipment placed in the center of a table around which 13 people sat, chosen at random from among about 70 attending the seance in an old Santa Rosa home.

The equipment, on loan to a Cal-State Sonoma senior majoring in psychology from the International Business Machines Research center in San Jose, hums when turned on, and is designed to record plant vibrations on a graph.

About five minutes into the seance, which lasts 13 minutes and starts at the stroke of midnight, those in the audience said they heard a definite change upward for a second or two in the humming, and this was recorded on the graph with a wide swing.

The student, Randall Fontes, who has been conducting experiments with the equipment for some time at the college, said the graph "range fluctuated much more than normal under the circumstances," and added, "I have never seen the plant react this way before."

He made no comment to those assembled on whether he thought Houdini had tried to communicate with the plant. "Make of it what you will," he said.

Fred Daniels, vice president of the Redwood Chapter, said Fontes was in the home a couple of hours before the seance testing the equipment, which has been used for a number of scientific tests at the IBM research center. The equipment, explained Ernie Nassinbene, an IBM engineer at the seance, can record quite a few plant phenomena, such as hunger, fear and thirst.

The plant was placed on the table where no one could touch its dials. Also on the table were other props, such, as a stage gun, slate and chalk, handcuffs, chains, and rope, all used by Houdini, who died on Halloween night, 1926.

Also on the table was a thermometer and one of those involved in the seance said the temperature rose seven degrees during the 13 minutes. A barometer on the table dropped slightly, be said.

Others, including Bill Soberanes, Petaluma newspaper columnist, who was one of the originators of the seance, said they felt "warmer" or "colder" during the experiment.

Some also said they felt a "brushing" or "tugging" at their legs.

This turned out to be one of seven cats belonging to the owner of the house.

Among those involved in the seance was William Allstrand, a magician living in Sonoma County, whose stage name is Poogie-Poogie, and a good friend of Houdini and his wife, who also is deceased.

Mrs. Houdini is said to have passed to Allstand a coded message she and her husband decided on before he died so they might communicate with one another.

Allstand, who attended several seances held by Mrs. Houdini, said he felt nothing unusual last night, but admitted he was impressed by the scientific experiment with the plant.

The Play of Light is about the Beauty of Light, of Sound and of Form. As each of these is deeply resonant with the other, the underlying unity that they share is revealed within their dance; and can be realized through direct experience. Within this experience, the mind becomes still and spontaneous Meditation arises. I have developed this technique over a period of 45 years, and this is as effortless and joyful a path into meditation as I am aware of.

Individual and Group sessions are available. Please call or email me, I look forward to sharing this experience with you.

Randall Fontes
R.fontes@comcast.net

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