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During the Victorian era, spiritualism swept across Europe and America. Séances became fashionable parlor rituals, where the bereaved sought contact with lost loved ones. These gatherings were more than whispered voices in the dark, they were carefully staged experiences filled with fragrance, candlelight, incense, and ritual oils designed to prepare the mind and spirit for the supernatural.
Victorians believed that scent had power and that certain fragrances could invite spirits, cleanse a room, or reveal a ghost’s presence. Candles and incense transformed a mundane parlor into what participants called a “thin place,” where the boundary between life and death was said to weaken.
Séance Fragrances and Their Meanings
Common séance scents included:
• Frankincense and Myrrh – Used to banish “unquiet energies,” echoing ancient rituals.
• Rose Oil – A fragrance of grief and devotion, thought to draw benevolent spirits.
• Sandalwood – Believed to sharpen psychic awareness and help mediums enter trance states.
• Patchouli and Cedarwood – Heavy, grounding aromas to stabilize the séance circle.
These scents were delivered through candles, handmade incense, and fragrance oils, creating an atmosphere at once comforting and uncanny. Participants often described smelling phantom aromas like perfume, tobacco, or flowers, that they took as signs of visiting spirits.
The Candle’s Flame and the Wax That Speaks
Candles were not mere light sources, they were divination tools. Mediums carefully observed the flame:
• A steady flame signaled a calm, cooperative spirit.
• A flickering flame was believed to show a restless or mischievous entity.
• A flame that suddenly went out meant a spirit had departed or refused to appear.
But perhaps the eeriest practice was reading wax drippings, known historically as ceromancy.
Wax Dripping Divination (Ceromancy)
Ceromancy dates back to ancient Greece but was reborn in the Victorian séance. During or after a session, participants would drip molten wax into a bowl of cold water, watching as the shapes hardened. Mediums and guests then “read” the forms as ghostly messages.
Common interpretations included:
• Faces or profiles in wax: the spirit of a loved one attempting to reveal itself.
• Rings or circles: unity, eternal bonds, or the “circle unbroken” in the afterlife.
• Crosses or grave-like shapes: warnings from beyond, or signs of unsettled souls.
• Animals or wings: interpreted as spirit guides or angelic presences.
• Jagged shards or broken forms: evidence of troubled, hostile, or chaotic energies.
Some séance hosts believed wax itself “remembered” the energy of the night, bars of soap, oils, or candles later crafted from leftover wax were considered charged or haunted.
Participants swore the wax spoke truths that even the medium had not mentioned, turning ordinary candle drippings into otherworldly signs.
The séance was not just about voices in the dark, it was about smell, sight, and symbolism. From phantom fragrances to wax-dripping divination, Victorians used every sensory detail to convince themselves that spirits truly walked among them.
The next time you light a rose scented candle or watch wax harden into eerie shapes, remember: you’re participating in a ritual with roots in both folklore and the supernatural.
