SYMPOSIUM @ LILY DALE PRESENTS:
ASSEMBLY HALL PROGRAM
July 20—23, 2026
Curated by Shannon Taggart

MEDIUMSHIP 101: INTRO TO MEDIUMSHIP FOR BEGINNERS
with Lily Dale Registered Medium Willa White

Tuesday, July 21st @ 9:30am – 12:30pm

Mediumship 101:

Intro to Mediumship for Beginners

Are you curious about mediumship and ready to take your first steps in connecting with spirit? Join Lily Dale Registered Medium Willa White for a beginner friendly workshop designed to help you explore your intuitive gifts in a safe, supportive space. In this 3 hour interactive class, you’ll learn:  What mediumship is and how it differs from psychic work. Grounding and protection techniques to keep your energy safe. How to recognize and develop your “clairs” (clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, claircognizance). Simple practices to raise your vibration and connect with spirit. Guided exercises and breakout sessions to practice with others. No prior experience is needed — just an open heart and curiosity. You’ll leave with practical tools, confidence, and a deeper sense of connection. Please bring a notebook or journal.

Ticket Link Here

SPIRITUALIST HISTORY REVEALED
with Paul Gaunt
Monday, July 20 — Wednesday, July 22

In this illustrated lecture series, Curator and Historian Paul Gaunt will explore the history of Spiritualism—from its earliest roots to some of its most extraordinary and lesser-known chapters. Drawing on decades of archival research and direct access to rare primary source material, Paul will share stories many audiences have never heard and separate fact from fiction in ones we think we already know.

SPIRITUALIST HISTORY REVEALED: Part 1 & 2
with Paul Gaunt
Monday, July 20 @ 2:00 - 5:00pm

Part 1: Spiritualism Before 1848

Pioneers such as Emma Hardinge Britten and Stainton Moses did not accept that Modern Spiritualism began with the Fox sisters. Long before 1848, the ideas behind the movement had been initiated by figures such as Emanuel Swedenborg, Franz Mesmer, the Shakers, and Andrew Jackson Davis. The events at Fox cottage in Hydesville only sealed this transformation with a powerful demonstration of physical mediumship, introducing the phenomena of mediumship and two-way spirit communication. In this presentation, Paul Gaunt argues that this pre-history is essential to understanding the origins of Spiritualism.

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Part 2: The True Story of Hydesville and the Fox Sisters

The events that transpired on March 31,1848 at the Fox cottage in Hydesville, New York, generally marks the beginning of Modern Spiritualism. This long-told story of strange phenomena surrounding two young girls, Kate and Margaret Fox, has since entered into the realm of fantasy, exaggeration, and untruth.  This talk will present the historic information concerning that fateful night.  We will hear the actual words of the people who witnessed and described the events.  But our story doesn’t end there.  Paul Gaunt will delve even further into the mystery of the property and reveal what was recorded there both before and after that historic date.

Ticket Link Here

SPIRITUALIST HISTORY REVEALED: Part 3 & 4
Tuesday, July 21 @ 2:00 - 5:00pm
with Paul Gaunt

Part 3:

A History of Psychic and Spirit Art
Part 4:

A History of Psychic and Spirit Photography

Psychic and spirit art has been the most consistent form of mediumship in Spiritualist history with its ever-changing forms, interpretations and techniques. This presentation looks at the early beginnings of art mediumship through its various phases of direct art, trance, inspirational, post mortem portraits, and photography. 

Ticket Link Here

SPIRITUALIST HISTORY REVEALED: Part 3 & 4
Wednesday, July 22 @ 10:00am - 12:00pm
with Paul Gaunt

Part 5: The Materializations of Helen Duncan

Spiritualist medium Helen Duncan’s unbelievable story includes tales of full-form spirit materializations, stolen ectoplasm, and messages that disclosed World War II events.  Helen eventually came to international infamy as the only person to be imprisoned under the British Witchcraft Act of 1735.  This talk will present details from Helen Duncan’s sensational career – from her beginnings in Scotland in the 1920s, to the development of full-form materializations that became the subject of scientific study in the 1930s, to the events that attracted the attention of British Intelligence Agencies in the 1940s.  Often referred to as a martyr, her death in 1956 is one of the most storied events in all of Spiritualist history.  Paul Gaunt will separate fact from fiction in this analysis of Helen Duncan’s astounding life.

Ticket Link Here

SPIRITUALIST HISTORY REVEALED: Part 3 & 4
Wednesday, July 22 @ 2:00 - 5:00pm
with Paul Gaunt

Part 6: A History of Materialization

Since its introduction in 1848, Modern Spiritualism has developed many forms of physical mediumship. This presentation will present an overview of the ultimate séance phenomena: materialization. 

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Part 7: A Live Reconstruction of Rare Phenomena: Spirit Wax Molds

This presentation explores the rare phenomenon of spirit wax molds—impressions of hands or feet said to have materialized while the medium was securely restrained. Figures including Catherine (Kate) Wood, Annie Mellon, and Franek Kluski were associated with such extraordinary demonstrations. The talk will outline the historical accounts of these events and include a reconstruction of a remarkable 1891 séance led by Annie Mellon. It will also examine the scientific investigations conducted by Professor Charles Richet and Dr. Gustave Geley, to which Kluski submitted himself over a period of more than seven years.

Ticket Link Here

MAGIC & MUSIC
Thursday, July 26th @ 2pm - 5pm

2PM

The Academy of Magical Arts Presents: Zabrecky on Houdini and the Spirits

Zabrecky explores one of the most dramatic cultural battles of the 20th century: Harry Houdini vs. the spirits. This richly illustrated presentation blends archival images, historical accounts, and live demonstrations to examine Houdini’s crusade against fraudulent mediums at the height of America’s Spiritualist fever. A master of illusion himself, Houdini recognized the methods behind spirit cabinets, slate writing, trumpet manifestations, and ectoplasmic materializations, and set out to expose them. Yet the story is far more complex than a simple debunking campaign. Zabrecky will take us into the shadowy crossroads where belief and skepticism collide.

Ticket Link Here

3:30PM
Music and Healing, with Matt Marble, Guy Blakeslee, and Tim Kerr

Matt Marble, director of the American Museum of Paramusicology, leads a conversation with musicians Guy Blakeslee and Tim Kerr exploring their personal experiences of healing through music. Matt will provide contextual history drawn from his years of archival research, noting music’s role in relation to Spiritualism and healing. This talk will also be supplemented with live performance.

Ticket Link Here

WITH GRATITUDE

Special thanks to sponsors Sacred Grounds Coffee House