Modern Spiritualism by Frank Podmore 1902

In this episode of Medium Rare, Artificial hosts Claire and Duncan tackle one of the most comprehensive and controversial investigations into Spiritualism ever written: Modern Spiritualism by Frank Podmore.

Published in the early 1900s, Podmore's work is both a critical history and a sceptical inquiry into the rise of Spiritualism throughout the 19th century. He examines famous mediums, mysterious manifestations, and documented spirit phenomena not to prove, but to question. and question he does.

Claire and Duncan break down Podmore’s methodical approach, his fascinating accounts of séances, levitations, spirit writings, and trance communications all while analysing his sceptical lens and what it tells us about the era’s obsession with the unseen.

Was Podmore exposing fraud, or missing something deeper? Can scepticism and spiritual inquiry actually work together? And what do his findings mean for those of us still seeking today?

Tune in as we crack open this dense but fascinating chronicle of belief, doubt and the thin line between the two.