table lifting

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table lifting

A group of people watches as a table lifting occurs during a quiet gathering.

Definition

Noun: - The act of causing a table to rise or move, typically during a séance, and attributed to the influence of spirits or supernatural forces. This refers to the physical phenomenon where a table appears to levitate or tilt without apparent physical cause, often in the context of spiritualistic practices where it is interpreted as communication from the dead.

Usage
  • The term is used specifically to describe an event in a spiritualistic or paranormal context.
  • It is a compound noun where "table" is the object being manipulated and "lifting" describes the action.
Examples
  • The most convincing evidence for the medium was the table lifting that occurred when the group joined hands.
  • Reports of table lifting were common in Victorian-era séances.
  • Skeptics attribute table lifting to unconscious muscular movements by the participants, not to spirits.
Advanced Usage
  • The term can be used metaphorically to describe a situation where a group collectively generates an inexplicable or surprising outcome, though this is rare.
    • The sudden consensus in the committee felt like a kind of political table lifting.
Variants and Related Words
  • Table-turning: A near-synonym often used interchangeably with table lifting, though it can specifically imply the table rotating.
  • Séance: A meeting at which people attempt to communicate with the dead, the typical setting for table lifting.
  • Levitation: The broader act of rising into the air, which can include objects or people.
Synonyms
  • Table-tilting
  • Table-turning
  • Psychokinesis (a broader term for moving objects with the mind)
Related Phrases
  • To lift a table: The verbal phrase describing the action.
    • The participants claimed the spirits helped them lift the table.
Notes
  • "Table lifting" is a specific term within parapsychology and the history of spiritualism. It is not used in general contexts to describe moving furniture by ordinary physical means.
table lifting

A group of people watches as a table lifting occurs during a quiet gathering.

Noun
  1. manipulation of a table during a seance; attributed to spirits