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.

Noun

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