On Friday July 28, Lily Dale will host “The Science of Things Spiritual,” a series of illustrated presentations presented by an international group of distinguished academics on Spiritualist-related topics. One hour lectures will start at 9 a.m. and continue to 6 p.m. A single lecture is $15 at the door; the morning session is $30, afternoon session is $40, followed by an evening event featuring short films and an archive of anomalous music performed live for $15. All tickets can be purchased at the door. Lily Dale has a $15 gate fee for entrance.

The lectures are titled as follows:

9 a.m. — Spiritualism: A Timeline, with Malcolm Cobley, award-winning filmmaker and multi-media producer. An illustrated presentation that traces the story of Spiritualism from the dawn of human history to the present day; in context with the evolution that was taking place concurrently in the areas of science, technology, religion and unprecedented social change.

10 a.m. — Ancient Mediumship: Oracles in Antiquity, with Leonard George, Ph.D., author and professor of psychology at Capilano University, North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Spiritualism arose in the mid-19th century, but attempts to contact a spiritual realm date back to remote antiquity. This presentation will survey the various sorts of oracles in the ancient Mediterranean world, and consider how they resembled and differed from mediums today.

11 a.m. — Architectural Spirits in Lily Dale, with Steve Bass. Architect Steve Bass, whose specialties include classical architecture and sacred geometry, examines and analyzes Lily Dale’s unique Victorian architecture. This discussion reveals surprising facts about the structure of the town, and also explains why Lily Dale, New York is one of the most unique communities in America.

2 p.m. — Harmonies Heard & Unheard: An Exploration of Mediumistic Music, with Marjorie Roth, Ph.D., Professor of Music History and Studio Flute at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. An exploration of the sources of musical inspiration and what it means to receive music “from Spirit.” This talk will begin with the philosophical underpinnings of music from Antiquity and end by considering the experiences of two inspired composers, one now in Spirit herself. Topics covered will include Boethius, Rosemary Brown, and the Music of the Spheres.

3 p.m. — Spiritualism and Gender in the 19th Century, with Cristina Zaccarini, PhD., associate professor, co-director of Asian studies, Adelphi University. This presentation will discuss the ways that gender impacted contact with spirits in the 19th century United States. It will explore how men and women, due to differing cultural precepts regarding loss and mourning, were drawn to the world of spirit, as well as the ways that women could carve out power through mediumship.

4 p.m. – Spiritualism and the Mystery of Modern Art, with Massimo Introvigne, managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR). A significant number of artists believed that their hands were actually guided by the spirits of the deceased or various supernatural beings. Both the academia and the media often censored these relations between modern art and esotericism. This presentation will show examples of Spiritualist artists who played a crucial role in the very birth of modern art, a history that is almost unknown to the general public.

5 p.m. — A History of Parapsychology, with George P. Hansen, author of The Trickster and the Paranormal. The scientific investigation of psychic phenomena will be discussed — from the rise of Spiritualism in 1848, to the founding of the Society for Psychical Research in 1882, to laboratory experiments and the U.S. government’s psychic spying program of the 1970s and 1980s. Examples of research will be presented, including some from Hansen’s own work. The future of parapsychology will also be addressed.

EVENING EVENT — 8 p.m. at Lily Dale Auditorium. Spiritualism & the Arts: An Evening of Music, Movies, & Mediumship. Join us for musical performances, short films, and a live spirit art experiment! Tribeca Film Festival director and creator of The Midnight Archive Ronni Thomas screens a series of short films on the topics of Spiritualism, parapsychology, and dream research. Broadway composer/performer Doug Skinner presents a live program drawn from his rare archive of music attributed to fairies and aliens, music collected from seances and channeling, fairy tunes from Scotland and Norway, and the channeled piano music of the English medium Rosemary Brown. Mediums Susan Barnes and Lauren Thibodeau, aka “The Psychic Professors,” collaborate on a unique message service that combines clairvoyant mediumship and the creation of spirit art from the Spirit Art Gallery.

Join all or part of these events. Come to an individual lecture or the full day of presentations. Reservations are not necessary; tickets can be purchased at the door. Information can be found at http://www.shannontaggart.com/other-projects/lilydale/.