what does seance mean

A séance is a meeting where people try to communicate with the spirits of the dead, usually with the help of a medium.

Basic meaning

• In everyday English, “séance” means a gathering where participants attempt to contact spirits or the dead, often as a kind of occult or spiritual ritual.

• The word comes from French, where séance originally just meant “a sitting” or “a session,” and in French it can still mean any kind of session (like a movie showing).

What usually happens at a séance

• People typically sit together, often in a circle and sometimes holding hands, while a medium leads the session and tries to relay messages from spirits.

• Séances are commonly held in dim or subdued light, because strong light is believed (by practitioners) to interfere with spirit communication.

Cultural and spiritual context

• Séances became especially popular with the rise of Spiritualism in the 19th century, where they were seen as a structured way to seek signs or messages from the dead.

• Today, they appear in spiritualist circles, paranormal groups, and horror stories or movies, where they are often portrayed as dramatic rituals to “summon” ghosts.

TL;DR: A séance is a spirit-calling meeting—people gather, usually with a medium, to try to talk with the dead, a practice rooted in 19th‑century Spiritualism and still common in occult and paranormal culture.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.