I’m sitting in the quiet of an old historic building with a small group of strangers, our fingertips resting lightly on a wooden planchette that curiously holds a writing pen, inserted into a hole at the pointing end.
I wasn’t there for theatrics. I was there for possibility.
The property stands on land that has been occupied for almost a thousand years – once part of an expansive estate that passed through many hands, including a Norman lord, said to have been a companion of William the Conqueror. Tudor beams and Georgian architecture now share the same footprint, and history lingers softly in the atmosphere.
It is undeniably old, having endured neglect and restoration. But tonight it’s eerily still and dimly lit.
However, I can say with confidence that I did not sense an unusual atmosphere or curious anomalies – but I’m here out of curiosity rather than expectation – hopeful that I would experience something tangible for my research and lifelong quest for the truth..
An Open But Grounded Perspective
My background in paranormal research and spiritual study has introduced me to both documented investigation methods and the scientific frameworks often used to interpret unusual phenomena.
From both scientific and spiritual perspectives, I understand the debates. I know the arguments on both sides.
As a spiritual artist and writer, I am deeply connected to my Celtic roots and ancestral traditions. I feel free to blend Christianity with pre-Christian beliefs from the lands I originate from. Therefore, I don’t endorse or debunk anyone else’s opinions, faiths or spiritual journeys. Likewise, I absorb scientific facts and findings with great interest. Using my own mind and logic to decide what I feel confident to accept or question as evidence.
Over the years, I’ve also explored intuitive perception – sometimes described as the “Clair” senses – and how different people process information beyond the obvious physical cues. (I explore this further in my blog Which Clair Are You?, for anyone curious about intuitive awareness.)
My life has included experiences I cannot easily explain – some physical, some psychological, many deeply personal. As a child, those moments frightened me. As an adult, they invite reflection rather than fear.
The Investigation
The evening began with traditional investigative tools: environmental monitors, EMF readers, audio recording and observational techniques. As we moved through different areas of the property, various methods were explored, from sensory exercises to glass divination.
I brought some of my own equipment with me, tried and tested, which I was able to use freely.
I’m always intrigued by sensory deprivation, which I have utilised creatively. An investigator is blindfolded whilst wearing noise cancelling headphones. Unaware of questions called out by the rest of the team, they repeat or write down what they envision, or what’s heard through the headphones. The headphones are plugged into an ITC application designed to convert environmental fluctuations, such as electromagnetic fields (EMF) or radio frequency noise, into text or audio.
Throughout the evening, many participants reported sensations or visual impressions. Apart from some expected creaks and knocks, I did not.
Not until the automatic writing session.
The Planchette Experience
A pen-holding planchette rests on a large sheet of white paper. Numbers lined the top edge; “Yes” and “No” marked each side.
Six participants gather around. Index fingers rested lightly on the wood or hovered just millimetres above. At least three participants didn’t make direct contact.
After a prolonged stillness and faint vibration, the planchette slowly began to move.
Questions were asked aloud.
“Is anyone here?” – It changed it’s direction and moved to the right, then circled Yes.
“How old are you?” – It turned direction again to circle around the number 7. Returning to the centre in reverse, the planchette then returned to the numbers and circled the number 4.
“Write your initial.” – The writing motion resembled a W or an M, though indistinct.
My finger was placed lightly on the planchette, so I could feel if another participant was moving it. They were not. It was not pushed.
Then came the clearest moment.
One participant drew a heart shape and asked for it to be copied.
Slowly and deliberately, the planchette moved to the heart shape, with its pointer placed over the centre. After a second or two, it reversed out of the shape and began to draw a large shape heart resembling a heart.
There was no visible force. No deliberate pushing. Only light contact, if any. There was no clear focus, with light laughter and conversation occurring in-between the questions. There was no altered state. There was no deep concentration. And yet the planchette did move without human force.
What is Automatic Writing?
Experiences like this are often described as automatic writing – words or movements produced without conscious intention.
It has been recorded in spiritual practices, psychological studies and paranormal investigations for well over a century.
The phenomenon itself is not disputed.
The interpretation, however, varies.
Spiritual and Paranormal Interpretation
Within spiritual traditions, automatic writing is often understood as a form of non-physical communication
Explanations include:
- Spirit consciousness interacting with the living
- Residual energy expressing through human touch
- Expanded states of awareness accessing information beyond the individual mind
- A collective or universal consciousness sometimes described as an energetic “library” of knowledge
Across cultures and history, similar ideas appear in different forms: the belief that consciousness may extend beyond the physical body, and that humans can sometimes act as channels for that wider awareness, or even access the “library” at will.
Scientific Interpretation
Scientific perspectives offer a different lens.
The most common explanation is the ideomotor effect – subtle, unconscious muscle movements influenced by thought, expectation or suggestion rather than deliberate intention.
This includes:
- Subconscious micro-movements
- Group psychological influence
- Suggestibility and expectation
- Altered attentional states
In this framework, participants genuinely experience movement without consciously causing it. The action is real, but driven by processes beneath conscious awareness.
Importantly, science does not deny that the movement occurs. It seeks to explain the mechanism behind it.
Personally, I find this concept far more curious than the actions of another entity. Subconciousness and altered states is fascinating to study. Having studied the Akashic Records (a non-physical library containing every thought, word, emotion and action of every soul) and Spirit Writing & Drawing (which I practice) to diploma level , I am experiences at subconscious state but have more to understand how we, as humans, we can access it collectively.
If you don’t believe in the spiritual interpretation, whilst acknowledging that an altered state isn’t necessarily required to perform the scientific interpretation – what has happened?
Mechanism vs Meaning
And here is where the two perspectives diverge.
Science explains how movement may occur. Spiritual traditions explore why it might occur.
One focuses on process, the other on purpose.
Neither fully defines intention.
Neither fully resolves personal experience.
Living With The Question
What many participants experience ia real movement. A moment. An outcome that is very much open to interpretation.
After years of study, both spiritual and scientific, my conclusion remains simple:
The mystery is still intact.
Not everything memorable must be measurable. Not every experience needs a verdict.
Wonder still has a place in a world that prefers certainty.
Automatic writing, science, spirituality, and the mystery that lives between them is real.
The automatic writing experience reminds us that even as the super beings that we have seemingly become, we may never have all the answers. And perhaps that, in itself, is something worth keeping.
