Alec Harris: The Full Story of His Remarkable Physical Mediumship by Louie Harris

 

In 2009, a biography was published that offers many insights into the life of Alec Harris (1897-1974), a 'physical' (or 'materialization') trance medium.  Alec Harris — The Full Story of His Remarkable Physical Mediumship was written by his wife Louie Harris.  An abbreviated version had been released in 1980.
 
The book includes a report by Psychic News editor Maurice Barbanell, who had attended a 1946 seance.  Here is the beginning of the article.
 

There is in South Wales one of our most remarkable materialisation mediums.  At his séances Spirit forms not only show themselves in good red light, but hold sustained conversations, after having walked about 10 feet from the cabinet.

At a sitting which I attended I saw 30 forms materialise during two and a half hours, the length of the sitting.  Alec Harris does not use his gift professionally, deriving his income from his work for a government department.  The sittings have to be held fairly late at night because his wife is engaged in an orchestra at a local theatre.

 
Barbanell mentioned that "the forms always appear clothed in dazzlingly white ectoplasm, which I noticed as usual did not reflect the red light . . . On several occasions I handled the flowing ectoplasmic draperies, which were soft and silky to the touch.  I shook hands with two forms.  Their hands were firm and normal."
 
During the seance, "one materialisation parted the curtains so that we could see the form and the medium at the same time."
 
Here are some book excerpts representing some of the many unexpected occurrences at Alec Harris sittings.  The most bizarre incidents had to be among those that Louie best remembered.  She described numerous guides/communicators throughout the book.  The one she accepted as her 'main guide and head of all the Circle's workers in Spirit' was 'White Wing.'  Another medium described 'White Wing' to Louie as "a great Chieftain, a North American Indian" in a convincing manner as the medium addressed her with the nickname that White Wing used when speaking with her: "Faithful."
 
Mentioned in the following excerpt are two of the many 'guides' who manifested after Alec went into a trance — 'Fiji' and 'The Scientist.'
 

"Why can't I sit with you?" he protested, one night.  "Why must I always sit in that wretched cabinet?"  I explained that this was what the Guides had requested.  "It's the way they want to work," I said.  "Well I want to sit with the others," he grumbled.  He seemed so put out and discontented with the present arrangement that I thought, "Why not?  Let's try letting him sit with us in the circle tonight and see what happens."

So we all sat round in a complete circle, I with my back to the cabinet, while Alec sat by the wall, but close to the cabinet, eyes closed, in trance.  We opened the circle as usual, and I found myself wondering what, under the present conditions, could possibly happen.  Suddenly the cabinet curtains parted behind me, and I could see my little Guide, Fiji, standing beside me.  I thought, 'it works just as well without Alec being inside the cabinet!  I'm so glad for his sake.'  Fiji was smiling and made as if to step into the circle of sitters when her little form just seemed to close up.  It crumpled up and fell to the floor like an empty sack.

Quickly, an ectoplasmic arm, or rather a rod with a forked prong on the end of it, protruded from the cabinet and lifted the entranced Alec with his chair into the cabinet.  I was so taken by surprise that I could only gape!


After Alec had done this disappearing trick I glanced down at the floor in the centre of the circle of sitters and saw, what I thought was Alec's handkerchief lying there.  I bent and picked it up.  As I did so I was horrified to hear a groan from Alec inside the cabinet.  At the same time I realised that what I was holding was a piece of his ectoplasm, moist, and rather solid, and I hastily put it into the cabinet, where I knew it would be returned to Alec's body.

The experience left me shaken.  The Scientist's voice then gave me a firm rebuke: "Let that be a lesson to you!  You must never touch anything without first asking permission as this has a deleterious effect upon the medium."

 
During another unusual anecdote involving 'The Scientist,' Alec's sister Connie's materialization was mentioned.  Her passing had resulted from tuberculosis in 1923.  There had been past occasions at seances when Alec came out of trance sufficiently to be consciously reunited with his sister for brief interludes; however, as Louie recalled, Connie had never been able to speak during these moments.
 

A moment of amusement was caused once when Alec, for some reason, came out of trance while the Scientist, materalised outside the cabinet, was speaking to the sitters.  Alec popped his head out of the cabinet and enquired, "Have you finished yet?"  The scientist broke off his speech in the middle of a word and gave Alec a scathing look as if to say 'When you have finished I will continue!'  Alec looked so surprised to see the Spirit form standing there.  Somewhat shamefaced he mumbled, "I'm sorry, Sir," and quickly withdrew his head behind the curtains.  A chuckle of mirth went round the sitters at the incongruity of the situation.  This was an interesting incident because, as in the case of Connie's materialisation, Alec was conscious during the Spirit Scientist's manifestation and was able to talk to us, as well as to the materialised Spirit.  It was a rare occurrence.

 
Readers who are unfamiliar with medium biographies may be surprised by the seemingly limitless diversity of interactions between manifesting communicators and sitters.  There was a humorous incident involving a Chinese boy 'Guide' known as 'Toi-Toi' and boxing gloves belonging to the Harrises' son Bradley when Louie's friend Mary brought her husband to a seance.
 

Mary came alone earlier in the afternoon to help us prepare the room.  We were collecting some of my son's toys and Mary had in her hands a pair of Bradley's boxing gloves, saying, "I hope they give my husband a good biff on the nose with these, because he is so stubborn!"
 
Alec came home, the sitters soon arrived, the last being Alec Hewitt, Mary's husband.  He hung his big overcoat on the hall stand and came into the room.  We locked the door and placed a table against it to reassure Alec Hewitt that nobody could enter.  As soon as the light was extinguished, something was dropped into Mr. Hewitt's lap.  While the séance was in progress he suddenly received a punch in the head with one of Bradley's boxing gloves.
 
Little Toi-Toi explained the reason for this action in his piping Oriental voice: "Mary say do, so Toi-Toi do."  Mr. Hewitt was so startled that he roared with laughter.
 
When the lights were eventually put on, he found his keys in his lap.  He was puzzled because he had left them in the pocket of his overcoat in the hall.  Yet, there they were, transported through the locked and barricaded door.  This left him with much to think about and no physical explanation to account for it.

 
Previous post "Essential Perspectives on Mediums and Materialization": 

http://metaphysicalarticles.blogspot.com/2011/10/essential-perspectives-on-mediums-and.html