Spirits, Séances & the Victorian Imagination (with Steele Alexandra Douris)

We think we know what Victorian mysticism looked like.

A crystal ball glowing in candlelight.
 A veiled medium seated at a round table.
 Ectoplasm drifting through a darkened parlor.

But what was Victorian Spiritualism really?

In this episode of Big Crystal Energy, I’m joined by historian, author, and cultural scholar Steele Alexandra Douris, who holds a PhD in English from Stanford University. Her research explores 19th-century literature, gender, folklore, and the cultural history of the supernatural.

Drawing from her book Spirits, Seers and Séances, Steele walks us through:

• The origins of Victorian Spiritualism and the rise of the Fox Sisters
• Trance lectures vs. private spirit circles
• Rappings, table-tilting, and the rise of material séance phenomena
• Spirit photography and the mystery of ectoplasm
• Automatic writing, planchettes, and the evolution of the Ouija board
• Cartomancy, crystal gazing, palmistry, and astrology in the 19th century
• The transformation of fairy lore and the Cottingley fairies
• Gothic literature’s resurgence — from Dracula to Frankenstein
• The Pre-Raphaelites and the complicated image of the mystical woman

We explore how Victorian Spiritualism wasn’t originally meant to be frightening. For many, it was grassroots, communal, and deeply tied to grief, creativity, and cultural change.

And perhaps most fascinating of all — so many of the tools we still use today carry Victorian fingerprints.

If you’ve ever felt drawn to the liminal space of a crystal ball, the mystery of automatic writing, or the romance of a Gothic heroine, this episode offers the deeper historical context behind the aesthetic.

Connect with Steele:

Instagram: @steelearcana; Instagram
Website: Steele Alexandra Douris

Book: https://a.co/d/08opPfll

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review Big Crystal Energy — it helps more curious, liminal souls find the show.

Stay curious. Stay liminal. 🕯️

Please message me with any questions or comments. 
bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com