Women Mentalists and Spiritualists
It is said out of all the branches of magic, mentalism is the branch that has the least women, and we could argue this is not the case. When we look at the history and etymology of mentalism, women definitely dominate the field. The skills of a successful mentalist are the powers to sense and know the experiences and thoughts of another person, possessing an incredible memory and contacting the dead. The aforementioned abilities are some of the talents that embody this fascinating branch of magic. A skilled performer can transform a room into a church full of audience members believing in real magic, and waiting for the guru on stage to deliver the divine messages.
Mentalism has the power to truly transform people into believing in real magic. Call it what you will —the new age movement, spirituality, self-development, heck even religion — there are millions of people who on a regular basis and with total intent practice the very same skills of performing mentalists. The place where an actual psychic and a stage performer meet can sometimes be tricky to distinguish.
With this being said, and with an understanding of the nature of women throughout history and their limited freedoms, it is understandable that the majority of mentalists in the 1800s were women. Yes, they may have been called spiritualists or mediums, but that was because society accepted them better this way. It was more acceptable to meet with a woman in a small drawing room to hear a table knock, then to watch her doing miracles in her own show on a stage. Spiritualists are controversial not only within mainstream society but within the magic community’s narrative. Mentalists are often accused of taking advantage of people and using them to get money. Yet, we must look at the context of what was going on at the time these women were “performing”.
During the Victorian era, women were excluded from participating in any kind of meaningful public life; they were stereotyped as being too passive and emotional. It was these very same qualities that eventually opened a path to this specialized profession that women could pursue, without challenging society’s view on their gender. While being a medium offered a voice to women in a world where they were told to be silent, the profession wasn’t without problems. Women mediums could speak in public yet they were still under constant threat from handlers, skeptics and the public at large. We imagine, however, that the gifts for those pursuing this profession far outweighed the struggles. These savvy and talented women were permitted to enter halls and meet with powerful men, they could embody spirits that cursed and were highly sexed. Sometimes the spirits even instructed these women to divorce their husbands!
I will be sharing on this blog the stories of the plethora of female mentalists through the ages. The mediums and spiritualists of old found power and magic where they could in a time of great oppression. The amazing acting and magic skills of the female mentalists made possible two-person acts. And, of course, all the other women mentalists performing now and in the past. All made contributions to the magic art form while achieving great success as they did so.