Spriggs, George

Spriggs, George (1850–1912)

George Spriggs was a Welsh materialization medium. He discovered his abilities in 1877 and joined The Circle of Light in Cardiff, working as a medium for them. He had two main spirit guides, both of whom were Native American: Swiftwater and Shiwaukee.

What was special about Spriggs’s materializations was that the spirits would move away from the medium, to walk about the house and even to be seen out in the garden. This would occur in the light of the late evening. As many as three figures would appear at the same time and sometimes change form into a different spirit. These wandering spirits were once observed by Spriggs’s neighbors, who threatened to call the police and to charge him with “dealings with the devil.”

In November 1880, Spriggs went to Melbourne, Australia, and produced similar materializations. One of the spirits held out at arms length a 14-pound stone. Another drank water, ate cookies, and wrote a letter. After six years, Spriggs’s materialization powers seemed to fade, though he continued to hold séances with clairvoyance and direct voice. He also diagnosed disease and prescribed treatments through the spirits.

Spriggs returned to England in 1900, and from 1903 to 1905 gave free medical advice at the London Spiritual Alliance. The Psychotherapeutic Society was formed through his efforts. Spriggs died in 1912.

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