The Philip psychokinesis experiment

Record summary

A group associated with the Toronto Society for Psychical Research created a fictional eighteenth-century ghost named Philip and attempted to generate paranormal effects through séances. Reports described table movements and other apparent phenomena, and the case became a classic example in discussions of thoughtforms, tulpas, collective suggestion, and experimental séance design. Researchers generally regard the episode as evidence of ideomotor or unconscious group action rather than proof of an independent spirit. The case is identifiable through later books and accounts by participants, especially Iris Owen and Margaret Sparrow.