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LESLIE KEAN: My name is Leslie Kean. LESLIE KEAN: I'm an investigative reporter and author, and I'm here to introduce LESLIE KEAN: the oral history interviews that I conducted with Stewart Alexander LESLIE KEAN: for the Archives of the Impossible at Rice University.

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LESLIE KEAN: Stewart Alexander is a physical medium who resides in northern LESLIE KEAN: England and has been practicing his mediumship for 40 to 50 LESLIE KEAN: years. I have known him for about ten years. LESLIE KEAN: I have investigated his mediumship very deeply,

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LESLIE KEAN: have sat with him numerous times, gotten to know him very well and have great LESLIE KEAN: respect for his work. I also arranged for the transfer of his LESLIE KEAN: archives to Rice, so the interviews LESLIE KEAN: that I conducted with him were in made in May of

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LESLIE KEAN: 2020 for one of them in his study in the UK at his LESLIE KEAN: home and the other in the seance room where he practices. LESLIE KEAN: Says this is Stewart's memoir, which I would encourage anyone to read who's LESLIE KEAN: looking into his work, and it also gives you a really good feeling

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LESLIE KEAN: for who he is as a person. LESLIE KEAN: This is what got me interested in him very deeply just from LESLIE KEAN: reading this book. So two points I want to make quickly before we go LESLIE KEAN: to the interview. We had some technical issues when we were filming over there,

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LESLIE KEAN: so a couple of things were left out. LESLIE KEAN: Um, at one point, Stewart mentions the name Christopher in LESLIE KEAN: connection to book tests, and Christopher is one of the LESLIE KEAN: members of Stewart's spirit team, one of the guides who works through

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LESLIE KEAN: him. He's a young boy and you'll hear more about him later, LESLIE KEAN: but I just wanted you to know who he was when Stewart first mentions the name. LESLIE KEAN: Secondly, he opens up the interview talking about a book called On the Edge of the LESLIE KEAN: Etheric by Arthur Findlay, which came out in the early 30s and was an

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LESLIE KEAN: absolute classic in the world of spiritualism and physical LESLIE KEAN: mediumship, and he is talking about how that book is LESLIE KEAN: really the catalyst that set him on his journey towards becoming a physical LESLIE KEAN: medium. Yeah.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, On the Edge of the Etheric, um, had my brother not STEWART ALEXANDER: purchased that book and passed it to me, then I have absolutely no doubt that STEWART ALEXANDER: my journey through this life would have been very, STEWART ALEXANDER: very different to what it was or what it has been since I

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STEWART ALEXANDER: read that book. And it set me upon a journey. STEWART ALEXANDER: Definitely a spiritual journey. STEWART ALEXANDER: I had absolutely no thought whatsoever that I could possibly develop STEWART ALEXANDER: mediumship myself. Um, but of course, John Campbell Sloan

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STEWART ALEXANDER: was a physical medium and I was to discover that STEWART ALEXANDER: mediumship is either classed as physical or mental, STEWART ALEXANDER: but it was the physical that really, really interested me. STEWART ALEXANDER: Now I can explain in a few words, uh, what mental mediumship

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STEWART ALEXANDER: is and what physical mediumship is. STEWART ALEXANDER: Mental mediumship is where a medium alone can hear STEWART ALEXANDER: the voices of the so-called dead, sometimes see the so-called STEWART ALEXANDER: dead, and sometimes feel their presence.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, in hearing the voices of the dead, then they can STEWART ALEXANDER: pass messages on to people, um, you know, from their loved ones, STEWART ALEXANDER: their deceased loved ones, or they can describe what they are able to STEWART ALEXANDER: see, etc., etc., etc..

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Physical mediumship is something very, very different. STEWART ALEXANDER: It takes place in what we refer to as a seance realm, STEWART ALEXANDER: and this is a room where people gather together and sit. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, the medium invariably will go into a condition which is referred to as

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STEWART ALEXANDER: trance. And then the everything that STEWART ALEXANDER: occurs within that room, everyone taking part in that science can STEWART ALEXANDER: see, can hear the same thing. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and for example, on occasions, the spook people are

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STEWART ALEXANDER: able to speak totally independent of the physical medium, STEWART ALEXANDER: the voices, presumably, or seeming to come out of thin STEWART ALEXANDER: air. Uh, on occasions with a very, STEWART ALEXANDER: very developed, advanced physical medium, uh,

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STEWART ALEXANDER: the spirit people are able to actually materialize STEWART ALEXANDER: seemingly as solid human beings and people. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, in the past, on so many, many occasions, STEWART ALEXANDER: I've taken part in such séances, have been able to

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STEWART ALEXANDER: identify their deceased loved ones who have returned through that STEWART ALEXANDER: mediumship. Uh, and all the stories I've heard over the years are STEWART ALEXANDER: absolutely extraordinary, to say the very least. STEWART ALEXANDER: So physical medium is where they sit.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, people taking part in the séance can hear the same thing. STEWART ALEXANDER: See the same thing. Things can move about within the séance room, STEWART ALEXANDER: seemingly untouched by any human being. STEWART ALEXANDER: Anyone taking part in the séance.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: So that's the difference between the two. STEWART ALEXANDER: Mental mediumship. The medium alone can see, hear, STEWART ALEXANDER: feel, sense, etc.. Physical medium, generally STEWART ALEXANDER: speaking, is in a condition called trance, and it has absolutely nothing to do

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STEWART ALEXANDER: with what transpires within the séance STEWART ALEXANDER: room. Extraordinary things can occur. STEWART ALEXANDER: So it was basically physical mediumship because of reading the book on the edge of STEWART ALEXANDER: the etheric Eric that really, really excited my interest and also my

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STEWART ALEXANDER: brother's interest. And so we began to acquire STEWART ALEXANDER: books. Uh. Mhm. Basically dealing with physical STEWART ALEXANDER: mediumship. And there are great, uh, innumerable STEWART ALEXANDER: books about the subjects.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and we began to acquire these books and read them, STEWART ALEXANDER: and eventually we decided that we would begin to visit the local STEWART ALEXANDER: spiritualist church, which was called the Temple of Truth. STEWART ALEXANDER: And, uh, we were made to feel very, very welcome,

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STEWART ALEXANDER: I have to say. And we would, um, we would, um, STEWART ALEXANDER: be able to watch, uh, mediums STEWART ALEXANDER: demonstrating from the platform. STEWART ALEXANDER: These were mental mediums.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Sometimes what they were actually coming out with was very, STEWART ALEXANDER: very interesting indeed. STEWART ALEXANDER: Sometimes the mediumship wasn't very good. STEWART ALEXANDER: It appeared to be not very good, but nevertheless,

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STEWART ALEXANDER: it was nice to be there and to be a part of these STEWART ALEXANDER: services as they were called. STEWART ALEXANDER: And eventually, um, STEWART ALEXANDER: we were invited to

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STEWART ALEXANDER: join a circle, uh, a gentleman and his wife, he STEWART ALEXANDER: was the medium for the circle. STEWART ALEXANDER: And they invited us to join their circle, which we did. STEWART ALEXANDER: And that, I have to say, was quite interesting,

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STEWART ALEXANDER: to say the very least. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and then eventually we took the decision to STEWART ALEXANDER: form our own circle, and this was just purely out of interest. STEWART ALEXANDER: None of us, none of us had any thoughts that we could develop mediumship.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: But we thought by sitting together, you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: we would. It was like an experiment. STEWART ALEXANDER: And the circle was made up of family, friends and our next door STEWART ALEXANDER: neighbors who themselves were very, very interested.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, because we knew that physical mediumship tended to take STEWART ALEXANDER: place in darkened rooms. STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, of course, the skeptic will immediately say, STEWART ALEXANDER: well, yes, in darkened rooms, because fraud can be committed in total

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STEWART ALEXANDER: darkness. And yes, that's quite true. STEWART ALEXANDER: And there have been, uh, throughout the history of spiritualism, STEWART ALEXANDER: innumerable fraudulent so-called physical mediums. STEWART ALEXANDER: There's no doubt whatsoever about that, whether they were doing it in order to,

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STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, to make money. STEWART ALEXANDER: I just don't know. But no question about it. STEWART ALEXANDER: There have been fraudulent mediums and, uh, they unfortunately, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, this tended to take spiritualist movements into

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STEWART ALEXANDER: disrepute, you know, and I fully accept that. STEWART ALEXANDER: But we decided to do this, uh, to put the room into total darkness. STEWART ALEXANDER: It was in my home, uh, because we wanted to see what could STEWART ALEXANDER: perhaps happen. So we would sit there week after week after week and

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STEWART ALEXANDER: nothing ever happened. STEWART ALEXANDER: We would listen to music, and the highlight of the night was the tea STEWART ALEXANDER: and the coffee and the cakes that followed. STEWART ALEXANDER: Um, and I can tell you it used to take me about an hour,

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STEWART ALEXANDER: at least an hour. Whenever we were going to hold a seance here in STEWART ALEXANDER: my home, it would take me at least an hour to totally black out a room, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, to cover the windows. STEWART ALEXANDER: So no light was was coming in.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: And from time to time, the resident medium from the temple of tooth. STEWART ALEXANDER: He would come along and he was very encouraging. STEWART ALEXANDER: He would say, yes, there's a wonderful atmosphere here. STEWART ALEXANDER: Keep on, keep on sitting, sitting, sitting.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: And we did for quite a period of time. LESLIE KEAN: Stewart, could I just ask you to say now, because a lot of people don't understand LESLIE KEAN: about the importance of sitting in the dark. LESLIE KEAN: Yes. Could you explain, like, why you felt it was important?

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes. LESLIE KEAN: From the very beginning. LESLIE KEAN: Yes. Sit in the dark. And obviously you've continued that tradition. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes.

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LESLIE KEAN: As opposed to starting off with the light and hoping that you'd be able to work with the LESLIE KEAN: light. But you weren't even trying to learn how to work with it. You were just sitting to LESLIE KEAN: see what would happen. So why? LESLIE KEAN: Why is darkness important?

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, darkness is important, uh, as we were to learn from STEWART ALEXANDER: reading and researching spiritualism, mediumship, STEWART ALEXANDER: etc. darkness for physical mediumship, physical manifestations STEWART ALEXANDER: apparently is important because, uh, within those

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STEWART ALEXANDER: conditions, the spirit world are able to extract from the medium and to some STEWART ALEXANDER: extent from the sitters, the people taking part in the seance, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, a form of energy. Which spirit which the spiritualist STEWART ALEXANDER: movement refers to as ectoplasm.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, apparently, uh, in total darkness. STEWART ALEXANDER: It's fine. This can be. STEWART ALEXANDER: The medium is not in any danger whatsoever. STEWART ALEXANDER: But if a light was to be introduced, then unfortunately we

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STEWART ALEXANDER: understand that that energy would immediately return to the medium and it could have STEWART ALEXANDER: catastrophic effects upon the medium's health. STEWART ALEXANDER: And we know that this is a fact, because throughout history, STEWART ALEXANDER: this has happened on numerous occasions where skeptics have switched on a light

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STEWART ALEXANDER: and invariably the mediums have paid a heavy price. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, they've suffered health wise for it. STEWART ALEXANDER: One medium in particular, I won't name names, STEWART ALEXANDER: but this was to happen on a couple of occasions.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: And on the final occasion that it happened, when the police raided STEWART ALEXANDER: the séance and switched on lights, the medium collapsed to the floor and three STEWART ALEXANDER: weeks later that medium was to pass into the spirit world. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I have no doubt whatsoever that was because of the ignorance,

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STEWART ALEXANDER: if you like, of the police switching on those lights, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. Uh, so we, we, we, we went STEWART ALEXANDER: along with what we had learned about and the best conditions in which STEWART ALEXANDER: physical manifestations can possibly occur.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: So that's why we sat in the darkness. STEWART ALEXANDER: We thought we'd present the spirit world with the best possible conditions, STEWART ALEXANDER: as far as we know, from everything we'd learned. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and that's why we sat in the dark.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Right now, I have to move on to, um, an STEWART ALEXANDER: occasion where, uh, nothing happened. STEWART ALEXANDER: As I've previously said, nothing ever happened. STEWART ALEXANDER: Apart from. It was just nice to be together.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Family, friends, next door, neighbours. STEWART ALEXANDER: We all sat there in hope. STEWART ALEXANDER: Not expectation, but in hope and to be as one in harmony together. STEWART ALEXANDER: And it was just lovely.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: We used to look forward to it. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then um, on one occasion, um, I STEWART ALEXANDER: had a telephone call from my brother and he said, STEWART ALEXANDER: oh, I won't name his wife.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: But he said that he and his wife were thinking of having a sitting a STEWART ALEXANDER: séance that night. And he said, do you fancy coming, STEWART ALEXANDER: Stuart? And I said, well, no. STEWART ALEXANDER: I said, Mike, I said, I've had such a busy day at work.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: I said, honestly, I just couldn't concentrate. STEWART ALEXANDER: I said, but thanks for inviting me. STEWART ALEXANDER: I said, and if you do see it, let me know if anything happened. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I put the phone down and a few minutes later I thought to myself,

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STEWART ALEXANDER: I know what's going to happen. STEWART ALEXANDER: It'll be ringing me tomorrow and saying, guess what happened? STEWART ALEXANDER: So, you know. And he would be telling me something extraordinary had happened. STEWART ALEXANDER: I thought, oh no. So I picked the phone up and rang him,

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STEWART ALEXANDER: and I said, look, I said, I will come. STEWART ALEXANDER: I said, but I'll be a little while arriving. STEWART ALEXANDER: I said, is that? He said, yeah, that's absolutely fine. STEWART ALEXANDER: So half an hour later, 30 minutes later, I arrived at his home

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STEWART ALEXANDER: and his wife, my brother, myself, we sat around a the STEWART ALEXANDER: table and we actually sat in red lights. STEWART ALEXANDER: We actually had red lights on, music played, STEWART ALEXANDER: and we sat there for about half an hour.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Absolutely nothing happened. STEWART ALEXANDER: Nothing ever did happen in those days. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then suddenly, the most extraordinary thing occurred. STEWART ALEXANDER: Absolutely extraordinary.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: We used to sit for about half an hour in those days, STEWART ALEXANDER: and I knew that virtually half an hour had passed. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I thought, well, any moment now it will come to an end. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then suddenly I experienced the most extraordinary

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STEWART ALEXANDER: feeling I've ever had, and I've never had it since. STEWART ALEXANDER: Suddenly I felt something. STEWART ALEXANDER: I can only describe it as something that came from behind me. STEWART ALEXANDER: And every muscle and every nerve, everything in my body was

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STEWART ALEXANDER: twitching and jumping. STEWART ALEXANDER: And the next moment he, I'm going to say he was inside me STEWART ALEXANDER: and I was outside me. And I could see myself and I watched as my mouth opened STEWART ALEXANDER: and these words came forth I come, speak, brother,

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STEWART ALEXANDER: sister. And no sooner had those words been said. STEWART ALEXANDER: Then he was out and I was back in. STEWART ALEXANDER: And, um, you know, and then we brought the sitting to a STEWART ALEXANDER: close, and we didn't really speak very much about it because it

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STEWART ALEXANDER: was the most extraordinary experience. STEWART ALEXANDER: But the next morning when I was walking into my office, STEWART ALEXANDER: the phone was ringing and I picked it up and it was my brother. STEWART ALEXANDER: And he said, Stewie says, do you fancy coming round tonight for another

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STEWART ALEXANDER: city? And I said, not bloody likely. STEWART ALEXANDER: Excuse my French. Not because I really had, you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: unnerved me. But I have to say that that was the only time that STEWART ALEXANDER: I would ever be nervous within just that one occasion.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: And then we continued to sit. STEWART ALEXANDER: And if this guide, as we refer to him, was to STEWART ALEXANDER: communicate. It was only ever a few words, only ever a few. STEWART ALEXANDER: Words. And sometimes he would come and sometimes he didn't.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: But then a few months later, we were very, very STEWART ALEXANDER: privileged and fortunate. STEWART ALEXANDER: Because we had written to a medium STEWART ALEXANDER: who was world renowned within.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: Spiritualist by the name of Leslie Flint. STEWART ALEXANDER: And in his presence the. STEWART ALEXANDER: So-called dead. The departed would speak not through him, STEWART ALEXANDER: but at a distance from him.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: And I had written to ask if it was possible for us to have a STEWART ALEXANDER: sitting with him to attend a sitting. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I received a letter back inviting us STEWART ALEXANDER: to go along to his home, which was in London,

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STEWART ALEXANDER: 4.5 hours drive away from where we live in the north of England. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I should mention here that only weeks earlier, STEWART ALEXANDER: my grandmother, who was very, very important in our lives, STEWART ALEXANDER: she helped to bring us up when my parents marriage

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STEWART ALEXANDER: collapsed and she was more like a mother figure. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I'd actually been with her on the day that STEWART ALEXANDER: she. Well, the day before she actually passed away and something had happened STEWART ALEXANDER: between the two of us that nobody, nobody knew about.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: And to this day, nobody knows about nobody, including my wife. STEWART ALEXANDER: Nobody knows. And so we I should also STEWART ALEXANDER: mention that whenever this guide controlled me, STEWART ALEXANDER: the most extraordinary thing would happen with my left hand.

00:17:12.030 - 00:17:24.900

STEWART ALEXANDER: It was almost as if it became deformed and it would curl in upon itself. STEWART ALEXANDER: It wasn't painful, but it happened. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes. Like. Yeah. Like that. STEWART ALEXANDER: Like that. Uh, and that still happens to this day,

00:17:24.900 - 00:17:40.630

STEWART ALEXANDER: incidentally. So anyhow, we travelled to Leslie STEWART ALEXANDER: Flint's and people from all over the world used to go to sit with him. STEWART ALEXANDER: It was such a privilege to be with him. STEWART ALEXANDER: And we sat there and I remember thinking when the lights went out,

00:17:40.630 - 00:17:59.260

STEWART ALEXANDER: that this was extraordinary, that we were going to witness what we STEWART ALEXANDER: had read about for so many years in regard to what STEWART ALEXANDER: occurred with mediums such as John Campbell Sloan and other physical STEWART ALEXANDER: mediums. At last we were going to witness this for ourselves.

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STEWART ALEXANDER: And the lights went out and the séance began. STEWART ALEXANDER: And Leslie Flint, incidentally, did not go into trance. STEWART ALEXANDER: He would be awake. He would take part in the conversations with the spirit people from STEWART ALEXANDER: time to time. And we sat there, and it was just

00:18:15.580 - 00:18:30.320

STEWART ALEXANDER: wonderful to hear the voices of the departed men, STEWART ALEXANDER: women, children coming through and speaking to the sitters was just, STEWART ALEXANDER: just I can't even begin to explain. STEWART ALEXANDER: It was wonderful. Anyhow, the sitting was over and we

00:18:30.320 - 00:18:46.910

STEWART ALEXANDER: thanked, uh, Leslie Flint, and recordings STEWART ALEXANDER: were always made of the sittings, and if we wanted a copy of the recording, STEWART ALEXANDER: we would say to the man who, you know, organised and looked after the STEWART ALEXANDER: recordings, could we have a recording?

00:18:46.910 - 00:19:01.160

STEWART ALEXANDER: And a few days later a copy of the recording would arrive. STEWART ALEXANDER: Anyhow, we were invited back to sit with him again, STEWART ALEXANDER: and we made the journey again. STEWART ALEXANDER: And we sat there and

00:19:01.160 - 00:19:17.870

STEWART ALEXANDER: the séance began and part of the way through the séance, STEWART ALEXANDER: suddenly it's still emotional for me to STEWART ALEXANDER: say this, but my grandmother began to speak to me STEWART ALEXANDER: and it was so emotional.

00:19:17.870 - 00:19:31.350

STEWART ALEXANDER: I can't even explain. It was so emotional to hear her speaking STEWART ALEXANDER: And then she mentioned what had happened between the two of STEWART ALEXANDER: us on the day that she died. STEWART ALEXANDER: And no one else knew that.

00:19:31.350 - 00:19:48.900

STEWART ALEXANDER: Only me and her. And she mentioned it. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then a few moments later, she went, and I was STEWART ALEXANDER: still, you know, sort of I was oh, my mind wasn't functioning properly. STEWART ALEXANDER: And suddenly I heard the voice of my principal guide speaking.

00:19:48.930 - 00:20:06.000

STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, Lesley Flint didn't know anything about him whatsoever. STEWART ALEXANDER: And this voice began to speak, and immediately I STEWART ALEXANDER: thought, this is my opportunity to find out. STEWART ALEXANDER: Is he really separate to me, or have I conjured him up to

00:20:06.030 - 00:20:20.100

STEWART ALEXANDER: meet expectations? Is it really me you know? STEWART ALEXANDER: Or is he a separate individual? STEWART ALEXANDER: And and I'd always had these doubts in my mind when I think any STEWART ALEXANDER: genuine trance medium, you know, uh, when they

00:20:20.100 - 00:20:34.780

STEWART ALEXANDER: begin to develop trance mediumship must surely any honest person would STEWART ALEXANDER: have this in them. Have I conjured this person up to me? STEWART ALEXANDER: To expectations? Is it really me? STEWART ALEXANDER: You know? Uh, and so these thoughts had always been in my mind,

00:20:34.780 - 00:20:47.290

STEWART ALEXANDER: and I could never accept him as being a separate individual. STEWART ALEXANDER: I just couldn't separate to myself. STEWART ALEXANDER: But then suddenly I thought to myself, and I said, STEWART ALEXANDER: May I ask a question? And he said, yes.

00:20:47.290 - 00:21:02.650

STEWART ALEXANDER: I said, could you tell me in life did you have a physical deformity? STEWART ALEXANDER: And immediately he said, do you mean my left hand? STEWART ALEXANDER: And that to me was the turning point for me. STEWART ALEXANDER: Then I knew that he was separate to me.

00:21:02.680 - 00:21:15.700

STEWART ALEXANDER: He wasn't part of me, an aspect of myself. STEWART ALEXANDER: He was a separate individual. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I asked for a copy of the recording. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I had never forgotten this, never, ever forgotten it.

00:21:15.700 - 00:21:31.850

STEWART ALEXANDER: And I still have this in my records. STEWART ALEXANDER: When that recording came, there was a letter from Leslie STEWART ALEXANDER: Flint, from the man who organized everything for Leslie Flint. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I remember reading it and he said something like,

00:21:33.080 - 00:21:46.220

STEWART ALEXANDER: I couldn't help but listen to the recording. STEWART ALEXANDER: And honestly, I believe that when the time comes for Leslie STEWART ALEXANDER: to stop sitting, you will be taking over. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I never, ever, ever forgot that.

00:21:46.220 - 00:22:02.060

STEWART ALEXANDER: And I still have a copy of that letter where you can imagine, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, how encouraging that was to, you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: to to to have that. Uh, and so it went from there. STEWART ALEXANDER: And uh, over the years, uh, a circle was

00:22:02.060 - 00:22:17.440

STEWART ALEXANDER: formed, uh, where, um, STEWART ALEXANDER: that circle, incidentally, here we are 38 years later, STEWART ALEXANDER: still meets every week, apart from holidays, STEWART ALEXANDER: vacations and apart from, you know, illness or Illness,

00:22:17.440 - 00:22:32.980

STEWART ALEXANDER: anything like that. But we do regularly meet together after 30 STEWART ALEXANDER: odd years. Yeah. LESLIE KEAN: Explain the the meaning of a circle and why having a circle is LESLIE KEAN: so important. What is the role that the circle plays in creating?

00:22:32.980 - 00:22:42.100

LESLIE KEAN: What happens in that? In. LESLIE KEAN: Yes. With the mediumship. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes, it is important. And I'll say why? STEWART ALEXANDER: Or I shall try to explain why.

00:22:42.100 - 00:22:58.750

STEWART ALEXANDER: Because everyone taking part in the circle, we all sit in a circle and STEWART ALEXANDER: that's why it's called a circle. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, everyone sits together, united together in the STEWART ALEXANDER: hopes of not so I won't say expectations, but in the hope

00:22:58.750 - 00:23:13.210

STEWART ALEXANDER: that the correct conditions created would enable STEWART ALEXANDER: the spirit world to communicate. STEWART ALEXANDER: And what is of vital importance is harmony amongst the STEWART ALEXANDER: sitters, love amongst the sitters.

00:23:13.210 - 00:23:30.740

STEWART ALEXANDER: And that's what we've had for nearly 40 years now, STEWART ALEXANDER: everybody, you know, people say, you know, and I do realize and STEWART ALEXANDER: appreciate the fact that my name is generally known within spiritualism. STEWART ALEXANDER: But to be honest, what we have achieved, what has been achieved is

00:23:30.740 - 00:23:42.650

STEWART ALEXANDER: not simply because of, you know, me, but because of the circle as STEWART ALEXANDER: a whole. We're all together, united as a whole, STEWART ALEXANDER: and we all sit for each other. STEWART ALEXANDER: We sit for the spirit world.

00:23:42.650 - 00:23:59.210

STEWART ALEXANDER: And, you know, I've often said, uh, and I do get STEWART ALEXANDER: emotional when I say this, that because I'm in the condition of trance. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, really, I know very, very little in respect in regard to what STEWART ALEXANDER: happens at the seances.

00:23:59.540 - 00:24:13.340

STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, usually after a séance, people sitters will STEWART ALEXANDER: say the regular sitters will say, oh, yes, we had a good sitting STEWART ALEXANDER: and, you know, but unless something unusual happens, STEWART ALEXANDER: I'm never really told.

00:24:13.340 - 00:24:28.710

STEWART ALEXANDER: But from time to time we do have what we call guest circles. STEWART ALEXANDER: And this is where people, uh, you know, who have STEWART ALEXANDER: approached us, wanting to sit with us. STEWART ALEXANDER: We from time to time, we have what we call a guest circle,

00:24:28.710 - 00:24:41.340

STEWART ALEXANDER: and they will come and sit with us. STEWART ALEXANDER: Um, and, you know, for years, STEWART ALEXANDER: whenever we had a guest circle, you know, if people said, STEWART ALEXANDER: oh, thank you so much, blah, blah, blah, blah,

00:24:41.340 - 00:24:53.370

STEWART ALEXANDER: blah. And I would say, look, as long as you've enjoyed it. STEWART ALEXANDER: And honestly, I mean, looking at it now, even when I say that is STEWART ALEXANDER: absolutely ridiculous, you know, to say that. STEWART ALEXANDER: But one night it all changed.

00:24:53.370 - 00:25:10.260

STEWART ALEXANDER: And on that night, uh, well, no, prior to that night, STEWART ALEXANDER: um, my circle leader, Raimundo, as he's affectionately known, STEWART ALEXANDER: had received a phone call from a lady in London. STEWART ALEXANDER: And she asked. She inquired whether or not it was possible to attend a

00:25:10.290 - 00:25:28.810

STEWART ALEXANDER: guest seance, and Raimondo is very, always been very, STEWART ALEXANDER: very careful in regard to who he invites to come along or he STEWART ALEXANDER: allows to come along to sit because he knows, STEWART ALEXANDER: as we all know, you know, in the circle that if someone was to act

00:25:28.810 - 00:25:44.710

STEWART ALEXANDER: inappropriately, switch on a light or something like that, STEWART ALEXANDER: then it could have, you know, terrible effects upon my health. STEWART ALEXANDER: So he took his and always takes his responsibility very, STEWART ALEXANDER: very seriously. So, you know, because we're all in it together,

00:25:44.710 - 00:25:56.470

STEWART ALEXANDER: so to speak. Anyhow, we received it. STEWART ALEXANDER: So he would talk to people who inquired about coming along as a guest. STEWART ALEXANDER: He would probably be talking to them for half an hour, STEWART ALEXANDER: getting a feel as to whether or not they could be trusted,

00:25:56.470 - 00:26:09.400

STEWART ALEXANDER: whether they wanted to come for the correct reasons and just not out of curiosity, STEWART ALEXANDER: blah blah, blah, blah blah. STEWART ALEXANDER: So eventually he got the feeling that this lady was very genuine and sincere, STEWART ALEXANDER: but he didn't really know anything about her,

00:26:09.430 - 00:26:20.090

STEWART ALEXANDER: you know? And so he said yes. STEWART ALEXANDER: And he gave her a date to come along. STEWART ALEXANDER: And, you know, she came along. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and the sciences in those days were held in his

00:26:20.090 - 00:26:32.600

STEWART ALEXANDER: home. My circle leader's home and the guest circles. STEWART ALEXANDER: The guest sitters would arrive. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and then I was usually the last one to arrive, STEWART ALEXANDER: and I'd be introduced to everybody.

00:26:32.600 - 00:26:49.430

STEWART ALEXANDER: And on that particular night, I was introduced to all the sitters, STEWART ALEXANDER: and, uh, everyone was talking, and, you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: it was lovely. But this one particular lady from London appeared to be STEWART ALEXANDER: very, very shy, very shy.

00:26:49.430 - 00:26:59.540

STEWART ALEXANDER: And she said very, very little anyhow. STEWART ALEXANDER: Eventually we went up. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, it was held on the first floor. STEWART ALEXANDER: The science had a room dedicated to to the sciences,

00:26:59.570 - 00:27:17.760

STEWART ALEXANDER: and we all went in and we sat and the seance commenced STEWART ALEXANDER: and it went on. I don't know how long they usually lasted for an hour and a STEWART ALEXANDER: half, sometimes two hours, and at the end of the sitting, STEWART ALEXANDER: I came out of trance and the circle was closed

00:27:17.760 - 00:27:32.400

STEWART ALEXANDER: and everyone went back down the stairs. STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, usually I'm always the last to go down because I'm recovering from the trance STEWART ALEXANDER: condition and I can never forget going down those stairs. STEWART ALEXANDER: And as I opened the door to walk into the lounge,

00:27:32.400 - 00:27:49.380

STEWART ALEXANDER: this lady was stood there waiting for me and and STEWART ALEXANDER: as I walked in, she threw her arms around me and she simply said, STEWART ALEXANDER: thank you for saving my life. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I wish to find out that she'd lost her a partner

00:27:49.980 - 00:28:02.730

STEWART ALEXANDER: some months earlier, uh, very unexpectedly. STEWART ALEXANDER: And she was absolutely devastated by it. STEWART ALEXANDER: She'd thought of committing suicide. STEWART ALEXANDER: She couldn't eat. She couldn't sleep.

00:28:02.760 - 00:28:16.930

STEWART ALEXANDER: She was in a terrible, terrible situation. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then she discovered spiritualism. STEWART ALEXANDER: She'd visited various mediums, uh, but she was still STEWART ALEXANDER: in that state in that situation.

00:28:16.930 - 00:28:32.770

STEWART ALEXANDER: And then one day, uh, she read in, I STEWART ALEXANDER: don't know what it was she read, but she read. STEWART ALEXANDER: And at the bottom of the page, it's my mediumship was STEWART ALEXANDER: mentioned. And the fact that guest sitters could from time to time

00:28:32.770 - 00:28:46.240

STEWART ALEXANDER: attend a sitting. And she made contact with Raimundo. STEWART ALEXANDER: And that's how it all happened. STEWART ALEXANDER: And that changed me completely, because for the first time in all the years STEWART ALEXANDER: that we'd sat, I thought, well, that's what it means to people,

00:28:46.270 - 00:29:00.250

STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, that is what it means to people. STEWART ALEXANDER: So when people say, well, what do you get out of it? STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, you know, I mean, it's a ridiculous question to ask, STEWART ALEXANDER: really. You know, when people, uh, can from

00:29:00.280 - 00:29:13.880

STEWART ALEXANDER: being in a situation where they think, well, STEWART ALEXANDER: perhaps there is survival or perhaps there isn't. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then one sitting can totally change the lives to an absolute STEWART ALEXANDER: conviction and a knowledge that truly mankind,

00:29:13.910 - 00:29:31.190

STEWART ALEXANDER: that death is merely an entrance to the next world, STEWART ALEXANDER: to the eternal world. You know, it's been so interested STEWART ALEXANDER: in, uh, was, uh, a medium from the USA, from STEWART ALEXANDER: Boston by the name, where she was known throughout the world as Marjorie,

00:29:31.190 - 00:29:48.980

STEWART ALEXANDER: the medium. Her real name was Mina Crandon, and she was STEWART ALEXANDER: married to, um, to a Harvard educated STEWART ALEXANDER: surgeon by the name of Leroy Goddard Crandon. STEWART ALEXANDER: And back in the 1920s and 30s, uh, she was probably

00:29:48.980 - 00:30:07.260

STEWART ALEXANDER: one of the most well known mediums in spiritualism. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, unfortunately. Well, throughout the time that she was STEWART ALEXANDER: working, uh, as a medium, uh, researchers came STEWART ALEXANDER: and went. Research groups examining her mediumship.

00:30:07.290 - 00:30:24.120

STEWART ALEXANDER: There was always controversy surrounding it. STEWART ALEXANDER: And even today, all these years following her departure, STEWART ALEXANDER: her death. Um, unfortunately, she is STEWART ALEXANDER: now, uh, more or less regarded by the research world and by the

00:30:24.120 - 00:30:43.710

STEWART ALEXANDER: skeptics, the critics, as the greatest psychic fraud in history. STEWART ALEXANDER: And that is so sad. That really is sad for anyone STEWART ALEXANDER: who really has researched the mediumship, as I have done down the STEWART ALEXANDER: years. Well, what really annoys me more than anything is the

00:30:43.710 - 00:31:00.600

STEWART ALEXANDER: fact that all of these skeptics, all of the researchers that have STEWART ALEXANDER: condemned her as being a fraud, totally STEWART ALEXANDER: ignore. Absolutely ignore, the physical STEWART ALEXANDER: manifestations that cannot possibly be explained away.

00:31:00.600 - 00:31:13.910

STEWART ALEXANDER: It cannot possibly be explained away. STEWART ALEXANDER: They are never ever mentioned because if they were mentioned, STEWART ALEXANDER: it would weaken their case against her. STEWART ALEXANDER: So I've always had this considerable interest in Mina

00:31:13.940 - 00:31:31.370

STEWART ALEXANDER: Crandon, Marjorie, as she was known. STEWART ALEXANDER: And incidentally, uh, she passed into spirit at quite a young STEWART ALEXANDER: age. Um, and, uh, that this was in the STEWART ALEXANDER: 1930s, and she was laid in a hospital bed and,

00:31:31.370 - 00:31:48.710

STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, a very famous psychical researcher of the day visited, STEWART ALEXANDER: and she was in a coma, and he sat at the side of her STEWART ALEXANDER: bed, and he was hoping and praying that she would regain consciousness. STEWART ALEXANDER: And eventually his prayers were answered.

00:31:48.710 - 00:32:07.590

STEWART ALEXANDER: And she opened her eyes, and with that he leant across the bed, STEWART ALEXANDER: and he said, Mina, he said, this is your last opportunity to come clean. STEWART ALEXANDER: You're dying, So please tell me where you genuine or STEWART ALEXANDER: where you fraudulent. And she looked at him and a smile came on her face and

00:32:07.590 - 00:32:18.540

STEWART ALEXANDER: she said, why don't you guess? STEWART ALEXANDER: In fact, you'll all be guessing for the rest of your lives. STEWART ALEXANDER: You will. Researchers can go to hell. STEWART ALEXANDER: And who can blame her for saying that?

00:32:18.540 - 00:32:29.340

STEWART ALEXANDER: Because she had gone through so much. STEWART ALEXANDER: It's shocking. It's terrible. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know? And when people say to me, well, why have you never sort of sat for STEWART ALEXANDER: psychical researchers?

00:32:31.170 - 00:32:41.040

STEWART ALEXANDER: I mean, that's the answer, isn't it? STEWART ALEXANDER: That's the answer. But, uh, no. STEWART ALEXANDER: So I'd always been had this intense interest, STEWART ALEXANDER: which I still have to this very day, still have.

00:32:41.070 - 00:32:59.290

STEWART ALEXANDER: And, uh, suddenly, out of the blue, very STEWART ALEXANDER: unexpectedly, this, uh, communicator STEWART ALEXANDER: came through one night, uh, at one of the sciences, STEWART ALEXANDER: and he, uh, announced himself as being Walter Stinson.

00:32:59.320 - 00:33:16.660

STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, Walter Stinson was the brother of Margery STEWART ALEXANDER: Crandon, Minnie Crandon, and he would STEWART ALEXANDER: work and he passed into spirit at an early age, STEWART ALEXANDER: and he began to work through his sister's mediumship from the

00:33:16.660 - 00:33:32.890

STEWART ALEXANDER: spirit world began to work, and when his sister passed over, STEWART ALEXANDER: he decided that he would never, ever, ever again STEWART ALEXANDER: try to work through a medium. STEWART ALEXANDER: But then he discovered that I had researched his

00:33:32.890 - 00:33:49.660

STEWART ALEXANDER: sister's mediumship for so many years, and he decided that STEWART ALEXANDER: he would change his mind, that he changed his mind, STEWART ALEXANDER: and he would begin to work through me to try to complete the task that STEWART ALEXANDER: he commenced all those many years ago.

00:33:49.750 - 00:34:05.520

STEWART ALEXANDER: And so he began to work through me. STEWART ALEXANDER: And he is solely responsible now for the physical STEWART ALEXANDER: manifestations that occur within my séance room. STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, I should perhaps explain just very quickly what happens

00:34:05.520 - 00:34:21.660

STEWART ALEXANDER: within our séance room. STEWART ALEXANDER: Um, I generally, well, always go into the condition STEWART ALEXANDER: known as trance. Um, so I don't know anything that happens. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I should explain, you know, uh, that for a

00:34:21.660 - 00:34:40.740

STEWART ALEXANDER: while, going back a few years, when we had a guest STEWART ALEXANDER: seance, uh, a sitter would be invited to come to STEWART ALEXANDER: me carrying a pair of tweezers, pliers, and they would STEWART ALEXANDER: be asked to get hold of the skin on my arm and to press as hard

00:34:40.740 - 00:34:55.890

STEWART ALEXANDER: as they could to demonstrate the fact that I could sense and STEWART ALEXANDER: feel absolutely nothing, that I was genuinely in the condition of STEWART ALEXANDER: trance. And people would do this. STEWART ALEXANDER: And on one occasion he had to be the person who was doing it had to be stopped because he

00:34:55.920 - 00:35:12.990

STEWART ALEXANDER: apparently he was like a surgeon the way that it was, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, uh, but the strange thing is that afterwards there wouldn't be a single STEWART ALEXANDER: mark on my arm, and I had absolutely no knowledge of what had happened. STEWART ALEXANDER: So within our science room, yes, the spirit people speak through me

00:35:12.990 - 00:35:29.940

STEWART ALEXANDER: generally, occasionally. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, a Doctor Barnett, who also works STEWART ALEXANDER: through me with healing people, uh, he will STEWART ALEXANDER: speak in his own voice at my side, not through me,

00:35:29.940 - 00:35:48.360

STEWART ALEXANDER: but at my side. So that is referred to as the direct or the independent STEWART ALEXANDER: voice. Uh, we have what is called a spiritualist STEWART ALEXANDER: trumpet, which is like a megaphone so high. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and generally we have two of those, and the ends are

00:35:48.360 - 00:36:02.710

STEWART ALEXANDER: illuminated so they can be seen in the darkness and sometimes they will take STEWART ALEXANDER: off and fly around the room, sometimes at tremendous speeds, STEWART ALEXANDER: sometimes very slowly. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, intricate patterns they will make in the air.

00:36:02.740 - 00:36:14.950

STEWART ALEXANDER: They sometimes will go and caress people's heads, STEWART ALEXANDER: touch the nose, touch the ears. STEWART ALEXANDER: Never, ever cause any damage to anyone. STEWART ALEXANDER: Never hurt anyone. Uh, so let the skeptics explain that.

00:36:14.980 - 00:36:27.160

STEWART ALEXANDER: How can that be done in total darkness, you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, but this happens. And sometimes not very often, STEWART ALEXANDER: but sometimes suddenly a voice will come out of the trumpet. STEWART ALEXANDER: So it's like a megaphone.

00:36:27.160 - 00:36:41.560

STEWART ALEXANDER: So it amplifies the voice. STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, from time to time, um, the STEWART ALEXANDER: spirit person, usually I believe it's Doctor Barnett, STEWART ALEXANDER: will actually materialize and walk around the séance room.

00:36:41.560 - 00:36:54.440

STEWART ALEXANDER: But I have to say, this is in total darkness, STEWART ALEXANDER: so all the skeptics can make fun of that if they wish to do. STEWART ALEXANDER: But there is a reason for that? STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, there are various of the things that happen as well.

00:36:54.470 - 00:37:10.670

STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, but all of these things can be seen and felt by everyone taking part STEWART ALEXANDER: in the sciences. And one thing which is very, STEWART ALEXANDER: very interesting, I think I always insist, because when people sit with STEWART ALEXANDER: me, uh, for the first time or as a guest sitter,

00:37:10.700 - 00:37:27.200

STEWART ALEXANDER: they may have sat 2 or 3 times, I don't know. STEWART ALEXANDER: But it's always in my mind that it's important and so STEWART ALEXANDER: important that those people should know beyond a shadow of a STEWART ALEXANDER: doubt, that I am not responsible for what's happening in the science

00:37:27.200 - 00:37:44.330

STEWART ALEXANDER: room. So I always insist in having tie wraps, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, wrapped around my arms, securing my arms to the chair of the STEWART ALEXANDER: arms, uh, to the chair arms. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and I also have luminous tabs on my knees so people can see throughout the science

00:37:44.330 - 00:37:58.380

STEWART ALEXANDER: exactly where I am. I'm not wandering around the science room. STEWART ALEXANDER: Zoom. They can see for themselves where I am. STEWART ALEXANDER: And one of the things that does happen, and we have some of these, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, tie wraps on the little table in front of me.

00:37:58.410 - 00:38:14.490

STEWART ALEXANDER: It's a little table, uh, and it has a glass top. STEWART ALEXANDER: And inside the table is a red bulb. STEWART ALEXANDER: So sometimes the spirit people ask for the light to be switched on so people can STEWART ALEXANDER: see the illuminated glass top of the table.

00:38:14.550 - 00:38:33.510

STEWART ALEXANDER: So sometimes a guest sitter will be invited to come and sit at my side. STEWART ALEXANDER: And they would. They will ask to take my hand in STEWART ALEXANDER: theirs. Then they would ask the person, uh, to feel with their other STEWART ALEXANDER: hand, uh, that the strap is there, it's around my

00:38:33.510 - 00:38:46.300

STEWART ALEXANDER: arm and it's around the chair arm. STEWART ALEXANDER: And they will say, yes, it is. STEWART ALEXANDER: So then they remove their arm, but they're still holding my hand. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then Walter will say, if we can take the arm through the

00:38:46.300 - 00:38:57.790

STEWART ALEXANDER: strap, then that would be quite interesting. STEWART ALEXANDER: And they would say yes. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then suddenly my arm flies up into the air and the strap STEWART ALEXANDER: remains on the chair arm.

00:38:57.790 - 00:39:16.240

STEWART ALEXANDER: Sometimes my arm will go up, but the strap comes through STEWART ALEXANDER: with the arm of the chair, and then the strap is presented to the STEWART ALEXANDER: sitter, and then my arm goes down, and then the sitters STEWART ALEXANDER: will hear the noise on the table as, uh,

00:39:16.240 - 00:39:28.900

STEWART ALEXANDER: another strap is taken along the table, and then they STEWART ALEXANDER: attach my arm again to the arm of the chair with the new strap. STEWART ALEXANDER: I hope I've explained that. LESLIE KEAN: You can hear the strap clicking on your arm.

00:39:28.900 - 00:39:39.940

LESLIE KEAN: And all of this, of course, is in the dark, but they're able to move the LESLIE KEAN: strap off the table right to your arm very quickly. LESLIE KEAN: Yes. And then click, click, click. You hear it being latched on. STEWART ALEXANDER: You hear it being latched on again. Yeah.

00:39:39.970 - 00:39:56.310

STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, sometimes what Walter does, he will invite somebody to come and sit at STEWART ALEXANDER: the table facing me and the red light is put on STEWART ALEXANDER: so the top of the table is illuminated. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then as the person sat at the other side of the table,

00:39:56.430 - 00:40:10.980

STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, glances at the table top, they will see. STEWART ALEXANDER: I don't know how you would describe it. STEWART ALEXANDER: Like a mass, like a cloud will come onto the table STEWART ALEXANDER: and then slowly but surely, uh, from

00:40:10.980 - 00:40:27.000

STEWART ALEXANDER: the mass, uh, Walter forms his hand, and STEWART ALEXANDER: sometimes he will take the sitter's hand in his hand and STEWART ALEXANDER: shake their hand. And then the hand. STEWART ALEXANDER: Walter's hand dissolves again, you know.

00:40:27.030 - 00:40:39.720

STEWART ALEXANDER: But people might be listening to this, looking at STEWART ALEXANDER: this might be wondering. STEWART ALEXANDER: But what is the point of all of this? STEWART ALEXANDER: What is the point? But the point is that Walter

00:40:39.720 - 00:40:57.910

STEWART ALEXANDER: and the spirit team Are so STEWART ALEXANDER: intense upon demonstrating the fact that they are still STEWART ALEXANDER: alive, that they are communicating from the spiritual world. STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, I have to say, one person I've left out of the spirit team I've not mentioned

00:40:57.940 - 00:41:14.050

STEWART ALEXANDER: so far is a lady by the name of Frieda Frieda Johnson. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and she is quite an interesting story, really. STEWART ALEXANDER: But she had no interest in spiritualism. STEWART ALEXANDER: She thought, like, I thought that it was all nonsense until she passed

00:41:14.050 - 00:41:31.090

STEWART ALEXANDER: away into the spirit world, and STEWART ALEXANDER: she was shocked to find that she was still alive. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then, according to her story, on one occasion, STEWART ALEXANDER: she's walking along and she sees a group of people,

00:41:31.360 - 00:41:41.480

STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, stood talking. LESLIE KEAN: And this is in the spirit world. STEWART ALEXANDER: In the spirit world? Yeah, yeah, yeah. STEWART ALEXANDER: That's right. And she she thought, oh, what's going on here?

00:41:41.480 - 00:41:59.030

STEWART ALEXANDER: So she went up and she stood there and she was listening. STEWART ALEXANDER: And it turned out to be the spirit team who work through me. STEWART ALEXANDER: And she was so engrossed by what she was listening to STEWART ALEXANDER: that she asked whether or not it would be possible for her to join the

00:41:59.030 - 00:42:12.920

STEWART ALEXANDER: team. It's a long story, but I'll just cut it short. STEWART ALEXANDER: And so she was given permission eventually. STEWART ALEXANDER: And so now she's an important part of our team, STEWART ALEXANDER: and her responsibility is to, uh, is

00:42:12.920 - 00:42:28.490

STEWART ALEXANDER: to, uh, reunite people sitting STEWART ALEXANDER: in the circle with their lost loved ones. STEWART ALEXANDER: So, so evidential communications. STEWART ALEXANDER: But it's very interesting this because, uh,

00:42:28.490 - 00:42:41.850

STEWART ALEXANDER: quite some years ago, I was giving a seance, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, we'll call it a guest seance. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, there was it was actually, it was what I call a seminar or STEWART ALEXANDER: conference that I was running.

00:42:42.030 - 00:42:57.180

STEWART ALEXANDER: And one night I always gave a seance so there'd be 80 STEWART ALEXANDER: people, a hundred people there, whatever. STEWART ALEXANDER: And on this occasion, this particular occasion, STEWART ALEXANDER: I sat giving this seance, and afterwards,

00:42:57.420 - 00:43:14.070

STEWART ALEXANDER: um, we the seance was over and we were all in, STEWART ALEXANDER: um, this special room where you could have coffee and tea and so on, STEWART ALEXANDER: and everybody was gathered together chatting away. STEWART ALEXANDER: And, uh, I was talking to a gentleman about the science,

00:43:14.070 - 00:43:22.500

STEWART ALEXANDER: and a lady approached me and she said, Stuart, STEWART ALEXANDER: she said, could I have a word with you? STEWART ALEXANDER: I said, yes, of course. STEWART ALEXANDER: So she took me to one side.

00:43:22.500 - 00:43:31.590

STEWART ALEXANDER: She said, Frieda Johnson. STEWART ALEXANDER: I said, yes, she said, I knew her. STEWART ALEXANDER: So I said, what do you mean? STEWART ALEXANDER: She said she lived at the opposite side of the road to me.

00:43:31.620 - 00:43:42.370

STEWART ALEXANDER: She said she was a schoolteacher. STEWART ALEXANDER: I said yes, she was a school teacher, and I've never forgotten that. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I thought, how wonderful is that? STEWART ALEXANDER: That this lady, she said, as soon as I heard her voice,

00:43:42.370 - 00:43:54.160

STEWART ALEXANDER: she said, I thought, That's Frida. STEWART ALEXANDER: That's Frida Johnson. And of course it was Frida Johnson. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, so I've never forgotten that. STEWART ALEXANDER: The sadness is there that I didn't make a note of a

00:43:54.160 - 00:44:09.880

STEWART ALEXANDER: telephone number or contact details. STEWART ALEXANDER: And so, you know, so I can't sort of prove that at all. STEWART ALEXANDER: But I'm in all sincerity, I'm saying that that actually happened full STEWART ALEXANDER: stop. But anyhow, to go to the collection, uh,

00:44:09.880 - 00:44:25.690

STEWART ALEXANDER: 50 years worth of books, psychical STEWART ALEXANDER: research, because I'm very, very familiar with psychical researchers, STEWART ALEXANDER: the researchers from the past, the researchers of the present, STEWART ALEXANDER: very familiar with them all, uh, mediumship,

00:44:25.720 - 00:44:40.430

STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, all aspects of it. STEWART ALEXANDER: One thing that is of great interest, I think, STEWART ALEXANDER: is the fact that back in 1990, a STEWART ALEXANDER: new organization was formed called the Noah's Ark Society for Physical

00:44:40.430 - 00:44:58.250

STEWART ALEXANDER: Mediumship, and the reason it was formed was because by then STEWART ALEXANDER: physical mediumship had almost disappeared from the spiritualist movement, STEWART ALEXANDER: whereas years ago it was, you know, it wasn't STEWART ALEXANDER: commonplace, but there was far more physical mediums than there are today.

00:44:58.280 - 00:45:17.570

STEWART ALEXANDER: Or there was back in 1990, uh, and STEWART ALEXANDER: therefore the society was formed in the hope that they could encourage STEWART ALEXANDER: people, uh, to begin to sit again in home circles STEWART ALEXANDER: in the hope of developing physical manifestation,

00:45:17.570 - 00:45:36.810

STEWART ALEXANDER: physical contact with the spiritual world, because this was more or less becoming a STEWART ALEXANDER: thing of the past. Uh, and I can tell you that within. STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, it was under one year we had STEWART ALEXANDER: Over from nothing. The society had over

00:45:36.810 - 00:45:52.890

STEWART ALEXANDER: a hundred circles all over the world under its umbrella, STEWART ALEXANDER: sitting, hoping to develop physical mediumship. STEWART ALEXANDER: And oh, and incidentally, I should mention that as soon as I saw the STEWART ALEXANDER: advert, I applied for membership and I duly became member number one.

00:45:52.920 - 00:46:10.470

STEWART ALEXANDER: I've never forgotten that, and because of my history and the research STEWART ALEXANDER: I've done, etc., I was invited to become the archives Officer for the STEWART ALEXANDER: society, which I was pleased to take on, and the society STEWART ALEXANDER: published monthly a newsletter which went out to all of its members.

00:46:10.470 - 00:46:24.450

STEWART ALEXANDER: And I would write an article to be included in every STEWART ALEXANDER: single newsletter about mediums of the past, etcetera, STEWART ALEXANDER: etcetera, etcetera. Uh, and. LESLIE KEAN: Those letters are part of the collection at Rice?

00:46:24.540 - 00:46:29.970

LESLIE KEAN: Correct? Those, those all those those, uh, yes. LESLIE KEAN: Bulletins that came out of the Noah's Ark. STEWART ALEXANDER: Absolutely. LESLIE KEAN: Right.

00:46:30.000 - 00:46:48.100

STEWART ALEXANDER: And then um, as the STEWART ALEXANDER: within a year, as I say, there was over 100 cycle from nothing all STEWART ALEXANDER: sitting together. And we used to hold seminars or conferences every couple of STEWART ALEXANDER: months or so. There were there were sold out within 24 hours.

00:46:48.100 - 00:47:05.140

STEWART ALEXANDER: That's how important. That's how interested people were, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, and I was very privileged to, uh, STEWART ALEXANDER: meet up with quite a number of elderly spiritualists who in years gone STEWART ALEXANDER: by and sat with some of these wonder mediums of the past.

00:47:05.140 - 00:47:20.440

STEWART ALEXANDER: And he used to sit there listening to their accounts of what they had STEWART ALEXANDER: experienced with these mediums. STEWART ALEXANDER: And when they were retelling, uh, what STEWART ALEXANDER: they had experienced, when they were retelling me what,

00:47:20.470 - 00:47:34.070

STEWART ALEXANDER: what they had experienced, it was almost as if they were describing STEWART ALEXANDER: something that they'd witnessed the night before, STEWART ALEXANDER: not 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years ago. STEWART ALEXANDER: That's the effect that it had upon each and every one of them.

00:47:34.190 - 00:47:49.970

STEWART ALEXANDER: And then it occurred to me eventually I thought, STEWART ALEXANDER: well, you know, these stories, these accounts should be preserved STEWART ALEXANDER: forever for all future interested parties to hear. STEWART ALEXANDER: And so, therefore, I began to approach all of these elderly spiritualists and

00:47:49.970 - 00:48:06.140

STEWART ALEXANDER: ask, would you consider making a recording, a record, STEWART ALEXANDER: a verbal recording, an audio of your experiences? STEWART ALEXANDER: And I promise them all that if they were prepared to do that, STEWART ALEXANDER: then their stories, their accounts would live on forever for all future

00:48:06.140 - 00:48:21.980

STEWART ALEXANDER: generations to hear. And very pleasingly, many of them did that, STEWART ALEXANDER: and they sent me cassette tapes of their and honestly, STEWART ALEXANDER: to listen to them. It is wonderful. STEWART ALEXANDER: Absolutely wonderful. And, um, I

00:48:21.980 - 00:48:36.790

STEWART ALEXANDER: decided that I would create from them a composite cassette, STEWART ALEXANDER: which these days is now a CD. STEWART ALEXANDER: A double CD album, as I call it. STEWART ALEXANDER: And so those stories are there for everyone interested to

00:48:36.820 - 00:48:47.830

STEWART ALEXANDER: hear. LESLIE KEAN: Um, yeah. So, so, yeah. LESLIE KEAN: So we're going to talk now about, uh, why you chose to give your archives LESLIE KEAN: and your huge collection of information to, to rice.

00:48:47.860 - 00:49:06.520

STEWART ALEXANDER: So my collection goes back now well over 50 years. STEWART ALEXANDER: And it's it was composed, composed of over 300 STEWART ALEXANDER: books, uh, innumerable cassette recordings, STEWART ALEXANDER: CD recordings, papers, journals, all kinds of

00:49:06.520 - 00:49:22.390

STEWART ALEXANDER: things, all kinds of things. STEWART ALEXANDER: And, uh, I thought to myself STEWART ALEXANDER: just 2 or 3 years ago that if anything happened to me now is to STEWART ALEXANDER: pass away, then unfortunately, you know, I'm thinking to myself,

00:49:22.390 - 00:49:38.330

STEWART ALEXANDER: what will happen to the collection, what will happen once I've gone, STEWART ALEXANDER: and it was important to me that the collection should be kept STEWART ALEXANDER: together as a united whole. STEWART ALEXANDER: And as a result of that, reluctantly, I decided that I

00:49:38.330 - 00:49:54.830

STEWART ALEXANDER: would, um, sort of, well, not advertise is the wrong word to use, STEWART ALEXANDER: but make it known in this country, in the UK, STEWART ALEXANDER: that I was thinking of, you know, allowing the collection to go STEWART ALEXANDER: somewhere, you know, to be kept together as a united whole.

00:49:55.310 - 00:50:13.250

STEWART ALEXANDER: Um, unfortunately there was no interest whatsoever expressed in this STEWART ALEXANDER: country. But then, because of my connection with you, STEWART ALEXANDER: Leslie, and our interchange of emails, and you knew about the situation. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then one day, I received an email from you informing me that

00:50:13.250 - 00:50:32.610

STEWART ALEXANDER: the Rice University in Texas, uh, were launching a brand STEWART ALEXANDER: new department called the archives of the impossible. STEWART ALEXANDER: And they were interested in my collection and therefore STEWART ALEXANDER: for the greater good really, you know, and wanting to ensure that its

00:50:32.610 - 00:50:50.550

STEWART ALEXANDER: future would be forever as a united whole. STEWART ALEXANDER: I took the decision. Yes, I would let it go to the Rice STEWART ALEXANDER: University. And I can tell you that having been STEWART ALEXANDER: surrounded all of these years in my study by all of these books and papers and

00:50:50.550 - 00:51:08.280

STEWART ALEXANDER: cassettes and CDs and everything, it was it was so STEWART ALEXANDER: strange to allow it all to go, and then to find myself sat in my STEWART ALEXANDER: study, looking around, thinking, it's all gone. STEWART ALEXANDER: But it was done for the greater good, and that's what's important.

00:51:08.280 - 00:51:20.970

STEWART ALEXANDER: And it's so nice for me to think that its future STEWART ALEXANDER: is secured, that it will be kept together as a united whole. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I can ask for no more than that. STEWART ALEXANDER: So I'm delighted.

00:51:21.000 - 00:51:36.580

LESLIE KEAN: That's right. And I'm delighted too, because I'm such a supporter of the archives LESLIE KEAN: of the impossible and you're among other greats in that collection. LESLIE KEAN: And I think one thing that's so wonderful about your collection, Stuart, is it's not LESLIE KEAN: only about your mediumship, which is which would be enough,

00:51:36.580 - 00:51:51.790

LESLIE KEAN: but because you're a scholar of physical mediumship and spiritualism, LESLIE KEAN: you've incorporated so much of your studies of other mediums have gone into LESLIE KEAN: that collection, recordings you've made with people who have sat with some of the most LESLIE KEAN: famous physical mediums in history.

00:51:51.820 - 00:52:06.070

LESLIE KEAN: Yes. So it's just a one of the few ways, I think, LESLIE KEAN: in the world, really, that a researcher can go and just dive in and LESLIE KEAN: really learn about physical mediumship from first hand kinds of LESLIE KEAN: information that is not available anywhere else.

00:52:06.070 - 00:52:19.030

LESLIE KEAN: I think it's just an amazing gift. LESLIE KEAN: Yeah. To the research world. STEWART ALEXANDER: It was my privilege. It was absolutely my privilege to allow STEWART ALEXANDER: the collection to go over to the university.

00:52:19.030 - 00:52:28.550

STEWART ALEXANDER: See? Absolutely. LESLIE KEAN: It was that you did it and explain. LESLIE KEAN: So a lot of what that collection involves are audiotapes of the seances that LESLIE KEAN: you've conducted for decades.

00:52:28.580 - 00:52:45.500

LESLIE KEAN: Yes. And you've asked that they that that they can be digitized for LESLIE KEAN: listening purposes and also for preservation, LESLIE KEAN: obviously. Yes. But you'd prefer that they not be made available to researchers LESLIE KEAN: that way. Or they can go they can listen to them when they're in their library at Rice

00:52:45.500 - 00:53:00.530

LESLIE KEAN: University, but they're not to be put out on the internet. LESLIE KEAN: That's right. And that's and what many of the donors to the collection have made various LESLIE KEAN: requests to protect what they feel is important about their own collection. LESLIE KEAN: Yes. So perhaps you could explain to people why why you want it that way,

00:53:00.560 - 00:53:15.410

LESLIE KEAN: and just reiterate that you do want it that way. STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, I personally I believe that STEWART ALEXANDER: if, um, it was these recordings would STEWART ALEXANDER: go out, went out into the wider world, so to speak,

00:53:15.410 - 00:53:33.240

STEWART ALEXANDER: to be made available, you know, then I think STEWART ALEXANDER: that just someone listening to a STEWART ALEXANDER: recording might sort of assume that, oh, it's all STEWART ALEXANDER: fraudulence, you know, but the collection as a whole

00:53:33.270 - 00:53:45.630

STEWART ALEXANDER: and what I'm saying here, hopefully, you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: will convince people that this is all genuine, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, this is genuine. STEWART ALEXANDER: And my biggest fear, because the world we're living in now,

00:53:45.660 - 00:53:58.590

STEWART ALEXANDER: you know what it's like, Leslie. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know? Yeah. Uh, you know, and it's STEWART ALEXANDER: foreign to me. It really is. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I don't want, you know, this to happen to go out onto the

00:53:58.590 - 00:54:11.820

STEWART ALEXANDER: internet and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, right? STEWART ALEXANDER: Rice University yes. People going along there listening, STEWART ALEXANDER: blah, blah, blah, blah blah, you know, and perhaps listening to this, STEWART ALEXANDER: me speaking this introduction.

00:54:11.850 - 00:54:21.490

STEWART ALEXANDER: Exactly. You know, that's fine. STEWART ALEXANDER: That's. LESLIE KEAN: Spending days with the collection really doing it properly, LESLIE KEAN: rather than just picking something off the internet and then sending it around.

00:54:21.520 - 00:54:31.960

STEWART ALEXANDER: Absolutely. LESLIE KEAN: You know, I mean, I absolutely respect that. LESLIE KEAN: And I'll just reiterate, as somebody who has sat with Stewart many LESLIE KEAN: times, this is genuine.

00:54:31.960 - 00:54:39.550

LESLIE KEAN: That's all I have to say. LESLIE KEAN: As a very rigorous reporter who has checked everything out about Stewart's LESLIE KEAN: mediumship, it is genuine. STEWART ALEXANDER: Thank you.

00:54:39.580 - 00:54:54.610

LESLIE KEAN: Well, we don't need to hear me say that. It's more important to hear what you have to say. LESLIE KEAN: But I think another question that will come up for people is the question. LESLIE KEAN: And, you know, I brought this up with you when we first met about photography LESLIE KEAN: being, you know, not, you know, for instance, you've described the

00:54:54.610 - 00:55:07.810

LESLIE KEAN: the hand. Walter will materialize his hand in the red light. LESLIE KEAN: So it's something that could theoretically be filmed. LESLIE KEAN: But you don't allow you've never allowed any photographs or videos inside your séance LESLIE KEAN: room. And so why don't you address that?

00:55:07.810 - 00:55:17.960

LESLIE KEAN: Because obviously people are going to wonder about that. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes I will, yes I will. STEWART ALEXANDER: Okay. Yeah. In actual fact, um, many years ago. STEWART ALEXANDER: I'm going back. Oh, 30 years ago.

00:55:17.960 - 00:55:32.870

STEWART ALEXANDER: Something like that. Maybe even longer. STEWART ALEXANDER: Um, I I'm thinking actually, it STEWART ALEXANDER: was during the time of the Noah's Ark society. STEWART ALEXANDER: So it was around 1990 or the late 1980s

00:55:32.870 - 00:55:52.280

STEWART ALEXANDER: and into the 90s. Uh, I was very, very privileged, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, to, um, meet and to know a man by the name STEWART ALEXANDER: of Alan E Crossley. And Alan had sat many times with Helen STEWART ALEXANDER: Duncan, incidentally, and his stories, what he witnessed.

00:55:52.610 - 00:56:09.290

STEWART ALEXANDER: Unbelievably wonderful, to say the very least, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, mesmerizing to listen to him tell his stories. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and I came to meet him, actually, uh, I was STEWART ALEXANDER: on holiday in Wales and we'd been out for a walk.

00:56:09.320 - 00:56:25.500

STEWART ALEXANDER: My wife, myself and my two young sons. STEWART ALEXANDER: Williamson's young sons at the time, and we came back to the car, STEWART ALEXANDER: climbed in the car, turned on, the radio came on and I just heard the very STEWART ALEXANDER: end of a of Alan Crossley interview where he was speaking about

00:56:25.530 - 00:56:35.160

STEWART ALEXANDER: Helen Duncan. I'd never even heard of Alan Crossley, STEWART ALEXANDER: never heard of him. And I thought, oh my goodness, STEWART ALEXANDER: I've missed this interview. STEWART ALEXANDER: Blah blah blah blah blah.

00:56:35.340 - 00:56:49.320

STEWART ALEXANDER: So I wrote to him care of the psychic news, which was, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, a spiritualist newspaper of the day went on for many, STEWART ALEXANDER: many years. And I wrote to him and said, do you happen to STEWART ALEXANDER: have Alan Crossley's address?

00:56:49.350 - 00:57:05.310

STEWART ALEXANDER: And if so, would you kindly pass this letter on to him? STEWART ALEXANDER: They did that. Alan Crossley rang me, we spoke and he STEWART ALEXANDER: lived oh, 3.5 hours, four hours away from where I live. STEWART ALEXANDER: And he invited me to go and visit him, which I did.

00:57:05.310 - 00:57:24.080

STEWART ALEXANDER: And as a result of that we became friends. STEWART ALEXANDER: I can't even begin to explain to you what it was like to sit with him and to STEWART ALEXANDER: listen to the stories of what he had witnessed with people like Alex STEWART ALEXANDER: Jack Weber, who was another phenomenal, uh, medium,

00:57:24.290 - 00:57:38.810

STEWART ALEXANDER: Helen Duncan, of course. STEWART ALEXANDER: And the list went on. And we began to speak about the STEWART ALEXANDER: fact that I was developing physical mediumship, STEWART ALEXANDER: and he invited me to go along to his home.

00:57:38.840 - 00:57:54.530

STEWART ALEXANDER: Um, I think it was twice a month. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and he said, I will form a circle around you and let's see, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, well, if we can help with your development and Raimondo and STEWART ALEXANDER: myself, we did that twice a month and sat with him,

00:57:54.530 - 00:58:10.020

STEWART ALEXANDER: and he created this wonderful circle of people around me. STEWART ALEXANDER: Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. STEWART ALEXANDER: Awesome. And then the Noah's Ark Society was born, STEWART ALEXANDER: and everyone began to refer to that site to the

00:58:10.020 - 00:58:25.230

STEWART ALEXANDER: circle as the project circle. STEWART ALEXANDER: And the idea was the intention was that eventually the STEWART ALEXANDER: phenomena would be filmed on infrared, by infrared. STEWART ALEXANDER: It would be filmed. And so I was all for it.

00:58:25.260 - 00:58:38.400

STEWART ALEXANDER: I thought, absolutely brilliant, let's go for this, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. And so we went on and on and on. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then I found myself thinking, just hang on just a minute. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I realized, you see, you've got to remember,

00:58:38.400 - 00:58:54.690

STEWART ALEXANDER: Leslie, that over all of the years and I've studied, STEWART ALEXANDER: researched other physical mediums and STEWART ALEXANDER: the researchers that, you know, investigated their STEWART ALEXANDER: mediumship and the results of that, blah, blah,

00:58:54.690 - 00:59:08.860

STEWART ALEXANDER: blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And it goes on. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I thought to myself, if film, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, the phenomena was filmed. STEWART ALEXANDER: I'm thinking to myself, this would become world news.

00:59:08.890 - 00:59:24.160

STEWART ALEXANDER: Not only would it become world news, but our circle which has sat for so STEWART ALEXANDER: long together, you know, committed, harmonious. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, we would become overnight. STEWART ALEXANDER: We would become known worldwide.

00:59:24.190 - 00:59:34.840

STEWART ALEXANDER: I thought the world press would be knocking on our door. STEWART ALEXANDER: Our family life would be disrupted, blah blah, STEWART ALEXANDER: blah, blah. And I thought, no, I don't want this. STEWART ALEXANDER: I just don't want this.

00:59:34.870 - 00:59:51.010

STEWART ALEXANDER: And from that day on, I have, you know, had that in my STEWART ALEXANDER: mind. And it's not changed and it never will change. STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, I know we live in a world where a lot of people like STEWART ALEXANDER: notoriety to be before the cameras, to be before the world.

00:59:51.040 - 00:59:57.670

STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, that's up to them. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I have no argument with that. STEWART ALEXANDER: But I'm not one of them. STEWART ALEXANDER: I don't want to be famous.

00:59:57.670 - 01:00:10.280

STEWART ALEXANDER: I don't want to be in a situation where you can be attacked by STEWART ALEXANDER: researchers and skeptics and cynics. STEWART ALEXANDER: And you know who would? STEWART ALEXANDER: Let's face it, we'd say, well, some kind of Hollywood wizardry has

01:00:10.280 - 01:00:21.710

STEWART ALEXANDER: been done here. It's not genuine and blah blah, STEWART ALEXANDER: blah, blah, blah. And then we're in the middle of a controversy, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, and even if we weren't even. STEWART ALEXANDER: So I don't want such notoriety.

01:00:21.740 - 01:00:37.250

STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, we're just a closed group of STEWART ALEXANDER: people that meet together. STEWART ALEXANDER: And we help, you know, people who have lost loved ones and so on and STEWART ALEXANDER: so on and so forth. And, and it changes people's the course of

01:00:37.250 - 01:00:50.270

STEWART ALEXANDER: people's lives. Of course it does. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, not always, but very often it does, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. So that's the that's the only answer I can give you, STEWART ALEXANDER: Leslie, why I would not invite cameras into our science room.

01:00:50.270 - 01:01:02.820

STEWART ALEXANDER: I don't want to be in that situation, you know? LESLIE KEAN: So be very disruptive to what you're trying to do. STEWART ALEXANDER: Very, very disruptive. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. And I don't want my children, my grandchildren,

01:01:02.820 - 01:01:12.090

STEWART ALEXANDER: my great grandchildren. STEWART ALEXANDER: So was granddad a fraud? STEWART ALEXANDER: You know. You know, was that is is is that film? STEWART ALEXANDER: Is it genuine or was this did.

01:01:12.420 - 01:01:19.710

STEWART ALEXANDER: No. LESLIE KEAN: I'm always going to be questioned. Yes. LESLIE KEAN: And your and your your memoir of. LESLIE KEAN: Course an extraordinary journey is which, you know,

01:01:19.740 - 01:01:30.420

LESLIE KEAN: is also part of the collection and. LESLIE KEAN: Yes, of course, everyone should read is looking into your mediumship is what you have LESLIE KEAN: left behind for to address the skeptics. LESLIE KEAN: You prefer to do it that way.

01:01:30.420 - 01:01:40.440

LESLIE KEAN: It's all in that book. LESLIE KEAN: Yes. And so you feel that your legacy is protected through that book. STEWART ALEXANDER: Through that book and the question you've asked there, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, about filming.

01:01:40.440 - 01:01:52.590

STEWART ALEXANDER: I actually, as you know, address that very subject, STEWART ALEXANDER: that very matter in my book. STEWART ALEXANDER: So anyone who wants to read that, they'll find it in the book. STEWART ALEXANDER: Absolutely, absolutely.

01:01:52.620 - 01:02:02.830

STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. Now, of course, the skeptics and cynics will say will STEWART ALEXANDER: conclude straight away. STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, yeah, it will I filming in the science zone because it will be exposed. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know.

01:02:03.190 - 01:02:10.150

LESLIE KEAN: Let them think that. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. Let them think. LESLIE KEAN: Let them think what they want. Right. I mean, LESLIE KEAN: I deal with them all the time, so I understand that.

01:02:10.180 - 01:02:20.950

STEWART ALEXANDER: I'm sure you. LESLIE KEAN: Do. So we have we have not, said Stuart. LESLIE KEAN: Um, I think which, you know, just something to add to this is what what LESLIE KEAN: your career path was. I mean, you were a successful businessman.

01:02:20.950 - 01:02:31.240

LESLIE KEAN: If you could just let people know what you did and the fact that how private you were LESLIE KEAN: about your mediumship, even even with respect to your own kids. STEWART ALEXANDER: Oh, yes. LESLIE KEAN: So can you just tell, you know, how.

01:02:31.270 - 01:02:42.430

LESLIE KEAN: Yeah, how private you were and with your neighbors, LESLIE KEAN: with your coworkers and what your career was throughout all these years when you were LESLIE KEAN: doing this? STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. Well, I started off as an apprentice.

01:02:42.460 - 01:02:54.730

STEWART ALEXANDER: An apprentice engineer. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and, um, I worked STEWART ALEXANDER: for an international company. STEWART ALEXANDER: An international company that were all over the world.

01:02:54.970 - 01:03:12.860

STEWART ALEXANDER: And, uh, when I was in my early 20s, I was STEWART ALEXANDER: promoted into the drawing office where designs were STEWART ALEXANDER: created. Uh, and STEWART ALEXANDER: eventually I was made the senior design engineer.

01:03:13.430 - 01:03:25.670

STEWART ALEXANDER: Blah blah blah blah blah. STEWART ALEXANDER: It was a massive company. STEWART ALEXANDER: As I say. And then, uh, eventually, uh, STEWART ALEXANDER: the company decided that I'm trying

01:03:25.700 - 01:03:42.050

STEWART ALEXANDER: to the best way to put this, um. STEWART ALEXANDER: Oh, I don't quite know how to put this, Leslie. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, but they invited people to apply for redundancy, STEWART ALEXANDER: and they would pay them so much money, blah,

01:03:42.050 - 01:03:59.190

STEWART ALEXANDER: blah, blah, blah, blah. Now, I have to say that from an early age, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, probably 15 years of age, 16 years of age, STEWART ALEXANDER: my brother, uh, was our vocalist. STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, he had a job, full time job, but in his part time he worked on the

01:03:59.190 - 01:04:13.080

STEWART ALEXANDER: stage as a guitar vocalist. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and, uh, he, uh, asked me to become STEWART ALEXANDER: a, you know, to join him, to become, uh, you know. STEWART ALEXANDER: A duo like the Everly Brothers.

01:04:13.200 - 01:04:23.820

STEWART ALEXANDER: And so. Yeah, absolutely. STEWART ALEXANDER: And that's what we based ourselves on. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, harmony, etc.. STEWART ALEXANDER: So we did that, uh, for, for quite a long time.

01:04:24.180 - 01:04:39.090

STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and then one day we. STEWART ALEXANDER: Thought both of us thought, let's create an agency. STEWART ALEXANDER: So in other words, that we would imply. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, uh, artists, singers,

01:04:39.630 - 01:04:53.700

STEWART ALEXANDER: groups, etc., and we would find work for them in the clubs and the STEWART ALEXANDER: pubs and so, so on and so forth. STEWART ALEXANDER: So we started that and it. STEWART ALEXANDER: My wife ran it during the day, and I ran it on a night time and on a

01:04:53.700 - 01:05:10.060

STEWART ALEXANDER: weekend. And then my brother decided, no, he wanted to do something else. STEWART ALEXANDER: So, you know. So it left me and my wife, uh, STEWART ALEXANDER: and then it got to a point where it became so busy. STEWART ALEXANDER: And when the company I worked for invited volunteer redundancies,

01:05:10.060 - 01:05:22.960

STEWART ALEXANDER: I thought, I'll do it. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I took the risk and I did it. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and the rest, as they say, is history, because it grew and grew and STEWART ALEXANDER: grew until it became one of the largest agencies in the north of England,

01:05:22.990 - 01:05:35.950

STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, and we ran that. STEWART ALEXANDER: And it was literally seven days a week, you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: literally we had to be, you know, uh, and so we did STEWART ALEXANDER: that for quite a number of years until, in fact,

01:05:35.980 - 01:05:49.540

STEWART ALEXANDER: until I retired, just took the decision. STEWART ALEXANDER: But it was a big decision to make at the time because we had a family, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, uh, and it could have all do you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: the expression go compare shapes could have all collapsed in,

01:05:49.540 - 01:06:02.400

STEWART ALEXANDER: but it didn't. It continued on. STEWART ALEXANDER: So that's what we did. STEWART ALEXANDER: But the mediumistic side and my involvement in STEWART ALEXANDER: spirituality, that was always kept to one side and no one knew about that within the

01:06:02.400 - 01:06:15.330

STEWART ALEXANDER: business. No one knew about that. STEWART ALEXANDER: Even our family didn't know about it. STEWART ALEXANDER: Seriously didn't know, you know. STEWART ALEXANDER: So it was a very private thing that we kept exclusively.

01:06:15.330 - 01:06:26.760

STEWART ALEXANDER: And even today, there's members of our family have no idea that STEWART ALEXANDER: I'm a medium know I'm involved. STEWART ALEXANDER: They don't seriously. They don't. STEWART ALEXANDER: Our neighbors, all our neighbors haven't a clue.

01:06:26.790 - 01:06:40.230

STEWART ALEXANDER: Nobody knows, you know? STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, so we always kept it. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, it's like leading two lives, you know, that was one side of my STEWART ALEXANDER: life. And the business and the family side was another side of my life,

01:06:40.260 - 01:06:50.610

STEWART ALEXANDER: you know? LESLIE KEAN: And when did you. When did your. LESLIE KEAN: You had two sons. When did they find out about your mediumship? STEWART ALEXANDER: They found out when my the original edition of my book was published.

01:06:50.610 - 01:06:57.370

STEWART ALEXANDER: And I gave them both a copy. LESLIE KEAN: And what year was that? STEWART ALEXANDER: Maybe that was about 2010. STEWART ALEXANDER: Was it 2000?

01:06:57.430 - 01:07:03.430

LESLIE KEAN: A little earlier. STEWART ALEXANDER: Maybe. Yeah, it could have been a bit earlier. LESLIE KEAN: And they were adults, obviously. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. Adults. Yeah, yeah.

01:07:03.910 - 01:07:14.620

STEWART ALEXANDER: And I remember one of them saying to me, I've never read a book so fast in my life STEWART ALEXANDER: because they had no idea about it the whole. LESLIE KEAN: Time they were growing up. STEWART ALEXANDER: No idea. No idea at all.

01:07:14.650 - 01:07:32.200

STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, so it's like leading two lives, you know. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I always say, you know, and I really believe STEWART ALEXANDER: this many, many, many of the mediums that you come across STEWART ALEXANDER: today are mediums 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

01:07:32.230 - 01:07:47.170

STEWART ALEXANDER: I'm not. And I can tell you this. STEWART ALEXANDER: Leslie. What? The reason I'm not is STEWART ALEXANDER: because when White Feather first controlled me, STEWART ALEXANDER: you remember me telling you about, you know,

01:07:47.200 - 01:08:01.160

STEWART ALEXANDER: this strange sensation coming towards me? STEWART ALEXANDER: And for several weeks this would happen occasionally. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then one day in the office with the company I work for, STEWART ALEXANDER: lunch time came, everybody went out for lunch,

01:08:01.160 - 01:08:11.540

STEWART ALEXANDER: but I stayed. I was doing something at my desk and I felt this STEWART ALEXANDER: sensation coming towards me. STEWART ALEXANDER: Whoa! I can't have this. STEWART ALEXANDER: Sorry. I can't have that.

01:08:11.570 - 01:08:25.790

STEWART ALEXANDER: And I made a promise. I said, look, you can't be part of my STEWART ALEXANDER: everyday life. You just can't. STEWART ALEXANDER: But what I do promise you is that when I walk into the science room, STEWART ALEXANDER: then I will give everything I've got.

01:08:25.790 - 01:08:41.240

STEWART ALEXANDER: And that is still the situation today. STEWART ALEXANDER: They are not part of my lives away from the science. STEWART ALEXANDER: So I walk into the sea on zoom and a switch is thrown and I become a STEWART ALEXANDER: medium. When I walk out of the science room, that switch is thrown again.

01:08:42.230 - 01:08:56.910

STEWART ALEXANDER: Everyday life, you know? STEWART ALEXANDER: So I've kept them both totally apart, separate, STEWART ALEXANDER: And I do believe that that has worked to the advantage of the STEWART ALEXANDER: mediumship. You know, these mediums who are mediums 24 hours a day,

01:08:56.940 - 01:09:12.060

STEWART ALEXANDER: seven days. I'm sure convinced that this weakens things, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. Uh, but to keep it just exclusively for the séance STEWART ALEXANDER: room, I think it's really, really paid dividends. LESLIE KEAN: All the energy is concentrated in those few hours every week.

01:09:12.060 - 01:09:20.160

LESLIE KEAN: It's not dispersed through. LESLIE KEAN: When you're walking through the grocery store, you get some information or something. LESLIE KEAN: It's like, oh yeah. STEWART ALEXANDER: Absolutely.

01:09:20.190 - 01:09:28.500

LESLIE KEAN: And also the privacy was always important to you. STEWART ALEXANDER: The privacy was very important and still is, you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: still is to this day, you know. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah.

01:09:29.880 - 01:09:42.930

LESLIE KEAN: Um, yeah. So you mentioned LESLIE KEAN: spiritualism. Is spiritualism a religion? LESLIE KEAN: Can you just share briefly for people who don't know what spiritualism is? LESLIE KEAN: And that's the context for all of this.

01:09:43.080 - 01:09:54.550

LESLIE KEAN: It's not exactly the same thing as physical mediumship, LESLIE KEAN: But just, you know, some people understand how you see what spiritualism LESLIE KEAN: is. STEWART ALEXANDER: Spiritualism was born in the mid 1800s

01:09:54.820 - 01:10:03.790

STEWART ALEXANDER: and it was not a religion. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, it was not. It was just a fact, you know. STEWART ALEXANDER: It was not a religion. STEWART ALEXANDER: It was a fact. Full stop.

01:10:03.880 - 01:10:18.490

STEWART ALEXANDER: And for several years, that's what it was. STEWART ALEXANDER: It was just, you know, just a movement, if you like a movement, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. And back in those days, the best STEWART ALEXANDER: place for mediumship to be developed.

01:10:18.490 - 01:10:37.750

STEWART ALEXANDER: And I believe this 100% is within what we refer to as the home STEWART ALEXANDER: circle. And this is where groups of people would meet together STEWART ALEXANDER: religiously once, twice, three times a week and sit and wait upon STEWART ALEXANDER: spirit. And this is where the spirit world were able to work

01:10:37.750 - 01:10:55.670

STEWART ALEXANDER: with potential mediums to develop that mediumship, STEWART ALEXANDER: that contact, you see today, it's very different. STEWART ALEXANDER: Very different people are inclined to believe or are led to believe that STEWART ALEXANDER: by attending a few courses, they can in some way accelerate

01:10:55.670 - 01:11:12.980

STEWART ALEXANDER: development. Well, I'm sorry, but I think it's nonsense. STEWART ALEXANDER: I think, of course, I think, you know, providing the tutor STEWART ALEXANDER: is knowledgeable. Then I think they can STEWART ALEXANDER: help advise, inform, support, a potential developing

01:11:12.980 - 01:11:27.470

STEWART ALEXANDER: medium. But more than that, they can't do they can't accelerate STEWART ALEXANDER: development. That's my honest opinion. STEWART ALEXANDER: So spiritualism for many years was a movement, STEWART ALEXANDER: not a religion, a movement, but gradually, very,

01:11:27.470 - 01:11:42.330

STEWART ALEXANDER: very slowly it began to it became a religion. STEWART ALEXANDER: In my opinion. That's what it is today. STEWART ALEXANDER: It's a religion and I don't see it as a religion at all. STEWART ALEXANDER: Not at all. Uh, and sadly, The

01:11:42.330 - 01:11:59.100

STEWART ALEXANDER: spiritualist circle, which was once the backbone and the heartbeat of the STEWART ALEXANDER: spiritualist movement, is no longer that you know. STEWART ALEXANDER: Circles are few and far between these days, and because people are led to STEWART ALEXANDER: believe that they can attend a few courses to develop mediumship,

01:11:59.130 - 01:12:10.680

STEWART ALEXANDER: I'm sorry, but I think it's nonsense. STEWART ALEXANDER: Lesley. I've always believed that, you know. LESLIE KEAN: You think about how long it took your mediumship to develop. LESLIE KEAN: Yes. Each. Let's just talk about the materialization of Walter's hand,

01:12:10.680 - 01:12:24.570

LESLIE KEAN: which is something a lot of people have seen and they've touched it. LESLIE KEAN: Yeah. Uh, but that took, what, many years to develop? LESLIE KEAN: Just his ability to be able to do that. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes, absolutely. Years, you know, but you see in in

01:12:24.570 - 01:12:41.440

STEWART ALEXANDER: the séance room in the home circle where people to gather together STEWART ALEXANDER: all with the same hopes and all willing to give everything they've STEWART ALEXANDER: got, uh, to be as one together in harmony and love and blah, STEWART ALEXANDER: blah, beautiful atmosphere.

01:12:41.470 - 01:12:54.640

STEWART ALEXANDER: Beautiful. In order to allow the spirit world to make. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, we've got to remember that the spirit world is totally different to the STEWART ALEXANDER: world in which we live. STEWART ALEXANDER: It's a world of infinite beauty, of love, you know,

01:12:55.030 - 01:13:11.920

STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, harmony. And as Walter has often said, and I know this STEWART ALEXANDER: for an absolute fact because I've been told it so many times. STEWART ALEXANDER: He always says, if only mankind upon your earthly plane STEWART ALEXANDER: accepted the reality that life continues beyond death,

01:13:11.920 - 01:13:26.680

STEWART ALEXANDER: you would be living in a very, very different world. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I believe that 100%, 100%, you know, and STEWART ALEXANDER: it's so sad that we, you know, it's unbelievable, STEWART ALEXANDER: isn't it? What's going on today, you know, and gone on in the past,

01:13:26.710 - 01:13:34.900

STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. Right. But if man accepted that, you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: survival. LESLIE KEAN: And that's why you do what you do. STEWART ALEXANDER: That's what we do, what we do.

01:13:34.930 - 01:13:45.500

STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah, yeah yeah yeah. LESLIE KEAN: And people also wonder a lot. LESLIE KEAN: What is the spirit world like? LESLIE KEAN: Have you learned? Have the Have the Spirit team talked over the years about what it's

01:13:45.500 - 01:14:01.160

LESLIE KEAN: like to be in that spirit world, as opposed to our world? STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, I just tell you a very small STEWART ALEXANDER: short story. Very short story. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, one of my grandmothers, uh, she unfortunately,

01:14:01.190 - 01:14:13.730

STEWART ALEXANDER: and I'm going back to when I was small, she had, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, that condition called rheumatoid arthritis. STEWART ALEXANDER: And towards the end of her life, she was confined to bed. STEWART ALEXANDER: She couldn't really get out of bed.

01:14:13.760 - 01:14:27.080

STEWART ALEXANDER: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. STEWART ALEXANDER: And when we visited her, we used to go and sit beside the bed and talk STEWART ALEXANDER: to her and so and so on and so forth. STEWART ALEXANDER: And during the final week of her life,

01:14:27.590 - 01:14:43.600

STEWART ALEXANDER: um, visited and I went into her bedroom and sat STEWART ALEXANDER: at the side of her bed. STEWART ALEXANDER: And she was asleep. And after a while she woke up STEWART ALEXANDER: and she looked and I could see the looks in her eyes and she turned to me and she

01:14:43.600 - 01:14:55.600

STEWART ALEXANDER: said, are you Sue? Have you ever seen anything? STEWART ALEXANDER: Look at that. Look at. STEWART ALEXANDER: Look at what beautiful countryside. STEWART ALEXANDER: I've never seen anything like it.

01:14:56.080 - 01:15:09.880

STEWART ALEXANDER: Terrified me, I thought, what now? STEWART ALEXANDER: Looking back, I realize that she had begun that journey. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, to leave a physical body. STEWART ALEXANDER: She'd begun that journey, and she was seeing the next world in which

01:15:09.880 - 01:15:23.560

STEWART ALEXANDER: she would be transported. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, and I think it's a world of infinite love, STEWART ALEXANDER: of infinite beauty, of harmony. STEWART ALEXANDER: It's beyond description for us, you know, it's beyond description for us.

01:15:23.560 - 01:15:37.880

STEWART ALEXANDER: But I honestly believe that that world awaits us all. STEWART ALEXANDER: And when we make that transition, we should be met by the loved ones, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, who have gone there their performance. STEWART ALEXANDER: And can you imagine, you know, can you imagine?

01:15:37.910 - 01:15:53.120

STEWART ALEXANDER: And not only loved ones, but also animals that we've loved, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, how wonderful is that? STEWART ALEXANDER: I mean, one of the things that my wife and I have in mind, STEWART ALEXANDER: we had a little dog, Tessa, and we had her for for years.

01:15:53.180 - 01:16:05.660

STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and she was part of the family. STEWART ALEXANDER: I mean, she was genuinely part of the family. STEWART ALEXANDER: And people who have not had dogs probably don't understand. STEWART ALEXANDER: But there was so much love between us.

01:16:05.660 - 01:16:17.690

STEWART ALEXANDER: And one of the things that both of us are looking forward to is being reunited STEWART ALEXANDER: with Tessa. Definitely 100%. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, she did everything with us. STEWART ALEXANDER: She was lovely. Absolutely lovely.

01:16:17.810 - 01:16:27.410

LESLIE KEAN: This work has taken away your fear of death. STEWART ALEXANDER: Oh, yes. Oh, 100%. 100%. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, and I, you know. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I'm going to say something controversial now,

01:16:27.410 - 01:16:42.120

STEWART ALEXANDER: no doubt. And a lot of people would disagree with it, STEWART ALEXANDER: but honestly, I believe strongly in euthanasia. STEWART ALEXANDER: I believe if people are suffering, suffering, STEWART ALEXANDER: suffering, you know, they've got no quality of

01:16:42.120 - 01:16:55.590

STEWART ALEXANDER: life whatsoever. They should be in a position where they can say, STEWART ALEXANDER: look, I'm sorry, I've had enough. STEWART ALEXANDER: I want to go. You know, now I have no argument with people that have STEWART ALEXANDER: the opposite, uh, you know, thought, you know,

01:16:55.620 - 01:17:11.130

STEWART ALEXANDER: I have no argument with them at all if they're in that situation, STEWART ALEXANDER: but they want to continue on, that's absolutely fine. STEWART ALEXANDER: I have no argument with that. But why should they dictate to people who hold the opposite STEWART ALEXANDER: view? You know, if I had terrible cancer and was in such

01:17:11.130 - 01:17:23.520

STEWART ALEXANDER: pain and no quality of life, I don't want to be here, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, I want to be over there, you know? STEWART ALEXANDER: Anyhow, that's my thoughts, you know? STEWART ALEXANDER: And just as with our little Tessa, towards the very end of her life,

01:17:23.520 - 01:17:36.130

STEWART ALEXANDER: she had a terrible tumor in her stomach. STEWART ALEXANDER: The vet said there was nothing we could do. STEWART ALEXANDER: We out of kindness, we should really give it that final STEWART ALEXANDER: injection. Don't do anything till we get there.

01:17:36.130 - 01:17:50.830

STEWART ALEXANDER: And we went and I sat holding her, and she and Sue were sat STEWART ALEXANDER: opposite, looking directly at her, and the vet came and injected her, STEWART ALEXANDER: and within moments she'd gone and I said to the vet, STEWART ALEXANDER: how are you doing what you do?

01:17:50.860 - 01:18:01.960

STEWART ALEXANDER: I'll never know. He said, well, I'll tell you what, STEWART ALEXANDER: it's a privilege to be able to do it. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I've never forgot those words. STEWART ALEXANDER: So we don't allow, you know, animals that we love to suffer.

01:18:01.990 - 01:18:10.390

STEWART ALEXANDER: Why the hell should we have to suffer, you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: if we're in that situation? STEWART ALEXANDER: Anyhow, there we are. That's going to make sense. LESLIE KEAN: Yeah, I'm just thinking.

01:18:10.870 - 01:18:24.430

LESLIE KEAN: I think we probably covered a lot. LESLIE KEAN: Is there anything? I think a lot of what the people in the archives of the impossible are LESLIE KEAN: going to be doing is probably listening to the audio tapes a lot, LESLIE KEAN: and if there's anything else that comes up in those tapes that I'm thinking,

01:18:24.430 - 01:18:36.920

LESLIE KEAN: one thing is there's when you kind of have this gurgling sensation that people can hear, LESLIE KEAN: a sort of a coughing gurgling. LESLIE KEAN: I mean, you're not you're obviously not there. LESLIE KEAN: But as I understand it, that has to do with the ectoplasm that's

01:18:36.920 - 01:18:53.990

LESLIE KEAN: being created in your body. LESLIE KEAN: And again, um, and maybe you could just say generally what you mentioned the LESLIE KEAN: ectoplasm earlier because that's what facilitates the creation of the LESLIE KEAN: materializations and also facilitates the movement of the trumpets around the room.

01:18:54.020 - 01:19:11.030

LESLIE KEAN: Yes. So maybe you could tell us what what is this thing called ectoplasm? STEWART ALEXANDER: All we know, Leslie, is that it's some form of energy STEWART ALEXANDER: and and and I believe and I understand from what we've been told, STEWART ALEXANDER: that it's present within all life forms.

01:19:11.030 - 01:19:32.070

STEWART ALEXANDER: It is present within all life forms, but with the physical medium that it's there STEWART ALEXANDER: in greater abundance. And it can be used by the spirit world. LESLIE KEAN: So we're we're ending, we're going to end our oral history LESLIE KEAN: for Rice University. Here, with a brief commentary from Stuart inside

01:19:32.070 - 01:19:47.670

LESLIE KEAN: the seance room where he has worked for. LESLIE KEAN: I don't know how many years we've been in this room, but for a long, long time. LESLIE KEAN: And Stuart is sitting on the chair that he has sat in for 42 years. LESLIE KEAN: Every time he conducts a seance literally doesn't do one without that chair.

01:19:47.700 - 01:20:01.260

LESLIE KEAN: No matter where he's traveling to. LESLIE KEAN: Um, and so this is this is kind of special because we don't have films of Stuart in LESLIE KEAN: the seance room. I don't think you've ever allowed this. LESLIE KEAN: So this is a very special thing for the archives of the impossible.

01:20:01.650 - 01:20:15.630

LESLIE KEAN: Um, and we just kind of wanted to finish up what we were we were talking with. LESLIE KEAN: And there was one thing you wanted to discuss, LESLIE KEAN: which was because, again, people are going to be listening to the tapes LESLIE KEAN: of the seances. So we want to give our the people who are coming into the archives to

01:20:15.660 - 01:20:32.050

LESLIE KEAN: study this mediumship as much visual background as they can have, LESLIE KEAN: because they're only going to be able to hear. Yes. So here they get to see the chair. LESLIE KEAN: But you also wanted to explain about when you go into trance, LESLIE KEAN: when the spirit people come into your body and talk to you,

01:20:32.080 - 01:20:47.980

LESLIE KEAN: what that process is that you were going to talk about that. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes. Well, I can only possibly sort of say what has STEWART ALEXANDER: been told to me by the spirit team. STEWART ALEXANDER: And that is apparently the

01:20:47.980 - 01:21:02.530

STEWART ALEXANDER: brain, as we know, is part of the physical. STEWART ALEXANDER: The mind is eternal. The mind STEWART ALEXANDER: continues on after death. STEWART ALEXANDER: It is what we are. It's our personality.

01:21:02.560 - 01:21:20.800

STEWART ALEXANDER: It has our memories. Everything is stored within the STEWART ALEXANDER: mind, and the mind controls the brain. STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, as I understand it, when we sit in our STEWART ALEXANDER: séances and I fall into the so-called trance condition,

01:21:20.800 - 01:21:36.650

STEWART ALEXANDER: the spirit people are able to in some way and I don't know how STEWART ALEXANDER: disconnect my brain from my mind. STEWART ALEXANDER: And then they connect their mind to my brain. STEWART ALEXANDER: And because they're able to do that, then they have full control of my

01:21:36.650 - 01:21:53.690

STEWART ALEXANDER: physical body, which includes, obviously, the organs of speech. STEWART ALEXANDER: So they're able to, you know, control my, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, organs of speech to be able to converse within the STEWART ALEXANDER: séance room. Within the séance room.

01:21:53.690 - 01:22:07.910

STEWART ALEXANDER: That is what I understand the process is, you know, STEWART ALEXANDER: and that's really as much as I can really say that the mind is eternal. STEWART ALEXANDER: And when death occurs, then it's the physical that dies, STEWART ALEXANDER: which includes the brain.

01:22:07.910 - 01:22:17.480

STEWART ALEXANDER: But the mind is eternal, and that carries on with the spiritual STEWART ALEXANDER: body into the next world. STEWART ALEXANDER: That's my understanding, right? STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes.

01:22:17.510 - 01:22:33.180

LESLIE KEAN: And so when when people listen to the tapes, they're hearing the spirit People doing just LESLIE KEAN: what you said, using your body to use your vocal cords to speak. LESLIE KEAN: And that's what the different voices represent. LESLIE KEAN: Yes. And you're just what does it feel like for you when you go into trance and then you

01:22:33.210 - 01:22:51.150

LESLIE KEAN: come back? Is it like going to sleep or how would you describe the feeling? STEWART ALEXANDER: It's very difficult to explain, Leslie. STEWART ALEXANDER: Um, when we sit in our séances, uh, STEWART ALEXANDER: we begin. And generally speaking, we always

01:22:51.150 - 01:23:05.520

STEWART ALEXANDER: play the same music. And I see that music as a trigger. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I'm always very concerned when I'm driving my car and I've got the radio on in STEWART ALEXANDER: case that piece of music comes on. STEWART ALEXANDER: If it did, I'd have to switch it off quickly.

01:23:07.020 - 01:23:21.470

STEWART ALEXANDER: So I believe that that is a kind of I've always thought of that music as STEWART ALEXANDER: like a trigger, if you like. STEWART ALEXANDER: And very, very quickly I feel the spirit person who's going to STEWART ALEXANDER: control to me dream very, very close to me.

01:23:21.500 - 01:23:41.090

STEWART ALEXANDER: And, um, nerves, muscles, everything begins to jump in my body STEWART ALEXANDER: and then that's it. I've just gone and I know of nothing until the STEWART ALEXANDER: end of the season. Although sometimes when physical manifestations STEWART ALEXANDER: are occurring, I do. They allow me to come out of trance so that.

01:23:41.120 - 01:23:57.230

STEWART ALEXANDER: And that's wonderful, because for years I never saw the trumpets STEWART ALEXANDER: flying around the room. I never saw physical. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I can always remember on one occasion, going back a few years, STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, I'd been told many times about the fact that Walter,

01:23:57.530 - 01:24:13.580

STEWART ALEXANDER: uh, the spirit control, uh, that occasionally is able STEWART ALEXANDER: to materialize his own hand. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I think I explained about this a little earlier on the table with the glass top, STEWART ALEXANDER: the lights on, and then there's kind of people can see like a

01:24:13.580 - 01:24:26.430

STEWART ALEXANDER: mass, like a cloud on the table. STEWART ALEXANDER: And from that is etheric and is materialized. STEWART ALEXANDER: And I'd heard of this many times, but of course I was always in trance, STEWART ALEXANDER: so I never saw it. But I always remember.

01:24:26.520 - 01:24:35.100

STEWART ALEXANDER: I've always remembered. STEWART ALEXANDER: It's never left my mind. STEWART ALEXANDER: Some years ago, uh, the science. STEWART ALEXANDER: I don't know how long it had been going, but I was in towns.

01:24:35.100 - 01:24:50.550

STEWART ALEXANDER: And then suddenly I came out of trance and I looked and the light on the STEWART ALEXANDER: table was on. And as I watched, I saw this mass appear, STEWART ALEXANDER: and then this hand appear. STEWART ALEXANDER: And it was for me. I won't use the word weird because that's wrong,

01:24:50.580 - 01:25:02.610

STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. But it was extraordinary to actually see what I'd heard about all of STEWART ALEXANDER: those years. Yes. LESLIE KEAN: That's amazing. That's amazing. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes, it was for me. I've never forgotten, but I've never seen it since.

01:25:02.610 - 01:25:10.800

STEWART ALEXANDER: It was just that one occasion. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. LESLIE KEAN: You know what it looks like? And you just mentioned the trumpets. I mean, LESLIE KEAN: I guess, and this is the table that we were just mentioning,

01:25:10.800 - 01:25:21.370

LESLIE KEAN: where the man materializes on top of that red table. LESLIE KEAN: Yes. And I guess for people who don't know what a trumpet is, LESLIE KEAN: because they're going to hear it on the tape when the trumpets fly around. This is a way LESLIE KEAN: to describe what that is.

01:25:21.400 - 01:25:36.880

STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes, it's a trumpet. It's made of a lightweight material. STEWART ALEXANDER: Metal, uh. It's illuminated. STEWART ALEXANDER: We have luminous strips on the end, and it's used as a kind of STEWART ALEXANDER: megaphone. Uh, and in our sciences, at a

01:25:36.880 - 01:25:52.450

STEWART ALEXANDER: certain point, suddenly the trumpets, both of them very often will take off and STEWART ALEXANDER: fly around the room at tremendous speed or very slowly. STEWART ALEXANDER: Sometimes they touch people on the head or the nose or whatever. STEWART ALEXANDER: And remember, this is in the pitch blackness.

01:25:52.600 - 01:26:08.920

STEWART ALEXANDER: Pitch darkness. Uh, Leslie, so, you know, people who say, STEWART ALEXANDER: well, you know, maybe it's the medium who's running around the science fair. STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, you know, they ought to try themselves in pitch STEWART ALEXANDER: black room, going round and gently touching people on the head,

01:26:08.920 - 01:26:21.290

STEWART ALEXANDER: in the pitch blackness, in the pitch darkness, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. So. But sometimes, now, quite often. STEWART ALEXANDER: In fact, I come out of trance for a while and I'm able to observe it for myself. STEWART ALEXANDER: Which is. Which is wonderful.

01:26:21.320 - 01:26:38.060

STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, so it can go up to the ceiling, down to the floor. STEWART ALEXANDER: These days, when it first used to happen, it used to the trumpets used to move at STEWART ALEXANDER: tremendous speed. But it's very that rarely happens now. STEWART ALEXANDER: They tend to be slow. And I think that's nicer for me.

01:26:38.090 - 01:26:46.520

STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, I think that's better. STEWART ALEXANDER: Right? Yeah. LESLIE KEAN: They will come and maybe just I mean, I've, you know, LESLIE KEAN: full disclosure here I've sat with in your séances many times.

01:26:46.550 - 01:26:59.360

LESLIE KEAN: Yes. And also, when I first met you, you know, LESLIE KEAN: observed everything and checked out everything. LESLIE KEAN: And, you know, I can vouch for the authenticity of what you're doing. It almost LESLIE KEAN: sounds silly to say that, but people wonder,

01:26:59.390 - 01:27:06.830

LESLIE KEAN: right? STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes. LESLIE KEAN: Of course. But I you know that the trumpet will sometimes. LESLIE KEAN: Like last night, we had a sitter here and touched them right on their nose.

01:27:07.010 - 01:27:20.610

LESLIE KEAN: And it was like it didn't have to fumble around to find that nose. LESLIE KEAN: And that's. And there was another time where with me, LESLIE KEAN: the trumpet went around my forehead and then went to my cheeks and avoided LESLIE KEAN: touching my glasses and was like in a perfect circle around them.

01:27:20.640 - 01:27:33.180

LESLIE KEAN: So anyway, it's pretty spectacular, but it's wonderful doing that. LESLIE KEAN: Yeah, it was just wonderful for people to get to see what they look like. Yes, LESLIE KEAN: and to see the table where the hand actually forms the table. STEWART ALEXANDER: And it has a glass top.

01:27:33.180 - 01:27:39.600

LESLIE KEAN: It has a light underneath it. STEWART ALEXANDER: With a red light underneath. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. LESLIE KEAN: And so what's the what are the function of the drumsticks there.

01:27:39.630 - 01:27:50.460

LESLIE KEAN: And the bell. STEWART ALEXANDER: The drumsticks. Sometimes they play with the drumsticks on the table that STEWART ALEXANDER: sometimes they lift the bell and ring it. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, yeah. It's just.

01:27:50.490 - 01:27:59.760

LESLIE KEAN: Yeah. Just to clarify that, when you say that you're strapped in your LESLIE KEAN: chair. Yes. Right. So when you're talking about them playing the bell over here are the LESLIE KEAN: drumsticks. It's not your body that's doing it. STEWART ALEXANDER: Oh, no.

01:27:59.790 - 01:28:11.590

LESLIE KEAN: It's like, you know, it's like you're sitting in a room and then suddenly this bell starts LESLIE KEAN: ringing by itself, or the drumsticks play by themselves. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes, absolutely. LESLIE KEAN: And what that actually is, of course, is the use of the ectoplasm that

01:28:11.590 - 01:28:23.440

LESLIE KEAN: we talked about earlier that comes out of your body. LESLIE KEAN: But yeah, so it's quite a spectacular thing for these. LESLIE KEAN: It's like impossible things manifesting physically before your eyes and ears. LESLIE KEAN: Yeah.

01:28:23.470 - 01:28:39.550

STEWART ALEXANDER: And these are the cable ties that I spoke about much earlier. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, where I'm actually locked into, uh, my chair. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, these go around the chair. LESLIE KEAN: Wrist is flat and they're very tight, so you can't possibly fly out.

01:28:39.640 - 01:28:52.030

STEWART ALEXANDER: Very, very tight. That's correct. STEWART ALEXANDER: Now, sometimes, surprisingly, the spirit people are there, STEWART ALEXANDER: but we also have two of these on the table. STEWART ALEXANDER: And sometimes when the séance is over, we find that they're interlinked,

01:28:52.060 - 01:29:02.470

STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, which again is it's not a miracle. STEWART ALEXANDER: It's, it's, it's wonderful what they're able to do. LESLIE KEAN: And they're also able to when you're locked into your tie to pull your arm up right LESLIE KEAN: through it.

01:29:02.500 - 01:29:09.890

STEWART ALEXANDER: Oh yes. Well, we spoke about I. LESLIE KEAN: Spoke about it. But here they can see that, you know what it actually looks like, LESLIE KEAN: you know, the ground. STEWART ALEXANDER: A bit of like this.

01:29:09.920 - 01:29:21.740

LESLIE KEAN: Yeah. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. And sometimes it goes like that, but the the, STEWART ALEXANDER: the strap actually passes through the chair arm. STEWART ALEXANDER: So it's, you know, like that and then it's given to the person who's sitting on the

01:29:21.740 - 01:29:34.430

STEWART ALEXANDER: right hand side. And these straps incidentally, STEWART ALEXANDER: are all over the world. STEWART ALEXANDER: People have put them in in picture frames. STEWART ALEXANDER: We know certain people who've been married gone down the aisle with

01:29:34.430 - 01:29:44.630

STEWART ALEXANDER: with these, you know. Yeah. STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, I think it's wonderful, you know, absolutely wonderful, you know. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. LESLIE KEAN: Yeah. So just briefly, Stewart, because we, we had a little we lost

01:29:44.630 - 01:29:58.040

LESLIE KEAN: some of the when you described each of the spirit team members again because they're LESLIE KEAN: going to hear the voices on the tapes. LESLIE KEAN: Just briefly, if you could say the names of the spirit team members and what their LESLIE KEAN: specific jobs are in the seance room is just a little bit about them,

01:29:58.040 - 01:30:10.080

LESLIE KEAN: because we did hear about Walter yesterday, but we didn't really hear that much. LESLIE KEAN: And Frieda, but we didn't hear much about Christopher. And I know you want to talk LESLIE KEAN: about Christopher. STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, yeah. Christopher, just just to, uh, sort of deep,

01:30:10.080 - 01:30:24.390

STEWART ALEXANDER: not detail, but mention all of the guys. STEWART ALEXANDER: Firstly, there's White Feather, who's been with me from the very, STEWART ALEXANDER: very beginning. Uh, and then we have, um, let's see, STEWART ALEXANDER: we have Doctor Barnett, uh, and Doctor Barnett occasionally,

01:30:24.390 - 01:30:37.830

STEWART ALEXANDER: only very, very occasionally will perform healings and, STEWART ALEXANDER: and 1 or 2 of the healings is done have been absolutely miraculous. STEWART ALEXANDER: Absolutely miraculous. STEWART ALEXANDER: Um, then we have Walter, who, as you said, Leslie,

01:30:37.860 - 01:30:50.610

STEWART ALEXANDER: we spoke about yesterday and he principally is in, STEWART ALEXANDER: um, in charge of all the physical manifestations. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, then we have Frieda. STEWART ALEXANDER: Frieda Johnson, who I mentioned yesterday.

01:30:51.000 - 01:31:08.650

STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and she's sort of responsible for the evidential STEWART ALEXANDER: communications. And then we have little Christopher, STEWART ALEXANDER: and as I think I mentioned before, uh, earlier on in this Talk STEWART ALEXANDER: to me when I listen to recordings.

01:31:08.650 - 01:31:19.660

STEWART ALEXANDER: I love to hear Christopher after all of these years. STEWART ALEXANDER: I just love to hear him talking and. LESLIE KEAN: Tell us a little bit about him, because that part, we had a glitch in the LESLIE KEAN: recording yesterday and we didn't get the part about Christopher.

01:31:19.690 - 01:31:31.990

STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. LESLIE KEAN: So maybe you could tell us a little bit about him. STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, for a while. Um, as I said yesterday, we had White STEWART ALEXANDER: Feather and he was the first one, and he was the sole communicator for quite

01:31:32.020 - 01:31:49.570

STEWART ALEXANDER: a period of time. And then suddenly Christopher appeared and STEWART ALEXANDER: he was in charge of evidential communications book tests, STEWART ALEXANDER: which we mentioned, uh, all kinds of things. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and he explained that he always sort of says

01:31:49.570 - 01:31:59.860

STEWART ALEXANDER: that he was six and a bit. STEWART ALEXANDER: That's what that's the expression he uses. STEWART ALEXANDER: He was six and a bit when he passed over. STEWART ALEXANDER: And he had a very difficult, difficult, uh, life upon this

01:31:59.860 - 01:32:13.290

STEWART ALEXANDER: earth, very, very difficult. STEWART ALEXANDER: Um, but anyhow, to me is the life and soul of our STEWART ALEXANDER: meetings, of our sciences. STEWART ALEXANDER: And for anyone who's nervous if they come to sit,

01:32:13.290 - 01:32:26.070

STEWART ALEXANDER: which is understandable if they've not sat before, STEWART ALEXANDER: they don't know what to expect. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, Christopher only has to speak for a few moments. STEWART ALEXANDER: And, you know, all the all the nerves disappear very quickly.

01:32:26.070 - 01:32:35.970

STEWART ALEXANDER: So he's a master at what he does. STEWART ALEXANDER: And. Yeah, I absolutely cherish him. LESLIE KEAN: Makes people laugh. Yeah. LESLIE KEAN: Some relax. Very funny.

01:32:36.000 - 01:32:42.360

STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. Yeah he is. Yeah, yeah. STEWART ALEXANDER: So those are the, uh, the team as we refer to them. STEWART ALEXANDER: The the. LESLIE KEAN: Team.

01:32:42.540 - 01:32:50.760

STEWART ALEXANDER: The spirit team. Yeah. LESLIE KEAN: Do you want to see a little bit about just. And then we'll close up soon. But about LESLIE KEAN: there's some curtains here. LESLIE KEAN: Yes. Um, and again there's nothing here.

01:32:50.760 - 01:33:01.660

LESLIE KEAN: There's just the chair and then these curtains, LESLIE KEAN: but, um. Yes. And these are always open. LESLIE KEAN: You sit just like this, and then there's a group of chairs that go LESLIE KEAN: back into the room. The circle members sit here, but I'm going to say anything about the

01:33:01.660 - 01:33:11.500

LESLIE KEAN: curtains. STEWART ALEXANDER: It's what's referred to. STEWART ALEXANDER: This is roughly what's referred to by spiritualism. STEWART ALEXANDER: Spiritualists as a cabinet.

01:33:11.500 - 01:33:30.010

STEWART ALEXANDER: And a cabinet is used in a physical seance. STEWART ALEXANDER: Um, we'll say, for example, with the materialization STEWART ALEXANDER: medium. And as I explained yesterday, this is where the ectoplasm is STEWART ALEXANDER: withdrawn from. The energy called ectoplasm is withdrawn from the

01:33:30.010 - 01:33:47.620

STEWART ALEXANDER: medium. And then the spirit person can, if you like, STEWART ALEXANDER: coat themselves in the ectoplasm and can be seen, STEWART ALEXANDER: can actually be seen now as we understand it. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, for this to happen very often, the curtains have to be closed.

01:33:47.620 - 01:34:00.860

STEWART ALEXANDER: So the medium is enclosed within the cabinet. STEWART ALEXANDER: And this allows for the extra plasm to leave the medium and be STEWART ALEXANDER: concentrated within the cabinet, which is very, STEWART ALEXANDER: very important, you know.

01:34:01.190 - 01:34:17.360

STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and do you remember yesterday I mentioned perhaps the greatest materialization STEWART ALEXANDER: medium of all time? Alex Harris. STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, I also mentioned Alan Crossley yesterday. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, and Alan Crossley sat with Alex Harris on many occasions and the

01:34:17.360 - 01:34:29.390

STEWART ALEXANDER: stories of what he witnessed. STEWART ALEXANDER: And can I just give one example of what he told us? STEWART ALEXANDER: He said that on one occasion, an Alan always used to sit alongside the STEWART ALEXANDER: cabinet very close to Alex Harris.

01:34:29.540 - 01:34:44.300

STEWART ALEXANDER: The cabinet curtains had closed and after a few moments they partly opened STEWART ALEXANDER: and the North American Indian fully dressed. STEWART ALEXANDER: North American Indian came out of the cabinet, STEWART ALEXANDER: walked across the settle and began to have a conversation with some people.

01:34:44.330 - 01:34:58.530

STEWART ALEXANDER: A moment later, the cabinet curtains opened and this little Chinese STEWART ALEXANDER: man came out, walked somewhere else in the circle, STEWART ALEXANDER: started to have a conversation, and then a moment later, STEWART ALEXANDER: somebody else materialized, came out of the cabinet.

01:34:58.770 - 01:35:14.880

STEWART ALEXANDER: So there were three materialized people. STEWART ALEXANDER: But I noticed that every now and then the North American Indian and the STEWART ALEXANDER: other spiritual person would stop talking and walk back STEWART ALEXANDER: into the cabinet. Curtains would close a moment later,

01:35:14.880 - 01:35:25.320

STEWART ALEXANDER: the curtains would open. STEWART ALEXANDER: They would come out, go back and continue with the conversation. STEWART ALEXANDER: But he noticed that the Chinese man never did. STEWART ALEXANDER: He said, and then suddenly he said, I'm looking at him,

01:35:25.320 - 01:35:39.060

STEWART ALEXANDER: he said, and it was almost as if he'd remembered. STEWART ALEXANDER: He should have gone back to the cabinet. STEWART ALEXANDER: And Alan thought the reason they did this was to recharge themselves, STEWART ALEXANDER: recharge the energy. He said, and he turned and he began to scurry back

01:35:39.060 - 01:35:52.830

STEWART ALEXANDER: towards the cabinet. And Alan said, as I looked at him, STEWART ALEXANDER: I could see that all his features were beginning to almost like STEWART ALEXANDER: melt, almost melt, he said. STEWART ALEXANDER: And before he got back to the cabinet, there was just a mound of ectoplasm on the

01:35:52.830 - 01:36:05.410

STEWART ALEXANDER: floor and it shot back into the cabinet. STEWART ALEXANDER: I mean, let the skeptics explain that. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, this is I saw this. STEWART ALEXANDER: Absolutely saw this. He said it was like wax melting before the flame.

01:36:05.410 - 01:36:13.360

STEWART ALEXANDER: That's what it was like, you know. STEWART ALEXANDER: But that's just one story. STEWART ALEXANDER: I mean, many stories he told us, you know. LESLIE KEAN: And there were some light on in the room with Alec.

01:36:13.480 - 01:36:19.120

STEWART ALEXANDER: Oh, yeah. LESLIE KEAN: Oh, the light was on. Yes, it was. STEWART ALEXANDER: On. Absolutely, absolutely. LESLIE KEAN: Who's going to ever believe that?

01:36:19.270 - 01:36:24.070

STEWART ALEXANDER: Exactly. LESLIE KEAN: I studied him, and I wrote about him in my book that surviving. LESLIE KEAN: He was. STEWART ALEXANDER: He was.

01:36:24.070 - 01:36:33.430

LESLIE KEAN: Wonderful. Lots of people who recorded witness, LESLIE KEAN: you know, what they witnessed with him? STEWART ALEXANDER: Absolutely, absolutely. STEWART ALEXANDER: I was very fortunate to know his son for a while.

01:36:33.460 - 01:36:42.910

STEWART ALEXANDER: No longer on this side. LESLIE KEAN: With him. STEWART ALEXANDER: Too. But all the stories that he told us as to what he'd witnessed. LESLIE KEAN: And that's the function of the cabinet, is to concentrate the energy.

01:36:42.910 - 01:36:51.940

LESLIE KEAN: So concentrate your mediumship. LESLIE KEAN: It gets used when Doctor Barnett is going to fully materialize, LESLIE KEAN: which doesn't happen that often, but when it does. STEWART ALEXANDER: Then that.

01:36:52.150 - 01:37:05.480

LESLIE KEAN: Gets close. And there's, as I recall, there were illuminated tabs on LESLIE KEAN: the curtain and you could see when it opened. LESLIE KEAN: I remember the last time this happened when I was in the room, you could see the curtains LESLIE KEAN: open and you could hear him come out, and then he would go around and touch people

01:37:05.480 - 01:37:12.680

LESLIE KEAN: and talk to people. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes, absolutely. LESLIE KEAN: Absolutely. I mean, how can anyone believe this happened? LESLIE KEAN: But I can tell you it does, because I've experienced it.

01:37:12.680 - 01:37:25.310

LESLIE KEAN: That's all I can say. Yeah, yeah, yeah. LESLIE KEAN: I mean, and so Stuart, like, you know, for me, LESLIE KEAN: this is a very rare form of mediumship. LESLIE KEAN: I mean, there aren't that many practicing physical mediums and unfortunately there's

01:37:25.310 - 01:37:39.380

LESLIE KEAN: quite a few who have been caught committing fraud even today. LESLIE KEAN: But is there any advice you'd like to give to people if someone's interested, LESLIE KEAN: or they feel they might have potential for this, or they want to develop this ability? LESLIE KEAN: What would you say to someone?

01:37:39.560 - 01:37:55.740

STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, as I said yesterday, Leslie, in my opinion, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, which is based on over half a century of research, STEWART ALEXANDER: in my opinion, um, the best way STEWART ALEXANDER: to. Give the spirit world the

01:37:55.740 - 01:38:12.270

STEWART ALEXANDER: opportunity to perhaps develop somebody with the potential to develop STEWART ALEXANDER: is within a circle. And this can be comprised of two STEWART ALEXANDER: people, three people, four people, 50 people. STEWART ALEXANDER: It doesn't matter as long as everybody is in harmony and the sitting for

01:38:12.270 - 01:38:22.050

STEWART ALEXANDER: each other. That's what it's all about. STEWART ALEXANDER: Egotism doesn't belong within the séance room, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know? And nobody can sort of say, oh, well, STEWART ALEXANDER: I'm going to develop this or that.

01:38:22.260 - 01:38:36.570

STEWART ALEXANDER: We have no idea. It's up to the spirit world. STEWART ALEXANDER: Only the spirit world knows what potential a person's got, STEWART ALEXANDER: whether it over a period of time, they will be able to, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, process that, uh, developments, you know,

01:38:36.600 - 01:38:50.020

STEWART ALEXANDER: and this can take years, as it did with myself. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, there is no shortcuts. STEWART ALEXANDER: There is no shortcut. Uh, but unfortunately, STEWART ALEXANDER: as I said yesterday, a lot of people believe or are led to believe

01:38:50.050 - 01:39:04.420

STEWART ALEXANDER: that by attending a few courses, it will help to accelerate their STEWART ALEXANDER: development. Well, I'm sorry, but I don't believe that at all. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, only the spirit world can bring about developments. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know you can. Somebody can be advised, informed,

01:39:04.420 - 01:39:19.510

STEWART ALEXANDER: helped, supported all of that. STEWART ALEXANDER: That's wonderful, you know, but there is no shortcut, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. And as I said yesterday, the home circle for many, STEWART ALEXANDER: many years was the heartbeat of it was the backbone

01:39:19.540 - 01:39:27.910

STEWART ALEXANDER: of the spiritualist movement. STEWART ALEXANDER: And it's so sad that so few circles exist now, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. SPEAKER3: And so it is sad.

01:39:27.940 - 01:39:41.170

LESLIE KEAN: And is there any comment you can make about, I mean, LESLIE KEAN: you know, that there are mediums practicing out there that are making a lot of LESLIE KEAN: money and then they get caught cheating. LESLIE KEAN: I mean, what does that do?

01:39:41.200 - 01:39:56.360

LESLIE KEAN: You know, it's like that's sort of the modern way of doing it, LESLIE KEAN: traveling all around the country and around the world, LESLIE KEAN: and it's just so different from the style you have of just simply sitting every week with LESLIE KEAN: the same group over and over and not trying to be out in the world or anything.

01:39:56.600 - 01:40:08.870

LESLIE KEAN: But, you know, is there any thing you want to say to address this? LESLIE KEAN: The the tragedy of the fact that that that makes everybody think that all physical LESLIE KEAN: mediumship is fraudulent because one person gets caught, LESLIE KEAN: you know.

01:40:08.900 - 01:40:15.980

STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes, yes. Yeah. LESLIE KEAN: I mean. STEWART ALEXANDER: I don't really know what to say, Leslie. STEWART ALEXANDER: I mean, it's you know, I can't sort of, you know,

01:40:16.010 - 01:40:30.350

STEWART ALEXANDER: speak for other people. STEWART ALEXANDER: Uh, I can only speak for myself, and. STEWART ALEXANDER: But what all I will say is that if someone is doing that and then is exposing STEWART ALEXANDER: fraud, unfortunately, you know, the spiritualist movement pays a

01:40:30.350 - 01:40:44.480

STEWART ALEXANDER: high price for that. You know, it gives it gives the skeptics STEWART ALEXANDER: and the cynics, you know, ammunition, doesn't it? STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, with all the same, you know, there isn't such a thing as STEWART ALEXANDER: physical mediumship or mental mediumship.

01:40:44.510 - 01:40:51.160

STEWART ALEXANDER: It can apply to that as well? STEWART ALEXANDER: Of course. SPEAKER3: Exactly. STEWART ALEXANDER: But, uh. Yeah. So I can only speak for myself and not,

01:40:51.190 - 01:40:55.150

STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, in regard. SPEAKER3: To other people. Yeah. LESLIE KEAN: Really sad thing. SPEAKER3: Yeah.

01:40:55.240 - 01:41:00.760

LESLIE KEAN: The final thing on that table are those little. LESLIE KEAN: Those are the little things that go on your knees. STEWART ALEXANDER: These luminous. SPEAKER3: Tops.

01:41:00.790 - 01:41:10.780

LESLIE KEAN: Yeah. So not only does Stewart get strapped into the chair with cable ties, LESLIE KEAN: but you don't have to pick them. I don't know, he just has these things on his knees. STEWART ALEXANDER: These are on my knees. SPEAKER3: Throughout the series.

01:41:10.810 - 01:41:18.340

LESLIE KEAN: Everybody knows where Stewart is at all times, LESLIE KEAN: which is always sitting in his chair. LESLIE KEAN: Yes. Very. SPEAKER3: Chair. Oh, yes.

01:41:20.080 - 01:41:26.860

STEWART ALEXANDER: I don't think if I, if I didn't sit in this chair, STEWART ALEXANDER: I doubt I'd be able to go into transit. SPEAKER3: That's amazing. LESLIE KEAN: Well, that chair.

01:41:26.890 - 01:41:31.540

SPEAKER3: Is part. LESLIE KEAN: Of. SPEAKER3: You. Yeah. STEWART ALEXANDER: It what it is, actually, I've often wondered what's going to happen to

01:41:31.570 - 01:41:36.070

STEWART ALEXANDER: this chair when I'm no longer here. SPEAKER3: We're going to find a proper. LESLIE KEAN: Place for. SPEAKER3: It. Yeah, maybe it'll.

01:41:36.100 - 01:41:44.540

LESLIE KEAN: End up at the archives of the impossible. LESLIE KEAN: There's a room. Well, yeah. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yeah. LESLIE KEAN: So, I don't know. I guess we'll just end now if you want to.

01:41:44.720 - 01:42:00.950

LESLIE KEAN: Really just the essence of why you do what you do and what the message is that you LESLIE KEAN: feel you can give to the world through what you're doing and what's important about it. LESLIE KEAN: Just any kind of final words that you might have. STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, in my opinion, and I'm sure everyone shares this,

01:42:00.950 - 01:42:13.610

STEWART ALEXANDER: I mean, death itself. When we lose a loved one, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, it can be devastating, as we all know. STEWART ALEXANDER: You know, it can be absolute. STEWART ALEXANDER: Well, it is absolutely devastating when we lose a loved one.

01:42:14.060 - 01:42:31.100

STEWART ALEXANDER: Um, but if only people STEWART ALEXANDER: knew and accepted this STEWART ALEXANDER: reality that death is merely the entrance to the larger STEWART ALEXANDER: life, you know that what awaits us all after death.

01:42:31.130 - 01:42:45.690

STEWART ALEXANDER: I mean, it's just. Well, I can't describe, you STEWART ALEXANDER: know, but it's it's a world of infinite beauty and peace and love, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know, and that's awaiting us all. STEWART ALEXANDER: And as we've been told by our spirit friends,

01:42:45.720 - 01:43:01.530

STEWART ALEXANDER: it's the greatest journey we shall ever make, STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. Absolutely unbelievable. STEWART ALEXANDER: So the reason why I do and my circle do what we do STEWART ALEXANDER: is to, you know, from time to time we have guests there

01:43:01.770 - 01:43:19.680

STEWART ALEXANDER: and people come along and perhaps amongst the people who sit with STEWART ALEXANDER: us, they come hoping that, you know, that it STEWART ALEXANDER: can be proved definitely that, you know, that man just survived STEWART ALEXANDER: death. And that communication between the two worlds is possible,

01:43:19.710 - 01:43:38.850

STEWART ALEXANDER: you know. And if by attending the seances, that sort of partial STEWART ALEXANDER: belief they have is converted to absolute conviction STEWART ALEXANDER: that this is all true, you know, I mean, it's wonderful, STEWART ALEXANDER: absolutely wonderful. We can ask for nothing better than being able to help people in

01:43:38.880 - 01:43:44.680

STEWART ALEXANDER: that way. Well, it isn't us. STEWART ALEXANDER: It's the spirit world that does it, you know. STEWART ALEXANDER: The spirit world, you know. STEWART ALEXANDER: So it's.

01:43:44.680 - 01:44:00.100

LESLIE KEAN: Very wonderful. And also, it was wonderful for me personally is the LESLIE KEAN: physical phenomena, of course, don't necessarily prove survival past death, LESLIE KEAN: but they prove they're just you're witnessing the impossible. LESLIE KEAN: You're witnessing something that nobody in the scientific world can explain.

01:44:00.100 - 01:44:10.840

LESLIE KEAN: No. And yet it happens. LESLIE KEAN: Yes, absolutely. And that's why we, the archives of the impossible, LESLIE KEAN: is the place where this impossible reality to dwell forever. STEWART ALEXANDER: Absolutely.

01:44:10.840 - 01:44:20.890

LESLIE KEAN: And I just thank you for being willing to speak to the people there LESLIE KEAN: and be willing to give your collection to rice, LESLIE KEAN: because I can't think of a better place, as you've already said. STEWART ALEXANDER: Yes, absolutely.

01:44:21.190 - 01:44:33.490

LESLIE KEAN: Yeah. Thank you so much. STEWART ALEXANDER: For letting me, you know, sort of engage with you and, STEWART ALEXANDER: and give this talk, you know, so. LESLIE KEAN: Thank all the people coming to the archives who are going to get to know you this way.

01:44:33.490 - 01:44:38.800

LESLIE KEAN: It's really, really wonderful. STEWART ALEXANDER: That's lovely. That's lovely. LESLIE KEAN: Yeah. STEWART ALEXANDER: Thank you, thank you. Leslie.