What Spiritualism means
Spiritualism (usually capitalized when it names the religion) is a movement built on the belief that the spirits of the dead survive and can communicate with the living, typically through a person called a medium. It is both a religious movement, with churches and ministers in some countries, and a broader cultural phenomenon that shaped later ideas about the afterlife. Its differences from mainstream religion are discussed in What is the difference between religion and Spiritualism?
Origins: Hydesville, 1848
Modern Spiritualism is usually dated to 1848 in Hydesville, New York, when sisters Margaret and Kate Fox reported mysterious rapping sounds that they said answered questions. Public demonstrations followed, and the idea spread rapidly across the United States and to Britain. In 1888 Margaret Fox publicly said the raps had been produced by trickery, then later retracted that statement. The episode remains contested, but the movement had by then grown well beyond the sisters.
Writers such as Andrew Jackson Davis, whose “Harmonial Philosophy” preceded and fed into the movement, and later figures such as Emma Hardinge Britten helped give it a philosophy and organization. Spiritualism flourished in the late 19th century and again after the First World War, when many bereaved people sought contact with the dead. Arthur Conan Doyle was a well-known advocate.
What spiritualists do
The work of a spiritualist or medium typically includes:
- Mediumship: relaying messages from spirits, often in public demonstrations or private sittings.
- Seances: gatherings, historically in darkened rooms, intended to contact spirits.
- Healing: spiritual or “absent” healing offered in some churches.
- Services: worship that blends hymns, a talk and a demonstration of mediumship.
Practices such as trance speaking are closely related to what is now called channeling.
Beliefs and principles
Spiritualist bodies publish their own lists of principles. In Britain and in the United States these commonly include belief in the continuous existence of the human soul, communication between the spirit world and the living, personal responsibility, and ongoing progress of the soul. Some organizations avoid a fixed creed, and views on Christianity, reincarnation and God vary between groups.
Spiritualism in philosophy
In philosophy, “spiritualism” (lowercase) can mean something different: the view that reality is fundamentally spiritual or mental rather than material, opposed to materialism. This is distinct from the religion, although the two terms are sometimes confused.
Fraud and skepticism
Spiritualism has a long history of exposed trickery, from rigged tables to fake ectoplasm. Magicians such as Harry Houdini campaigned against fraudulent mediums, and investigators in the Society for Psychical Research examined many cases. Skeptics also point to psychological explanations such as suggestion and cold reading. Anyone seeking a medium should be wary of high fees or claims that a spirit demands money, and should not rely on mediums for medical, legal or financial decisions.
How to become a spiritualist
There is no single route. Some people attend services at a Spiritualist church, take introductory classes, and join a “development circle” to explore mediumship. In some organizations, ministers or recognized mediums complete a course of study and an assessment. Requirements differ by country and body, so check the organization you are interested in directly.
Spiritualism today
The religion is much smaller than at its peak, but organizations such as the Spiritualists’ National Union in Britain and the National Spiritualist Association of Churches in the United States still exist, and communities such as Lily Dale in New York and Cassadaga in Florida remain active. Its ideas continue in modern mediumship and across the New Age movement, and it sits alongside Theosophy as a major 19th-century source of today’s spirituality.