SPIRITISM

Spiritism is a religious-philosophical doctrine and practice centered around communication with the spirits of the deceased. It is based on the belief that spirits continue to exist after death and can interact with the living through intermediaries known as mediums. Originating in the mid-19th century, Spiritism quickly became a global movement, influencing science, religion, literature, and art across Europe, Russia, and the Americas.

Spiritism is a belief system that holds that the souls of the dead continue to exist in a spiritual form and are capable of communicating with the living through mediums. Its purpose is to establish a bridge with the spiritual realm in order to receive guidance, comfort, moral insight, or philosophical understanding.

2. Origins and Early History

Modern Spiritism originated in 1848 in Hydesville, New York, where the Fox sisters claimed to have made contact with a deceased spirit through a series of rapping sounds. This event sparked widespread interest in spiritual communication.

The doctrine was later formalized by French educator and philosopher Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail, under the pseudonym Allan Kardec, who published The Spirits’ Book in 1857. Kardec coined the term Spiritism (distinct from general spiritualism) and provided a structured, philosophical framework for the movement.

3. Global Spread

Spiritism spread rapidly across the United States, England, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, and Latin America.

In Victorian England, Spiritism flourished among intellectuals, aristocrats, and scientists, with even Queen Victoria reportedly showing interest. Renowned author Arthur Conan Doyle became a prominent supporter and public advocate of Spiritist beliefs.

In Imperial Russia, Spiritism became popular in upper-class salons, especially in Saint Petersburg and Moscow, where séances and mediumistic practices became a fashionable pastime among the elite. Elements of Spiritist thought can be found in the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Gogol, and Andrei Bely.

In France and Central Europe, Spiritism took on a religious tone. In Brazil, it evolved into a formalized doctrine known as Kardecist Spiritism, which remains highly influential to this day, often blended with Afro-Brazilian traditions such as Umbanda.

4. Symbolism in Spiritism

One of the key symbols of Spiritism is the grapevine, representing spiritual vitality, fertility of the soul, and eternal connection between the earthly and the divine. This symbol originates in ancient Greek mythology, where the grapevine was associated with Dionysus—the god of ecstasy, transcendence, and the boundary between life and death.

In Spiritist philosophy, the vine symbolizes the unity of all souls, with each grape representing an individual consciousness connected to the divine source. The vine’s upward growth metaphorically reflects the soul’s evolution from the material to the spiritual plane.

5. Philosophy and Core Beliefs

Spiritism holds that:

the soul is immortal;

  • spirits undergo moral and intellectual development after death;

  • reincarnation is a mechanism of spiritual progress;

  • the spiritual world is structured and hierarchical;

  • communication with spirits is possible through mediums;

  • moral evolution is essential for spiritual elevation.

Though close in values to Christianity, Spiritism emphasizes personal responsibility, moral accountability, and spiritual progression through successive incarnations.

6. Practices and Rituals

The most well-known practice of Spiritism is the séance, during which participants gather—often in a circle—with a medium to attempt communication with the spirit world. Common techniques include:

  • automatic writing (psychography);

  • trance speaking by mediums;

  • spirit rapping and physical manifestations;

  • table-turning;

  • use of talking boards (e.g., Ouija).

7. Spiritism and Science

In the late 19th century, Spiritism was taken seriously by segments of the scientific community. Notable researchers such as Sir William Crookes, Frederic W.H. Myers, and Charles Richet (Nobel Prize laureate) investigated mediumship and psychic phenomena.

Organizations like the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) in Britain were founded to study such claims. However, repeated fraud and the inability to reproduce Spiritist phenomena under controlled conditions led to growing skepticism within the scientific world.

8. Criticism and Decline

By the early 20th century, Spiritism faced increasing criticism. Many high-profile mediums were exposed as frauds, and Spiritism was increasingly viewed as a passing trend rather than a scientific or religious breakthrough.

The rise of psychology, psychoanalysis, and neuroscience provided alternative explanations for Spiritist phenomena, attributing them to suggestion, dissociation, or grief processing.

9. Legacy and Contemporary Influence

Despite its decline in mainstream circles, Spiritism left a profound impact on:

  • literature (e.g., Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Andrei Bely);

  • art (e.g., Symbolism, early Abstract art);

  • philosophy (mystical realism);

  • esotericism (Theosophy, New Age).

Today, Spiritism remains particularly strong in Brazil, where it is practiced as both a religion and a therapeutic system. Globally, elements of Spiritism live on in mediumship, channeling, past-life regression, and spiritual healing.

10. See Also

  • Mediumship

  • Allan Kardec

  • Spiritualism

  • Séance

  • Reincarnation

  • Immortality of the Soul