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Spiritism is a Philosophical Doctrine akin to Spiritualism , established in France in the mid nineteenth century, which has become a sort of religious movement. Like Spiritualists, Spiritists believe in the survival of the Soul s after death and the importance of eventual Communications received from them, but the two movements claim to be different. Spiritism is based on Books written by French educator Hypolite Léon Denizard Rivail under the Pseudonym Allan Kardec reporting Séance s in which he believed to be conversing with incorporeal Spirit s. His assumption was neither original nor uncommon, as such beliefs had numerous followers then (among them many scientists and philosophers) and Séances were carried on very often by his contemporaries, though usually for recreational purposes. His work was later extended by writers like Léon Dénis , Arthur Conan Doyle , Camille Flammarion , Ernesto Bozzano , Chico Xavier , Waldo Vieira and others. Spiritism has adherents in many countries throughout the world, including Spain , USA , Japan and Brazil -- the one with the largest proportion and the greatest numbers of followers. DEFINITION In his introduction to The Spirits Book (the first volume of the Spiritist Codification series) Allan Kardec claimed to have Coined the term "Spiritism" to name the movement he was initiating because "new things deserve new names". However, similarly to the word Daemon used to designate supernatural beings and spirits and had no negative connotation in Greek mythology, the word Spiritism was appropriated by conservative christians to designate their prejudicial interpretation of different movements and religions that practiced mediumship. Nevertheless, confusion with syncretic religions is less common today, as the followers of such creeds tend to emphasize their proper names. Examples of religions that were often called "Spiritism" in the past are Candomblé , Umbanda , Cao Dai , Santería , Quimbanda , Santo Daime and a host of Shamanic cults. Regarding Spiritualism , the confusion is more common, even now, as the two movements were very close since the beginning. As a proper noun, Spiritualism is a religious movement, prominent from the 1840s to the 1920s, found primarily in English-speaking countries. Some authors, like Camille Flammarion and Arthur Conan Doyle wrote books that are accepted by both groups. Spiritists usually include in the list of famous followers people like Sir William Crookes or the medium Daniel Dunglas Home , who were actually related to Spiritualism . Nevertheless, the two movements have drifted apart over the years and since the very beginning Spiritists rejected the term "Spiritualism" on the grounds that it is a generic term for the belief in an immortal soul. Spiritualism (in English ) as a Common Noun (uncapitalised) is a largely obsolete term for Animism and other religious practices involving the Invocation of Spiritual Beings , including Shamanism . CHARACTER OF SPIRITISM Spiritists claim that Spiritism is not a Religious denomination, but a social movement including religion, philosophy and science. The religious aspect derives from praying to the One God and following moral principles taught by prominent figures like Jesus , Francis Of Assisi or Paul, The Apostle . The philosophical side is concerned with their studies of the moral aspects of Christianity as a social contract among men and its implications for the Afterlife . The scientific claim derives from their investigation of another, spiritual, world through the study of the human soul, communication with spirits being their major goal. It must be noted, however, that the ''science'' of Spiritism is rejected by mainstream Science as Pseudo-science . Séances are a chief characteristic of Spiritism, conducted in a Specific Fashion . Mediumship is the common source of new Theological , Philosophical or trivial knowledge. Most Spiritist books are Chanelled by mediums. In the religious side, Spiritism claims to be a collection of principles and laws based directly on the teachings of commanded His messengers ( Enlightened Spirits ) to bring unto mankind. Since Kardec's days Spiritism has lost most of its popularity among scientists due to the fact it has grown into an essentially religious movement, leaving behind the scientific/philosophical concern that was remarkable in 19th century Spiritism. Contemporary spiritist doctrine understand all christian beliefs to be part of a single religion established by the word of Jesus. As a consequence of this position, it's acceptable for Spiritists that a believer also profess another cristian faith. Rituals and the dynamic of Centers are also not centrally controlled, being subject to influences or orientation by other christian doctrines the believer may follow. This policy is not always reflected in other Christian Doctrines and Spiritism followers are often Expelled from other christian divisions. To cater for the religious needs of excommunicated members, most Spiritist centres encourage some form of active membership which includes "instructive", "social" and "medium" meetings, as well as charity work. Present-day Spiritists see a fundamental difference between "Scientific Spiritism" (the study of spiritual phenomena, not to be confused with Science ) and "Kardecist Spiritism" (the religious and philosophical practice derived from it). The two aspects of the doctrine are seen as complementary. PRECURSORS Developments leading directly to Kardec's research were the famous Fox Sisters and the phenomenon of the Talking Boards . The hype of Mesmerism also contributed to the early Spiritist practice. Swedenborg See Also: Emanuel Swedenborg ( Né Swedberg) ( January 29 , 1688 – March 29 , 1772 ) was a Swedish Scientist , Philosopher , Seer , and Theologian . Swedenborg had a prolific career as an inventor and scientist. Then at age fifty-six he entered into a spiritual phase of his life, where he experienced visions of the spiritual world and claimed to have talked with angels, devils, and spirits by visiting Heaven And Hell . He claimed of being directed by God, the Lord Jesus Christ to reveal the doctrines of His second coming. From 1747 until his death in 1772 he lived in Stockholm , Holland and London . During these 25 years he wrote 14 works of a spiritual nature of which most were published during his lifetime. Throughout this period he was befriended by many people who regarded him as a kind and warm-hearted man. Many people disbelieved in his visions; based on what they had heard, they drew the conclusions that he had lost his mind or had a vivid imagination. But they refrained from ridiculing him in his presence. Those who talked with him understood that he was devoted to his beliefs. He never argued matters of religion, and if obliged to defend himself he usually did it with gentleness and in a few words. Fox sisters See Also: Fox sisters Sisters Catherine (1838–92), Leah (1814–90) and Margaret (1836–93) Fox played an important role in the creation of Spiritualism. The daughters of David and Margaret Fox, they were residents of Hydesville, New York. In 1848, the family began to hear unexplained rapping sounds. Kate and Margaret conducted channeling sessions in an attempt to contact the presumed spiritual entity creating the sounds, and claimed contact with the spirit of a peddler who was allegedly murdered and buried beneath the house. A skeleton later found in the basement seemed to confirm this. The Fox girls became instant celebrities. They demonstrated their communication with the spirit by using taps and knocks, automatic writing, and later even voice communication, as the spirit took control of one of the girls. Skeptics suspected this was nothing but clever deception and fraud. Indeed, sister Margaret eventually confessed to using her toe-joints to produce the sound. And although she later recanted this confession, both her and her sister Catherine were widely considered discredited, and died in poverty. Nonetheless, belief in the ability to communicate with the dead grew rapidly, becoming a religious movement called Spiritualism, and contributing greatly to Kardec's ideas. Talking boards See Also: Table-turning Just after the news of the Fox affair came to France, people became even more interested in what was sometimes termed the "Spiritual Telegraph". In the beginning, a table spun with the "energy" from the spirits present by means of human Chaneling (hence the term Medium ). But, as the process was too slow and cumbersome, a new one was devised, supposedly from a suggestion by the spirits themselves: the talking board. Early examples of talking boards were baskets attached to a pointy object that spun under the hands of the mediums, to point at letters printed on cards scattered around, or engraved on, the table. Such devices were called ''corbeille à bec'' ("basket with a beak"). The pointy object was usually a pencil. Talking boards were tricky to set up and to operate. A typical Séance using a talking board saw people sitting at a round table, feet resting on the chairs' supports and hands on the table top or, later, on the talking board itself. The energy channeled from the spirits through their hands made the board spin around and find letters which, once written down by a scribe, would form intelligible words, phrases, and sentences. The system was an early, and less effective, precursor of the Ouija boards that later became so popular. Allan Kardec first became interested in Spiritism when he learned of the Fox Sisters , but his first contact with what would become the doctrine was by means of talking boards. Some of the earlier parts of his Spirits' Book were channeled this way. Franz Mesmer See Also: Franz Mesmer Franz Anton Mesmer ( May 23 , 1734 – March 5 , 1815 ) discovered what he called ''magnétism animal'' ( Animal Magnetism ) and others often called ''mesmerism''. The evolution of Mesmer's ideas and practices led James Braid (1795-1860) to develop Hypnosis in 1842. Spiritism incorporated and kept some practices inspired or directly taken from Mesmerism . Among them, the Healing Touch , still in Europe, and the "energization" of water to be used as a medicine for spirit and body. DOCTRINE Spiritism blends together notions taken from Christianity , Positivism and Platonism . Basic books See Also: Spiritist Codification The basic doctrine of Spiritism ("the Codification") is defined in five books written and published by Allan Kardec during his life: # The Spirits' Book — Defines the guidelines of the doctrine, covering points like God , Spirit , Universe , Man , Society , Culture , Morals and Religion . # The Book On Mediums — Details the "mechanics" of the spiritual world, the processes involved in channeling spirits, techniques to be developed by would-be Mediums , etc. # The Gospel According To Spiritism — Comments on the Gospels, highlighting passages that, according to Kardec, would show the ethical fundamentals shared by all religious and philosophical systems. This may be the first religious book to acknowledge the existence of life elsewhere in the Universe, based on Jesus' saying "The houses in the realm of my father are many" (John, 14, 1-3). # Heaven And Hell — A didactic series of interviews with spirits of deceased people intending to establish a correlation between the lives they lead and their conditions in the beyond. # and Premonition . Kardec also wrote a brief introductory pamphlet ( What Is Spiritism? ) and was the most frequent contributor to the Spiritist Review. His essays and articles would be posthumously collected into the aptly-named tome '' Posthumous Works ''. Doctrine See Also: Spiritist doctrine The five chief points of the doctrine are: # There is a God, defined as "The Supreme Intelligence and Primary Cause of everything"; # There are Spirits, all of whom are created simple and ignorant, but owning the power to gradually perfect themselves; # The natural method of this perfection process is Reincarnation , through which the Spirit faces countless different situations, problems and obstacles, and needs to learn how to deal with them; # As part of Nature, Spirits can naturally communicate with living people, as well as interfere in their lives; # Many planets in the universe are inhabited. The central tenet of Spiritist Doctrine is the belief in spiritual life. The spirit is eternal, and evolves through a series of incarnations in the material world. The true life is the spiritual one; life in the material world is just a short-termed stage, where the spirit has the opportunity to learn and develop its potentials. Reincarnation is the process where the spirit, once free in the spiritual world, comes back to the world for further learning. Relationship with the teachings of Jesus Jesus , according to Spiritism the greatest moral example for humankind, is deemed to have incarnated here to show us, through his example, the path that we have to take to achieve our own spiritual perfection. The Gospels are reinterpreted in Spiritism; some of the words of Christ or his actions are clarified in the light of the spiritual phenomena (presented as law of nature, and not as something "miraculous"). It's only because of our own imperfection that we can't achieve similar things; as we evolve, we will not only understand better, but we will be able to do similar things, for all spirits are created equal, and are destined for the same end. Spiritual evolution and Karma Spiritist Doctrine stresses the importance of spiritual evolution. According to this view, we are destined for perfection; there are other planets hosting more advanced lifeforms, and happier societies, where the spirit has the chance to keep evolving both in the moral and intellectual sense. Although not clear from Kardec's works, later writers elaborated on this point further: it seems that we cannot detect more advanced life forms on other planets, as they are living in a slightly different "plane" from ours, in the same way the spiritual plane is superimposed over our own plane. There is no scientific evidence to back this claim, despite attempts to apply concepts from modern physics -- quantum theory, multiple universes and so on -- to explain it. Mediumship The communication between the spiritual world and the material world happens all the time, but to various degrees. Some people barely sense what the spirits tell them, in an entirely instinctive way, while others have greater cognizance of their guidance. The so-called ). Direct manipulation of physical objects by spirits is also possible; however, for it to happen the spirits need the help (voluntary or not) of mediums with particular abilities for physical effects. SPIRITIST PRACTICE See Also: Spiritist practice Kardec's works do not establish any rituals or formal practices. Instead, the doctrine suggests that followers adhere to some principles regarded as common to all religions. The religious experience within spiritism is, therefore, largely informal. Meetings The most important types of practices within Spiritism are:
Organisation See Also: Spiritist centre Spiritism is not seen as a Religion by its followers because it doesn't endorse formal adoration, require regular frequency or formal membership and claims not to be opposed to science, instead trying to harmonise with it. It should be noted, though, that there's no acceptance to Spiritism in mainstream Science and that its belief system is largely coherent with the notion of Religion (that doesn't include regular frequency, membership, formal adoration or declared opposition to science). Spiritism is practiced in different types of associations, formal or not, which can have local, regional, national or international scope. Local organizations are usually called Spiritist Centre s or Spiritist Societies . Regional and national organizations are called "federations", as the Federação Espírita Brasileira and the Federación Espírita Española [http://www.espiritismo.cc , while international organizations are termed "unions", such as the Union Spirite Française et Francophone [http://perso.orange.fr/union.spirite]. Spiritist centres (especially in Brazil) are also often active book publishers and promoters of Esperanto . HISTORY See Also: History of Spiritism Spiritism shares its roots with many other religions and denominations, mainly Christianity and Western traditions. It is unknown the extent of the influence of Hinduism , Buddhism and Shamanism over the doctrinal aspects of Spiritism, as set by Allan Kardec because the mentions of such religions are sparse in all His Works . Kardec, however, acknowledges the influence of Socrates , Plato , Jesus and Francisco Of Assis ; as well as the religious tradition of Greek and Roman Paganism . SPIRITISM IN POPULAR CULTURE Despite being little known by the population at large; many works or art contain allusions to facts, circumstances and concepts that resemble some spiritist beliefs: Films
Soap operas In Brazil three soap operas have been produced entirely based on the concepts of Spiritism and one is currently being aired. Another soap opera, Terra Nostra included a subplot of a young man obsessed by the spirit of his mother's youth lover who had been killed by his grandfather.
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