Ancient Religions

Spiritualism

General Information Directory ofSpiritualist Churchs in uk and around the world

Spiritualism, in philosophy, is sometimes used as a synonym for Idealism. A far more common usage, however, refers to a system of religious beliefs centered on the presumption that communication with the dead, or spirits, is possible.

Attempts to evoke the spirits of the dead are recorded in ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian sources, and spiritualistic practices have a long history in India, where they are regarded as bhuta worship, or worship of the dead. Spiritualism in its modern sense, though, traces its origins to the activities of Margaret Fox and, to a lesser extent, her two sisters. Beginning in 1848 at their parents' farmhouse near Hydesville, NY, the Fox sisters were able to produce spirit "rappings" in answer to questions put to them. After moving to Rochester, NY, and receiving a wider audience, their fame spread to both sides of the Atlantic. By the mid 1850s they had inspired a host of imitators. Margaret Fox admitted later in life that she had produced rapping noises through manipulation of her joints.

A person who "channeled" communications between the earthly and spirit worlds was first referred to as a medium, although now they are often called channelers. The repertoire of the early mediums included table levitations, Extrasensory Perception, speaking in a spirit's voice during trances, Automatic Writing, and the manifestation of apparitions and "ectoplasmic" matter. All such phenomena were attributed by the mediums to the agency of spirits. Early supporters of spiritualistic phenomena included American journalist Horace Greeley, British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and British scientists A R Wallace and Sir William Crookes. Support for spiritualism diminished, however, as many 19th century mediums were proven to be fakes.

Spiritualism has had, since its inception, a large following. Many churches and societies have been founded that profess some variety of spiritualistic beliefs. It achieved particularly widespread popular appeal during the 1850s and '60s and immediately following World War I. Closely aligned with other New Age beliefs, belief in spiritualism again became popular during the 1980s, particularly in the United States. One new facet of spiritualism is that modern day channelers are as apt to attempt contact with extraterrestrials or spirits from ancient mythical societies as they are to try to communicate with the recently deceased.

Bibliography:
G Abell and B Singer, eds., Science and the Paranormal (1986);
R Brandon, The Spiritualists (1984);
M Gardner, The New Age: Notes of a Fringe Watcher (1988);
H Kerr and C Crow, The Occult in America (1983);
J Oppenheim, The Other World (1985);
J Webb, ed., The Mediums and the Conjurers (1979).