SCIENCE | PHILOSOPHY | RELIGION
What is Spiritism?
Spiritism is, at once, a science, a philosophy, and a religion.
The science of Spiritism studies the existence and nature of spirits, which are nothing more than the immortal souls of men, created by God.
The philosophy, which was derived from a serious study of information received in communications with discarnate spirits, deals with the details of spirit life and the journey of evolution through the process of reincarnation. A natural consequence of that philosophy is the understanding of the role we play in our own spiritual evolution, which is ultimately achieved through the efforts we make to grow, both morally and intellectually.
Spiritism helps us to understand the natural laws that govern that process of evolution. From a moral perspective, we follow the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ, as our model and guide.
The religious aspect stems from the moral ties between ourselves, and others, and the direction that Spiritism leads us, toward God, our creator, by helping us to understand life and by teaching us, ultimately, how to develop the ability to love, in the greatest sense of the word.
Source: Explore Spiritism
It reveals new and more profound concepts with respect to God, the universe, mankind, the spirits and the laws which govern life.
Even more, it reveals what we are, from where we have originated, to where we shall go, and the cause of our pains and sufferings.
Spiritism touches on all areas of human knowledge, of all activities and the behavior of Human Beings.
Source: Explore Spiritism
What Does it Reveal?
What Does Spiritism Teach?
God is the supreme intelligence and primary cause of all things. God is eternal, immutable, unique, omnipotent, supremely just and good.
The universe is a creation of God. It encompasses all beings, whether they be rational or irrational, animate or inanimate, material or immaterial.
All the laws of nature are divine laws because God is their author. They cover both the physics and moral laws.
Source: Explore Spiritism
Spiritism can and should be studied, analyzed and put into practice in all fundamental aspects of life, such as: science, philosophy, religion, ethics, morality, education and social life.
All practical Spiritism (mediumship, dissemination, fraternal assistance) is free of any charge, which follows the Gospel principle that we must "give for free what we receive for free".
Spiritism is practiced without rites or rituals, adhering to the Christian principle that God should be adored in spirit and truth.
There is no ministry within Spiritism, neither does it adopt or use in its meetings or in its practices any of the following: special vestments, alcoholic beverages, incense, tobacco, altars, banners, candles, processions, talismans, amulets, sacraments, the making of promises and the paying of penances, horoscopes, fortune telling with cards or sea shells, pyramids, crystals, or any other form of cultism.
Spiritism does not impose its principles. It invites all those who are interested in exploring its teachings to submit them to the test of reason before accepting them.
Mediumship, which permits the communication of the spirits with man, is a gift anyone can have, regardless of the belief system they may choose to follow.
Spiritist mediumship is only that which is practiced based upon the principles of Spiritism and within Christian morality.
Spiritism respects all religions, values all efforts towards the practice of goodness and recognizes that "a true person of goodness is one who fulfils the laws of justice, love and charity in their purest forms."
Source: Explore Spiritism
Practicing Spiritism
History
The information below was written by Allan Kardec in the 1860s, giving his personal explanation of the circumstances that led him to write the spiritist codification.
By the year 1848, several strange phenomena were gaining notoriety in the United States, consisting in noises, raps and movement of objects with no apparent cause. They would happen spontaneously, several times, with a characteristic intensity and frequency. However, it soon became clear that these phenomena could also occur through the presence of certain people whom were known as "mediums". These people could provoke the phenomena at will, making experiments possible. Such experiments were made using tables, not because these objects are more favorable than others, but because they were more convenient, movable, and because it was easier to sit around them than any other furniture. In this way the rotation of tables was achieved, and subsequently, movements in all directions: jumps, turns, fluctuations, violent strokes etc. These phenomena were originally called 'table dancing' or 'table turning'. (read more)
Fundamentals
Existence of God
Immortality of the Soul
Reencarnation
Mediumship
Plurality of Inhabited Worlds
The information below is a brief list of the most fundamental concepts of the spiritist codification.
God is the supreme intelligence, first cause of all things.
God is eternal, immutable, immaterial, unique, omnipotent, supremely just and good.
The Universe is God's creation. It encompasses all rational and non-rational beings, both animate and inanimate, material and immaterial.
In addition to the corporeal world inhabited by incarnate Spirits, which are Human Beings, there exists the spiritual world, inhabited by discarnate Spirits. (read more)
Teachings
The information below was written by Allan Kardec in the 1860s, giving his personal outline of the Spirits' teachings which are the bases of the Spiritist codification.
1. God is the supreme intelligence, the first cause of all the things. God is eternal, infinite, unique, immaterial, all-powerful, sovereignly just and good. He has to be infinite in all his perfections since, if we could suppose imperfectness of even one of his attributes, he would not be God. (read more)
What is a medium?
A medium is anyone who possess the ability to perceive the spirit world in any way. Since such awareness is found in everyone, Spiritism teaches that 'we are all mediums'. Now, for the sake of clarity, when Spiritism talks about mediumship it refers to the person whose awareness of the spirit world has reached a level in which the person is conscious of the phenomena and in which direct, controlled spirit communication is at least a possibility. In all mediumship phenomena the medium is just the messenger for the communication and not the author. (read more)
Medium Q&A
Prayer is an invocation through which, by means of thought, man enters into communication with the being to whom he directed himself. This may be for the purpose of asking for something, giving thanks or as a glorification. We may pray for ourselves or for others, for the living or for the dead. Prayers addressed to God are heard by those spirits who are charged with the execution of His will. All those addressed to good spirits are referred to God. When someone prays to beings other than God, these are serving as mediators or intercessors, because nothing can be done without it being God's will. (The Gospel According to Spiritism , Ch. 27, Item 9) (read more)
Prayers
1- Is Spiritism part of the occult?
The dictionary defines occult as meaning:
Hidden and difficult to see; "an occult fracture";
Having an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding; "mysterious symbols"; "the mystical style of Blake"; "occult lore"; "the secret learning of the ancients".
It is true that in the past, and still today those who do not understand Spiritism claim that is part of the occult. This has always been untrue. By its very nature Spiritism works to clarify and explain both the spirit related phenomena, spirit evolution and the divine laws that govern the universe to anyone who wishes to learn. So in no way is it mysterious, hidden, beyond ordinary understanding, or counter intuitive. (read more)
Myths & Misconceptions
Recordings of talks given at the Spiritist Society of Chicago can be found on our YouTube channel.