Spiritism is the French form of Spiritualism that was developed and promoted by Allan Kardec (Leon-Denizard-Hippolyte Rivail—1804–1869).
Kardec was a member of the Society of Magnetism, which led to his investigation of somnambulism, trance, clairvoyance, and similar phenomena. In 1850, the phenomenon of table tipping came to France. Kardec recognized it as an important step in the communication between the worlds of the living and the dead. However, he was not himself a medium and so had to rely on others for all of his information. He was encouraged by the spirits to publish his findings. The title given to his first book of spirit teachings (again on the advice of the spirits themselves) was Le Livre des Esprits or The Spirits’ Book (1857). The book sold extremely well throughout France and across the Continent. From later material, Kardec published The Mediums’ Book (1861), which came to rank right alongside its precursor.
One of the teachings received by Kardec was the acknowledgement of reincarnation as a fact. This was—as it still is, with Spiritualists—a controversial subject. Kardec made a point of publishing only views that agreed with his acceptance of reincarnation. He also dismissed such things as physical mediumship, totally ignoring such famous physical mediums as Daniel Dunglas Home, for example, because Home did not believe in reincarnation.
Over the years Kardec’s influence faded in his native France but flourished in South America—especially Brazil—and, to a lesser extent, in the Philippines. Kardec had adopted the terms “Spiritism” and “Spiritist” for his version of Spiritualism. These terms were used in South America along with the term “Kardecism” (Kardecismo). Today in Brazil there are Kardecist/Spiritist psychiatric hospitals in operation and fully accepted. The Instituto Brasileiro de Pesquisas Psicobiofisic, or the Brazilian Institute of Psycho-Biophysical Research, collects and studies Spiritist works. It was founded in 1963 by Hernani Andrade.
According to Guy Lion Playfair (The Flying Cow, 1975), “Members of Kardecist centres tend to come from the upper and middle classes, and they may be federal and state deputies, city mayors, police chiefs, surgeons, lawyers, bank managers, engineers, doctors—in fact, members of any profession you care to name.” He also makes the point that Spiritists may also be Spiritualists but the reverse may not be true. Playfair said, “Followers of umbanda and candomblé may loosely be termed Spiritists as well, but when a Brazilian declares himself to be an espírita, he means that he is a believer in Kardecist Spiritism.”
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